The 10 Best Asian Restaurants in Chicago, Illinois

Here is a review from an user.

Chi Yatai is one of my favorite small businesses in Chicago. My takeout budget isn't large, but I order from them times a month because it always feels good to support a family that deserves space in Chicago's food scene. Mier and her partner, John are helpful, considerate and open, and provide excellent customer service. Mier's parents help prepare their high-quality, fresh food. I'd call ahead with your order but it's worth the wait if you find yourself exploring Chinatown's Richland Center food court, which is located in the building's basement. Below are items I've tried from them: MENTAI MAYO TAKOYAKI My favorite item from Chi Yatai. I've had takoyaki in Osaka, Japan before, and this is the best I've had since. The size is generous, the outside is crispy and dressed with umami-rich toppings and the inside is soft with tender bites of octopus. Because of the made-to-order nature, keep in mind to call ahead or exercise patience for the wait. There is plenty of flavor in each piping-hot bite, and even my foodie friend who travels regularly to East and West coasts exclaimed it's the best takoyaki she's ever had! CHICKEN KATSU SANDO For the white meat lover, this massive breaded chicken sandwich comes with shredded cabbage and choice of sauce, wedged between fluffy pieces of bread. It's generously portioned and is competitively priced compared to other sandos in the city. ORIGINAL CHICKEN KAARAGE It has a light but crisp exterior with juicy chicken meat. Comes with a lemon wedge for a flavor explosion, no sauce needed! CHI YATAI KARAAGE DONBURI As a dark meat lover, this is becoming my new regularly ordered item. The tender pieces of chicken are topped with seaweed, Japanese mayo, and savory sauce, and sit atop a bed of perfectly cooked Japanese-brand Koshikari rice. The sizing is also very generous. PANDA BOBA TEA LATTE Smooth and balanced between the tea and milk, this is my go-to for jasmine milk tea. It comes with boba and clear jelly, and features quality organic milk, which I can digest with minimal discomfort without Lactaid, despite being lactose-intolerance. You can customize the ice and sugar level, which I appreciate as someone cutting down on sugar. FRUIT SMOOTHIES Creamy, fruit flavors that can be customized to be less sweet. I've tried the mango, but they also have strawberry, peach, and passion fruit, with the option to combine two flavors. MILK CUSTARD This melt-in-your-mouth dessert is topped with two pieces of ripe strawberry and is a delightful finish to a Chi Yatai meal. There's a choice of topping (plain, cocoa powder, matcha powder, or brown sugar boba), with cocoa powder being my favorite.

This is by far the best Thai food I've ever had. Ordered delivery and had Tom kha and jungle curry. The dishes are really well flavored and they use the right amount of spices! Price is fair and order portion is generous. Would order again.

delivery - still amazing and unexpectedly great! These dumplings are everything they should be. Great dumpling skin, great filling, great seasoning, flavor with depth and most of all, truly comforting!! They were able to use leek in their ingredients that I haven’t tasted since I left Taiwan, this made me think of home..! PS - re: owner’s note on compostable containers, it didn’t impact my experience! Sustainable is the way to go for me :)

The most delightful vegan pho!! Very rich, enjoyed it immensely!

I've only gotten delivery from here, and the food is amazing! Today was the third time I've ordered. I have a gluten allergy, and most of the menu is gluten friendly. Their broths are flavorful and the veggies are fresh!

This is a beautiful restaurant with DELICIOUS food! I love how they have a kiosk for customers to order food from. The Pho Broth is on point! The owner and employees are great and have a good sense of humor. Will definitely come back!

Fantastic place to grab a lunch! Great portions and the flavors were wonderful. They have 4 proteins to choose from then you pick the way you want to eat them. I had mine on a hoagie roll. Next time I do a boat tour with visitors we'll be stopping in!

My new favorite restaurant! There was a problem with my delivery because of "Grabhogg", but I was determined to try these succulent looking Bao, so I repeated my order. A few minutes later Ana herself called me to find out what happened and sent me a free Bao-nut for dessert! The second order arrived fast, beautifully sealed for my protection and everything inside was very delicious! Highly recommended!

I’ve been wanting to visit this restaurant since it opened, but I live like an hour away, so that want was put in the back burner. Finally, after doing some business related errands in Chicago I and two friends who I was with, decided to stop by. As I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised by the cozy ambiance of the place. It was tastefully decorated and the lighting was pleasant to the eyes, It was very clean too. I opted for beer while my friends opted for Iced Tea. They said the Ice tea was very much to their liking. We also ordered beef mami (beef noodle soup) and tokwa’t baby (pork and fried Tofu). I’ve been to several Filipino restaurants lately, but I must say this small unpretentious restaurant serve one of the best tasting dishes in Chicagoland, authentic Filipino food with a slight variation to make each dish their signature dish. I will definitely come back with an army of my Karaoke loving friends so they too can enjoy Ora’s cuisine. And the place is run by friendly, efficient staff. Even the diners were friendly. It made me feel Ora is home away from home.

