Reviews:
Love the food here!! The popcorn chicken is delicious -- make sure to ask for the sweet chill sauce as it is not given unless requested.
Amazing food, amazing portions, amazing service, clean and modern interior! If I lived in Chicago I would be eating here frequently, no doubt
The gua buns are delicious! The food is great too basil chicken and braised pork over rice.
The food was great. I ordered basil tofu that was served with just the right amount of sauce and rice. The service was nice - the staff are very friendly. The ambiance was neat. Appreciate the clean restroom too. Overall, very enjoyable
We ordered to go. Put in order and picked up within 20 min. The space seemed small and to the business. No frills.
Taiwanese sausage with garlic: the garlic was just so slightly cooked. Keeping its crispy texture with a fresh, spicy kick which complimented the sausage nicely.
Red Hot diced chicken: was a generous serving of lots of chicken, onion, spicy pepper, and green bell pepper.
Crispy Pork Chop on Rice: crispy! With a sweet and tangy dipping sauce served with rice with some seasoning sauce on it and sides of veggies like green bean. It was delicious. It's a must try.
Nice Taiwanese spot just outside Chinatown in Bridgeport. Nothing fancy, but cleaner than many Chinese spots, lots of spicy options, good milk teas, and fast friendly service.
A few cute decor pieces when you walk in, the servers all wear "Anti Boba Boba Club" shirts which is fun. We got Crispy Pork Chop Rice box and Red Hot Dice Chicken. Perfectly spicy and tasty! I recommend getting takeout and having a picnic in Palmisano Park across the street, great views in natural surroundings.
Great meal got the spicy pork noodle soup. Really hits when you're craving a noodle soup dish. Also tried the braised pork from their other location and it was great.
The food was amazing. I highly recommend the boba. The service was also great as the waiters were all nice.
Love this place! The portions are huge and taste amazing! Must try their popcorn chicken and well!
This place is delicious! The guy that served us was really nice and attentive but we got there right before the rush. I was too full to attempt to try the desserts but I saw other people ordering it and it
I forgot about this place ordered for dinner tonight and it's still just as amazing as it was when I ordered it back in 2018. Even the dressing for the salad was delightful. I highly recommend getting a coffee smoothie w/ creme brulee topping.
The best braised porkbelly I've ever had in my life. Soft and flavorful. I could write poetry about their pork belly. I also discoverd I really like turnip soup!
food was good as hell and the lady serving me was super nice the gua bao had a PHAT piece of pork in it too
i've been on the hunt for good taiwanese for a while and taipei cafe did not miss! wanted to try a few different things and everything i had was delicious. takeout was packaged very well and traveled with no issues, too. this spot is going to be on regular rotation.
Good food , good service! I enjoyed each dishes and the ginger milk tea always my favor. The strawberries toast is delicious, large portions can fit at least 4 people, hot toast Mix with cold ice cream, 好吃！！! And a little bit pricy. Best taste with dine in.
Tried something new and didn't regret at all!
Braised Pork Over Rice is killing it!
The portion is huge! Rice , veggie , egg , radish and cabbage prickle in one bowl.
I'm hungry writing this review after a week!
Taiwanese food isn't too accessible in Chicago, but Taipei Cafe satisfied my cravings for authentic Taiwanese. It's a casual eatery with quick service, and a variety of traditional Taiwanese staples.
I tried the Pork Chop Bento Box, which I would recommend! It's as if the pork was fried and then braised -- an excellent combination. The Ground Pork Over Rice was full of umami and five spice flavor, and generous in portion size.
For something sweet, I ordered the Wintermelon Mousse. It was a balanced drink, with a layer of cheesy cream sandwiching wintermelon tea that wasn't overly sugary. The Sweet Rice Roll was like a dessert take on fantuan! I enjoyed the crispy youtiao with ground peanuts, sugar, and raisins, all wrapped within purple rice. I also ordered a traditional fantuan to go. My only wish is that they were a bit longer.
