Best Food in Chinatown Chicago

During a visit with my extended family in a suburb of Chicago, my sister and I decided to head downtown to explore Chinatown. In keeping with my policy of not driving cars into major cities when on vacation, we took the Metra train. This allowed us to avoid paying for valet parking at the hotel and kept us from having to look for parking in busy Chinatown.

Food Tour

Since this was my first visit to Chicago’s Chinatown, we decided to book a tour.   I enjoy organized food tours when visiting a new city because they often highlight the best food stops that the city has to offer. The day before our tour was scheduled, the weather turned, and it was predicted to be rainy for the next several days. With our tour beginning early the next day, we decided to head into the city the night before and stay at a hotel to avoid taking the train during the morning commute. It turned out to be a good call, as we were able to take our time and leisurely make our way to the hotel in the afternoon. Arriving at the Hyatt Place Chicago/River North the evening before our tour, we had time to relax and enjoy a delicious dinner at Ema, the on-property Mediterranean-style restaurant created by celebrity chef CJ Jacobson. We woke up to a gloomy, rainy day the next morning, as predicted, but we did not let that stop us from enjoying the city.

Chinatown in the Rain

We had booked our tour of Chinatown with Chicago Food Planet Tours and were provided with a meeting spot near the entrance of Chinatown— just a quick Uber away from the hotel. As it turned out, the weather had scared everyone away and we were the only two people on our tour that day.  Our guide did not let that bother her, continuing as enthusiastically as if she had a group of ten along for the tour. We headed out with our umbrellas and rain ponchos and started our tour.

Cantonese Food

The first stop was the Triple Crown Restaurant, a top-rated Cantonese restaurant right near the Chinatown gate. Triple Crown specializes in Dim Sum.  Unlike other food tours in other cities that I have been on, this tour has a sit-down stop at several points. We were greeted and taken to an upstairs table alongside the window, overlooking Chinatown with a direct view of the Pui Tak Center. Here our guide explained the customs of the Chinese tea service (while serving us some delicious tea).  

She also explained how traditional dim sum is ordered so that if we were to order dim sum again on our own we would know what to do. 

Several different dim sum selections were chosen for us and presented for tasting.

The portions were very generous.  We had steamed pork buns, deep fried taro, and shrimp dumplings. All were delicious. While we tasted the different dishes our guide explained the history of Chinatown, specifically of the Pui Tak Center.  I won’t spoil the tour for you by providing all the details but suffice it to say, it was very interesting.

Buddhist Temple

After finishing our dim sum we put our raincoats back on and headed out into the driving rain. Next up on the tour was a location I would never have thought to enter if I was walking around Chinatown on my own, the International Buddhism Friendship Association.  The entrance is nondescript, and although there is a large sign out front I would not have realized it was a place open to the public.

Once inside, after removing our shoes, we were able to enter the temple to look at the altars, with intricate statues, and food offerings.  Our guide was very knowledgeable about the customs and practices of Buddhism, explaining some of the faith’s beliefs and guiding principles. It was a very calm and welcoming place.

Bakery Time

Back outside again, we headed to a bakery, Chiu Quin, which serves traditional baked goods and dim sum.  

Here, we sampled bean paste baby moon cake and winter melon cake.  I have never had either of these pastries before. They were delicious!  These pastries are not very sweet. The winter melon cake has just a subtle sweetness and a chewy texture. It has such a unique flavor I have been craving it ever since our tour! The bean paste baby moon cake was filled with sticky red bean paste.

Spicy, Spicy Sichuan Food

Now it was time for a walk to the next stop.  Along the way, our guide kept us entertained with information and interesting insights into Chinese culture, history, and architecture. Next up was Lao Sze Chuan restaurant. They specialize in traditional Sichuan cuisine. I  was excited to try this restaurant; it has earned many local and national accolades such as “Best “Chinese Restaurant” and Most Authentic Chinese Restaurant.” Once inside, there was a table waiting for us.  Tea was served and we were shown the pink peppercorns.

If you have never chewed a pink peppercorn it is quite an experience – again, no spoilers.  After trying the peppercorns, we were presented with full plates of various Szechuan-style dishes: spicy cabbage, Asian eggplant, dry chili chicken, and Chinese broccoli.

All were delicious, but most were very spicy and I am a wimp when it comes to spice. There was no way we could eat everything that was presented to us (the portions were very generous) so we had the leftovers boxed to take with us. This move, however, proved to be a mistake, as the next morning we woke up to our entire hotel room smelling like a Chinese restaurant.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Another stop on our tour allowed us time to browse around a traditional Chinese herbalist shop.  There were many “no photography” signs, so, unfortunately, I do not have photos to share. The shop was filled with large glass jars each containing a different variety of root, tea, or dried item.  There were many versions of ginseng, as well as birds nests, dried sea cucumbers, and other sea creatures.  Very interesting items. 

As we walked between stops, we passed several interesting areas where we were able to stop and take photos. Our guide did not rush us at all but instead explained what we were seeing. The mosaic depicts the history of Chinese immigrants in the US.

Bubble Tea Treat

Our next stop was Joy Yee Noodle for, oddly enough, bubble tea.  Not just a sample but a full-size tea! I can honestly say that this was the best I have ever had, and I do enjoy bubble tea.  

Ping Tom Memorial Park

With our bubble teas in one hand and our umbrellas in the other, we were escorted through a residential area, over the railroad tracks (after waiting for a very LONG freight train to pass), and into Ping Tom Memorial park on the bank of the Chicago River. The beautiful park was deserted, I assume because of the weather. From here, we had a great view of an interesting railroad bridge.  The Pennsylvania vertical-lift railroad bridge is the only bridge of its type that crosses the Chicago River, sitting only ten feet above the water. It was built in 1915 for the Pennsylvania railroad and today is used by Metra train traffic coming into and out of Chicago.

As the tour wound down, we were able to enjoy the park while sipping our bubble teas. We said goodbye to our guide and went back to our hotel.  All in all, it was a great day, and we were able to see so much more of the real Chinatown than we would have seen if we were only wandering around on our own.  I am very happy we took the tour.

Do you prefer an organized tour when checking out a new area or do you like to explore on your own?

 

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