Lao ShangHai Restaurant

Elite '08

26

147

Diana S.

Chicago, IL

I had the pork belly, West Lake soup, and xian long bao. It's hard to judge xiao long bao after you have had the ultimate at Taipei's, Ding Tai Fong. These were pretty good though. I really like the West lake soup. It was hearty yet light and refreshing. The pork belly had way too much sauce on it. When it came it looked like a pile of ketchup on the dish. I'll have to try something else next time.

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5

39

Terri M.

Chicago, IL

I brought a big group of people here on my first visit and was pretty satisfied with the experience.  The food was good and the price was right.  It's a small space, but they have a couple round tables that can accommodate groups.  We had eight people sitting around the smaller of the round tables and it was cozy but not uncomfortable.  We ate till we were stuffed but only paid $14 per person (including a generous tip).

I like this least of the Tony Hu restaurants.  The decor is not as nice as Lao Beijing and the service is not as great as Lao Sze Chuan.  but it was worth the try.  We had lots of dishes between all of us, but I'll just talk about the ones that other reviews have not mentioned.  For example, the tofu salad, which was a dish of minced tofu, parsely, cilantro, green onion, and other seasonings (I'm guessing).  It looked like tabouli.  Unusual, but good.  We also got the Kung Pao fish, which was great.  It was fillets of fish with peanuts and spicy sauce.  The Shanghai style fish on the other hand had a clear sauce with wood ear mushrooms.  Most people at the table thought the Shanghai noodles were good, but I am not crazy about them.  I liked the rice cakes better.  There weren't as many vegetarian options as Lao Beijing or Lao Sze Chuan, but the veggies among us did ok.

Toward the end fo the meal, Tony came by and gave us a complimentary dessert:  a crepe-like thing (more like a flour tortilla) filled with red bean paste.  It looked like a quesadilla, but was sweet and yummy.  Overall, it was a good experience.

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2

4

Susie S.

Chicago, IL

The most consistent and delicious restaurant I've had in Chicago's Chinatown, and believe me, I've tried them all. The decor is simple and utilitarian - about 20 dark wood tables in close quarters. The menu is fairly long and includes a lot of dishes that aren't strictly Shanghai-ese, but once you pop that first steaming mouthful, you won't care about anything except the next  mouthful and the next and the next...

Based on multiple visits, the best dishes are the Empress Shrimp (crisp shrimp tossed in a heavenly creamy sauce... omg, I'm salivating just thinking about it), Bok Choy with Winter Mushrooms, and the Pork Belly. Avoid the Soup Dumplings unless you're really jonesing. Simply not soupy enough - I'll wait for my next trip to NY for the good stuff.

This is my favorite of the Tony Hu restaurants because I like Shanghai cuisine more and my meals here have been more consistent. Lao Szechuan can be a bit schizo and I'm willing to gamble with a lot - A LOT! - but not with the belly.

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Elite '08

4

66

Henry A.

Chicago, IL

We were walking through Chinatown last night, trying to decide on a place for dinner, when we walked by the big sign in the window advertising xiao long bao.  Since I absolutely love the stuff, we had to go in and give them a try - also they are quite cheap at under $5 for 8.  My expectations were pretty low, but I was pleasantly surprised.  They still didn't even come close to the real deal, but these are definitely the best I've had in Chicago.  I know that's not saying that much, but I'll take what I can get.
We also had a couple of other dishes, including clams, duck, and some veggies.  With the exception of the clams, everything was excellent.  In fact, my stomach still kind of hurts from eating entirely too much duck.
Overall, this is a great little restaurant.  It's very clean and unlike many places in Chinatown, the entire menu is offered in English, so you don't have to order from a crappy Americanized menu if you can't read Chinese.  Highly recommended, and it's inexpensive too!!

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9

14

tiffany l.

Waukegan, IL

ok why are there only like 2 places in chicago that offer xiao long bao (the other being "ed's pot sticker house"). it makes me sad.

as a chinese person, i'm always on the lookout for a good chinese place in chicago.  i'm also very picky so it's tough. surprisingly there are only very mediocre ones on chicago. i think there is a decent chinese population in this city, so why can't good ones open up?? everytime a new taiwanese/shanghainese/other chinese place opens up i get all excited, but usually am disappointed.

