Phoenix

Recommends

chefmk

Joined 7 years ago

Authentic Chinese cuisine. Clean restaurant, consistent and attentive service even at peak hours. But the food: It's all about the food. Top notch.

Recommends

mekktekk

Joined 7 years ago

Authentic Chinese. Coming from a very traditional Chinese family, Phoenix is where I always take my visiting relatives since it is one of the best spots for an authentic Cantonese Dim Sum or Dinner. Food is great, service is quick, there is a great 2nd floor view of downtown and the price is very reasonable.

Recommends

sdollx

Joined 7 years ago

Dim sum. It's clean. It's good. It's going to be a long wait on Saturday or Sunday. Another authentic place for dim sum.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

One of Chinatown's biggest and best restaurants, with dim sum to die for.. The Scene
Two banquet-sized, second-floor dining rooms (total seating for 500) are tastefully decorated with white-clothed tables--and none of the kitsch and glitz found at nearby Chinatown Square. Service is speedy and friendly; communication can be tricky if you're not familiar with the menu.

The Food
From the exotic (shark fin soup, spicy jellyfish) to the mundane (lemon chicken, orange beef), Phoenix's lengthy menu brims with tasty, platter-size portions of traditional Chinese dishes, with some pan-Asian influences thrown in for good measure. Excellent dim sum brunch happens daily from open till 3pm; be there early, or you'll wait one to two hours. Don't miss light, flaky spring rolls and zingy hot and sour soup. Favorite entree? Shrimp in a crispy "bird's nest"--subtly sauced and piled with fresh snow peas and carrots in a crunchy taro root nest.

Recommends

jsp8878

Joined 8 years ago

Great Dim Sum. The restaurant is very clean unlike many other restaurants in Chinatown. The service was quick -- just make it clear you are there for dim sum. Their dim sum menu includes an 8x10 card with photos of all of the items. The waiters and hosts were attentive. For two people eating dim sum, it cost $25 w/out tip. Keep in mind most of the items on their dim sum menu contain shrimp. We went after lunch, around 2 p.m., and it wasn't crowded.

Recommends

radiokillplay

Joined 8 years ago

Be Adventurous. Dont bother with Dim Sum if youre going to show up late or just order fried rice; youll be better off getting take out and pretending that you know Chinese food. Ive had Dim Sum all over this country, from San Francisco to NYC and the biggest commonality is usually the poor service and cramped dining area of which the Phoenix possesses none. The whole point to Dim Sum is to experiment. Your experience would be incomplete without half of your dishes being something youve never had. The jellyfish is excellent, by the way as well as the squid. This is definitely the stall-style seafood Ive been looking for in a city thats notorious for peanut butter in their egg rolls.

Recommends

antiope23

Joined 8 years ago

Are you sure you're rating the right place?. First of all, if you want dim sum go down-stairs, if you want a meal go up-stairs! If don't come early the wait will be long, especially for dim sum. I don't know how the dim sum can be cold and greasy when its steamed and brought right to you...although the dim sum is a bit cooler when served off the carts - I'm not sure if they are still using the carts because they didn't use them the last couple times I went. I've only been upstairs, once, but the service was great and has a better atmosphere. I go weekly for dim sum and have never had a bad experience. The food is pretty authentic - so if your looking for watered-down Americanized "Chinese" food, go somewhere else!

Doesn't Recommend

pksage

Joined 8 years ago

Over Rated, find somewhere better. After a 20 minute wait, for 4, we were sat at a round 10 person table in the corner. Tables covered with parchment paper. Next if your not there for Dim Sum ask for the Menu, it will not be offered on seating. Food was Cold & Greasy at 1:00pm. No Lunch Menu Pricing. Menu has no descriptions of the offerings. No meal packages, everything ala carte, cup of soup $3, Fried Rice $10, Entrees $10+, must be the pricing of the Dim Sum that allows the Phoenix to call it affordable, but take a Gold Card...

If your hungry, find a buffet, the food will be hotter, more variety and affordable...

After reading all the rave reveiws, the Phoenix is a major disappointment not just for me as the recommender from the reveiws, but not one member of our party found this establishment worth recommendation. Definitely over rated...

Recommends

bucktownfoodie

Joined 8 years ago

Good place for Cantonese Seafood. This is one of the better Cantonese restaurants in Chicago, but that's not saying much. The food is nothing like the Cantonese food in Hong Kong, of course. What makes this place better than the others in Chicago is the fresh seafood selection, which are well prepared. Although the flavor is authentic Cantonese, the price is a bit high, considering that the food is somewhat rustic. The decor is generic with minimal investment on silverware and plates with the typical stainless steel teapot and some chipped plates. I would overlook all of these things if the prices were lower. But for place that charges $15 for a small plate of Heart of Shanghai Bok Choy and $26 for steamed sea bass, I guess expected more. But I guess it's as good as it's going to get without flying to Hong Kong. Expect the usual Chinatown service.

Recommends

euphenia

Joined 8 years ago

A Taste of Home. The Phoenix Restaurant is the best in Chicago. The Dim Sum is authentic, and dilicious. Although the wait is long, but it's worth it. Or you can choose to go early, or early afternoon, the wait won't be that bad. I found the Dim Sum price is affordable, while the other dishes might be a little bit too high. But I'm more than satisfied with everything.