My first stop in Chicago. I have to say this is AUTHENTIC. I’m Taiwanese that was born and raised in Taiwan. Their basil fried chicken was good. They were generous with portion. The beef noodles were just like what I had in Taiwan. Stinky tofu was not stinky enough tho. They only gave me one piece of stinky tofu…. That’s the only complaint.

Great place to get Taiwanese fix. The traditional Taiwanese chicken here is authentic in flavor and fried to perfection. Tried the Taipei Special Hot Pot and for $18, it tasted great and had lots of variety inside, including a smelly tofu which is the “durian” of tofu, either you’ll love it or hate it, one of those things. It doesn’t affect the soup or the rest of the food though so don’t be afraid of trying it. Highly recommended

Authentic Taiwanese food and reasonable prices. I tried lots of Taiwanese places in Manhattan and Taipei cafe wins! ✨✨✨✨✨ Three cup chicken Popcorn chicken Braised plate Braised pork over meat bento Beef noodle soup ✨✨✨ Omelet ✨ Hot pot - they claim to have stingy tofu but each pot only has one piece and the pot took an extremely long time to prepare. Service is friendly but not very attentive. There's a parking lot in front of this restaurant with free parking and lots of spaces. No reservations needed for weekday dinner.

Tried Taipei Cafe for the first time as I had a craving for Taiwanese food. The spicy beef noodles 红烧牛肉面were good, with succulent tender braised beef, preserved mustard greens and decent noodles. Soup had a good hit of beefiness but I wished it had a little more depth and spiciness :) The crispy chicken breast 香辣椒麻鸡was shatteringly crispy on the outside and still tender inside. It came with a sauce but I craved a generous sprinkling of hot pepper powder that usually accompanies this dish on the streets in Taipei :) Finished off with the Taipei milk bubble tea which was so good. Rich brewed tea, with sweetness adjustable to your liking (30% for today), and chewy bubbles. Service was great and food came quickly. Satisfied.

Great Taiwanese spot in Chicago, just a short walk from the orange line. The crispy chicken breast with chili sauce is plump and juicy with a perfectly crisp breading. The seafood rice roll is flavorful and filling. The beef noodle soups are big and heartwarming. Did I mention the honey toast is ENORMOUS? You could feed 4 people with it. The toast is fluffy and crisp, the toppings are light and whipped. Wonderful!

Nice & tasty Taiwanese snacks!

Authentic food with low prices. We loved everything we ordered, and the portion was good for sharing too. Popcorn chicken (made with chicken thigh meat), salt and pepper fried chicken breast, Gua Bao are all worth trying. Of course they have the signature Taiwanese braised pork over rice as well. Besides food, they also a good selection of milk tea and desserts.

Delicious popcorn chicken and spicy beef noodle soup! This is my second time here. Love the pickled mustard greens in the noodle soup. The spiciness is very mild in the noodle soup, but gives it a good kick. Popcorn chicken is crispy with lots of flavor. Also got their basil tofu entree which tastes good but pretty salty. And their special veggie mix side which was pretty tasty. Would definitely be coming back many more times.

We haven’t been to Taipei Cafe for awhile, so we decided to have our family dinner there on Sunday night. It was quiet when we arrived, but people started coming in around 6pm. The restaurant is trying to serve Taiwanese street food, so they have oysters omelette, popcorn chicken, stinky tofu, pork belly bento box, chicken cutlets, etc. on their menu. The menu itself has quite varieties, from meat to vegetarian dishes. From all the dishes that we ordered, my favorite one is the tofu basil. The taste is more like “San Pei Ji” (Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken). Another favorite is the Taiwanese Fried Spring Rolls, basically it’s fried stuffed ground pork with seasonings. Overall: Menu: 4stars Food: 4stars Price: $-$$ Service: 4stars Recommended!

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 looks good as well! I’ll definitely be back for more.

Taiwnese food at some of its finest! Unassuming popcorn chicken, spicy pork n chives, spicy beef tendon noodle soup...Gua Bao! Soooo tasty!

taipei cafe style with lots of choices from noodles to authenic asian dinners. today I tried basil chicken. delicious. make sure try their different kinds of drinks. I recommended grass jelly with fresh milk

My girlfriend and I will sometimes make a 40min trip from the suburbs for their bubble tea, which is excellent! I can’t comment on their food as I haven’t tried it. Edit - unfortunately I have to edit my review. The bubbles they use in their tea have gotten very hard and unpleasant to chew. We no longer come here for milk tea. Edit 2 - their boba is now soft again. It must have been a temporary supplier switch.

An experience for all guests not familiar with Taiwanese food. The food was looking very strange but it was very good and delicious. Our table neighbor called my food a challenge. Best to go there with a local guide to pick out what you like.

