Shui Wah
2162 S Archer Ave
(between 21st St & Cermak Rd)
Chicago, IL 60616 (312) 225-8811
- Nearest Transit:
Cermak-Chinatown (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
66 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"Decor: Minimal Chic Staff: Attentive. Warm, but not sickly sweet. Professional. Drinks: Divine! Did I say, deliciously divine?!…" read more »
31 Reviews for Shui Wah
Really one of the best places in Chinatown to eat. I just wanted to update my review as this place serves up the best steamed eel. You need to pre-order.
My happy meal:
Black bean garlic steamed eel
Roasted squab with lime and sea salt
Vegetarian "Duck"
Cold crab with vinegar dipping sauce
Dungeness Crab and seafood steamed rice in lotus leaf
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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04/15/2007
I think this is the only place in Chinatown that serves Chiu Chow style food for dinner and they do… Read more »
I think I may have found my new favorite dim sum spot in Chicago. My previous one had been Happy Chef, and I had been sticking to that until I decided to branch out and try another one.
Sidenote: I'm from SoCal and my family is from Hong Kong, so I'm pretty picky about my dim sum.
Shui Wah has a bit of a wait (20-30min wait around noon on a Saturday) because it's not a huge place, but once you get seated you realize why there are so many patrons willing to wait to eat at this restaurant. You order your specific dim sum dishes on a sheet like at Happy Chef, and everything is brought out fresh from the steamers. The quality, in my opinion, is much better than and comparably priced with Happy Chef. The service wasn't great (we had to ask for water a few times before we got it), but they were good with staggering our dishes so that they would all fit on our table. Our party of 8 ordered close to 30 dim sum dishes, and we still ended up only paying $15/each (and that was with a generous tip!).
Good deal and good dim sum if you're willing to wait a bit. The dishes come quick once your order is in, though.
I'll definitely be back here again. Farewell, Happy Chef - Hello, Shui Wah!
Every Asian subgroup has a different take on dim sum. But Shui Wah caters to all. I'm a cultural foodie mutt - I grew up with Japanese/Taiwanese/Chinese in the kitchen, and ALWAYS rice! Except at dim sum.
Shui Wah is the closest thing you get to the secret hole in the wall tourists don't know to hit up because their Zagat says PHOENIX. Dim Sum officially ends at 2, but I'd go earlier than 1, since there will be a wait (it's not a real secret, after all) and they may run out of dishes on the weekend. The juice is worth the squeeze, folks.
Standard Dishes:
1. Meat Dumpling - Sao Mai - so you ask, "meat"? what is this "meat"? NUMBER ONE RULE OF CHINESE FOOD - you NEVER ask what the meat is. You probably wouldn't eat it if you knew. Usually it's a mixture of pork/seafood, usually topped with roe/mushroom. A staple to try here.
2. Pan fried Radish Cake - lo bo gao - It's a flavorful, slight crispy, moist dish and you must have it.
3. Long Wide Noodles with Shrimp (or Beef) inside - Chang Fen - mmm the sauce is delicious. I've loved this dish since I was 5 and trust me, my taste has changed dramatically over the years. Not to miss.
4. Shrimp Dumpling - Ha Gao - Okay, I love this in CA where the seafood is fresh, and I've grown to appreciate the Ha Gao here too. It's been 5 years...
For the more adventurous:
1. Tofu Skin rolls - Bit unattractive, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in taste/texture. Worth a try if you're not afraid of tofu (like my boyfriend is, who, as a meat/potatoes cornfed Minnesotan boy, believes that once he tries tofu/soymilk the world will come to an end. Should I tell him my chai lattes he loves so much don't have dairy?).
2. Fried Taro - I don't even like taro, but the fried outside and meat inside needs a layer to meld it together, and surprisingly enough taro is the wonderful glue that pulls this dish together. If you don't like taro, give it a chance. It's worth it.
3. Fung Zhao - Chicken Feet. I've tried them, and they're not half bad. Despite the taste factor of this dish, it is unsightly. Not for the faint of heart.
Save the Cha Se Bao, BBQ pork bun, run for the bakeries. Though the dough they use at dim sum is different than the bakeries', so it's worth a try.
