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Categories: Chinese, Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Wicker ParkDamen (Blue)
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Why go out to Chinese when you can have it delivered to your door? That was our thinking one rainy night in Chicago - we want delivery (and this is my only experience with this place). We also had the problem of only half the people wanting suishi (okay, everyone but me wanted sushi) so this became the winner since it had chinese food as well.
We ordered orange chicken, potstickers, rice, and various sushi dishes (they all went over very well with a special mention of the spicy tuna roll). What I like about the Chinese is the fresh vegatables - you really do taste a difference. I also like that the chicken was crispy but not in the they-soaked -it-in-the-deep-fryer-forever way. The bad thing is there was almost too sauce so that towards the end of the meal it was borderline soggy and would not make for good leftovers (which is what you want with Chinese). The rice was just okay - nothing to write home about.
Because it was a little more expensive than your average Chinese take-out, I admit that my expectations were higher and well that's why it only gets 3 stars instead of anything higher. I would order it again but I wouldn't consider this my "spot" either.
My boyfriend and i stopped here for dinner last night on a whim.
I ordered some sushi pieces and he had a chinese dish. Service was pretty slow considering how empty the place was.
The sake nigiri was delicious, like butter. The hamachi did not taste so fresh, and the crunchy spicy tuna roll I ordered was ok, but nothing special.
The chinese dish was fresh and good, but again, nothing special.
Everything seemed a tad over priced.
I ordered delivery one night and thought it was pretty good.
I would probably order a different entree since I thought the General Tso chicken's sauce was too watery. I liked that it had a lot of veggies and all white meat. The eggrolls were super greasy but good.
Delivery was timely and friendly.
Gross - do NOT order sushi from here. It came in regular take-out containers and everything got smushed together. Literally, there was spicy mayo covering everything, and all of the sushi was shoved to the side. And the amount of plastic glad wrap was astounding. Ginger wrapped in glad wrap. Wasabi wrapped in glad wrap. Glad-wrapped ginger and wasabi sitting on glad wrap on top of the smushed sushi shoved to one corner. Isn't the spicy mayo usually part of the roll and not just poured on top of it? Aside from the horrible presentation and being grossed out before we even bit in, the sushi was not very good at all. Very below-average.
Chinese food --- friend ordered the green bean stir fry and it was extremely greasy. Tasted okay, but just super greasy.
Crab rangoon - not too bad.
Super fast delivery was a plus, but unfortunately, we won't be able to take advantage of this quick delivery service as we can never eat from here again.
For sushi delivery in Bucktown, stick to Coast or Blue Fin. Papajin and Zen (bad sushi experience there last weekend) just do NOT cut it.
I just read this review to my hubby and our friend before posting, and they thought I was being too nice. Friend (who was the greasy chinese food eater), said "listening to you guys eat, your food sounded horrific and inedible! You need to give it a harsher review." Fine - sushi was horrible. Grade F, says the hubby.
I went to Papajin for dinner last night after 9pm. I was seated. I was hungry. No one came to get even a drink order after twenty minutes. I asked the guy who refilled our water to send a server over. Still nothing after five more minutes. A couple of the tables in the back had two servers tending to them. So I got up and left and went to Bluefin for sushi instead.
I was just appalled that (1) I told someone that we hadn't seen a server yet and STILL no one came over; and (2) some tables, at the time, had more than one server. I would call it terrible service, but seeing as how I got NO service... I will just say that I will only order take out from Papajin now.
This is decent Chinese delivery. I've only had take-out from two places since I moved to east… Read more »
Ordering cheapo Chinese always stands the risk of getting a box of bland, saucy mush...but this is not the case with Papajin.
This is the only place where I will order Chinese takeout from now on. It's a bit pricier at upwards of $10 per entree...but portions are LARGE. We shared an order of the tofu Szechuan stir fry...and it was more than plenty for the both of us, with a sizable portion leftover to take to lunch the next day.
