Most authentic Sichuan food I have ever had in Chicago!
(5)
Akira S.
I visited this place several times and don't understand why if you don't look like Asian thy treat you like third category customer. I was living in China for some time and I understand what they say. Today at lunch they ask me what soup I would like to have, than first they gave me main dish first. One lady waitress realized I didn't receive a soup and she asked another about it and she looked at me an said that's fine. WTF. BTW I ordered Thai Paste Curry Pork but they gave me pork with vegetables. At the end the check was 7.99 so didn't even match the price from menu. What I can say, in my opinion they don't like to have more customers. I asked folks from my work and they stay away from that place from the same reason, service does not treat non Asian looking customers the same way.
(1)
Tina L.
OK I can finally upload some photos of food this time. I'm usually so hungry and excited to eat that I forget to take photos. But thanks to my foodie friend, she was able to snap a photo of each dish that we tried. I still really love getting the salt and pepper squid here. We learned that it's a potato based batter, which must be what makes it so crispy and delicious!!~ And of course, another highlight was at the very end of the meal, when they brought out the fresh doughnut holes with sprinkled sugar.
(5)
Heidi L.
Been here a few more times since my last review and never received any sugar donuts. I see someone who has been here in March 2014 who has gotten the donuts, I have been here before and after March 2014 and NO DONUTS! So... YMMV. Very sad. Docked a star for inconsistency. The food here is homey, it is somewhere I would go if Chef Ping or Yu's was too crowded or if it was just family and I didn't need to impress anyone. Don't get the Chinese okra, parts of it were gray and/or bitter. It's one of those vegetables that is unpredictable. It was recommended by the waitress... I've learned not to be swayed by waiter recommendations in Chinese restaurants as sometimes it is because they need to move inventory (or g0d forbid, someone returned a dish and they want to sell it...), not because the dish is actually good! I still like that this place has a good amount of appetizers though like the green onion pancake and chili oil wontons (红油炒手)
(4)
Neal Z.
If anyone downtalks Asian Bistro on this site, don't buy it. My family has been going here for years and it's always delicious. The place is packed with asian families because it's the real deal!!! Best potstickers I've ever had Can't go wrong with the shredded pork garlic style friendly staff never had anything I didn't really like. wish I had the recipe for their soy sauce!!!
(5)
N C.
Friendly staff and delicious food with authentic flavors! We used to take out food while we lived in the area. Whenever we are in town, we always come back. Our favorite dishes are shredded pork in Peking sauce, boiled pork in Szechuan sauce, general tso's chicken, Kung pao chicken, black pepper baby ribs and Chengdu smoked tea duck! You can't go wrong with anything on the menu!
(5)
Edward R.
I've learned over the years to watch out for places with "BISTRO" in the title. Synonymous with high prices & small portions. Three of us had the dinner for "3". One member of our party showed up early and had an order of chive pancake. The flavors were great, the food was fine. Portions were tiny. There was no "take home" container. $63 was excessive for chicken/egg plant/cold noodles..............Oh and donut holes......thanks. Also, Would have liked to try "HOT POT". No mention of it anywhere on the menu. We do not read chinese. Why would I come back?
(2)
Lena H.
Dry Chili Chicken. Spicy Wonton. The end.
(5)
Nick J.
This place was recommended to me by some Chinese friends and it was definitely a good find. It's one of those tiny Chinese restaurants, but the food is actually good, not just the usual American-Chinese standards. It's Sichuan style, which means spicy, but I didn't find the dishes too strong. The prices were also great. At most little Chinese restaurants, you get a huge plate of rice with some fixings on top for 9$. Here, it's all meat or whatever you're ordering and the rice is included. It's traditional Chinese style servings, which means you order dishes for the table and everyone samples all the dishes. Service was ok. It was very busy and the waitress wasn't super attentive until it was time to mention the bill, which they did several times (indicating they were packed and hoping we'd leave). We'll definitely be back.
(4)
E L.
Asian Bistro continues to be our family's favorite place for awesome Chinese food. I highly recommend trying the daily specials. Like most people, I can't read Chinese but I can make up that limitation by asking the waitress to translate and recommend. I have yet to be disappointed. The daily specials usually feature comfort food that is different than the ones on the printed menu. If one is looking for pseudo-Chinese dishes like that unspeakable "crap raccoon" or "dictator tsao chicken" and fried rice (hmm...ever notice why the Chinese patrons do not order this??), go elsewhere. Otherwise come here with an open adventurous mind and taste. You'd be pleasantly surprised by the depth of authentic Chinese cooking.
(5)
Billy I.
Absolutely the worst I ever had . Costumer service is horrible they don't speak English and the food was real nasty never again
(1)
Feni W.
If u like spicy n tasty food; this is the place. We love the food so much we go there at least once a week. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
(4)
Yawei Y.
Good if you are looking for some real Chinese foods. Waitresses are friendly. Spacious place not so crowded. Feel relax when I seated.
(4)
Karl M.
Many authentic-style dishes and American Chinese favs. The booths are spacious and the ambiance is definitely China-town style. My kids love the food and so do my wife and I. Great flavors. Perfectly cooked. New local favorite Chinese spot. This review is late so I forgot all the details of our last visit... stand by... will eat here again soon!
(5)
Tara M.
We used to love this place. And we dined in and ordered take out often. Then, it seemed they got a new cook or something. Food quality went down. Then we experienced some really poor service. I guess we ate there too much since it began to all go downhill till we took them OFF our list of places to eat or takeout as it makes me annoyed to pay them $30 for lousy food and service. (They never give enough rice with takeout either.). Too bad they could not retain us, as we spent a fair amount of $ there every week. C'est la vie!
(2)
Lloyd S.
Asian Bistro is outstanding, authentic Chinese cuisine. Most and sometimes all of the customers are Chinese and they come back over and over. Everything is good and it is a family run business. Son (Jack) is the kitchen, Grandma is greeter and grandchildren come in regularly. We eat in or carry out twice per week.
(5)
Jennifer S.
I don't know how I even ended up at Asian Bistro, but my tummy was pretty happy with me for the next two days! I work just over ten minutes away and wandered in for lunch one day when I was passing by. It's very non-descript. The restaurant is almost bare with an unusual choice in wall color. Guess what? I could care less! I had excellent service even with a language barrier. I couldn't have been more pleased. I tried some spicy potstickers. They were a bit oily, but so tasty and unique. The spicy kick was practically perfect in every way. I also had a sweet and sour shrimp lunch special with white rice. It was so fresh! The rice was fluffy and there was so much food that I was able to eat a full meal off it for lunch the next day. The prices were just right. I won't hesitate to go back to Asian Bistro and will probably even bring my family. You should too!
(4)
Taylor M.
So far I only tried the hot and sour soup, crab Rangoon and spring rolls. The spring rolls were deep fried, which I am not a fan of. The hot and sour soup was good but it is pre made so they couldn't accommodate my no mushrooms request. The crab Rangoon were big and awesome. My grandma liked te egg drop soup I brought her too! It is located in a strip mall and the interior is nothing fancy. I originally wanted to give them 3 stars, but I need to try the actual food and give them another chance before I judge them too harshly. They do not take discover card here.
(4)
John H.
Thought this place was really good sit down Chinese food. Tried some Szechwan dumplings that were good and the orange beef was awesome. Don't often go to sit down Chinese dinners, but thought it was a cut above the rest. Very friendly staff, helped us order from a mainly Chinese menu.
(4)
Feng Q.
Poor service. Waited 30 mins for an appetizer. No apology. Food is so poor. Hygiene is in question.
(1)
Jodi A.
In for Christmas and my sister-in-law were looking for chinese take out for the family-large group. Got a menu and called in an order. If I was just reviewing the food--I'd give this place 5 stars, as I am still eating the Pho noodle soup today.. Living in New Orleans, I have tried a ton of pretty well known Vietnamese spots-this soup is comparable to some of Emeril's favs out in NOLA! Tried the chicken pad thai and beef vegetable-great as well. The service situation made this experience not be 5 stars. For starters, we were told 30 minutes, but when we got there 30 minutes later, we waited an additional 30 minutes.. The owner seemed less than concerned. Also,they left off an order of egg rolls, had to ask for soy sauce, chili paste, additional fortune cookies for the kids. With such a large tab, $80 plus, I would've expected more than 2 small rice, forgotten egg rolls, and possibly an extra app. I had the manager repeat the order over the phone 2x to make sure it was correct.
(4)
PJ J.
Criminally delicious and inexpensive food. Just about the only thing I didn't like was the iced coffee, because it was weird. The wife and I shared a Dan Dan noodle...this is noodles dressed in a spicy sauce and sprinkled with just a little ground meat. Damn it was good! We also had spicy eggplant which was a portion big enough to make 3 meals out of (if you're not stoned). This place's name and decor would probably blend right in, if this was Chinatown, but this is a strip mall location, in a less than average strip mall...about this I am both happy and sad. Happy that I know that I have another GREAT Sichuan spot to go to near the house, and sad that I never checked it out earlier, because the place looked a little Willy Wonka. The service was excellent and fast...a lady even came by to stir my noodles. An awesome lunch for two for just under $20 bucks with a good tip.
(4)
Ali R.
Second visit and I'm a fan. Okay peeps (I still live in the 90's)...if you're ordering crab rangoon, kung pao chicken, or any of these American dishes, it makes sense that you may not be wow'd. Authentic Chinese cooks learned how to make these dishes to fit the American taste and by no means should they be judged based on these dishes. Why are you confused by the Chinese diners who seem to be enjoying their food and you don't? It's because we didn't order what you did. With that being said, I get it. I get that you should still expect decent food but if you're going to choose Chinese for the night, perhaps try an authentic dish. Trust me, they're better than your sweet and sour pork. If you're looking for some quality and authentic Szechuan food, Asian Bistro is a great choice for the suburbs. The beef noodle soup is extremely tasty and spicy! The meat quality was excellent. The green onion pancake snack was crispy and the right texture. I also enjoyed the tofu bowl, Singapore noodles with curry, and beef short ribs. Outstanding quality and taste. The Szechuan string beans are also good but be prepared for a little saltiness. It's just the style of how they're cooked. I'll be back for more, Asian Bistro!
(4)
Phil S.
