If I wanted cheap tasting Asian food, I could have easily gone to Panda Express without the over-priced bill. Honestly, I would say Panda Express was even better than this place. Our server was really weird and awkward too. The only reason I chose this place, was because it was one of very few in the Oakbrook area that was open late.
(1)
Tammy C.
Just ok!! Wish there were more sauces to choose from. Price is a little high for a one time trip to the grill. Crab rangoon and pot stickers were great! Won't be back for awhile!
(3)
Kristina M.
Love this place! They have the best stir fry by far. It is always very clean inside, and I have never had a bad or rude server. Since I live kinda far from any location, I usually take some food to go. I love having their leftovers and love coming in as often as I can. Please open one up in the city!
(5)
H.e. K.
I did the create own stir fry and, although as other people mentioned, you do get a better bang for your dollar at bd's mongolian because you don't get an additional charge on what meat (or no meat) that you choose, my meal was still delicious! Service was fast and friendly. The only mistake I personally made was not loading up on enough veggies- I was still hungry after eating. Oops. Will be returning for sure.
(4)
Natasha M.
I like coming here. But in my memory there were more choices back then for the bar in the "make your own stir-fry." But still a good place and I always love eating the left overs the next day. What I also like is the great service and you always get greeted and asked how your meal was. I've never had a bad experience. Beside the make your own stir-fry theres sesame chicken-which is amazing- and my mom always gets the lettuce wraps. My little bro also got the sweet and sour chicken and he liked it. Its a good place!
(4)
Stephanie H.
Honestly, I don't know why everyone I went to high school with years ago used to rave on and on about this place. Maybe it's because I'm Asian so I'm biased, but I don't think this place is anything exceptional. I've only been here twice (once at the Mall of America and again in my hometown), but I haven't been wowed either time. The food is decently priced, and the service is good, but the food just isn't anything special. The last time I was here I ordered the Mongolian Beef thinking that was a safe choice. There was such a huge puddle of sauce, that the beef and vegetables were masked by the unnecessary amount of sauce. If you like stir-fry and enjoy Americanized Asian food, then give it a whirl, but I won't be going back.
(2)
Jennifer N.
This place was pretty tasty. I had some chicken and shrimp teriyaki. I enjoy also getting to put the meat in the bowl at genghis grill... But this works.
(4)
Ray D.
Food and service was great! Love the appetizers, BBQ Tacos, and HUGE SOUP BOWL full of AWESOMENESS! The banana filled won tons with ice cream and fresh whip cream is amazing! Love how it's not as crowded as restaurants.
(5)
Alanna M.
This place has great food. There are similar create-your-own stir fry restaurants, but this one is the best. The food is delicious and the facility is very clean. Similar restaurants such as BD's Mongolian Grill in Naperville are much less sanitary and have raw meat sitting out at their buffet. If you choose meat in your stir fry at Stir Crazy, the only person who handles it is the chef, and you can see that their prep area is very sanitary. The only food sitting out at Stir Crazy is fresh fruit and vegetables. You can tell everything is fresh- each time I have visited the restaurant I've actually seen someone come out and change out the vegetables that had been sitting out. The only way you can go wrong here is by choosing the wrong sauce for your stir fry. I once made the mistake of getting the 'traditional Chinese' sauce, and it tasted terrible. Since then I have stuck with teriyaki sauce, and I mix a half cup of peanuts into it and it's fantastic. I took my family out to this place after my college graduation and everyone really liked it.
(4)
Jen D.
Went here for the first time on a Friday night. It was pretty busy but we were seated quickly. I love that they have a kids menu. Ordered the Asian Slaw Salad, and that was very good. My husband and both ordered the salmon dishes and they were good as well. Not too salty. The sweet and sour chicken for son was also good. Not a bad experience at all. We will be back for sure.
(4)
Brad E.
Make your own stir-fry; what could go wrong? Everything. The stir-fry was incredibly bland, despite following our server's recommendations. Morever, the ingredients did not taste or even appear fresh. Our server did not help matters by being a dead ringer for the annoying server from Chotchkie's in the movie Office Space (guy with "flaire"). Will not return.
(1)
Osiris V.
I usually go to lunch with my friend here and it usually consist of us getting lettuce wraps and pork Potstickers. Once in a while I'll get the Kung Pao Chicken with Brown rice. Either way....fabulous! I must say that they often have trouble keeping their Potstickers in stock. It's a popular item, is it too much to ask that you carry it when I visit! ;) I think I got the stir fry once and it's your typical build your own stir fry buffet. I am a fan of build your own buffets, then you can't complain about it. Their items are pretty fresh and they have a good selection. We always sit at the bar and we never have a problem getting served. Sometimes it does take a while but it's not horrible.
(4)
Hadeel H.
Never a bad meal here, and the service is top notch
(4)
nick j.
Slow half hour waits to be served combined with slowly rising costs and declining quality of sauces and ingredients has turned my on time favorite place to dine with my family into a giant disappointment. Go eat at flattop at least your overpaying for flavor and speed.
(2)
John S.
Ate here during my lunch hour today. Ordered the Kung Pao chicken with spring roll. Came to the table quick and was delicious! My co-workers meals arrives at the same time and they enjoyed it as well. Service is excellent! When I am not in a hurry, I will try the make your own plate option so you can bring it to the cook to fry it up. Will be back!
(4)
Summer W.
My daughter loves this place and recently brought home some left over Veg Fried rice that was tasty. Ordering take out on a Saturday night when they are in the dinner rush wasn't quick or easy. The girl on the other end didn't seem to know the menu or how the computer worked. I arrived after 20 minutes of ordering and stood over 5 minutes waiting to be helped in the pick up line because no one was there to help! It was crazy packed in there so I waited patiently. I ordered a side of Asian slaw - which is over priced at $5.25, but good. The soggy vegetarian spring rolls were laying in a small puddle of grease. Gross. The Vegetables in Teriyaki and tofu was literally inedible. It not only had no flavor - which is almost impossible when adding teriyaki to anything! But it smelled and tasted like it had been sitting around since nine a.m. I spent an extra $1.50 to get it with fried rice and that had the same, sitting around since 9 a.m. taste and texture to it. Since I has just had some leftover fried rice from daughter a week ago, I knew how fresh food from there looks, smells, and tastes. I wasted my time and $20 for food I didn't eat. And, I doubt I'll ever go again.
(1)
Trina J.
Stir Crazy has a neat set up and really affordable prices.I ate a pad Thai chicken dish with a Asian roll and my date ate a salmon salad. There is also the option to individualize your meal. A great place for a first date or night out with friends.
(4)
Shradha A.
I was really in the mood for some good stirfry Sunday and when 3 of us decided to meet up in the 'burbs, I was hoping for a Big Bowl-ish experience at Stir Crazy. It really wasn't - service, food, et al The Pao Pao appetizer (no meat) was actually one of our better picks, because the coconut curry noodles and the buddha's delight were both quite disappointing as was the spring roll. The service was way too slow - there were no water refills or check-ups at all.
(3)
mei s.
We came here courtesy of groupon. I go to the oakbrook mall all the time and i drive by this place all the time. but i never bothered to go inside. not sure why. i guess i'm assuming it's no different than ben pao or big bowl. but it is. it is very very good. and not all that expensive. however, the service was ok. not the fastest. and we were there on a late sunday afternoon, so not a ton of people. maybe that's why it was slow? less crowded, less workers? we ordered: 1. tuna and avocado poke (absolutely delicious. nice sesame flavor, and the tuna is tasty.) 2. Pork pan seared dumplings (not bad. thin skinned dumplings, that were not sealed perfectly. but not bad.) 3. Sesame chicken (not heavily battered. more like just a light coating of cornstarch and then stir-fried. decent.) 4. Korean BBQ beef tacos (yummy!! reminded me of peking duck with the hoisin sauce and green onion and flaky dough.) 5. Walnut shrimp (absolutely delicious. not too greasy. and nicely sweetened.) i would definitely come back here again.
(4)
Amy R.
This has a Big Bowl meets PF Changs meets CPK feel. I'm a fan as long as there is no restaurant inspired easy, cheesy freezer inspired meal in minutes on the horizon. Really enjoyed my meal here. Tasty, fresh and plentiful ingredients on the market bar. I like being able to customize what gets thrown in. Really good service and a nice atmosphere for the location.
(4)
Katherine B.
Stir crazy may be one of the best ideas for a restaurant ever. This place has basic Asian entree choices along with a "market bar" which is what I always go with. The market bar is a do it yourself kind of thing. You choose your meat (vegetarian, chicken, steak, salmon and ahi tuna), noodle (white/brown rice, lo mein and a couple other I can't remember) and then they hand you a two bowl set. The big bowl is for all the vegetables you can fit. Which I always find to be too small for the amount of baby corn I want. The smaller bowl is for the sauce. They have a bunch of choices like teriyaki, ginger garlic and peanut sauce. They also have extras like cilantro, peanuts, red dried chiles and minced garlic. Then you bring your crazy creation over to the cooking area where they always make faces at my ridiculous choices and they cook them quickly and you chow down and there are always left overs. Their appetizers have always been good, they have a ton of drink choices, all of the servers I've had have been awesome and I've yet to try a desert. I should get on that.
I have been coming here since high school, and I still love eating here. This particular location is usually busy, but I never have to wait too long. I believe they do take reservations too. I have never ordered off the menu, as I always do the create your own stir fry. Plenty of options for veggies and sauces and the serving of noodles and meat is generous. I think it has much more flavor than Flat Top Grill. The prices has increased, but it's still worth it every once in awhile. You can also tell the cooks to use no oil if you want to cut back on some cals!
(4)
Dana B.
I use to come to stir crazy a lot with co-workers when I worked at the mall years ago and it was always decently good. Though few months ago a friend and I came here to catch up on life and weren't so pleased. The drinks we ordered from the bar weren't to good. The server explained that the bartender had just started training from server to bartender and that might be the reason. My opinion... not acceptable. We got our entree which we ordered up at the market bar looked amazing but 1/2 into the meal my friend found a huge piece of cardboard mixed into everything... Well there goes our lunch. We informed our server and she was ver apologetic and brought the manager over. She offered us a free dessert. That was a nice offer I suppose. However, when a customer finds something in their food such as cardboard, I feel there has to be something done that isn't just a free desert.. Probably will never go back due to lack of decent drinks and poor service. I'll continue to go to Flat Top Grill down the street for my lunch time dates.
(2)
Adam C.
We've been here a few times while visiting the mall. I think our favorite item on the menu is the sweet & tangy Asian wings. They have a flavor that is really unique and yummy when it comes to wings and they're really meaty as well. We also usually get the edamame appetizer, which tastes just like every other place's edamame (it would be really hard to screw up edamame). We really like the build-your-own stir fry concept and love going to places like Flat Top and Big Bowl. Stir Crazy's is good and the quality is on par with those establishments. My only nit about SC's is that their produce bar is rather limited in variety and selection compared to Flat Top's. I think Flat Top probably has twice the number of ingredients to choose from in their produce bar. They had all the basics, but were missing the special extras, like the Mandarin oranges, sesame seeds, peas, potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, etc. They also don't have the option to grill an egg or to order fry bread (the blue stick at FT), which I miss at SC. Service is always spot-on and they are constantly bringing you refills and coming back every so often to make sure all's well at the table. I know we'll be back again and again in the future, but I do wish they'd add some more ingredients to their stir-fry bar selection.
(4)
Amanda R.
My office gets takeout from here once in a while. I like the many different menu options. My favorite is the teriyaki chicken!
(4)
Mei Ling W.
This location is at least 16 years old, but they are consistently great. We tried the Pho this time and loved it! We usually get the Big Crazy Platter which is no longer on the menu, but they will still let me order it. I don't know how they do it, but they keep inventing new sauces and dishes. Great place for a snack while shopping Oak Brook Center.
(4)
Sal K.
Went with the wife on a Saturday night because other places were too busy. Bad move. We were seated quickly, but the service was extremely slow and the food was mediocre. There are plenty of better and cheaper places to eat.
(2)
Rocky L.
I see all these terrible reviews which surprises me. I have been going to stir crazy for a few months now and have only received exceptional service and product quality. The teriyaki steak will continue to bring me back!
(5)
Rahshonda K.
I have to agree with my fellow Yelper Colleen B and ask the same question why isn't there a Stir Crazy in Chicago!!! The food was fresh and was so good. What I appreciated the most was the server was able to tell us about the menu and what the best sauce concoctions were. I cant wait to go back! My mom and I totally enjoyed it. Left overs were even better!! I cant wait to go shopping in Oakbrook just to head over to SC.
(5)
Bob Z.
To start with, I am not a fan of the "wait in the line for stir fry" type restaurants. It was my wife's birthday and we went. In short, I am glad we went. It was great. We didn't get their "market buffet wait in line stuff". We ordered off the menu. I had the Tuna Sashimi appetizer - which was PLENTY for lunch. My wife had the mongolian beef and my daughter had the sesame chicken. All 3 dishes exceeded our expectations and were some of the best, freshest meals we have had in a while. I look forward to returning soon.
(4)
Danny Y.
Good food. Bad drinks. Bad desert. Kungpao Noodles 4/5 Sesame Chicken 4/5 Strawberry lemonade 2/5 - tastes too much like sugar water, and not enough like lemonade. Fried ice cream 2/5 - soggy and disgusting fried shell Creme Brulee 2/5 Apple pie 2/5
(2)
Omar A.
I saw this on a list of healthiest fast casual restaurants so when we were in Chicago last weekend for a wedding and got hungry, we knew where to turn to...STIR CRAZY BOYEE!! For lovers of stir fry, this is heaven! You can get any type of stir fry from their menu or make your own. Excellent selection and taste and good customer service....I wish we had this place on the west coast!
(5)
sherry t.
The food was inedible. Way too much sodium and sugar. Managed to make everything taste like garbage. Asian fusion can be delicious and innovative but Stir crazy failed on so many levels. Don't know why they are still in business. Crab cake rolls sounded good. When it came out, we were like wtf? Think of fish sticks but crab with small ball of hard, uncooked rice loosely wrapped with so called small strip of rice paper. Crab cake did not taste like crab and was texturally off. Egg drop soup. How can you manage to mess that up? The broth was dark which indicated it was not chicken stock. It had strong taste and smell of star anise probably in beef broth. The eggs were overcooked and in big chunks. Had one spoon and couldnt have anymore. Pad Thai. Yes pad thai is suppose to be sweet, but it is not suppose to sit in a bath of honey brown sauce. The noodles were well below undercooked. I really just picked out the chicken and tofu and dumped the rest.
(1)
Dan M.
So long slicks I took my family there to check out this place. I had their Blazing Noodles there before. And I am having it again since I like curry. My wife ordered Bangkok Noodles. My dish was good but the Bangkok Noodles was way too salty. We notified the waitress and she was nice enough to let us change to something else and willing to cook a new dish for her. So my wife changed it to Blazing Noodles like mine. Instead of cooking a new dish from fresh ingredients, they re-cook her dish which is full of sodium mixed with a different sauce and charged us full price for it. I am sorry but I don't like dishonest business. So we are done with this place.
(2)
Anthony P.
We pop in every now and then when shopping here. It's nothing too memorable, but not disappointing in any way. The service is adequate. My personal favorites are the potstickers (tasty ginger sauce comes with), sesame chicken for the entree, and for dessert, the Banana Wonton drink. In all, I wouldn't go too out of your way to come here, but if you happen to be here, you definitely would not go wrong.
(3)
Thomas Z.
All their food was amazing1
(5)
Shyam S.
I'm a huge fan of this particular Stir Crazy not just because of the food, but more of the place. For the last eight years, this has been the meeting spot for my friend Jenny and I and it looks like it's going to continue as such. The non-stir fry options are pretty good and the actual stir fry area is neat. The prices are a little high, but I never finish what I make so I always have a second meal/snack to reheat for later.
(4)
Patty S.
This is a great place for lunch! I've done the "buffet" thing, but I have had better luck ordering straight from the menu. The menu portion sizes are very generous and has options you can't get in the buffet. Their salads are delectable and their meats are always perfectly cooked. I like coming here to take a break from shopping. It's a perfect spot with decent prices.
(4)
Dan And Eileen D.
A little overpriced for what you get. Appetizers were disappointing (3 small spring rolls and ahi tuna on 3 little chips?) for $20 bucks. The assortment of veggies for create your own stir-fry was fine. Stir Crazy is OK in a pinch.
(2)
Meg X.
I've only ever had their sesame chicken and their spring rolls. They have "right size, right price" portions which live up to their names. The spring rolls are disgusting. I ordered some to introduce my boss to spring rolls and I nearly spat mine out. The sauce they gave with them was fishy smelling and gross. The staff is friendly and attentive. Spring rolls comparison: I like the ones from Panda Express. Bosslady doesn't like the Panda Express rolls, but thinks the Stir Crazy ones are ok. I don't really consider either of them to be real spring rolls - the best around are at The King & I in Oak Park - but those things called spring rolls from Stir Crazy are just gross. I digress. If you like Panda Express spring rolls, you might not like these. I fax in my order and they get it right every time; they even call to confirm specifics (what kind of rice, etc). Their stir-fried rice is pretty good.
(3)
P B.
It's okay. Food is fair and would agree with assessment of being overpriced. Having said that, there's other restaurants in the area with better food and pricing to satisfy your hunger. They had only flavored iced tea which I ordered sweetened. My first sip told me that it was sweetened but not overly sweet. The refill however was too sweet. Stir fry choices were bland and lacked flavor. Dont' think I'll be coming back.
(3)
John W.
Grill on fire @ Stir Crazy. The Best American formal restaurant ever went to. There is really nothing that I could point to and say that "This is better at another Stir Fry/ Mongolian Restaurant". The Best Food In Town. HANDS DOWN. Period.
(5)
Julia B.