Overall, with fast service, affordable prices, and authentic eats, Taipei Cafe is definitely worth the trek from Chinatown!
My Taiwanese friend suggested this for early lunch one day: glad we got there early as it was quite crowded by the time that the full lunch crowd rolled in! The food wasn't as exotic tasting as he warned me, it was very palatable to naive American boy, we tried a large range of things and I enjoyed nearly all of it (still can't get over the sugary red beans for dessert). Nice service and not too expensive for a large amount of food.
What a great meal! As someone who grew up in Southern California, authentic (and affordable) Taiwanese food is always an exciting find, and I'm so glad that I came by this place last week :)
The beef noodle soup was really good - I would definitely recommend. The broth was so simple yet fragrant and it came with a generous helping of noodles and meat. My one reservation was that the beef was a bit too chewy for my taste, but I'm not sure if that was just bad luck for the pieces we got, or if that was a general issue. We also ordered the braised trio platter, which was a good choice, too. It was a good, lighter, complement for the beef noodles, and I liked quite liked the very luwei sauce that they had.
We also ordered some bubble teas too, which were surprisingly inexpensive (just walk around Chinatown for a bit and the contrast will be even more clear). Nothing too special here, but it's always nice to have a fruit tea with your meal.
Price point was also great, and I really, really just loved how nostalgically comforting eating our meal here was. Would come back in a heartbeat, and I'd love to try some of their mini hot pots or rice dishes in the future.
Braised trio platter (滷味拼盤)
As soon as I took my first bite, I was transported back to my childhood. The flavors were so familiar and comforting, and it tasted just like the vermicelli I used to eat with my family when I was a young girl.
I was amazed at how this dish was able to evoke such a strong sense of nostalgia in me. The oysters were perfectly cooked and added a nice brininess to the dish, while the pork intestine was tender and flavorful. The vermicelli was cooked just right and absorbed all of the delicious flavors of the broth.
Overall, I highly recommend this dish to anyone who wants to experience a taste of childhood and nostalgia. It's clear that the chef knows what they're doing and is able to create a dish that's both delicious and emotionally satisfying. I'll definitely be coming back to this restaurant to order this dish again.
Looking for some authentic milk tea?
It's right here!! It is the small cafe that got wide range of food, drink and dessert.
What I love about this place is the flavorful milk tea which give a vibes of Taiwan (Hard to find in U.S)
They drinks menu are huge but my favorite is the milk tea with cheese foam and crème br?lée.
The only thing I didn't like is boba too hard to chew they should've boil it longer Overall the best milk tea cafe so far around belmont neighborhood
One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago! Everything is very well made with high quality ingredients. My favorite is the spicy beef noodle soup! Also best service you could ask for, servers are extremely polite and atmosphere is very comfortable and seating is not crowded at all. They also have a variety of desserts! This place is a staple!
Anything under 4.5 stars for this resturaunt is straight disrespect. This place is by far the most comfortable, most delicious, and has the best service in Chicago. The Spicy Beef noodle is the best noodle dish that Ive ever had, it has a hint of sourness and hits the back of your throat with the perfect level of spice. Afforadable, tasty, and the best place for a cold day in Chicago.
We stopped by Taipei Cafe around noon on a Saturday and the restaurant was pretty empty. What's nice is that it's only a couple of blocks from Chinatown but there's a shared parking lot in front and ample free street parking nearby. Be wary - one spot in the parking lot has a giant pot hole from a recessed sewer grate. That probably explains why no one was parking there.
Spicy Beef Noodle Soup - Wow, fantastic. Perfectly tender beef, perfectly cooked noodles, bok choy, pickled mustard greens in a savory, beefy, only ever so slightly spicy broth. One of the better beef noodle soups I've had in the country.
Tomato Fatty Beef Noodle Soup - We weren't as enamored with this one. The broth really has a tomato forward flavor that mutes some of the beefy notes. Also, the beef used was basically thinly sliced hot pot meat. It was still good, but the spicy beef noodle was way better.