I'm going to agree with Sarah S. and disagree with my fellow Yelpers about Asian Bistro. Our experience here was one continuously painful test of culinary patience. I was happy to note upon my arrival that all of the patrons were Asian with the exception of a non-Asian couple. I took this sign as confirmation of the authenticity stated in other reviews. We were promptly seated and asked if we would like the Chinese menu as well, to which we politely declined. We started with the chicken wing appetizer (I can't remember the long name) and received a plate of three chicken wings cut in to six pieces without any garnish. The wings appeared to have some sort of seasoning, judging by color and specks of powdered spices on the skin. After I took my first bite I was left searching for some sort of flavor. Any kind of flavor. What I finally realized is that I would not be finding any semblance of real flavor. These wings were literally sprinkled lightly with some dry seasonings and then deep fried, effectively obliterating any flavor dry seasoning could have imparted without the aid of moisture. Well, there goes $7. Yes, folks. A $7 appetizer devoid of flavor or any hint of presentation. Off to a horrible start, we figured there is no way the entrees we ordered could be worse. For our main course, we ordered directly from the "signature" section of the menu which included the House Pan Fried Noodles and the Lamb Twin Delight. What we received was one dish of yellow Hong Kong style noodles fried to a stiff, tangled mess somewhat covered in a brown sauce and topped with a combination of seafood/meat and one dish split in half with apple slices with mystery meat on each side. The noodles were almost impossible to eat because how stiff and tangled they had become. I even jokingly asked for a hammer and chisel to avoid having to lift the entire birds nest to take a bite out of it. Flavor was decent but amounted to a typical brown sauce found at any hole-in-the-wall take-out joint. At least the veggies and protein was fresh. The lamb dish could have been pork. Or beef. Or any other meat. It was thinly sliced, gristly, and indiscernible from any other tenderloin of any other four legged animal typically used in Chinese cooking. To top off this heavily masked dish, one side was absolutely COVERED in fennel seeds. I have no particular aversion to fennel seeds but I am not exaggerating when I say the meat was almost invisible due to the disgusting clumps of WHOLE fennel seeds covering the meat. I was chewing on fennel seeds for hours after our meal and picking those tiny suckers out from between my teeth for many more hours after that. My wife wouldn't even touch the nasty stuff after the first bite. In my attempt to overcome what I was hoping my inexperience with the dish, I stupidly soldiered on and ate more in attempting to acquire a taste for a bottle full of fennel seeds that was surely mistakenly spilled onto our mystery meat in the dark confines of the kitchen. Maybe they thought it was black pepper or salt? Or maybe they were trying to cover up the quality of the meat? Who knows, all I know is I became nauseous halfway through and gave up. Service was kind and attentive and ambiance was adequate, if not a little on the sterile side. Maybe I just ordered three of their worst dishes? No matter, if I couldn't find merit in any of the food then I dare not return to punish myself AND my wallet (to the tune of +$44) for one of the nastiest meals that I have ever had the displeasure of ingesting.
(1)
Jen B.
I love their food- Plum Chicken is my go to dish. I would rate their food at least 4 stars, however service zero. I'm a working Mom- I understand hard work and I'm usually pretty patient, however when you have an hour for lunch, I don't have time to wait. This is the 2nd time in about 6 months- I've sat down been given a menu- and after waiting for 25 minutes- had to leave- no service coming to the table, one lady stopped and took the order to the table next to us, and when she gestured to us as she paused and nodded- no english- (however the table next to us ordered in english- don't understand?)- I can point to the dish on the menu- I'm not picky. Other than ordering to go orders- I'm think I'm done with stopping in for a quick bite at lunch time at least.
(2)
Nicholas P.
Best Asian food in town, staff is always nice and food is never disappointing. I love this place.great place for large group of family or friends, or just two people.
(5)
Chris C.
I just went to this restaurant last Saturday night. It was pretty surprise that server does not want to take any orders unless you are fully ready for your appetizer and dinner all together. Most funny parts of my experience at restaurant was that i had to ask sever for Rice at least three times. She was just keep serving food without Rice. So i had to yell to manager to bring me some rice. However she showed me the most ugliest face. Lol. Worst and Stupid Services are available in this restaurant.. If you want to try this restaurant, do not expect any services.
(2)
Laura H.
Have been here twice before, big fan of the hibachi shrimp. That would have been a four star review. Went last night with two other members of my family, who wanted to do the all you can eat sushi. They re-did the menu two weeks ago, hibachi items are gone. Looked at the menu and realized there was nothing I wanted to eat there, I have other favorite local restaurants for sushi and Asian cuisine. Did the sushi with my family, and had an MSG attack in the middle of dinner. The only different thing I had was the Hot and Sour Soup, which I have had before with no problems. Either way, I'm out. Not going back. I'm really sad about it too.
(1)
Sarah S.
I went here based on all the good yelp reviews and I was totally disappointed. Their prices are way up there with Yu's prices but the quality isn't anywhere near their level. It's just at the same level as any other Chinese takeout joint. So when I called up to place my order at 530pm, the phone rang about 8 times before someone picked up. I was just about to hang up when the lady picked up. She was nice enough but when I tried to order Beef Chow Fun she put me on hold while she checked...and they were out of it. Sad and not a good sign for me. So instead I went with sesame chicken, sweet & sour chicken and egg rolls for dinner for my Grandma and myself. They didn't have small portions which was super disappointing. So we ended up with big, expensive portions of everything. My total came to $27.58, pretty ridiculous for take out of 2 dishes and eggrolls. It better be the best Chinese food takeout at that point. Not only is it not the best, but it's nowhere near the best. The sesame chicken was dry and some pieces had no coating on them, weird. Flavor was edible but I've had much better sesame chicken flavor in much cheaper sesame chicken at other places. The sweet & sour chicken was just okay, nothing horrible but nothing really tasty either. I've had better just about everywhere else. And $10 for the dish? Ugh. The eggrolls were tiny (much smaller then other places) and not worth the price but they were what I enjoyed most from the meal. Sorry, won't be going back here.
(2)
Hans H.
If you read my other review, you know I'm not a fan of Chinese run Japanese places, or really in general, any sort of Chinese-Japanese restaurants. You can't do both well, just give it up. Anyway, this place being so close to my house and the good reviews it has garnered has convinced me to give it a try. Lunch special, orange chicken. Not bad! Pretty good actually--real orange peel adds to the flavor, not too sweet or salty, and not deep fried! The fried rice that comes with was on the salty side, but what can you do for Americanized Chinese food...I'll probably come back to try other stuff, but for the reviews' sake, I'll stay away from the sushi and Japanese stuff.
(3)
Raktim M.
Best Chinese food in the area. Love the Tom Yum Soup... Huge portions.. Love the Singapore rice noodles as well
(5)
Sherwin C.
Pretty good authentic Szechuan food. I prefer the style of food served at iChef, Yu's Mandarin, and Chef Ping more though. Sometimes the flavors can be a bit too strong.
(4)
Native S.
I am from sichuan , and Asian Bistro Is the best Sichuan restaurant we've been in Chicago , my husband loved the pickles so much, everything else taste good too , and the people are very nice ,we definitely will go there again .
(5)
Yvonne Y.
Amazing food and prompt service as usual. Had the fantastic fish in hot sauce, beef in a "Mao" style veggie stew, crispy chicken, tea smoked duck and sauteed pea greens. Well worth the 45 min drive by us. Let the waiters order for you if you want guidance. Be open to authentic Sichuan food, not the faked American stuff.
(5)
Tudor E.
Best Chinese food in Chicagoland, even including Chinatown. Several Chinese friends feel the same way, which is definitely validating... The fish fillet in szechuan sauce is a must. Over the years I've tried various random foods from the menu, not having a clue what I was ordering - all really good, with some really amazing ones. A word of warning, the staff don't speak English very well, but are very friendly and accommodating, though not the most up to date on US etiquette rules :)
(4)
Kyle N.
Went here with the wife for dinner after a business meeting in the area and was pleasently suprised. I am not a fan of Asian cuisine but enjoyed every bite. The service was great. The owner was there and very polite. I will definatly be coming back!
(5)
Angela H.
It was bound to happen. My foodie hubris chased me down, pushed me to the ground and stuffed me full with sinfully delicious food. I thought I knew all the Chinese restaurant trade secrets: 1. Put all your customers in seats by the windows so it looks like the restaurant is packed when people do a drive by to scope it out. a. Make sure the customers in the window are Asian, it'll draw White and Chinese people to the restaurant because they'll think it's authentic. 2. Have 2 separate menus with completely different items. 1 for the authentic food and 1 for the Americanized food. Asian Bistro apparently said psshh to the rules. As we were doing the drive by bf was getting cold feet, it looked like no one was in there. I convinced him to give it a shot. We walk in and there were actually quite a few people in the restaurant and they are all Chinese! Turns out the English and Chinese menu has all the same items! Originally, I had read the raving reviews for Asian Bistro and was a skeptic. If this place was SO good, how come I haven't heard about it from the Chinese community? Um...turns out maybe I'm not THAT Chinese. I realized this when the server gave me a menu all in Chinese. After a few minutes of pretending I had to come clean and tell her that I'm pretty much illiterate. To which she responded, Sorry, I'm so embarrassed (those words are the most uttered words in the Chinese language). Hmmmm...more like I'm so embarrassed. I was so excited that she assumed I could read based on my spoken Chinese. I didn't want to disappoint and thought I might be able to pull it off! The furthest I've gotten before was just been asked which menu I wanted. Anyways, on to the food. Literal translation of the dishes we ordered (English name may differ): lamb cooked 2 ways- one side was mongolian style the other side was a spicy lamb. The spicy lamb tasted like something I would find in an Indian restaurant. Flavored with cumin, other spices and lots of heat! So good. The mongolian lamb was the winner. Wasn't too salty, wasn't too saucy. Def not the kind you get at P.F. Changs. Lamb was cooked perfectly for both dishes! Tender and plump! vegetarian chicken - Everyone makes this dish differently which is why I sometimes don't like to order it. It's basically lots of thin layers of tofu skin. The Asian Bistro version is my favorite. Lots of shitake mushrooms folded into the many layers of tofu. Delicate and tasty! empty heart veggie (veggie core is hollow) - it's so hard to get this anywhere in the 'burbs. I've been craving this veggie for so long. it was cooked perfectly. wasn't too oily or too salty which is often the case at other places. We looked around to see what other people were getting. It all looked awesome! This place is legit. I can't wait to go back and try more items on their menu!
(4)
Jason C.
Heard about this place through some friends who are Chinese/Taiwanese, and I can see why they would like this place. It seems very authentic, even having a Chinese language only menu of non-mainstream dishes. We came here and ordered from the special Chinese hotpot menu. They brought out a large bowl with a divider separating 2 very different but tasty broths. The little plates of meat/seafood/vegetables you cook in the broth add up, so I would recommend coming here with a group of friends. We also enjoyed the Thai iced tea. We even received a plate of Chinese doughnuts (wasn't sure if this was something they bring out for every patron). The service was slow at times, but nothing too bad. Our server was almost too nice and inviting -- It seemed like we were eating at her house the way she was helping us cook our hotpot. This place seems to have something for everyone. Can't wait to come back to try some other Chinese dishes I don't get at other places.
(5)
Andy M.
The food here is quite good, but the service leaves a lot to be desired. As far as the food goes, Asian Bistro has a step up on most Chinese places that I have visited. The service is pretty piss poor. Between the time we got our first drink and the time we were half done with our Entree, our server disappeared. We would have ordered more drinks, but our server did her best Claude Reins impersonation. So I took away one star for the service. I take away another star for their false claim about how spicy some of the dishes are. They are good, but nowhere near what I would call spicy. This is not the kind of place that I would go out of my way to visit, but if I'm out in the Western Burbs and need a fix for some Chinese food, I would gladly stop by again.
(3)
Ryan H.
It's said to be one of the best chinese restaurants in chicago area. i took a visit last week. and i think the saying is perhaps true.. the dish i have to mention here is the "suan miao la rou", a preserved pork dish stir-fried with leeks.. it was really amazing that could compete with the original flavor in sichuan.. their drinks r cool too, the one i had was thai-style iced milk tea. i think if they could do a better job matching the interior painting color, that would give guests an extrodinary feeling.. anyway, it is a remarkable restaurant~!!!
(4)
Jeka M.
The lunch specials are $5.99 and include soup, entree, fried rice, fortune cookie. I wasn't impressed by the quality of the food or the tastefulness, but it was fast. Service wasn't friendly. It's a low-key place overall.
(2)
Vince V.
The decor is nondescript at best but luckily the menu has plenty of variety. I am partial to the la tsi chicken, mapo tofu, fish with black bean sauce and cumin lamb. Their noodle dishes are probably the least exciting options so I have been skipping them. They have a seafood soup with mushrooms on the chinese menu that is quite tasty but since I don't speak chinese, it takes me some time to describe it. It's nice to find a chinese restaurant where every dish is refreshingly unique.
(4)
Alison G.