Wow. First time having the all-beef Yugoslavian sausage and it was just incredible. We came here for the Vietnamese and were surprised to see a fusion Yugoslavian-Vietnamese menu. Turns out the husband is from the former and the wife is from the latter, and it worked incredibly well. We loved the sausage rolls, and while the mussles were a bit too chewy and not nearly as fresh/soft as others we've had at higher end places, the 'yummy' sauce it came with was just delicious and worked great with the bread. The big bread bun served with sausage in the photo here is the main dish everyone should order here. The bread was just so soft, fluffy and incredibly tasty. I personally loved the Pho so much and I want to go there just to have it again. Overall, this place was a delightful surprise and I wish I found about it sooner.

I was feeling done so I decided to order out for dinner and they gave me some biscuits on top of my order! It was a very pleasant surprise and made my day. The food was so so good, probably my favorite sushi place in Chicago! The food came very clean and well-packaged. When I crave sushi, I will definitely order out form here next time.

Awesome Korean fast food. Good BBQ plates, fabulous Fire Balls, everything was quick and fresh. Lots of Covid- safety precautions taken here. Highly recommend for dining in or take out.

Loved this place. The food was great, the atmosphere was nice, and the service is really good. From what I gathered they do a smaller menu but make sure every item on it is quality. We had popcorn chicken as an appetizer and it was very good. Chicken pieces came out crispy and delicious and they give a decent spicy mayo on the side. Good portion size for the price. For entrees we got the nomad burger and the spicy pork. The burger was really good and had a lot of flavor. The fries it comes with are decent too. The spicy pork was delicious and probably my favorite menu item. The service is probably what made us enjoy our trip so much. Our waiter was extremely nice and the food came out fast and fresh. Will be coming back for more soon!

Small place with an amazing menu! Delivery is quick and the food always arrives hot and fresh. Some favorites are the BBQ noodles, BBQ fried rice, panang curry, dragon maki, and the lime chicken (this one is delicious not great for delivery since the sauce can make the fried batter soggy). The Thai iced tea is solid, too. Honestly can't go wrong!

Ajida is a family run Japanese corner joint in the Loop. Family owned and operated, and amde it through COVid! Ajida is not your typical noodle shop, but rather, a cozy sit down joint focused on taste. Ajida's menu is paired down and simplified to present their best appetizers, teppanyaki and soups. Take it to go or phone ahead as lunch and dinner space is limited. We ordered the Udon and appreciate the delicate broth with so many flavors. Noodles and fixings are on point and portions are enough to share. Feels like I'm eating at my friend's parents house... even though I'm stuffed, I'm wanting more!

I absolutely love this spot! I’ve ordered about 4 times from here and it’s been consistent every time. I recommend the sesame chicken rice bowl and I always pair it with the raspberry tea. Their Bao Donut is crispy yet delicate and fluffy on the inside. They hand write a note for every order and its such a nice gesture. Please give this spot a try, it’s a truly a gem.

Really glad this place is still here. I thought the pandemic would shut it down, but it is still kicking. We visited relatively early in the afternoon and the place was still busy, so keep that in mind if you decide to go. Also, there are probably only seats in the whole place, including wall tables and communal benches. That being said, the Buddha bowls are huge and flavorful. I know everybody talks about the wings and those are great too, but I came for something huge and filled with meat and vegetables. These things are essentially bi bim bap, but with more veggies. The red sauce is fantastic, put that stuff on everything. Also the chicken is crispy as can be, I would recommend the Sassy Korean sauce on those boys: finger-lickin' tasty. It's a bit expensive for what is essentially Korean bar food, but Even the medium sized buddha bowl will will finish you off.. I could barely walk. Mine had the sliced beef on top. Kinda wish the physical bowls themselves were larger because they can be awkward to eat, but you figure it out eventually. Hope this place is here for years to come.

AMAZING! My nephew recommended this place. At first sight it was packed an not super fancy, but the food was worth it all! We stopped in on a Friday night it was very busy when we arrived, once seated it cleared out. The food service was very fast an the food was beyond my expectations. I order the miso soup great flavor, Sesame chili shrimp taco Phenomenal! It was so flavorful with a sesame chili aïoli, cilantro onion relish, slaw that all went so well together. Sambal fish taco, a lot larger then shrimp taco with great flavor and taste. My sister had the Bulgogi Banh Mi sandwich, I don’t eat red meat but she loved it. Im only visiting town an really want to go back before I leave! UPDATE! I went back a second time an it was well worth it!

Excellent excellent excellent service. We were served by the owner Dan and he was so incredibly attentive to the needs of every table making each guest feel so special. Ordered a plethora of tea and Vietnamese coffee which was perfect with our meal. The portion sizes were smaller than expected for noodle and rice dishes but the meat was flavorful and tender. I wish that the dish had a bit more flavor but I do think that this is a great place to try on a week night for a good meal and a nice atmosphere. The restaurant itself had ~ tables so it got crowded easily so if possible make a reservation ahead of time. Overall good Vietnamese food in a relaxed atmosphere.