Crispy Chicken Breast w/ Chili Sauce - We were craving some 大雞排 and this was the closest thing. It's a dish that's you just can't find in most of the country. The rendition here is missing the five spice powder, but the crispiness of the coarse sweet potato starch breading is on point. The dipping sauce is savory and sweet, not spicy at all, but complemented the chicken well.
The boba here is above average. The boba texture is just ever so slightly too hard but still better than a lot of other places.
It was a really nice place with a cool vibe. Pretty small but very homely. Great service and a well rounded menu. the food and boba was amazing!! my favorite the honey milk tea but try whatever you like cause itll probably be great!
Quick prompt service from this place right outside of the main part of Chinatown. The pork was tasty and all the sides in the bento style box, along with the drinks. Reasonably priced too, so glad I stopped by. Texture in rice probably could be improved, but I'm not worried about it. Full marks for me.
I finally found a place with AMAZING boba. Nothing in Chinatown even compares to the jasmine milk tea here. I've also ordered Hokkaido milk tea and oolong milk tea and they are all 10/10. The service is super fast and nice. They speak Cantonese and mandarin so it felt like I was back home. Unfortunately I have not had the chance to dine in just because of my busy schedule but the ambiance inside seems very relaxed, not too loud and a perfect place to get a hot bowl of delicious noodles!
I won't say which day of the week or meal time, but my partner and I dine here almost *every* week. Taipei Cafe is sit down or grab-n-go fast casual Taiwanese eatery (and bbt shop) that's consistently filling, delicious, and easy on the wallet.
My partner gets the spicy beef noodle soup without fail. Meanwhile, I've rotated from their rice bowls (simple but massive portions), sesame cold noodles, and sometimes having their popcorn chicken as my meal.
Their milk tea is one of my favorites in the city, but recently I've been hooked on their winter melon lemon tea with aiyu jelly. It's earthy and slightly sweet; great alternative drink to milk tea when I'm not up for dairy.
I obviously have mostly good things as I've become a regular this past year. Great to see Taipei open another spot up north on Belmont; hope they do just as well!
I ordered for takeout near the time they opened, the person on the phone was nice. The food only took 15 minutes before it was ready to be picked up. Good portion for the price. The braised pork over rice was extremely tender and flavorful. Popcorn chicken was the best!
My husband was craving beef noodle soup and i wanted hot pot. We didn't even have to compromise because Taipei cafe serves BOTH!
Aside from it being freezing in the restaurant, I loved everything!!!! The servers were all very nice and attentive. The Taipei special hot pot is a must.
This is a restaurants that's nostalgic for me, as I grew up in Taipei. The dishes are very good, especially considering the extensive menu (usually the dishes are offered across many vendors in Taiwan).
Good authentic Taiwanese dishes with great price. Environmental suitable for family with kids.
Came here multiple times for lunch and sometime order takeout for dinner. I always get the beef tendon noodle soup. It's my favorite. The broth is so rich and flavorful. There is also a mini hot pot where you can order. Today we order the beef tendon noodle soup and spicy chicken rolls with stir fried cabbage. Let me say me and my sister we ate everything. Would recommend people to come here to eat. There is a parking lot.
Third visit here. We went as a group of four recently. Our food was a great representation of Taiwanese cuisine and everyone was pleasantly impressed and was full afterwards.
We thought at first that the food and drinks we ordered might not be enough but we were wrong. The dishes were a decent size and enough for everyone to share and taste.
We thought the popcorn chicken was pretty good and the basil chicken was better than it sounded. Very tender meat and the umami flavors were just so good. My personal favorite was the tangy sausages and the Pork fried rice. The seasoning on it was spot-on and not greasy. We had cold tea drinks and they were very refreshing, authentic tasting and not too sweet
The staff was very nice too and they took care of us very well. It was towards the end of the day and most patrons were gone but we had great service till the end.