With that taken into account, the prices are actually quite competitive with other Chinese takeouts. Only you get fresh veggies, non-soggy tofu and great flavors. Ordering is also a breeze with their online ordering system on the web site, and if you opt to pick it up, it'll be ready within fifteen minutes.
Don't know how the sushi is...but if you're in the Wicker Park area, this should at least be your go-to place for Chinese takeout.
5 star bump!
BOBA! i'll say it again people, BOBA BOBA BOBA BOBA BOBA!
Papajin is officially the ONLY place in Bucktown/Wicka Park that has BOBA!
and it's good boba. as is the rest of the foodz.
My family and I came here for my birthday celebration meal.
We all really enjoyed the place. We were…
Read more »
I like Papajin because of it's proximity to Rodan and it's ability to deliver sushi. The service is always fast, and the people who work there are always extremely polite. Their pina coladas are delicious, and I also really enjoy the way they do their veggie tempura and spicy tuna rolls. The prices are really average for sushi, and totally reasonable for the area.
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10
I ordered some takeout from Papajin the other night - not bad, but not fantastic, either. The spicy shrimp tempura roll was fairly good, but their California roll is average at best; it didn't have a whole lot of flavor, and the texture was just a little bit off.
That said, the crab rangoon that I got were fantastic, and the delivery was very speedy. A fairly good choice, although I think next time, I'll try the Chinese food.
Papajin was pretty solid tonight. We ate there, and I went for the Crispy Sesame Chicken dish, my usual "Go-To" for shitty Chinese food.
I probably should have ventured out and got something else, as the Sesame wasn't that great -- the peices of chicken were small, resulting in a lot of excess breading with my meal. Also, the sauce seemed a lot more like Sweet and Sour than anything else.
Chances are, I'll be back to try something else, as I live a short walk away and its fairly inexpensive and good.
at first glance, you'd think this place was all fancypants and expensive but it's not. and this is a good thing. Papajin serves both Chinese dishes and sushi rolls and this is great for the multifaceted gluttons out there. myself especially. the veggie tempura rolls were decent and the Chinese dishes i've had before are pretty good. i'd come here again and so should you.
domo.
Came here Sunday afternoon on a date...with myself. There was only one other table here when I arrived, but it was a nice day so I sat outside on the patio. I ordered the sushi A meal, came with Miso soup, which was excellent. The food was good too. I just feel like it was a bit expensive. $28 including tax and tip. I usually like to do sushi w/ friends because you get more for your buck...but I had been craving it for a while, and just decided to go and try something new. Glad I came and tried it, I'd come back if someone else wanted to go there...but I really like to try new sushi places, so I'd probably try some place new before going back.
While I do often get sushi here, I would say that Papajin actually does better Chinese food than Japanese. I typically eat at Papajin when I want to introduce someone to sushi for the first time, or if I'm not sure if I am in the mood for sushi or Chinese food. The rolls taste good, but most are way too large (specifically the spider and shrimp tempura rolls), making them nearly impossible to eat in one bite without choking. There is nothing like the heimlich to make the night memorable.
Prices are reasonable, and the Chinese portions are huge enough to split or have another whole meal from leftovers. There never seems to be a wait for a table. If you go on a warm day, try to sit near the window to do some people watching along Milwaukee Ave.
Everything about Papajin has been adequate for me.
Prices? Okay.
Service? Satisfactory.
Wait time? Average.
Food? Pretty good.
Environment? They've got one.
There's nothing that really stands out, but nothing that faults it, either.
good and cheap, lots of choices, their Mu Shu was wack tho, they dont even do it up at the table for you. But good selection overall. Actually one of my rolls was kinda fishy tasting and smelling, it was the double tuna. but i found a wallet outside with 100 bucks in it. so good stuff. But yeah not to pricey
Pretty decent Chinese food. A few bucks more than your average Chinese take out, but with the quality, service and decor to match.