Don't panic when you see "Szechuan", this restaurant also serves non-spicy dishes. I always recommend this restaurant when I need a place for gathering with my cantonese/taiwanese friends because many of them like spicy food. If you read chinese do ask them for the chinese menu, it has authentic Szechuan dishes. I'm a soup-lover, so I always order their spinach tomato soup with fried eggs, or fish filet soup with veggie, or hot and soup seafood noodle soup. Their beef noodle soup (spicy or non spicy) are also very tasteful! fish filet noodle soup is also a must try too! Since they made plenty of great noodle soup I rarely order their rice dishes on lunch or dinner menu (more americanized ), i did try them but rarely and they are not bad too. Their thai iced coffee or tea are also not bad too i always order to go after lunch as my so-called after meal dessert. Overall its a great place to stop at if you are a chinese food / noodle soup lover. They have booths on the side and round tables in the center, we can always get a table when we get there. The owner and servants are all nice great people too!
(4)
P K.
Lost in Translation. Saw the great reviews and had to give it a try. Didn't work out so well. But based on reviews, decided to try it again. Didn't work out so well part two. Both visits were a bust due to the language barrier. Shouldn't be an issue. Point to what you want on the menu. We had no questions. Knew exactly what we wanted both times. The menu items have a number associated with them as well. First visit, my husband's meal was wrong. Second visit, my meal was wrong. They tried to get us to eat it anyway. We did that the first time but not this time. So, one of us is eating, one is waiting to eat. Insult to injury, both visits the bill was wrong and of course not in our favor. Too much work to eat here when there are so many other great Asian places in the area.
(1)
angie h.
First of all, I only give honest reviews. I don't have any connections with any of the business I reviewed, good or bad. I give Asian Bistro 5 stars for its good food and consistancy. Authentic Sczechun Style Chinese food, by Chinese standard. This is evidant from the amount of Chinese customers present in the restuarants on weekends and lunch time. Of course for people grew up in the States that is a double sided sword. Food may be a bit too spicy for you unless you order them mild. Or you may now know what is the real "authentic" dishes that you can order. My suggestion is to look at what others are ordering and just point and ask. Service is not bad either. The owner's parents are usually there to ensure quality. My favorite Chinese restaurant this side of Chinatown. Not too far from I-90, easy access. NW suburbs of Chicago.
(5)
Deyu Z.
I am Chinese so my review is going to put it against other Chinese restaurants. I have been to the place a dozen times in a 4 year span. The food was very good 4 years ago, then the quality and consistency went down afterwards. Put it in short. - They are the only one restaurant in suburb tries to cook authentic Chinese dishes. - the seasoning of the dishes are not consistent. Sometimes it is way over seasoned, and sometimes it is under. This is probably due to change in chefs. With that , give it a try but do not have high expectation.
(3)
Ling L.
*Photos shots UPDATE 9/28/07: We returned and the beef chow fun was instead better. I had the pork with chili, and it was indeed Szechwan spicy. Ask for mild if you're weak like me. This is the only place in the burbs I can get sweet tofu dessert. Not too syrupy sweet, and with a good dash of ginger, and such silky tofu hua. --------------------------------------------------Â---------------------------------------- I may be updating the stars as I return for more visits. Yes, MORE VISITS. My lunch buddies who are diehard Tasty Cuisine diners decided to take a break from their usual fast Chinese lunch spot to try Asian Bistro. Unfortunately, they both had to have the General Tso's, much to my chagrin. For a dollar less than the usual TC lunch cost, Asian Bistro's lunch special consists of a small bowl of soup (hot and sour is not bad), an anemic egg roll with more dough than filling, and bland fried rice (no prepackaged carrots and peas). Because Asian Bistro specializes in Szechuan, a province known for its spicy chili peppers, the General Tso's packed some heat. It was great! Having spied my beef chow fun (not in the lunch special), I had to have it. Although it's not slighty sloppy wet, the way I like my wide rice noodles, it is still flavorful enough. I was saddened that the thin beef slices could not be more tender, though. Maybe it was a bad day for the chef. But I'm not shaken by the experience, and will return to give them a chance. Ooh, their desserts are "authentic" -- sweet tofu, sesame puffs, sweet rice with red bean paste. Note: they will not process credit cards for amounts less than $10. So if you should go alone, bring cash.
(4)
Sally W.
I do enjoy their taste, as the owners are Taiwanese, I've always been surprise that they serve pretty authentic Sichuan food. But their service...is...well...you can't say they're under staff, other than the two younger old ladies as the waiting staff. The owners, the old man sitting in the corner and the old lady that may have seated you are almost always there. On some occasion the old lady maybe dying her hair while talking to you and collecting your money for the food you're picking up. But if you overlook that part, the food is really yummy! Just don't try their new dishes or recommendation from the owner I think you'll be fine. Since we order this new dish recommended by her with fish in chili soup and it was cold and I only notice half of the fish inside a big pot of soup that you can't drink. Being a dessert kind of gal, I do enjoy the yummy donut holes looking fried bread with sugar. It's delicious! Wait, did I mention their food is good? Yes! the donut holes are yummmm!
(3)
Stevie V.
I read some reviews but not sure what people are excited about. I took my family here when we got a coupon in the mail. Everything was cool until the server disappeared. Mind you we were the only customers in the restaurant. Look, I won't order off the menu. I won't change my order 50 times. Just give me some freakin water and I'll be happy. Not a single time did he come up to us or fill up the cups. I had to actually go find him to get the check. Food was ok, I was too thirsty to notice the taste
(2)
Danielle S.
I felt like I was in China whilst eating here, moreso than Chinatown, even - I think I was the only Caucasian in the restaurant! I was here with 9 coworkers, all Asians, and they did almost all the ordering. Service was on par with what I've seen at other Chinese restaurants, but the food was definitely above average. My favorite dishes included a jellyfish appetizer thing with spicy sauce, the fried squid, some kind of spicy deep fried shrimp, and fish/veggies in an oily broth (like I said, I didn't do the ordering!). Best Chinese food I've had in the 'burbs!
(5)
Sarah M.
We love this place! Great food - love the Lamb duet and the orange beef. Even though it's not on the menu they always will make me Chinese broccoli sauteed with garlic if I ask. Yeah the decor is a bit lacking - but the owner - she said her name is Jenni - is always so nice and this last time she really recognized us - called my dad by name and sent us out a complimentary dessert. My sister who is super picky about her Chinese food loved it. I so don't get why people give this place bad reviews. I think it's awesome. Don't miss this place! Best Chinese in the burbs.
(5)
Ang R.
Yum! I can't base this review off too many items, but the items I did have were very delicious. (My big question is this: why can't I get food like this in Chicago? Because I'll tell you, I haven't found it yet.) I love the style of sesame chicken that Asian bistro cooks. The chicken was quality, and the sauce was tasty. Super tasty. The pork fried rice was also really good; I'm not a huge fan of pork fried rice if it isn't prefaced by the term BBQ, but this stuff was flavorful enough without the BBQ. Our dining companions had the orange beef, and my husband tasted it and said it was awesome, and the lettuce wraps, which though I didn't taste, looked magnificent. The person who had them seriously loved them. So...to sum up: eat here, if you're in the area. Yum.
(4)
Andrea L.
This is my favorite Sichuan place in the area -- though, I will admit -- I never do any of the ordering myself, and leave it up in the capable hands of my knowledgeable relatives. My favorite dish is an intriguing cube-shaped noodle dish with spicy fish (the seafood is consistently good), and the bon-bon chicken is generally great. Service is average, but the owners are friendly, and the servers are generally happy to offer a few suggestions if asked.
(4)
Nick S.
My wife and I love the Asian Bistro. We used to really like Yu's Mandarin for Chinese, but now, Asian Bistro is first on our list. We like the ambiance and i think the servers are very nice. The food and ingredients are always fresh. This is a true family business. We are late eaters (like after 8pm) and the family is always eating dinner together right before closing time. If you consider the litmus test of an Asian restaurant to be the number of Asians eating there; then Asian Bistro definitely passes the test. There are many. It's not perfect, but it's our go-to place for Chinese food.
(5)
Rebecca Huicha K.
Went for dinner recently and had mongolian beef and the spicy blue crab (special, not on the regular menu). With the high ratings this place has, I had high expectations. The food was decent but nothing spectacular. The spicy blue cram was different than expected but the mongolian beef was really tender and not too sweet. i'd be willing to try them again, maybe for a lunch special...
(3)
E A.
I called around 6pm on a Saturday night and my call was answered quickly and the guy was courteous. The interior decor was lacking. It almost looked like they just "moved in" or were about to "move out". One of the servers went into the kitchen to go fetch my food and another person who looked like a grandma came over to see if I needed help. I thought that was nice. Hometown smoked beef appetizer - tender and flavorful! I have ordered this at other places and they are often gnarly and grisly. Salt and Pepper prawns w shell - Excellent. I was bummed that they didn't leave the heads on, but that is OK since the bits of goodness (diced peppers, garlic, etc.) atop the prawns were abundant and tasty. Szechuan string bean - overcooked for my taste. I typically like my veggies crunchy and with color. However, the flavor was spectacular. They actually seasoned it using minced pork and minced Chinese style pickled veggies unlike other places that just saute them with seasonings. If they had used long beans instead of string beans and didn't over-cook these, it would have been perfect! Fish fillet w Ma Po Tofu - they actually used Szechuan peppercorns! I can tell because of the numbing effect I felt on my tongue. They put a lot of tasty fish and hunks of silky tofu. Beef stew w noodle - the soup had so much flavor I could have eaten it without the noodle. They is hardcore stock with blocks of meat parts and reconstituted shitake mushrooms. If you are not into the meat parts, just put it to the side. If you like food, you know that dried shitake brings such intense flavor. Steamed rice - It wasn't old or hard or over-cooked. It was perfect.
(4)
Zhong Y.
This place is an authentic Chinese place with serious Sichuan provenance. I tried no less than four dishes by myself: hongyou chaoshou, which is pork dumplings served in a not-hot-at-all, sweet, deeply red chili oil sauce; bang bang chicken, which wasn't the deep fried chicken wings bathed in sweet chili sauce found in Korean Chinese restaurants, but the Sichuanese variety, served in a cold sesame or peanuty sauce; fuqi feipian, which is sliced beef and beef tendon dressed in a hot, Sichuan peppercorn infused oil dressed with crushed peanuts and generous amounts of cilantro; and the dan dan mian, noodles dressed in a spicy ground pork sauce. I also may have had guotie -- pot stickers -- and while I'm sure they were good, I don't remember them. The noodles had been freshly boiled and were springy, the sauce was delightfully spicy and all of it piping hot. Best to go earlier: makes a great lunch spot and the restaurant staff seem less stressed -- no less gruff or curt, but that's the service standard on the mainland. You get that authentic experience here as part of the cooking too.
(4)
Gina G.
So the name isn't the best, but this place really has great food! It really seems authentic (I'm not Asian, but I do eat a lot of Asian cuisine). I always dine in and usually when you go to a chinese place or the like no one ever eats in, but people actually eat in here! The decor isn't the best, but i think the places that have the best food usually don't have the best decor, they concentrate more on the taste of the food. I've never been disappointed with anything I've ordered from here, I've dined here multiple times and will definitely be going back again and again!
(5)
Shang X.
I think this may be the only Chinese restaurant here in Chicago that may survive in China (just survive though, but i am already very happy with it). the food is in general very authentic Sichuan style and the restaurant itself (inner decoration etc) is A-Okay especially compared to most of the sloppy Chinatown ones. I agree that the service is not very stable but the food is so good (in US) that I don't really care about the service anymore. They have some specials that are not on the menu and you have to order it ahead of time so that the kitchen can prepare them for you. One of my favorite is there "xiang la xie" (spicy blue crab, very very spicy though). You can call them before noon and order it (minimum 5 crabs), then you will be able to have them during dinner, yummy!!
