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Moon Palace Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
216 W Cermak Rd(between Indiana Ave & Cottage Grove Ave)
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Chinatown
(312) 225-4081
- Nearest Transit:
-
Cermak-Chinatown (Red Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Validated
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
96 reviews for Moon Palace Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Definitely some of the best xiao long bao I've had."
(in 13 reviews)
"This place makes the best dumplings - period."
(in 27 reviews)
"We also got a pork dish made with wide rice noodles."
(in 3 reviews)
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96 reviews in English
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Review from Agnes F.
Chicago, IL
12/30/2011
I wouldn't necessarily say Moon palace serves the best chinese food in chinatown but definitely above average with reliable offerings
we typically would order the steamed dumplings or the pan fried buns, both pretty good (if you are a purist of the shanghainese steamed dumplings, let me tell you, there simply isn't one restaurant in chicago area that serves good soupy dumplings like ding tai fung or anything like that so you just have to travel somewhere else to get that), other good choices are the dan dan noodles, the moon palace chicken and the salt and pepper seafood
clean settings and friendly service so this is definitely a good place to introduce your friends to chinese food in chinatown :) -
Review from Brandon T.
Chicago, IL
9/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Overall it was just ok, to not really that good. Im honestly not even excited about writing a review about this place. I've had a lot better chinese at a buffet in a strip mall. Don't waste your time.
Oh and if anyone knows a great chinese place in the city PLEASE tell me what it is. I would truly appreciate the recommendation. -
Review from Aline W.
Chicago, IL
9/16/2011
I came here for dinner with my boyfriend this week because we got a deal from "groupon now" . I was a little skeptical about it at first, but we settled on this since we both couldn't think of another place to go.
The decor is definitely on the fancier side compared to most restaurants in Chinatown. The dimmed lights and posh menu covers, added to the trendy feel.
So anyway, we ordered the Singapore Chow Fun and the Fresh Squid with Salt and Pepper. I must admit, that the food was really tasty. The squid, especially, was just the right crunch and texture. Also, the portions were really large and filling.
In the end, I'm glad we stumbled on this place. -
Review from Lily L.
Brisbane, CA
12/9/2011
The string beans were good. The rest of the food was too salty. and OMG the xiao long bao are so disgusting. They are like giant meat balls with no soup. Definitely the worst. i've been to many in SF and lets just say I rather go to the any of them than to come here. I don't think my bf and I will ever come back. Also the service is horrible. It was only the two of us because we came around 2 to have a late lunch and the food took forever.
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Review from Designer B.
Chicago, IL
1/23/2012
I really like Moon Palace and go there almost exclusively in Chinatown. The food and ambiance are great! The service is ok. The servers are very nice they are just slow. I went there tonight for the Chinese new year and had another delightful meal. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is my intense MSG headache and unquenchable thirst I am now feeling as an after effect. Really fantastic food though! My friends who I went with all loved it and said they would all go back anytime.
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Review from Catherine X.
Chicago, IL
7/26/2011
The best place in Chicago to get Xiao Long Bao, hands down.
It's not street food in Shanghai or Taiwan, but it's the closest you'll get in Chinatown. You have to remember it IS Chinese-owned so that means service is non-existent, and the waitresses are not going to ask you about where you're from or how your day was.
However,
a) the food speaks for itself and
b) it is a nice place to people-watch as I've often seen many Chicago tourists wander into this place and leave satisfied
c) last but not least, it's a nice place to take whities who are used to crab rangoon and egg foo young as the inside looks classy, and they have upscale Panda Express options too -
Review from Lonny Y.
8/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had high hopes for this place after reading the reviews.
I thought to myself, 3rd biggest city in the US, bigger than Houston... food must be better!
Either we really do have superior Chinese food in Houston, or it was just an off day for Moon Palace? I don't know, but we were not impressed.
Perhaps it's because the very first time I took David to have xiao long bao was in Taiwan, at Din Tai Fung.... but he is a huge xlb snob now. And is highly critical.
