Lao Sze Chuan Reviews

Was the first time I went to this one and was not disappointed. The food was as good as all the other ones I've been to and the service was extremely friendly and helpful. It is a huge place and was packed which says a lot about its popularity and the quality of food.

We all enjoyed our meal. They did a good job helping me identify gluten-free dishes despite menu not listing any. It was all very tasty. Beware, very spicy means very spicy.

Went to Chicago to find good Chinese food and art. Good art but this place is very weak. The soup dumplings had very little soup and no seasoning. The pot stickers had very heavy skins making a poor meat to dough ration. Avoid the stir fried duck at all costs! Very tough meat and no sauce to speak of. But the lemon shrimp were terrific and a very generous serving.

We had the signature dish. Duck. It was fantastic. W Waldo ordered a pot with shrimp also fantastic. We ordered martinis that were, of course, fantastic. Dim sum was so flavorful. I wanna come back.

The food is good here, but spice levels are totally inconsistent. The hot & spicy seafood pot can have a spice level anywhere from meh to holy crap without you specifying how you want it. It's a very nice ambience in the 520 N. Michigan location without as much of the gaudy and over-the-top Chinese decoration that you see in a lot of the restaurants in Chinatown.

Great sichuanese food in Chicago. The fish with chillies, mapo tofu, fried rice and noodles all are great. Loved the place. Don't ask them to reduce the chilli. Enjoy it as it is good quality stuff from Sichuan.

We had the soup dumplings little too much ginger for my taste. The crag rangon was delicious. So was the scallion pancake. Also had general chicken the best sauce I have ever tasted. The egg salted and peppered shoeless prawns wonderful. And the salt and pepper scallops were excellent! The draw back was the 1 1/2 hours drive to get there.

The food is good. Love the bubble tea. But don't go here if you want good service. Waitresses are super short and rude. As we sat waiting for our food, we heard people leave, every person that walked out complained about the service. I kept having to cleaning my hands with sanitizer as it was very clear they where not taking any precuations due to COVID. Dirty cups and a table got additude when they asked for clean cups. Not the place to go if you concerns over COViD. Such a shame as food and bubble teas are really good but won't be returning.

We were here before the fireworks on a Saturday evening, without a reservation around 6:30 pm. We received a very nice table close to the window in no time, although it was busy. We were served very friendly and quickly. Our selections were the seafood Sezchuan and the beef boiled in chili oil. We love hot food, but it was not overly hot and extremely (!!!) tasty. The portions are enormous and we could have easily shared one portion (two guys!). We enjoyed the food and stayed until almost 10 pm without being bothered or rushed. There was a variety of beers, some of which we really liked. Thank you for a very nice experience !!!

Exceptional Chinese restaurant with delicious dishes! We had an exceptional selection of our host: chicken, pork, fish... dishes to share in the center of the table. The spices, the cooking, the quality of the dishes were exceptional! A restaurant that I recommend without moderation if you want to discover the richness of Chinese cuisine!

It was an upsetting experience visiting this reustarant. The elevator was spooky with a homemade sign that no more than 6 persons should use it at a time. We ordered our food and waited and waited without drinks for more than 30 minutes. The floor was dirty. The food arrived by parts including the fried rice 45 minutes later ( that's why there is no picture). At the end, my husband asked for a diet coke and the glass was stained by lipstick 😱. Never again.

We have been coming here for many years because of the good Xichuan food and fast service. However, yesterday we came for lunch and were disappointed. Instead of lunch menu, we ordered from regular menu: famous Hot Chili Chicken, Sze Chuan pork, and Eggplant in Peking sauce. The chicken and pork are not as tasty; both are mediocre. Chicken are not well-marinated and too moist. The pork is too fatty - worse than usual. Eggplant is OK. Service is friendly as usual. We wonder if their main chef left...

This is upscale Chinese dining. The restaurant has a private entrance on Michigan Ave with an elevator direct to the 4th floor of its Michigan Ave. mall location. Once inside, you see dark walls, high ceilings, chandeliers, a bar and, to your right behind glass, a kitchen with a large brick oven for roasting Peking ducks and a station for the dumpling maker. The food is well-prepared and uses good ingredients. The vegetables in the meat dishes and in vegetable dishes are carefully prepared; not overcooked. The sauces can be delicate or assertive but aren't gooey with too much cornstarch. Portions are pretty large. The menu uses little red chili pepper symbols to indicate spicy dishes; pay attention to them if you have limited tolerance for heat. Once you place your order, however, be prepared to wait...and wait, if the restaurant is busy. Once the kitchen does get around to your order, expect it all to come at once, except that the dumpling maker gets swamped so those may come at the very end of your meal or not at all, as happened to us. The restaurant is popular; it's common to see groups of 8 or 10 at the big round tables. The place has a reputation for excellent Peking duck which comes to the table whole and is carved table side; it feeds 4. Half orders are also available.

Of course we have known about this restaurant because of their location in Chinatown. But mostly because of Tony Hu's reputation. It took a while to open and it is the only Chinese on the Mag Mile. Szechuan Wontons, Sheng Jian Bao and Veggie Fried Rice were all excellent. The Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken was just okay. The chicken pieces were cut too small and they were dry. I don't think this is why it was called "dry chili" :-) We also threw in a bottle of Benziger Sauv Blanc to wash it all down. Next time we will try a half set of the Peking Duck, which is served the exact same way in Beijing. Note: originally you had to pre-order the Peking Duck but this is no longer true. They have enough volume to have one waiting for you. Worth a try if you are jonesing for Chinese.

What a good Chinese food restaurant!! Excellent! The Dim Sum are exquisite, delicate, very tasty! The jumbo prawns in lemon sauce are wonderful!! And the delicate sea food plater, very well done. All accompanied with a good pot of jasmine tea! Highly recommended! Make reservations, it's full! And you will see that a robot brings the dishes to the table!

We thought, okay, we'll order some dim sum and appetizers and that will be plenty. The servings are so HUGE, we ended up with too much! That is not bad except that we're visiting, so we could not bring the leftovers home :( Green onion dumplings were more like empanada size, the green bean appetizer was entree sized, and the scallops were perfectly cooked. PLUS the chrysanthemum tea was a huge pot :)

I was looking for a place to have a late dinner and stumbled upon this place. I ordered Sole Fish Fillet with Mapo Tofu and chef Special Duck Soup. The soup was very tasteful and I enjoyed it. It’s a bit salty to me - I would have liked it even better to have a bit more natural luck flavor which could come through better with less salt. But it does make it easier for Local taste. The toufu was soft, the fish was tender, the Mapo sauce was well balanced. Even the black bean and green onion were clean and tastful.

This place can be easily missed if you don't know to look for it on account that the entrance on Michigan Ave. is small and a bit disorganized which is really just an elevator lobby. You'll need to go up a level to get to the restaurant. Don't let the lobby deter you because off the elevator it opens up to a nice lookjng space. I was also pleased to see this is what I would label as a traditional Chinese setting where they have several large tables for family and friends to gather around , order a number of dishes and share them all. Although limited there are a few seats by the windows which offer a great view of Michigan ave. The menu is extensive and should cover just about every taste. They brought out spicy cabbage and boy was that good.... but you need to like spicy food, otherwise I would suggest that you don't have it. The pork dumplings were very good as was the hot and sour soup. I got the twice cooked pork and it too was very good and very similar to what I've had in Hong Kong. If you like bacon, then this plate is for you! The food came out quickly and the wait staff was very prompt. The prices are also very reasonable considering the location.

Everything we had was very good. I guess the item we least liked was Pan Fried Dumplings with Chives. Loved the Xiao Long Bao. Egg Drop Soup and Wonton Soup was very good. Peking Duck Noodle Soup was excellent and a large portion. Chefs Special Dry Chili Chicken and Crispy Shrimp with Lemon devoured. Would love to come back and try other dishes.

Had mapo tofu, black chicken soup, hot and sour soup, string beans and yangzhou fried rice. Mapo tofu was near perfect. Not too spicy for oily for my wife, yet packing enough heat for me the crazy spice lover. Even the fried rice was done perfectly. Right on Mich Ave, very nice decor. Definitely not some cheap place. This place is classy and food is really good. Service could be better, our waitress was busy kissing the bosses behind and neglected us a bit.