Dim sum is not a classy affair, (Phoenix is Chinatown's official attempt to answer that idea), so you shouldn't expect superb décor or ambience. No, what you should expect is "Chinese tapas" (how I explained it to my very sheltered friends at U of C). How to distinguish from the multitudes of restaurants that line "New Chinatown" and serve all these dishes on butcher paper covered tables? The taste/cost ratio here is impressively distinctive. I've never spent more than $15 apiece and I eat a TON of dimsum (from my childhood with three boys...if you didn't eat fast, you didn't eat!)
I'll maintain my official stance that no Chicago Chinese place could ever top the Chinese bubble that is Rowland Heights in CA (I'm sorry but it's true. If ever you are in LA, have a Chinese person take you here for dimsum. Best decision ever).
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This restaurant has only a few tables and fills up very quickly. I come here for their dim sum and I know how to order ahead and what to order, so I'm fine with no carts. Dishes are superb (not too oily, and not too dry) which explains the long wait line after 9am.
Food items are anywhere from $1.50 to $3.00.
Street parking. If you're familiar with the grid, good for you. If not, good luck. You could park at the private parking lot but the walking distance is about 3 to 4 blocks. Parking ticket validation is not offered.
This small restaurant is off the street in a store complex. It has only a few tables and fills up quick. It opens at 8am. I got there and snagged a seat at 8:30...by 9am there was a wait outside. The food is good...and they have some dim sum dishes that I have not seen elsewhere. I think the place should be alittle cleaner...by table was dirty when I sat down, which I hate to see...Staff is friendly...most dishes are ordered ahead by you...although they bring some dishes around. I will go back if in Chicago.
Came here for a birthday dinner, otherwise would have been low priority on my waitlist of restaurants to try in chinatown. But, I'm glad I came because I had a self revelation with one extraordinary dish: Fried Pig Intestine. Again, a dish that would be a low priority thing for me to order. I have tried sauteed intestines but I think it was more for the amusement of others or a way to peak my inner George. I never understood why my parents liked that stuff. I bet all the Chinese people reading this are thinking I'm such a rookie. But, I have finally been enlightened! It has proven that anything (well almost anything) can taste good, if cooked properly. The French have learned this concept early on, but the British eh not so much (B4 you bring on the hate mail, my British friend thought it was funny, it's just a joke). It almost felt like a scene out of old school kung fu movies, when my master (parents) send me out to the world after training. In modern talk, it's equivalent to when Wesley learns how to curve a bullet for the first time. So, let's get to the dish: the skin had a crispiness like peking duck and the color and taste somewhat like char shiu. After the light crisp, you have the chewy and fatty texture soaked with a thin sweet and sour sauce condiment. I was gonna use loose or watery instead of thin but that may evoke some negative connotations in this context.
So what about the other dishes? I had the house chicken, oxtail stew, lobster e-mein, fried squid, walnut shrimp, S&S pork, fried oysters, and egg tofu casserole. I think the only one worth mentioning is the house chicken which is a slight variation from the steamed chicken with oil and ginger. Also, if your gonna spend $30 on lobster, I believe you can find better ginger and onion lobster dishes elsewhere. Fried oysters is a no no as well costing at $15. I may have to come back for the dim sum next time.
So what is in store for my culinary journey? I don't know. I just hope it is not the Pungent Durian, Ghastly Balut, or the Bullying Rocky Mountain Oysters. I will need much more training to overcome these worthy adversaries. All I know is if starvation is the key to pure enlightenment, I will drop this quest in a heartbeat!!!
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Shui Wah has become my go-to place for dim sum in Chicago. I grew up eating dim sum and I've had it all over the country (hello San Gabriel!) and in China and Hong Kong, so my standards are pretty high; until I found Shui Wah (which does not do cart service) I was pretty disappointed with everything I'd had in Chicago. It was either too cold, too bland, poorly prepared, or tasteless. Until I found Shui Wah, I thought I'd be limited to eating Dim Sum on either coast when I traveled for work.
There are so many standouts on the menu - and everything is prepared fresh, as you order it. The chicken shiu mai are the best I've had in the states, and everything else tastes pretty great. I have yet to be disappointed by any of the dim sum. Prices are reasonable, too. The only watch out is timing - don't go right after church lets out or you'll be waiting for a long time.
***Note to those may or may not have a chip on their shoulder because they aren't Chinese*****
Drop your expectations - you are only setting yourself up for awkwardness and a bad experience.