The dough was overworked, which = sticky dumpling skin which = easy to break skin! which = precious lost soup.... =*(
I will say, the xlb's are HUGE, especially since you get 10 in 1 order! However, that is not how I have traditionally had it before.
We also ordered the pot stickers - eh alright. And snow pea leaves. That's it. We weren't very hungry and it was just the 2 of us.
Well, the xlb's and potstickers arrived, halfway through, I was tired of waiting for my veggies. I asked a waitress, and she asked "Oh, you want now?" I think to myself "ummm yessss...?" She explains the dumplings were considered "appetizers" while the veggies were "main"
Ok, makes sense. HOWEVER, we did tell them that's all we wanted to order. Did they really think we wanted to eat a plate of snow pea leaves all by themselves for the main?
Service was a bit spotty. Some of the waiters were great, others were not so great. Our snow peas were plopped down on the corner of the table without warning. When we were seated, there were extra chairs at our small table. Halfway through the meal, the chairs were suddenly scraped away at a quick and loud pace. Wasn't that awful, just disconcerting and definitely unexpected.
I must say, disappointed in Chicago chinatown fare =( -
Review from Lindsee R.
Chicago, IL
5/25/2011
Holy crap! How did I not know about you when I lived less than 2 miles away?
I thank my boss for demanding the office join her for her birthday lunch within your quaint but classic walls.
I will cherish the memory of sitting around your lazy susan enjoying your crisp salt and pepper fish, your luscious pot stickers, and dear god, your perfect shrimp dumpling soup.
I think I may love you, I think I may love you a lot. -
Review from Evan R.
7/24/2011
Once a week in 2010, I would leave my office at 9 PM and walk into Moon Palace. They would see my face, and someone would immediately bring a glass of wine and tell me they would start on an order of dumplings.
You haven't lived until you've been a regular at a Chinese place.
There's a lot to love about this place. I recommend the Mongolian beef..it's a simple dish but packed with flavor. The hot & sour soup is also one of the more complex and delicious things I've tasted.
Since I've been there they seem to be doing some proactive outreach - they are now on OpenTable, they have a Yelp link on their website, etc. I always appreciate when a restaurant does that. I'm just glad it was a local secret when I was there. -
Review from Allison G.
Chicago, IL
7/29/2011
I went here for lunch with my coworkers.
First, I enjoyed the cleanliness of this place. There are many Chinatown restaurants that either: (1) have amazing, authentic food, but dusty carpets and scary bathrooms; OR (2) are clean, but serve "Chinese" food.
Moon Palace wins on flavor and cleanliness.
We shared Crab Rangoon, Pork Dumplings, and Vegetable Pot Stickers. The Crab Rangoon had the perfect amount of cream and crab. It tastes "fishier" than your average crab rangoon, but I liked it. Pork Dumplings were delicious! Fluffy outer shell, with juicy, succulent pork meatball on the inside, flavored with peppers and spices.
I ordered eggplant in sechuan garlic sauce for my main dish. It had a light yet slightly crispy consistency, and the sauce was flavorful with a lovely spicy finish at the end. Yum! I also tasted my coworker's squid. It was nicely flavored, and the breading was not too greasy.
Chinatown can be a bit overwhelming. So many restaurants. Where do you go for the best, most authentic food? Where do you go that you feel safe eating? Moon Palace is a wonderful find, thanks to my coworker. -
Review from Katty D.
Chicago, IL
3/23/2011
They are Liars.
I'm currently planning my wedding and so far I've been fairly laid back about everything. I try my best to have a go with the flow attitude.
I thought that our family and friends would enjoy a chinatown rehearsal dinner, so I called around seeing who could accommodate 70 people and not require a per head minimum. Not many places did, but when I called Moon Palace, a woman answered and said Yes! we can definitely do that, no worries. I just had to call a couple weeks before hand to confirm the menu.
