Lao Sze Chuan
| Address: | 520 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA |
| Phone: | +1 312-595-0888 |
| Site: | laoszechuanchicago.com |
| Rating: | 3.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
CH
Christian Barrera
To start out, Id like to say that I am not a person who is angered easily. Also, I work in a restaurant as well so whenever we go to restaurants I always make sure to take care of the server if they took care of us. We have never eaten at a Chinese Restaurant before this one, so we were asking general questions about the menu. The server (her name is Lori, Lauri, Laury? I dont care.) she was EXTREMELY rude, she seemed annoyed at the questions I had and I wasnt looking at the time but my girlfriend said she was rolling her eyes. When I was ordering our food as well, she wasnt even looking at us! Serious face and she was paying attention to some commotion going on on the other side of the restaurant. After we ordered our food, she left and didnt come back until our meal was over. A bus person and 2 other people brought us our water and food, and I was still going to leave a 10% tip but I was going to just leave it at the table. When we gave the check back, she counted it in FRONT OF US and asked us that if we knew that tip is not included in the check. Obviously, this didnt sit well with us as she came off extremely condescending. I said yes I know, were going to leave it on the table. For the next 10 minutes, she continued to look at our table like a hawk to check if we were leaving a tip, her and the manager. Anyways, at this point I didnt even want to leave a tip but I left $1 and started walking out. She went to the table and immediately tracked us down (with the help of her manager, he knew what was going on.) She has the audacity to ask us "You left one dollar?? Why? Was my service bad?" We tell her that yes, she didnt do much and was extremely rude. She then gave me the dollar back and said "you need this more than I do." What the hell?? So we said yup goodnight and walked out! A tip is not something youre entitled to, especially if youre going to be an enormous prick. If I try to earn a good tip, I make sure to treat the customer with respect and always smile even if I dont think Im going to get anything. This was the worst experience I have ever had with this restaurant, the worst $42.20 I have ever spent. I do not recommend this place at all, and will deter people from coming here.
JE
Jeffrey Oleniacz
服务不好。 The service is really bad. I would not trust this restaurant to handle your celebrations. We come from a tradition where our Chinese family would have grand celebrations at a Chinese restaurant. I was looking to find that here in Chicago and maybe find an inspired cuisine from a new chef as well. Unfortunately, I never even got to taste the food because the service was so lacking. It was bad at all four levels of our interaction. We had reservations, but no hostess was to be found. When we first arrived, the bartender told us someone would help us, but no one did. When we returned to him he either already did not know who we were or else just feigned ignorance. In any case we were made to feel stupid for waiting until a hostess could be found to seat us. When she finally did come, she sat us in a table without even place settings. We were told a waitress would be there shortly, but we never even saw her. While we were waiting for a simple drink order, we had to see another Chinese couple seated next to us and immediately served. At this point we felt so neglected we just decided to leave and eat leftovers at home. We called to complain to a manager and he sounded concerned--even to the point of wanting to punish the waitstaff. Even he, however, was not concerned enough to fix the actual problem and forgot about us even after promising to call back and make things better before the weekend ended. So the one thing rare about this establishment? They neglected us at 4 levels--bartender, hostess, waitress, and manager. I do not know why you would possibly expect a passable experience here. We came to celebrate a decade of our relationship,. We left feeling like garbage not worth the concern of a restaurant at which we were perfectly willing to pay well for decent service. If they even would have done the bare basics, they wouldve won a loyal return customer--instead I felt inspired to write this.
NO
nohatmonkey
I dont know what the 1-star people are talking about. My visit here with my wife and kids was exceptional. We got seated right away - at 5:30 on a Friday night! The waitress was attentive but not overbearing - I could see her eyeing us from a distance, checking on drinks and whatnot without bothering us all the time, which is exactly what you want in a server. Our food was excellent - Mongolian beef, duck fried rice and Dragon & Phenix (shrimp and chicken). Ive never been to China but the food seemed pretty authentic, or at any rate original and unique compared to what you would get in a chain restaurant like PF Changs, although they do still have some of the staples for the non-adventurous types. And at the risk of sounding racist, about 90% of the patrons were Asian(!) - which, in my mind, is the high-water mark of quality and authenticity when the majority of diners at a culturally specific restaurant are from that culture.
BR
Brendon Anderson
The weekday lunch buffet is what drew me in at first - great deal, great food - so decided to stop by for dinner with some colleagues one day. The hostess recommended the Peking Duck while we were waiting for a table, and boy are we glad we tried it. Succulent and satisfying and cool presentation by the chef, much better than the ducks you find at other Chinese restaurants. My Chinese co-worker certified its authenticity as well. It came with lots of sides - definitely worth the price. Other hits were the dry chili chicken, lamb cumin powder, hot & spicy pot, lemon crispy shrimp, and soup dumplings (best Ive had!). Our server gave great recommendations. If youre an adventurous eater and/or a fan of spicy food craving authentic Chinese cuisine in an upscale yet comfortable ambiance, you wont be disappointed. Wish they had a happy hour. Ill be back Lao and Im telling everyone I know!
LA
Lauren Ellington
waitress extremely disrespectful. She avoided seating me from the moment I walked into the restaurant. Cashier was very pleasant and asked the waitress to seat me. The waitress never left the vacinity of my table, continued to imply that I should eat that the "10 dollar buffet" and eat outside in the lobby. Obviously, if I asked to be seated Im prepared to pay for my meal. Never gave me the opportunity to view the menu in peace , continued to push the buffet. At this point, I became extremely upset and decided to leave the restaurant. I would not recommend this place to my dog, let alone another human being. It should be closed. The audacity to imply that someone should eat outside and only pay for the ten dollar buffet because this menu is too much for one person was distasteful , and rude.
KI
Kim Trang
We arrived around 11:30am on Friday and the restaurant was less than a quarter full. Thirty minutes later it was completely packed. The service was exceptional: people came to refill my cup with water when I’ve only taken a few sips, the waitress was responsive despite the busyness, our food came out at a reasonable time. We got the Szechuan string bean, orange beef tenderloin, fish fillet tofu, and jelly fish shanghai style. Overall, the dishes were average—nothing stood out as distinct or delicious. If I had to pick a favorite dish, it would be the fish fillet tofu. The dishes were also a bit pricey for the portions that you get; I recommend another restaurant or the other location in Chinatown (I’ve heard it’s better).