First day in Chicago me and a colleague came across this place by accident for lunch we had Mongolian beef - brilliant! I then took 6 colleagues here for dinner - the Maitre D was really helpful and welcoming. Then the following day a colleague who had missed dinner joined me for lunch she agreed it was superb (she is from Singapore!).

The vegatable fried rice one of the best I have eaten. The orange chicken was tasty as well. The decor is rather nice as well, When you go, there is a small lobby and you take the elevator to the 2nd floor where the restaurant is.

Our family (8) had a meal here on Christmas Eve which was amazing! My sister met with the manager the day before and planed what we were going to eat. It was all so delicious but I have to say the Duck was incredible! A must go-to eating place when you are in Chicago!

Gia Hu (who is the daughter of the founder) is not only genuinely kind but also a very talented restauranteur.and successful in giving us an authentic experience. My two grown sons and I all loved our food which included jelly fish salad, spicy cashew shrimp and Mongolian beef and more appetizers. The atmosphere is enhanced with soaring ceilings, huge windows overlooking Chicago’s skyline and Michigan Avenue and very sensual interior including a bar area. We love the open kitchen. Nothing compares to the extraordinary service. Wei (and others) are amazing and without comparison. Don’t miss this place. It is 5 star for food, atmosphere and service!!!

I was staying across the street in InterContinental and saw the very positive reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp. I tried to order online for pickup but neither seamless nor grubhub were working for me. I was able to get a table for one, and had a very nice dinner. Complimentary (very) spicy cabbage appetizer was pretty intense, then went with the popular dry chili chicken and an order of dumplings. Both delicious. The dry chili chicken is made up of bits of fried spicy chicken, buried in a mound of chili pepper pods. Very pleasant server.

Selection of unusual food choices re: duck head, wings, feet, frogs, make this place a treat. The food court location for a full service restaurant is odd but the space is very nice and the service very good. Lamb with cumin and the seafood plate are both very good. Portions are generous. It's always a good sign when 70% of the diners appeared to be of Asian decent. This was our second time and next time we're doing the Peking duck.

Really terrible. Waiter and chef and no idea what dishes were gluten free, no Tamari Sauce, final entree choice was bland and uninspired. Then I had food poisoning and was up half the night with gastric distress. My dinner companions did not get sick, intentional?

I should've known better than to go to a Chinese restaurant in a downtown shopping mall. Really poor food combined with bad service. Awful. Stick to Chinatown.

Very authentic Chinese restaurant with spicy food and its remarkable Perking duck plates. The half set is good for three people (10 rolls) with purely fresh duck meat. I like the garlic source but unfortunately they did not offer this time. A great experience!

We came to this restaurant on the fourth floor. I had the duck stir fry. The sauce was good and the duck tasty and ample. Beef hunan was very nice and enough for two people

What a treat to have spicy and tasty Sichuan food in the mall off of Michigan Ave. My friend and I really like the food, and I would definitely return when back in Chicago.

A worthy extension to the original Chinatown location. Used carry-out so can't comment on service, expect to say that the front desk staff needs training on whatever application they use for orders, which took a long time to input. The food, spicy lamb, was terrific. Just the right amount of heat so the meat could still be tasted.

The fried noodles with chicken and duck and the sesame chicken were very good and tasty. Grease and fat meat (duck) proved to be a challenge to the digestive apparatus later on. The service was friendly and quick. While still chewing the bill was already presented. Beer is rather expensive ($ 7) and the noodles ($ 16) too. When the restaurant is fully booked it can get loud and hectic. Reservations seem to be advisable (online possible).

My family and I came in by accident and loved it! We got the crispy lemon shrimp, mapo tofu, and orange chicken! Everything was so good.

Hungry from full day of travel and being a Monday several of our options were closed. Hotel mentioned this one on Michigan Avenue. Busy place. The Pot Stickers were good, the Szechuan Style Wontons were average; bit doughy. The Salt & Pepper Squid was good, Chinese Broccoli with Garlic sauce could have been sliced a bit thinner to enable use of chopsticks, the Chef’s Dry Chili Chicken was light on the flavor component. Lao Sze Chuan sells themselves as high end Chinese. Not sure the slow, hard to locate service and average food rank higher than okay.

We had our first meal here a few years ago on Christmas Eve and today we dined on Thanksgiving Day We enjoyed Xiao Long Bao, Pork Pot Stickers, Beef Brisket Noodle, Egg Drop Soup, Spinach with Fresh Garlic Sauce, Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken. The Chicken was a little spicy, just move the chili's over. Post Stickers were the best I think I ever had. Everyone left full and some leftovers for supper. I did not appreciate the 20% charge added to my bill. They can give that 20% to our server, he deserved it. We had a table of 3.

Duck was excellent, skin is crispy and tasty. Presentation is also very good. Xiao Long Bao and duck soup were so so. Will come back again for ducks and other dishes.

Me and my friends really enjoyed this place. Went there before a musical, which was a great choice since it didn't take long to get seated and serve. There was a complementary entree of spicy cabbage, ok but not remarkable. We chose some of the specials, such as sim sum, fried pan noodles and bittersweet shrimp. They were all delicious and savoury. Unfortunately, we were excessively full and couldn't really stomach up some dessert. We decided to accompany this meal with Chinese beer (Tsing Tao). It was really cheap (87 dls, including the service fee). If you're craving some Chinese, this is a good option.

Honestly the food here was absolutely incredible!! Spicy - just the way Chinese food should be !! Usually when the server keeps the food at the table I always snap photos to add to my reviews, but the food here was so good that I completely forgot about the pictures and started eating !! The red chili chicken, KUNG PAO SHRIMP and long beans was what we ordered with rice and everything was spectacular! Staff was really good too!! The portion size was good! Keep up the good work guys, best Chinese in America !!

The Peking duck was the best. A bit pricey but worth the money. Almost everything we ordered tasted great. Will definitely come back every time we are in Chicago.

Ate here for dinner in April 2019. Had the pea shoots which were tough but delicious but expensive and the mayo tofu--very tasty and a good sized portion. Dumplings were good. food came all out of order, since the wait staff got confused about my order. The downstairs area is being renovated, so it looks like the restaurant is closed, but you take an elevator to the 4th floor. The sign to do this is hand-lettered--but don't think it's a hoax, since it's really true that there's a restaurant on the 4th floor.

This little gem is worthy of the emperors . Every dish is served impeccably by efficient servers who want your visit to be a filling and memorable experience. You could easily be transported in spirit to Beijing, Hong Kong or Shanghai. Each of the main dishes are meant to share. But you don’t have to, of course. The flat noodles are divine, especially served in combination with chicken or beef. Kung Pao chicken was excellent though the red peppers set my mouth afire. No complaints! This is an authentic Chinese restaurant. Great quiet romantic spot or for the whole family. No social distancing. Very popular. Make reservations.

This should have been so easy- Kung Pao Chicken, cabbage appetizer, cold spinach appetizer. The cold spinach was good. The cabbage was uninteresting, and the Kung Pao Chicken was quite awful- greasy, ultra-sweet (caked-on sugar!), full of green peppers and other vegetables that really shouldn't be there. If I was ordering dessert, this might have been ok! Avoid this dish.

Great food, right on Michigan Avenue on the 4th floor so great views of the Magnificent Mile. The spring rolls and pot stickers were excellent, as well as our Mongolian Beef entree. Great service as well. Would definitely return.

We almost did not go to this restaurant. We had seen a rating of 3 1/2 stars on one site and 4 stars on another and so we bypassed it in favor of another restaurant we had seen. However, on the way there we just happened to walk past this restaurant, and we decided to take a chance and go in. The first good sign was that the restaurant was almost full of Chinese diners. Always a good sign!!!!!!!!! We started out with the chicken eggrolls. Also, we had the spicy pickled cabbage which was amazingly tasty. Then we had the spicy chicken, sweet-and-sour chicken and steamed rice. Everything was very very good and we were all so happy that we came here. This definitely deserves more than 3 1/2 stars. If there was a 4 1/2 star rating then this is what I would give this restaurant.