And no one cares if you can or cannot use chopsticks. If they don't give them to you, just ask. They are trying to be courteous and save you from loss of face just by chance that you aren't handy. They want you to eat, not struggle.
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Dim Sum reminds me of my youth in Portland where my parents and I would go downtown to our version of China Town, and I'd giggle when someone ordered 'Chicken Feet' or 'Spare Lips over Lice'. (Please Yelp, please don't pull this review).
Shui Wah brought those memories back, but we missed dim sum by oh, four hours (it ends at 3pm there). I did ask for their check-list menu to see what was there...the usual suspects including the aforementioned affirmed my thoughts that this could be a future dim sum revival.
Anyways, we ordered four plates of stuff...all good, but the one thing that stood out was the sauteed baby bok choi in garlic sauce. It was the best dish we had, and this is coming from a carnivore.
Oh, and my girlfriend thought the waiter with the frosted tips was cute. Or maybe I'm just making that up.
Shui Wah...come here for good Chinese food or fashion sense, and if you're white, be sure to bring your own chopsticks as they will assume that you can't use them and will default to forks. I guess you can ask them for chopsticks, too. This advice also goes to those who are Asian and bring along their non-Asian friends. Think of this policy as the metaphorical Great Wall dividing China (or just Asia) and the rest of the world.
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This place is great, by far the best dim sum in China Town! Although the wait can be long at times, it's always worth it. The food is cheap and fresh. You can't beat that combination in China Town.
The best part about Shui Wah is the mystery menu item. It's only written in Chinese, so of course a group of filipinos, a mexican, and a white guy have no idea what the hell it is. But, we always order it. Once it was some shrimp-cake-eggplant-thing and another time it was pork and veggies.
I think next time we'll try the crispy milk, whatever that is.
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I never really wanted to review this place because I hate waiting for a table. See, I know you have to get here very early on a weekend to be seated fast, but no one wants to get up early on a weekend. But if you do, this is worth it.
All the dim sum here is awesome. I love the fried bread (yes, fried bread) and the stuffed eggplant. This place is veggie friendly as they can also deep fry tofu which is very good. So bring all the kiddies and eat lot for cheap.
And for those that like Happy Chef better, good, continue to go to Happy Chef.
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It's pretty good dimsum I'd have to say. I think Happy Chef and Phoenix is better. I've boycotted Happy Chef b/c of the horrible service so I'm in search of a new dimsum restaurant!! Send me a message if you know of a place.
What I didn't like was that they overcharged on some food items so make sure you check your receipt. BEWARE!!!!
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We headed to Shui Wah hoping to get our first Dim Sum experience, but being complete novices, did not realize that Dim Sum service stops mid-afternoon. Doh!
We stayed anyway and enjoyed some pretty good chinese food. The highlight of the meal for me was the fish with pepper salt. Quite delicious.
It is BYOB, and I think we were the only people there having booze.
I was a little worried, being a group of white folks, that we would get bad service or be ignored. That was not the case. Our server was more than happy to answer questions and help us figure out what we wanted.
My only complaint is that the meat (except for the fish) seemed a little bit greasy. Not so much that it killed the meal, but enough that it as a bit of a downer.
In summary: You can certainly do much worse than dinner at Shui Wah! I can't wait to actually get there for some dim sum...
Where else can you get delicious Chinese food at 1 am on a Sunday night in 0 degree weather? And accompanied by friendly service, no less.
There are so many places to choose from in terms of where to dine in Chinatown. What sets this place apart is that it serves chiu chow cuisine, which originates from the city of Swatow and is a style of cooking that is pretty popular in Hong Kong.
I have only been here for dinner and haven't tried the dimsum yet. Best dish i've had there so far is definitely the Preserved Mustard Green with sliced pork. For pork belly lovers, this is it. The pork is so juicy and tender, and along with the amazing sauce, it just melts in your mouth. I'm drooling right now as I type. I think I need to visit Shui Wah like... in 20 minutes. Oh, and for dessert, no worries. Warm black rice soup is included with the entree and is the perfect end to a nice meal.
What's really cute? The owner who is always there working, has a cartoon caricature of himself plastered everywhere, on the menus and out on the front window. You gotta love that.