I like this place because there is rarely ever a wait, and who doesn't like making their own stir-fry? I've also had food from the regular menu, and I remember the mongolian beef being very good. But I can't help but compare Stir Crazy to Flattop, and Flattop wins on several levels: 1. Have to wait for bowls at Stir Crazy to go to the Market bar-not really a problem, but the last few times I have been I had to wait 10 or so minutes for a bowl. 2. No way to sample sauces--If you've never been to a make-your-own stir-fry joint, the sauce section can be overwhelming...usually 10+ varieties. Plus not having sampling available led to an indecisive man in front of me to bring the ladle to his nose to sniff a sauce...EW. Overall, the Market bar is nice--very clean and the veggies are fresh. They used to have the most amazing desserts at Stir Crazy and I wish they would bring it back. I can't remember what it was called, but think mango sorbet with fresh fruit and a coconut creme sauce and I miss it so! Stir Crazy is a great place to take a break from shopping from and avoid the weekend rush that you always encounter at Cheesecake and CPK.
(3)
Carol K.
When you work in an area- you become way too familiar with the lunch choices that are close by, that get you out in a reasonable amount of time and have food that is consistent. Stir Crazy is just one of those places. Unless you are shopping at the mall or work in one of the surrounding office towers- you would never go to this place. But since both apply to me, I have eaten here several times and it's a good choice in the mall. We usually sit in the bar, as the idea of waiting for a table seems ridiculous when you can still sit at a table, have servers serve you and get out before the people who are still waiting in line even sit down. A couple of favorites on the menu? Try the lettuce wraps as an appetizer- good sized portion and plenty of lettuce to wrap them with. As for entrees- my two favorites are the pecan crusted Tilapia with a tangy peanut sauce, or the Cashew Chicken. Both can come with brown rice, if you ask, that is actually quite good. All in all- a consistent choice that acknowledges lunch is not an elongated dining experience and works to get you in and out in a reasonable amount of time, with a full stomach and, sometimes, a little bit left over to take home. Just what I need on those days when lunch is more of an interruption than a treat!
(3)
Janene M.
I finally decided to give this restaurant a try. The food tasted good. I do not like how you are nickled and dimed for everything. Extra, for fried rice, or a to go box for example. Other places that are similar do not do this. I would go back, but not any time soon.
(3)
Mike F.
I have never been as sick after eating a meal as I was when I ate a meal here. Never again.
(1)
Andrew C.
Good service. Clean facilities. Terrible food especially for the price. Showed up late on a Tuesday night (after 8:30pm) with a friend for dinner. We were seated quickly as most of the restaurant was empty and our waitress was polite and friendly! We hadn't been before and asked about the stir fry area over there but decided to go with one of the menu-ready items instead of putting together our own stir fry dish. I went with the sesame chicken and white rice, she went for the Sweet & Spicy Chicken with fried rice. Both of our dishes were over salted, even her fried rice was too salty. It also left an aftertaste like it was a microwaved meal. In fact, I couldn't really tell the difference between my dinner here and a microwave meal. I couldn't believe how much I paid for a microwave dinner on a fancy plate. After thoughts: I might change my mind had I tried the choose-your-own-stir-fry. But avoid the menu food.
(2)
Brianna L.
i LOVE stir crazy...i have mastered the most efficient way to fill the bowl and get the most veggies possible..from the self help bar! i never order off the menu unless its the appetizers bc the food off the menu never has enough flavor for me its all too bland! def stick with the bar!! P.S have the Ginger ale mmm..yummy!! and the passion fruit spritzer..together or separate they're awesome!!
(5)
Leanne M.
I eat here religiously with my mom. and recently (okay, yesterday) started thinking as a vegan,maybe I should eat more salads? Ahhh, IF ONLY all green bowls were as tasty and well designed as Stir Crazy's (Salmon) Mango Salad, I substitute wok-tossed TOFU for that fish, it includes HUGE chunks of mango, almonds, and other gifts from ms. nature to you. Sighhhh (one of those big long out of satisfaction Sighs.) but what's this? you aren't feeling the S today? lots of other vegan options, my friend. just you wait and see... And this? You aren't interested in veg food at all? No worries-- tons of carnivorous options for you as well, my friend. Yes, delicious for everyone- the perfect 'burban meet-up lunch. YAY.
(4)
Amanda S.
we were in the suburbs. it doesn't happen often. one of the few things i actually crave and can only attain in the sticks is stir crazy. and we were hungry. so we went. our table was so sticky it'd be the perfect way to teach your children that elbows don't belong there..as the unforgiving surface will help you catch kiddies in the act before they can rip them off. brittany was our server and though sweet, she just wasn't on top of her game. i had to move my water glass from where it belonged to the very edge of the table, hoping someone would notice it was empty. my dining companion got her chinese chicken salad before my empty bowl for stir fry was brought to me. awkward. despite all that, i'm happy to report that the food is still tasty. by no means is it a flat top grill, but by no means is oak brook a chicago. it's all relevant.
(3)
Steven M.
Crazy me, I thought that I reviewed this place. I love the food here. I am usually filling my plate to the ceiling so they can cook it. I was trying to be half way normal as I was out with a good friend and didn't want to show her my dark side. So I got the chinese chicken salad. I can't say enough about it. All the different flavors and textures was driving me nuts. It was delicious. They have it two ways. Lite for lunch for $8.88 or regulation size for 10 bucks. My friend had the lunch and it came with a veggie roll. I had the LG and I would get it again. The strawberry lemonade was good also. Although it could have used a shot of something. Great service.
(4)
Chi T.
We walked in this place and saw like 5 hostesses standing there talking to each other and one of them on the phone. It took a few minutes before they acknowledged we entered even though there was only 1 couple waiting to be seating by the door. We had about 2 other parties walk in and they seemed to be friends with the hostesses and were seating immediately. It was ridiculous! We almost walked out when they finally talked to us and went to seat us. Stupid little girls they hire should do more work and less chatter!
(1)
Michelle Marie R.
Out shopping with my girls and wanted a quick bite and a cocktail. Sitting in the bar may not be the best idea. They have no servers...well your waiter is the bartender and so on. The drinks were awful, we sent them back and just ordered wine, can't screw that up! Our quick stop turned into a long delay! Stick to the dining room perhaps???
Place just doesn't have much ambiance. Food was pretty good. Not up to par with PF Changs, but price is fairly comparable.
(3)
Nari H.
I usually don't like to review chains. But I come here often enough to feel I have to review. Here's why: Service: 4/5-Consistently good. Very fast with carry outs. Food: 3.5/5-I agree with the other reviews. Rather Americanized for dishes that are ethnic in origin. Am a fan of some of the dishes. Actually haven't done the create your own bowl in awhile though. Not a fan of the Buddha Bowl. I like their strawberry lemonades. Free refills! Interior: 4/5-While the exterior is somewhat unimpressive (in my opinion) I view the interior as both clean and simple. I would say its the consistency and location (inside Oak Brook Mall) that brings me back. And I agree. Much better than Big Bowl.
(4)
Matt C.
Dinner last night. Just ok. Service a little slow. My chicken was average. Me wife's tuna was not good at all. Should have went to PF Changs.
(2)
A J.
An americanized-asian cuisine chain restaurant with 5 stars?? How's that possible? Well, every single time i've been here I ALWAYS left satisfied. Sure the dishes might not be authentic. But you cannot argue they aren't tasty. In fact, they are delicious, and the portions guarantee you will have mouth-watering leftovers for tomorrow. Service is usually good, but that can depend when you come. Waiters and waitresses are pretty friendly and ready to accomodate. Just know that when you choose to customize your own stir-fry... the only person to blame is yourself if it comes out wrong :P . I recommend sticking with a menu item. If you want to do custom stir-fry... go to flat-top grill closeby in Yorktown mall. There you have the option to go at it buffet style, so if you make a mistake you have as many do-overs as your stomach can withstand :)
(5)
Jojo F.
Yeah. They offer meals off of a menu, but for the full experience, try the construct-your-own stir-fry station. They have loads of veggies and you can choose rice or flat noodles with a protein if you wish at the cooking station. I like watching people add their veggies. There was a guy who just got a bowl of water chestnuts and pineapple with his rice. I wouldn't spend eight bucks on that, but for each his own stir-fry, my friend. I'd probably go back.
(3)
Amanda A.
While my husband and I very carefully explained to the waitress that our son has a ginger allergy and certain things needed to happen in the kitchen so his food was not cross contaminated, she had assured us that they deal with allergies all the time and it would be no problem. Unknown to her the kitchen staff used a chicken stock in his food that had been cooked with ginger then drained. They quickly took his food and got him something else. They also to care of our whole bill. Unfortunately the little that my son had eaten had caused a reaction, it wasn't sever, but the manager also offered to pay for any medical expenses he might need. While most restaurants will not do this for us we are grateful they attempted to correct the situation, and this is why we will go back. but will ask for no sauce on my son's food :)
(4)
Ashley W.
I LOVE stir fry, so Stir Crazy was a match made in heaven. While Stir Crazy has a whole menu that you can order from, I prefer to do the "Market Bar" and choose all of my own veggies and sauces. My favorite sauce combo is a little bit of teriyaki sauce paired with the peanut sauce, mixed with a ton of fresh veggies, chicken, and rice noodles. Delish!
(5)
Michael M.
I've been to the Stir Crazy at Woodfield Mall a bunch of times so I knew what to expect when my wife and I ate here before going to see Spamalot at the Drury Lane Theater. The food was very tasty and our server was nice. (I even got lucky and the cook making my food starting cooking the wrong meat so to make up for it, he tossed in the right meat. Double meat! Huzzah!) Our problem with this location though is the the design of the building is a mess. The main attraction at any Stir Crazy is building your own stir fry, so it stands to reason that the area where people line up for this would have some space. Not here. We were extremely tight and the line snaked and changed direction so many times that I didn't know where I was going at one point. Very weird. On the whole though, it was a good time and a perfect meal before a show.
(4)
Anna G.
Stir Crazy is one of those chain places that you are surprised to enjoy. This is a restaurant where you can create your own meal or order off the menu. At Stir crazy I prefer to order off the menu asI've had better luck with the food. Their Thai sticky wings are my favorite appetizer. They have a sweet but spicy taste. Ny favorite menu item is the sesame chicken whereas my boyfriend always gets the spicy chicken (orange maybe?). Their fresh lemonade is also very refreshing. Pricing here is average for what you would expect for a chain like this.
(4)
Tiniko S.
I love their food and the portions to me were very plentiful.. I have been to the one in Oakbrook and Woodfield and have not had a bad experience yet.. Not to mention their drinks are really good! Better than Flat top to me!
(4)
Lisa B.
When I go out to a restaurant, I don't want to do my own cooking. That's why I always order off the menu when I go to one of these stir-fry-bar places, and Stir Crazy has plenty of choices. I always get the pecan-crusted tillapia. It comes with brown rice instead of white if you wish (why don't more Asian restaurants do that?) as well as sauteed spinach and some yummy brown sauce. Not spicy, but very flavorful. As an appetizer we got some tempura popcorn shrimp that came cleverly packaged in a white paper take-out container with celery at the bottom and two sauces, creamy and spicy to mix and match. The service was excellent, and we had plenty to take home.
(4)
Nabila S.
The food was fine, just like all other Stir Crazy restaurants. But the service was absolutely horrible. The hostess was rude and unpleasant, and the waitress disappeared for hours and got upset when we asked for separate checks. She actually snapped at us. Oakbrook has a lot of nice places to eat - I will definitely not be going back to Stir Crazy if I'm in the area.
(1)
Colonel M.
First time here... Ate with a friend who's a regular... It was nice... I like the custom meals setup
(4)
John O.
I used go here all the time but had too many memories with an ex. It's fun and entertaining. Instead of having the stir fry cooked in front of you at your table, you pick out the veggies you want and then take it to them for them to still cook in front of you but at a safe distance without the greece splats that you would get at a hibachi style table. The challenge is to get all the veggies (Salad Bar) into your bowl without falling out as you give them to the chef. Appetizers are good but never have I had an entree. I have always gone there with the mood for the crazy stir fry.
(4)
Nelson S.
This place is called Stir Crazy b/c it's crazy for how much it will charge you for stir fry. A small build your own stir fry was like 9-10 bucks then add another buck or two for protein choices. Are you f'in serious?! You can go to your run of the mill Chinese restaurant for half the price. So maybe you don't get fancy decor but the food is probably better. But ask yourself this, are you paying for food or are you paying to cover the high overhead costs of this place? Not to say that my food here was bad but it was alright. They served various Asian cuisines, Thai, Chinese, Japanese food. I had a chicken curry and my friend had noodles. My curry was good and my friends noodles might have been very slightly burned but he said it was okay. We also ordered their Spicy Chicken Wings as an appetizer and that was pretty good. So what do you get when you add average food + average service + high costs of food & operating expense? It equals a person that won't be coming back here anytime soon.
(2)
Dan K.
Our first time there. Say with no wait on a Friday around 8. A short wait for our server however. My wife ordered a strawberry lemonade. Server returned and said bartender was making some more and brought her a water instead. Appetizer (crab ragoons) arrived piping hot and with garnish, definitely above average. Dinner was also timely, hot, and very attractive on the plate. Coconut curry veggies for me, and sweet and sour chicken for my wife. Well, on the second try, they originally brought her sweat and spicy, leaving only a few mins with one plate on the table. Everything was excellent and well cooked, save for some very hard brown rice pieces in my wife's meal. She politely told the server when she came to collect the plate. Desert was ordered and delivered to the table by a manger who apologized for the rice. Check arrived and was without the waited on lemonade or apology included dessert, and again the server was very kind. Over all a good meal at a chain restaurant that took good care of its customers.
(3)
Ricky B.
I dont really understand the really negative reviews, 3 stars is an average resteraunt for me, id probaly consider this place a little above average. I dont find their food to be particularly expensive, the service for me is usually really fast and friendly. I usually stick with the sesame chicken and i believe its called the poo poo plater..funny because of the guys review below me, but the thing im talking about is like a appetizer sampler which is pretty good. If you dont want that the spring rolls are really good. The main reason I come to this place is the desert, they have a banana wanton that is awesome.
(3)
Ellen M.
I like the "create your own stir-fry" concept. You have no one to blame but yourself if it goes wrong. Well, I only get about two stars for cooking on the fly, so I prefer to use a card that says what to add to the bowl, or just order off the menu. They offer a pretty comprehensive selection, Chinese and Thai. I can never forget that I'm at the mall though.
(3)
Monica G.
Love this place! I travel over 30 miles from home to eat dinner at Stir Crazy at least once a month. The market bar is my favorite. I like making my own stir fry. They have a large variety of fresh veggies and the strawberry lemonade is awesome. They also have a variety of different dishes to choose from on the menu. The service is always great and the wait is never longer than 15 minutes. I give it 5 stars all around.
(5)
Elle N.
This restaurant is in my regular rotation of places to go when I'm not willing to admit that I'm overdue for a grocery trip and have nothing except that slightly suspicious, freezer-burnt protein at the back of my freezer to make. (Which translates to the fact that I'm here probably once every two months or so.) For the most part I've always been pleased with my service here. Waitstaff are very attentive, helpful, and pleasant to engage with. The food typically is served in a timely manner (in all of my trips through the past three or so years I can only remember one that seemed annoyingly slow). Be an informed eater. You're not going to get authentic Asian here. By the same vein, it's lacking in American comfort food. Americanized staples exist on the menu but if you're expecting authenticity you're going to be disappointed. That said, what they do (almost a fusion of concepts - there's an Asian Caesar salad that I have to admit I'm really satisfied with) is generally good. The pad thai is satisfactory (and this is one of the few places where tofu seems de rigueur although if that's not your preference you can request it left off), the make-it-yourself-stir-fry is good, any of their wok elements have been satisfactory. Perhaps the real surprise is how much I enjoy the mango salmon salad. (Not something I'd expect at an Asian place but hey.) I'd put this at an equivalent of an Applebees or an Outback - and for that comparison, their drinks menu is surprising (they have mixed drinks and a wine list). That said, if you're expecting a high-quality restaurant liquor option, you're going to be disappointed. The conclusion for this is know what you're getting. Good service, fusion (very Americanized) Asian food at a fair price, decent drink options, menu offers food variety as well.
(4)
Rebeccah W.
This used to be one of our favorite places. I am not sure what the root of the changes are (new management, new corporate owner?) but the menu has changed. That's fine except the food is nowhere near as good as it used to be. And the prices are much higher. I took my two girls out to dinner last Sat night. Drinks, even soft drinks, are $3.59! We ordered the spring rolls which were good, same as always. They no longer have the tempura green beans on the menu but we asked and our waiter said they could still make it. It was ok but somehow not as tasty as they used to be My daughters got make your own stir fries. They were good, the girls mixed their own sauces so they liked it. Tofu or vegetable stir fries are $12.99, add more $ for meat. I will say the stir fry portions were good. The worst though was my meal. I ordered the Szchewan chicken. It's indicated spicy on the menu and when I ordered I asked for spicy. What I got was chicken in a bland, starchy sauce with next to no flavor. The vegetables tasted like they came from a frozen stir fry mix. That disappointing dish was $13. I didn't even want to take it home. Our waiter was ok. Service average overall. We ended up paying $80 for 3 people for a mediocre meal. It's really a shame because we used to love Stir Crazy at the Oakbrook Mall. We won't be going back.
(2)
F B.
More like 2.5 stars, rounded down mostly based on quality for price. Changed since last time visited some years back (new owner, new menu). Service very diligent and friendly. Food: - Crab rangoons - ordered half portion (handy). Real crab meat, pretty good. - Chicken kung pao with brown rice. Plenty of veggies (carrots, snap peas, green onions, bell peppers), chicken well cooked. Not too spicy (rated as moderate per their menu, definitely based on North/Western palate!). The sauce was light (in a good way), the ingredients felt fresh; however, overall nothing to write home about, and for the price very underwhelming. To give idea of what my comparison 3-3.5 stars Kung Pao would be: probably that of Big Bowl. May be worth it for lunch if they have specials (haven't checked).