(5)
Ben W.
This place is really good, anthentic Sichuan / Szechuan food! Nothing too different from what you get in China. I am completely pleased, Twice cooked spicy pork is very nice. 2 people ordered the 4 dish set, which turned out more than enough, good combination and great price. I will definitely go back there with freinds.
(5)
Food S.
This is by far the best place to get 'authentic' Sichuan food in Chicago's Northwest suburbs. Ask for the Chinese menu if you are adventurous, and try the spicy ' La tz chi' - tiny pieces of fried chicken spiced heavily with Sichuan peppercorns. The hot pot is delicious too! And the sliced, boneless catfish ( Sway-chu-yu) is really spicy. Best bet if it's a low-key, clean, family-friendly place with authentic food Sichuan food that you are seeking.
(5)
Stella L.
Delicious! Authentic!
(5)
Esther K.
why the hell this place has high ratings is beyond me... the food tasted and looked like it was done by an amateur. the food tastes like it's been soaked in 5 lbs. of grease and they just threw a crap load of salt in the mix. you are better off spending your money somewhere else.
(1)
Jon J.
Very good Szechuan Food, where they don't "dumb down" the menu for the gringoes. You can even get some hardcore Szechuan spicy soup as a $5.95 lunch special - now that's a surprise! The "combo sides" were halfhearted - typical frozen spring rolls, and dried out white rice. But the main course was light years beyond the average Chinese restaurant, especially at lunchtime.
(4)
Christine J.
This is my go-to place when I go shopping in Schaumburg. For the western suburbs, their Szechuan food can't be beat. If you order off the Chinese language menu, they won't go easy on the spice. They also have an English menu with a bunch of Americanized Chinese fare, which aren't bad either. Tip: if you plan on ordering dessert, make sure you mention when you first order or they'll just bring you the bill.
(4)
Karen J.
When you first walk in and see all the other Asians eating here, you know its got authentic street cred :) The menu includes both traditional and "westernized" dishes--sure to please everyone if you are in mixed company. The pork belly and picked vegetable (mustard green) is awesome. Also enjoyed their dessert tofu. As for ambience, thought it was an interesting difference that they had jazz music playing.
(4)
Carolynne M.
So a while back the Tribune ran an article and listed Asian Bistro as one of the top 5 restaurants in Chicagoland for spicy food. Really, Tribune, really? Look, spicy to me means a full-on assault to the throat, tongue and sinuses. If my face doesnt blow off and cause my eyes to water uncontrollably after one bite then it might as well be rice pudding to me. And if you are going to sing your siren-song of spice-alicious promise and make me haul ass up to flippin Arlington Heights, well then dammit I want some chili-pepper lovin. Dont toy with me and put a little icon of 3 peppers next to the menu description (Plum Pork) and have it turn out that one of the 3 peppers is actually bell pepper. (!) When I caught myself gnawing on a chili pod trying to extract any kind of heat from it, I knew that was a bad sign. OMG. Asian Bistro you get 2 extra stars for a cute interior and fresh ingredients (the Thai meat egg roll was yum). Chicago Tribune, you and your weak reporter get no stars for misleading a girl like that.
(3)
Flora H.
Food OK, terriable service, and they might over charge your credit card! My husband and I had lunch out there in May and spent around $17, but they put over $60 to my credit card! When I called to dispute, they admit their mistake, but still put over $60 to my credit card 2 months later, still trying to work out with bank, but this is really bother us. Will never go there..............
(1)
Nancy H.
Wow, great Szechuan food! Don't be fooled by the name of the restaurant; it's no "bistro" - just straight up Chinese Szechuan. One star off for the extremely poor waitstaff on a busy Saturday night that we went. They were rude and forgetful. Don't feel bad about bugging them twice or 3x about the same thing. I don't remember all the dishes we ordered, but I highly recommend the fish fillets in a spicy sauce! Rather diverse crowd too as it is located in a strip mall in the suburbs. Atmosphere is inviting and lively - give it a try!
(4)
Janet B.
I hate to admit but we go here several times a month. Food is delicious and cheap. The 5.99 lunch is so big, I end up taking it home and having it for dinner. I didn't care for Chinese before I went to Asian Bistro and now I can't get enough. I love the old lady we are such regulars that she just gives us they so delicious donuts for free.
(5)
Christopher C.
Top-notch Szechuan Chinese food! The name of this restaurant is so absurd that my wife and I drove up after seeing it to check out the menu--mostly to laugh at it and with no intention of going in--but then we realized that this place is legit. So they're not good at marketing, but they are good at making awesome Szechuan dishes, like chili chicken, boiled beef, pickled fish soup, cumin lamb. If you like flower pepper (which has the numbing effect) make sure you tell them because they don't consistently add it in sufficient quantities. All in all, you won't find a better REAL Chinese restaurant outside of Chinatown in my opinion.
(5)
Pranay N.
I really liked the food, the price and the serving size. But the service was terrible. Went there for lunch and it was very crowded. They had only 2 servers. Had to wait 10 mins to place our order before I went to the server and asked her to take our order. We had asked for fried rice with our entrees and were given white rice. The waiter slammed it down on the table and when we informed him that we had ordered fried rice he said they were out. He then took away the white rice and made us wait 10 mins for the fried rice.
(2)
Leang E.
It was a great place to be for a Chinese New Year's lunch. I mean if I couldn't be in Chinatown, this place was quite as good. It really helps to come with a bunch of Chinese people as well. So we sat at the big table filled with 12 people. We were given a special menu written on a small note pad piece of paper. We must have ordered 12 dishes. I find myself in the company of always over ordering and over eating when I am eating Chinese food. Yeah, I didn't order but it was fine with me because all the things we got were delicious. We had a cold mushroom wrapped dish, a pickled stirfry like cabbage dish, a rice vermicelli and shrimpball and meatball soup, a spicy tofu stirfry dish, a sweet and sour fish stirfry dish, an eggplant stirfry dish, a wintermelon stirfry dish, a asian spinach? (not sure what they call it in English) and garlic stirfry dish, a chicken stirfry, and some other things that I can't remember. I was already so stuffed and then they bring out the fried donut hole like things dusted with sugar, sliced oranges, and fortune cookies. Since it was Chinese New Years, they also had red wrapper candies. I was so ridiculously stuffed. I had food coma for the rest of the day, and felt like I ate until I was dumb. I'm not sure how I got through the work day yesterday. I'm sure the prices for these items were a bit more expensive as they were not the lunch specials. The service was okay. We were a large group and to fill our pot of tea and bring rice out so often is kind of tough.
(4)
Elaine H.
Food... so... good....... service... sooooooo... bad.... This place kills me. As a native New Yorker of Chinese descent, I've had access to really good Chinese food in restaurants and at home for most of my life and I'm pretty picky about it. Since moving to Chicago, I've had a hard time finding Chinese restaurants whose food warranted a second trip. I never expected I'd find it out here in Schaumburg near where I work! An intern from Hong Kong recommended this place to me, and so I headed there for lunch with some co-workers. What a surprise! Fresh, authentic, delicious, visually appealing lunch dishes at great prices - lunch specials are about $6 and include your main course, springroll, soup, and rice. And the service was okay overall, it wasn't particularly attentive, and as a result, we had a rude incident. After the food was brought out, I realized we didn't have chopsticks. The waitstaff seemed pretty busy, so I grabbed 4 sets of chopsticks out of a container on a nearby counter that had napkins and utensils and brought them back to the table for the people who wanted them. The proprietor then came over to me and barked, "DON'T TAKE THEM IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO USE THEM!" I appreciate her desire to prevent waste, but we were clearly going to use them. We were a table of eight... seems a poor business move to yell at otherwise potential return customers for no good reason. And yet, we returned. The food was that good. And service was horrendous. The same rude woman started to seat us and handed out 2 menus for our table of five. She then saw another group come in so she rushed away to seat them and never came back with the rest of the menus (Colleagues comment: "Ohhh she is NOT good at multitasking.") The half-filled pitcher of water that we were left to pour ourselves had weird black stuff floating in it and most of the plates, left in a stack on the table for us to distribute, had crusty food bits sticking to them. We waited forever to order, and then after we ordered, we waited forever for the food. And dishes came out with 5-10 minute pauses between them so not everyone could start eating. After most of the dishes came out, the waitress then told one of the members of our party that they were all out of his choice. His response, "You couldn't have told me this 20 minutes ago?" So yeah, cranky colleagues on top of everything else. I wish I could say that these gaffes were because they were so busy, but the restaurant was mostly empty. It was simply inexcusable customer service. And as I was standing in the door waiting for one of my colleagues who had taken the bill and our money to the register, the waitress who had just served us looked across at me thinking I had just walked in and said, "How many?" Guess that says something for how much attention they pay to their customers :)
(2)
Jocelyn M.
i dont have a problem ordering what i want and we got a array of dishes here but NONE of them were particullary good. i got the extra spicy tsing chicken it was disgusting and not spicy. just hard and dry. it was all gross. i wanted to like this place but i will never go back there.
(1)
Kendall G.
I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in SIchuanese food. The menu has many classic dishes that have not been watered down or turned into Americanized Chinese food. I strongly recommend adventurous eating here, as the menu allows you to order in English foods that are often only available on Chinese only menus. In particular, they have a hot pot menu for anyone looking for a fun and spicy fondue in blood red broth. As an added bonus, the prices here are very reasonable. Bring a group and order a little bit of everything. I doubt you will be disappointed.
(4)
Eric Y.
I love this place. When it comes to Chinese food, I can be quite a snob. This restaurant is very good. Their food is not so much of the formal dinner party food, but rather everyday family type of dishes. Spicy, tasty, fresh authentic, and friendly servers. I have recommended many of our friends who are equally snobby when it comes to Chinese food, to this place and everyone is happy with the food, price and service.
(5)
Yevgeniy K.
I just came from this place and everything about it was horrible! Service was awfully slow and, most importantly, food was even worse. This is probably one of the worst Chinese restaurants I've ever been to.
(1)
Vicki K.
Far and away, my favorite chinese restaurant EVER! Fantastic authentic asian cuisine. The Orange Beef is a standard item that we must order every single time we go. The spicy dumplings are fabulous and the spicy tripe and oxtail appetizer is FANTASTIC! We've never been disppointed. The service is not THE best, as they do cater to the asian community; however, I don't let lukewarm service cloud my judgement of the fantastic food. The only time I would ding a restaurant for service is if it was absolutely horrendous and so horrible that it spoiled the food.
(5)
D. T.
terrrible service...food not worth the price. pretty mediocre
(2)
Alan C.
This is the real deal. Many Chinese restaurants in the area that advertise Szechwan style cuisines don't actually serve Szechwan dishes which is known for its fiery flavor. Asian Bistro, although sounds like fusion place, actually cooks up some very authentic tasting Szechwan food. My wife and I had the Twice Cooked Pork and Water Cooked Fish (sorry for the poor translation) along with two appetizers, and they were all fresh and full of flavor. At the same time, we were also pleasantly surprised by the existence of such an authentic and high caliber restaurant in Arlington Heights (northwest suburb). This is certainly not your typical MoGoo Gai Pan place. The menu is full of authentic Chinese dishes which will satisfy the toughest Chinese food critics and those who are daring enough to try something different. Even the decor of the place is quite different than other Chinese restaurants: simple, clean and spacious. I will for sure go back to Asian Bistro, especially during the cold winter months, and I highly encourage you to do the same.