I've only eaten here once. It was lunch on the weekend on the first nice Spring day in the city. The opened up the front windows of the restaurant and we just sat there and watched the fashion show on Milwaukee Ave until our food arrived. It was pretty hilarious. One dandy in skin tight jeans must have strutted around the block at least 5 times while we ate.
I'm not a huge Chinese food person, but the people watching here is always good.
This is a great place for vegetarian chinese food. They make all of their dishes in tofu, the sesame crispy plate is delicious. The sushi is good but not great. They do have veggie tempura rolls here which are pretty good and the scallion pancakes are tasty as well.
The frozen drinks are yummy. Overpriced and not very strong, but decent.
Staff is nice but not that great. Once our waitress who had served us several times pretty much thought we were leaving without paying because we left money at the table. Huh?
Great place for chinese food but that's about it.
With apologies to Bob Seger. . .
"If the sun
Ain't shinin bright
And the moon the moon
Won't shine for you tonight
If the stars in the sky gone away
And you feel
Feelin real slow down today
If life gets hard to understand
And the whole thing is getting out of hand
Come to (PAPA-JIN)
Come see your (PAPA-JIN)"
"If you need a pacifier
Call me anytime
I'll try to be your satisfier
If you feel Like a horse
Blazin' at the bit
Call my number
Anytime night or day
I'll get ya fixed
If life gets hard to understand
And your whole life is way out of hand
Come to (PAPA-JIN)
Come see your (PAPA-JIN)"
But why come to Papa when Papa will come to you? Their delivery is super fast and the food is great. They deliver west of California. They have great vegetable dishes that DON'T cost $11.00. Notice the fine print on the menu--if you have ordered over a certain amount you get a free egg roll or a California roll, but you HAVE to ask, they won't give it to you automatically. Beware some of the spicy dishes, or you may get the fire down below.
it's our requisite Chinese take out (ok, delivery, have never stepped foot in the place....nor ordered their sushi, leave that for Bob San). Still, have ordered from here dozens of times and have never been disappointed.
Standout starters and dishes are as follows:
Egg Rolls, not greasy (usually) and similarly, not laden w. a bunch of cabbage filler. 4/5.
Miso Soup. 4/5
Chicken or Beef Satay (you can't go wrong with either). Absolutely, positively the best in Chicago. You're doing a major disservice to yourself for not at least trying one or both. 5/5
General Tsao's Plate (combo, shrimp/chicken/beef) is my personal top dish, followed closely by the Kung Bo Plate and the Szechuan Stir-Fry...5/5 and 4/5 respectively.
Sesame Crispy Plate is decent and is pretty much their Sweet & Sour Stir Fry dish with some sesame seeds thrown in...both get a 3.5/5.
The only thing I haven't liked was their Vegetable Stir Fry and that was b/c of the white-ish (and quite bland) sauce, not to my liking at all...2/5.
Fortune Cookies (which I rate and there are differences) are also a bit lacking with a 3/5.
Good Chinese place to eat during the summer. I like when they open the windows. We had some very interesting people watching next to the window.
I really enjoy the apps here. The egg rolls and vegetable pot stickers are tasty. The sushi is not so good. The rice is different and just not good. I ended up eating the fish in the middle of all my rolls. I would recommend the Chinese side of the menu. There are so many options and different dishes. I like that the menu has a few pictures too. It helps so you know what you are getting and makes for a good suggestion.
Thumbs up for me! We'll be back.
They offer internet ordering and delivery to my ghetto neighborhood. The fact that I don't have to try and place my order over the phone in engrish is always a huge benefit. And the food was still piping hot and tasty when it arrived. Me like!