(2)
Kathryn Z.
I came with my family late on a Sunday afternoon, a group of 7 people, plus a baby in a stroller. We called ahead and they told us that they were empty so we came in and still waited about 10 minutes for them to figure out where to seat us. In the almost empty restaurant. They set up one table and then had to set up another, because apparently we couldn't keep our stroller by the first table (the stroller was open with the sleeping baby in it the whole time). We ended up waiting at least 40 minutes after we came in to actually get our food. Although a rush came in after we were finally situated, parties that were seated after we were received their food before we did. The food that finally did come was pretty good though! We ordered Crazy Shrimp, pot stickers, Mongolian beef, sweet and spicy chicken, sweet and sour chicken and mango sesame chicken, which was plenty of food for the 5 adults and 2 kids (9 and 13) in our party. The mango sesame chicken could have used a little more flavor for my taste and the "sweet and sour sauce" definitely tasted like straight soy sauce... but the Mongolian beef, crazy shrimp and sweet and spicy chicken were all very tasty! When the waitress brought out the check she also brought 2 $10 Stir Crazy gift cards, because of our wait time at the beginning. I would be willing to try this place one more time, and hope for slightly better service.
(3)
Barbra F.
It's ok...it was better before. Not sure what happened. :(
(3)
Audrey W.
I had a Groupon. A little disappointing eating here. My husband enjoyed it, but I did not. Everything costs extra! Have you gone to BD's Mongolian grill? They are just like this place except much better. You can stack as much protein and whatnot on your plate. Stir Crazy charges extra for chicken, shrimp, and even beef. Ridiculous! The food was okay. The rice noodles were very disappointing and so thin! I was going to get extra white rice, but that even costs extra where at BD's it's included. No thanks to coming here again, the only thing delicious was the sushi. Crazy shrimp was great, but everything else not worth it.
(2)
Joann V.
I wouldn't go back. Waitress and hostess were accommodating. Food wasn't that great and IMO overpriced for how bland it is. The strawberry lemonade was tasty but a little on the too sweet side.
(3)
Raj D.
I am a huge fan of stir fray and have dine at many Stir Crazy locations. My favorite location is located in Schaumburg IL and have dined at least 3-4 times a year since I was 18. I heard that they made a few updates to their menu and decided to give it a try. The Oakbrook location has a small patio area which isnt all that impressive as it consists of roughly 4 tables with tiny umbrellas and a view of the Sears Parking Lot. The restaurant was clean and our waiter was extremely friendly which is why I was able to give it the 2 stars instead of less. For starters we ordered the Poo Poo Platter. Our chicken dumplings were very chewy and definately failed to provide a fresh appearance. The "new" BBQ Ribs are extremely sweet and and were again cold. Regarding flavor the ribs are not worth it at all. The chicken wings were solid and offered a sweety tangy taste with a slightly spicy kickback. My wife is a huge fan of the egg rolls and I must say these were the worse Stir Crazy Egg Rolls we have ever had in the last 10 years. The egg rolls seemed very doughy and underfilled, there was 1 carot slice in each of our egg roll and failed to live up to its expectations. The waiter was kind enough to bring us a desert on the house in celebration of my birthday which was great and special. The desert was probably the part of the meal with cinamon wontons stuffed with banana and topped off with caramel and vanilla ice-cream. I should have just came in for the desert! I hope to be back to another Stir Crazy in the future but may never dine at this location again! Food quality was a downgrade compared to other chicagoland locations.
(2)
Robin P.
I love Big Bowl and Flat Top Grill so I never come here but there was a Groupon so I couldn't pass that up. My friend ordered off the menu and I did the market bar. I went up to the bar, picked my veggies and sauce, and proceeded to the counter to have it cooked. What I didn't realize is that you have to stand there and wait while they cook your food. Actually, you have to wait while they cook everyone else's food until it's your turn. In the meantime, my friend received her food and I was still standing at the counter waiting for mine. By the time my food was done my friend was halfway through with her meal. I sat down to my meal and it was terrible. They added too much water and what I think is cornstarch to my stir fry and what I was left with was a bland tasteless 'sauce' over my vegetables. I took a few bites and couldn't eat the rest of it. I wasn't going to wait for another stir fry to be cooked as my friend was already done at this point. The waiter forgot to add the groupon to the check and had to hunt down the manager to fix it. Not a big deal but he also grabbed my credit card that was sitting on the table and I didn't even know what the total bill was. As we were walking out to the car I realized my hair smelled like smoke. It was from standing at the stir fry bar waiting for my food. I don't recommend going here but if you have to, order off the menu. The only reason I'm giving this place two stars is because the dish ordered off the menu wasn't too bad.
(2)
Amy R.
True Confessions: when I was junior high school and high school aged, THEEEEEE thing to do was grab your best gal friend and hang out at a mall. You bought maybe one good thing (like some fun new sunglasses from Contempo Casual, or lotion at Victoria's Secret if you were feeling bold), and eventually dined somewhere that felt very mature and cool and chic. Looking back now at 31 yrs old, I kind of can't believe Stir Crazy was once in my pool of "mature, cool, and chic" eating establishments but hey, we're all young and dumb at some point. And really, I wasn't SO far off. Stir Crazy isn't embarrassingly terrible. It's actually withstood the test of time for decent eats. My husband and I came here late last weekend because I was craving some stir fry and wasn't sure where else to go. I checked the reviews on the drive over and was a little bit pensive - there's not one but TWO mentions of food poisoning, several mentions of bad service, and overall not glowing reviews. I felt an impending sadness coming on. All of my post-The-Limited-shopping-spree-eating-sessions here were about to be invalidated. But as we walked in and were immediately seated by a smiling, polite hostess, I relaxed. We had an AWESOME server who was polite and attentive. We ordered Thai iced coffees and the taste was just as I remembered - strong, rich, decadent. We got lettuce wraps to begin and they were tasty enough. Side note: is there a universal lettuce wrap filling recipe handed out to every single suburban restaurant? How can they all taste PRECISELY the same? Husband and I both got the make-your-own stir fry shtick and wandered up to make our bowl full of veggies and sauce. I loaded up on snap peas and baby corn, teriyaki sauce, and peanuts. Husband got some spicy curry sauce and a whole bunch of water chestnuts. To each their own - which is kinda the point. Both of ours turned out tasty enough, though I preferred my tofu to his salmon. The fish got brutally overcooked in those scalding hell-woks they wield. Overall, I enjoyed my waltz through memory lane at Stir Crazy. Sure, it's kind of a niche restaurant and I definitely don't have to come back anytime soon, but it was satisfying enough and made me happy to know I didn't have THAT horrible of a sense of taste in my youth. That white shimmery eyeshadow we all rocked while wandering the mall, trying desperately to look fashionable and trendy? THAT I can't fix.
(3)
Kishma H.
Very laid back atmosphere, enjoyed the meal our sever was awesome as well!!! Here for the second time as always drinks are great and the food was awesome!!!
(5)
Chuck A.
Poor experience, Ice Tea was cloudy and no flavor, Sweet and Spicy tasted mainly like salt. Price in the menu said $12.99 with choice of white or fried rice. Bill said $15.49, the fried rice was an extra $2.50. I can not recommend this restaurant.
(1)
Ves B.
The entire restaurant needed a through cleaning. The table was sticky, the floor was sticky and the bathrooms needed a much overdue cleaning. I very surprised by this given its location. Vegetables at the buffet were sad looking and unattractive. The buffet was very messy as much of the vegetables had been carelessly strewn into other serving trays. Food-staff was nice but appeared very overwhelmed.
(1)
Nathan A.
Perhaps it was because it was New Year's Day, or they were severely understaffed, or perhaps the staff was a bit tired and hung over from a celebratory NYE, but the service was so poor we left the place before we even ordered. I prefer not to leave a restaurant or give a one star review. I know places have their off nights and I want to believe that it was just an off night. Yet, first impressions are important and I did not experience any positive first impressions. I have been to other Stir Crazy restaurants and have not had bad experiences. After waiting five minutes for an employee to greet us after we entered (numerous employees walked by us, yet not a single one greeted us), a server came up to us and asked us how many were in our party. As she went to look for a table, the hostess came over in a rush, asked us how many were in our party, and started to walk away from us. Assuming she was taking us to our table, we followed her to the back of the restaurant, she sat the two of us at a table for eight, put the menus on the table, and walked away without saying anything else to us. As the face of the restaurant, she did not appear to remotely enjoy her job. A server did not stop by our table for over seven minutes. It was at this point we found the manager. I mentioned to her our disappointing experience. She assured me that her employees were not understaffed, overworked, or struggling from a late night. She did offer us a complimentary meal if we returned (unfortunately we live out of state), but we did not accept. She also mentioned she would talk to her hostess and waitstaff about our experience. I'm sure there are times when this is a great spot to enjoy a meal. However, as potential customers, we were not welcomed and invited in such a way that we would want to be a customer. Plenty of other restaurants around the area to try instead.
(1)
Amy B.
Look, on a work trip I don't get to pick the restaurant (usually). Hence, I ended up at Stir Crazy, which was able to accommodate a large group without a reservation. Appearance-wise, it's clearly the Asian Fusion equivalent of a Friday's or an Applebee's. The drinks were just so-so. My Mai Tai was mostly juice, and the wine list was quite limited. Food was ok; the sushi rolls we shared for an appetizer were surprisingly good. The chicken wings really brought the "fusion" (that is, they were like a sports bar's version of Asian food) but were tasty enough. My entree was a stir fry dish served with a TON of rice (like, seriously, we are wasting rice here guys). It was . . . fine. It was perfectly edible, but felt more like a cafeteria lunch than a restaurant dinner. I will say the service was good and the waitstaff did a nice job making sure everyone at our table had everything they needed at all times.
(3)
Jeff K.
I've eaten there a handful of times and it's pretty good. I always get the make your own because I like a lot of veggies. I'm gluten free and they are very accommodating for that. My only complaint is that I notice they use kale as a decoration and I wish they would serve it or include chard or something other than spinach. Overall the food is pretty good and I will go back every so often
(4)
Susie C.
My husband and I came here for lunch after early morning shopping. This restaurant doesn't fill up until 1pm. We strolled in around noon or so and there were plenty of open tables. My husband and I started with the ahi tuna with avocado. It was really good. I definitely recommend ordering this appetizer especially if you are a sushi fan. Chunks of tuna with a hint of spicy on the avocado.. I love it! For entree, I had the lunch combo which was a decent price $10.99. I had a Japanese Garden Salad which is pretty much your typical salad with a wasabi vinaigrette. The pad thai chicken noodle was decent too. Ive had better pad thai elsewhere but this place isn't really "Asian" so it is okay. My husband ordered the Simi's curry fried rice. He enjoyed it. Overall decent experience.
(3)
Matt E.
We were greeted by a hostess who clearly seemed she had somewhere else to be. Very rude and unwelcoming...but we had a Groupon. Our server was very nice and attentive though at times slow. With all the staff walking around it appeared servers bused and prepped their own tables. Menu consisted of you pick it stir fry and standard dishes with a twist. The food was delish. This restaurant has seen ugh better days and is in desperate need of renovation. Chipped, gouged, worn markings through out from chairs along doors and walls. The windows are a mess as they appear to have had tint placed on windows then removed then replaced without a good cleaning between them. Tint is currently peeling in spots. Looking this in disrepair is odd for this location considering the potential customer base. But again....GREAT food.
(3)
Haaroon M.
Had a horrible experience a few minutes ago. 4 people got their food before me. They forgot about me and I had to ask for my food. I even had them reheat my food and it is still not hot. Never coming here again.
(1)
Timothy H.
Stir Crazy is a decent chain. This location does an ok job in my opinion. It is located in the Oakbrook Mall on the north west end. The food here is consistent with the food you will get at any Stir Crazy restaurant. The service was a bit lacking. My wife and I arrived and were promptly seated (which I would expect because it was 3:30pm on a Sunday). After about five minutes of sitting there no one had approached us. I'm thinking, "ok, that's strange...maybe a shift change or something". So I got up to go wash my hands, and when I come back I ask my wife if anyone came by yet. Nope. So she gets up to go wash her hands, she comes back, and I'm like, "nope, still nobody". Ok...then I walk back up to the hostess area, and she's like, "yeah, it'll be just a second". Service was good after that. The food, beh...it's ok. Living in Chicagoland I know I'm spoiled when it comes to having so many great food choices. But my wife likes their soups so...BBQ tacos it was for me. Don't get me wrong, they're good, just not $18 for three tacos and a bowl of rice good. My biggest complaint (being a yelp junkie) is that they didn't take off the 10% check in coupon right away. I showed it when the waitress first took our order, and when I asked for the check. Then I look at the check (yes...I'm one of those guys) and the discount wasn't on there. I brought it to her attention, and she said that she had to have her manager take care of that. I gave my wife a roll of the eyes that I hope she understood as "yeah...I'm not coming back anytime soon".
(2)
Disha M.
I came here hoping I would get a decent meal in a decent time but I was completely wrong. It took over 35 minutes to get a curry and when I wanted to ask a question the waiter didn't even let me finish. I think they were overwhelmed and short staffed...we were told the cooking staff was new hence the extra time. I do not recommend this location unless you are looking for a two hr meal.
(1)
Eric S.
Stir Crazy is like the 'Chipotle' to Big Bowl's 'Qdoba': it's the same stuff, just presented differently. For all I know, the prices might even be similar/the same. You can order things off of a regular menu (which I did for a Tuesday lunch special), but usually your best bet is to get the make-your-own stirfry. I say that because my 'kung pao' noodles & chicken was very light on the 'kung' and almost non-existent on the 'pao'. Translation: it was flavorless and dull, and I regretted ordering it. The egg drop soup was delicious, however, since it had a kick to it--I think from black pepper--and was served Goldilocks-style (not too hot, not too cold, but just right). For the plethora of teas they offered (raspberry oolong, ginseng green), not one of them was a cold sweet tea (my pre-requisite for most daytime meals), which surprised me in a not-so-good way, since many places nowadays carry sweet tea. For dessert, the fried banana wontons were just as good as I remember them being. I suppose were it not for the fact that I've been to this and other Stir Crazy locations before with enjoyable experiences, I'd give this visit 3* (the kung pao noodles were just stupid), but one forgettable lunch can't erase a decade of stir fry lovin'.
(4)
Meera K.
Great place for a date night! We started with Mai tai and Mango Mojito. Both were super delicious! For appetizers we ordered the Chicken imperial rolls which came with a great sweet and sour sauce. Their fresh market bar woks were really good. They use fresh vegetables and meat and have a great selection of sauces. Definitely recommend this place!
(4)
Shin M.
I have only been to Stir Crazy twice in my life. The first time was at the Warrenville location which is currently shut down. It was an extremely long time ago but all I remember was I did NOT like the food there at all. Therefore, I decided to never try the restaurant again. Last week I stayed late at work and my company ordered dinner from Stir Crazy in Oakbrook- so I had no choice... either starve or try Stir Crazy again. I decided to try the "Seared Miso Scallops." There were maybe 4-5 scallops, asparagus, shitake mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, and garlic served over brown rice in Miso broth. I wasn't too fond of the scallops and other vegetables, but the spinach and rice drenched in Miso broth was absolutely delicious. I could have just eaten the spinach and rice in the broth and been perfectly satisfied. I would highly recommend this dish. If I was paying out of my own pocket though... I wouldn't be a fan of paying $15 for just the spinach and rice in Miso broth... it's definitely overpriced, especially since they give a handful of scallops.
(4)
Mike R.
I went there 3-21-15, I believe I had food poisoning....I was the only one that had shrimp and the sushi roll. I cannot attribute it to anything else but one thing is for sure...even if I wanted to I probably could never eat there again.
(1)
Courtney C.
My boss and I had a really wonderful experience here this week for lunch. First off, make sure to always read business hours. We ended up arriving 15 minutes before they opened, even though I had just checked out the Yelp page before leaving work. Woops! They open at 11:30, not at 11. No worries though. It was a nice day so we just hung out and waited. As soon as they opened, they were so friendly. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I've noticed that a lot of people in Oak Brook don't bear much hospitality. Not at Stir Crazy though. We encountered at least 4-5 employees and they were all super friendly. The manager even came by a few times and asked how everything was. I always appreciate that. Their big draw is the market bar, which is where you can pick your meats, veggies and noodles and they cook it up fresh for you. Neither of us ordered this, because we actually came for the lettuce wraps. Next time I come though, I'll definitely give it a try. We ended up ordering 2 orders of lettuce wraps, some veggie spring rolls and chicken potstickers. First off, these were probably my favorite lettuce wraps that I've tried so far and I've had them at a bunch of different places. They were very generous with the meat and sauces and even offered to bring us some more when we were running low. Now that's great service! The veggie spring rolls were burn your mouth hot and very flaky. I liked them a lot, but wasn't crazy about the sauces they came with. I ended up dipping it in the sauce that came up with the wraps. The potstickers are one of my favorite apps and they were just as good as I had hoped. If it's any indication of how good my food was, I actually contemplated coming back the following day for lunch.
(5)
Sarah H.
Service is really bad. Food is pretty decent and I love the create your own stir-fry options. The food is decent in the sense its okay, but it's healthy if you play your cards right. I just didn't taste any asain flare with my meal. It lacks flavor. The only thing I was blown away by were those heavenly five spice spareribs. I'm so bummed I live over 8 hrs away from this place because those ribs were so juicy and delicious.
(3)
Jeannie A.