(5)
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Address :65 W Golf Rd
Arlington Heights, IL, 60005
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Hayley H.
Most authentic Sichuan food I have ever had in Chicago!
(5)Akira S.
I visited this place several times and don't understand why if you don't look like Asian thy treat you like third category customer. I was living in China for some time and I understand what they say. Today at lunch they ask me what soup I would like to have, than first they gave me main dish first. One lady waitress realized I didn't receive a soup and she asked another about it and she looked at me an said that's fine. WTF. BTW I ordered Thai Paste Curry Pork but they gave me pork with vegetables. At the end the check was 7.99 so didn't even match the price from menu. What I can say, in my opinion they don't like to have more customers. I asked folks from my work and they stay away from that place from the same reason, service does not treat non Asian looking customers the same way.
(1)Tina L.
OK I can finally upload some photos of food this time. I'm usually so hungry and excited to eat that I forget to take photos. But thanks to my foodie friend, she was able to snap a photo of each dish that we tried. I still really love getting the salt and pepper squid here. We learned that it's a potato based batter, which must be what makes it so crispy and delicious!!~ And of course, another highlight was at the very end of the meal, when they brought out the fresh doughnut holes with sprinkled sugar.
(5)Heidi L.
Been here a few more times since my last review and never received any sugar donuts. I see someone who has been here in March 2014 who has gotten the donuts, I have been here before and after March 2014 and NO DONUTS! So... YMMV. Very sad. Docked a star for inconsistency. The food here is homey, it is somewhere I would go if Chef Ping or Yu's was too crowded or if it was just family and I didn't need to impress anyone. Don't get the Chinese okra, parts of it were gray and/or bitter. It's one of those vegetables that is unpredictable. It was recommended by the waitress... I've learned not to be swayed by waiter recommendations in Chinese restaurants as sometimes it is because they need to move inventory (or g0d forbid, someone returned a dish and they want to sell it...), not because the dish is actually good! I still like that this place has a good amount of appetizers though like the green onion pancake and chili oil wontons (红油炒手)
(4)Neal Z.
If anyone downtalks Asian Bistro on this site, don't buy it. My family has been going here for years and it's always delicious. The place is packed with asian families because it's the real deal!!! Best potstickers I've ever had Can't go wrong with the shredded pork garlic style friendly staff never had anything I didn't really like. wish I had the recipe for their soy sauce!!!
(5)N C.
Friendly staff and delicious food with authentic flavors! We used to take out food while we lived in the area. Whenever we are in town, we always come back. Our favorite dishes are shredded pork in Peking sauce, boiled pork in Szechuan sauce, general tso's chicken, Kung pao chicken, black pepper baby ribs and Chengdu smoked tea duck! You can't go wrong with anything on the menu!
(5)Edward R.
I've learned over the years to watch out for places with "BISTRO" in the title. Synonymous with high prices & small portions. Three of us had the dinner for "3". One member of our party showed up early and had an order of chive pancake. The flavors were great, the food was fine. Portions were tiny. There was no "take home" container. $63 was excessive for chicken/egg plant/cold noodles..............Oh and donut holes......thanks. Also, Would have liked to try "HOT POT". No mention of it anywhere on the menu. We do not read chinese. Why would I come back?
(2)Lena H.
Dry Chili Chicken. Spicy Wonton. The end.
(5)Nick J.
This place was recommended to me by some Chinese friends and it was definitely a good find. It's one of those tiny Chinese restaurants, but the food is actually good, not just the usual American-Chinese standards. It's Sichuan style, which means spicy, but I didn't find the dishes too strong. The prices were also great. At most little Chinese restaurants, you get a huge plate of rice with some fixings on top for 9$. Here, it's all meat or whatever you're ordering and the rice is included. It's traditional Chinese style servings, which means you order dishes for the table and everyone samples all the dishes. Service was ok. It was very busy and the waitress wasn't super attentive until it was time to mention the bill, which they did several times (indicating they were packed and hoping we'd leave). We'll definitely be back.
(4)E L.
Asian Bistro continues to be our family's favorite place for awesome Chinese food. I highly recommend trying the daily specials. Like most people, I can't read Chinese but I can make up that limitation by asking the waitress to translate and recommend. I have yet to be disappointed. The daily specials usually feature comfort food that is different than the ones on the printed menu. If one is looking for pseudo-Chinese dishes like that unspeakable "crap raccoon" or "dictator tsao chicken" and fried rice (hmm...ever notice why the Chinese patrons do not order this??), go elsewhere. Otherwise come here with an open adventurous mind and taste. You'd be pleasantly surprised by the depth of authentic Chinese cooking.
(5)Billy I.
Absolutely the worst I ever had . Costumer service is horrible they don't speak English and the food was real nasty never again
(1)Feni W.
If u like spicy n tasty food; this is the place. We love the food so much we go there at least once a week. Check it out you won't be disappointed.
(4)Yawei Y.
Good if you are looking for some real Chinese foods. Waitresses are friendly. Spacious place not so crowded. Feel relax when I seated.
(4)Karl M.
Many authentic-style dishes and American Chinese favs. The booths are spacious and the ambiance is definitely China-town style. My kids love the food and so do my wife and I. Great flavors. Perfectly cooked. New local favorite Chinese spot. This review is late so I forgot all the details of our last visit... stand by... will eat here again soon!
(5)Tara M.
We used to love this place. And we dined in and ordered take out often. Then, it seemed they got a new cook or something. Food quality went down. Then we experienced some really poor service. I guess we ate there too much since it began to all go downhill till we took them OFF our list of places to eat or takeout as it makes me annoyed to pay them $30 for lousy food and service. (They never give enough rice with takeout either.). Too bad they could not retain us, as we spent a fair amount of $ there every week. C'est la vie!
(2)Lloyd S.
Asian Bistro is outstanding, authentic Chinese cuisine. Most and sometimes all of the customers are Chinese and they come back over and over. Everything is good and it is a family run business. Son (Jack) is the kitchen, Grandma is greeter and grandchildren come in regularly. We eat in or carry out twice per week.
(5)Jennifer S.
I don't know how I even ended up at Asian Bistro, but my tummy was pretty happy with me for the next two days! I work just over ten minutes away and wandered in for lunch one day when I was passing by. It's very non-descript. The restaurant is almost bare with an unusual choice in wall color. Guess what? I could care less! I had excellent service even with a language barrier. I couldn't have been more pleased. I tried some spicy potstickers. They were a bit oily, but so tasty and unique. The spicy kick was practically perfect in every way. I also had a sweet and sour shrimp lunch special with white rice. It was so fresh! The rice was fluffy and there was so much food that I was able to eat a full meal off it for lunch the next day. The prices were just right. I won't hesitate to go back to Asian Bistro and will probably even bring my family. You should too!
(4)Taylor M.
So far I only tried the hot and sour soup, crab Rangoon and spring rolls. The spring rolls were deep fried, which I am not a fan of. The hot and sour soup was good but it is pre made so they couldn't accommodate my no mushrooms request. The crab Rangoon were big and awesome. My grandma liked te egg drop soup I brought her too! It is located in a strip mall and the interior is nothing fancy. I originally wanted to give them 3 stars, but I need to try the actual food and give them another chance before I judge them too harshly. They do not take discover card here.
(4)John H.
Thought this place was really good sit down Chinese food. Tried some Szechwan dumplings that were good and the orange beef was awesome. Don't often go to sit down Chinese dinners, but thought it was a cut above the rest. Very friendly staff, helped us order from a mainly Chinese menu.
(4)Feng Q.
Poor service. Waited 30 mins for an appetizer. No apology. Food is so poor. Hygiene is in question.
(1)Jodi A.
In for Christmas and my sister-in-law were looking for chinese take out for the family-large group. Got a menu and called in an order. If I was just reviewing the food--I'd give this place 5 stars, as I am still eating the Pho noodle soup today.. Living in New Orleans, I have tried a ton of pretty well known Vietnamese spots-this soup is comparable to some of Emeril's favs out in NOLA! Tried the chicken pad thai and beef vegetable-great as well. The service situation made this experience not be 5 stars. For starters, we were told 30 minutes, but when we got there 30 minutes later, we waited an additional 30 minutes.. The owner seemed less than concerned. Also,they left off an order of egg rolls, had to ask for soy sauce, chili paste, additional fortune cookies for the kids. With such a large tab, $80 plus, I would've expected more than 2 small rice, forgotten egg rolls, and possibly an extra app. I had the manager repeat the order over the phone 2x to make sure it was correct.
(4)PJ J.
Criminally delicious and inexpensive food. Just about the only thing I didn't like was the iced coffee, because it was weird. The wife and I shared a Dan Dan noodle...this is noodles dressed in a spicy sauce and sprinkled with just a little ground meat. Damn it was good! We also had spicy eggplant which was a portion big enough to make 3 meals out of (if you're not stoned). This place's name and decor would probably blend right in, if this was Chinatown, but this is a strip mall location, in a less than average strip mall...about this I am both happy and sad. Happy that I know that I have another GREAT Sichuan spot to go to near the house, and sad that I never checked it out earlier, because the place looked a little Willy Wonka. The service was excellent and fast...a lady even came by to stir my noodles. An awesome lunch for two for just under $20 bucks with a good tip.
(4)Ali R.
Second visit and I'm a fan. Okay peeps (I still live in the 90's)...if you're ordering crab rangoon, kung pao chicken, or any of these American dishes, it makes sense that you may not be wow'd. Authentic Chinese cooks learned how to make these dishes to fit the American taste and by no means should they be judged based on these dishes. Why are you confused by the Chinese diners who seem to be enjoying their food and you don't? It's because we didn't order what you did. With that being said, I get it. I get that you should still expect decent food but if you're going to choose Chinese for the night, perhaps try an authentic dish. Trust me, they're better than your sweet and sour pork. If you're looking for some quality and authentic Szechuan food, Asian Bistro is a great choice for the suburbs. The beef noodle soup is extremely tasty and spicy! The meat quality was excellent. The green onion pancake snack was crispy and the right texture. I also enjoyed the tofu bowl, Singapore noodles with curry, and beef short ribs. Outstanding quality and taste. The Szechuan string beans are also good but be prepared for a little saltiness. It's just the style of how they're cooked. I'll be back for more, Asian Bistro!
(4)Phil S.