When it comes to good Chinese food I can only think of places on the northside and on the southside.… Read more »
I used to order from here ALL the time. I loved Papajin. I would get sushi and order from their Chinese menu. But then a year or so ago they raised there prices, it was a little disappointing but I thought it was still worth it. I guess the biggest problem I have with them now is the customer service. When you call to order they have the hardest time hearing you, it seriously deters me from wanting to place and order. You literally have to yell, to the point where I am concerned my neighbors can hear me. If that weren't bad enough the last handful of times I have ordered from here they have forgotten parts of my order, with no offer other than to say they will redeliver it. Now, as I am waiting for what I think will be my last order with Papajin they called to tell me an item I ordered is no longer on the menu. Really, because it is still on your website and the person taking my order didn't know about it. The Chinese food here is good and the sushi is average. For the hassle of ordering alone I think I no longer will be a patron of Papajin, which is crazy/ too bad considering the amount of times I have ordered food from them.
The Chinese food is just so-so, and I wouldn't recommend the sushi at all. Every piece of sushi and sashimi I've had from Papajin has had that generic, grocery-store sushi flavor to it. It doesn't taste perfectly fresh, and if I'm going to eat sushi, that's what I want.
I've given this place a couple of chances, but I won't be going back.
I can only review the chinese food portion of the menu but I do have to say that it was delicious. We ordered 2 veggie eggrolls and they were not to heavy or too greasy and they had whole vegetables in them...not just some cabbage mush that I'm used it. I ordered the vegetable fried rice and it was also very yummy. It had a lot of different vegetables including onions, carrots, peas, zucchini and many other kinds. Oh and the portion was huge! I have more than enough for a meal today...and maybe some for tomorrow!
It was not crowded at all, but we were there on a Sunday, so we didn't expect it to be. I will definitely be back again.
Used to live next door, usually had takeout. Shrimp toast, shrimp fried rice, the sesame chicken are my faves.
While the entrees seem a little pricey, they'll feed 3 hungry people. The tofu in the Kung Pao was nicely fried, and they're generous with the fresh vegetables, but it was decidedly un-spicy. Veg dumplings (eggless!) are individually enormous, and there were six of them. The portions here are out of control.
The veg maki is disappointing, so I would avoid sushi here, stick with the larger plates, and share. Also, do not order cocktails. They are syrupy, weak, and expensive.
I'm looking forward to checking out the Japanese noodle dishes. Tips on whether they're all cooked with fish-based dashi? I'd hate to get my hopes up...
my favorite chinese food in town. never too crowded, solid orange chicken, and very fairly priced sushi. papajin you are a true friend.
Papajin is a very cute restaurant with modern decor that fits well in Bucktown/Wicker Park. The front windows open up to a nice patio with tables and bright lime green chairs.
Being Chinese, I typically don't like to eat at Chinese restaurants but I love their spicy garlic shrimp! The shrimp is huge and just the right amount of tang for me. My guest and I ordered mostly sushi: toro, sake, dragon roll, sweet potato tempura roll, rainbow row and everything was delicious. Their miso soup had a generous amount of seaweed in it!
This isn't a typical Asian restaurant dessert but their flourless chocolate cake was out of this world! You will love it if you like rich chocolate with a little bit of whip cream like me!
Feeling lazy & hungover tonight, I ordered in from Papajin. I've been ordering from here for a long time and the Chinese is always consistently decent, but the sushi - oiy! Why, why, why do I fall for this every time I order from here? Because I'm an idiot, apparently. Hope springs eternal, what can I say?
Fella had the garlic chicken, which was quite tasty. I had the hot and sour soup (pretty good) and the aforementioned dismal sushi. The spicy shrimp tempura roll was badly rolled and drowning in sauce, the California roll was standard, but the Boston Roll - I swear, I think the tuna was off, it smelled and tasted funny. Wooh - I only ate one piece, guess I'll find out how bad it was in a few hours. That being said, I've had edible sushi from here, but it is SO hit and miss that I wouldn't even bother.
$34 dollars and 1/2 the food went into the garbage, so 4 stars for the fast delivery and well prepared Chinese, 2 stars for the sushi and one huge lesson FINALLY learned by me - no more cross-cuisine sushi!!!!