I've been to this location probably 10-12 times over the past 5 years, mostly for lunch. I always get the make-your-own-stirfry - so that is all I can review. The veggie bar is fresh and fully stocked. It isn't huge, but there is plenty of variety. They have an array of sauces, just recently tried the thai curry and it was good. I learned how to make a broccoli wall to extend the height of my bowl, to cram in more veggies - score! Though they do have a 1-trip or multip trip options, and I think they are only a dollar difference in the lunch price. They guys working the woks are busting their asses, and do a good job. I have no complaints. One trip stir fry is a huge platter full and comes with either rice or noodles - several varieties. This last visit, around noon on a Saturday, the place was about 1/2 full. The manager and my server stopped by my table 4 seperate times to ask 'how's everything tasting'. It was a bit annoying - nothing really changed in the 30 minutes I was eating - everything was tasting fine! Nice lunch spot if you are shopping at Oak Brook.
(4)
Jaelin R.
Very similar to Mongolian bbq. We waited on a table for a while because the place was packed! But that was the first good sign to me that this place had to be great. You can order off the menu or create you're own bowl. I started off with an order of the sushi, which wasn't the greatest. Then we created our own bowl. They have a buffet set up near the cooks with many options of veggies and different things you can add to you're dinner, And also many different sauces! You also can pick from a couple different meats. I loved all the different options I could choose from. You can watch the cooks cook you're meal right in front of you which is pretty exciting. I enjoyed everything we ate and service was excellent.
(4)
Jamie K.
Stir Crazy is a lot like Mongolian BBQ, but not played out and nasty. I come to this location often and get the stir fry with steak. The meat is tasty, the flat noodle is my favorite and, most importantly, the vegetables are fresh. The servers and bartenders are all nice and helpful and they are good at helping you get in and out quickly if you are there for a quick lunch. The atmosphere is good and you can watch sports in the bar area. It's always clean and everybody is pretty cool. I definitely like this place and will definitely be back.
(4)
Karin R.
I have never been a fan of Stir Crazy because the service and food are below average. There have been ads on Facebook recently that there is a new owner of the chain and that they have changed their menu, which now includes sushi. I order a spicy tuna roll, which lists the only ingredients as tuna and avocado. The roll, sad to say, had a crumb of tuna and a sliver of avocado. I basically ate a rice roll with a hint of tuna. I will never return as the service and food were always poor and even with the new owner, both are still awful. To top it off, when I left, I visited the ladies room. The floor was covered in water...from where?? Who knows?? A toilet?? Yuck. So many fantastic places at Oak Brook mall. This one should shut their door and open a space up for something wonderful.
(1)
Claire M.
I think the 3 star overall rating is fair based on my dinner experience here tonight. It was A-OK, not bad but not great. Last time I ate at a place like this was when there was that Mongolian grill place on Clark when I lived in Lakeview back in college. That was a long time ago. I did the bowl thing and had my food "prepared" on the flat top thing and as I recall, I had to stick a special color stick in mine to identify myself as having a food allergy (shellfish), thus mine was made on a separate surface. Tonight at Stir Crazy, I ordered from the menu and didn't do the magical wok chef thing. I'm always freaked out in the back of my mind that something will cross-contaminate and I'll go into anaphylactic shock and drop dead in front of everyone. I meant to bring my epi pen with me tonight but I forgot it. Whoops. So we ordered vegetable spring rolls as an appetizer, a side of "nutty noodles," Thai BBQ noodles (vegetarian) for me and... I have no idea what the person with me ordered. Something beefy with rice. I mentioned my food allergy when we ordered our entrees (we ordered the appetizer first a few minutes prior) and our waitperson said that the aforementioned vegetable egg rolls were fried in the same oil as the crab Rangoon and shrimp stuff and asked if that'd be okay. I didn't think it was (again, paranoia) but my dining companion said I should be fine. I was hoping they were right! *Spoiler alert* I was. No rushing off to the emergency room. Yay. I was actually very surprised at that. The egg rolls weren't bad. They were absolutely dripping oil though which was a little gross. I have a very weak/sensitive stomach and I can hear/feel it popping and churning at this very moment so lets hope nothing unpleasant occurs in the near future. The "nutty noodles" were quite tasty. I'm addicted to peanut sauce and these were in some sort of peanut vinaigrette (so glad I'm not allergic to peanuts) so I knew I'd like it. I can eat peanut sauce by the spoonful. I was actually quite full by this point (after the egg rolls and nutty noodles) so when my Thai BBQ noodles arrived I knew I'd only be eating a few bites before becoming completely stuffed. They were good. "A-OK" if you will. Our waitperson wasn't super friendly and dropped off several things wordlessly. She wasn't evil, but they're usually at least pleasant. She was indifferent. The best part of all was when I checked in, a 10% off Yelp offer popped up! It's like Christmas when that happens so that was a most welcome surprise. What I did really like was that they marked the vegetarian items as such and could make several things vegetarian. I thought that was pretty awesome of them. Nothing I had was bad, but I won't be frequenting this place on any kind of regular basis. Several of their drinks looked really good so if and when I do go back, I'll probably try a "Yum yum peach tea." Peach flavored things are my weakness.
(3)
Gilberto J.
Purchased a groupon to try this place out. It's by far one of the worst restaurants as far as food is concerned. The service was great but the food was terrible. I ordered the spicy ahi tuna roll and it taste like warm mushy rice. I ordered Kung pao chicken and it tasted like they unthawed it and served. Will never go back here.
(1)
Kelsey H.
I was really surprised by Stir Crazy! I was expecting a mediocre chain restaurant and a Flat Top Grill knock-off to boot. The menu was so extensive that we opted to forgo the make-your-own stir-fry bar we came in for. We shared the ahi tuna appetizer that was delicious! I had the pick-two thing with crab rangoons (decent but not the best I've had by far) and kung pao noodles with chicken. So good and fresh! My husband had this massive bowl of pho. It came with some delicious dipping sauce for the meat. We shared a Thai milk tea that was heavenly. We will definitely be back to try out the rest of the menu! If you're usually cold in restaurants, sit in front of the grill. Very toasty and cozy!
(4)
Eric E.
I've eaten in here countless times and always have great food. I highly recommend their veggie fried rice. Huge serving! Fresh ingredients, good service and an expansive menu to select from. Short and simple, this one's a fav for me. Cheers!
(4)
Marian S.
Stir Crazy had been a favorite in the past. The create your own options are no longer beautifully presented and are not labeled as they had been in the past. Service was slow and poor. The stir fry tasted good but the over all experience is not what it used to be.
(3)
Chrissy F.
Visited this location last night. Every dish was dirty. After our sushi came out on a plate with caked black stuff on it that you could rub off with your napkin we had, had it. We showed our server who was very rude said that's just the way our plates are and said the dirty plates were above his head and would grab the manager. After about 10 minutes the manager came over and said that this was just due to plates rubbing together in the dirty tubes before they are cleaned and it was very sanitary to eat off a plate that had black dirt caked on it WHICH YOU COULD RUB OFF. They don't believe the customer is right and I don't believe you couldn't get sick from eating off a dirty plate.
(1)
Luis S.
They menu is so extensive and they even have some asian beer as well! Love the make your own stir crazy similar to flat top, but then other menu items are really what separates it from flat top. Everything tasted well and enjoyed their service as well. Though they don't' have unlimited stir crazy like flat top and a lot of their food had way too much sauce for it so that's why minus one star. If I'm feeling of americanized asian food and I'm in the area flat top is certainly on my list.
(4)
M H.
This use to be a great restaurant. Over the years the selections have been reduces and the service has spiraled downward. Service and menu options are far below the competition in the area. Enjoy one of the many other restaurants that the Oak Brook Shopping Center.
(1)
Christina A.
The make your own plates are my favorite out of all the similar restaurants like this. The veggies are always fresh and the sauces are delicious. I think I like it because they cook it in a wok compared to flat cookers at other places. The drinks are delicious too!
(5)
Abina G.
Hey, what's going on? It's 10 o'clock and the restaurant is empty and the door is locked. As I walk up to the door, the staff inside scurries towards the kitchen door. The sign states that the establishment closes at 10:30. Something fishy about this!!!!!!
(1)
Kamile K.
Me and my friend went here after we went to the movie theater conveniently close by. Our server was very nice and funny, and the atmosphere was great. I especially liked the make-your-own option available where you can select the items and quantities and add then to your bowl and then the cook cooks it right there in front of you. Deffinatly make a good impression on me, I showed up the next day again with my mom. The experience is what I like the most and makes this place unique.
(4)
Spencer H.
I came here before the Yelp event at Pinstripes for some good food & I surely was disappointed. First off the booth I was in was so small & cramped. Right away it was uncomfortable. The waitress came to the table & took my order. I started off with a Hot & Sour soup & an iced tea. The hot & sour soup was a big portion like I remembered it to be & was tasty but this one had greens added to it which I didn't really like but the taste was still good. The server here was very nice & was one of the more positive experiences at the restaurant. Next I ordered the Mongolian Beef. The restaurant wasn't crowded so the food arrived fairly quickly. The Mongolian Beef was very average. There was not much beef instead it was filled with vegetables. The taste was not how I remembered & the entree was not as good as I was expecting. For the price this meal was a big disappointment. I would consider eating here again if I was in the area & really hungry but again I was very disappointed with my meal.
(2)
Kara Z.
We loved this place when it opened but got out of the habit of coming here. To us, it was the original create-your-own-stir fry- place. Our dryer went out this weekend so we had to go to Sears to replace it and needed to eat lunch beforehand- we saw Stir Crazy and decided to give it another try. Now maybe we were just in a hurry and focused on all the money we were about to spend at Sears, but the experience felt a little blah. Our server was pleasant enough. I got the create your own stir fry with chicken ($10.99 for one trip) and I didn't see anything on the table, in the menu, or on the wall that gives you suggestions for how to combine your sauces or what flavors go well together. That seemed weird- it's kind of a gamble how it's going to turn out. Mine turned out OK- not delicious- a little bland, but I appreciated that since I filled my bowl super full I was able to make two meals out of it (just ate the rest as a leftover) and probably could have even stretched it to two leftovers. My favorite part was the peanuts- they seemed especially good- kind of magical, actually! I also appreciated that the vegetable area was clean and each bin was full. My husband ordered the combo of pork pot stickers (I had half of one and didn't like it- he liked them though) with the barbecue tacos which he thought were good. We were impressed that his food came out right when I sat down with my stir fry. The drink prices weren't listed on the menu- I got strawberry lemonade which I found disappointing and when I saw our receipt that it was $4.00 I was even more disappointed. I thought it was lukewarm and didn't like the taste even though I usually love strawberry lemonade. Overall, there was nothing to complain about but nothing that wow-ed us either.
(3)
Tanya G.
Beware! The bar area is full of fruit flies and I am suspecting the kitchen is too! I ordered sesame shrimp and the shrimp were undercooked or old. They had a transparent look and should be more opaque. I sent the order back and it came out the same way. I am going to try I the sesame shrimp but am suspect with the fruit fly infestation!
(2)
Janie E.
Sadly, I think my daughter got food poisoning from here last night. We were a large party, but she was the only one who ordered beef as her protein. The pains and cramping hit her about an hour later and she had a rough night.
(1)
April H.
My friend raved about this place. He's healthy so..what the heck, I'd give it a shot. I did the create your won stirfry. Pick your own rice or noodles, Fresh veggies, As much as I could pile in my bowl. Mixed up my sauces to make my own creation and choose beef as my protein. There was an unlimited create your own pasta but soooo glad I didn't get that ,as one serving was enough. I thought it was good. And I had a good time sipping my plum wine with my creation until a half hour later when I got sick. As in running to the bathroom all night sick. I'm pretty sure the food poisoning bug hit me hard from here. But being that I am young and healthy..I survived the night. Unfortunately it was an unpleasant night. Despite that I must give props to the waitress that waited on my table on a Saturday night. She was awesome. GREAT service. Fun experience to make one's own stirfry..but the fact I was on the toilet the rest of the night a half hour after finishing my meal? Not so happy about that.
(2)
Gordon I.
I've eaten in 100s of restaurants around the world, mostly in NYC, Chicago, Boston, SF -- and SC just rings all my bells: flavor, selection, theater, price -- it's just the sweet-spot. I like all kinds of Asian and this fusion is sublime. I'm now stuck near SF WITHOUT STIR CRAZY and wonder when it's coming out to join me??
(5)
Joulie S.
It's been a while since I've been here and thought my friend and I would check it out. Nothin changed really. The place was busy and we thought we'd try the 'make your own' plate and it was good. It wasn't the best, maybe the sauces I picked made the taste a bit weird. I do like the staff, they were very nice and the environment was well established. I did get a 10% off discount by checking in here...sooo thank you!!! That was a thoughtful gesture, I don't get many discount check ins, it's always a nice surprise to get them. I hope all business get involved in offering discounts for their customers. Kudos to you and your business :-)
(4)
Ana S.
The food was excellent! I enjoyed the spicy garlic sauce in my stir fry. They prepared the food promptly. This was my first time there. The waiter didn't explain the process on how making our own stir fry. He left and took a long time to bring out the bowls.
(3)
Anthony B.
The food was very good. A small mistake occurred and the staff very quickly and without asking resolved it well above what would be expected. The build your own stir fry is pretty cool but they have lots of menu items as well if you're not feeling creative. Everyone on the staff that I encountered was friendly and helpful. The bathrooms were clean and nice. Overall, they try and deliver and quality product.
(5)
Alyssa J P.
The food was OK, serving sizes quite huge (I got an appetizer which was a huge meal for me), vegetarian options weren't so bad (especially for a mall restaurant)... however I just felt so sick after eating here that I don't think I'll be back. Not even food poisoning sick, and not anything that's really the fault of the restaurant, but still. You never forget a restaurant meal that makes you wish you never ate it.
(3)
Timothy M.
The service was good. The booths are cramped and the food portions are small especially for the price you pay for it. I've been to other comparable places and have not only had more food but better quality. It was disappointing.
(1)
Katie K.
On a positive note the food tastes good and is healthy, which is the ONLY reason I go back. Everytime we return we get less for more money. Now the lunch bowls are smaller for the same price!!!! How is this ok? If I am getting get less, I expect to pay less! Very bad management here!!!
(2)
Megan C.
Potstickers ate really good and so is the kung pao and Mongolian beef. I usually get the market bar though and I find that it is really hard to get some good flavor out of the sauces....last time I went I added 4 sauces, cilantro, peanuts, ginger and garlic and I feel like the flavor wasn't there as much as I would have liked. However, I love how you can make your own bowl and choose the ingredients. Our server was also really great when we went. Oh and you have to get the strawberry lemonade, one of the best around :)
(4)
mike q.
The food is very good. My second visit was as good as my first. The place needs a little work though. The tables should have table cloths or the finish replaced. Some people may be turned off mixing chips of varnish with their veggies. You need to fill your own bowl to get the full experience. Just ordering off the menu is like going to city and never leaving the hotel room. The service was good both visits.
(3)
Lizzi C.
Next best thing after PF Changs! Yummy! Crab Rangoons are mmm mmm good for an appetizer. The Kung Pao Noodles are delicious! Sweet and Spicy chicken is awesome, too! I heard the desserts are amazing. Great place for carry out-they get your order ready in like ten minutes and I swear you can drive for hours and the food will still be piping hot!
(4)
meenah c.
I love this place... one of my favorite restaurants. I eat there every chance I get.
(5)
Andy R.
Food is OK and service is OK. If you're looking for great do-it-yourself stir fry then go to Flat Top Grill. At least Flat Top is unlimited stir fry.
(3)
Brandon T.
This son of a gun made me sick. I don't like this restaraunt and I do not recommend it to anybody. Stir Crazy is when the chef tells little ol' Hyuan to stir the feces faster and add more hazardous oil. Later on, he whispers in his ear to raise the price. Ah, I can see it right now. I remember like it was yesterday. Personally, I'd rather stick my hand in a cows butt, get some poision Ivy from Camp Lazlo, and stir it up. I'll call that 5 star quality, for only the price of absolutely nothing, and of course a spec of dust. Not recommended....At all!
(1)
Muhammad A.
Good restaurant to dine-in at for lunch or dinner. The restaurant carries a huge menu to select a good meal from. The best is the "Make your own Stir Fry." They give you a bowl to add your own ingredients in from a large buffet of items and then you give it to the cook and he cooks pasta or noodles with your ingredients right in front of you. The food has to be good if your a Chinese food lover because you make it yourself the way you like it.
(5)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :Oakbrook Center,105 Oakbrook Ctr
Oak Brook, IL, 60523
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch 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 : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Livvy O.
If I wanted cheap tasting Asian food, I could have easily gone to Panda Express without the over-priced bill. Honestly, I would say Panda Express was even better than this place. Our server was really weird and awkward too. The only reason I chose this place, was because it was one of very few in the Oakbrook area that was open late.
(1)Tammy C.
Just ok!! Wish there were more sauces to choose from. Price is a little high for a one time trip to the grill. Crab rangoon and pot stickers were great! Won't be back for awhile!
(3)Kristina M.
Love this place! They have the best stir fry by far. It is always very clean inside, and I have never had a bad or rude server. Since I live kinda far from any location, I usually take some food to go. I love having their leftovers and love coming in as often as I can. Please open one up in the city!
(5)H.e. K.
I did the create own stir fry and, although as other people mentioned, you do get a better bang for your dollar at bd's mongolian because you don't get an additional charge on what meat (or no meat) that you choose, my meal was still delicious! Service was fast and friendly. The only mistake I personally made was not loading up on enough veggies- I was still hungry after eating. Oops. Will be returning for sure.
(4)Natasha M.
I like coming here. But in my memory there were more choices back then for the bar in the "make your own stir-fry." But still a good place and I always love eating the left overs the next day. What I also like is the great service and you always get greeted and asked how your meal was. I've never had a bad experience. Beside the make your own stir-fry theres sesame chicken-which is amazing- and my mom always gets the lettuce wraps. My little bro also got the sweet and sour chicken and he liked it. Its a good place!
