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China Station
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
2411 W North AveChicago, IL 60647
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park
(773) 252-1023
- Nearest Transit:
-
Western-O'Hare (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
Sun 1:30 pm - 9 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
august b. said: "This is where Don Draper would go for some Chop Suey while listening to a friend tell the punchline to a China man joke over the third round of drinks for the day....seriously the 1950's type of Chinese that was at one time as exotic…" read more »
46 reviews for China Station
Review Highlights
"Excellent Crab Rangoon and really good fruit smoothies."
(in 17 reviews)
"Even their delivery guy - Joe - is awesome."
(in 20 reviews)
"Their vegetable egg rolls have peanut butter and cinnamon..."
(in 4 reviews)
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46 reviews in English
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Review from erika g.
Chicago, IL
1/29/2011
I first ordered from China Station after they left a brochure in my mailbox 4 years ago.
This has been our go-to Chinese take out ever since.
No frills, just straightforward Chinese takeout in a brown paper bag - perfect amount of greasiness, but all the veggies still have crunch and the meat is real.
I kind of don't want to count/admit how often I've ordered from here - but I will say it's always quick, delicious and cheap. -
Review from Nina D.
Chicago, IL
12/16/2011
WORST CHINESE FOOD I HAVE EVER HAD. Okay, look, you're probably thinking, "Oh, it can't be that bad, I'll check out the other reviews..." But I'm going to reiterate, just in case you glazed over that the first time I said it: WORST CHINESE FOOD I HAVE EVER HAD.
1. There were only four small shrimp in the entire order of shrimp kung bao. Which is fine if all you want to eat are baby corn, onions, and peanuts in a watery sauce.
2. The curry was bland and watery. Oh if only the curry and the "soup" (see article #8) could exchange consistencies.
3. There were only three small shrimp in the order of shrimp curry. Small, as in a little bigger than popcorn shrimp-size.
4. They forgot to include our order of crispy wantons. Which I didn't call about to complain because the only solution I could forsee is them bringing me more food (oh God, please no) or them offering to pay for my next meal (I won't be back, even for free).
5. The fried rice had almost no flavor...which makes no sense considering it was dark brown as if they had smothered it in soy sauce. Also, it was shrimp fried rice (can you tell I'm a fan of shrimp?) and it had about three salad shrimp in it.
6. The soy sauce provided was the awful kind that's basically water, salt, and brown food colouring -- look, Chinese restaurants everywhere -- we are not fooled by this anymore! Get some Kikkoman packets! Even grocery store sushi comes with real soy sauce!
7. The egg rolls were very greasy and the insides were permeated with this crumbly unidentified matter, kind of like when you cook ground beef with veggies and it sticks to everything -- but these were supposed to be veggie egg rolls. I didn't finish mine. And I'm pretty indiscriminate about egg rolls; until today, I have never met an egg roll I didn't like.
8. And the pièce de résistance: The egg drop "soup." This soup was thicker than any creamy chowder I've ever seen. As it cooled, it continued to thicken to the consistency of gravy. The flavor wasn't bad, but it was completely unpalatable at this thickness. I considered adding it to a stockpot full of water and using it as a soup base. We refrigerated it to see how thick it would get and this Egg Drop Jell-O was born: http://img857.imagesha... That spoon is stuck in there. This should never happen with any soup.
One star because the delivery was timely, I didn't get sick after the little bit I did eat, the pre-packaged fortune cookie wasn't the citrusy kind, they didn't screw up my can of Lipton Brisk ice tea and Yelp doesn't allow me to choose a "zero-star" review.
Brad S. hit the nail on the head with "you will end up throwing the food out the window and ordering Pizza Hut."
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. -
Review from Michael M.
Chicago, IL
1/1/2012
Thanks China Station, I will no longer be eating chinese food in chicago as you had made me lose all faith. fu.
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Review from Brad S.
Chicago, IL
5/30/2011
Three and a half stars?! This place sucks- there is no way around it. I will start off by saying that their bbq pork friend rice is not terrible. But then there is everything thing else that I've tried. Everything. I don't expect a gourmet meal from a budget-friendly chinese restaurant, but don't want it to taste like dog feces. I will order crab rangoon just about anytime it's on the menu where I'm at. I've given it multiple attempts and still have been extremely disappointed every time. Egg rolls- foget it. Any type of glazed entree will fill you with angst. You won't save any money if you're like me, because you will end up throwing the food out the window and ordering Pizza Hut. Wing Lee used to get me in the door, but she left long ago...