Hello - I'm originally from the SF Bay Area, so always felt the Chinese food in Chicago wasn't that great. First, this is actually two restaurants, there is a different owner during the day for dim sum and another guy in the evenings for dinner. Second, the dim sum is fantastic and the dinner is even better. The other reviewers have already given a big thumbs up for the dim sum, so I want to add that for dinner, stick to the dishes on the colorful laminated menu, try the sweet and sour soup and if they have an oyster special, go for that. There is a blackboard with daily specials. Just ask the waiter to translate. The owner is very friendly and one of the other waiters is actually his brother.
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The dim sum here is a'ight -- I can't believe I'm saying this, but I found the dumplings to be too big. And I'm not big fan of the order sheet -- unlike a sushi spot, they get a bit of an attitude if you order more after they take the sheet away. You can't beat the price though. Overall, I was underwhelmed.
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I am giving Shui Wah 5 Stars for Dim Sum. There dim sum is fresh and hot when it arrives at your table. Forget about the silly carts that they push around in Phoenix. This place works efficiently by taking your order and bringing it out straight to you. You don't have to fight off other dim summers for food nor do you have to worry about waiting for the carts to roll up to your table with the nasty leftovers.
Prices are extremely reasonable. For each type of dim sum on the list, it's marked s for small, m for medium, l for large, and so on. The dim sums marked s are $2.30, mediums are $2.70, and I don't know the rest because most dim sums are either s or m's.
My friend and I had 2 Shrimp Dumpling orders, 1 order of Siu Mai, 1 Order of Chicken Feet, and 1 Egg Yolk Roll. Everything came out to be about $14 with tax and we were stuffed. Best dim sum place I've had in Chicago.
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Shui Wah is definitely one of the places to go for good dim sum, but if you like the "rolling cart" method, then don't go here, because all the dim sum is made fresh to order. Like that's really a bad thing!
For weekend dim sum hours, expect a wait unless you're incredibly lucky and catch them when the tables are turning all at once. The place is much smaller than the larger dim sum houses Happy Chef, Phoenix, and Three Happiness, and for that reason has a less touristy feel. Frankly, who needs tourists when sitting next to a bunch of ethnic Chinese sure makes me feel better about the food's authenticity.
It's a bit more difficult to order the items of dim sum because when they roll the carts around at other places, I never ask what the items are called, but merely point at what looks appetizing. Still, my friend and I did our best and got a good assortment of fried, steamed, and otherwise cooked goodies. For the adventurous, try the roast pork and sausage sticky rice dish. The pork looks gross, but it tastes great, like sweet cured meat.
Of course, the other big plus of dim sum is it's so cheap. You usually leave stuffed for under $15 a person.
We had to wait a half an hour before our number got called for us to sit in and eat, but it was worth it. It was afterall a Sunday, and most all dim sum spots have a wait. This place doesn't have carts which is tough because they have a sheet where you check off items that you want ordered. This would be very difficult for a first timer in terms of deciding what to order. Plus, they take a copy of this and give it to the kitchen. So, this forces you to order more and take stuff home. Service is usually always tough with restaurants in Chinatown, so I'd say it's mediocre. I like that they have chrysanthemum tea here. Everything was very fresh and tasty. I just felt that I was missing some items that some other dim sum places have. It's a little less expensive than Phoenix, but I still choose Phoenix for my favorite dim sum spot in Chicago. I'd come here if I didn't want to deal with a longer wait some place else. I do like this place a lot though.
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Come here if you like shrimps shell in your shrimp dumplings. Otherwise, it's ok.
My "dimsum" spot of the moment ("moment" = past 2 years). The wait is long, the restaurant is very small and gets cramped, but none of that stuff bothers me b/c Chinatown is Chinatown, and I come for the food, not the service or ambience. Sometimes you'll have to share a larger table with other parties, but you can always say no to that. I like the fact that no dimsum carts are rolled around b/c I can never get what I want unless the carts come by your table (i.e., Phoenix). Shui Wah's dimsum ordering concept is the same as at sushi restaurants--by pencil and paper. The prices are cheap too, and the food is made fresher than Phoenix and Furama.
