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Chicago actually does Sichuan cuisine pretty well! So if you like spicy, Double Li and Lao Szechuan are both good. You might have to wait in line longer at Lao Szechuan.
For dim sum, I prefer Phoenix. The flavor is the closest to my liking. Shui Wah is also good. I do not recommend Three Happiness - their food tends to be too bland and a bit overcooked for my taste.
If you want to try Chinese hot pot, Mandarin Kitchen (next to Phoenix/St. Alps) is an institution among Chinese people - $19 all you can eat, can't beat that! If you do go, I recommend the "yuan yang" pot - which means half-spicy, half-non-spicy. The two flavors of broth is divided by a divider in the pot. I recommend meat and tofu in spicy, and veg and noodles in non-spicy.
Bubble tea at Saint Alps or Joy Yee's is a must. There are also several bakeries in Chinatown. You might want to check one of them out. Ten-Ren Tea is a temple for gourmet Chinese tea leaves - worth checking out.
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Mandarin Kitchen
2143 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60616Joy Yee
1221 W 33rd Pl, Chicago, IL 60608Three Happiness Restaurant
209 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616 -
It really depends on what you like. If you like spicy, stir fried fare, Lao Sze Chuan is very good. If you like dim sum, there is Phoenix, Three Happiness, and Shui Wah. People always rave about Phoenix, but I don't particularly care for it, because they always run out of stuff we like, and there is always a long line. Three Happiness is pretty good and have dim sum carts going around, and Shui Wah is made to order dim sum. People also rave about Joy Yee, but I think the Chinese food there is not as good as other Chinatown places, it just looks more hip. But they do have very good fruit smoothy drinks. We love going to Chinatown and I am sure anywhere you try, you would be happy with your choice.
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Lao Sze Chuan
2172 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60616Joy Yee
1221 W 33rd Pl, Chicago, IL 60608Three Happiness Restaurant
209 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616›1 Reply -
