Taipei Cafe Xiǎo Tái Běi - Chicago

Great food, great service, and quick time between ordering and receiving food.This place is also VERY authentic, so if that's what you're looking for you can't go wrong.Food: 5/5

Only good for drinks!!! Teas!!Ordered the basil chicken entree in a hot dolsot $14.99, their spicy beef tendon noodle soup $15.99 and the oyster pancake $10.99. Two winter melon drinks $5 each. Everything came out to $57 for three dishes and two drinks.Came on Friday evening, it was busy but we were served quickly.The basil chicken was a 3/5, too many tiny bones I had to chew carefully to make sure I didn 't choke.It was annoying. It also did not come with any veggies just a few pieces of basil, I would have enjoyed a bok choy or maybe broccoli tossed in but no veg.If the bones don 't bother you then I 'd say give it a try, the flavor was okay, I did like the garlic and thinly sliced ginger it was savory, I give this dish a 3/5 but would not try again due to the bones.Their popular spicy beef tendon noodle soup was not that great. The beef was old it was not tender. I should have listened to one of the reviews that I read online that said that their beef is not tender and tastes old and rubbery. But I decided to give it a chance because the other reviews were positive.However, my beef was old and did not taste good. The broth with spicy but it had some kind of sour taste. I prefer yummy yummy noodle in Chinatown. They 're beef shank beef brisket are always tender and their broth is absolutely flavorful and costs less too. I would give the beef and tendon soup 2/5 do not recommend.The oyster pancake is similar to the pancakes you find in the frozen section of the Asian Mart. It was served with a very sweet sticky sauce on top. It tasted soggy and chewy overall and I think partly bc of all the sauce, maybe it should have been served on the side and also bc it was stuffed with ice berg lettuce which I disliked. I give it a 1/5, would not recommend.For the drinks I ordered the winter melon fruit lemon tea with ayiu which is like a jelly type boba. The drink tasted like a lemon citrus tea and the boba was soft and sweet. $5 for the regular size which is a great deal compared to Chinatown. We also ordered the winter melon mousse drink. It was served with a cheesy salty foam on top very tasty. Also $5 for regular size. I recommend these drinks.They have a large selection of teas. The regular is $5 and the large is $6.The regular size is a normal size you get in Chinatown but for $3 less. I will be returning to try their drinks.The red chairs that they have are extremely uncomfortable they 're made of this steel material and they dig into your thighs when you sit down. Unless you 're a child or a very small thighed person it 's very uncomfortable to sit in when eating.Overall this place was underwhelming, and I would not return for their food only to try their milk and fruit teas.Parking is very limited. Tiny lot.

We have now become regulars here primarily because of their beef noodle soup! It's delicious and well-portioned. The stir-fried vermicelli also brought me home upon first bite. The braise pork rice and railroad bento are spot on in flavor too. Their drinks are good as well, like how you can customize sugar ice amounts. I'm hesitant to try the street food items again, but will happily return for the entrees.

The traditional Taiwanese rice ball is very authentic. Inside it is pickled cabbage(? , youtiao, pork floss, and egg. All the basic ingredients that should be a part of the dish.Taiwanese popcorn chicken is very authentic. Crispy and straight out of the fryer, nice salt and pepper seasoning

I order drinks from their Bridgeport location daily. Their quality has started to fluctuate since last year, however, for the first time in a while since I decided to order food. To my surprise, I found MACRO plastic bits in the Hakka Stir Fry that I ordered. I was chewing on a piece of squid(? when I noticed something crunchy. I thought it was just over fried until it got caught in my throat so I spat it out. Sorry for the food still stuck on but... where is the quality control? This is not a small amount either.