Ordered a braised pork w rice plus a taro milk tea. They were pretty good. The pork felt a bit oily after eating a bit, but definitely a good amount for that price tag! Would recommend :)

FALL IN LOVE IN THIS RESTAURANT !!! LOVE IT ~~ FOOD ARE GOOOOOOD

Terrible food, rude service, taste like expired pork

Surprised to find this little restaurant. They have good service and better food. The dishes are delicious.

(Translated by Google) Waiter A Cheng (a male waiter with acne and glasses) forced a tip of more than 15%, saying that every time we came to him, he was not happy because he gave less tips, and gave me a serious lesson, and said that the United States Every Chinese food is like this, watching me change the list before I go. I really don’t dare to come, that is to say, if the tip is less, it will be turned over by the whole meal... Waiter Cheng ( Male waiter with glasses and Acne) forced me to give tips of above 15%, watched me to add the tips and the leave. So if your tip is not enough, you are not welcomed from the first step in the restaurant. (Original) 服务员阿成（一脸青春痘戴眼镜的男服务员）强迫小费给15%以上，说每次我们来他都不开心因为给的tip少，把我一本正经的教训了一顿，而且理直气壮的说美国每家中餐都是这样的，看着我改完单子才走。 真的不敢来了，也就是说小费给少了是会被吃饭全程翻白眼的...... Waiter Cheng ( Male waiter with glasses and Acne) forced me to give tips of above 15%, watched me to add the tips and the leave. So if your tip is not enough, you are not welcomed from the first step in the restaurant.

Not recommended. Forced to tip.

They closed down the larger location a block away. I suppose it doesn't make sense to have three locations as they opened one up at the mall. This location is the smaller of the bunch, but the wait on a Friday night wasn't too bad. The quality of the food hasn't changed. Everything is still delicious.

Loved the dish I got and look forward to trying the rest of their large menu.

(Translated by Google) Fat waiter is like uncle! I ’m here to consume. I ca n’t ask whether the hot and cold drinks are wrong. I don't want to eat anymore! I wouldn't want to tip if it wasn't for the waiter service! !! !! Don't respect others, don't think others respect you! Poor service (Original) 胖服务员跟大爷似的！我是来消费的，问不清冷热上错饮料，还理直气壮的！气的都不想吃了！要不是看在别的服务员服务，我小费都不想给！！！不尊重别人，也别想别人尊重你！服务差劲👎

Their popcorn chicken are good, very their order time or wait are horrible. Mess up our orders 4 time times in a row, also our bill.

My favorite restaurant always. Service is also excellent, food is always wonderful. I love the kale, shanghair pork rice cakes, fried rice, cucumber salad, Xiao long Gao, can't go wrong. Everything is excellent.

small place but with big surprise. nice place place to have something to eat.

Food it’s DELICIOUS dumplings totally different to another places food taste fresh,the noodles beef soup my favorite spring rolls no body hasn’t spring rolls like this place😋😋😋

Decent bubble tea, drinks, and ambiance. Nothing too special about this place, but a safe bet if you’re looking for good Taiwanese food. Their beef noodle soup is one of their main highlights on the menu, and would recommend it. They have an extremely friendly serving staff as well. Can’t go wrong eating here. Worth a try if you are looking for a decent spot.

Price is good but the taste is not. Do not recommend the small hotpot, beef noodles and ice cream toast…

Great food efficient service. In and out in under 30 minutes for a party of 3. Fried pork cutlet bento box was definitely the standout!

We ordered the spicy beef noodle and tendon soup, the braised chicken bento and the traditional rice roll. Everything was delicious. I do not eat spicy food much, but had tasted a beef noodle soup elsewhere so I wanted to give it a try. And it has just the right amount of spiciness. The flavor is deep and so good. My partner has the braised chicken bento and the chicken was tender and juicy. Taiwanese roll is a like a burrito but instead of tortilla it is with rice and the inside has veggies, pork meat, and crispy fried bread. Really fun to eat and tasty!! Hope you all get to try it. If I’m in town again I will definitely stop by!

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.

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.

The traditional Taiwanese rice ball is very authentic. Inside it is pickled cabbage(?), youtiao, pork floss, and egg. All the basic ingredients that should be a part of the dish. Taiwanese popcorn chicken is very authentic. Crispy and straight out of the fryer, nice salt and pepper seasoning

Right across from Palmisano Park. Very friendly service. The plum flavored sweet potato appetizer is amazing.