(4)Stephanie H.
Honestly, I don't know why everyone I went to high school with years ago used to rave on and on about this place. Maybe it's because I'm Asian so I'm biased, but I don't think this place is anything exceptional. I've only been here twice (once at the Mall of America and again in my hometown), but I haven't been wowed either time. The food is decently priced, and the service is good, but the food just isn't anything special. The last time I was here I ordered the Mongolian Beef thinking that was a safe choice. There was such a huge puddle of sauce, that the beef and vegetables were masked by the unnecessary amount of sauce. If you like stir-fry and enjoy Americanized Asian food, then give it a whirl, but I won't be going back.
(2)Jennifer N.
This place was pretty tasty. I had some chicken and shrimp teriyaki. I enjoy also getting to put the meat in the bowl at genghis grill... But this works.
(4)Ray D.
Food and service was great! Love the appetizers, BBQ Tacos, and HUGE SOUP BOWL full of AWESOMENESS! The banana filled won tons with ice cream and fresh whip cream is amazing! Love how it's not as crowded as restaurants.
(5)Alanna M.
This place has great food. There are similar create-your-own stir fry restaurants, but this one is the best. The food is delicious and the facility is very clean. Similar restaurants such as BD's Mongolian Grill in Naperville are much less sanitary and have raw meat sitting out at their buffet. If you choose meat in your stir fry at Stir Crazy, the only person who handles it is the chef, and you can see that their prep area is very sanitary. The only food sitting out at Stir Crazy is fresh fruit and vegetables. You can tell everything is fresh- each time I have visited the restaurant I've actually seen someone come out and change out the vegetables that had been sitting out. The only way you can go wrong here is by choosing the wrong sauce for your stir fry. I once made the mistake of getting the 'traditional Chinese' sauce, and it tasted terrible. Since then I have stuck with teriyaki sauce, and I mix a half cup of peanuts into it and it's fantastic. I took my family out to this place after my college graduation and everyone really liked it.
(4)Jen D.
Went here for the first time on a Friday night. It was pretty busy but we were seated quickly. I love that they have a kids menu. Ordered the Asian Slaw Salad, and that was very good. My husband and both ordered the salmon dishes and they were good as well. Not too salty. The sweet and sour chicken for son was also good. Not a bad experience at all. We will be back for sure.
(4)Brad E.
Make your own stir-fry; what could go wrong? Everything. The stir-fry was incredibly bland, despite following our server's recommendations. Morever, the ingredients did not taste or even appear fresh. Our server did not help matters by being a dead ringer for the annoying server from Chotchkie's in the movie Office Space (guy with "flaire"). Will not return.
(1)Osiris V.
I usually go to lunch with my friend here and it usually consist of us getting lettuce wraps and pork Potstickers. Once in a while I'll get the Kung Pao Chicken with Brown rice. Either way....fabulous! I must say that they often have trouble keeping their Potstickers in stock. It's a popular item, is it too much to ask that you carry it when I visit! ;) I think I got the stir fry once and it's your typical build your own stir fry buffet. I am a fan of build your own buffets, then you can't complain about it. Their items are pretty fresh and they have a good selection. We always sit at the bar and we never have a problem getting served. Sometimes it does take a while but it's not horrible.
(4)Hadeel H.
Never a bad meal here, and the service is top notch
(4)nick j.
Slow half hour waits to be served combined with slowly rising costs and declining quality of sauces and ingredients has turned my on time favorite place to dine with my family into a giant disappointment. Go eat at flattop at least your overpaying for flavor and speed.
(2)John S.
Ate here during my lunch hour today. Ordered the Kung Pao chicken with spring roll. Came to the table quick and was delicious! My co-workers meals arrives at the same time and they enjoyed it as well. Service is excellent! When I am not in a hurry, I will try the make your own plate option so you can bring it to the cook to fry it up. Will be back!
(4)Summer W.
My daughter loves this place and recently brought home some left over Veg Fried rice that was tasty. Ordering take out on a Saturday night when they are in the dinner rush wasn't quick or easy. The girl on the other end didn't seem to know the menu or how the computer worked. I arrived after 20 minutes of ordering and stood over 5 minutes waiting to be helped in the pick up line because no one was there to help! It was crazy packed in there so I waited patiently. I ordered a side of Asian slaw - which is over priced at $5.25, but good. The soggy vegetarian spring rolls were laying in a small puddle of grease. Gross. The Vegetables in Teriyaki and tofu was literally inedible. It not only had no flavor - which is almost impossible when adding teriyaki to anything! But it smelled and tasted like it had been sitting around since nine a.m. I spent an extra $1.50 to get it with fried rice and that had the same, sitting around since 9 a.m. taste and texture to it. Since I has just had some leftover fried rice from daughter a week ago, I knew how fresh food from there looks, smells, and tastes. I wasted my time and $20 for food I didn't eat. And, I doubt I'll ever go again.
(1)Trina J.
Stir Crazy has a neat set up and really affordable prices.I ate a pad Thai chicken dish with a Asian roll and my date ate a salmon salad. There is also the option to individualize your meal. A great place for a first date or night out with friends.
(4)Shradha A.
I was really in the mood for some good stirfry Sunday and when 3 of us decided to meet up in the 'burbs, I was hoping for a Big Bowl-ish experience at Stir Crazy. It really wasn't - service, food, et al The Pao Pao appetizer (no meat) was actually one of our better picks, because the coconut curry noodles and the buddha's delight were both quite disappointing as was the spring roll. The service was way too slow - there were no water refills or check-ups at all.
(3)mei s.
We came here courtesy of groupon. I go to the oakbrook mall all the time and i drive by this place all the time. but i never bothered to go inside. not sure why. i guess i'm assuming it's no different than ben pao or big bowl. but it is. it is very very good. and not all that expensive. however, the service was ok. not the fastest. and we were there on a late sunday afternoon, so not a ton of people. maybe that's why it was slow? less crowded, less workers? we ordered: 1. tuna and avocado poke (absolutely delicious. nice sesame flavor, and the tuna is tasty.) 2. Pork pan seared dumplings (not bad. thin skinned dumplings, that were not sealed perfectly. but not bad.) 3. Sesame chicken (not heavily battered. more like just a light coating of cornstarch and then stir-fried. decent.) 4. Korean BBQ beef tacos (yummy!! reminded me of peking duck with the hoisin sauce and green onion and flaky dough.) 5. Walnut shrimp (absolutely delicious. not too greasy. and nicely sweetened.) i would definitely come back here again.
(4)Amy R.
This has a Big Bowl meets PF Changs meets CPK feel. I'm a fan as long as there is no restaurant inspired easy, cheesy freezer inspired meal in minutes on the horizon. Really enjoyed my meal here. Tasty, fresh and plentiful ingredients on the market bar. I like being able to customize what gets thrown in. Really good service and a nice atmosphere for the location.
(4)Katherine B.
Stir crazy may be one of the best ideas for a restaurant ever. This place has basic Asian entree choices along with a "market bar" which is what I always go with. The market bar is a do it yourself kind of thing. You choose your meat (vegetarian, chicken, steak, salmon and ahi tuna), noodle (white/brown rice, lo mein and a couple other I can't remember) and then they hand you a two bowl set. The big bowl is for all the vegetables you can fit. Which I always find to be too small for the amount of baby corn I want. The smaller bowl is for the sauce. They have a bunch of choices like teriyaki, ginger garlic and peanut sauce. They also have extras like cilantro, peanuts, red dried chiles and minced garlic. Then you bring your crazy creation over to the cooking area where they always make faces at my ridiculous choices and they cook them quickly and you chow down and there are always left overs. Their appetizers have always been good, they have a ton of drink choices, all of the servers I've had have been awesome and I've yet to try a desert. I should get on that.
(5)Rui Carlos d.
Really I wanted to run, but I was there with my girlfriend, her sister and their parents for a belated birthday outing. My girlfriend had chosen the place for everyone. I think that the rest of them enjoyed their meal but it was a bit like tasting a glimpse of hell. The server was great, though, really sweet. And I ordered a Tsing Tao beer in the bottle and that was definitely the best thing they served. Blazing Noodles -- 3 flames on the menu -- I ordered it with shrimp and expected it to be so spicy that it would bypass my tongue and go straight for my throat. It did neither, it was so bland that I realized that this was definitely (well-cooked) suburban chain restaurant fare. Vegetable Spring Rolls, Edamame - Cooked perfectly. Thai Sticky Wings - Tasty but not noteworthy. Mango Crème Brûlée -- Served cold in a little bowl instead of a ramekin. The mango was fresh and the cream was tasty and nicely burnt on top. It was a little odd in a bowl but, thankfully, it was edible. I want to give this place no stars but as I write this review I see that they deserve better. It was all just a bit bland and had nothing special about it. I hope I can avoid this place and any other Americanized Asian food restaurants like it for the rest of my life. (But eating non-Americanized Chinese food will make your head spin).
(1)Jen M.
I have been coming here since high school, and I still love eating here. This particular location is usually busy, but I never have to wait too long. I believe they do take reservations too. I have never ordered off the menu, as I always do the create your own stir fry. Plenty of options for veggies and sauces and the serving of noodles and meat is generous. I think it has much more flavor than Flat Top Grill. The prices has increased, but it's still worth it every once in awhile. You can also tell the cooks to use no oil if you want to cut back on some cals!
(4)Dana B.
I use to come to stir crazy a lot with co-workers when I worked at the mall years ago and it was always decently good. Though few months ago a friend and I came here to catch up on life and weren't so pleased. The drinks we ordered from the bar weren't to good. The server explained that the bartender had just started training from server to bartender and that might be the reason. My opinion... not acceptable. We got our entree which we ordered up at the market bar looked amazing but 1/2 into the meal my friend found a huge piece of cardboard mixed into everything... Well there goes our lunch. We informed our server and she was ver apologetic and brought the manager over. She offered us a free dessert. That was a nice offer I suppose. However, when a customer finds something in their food such as cardboard, I feel there has to be something done that isn't just a free desert.. Probably will never go back due to lack of decent drinks and poor service. I'll continue to go to Flat Top Grill down the street for my lunch time dates.
(2)Adam C.
We've been here a few times while visiting the mall. I think our favorite item on the menu is the sweet & tangy Asian wings. They have a flavor that is really unique and yummy when it comes to wings and they're really meaty as well. We also usually get the edamame appetizer, which tastes just like every other place's edamame (it would be really hard to screw up edamame). We really like the build-your-own stir fry concept and love going to places like Flat Top and Big Bowl. Stir Crazy's is good and the quality is on par with those establishments. My only nit about SC's is that their produce bar is rather limited in variety and selection compared to Flat Top's. I think Flat Top probably has twice the number of ingredients to choose from in their produce bar. They had all the basics, but were missing the special extras, like the Mandarin oranges, sesame seeds, peas, potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, etc. They also don't have the option to grill an egg or to order fry bread (the blue stick at FT), which I miss at SC. Service is always spot-on and they are constantly bringing you refills and coming back every so often to make sure all's well at the table. I know we'll be back again and again in the future, but I do wish they'd add some more ingredients to their stir-fry bar selection.
(4)Amanda R.
My office gets takeout from here once in a while. I like the many different menu options. My favorite is the teriyaki chicken!
(4)Mei Ling W.
This location is at least 16 years old, but they are consistently great. We tried the Pho this time and loved it! We usually get the Big Crazy Platter which is no longer on the menu, but they will still let me order it. I don't know how they do it, but they keep inventing new sauces and dishes. Great place for a snack while shopping Oak Brook Center.
(4)Sal K.
Went with the wife on a Saturday night because other places were too busy. Bad move. We were seated quickly, but the service was extremely slow and the food was mediocre. There are plenty of better and cheaper places to eat.
(2)Rocky L.
I see all these terrible reviews which surprises me. I have been going to stir crazy for a few months now and have only received exceptional service and product quality. The teriyaki steak will continue to bring me back!
(5)Rahshonda K.
I have to agree with my fellow Yelper Colleen B and ask the same question why isn't there a Stir Crazy in Chicago!!! The food was fresh and was so good. What I appreciated the most was the server was able to tell us about the menu and what the best sauce concoctions were. I cant wait to go back! My mom and I totally enjoyed it. Left overs were even better!! I cant wait to go shopping in Oakbrook just to head over to SC.
(5)Bob Z.
To start with, I am not a fan of the "wait in the line for stir fry" type restaurants. It was my wife's birthday and we went. In short, I am glad we went. It was great. We didn't get their "market buffet wait in line stuff". We ordered off the menu. I had the Tuna Sashimi appetizer - which was PLENTY for lunch. My wife had the mongolian beef and my daughter had the sesame chicken. All 3 dishes exceeded our expectations and were some of the best, freshest meals we have had in a while. I look forward to returning soon.
(4)Danny Y.
Good food. Bad drinks. Bad desert. Kungpao Noodles 4/5 Sesame Chicken 4/5 Strawberry lemonade 2/5 - tastes too much like sugar water, and not enough like lemonade. Fried ice cream 2/5 - soggy and disgusting fried shell Creme Brulee 2/5 Apple pie 2/5
(2)Omar A.
I saw this on a list of healthiest fast casual restaurants so when we were in Chicago last weekend for a wedding and got hungry, we knew where to turn to...STIR CRAZY BOYEE!! For lovers of stir fry, this is heaven! You can get any type of stir fry from their menu or make your own. Excellent selection and taste and good customer service....I wish we had this place on the west coast!
(5)sherry t.
The food was inedible. Way too much sodium and sugar. Managed to make everything taste like garbage. Asian fusion can be delicious and innovative but Stir crazy failed on so many levels. Don't know why they are still in business. Crab cake rolls sounded good. When it came out, we were like wtf? Think of fish sticks but crab with small ball of hard, uncooked rice loosely wrapped with so called small strip of rice paper. Crab cake did not taste like crab and was texturally off. Egg drop soup. How can you manage to mess that up? The broth was dark which indicated it was not chicken stock. It had strong taste and smell of star anise probably in beef broth. The eggs were overcooked and in big chunks. Had one spoon and couldnt have anymore. Pad Thai. Yes pad thai is suppose to be sweet, but it is not suppose to sit in a bath of honey brown sauce. The noodles were well below undercooked. I really just picked out the chicken and tofu and dumped the rest.
(1)Dan M.
So long slicks I took my family there to check out this place. I had their Blazing Noodles there before. And I am having it again since I like curry. My wife ordered Bangkok Noodles. My dish was good but the Bangkok Noodles was way too salty. We notified the waitress and she was nice enough to let us change to something else and willing to cook a new dish for her. So my wife changed it to Blazing Noodles like mine. Instead of cooking a new dish from fresh ingredients, they re-cook her dish which is full of sodium mixed with a different sauce and charged us full price for it. I am sorry but I don't like dishonest business. So we are done with this place.
(2)Anthony P.
We pop in every now and then when shopping here. It's nothing too memorable, but not disappointing in any way. The service is adequate. My personal favorites are the potstickers (tasty ginger sauce comes with), sesame chicken for the entree, and for dessert, the Banana Wonton drink. In all, I wouldn't go too out of your way to come here, but if you happen to be here, you definitely would not go wrong.
(3)Thomas Z.
All their food was amazing1
(5)Shyam S.
I'm a huge fan of this particular Stir Crazy not just because of the food, but more of the place. For the last eight years, this has been the meeting spot for my friend Jenny and I and it looks like it's going to continue as such. The non-stir fry options are pretty good and the actual stir fry area is neat. The prices are a little high, but I never finish what I make so I always have a second meal/snack to reheat for later.
(4)Patty S.
This is a great place for lunch! I've done the "buffet" thing, but I have had better luck ordering straight from the menu. The menu portion sizes are very generous and has options you can't get in the buffet. Their salads are delectable and their meats are always perfectly cooked. I like coming here to take a break from shopping. It's a perfect spot with decent prices.
(4)Dan And Eileen D.
A little overpriced for what you get. Appetizers were disappointing (3 small spring rolls and ahi tuna on 3 little chips?) for $20 bucks. The assortment of veggies for create your own stir-fry was fine. Stir Crazy is OK in a pinch.
(2)Meg X.
I've only ever had their sesame chicken and their spring rolls. They have "right size, right price" portions which live up to their names. The spring rolls are disgusting. I ordered some to introduce my boss to spring rolls and I nearly spat mine out. The sauce they gave with them was fishy smelling and gross. The staff is friendly and attentive. Spring rolls comparison: I like the ones from Panda Express. Bosslady doesn't like the Panda Express rolls, but thinks the Stir Crazy ones are ok. I don't really consider either of them to be real spring rolls - the best around are at The King & I in Oak Park - but those things called spring rolls from Stir Crazy are just gross. I digress. If you like Panda Express spring rolls, you might not like these. I fax in my order and they get it right every time; they even call to confirm specifics (what kind of rice, etc). Their stir-fried rice is pretty good.
(3)P B.
It's okay. Food is fair and would agree with assessment of being overpriced. Having said that, there's other restaurants in the area with better food and pricing to satisfy your hunger. They had only flavored iced tea which I ordered sweetened. My first sip told me that it was sweetened but not overly sweet. The refill however was too sweet. Stir fry choices were bland and lacked flavor. Dont' think I'll be coming back.
(3)John W.
Grill on fire @ Stir Crazy. The Best American formal restaurant ever went to. There is really nothing that I could point to and say that "This is better at another Stir Fry/ Mongolian Restaurant". The Best Food In Town. HANDS DOWN. Period.
(5)Julia B.
