Big Bowl
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 951-1888
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- Wabash Avenue
- Directions:
- El: Red Line to Grand
- Best of Citysearch:
- Pan Asian Food 2006
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 11:30am-10pm , Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm
Message from Big Bowl
Big Bowl for Fresh Chinese and Thai-4 locations to chose from in IL
- Authentic Chinese and Thai
- Truly Hot and Spicy Food
- Vibrant in design and cuisine
Paid advertisement by Big Bowl.
Editorial Review for Big Bowl – by Citysearch Staff
In Short
Intimate lighting and an open, casual atmosphere draw diners of all ages to this friendly Asian spot. Customers design their own stir-fry from a wide selection of veggies, meats and sauces, then wait while it's cooked and delivered to their table. The lengthy menu also offers a variety of Thai, Cantonese and Szechuan items, from shrimp rolls and teriyaki chicken to kung pao beef served with roasted peanuts.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
The ExtrasWorried about feeding the young ones? The special kids' menu features chicken pot stickers, a stir-fry bar, egg noodles with peanut sauce and more; finicky palates can opt for mac and cheese or grilled chicken sticks.
User Reviews for Big Bowl
06/05/2008 Posted by emerana
Granted, I wouldn't call it Asian food...it's American food with Asian inspiration. But we were looking for a place we could go with the kids, where we wouldn't get glared at if they cried or threw their silverware on the floor, but still have a grown up evening out. Big Bowl fit the bill perfectly. We were seated promptly, it was right before 8pm on a Tuesday night. It was busy, but I felt comfortable because there was room between the tables. They had highchairs and seemed very welcoming of our children. We ordered the dumplings. They were ok, nothing too exciting. Then my husband got a curry dish, I got Kung Pow Noodles, one child got the BBQ Pork Cow Fun and the other teh Chicken Pad Thai. I have to say they were all good (got to taste them all) but the BBQ Pork Chow Fun was the winner. Only one issue, they all seemed more oily then I care for, but not so much that it really bothered me. The Pad Thai was very flavorful. Wait staff was nice, food came quickly (but not too quickly). Parking was easy above. The portions were huge, even the kids meals. For toddlers or smaller children, you could just get one and split it. And everything tasted fresh and didn't have that weird flavor some Asian take out gets. So overall we were quite happy.
Pros: easy parking, service, child-friendly, tastey food, comfortable, good selection
Cons: a bit oily when I went
05/11/2008 Posted by psnchckn
Went here with my girlfriend after a day of shopping and browsing the library. Service was pretty good, no complaints there. My girlfriend had some sort of spicy basil chicken dish, which was quite tasty, very fresh, etc. Problems arose with my Panang Curry Chicken; after a couple of bites, I noticed that the majority of the chicken was just barely cooked through, and a few pieces were seared on the outside, and just about raw on the inside. I sent it back immediately, and the server and the manager greatly apologetic. I always feel like a jack when I send dishes back, but I wasn't about to eat possibly-raw chicken swimming in curry sauce. They took the dish off the bill, offered me a new one, and a free dessert. Though, I declined both, I thought they handled it well. Otherwise, the food was worth checking out, and despite the raw chicken fiasco, we'd go again -- but I'll order tofu or vegetables...or well-done chicken next time!
Pros: Tasty food, good service, quick service...possibly too quick, because...
Cons: Chicken, on this one occasion, was either near raw, or barely cooked through
