Liang's Chinese Cafe

Highlights: & Hidden gem & Potstickers so crispy on the outside Food: Potstickers were very crispy on the inside with delicious filling. 5/5 Ambiance: Its a location in the food court, so keep that in mind. But amongst the food court restaurants, Liang had a more energetic vibe. Location: Tucked inside the International Mall Food Court, this place is well-hidden. If you find yourself in the plaza for whatever reason, Liang's is a go-to. Sunday afternoon this was by far the busiest location. Sidenote: if you're feeling full and needing a place to relax, there's a foot spa right in the plaza!

Ambiance - quiet food quart, large area for seating, family owned storefront restaurant Service - cashier was super speedy with taking orders, gives you buzzer if you're dining in Food - cheap & affordable Asian breakfast spot, fried bread stick was super crispy, soymilk sweetness was perfect

Hands down one of the most authentic and best Chinese food I've had! The restaurant is located in a food court in a mall plaza so the entrance was a bit confusing but we walked through the plaza and found a bunch of restaurants in the food court. We ordered from Chinese Cafe and got the scallion pancakes, pork and chive dumplings, and beef noodle soup. The spicy beef noodle soup was flavorful and the beef was very tender. We ordered the hand cut noodles and the portions were very big! The scallion pancakes for 4.99 was a steal and the pancakes were very crispy and well made. The pork and chive dumplings were very filling and very good as well. Service was fast and the workers were very friendly. Definitely will be back to try their other meals!

All right, friends, I think this is probably the best and most authentic Chinese food in the Chicagoland area and a true hole in the wall that seems pretty unknown other than to Chinese locals, for the most part. If you want to know want to order, I got you! Come through on a weekend at breakfast or lunch time (ideally by late morning or lunchtime), bring cash, and be prepared for a line of a bunch of Chinese locals (but the line moves fast and you should never have to wait more than 15-20 minutes and usually less). Here's what I like the best and I think you should order: Sweet Bean Milk, Fried Bread Stick, Flapjack With Pork, and Salted Rice Ball. That should be enough for one person and you can take the Salted Rice Ball with you for lunch (or part of a lunch, more like). I also like the Chive Box. My husband is big on the Salted Bean Milk and Salt Tofu Pudding--I like them too, but I have more of a sweet tooth and prefer the first set of items I mentioned. The Fried Bread Stick and either Sweet or Salted Bean Milk (it's soymilk) go together. The flapjack is not a pancake, but more like some flaky bread (not quite bread but sort of like that) with sesame with pork and cilantro inside. The Salted Rice Ball is rice in a cylindrical shape with some pork, soy egg, pickled vegetables, and fried dough pieces inside. The Salt Tofu Pudding is not really pudding--if you like hot and sour soup, you will like this, but it's not as soupy. If it's not a weekend, you can also come through for lunch, and I've gotten the Lunch Box and Pork with Bamboo Shoots (Hot), though not very spicy actually and comes with rice--both good, especially the pork with bamboo shoots. However the real reason to come is for weekend breakfast/brunch/lunch. There is plenty of booth seating although nothing fancy.

手工牛肉面，The beef noodle at this food court is the best! My American friends liked it so much she even finished everything including the soup! Highly recommended meal if you like noodles and beef.