I'm going to agree with Sarah S. and disagree with my fellow Yelpers about Asian Bistro. Our experience here was one continuously painful test of culinary patience. I was happy to note upon my arrival that all of the patrons were Asian with the exception of a non-Asian couple. I took this sign as confirmation of the authenticity stated in other reviews. We were promptly seated and asked if we would like the Chinese menu as well, to which we politely declined. We started with the chicken wing appetizer (I can't remember the long name) and received a plate of three chicken wings cut in to six pieces without any garnish. The wings appeared to have some sort of seasoning, judging by color and specks of powdered spices on the skin. After I took my first bite I was left searching for some sort of flavor. Any kind of flavor. What I finally realized is that I would not be finding any semblance of real flavor. These wings were literally sprinkled lightly with some dry seasonings and then deep fried, effectively obliterating any flavor dry seasoning could have imparted without the aid of moisture. Well, there goes $7. Yes, folks. A $7 appetizer devoid of flavor or any hint of presentation. Off to a horrible start, we figured there is no way the entrees we ordered could be worse. For our main course, we ordered directly from the "signature" section of the menu which included the House Pan Fried Noodles and the Lamb Twin Delight. What we received was one dish of yellow Hong Kong style noodles fried to a stiff, tangled mess somewhat covered in a brown sauce and topped with a combination of seafood/meat and one dish split in half with apple slices with mystery meat on each side. The noodles were almost impossible to eat because how stiff and tangled they had become. I even jokingly asked for a hammer and chisel to avoid having to lift the entire birds nest to take a bite out of it. Flavor was decent but amounted to a typical brown sauce found at any hole-in-the-wall take-out joint. At least the veggies and protein was fresh. The lamb dish could have been pork. Or beef. Or any other meat. It was thinly sliced, gristly, and indiscernible from any other tenderloin of any other four legged animal typically used in Chinese cooking. To top off this heavily masked dish, one side was absolutely COVERED in fennel seeds. I have no particular aversion to fennel seeds but I am not exaggerating when I say the meat was almost invisible due to the disgusting clumps of WHOLE fennel seeds covering the meat. I was chewing on fennel seeds for hours after our meal and picking those tiny suckers out from between my teeth for many more hours after that. My wife wouldn't even touch the nasty stuff after the first bite. In my attempt to overcome what I was hoping my inexperience with the dish, I stupidly soldiered on and ate more in attempting to acquire a taste for a bottle full of fennel seeds that was surely mistakenly spilled onto our mystery meat in the dark confines of the kitchen. Maybe they thought it was black pepper or salt? Or maybe they were trying to cover up the quality of the meat? Who knows, all I know is I became nauseous halfway through and gave up. Service was kind and attentive and ambiance was adequate, if not a little on the sterile side. Maybe I just ordered three of their worst dishes? No matter, if I couldn't find merit in any of the food then I dare not return to punish myself AND my wallet (to the tune of +$44) for one of the nastiest meals that I have ever had the displeasure of ingesting.
(1)Jen B.
I love their food- Plum Chicken is my go to dish. I would rate their food at least 4 stars, however service zero. I'm a working Mom- I understand hard work and I'm usually pretty patient, however when you have an hour for lunch, I don't have time to wait. This is the 2nd time in about 6 months- I've sat down been given a menu- and after waiting for 25 minutes- had to leave- no service coming to the table, one lady stopped and took the order to the table next to us, and when she gestured to us as she paused and nodded- no english- (however the table next to us ordered in english- don't understand?)- I can point to the dish on the menu- I'm not picky. Other than ordering to go orders- I'm think I'm done with stopping in for a quick bite at lunch time at least.
(2)Nicholas P.
Best Asian food in town, staff is always nice and food is never disappointing. I love this place.great place for large group of family or friends, or just two people.
(5)Chris C.
I just went to this restaurant last Saturday night. It was pretty surprise that server does not want to take any orders unless you are fully ready for your appetizer and dinner all together. Most funny parts of my experience at restaurant was that i had to ask sever for Rice at least three times. She was just keep serving food without Rice. So i had to yell to manager to bring me some rice. However she showed me the most ugliest face. Lol. Worst and Stupid Services are available in this restaurant.. If you want to try this restaurant, do not expect any services.
(2)Laura H.
Have been here twice before, big fan of the hibachi shrimp. That would have been a four star review. Went last night with two other members of my family, who wanted to do the all you can eat sushi. They re-did the menu two weeks ago, hibachi items are gone. Looked at the menu and realized there was nothing I wanted to eat there, I have other favorite local restaurants for sushi and Asian cuisine. Did the sushi with my family, and had an MSG attack in the middle of dinner. The only different thing I had was the Hot and Sour Soup, which I have had before with no problems. Either way, I'm out. Not going back. I'm really sad about it too.
(1)Sarah S.
I went here based on all the good yelp reviews and I was totally disappointed. Their prices are way up there with Yu's prices but the quality isn't anywhere near their level. It's just at the same level as any other Chinese takeout joint. So when I called up to place my order at 530pm, the phone rang about 8 times before someone picked up. I was just about to hang up when the lady picked up. She was nice enough but when I tried to order Beef Chow Fun she put me on hold while she checked...and they were out of it. Sad and not a good sign for me. So instead I went with sesame chicken, sweet & sour chicken and egg rolls for dinner for my Grandma and myself. They didn't have small portions which was super disappointing. So we ended up with big, expensive portions of everything. My total came to $27.58, pretty ridiculous for take out of 2 dishes and eggrolls. It better be the best Chinese food takeout at that point. Not only is it not the best, but it's nowhere near the best. The sesame chicken was dry and some pieces had no coating on them, weird. Flavor was edible but I've had much better sesame chicken flavor in much cheaper sesame chicken at other places. The sweet & sour chicken was just okay, nothing horrible but nothing really tasty either. I've had better just about everywhere else. And $10 for the dish? Ugh. The eggrolls were tiny (much smaller then other places) and not worth the price but they were what I enjoyed most from the meal. Sorry, won't be going back here.
(2)Hans H.
If you read my other review, you know I'm not a fan of Chinese run Japanese places, or really in general, any sort of Chinese-Japanese restaurants. You can't do both well, just give it up. Anyway, this place being so close to my house and the good reviews it has garnered has convinced me to give it a try. Lunch special, orange chicken. Not bad! Pretty good actually--real orange peel adds to the flavor, not too sweet or salty, and not deep fried! The fried rice that comes with was on the salty side, but what can you do for Americanized Chinese food...I'll probably come back to try other stuff, but for the reviews' sake, I'll stay away from the sushi and Japanese stuff.
(3)Raktim M.
Best Chinese food in the area. Love the Tom Yum Soup... Huge portions.. Love the Singapore rice noodles as well
(5)Sherwin C.
Pretty good authentic Szechuan food. I prefer the style of food served at iChef, Yu's Mandarin, and Chef Ping more though. Sometimes the flavors can be a bit too strong.
(4)Native S.
I am from sichuan , and Asian Bistro Is the best Sichuan restaurant we've been in Chicago , my husband loved the pickles so much, everything else taste good too , and the people are very nice ,we definitely will go there again .
(5)Yvonne Y.
Amazing food and prompt service as usual. Had the fantastic fish in hot sauce, beef in a "Mao" style veggie stew, crispy chicken, tea smoked duck and sauteed pea greens. Well worth the 45 min drive by us. Let the waiters order for you if you want guidance. Be open to authentic Sichuan food, not the faked American stuff.
(5)Tudor E.
Best Chinese food in Chicagoland, even including Chinatown. Several Chinese friends feel the same way, which is definitely validating... The fish fillet in szechuan sauce is a must. Over the years I've tried various random foods from the menu, not having a clue what I was ordering - all really good, with some really amazing ones. A word of warning, the staff don't speak English very well, but are very friendly and accommodating, though not the most up to date on US etiquette rules :)
(4)Kyle N.
Went here with the wife for dinner after a business meeting in the area and was pleasently suprised. I am not a fan of Asian cuisine but enjoyed every bite. The service was great. The owner was there and very polite. I will definatly be coming back!
(5)Angela H.
It was bound to happen. My foodie hubris chased me down, pushed me to the ground and stuffed me full with sinfully delicious food. I thought I knew all the Chinese restaurant trade secrets: 1. Put all your customers in seats by the windows so it looks like the restaurant is packed when people do a drive by to scope it out. a. Make sure the customers in the window are Asian, it'll draw White and Chinese people to the restaurant because they'll think it's authentic. 2. Have 2 separate menus with completely different items. 1 for the authentic food and 1 for the Americanized food. Asian Bistro apparently said psshh to the rules. As we were doing the drive by bf was getting cold feet, it looked like no one was in there. I convinced him to give it a shot. We walk in and there were actually quite a few people in the restaurant and they are all Chinese! Turns out the English and Chinese menu has all the same items! Originally, I had read the raving reviews for Asian Bistro and was a skeptic. If this place was SO good, how come I haven't heard about it from the Chinese community? Um...turns out maybe I'm not THAT Chinese. I realized this when the server gave me a menu all in Chinese. After a few minutes of pretending I had to come clean and tell her that I'm pretty much illiterate. To which she responded, Sorry, I'm so embarrassed (those words are the most uttered words in the Chinese language). Hmmmm...more like I'm so embarrassed. I was so excited that she assumed I could read based on my spoken Chinese. I didn't want to disappoint and thought I might be able to pull it off! The furthest I've gotten before was just been asked which menu I wanted. Anyways, on to the food. Literal translation of the dishes we ordered (English name may differ): lamb cooked 2 ways- one side was mongolian style the other side was a spicy lamb. The spicy lamb tasted like something I would find in an Indian restaurant. Flavored with cumin, other spices and lots of heat! So good. The mongolian lamb was the winner. Wasn't too salty, wasn't too saucy. Def not the kind you get at P.F. Changs. Lamb was cooked perfectly for both dishes! Tender and plump! vegetarian chicken - Everyone makes this dish differently which is why I sometimes don't like to order it. It's basically lots of thin layers of tofu skin. The Asian Bistro version is my favorite. Lots of shitake mushrooms folded into the many layers of tofu. Delicate and tasty! empty heart veggie (veggie core is hollow) - it's so hard to get this anywhere in the 'burbs. I've been craving this veggie for so long. it was cooked perfectly. wasn't too oily or too salty which is often the case at other places. We looked around to see what other people were getting. It all looked awesome! This place is legit. I can't wait to go back and try more items on their menu!
(4)Jason C.
Heard about this place through some friends who are Chinese/Taiwanese, and I can see why they would like this place. It seems very authentic, even having a Chinese language only menu of non-mainstream dishes. We came here and ordered from the special Chinese hotpot menu. They brought out a large bowl with a divider separating 2 very different but tasty broths. The little plates of meat/seafood/vegetables you cook in the broth add up, so I would recommend coming here with a group of friends. We also enjoyed the Thai iced tea. We even received a plate of Chinese doughnuts (wasn't sure if this was something they bring out for every patron). The service was slow at times, but nothing too bad. Our server was almost too nice and inviting -- It seemed like we were eating at her house the way she was helping us cook our hotpot. This place seems to have something for everyone. Can't wait to come back to try some other Chinese dishes I don't get at other places.
(5)Andy M.
The food here is quite good, but the service leaves a lot to be desired. As far as the food goes, Asian Bistro has a step up on most Chinese places that I have visited. The service is pretty piss poor. Between the time we got our first drink and the time we were half done with our Entree, our server disappeared. We would have ordered more drinks, but our server did her best Claude Reins impersonation. So I took away one star for the service. I take away another star for their false claim about how spicy some of the dishes are. They are good, but nowhere near what I would call spicy. This is not the kind of place that I would go out of my way to visit, but if I'm out in the Western Burbs and need a fix for some Chinese food, I would gladly stop by again.
(3)Ryan H.
It's said to be one of the best chinese restaurants in chicago area. i took a visit last week. and i think the saying is perhaps true.. the dish i have to mention here is the "suan miao la rou", a preserved pork dish stir-fried with leeks.. it was really amazing that could compete with the original flavor in sichuan.. their drinks r cool too, the one i had was thai-style iced milk tea. i think if they could do a better job matching the interior painting color, that would give guests an extrodinary feeling.. anyway, it is a remarkable restaurant~!!!
(4)Jeka M.
The lunch specials are $5.99 and include soup, entree, fried rice, fortune cookie. I wasn't impressed by the quality of the food or the tastefulness, but it was fast. Service wasn't friendly. It's a low-key place overall.
(2)Vince V.
The decor is nondescript at best but luckily the menu has plenty of variety. I am partial to the la tsi chicken, mapo tofu, fish with black bean sauce and cumin lamb. Their noodle dishes are probably the least exciting options so I have been skipping them. They have a seafood soup with mushrooms on the chinese menu that is quite tasty but since I don't speak chinese, it takes me some time to describe it. It's nice to find a chinese restaurant where every dish is refreshingly unique.