We had the cherry chicken,very spicy and crisp, and fragrant tripe cold appetizer,an aquired taste. Is pricy but recommended by native chinese as the only worth trying in the village.There is a bar but no ambiental music.Will return here.

Located in the heart of the Mag Mile, this restaurant does not disappoint. We tried the wontons, chef's special duck soup, combo fried rice 5*, orange beef tenderloin and a half set of Peking Duck. All the food was top shelf, the service is very good and the atmosphere is inviting. Dinner for 3 including cocktails and tip $190.

I swear I come here just about every time I'm in Chicago. The only time I didn't come was when we had a flight to catch. Love it!! Doesn't really matter what you order, it's always good.

It's a little confusing when you enter on Michigan Avenue and might wait for someone to tell you to take the elevator upstairs....the food was good and the place was packed both nights we were there. Lots of great choices. The only thing I would warn is that spicy means spicy! Also, the service was spotty the first time we were there but better the second time.

I had my lunch there today. Food are still delicious and good, but expensive as well. I take the milk tea there, it’s good.

It's been over 3 years since we last visited Lao Sze Chuan. We arrived late due to traffic but the host was unperturbed (we had called ahead to say we'd be late). We were shown to a 2-top near a window overlooking Michigan Ave. We ordered xiao long bao (soup dumplings) to start and 3 dishes: Bok choi with mushrooms, moo shu pork and stir fried sliced duck, plus 2 bowls of rice as they do not automatically come with the mains. Soon the 3 mains arrived all at once. I started with the bok choi which were delicious; the black mushrooms were juicy and complemented the green veg., the light sauce just right. My companion immediately began assembling his moo shu pork (4 pancakes in a steamer and a small bowl of plum sauce came with it; the waitress did not offer to assemble them as happens at some Chinese restaurants). The duck dish cooled as we ate the others, unfortunately. The dumplings, which we had intended as an appetizer, came last as they are prepared in a separate kitchen. The waiter set the steamer container atop the pancake steamer as there was absolutely no other room on our table. (indeed, is was a good thing we were seated by a window as we colonized the windowsill to hold the teapot and other things that didn't fit on the table!). The dumplings were excellent, better than at Imperial Lamian which we've sampled recently. My companion really liked the moo shu. The sliced duck came mixed with shredded carrots and cabbage in a brown sauce and was also good. I would have been really happy if our plates had been switched midway through the meal so all the sauces did not accumulate on the plate and if the waitress had staged the meal so dishes came serially rather than all at once and got cold before we could get to them. If we remember, we will ask next time. On a Friday night at 7:30, the restaurant was only about 3/4 full. Dinner for 2 with tax and tip (no alcohol) was less than $100. We had leftovers which we brought home. The restaurant is on the 4th floor of the shopping mall at 520 N. Michigan Ave. It has 2 entrances: one faces Michigan Ave where an elevator goes directly to the 4th floor bar. The second entrance is from the mall's food court on the 4th floor.

I was in the food court at Northbridge Mall and made a serendipitous find, Lao Sze Chuan. The restaurant has two entrances: one from Michigan Avenue and one from the food court, but it is not the usual food court food. The cuisine is focused on Szechuan food, and is outstanding. I had the Orange Peel Beef, which is my safe goto for Szechuan. It was outstanding; the best I've ever had. It was made with real beef tenderloin; the sauce was spicy yet with subtle nuances. Wow, a real palate pleaser. My server, Jenny, was courteous, attentive and professional; she and the other staff members worked as a team and made sure I had everything I wanted. Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience, and plan to return.

The most amazing Chinese cuisine. Great atmosphere, great service, variety of cuisine to choose from. Dumpling there is probably the best I ever had Can't wait to go back and try more cuisine before I go home.

Wow, I cannot stop thinking about my meal here. Fantastic. delicious, more than enough, great service and the view out the window was surreal. I wish I lived in Chicago because I would eat here once a week at least.

Waitresses are demanding 25% tip even when the service is not up to standards. Prepare to be approached by the waitresses if you do not leave a 20%+ tip. They will demand explanations why the tip is under 20%

The menu here is extensive. The expected poultry, seafood and beef dishes are here. So are frogs, jelly fish and pork kidneys and intestines---for those so inclined Dim sum is made in house and all the dumplings are good. You can get Peking duck (pricey) without the usual need to preorder I have eaten there with meat/ fish eaters who felt satisfied and have had vegetarian/ vegan dinners with great choices. Everything tastes fresh Herbs/sauces unique to each dish

Be prepared to be shocked at how rude, arrogant, impatient & sloppy the service you receive. Food was really poor and we left most of it. The waitress was surprised by how much we left and was very rude. If your a Brit give it a wide berth. Chicago is an amazing city with wonderful friendly people, just not here!

No $$ has been invested in this restaurant for years. Very old, outdated and ripped chairs. Place looks dirty and dingy. They use food robots to deliver the food, but it arrives COLD esp since they don’t bother to put any covers on the food. Food is very greasy. Worst Chinese food I have beer had and not at all cheap - even charge extra for white rice. Go elsewhere.

Went here for lunch while in town, was so good we went back the next night. Sesame Chicken, Crab Rangoon, Egg Rolls, Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, and everything else were fantastic. Service was also great.

This restaurant is ranked highly and I can see why; we visited with the Chicago Food Planet tour and this was our main course; we had about 6 different dishes to choose from; all except one were seasoned with red pepper but I think you could ask to have less if you don't like it too hot. We had both vegetarian and chicken dishes. It is a small setting and could be crowded at peak times during warm weather.

I have been there several times and the food is always excellent. The service is fast and the portions are plenty. I would recommend the crunchy garlic shrimp. The best ever.

Food was good. We tried Dim Sum, orange chicken, cashew chicken, fried rice and pan fried noodles. Dim Sum was good, cashew chicken and noodles were the best. The orange chicken was ok. We were a bit confused of the entrance. It’s not in the shopping center. It has its own entrance on Michigan Ave.

Firstly I thoughts call them for delivery... but sometimes you know, you just can't believe delivering food unless its pizza. I made a reservation. my mom in a wheelchair. we left for dinner so we reached and got our table. great Atmosphere. We ordered, sweet and sour soup Chow mein, chilli chicken, fried rice. we food came us after so long. the service is like no so well. but the food was very good. the soup was damn good.

There is an entrance by elevator on Michigan Avenue, or you can also access the restaurant from within the fourth floor of Nordstrom. The restaurant serves a variety of authentic Chinese dishes, specializing in Sze Chuan food. Highly recommended. Service is mediocre at best, however.

Fantastic! place. Terrific food and amazingly good service . The Peking duck was the best I’ve ever had. Don’t miss it. ( Downtown location))

The only reason I gave three stars was because the assistant was knowledgeable and helpful, but the rest I would have given two stars. Why? This restaurant was famous enough, very crowded, and unorganized. Located on the 2nd floor, huge, but the waiting area was small compare to those who were in line, well there was no line actually. We come, place our name, and those who standby the assistant and kept asking would get the table first, and of course it's their people who can speak the language. For foreigners who are used to wait would not likely get the table as fast. The food was actually tasted nice, good portion, good price. On the day I ate, I was informed that it would be so long to order the non dim sum dish because the kitchen was super busy and only ready for the dim sum and it's true. So, so fortunate they informed in advance about it. Bring someone who can speak Chinese when having here I suggest.

OK, so the people who are complaining about the service have obviously never been to China. The service is normal Chinese. Food is very good. My Chinese friend was able to order some of her favorites that she can't find elsewhere. She spoke Chinese to all the wait staff, and they understood--so they really are Chinese. My other friend who is gluten free had a bit of a tough time as they did not have gluten free soy sauce, but she was able to find a couple of things she could eat. I ordered a delicious stir fried shrimp dish. Everything comes out family style so you can sample other dishes, and everything I tasted was perfectly prepared.