Overall, the drive here is so worth it and I'm so glad I bookmarked this place after seeing some good reviews online. Oh and there's plenty of parking. You can also park across the street at the park
Good and authentic Taiwanese food. Quick service and nice price. Happy to enjoy their meals
One of my friends' go to places in Chicago. We love going here in big groups, for a quick stop, or for take out. Food is consistent and they make it quickly. Dining area is spacious and not too busy, so we've been able to make 20+ ppl group reservations with no hassle a few times. My favorite dishes are braised pork over rice, popcorn chicken and fatty beef noodle soup. Their appetizers are pretty good, my taiwanese friends really like the sliced pork cheek meat & tongue, and the rice tower. Overall, a place that my friends and I go to again and again.
Taipei is great. I have not had one bad thing here. Love the kimchi beef dumpuri over rice, popcorn chicken, the Taiwanese tofu, the bbq pork rice box, and all the milk teas. My favorite is the milk tea trio, or the matcha milk to with red bean and add boba. The rice roll is a great small lunch option. I go here for take out pretty often and have not sat in to eat. I am definitely going to do that soon, as I want to try the desserts they have. They all look so delicious from the pictures I have seen. This place never gets old and I'm always willing to try something new from here because everything I have had has been great !
I want to visit Taiwan after eating here. Taipei Café is a no frills straight-forward good food spot. It's easy on the budget and you can get two appetizers, two tea drinks, and two main courses for under $30 per person.
I stopped here with my partner for a sit-down dinner. Their parking lot was completely full on a weeknight but we found a close parking spot on a side street.
This is what we ordered:
+Cold Noodles w/Sesame Sauce
+Oyster Omelette
+Tomato Beef Noodle Soup
+Crispy BBQ Pork Rice Box (comes with daily vegetable, braised egg, and turnip soup)
+Iced Matcha Mousse
+Iced Passion Fruit Green Tea
For the drinks, you're able to tailor your ice and sugar levels (e.g. regular ice, 80% sugar or no ice, 30% sugar). Their drinks are affordable, about $4.25 - $4.75 for a regular and $5+ for a large. I appreciated their drinks being accessible. I've unintentionally spent $8 on underwhelming boba tea before in neighborhoods outside of Chinatown/Bridgeport bc boba was extra etc etc. Taipei will not catfish you like that! The price of their drinks allows you to enjoy one with your meal/pick-up order every time.
Their cold noodle sauce was on the peanut buttery side (with the sesame paste), which my partner says is a little "less authentic" because it was less acidic. But it was tasty nonetheless. I also need to highlight that TPC has the lowest priced cold noodles that we've found in the city (so far), $7.25-7.55. We are still eating out way through cold noodles in Chicago, much like how others would search for the best "pad thai."
We tried the oyster omelette and shared the crispy bbq box bento and the tomato beef noodle soup. I've never had deep-fried bbq pork before so that was really fun to try. The bbq inside was sweet and balanced out the fried breading and white rice nicely. The vegetable of the day was steamed broccoli. The bento box was plenty to share.
The tomatoes beef noodle soup wasn't something to write home about, but it hit the spot. I give this place five stars because they are dependable, their service is attentive and friendly, and their food is comfort. Most of all, their price point makes this soul-warming food budget friendly and that's what comfort food is all about! I've had their pop-corn chicken awhile ago too, and this is one of their most popular dishes.
TL;DR come here for solid Taiwanese staples that won't break the bank. Bring home a milk tea with you every time. They're open for dine in and take-out, plus they're located in a strip mall with parking outside.
It's been awhile since I got the chance to come back. Thought I check on em again to see if they were consistent in their foods.
The FRIED ROAST PORK... I mean...that says it all! Who else does that!? Seriously!? Granted the packaging of the food has gone to a divider which is a bit small, but still decent portion! It's definitely not your typical cut of meat of the roast pork, but it's crispy, flaky, and MmMmm goodness! with some side of veggies and an egg! Got your entire meal in a box!
The slice pork meat and tongue was definitely a delicacy. It's a bit on the fattier side but the tongue was delicious! Goes well with the rice. Especially on a cold winter. Keep your belly warm. Overall for all you daredevils out there. It's not so bad! If you're not into that pork belly -ish texture. Then this is not the dish for you!