Point awarded however for the old tv and the horse posters. The cashier who probably owns the place is pretty nice as well. -
Review from Jessica B.
Chicago, IL
12/21/2010
Just moved from Lakeview to Wicker Park. On my second night here, i got that oh so persistent craving for Chinese food. I knew that anything i picked would not be anywhere already near the deliciousness Yummy Yummy on Broadway can provide, so i was prepared for sub-par Chinese.
Delivery was quick (35 min in a blizzard!!) Crab Rangoon - one of my staples, was not good at all. The sauce they provided was weird, and it was the typical sysco (or wherever chinese places get their food supply) crab rangoon.
Sesame Chicken was pretty decent. Sauce was great consistency and the chicken didn't taste fake. However, the rice was very very dry. Dry like you try to reheat rice the next day dry..
If im in a bind, ill order again. Otherwise i will keep trying new places until i find something as good as Yummy Yummy or Chens in the WP area. -
Review from Martha Z.
Chicago, IL
7/15/2009
I always pass by this place and think to myself, "oh this Chinese food place probably tastes like all the other cheap Chinese places". But then enter yelp and the plethora of great reviews. Could there possibly be a cheap and tasty Chinese food loophole? And conveniently located in my neighborhood? The answer is yes.
Now don't get me wrong, the food isn't very exotic or prepared to the the taste of kings and queens. But for the lack of originality it makes up for in the sheer amount of food and value. I ordered a large Mongolian beef and a small moo shu pork to share with my companion, I still have enough food left to host a party. We could have shared a small order of something and had plenty to spare. Note: the Mongolian beef was fabulous, a bit gravy overkill but featuring tasty and lots of beef and colorful green onions. The pork moo shu, eh probably won't order it again, way too much cabbage and that's all I could taste. Even the giant carton of white rice was prepared well, fluffy and soft, not hard and dry like some take out places can be.
The only big disappointment I had was the crab rangoon. Which I was very excited to try based on all the yelping suggestions. Although big in size the flavor was very bland and the wonton wasn't crispy at all. They did make up for this by including not only fortune cookies with the order but fricking almond cookies. Which is fabulous, I love both kinds of cookies, so this was a special treat!
That being said if you are looking for a laid back evening that involves undoing your pant button to make more room for food and you only have $10 to your name, this will keep your tummy pretty happy. -
Review from Theresa C.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 3/27/2009
Dear China Station-
I want to thank you for all the good times over the last year and a half, I will always cherish the memories. Thank you for always being there for me, even when I'm sick and pouty and wait until 9:30 to decide what I want for dinne r and only have 6 dollars. I will always keep you in my heart, even after I move out of your delivery range.
Love,
theresa c.Listed in: My Old Neighborhood
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/29/2009
I live on the same block as China Station. It's super easy. The food is really good, I recommend the… Read more »
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Review from Sam H.
ASTORIA, NY
9/3/2009
Just moved into the area and was looking for a nice Chinese place -- used Google first and ended up here, reading some great reviews. I concur with all of them. This place is good, cheap, and quick Americanized Chinese cuisine. I have some tips, since this is "my" place for Chinese:
* If you over-order, you'll be eating this food for a month. The portions are absolutely massive.
* Crab Rangoon -- best ever. Don't even order it, just make sure you order more than $20 worth of food (easy) and ask for it. I think you can order $10 and get some too.
* Fried Tofu -- vegans, this is for you. Grab some of this and the Vegetable Tofu dish and you're good to go, or Vegetable Deright / Hunan Mixed Vegetables (spicy)
* Carryout -- takes about 10 minutes no matter what you order. Seriously. Parking around there is kind of a bitch so I suggest the north side of North Ave and then run across the street.
* Derivery ;) -- The dude is usually pretty quick, I live a few blocks away so I only do this when I'm feeling super lazy. And they don't rape you on the delivery charge.
Personally as far as food I recommend the Mongolian Beef, combo fried rice, the Kung Bao beef or chicken, the Hunan Chicken, and the fried tofu / crab rangoon. Hope this helps! -
Review from Liz S.
Overland Park, KS
3/23/2008
I'm in love with their crab rangoon...I crave and dream about it. This is the type of crab rangoon that's crispy and has tons of cream cheese/crab filling. YUMMY!
