Chef Bao Chinese Restaurant

Reviews 11

CH

Christopher Vandiver

My girlfriend and I were staying near chinatown and decided to check out the food. We were really excited due to this being our first time there. We went to this restaurant based on the good reviews. Their menu is pretty expansive. When we asked for guidance on what to eat the waiter told us about the popular dishes but was very deceptive about the spiciness and how we can ask to change it to mild or non spicy. I like spicy so I ordered the spicy chicken in a hot wok. It had a few Jalepenos floating in it, but that was about it. It was pretty bland. My girlfriend cant handle any heat, she ordered something the waiter pointed out to her and was told she would have it not as spicy. Im not sure why he said that was possible. The dish was made of boned chicken, Jalepenos, dried red peppers, and a few sweet peppers. The jalepenos and red peppers could have been taken out, but they were not. Granted, it would have been a piss poor dish without them. When we asked if it was the correct order all we got were apologizes and asked if we wanted some glasses of water. Which we asked for when we placed our order, but never received. In retrospect, I probably should have made more of a fuss, but I just asked for the check and left our food. I will not recommend this place to anyone, actually Ill detest it to anyone who will listen lol.

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Chris Mayes

We were in the South Loop Sunday afternoon, which was unusual for us, so we decided to hike over to Chinatown for dinner. Id made a note that Lao Hunan had Genero Tsaos Tofu, which Id hoped would evoke the chicken original that Id been missing for all of these years. We arrived a bit after 8 pm. The dining area was about half-full and we were seated immediately. We were served hot tea and ice water almost as soon as wed sat down. The tea was hot, but not terribly flavorful. We selected the sought-after dish along with an order of crispy fried eggplant. Our waters were topped off regularly while we waited for our food to arrive. When they did (served a couple of minutes apart), they were quite hot (temperature-wise) and were served with a large quantity of dried red pepper. Once theyd cooled to a safer state, we dug in. The eggplant was indeed crispy and very salty (which is a compliment for us). The orange-tinged oil coating our plate made it clear that this was not health food. The General Tsaos Tofu was not breaded, as Id hoped it would be. The tofu and vegetables were served in a tasty sweet-and-sour sauce, but it wasnt the dish that I was expecting; I dont think I would order it again. Despite this, we were very pleased with both the meal and the service and would happily visit again.

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Vincent Sartor

This place was a fun place to eat with a huge menu! The wait staff is decked out in green "standardized uniforms" from communist China era. The idea was that everyone would wear the same clothes, no matter their social class, work, or gender. The green clothes were for soldiers and the Red Guard, while the factory workers wore a blue version with a red tie. We had Pot Stickers(good), Egg Roll(okay), Lychee Smoothie(not fresh, but tasty on a hot day), Fried Bun with Condensed Mild (Great flavor with good texture light and fluffy- more like a dessert), Spicy and Crispy Chicken(okay - Too Salty and Dry, all the heat seemed to be from large amount of chopped red pepper), General Tsaos Beef (okay - sauce was too sweet) While waiting for our food we saw some incredible looking dishes being served around, and wished we had more insider knowledge. The table beside us has an entire fried fish that them seemed to really enjoy. It was definitely worth the trip. One last note - if you are one of those people that rate places based on how nice the bathroom is, you may want to stay out of this one. While it was not that dirty - it was not close to clean.

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Hayley Stokar

Lao Hunan affords a dining experience like no other in Chicago. Its kitschy, Mao-themed decor includes a banner that says, "Serving People" across one entire wall of the establishment (pretty funny, considering its a restaurant). The other wall boasts a hall of fame of notable figures who came from Hunan province. The young, friendly waitstaff all sport chinese communist uniforms (not kidding) to match the decor. Even people with no sense of humor will love Lao Hunan, because the food is absolutely delicious. Though strange animals like turtle and frog appear on the menu, my party decided on some chicken, beef and vegetable dishes. Everything was incredibly tasty--spicy but not too spicy. The dishes came out in under ten minutes. Also, the price is right! Rarely can you feast so well for so little. Hop on the red line ASAP and head to Lao Hunan.

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David May

They really need to hire people who speak coherent English when taking orders over the phone. I understand theyre in Chinatown but if youre running a business here in America please learn our English language. Im all for being proud of where you come from but you shouldnt be doing a job that requires you to clearly speak another language but you cant. I got so frustrated asking the person over the phone about how many people does the Mongolian Beef serve that I finally hung up. Luckily for them someone who spoke decent English called me back and promptly answered my question. Hopefully their food is good cuz their mastery of the English language is not.

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Jeff Guerrero

When they say spicy, they mean spicy! Great for me, but definitely could be offputting for people that cant handle it. Located in the heart of Chinatown, with delicious food. Highly recommend the salted fried fish (it is spicy!) as well as any of the pork belly dishes. They are so savory and amazing. Also have a great selection of bubble teas! It might seem like a communist themed restaurant, but dont let that scare you away.

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Tim Cullen

I lived in China for three years and the food here tastes just like I remember it. I ate my favorite dishes 口水鸡 (chicken served cold in spicy sauce) and 水煮牛肉 (shredded beef boiled and served in spicy sauce with cabbage and bean sprouts). If you have never had authentic Chinese before you really should try it. Its totally different than the average takeout place.

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Mohannad Safadi

The service here is pretty bad. I wasnt sure who our waiter was, and there was no one to help. All they did was watch TV. The food was good, none the less they did mess up our order and made us pay for food we didnt order. Probably due to the fact that no one spoke English.

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Susan Golland

Lau Hunan offers authentic Chinese regional food in a cafeteria style venue. The Mao infulenced decor felt a little heavy handed, but my food was delicious and with an extensive menu, I would definitely go back again to try more of what they have to offer.

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Josh Woodward

So good. The Royal Mushroom with Jade Tofu Japanese Style was especially awesome, and something completely different. The Famous Stir Fried Lamb had an interesting tongue-tingling spicy flavor, but had too much cilantro. Very interesting decor :)

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EyesSetOnTheHorizon

Food is fast and simple. Tasted good. Large selection. Some unique personal takes on menu items. Docked two starts for having a giant painting of murderous Chairman Mao on the wall.

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