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Dragonfly Mandarin
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
832 W Randolph St(between Green St & Peoria St)
Chicago, IL 60607
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West Loop
(312) 455-1400
- Nearest Transit:
-
Clinton-Green (Green Line, Pink Line)
Grand-Blue (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 11 pm
Fri 11 am - 2 am
Sat 11 am - 3 am
- Parking:
- Street, Valet
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
158 reviews for Dragonfly Mandarin
Review Highlights
"they're great for take out if you're in the loop."
(in 18 reviews)
"We also got spring rolls which were very good as well."
(in 8 reviews)
"Their curried fried rice is delicious and cheap."
(in 12 reviews)
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158 reviews in English
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Review from Cyndi C.
Wheaton, IL
12/22/2011
I want desperately to like this place since I think their lunch special (appetizer, soup and entree for $10) is well worth the money, but I cannot give them a rating higher than 3 stars based on service alone.
I have visited this restaurant a number of times in the last 2 years due to the proximity to work. In the beginning, service was acceptable, maybe because the restaurant was slow. Food was hot, tasty and worth the price...serving size was good and the variety on the specials menu was surprising.
However, since the lunch crowd has picked up, service has suffered - the last time I actually sat down to eat (a couple of weeks ago) they had ONE server for 10+ tables! Even though my party of 4 ordered the second the server came over (we had to stand up and call him over by the way) it still took us 1.5 hours for lunch!! Ridiculous. As someone that only gets 1 hour for lunch, this was beyond unacceptable to me.
Today I opted to try again...my party of 4 walked in the door, the tables were NOT full, but the server (again, ONE server) was serving a larger party, so no one was able to greet us. My party stood at the door for approximately 5 minutes...4 minutes longer than we wanted. Given our experience the last time, we opted to walk out. -
Review from Greg G.
Chicago, IL
2/4/2012 4 photos
I came here for lunch with family because they wanted to try it. We drove out together and found street parking pretty easily. We entered the restaurant where the top floor was undergoing construction. This meant, buzzing and banging for the entirety of our meal. The service was also very slow - our whole lunch from ordering to check took about 3 hours, and Dragonfly was hosting about 2 other visible parties.
The food itself was alright. The lunch special is definitely the way to go - you get a lot of food at a reasonable price. If you like sesame chicken (for some hardcore Asians, sesame chicken is the most white-washed Asian food, if not second to General Tso's), their rendition was very good. The included salad was forgettable, but I really liked their brown rice. The included soup was also fine, and the crab rangoons were average. Again, the food was fine - it was mostly the huge delays between course that lowered my rating. 3 hours for lunch; it's a good thing we [kinda, haha] like each other. -
Review from Rock Star R.
Chicago, IL
11/26/2011
:(
I was really hoping to love this place.
- The cocktails we're ridiculously overpriced.
- The appetizer was just, OK and rather bland.
- The entree was quite pathetic. It stated it came with "a plethora of chinese vegetables." I guess that means, green onions. That was the ONLY veggie in the dish.
It also stated, with your choice of meat for $10.00.
$2.00 was added to the bill with no warning for tofu. - NEVER been charged extra to add tofu. Shrimp, sure, tofu? Really?!
Won't go back again.
Bummer... -
Review from Kori E.
10/17/2011
I am so confused by all the bad reviews?? We ordered take out for lunch last week and it was delicious! The food arrived on time and was piping hot! They have an awesome lunch combo for $12 - you get a spring roll or Crabby cheese crunch (think crab rangoon), a soup and an entree! You cant beat it.
We ordered the Duck Fried Rice with a Fried egg on top, delicious. There was TONS of duck and the fried egg topper was delish! We also ordered the Salt & Pepper prawns. The prawns were lightly battered and not greasy at all! The Spicy Roasted Scallops were excellent. There was definitely a kick to the dish and the scallops were cooked perfectly! Our final order was the Honey Walnut Prawns - DELICIOUS! I usually am not one for heavy sauces so I thought I would hate this dish, I took one prawn and couldn't get enough. The sauce is light and sweet, but not overly so and the crunch of the walnuts add great texture. It is their signature dish and I can see why. You definitely have to try this dish at least once. There was more than enough food for dinner and lunch the next day! I would definitely recommend ordering take out for lunch or dinner. I'll definitely be returning to dine in the restaurant sometime soon! -
Review from Erin S.
