Chicago's Best Chinese Restaurants Outside of Chinatown

If you do n’t want to take a rideover to Chinatown , notice great Taiwanese nutrient in Chicago can be a slog . As much as our urban center has to provide on almost every culinary front , the tone of our Cantonese or Szechuan could afford to expand , especially in the trashy - takeout department . But as this is still a with child , divers city , it would be out of the question for us to not have some dandy stuff outside of the Near South Side , and certainly enough , if you know where to wait , you ’ll retrieve a few Formosan spots in a variety of styles – from modern fusion to former - trend Americanized diving – to keep even the most consecrated devotees happy .

Fat Rice

While many of the knockout at Fat Rice may not be familiar to fans of definitive Taiwanese - American takeout stick , they are still Formosan through and through . Fat Rice is arouse up the food of former Portuguese dependency Macau , which gives the eating place it ’s spinal fusion vogue , particularly plain in the paella - panache arroz gordo , where chorizo , seafood , duck , and egg make sweet love in a bed of Timothy Miles Bindon Rice ( but head up , it ’s a communal dish meant for two or more people ) . There are potstickers and noodles for those who want more familiar fare , but none of it is lacking in flavor or stirring .

Furama

Do n’t think you need to hike up down to Chinatown for great dim sum . Furama has an outlandishly large carte of steamed , fried , and stewed delight for you to choose from . Filling Uptown ’s craving for meat and veggies stuffed in tooshie since 1985 , Furama is run over with little pushcart dribble everything your Chinese - get laid hearts desire . The shrimp - goober pea and barbeque pork are standouts , but do n’t be afraid to stray by from the know and sample the Taro puffs or custard . No one matter will make much of a dent in your wallet , so try it all at least once .

Shanghai Inn

A reversion household - owned Chinese spot of the mellow lodge , Shanghai Inn is the type of lieu that is so simple , and yet so just , it take a leak you angry there are n’t places like this all over Chicago . class - own for multiple generations , it has a homey feel , and everything you could ever desire from your local Chinese restaurant . Sweet and rancid chicken ? Tangy and delicious . Egg foo young ? Great sauce , not too greasy . The eggs rolls are crispy , the portions are heavy ( like three repast bad ) , the prices are border crazy . What ’s not to do it ?

Sun Wah

Sun Wah does n’t hide out what it does honorable with an beguiling ( unless you ’re a vegetarian ) line of ducks hanging in the windowpane just waiting to be roasted . Sun Wah is Taiwanese barbecue , and the duck’s egg is the star ; order it ahead of time when you make your reservation and be treated to a multicourse dinner of soup , carved hoot , and fried rice , with plenty to go around for a radical , and at smile - inducing prices . Once you ’ve gotten the duck out of the mode , carry yourself back to the sparsely ornament but charmingly simple dining room and order the gamey joint pork barrel or any number of the Chinese favorites ; repeat as necessary .

Lao Sze Chuan

open in 1998 , Lao Sze Chuan has become a Chicago institution with locations in Uptown and Michigan Ave as well as several suburban outposts . Do n’t let the rapid ontogenesis fool you ; LSC has n’t lost a step . Instead , it has run raves , including from the Michelin guide , and for a reason . spate of Formosan eating place gasconade big menu , but Lao Sze Chuan ’s is truly expansive , with 100 of selection to pick out from . That might vocalize intimidate , but the name are familiar enough that you should have a proficient approximation what you are getting , and it ’s heavy to find a spoiled choice in the whole place , so make your good guess and dig in .

House of Wah Sun

As you wade through the sea of mediocre Chinese offer in Chicago , it really makes you appreciate when a position can just have the goods , no questions asked . Anyone who has gotten too many bland wilted orders of General Tso ’s chicken will light up when they open up up their order from House of Wah Sun : fresh , gamy - quality wimp in sauce that is perfectly spicy and packed with flavor . The heavyset hearty noodle are heaven for lo mein junkie . And the minor US Army of takeout and delivery habitue will testify to the rich percentage . They do not scrimp on the nub , as well as the quality of the service , in - house or out .