Ok yes, my bad for not getting a contract, so two weeks beforehand, I called and spoke to the owner Jones to reconfirm. He said he didn't see me in the system, but they definitely could still accommodate. AWESOME. I reconfirmed and asked again, so I don't have to do a 10 course meal with a per head charge and he said no, you can order off the menu for each table. Great! I let him know that I'd be coming in a couple days to have dinner, review the menu and confirm what we'd be ordering so they could prepare for us.
My BM and I go to dinner, order our dinner and we start eating - the food is great! Jones comes out and shakes my hand and we start talking....
All of a sudden, he had said that he was confused, that it would now be $60 per person because he'll have to shut down the restaurant for this event. WHAT? (I said that to him) I then let him know that I could definitely not afford that, so he said well what about $40. He then told me that he had gotten confused and thought my phone call was a big catering order, because people ask for catering all the time. I said NO - that is incorrect, how could you think it was catering, when we were discussing seating 70 people and if it fits in your restaurant....
I told him that if we couldn't go with the original plan of ordering off the menu, that I would not host my event there. He then told me that if it was 50 people or less he'd do off the menu because if it was only 30, he could fit it in (yes you read that right, he first said 50, then said 30). I said, so 50 or 30, he replied 30. I again said, no that won't work, I will not be having my dinner here. After a little while, he came by to say - ok here's the "deal" if you do your dinner 9pm or after, we can do it. I AGAIN said, no I will not have my dinner here, because it is not what we discussed. He went on to continue about how he'd have to pay an additional shift of employees, just to service my group. After our interaction with him - we couldn't even eat, although we were starving... we were so furious.
What did he miss out on? Definite business and loyal customers - my family and friends will frequent a place if it really has impressed us. The food is good and the place is pretty cute, but I REFUSE to patronize a business that goes back on their word and doesn't do what it takes to impress a customer.
I've told all 70 people that Moon Palace backed on my rehearsal dinner. Talk about bad customer service.Comment from Daniel W. of Moon Palace Restaurant 3/24/2011
Please accept our sincerest apologies for the problems that… More » -
Review from Suzanne A.
Bloomingdale, IL
7/27/2011
Went here for an early dinner after getting a recommendation from a local shop owner. Normally would check Yelp prior to ordering somewhere we've never been before, but we didn't have our phones on us so went with our gut. Apparently, our gut was wrong!
Wonton soup was super bland, practically tasteless and the broth itself was greasy and needed salt. Seriously, who ever needs to add salt to chinese food?!
Potstickers were very good but didn't have a sauce accompanying them, which I found unusual. Crab rangoons were about as tasteless as the soup, and the sweet and sour sauce was too thin for our liking.
Having our two young kids with meant we had to order something 'safe' ie something we knew they'd eat, namely fried chicken of some sort, so we went with orange chicken (not spicy). Maybe it sucked because it's typically spicy, but it was also very bland, not orangey at all, and only our 3 yr old liked it (he being the king of chicken nuggets, not surprised he liked it). The beef lo mein we ordered was decent, but nothing to write home about, and it apparently had the extra salt/soy that our wontons and soup lacked.
I was surprised to read so many good reviews on Yelp after eating here and not liking it, considering it seems to be one of the favorites in the area. Maybe we were there on a bad day, or a bad time, or just ordered the wrong things? Who knows. The waitress also forgot a few things we ordered and in general wasn't very friendly. I remarked to my husband more than once that our local favorite Chinese place in Bloomingdale (Mandarin Bistro) is 100 times better, and I was once again disappointed in another Chinatown restaurant which, quite frankly I expect to be 'better than average' due to its location. Guess next time I'll just stay local.Comment from Daniel W. of Moon Palace Restaurant 7/27/2011
It's unfortunate to hear that you had an unenjoyable evening… More » -
Review from Shirls K.
5/10/2011
Decor: Upscale modern.
The crowd was pretty mixed.