Chicago, IL
5/6/2011
Hmmm...where do I start? I'm trying to remember a worse restaurant experience....but I can't. My boss and I took a colleague for lunch today. Arrival time-12:05pm. Half full. Appears fully staffed. Water on table. We are hungry and full of optimism for our lunch, conversation and just generally happy to be out of the office for our lunch hour (at most, lunch hour and ten minutes according to the meter).
12:10, we speed read through the menu, make our decisions, put the menus down and happily announce our choices to one another and make sure our favorite dishes were accounted for.
12:15, still no waiter though many are milling about, one of whom was outside setting up tables, leaving the door open providing us with a chilly wind to accompany our ice water.
12:25 I don't know how it happened, maybe because we didn't leave and they figured they might as well wait on us, a young, eager looking man came to the table. Yes. He came over to the table. But he just stood there and seemed surprised when we asked if we could order.
The order: appetizers-one chicken satay,
two spring rolls, potstickers. Two soups-wonton and sweet and sour. Entrees-one Mongolian chicken, one Mongolian beef, one tofu lo mein noodle.
Before leaving our table with a sense of wonderment in his eyes, we implored our waiter to bring our food as quickly as possible due to that whole needing to get back to work thing.
12:30 no food and it's around then that we realized he never asked us if we wanted anything to drink but water.
12:35 nothing
12:40 another eager looking young man refilled ice water
12:45 nothing
Our lunch together had been planned for over a month and at this point our conversation is solely focused on wondering whether or not one if us would get an expired meter ticket and if we thought the food would ever come.
12:50 One of us spots our waiter and waves him over. "Do you think our food will be up soon?" "Oh. Should I bring the food when it comes up or in the order of....' I wanted to answer- the order of the alphabet? The Scottish order-wha?' Luckily, the politer one among us just interrupted him and said 'yes, please bring it all-we need to leave in ten minutes.'
12:50-12:55. Food starts arriving. Refer to above order to compare what was actually brought. Brought: 2 plates of chicken satay. 1 Soups. I mandarin chicken. One tofu lo mien noodle sans tofu. I Mongolian beef. No pot stickers. No spring rolls.
If you've read this far, you will have noticed that all but one of the dishes was right.
Ok, despite the supremely crappy service, how was the food? Hmm...I can't honestly say because when the food came, we asked them to wrap it up. (which they also got wrong). Also, while they were wrapping up the food, someone else came out with a plate of potstickers. We asked them to wrap those up also, but because it was a different persons and apparently didn't talk with the first waiter who was wrapping the food up, we didn't get the potstickers.
The bill. The manager took 10% off the bill for the 'mix up.'. How nice. Especially as they didn't credit us for the dishes we didn't order or those that never came.
So turned off by the whole experience, I brought my food home for my husband. He took one bite of the dragon fly version of chicken satay, spit it out and gave the rest to the dog who enjoyed gnawing on it like a leather bully stick.
Conclusion? Leather bully sticks for the dog are cheaper at the dog boarding shop across the street.
Walk on by and tell your friends. -
Review from Ben H.
Chicago, IL
1/8/2012
Went on a Sunday night and it was slow which made the atmosphere comfortable. It was just ok if you just count the food but that night they were filming a commercial upstairs (apparently one with stomp style dancing) so it sounded like a wrecking crew was going to drop a ton of bowling balls on top of our head. Decent atmosphere except for the wrecking crew. Was excited by the sizzling rice soup and thought it would have been an excellent dinner from there on out. The pork spare ribs special could have been a great deal for $10 but was overcooked. Then the Seafood Treasure dinner was decent but more of a $15 item not $20. Would like to consider going back but it will only be if I am hard up for somewhere to try again.
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Review from Anne C.