Bi-Polar Cuisine Is Not Haute.
We ordered from Papajin's tonight because of the relatively good reviews we saw here on everyone's favorite website. We snagged the pot stickers as an appetizer, my wife ordered the crispy sesame chicken and I went for the mooshu beef. The baby opted for formula, I think he was sick of Chinese.
So it arrived about on time, not the speed that we had seen with Friendship but it was also about $5-6 cheaper overall, so them's the breaks I suppose. The first thing that caught my eye was the sesame chicken was served on a bed of my very own personal favorite - them little crispy white noodles what look like styrofoam! Already an extra star for that. The mooshu looked like standardized fare, perhaps a bit less scallion than I'm used to seeing but neither up nor down on account of that.
Settling in I tried a pot sticker and I don't think it could've managed to taste like anything less than nothing, but it was trying. The tart soy sauce made it edible but just barely. The mooshu itself was soaking in its own watery tomb and the pancakes were falling apart and didn't stand up to the slightest of rolling. This place was sinking fast in my mind and the only saving grace was the sesame chicken and it's wonderful bed of crispy goodness. My wife actually didn't care for it that much, she claims it was too sweet but I thought it was just about spot on for flavor. Think something between KFC flavor-dipped chicken wings and pottery glaze. I meant consistency, not flavor. Pervert.
Overall I don't really like Papajin, maybe if - and that's an if of monumental proportions - we order again I'll try something else. But no more pot stickers. No way. Pot stickers make Matt cry. Well cry and wish I had ordered from Friendship again.
Dear Papajin:
Yes, you are average Chinese food, and yes I do forgive you for your ill-fated rendezvous with sushi and your over-priced dishes (wicker park rent, yo).
However, why must your sesame chicken be so addictive? Is it the crunchy noodles? The sweet and savory sauce? How you managed to nail the consistency and texture just how I like it? I'm hooked, otherwise I would have dumped your ass for sure.
Quite possibly the worst sushi I've ever had. I've had grocery store sushi that far surpassed Papajin's in terms of texture and taste. The rice was dry and utterly flavorless. The unagi sauce was equally flavorless and had a watered-down taste to it. Who would order sashimi from here?!? The quality of the fish wasn't even suitable for maki. I threw sushi in the garbage after paying $50 for a meal for my boyfriend and I. Just terrible. I've eaten some amazing sushi- this wasn't even sushi: It was rice with some skimpy pieces of fish, and it was awful.
We also ordered sesame chicken- which should be renamed ketchup chicken- it was overly sweet and bright red in color. It turns my stomach just thinking about it. We ordered (overdone, cold) crab rangoon with no crab meat to be found, just a quarter of a teaspoon of cream cheese inside.
We also received one (!) fortune cookie.
I wouldn't order from here again even if I was held at gunpoint. I may as well have torn up a fifty and set it alight. HORRIBLE.
This may have been consistently my favorite restaurant in Wicker Park. I was never disappointed by anything I ate here. It's a terrific menu made up of a variety of Asian specialties. The sushi is done very well- the plates offer a good variety of expertly-made sushi. As far as rolls, I strongly recommend the spicy shrimp tempura roll. The hot dishes never disappointed- the house specialties are a good starting point, like the plum pork with scallions and the lemon chicken, but the rest of the menu shouldn't be overlooked.
I found this place to be as comfortable for a casual meal midday as it was for celebrating New Year's Eve. The massive restaurant doesn't fill up, so it's a strong backup option on nights when other restaurants may be packed.
We also carried out from here several times and were always impressed- the food turned out to be just as good as it is in the restaurant.
I've eaten here a couple of times and, of all of the wonderful places to go out to in Chicago, this is not one I'd pick. HOWEVER, they DELIVER, more importantly TO US on the western edge of Logan Square, So we order from there ALL THE TIME.