The grass jelly milk tea was a bit on the blander side. Not sure if it's cause I have a bit of a sweet tooth.. Even though it was at 100% sugar. You would think it's sweet. Nothing too crazy. The jelly was of course legit! hefty portions. The milk tea didn't really got that bitter/sweet kick I like from other spots.
Love their Taipei Milk Tea. It has the strongest tea flavor. Okinawa milk tea was ok but Hokkaido almost has no tea flavor. The kids love the popcorn chicken. Spicy beef and/or tendon noodle soup is a must have and so representative of Taiwan. Ordered online, easy pick up.
Consistent good service. I used to come here for the milk teas but later their food is so delicious too!
What we ordered:
Popcorn chicken: Seasoned well and very crunchy!! They were served hot and steamy
Oyster omelet: It was my first time trying this popular Taiwanese night market food. Tasted good with a soft and chewy texture
Braised pork rice bowl: My favorite!! The pork was so flavorful. I strongly recommend this
Spicy beef noodle soup: Well-Spiced and the beef was very tender
Korean kimchi hotpot: Great for sharing with a friend! They served this in a medium pot of fresh ingredients stewed in a spicy kimchi broth
My bf absolutely LOVES this place. It's authentic, the popcorn chicken is the best Taiwanese popcorn chicken in Chicago, and the boba is good too!
The drinks are absolutely delicious! I ordered through Chowbus and didn't really know what to expect, but the Okinawa Milk Tea was so good, especially with the pudding! The passionfruit tea was also banger, I love it when passionfruit drinks have the seeds inside, it makes it so fun to drink. Super delicious and I'll definitely order again :)
Taipei Cafe is one of my favorite restaurants in the Bridgeport neighborhood. It specializes in Taiwanese cuisine, and my favorite dish here is their spicy beef and tendon noodle soup -- I love how they use the stir fried pickled mustard greens to bring out the flavor into the broth and the meats. We came here tonight for our 3 year dating anniversary -- it was one of the first places I took my husband to. He loves their bento boxes, and our favorite appetizers from here is typically the house special chicken wings or the potstickers. Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on their menu. I highly recommend Taipei Cafe to anyone in the area looking for some delicious Taiwanese food.
I was wowed by this place from their food to bubble tea to service. We arrived at dinner time and got seated right away. The service was very quick and our server was observant. We ordered a personal hotspot ($15) that came with a veriaty of ingredients that were all well prepared and very tasty. The portion was decent and probably plenty for two not-so-hungry eaters. The popcorn chicken was crispy and fried to perfection. I only had a bite of the platter cuz I was too full but it tasted good. We also ordered hot ginger milk tea which was spicy and perfect for a winter night.
Overall, everything was great. Everything was reasonably priced and the menu was diverse. They also have a large milk tea menu and the quality seemed up to par. Can't wait to come back!
Delicious braised pork and bbq beef noodles. If you get the chance, try their honey toast. It's really goo
One of my favorite places to do takeout from in the Chinatown area.
Honestly, I've probably had Taipei Cafe over 20 times in the past few years, and it never fails to deliver.
Their rice boxes are honestly the way to go. The balance of veg, tangy mustard greens (?), egg, rice, and protein are on point. I used to love their braised pork belly, but once I tried the crispy pork chop rice box, it was allllll over for everything else.
I'll also mention that they have one of the best side soups around. It's a strong semi-spicy ginger soup with radish and chives/green onion, but it's the most refreshing thing ever despite being hot.
Any of their fruit teas/milk teas are awesome as well, and the tapioca is never hard or incorrectly cooked. I typically order on the Chowbus app, and it's awesome because they have reward points that you can put towards limited drinks, appetizers, rice boxes.