(4)Alison G.
Don't panic when you see "Szechuan", this restaurant also serves non-spicy dishes. I always recommend this restaurant when I need a place for gathering with my cantonese/taiwanese friends because many of them like spicy food. If you read chinese do ask them for the chinese menu, it has authentic Szechuan dishes. I'm a soup-lover, so I always order their spinach tomato soup with fried eggs, or fish filet soup with veggie, or hot and soup seafood noodle soup. Their beef noodle soup (spicy or non spicy) are also very tasteful! fish filet noodle soup is also a must try too! Since they made plenty of great noodle soup I rarely order their rice dishes on lunch or dinner menu (more americanized ), i did try them but rarely and they are not bad too. Their thai iced coffee or tea are also not bad too i always order to go after lunch as my so-called after meal dessert. Overall its a great place to stop at if you are a chinese food / noodle soup lover. They have booths on the side and round tables in the center, we can always get a table when we get there. The owner and servants are all nice great people too!
(4)P K.
Lost in Translation. Saw the great reviews and had to give it a try. Didn't work out so well. But based on reviews, decided to try it again. Didn't work out so well part two. Both visits were a bust due to the language barrier. Shouldn't be an issue. Point to what you want on the menu. We had no questions. Knew exactly what we wanted both times. The menu items have a number associated with them as well. First visit, my husband's meal was wrong. Second visit, my meal was wrong. They tried to get us to eat it anyway. We did that the first time but not this time. So, one of us is eating, one is waiting to eat. Insult to injury, both visits the bill was wrong and of course not in our favor. Too much work to eat here when there are so many other great Asian places in the area.
(1)angie h.
First of all, I only give honest reviews. I don't have any connections with any of the business I reviewed, good or bad. I give Asian Bistro 5 stars for its good food and consistancy. Authentic Sczechun Style Chinese food, by Chinese standard. This is evidant from the amount of Chinese customers present in the restuarants on weekends and lunch time. Of course for people grew up in the States that is a double sided sword. Food may be a bit too spicy for you unless you order them mild. Or you may now know what is the real "authentic" dishes that you can order. My suggestion is to look at what others are ordering and just point and ask. Service is not bad either. The owner's parents are usually there to ensure quality. My favorite Chinese restaurant this side of Chinatown. Not too far from I-90, easy access. NW suburbs of Chicago.
(5)Deyu Z.
I am Chinese so my review is going to put it against other Chinese restaurants. I have been to the place a dozen times in a 4 year span. The food was very good 4 years ago, then the quality and consistency went down afterwards. Put it in short. - They are the only one restaurant in suburb tries to cook authentic Chinese dishes. - the seasoning of the dishes are not consistent. Sometimes it is way over seasoned, and sometimes it is under. This is probably due to change in chefs. With that , give it a try but do not have high expectation.
(3)Ling L.
*Photos shots UPDATE 9/28/07: We returned and the beef chow fun was instead better. I had the pork with chili, and it was indeed Szechwan spicy. Ask for mild if you're weak like me. This is the only place in the burbs I can get sweet tofu dessert. Not too syrupy sweet, and with a good dash of ginger, and such silky tofu hua. --------------------------------------------------Â---------------------------------------- I may be updating the stars as I return for more visits. Yes, MORE VISITS. My lunch buddies who are diehard Tasty Cuisine diners decided to take a break from their usual fast Chinese lunch spot to try Asian Bistro. Unfortunately, they both had to have the General Tso's, much to my chagrin. For a dollar less than the usual TC lunch cost, Asian Bistro's lunch special consists of a small bowl of soup (hot and sour is not bad), an anemic egg roll with more dough than filling, and bland fried rice (no prepackaged carrots and peas). Because Asian Bistro specializes in Szechuan, a province known for its spicy chili peppers, the General Tso's packed some heat. It was great! Having spied my beef chow fun (not in the lunch special), I had to have it. Although it's not slighty sloppy wet, the way I like my wide rice noodles, it is still flavorful enough. I was saddened that the thin beef slices could not be more tender, though. Maybe it was a bad day for the chef. But I'm not shaken by the experience, and will return to give them a chance. Ooh, their desserts are "authentic" -- sweet tofu, sesame puffs, sweet rice with red bean paste. Note: they will not process credit cards for amounts less than $10. So if you should go alone, bring cash.
(4)Sally W.
I do enjoy their taste, as the owners are Taiwanese, I've always been surprise that they serve pretty authentic Sichuan food. But their service...is...well...you can't say they're under staff, other than the two younger old ladies as the waiting staff. The owners, the old man sitting in the corner and the old lady that may have seated you are almost always there. On some occasion the old lady maybe dying her hair while talking to you and collecting your money for the food you're picking up. But if you overlook that part, the food is really yummy! Just don't try their new dishes or recommendation from the owner I think you'll be fine. Since we order this new dish recommended by her with fish in chili soup and it was cold and I only notice half of the fish inside a big pot of soup that you can't drink. Being a dessert kind of gal, I do enjoy the yummy donut holes looking fried bread with sugar. It's delicious! Wait, did I mention their food is good? Yes! the donut holes are yummmm!
(3)Stevie V.
I read some reviews but not sure what people are excited about. I took my family here when we got a coupon in the mail. Everything was cool until the server disappeared. Mind you we were the only customers in the restaurant. Look, I won't order off the menu. I won't change my order 50 times. Just give me some freakin water and I'll be happy. Not a single time did he come up to us or fill up the cups. I had to actually go find him to get the check. Food was ok, I was too thirsty to notice the taste
(2)Danielle S.
I felt like I was in China whilst eating here, moreso than Chinatown, even - I think I was the only Caucasian in the restaurant! I was here with 9 coworkers, all Asians, and they did almost all the ordering. Service was on par with what I've seen at other Chinese restaurants, but the food was definitely above average. My favorite dishes included a jellyfish appetizer thing with spicy sauce, the fried squid, some kind of spicy deep fried shrimp, and fish/veggies in an oily broth (like I said, I didn't do the ordering!). Best Chinese food I've had in the 'burbs!
(5)Sarah M.
We love this place! Great food - love the Lamb duet and the orange beef. Even though it's not on the menu they always will make me Chinese broccoli sauteed with garlic if I ask. Yeah the decor is a bit lacking - but the owner - she said her name is Jenni - is always so nice and this last time she really recognized us - called my dad by name and sent us out a complimentary dessert. My sister who is super picky about her Chinese food loved it. I so don't get why people give this place bad reviews. I think it's awesome. Don't miss this place! Best Chinese in the burbs.
(5)Ang R.
Yum! I can't base this review off too many items, but the items I did have were very delicious. (My big question is this: why can't I get food like this in Chicago? Because I'll tell you, I haven't found it yet.) I love the style of sesame chicken that Asian bistro cooks. The chicken was quality, and the sauce was tasty. Super tasty. The pork fried rice was also really good; I'm not a huge fan of pork fried rice if it isn't prefaced by the term BBQ, but this stuff was flavorful enough without the BBQ. Our dining companions had the orange beef, and my husband tasted it and said it was awesome, and the lettuce wraps, which though I didn't taste, looked magnificent. The person who had them seriously loved them. So...to sum up: eat here, if you're in the area. Yum.
(4)Andrea L.
This is my favorite Sichuan place in the area -- though, I will admit -- I never do any of the ordering myself, and leave it up in the capable hands of my knowledgeable relatives. My favorite dish is an intriguing cube-shaped noodle dish with spicy fish (the seafood is consistently good), and the bon-bon chicken is generally great. Service is average, but the owners are friendly, and the servers are generally happy to offer a few suggestions if asked.
(4)Nick S.
My wife and I love the Asian Bistro. We used to really like Yu's Mandarin for Chinese, but now, Asian Bistro is first on our list. We like the ambiance and i think the servers are very nice. The food and ingredients are always fresh. This is a true family business. We are late eaters (like after 8pm) and the family is always eating dinner together right before closing time. If you consider the litmus test of an Asian restaurant to be the number of Asians eating there; then Asian Bistro definitely passes the test. There are many. It's not perfect, but it's our go-to place for Chinese food.
(5)Rebecca Huicha K.
Went for dinner recently and had mongolian beef and the spicy blue crab (special, not on the regular menu). With the high ratings this place has, I had high expectations. The food was decent but nothing spectacular. The spicy blue cram was different than expected but the mongolian beef was really tender and not too sweet. i'd be willing to try them again, maybe for a lunch special...
(3)E A.
I called around 6pm on a Saturday night and my call was answered quickly and the guy was courteous. The interior decor was lacking. It almost looked like they just "moved in" or were about to "move out". One of the servers went into the kitchen to go fetch my food and another person who looked like a grandma came over to see if I needed help. I thought that was nice. Hometown smoked beef appetizer - tender and flavorful! I have ordered this at other places and they are often gnarly and grisly. Salt and Pepper prawns w shell - Excellent. I was bummed that they didn't leave the heads on, but that is OK since the bits of goodness (diced peppers, garlic, etc.) atop the prawns were abundant and tasty. Szechuan string bean - overcooked for my taste. I typically like my veggies crunchy and with color. However, the flavor was spectacular. They actually seasoned it using minced pork and minced Chinese style pickled veggies unlike other places that just saute them with seasonings. If they had used long beans instead of string beans and didn't over-cook these, it would have been perfect! Fish fillet w Ma Po Tofu - they actually used Szechuan peppercorns! I can tell because of the numbing effect I felt on my tongue. They put a lot of tasty fish and hunks of silky tofu. Beef stew w noodle - the soup had so much flavor I could have eaten it without the noodle. They is hardcore stock with blocks of meat parts and reconstituted shitake mushrooms. If you are not into the meat parts, just put it to the side. If you like food, you know that dried shitake brings such intense flavor. Steamed rice - It wasn't old or hard or over-cooked. It was perfect.
(4)Zhong Y.
This place is an authentic Chinese place with serious Sichuan provenance. I tried no less than four dishes by myself: hongyou chaoshou, which is pork dumplings served in a not-hot-at-all, sweet, deeply red chili oil sauce; bang bang chicken, which wasn't the deep fried chicken wings bathed in sweet chili sauce found in Korean Chinese restaurants, but the Sichuanese variety, served in a cold sesame or peanuty sauce; fuqi feipian, which is sliced beef and beef tendon dressed in a hot, Sichuan peppercorn infused oil dressed with crushed peanuts and generous amounts of cilantro; and the dan dan mian, noodles dressed in a spicy ground pork sauce. I also may have had guotie -- pot stickers -- and while I'm sure they were good, I don't remember them. The noodles had been freshly boiled and were springy, the sauce was delightfully spicy and all of it piping hot. Best to go earlier: makes a great lunch spot and the restaurant staff seem less stressed -- no less gruff or curt, but that's the service standard on the mainland. You get that authentic experience here as part of the cooking too.
(4)Gina G.
So the name isn't the best, but this place really has great food! It really seems authentic (I'm not Asian, but I do eat a lot of Asian cuisine). I always dine in and usually when you go to a chinese place or the like no one ever eats in, but people actually eat in here! The decor isn't the best, but i think the places that have the best food usually don't have the best decor, they concentrate more on the taste of the food. I've never been disappointed with anything I've ordered from here, I've dined here multiple times and will definitely be going back again and again!
(5)Shang X.
I think this may be the only Chinese restaurant here in Chicago that may survive in China (just survive though, but i am already very happy with it). the food is in general very authentic Sichuan style and the restaurant itself (inner decoration etc) is A-Okay especially compared to most of the sloppy Chinatown ones. I agree that the service is not very stable but the food is so good (in US) that I don't really care about the service anymore. They have some specials that are not on the menu and you have to order it ahead of time so that the kitchen can prepare them for you. One of my favorite is there "xiang la xie" (spicy blue crab, very very spicy though). You can call them before noon and order it (minimum 5 crabs), then you will be able to have them during dinner, yummy!!