Yummy

Taipei Cafe is one of my favorite places to eat in Chicago and I know for a fact that all of my friends share the same sentiment. Being from Taiwan, the food here holds a special place in my heart, especially since there are so few Taiwanese food options in the city. My favorite things to get are the braised pork over rice, popcorn chicken, beef donburi, and Taipei special hot pot. The value of these dishes are amazing!! Especially the hot pot--so many restaurants only offer AYCE and I love that I can get a personal size hot pot here for $13.95 and it comes with a ton of food. I've tried a good half of the menu and would say everything is quite well made (you can't go wrong with any of the rice, noodle, or entree dishes) but a first timer should definitely stick with the popular dishes. For appetizers, I'd recommend the Taiwanese sausage, ba wan, gua bao, pig ears, preserved egg and tofu, and Taipei special mix. The drinks are equally as good (but perhaps not as unique to Chinatown/Bridgeport) and my favorite drink is the milk tea trio that comes with boba, grass jelly, and pudding!

hands down the best and most authentic Taiwanese restaurant in downtown Chicago! their 便當 brings back memories of real and authentic Taiwanese street food, and all the portions are super filling and delicious. did not complain at all. only wished their 臭豆腐，stinky tofu, would be more "stinky" haha

The bubble tea is good (but not necessarily better than other Taiwanese places in town), and I love their beef noodles. But most dishes are mediocre.

One of the hidden gems in Chicago! Amazing food, everything was done to fantastic taste. Loved everything about this place, from the food to the atmosphere. Don't skip out on the milk tea. It's been a long time since I had such great milk tea in the states

This place was great. It's hard to find good shaved ice, and this place does not disappoint from that standpoint. The food is good too.

Delicious pork chop! Braised pork was a bit too salty for my liking and my ouster omelet was a little soggy. Order their crispy stuff like pork chop and popcorn chicken. Theor okinawa milk tea bobba was also very refreshing

Such a cool place. The staff have been super nice every time I've been in there despite it being really busy. They always take the time to check in. The honey toast is really good and just a neat experience. I also love all the drinks and food I've gotten there with the pickled spicy lotus root being my favorite!

Great food! 😉

Amazing authentic Taiwanese cuisine

Home style!

Mmmmmmmmm Taiwanese bentos. Can’t get any better than that!!

My friend has been bragging about this Taiwanese restaurant in Eagle for awhile. We decided to try it out. Well, now is not the right time to go there as the corona virus is keeping people away.

Food great but delivery super slow

Good.

Delicious xiao long bao, wished it was hotter. The shrimp fried rice and hot & sour soup was decent. The spicy Chicago were yummy and the fried dumpling was above average.

Had the beef noodle soup. Excellent broth with tons of flavors.

I waited for an egg waffle and it wasn't even warm when I got it. The food doesn't live up to the reviews. I've come here twice now and had the beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken and now the egg waffle. None of it is bad but none of it is worth seeking out either. I definitely had higher hopes for this place.

This restaurant has many authentic Street foods that weren't available in Chicago before, but now it seems some night markets from Taiwan have made their way to my backyard. A must have if you're visiting Chicago.

Best Taiwanese food in Chicago! Second experience: Their attitudes and the takeout process were terrible. I ordered ahead by calling, and I arrived on time when my order wasn’t ready which was totally understandable. However, there is no way to know when your order is available for pickup, you would need to wait outside and KEEP TRYING to get into the restaurant, which only allows one person standing inside to ask if your order is ready to go.

The salt crispy chicken is really flat, too much starch or flour. Staff is very rude.

trash，waste my time ，so bad

Never skip this place whenever I visit Chicago! Strongly recommend this place! The only complaint is about the parking place!

Good food, good service, has parking.

So the Taiwanese beef noodle soup was not tasty at all. The beef was hard and not easy to chew. The pork belly was good. Soft and tasty. The fried chicken was ok but the service needs improvement. Small place but cute

Didn't go to Taipei cafe.....

This is one of the few-if not the only-Taiwanese restaurants in Chicago. They serve classic street food like oyster omelette, stewed pork over rice, etc. Overall it's the decent- it is the best you will find in Chicago , you don't really have other choices lol. Of course it's not as good as actual food in Taiwan, but that's expected. It's very very difficult to actually find great Taiwanese food outside of Taiwan. Some things are beyond their control like you can't find good fresh oysters in Chicago. In Taiwan you can literally go to oyster farm and watch people shuckle oysters as you order. The main downside is that this is street food- it's a bit difficult to make a meal out of coming here because they don't serve many options that are traditional dinner foods. And it's hard to have street food only in restaurants. Overall, if you never had Taiwanese food, come check it out. Keep in mind food in Taiwan is still going to be far better, and this style is not how people normally eat for actual meals.

Love love love this place. Every time I come to So Cal I have to eat here. People say that this place is expensive but I think it's okay. The original flavor is the best. I wasn't a big fan of the crab dumplings.

The best authentic Taiwanese food ever!!! But some of the food could be better, for instance Shredded Chicken over Rice. The rice should be rinse with the chick oil and thick soy sauce. So after eating a few bite, it would just be too dry to take more. Bubble tea might be one of the best one in USA I have ever had!!

College student here: food is affordable and tasty. I ordered their oyster & pig intestine vermicelli and braised pork over rice. Portion is big and cheap for Chicago. Definitely would order again. Have not yet tried desserts and other dishes and looking forward to it.