It's very good Chinese take-out (much better than your average local hole-in-the-wall joint that litters your porch or vestibule with menus every week), though a bit pricier. That they actually deliver sushi is what nailed it for me, though. To get a nice cut of raw fish on a cold and snowy night when there's no way I'm leaving the house is truly a luxury. Their Japanese menu is short on selection, but it has the staples and they are of decent quality.
Certainly it'll be more expensive than other delivery options but, short of hiring one of those companies that will deliver you food from anywhere - at a VERY high premium, it's definately one of the best. Where we live, it IS the best.
I finally made my way to Papajin the other day because my friend Katy is visiting and we wanted some sushi. I had heard pretty good things about this place, especially that the prices were reasonable. We each ordered our own rolls because Jason B. was along and he eats his weight in sushi, seriously!
I had the boston, yellowtail, and tempura green bean rolls. They were all pretty good. My only complaint is that the pieces were tearing a bit, but they still tasted the same. I was just happy to not pay $9 + for a roll of sushi. The miso soup was just okay. I have had better.
The service was a little slooow, but good overall. We ended with some red bean ice cream, which featured some whipped cream and a cherry--Yum! I'm not sure about the chinese entrees, but they featuerd many pictures on the menu. It looked good.
I actually like this place. They had a few selections for veggie sushi rolls - we tried the chicken tempura which was very pleasant surprise. The sweet potato roll was yummy as well. They sure didn't skimp on size. We ordered potstickers as appetizers and also a Chinese dish for each of us (total of 3). Bad move, one might have been enough. The portions were surprisingly really big.
I really liked this place and I would totally come back.
"I'm in the mood for anything Asian," which means Chinese, Japanese, Sushi, or Thai when uttered by my wife. What awesome luck that Papajin does three of those four cuisines.
I was feeling Sushish, and decided to try a few rolls despite questionable reviews on sushi quality from other posts. I have to say it was average, not nearly the train wreck I had read about. The crocodile roll was the most outstanding, fairly simple shrimp tempura with green tobiko, but the wasabi sauce drizzled on top was beyond pungent and gave the roll a great kick.
We also split a shrimp dish with vegetables that involved peanuts as well. The shrimp were cooked perfectly but the vegetables and sauce were a bit bland on flavor. It wasn't packed when we walked up at 8pm on a Saturday night, and we loved sitting on Milwaukee and watching people pass as we ate. I will do this place for good Chinese carry out sometime, but I will need to hear those words uttered by my wife again before I return for a sit down.
Excellent food! Great atmosphere! We had vegetarian and chicken dishes that were both great.
This is solid chinese food, especially for bucktown which does not have tons of chinese options. Every dish we have ever ordered is fresh and tasty. I think the mark of a good chinese resto is the egg roll and they have a really good one here. Not pricey, great takeout service and each dish is prepared very well. A good neighborhood staple!
Oh man. I got the pea pod and beef dish. It was probably one of the most disgusting things I've ever eaten, or attempted to eat. All the beef chunks were chewy balls that would not break down no matter how long I chewed. I could not chew it down to a point to where I could swallow it even. So I'm sitting there with this in my mouth unable to spit it out into my white cloth napkin. I got up and walked to the bathroom, trying not to gag as saliva began to collect around this ball of indestructible meat in my mouth. I made it to the bathroom and spit it out in the toilet paper. Almost every piece of beef I tried in this dish was the same texture. It was literally inedible. I ate the pea pods and water chestnuts around the beef. My friend tried several pieces too and agreed with me and offered to send it back. I don't know why I didn't let him. I guess I am too passive aggressive. I should have sent it back and gave them a chance to fix it but I just didn't want to bother. Luckily the dish was large enough so that I was still full just from the pea pods and water chestnuts but let's face it, I was mostly paying for the meat. I just want to suggest if you come here, not order a beef dish. It's times like these that make me want to be a vegetarian. I really don't think I'll come back here to be honest.
Afterward we went to Susie's and I got a mint Oreo shake and all was right with the world again.
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