7/16/2011
I should have known coming in here on a Friday night that when the restaurant was only half full, something was up. All of those other restaurants on W. Randolph had people waiting in line outside, but we got right into Dragonfly. I guess they all knew something I didn't?
Our waiter was very sweet, though almost over attentive. I still have half a glass of wine left, I don't need another yet. The food was pretty average. I actually did not care for the rubbery chicken and actually picked most of it out of my dish. Honestly, I was really hoping for this to be a cool upscale Chinese place, but for the price that we paid here and the quality of the food I would have rather ordered from any shady takeout place in the city. If you're looking for a nice Chinese dining experience that is worth shelling out a few extra bucks for (and I hate to say this), but Ben Pao or P.F. Chang's are both probably a better bet. -
Review from Logan S.
Chicago, IL
8/13/2011
Went here yesterday (Friday). Place was basically empty around 6 pm. It should have been a warning. Food was fair at best.
The Moo Shu Vegetables comes with mandarin crepes. Fair warning, you are going to get flour tortilla shells as your mandarin crepe, yikes !
The Silken Tofu comes with what appears to be frozen peas and carrots, the kind you get in a can of vegetable soup.
Service was good - nice job Alex !
Food is eatable, but, any closer to China Town, they would be in trouble.
Big disappointment for the area. -
Review from Nicole H.
Chicago, IL
8/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went to Dragonfly & let them know that checking in through Yelp gives us 10% off our entire purchase. The waitress refused and said the manager working was not familiar with the discount.
The food was overpriced and average. I don't intend on returning. -
Review from Michael B.
Chicago, IL
11/27/2011
We called in a small order for delivery. They told us it would take 45 minutes and delivery would be free. 90 minutes later we call back and they can't find our order. When they do, they tell us it had been sitting there waiting for pick up. I ask how long it will take for delivery...another 30 minutes. I ask for a discount, and they offer a measly 20%. I ask them if the food will be cold and soggy and the hostess (name starts with a K and rhymes with Timberly) personally promised me they would remake our order. So instead of wait 30 minutes I drive there and pick it up. The restaurant is nearly empty, so they can't claim they were so busy they mixed up the order. When I get the food home we find they didn't include the rice. And the food was cold and soggy. Dragonfly lost some customers today. My wife often entertains clients in the West Loop, and I'm sure she won't be taking them to Dragonfly. This has been the worst take-out / delivery experience we have ever had, and the worst restaurant experience in years and years and years.
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Review from Veronica L.
Chicago, IL
6/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Every time I eat here the food is amazing! I bring people for lunch or dinner and they have all loved it so much they let me know every time they go back on their own!
This place is very diverse and offers many scenes. A lot of people may not know what to expect during certain days and times. During the week, there are often evening events on the second floor. I've held many different types of events there and the staff has always been very helpful and accommodating.
During the weekends, the second floor turns into a lounge. There are different types of parties with live DJ's and dancing and that will overflow into the dining area sometimes.
**Don't let this scare you away! If you want a quiet dinner at Dragonfly, don't go past 9pm. If you want a fun night out with awesome food and really fun people, after 9pm is perfect!
...and the Honey Walnut Prawns...definitely the #1 pick! -
Review from Robin C.
Chicago, IL
7/21/2011
I've given Dragonfly a few chances to impress me but I've never been wowed by their dishes.
Yesterday's chance is the last. I ordered the Dragonfly Noodles: scallops, crab claws, mussels, & prawns, served over a mountain of noodles. The menu calls it a spicy dish. The menu's a liar: this dish was the epitome of mild. I dare someone to show me where anything spicy-hot was used in that dish. There wasn't even a mild black pepper kick. It was bland and coated with a boring one-note sauce.
At least the seafood wasn't overcooked. The mussels were good on their own, shrimp was cooked perfectly (not over, not under), and the crab claws were maybe a touch overcooked but not inedible. The scallops were cooked nicely. Too bad they were kinda tasteless. I ate them anyway because hey, why let $20 of seafood go to waste. I left about 4/5 of the noodles on the plate.
