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Emerald City Restaurant
Rating Details »
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Chinatown218 W Cermak Rd
(between Cottage Grove Ave & Indiana Ave)
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 326-4224
- Nearest Transit:
-
Cermak-Chinatown (Red)
- Hours:
Mon. 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Wed. 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Thu-Sun. 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
11 reviews for Emerald City Restaurant
This is by far my favorite late late night/after the bars/clubs restaurant. It's open all night and everyone I've taken here has enjoyed the food like they haven't eaten in days. I recommend the salt & pepper porkchops and salt & pepper squid with sriracha sauce. Also, the shredded chicken panfried noodles, no onions (they pile onions on it if you don't) is to die for.
The atmosphere is your typical Chinese restaurant and sometimes the service is lacking but I go here for the food and they never disappoint. 5 stars for the food, -1 star for everything else.
Came with my guy. Wished I'd read Jesse B. review first. Only one table was in there. We got the menus and it took awhile before the lady acknowledged us. We ordered chicken egg foo young and General Tso's Chicken.
The chicken egg foo young was ok.
The general tso's chicken only came with broccoli. Most other places come with green peppers and carrots too. Also, we thought it was a bit salty.
Service is unfriendly. We were getting up to leave and the lady seemed like she was kicking us out. I know the language barrier can make them sound mean, but she spoke decent English. Just rude.
I would not recommend this place.
Comfy booths don't rear their luxurious heads often in Chinatown. Especially not at affordable restaurants that keep hours long into the morning. And they've got booze.
Emerald City is quiet and peaceful late at night, to the point where I do worry that they might not be getting enough business, but it's a plus to relax during a long empty night with a newspaper, or watching the Olympics on the television. The food comes fast, and it's quite good (although there are much less pleasant places to hang out on the street with admittedly better food--Yee Heung, I'm looking at you). The staff is also really pleasant and laid back--but always easy to summon when needed.
Dinner plates usually run $8-15. Aim for Szechuan dishes here, because the kitchen has an especially good handle on them. One and only one complaint: no bubble tea for dessert after a spicy meal. So it goes.
Feb 9th was a strange day, oh my yelpers.
WARNING: TRIVIALITIES WILL FOLLOW
I don't care whether you believe in astrology, horoscopes, spirituality, universal consciousness, if you're a nihilist, a determinist, a Buddhist, a saint a sinner etc you have to tell me you're seeing things change. It could be just that time of the year, and mind you i'm in a Chicago winter where the wind can turn things upside down and all around but that simply was a strange day:
--Alex Rodriguez, one of the highest payed athletes in sports history flat out admits to using 'roids. Great, to tell you the truth i'm pro-'roids. Baseball was super exciting in the early 00's. If players want to use performance enhancing drugs, its should be their choice. They may be destroying their bodies in the long term but if it's worth for them, i'm gonna watch the HR's soar over the fences and grin.
--Chelsea FC fire Louis Felipe Scolari
I know, not a big deal to you American lot, but in England and a lot of other places around the world this is huge news.
--Obama's Stimulus Package...kind of a Big Deal. Obama in Indiana doing some grass roots shizzle...the dude is trying here. But, he got Totally Rejected like I did from the girl across the hall when I asked her if she wanted to come to Chinatown with me for Chinese food (oh look this review is finally coming to it's point)
--I gave a strange speech in my speech class
--my building got raided by the police
--etc etc etc
For lack of a better term: Epic Failure
I found my way to Chinatown after getting rejected inviting a girl to joun me and while walking away, having to hear her roommates giggle it up down the hall.
Enter Emerald City:
I've got the entire restaurant to myself.
That means any noise coming from the kitchen revolves around my order.
Anything the waitress does is for my plate only.
Sounds golden, ryte?
I don't even open the menu. I just asked her what she recommended, and rolled with it.
The egg rolls were horrible. I don't mean like 'those weren't very good egg rolls', I mean inedible, absolutely awful.
I was now in an awkward situation. People are starving in China and I can't finish these two devastatingly bad egg rolls? I'm just a horrible person.
I mashed one up real good and made it look as if I had devoured it. Now what to do with the other one?
I snuck it in my pocket while the waitress wasn't looking. Bingo!
It kind of warmed up my leg.
Here comes my entree: black bean chicken...without beans? Smotherrrred in sauce. i.e. MSG Super Sonic Force. I'm sure I destroyed parts of my insides from this meal.
So why two stars? uh well...it's pretty cool having a restaurant to yourself even if it was puke-in-my-mouth atrocious. Strange times. Despite enduring possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever had, the weather outside was so delightful it didn't matter at all once I started walking around.
but then again... $15+ for that?
Really?
REallllyyyyyy?
Absurd pricing. Heartless Chinese food. Stay Away!
OH the good times we've had at EC. All the late nights we knew we could count on Mama to be open and ready for us.
When we go there we order a feast. Everything from salt & pepper porkchops, beef chow fun, potstickers, REAL chinese fried rice, I honestly can't even think of all the things I've eaten here. Oh the hong kong steak is one of the best I've had.
i love you emerald city
The best Chinese food in Chicago and I mean real Chinese food. No chop suey and egg foo young for me. You've got to try the salt and pepper dishes and the hong kong steak is prepared a perfect medium-rare. And don't forget to order the beef and chinese brocolli chow fun - extra crispy chow fun.
Recently Mama recommended a new dish - spicy glazed chicken wings. Tasted just like the wings from Great Seas - no longer necessary to travel the long distance for them!
The decor can be a bit tacky for my taste but I'm a loyal customer for the great food.
I stopped by here for the special. It is nice that they cater to the vegetarian as well. The place has a warm family feel to it and offered fast friendly service. All of this for less than five bucks if you want to take it with you for the road.
Stumbled upon this Lil Asian restaurant while wandering the streets of Chinatown. The waiter was quite friendly, nicely decorated with Christmas lights! and nice size TV in the back playing the some Asian TV. Even though the food was good, the portion sizes were a bit on the small side for Chinese food especially for the price. Very small bar and not crowded at all. Quick service :)
The price is right at this restaurant. They have carry-out dinner options for $4.99. The food is served quickly and the staff are very nice. They discontinued the karaoke. :-(
Thanks to my friend, I've been going here after late nites clubbing for a few years now. Sometimes they have karaoke blaring and it is way too loud, but most of the time its ok. People playing dice and stuff too. The food comes out really quick and its HOT. Good stuff here is hot and sour soup, sesame chicken, chow mein. Really good.
after my first night at zentra, we ended up here. it's a regular spot for my homies, so i didn't mind. the food came out hella fast and it was great after drinking and it was still warm.