This restaurant offers Shanghainese and Mandarin dishes. Their most popular hot appetizer is the Pork Pan Fried buns (10 pieces for $7.50) so we ordered one for a party of 9. Every dish we had was tasty and I really don't have much to complain about this place. On top of that the service was excellent and the bathroom is super clean.
After dinner they brought out a plate of sliced oranges. The oranges were sweet.
Wine is $4 by the glass and $15 a bottle.
17% gratutity is added for party of 6 or more.
Parking: took the red line here and the walk was about 3 minutes to the station. -
Review from Cathryn K.
Chicago, IL
5/17/2011
Soup Dumplings & Seafood Chow Mein!!
Ever since I've been introduced to Shanghainese cuisine in New York, I've been on a search for a good Shanghainese place in Chicago that served soup dumplings.
Now if you don't know what soup dumplings are, they're pork stuffed dumplings that have soup broth inside that you slurp when biting into one. You also dip these suckers in a black ginger vinegar sauce that finishes off with a tang! Absolutely divine and if you're ever in NYC, check out Shanghai Cafe in Chinatown (Manhattan), they have the best soup dumplings around!!
In addition to the dumplings, I've gotta mention the seafood chow mein! Now at first when I asked the server if they had this dish, I was confused because I believe it's normally called "Shanghai noodles" (at least at Shanghai Cafe it is), but the server insisted that the dish I was talking about is called Seafood Chow Mein at their restaurant. He was absolutely right and it tasted exactly the same! This place is a hidden gem in Chinatown Chicago!! Not to mention its elegant and clean decor (elegant for Chinatown!). =) -
Review from Pam D.
Updated - 4/11/2011
Five stars for the Salt and Pepper Crispy Squid. I cannot form the words to say how much I love it. I don't expect the rest of the world to share my passion, but omg, this was such a good birthday meal.
The rest of lunch is a vague blur in my culinary memory, but it was all good. Chris had the Szechuan String Beans, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Did I mention I LOVE the Salt and Pepper Crispy Squid???Listed in: A Swede's Guide to Chinese…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/10/2010
Occasionally time seems to slip away. The last time I was at Moon Palace was probably 5 -7 years… Read more »
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Review from J. L. S.
Oak Park, IL
11/16/2011
I went here with a friend, who is Chinese, because I was craving xiao long bao. They were just ok... not much soup in these soup dumplings. I like Ed's Potsticker house better. We also had five spice beef noodle soup. Again... just meh. No flavor, just sort of bland. We decided it wasn't even worth the calories to finish the soup. Again, I like Ed's better. I was really surprised to see that this place has some decent ratings. Maybe a Tuesday evening was just a bad day. Although, I must admit we were a little nervous when we realized there were no Chinese diners, only middle aged and older Caucasian customers. I'm just saying'..... I will take a hole in the wall next time.
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Review from H K.
Chicago, IL
5/9/2011
This is only for take-out , I've yet to eat in the restaurant.
Fantastic authentic Chinese food. It's the best I've had in the city and I'm pretty picky. The food is always fresh and hot, and workers are friendly. Highly recommend! -
Review from Carmy R.
Tinley Park, IL
9/24/2011
Went here for lunch on a Sunday round noon. I had positive thoughts since it was highly recommended to me. Needless to say I am disappointed, the food flavor was good but the dishes were goopy (orange chicken n sesame chicken) n the chicken was dark meat. Blah. Didnt enjoy it n Won't be going back
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Review from Kevin D.
Chicago, IL
8/25/2011
Everything is really good on the menu, but expect leftovers, big portions! The service is only mediocre though...
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Review from Robyn T.
Updated - 9/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
When did Moon Palace start using MSG?! Don't get me wrong the food is still addictively good but as I was sitting there enjoying my spicy shredded beef I noticed a tingly sensation in my legs and a dull headache coming on. If you're not a fan make sure to request no MSG. Everything is really good though...hot and sour soup, crab rangoon, all your traditional American-Chinese food favorites. Bonus you get a fortune cookie AND an almond cookie with your check.