If you are looking for something Oriental to crave for , look no further . Just along the Magnificent Mile near fronting the Intercontinental, is a restaurant located in the 2nd floor , providing Chinese cuisine choices. Even it was late, we were accommodated. We ordered a lot our server didn’t bother to say we had too much of the food . Anyway it was a nice dinner , from the dimsum, prawn , chicken , and vegetables. I am posting photos of what we had. If you’re looking for something Chinese then I would suggest this one. No bother to go to Chinatown although I could still vouch for that if we have time.

My grandson wanted to eat here, I had pepper steak which was really good and the chicken fried rice was good too. He ordered the orange chicken but said it was too orangey :)

Conveniently located on Michigan Ave. it is quite easy to walk right past the restaurant. The door off Michigan Ave is just a small room with an elevator. The restaurant itself is on the 4th floor. They offer transitional Chinese food. My go to meal is the crispy shrimp with Lemon sauce. I am NOT a fan of lemon however the server told me the lemon is hardly tasteable. She was right! I got nearly 24 medium size shrimp on a bed of lettuce. They also have a variety of dim sum.

Delicious and very generous servings. Service was also great. We had the dry chili chicken and green beans.

Looks like a fine dining restaurant from the outside, but dont be fooled - very much an average Chinese restaurant with mediocre food and a takeaway foldout menu. Waitresses served us without a smile and the manager came to demand us for more tip as soon as we left when we did not give the full 18% “suggested”. Other than that the food did not take too long despite them being very busy and a decent selection of food to choose from.

This restaurant is next to Marriott Magnificent mile. I was really amazed with the quality of the Chinese food. It is authentic. The price is very reasonable during lunch time. Do not take the buffet. Go for a la carte. The dumpling and noodles were very good.

I learned of this place through a friend as we were planning a dinner to discuss some business. The atmosphere, for starters, was very pleasant and accommodating. The staff was very friendly and helpful. It was the food, however, that was over the top. I have been to many Chinese restaurants, some good, some mediocre--the quality varies widely. This was absolutely the best I can remember in years. The spicy cabbage for starters was very tasty, as was the appetizer of some pork-filled dumplings, but the meal we shared of egg noodles, stir fry sliced duck, and lamb Hunan was fabulous in all respects, and plentiful enough to take home leftovers for the next day's lunch. Add the good wine selection, and I would recommend this place to anyone.

On this visit, a friend and I had a great lunch with a good assortment of entrees. Everything was very good and I love the selection of duck entrees (love good duck). The server was friendly and very professional. On another occasion, we had a “group” dinner in their upper level dining room (also very good!). Highly recommend.... One of the most reasonable meals on Michigan Avenue!

Wow! We've all got our favorite Chinese restaurant, but I'm telling you Lao Sze Chaun is just a step or two better. We really loved the hot & sour soup and that wonderful spice. The sole fish fillet in chili bean sauce was tender and nicely seasoned. The chefs special dry chili chicken is the #1 best dish in the restaurant because it is so crispy on the outside paired with the tender chicken and the perfect sauce. The service was efficient & friendly in a nice peaceful atmosphere. When you've found & enjoy your favorite Chinese restaurant it's hard to go somewhere else. This restaurant my friends is going to be added to your go to list for Chinese. Enjoy!

We were staying the weekend across the street at the Intercontinental Hotel for the weekend. Usual tourist stuff. Cubs game, aquarium, water tour. Sunday night we just got curious enough about this place. We will go back every time we are near! Service was top notch. Don't be intimidated by the elevator ride to the restaurant. We were in the minority as Caucasians but the food and service was awesome. My wife leans toward the really spicy dishes and that is a specialty. If you are near, you should check it out. We had the spicy Sole with bean sauce. Wow. We spend part of our year in Hawaii and it is so great to find a midwest asian restaurant with awesome seafood. Bartender Dini is a sweetheart. We will be back.

It was so good we went two nights in a row. I had guest from China to visit and after a night of steaks and fish we went here. They loved it, very authentic.

On a recent trip to Chicago we were staying at the Marriott downtown and this restaurant was just a few doors away. It looked inviting and we were tired of Italian food. We had to wait almost 30 minutes to get a table and that was just the beginning. Our server was very upbeat and offered suggestions for what to order as everything was generally on the spicy side. One of these suggestions was for the twice cooked pork. I was hungry for Mu Shu and ordered that. The twice cooked pork is mostly fat or what is known as pork belly. You can chew one bite for 15 minutes and it will never break up into a piece you can swallow. I am guessing this is where the term" chewing the fat" comes from. The mu shu was as bland as it could be and there was almost no meat in it. Strange because it was supposed to me mu shu pork. The vegetables were seved in chunks and not shredded like mu shu is normally done. The crepes to roll it up in were small and almost transparent and trying to make a roll out of this mess made even a bigger mess. I also forgot to mention it took 45 minutes to get the order in and food on our table. The kitchen seemed to be very small for the number of tables they had to service. I get the feeling that mostly local people eat here. The prices were pretty steep but that is probably due to the Michigan Avenue address and not the quality of the food. If it wasn't so cold while we were in Chicago we probably would have skipped this place in favor of something better. You should too.

This was the worst place I have been to. Got a table and ordered. 4 soups came 20 minutes or so. The entrees came 45 minutes later. The food was terrible. Water was fine. The waitress was embarrassed about it. A total loss.

The food was delicious, especially the chilly chicken. Service was good and friendly and it was fun sitting in front of the window, on the 4th floor, and watch the nice view of the city outside.

We've been to Lao Sze Chuan three times, and each visit was great. The restaurant is a bit hidden -- enter either via the top floor food court in the adjoining mall or a small storefront on Michigan Avenue that leads to a tiny elevator up to the restaurant. Either way, go here. Once you are in the place, you'll be glad you did. The menu is huge -- dozens of choices are available. We've had the Szechuan beef tenderloin, the Moo Shu pork and the Kung Pao beef and the shrimp fried rice and loved each one. The pork was very good and a large portion (as with the other dishes.) The beef in both dishes was incredibly tender and tasty. The shrimp fried rice was done very well and filled with large whole shrimp. Be careful with the Kung Pao beef, though, unless you like it HOT. We ordered it mild and still it arrived with quite a kick. Service was very good and the prices were quite reasonable for North Michigan Avenue. Two large dishes, a bottle of wine, tax and tip for about $80. Whether you need reservations or not probably depends on when you go. Two of our visits were weekday evenings at 7PM and the place was about half-full. The third was Christmas Eve at 7PM and it was packed. We had made reservations and were seated almost immediately, but if you were a walk-in, you had a really long wait that night.

This crowded restaurant deserves kudos for Chinese cuisine equal to or better than some very good restaurants in China. Menu is extensive and varied and we had a number of dishes everyone loved varying from spicy to mild. Well worth a visit even if you must wait a while to be seated. Waitress efficient and pleasant provided professional service. Look forward to our next visit.

Firstly, the Lao Sze Chuan that i visited is located within The Shops at North Bridge close to Michigan Avenue. Not sure if its the same one . Nevertheless, this was arguably our best dining out experience in Chicago. The hotel concierge recommended the place and it was a good choice. Very busy place! One can understand because the food is soo good. Peking Duck seems to be one of their specialities although we opted for something different. The service was also very quick and good considering the number of guests that they had to attend to.

Horrible customer service. The person on register did not seem to know what he was doing and we had waited 45 minutes just to ask him for a seat since he misunderstood me the first time. When we had asked him if we could dine in instead of take out he said they do not do that type of service which is odd because other places do. I would not be going to this location here again.

My husband and I went to Chicago to celebrate our anniversary, being a foodie, we chose a Chinese restaurant through a Chinese app, I was disappointed about the foods in the other restaurant and we decided to try a western restaurant. On the way we accidentally found Lap Sze Chuan is just in front of us, so we decided to give it a try, we ordered Steamed dumplings ( Xiao long bao) and toothpick lamb and another dish. Foods were amazing! We will be back, definitely! And we are so happy to find this Lao Sze Chuan in downtown area! My husband said the meal we had in Lao Sze Chuan was the best meal we had in Chicago last weekend!