This has always been my problem with Dragonfly: their kitchen seems to fear salt & pepper, let alone any other spices. Restaurants like this are among the reasons why I usually do my Chinese dining in Chinatown. Hell, even Ben Pao has served more flavorful food--be it spicy or mild--than Dragonfly.
To be fair, I also had the Sizzling Rice soup and it wasn't bad. It was loaded with veggies and chicken, plus a few popcorn shrimp. Add the rice cakes and you've got a pretty filling dish for an appetizer. The broth was just a touch under-seasoned--not as bland as the other dishes I've tried.
The restaurant itself has a hip vibe goin' for it. Service is really hit or miss: either you get an attentive waiter or you don't. And it seems like the takeout dishes are even blander than the dine-in dishes, which makes no sense (they're, um, the same dishes). Eh, there's better Chinese food in this city for the price. -
Review from Helen H.
Chicago, IL
5/23/2011
Reco: only come here if everything else is too busy/ it's the closest Chinese place.
1. Ambiance- nice- pretty hip feeling
2. Service- average. i will say the hostess needs some work- there were three tables in a row in the outside patio- we were sat in the middle of an empty row.. 5 minutes later, she asks us to move to a side table to make room for a 4-top. no biggie who cares. but then... 10 minutes later.. it happened again to another couple in the next row. point for hostess- font' seat people in the middle.
3.food- only got the prawn appetizer- it was really cool dish- very artful. food was decent.
4. drinks- eh. pretty expensive for such small drinks, and veryyy little alcohol in them. I'm Asian- automatic lightweight- and all we ate was a SHARED appetizer. one drink should've already tipped me over to tipsy-ville. 2 at this place- i felt nothing. very disappointed.
5. price- average for the city. -
Review from Amy D.
Wood Dale, IL
10/26/2011
Meh. I've experienced better couldn't be a better way to describe this place. I've been there 5 times now. Terrible service. They look CLUELESS and take FOREVER!!
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Review from Mahsa T.
11/4/2010
My coworkers and I went to Dragonfly for lunch and I'd have to say that this is mediocre Chinese food at best. Decor is nice and the place draws your usual business lunch crowd. Service was prompt and professional.
Portions are good. You can't beat their $12 lunch special, which is a great deal for an appetizer, a soup, AND an entree. I ordered the crabby cheese crunch (two pieces of crabmeat and cream cheese in a lightly fried wonton), chicken corn soup, and the garden chicken entree (baby corn, snow peas, broccoli, water chestnuts and mushrooms with rice). They also have spicy options for those of you looking for a kick. I would eat here again, but as I left the restaurant, I looked across the street at Girl and the Goat, sighed, and wished they were open for lunch. -
Review from Iman W.
12/30/2010
A Chinese restaurant with a hip-hop nightclub on its second floor, that is truly a new one.
The food, I can't remember. Which tells me that it wasn't bad...I have no problem remembering things that suck. So I'm guessing it was decent.
I don't know if their drinks are always strong, but they were the night we went. Yowza!
The staff accommodated our large group rather well, so that was a plus.
As the night goes on, people start to gather in the downstairs area, waiting for the club part to open up. It gets a little more crowded, the music gets louder, which is a little strange when you're still eating your meal, but whatever.
The club part seemed small to me. Either that or there was just a lot of people. Very cramped, and getting to the bar area upstairs was an amazing feat for those who attempted it. The dancefloor however is blink and you'll miss it tiny.
Oh, and some intrusive guy spilled his drink all over my foot. That seems to be becoming a tradition here in Chicago. Find Iman, pour your drink on her foot, it's good luck! *sigh* -
Review from Issa K.
Bridgeview, IL
9/6/2011
I'm a big fan of retro Chinese places with nice decor but you gotta have some prices and food to match. There food is good not great but there prices are High about 15-20 a plate but there portions barely par up to most Chinese places only reason I came was because I had a restaurant .com cert. And got half off other then that I wouldn't go back unless for there small bar/ club upstairs on the weekends that is open. Again expensive drinks too
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Review from Mary K.