(5)Ben W.
This place is really good, anthentic Sichuan / Szechuan food! Nothing too different from what you get in China. I am completely pleased, Twice cooked spicy pork is very nice. 2 people ordered the 4 dish set, which turned out more than enough, good combination and great price. I will definitely go back there with freinds.
(5)Food S.
This is by far the best place to get 'authentic' Sichuan food in Chicago's Northwest suburbs. Ask for the Chinese menu if you are adventurous, and try the spicy ' La tz chi' - tiny pieces of fried chicken spiced heavily with Sichuan peppercorns. The hot pot is delicious too! And the sliced, boneless catfish ( Sway-chu-yu) is really spicy. Best bet if it's a low-key, clean, family-friendly place with authentic food Sichuan food that you are seeking.
(5)Stella L.
Delicious! Authentic!
(5)Esther K.
why the hell this place has high ratings is beyond me... the food tasted and looked like it was done by an amateur. the food tastes like it's been soaked in 5 lbs. of grease and they just threw a crap load of salt in the mix. you are better off spending your money somewhere else.
(1)Jon J.
Very good Szechuan Food, where they don't "dumb down" the menu for the gringoes. You can even get some hardcore Szechuan spicy soup as a $5.95 lunch special - now that's a surprise! The "combo sides" were halfhearted - typical frozen spring rolls, and dried out white rice. But the main course was light years beyond the average Chinese restaurant, especially at lunchtime.
(4)Christine J.
This is my go-to place when I go shopping in Schaumburg. For the western suburbs, their Szechuan food can't be beat. If you order off the Chinese language menu, they won't go easy on the spice. They also have an English menu with a bunch of Americanized Chinese fare, which aren't bad either. Tip: if you plan on ordering dessert, make sure you mention when you first order or they'll just bring you the bill.
(4)Karen J.
When you first walk in and see all the other Asians eating here, you know its got authentic street cred :) The menu includes both traditional and "westernized" dishes--sure to please everyone if you are in mixed company. The pork belly and picked vegetable (mustard green) is awesome. Also enjoyed their dessert tofu. As for ambience, thought it was an interesting difference that they had jazz music playing.
(4)Carolynne M.
So a while back the Tribune ran an article and listed Asian Bistro as one of the top 5 restaurants in Chicagoland for spicy food. Really, Tribune, really? Look, spicy to me means a full-on assault to the throat, tongue and sinuses. If my face doesnt blow off and cause my eyes to water uncontrollably after one bite then it might as well be rice pudding to me. And if you are going to sing your siren-song of spice-alicious promise and make me haul ass up to flippin Arlington Heights, well then dammit I want some chili-pepper lovin. Dont toy with me and put a little icon of 3 peppers next to the menu description (Plum Pork) and have it turn out that one of the 3 peppers is actually bell pepper. (!) When I caught myself gnawing on a chili pod trying to extract any kind of heat from it, I knew that was a bad sign. OMG. Asian Bistro you get 2 extra stars for a cute interior and fresh ingredients (the Thai meat egg roll was yum). Chicago Tribune, you and your weak reporter get no stars for misleading a girl like that.
(3)Flora H.
Food OK, terriable service, and they might over charge your credit card! My husband and I had lunch out there in May and spent around $17, but they put over $60 to my credit card! When I called to dispute, they admit their mistake, but still put over $60 to my credit card 2 months later, still trying to work out with bank, but this is really bother us. Will never go there..............
(1)Nancy H.
Wow, great Szechuan food! Don't be fooled by the name of the restaurant; it's no "bistro" - just straight up Chinese Szechuan. One star off for the extremely poor waitstaff on a busy Saturday night that we went. They were rude and forgetful. Don't feel bad about bugging them twice or 3x about the same thing. I don't remember all the dishes we ordered, but I highly recommend the fish fillets in a spicy sauce! Rather diverse crowd too as it is located in a strip mall in the suburbs. Atmosphere is inviting and lively - give it a try!
(4)Janet B.
I hate to admit but we go here several times a month. Food is delicious and cheap. The 5.99 lunch is so big, I end up taking it home and having it for dinner. I didn't care for Chinese before I went to Asian Bistro and now I can't get enough. I love the old lady we are such regulars that she just gives us they so delicious donuts for free.
(5)Christopher C.
Top-notch Szechuan Chinese food! The name of this restaurant is so absurd that my wife and I drove up after seeing it to check out the menu--mostly to laugh at it and with no intention of going in--but then we realized that this place is legit. So they're not good at marketing, but they are good at making awesome Szechuan dishes, like chili chicken, boiled beef, pickled fish soup, cumin lamb. If you like flower pepper (which has the numbing effect) make sure you tell them because they don't consistently add it in sufficient quantities. All in all, you won't find a better REAL Chinese restaurant outside of Chinatown in my opinion.
(5)Pranay N.
I really liked the food, the price and the serving size. But the service was terrible. Went there for lunch and it was very crowded. They had only 2 servers. Had to wait 10 mins to place our order before I went to the server and asked her to take our order. We had asked for fried rice with our entrees and were given white rice. The waiter slammed it down on the table and when we informed him that we had ordered fried rice he said they were out. He then took away the white rice and made us wait 10 mins for the fried rice.
(2)Leang E.
It was a great place to be for a Chinese New Year's lunch. I mean if I couldn't be in Chinatown, this place was quite as good. It really helps to come with a bunch of Chinese people as well. So we sat at the big table filled with 12 people. We were given a special menu written on a small note pad piece of paper. We must have ordered 12 dishes. I find myself in the company of always over ordering and over eating when I am eating Chinese food. Yeah, I didn't order but it was fine with me because all the things we got were delicious. We had a cold mushroom wrapped dish, a pickled stirfry like cabbage dish, a rice vermicelli and shrimpball and meatball soup, a spicy tofu stirfry dish, a sweet and sour fish stirfry dish, an eggplant stirfry dish, a wintermelon stirfry dish, a asian spinach? (not sure what they call it in English) and garlic stirfry dish, a chicken stirfry, and some other things that I can't remember. I was already so stuffed and then they bring out the fried donut hole like things dusted with sugar, sliced oranges, and fortune cookies. Since it was Chinese New Years, they also had red wrapper candies. I was so ridiculously stuffed. I had food coma for the rest of the day, and felt like I ate until I was dumb. I'm not sure how I got through the work day yesterday. I'm sure the prices for these items were a bit more expensive as they were not the lunch specials. The service was okay. We were a large group and to fill our pot of tea and bring rice out so often is kind of tough.
(4)Elaine H.
Food... so... good....... service... sooooooo... bad.... This place kills me. As a native New Yorker of Chinese descent, I've had access to really good Chinese food in restaurants and at home for most of my life and I'm pretty picky about it. Since moving to Chicago, I've had a hard time finding Chinese restaurants whose food warranted a second trip. I never expected I'd find it out here in Schaumburg near where I work! An intern from Hong Kong recommended this place to me, and so I headed there for lunch with some co-workers. What a surprise! Fresh, authentic, delicious, visually appealing lunch dishes at great prices - lunch specials are about $6 and include your main course, springroll, soup, and rice. And the service was okay overall, it wasn't particularly attentive, and as a result, we had a rude incident. After the food was brought out, I realized we didn't have chopsticks. The waitstaff seemed pretty busy, so I grabbed 4 sets of chopsticks out of a container on a nearby counter that had napkins and utensils and brought them back to the table for the people who wanted them. The proprietor then came over to me and barked, "DON'T TAKE THEM IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO USE THEM!" I appreciate her desire to prevent waste, but we were clearly going to use them. We were a table of eight... seems a poor business move to yell at otherwise potential return customers for no good reason. And yet, we returned. The food was that good. And service was horrendous. The same rude woman started to seat us and handed out 2 menus for our table of five. She then saw another group come in so she rushed away to seat them and never came back with the rest of the menus (Colleagues comment: "Ohhh she is NOT good at multitasking.") The half-filled pitcher of water that we were left to pour ourselves had weird black stuff floating in it and most of the plates, left in a stack on the table for us to distribute, had crusty food bits sticking to them. We waited forever to order, and then after we ordered, we waited forever for the food. And dishes came out with 5-10 minute pauses between them so not everyone could start eating. After most of the dishes came out, the waitress then told one of the members of our party that they were all out of his choice. His response, "You couldn't have told me this 20 minutes ago?" So yeah, cranky colleagues on top of everything else. I wish I could say that these gaffes were because they were so busy, but the restaurant was mostly empty. It was simply inexcusable customer service. And as I was standing in the door waiting for one of my colleagues who had taken the bill and our money to the register, the waitress who had just served us looked across at me thinking I had just walked in and said, "How many?" Guess that says something for how much attention they pay to their customers :)
(2)Jocelyn M.
i dont have a problem ordering what i want and we got a array of dishes here but NONE of them were particullary good. i got the extra spicy tsing chicken it was disgusting and not spicy. just hard and dry. it was all gross. i wanted to like this place but i will never go back there.
(1)Kendall G.
I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in SIchuanese food. The menu has many classic dishes that have not been watered down or turned into Americanized Chinese food. I strongly recommend adventurous eating here, as the menu allows you to order in English foods that are often only available on Chinese only menus. In particular, they have a hot pot menu for anyone looking for a fun and spicy fondue in blood red broth. As an added bonus, the prices here are very reasonable. Bring a group and order a little bit of everything. I doubt you will be disappointed.
(4)Eric Y.
I love this place. When it comes to Chinese food, I can be quite a snob. This restaurant is very good. Their food is not so much of the formal dinner party food, but rather everyday family type of dishes. Spicy, tasty, fresh authentic, and friendly servers. I have recommended many of our friends who are equally snobby when it comes to Chinese food, to this place and everyone is happy with the food, price and service.
(5)Yevgeniy K.
I just came from this place and everything about it was horrible! Service was awfully slow and, most importantly, food was even worse. This is probably one of the worst Chinese restaurants I've ever been to.
(1)Vicki K.
Far and away, my favorite chinese restaurant EVER! Fantastic authentic asian cuisine. The Orange Beef is a standard item that we must order every single time we go. The spicy dumplings are fabulous and the spicy tripe and oxtail appetizer is FANTASTIC! We've never been disppointed. The service is not THE best, as they do cater to the asian community; however, I don't let lukewarm service cloud my judgement of the fantastic food. The only time I would ding a restaurant for service is if it was absolutely horrendous and so horrible that it spoiled the food.
(5)D. T.
terrrible service...food not worth the price. pretty mediocre
(2)Alan C.
This is the real deal. Many Chinese restaurants in the area that advertise Szechwan style cuisines don't actually serve Szechwan dishes which is known for its fiery flavor. Asian Bistro, although sounds like fusion place, actually cooks up some very authentic tasting Szechwan food. My wife and I had the Twice Cooked Pork and Water Cooked Fish (sorry for the poor translation) along with two appetizers, and they were all fresh and full of flavor. At the same time, we were also pleasantly surprised by the existence of such an authentic and high caliber restaurant in Arlington Heights (northwest suburb). This is certainly not your typical MoGoo Gai Pan place. The menu is full of authentic Chinese dishes which will satisfy the toughest Chinese food critics and those who are daring enough to try something different. Even the decor of the place is quite different than other Chinese restaurants: simple, clean and spacious. I will for sure go back to Asian Bistro, especially during the cold winter months, and I highly encourage you to do the same.
(5)