I also like their fried rice a lot and I'm slowly trying more dishes. It's definitely a good place to get Chinese food from. Although, their chicken lo mein isn't want I wished it were. It's the smaller noodles and I always wish it were the thicker egg noodles. Maybe they will hear my pleads and change the noodles.Listed in: Cream of Sum Yum Guy
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Review from Dane K.
6/3/2008
Your average Americanized Chinese carry out delivery place. What sets this place apart from many in the area is it's relatively cheap.
You can get "lunch specials" for $3.95. That includes whatever entree, rice, and a soda. You can order these at any other time too--I do for dinner--and they just add a surcharge on ($2?). I don't know if they make the portion size slightly larger when they do the surcharge too or what? It's still a good deal though, considering I often even have leftovers.
The food itself isn't anything spectacular; actually, it's bordering on "if it were more money, I'd skip it"... but is reliable enough to be considered "average" I guess.
I've gotten delivery from here several times as well as picked up. It's nothing to look at inside.. Delivery was reliable.Listed in: Stuff around my 'hood' (West…
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Review from Erica S.
Chicago, IL
7/22/2009
After watching too many episodes of "Sex and the City" (in which they were always eating chinese food), my roommate and I had a strong craving for chinese. So we yelped some places and since China Station is really right down the street from our house AND they delivered (we were feeling lazy, and pretty much still wanted to watch Sex and the City) we ordered some food. What's nice is that you could find their menu online so it didn't matter that we had never been there (awkwardly, I just remembered that I threw away the menu that came with the food, DAMN!)
So we ordered and they said it would take 45 minutes. In about twenty, our buzzer rang and our food had arrived. I was impressed by the speedy delivery, especially because I was hungry and there was another episode of them eating chinese food.
Now, I will say that when I order chinese food, I have a habit of over-ordering, just because I enjoy chinese food leftovers for lunch the next day. I got the beef fried rice, sesame chicken and hot and sour soup. The soup was too sour and not enough hot, the sesame chicken was too dry and the beef fried rice was lacking flavor. Naturally, the rice was easy to fix as I added sirracha and ate to my little heart's content. I suffered through the other parts of the meal, but was not feeling impressed. My roommate ate her food, but I could tell that she too was not impressed.
I have China Station three stars because it wasn't too awful; I've had worse Chinese food. Also, the fact that they deliver, are cheap, and give pretty good portion sizes for leftovers means that I am not too offended by the fact that I have to doctor it up a little for it to taste to my liking. -
Review from dave k.
Chicago, IL
3/5/2009
Dude.... China Station! Seriously. [insert wi-five]
Admittedly, this place looks pretty sketchy from the outside... but once you get inside you'll find it to be a family joint with high quality eats and attentive service... plus, it's cheap and fresh and deliciouso (that's spanish for delicious as i'm not sure how to say delicious in chinese). Anzyways, a sure bet is the innominate yet surprising "General's Chicken" or the exciting mongolian beef.
Okay, maybe not exciting. Or surprising for that matter. But pretty dang good, anyways. -
Review from Richie D.
3/30/2009
It is always a bit difficult to search out a GOOD place that delivers near Logan Square. The options are: Thai, Thai, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rican, Latino Chicken. That's about it. I thought China Station (minus the lame name that is probably a flaw of an incorrect translation) would be a steady Chinese option due to the Yelp reviews. I was too optimistic...
-The Brown Rice looked like black rice (you're thinking too much into it if you thought this was a racial remarks) due to perhaps the soy sauce they use or by overcooking the rice.
-The orange chicken was in two huge clumps and was ultra flour-y. Where's the chicken?? The only thing that made it "orange" was a slice of orange peel on top.
-The beef was overly chewy and if it has a rainbow glare to it, no thanks.
+I do give them a shout-out for bring prompt with delivery, having everything prepared to chow down (forks, napkins, a million soy sauce packets--perhaps hinting to bland food--all in the bag), and giving us two free Crab Rangoons that I think is their selling point. I guess we either were given that for not being in their phone system or they just credited us with a non-existent coupon. -
Review from Allison K.
Chicago, IL
3/13/2010
Solid take-out place.
Everything you'd realistically hope for. We got shrimp with vegetables, sesame chicken, and sweet and sour chicken. Nothing to die for but everything was yummy.
Big portions, a small runs about $5.50, was enough for 1 person to squeeze 2 meals out of.