Terrible service and was yelled at by the owner/manager for using Grubhub, a service they offer. Placed a pickup order through Grubhub. I got to the restaurant 30 minutes later, and they only started the order when I asked for the status on the order. The manager asked me not to use Grubhub for orders which is unusual considering they shouldn't be offering the service if they didn't want us to use it. I waited an extra 30 minutes for my food, took the bag, got home, and half the order was missing. I called the restaurant, and the manager promised to refund the missing items and 20% of the remaining order. 2 weeks later, this hasn't happened, so I called back and was accused of lying and then yelled at by the owner. I was then chastised again for using Grubhub. Not acceptable, and I highly recommend folks do not go to this restaurant.

Love the Michigan Ave entrance/access - after a quick ride to the 4th floor you are greeted with an inciting ambiance. Seated by the window with a view of Michigan Ave was a nice plus. I was able to score a Groupon for the meal and after speaking with the waitress all that was ordered additionally was another soup and beverage - the Shanghai spring rolls and Sze Chuan spicy cabbage started the meal. The cabbage was simple yet tasty, the spring rolls a lil bland - the traditional Peking-duck soup was noting to write home about but a nice compliment to the spicy cabbage. The Sze Chuan string beans and Duck fried rice were both big hits at our table. The Half set of oven-roasted Peking duck with traditional fixings of plum sauce, garlic paste, julienne cucumber and scallions, brown sugar, crispy duck skin and pancakes was very tasty and of course the star of the Duck meal. While one of my dinner guest said there is a better place for Peking Duck in Chi-town, the restaurant was filled with Asian customers which is always a good sign of authenticity when the "natives" are eating at an "ethnic" restaurant. the meal was topped off with a white wine, rose wine and a green tea served with our golden sesame balls

The whole dining experience was delightful. The restaurant was most accommodating with our seating arrangement. We were welcome at the door and escorted to our table. we were greeted and served by one of the best servers we've had in a long, long time. Lori was informative, pleasant and efficient. We told Lori we had theater tickets and were pressed for time. She immediately figured out what to do to make our service swift so we can make it to the theater on time. However, at no point the dining experience fell rushed. I had a Groupon that could be two or more people but in reality was designed for two people, two soups, two egg rolls, etc. Lori brought us the egg rolls (two), we asked her for knife to divide them - she said - "let me take them into the kitchen since the chef's knife is sharper it will be easier to cut" much to our surprise she came with three egg rolls because cutting them wouldn't have been aesthetically pleasing. The duck came and she proceeded to prepare the first roll with much dexterity and elegance. Needless, to say we were not able to replicate her roll making skills. We ordered a bottle of wine, which was decanted in front of eyes. It has been a long time since we've our wine decanted, a gesture that seems insignificant but brings the wine to whole new level. The duck was skillfully roasted and presented. Now, I understand why this restaurant is rated highly with dinner for their duck meal. Overall, it was an excellent evening, compared to dining at the Four Seasons as one of our dinner companions remarked

We chose this restaurant because when we walked past it the previous evening a large group of Chinese people were leaving after eating there - that to me is always a good sign. Checked out the reviews, and booked a table. We had the soup dumplings (my local Chinese calls them little dragon buns), orange chicken and shrimp with snow peas. All three dishes were excellent. Service was great, attentive but not overbearing. Staff happy to help with menu choices and amount to order. Would definitely recommend this restaurant. Disappointed we didn’t have time to go back and try some other dishes!

The food is oily and lackluster. The reviews on the back of the menu are from 2013. Seriously disappointing. The Chinese mustard was watered down and runny. We literally didn’t eat much of it and left it behind. A real waste of money.

We visited on Sunday night. This location is inside a mall on the upper floors. Great time to window shop btw! Walking into the restaurant it had a good vibe of Asian ambience. Once we ordered our drinks we got a complimentary bowl of Kimchi. We ordered sweet and sour soup - great flavor profile, spiciness and sourness. Very similar to Su Sur Lees sweet and sour soup. A steal at $3 a bowl. Crab Rangoon was our other appetizer- great creaminess and texture to the wonton wrapper however no feature flavor of any crab. The other items were the chili chicken, spicy cumin lamb and an order of their mixed chow mein. Chow mein was decent. A little dry for my liking. The lamb was okay as well. Decent but not the best we’ve had...pricey as well. The chili chicken - loaded with whole Sichuan red chili’s was definitely one of my favorites. Overall decent experience. On the pricier side approx $100usd. Coming from Toronto where we’ve got a number of great options this wouldn’t be a do over for me...but perhaps if there isn’t a fancy Chinese restaurant in this Chicago area - then it’s worth a check out.

We only have three Chinese restaurants in this neighborhood: Hing Min just south of the river in the New East Side for dim sum; Mei's corner on upper Michigan Ave. and this winner; Lao Sze Chuan Michigan Ave.it is a new and upscale satellite of its dependable Chinatown location. Michigan Ave. rents are the most expensive in the city so, wisely, the restaurant is located on the 4th and 5th floors (5th floor being loft style dining area). The street level lobby at 520 Michigan Ave. is a small elevator lobby decorated in wild red tile sculptured walls. You can’t miss it. The private elevator takes you to the lower rent level 4 floors up. The back door to the restaurant is connected with the upper food level of the Nordstrom Mall although we saw no one using it. The food was delicious. The portions are sharing size so don’t order too much. The Szechuan spices seem a bit dialed down but 90% of the tables were Asian dinners (always a good sign). The complimentary Szechuan cabbage left a hot sensation on your tongue. We ordered Pan Fried Duck Noodles. The restaurant uses the larger Lo Mien noodle rather than the thin vermicelli noodle. Soft and crisp at the same time. The blend of spices, pulled duck meat and shards of crispy skin in a tomato based sauce was excellent and tangy. Szechuan green beans in chopped pork was such a huge portion that we did take-out with half of it. The onion pancake was served crisp. I’ve got to find out how they did that. Service was very good. They use the two tier service level: Wait-person who knew the menu and took your order; server who brought the dishes from the kitchen. An excellent experience. I'm rating this as a very good value restaurant because I live in the neighborhood and for us - in this location - it's a good value.

Ok, I love Asian food and little compares to the Empress of China on Dort Highway in Flint Michigan. This was no exception. Tried Tony Hu's Chicken dish, house specialty, it was pretty good for dry chicken nuggets. No sauce at all. No vegetables, not much for flavor. Also had hot & sour soup, egg roll and fried dumplings; all of which were no better than Panda Express. Had a couple beers while I waited for my to go order, paid my $70 dollar bill and bid them farewell. I wouldn't recommend or return.

My wife and I were taken to this restaurant by friends of ours, one of whom is a mainland Chinese national and the other is a native of London, England. All of us had lived in New York City in the past. Our friends told us that this was the best Peking Duck they have eaten in the United States and they were not misleading us! The skin of the duck was artfully arranged on a small plate. Each slice was perfect - a crisp outside texture with an underlying layer of duck fat that literally melted in our mouths. The duck itself was amazingly tender and perfectly cooked. The accompaniments were very good, if a bit small in amount (the pancakes, garlic paste, spring onions, etc.). We also had soup dumplings - I believe these were part of the dim sum (which I didn't even know were available outside of Chinatown in New York), Szechuan String Beans and stir fried squid. Everything was perfect. The service was wonderful and since we went at lunch the restaurant was uncrowded and comfortable. I highly recommend this restaurant.

We had high expectations due to good reviews here on Tripadvisor. Sadly they did not come through. Already when arriving the restaurant, we where hardly greeted - and the same bad service continued trough out the whole meal. I think the waitress just wanted to go home... Also the food was disapointing. We ordered starters, but just one was served as a starter - the rest came with rest of the dishes we ordered. One pork-dish was already cold when we got it. And two other dished was sposed to be stir fried, but was boiled. When getting the bill, that had taken a 20% surplus, but the meny stated 18% - not a big deal - but these things should be correct... There must be better Chinese restaurants in Chicago! So our suggestion is to find another.

If your hotel is close to this restaurant and you feel like having a Chinese dinner do not miss this place.The ambiance is vibrating and medium upscale. the menu is very big and the prices will not brake your wallet.My wife that is Asian liked it.