I like this place because there is rarely ever a wait, and who doesn't like making their own stir-fry? I've also had food from the regular menu, and I remember the mongolian beef being very good. But I can't help but compare Stir Crazy to Flattop, and Flattop wins on several levels: 1. Have to wait for bowls at Stir Crazy to go to the Market bar-not really a problem, but the last few times I have been I had to wait 10 or so minutes for a bowl. 2. No way to sample sauces--If you've never been to a make-your-own stir-fry joint, the sauce section can be overwhelming...usually 10+ varieties. Plus not having sampling available led to an indecisive man in front of me to bring the ladle to his nose to sniff a sauce...EW. Overall, the Market bar is nice--very clean and the veggies are fresh. They used to have the most amazing desserts at Stir Crazy and I wish they would bring it back. I can't remember what it was called, but think mango sorbet with fresh fruit and a coconut creme sauce and I miss it so! Stir Crazy is a great place to take a break from shopping from and avoid the weekend rush that you always encounter at Cheesecake and CPK.
(3)Carol K.
When you work in an area- you become way too familiar with the lunch choices that are close by, that get you out in a reasonable amount of time and have food that is consistent. Stir Crazy is just one of those places. Unless you are shopping at the mall or work in one of the surrounding office towers- you would never go to this place. But since both apply to me, I have eaten here several times and it's a good choice in the mall. We usually sit in the bar, as the idea of waiting for a table seems ridiculous when you can still sit at a table, have servers serve you and get out before the people who are still waiting in line even sit down. A couple of favorites on the menu? Try the lettuce wraps as an appetizer- good sized portion and plenty of lettuce to wrap them with. As for entrees- my two favorites are the pecan crusted Tilapia with a tangy peanut sauce, or the Cashew Chicken. Both can come with brown rice, if you ask, that is actually quite good. All in all- a consistent choice that acknowledges lunch is not an elongated dining experience and works to get you in and out in a reasonable amount of time, with a full stomach and, sometimes, a little bit left over to take home. Just what I need on those days when lunch is more of an interruption than a treat!
(3)Janene M.
I finally decided to give this restaurant a try. The food tasted good. I do not like how you are nickled and dimed for everything. Extra, for fried rice, or a to go box for example. Other places that are similar do not do this. I would go back, but not any time soon.
(3)Mike F.
I have never been as sick after eating a meal as I was when I ate a meal here. Never again.
(1)Andrew C.
Good service. Clean facilities. Terrible food especially for the price. Showed up late on a Tuesday night (after 8:30pm) with a friend for dinner. We were seated quickly as most of the restaurant was empty and our waitress was polite and friendly! We hadn't been before and asked about the stir fry area over there but decided to go with one of the menu-ready items instead of putting together our own stir fry dish. I went with the sesame chicken and white rice, she went for the Sweet & Spicy Chicken with fried rice. Both of our dishes were over salted, even her fried rice was too salty. It also left an aftertaste like it was a microwaved meal. In fact, I couldn't really tell the difference between my dinner here and a microwave meal. I couldn't believe how much I paid for a microwave dinner on a fancy plate. After thoughts: I might change my mind had I tried the choose-your-own-stir-fry. But avoid the menu food.
(2)Brianna L.
i LOVE stir crazy...i have mastered the most efficient way to fill the bowl and get the most veggies possible..from the self help bar! i never order off the menu unless its the appetizers bc the food off the menu never has enough flavor for me its all too bland! def stick with the bar!! P.S have the Ginger ale mmm..yummy!! and the passion fruit spritzer..together or separate they're awesome!!
(5)Leanne M.
I eat here religiously with my mom. and recently (okay, yesterday) started thinking as a vegan,maybe I should eat more salads? Ahhh, IF ONLY all green bowls were as tasty and well designed as Stir Crazy's (Salmon) Mango Salad, I substitute wok-tossed TOFU for that fish, it includes HUGE chunks of mango, almonds, and other gifts from ms. nature to you. Sighhhh (one of those big long out of satisfaction Sighs.) but what's this? you aren't feeling the S today? lots of other vegan options, my friend. just you wait and see... And this? You aren't interested in veg food at all? No worries-- tons of carnivorous options for you as well, my friend. Yes, delicious for everyone- the perfect 'burban meet-up lunch. YAY.
(4)Amanda S.
we were in the suburbs. it doesn't happen often. one of the few things i actually crave and can only attain in the sticks is stir crazy. and we were hungry. so we went. our table was so sticky it'd be the perfect way to teach your children that elbows don't belong there..as the unforgiving surface will help you catch kiddies in the act before they can rip them off. brittany was our server and though sweet, she just wasn't on top of her game. i had to move my water glass from where it belonged to the very edge of the table, hoping someone would notice it was empty. my dining companion got her chinese chicken salad before my empty bowl for stir fry was brought to me. awkward. despite all that, i'm happy to report that the food is still tasty. by no means is it a flat top grill, but by no means is oak brook a chicago. it's all relevant.
(3)Steven M.
Crazy me, I thought that I reviewed this place. I love the food here. I am usually filling my plate to the ceiling so they can cook it. I was trying to be half way normal as I was out with a good friend and didn't want to show her my dark side. So I got the chinese chicken salad. I can't say enough about it. All the different flavors and textures was driving me nuts. It was delicious. They have it two ways. Lite for lunch for $8.88 or regulation size for 10 bucks. My friend had the lunch and it came with a veggie roll. I had the LG and I would get it again. The strawberry lemonade was good also. Although it could have used a shot of something. Great service.
(4)Chi T.
We walked in this place and saw like 5 hostesses standing there talking to each other and one of them on the phone. It took a few minutes before they acknowledged we entered even though there was only 1 couple waiting to be seating by the door. We had about 2 other parties walk in and they seemed to be friends with the hostesses and were seating immediately. It was ridiculous! We almost walked out when they finally talked to us and went to seat us. Stupid little girls they hire should do more work and less chatter!
(1)Michelle Marie R.
Out shopping with my girls and wanted a quick bite and a cocktail. Sitting in the bar may not be the best idea. They have no servers...well your waiter is the bartender and so on. The drinks were awful, we sent them back and just ordered wine, can't screw that up! Our quick stop turned into a long delay! Stick to the dining room perhaps???
(2)Sandeep P.
I've been going here since it opened in the 90s, and I'm generally a fan. The vegetables are always fresh, the chefs are usually prompt, and who doesn't love to make their own custom dinner? Of course, this could describe any Asian/Stir Fry themed restaurant (Flat Top Grill comes to mind) but here's where Stir Crazy stands out: the sauces. They are simply fantastic sauces that allow you to make anything this side of Panda Express. I've come here with friends, colleagues, and family with very particular tastes, and they've all been able to make stir fries of their liking. I personally have been coming here for so many years that I've moved on from the make-your-own to ordering what I believe they now call the crazy noodles, neé spicy basil noodles. Fantastic. I'm docking a star for the following reasons, however: 1. Service. It's very hit or miss. Some nights, you get a waiter who really cares, is prompt, and most of all, friendly. Other times, you get servers who are overloaded and simply take forever to bring out drinks and your stirfry pans. I've even once gotten a waiter, who when I asked for my entree to be spicy, instructed the kitchen to dump red chili paste in it and came back to my table after my first two bites with a grin on his face to ask if it was spicy enough. Needless to say, I was not impressed. 2. Prices. Stir Crazy started out being pretty reasonable for a pan-asian restaurant, but as the years have gone by, they've shrunk the size of the bowl for your veggies and increased the prices significantly (at least $3 more than when I first started coming). 3. Waits. Sometimes Stir Crazy is empty, other times it's bustling with an extended wait. It's pretty much impossible to predict and I don't believe that they take reservations (I've had mixed results in attempting to do so over the years). If you so desire to come on a Friday or Saturday evening, be prepared to wander the mall or dine elsewhere if the wait is too much. 4. Variety. While I have said that the sauces are fantastic for asian cuisine, this isn't Flattop. You can't build a less-asian meal here unless you pretty much skip the sauces. And the sauces? They're going to be oil and sodium ridden, there's really no avoiding it. I personally don't have a problem with that, but a 5 star restaurant needs to have options to accommodate.
(4)Steve D.
Place just doesn't have much ambiance. Food was pretty good. Not up to par with PF Changs, but price is fairly comparable.
(3)Nari H.
I usually don't like to review chains. But I come here often enough to feel I have to review. Here's why: Service: 4/5-Consistently good. Very fast with carry outs. Food: 3.5/5-I agree with the other reviews. Rather Americanized for dishes that are ethnic in origin. Am a fan of some of the dishes. Actually haven't done the create your own bowl in awhile though. Not a fan of the Buddha Bowl. I like their strawberry lemonades. Free refills! Interior: 4/5-While the exterior is somewhat unimpressive (in my opinion) I view the interior as both clean and simple. I would say its the consistency and location (inside Oak Brook Mall) that brings me back. And I agree. Much better than Big Bowl.
(4)Matt C.
Dinner last night. Just ok. Service a little slow. My chicken was average. Me wife's tuna was not good at all. Should have went to PF Changs.
(2)A J.
An americanized-asian cuisine chain restaurant with 5 stars?? How's that possible? Well, every single time i've been here I ALWAYS left satisfied. Sure the dishes might not be authentic. But you cannot argue they aren't tasty. In fact, they are delicious, and the portions guarantee you will have mouth-watering leftovers for tomorrow. Service is usually good, but that can depend when you come. Waiters and waitresses are pretty friendly and ready to accomodate. Just know that when you choose to customize your own stir-fry... the only person to blame is yourself if it comes out wrong :P . I recommend sticking with a menu item. If you want to do custom stir-fry... go to flat-top grill closeby in Yorktown mall. There you have the option to go at it buffet style, so if you make a mistake you have as many do-overs as your stomach can withstand :)
(5)Jojo F.
Yeah. They offer meals off of a menu, but for the full experience, try the construct-your-own stir-fry station. They have loads of veggies and you can choose rice or flat noodles with a protein if you wish at the cooking station. I like watching people add their veggies. There was a guy who just got a bowl of water chestnuts and pineapple with his rice. I wouldn't spend eight bucks on that, but for each his own stir-fry, my friend. I'd probably go back.
(3)Amanda A.
While my husband and I very carefully explained to the waitress that our son has a ginger allergy and certain things needed to happen in the kitchen so his food was not cross contaminated, she had assured us that they deal with allergies all the time and it would be no problem. Unknown to her the kitchen staff used a chicken stock in his food that had been cooked with ginger then drained. They quickly took his food and got him something else. They also to care of our whole bill. Unfortunately the little that my son had eaten had caused a reaction, it wasn't sever, but the manager also offered to pay for any medical expenses he might need. While most restaurants will not do this for us we are grateful they attempted to correct the situation, and this is why we will go back. but will ask for no sauce on my son's food :)
(4)Ashley W.
I LOVE stir fry, so Stir Crazy was a match made in heaven. While Stir Crazy has a whole menu that you can order from, I prefer to do the "Market Bar" and choose all of my own veggies and sauces. My favorite sauce combo is a little bit of teriyaki sauce paired with the peanut sauce, mixed with a ton of fresh veggies, chicken, and rice noodles. Delish!
(5)Michael M.
I've been to the Stir Crazy at Woodfield Mall a bunch of times so I knew what to expect when my wife and I ate here before going to see Spamalot at the Drury Lane Theater. The food was very tasty and our server was nice. (I even got lucky and the cook making my food starting cooking the wrong meat so to make up for it, he tossed in the right meat. Double meat! Huzzah!) Our problem with this location though is the the design of the building is a mess. The main attraction at any Stir Crazy is building your own stir fry, so it stands to reason that the area where people line up for this would have some space. Not here. We were extremely tight and the line snaked and changed direction so many times that I didn't know where I was going at one point. Very weird. On the whole though, it was a good time and a perfect meal before a show.
(4)Anna G.
Stir Crazy is one of those chain places that you are surprised to enjoy. This is a restaurant where you can create your own meal or order off the menu. At Stir crazy I prefer to order off the menu asI've had better luck with the food. Their Thai sticky wings are my favorite appetizer. They have a sweet but spicy taste. Ny favorite menu item is the sesame chicken whereas my boyfriend always gets the spicy chicken (orange maybe?). Their fresh lemonade is also very refreshing. Pricing here is average for what you would expect for a chain like this.
(4)Tiniko S.
I love their food and the portions to me were very plentiful.. I have been to the one in Oakbrook and Woodfield and have not had a bad experience yet.. Not to mention their drinks are really good! Better than Flat top to me!
(4)Lisa B.
When I go out to a restaurant, I don't want to do my own cooking. That's why I always order off the menu when I go to one of these stir-fry-bar places, and Stir Crazy has plenty of choices. I always get the pecan-crusted tillapia. It comes with brown rice instead of white if you wish (why don't more Asian restaurants do that?) as well as sauteed spinach and some yummy brown sauce. Not spicy, but very flavorful. As an appetizer we got some tempura popcorn shrimp that came cleverly packaged in a white paper take-out container with celery at the bottom and two sauces, creamy and spicy to mix and match. The service was excellent, and we had plenty to take home.
(4)Nabila S.
The food was fine, just like all other Stir Crazy restaurants. But the service was absolutely horrible. The hostess was rude and unpleasant, and the waitress disappeared for hours and got upset when we asked for separate checks. She actually snapped at us. Oakbrook has a lot of nice places to eat - I will definitely not be going back to Stir Crazy if I'm in the area.
(1)Colonel M.
First time here... Ate with a friend who's a regular... It was nice... I like the custom meals setup
(4)John O.
I used go here all the time but had too many memories with an ex. It's fun and entertaining. Instead of having the stir fry cooked in front of you at your table, you pick out the veggies you want and then take it to them for them to still cook in front of you but at a safe distance without the greece splats that you would get at a hibachi style table. The challenge is to get all the veggies (Salad Bar) into your bowl without falling out as you give them to the chef. Appetizers are good but never have I had an entree. I have always gone there with the mood for the crazy stir fry.
(4)Nelson S.
This place is called Stir Crazy b/c it's crazy for how much it will charge you for stir fry. A small build your own stir fry was like 9-10 bucks then add another buck or two for protein choices. Are you f'in serious?! You can go to your run of the mill Chinese restaurant for half the price. So maybe you don't get fancy decor but the food is probably better. But ask yourself this, are you paying for food or are you paying to cover the high overhead costs of this place? Not to say that my food here was bad but it was alright. They served various Asian cuisines, Thai, Chinese, Japanese food. I had a chicken curry and my friend had noodles. My curry was good and my friends noodles might have been very slightly burned but he said it was okay. We also ordered their Spicy Chicken Wings as an appetizer and that was pretty good. So what do you get when you add average food + average service + high costs of food & operating expense? It equals a person that won't be coming back here anytime soon.
(2)Dan K.
Our first time there. Say with no wait on a Friday around 8. A short wait for our server however. My wife ordered a strawberry lemonade. Server returned and said bartender was making some more and brought her a water instead. Appetizer (crab ragoons) arrived piping hot and with garnish, definitely above average. Dinner was also timely, hot, and very attractive on the plate. Coconut curry veggies for me, and sweet and sour chicken for my wife. Well, on the second try, they originally brought her sweat and spicy, leaving only a few mins with one plate on the table. Everything was excellent and well cooked, save for some very hard brown rice pieces in my wife's meal. She politely told the server when she came to collect the plate. Desert was ordered and delivered to the table by a manger who apologized for the rice. Check arrived and was without the waited on lemonade or apology included dessert, and again the server was very kind. Over all a good meal at a chain restaurant that took good care of its customers.
(3)Ricky B.
I dont really understand the really negative reviews, 3 stars is an average resteraunt for me, id probaly consider this place a little above average. I dont find their food to be particularly expensive, the service for me is usually really fast and friendly. I usually stick with the sesame chicken and i believe its called the poo poo plater..funny because of the guys review below me, but the thing im talking about is like a appetizer sampler which is pretty good. If you dont want that the spring rolls are really good. The main reason I come to this place is the desert, they have a banana wanton that is awesome.
(3)Ellen M.
I like the "create your own stir-fry" concept. You have no one to blame but yourself if it goes wrong. Well, I only get about two stars for cooking on the fly, so I prefer to use a card that says what to add to the bowl, or just order off the menu. They offer a pretty comprehensive selection, Chinese and Thai. I can never forget that I'm at the mall though.
(3)Monica G.
Love this place! I travel over 30 miles from home to eat dinner at Stir Crazy at least once a month. The market bar is my favorite. I like making my own stir fry. They have a large variety of fresh veggies and the strawberry lemonade is awesome. They also have a variety of different dishes to choose from on the menu. The service is always great and the wait is never longer than 15 minutes. I give it 5 stars all around.
(5)Elle N.
This restaurant is in my regular rotation of places to go when I'm not willing to admit that I'm overdue for a grocery trip and have nothing except that slightly suspicious, freezer-burnt protein at the back of my freezer to make. (Which translates to the fact that I'm here probably once every two months or so.) For the most part I've always been pleased with my service here. Waitstaff are very attentive, helpful, and pleasant to engage with. The food typically is served in a timely manner (in all of my trips through the past three or so years I can only remember one that seemed annoyingly slow). Be an informed eater. You're not going to get authentic Asian here. By the same vein, it's lacking in American comfort food. Americanized staples exist on the menu but if you're expecting authenticity you're going to be disappointed. That said, what they do (almost a fusion of concepts - there's an Asian Caesar salad that I have to admit I'm really satisfied with) is generally good. The pad thai is satisfactory (and this is one of the few places where tofu seems de rigueur although if that's not your preference you can request it left off), the make-it-yourself-stir-fry is good, any of their wok elements have been satisfactory. Perhaps the real surprise is how much I enjoy the mango salmon salad. (Not something I'd expect at an Asian place but hey.) I'd put this at an equivalent of an Applebees or an Outback - and for that comparison, their drinks menu is surprising (they have mixed drinks and a wine list). That said, if you're expecting a high-quality restaurant liquor option, you're going to be disappointed. The conclusion for this is know what you're getting. Good service, fusion (very Americanized) Asian food at a fair price, decent drink options, menu offers food variety as well.