The place is still one of the nicest most American-style Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. If you're new to the area and a little apprehensive with trying some of the other more traditional restaurants than Moon Palace is the right choice for you.Listed in: I'm taking you down to…
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/15/2009
Same great food and service, but Moon Palace has renovated their digs and it looks fabulous! This is… Read more »
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Review from Amber A.
West End, Saint Louis, MO
7/31/2011
All i have to say is yumm. I recommend the golden sizzling rice soup. I cant go to chicago without at least getting some soup to go.
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Review from Kenny H.
Chicago, IL
7/20/2010
I went on a date to Moon Palace last night and it was good!
My date swore by the place as a favorite in Chinatown. Not only was this my first time in Chinatown, but one of my first real Chinese food adventures since moving to Chicago.
Once we walked in, we sat at a table in the sparsely full dining room. There weren't many people there, which was promising to better service.
Drink:
Glass of Red wine and a blush. Nothing special on taste here, however the first glass of Red wine had some syrup on the inside of the glass as well as a hair. Ew.
Food:
---Crab and Pork Dumplings = HEAVEN!!! Beyond perfect
---Shrimp & Scallops with Hot Garlic Sauce = Great! On the spicy side for sure, but the scallops were cooked perfect
--Fried Rice with Chicken = Sodium Overload. There was way too much soy sauce in this, but once I got past that, I was good. The pieces of chicken could have been bigger as well.
All-In-All it was a good experience. I know the place has great reviews, so I will definitely be giving this place another shot! -
Review from Paul S.
Orland Park, IL
12/18/2010
Our first visit. Next to fire station. Not much to look at from outside but inside it's pretty nice. More importantly the food was very good. It must be consistently good as it had a good crowd in the middle of the afternoon. And it appeared that a good amount of the clientele were Chinese. Always a good sign in Chinatown!
And the service was efficient and friendly too! -
Review from Suzanne M.
Chicago, IL
7/25/2010
I just finished reading "Serve The People", a book about Chinese cooking, and was craving xiao long bao. I couldn't get the description of plump, juicy, soupy porky dumplings out of my head. My boyfriend indulged my whimsy and we CTA'd to Chinatown in search of some soup dumplings.
We were NOT disappointed! I think we scared the sweet waitress with how much we ordered. The service was very good, though, and just smiled a we placed a pretty epic order.
I got an order of 10 xiao long bao, and he got an order of pork and crab soup dumplings. Yes, we got 20 dumplings, and we ate almost all of them. Plump, firm, and bursting with savory soup, they were everything I imagined they'd be from reading that book.
I didn't let myself fill up on the dumplings, though I easily could have. I ordered ma-po tofu, another typical Sichuan dish, and my boyfriend ordered shrimp in lobster sauce. We also got a pork dish made with wide rice noodles. I don't know why we ordered so much food, but I'm not complaining - we had some amazing leftovers for the next few days.
The Ma-Po tofu was delicious! Spicy, sharp and fragrant, it was some of the best I've ever had. The tofu was soft but just firm enough to be picked up with chopsticks. The red sauce was delicious. I love that spicy flavor and was dipping almost everything else on the table in my ma-po sauce.
The lo-mein was very good as was the shrimp, but by then I was so super stuffed that I might as well have been a dumpling myself. We rolled out with rounder bellies and happy faces. -
Review from Colleen C.
Brooklyn, NY
12/21/2008
Get the dumplings...for $7 you get 10 HUGE, lovely little pockets of dumpling divineness. It's a meal in itself, or a VERY large appetizer...either way, you'll be satisfied.
Crab Rangoon: very satisfactory, with lots of crab (or imitation crab, but still..much more than just a glop of cream cheese. Not that I argue with glops of creamy cheese, but some substantial crab really puts it over the top...)