Things are tough in the restaurant business downtown and Lao Sze Chuan reflects this. Lao Sze Chuan has ben a go-to Chinese restaurant for a couple decades and the two of us have eaten many meals there over the years. We just had dinner there on a Wednesday night. About 10 tables were occupied in this large space, although they were doing a fairly brisk carry-out business, too. We each ordered hot and sour soup to start. We have made that dish at home, so know what's involved and the necessary ingredients. This soup was missing the pork shreds, tree ears, tiger lily buds and the "heat" for which it's known. though they got the vinegar right, and was overly thick with too much cornstarch. The overuse of cornstarch was also true of the sauce for the mushrooms that topped the baby bok choy dish, though the veggies themselves were steamed just right. We also ordered sliced duck. There was very, very little duck in with the julienned vegetables, only some skin and tiny morsels to flavor it a little. Lastly, the shrimp in lemon sauce, while tasty and the shrimp were cooked just right, the cornstarch coating was way too thick and got gloppy as soon as the dish cooled. And the dish did cool because they brought all 3 large dishes at once. Portions are pretty big but we left quite disappointed by the way they cut corners on the ingredients. Service was satisfactory.

Extensive menu. Authentic flavors. Service was also very good. Food came fast. Would definitely recommend it

Good food Have vegetarian options Mind blowing chilly chicken one with red chillis Handsome portion Just loved it

The owner is horribly rude and a liar who blames the customer for everything. It took over 2 hours to get our food and the owner blamed us for the miscommunication. When we protested he proceeded to tell us eat not eat or be happy not happy that's our problem. The best part is when we asked if he is the owner he said he is not and he isn't even on duty. Nonsense as he kept walking around to help the staff while drinking a beer and chatting with his business associates. His picture is plastered all over the restaurants and it's elevators and the award plaques and the internet and yet he couldn't fess up that he was the owner?

I have been to the Lao Sze Chuan restaurant in Chicago Chinatown. This was my first time to visit the downtown location. It is located in the heart of the Miracle Mile shopping district, on a fourth floor, via a small street entrance and elevator. The dinning areas was bigger than the Chinatown location. The menu offered the typical Sichuan (or SzeChuan) style dishes - they were delicious as expected. The dishes might be a bit more expensive than the Chinatown location (don't remember). It is nice to have an authentic Chinese restaurant in downtown. We had a great dinner and did not have to travel far. I do like the Chinatown location a little better as it is cozier and you have a chance to chat with the always-wonderful co-owner Tommy.

Excellent duck dish, great service, offers special box lunches daily except holidays, a great bargain

This restaurant is on the top floor of the North Bridge Mall. There is a fairly large dining room and an open kitchen behind glass. The menu toes the line beween authentic and westernized Chinese food. However the food was universally tasty. If you don't want to be adventurous the call out there most popular spicy and non spicy items. The atmosphere is a little like an upscale cafeteria but the food is really good and the staff was friendly. Can be reserved online which its convenient.

Not sure how I missed this place for so many years but glad I found it. I travel to China often on business and am often disappointed when I try to find good Sichuan food back in the states. This is the place and the Dan dan noodles were great. In addition they use real Sichuan peppercorns in their other spicy dishes. Very popular and busy but it will remind you of a big China city Resturaunt.

Authentic Chinese dishes and traditional offerings for less daring patrons. Among the latter, our party enjoyed the usual favorites and they were all delicious. The Michigan Avenue location combined with the Chinatown origins was a perfect blend of comfort and authenticity.

Duck soup came out cold and the chef forgot to put the chicken in the special spicy chicken chowmein. NEED I SAY ANYMORE.

We lived on the Mag Mile, and was craving good chinese food for the last week it seems, we walked by this place multiple times but didn't go in because we thought they only serve super spicy Szechuan food, but they serve the whole range. When we saw pockets of business types come up for lunch, we were not expecting much, but we were surprised at the quality of food, esp northern chinese food that was served. its pretty good. The server was excellent the food was up to standard, and its easily reached for tourists after a day of shopping.

Yes there is and this is the one.Don't be mislead by the small entrance on the Magnificent Mile because on the first floor, you will find a spacious Chinese restaurant. Another way of entering is to go to the 4 floor in the Nordstorm shopping mall. This is traditional Chinese food of high quality.You get what you ordered, no surprises. Portions are large and yes maybe prices are higher than in Chinatown but not that these are sky high.Large menu and also a lot of Chinese guests.

Came for a quick lunch walking out of hotel (across from inter continental), you take a single elevator up to the 4th floor and enter a different world. Cool decor, multi levels, solid views of city and tons of space. A huge menu with tons of options. Had the dry chili chicken - so good. Wish I could have hit the long drink menu, but it was lunch after all.

We were seated in a few minutes and ambience is nice. But that’s it. Ordered Thai iced tea, hot and sour soup and orange tofu with brown rice. After 20 minutes told thai tea not available. After 45 minutes still no soup. About 60 minutes orange tofu arrives. Worst orange tofu I’ve ever had. Not crispy or flavorful. Still no soup. Told no brown rice. Soup arrives but is not hot(spicy) or sour or tasty.

The best dumplings around Chicago! Plus so many other delicious dishes to choose from. Drinks are a little over priced, but the food is very reasonable. It’s our favorite place to go for Chinese food in the city.

Went in with a Groupon deal... And regretted it. Poor soup, chilli cabbage (yuk) and green beans drowned in garlic...awful. The Groupon is to get new customers in to get them to come back.. Not a place to ever return to.

Have been here many times. Peking duck is the favorite dish for me and my wife. Heard the chef for cooking these ducks were hired directly from a famous Chinese duck restaurant. Not sure though.

Excellent food and very nice staff, I had a very good dinner, I highly recommend the Crispy shrimp with lemon sauce!!! It’s to die for

I tried the Mapo Tofu and chili chicken, both of them were very hot - and I don’t mean spicy hot, they left a very acidic after taste. The flavors were good, but I couldn’t tell much because of the heat. I don’t think I’ll visit again, given the number of Chinese restaurants on Mag mile

My family had dinner here over the President's Day weekend. It's always hard to find a place that that can adequately satisfy our entire family. Two of use are vegetarian, two of use like spicy food... We were able to order enough to satisfy all our needs and tastes. The staff were very polite and attentive. The decor was very nice. We would definitely come back!

It"s on Michigan Avenue in the high rent district. There are numerous clones in The City. But, that doesn't mean they serve excellent Chinese food.So skip this outpost. We had there Peking duck and the meat was excellent, but the rest of the accompaniments were not worth serving. And, on top of this you were instructed to prepare your own serving of Peking duck.

Horrible food. I ordered Mongolian chicken and an order of egg rolls. I took a chance knowing they were going to close in an hour or so. The Mongolian chicken was greasy and flavorless. The chicken was also rubbery and the scallions looked old. I ate only a tiny amount of the Mongolian chicken and did not want to risk eating more -- the dish was takeout and came out of the kitchen in only 10 minutes. I believe it may have been prepared earlier and reheated or an old order they repurposed. The egg rolls were inedible. Swimming in grease and the meat and vegetables inside were barely cooked, cold, and almost like some type of paste. Reheated or cooked in oil that was not hot enough. Horrible all around. Avoid. 30.00 dollars wasted. A 6 dollar meal at McDonald's -- which is not very good -- would have been infinitely better.

Great Chinese food, good quality of ingridients and amounts to share, good prices .... Service is ok, noise and need reservations

Came here to have a nice Peking Duck. I immediately ran into a problem. Everything I ordered for drinks they did not have. But that did not dampen my spirits. I was immediately taken to my table (the restaurant is spacious but it can get crowded at times) and I ordered dumplins for appetizer and the Peking Duck, thinking it would take a while for the duck to be delivered. To my suprise , the duck arrived a few minutes afterwards, before the appetizer. I had to cancel the appetizer, but was not pleased with being rushed through dinner. As to the food, the duck was crispy and cooked to perfection and the appurtenances were crispy and fresh. I have had duck even in China, and this one was very good, worth asking for it.

I ordered imperial duck with rice mackerel and basically got mackerel with duck skin. The environment is old and poorly cared for. I do not recommend and will not come back.