(4)Rebeccah W.
This used to be one of our favorite places. I am not sure what the root of the changes are (new management, new corporate owner?) but the menu has changed. That's fine except the food is nowhere near as good as it used to be. And the prices are much higher. I took my two girls out to dinner last Sat night. Drinks, even soft drinks, are $3.59! We ordered the spring rolls which were good, same as always. They no longer have the tempura green beans on the menu but we asked and our waiter said they could still make it. It was ok but somehow not as tasty as they used to be My daughters got make your own stir fries. They were good, the girls mixed their own sauces so they liked it. Tofu or vegetable stir fries are $12.99, add more $ for meat. I will say the stir fry portions were good. The worst though was my meal. I ordered the Szchewan chicken. It's indicated spicy on the menu and when I ordered I asked for spicy. What I got was chicken in a bland, starchy sauce with next to no flavor. The vegetables tasted like they came from a frozen stir fry mix. That disappointing dish was $13. I didn't even want to take it home. Our waiter was ok. Service average overall. We ended up paying $80 for 3 people for a mediocre meal. It's really a shame because we used to love Stir Crazy at the Oakbrook Mall. We won't be going back.
(2)F B.
More like 2.5 stars, rounded down mostly based on quality for price. Changed since last time visited some years back (new owner, new menu). Service very diligent and friendly. Food: - Crab rangoons - ordered half portion (handy). Real crab meat, pretty good. - Chicken kung pao with brown rice. Plenty of veggies (carrots, snap peas, green onions, bell peppers), chicken well cooked. Not too spicy (rated as moderate per their menu, definitely based on North/Western palate!). The sauce was light (in a good way), the ingredients felt fresh; however, overall nothing to write home about, and for the price very underwhelming. To give idea of what my comparison 3-3.5 stars Kung Pao would be: probably that of Big Bowl. May be worth it for lunch if they have specials (haven't checked).
(2)Kathryn Z.
I came with my family late on a Sunday afternoon, a group of 7 people, plus a baby in a stroller. We called ahead and they told us that they were empty so we came in and still waited about 10 minutes for them to figure out where to seat us. In the almost empty restaurant. They set up one table and then had to set up another, because apparently we couldn't keep our stroller by the first table (the stroller was open with the sleeping baby in it the whole time). We ended up waiting at least 40 minutes after we came in to actually get our food. Although a rush came in after we were finally situated, parties that were seated after we were received their food before we did. The food that finally did come was pretty good though! We ordered Crazy Shrimp, pot stickers, Mongolian beef, sweet and spicy chicken, sweet and sour chicken and mango sesame chicken, which was plenty of food for the 5 adults and 2 kids (9 and 13) in our party. The mango sesame chicken could have used a little more flavor for my taste and the "sweet and sour sauce" definitely tasted like straight soy sauce... but the Mongolian beef, crazy shrimp and sweet and spicy chicken were all very tasty! When the waitress brought out the check she also brought 2 $10 Stir Crazy gift cards, because of our wait time at the beginning. I would be willing to try this place one more time, and hope for slightly better service.
(3)Barbra F.
It's ok...it was better before. Not sure what happened. :(
(3)Audrey W.
I had a Groupon. A little disappointing eating here. My husband enjoyed it, but I did not. Everything costs extra! Have you gone to BD's Mongolian grill? They are just like this place except much better. You can stack as much protein and whatnot on your plate. Stir Crazy charges extra for chicken, shrimp, and even beef. Ridiculous! The food was okay. The rice noodles were very disappointing and so thin! I was going to get extra white rice, but that even costs extra where at BD's it's included. No thanks to coming here again, the only thing delicious was the sushi. Crazy shrimp was great, but everything else not worth it.
(2)Joann V.
I wouldn't go back. Waitress and hostess were accommodating. Food wasn't that great and IMO overpriced for how bland it is. The strawberry lemonade was tasty but a little on the too sweet side.
(3)Raj D.
I am a huge fan of stir fray and have dine at many Stir Crazy locations. My favorite location is located in Schaumburg IL and have dined at least 3-4 times a year since I was 18. I heard that they made a few updates to their menu and decided to give it a try. The Oakbrook location has a small patio area which isnt all that impressive as it consists of roughly 4 tables with tiny umbrellas and a view of the Sears Parking Lot. The restaurant was clean and our waiter was extremely friendly which is why I was able to give it the 2 stars instead of less. For starters we ordered the Poo Poo Platter. Our chicken dumplings were very chewy and definately failed to provide a fresh appearance. The "new" BBQ Ribs are extremely sweet and and were again cold. Regarding flavor the ribs are not worth it at all. The chicken wings were solid and offered a sweety tangy taste with a slightly spicy kickback. My wife is a huge fan of the egg rolls and I must say these were the worse Stir Crazy Egg Rolls we have ever had in the last 10 years. The egg rolls seemed very doughy and underfilled, there was 1 carot slice in each of our egg roll and failed to live up to its expectations. The waiter was kind enough to bring us a desert on the house in celebration of my birthday which was great and special. The desert was probably the part of the meal with cinamon wontons stuffed with banana and topped off with caramel and vanilla ice-cream. I should have just came in for the desert! I hope to be back to another Stir Crazy in the future but may never dine at this location again! Food quality was a downgrade compared to other chicagoland locations.
(2)Robin P.
I love Big Bowl and Flat Top Grill so I never come here but there was a Groupon so I couldn't pass that up. My friend ordered off the menu and I did the market bar. I went up to the bar, picked my veggies and sauce, and proceeded to the counter to have it cooked. What I didn't realize is that you have to stand there and wait while they cook your food. Actually, you have to wait while they cook everyone else's food until it's your turn. In the meantime, my friend received her food and I was still standing at the counter waiting for mine. By the time my food was done my friend was halfway through with her meal. I sat down to my meal and it was terrible. They added too much water and what I think is cornstarch to my stir fry and what I was left with was a bland tasteless 'sauce' over my vegetables. I took a few bites and couldn't eat the rest of it. I wasn't going to wait for another stir fry to be cooked as my friend was already done at this point. The waiter forgot to add the groupon to the check and had to hunt down the manager to fix it. Not a big deal but he also grabbed my credit card that was sitting on the table and I didn't even know what the total bill was. As we were walking out to the car I realized my hair smelled like smoke. It was from standing at the stir fry bar waiting for my food. I don't recommend going here but if you have to, order off the menu. The only reason I'm giving this place two stars is because the dish ordered off the menu wasn't too bad.
(2)Amy R.
True Confessions: when I was junior high school and high school aged, THEEEEEE thing to do was grab your best gal friend and hang out at a mall. You bought maybe one good thing (like some fun new sunglasses from Contempo Casual, or lotion at Victoria's Secret if you were feeling bold), and eventually dined somewhere that felt very mature and cool and chic. Looking back now at 31 yrs old, I kind of can't believe Stir Crazy was once in my pool of "mature, cool, and chic" eating establishments but hey, we're all young and dumb at some point. And really, I wasn't SO far off. Stir Crazy isn't embarrassingly terrible. It's actually withstood the test of time for decent eats. My husband and I came here late last weekend because I was craving some stir fry and wasn't sure where else to go. I checked the reviews on the drive over and was a little bit pensive - there's not one but TWO mentions of food poisoning, several mentions of bad service, and overall not glowing reviews. I felt an impending sadness coming on. All of my post-The-Limited-shopping-spree-eating-sessions here were about to be invalidated. But as we walked in and were immediately seated by a smiling, polite hostess, I relaxed. We had an AWESOME server who was polite and attentive. We ordered Thai iced coffees and the taste was just as I remembered - strong, rich, decadent. We got lettuce wraps to begin and they were tasty enough. Side note: is there a universal lettuce wrap filling recipe handed out to every single suburban restaurant? How can they all taste PRECISELY the same? Husband and I both got the make-your-own stir fry shtick and wandered up to make our bowl full of veggies and sauce. I loaded up on snap peas and baby corn, teriyaki sauce, and peanuts. Husband got some spicy curry sauce and a whole bunch of water chestnuts. To each their own - which is kinda the point. Both of ours turned out tasty enough, though I preferred my tofu to his salmon. The fish got brutally overcooked in those scalding hell-woks they wield. Overall, I enjoyed my waltz through memory lane at Stir Crazy. Sure, it's kind of a niche restaurant and I definitely don't have to come back anytime soon, but it was satisfying enough and made me happy to know I didn't have THAT horrible of a sense of taste in my youth. That white shimmery eyeshadow we all rocked while wandering the mall, trying desperately to look fashionable and trendy? THAT I can't fix.
(3)Kishma H.
Very laid back atmosphere, enjoyed the meal our sever was awesome as well!!! Here for the second time as always drinks are great and the food was awesome!!!
(5)Chuck A.
Poor experience, Ice Tea was cloudy and no flavor, Sweet and Spicy tasted mainly like salt. Price in the menu said $12.99 with choice of white or fried rice. Bill said $15.49, the fried rice was an extra $2.50. I can not recommend this restaurant.
(1)Ves B.
The entire restaurant needed a through cleaning. The table was sticky, the floor was sticky and the bathrooms needed a much overdue cleaning. I very surprised by this given its location. Vegetables at the buffet were sad looking and unattractive. The buffet was very messy as much of the vegetables had been carelessly strewn into other serving trays. Food-staff was nice but appeared very overwhelmed.
(1)Nathan A.
Perhaps it was because it was New Year's Day, or they were severely understaffed, or perhaps the staff was a bit tired and hung over from a celebratory NYE, but the service was so poor we left the place before we even ordered. I prefer not to leave a restaurant or give a one star review. I know places have their off nights and I want to believe that it was just an off night. Yet, first impressions are important and I did not experience any positive first impressions. I have been to other Stir Crazy restaurants and have not had bad experiences. After waiting five minutes for an employee to greet us after we entered (numerous employees walked by us, yet not a single one greeted us), a server came up to us and asked us how many were in our party. As she went to look for a table, the hostess came over in a rush, asked us how many were in our party, and started to walk away from us. Assuming she was taking us to our table, we followed her to the back of the restaurant, she sat the two of us at a table for eight, put the menus on the table, and walked away without saying anything else to us. As the face of the restaurant, she did not appear to remotely enjoy her job. A server did not stop by our table for over seven minutes. It was at this point we found the manager. I mentioned to her our disappointing experience. She assured me that her employees were not understaffed, overworked, or struggling from a late night. She did offer us a complimentary meal if we returned (unfortunately we live out of state), but we did not accept. She also mentioned she would talk to her hostess and waitstaff about our experience. I'm sure there are times when this is a great spot to enjoy a meal. However, as potential customers, we were not welcomed and invited in such a way that we would want to be a customer. Plenty of other restaurants around the area to try instead.
(1)Amy B.
Look, on a work trip I don't get to pick the restaurant (usually). Hence, I ended up at Stir Crazy, which was able to accommodate a large group without a reservation. Appearance-wise, it's clearly the Asian Fusion equivalent of a Friday's or an Applebee's. The drinks were just so-so. My Mai Tai was mostly juice, and the wine list was quite limited. Food was ok; the sushi rolls we shared for an appetizer were surprisingly good. The chicken wings really brought the "fusion" (that is, they were like a sports bar's version of Asian food) but were tasty enough. My entree was a stir fry dish served with a TON of rice (like, seriously, we are wasting rice here guys). It was . . . fine. It was perfectly edible, but felt more like a cafeteria lunch than a restaurant dinner. I will say the service was good and the waitstaff did a nice job making sure everyone at our table had everything they needed at all times.
(3)Jeff K.
I've eaten there a handful of times and it's pretty good. I always get the make your own because I like a lot of veggies. I'm gluten free and they are very accommodating for that. My only complaint is that I notice they use kale as a decoration and I wish they would serve it or include chard or something other than spinach. Overall the food is pretty good and I will go back every so often
(4)Susie C.
My husband and I came here for lunch after early morning shopping. This restaurant doesn't fill up until 1pm. We strolled in around noon or so and there were plenty of open tables. My husband and I started with the ahi tuna with avocado. It was really good. I definitely recommend ordering this appetizer especially if you are a sushi fan. Chunks of tuna with a hint of spicy on the avocado.. I love it! For entree, I had the lunch combo which was a decent price $10.99. I had a Japanese Garden Salad which is pretty much your typical salad with a wasabi vinaigrette. The pad thai chicken noodle was decent too. Ive had better pad thai elsewhere but this place isn't really "Asian" so it is okay. My husband ordered the Simi's curry fried rice. He enjoyed it. Overall decent experience.
(3)Matt E.
We were greeted by a hostess who clearly seemed she had somewhere else to be. Very rude and unwelcoming...but we had a Groupon. Our server was very nice and attentive though at times slow. With all the staff walking around it appeared servers bused and prepped their own tables. Menu consisted of you pick it stir fry and standard dishes with a twist. The food was delish. This restaurant has seen ugh better days and is in desperate need of renovation. Chipped, gouged, worn markings through out from chairs along doors and walls. The windows are a mess as they appear to have had tint placed on windows then removed then replaced without a good cleaning between them. Tint is currently peeling in spots. Looking this in disrepair is odd for this location considering the potential customer base. But again....GREAT food.
(3)Haaroon M.
Had a horrible experience a few minutes ago. 4 people got their food before me. They forgot about me and I had to ask for my food. I even had them reheat my food and it is still not hot. Never coming here again.
(1)Timothy H.
Stir Crazy is a decent chain. This location does an ok job in my opinion. It is located in the Oakbrook Mall on the north west end. The food here is consistent with the food you will get at any Stir Crazy restaurant. The service was a bit lacking. My wife and I arrived and were promptly seated (which I would expect because it was 3:30pm on a Sunday). After about five minutes of sitting there no one had approached us. I'm thinking, "ok, that's strange...maybe a shift change or something". So I got up to go wash my hands, and when I come back I ask my wife if anyone came by yet. Nope. So she gets up to go wash her hands, she comes back, and I'm like, "nope, still nobody". Ok...then I walk back up to the hostess area, and she's like, "yeah, it'll be just a second". Service was good after that. The food, beh...it's ok. Living in Chicagoland I know I'm spoiled when it comes to having so many great food choices. But my wife likes their soups so...BBQ tacos it was for me. Don't get me wrong, they're good, just not $18 for three tacos and a bowl of rice good. My biggest complaint (being a yelp junkie) is that they didn't take off the 10% check in coupon right away. I showed it when the waitress first took our order, and when I asked for the check. Then I look at the check (yes...I'm one of those guys) and the discount wasn't on there. I brought it to her attention, and she said that she had to have her manager take care of that. I gave my wife a roll of the eyes that I hope she understood as "yeah...I'm not coming back anytime soon".
(2)Disha M.
I came here hoping I would get a decent meal in a decent time but I was completely wrong. It took over 35 minutes to get a curry and when I wanted to ask a question the waiter didn't even let me finish. I think they were overwhelmed and short staffed...we were told the cooking staff was new hence the extra time. I do not recommend this location unless you are looking for a two hr meal.
(1)Eric S.
Stir Crazy is like the 'Chipotle' to Big Bowl's 'Qdoba': it's the same stuff, just presented differently. For all I know, the prices might even be similar/the same. You can order things off of a regular menu (which I did for a Tuesday lunch special), but usually your best bet is to get the make-your-own stirfry. I say that because my 'kung pao' noodles & chicken was very light on the 'kung' and almost non-existent on the 'pao'. Translation: it was flavorless and dull, and I regretted ordering it. The egg drop soup was delicious, however, since it had a kick to it--I think from black pepper--and was served Goldilocks-style (not too hot, not too cold, but just right). For the plethora of teas they offered (raspberry oolong, ginseng green), not one of them was a cold sweet tea (my pre-requisite for most daytime meals), which surprised me in a not-so-good way, since many places nowadays carry sweet tea. For dessert, the fried banana wontons were just as good as I remember them being. I suppose were it not for the fact that I've been to this and other Stir Crazy locations before with enjoyable experiences, I'd give this visit 3* (the kung pao noodles were just stupid), but one forgettable lunch can't erase a decade of stir fry lovin'.
(4)Meera K.
Great place for a date night! We started with Mai tai and Mango Mojito. Both were super delicious! For appetizers we ordered the Chicken imperial rolls which came with a great sweet and sour sauce. Their fresh market bar woks were really good. They use fresh vegetables and meat and have a great selection of sauces. Definitely recommend this place!
(4)Shin M.
I have only been to Stir Crazy twice in my life. The first time was at the Warrenville location which is currently shut down. It was an extremely long time ago but all I remember was I did NOT like the food there at all. Therefore, I decided to never try the restaurant again. Last week I stayed late at work and my company ordered dinner from Stir Crazy in Oakbrook- so I had no choice... either starve or try Stir Crazy again. I decided to try the "Seared Miso Scallops." There were maybe 4-5 scallops, asparagus, shitake mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, and garlic served over brown rice in Miso broth. I wasn't too fond of the scallops and other vegetables, but the spinach and rice drenched in Miso broth was absolutely delicious. I could have just eaten the spinach and rice in the broth and been perfectly satisfied. I would highly recommend this dish. If I was paying out of my own pocket though... I wouldn't be a fan of paying $15 for just the spinach and rice in Miso broth... it's definitely overpriced, especially since they give a handful of scallops.
(4)Mike R.
I went there 3-21-15, I believe I had food poisoning....I was the only one that had shrimp and the sushi roll. I cannot attribute it to anything else but one thing is for sure...even if I wanted to I probably could never eat there again.
(1)Courtney C.