I sampled some of the Crispy Duck, my first ever...hmmm, not sure if I'd get it again, but it was prepared well and came in a very large quantity. The bones irk me a bit, too much work. I ordered Pork Moo Shoo, and it was very good, came with a lot of rice, and those darling little pancakes. Mmmmm, Chinese burritos!
Service was a bit curt, but overall satisfactory...def a good option in Chinatown (my first ever, so it shall get a special place in my heart!)
My fortune cookie had a blank fortune, so I suppose that means I get to write my own :)Listed in: Chinese Cuisine in Chicago!
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Review from Orack B.
Chicago, IL
2/29/2008
Even if my server poured my hot and sour soup into my eye sockets I would still like this place. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like polishing off 12 dumprings, uh I mean dumplings, just for starters. My server of choice is Sour Apple, or so she calls herself, and she has the quickest lip this side of Jiangxi. She always has recommendations ready for me and even has my sweet and sour soup and dumplings ordered when she sees my fat ass walk through the door.
Sweet and sour soup, XAIO LONG BAO DUMPLINGS!!! salt and pepper shrimp, bok choy with garlic, sesame chicken, etc.... The list goes on and on and on... Just ask the waitress for a reco and she will be happy to send something tasty your way. The place is clean, the food is fresh and doesn't leave you sweating MSG out of your pores when you are done.
The only thing that needs work is the removal of the waving kitty clock and the endless John Mayer CD playing. I mean John Mayer on repeat - at a chinese restaurant??? I never realized how hard it is to use chopsticks listening to the white man's music. -
Review from Vivian Y.
9/10/2008
*sigh*....
I really wanted to LOVE this place. I heard SO much about it! I heard that the Xiao Long Bao was the best! But...was disappointed.
I've had some of the BEST xiao long bao, probably in the world. One time at the YuYuan market in Shanghai three years ago. And then again at Ding Tai Fung in Toronto.
The meat in the bao tasted good, but there wasn't enough soup in it. It's supposed to be a soup dumpling and its supposed to ooooze out of the dumpling. I didn't really get that. I also though the dumpling dough was WAY too thick. and the dumpling itself...way too big. But I guess it's just a portion problem we have in America.
I then ordered a pickled veggie and sliced pork noodle soup. Hmm..not how I imagined it. The veggie and pork tasted good together but the broth was SO OILY. Which, I didn't expect. I've had this dish before in Shanghainese restaurants in Toronto but it wasn't like this.
I guess I'll have to try it again with more people so I can try some of the other stuff. I thought it was decent priced.
10 xiao long boa
1 bowl of soup
$17 including tax and tip. I had some leftovers. -
Review from Josh Y.
Chicago, IL
11/25/2010
My girl and I checked this place out for lunch, because I heard they had the best dumplings in town. Maybe it was the extremely heightened expectations, or maybe they were just having an off day, but the food was totally underwhelming. My girl and I are both pretty big eaters, and we were starving, so you'd figure we would be pretty easy to please.
We ordered the Xiao Long Bao and Pork Pan Fried Buns. The Xiao Long Bao was dry, and the Pork Pan Friend Buns were just "meh" overall. Also, not sure what it was, but something made both of us feel a little ill.
Judging by the reviews here, we may have just come in on the wrong day. Maybe we'll give it another try. -
Review from Kathleen O.
Chicago, IL
4/4/2006
One of my favorite reasons to eat out is to have something I can't cook myself. OK, maybe, I could have made the shrimp and pork buns (but it would have made me grumpy, whereas the waitress was friendly.) But the fantastic Jelly Fish with Turnips - I wouldn't have known where to get the ingredients, and it was so crunchy and delicious with just the right amount of sesame. And I don't begin to know what was in the Shanghai Style Eel Fish, but it was delicious.
Chinatown is not far away. I keep forgetting that. It's right down the Red Line from Lakeview and Lincoln Park, and with a car, it's a breeze. And there's parking. Actual free parking! -
Review from Todd S.