Dee’s Mandarin & Sushi Lounge

Yes , yes , sushi is n’t Chinese . Neither is kalbi or teriyaki . But this is America , and if a Chinese restaurant wants to have sushi and kalbi , and it ’s good , who are you to stop them ? Besides that mix , follow ’s owner Dee Kang ’s journey from a Chinese - Korean family to Japan and then Chicago . Dee ’s is no arcanum to Lincoln Park locals , who have keep the stead open since 1983 . The religious service is warm , the decor is tranquil and charming , and the Mongolian beef will be a lasting takeaway .

Yummy Yummy Asian Cuisine

A name like Yummy Yummy should be catnip to any aficionado of chinchy old - schooling Chinese takeout . ludicrous phrases are often the first sign that you ’ve found a jewel in the rough , and Yummy Yummy glow in an area of the city where great Chinese is sorely lack otherwise . Do n’t plan on eating in unless you may grab one of the five or so tables in the cramped “ dining room , ” but that should not block you because all your childhood pet ( seize you grew up eating Taiwanese takeout like some of us ) are here , and few places do them intimately . Across the instrument panel , the open remainder is the quality of ingredient : big chunks of ashen chicken meat ; fresh crispy vegetables , not too greasy or soggy . It ’s nothing tawdry , nothing new , just classic done right .

Friendship Chinese Restaurant

A long - stand Logan Square chop suey house , Friendship has undergo a terrific restoration into a worthwhile post to sit down and linger alternatively of grabbing takeout . Friendship ’s menu has quite a little of familiar term like “ Sesame ” and “ Kung Pao , ” but the food is cooked with a care not normally associated with those cheap paper box staple fiber . Beyond what ’s predictably good are things like the Barbarian scorch steak , chive heyday pork belly , and bird ’s nest of seafood and shredded tater .

Duck Duck Goat

We all know everything she concern turns to atomic number 79 , so it should add up as no surprisal to anyone that venerable Chicago chef Stephanie Izard ’s newest jaunt is as must - visit as its counterparts around the box . enliven by regional solid food that Izard encountered in her travels across China , Duck Duck Goat ’s menu is a catch pocketbook of original takes on street food , noodle shops , and dull sum dishes . conversant in a way , Duck Duck Goat has enough character to make it a really unique experience . If you are n’t positive yet , there is a share-out - sized looker simply called “ goat of the daylight . ”

Shanghai Terrace

Chinese is alight peculiarly atop the lean of culinary art that seem to resist the high - end treatment . Maybe it ’s the farseeing affiliation with greasy manner of speaking dishes and Chinatown dives , who knows , but it ’s a shame , because the bevy of flavors seem like they would be perfect in the hand of a sophisticated chef . At least Chicago has Shanghai Terrace , which gambol a voluptuous atmosphere atop the Peninsula Hotel with a sublime view of urban center . The bill of fare is small , with what you might call “ high-minded ” have on Peking duck’s egg and kung pao chicken , but you ’ve never had Peking duck thawing in your mouth like this . The truthful , and unexpected , stars may be the cocktail , which complete a fairly perfect dining experience .

Peking Mandarin

Sitting just a few blocks west of the Kimball Brown Line stay is a on-key locality muffin , worth the trip to the end of the line and a ducky for anyone within walk aloofness . Peking Mandarin is Korean - way Chinese , a fusion of Korean element with Chinese dish that is democratic fare in Korea . Regulars come from all over Chicago essay out spicy seafood noodles and sweet & sour pork , which amounts to solace food for many Korean immigrant and anyone else who get to taste it . If that ’s not your style , go another direction with the lollipop wimp wings , crispy , butterball , and cover in a viscid , blue sauce .

Han 202

alternatively of hop off at Chinatown , await one stop further and you ’ll find yourself at Han 202 in Bridgeport for a more unequaled dinner experience . The menu is a four - track prix fixe ( $ 35 ) of modern , beautiful organic evolution of traditional Formosan dishes , which is a nifty deal considering the caliber of what you are get . Feast on crispy quail , rack of lamb , or rib - eye steak in a racy miso sauce . Han 202 is the form of spot that gainsay your outlook for what to expect from Chinese dining without straying too far from what makes it great in the first spot . And do n’t worry about your bottle of wine driving up the price , because the restaurant is BYOB .

Duck Duck Goat