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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES
Chinese, Asian
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
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meals, features

Location and contact

Chinatown
2.4 km from Shedd Aquarium
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Reviews (201)
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78
51
28
11
18
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LanguageEnglish
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Traveller rating
78
51
28
11
18
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All reviews chilli small restaurant chinatown dishes schezwan
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Reviewed 1 August 2023 via mobile

Food is excellent. We love the Roasted Peking Duck. Very authentic! If anything can be criticized than that all dishes appear at the same time.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 12 July 2023 via mobile

The best Chinese food I’ve had anywhere. Their food is consistently good and the service is good and friendly. The restaurant is very popular and is almost always full which is a tribute to their quality of food.

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 20 April 2023 via mobile

This is THE place for Chinese. While we don’t have access to Chines regularly at home, we’ve eaten in Chinatown in NYC, DC and SF and the food here is excellent. Tremendous selection of dishes, good explanation of spicy levels, and food is served quick...( steam still pouring off)More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 28 May 2022 via mobile

This is a small restaurant. They definitely have dishes with a spicy kick. We ordered Singapore rice noodle and dry chicken chili. Unfortunately it was very dry, spicy and we were missing a gravy dish. It was just the most popular order. The service is...ok. They said they don't have alcohol but we saw them serving beer.More

Date of visit: May 2022
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Reviewed 29 June 2021 via mobile

This is located in the better area of Chicago’s Chinatown in my opinion. The food was delicious. We ordered seven different things and it all was really good. Prices were reasonable. Portions were very big. We could of split the meals.

Date of visit: June 2021
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Reviewed 2 February 2020

The food reminded them of home. They were so torn wanting to order everything on the menu. What we ended up with was very good.

Date of visit: November 2019
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Reviewed 31 December 2019 via mobile

More like American style Si Chuan food. The owner showed off some celebrities on their menu but the taste was way below average.

Date of visit: December 2019
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 30 November 2019

I just happened to walk into this place and sat down. The service was friendly and the food delicious. I was not brave enough to try some of the more authentic dishes, as intestines are not my fave. The chicken dish I had was great...and the meal very reasonably priced.More

Date of visit: November 2019
Helpful?2  
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Reviewed 25 November 2019 via mobile

Had dinner prior to seeing the light show on Michigan Avenue. Wonderful meal with super tasty food. We ate early so the place was not crowded. Place was full by the time we left due to people coming after the Bears game. Crispy mayonaise shrimp,...Szechuan green beans and triple chili chicken were all AWESOME.More

Date of visit: November 2019
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Reviewed 6 November 2019

A Must for the Chinese Restaurant. There are so many dishes that attract your attention there and you should try them as many as you can.

Date of visit: May 2019
Helpful?2  
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Reviewed 10 August 2019

We had a luscious Dinner here.Line formed outdoor but smooth and welcoming host.Waiter helpful with menu choices.Be extra careful to order veggies with your dishes, otherwise tends to be greasy and lacking balance of protein & veggies.Specify kids order without spicy ingredients along the type...of sauce and veggies (funny mushrooms kind not a fave with our kid). Sapporo beer had a strong wheat flavor.Make sure your choice of tofu comes in the texture you like - crispy vs soft/mushy.We recommend the hot pot with beef which is very spicy.More

Date of visit: August 2019
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Reviewed 7 August 2019

My daughter took me to lunch as a treat, and what a treat it was! We ordered the Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken; Szechuan String Beans; and the Mapo Tofu. All three were delicious. Portions were very large so we also were able to enjoy...the "leftovers".More

Date of visit: July 2019
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Reviewed 6 August 2019

Five of us had a late lunch. We took the last table left. We were some of the few non-asians in the place (a good sign). We were given a free appetizer of Cabbage in chili oil, amazing! We ordered a lot of different foods,...traditional and not. Most of us are vegetarian and we had no problem finding food on the large menu. The service was good, the food was fantastic, and all of us came out happy!More

Date of visit: June 2019
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Reviewed 19 July 2019

Just had a really fine dinner at Lao Sze Chuan with my daughter and a friend who were hitting town a bit after "regular" dinner hour. The lamb with cumin was especially amazing, as were the garlic green beans. And everything else (pork pot stickers,...dan dan noodles, hot dry chili chicken, free app of spicy cabbage salad) was delicious. Service was a little random feeling, but once we got our order in, it are out fast. Total for 3 people, with leftovers, was $67. Which isn't cheap, but seemed quite reasonable.If you like it spicy, this place will definitely tickle your taste buds! And they serve 'til midnight.More

Date of visit: July 2019
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Reviewed 7 July 2019 via mobile

Went on Saturday night. Our first visit to Chicago Chinatown. Everything we had was superb. The spicy cabbage they gave us as a free appetizer was out of this world and has my wife searching for the recipe online! Very light and tasty spring rolls....Just about the best hot and sour soup I've had full of flavor and nice dark broth. We had Szechuan chicken and general tsos chicken and both were incredible. Very highly recommend. Parking can be an issue like anywhere else in Chicago but it was totally worth the time! Don't miss this placeMore

Date of visit: July 2019
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LAO SZE CHUAN, Chicago - 2172 S Archer Ave, Chinatown - Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Lao Sze Chuan

Yes, Lao Sze Chuan offers takeaway services.

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Lao Sze Chuan is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 3.5
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 3