Chicago, IL
3/14/2010
Moon Palace is one of the few places I have been consistently going to, and enjoying over the past 23 years, btw I am 30, Moon Palace has never declined in the quality and tastiness of the food. Whoever I have ever brought to this place, whether from chi or out of town, always wants to come back and there is one major reason behind this: The steamed dumplings.
When I walk inside Moon Palace, the waitresses see me and order 2 orders of steamed dumplings for me before i can say hello. They know how much I love it, and so does everyone else that knows me lol. Anyhow the dumplings are a must, they give you 10 per order they come in a tin tray served over cabbage, and the dumpling is always perfect, pork is basically what comes in the dumpling but you can also get it with shrimp, and the sauce that is in that dumpling is pure crack, and chances are that you WILL be hooked once you eat one, unless your a vegetarian. I have searched at countless other chinese, szechwan, and mandarin restaurants, in cities across the U.S. including NY and S.F., none have compared or even come close, and i find myself always disappointed when i bother trying to find a replacement.
Sizzling rice soup, made at the table, also very good, but can be very filling so beware
So you've already ate the dumplings and/or soup, now on to the main course, I have always loved the shrimp chow fun, which is wide rice noodles on top of sauteed shrimp with water chestnuts and broccoli, the sauce they use is incredibly tasty, and compliments the dish so damn well, its plain and simple awesome, and very filling.
The orange beef, while a bit spicy is also very good, again the sauce is just awesome, makes everything ive had at moon palace taste great.
Cashew chicken, while it sounds regular dish type, is also one of the best I have found, tons of chicken, huge portion, water chestnuts and cashews, oh and again huge portions, throughout. Also i don't particularily like kung pao chicken but many have told me it is the best they've had
Mongolian beef, is another dish you cant go wrong with, though also a cliche dish, the texture of the beef is very soft and tender, and the sauce is sweet and extremely tasty
Expect to leave very full always, with a party of 2 generally spending under $35-40, if you over order you will probably feel like you over ordered and will be taking things home, but I will be willing to bet you wont be disappointed.
They have a full bar, Tsing Tao being my favorite beer to drink there, they also have very tasty mixed drinks including pina colada's, mai tai's and other strong drinks as well.
Expect to spend about an hour or less there, they are quick but not too quick, and usually moderately busy. Very friendly Chinese family owned sit-down restaurant. A must go in Chinatown, despite anywhere else you have already gone in Chinatown, nothing compares. Enjoy -
Review from Dane K.
7/16/2007
I love Moon Palace... This is the perfect place to take out of town visitors, or just go with your friends... They have good food and a bar for drinks.
They seem to get a good mix of people, local Chinese people, tourists, workers on break, etc.
They have "dinner for 4" "dinner for 5" etc etc., so that's a good way to feed everyone without paying a buttload and also you end up getting things you might not otherwise try. If you don't want the family style dining you can also just order whatever entrees you want. They are also very accomodating to substitute items if you want something added to certain dishes, etc. -
Review from Kathy P.
2/5/2009 1 Check-in Here
How is it that no one has talked about their black pepper scallops??
I was craving black pepper scallops and the only place I had it before was at Ben Pao (and at restaurants at U of I). However, I wanted to try it at other places too so the bf and I started our quest by looking at online menus for it. Surprisingly, a lot of restaurants we saw didn't carry scallops until we saw Moon Palace's menu.
The scallops are soo good! I love scallops since they don't have much of a flavor alone but when paired with a great sauce, they are just delicious and Moon Palace's succeeded. The funny thing is that we've ordered carry out from there twice so far and the black pepper scallops were different. Both were very good but the first one had the crispy noodles while the second didn't and it had a little bit of veggies and more sauce. Very interesting. I wonder what I'll get the next time I order this dish.
We also tried the potstickers, xiao long bao, hot and sour soup and mushu pork. Potstickers and xiao long baos were decent but I agree that it is kind of odd to call them xiao long bao when there's barely any soup in them. Just think of them as dumplings and enjoy. Mushu pork wasn't bad but nothing special to me. They really do need to give more wraps like someone else said. And I was glad I got to try their hot and sour soup but I think New Chinatown's is still better. I felt like the soup was missing something...but I couldn't put my finger on what. -
Review from Liz S.
