Taipei Cafe Xiǎo Tái Běi - Chicago

Don't think twice, just go! This restaurant is fantastic. The food is both delicious and reasonably priced. There's no gimmicks here, just genuine cuisine. As a dedicated meat lover, I was truly impressed by the salt and pepper tofu; it was so simple yet unforgettable. We also enjoyed the braised pork over rice, which was delightful, packed with flavor, and satisfying. I can’t wait to return the next time I'm in Chicago!

I enjoyed several dishes, including the three-cup chicken, popcorn chicken, braised plate, braised pork over rice bento, beef noodle soup, omelet, and hot pot. While they advertise their hot pot with generous servings of stinky tofu, I found each pot only contained one piece, and it took an exceptionally long time to prepare. The service was friendly, although not very attentive. On the bright side, there's a parking lot right in front of the restaurant with plenty of free parking spaces. No reservations are required for dinner on weekdays.

We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup with tendon, the braised chicken bento, and the traditional rice roll. Everything was absolutely delicious! Although I don't usually eat spicy food, I had tried beef noodle soup at another place and wanted to give this one a shot. It had just the right level of spiciness, with a deep and rich flavor that was fantastic. My partner had the braised chicken bento, and the chicken was perfectly tender and juicy. The Taiwanese roll is similar to a burrito, but instead of a tortilla, it uses rice as the wrapper, filled with vegetables, pork, and crispy fried bread. It was really enjoyable to eat and so tasty! I hope you all get the chance to try it. If I'm in town again, I will definitely stop by!

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.