This will probably be our go-to Chinese place. -
Review from Beryl C.
Chicago, IL
11/14/2007
It's definitely a cheap eat for the amount of food you get.
This is another place that I always order from while at work.
I love their Chicken Lo Mein and Sesame Chicken. And, their Hot and Sour Soup is a bomb!!! It's made freshly per order -- unlike other restaurants that made a big pot in the morning and serve it for the whole day.
There is no doubt that they are Americanized Chinese food but they taste much better than your regular chop-suey restaurant.
The owner, Annie, is willing to work with you -- add/minus/extra whatever you want at your dishes.
The delivery is usually very good. We usually get our food delivered for less than half an hour. -
Review from Kriss S.
Chicago, IL
5/21/2010
See here's the thing about fried rice - it's tricky. You'd think it wasn't right? Rice + veggies + frying and you're good. Right?
Typically I don't buy fried rice from takeout places because I can make my own (quick tutorial on how to make fried rice: take extra long grain or any other kind of white rice and cook it as normal. Store in the fridge for one to two days depending on how crunchy you want it. Chop veggies of choice and fry with aformentioned rice. Season accordingly. Done. See here's the thing, fried rice is day old or more rice that's just being recycled into a dish to cut down on waste.)
With that said, there have been rare times where I've wanted fried rice and I didn't want to wait a few days for it - as China Station is a block away, it's the most convenient place. The portion sizes given for the cost are pretty average (fried rice in takeout establishments are usually cheap) - what bums me out about this place's particular fried rice is the lack of flavor. We're talking barely anything at all - no garlic, shallot or anything (mind you, I don't use monosodium glutamate in my own rice, yet it still has more flavor - there SHOULD be a saltiness factor if I'm willingly purchasing something loaded with MSG).
Other then convenience, this place isn't worth all that much... -
Review from Becky S.
Chicago, IL
3/27/2009
Crab rangoon is to die for. Perfectly cream-cheesy and crispy on the outside. My boyfriend and I always get a large sesame chicken, which is crispy and the sauce is sweet and tangy, and a small vegetable fried rice, and thats enough for dinner for the two of us. Perfectly Americanized delicious Chinese food for a good price. Makes good leftovers too.
They give a complimentary carton of white rice with every order, and we always tell them we don't want it - we like fried rice better - but they give it to us anyways.
We always walk because we live just down the street, so can't say anything about the delivery. The location is nothing to speak of, except they used to have a sign posted that said "No Republic Restrooms" that amused me every time we went there until they took it down recently :( -
Review from Christopher P.
Chicago, IL
12/23/2009
I am convinced that there's no good Chinese food in the Logan Square/Bucktown area. I've tried a few so far, and all have failed miserably. China Station included.
You know you're in trouble when your appetizer sampler contains french fries. Yes, you read that right. French fries. The egg rolls were nasty, the fried shrimp were smelly and foul, and the chicken wings were greasy and tough. Only the crab rangoon was tasty, but that wasn't enough to satisfy me.
And the ONE thing that I gauge all Chinese restaurants on is their Hot & Sour soup. If you screw that one up I never think about your establishment again. Well, they did. Gloopy and thick, filled with green onions and not much else. Gross.
I ordered some other items as well, but I'm not going to rant about their sub-par quality as it would take forever. Just know that this place is terrible and I will never return. -
Review from steve c.
Chicago, IL
1/7/2011 1 photo
I have no clue why everyone is hating on this place? I order the Mongolian beef online and it was ready to be picked up in 10 minutes. It was tasty and generous portions. The egg drop soup that I also got was a tad salty but still good. I will be back and I will try other things and update my review. While I understand there is a lack of options in the area there is nothing that should keep you away from trying this place.
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Review from seth p.
Brooklyn, NY
11/15/2009
This place is cutting edge. Their vegetable egg rolls have peanut butter and cinnamon in them. That's like something I'd expect from one of those fancy eclectic places that I never go to.
Jesus was this nasty. I don't know how we choked it down. -
Review from Ali O.
Chicago, IL
2/11/2008
Based on the sketchy appearance of China Station, I was VERY hesitant to order food from here. I figured any Chinese restaurant that offers chop suey and lists fried rice as Arroz Frito on their menu probably wasn't going to be offering anything I wanted. Not that I'm a Chinese Food snob. I've been loving on Susie China (on Lincoln Avenue) for years and I think Papa Jin is SO overrated. But, China Station sells chicken wings and french fries. Who wouldn't be skeptical?!?!?!