i wish i could say it was different for lao shanghai but honestly i was not wowed.  the xiao long bao was serviceable -- decent taste/skin/etc -- but the common problem i have always found w/ xiao long bao in chicago is that there is not enough soup in the dumpling!  the trademark of xiao long bao is that when you bite into it, you are met with a deliciously mini-pool of soup accompanying the meat -- the only time when burning my mouth is worth it. without this juice, the xiao long bao dumpling dries out and tastes like an ordinary jiao-zhi (dumpling).  anyway this was the main problem. also the meat inside is not as tasty as i've had (i.e. the famous xiao long bao place in yu garden, shanghai).  but this is chicago, not china, so it's good enough.  i would say they are slightly better than the ones at ed's pot sticker house, but maybe that's just cuz i was starving.

we also ordered the chao-nien-gao (stir fried rice cakes) -- this is one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes at home -- it was pretty good -- very dark sauce, but somehow the flavors did not absorb yet.  but mmm i do like rice cakes.

however, even with my disappointing reviews, i would still go back when i crave xiao long bao.  there were also some things on the menu that looked enticing so i will definitely return to try out a few more things.  so i would say, go try it, at least.

chinese places in chicago definitely do not compare to the chinese food in vancouver/toronto & LA area.  what's up with that.

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1

29

Thuy T.

Chicago, IL

Food was decent and so is the price.  The services, however, is nothing to boast about. This place cannot be compared to its sister restaurant, Lao Szechuan!

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Elite '08

27

56

Katty D.

Chicago, IL

5 stars - why? Because you can't find anywhere else in Chinatown with decent xiao long bao (Joe's Shanghai, please come to Chicago!).    AND it's only 4.95 for 8!

I came here randomly on a Tuesday night with Rachelle G. and Jastine D.  We ordered 2 orders of xiao long bao, tong cai w/garlic and pork belly in preserved bean curd.  

Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings)- Steaming hot, great broth taste, just enough meat, and a wrapper that wasn't too thick or too thin.  If you haven't ever had these delicious balls of yumminess, here's how you eat it.  
1.  Carefully use your chopsticks to place the soup dumpling on your spoon.  
2.  Carefully bite a small hole at the top of the dumpling
3.  Pour the vinegar/soy sauce into the dumpling
4.  Carefully bite/eat/slurp and enjoy!!!
I say CAREFULLY because if you're not careful, you WILL burn your mouth.  

The Tong Cai w/garlic was a refreshing vegetable dish.  The Pork Belly comes with a red sauce that will taste very different than you think, but definitely a delicious try.  

Looks like there were a lot of other things to try on the menu, so I will definitely be back here.  

Overall:
Ambiance - much nicer decor than its neighbors!
Service - the servers were attentive
Food Quality - all the food was fresh delicious
Value - Most dishes under $10 bucks, dim sum type snacks under $5

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Elite '08

44

285

Rachelle G.

Chicago, IL

Five stars simply for xiao long bao.  The best I've had yet in Chicago.  Delicious and cheap.  I think I could be happy just eating this =)

We also ordered pork belly with preserved bean curd and a vegetable whose name escapes memory (tai kong?).  Both were delicious.

Service was friendly.  Prices were cheap, most dishes were under $9.

I'll definitely be back.

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Elite '08

19

314

Jon J.

Chicago, IL

Rarely do I have a meal where every dish is perfect.  Usually something is middle of the road.

Lao Shanghai, though, did it all perfectly.  My friends and I had a large meal and among the 5 dishes, everything was excellent.

To start: pepper congee.  It was excellent, and just what we needed after the subzero temps outside.

This was followed by xiu long bao, the soup dumplings that are becoming a phenomenon in the states.  Very good - not quite as soupy or big as Joe's Shanghai in NYC, but still the best I've had in Chicago.

For entrees we had the shredded pork with hot green peppers, which was delicious (although the peppers were spicy!  But not jalapenos as Nancy X. claims - they're a spicy green Chinese bell pepper).

We also had the salt & pepper fish, which was EXCELLENT.  Very delicately breaded and fried in a phenomenal salt & pepper batter.  It was everyone's favorite at the table.

A dish of Chinese broccoli rounding off the meal, we all left very satisfied and impressed.

Lao Shanghai is a great introduction to Shanghaiese food and another stellar restaurant by Tony Hu!

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22

85

Rahul S.

Chicago, IL

Being a huge fan of Lao Szechuan, I was pretty excited to find out Chef Tony Hu was opening two new establishments focusing on regional cuisine from Beijing and Shanghai.  I feel like Chef Tony is a total superstar in Chinatown... he's practically got pictures of himself all over the square!  

As you can guess, the name of the game at this outpost are the Shanghai specialties.  We started out w/ the drunken chicken and the xiao long bao.  The chicken was excellent and very moist, having been marinated in a rice wine vinegar and served cold.  I absolutely loved the xiao long bao.  The dumplings were juicy and succulent, w/ a broth and pork steaming inside the skins.  