I love the variety offered at Taipei Cafe, yet my favorite is always the 卤肉饭 known as braised pork over rice! It's covered in thick, braised pork sauce topped with fermented vegetables and a brown tea egg. Perfect go-to meal! Their fried pork chop is also another great alternative
They are open again for dine in! Same great food. I had the crispy pork chop bento box and a passion fruit tea with boba--tasty all around. I highly recommend the crispy pork chop, it's seasoned with five spice and absolutely delivers on the crispy front. It comes with a tea egg, pickled mustard greens (sort of like Taiwanese sauerkraut), rice with braised pork on top, pork broth, and some steamed broccoli. Plenty of food.
I went on a weeknight, and there was spacious seating. Had no problem getting a table. Prices are really reasonable. The boba was about $5.
I'm so glad this place exists. Being of Taiwanese heritage, outside of LA, it can be difficult to find good Taiwanese food. The food here is authentic, decently priced, and, most importantly, delicious.
I recommend the popcorn chicken, braised pork belly rice box, and pork over rice. The popcorn chicken is crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and the five spice flavor is great. The pork belly rice box is served as a meal set with rice, vegetables, and an egg. The pork over rice is very tasty as well--it's one of my favorite foods to shovel down my gullet.
I recommend getting a drink here as well. I've had the jasmine green milk tea, which was fragrant and pleasantly sweet.
Dine in service is good, the ambience is casual. I will say that when I order takeout, it often takes a long time (I often arrive late for pickup, and it still isn't ready). But if it's because business is booming, I say that's a good thing. You go, Glen Coco.
We really enjoyed the food here. The place is very busy though so be prepared for a long wait for pickup. Our order was about 30 minutes late, but I chalked it up to the staff being understaffed and overworked.
We ordered the basil chicken, hakka stir-fried, Taipei special mix, and spicy beef tendon soup. All were great.
The basil chicken is nothing like basil chicken from a Thai place. It is saucy chicken with a strong basil flavor.
The Hakka stir-fried is a mix of squid, hard tofu, and pork, with some vegetables. We really liked that. The seafood flavor came through.
The spicy beef tendon soup is sort of like a mixture of ramen and bo kho. A little spicy, a little tomato-y
The Taipei special mix was a good Asian salad type thing.
The portion sizes were pretty big for the price. We plan to go again.
fast n good service thank u for giving us that good good at 4 pm ik it was a weird time to eat but we were literally dying coming frkm the airport and having the slowest uber driver so this was truly a rejuvinating meal. highly recommend the basil tofu it was so yummy
We had San Bei Ji (3 Cup Chicken) in mind and decided to try the Basil Chicken here -- SO GLAD we did!! This is an authentic Taiwanese dish that is actually difficult to find in Chicago and is time-consuming/challenging to make well at home (you need a really good wok!). Taipei Cafe served their Basil Chicken with super authentic flavors, with actual pieces of ginger, garlic, scallions and the sauce was thick enough to coat over the chicken and rice. It was a KNOCK-out and even my 2-year old couldn't get enough of it. The dish is originally made with chopped up dark meat so just know that you'll have to find the bones and remove them as you eat - this is normally how the dish is served authentically in Taiwan.
We also ordered the Braised Trio which also comes with a super authentic-tasting dipping sauce and the Steamed Vegetable - brought us all back to Taipei in an instant.
Service was prompt, professional, and courteous. Looks like indoor dining hasn't opened up here yet but we hope that will change soon and we'll definitely be back.
Their boba is so good! I've already gone back so many times. I haven't ordered their food here but the boba menu has a lot of variety. The sweetness level is sweeter than most places. My bf really liked the roasted oolong. Their pearls are soft (but maybe not around end of the work day). I think they're doing their best considering it's two people working in a very small space.
Remind me of Taiwan. If you miss Taiwan or like Taiwanese food this place is the first choice.
Recommended by my cousin and this place did not disappoint!!! This review is only for the drinks, picked up the Honey milk tea and the Okinawa. It was tasty, good flavor, right amount of boba, sugar and ice. I know everything was made in house cause it was fresh, none of that powder, artificial stuff. I would definitely come back to try other drinks and also the food.
By Yelp