Once again, however, I was proved wrong. I'm not sure who Mike P. talked to, but I found it very easy to place an order with the fluent lady who picked up the phone. She was actually quite nice! The food arrived in just under an hour, which was a bit long considering I live like 8 blocks away from them. But, they said it would take that long so at least they were upfront about it. Their crab rangoon was SOOOO good. Fresh and crunchy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Mmmm. The orange chicken had just the right amount of heat and the mongolian beef was super tasty.
I'm docking two stars because I would never ever ever actually eat at the restaurant and because while the food was good, I still think Susie China's is better. But, since I live so much closer to China Station now I'm sure that I'll be ordering from them again. -
Review from Janna V.
Washington, DC
3/8/2008
I love China Station--I have to admit, I would never have tried it if I didnt live around the corner, but the first time I ordered I was really suprized.
As the queen of cheap and cheerful I am happy to have such a gem in the neighborhood. The apps are great- the service over the phone is always pleasant, and my food is always ready within the time it takes me to walk the 2 blocks from my house.
Make sure you ask for extra sauces and for added spices if you need them. They are very nice about additions/subtractions.
The portions are ENORMOUS and the people below arent joking when they say its enough for 2 or 3 meals with one large portion.
Prices are dirt cheap but the ingedients arent gross. Its definately not organic or anything but they give you a good value. -
Review from Andrea H.
Chicago, IL
10/12/2009
The recent Sunday night when we decided to order from China Station, I had been dying for American Chinese food (or whatever it's called) for weeks. I have tried SO MANY Chinese delivery restaurants in my two and a half years in Chicago, and because of my Humboldt/Logan location I have never been successful. So I decided to give China Station a try and used their online ordering system at approximately 8pm. They were scheduled to close at 9pm.
Time passed and passed, and the food never arrived. Around 9, I called and called the restaurant with no answer. I checked my bank statement and no charge had gone through, so I figured that they somehow did not get or did not fulfill the order, and left it at that.
A few days later I realized I had been charged for the food that we never received. My husband called and spoke to a manager who did a little investigating and found my order had been delivered to the wrong address, and since it was already paid for via debit card, the person who answered the door decided to just take my food. GREAT JOB, PERSON WHO TOOK MY FOOD. Anyway. The manager was amazingly understanding, said she was doing the charge-back, called when she had performed the charge-back, and then drove to my house to personally drop off the printed receipt of the charge-back. Talk about customer service!
So, since then, we have ordered from China Station twice. The portions are MASSIVE (a large is very, very, very large, let me tell you). The pork fried rice is very soy-sauce heavy and some of the bbq pork is gristly, but its not bad at all. The chicken moo-shu is cabbage heavy (the way I like it, I am not very fond of mushrooms), and they will fulfill my husband's bizarre request of beef with broccoli with no broccoli or any vegetables extra extra extra spicy with hot chili sauce and hot mustard on the side.
Workmanlike Chinese food, but better than every other place I have ordered from save for one other rather expensive place, with EXCELLENT customer service. -
Review from Erin F.
Chicago, IL
6/6/2010
I ordered takout last week from China Station. The meal was . . . well it was totally blah. The food didn't have a lot of taste, and the sauce on our orange chicken was a bit heavy for my taste. But the amount of food for the price made me give them an extra star. They had to staple the top of the fried rice container shut because it was so full it wouldn't close.
Food, not great. Bang for your buck, outstanding. I might try another place, but if I can't find anything better I would proably go back.
Finding good Chinese food at a decent price seems to be one elusive beast here in Chicago. -
Review from Nic T.
Chicago, IL
1/17/2010
Oh for heavens sakes, is it really that hard to find a decent Chinese place outside of Chinatown? With the abundance of tasty Thai places all over the city, it's a damn dirty shame about the millions of horrid Chinese restaurants outside of the Cermak red line stop area.
Of course I only attempted this one because it's literally 5 minutes away walking and I was craving some Chinese. I got the Orange Chicken while my mec got the Mongolian Beef I believe, we split the Crab Rangoon.