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This place has incredible dim sum. It tastes so fresh and soooo goood. Thinking of it makes me want to drool. The only bad thing about it is the seating. Its a small place so you usually have to wait. But if you go on weekdays where adults have to go to work and students have to go to school, there's plenty of space. Around this area, adults who work will be out of chinatown by 11 a.m. And dim sum don't end until 3.
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I really wish we could get a 1/2 star system going but since that's available at the moment, Shui Wah gets pimped from 3.5 to 4 stars thanks to my generous round-up system. This place is great for a casual meal with minimal noise in a comfortable and clean setting. The entrees here are reasonably priced and rather good - although some of the beef dishes are a bit too salty for my tastes. Those entrees comes out with the quickness. I'm wondering if they've a food replicator in the back - yes, ph33r teh Star Trek nerdiness (and no, I'm not a Trekkie).
P.S. Make sure you try their salt and pepper fish filet! In one word, it's AWESOME.
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ONe of the best dim sum places in Chinatown - usually preferred for take out instead of eating in since the space is a bit cramped. I love the taro balls here and the desserts are delish, too.
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the most authentic/reasonably priced dim sum place I know. I really like the chiu chow dumplings and the shrimp ha-gao.
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Good dim sum for carryout, due to limited seating. It's on a menu with descriptions rather than a cart, so you won't accidently try the shark fin dumplings...
The best dim sum in Chicago - you will not find another dim sum place that tastes better than Shui Wah. This is where the locals go and there is always a line on the weekends. (The wait, if any, is short on weekdays.) The food is served hot and fast and it is cheap. The place is small and usually crowded so be ready to sit close. This is a must go and I've been here like 20 times! Everyone that I bring loves this place.
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Ok, so I'm still on the hunt for great Chicago dim sum. For me, dim sum is tough but potentially extremely rewarding. You see, I'm mostly a vegetarian, but I will eat chicken. Kudos to this place for excellent Lotus buns and Chicken buns, but I ordered the lotus-leaf wrapped sticky rice, and it turned out to have pork in it (I don't fault them for that, just a bummer for me.) My taro cakes, however, were somewhat slimey and I wound up taking them with me out of guilt.
My omnivorous husband found the pork shu mai to be just "okay". When I just asked him for his review of the overall experience he replied that nothing he'd had was that amazing, and that he'd had better buns, both fried and steamed, at Phoenix. He didn't like that nothing came with a dipping sauce and we were left with only the soy sauce for accent.
Generally, the ordering from a menu works better for me with my dietary preferences, but I'll brave the cart system for slightly better food. Will perhaps give Shui Wah another chance, but I'm currently not sure why it got Chicago magazine's Best Dim Sum.
p.s. I went at 1:45 on a Saturday and got seated at a single table instantly.
Shui Wah is a great choice for dim sum or dinner. The food isnt expensive and the quality is good. Although it can get pretty packed in the morning, the wait is never too long. It beats walking next door to the lesser dim sum joints...Does that sound mean? The other places aren't horrible, but what's a 15-20 minute wait for better food, right? Anyways, the service can be a bit lacking but being Chinese, I'm a bit more forgiving. I know, I'm a bit bias. Anywho, I love the fried calamari they have there (I don't know what it's called on the dim sum sheet but look through the fried section...) and the vegetarian rice crepe isn't bad either. For dinner, this place becomes more relaxed and less crammed. I usually get this fried tofu in a metal pot dish(I know, I should really try to get the names down... I'll check next time I'm there but I'm sure they'll understand) or the fried quail. They usually have my favorite tong siu (sugar water) for dessert. It's made with purple rice and coconut milk. If you're lucky enough, they may have it that night. Or if you're like me, call in to ask if they have it and then decide if you want to go....
located next door to happy chef, it's another good place for dim sum although the space is smaller so seating can be a bit cramped. service is also not as fast as its neighbor, but not intolerable. at night, the cuisine changes from canto dim sum to chiu chow food, which makes it pretty distinctive. i like the dungenous crab steamed with sticky rice and lotus leaf.
Great place for dim sum, especially take out dim sum. Just check all the ones you want on the order sheet and hand it to the cashier. We go here often on sundays so the servers just hand us a pen when they see us arrive. The order is ready to go in 15 minutes or so and you can eat at home and avoid the table waiting game. Their dimsum is great, and not greasy, and they offer some unique chiu chow (teow chew) type dimsum. Mango pudding here is yummy.
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