Chicago, IL
9/19/2011
This place is an enormous disappointment. Despite the very sparse crowd during dinner service, there was a wait during every step of dinner. (being seated, getting water, getting drinks, order being taken, getting food, and getting our bill). The food was hideous! The spring rolls had a taste of old, somewhat rancid oil, the broad rice noodle dish(chow fun) was greasy and tasteless, and the pot stickers had an odd taste to them yet still managed to be painfully bland.
The worst part of the experience? Nausea and a stomach ache the rest of the night. The best part of the meal? Throwing it up (involuntarily) about 5 hours later.
It would have been an overpriced meal even if it had been good. Definitely overpriced for food poisoning in a bland and/or funky tasting form. STAY AWAY!!! -
Review from Megan R.
Chicago, IL
5/14/2011
So I have ordered from Dragonfly four times now. Of what we have ordered (which is the standard Chinese food stuff) the food has been pretty good. However, the prices are quite high for (as I said) standard Chinese food.
What finally got me, though, is that they are ALWAYS at least 15 minutes late, most recently 40 minutes late, and when you call, they give you, at best, a lame excuse and no apology, and at worst, attitude (like it's super ridiculous that you would expect your order to arrive when promised). The last time I ordered there (which will be the last time) they told me when I first called (order 15 minute late) that the order had been sent with the delivery driver and would be there any minute; then, when I call back 15 minutes later (still no food), they say the order will be at least 30 more minutes. What? So I tell the manager, that it will be the last time I order from them because of the several instances of very late delivery. He says "I apologize for your inconvenience". So you could say they do NOT care about keeping customers. -
Review from Kristy N.
12/9/2010
Yuck. I was staying with a friend who lives near this place and given the bone chilling temp that was Sunday night..we opted to order in. He claims to be picky about where he orders from and actually suggested this place as being good. I typically stick with a safe bet of chicken with veggies so the Garden Chicken seemed right up my alley. We also ordered the pot stickers and he got the lo mein.
The sauce for the chicken dish was not bad and the veggies were tasty. However, the chicken was gross. It was bland and oily and reminded me of the type of meat the comes in canned chicken soup. Eww.
The pot stickers, though they claimed to be steamed were clearly not. I tried the lo mein which was decent though not something that I typically order.
All in all - avoid if possible. -
Review from Wayne R.
Corpus Christi, TX
1/6/2011
I have been a long time fan of Dragonfly! I remember coming into town for events and heading straight to Dragonfly afterwards for a bite to eat and some great cocktails. The Honey Walnut Prawns are my favorite dish and I could it that daily...and don't forget the Remy Martin VSOP!
Looking forward to a visit to Chicago again! -
Review from Tom K.
Chicago, IL
9/22/2011
Dragonfly has really dropped off. This used to be a great spot for Chinese take out in the West Loop. Not only was the food subpar, but they got the order wrong. I strongly recommend passing on this restaurant.
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Review from Kayu T.
Chicago, IL
7/30/2010
The worst $69.18 I spent in my live.
The two of us had Prawns with Walnuts, Beans & Snow peas, Moo Shu Pork and a few drinks.
Prawns were completely overcooked till it was rubbery, then covered in Mayo. The veggies tasted nothing but soy sauce and absolutely no "wok-aroma" if ya know what i mean. The BEST part is the Moo Shu Pork. Aside from the salty pork, they gave me MEXICAN TORTILLAS to warp the Moo Shu in. SERIOUSLY???? I asked the waiter and he was just speechless and said "I don't know."
It was such a disappointment. Any carry-out fake Chinese place would have been better. No Joke.
Sorry Chinatown, I will never cheat on you again! -
Review from Hoang L.
11/10/2010
Wow, I'm surprised that this place got bad reviews. I've only been here a few times for dinner, but it was decent. The food is average but the martinis they offer are very good. Try the Lynchee-tini!
Good ambiance. There are usually a bunch of coupons floating around so you feel like you're getting a deal! -
Review from Sam Y.