We also ended up ordering the stewed duck in casserole, shanghai style fish fillet, and sweet red bean pancake.  The duck casserole was amazing, w/ this huge piece of duck stewing in one of the most fragrant broths i've had in a long time.  The fish was sauteed perfectly and had a nice, light sauce w/ it.  The pancake was crazy good and added a nice sweetness w/ the red bean to end the meal.  

I really admire Chef Tony's attempts at bringing authentic regional cuisine from China to Chicago.  Skip the traditional chinese menu and go for the Shanghai specialties, they are wonderful!  I also enjoyed the fact that I wasn't overly stuffed but just right, as the food was very light and not even remotely greasy.  Just an FYI, the place is pretty small and only seats about 60, so come during the week to avoid big crowds.  Now I can't wait to try Lao Beijing to complete the circle :O)

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Elite '08

46

185

Nancy X.

Chicago, IL

Siu lohng bao (soup dumplings) aren't bad here.  I think it's about time they hype this up in Chinatown.  You can get 8 for $4.95 in Lao Shanghai.  They are steamed well enough here so that the dumplings still encase the pork and most importantly, the "soup."  Be careful eating them, as the soup inside the dumplings is still near-boiling temp.  The secret to eating them is to grab the tops of the dumplings with your chopsticks (don't poke them in the middle), carefully place them on top of your spoon, nibble off a tiny piece of dumpling skin so that the soup can pour out onto your spoon, spoon a little bit of vinegar/ginger on top, and slurp your way to heaven!  I can probably eat 8 myself.  They're not as large as the ones at Joe's Shanghai in NYC, which overflow your spoon like a fat man in an airplane seat.

The other dishes we ordered were just mediocre.  The fave at our table was the shredded pork with green peppers - beware that the "green peppers" are as hot as jalapenos!  The menu is rather diverse, as most Chinese menus are.  You can order noodles, fish, chicken, etc.. And there are many options for spicy dishes.

It's too bad I had to dock a whole star for their poor English.  It was very difficult to get recommendations from them, as they said everything was "good."  The interior decor is inviting, though.  It's clean and bright, which is a must for me in Chinatown.  lastly, it's located almost across from Lao Sze Chuan (Tony Hu's first "Lao" restaurant) in Chinatown Square.

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Elite '08

8

44

Amy N.

Chicago, IL

People!!  There are better xiao long bao out there!!  Okay, I must admit that I just came back from Shanghai, so might be a bit spoiled.  However, you can find Din Tai Fung in LA which serves paper thin wrapped xiao long bao, which is o so much better than this.  Okay, so we're in Chicago, there's also Ed's dumpling house, which serves comparable xiao long bao as well!

I do have to admit that the drunken chicken was quite tasty and tender.  The traditional shanghainese stirfry rice cake was quite nice, but I have to gripe about their pea shoots as recommended by our server was not tender at all.  Last but not least, the red bean pancake was not bad and is worth trying.  Overall ambience was good.

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Elite '08

21

96

Cindy D.

Chicago, IL

Went here with 3 other friends for thier xiao long bao.. we got 4 orders of it!!!  It was delish, the wrapper was made perfectly.  I think the actual meat/soup is OK, but def. the best in Chicago thus far.

Also, got the crispy duck, which I thought was tasty, but my friend didn't enjoy at all.  Plus Tong Cai veggies with garlic, really yummy!  Overall good deal $12/pp for 4 people.

Plus, it's much better decor than the other Chinese restaurants along the area.

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0

1

Eric W.

Chicago, IL

Don't let the looks of this place fool you.  Although understated simplistic and very evident of your typical Chinese joint, the food is the really outstanding quality of this place.  I've been here twice and intend to return many more times.

The menu is large and widely varied and includes pretty much any ingredient you can imagine.  The soups are delicious (although beware, they can be served incredibly hot, a scalding given to me being the only reason I'm rating 4 instead of 5.)  Appetizers are broad based, with excellent egg rolls as well as a dynamite (hot and delicious) asparagus in black bean curd dish.

As for entrees they are made from excellent ingredients and are in hefty portions.  The sesame beef is a favorite and will leave you wanting it again and again.  If seafood is more your game, the scallops are excellent as well, although salted as the dish should be, they can be a bit salty even for sodium lovers.

All in all a great dining experience and excellent on the wallet as well.  Crowds can be busy, with both nationals and others visiting.  Well worth the drive to Chinatown for excellent authentic and affordable fare.

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