My boss and I had a really wonderful experience here this week for lunch. First off, make sure to always read business hours. We ended up arriving 15 minutes before they opened, even though I had just checked out the Yelp page before leaving work. Woops! They open at 11:30, not at 11. No worries though. It was a nice day so we just hung out and waited. As soon as they opened, they were so friendly. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I've noticed that a lot of people in Oak Brook don't bear much hospitality. Not at Stir Crazy though. We encountered at least 4-5 employees and they were all super friendly. The manager even came by a few times and asked how everything was. I always appreciate that. Their big draw is the market bar, which is where you can pick your meats, veggies and noodles and they cook it up fresh for you. Neither of us ordered this, because we actually came for the lettuce wraps. Next time I come though, I'll definitely give it a try. We ended up ordering 2 orders of lettuce wraps, some veggie spring rolls and chicken potstickers. First off, these were probably my favorite lettuce wraps that I've tried so far and I've had them at a bunch of different places. They were very generous with the meat and sauces and even offered to bring us some more when we were running low. Now that's great service! The veggie spring rolls were burn your mouth hot and very flaky. I liked them a lot, but wasn't crazy about the sauces they came with. I ended up dipping it in the sauce that came up with the wraps. The potstickers are one of my favorite apps and they were just as good as I had hoped. If it's any indication of how good my food was, I actually contemplated coming back the following day for lunch.
(5)Sarah H.
Service is really bad. Food is pretty decent and I love the create your own stir-fry options. The food is decent in the sense its okay, but it's healthy if you play your cards right. I just didn't taste any asain flare with my meal. It lacks flavor. The only thing I was blown away by were those heavenly five spice spareribs. I'm so bummed I live over 8 hrs away from this place because those ribs were so juicy and delicious.
(3)Jeannie A.
I've been to this location probably 10-12 times over the past 5 years, mostly for lunch. I always get the make-your-own-stirfry - so that is all I can review. The veggie bar is fresh and fully stocked. It isn't huge, but there is plenty of variety. They have an array of sauces, just recently tried the thai curry and it was good. I learned how to make a broccoli wall to extend the height of my bowl, to cram in more veggies - score! Though they do have a 1-trip or multip trip options, and I think they are only a dollar difference in the lunch price. They guys working the woks are busting their asses, and do a good job. I have no complaints. One trip stir fry is a huge platter full and comes with either rice or noodles - several varieties. This last visit, around noon on a Saturday, the place was about 1/2 full. The manager and my server stopped by my table 4 seperate times to ask 'how's everything tasting'. It was a bit annoying - nothing really changed in the 30 minutes I was eating - everything was tasting fine! Nice lunch spot if you are shopping at Oak Brook.
(4)Jaelin R.
Very similar to Mongolian bbq. We waited on a table for a while because the place was packed! But that was the first good sign to me that this place had to be great. You can order off the menu or create you're own bowl. I started off with an order of the sushi, which wasn't the greatest. Then we created our own bowl. They have a buffet set up near the cooks with many options of veggies and different things you can add to you're dinner, And also many different sauces! You also can pick from a couple different meats. I loved all the different options I could choose from. You can watch the cooks cook you're meal right in front of you which is pretty exciting. I enjoyed everything we ate and service was excellent.
(4)Jamie K.
Stir Crazy is a lot like Mongolian BBQ, but not played out and nasty. I come to this location often and get the stir fry with steak. The meat is tasty, the flat noodle is my favorite and, most importantly, the vegetables are fresh. The servers and bartenders are all nice and helpful and they are good at helping you get in and out quickly if you are there for a quick lunch. The atmosphere is good and you can watch sports in the bar area. It's always clean and everybody is pretty cool. I definitely like this place and will definitely be back.
(4)Karin R.
I have never been a fan of Stir Crazy because the service and food are below average. There have been ads on Facebook recently that there is a new owner of the chain and that they have changed their menu, which now includes sushi. I order a spicy tuna roll, which lists the only ingredients as tuna and avocado. The roll, sad to say, had a crumb of tuna and a sliver of avocado. I basically ate a rice roll with a hint of tuna. I will never return as the service and food were always poor and even with the new owner, both are still awful. To top it off, when I left, I visited the ladies room. The floor was covered in water...from where?? Who knows?? A toilet?? Yuck. So many fantastic places at Oak Brook mall. This one should shut their door and open a space up for something wonderful.
(1)Claire M.
I think the 3 star overall rating is fair based on my dinner experience here tonight. It was A-OK, not bad but not great. Last time I ate at a place like this was when there was that Mongolian grill place on Clark when I lived in Lakeview back in college. That was a long time ago. I did the bowl thing and had my food "prepared" on the flat top thing and as I recall, I had to stick a special color stick in mine to identify myself as having a food allergy (shellfish), thus mine was made on a separate surface. Tonight at Stir Crazy, I ordered from the menu and didn't do the magical wok chef thing. I'm always freaked out in the back of my mind that something will cross-contaminate and I'll go into anaphylactic shock and drop dead in front of everyone. I meant to bring my epi pen with me tonight but I forgot it. Whoops. So we ordered vegetable spring rolls as an appetizer, a side of "nutty noodles," Thai BBQ noodles (vegetarian) for me and... I have no idea what the person with me ordered. Something beefy with rice. I mentioned my food allergy when we ordered our entrees (we ordered the appetizer first a few minutes prior) and our waitperson said that the aforementioned vegetable egg rolls were fried in the same oil as the crab Rangoon and shrimp stuff and asked if that'd be okay. I didn't think it was (again, paranoia) but my dining companion said I should be fine. I was hoping they were right! *Spoiler alert* I was. No rushing off to the emergency room. Yay. I was actually very surprised at that. The egg rolls weren't bad. They were absolutely dripping oil though which was a little gross. I have a very weak/sensitive stomach and I can hear/feel it popping and churning at this very moment so lets hope nothing unpleasant occurs in the near future. The "nutty noodles" were quite tasty. I'm addicted to peanut sauce and these were in some sort of peanut vinaigrette (so glad I'm not allergic to peanuts) so I knew I'd like it. I can eat peanut sauce by the spoonful. I was actually quite full by this point (after the egg rolls and nutty noodles) so when my Thai BBQ noodles arrived I knew I'd only be eating a few bites before becoming completely stuffed. They were good. "A-OK" if you will. Our waitperson wasn't super friendly and dropped off several things wordlessly. She wasn't evil, but they're usually at least pleasant. She was indifferent. The best part of all was when I checked in, a 10% off Yelp offer popped up! It's like Christmas when that happens so that was a most welcome surprise. What I did really like was that they marked the vegetarian items as such and could make several things vegetarian. I thought that was pretty awesome of them. Nothing I had was bad, but I won't be frequenting this place on any kind of regular basis. Several of their drinks looked really good so if and when I do go back, I'll probably try a "Yum yum peach tea." Peach flavored things are my weakness.
(3)Gilberto J.
Purchased a groupon to try this place out. It's by far one of the worst restaurants as far as food is concerned. The service was great but the food was terrible. I ordered the spicy ahi tuna roll and it taste like warm mushy rice. I ordered Kung pao chicken and it tasted like they unthawed it and served. Will never go back here.
(1)Kelsey H.
I was really surprised by Stir Crazy! I was expecting a mediocre chain restaurant and a Flat Top Grill knock-off to boot. The menu was so extensive that we opted to forgo the make-your-own stir-fry bar we came in for. We shared the ahi tuna appetizer that was delicious! I had the pick-two thing with crab rangoons (decent but not the best I've had by far) and kung pao noodles with chicken. So good and fresh! My husband had this massive bowl of pho. It came with some delicious dipping sauce for the meat. We shared a Thai milk tea that was heavenly. We will definitely be back to try out the rest of the menu! If you're usually cold in restaurants, sit in front of the grill. Very toasty and cozy!
(4)Eric E.
I've eaten in here countless times and always have great food. I highly recommend their veggie fried rice. Huge serving! Fresh ingredients, good service and an expansive menu to select from. Short and simple, this one's a fav for me. Cheers!
(4)Marian S.
Stir Crazy had been a favorite in the past. The create your own options are no longer beautifully presented and are not labeled as they had been in the past. Service was slow and poor. The stir fry tasted good but the over all experience is not what it used to be.
(3)Chrissy F.
Visited this location last night. Every dish was dirty. After our sushi came out on a plate with caked black stuff on it that you could rub off with your napkin we had, had it. We showed our server who was very rude said that's just the way our plates are and said the dirty plates were above his head and would grab the manager. After about 10 minutes the manager came over and said that this was just due to plates rubbing together in the dirty tubes before they are cleaned and it was very sanitary to eat off a plate that had black dirt caked on it WHICH YOU COULD RUB OFF. They don't believe the customer is right and I don't believe you couldn't get sick from eating off a dirty plate.
(1)Luis S.
They menu is so extensive and they even have some asian beer as well! Love the make your own stir crazy similar to flat top, but then other menu items are really what separates it from flat top. Everything tasted well and enjoyed their service as well. Though they don't' have unlimited stir crazy like flat top and a lot of their food had way too much sauce for it so that's why minus one star. If I'm feeling of americanized asian food and I'm in the area flat top is certainly on my list.
(4)M H.
This use to be a great restaurant. Over the years the selections have been reduces and the service has spiraled downward. Service and menu options are far below the competition in the area. Enjoy one of the many other restaurants that the Oak Brook Shopping Center.
(1)Christina A.
The make your own plates are my favorite out of all the similar restaurants like this. The veggies are always fresh and the sauces are delicious. I think I like it because they cook it in a wok compared to flat cookers at other places. The drinks are delicious too!
(5)Abina G.
Hey, what's going on? It's 10 o'clock and the restaurant is empty and the door is locked. As I walk up to the door, the staff inside scurries towards the kitchen door. The sign states that the establishment closes at 10:30. Something fishy about this!!!!!!
(1)Kamile K.
Me and my friend went here after we went to the movie theater conveniently close by. Our server was very nice and funny, and the atmosphere was great. I especially liked the make-your-own option available where you can select the items and quantities and add then to your bowl and then the cook cooks it right there in front of you. Deffinatly make a good impression on me, I showed up the next day again with my mom. The experience is what I like the most and makes this place unique.
(4)Spencer H.
I came here before the Yelp event at Pinstripes for some good food & I surely was disappointed. First off the booth I was in was so small & cramped. Right away it was uncomfortable. The waitress came to the table & took my order. I started off with a Hot & Sour soup & an iced tea. The hot & sour soup was a big portion like I remembered it to be & was tasty but this one had greens added to it which I didn't really like but the taste was still good. The server here was very nice & was one of the more positive experiences at the restaurant. Next I ordered the Mongolian Beef. The restaurant wasn't crowded so the food arrived fairly quickly. The Mongolian Beef was very average. There was not much beef instead it was filled with vegetables. The taste was not how I remembered & the entree was not as good as I was expecting. For the price this meal was a big disappointment. I would consider eating here again if I was in the area & really hungry but again I was very disappointed with my meal.
(2)Kara Z.
We loved this place when it opened but got out of the habit of coming here. To us, it was the original create-your-own-stir fry- place. Our dryer went out this weekend so we had to go to Sears to replace it and needed to eat lunch beforehand- we saw Stir Crazy and decided to give it another try. Now maybe we were just in a hurry and focused on all the money we were about to spend at Sears, but the experience felt a little blah. Our server was pleasant enough. I got the create your own stir fry with chicken ($10.99 for one trip) and I didn't see anything on the table, in the menu, or on the wall that gives you suggestions for how to combine your sauces or what flavors go well together. That seemed weird- it's kind of a gamble how it's going to turn out. Mine turned out OK- not delicious- a little bland, but I appreciated that since I filled my bowl super full I was able to make two meals out of it (just ate the rest as a leftover) and probably could have even stretched it to two leftovers. My favorite part was the peanuts- they seemed especially good- kind of magical, actually! I also appreciated that the vegetable area was clean and each bin was full. My husband ordered the combo of pork pot stickers (I had half of one and didn't like it- he liked them though) with the barbecue tacos which he thought were good. We were impressed that his food came out right when I sat down with my stir fry. The drink prices weren't listed on the menu- I got strawberry lemonade which I found disappointing and when I saw our receipt that it was $4.00 I was even more disappointed. I thought it was lukewarm and didn't like the taste even though I usually love strawberry lemonade. Overall, there was nothing to complain about but nothing that wow-ed us either.
(3)Tanya G.
Beware! The bar area is full of fruit flies and I am suspecting the kitchen is too! I ordered sesame shrimp and the shrimp were undercooked or old. They had a transparent look and should be more opaque. I sent the order back and it came out the same way. I am going to try I the sesame shrimp but am suspect with the fruit fly infestation!
(2)Janie E.
Sadly, I think my daughter got food poisoning from here last night. We were a large party, but she was the only one who ordered beef as her protein. The pains and cramping hit her about an hour later and she had a rough night.
(1)April H.
My friend raved about this place. He's healthy so..what the heck, I'd give it a shot. I did the create your won stirfry. Pick your own rice or noodles, Fresh veggies, As much as I could pile in my bowl. Mixed up my sauces to make my own creation and choose beef as my protein. There was an unlimited create your own pasta but soooo glad I didn't get that ,as one serving was enough. I thought it was good. And I had a good time sipping my plum wine with my creation until a half hour later when I got sick. As in running to the bathroom all night sick. I'm pretty sure the food poisoning bug hit me hard from here. But being that I am young and healthy..I survived the night. Unfortunately it was an unpleasant night. Despite that I must give props to the waitress that waited on my table on a Saturday night. She was awesome. GREAT service. Fun experience to make one's own stirfry..but the fact I was on the toilet the rest of the night a half hour after finishing my meal? Not so happy about that.
(2)Gordon I.
I've eaten in 100s of restaurants around the world, mostly in NYC, Chicago, Boston, SF -- and SC just rings all my bells: flavor, selection, theater, price -- it's just the sweet-spot. I like all kinds of Asian and this fusion is sublime. I'm now stuck near SF WITHOUT STIR CRAZY and wonder when it's coming out to join me??
(5)Joulie S.
It's been a while since I've been here and thought my friend and I would check it out. Nothin changed really. The place was busy and we thought we'd try the 'make your own' plate and it was good. It wasn't the best, maybe the sauces I picked made the taste a bit weird. I do like the staff, they were very nice and the environment was well established. I did get a 10% off discount by checking in here...sooo thank you!!! That was a thoughtful gesture, I don't get many discount check ins, it's always a nice surprise to get them. I hope all business get involved in offering discounts for their customers. Kudos to you and your business :-)
(4)Ana S.
The food was excellent! I enjoyed the spicy garlic sauce in my stir fry. They prepared the food promptly. This was my first time there. The waiter didn't explain the process on how making our own stir fry. He left and took a long time to bring out the bowls.
(3)Anthony B.
The food was very good. A small mistake occurred and the staff very quickly and without asking resolved it well above what would be expected. The build your own stir fry is pretty cool but they have lots of menu items as well if you're not feeling creative. Everyone on the staff that I encountered was friendly and helpful. The bathrooms were clean and nice. Overall, they try and deliver and quality product.
(5)Alyssa J P.
The food was OK, serving sizes quite huge (I got an appetizer which was a huge meal for me), vegetarian options weren't so bad (especially for a mall restaurant)... however I just felt so sick after eating here that I don't think I'll be back. Not even food poisoning sick, and not anything that's really the fault of the restaurant, but still. You never forget a restaurant meal that makes you wish you never ate it.
(3)Timothy M.
The service was good. The booths are cramped and the food portions are small especially for the price you pay for it. I've been to other comparable places and have not only had more food but better quality. It was disappointing.
(1)Katie K.
On a positive note the food tastes good and is healthy, which is the ONLY reason I go back. Everytime we return we get less for more money. Now the lunch bowls are smaller for the same price!!!! How is this ok? If I am getting get less, I expect to pay less! Very bad management here!!!
(2)Megan C.
Potstickers ate really good and so is the kung pao and Mongolian beef. I usually get the market bar though and I find that it is really hard to get some good flavor out of the sauces....last time I went I added 4 sauces, cilantro, peanuts, ginger and garlic and I feel like the flavor wasn't there as much as I would have liked. However, I love how you can make your own bowl and choose the ingredients. Our server was also really great when we went. Oh and you have to get the strawberry lemonade, one of the best around :)
(4)mike q.
The food is very good. My second visit was as good as my first. The place needs a little work though. The tables should have table cloths or the finish replaced. Some people may be turned off mixing chips of varnish with their veggies. You need to fill your own bowl to get the full experience. Just ordering off the menu is like going to city and never leaving the hotel room. The service was good both visits.
(3)Lizzi C.
Next best thing after PF Changs! Yummy! Crab Rangoons are mmm mmm good for an appetizer. The Kung Pao Noodles are delicious! Sweet and Spicy chicken is awesome, too! I heard the desserts are amazing. Great place for carry out-they get your order ready in like ten minutes and I swear you can drive for hours and the food will still be piping hot!
(4)meenah c.
I love this place... one of my favorite restaurants. I eat there every chance I get.
(5)Andy R.
Food is OK and service is OK. If you're looking for great do-it-yourself stir fry then go to Flat Top Grill. At least Flat Top is unlimited stir fry.
(3)Brandon T.
This son of a gun made me sick. I don't like this restaraunt and I do not recommend it to anybody. Stir Crazy is when the chef tells little ol' Hyuan to stir the feces faster and add more hazardous oil. Later on, he whispers in his ear to raise the price. Ah, I can see it right now. I remember like it was yesterday. Personally, I'd rather stick my hand in a cows butt, get some poision Ivy from Camp Lazlo, and stir it up. I'll call that 5 star quality, for only the price of absolutely nothing, and of course a spec of dust. Not recommended....At all!
(1)Muhammad A.
Good restaurant to dine-in at for lunch or dinner. The restaurant carries a huge menu to select a good meal from. The best is the "Make your own Stir Fry." They give you a bowl to add your own ingredients in from a large buffet of items and then you give it to the cook and he cooks pasta or noodles with your ingredients right in front of you. The food has to be good if your a Chinese food lover because you make it yourself the way you like it.
(5)