Chicago, IL
12/31/2010
The food is typical Chinese food with better decoration. You're really just paying for the decor... you can get the same quality of food from any corner Chinese place for half the price. But my biggest qualm was the hostess. After being seated, we asked to move away from the window cuz it was cold. She just looked over and said "go ahead"... without trying to help us. I would understand if the place was busy but we there was maybe one other table occupied. Dragonfly is not exactly a 5 star restaurant but it's still not a corner chinese delivery joint either.
We got "Eat First" (chinese restaurant on Milwaukee) quality food and service for double the price. Would be difficult to consider this place again in the future. -
Review from Larry V.
Chicago, IL
7/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Charming, great service and excellent food.
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Review from Ed L.
Chicago, IL
6/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
The interior decor was nice, and the upscale look had me expecting something on par with PF Changs, not Panda Express. Now I will say that $9 for an eggroll, sweet and sour soup, and Mongolian steak entree is a pretty good deal, the flavor was not as impressive as I expected. Oh, and THREE DOLLARS for a diet Coke?! Really?! Come on ...
This place has potential, but they got some things to work on. -
Review from Virginia T.
Chicago, IL
8/2/2010
(2.5)
We were craving Chinese and it was past 10pm, this place came up on grubhub so we decided to give it a shot.
We ordered the "Firey Chicken" which was basically a not-as spicy version of Kung Pao Chicken (with the only vegetable being bell peppers). We also ordered the "Honeymoon Chicken" which seemed like their take on General Tso's or Honey Chicken. Both were ok. Nothing mind blowing but totally edible, albeit a bit expensive at $27. I did appreciate the choice between brown or white rice, however it just bugs me when food that can be done well inexpensively is done in a restaurant with hugely inflated prices just because of the decor and the location. It is just Americanized Chinese food......
The experience was the very strange part. I showed up and there was a large gentleman that had to let me through a velvet rope...to get pickup. The interior (and staff) seemed to treat the place like it was a club (no register, no change available, the total was $26.64 but I was told "So....$27ish?" when I arrived--the amount of boobs, short skirts and high heels was dizzying). I read through other reviews that mention a club upstairs, but I thought the mash up was strange. If it is before the restaurant closes, don't treat it like a club just yet, please? -
Review from Jackie B.
Scottsdale, AZ
11/13/2010
My feelings are mixed about this...
I went to Mandarin a while ago - group of 4 - to get one last outside dinner in before the cold weather hit. Everyone was pretty satisfied - we had drinks, lots of food, pretty decent evening.
Then about a month ago I had to get catering for a small party (approximately 15 people) and we decided on Dragonfly. Mistake! First, they "lost" the order. When they did deliver it, they did not bring it all. Needless to say I was pretty annoyed in the end. The food was OK that day - definitely not the quality you get when you dine in. Of note - the portions were HUGE. We had so much left over...
Will I go back to Dragonfly? Yes, I'm sure. However if I didn't have a gift card and it wasn't so close, I think I'd pass.. -
Review from Karen T.
8/4/2008
Was NOT expecting chinese authenticity, and did not get it.
Dragonfly Mandarin seemed to be a little schizo with the decor/music/menu. I don't know if they were going for fusion Chinese, southeast Asian, general "Asian" cuisine, and French music..eek.
Not too bad though. I saw honey walnut prawns and knew I had to get them. It's my taste test at all restaurants that serve it...if you're going to pick that traditional dish, you better do it right. it was a valiant attempt, so points there. but whatever points they earned for the prawns/walnuts was eradicated by the steamed broccoli that surrounded it. I'm sorry, but NO STEAMED FOOD SHOULD EVER BE SERVED COLD. EVER. And yes, that sentence warranted caps.
Boyfriend ordered some spicy beef, which was redeeming. And their rice (both brown and jasmine) were fine for me, aka above average, so points there.
Another plus: they let us use our coupon, one free entree with the order of another, unless some other sketchy restaurants I've been to that try to slither out of it. Our server was really nice (though he did leave us hanging for a while without water).
Thumbs down: the fact that he used our coupon to take off our cheapest entree (beans and pods). Lame - that was the only point of the meal i saw authentic chinese happen.