I ve been several times to this restaurant in my recent visit in Chicago. The food was original asian, fresh, well cooked. We loved espeically the dim sum and the soups. Too many choices of food. Food was fresh and very tasty. The staff was truly friendly and the prices very good.

Sat right opposite the Intercontinental hotel on North Michigan Ave you could easily walk past this restaurant and not know what it was. You have to take a lift to the fourth floor and there the doors open to an oasis of Chinese cuisine. Big tables with big menus full of various dishes available with an assortment of meats, fish or vegetable options. We found the staff attentive and helpful and the food really good. It was a great option for a night out with friends or work colleagues.

My friend and I were craving some Chinese so we ended up here on a whim. The variety of dishes was impressive. I think we ended up getting some bao dumplings, Singapore mei fun noodles, combo fried rice, and some kind of chicken dish (can't remember). It was all very, very good. There were a lot of other Asian patrons there, which to me, is a good sign of authenticity and quality. Only complaint was that it seemed a bit short-staffed. We were seated quickly, but it took awhile for our orders to be taken, cooked, and brought out. And while there were a lot of patrons for dinner, it wasn't jampacked, overly busy. But I suppose short-staffed is the new normal. Either way, it was well worth the wait. My friend enjoyed it so much that they went back a couple night's later with their coworkers.

For example, Jameson is $5, and you get an egg or spring roll free. Wonderful dim sum options, excellent service and a city view make this a perfect happy hour for anyone who loves Chinese food.

This place hits all the right notes for me -- spicy, uncommon dishes like duck frame (lots of bones in it -- beware), eggplant, fried fish.... I have liked every dish that I have tried here (except may be the scallion pancake appetizer, which was a bust). Gets crowded in the evening though the wait wasn't too long the two times we went in the evening. Nice view of the road below and the pedestrians milling around, esp. if you go there on a sunny afternoon/early evening.

Awesome food, huge portions,great service, beautiful room at affordable price! Highly recommended , you are not going to be disappointed!

We have been eating at Lao sze chuan for the last few years whenever we are in Chicago .. the food is as great at both locations (downers grove and Michigan Avenue ) but the ambience is so nice here at the downtown location . We went In pretty early for lunch (at noon) and it was empty but filled up within 20 mins . The server was responsive and was willing to answer all our questions and also specified how much food we needed to order so as to not waste any food as the portions are very generous ! We got the cumin chicken , chili squid and a pan fried noodles and it was plenty for 3 adults and a little for dinner too ! Try the food here you will not be disappointed! Attaching some hastily taken pictures cause we couldn’t wait to dig in !! Oh and the spicy cabbage - so so yummy !!!

Invited business partners for some great Szechuan food. Busy place - best to have reservations. We used open table. We come every year when we are in Chicago. Best to order plates to share. Also, Dim Sum was great appetizer. Dry Chile Chicken, Lamb with Cumin, and Szechuan Green Beans are all great. Good service. Lacking local beer on tap, so they should add upgrade on beers.

I really enjoyed the food at Lao Sze Chuan. My friend and I shared some dumpling, the soupy kind, which were the best Ive had outside of California or New York. Our cumin lamb was superb too, but we found it a tad spicy and so paired it with a noodle dish. The result was great. Our service was excellent, especially for an authentic Chinese restaurant. Its not uncommon for Chinese restaurants to serve excellent food,but drop the ball when it comes to customer service. Lao Sze Chuan was pleasantly more customer focused in that regard. The mostly Chinese clientele lets you know you are in for an authentic delicious meal. I can easily recommend this restaurant.

After loving the Archer Avenue venue, I fell in love with the Northside version, since it's closer to my home. More modern=expensive but, still the real deal. Ask for the Archer menu. No change: Chili Sole to die for, best potstickers in town, and extra spicy, hot & sour soup to clear the nostrils. Staff is enjoyable/friendly/professional. Dini Li/Tram/Kent make everyone feel welcome! Keep up the great work and I will continue to be a regular.

If you're city has a Chinatown, you could reasonably assume there's good Chinese food everywhere. And yet even with a plethora of options, Lao remains the star. Get Tony's chicken, get the xiao long bao, get it all.

Affordable courses but the 1/2 roasted duck: still $48. Pork fried rice was also excellent... beware if you are an diet: it's a bit oily! In short, a place I'll come back with great pleasure.

I will not come back to this place. The waiter at our table was so rude. When I was ordering, he shut me up three times, not to make a recommendation, but to talk to his colleagues and showed no patience at all. It is definitely not the right attitude towards a customer. We are here to enjoy your food and hopefully service. Not here to be scolded around. Before we finish dining, they also threw the bill on our table when we were still eating. No explanation, no "take your time" no "do you want anything else". It felt horrible and they are trying to kick us out. They don't even have any customers waiting in line at the table versus we are a table of 10 people bring them hundreds of dollars of business

Hugh selection. It is been difficult to look at all the offerings. We had the Peking duck and it was perfectly prepared and served in a very nice way. Additionally we ordered several small plates will allowed us to get a taste selection of the menu. The restaurant main entrance is on the food court floor of the North Bridge mall. Do not let that concern you because the inside is very nice and has great design and ambiance.

We stopped in for lunch and grabbed a few plates. The service was goid and the food was great. Had the lamb with cummin and the water boiled beef.

Was a fan of the Chinatown location. When in town last weekend, checked out the Mich Ave spot. Much larger and fancier than Chinatown shop. Food was excellent as always.

Not all hot and spicy dishes of Szechuan. It is a mixture of cuisine from China with many popular dishes from Shanghai (Xiao lungbao) and Beijing (Peking Duck) to accommodate clienteles with different tolerance to spicy food. Half a Peking duck order is a bit expensive compared to the amount of meat one got. I suspect the crispy duck skin were made crispier by dipping into a hot oil bath after roasting, and not brushed with oil during roasting. The oil underneath the skin were however removed before serving. The order of food arrival was not logical. All the dishes and rice came first, and dimsim Xiao long Bao came very late as the kitchen was not able to catch up.

I ate here two days in a row--one take-out and one dine-in. The first day I had the Kung Pow Tofu and talk about Pow. My lips were on fire, but I continued to eat and eat because it was so good. This was the reason I decided to go back for dine-in the next day. So we were immediately seated as the restaurant was not full. The server came up, "Hi, my name is Ad D Tude". Not really, he didn't introduce himself, but he certainly had attitude. I asked if they put Oyster Sauce in any of their dishes and he was like, "Well point out a dish and I'll tell you", in a smug smarty-smart tone. I decided on the steamed vegetable dish w/ rice. I asked for brown rice and he said he didn't think they had brown rice. Ugh? You don't think so? Anyway, I said if they have it I would prefer it. He turned and walked away. We didn't see him again until he brought the check. They did have brown rice, which was good with the vegetables so I was happy. This place would have been rated a 5 if our service had been better than Mr Tude gave us

specialty is duck, other food is also very tasty. little pricier, good mixed drinks, friendly service.

Good menu choices and not your typical chinese. Overall ambience is very good. The location is very nice being right on Michigan Avenue. Great vegeterian choice as well. I booked a table through Open Table and our table was ready when we arrived. Service is very quick. Overall River North needs more Asian restaurants with good ambience, bar and that stay open late and this is certainly one of them.

The menu is extremely big, many options to go with, food flavor was very good, wine list is good for a Chinese Rest. The ambiance is quite nice and the interior layout is nice as well. Server very attentive and her recommendations was assertive for us, sharing plates is a good option as portions are reasonable big. The view to the Michigan Ave is cool.

We try to visit this restaurant several times during the summer while in Chicago. The Peking Duck is excellent and can actually serve three. There are special box lunches for $10, available from 10am-3pm on mon-fri and for carry out only .