There is a LOT of food, I'll give them that. Enough for a week of leftovers. It would help if you could eat more than a couple bites though. I ate a small portion, as much as I could as I was famished, and then the mountain of leftovers went into the fridge. And they sat... and sat... and sat. I always eat leftovers, but those leftovers sat for a week and a half before I admitted defeat, I just did not have the will or stomach power to eat another bite. Everything is bland bland bland. Toilet paper with ketchup would probably have more flavour.
So, if you need your Chinese, do yourself a favour and just go to Chinatown. I highly recommend checking out Shui Wah in New Chinatown Square; go for their amazing Dim Sum though be prepared to wait on the weekends. And ALWAYS tried the Spicy Squid with Salt; your mouth will thank you for years to come. -
Review from Leah R.
Chicago, IL
7/20/2009
Some unsung hero in this kitchen is making magic with Americanized Chinese food. The food is surprisingly good, particularly the delightfully crispy, creamy crab rangoon and robust chicken dishes. The sesame and sweet-and-sour chicken dishes are our favorites: thick, tangy sauce with big, soft chunks of ground chicken. To be fair, the chicken can be a bit mealy, and the beef rubbery, but for the price, size, freshness, and overall quality of the dishes, I find this acceptable.
What's remarkable about China Station is how generous they are with portions: the dishes are enormous to start with, and you will always get extras of items you've ordered--and sometimes freebies that you didn't order.
Service is quick as lightning: by the time we place an order and walk the two blocks over from our apartment, our food is ready. Staff is polite and courteous. Not a sit-down joint by any means, but for coming deliriously close to the nigh-impossible trifecta of fast, good, cheap Chinese food for pickup or delivery, China Station is a hidden gem. -
Review from Brian G.
Chicago, IL
11/9/2010
It's really lackluster. Ordered the "Kung Bao Chicken" and it had zero peanuts and lacked usual flavors even for fast food American/Chinese versions of that dish. No peanuts? No baby corn? NO PEPPERS????
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Review from nate c.
Chicago, IL
2/19/2008
Great lunch specials....cheap eats and lots of food. New menu came out with fresh smoothies. Not a bad place for carry out. Not a great place to dine in.
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Review from Leang E.
5/11/2010
I was really hoping that this place would be another hidden gem, but it was just ok. I am not sure I've had an eggroll that tasted so much like peanut butter. I didn't really care for that. I just don't see it being progressive or creative and it's certainly not authentic. My general's chicken tasted like it was doused with more soy sauce and some hot sauce so it was a bit saltier than I like. The entrees do come in a small and large size to choose from, but the prices seem a little bit higher than I'd say it's worth.
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Review from Noah W.
Bartlett, IL
6/12/2011
We ordered the Seaseme Chicken and Beef Broccoli, Crab Rangoon, and BBQ Rice. So here is the verdict. Large portions. We were not fans of the Seaseme chicken,. Beef Broccoli was alright. Crab Rengoon was some of the best i've ever had. BBQ pork fried rice was decent. The veggies were fresh, but the food lacked that extra kick that good American Chinese food places have.My advice ... I would read these reviews and be selective about what I ordered. Service was fast for take out...10 min to cook online order.
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Review from Josh R.
Marquette, MI
6/3/2010
I'm giving this 4 stars based on what it is, a takeout/delivery Chinese place. And for what it is, holy wah! We ordered a couple apps and a entrée each expecting to have just enough for 3 good size eaters. We didn't even get through a third of it there was soooooo much. And this isn't a case of quantity compensating for quality, this was really really good Chinese. And the pricing is really good too. For the large amount we ordered it was only about $50. The rangoons are the second best I've ever had anywhere. They were fast too. Even when they forgot an order of the rangoons (we ordered 2) they got forgotten order here with the quickness. If you're in their delivery area and want some good Chinese fast, hit these guys up for sure. OH, and unless you're straight up famished a small order on any of the entries will fill you up no problem.
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Review from Erin J.
11/9/2009
This was pretty horrible. We decided to order our Sunday night Chinese from China Station instead of our nearby tried-and-true restaurant and boy, were we sorry. In time summary:
6:00: we order the food and are given a delivery time of 7:00.
6:10: delivery time changes to 7:10.
7:10: we call and ask, where is the food? We're told it should be to our place within 10 minutes, as it left 10 minutes ago. Dim visions of chewy crab rangoon and cooling rubbery orange beef begin creeping into our heads.
7:20 food arrives, without the order of potstickers. I call to relay this info and I tell them I'll still take the potstickers if they can be delivered within half an hour; otherwise, just take the charge off the bill. The manager feels bad; says she will bring it out herself in 10-15 minutes.