Final thumbs down: busboy broke a glass while cleaning the table next to us. More like shattered. hard. If you've been here you know how close the tables are. Understandable that people make mistakes, but this is one of epic proportion: no checking to see that glass landed anywhere on us or our table. I definitely had to brush pieces off my hands/feet. Just a muffled apology, and that was it. -
Review from ruth l.
Los Angeles, CA
11/17/2008
Hunan beef was gross. Wasn't expecting authenticity, but something moderately tasty would have been appreciated.
The crab rangoons had no taste of crab, which is really fine by me, as frankly, I am surprised when crab rangoons taste like crab. They did, however, have an insanely stupid name, something involving "crabby" and "cheesy." I hate gimmicky names. I suppose they are franchise-ready.
Glass of Edna Valley Syrah was $7, and poured light. Hello, trendy restaurant, you do know that drunk people are less picky, right?
I liked the wall of umbrellas, and the service was decent. Meh to the max. -
Review from maggie r.
Chicago, IL
11/8/2008
I came here with my parents a few months back, and we enjoyed it. Granted, I was also in a good mood because we had quite a bit of wine at their house before walking over to the restaurant, but hey, I like what I like.
We had a ton of food, the chicken satay, honey walnut prawns, chicken corn soup, garden chicken, and lo mein. Probably some other stuff, too, but I was drunk and this was a few months back.
I wasn't the hugest fan of the soup, but other than that everything else was quite good.
It did get a little busy, and the poor waiter was the only one on the floor that night, he apologized for the wait and apparently the other server had called in leaving him to fend for himself. On a holiday.
Dad was a bit unhappy with the wait, but you just don't leave Bob waiting.
It was a good dinner, and since it is such a short hop over from their place, I'd definitely go back. -
Review from Erin B.
4/12/2007
This place was OK. The only redeeming factor is that I only paid $18 for a $50 gift certificate through 101.9 dining on a dime special. That being said, I'm glad that I didn't spend any more than $28 (my boyfriend WAYY over tipped the waiter).
When we walked in the place was dead. Like no one in there. It took at least 5 minutes for a waiter to come visit us, and rolled his eyes when we asked for "just tap water." We ordered their version of crab rangoon, and it tasted VERY fishy, as if it was not fresh at all. Fast forward to dinner. I can't make my mind up very quickly, so I asked for suggestions. He stated that he "didn't eat anything on this menu." Ok. I settled for the salt and pepper prawns, and was pretty disappointed in it because there were six (which was stated on the menu, but thought they would be bigger than what I got.), and there was a scoop full of veggies that accompanied it. Overall, this place is WAAAY overpriced for what you receive. I should also mention that I asked for a glass of wine when I ordered dinner, and I'm still waiting for it...
I'll be back one more time, only because I have another gift certificate to use.... -
Review from Candace W.
Chicago, IL
6/4/2011
Years ago Dragonfly was the place to be. Although the crowd has changed, I still find the experience (food, ambiance, and music) decent. I like most of their food, especially the wings and rangoon appetizers. Not a drinker, so I can't comment on that but my friends never complain.
The service is consistently good, unlike other places in the area. The last two times I've been, we've had the same server and he's great. Very attentive and always let's us stay at our table after the section is closed for the night due to the party crowd that comes in after 11pm. -
Review from joshua s.
Chicago, IL
3/17/2007
I hate to do this to any business, giving a one star, because I know how difficult it is to run a restaurant business and a retail business. That said, in 27 years of life (ok, so I didnt notice these things in the first few formative years), I have never experienced what I experienced at this place last week.
We had 3 couples out for dinner with reservations at 8. The place wasn't over-crowded, and we were seated by 8:15 upstairs. 25 minutes after we were seated, we had to stop someone walking by to ask if we even had a waitress. She informed us she was not our waitress but would take our drink order. So, we all ordered drinks and thought things would improve. 20 minutes later, we grabbed a bus boy, and told him we had ordered drinks 20 minutes ago, and had not seen or heard from anyone since. He seemed a bit confused, and as we were talking to him, a young looking guy came to the table next to us to straighten it up, presumably for another dining party. We assumed he was in management, so one girl from our group asked him what was going on, that we had no one helping us for 45 minutes, no drinks, etc.