Overland Park, KS
3/4/2008
Love= Any place that can produce Peking Duck without an hour wait.
Let's do some math now.
If the above is true then; Love=Moon Palace
I'm in heaven really. It's the only Chinese food that I ever really crave and it's so hard to find (without the hour long wait). Moon Palace is perfect for my craving and serving up Peking Duck in a flash. Also, they have some YUMMY hot'n'sour soup.Listed in: Cream of Sum Yum Guy
-
Review from Maureen L.
Chicago, IL
7/12/2011
Egg Drop was very good. The egg rolls were very good as well. The dumplings were outstanding! My shrimp and scallop cashew was excellent.
I would have given Moon Palace 5 stars but my shrimp and scallop cashew was too oily. -
Review from Wendy S.
7/21/2010
This place is LEGIT!
I ate here while I was in Chicago since our hotel was right by this restaurant. Definitely order their xiao long bao. Definitely some of the best xiao long bao I've had. The skin was the right thickness, they were cooked to soupy perfection (not dried out like other places I've had), and very, very tasty. According to our server, they make their own xiao long bao. You can definitely taste the difference. -
Review from RJ H.
Portland, OR
2/3/2009
Best. Dumplings. Ever.
Well, maybe not ever. Maybe not even in the city. I'm willing to concede that surely somewhere in Chicago there are better dumplings. But maybe not for sale. Wherever these allegedly better dumplings are in the city, at a better value, I'd like to know, because I have not found them.
Now, the service at Moon Palace is hardly service. I hate that the staff sits around a large, round table, in plain view of guests. And I've had some hits-and-misses with a couple of their other dishes, but all in all the dumplings are worth stopping in for. Just ignore the staff.
The location is convenient for visitors to Chinatown: close to the Red Line, across the street from South Wentworth, perfect for a dumpling snack. -
Review from Abigail T.
Chicago, IL
2/11/2008
I could be nice and give this spot 3 stars...but I guess I'm just not that nice.
I asked for some knives...The server came over and dropped each knife on our empty plates. If my dad was there to witness this, I'm sure he would have let her know she messed up. While dropping the 2nd knife down, she splilled my water....then she came back and dropped a napkin on top of it, to soak the water up and walked away.
The mongolian beef was ok at best, the chow mein noodles were pretty burned and chunks of ginger small enough for us to miss yet large enough to bitch-slap my tastebuds everytime I'd bitten into a piece. YUCK! The pork fried rice was the best thing we'd ordered.
I knew I should've braved the elements and walked to the secret spot!! -
Review from Eliot J.
Chicago, IL
2/7/2008
+ : affordable, quality food, abundant portions
- : slow and inattentive service
moon palace is good food and it's conveniently located right by the el. the waitress was a little "hands-off" with our party, and was having a bit of an issue with getting our order right, but ultimately i would say it was a deal. the 3rd star is for the entree, rice and soup, all in generous amounts, for $6. -
Review from Diana G.
9/4/2008 3 photos
I give it 3 stars for the Shanghai Noodles.
We ordered carryout the other day.
Kung Pao Beef - Not much flavor and wasn't very spicy.
Moo Shu Pork - It was good, but wish they gave 6 wraps instead of 4 only.
Shanghai Noodles - This was good.
I usually just get the Shanghai Noodles from here. A tad pricey. -
Review from Maria L.
Miami, FL
5/21/2011
After not having good Chinese food since moving to Chicago, I am so happy I went to this place for lunch. Everything we ordered was delicious and filling. The place was clean and the service was friendly and attentive. I'm not going to go into detail because what you order depends on your personal taste and level of adventurousness, but I am very very pleased with my experience here. I will be going back ASAP and bringing friends.