We were all too tired to go out so we ordered take out. I called and placed the order to be picked up 6:00 p.m. Having never been here before I was pleasantly surprised, the atmosphere was open, airy, with a trendy Asian theme. We ordered the 2 types of dumplings Sheng Jing Bao Dim Sum and the Xiao long Bao Dim Sum. Family style dishes to share were the Sugar Pea Shoots in Garlic, Scallops in Garlic Sauce, Beef in Pure Cumin, General Chou Chicken, Whole Steamed Fish Canton Style. All the dishes were good, all ingredients fresh. My favorite dish was the Beef in Pure Cumin Sauce, nice balance of hotness and flavors. This beef stood our from the other good but standard Chinese fare. Atmosphere nice, service good, my pickup order was pretty much on time, food was hot in temperature, and traveled better than expected. I would definitely order and or go to Lou Sze Chaun again and try the many other dishes they offer.

The entrance is on Michigan Avenue, into a lobby and an elevator to the 4th floor where you enter a large elegant dining room with a sizeable bar. Large menu with many choices. Slightly on the expensive side. I enjoyed my fried noodles and beef.

There were 4 of us & we ordered an appetizer (pan seared dumplings), 4 main dishes & a soup. That was too much food! I'd suggest sharing. All the dishes were delicious, but we thought the moo shu pork was too salty. The problem we experienced was the service. They took a long time to take our order, then 2 of our dishes came out a LONG time before the other 2. 3 of us had finished eating before the 4th person's dinner came out. and we were too full at that point to eat much of the moo shu pork. We think the waitress put in the wrong order, although she suggested it was the kitchen who caused the mix-up. She did offer us a free beer for our trouble. I guess we would go back and share some main courses (we liked the spinach & garlic and the lemon shrimp & the dumplings). we would just be sure to have plenty of time!

The Dan Dan Noodles are great, the atmosphere is surprisingly very nice, service was very good as well. I love the original in Chinatown but it's nice to have options closer!!

Convenient location on mag mile, has good vegetarian options. Pretty good food- kind of greasy though but flavor was good.

Our waitress, LingMei, was quite helpful and made excellent suggestions. We enjoyed every dish, and especially because not every dish was spicy like typical Szechuan. We had six diners from age 2 to 64 and we had a great experience.

It takes a lot to get a 5 star rating from me, but I'd have given them 6 stars if I could. First of all, our server Kent was extremely professional, courteous and friendly, which contributed to the experience a lot. The atmosphere was elegant. We had a Groupon for a fixed menu including wine. So there was spicy cabbage (house special) on the table before we even ordered. That was followed by duck soup, egg rolls, duck fried rice, Szechuan string beans, crispy duck skin, Peking duck, then dessert of black bean stuffed sesame balls. It was a virtual duck orgy! We actually finished almost everything (see the aftermath picture) and didn't need dinner.

Went to restaurant w same name in Chicago's china town on a food tour there and was glad to see it on mag mile. Enjoyed the spring rolls. Found the chicken egg rolls bland tasting. Shrimp w mixed vegetables was excellent. All fresh, crisp veggies and alot of shrimp in dish. Husband had Tony's chicken which was very flavorful. Again a large portion enough to share or for leftovers. Plain rice was $1.oo extra for each bowl. Good drink menu w alot of options. Will come back when on mag mile and in mood for chinese food.

It wasn't bad but it wasn't good. We have eaten at other Lao Sze Chuan locations previously and really enjoyed the food, maybe we ordered wrong. We liked the Szechuan wontons and flat noodle dish. Tony's chicken with 3 Chilli was just ok. Avoid the salt and pepper short ribs, all bone and no meat. Service was lacking and it is quite pricey.

Nice Chinese restaurant with a good ambience and great food. We tried seafood hot and sour soup, pork noodles, chili chicken and steamed fish. Soup was of good quantity and really nice. Chicken was usual not that special for my taste. But the fish was amazing and full points to it. It has perfect citrus flavor with coriander on top and had perfect texture. Would definitely recommend. I also liked the cabbage side dish, hot but tasty.

Take out here late night was disappointing. We had some dumplings and duck fried rice and lo mein. It was not bad but less flavorful than we would have hoped. This was convenient but we'll walk further next time.

We discovered this gem 10 years ago. It has been the go to every time that we are in town. His food is authentic szechaun with wonderful flare no wonder he has a Michelin star.

On a snowing cold day, seafood noodle soup is very comforting. The free side dish (I think is spicy cabbage?) is not tasty though. I went there in the afternoon so the service was tentative as there were only few tables of customers.

I used to go to the Chinatown location a lot and it had great traditional Szechuan dishes that were spicy and super spicy. Then all of a sudden, I remembered that the flavors were either too salty or too bland. That's when I found out like a few years ago that the main chef left and so when I found out that a Michigan avenue location was opening, I had thought maybe that the main chef was relocated to that location. I found a groupon recently for a Peking duck dinner, seven courses for two and so took some people to go try it out finally. The flavoring of the dishes are no longer as traditional as the old location, they weren't bad but just catered to popular tastes of the Michigan avenue patrons. The seven courses that came with the Groupon were generous in size and everyone was friendly, we could only make a 5:45 pm dinner reservation and the place quickly became packed as we crossed over the 6:00-6:30 pm mark. I probably wouldn't go back because it no longer had the unique tastes of Szechuan. I found another location in Chinatown that I can go to for that. Otherwise, not a bad place in general.

I don't generally like to write bad things about restaurants as I recognise that each country I visit has a different interpretation of each type of cuisine. Firstly the staff were very nice and helpful and the surroundings very nice. Downside was the table was so small you could hardly fit the dinner plates and drinks on it and was so close to the next table you had to guard your drink when they stood up to avoid it spilling. Mongolian beef tenderloin was very tasty but we specifically asked for the dry chilli chicken to be less spicy and it was still incredibly spicy and to our taste both dishes and our appetizers were a bit greasy. All in all compared to our local Chinese in the UK the food was just not as nice. Very busy restaurant so maybe it was just us. Rather disappointed.

Had dinner here with family Saturday night. Had to wait about 20 minutes to get a table. One of the hostesses had a mixup and skipped us twice before my patience ran out and let her know that I had been in line before the two other groups of people who she was in the process of putting their names down for a table. We ordered two of the customer’s top 20 dishes, one duck dish and one West Lake Beef soup. One of the top 20 was called “Chef’s Special Dry Chili Chicken”, but perhaps it should be properly called “Chef’s Special Dry Chicken Chili” because most of the dish was filled with dry chili peppers, about 5 times more than the same dish the adjacent table ordered. But I have to admit that the flavor, the texture and the taste was excellent on so little chicken in the dish, to the credit of the chef. The other two dishes were quite tasty as well, no complaints there. Then there is the soup, totally unlike the other dishes, the chef simply forgot to put any salt in it. I give the dishes 4 star, the soup 2 star, the hostess 2 star, the waitress 4 star, but the overall experience is only deservingly 3 star

This restaurant got so many buzz that I had to try. Excellent food overall -like I said in another post, Chicago has best Sichuan food in the country. My intention was to compare this one with Szechuan Cuisine in China town. I did not order all same dish es. I think I like the couple’s beef (ox tender maw) much better in the o5er place. Szechuan rabbits here is excellent, but overall, I do think Szechuan Cuisine might be better.

Great place, authentic Chinese food in the USA. After two years of living in China, I can safely say that this is the most original taste in Chicago. Thank you very much for the delicious dishes

I went there with my colleagues on last week and ordered several dishes and beers. Everything was OK to have very good oriental style dinner at Chicago. If you visit, you have to order fried rices with egg!! 저번 주 회사직원분들과 방문을 하였는데요. 많은 수의 요리와 맥주를 함께했습니다. 시카고에서 이민한 중화요리집을 찾기는 힘들것 같아요. 방문하신다면 반드시 계란볶음밥을 드세요!!

With a convenient location on Michigan Ave near several large hotels, Lao Sze Chuan serves a largely Asian clientele. The fourth floor setting is nicely decorated. Service was attentive the two times we tried this restaurant. Sadly, the food was just average. It says something when Panda Express gets a higher rating, and we have to agree. Save your money and try the food court just outside this restaurant.

We really liked the food here. It’s a little fancy and formal, but the food is very tasty and beautifully presented. We especially liked the fact that you can order things that are not part of the “Americanized” Chinese menu. We would have liked a bit more heat (asked for spicy), but we’re pretty satisfied. It’s located right on The Magnificent Mile, which makes for an easy walk from many of the nearby hotels.