Get ready for this....
He did not even acknowledge her. He started speaking to the busboy in Spanish (I understand enough to be dangerous and basically he was yelling at him) and then walked away. After sitting in shock and laughing as a group, we finally came to our senses (still no service by the way) and walked out.
On my way out, I let the hostess know we were leaving, and we were very dissappointed in the place and would never come back. She was apologetic (a first) and while we were having a civilized conversation, the same manager came up, and started speaking to her in Spanish as well. Again, not a peep from him to me about being sorry, etc. I left him with a parting word (no need to repeat) and we walked out.
Best part of this is another girl in our group went to write a review on citysearch, and lo-and-behold, there was a review from another group giving a 0-star that started with "we should have known it would be a long night when as we were waiting for our table, we saw another group of couples walk out...." they proceed to talk about the same manager, no service, finally getting their food cold, etc.
Sorry for the long one, but I just want people to know. With all the places in Chicago to eat, dont spend the cash here. -
Review from Lisa D.
Chicago, IL
1/25/2010
This review is for the upstairs nightclub open after 11:00.
Guys...if you are looking for an overabundance of extremely hot black women this is your spot!! Seriously, every African American lady here was gorgeous. I'm not saying there weren't any white girls, I'm just saying they weren't beautiful. And the men were most certainly outnumbered. The music was good and I loved that the style of the space was much like a traditional Chinese restaurant but there wasn't a whole lot of room to dance.
Employees were super nice, drinks not to expensive and no cover...but you do have to check your coat for $3.00. -
Review from Erika G.
7/5/2009
Hm. Props to them for hosting ElectroBollywood, which is always a great time no matter where it is. And mad love to Xtie, Erin and I dancing our collective ASSES off on a really fun night! Yeah, if you added all our ages it would total more than one hundred. Shut up. We danced the entire (#^%(*&^#% night, bitches. And looked great doing it. Yeah, I'm talki'n to you, cute little Desi dudes!
That said, left to my own devices, I'd probably not go here again if I wasn't following the Bhangra trail. The upstairs bar, while stylish, is too pricey. A tiny tumbler of cranberry juice, with a thimbleful of vodka for . . . $9? How do the kids pay these prices? And served up sullenly with considerable attitude? Girl, maybe the guys go for that act, but we're not buying it. Sure, you're hot, but really . . . cold.
Better idea - the drinks are still pricey downstairs, but they're served up with charm and style by a cute, friendly bartender. Who actually chats with us and . . . *gasp* . . . SMILES. So, a couple of pops downstairs, then back upstairs for water and wild Bollywood dancing. Ah, yes. -
Review from Jon C.
Chicago, IL
6/5/2011
The atmosphere here compensates for the entrees that are not all that great, but they try. The sesame chicken was great thought. Appetizers are cheap and taste awesome (I'd try the wings and pot stickers). Drinks are pricey but service was quick. The outdoor seating was fantastic on warm night and restaurant is very clean. Basically they sell Chinese food...with a twist, it just so happens that there "twist" is sometimes over kill.
-
Review from Andre W.
1/23/2009
I have only been here twice and I think it is a nice place. A friend of mine once threw an art show here a couple of years ago and more recently I attended a friend's going away dinner this past summer. I got there too late to try any food, but the stuff they were finishing up did not look very tasty, but the important thing is that they enjoyed it.
I only had a glass of wine, which was fine. It was the Santa Margherita and they hit me for $10 a glass. I could have gone to Jewel and got a bottle for $18. Oh well!
I plan on trying this place out for the food someday, but I don't have a yearning -
Review from Raychel Y.
Chicago, IL
6/27/2011
5 stars because the food is delicious. Great place for dinner in the West Loop. The parking is not too bad and they do offer valet. It is 2 levels but generally the upstairs is for private events. If you order to-go I believe you have to spend a minimum of $25. It is somewhat pricey, but they give you great portions. If you love Chinese cuisine make sure to check it out!
