Ping Pong

09/16/09

Great food, horrible service

by MCA CHI at Citysearch

I've been to Ping Pong three times now with friends, and enjoyed the food every time, but each time the service was awful. The wait staff each time were hanging out in the back chatting, fluffing their hair, and trying to look "cool" in spite of people staring and waving at them from the tables. Each time when we finally got our food, our server disappeared for the rest of the visit. To get additional drinks or items we had to walk up to the bar or host to request them. My suggestion is to dump the "pretty boy/girl trendy 20's" servers and put some friendly attentive people on the floor. I'd rather be served by a competent server than someone that's trying to play "the scene".

That being said, if you can put up with the "bimbo" quotient, the food is excellent and interesting.

• Pros: Excellent food, fun atmosphere, reasonable prices
• Cons: Wait staff can't be bothered with you...

08/02/09

Shady business

by KenSchmidt at Citysearch

The restaurant cancelled our order because they siad we were outside their delivery zone. We are clearly in their delivery zone. The manager was rude and hung up on me. Not a place where customer service is a priority. Eat there at own risk.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Cancelled our order and did not tell us

04/14/07

All show, no go.

by daisydaisy at Citysearch

They use sugar in the Hot & Sour Soup, Tuna Appetizer, Cucumber Salad! I'm sure of this. It's not tasty at all. Their Pod Thai was mediocre; Bulgogi only so-so. They offer absurd chocolate Fortune Cookies. There is nothing authentic at this place. It's all show, no go.

• Pros: None
• Cons: See review

04/11/07

nothing to get excited about

by pink75 at Citysearch

the food was okay, i can think of other good asian restaurants in chicago. i do not think i will come back.

• Pros: nice ambience
• Cons: food is mediocre

03/30/07

Tiny, stylish storefront serves up big plates of Asian fusion cuisine.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
With its sleek, minimalist decor, pingpong is one of Boys Town's hippest eateries. There's only seating for 50, so it can be hard to maneuver, but once you've settled in, it's cozy and pleasant. Androgynous-chic servers quietly take orders. In warmer months, the sidewalk cafe doubles the space's capacity and makes for great people-watching.

The Food
The pan-Asian menu ranges from noodle and rice dishes to maki and satay, with most main courses reasonably priced at under $10. Edamame is addictively salty; crab rangoon with sweet-and-sour sauce is a crunchy-creamy delight. Simple, satisfying entrees include kung pao chicken with peppers, beef with broccoli, and crunchy sesame chicken. Menu items are helpfully labeled as low-fat, vegetarian or spicy, and everything is MSG-free.

• Pros: cool ambiencegood pan-Asian fare
• Cons: tiny space

07/19/06

Worst Delivery Service.

by kimmy007 at Citysearch

The food was great, but service and delivery brings a cast upon this restaurant. It took them nearly two hours for them to deliver my food when I was only about four blocks away. I have taken for my friends there to eat and they love the place, but the service is awful. It seems they think high and mighty of themselves losing the definition of providing"customer service". I would not recommend. Just cross the street and go to Joy's Noodle they are as good as Ping Pong.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Service Arrogant Waiters

07/18/06

Out of Food on a Tuesday night?

by brettw at Citysearch

I've ordered from pingpong before and enjoyed their food, but I have a big problem with the recent service I received when trying to place a late take-out order. According to all the information I've seen (including here on CitySearch), they are open until midnight. I called at 10:45pm on a weeknight to place a carry out order and was initially told they were closed. When I mentioned that I thought that they were open until midnight, there was a bit of a pause by the order-taker and then he said they were "out of food" for the evening. If you're trying to avoid orders to close early, then just tell the truth instead of making up a ludicrous excuse.

• Pros: Relatively tasty food
• Cons: Order takers that lie, poor service, somewhat expensive

06/19/06

Totally recommended!

by chicago86 at Citysearch

Fabulous food! Interesting and varied menu. Definitely a great spot for a nice evening when you can sit outside and enjoy a bottle of wine (its BYOB, even better!). The restaurant is really small so there can be a wait, but its worth it. My friend and I absolutely loved the restaurant!

• Pros: Great food, good service, great prices
• Cons: Long wait

04/28/06

Best Asian Food You'll Ever Have

by cloudy999 at Citysearch

We're obsessed with Ping Pong. They're expanding we hear so we're excited about that. The dishes are unique and very flavorful. Prices aren't too bad either. You can't get anything better if you like asian food.

• Pros: delicious, fast, ambience
• Cons: too small

01/04/06

Other restaurants should take notes

by ehu199 at Citysearch

This is a sleek little Thai (& other Asian cuisine) restaurant. The food is great and reasonably priced. There are a good number of clearly-labelled vegetarian dishes. The decor is fabulous and modern -- something somewhat lacking in many other Boystown eateries. And the restaurant is open till a reasonable hour (midnight), also a welcome relief from the early closings so common in Chicago. The staff are helpful, too.

• Pros: vegetarian food, decor, general fabulousness
• Cons: limited seating