8:00: still no potstickers. I call back, say forget the potstickers, just take the item off my bill. The person says they need manager approval to take it off the bill, and...the manager is out delivering them. Sigh.
8:20: same delivery guy as an hour ago shoes up and practically shoves the bag into my hands. I refuse it and say that the manager was supposed to have dropped this off herself 45 minutes ago. I tell the delivery guy to have his manager call me.
8:25 manager calls, says things have been "very bad" there that night. I agree and say it's unacceptable. She says she will take the charge for the potstickers off the bill; I thank her. She also says she will give me 30% off my next order if I remind her of this debacle. I decline.
We are not ordering from China Station again. Beware. -
Review from Julie F.
Chicago, IL
2/15/2010
Let me just say that I grew up in a small town in central IL where there was only 1 greasy Chinese place within a 25 mile radius so, even though I live right by Friendship Chinese, I occasionally crave some Chinese food quick and sleez style. China Station absolutely delivered. We had the dinner special for 2 which could have easily fed 5. It came with sweet & sour chicken, kung bao beef, 2 egg rolls and shrimp fried rice. We also got free crab rangoon with a coupon. The flavors were exactly what you've come to expect from a cheap Chinese takeout; fair and improved greatly with a douse of Sriracha. The food was about 10 mins. late but, I really was impressed with the green peppers and peanuts in the kung boa - they were crisp and fresh instead of the limp and soggy that usually come with home delivery. The crab rangoon was good too; egg rolls = meh.
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Review from Alec E.
Chicago, IL
4/6/2007
China Station is an indespensible eatery for everyday eats. I am addicted to their Singapore Rice Noodles, and it's by far the best in the city. At $8.00 a pop it feels like a bottomless pit of food.
The real value here is their lunch specials, at $3.95 including a soda they are a mountain of food. Also $20.00 orders come with a free selection of Crab Rangoon, Friend Wanton or other delicacies. While $10.00 orders come with a small portion of Crab Rangoon, Friend Wanton, et al.
As for the food I'd definitely recommend pork and beef over their chicken (as on occasion it's not great), but I've never been served a bad meal personally. We even order from China Station at our office in downtown because it's just that good.
This place is for the budget minded and as such you need to request, Chop Sticks, Hot Oil, Hot Mustard, etc. It also has some American food like fried chicken, burgers, and fries for those unadventurous who dwell among you. Yes delivery can be slow at those peak hours, but normally it's quite fast. (I just pop in and pick it up though) -
Review from Matt M.
Chicago, IL
5/8/2009
I used to live off this stuff! I never had a bad dish from here and the delivery is swift. I love it so much I'm going to order the diner for five and live on it for a week like i used to do as a bachelor!!!
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Review from Little R.
Chicago, IL
12/12/2008
Here's the thing - I really really really don't like Chinese food. And for a long time, the only Chinese food I could ever stomach was Chan's Peking III in Poughkeepsie, NY. (Don't even get me started with Chinatown - blech.) With Poughkeepsie being so far away, I thought I was done with Chinese food forever. Well, I was wrong. Love the food from China Station. It's delicious. Ridiculously so. It's fresh and cheap. Even their delivery guy - Joe - is awesome. I highly recommend China Station.
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Review from Bunny H.
Chicago, IL
2/12/2010
Good food, its really fast, fairly priced. Way better than other Chinese food in Humboldt Park.
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Review from nick p.
Chicago, IL
10/29/2008
we had good food, we ordered late at night and it got there in less than a hour. I recommend the Crab Ragoons A+ on that front. Everything else is yummy. Give it a shot
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Review from Nic L.
Chicago, IL
4/20/2009
I've only ever gotten food delivered from here, but it's always good. Reasonable prices for your typical Americanized Chinese food. Excellent Crab Rangoon and really good fruit smoothies. Friendly delivery people, too!
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Review from Tom C.
Chicago, IL
11/4/2009
China Station excels in the style I lovingly refer to as Strip Mall Chinese. These guys don't fancy themselves to be reinpreting any dishes and I've never seen much in the way of herbs in their cooking, but they turn out great portions of good Americanized Chinese food. Kung Pao is brimming with peanuts, General's Chicken is breaded deliciousness and the free Crab Rangoon is delightful.
This place fill a very important niche. My only complaint: no brown rice!
