Chengdu Impression Restaurant
| Address: | 2545 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614, USA |
| Phone: | +1 773-477-6256 |
| Site: | chengduimpressionrestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
DA
David Carlos
Awesome Sichuan (Szechuan) Chinese food. Chengdu by the way is the capital of the Sichuan province, hence the name. The place is rather cozy affair but its not cramped. The three times Ive been at least half the clientele was Asian, a very good sign that youre getting some authentic food. I was lucky enough to visit China a couple of years ago and this is definitely the closest Ive gotten to authentic Sichuan Chinese food since my visit. Service is pleasant enough if rather curt, and theyre normally quick to take your order and refill your drink as needed. Some people may take it as slightly rude how all business A lot of the food is very spicy, though not in the same way a buffalo chicken wing or Mexican food might be spicy. Many dishes, like the Dry Chili Chicken, make liberal use of both chilies and red Sichuan peppercorns that give the food a spicy, mouth numbing taste thats rather unique compared to other kinds of hot spicy food. They do have less spicy, and non spicy dishes, but they generally pale in comparison to the authentic dishes. Dishes are generally meant to be shared, the idea is to order a few and then split them amongst your table. For 3 hungry guys, 3 protein dishes, a vegetable dish, and some white rice is about the perfect amount. I havent had yet had the hot pot, but I certainly mean to next time I go. Id definitely recommend the Twice Cooked Pork with Pancake, which is pork belly thats sliced thin and blanched then stir fried in a spicy sauce with leeks , bell peppers, celery, and pieces of savory leek pancake. The Dry Chili Chicken and Dry Chili Beef with Celery are also very good, but Id recommend only one of these type of plates per about 3 people so as to not overwhelm yourselves with spice. The Sichuan String Beans are also really tasty, as is the eggplant dish. The General Tso Chicken that my less spice loving friend ordered was just okay. Good for a nicer Americanized Chinese place but again it pales in comparison to the more authentic dishes. Awesome place and definitely worth checking out.
EL
El HK
The food was delicious and authentic. I went with friends and we shared 5 dishes. Xiao long bao, chili pepper fried chicken, beef soup with tofu, pea tips with garlic, and cold cucumber salad. The xiao long bao was a bit disappointing, there wasnt much soup inside which is the main point! The flavor was good but the dumpling skin was overpoweringly floury. I would pass on this dish. The cucumbers and pea tips were very fresh and delicious, definitely try one, you wont be sorry! The beef soup with tofu had tender beef and the spiciness was spot on. I loved the chili fried chicken (la zi ji), it too was very fresh and the crispy chili added a good kick. The older waitress seemed only to speak to the tables with Chinese people and didnt seem willing to go to tables with non- Chinese people at it. That wasnt very cool and a bit perplexing because one of the people at my table was Chinese, but I guess she only wanted to speak to all Chinese tables. Our waiters wasnt Chinese and he was very cool and nice, taking over at the tables the waitress didnt want to go to. The atmosphere/ ambiance of the place was non existent. The decor is nice enough but it felt like eating food at a buffet where people could watch you eating as they waited for a table. All in all, go for the food, its definitely worth it. Call ahead and make a reservation because it got packed pretty fast. Dont expect too much from some of the staff though, that was the main disappointing experience.
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Lawrence Eagles
Wonderful, authentic Szechuan food. The prior poor review for the hot wok chicken made me curious how everything els could be so good, but this dish so awful. So I tried it. First few bites were great, then came the salty taste. so I drank some water.. that had suddenly become salty too. Bok Choy.... salty. so I looked out into it. Szechuan cuisine uses a spice that to some people radically enhances the salty taste. Eat some rice and the salty taste goes away. Weird, but to my wife it was an intense lemony taste. Dont let this spice put you off this place. Its only this dish (and it is worth trying for the sensation alone). Dont expect soy sauce drenched fayre that you get in other "traditional" restaurants though. Loses a star though for limited alcohol offerings. .
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Lauren Freeman
I have also NEVER written a negative restaurant review until now. This place was AWFUL! I ordered delivery, thinking it was the old Jias Restaurant (the guy on the phone told me it was the "new" Jias). Boy was I wrong. The Hot Wok Chicken was completely inedible. I had to dump the entire dish down the disposal! It was as if they had poured an entire shaker of salt into the dish and the flavors were simply strange and terrible. in addition, the guy on the phone told me it would be medium spicey and the dish was FILLED with hot Chinese red peppers. The Chicken Fried Rice was also rediculously salty but I was hungry and ate it anyway. DO NOT order from here; You will be VERY disappointed. Sad, because we loved Jias.
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A Private User
I have never written a bad review about a place, but after my experience with Jias I feel compelled to just on the hope that I could save someone from making the same mistake. My husband and I ordered from them, sesame chicken and pad thai, pretty standard chinese food. It took them an hour and a half to get here, they said it would be right over. We open up our food, and the slop we found is basically indescribable. Still optomistic I decided to give it a try. Seriously. The grossest food I have ever eaten. Ever. Pink slimy mess. If I could upload a picture to prove it to you, I would. Do not go there, and DEFINITELY do not order from them.
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Rachael Miller
We eat here regularly, and we became sad when they closed for the kitchen remodel. Ever since re-opening the food has been even better! I frequently order the fried noodle combo and the pea leaves. My husband loves the Mongolian chicken. There used to be a small hint of burnt oil taste to the food and ever since they got the new kitchen, it is completely gone! Next time your in talk to Demitrio - he has excellent customer service. Im so glad to have an actual authentic cuisine in our neighborhood! (believe me weve tried most of the others that are around - which are largely cheap, Americanized versions of the real thing)
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A Private User
At the corner of Halstead and Wrightwood, right next to Ace hardware, there is an oasis of good food among bad restaurants. It is in the form of a restaurant called Jia’s. It is my favorite place to eat of al time. It is a mixture of two of my favorite foods. Sushi and chicken with rice. The dish that you can’t miss is the Jia’s Crispy Chicken. They would ask you how spicy you wan it, mild, medium, or hot. When they say hot, they mean HOT! It has sautéed onions and zucchini mixed with chicken covered with their special sauce. It is awesome.
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Gwendolyn Webber
Saw Chengdu cuisine on tv and had to have it! Took me virtually no time at all to find this little gem. Ordered everything I saw on tv and it was fantastic! The tea smoked duck and the twice cooked pork were extremely tasty. The dumplings were perfect. The menu is large and has many more options to explore. Very much looking forward to my next visit....which will be soon. Please visit this place and enjoy. Get there early, this place is popular and fills up quickly but if you have a wait...wait, because its totally worth it.
