Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar

We stopped by on a weeknight for dinner and this place was popping. We did make reservations a couple days in advance and so glad we did because they were mostly packed. Appetizers:Smashed cucumbers Wontons in chili oilBeef dumplings (sub chicken)Mains:Tofu lo meinKung pao chickenDry chili chicken Drinks:Lemongrass gimlet Old fashionTopo chico w/ tequila The warm almond cookies are a MUST!!!!This place is amazing!!! Great customer service, delicious food and cocktails. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to go back again myself.

The food was excellent! We ordered the walnut shrimp, orange chicken, dumplings, and crab ragoon! For drinks we got two rounds of "double lemon" cocktails, it tasted like lemonade and got me feeling good after just one! All the entrees come with white rice (no extra purchase). I am still dreaming about the walnut shrimp and I will be back! I would **highly recommend getting a reservation** before coming here on a weekend. My friend and I were fully served dinner at the bar. We did not have a reservation and showed up 10 minutes before opening to score the bar seats and there was a line behind us by the time 5pm rolled around (it gets busy).

This place is worth the hype. Be sure to check for reservations in advance because this place was packed on a Wednesday night. Our order and ratings are below- will be back!!Dry fried green beans 10/10 (a MUST!!)Crab Rangoons 8/10Korean Beef 10/10 - slight spice & came with a heaping bowl of white riceTofu lo mein 9/10

Overhyped. Food is panda express quality, maybe even worse...they are trying too hard. The vibe could be considered "cool", but I just felt judged and not very welcome. The air wasn't on and windows were open when it was humid and 85 degrees outside. No good. Maybe just come here for drinks?

Hot damn was this a good meal. We got reservations right when it opened and people immediately started filling in the bar for happy hour. My partner got a NA chichi colada which I definitely want to get the next time we go. I got a double lemon with gin (kind of a spiked Arnold Palmer). SO GOOD. For appetizers we got the egg rolls which were amazing. I want to try the crab rangoons next. Our waitress was super helpful and recommended to do a veggie and two entrees so that's what we did!The rolled rice noodles were definitely our favorite. The orange chicken was okay but the broccoli was pretty tough still. Very cute inside with a great bar area. We'll be back!

Absolutely amazing food and a fun vibrant ambiance. The number of vegetarian options they have is truly insane. The dry chili chicken can be made with tofu instead and you CANT go wrong with it. Literally the tastiest tofu ever. The garlic string beans were also one of my favorites of the night--I promise you will not regret it. All of the food was good, but my top two favorites were definitely the string beans and the dry chili tofu and you have to get both even if you're not vegetarian!

I did takeout from here. Was able to place the order online with no issues. This place was packed when I arrived. Unfortunately for me, my food wasn't ready before the promised time. They still met the promised time, but I'm usually in and out when I do takeout. The staff here was very welcoming though. They invited me to sit down for a drink at their bar while I waited. We ordered their Potstickers, Dry Chili Chicken, and Dan Dan Noodles w/ ground pork. The potstickers were pan fried and stuffed with pork and cabbage. These were really good, especially with the dipping sauce that it came with. The Dry Chili chicken was also just as delicious. The chicken had a nice crispy bite and very tender on the inside. The chicken had the perfect amount of heat to it, definitely tolerable. The Dan Dan Noodles came with thick egg noodles ground pork, sesame paste, peanuts and Sichuan peppercorn. This is the first time I've had Dan Dan noodles with peanuts, unless they all do, but the peanuts were definitely noticeable on this plate. It added a nice touch to a classic dish. The thick noodles was also a nice touch and overall a delicious dish with a little bit of heat. I would definitely order all three of these dishes again. Not sure if I would do takeout again from here, but I can definitely see myself returning in person for some drinks as well.

Chef's Special is run by the same team behind the critically acclaimed New American restaurant Giant. Since Giant is my absolute favorite, I just had to stop by this spot to sample the food. The menu consist of a variety of Chinese dishes and top notch cocktails. They even have, in my opinion, one of the best happy hours in Chicago. Everyday from 5-6 you can get 2 spring rolls or egg rolls (both $6), crab rangoon ($7) and dan dan noodles ($11). You can also order a few drinks for $10 or less. It's a hell of a deal that should be taken advantage of! I really dig the overall ambiance and decor of this place. They also have some killer music playing at all times. The kind of tunes that are personally right up my alley. That alone is a huge plus! Well, for me at least. I ordered the spring rolls and crab rangoon to start. Both were hot, fresh, crispy, and delicious. I also ordered the rolled rice noodles with rock shrimp as my entree. Shrimp rice noodles have been one of my favorite dishes for as long as I can remember, so I was thrilled to see this on the menu. And I loved it! This dish is only available for dining in and cannot be ordered through takeout and delivery. So I implore to you to eat here and try it out for yourself. The food wasn't super oily or greasy. Yeah, a lot of dishes contain a bit of chili oil, but it's not overpowering or unpleasant. I finished off my meal with the cloud cake, which is a dish that is also not available for takeout and delivery. It was fantastic and the perfect way to cap off a satisfying meal. Now, I must add that the portion sizes aren't that big. I know this can irk diners who feel like their hard earned money should be spent on food that leaves them stuffed. I'm personally a firm believer in quality over quantity, and that's what you get at Chef's Special. I have had food from other Chinese restaurants that offer large portions at a cheaper price, but it tends to be super greasy and consist of low quality ingredients. To get the most out of dining here, I suggest you order egg rolls, crab rangoon, a vegetable dish, a noodle dish, a dish with protein, maybe some fried rice, and a dessert or two. This is the move. I truly did enjoy this meal and my only regret is not ordering more food. This is now my go to Chinese food spot and I hope to return sooner than later.

Unique Chinese spot in Chicago. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a cool new spot to try unique food. The service was great. Must also get a cocktail while there!

Caveat emptor! If you dine at the bar, they will require a preauthorized charge on your credit card because so many of their bar patrons run out on their checks. Maybe they should cater to a different clientele, and/or hire some security and competent managers.In my recent personal experience, they embargoed $153 of my bank funds for now going on 10 days. They also charged the actual bill of $221 the day we dined there--that's right, the preauthorization is NOT applied to the actual tab--and now have officially washed their hands of the problem, lamely blaming their point-of-sale software and leaving me twisting in the wind to deal with my bank. Not exactly a stand-up guys.Which is a shame because I've been a Jason Vincent fan since before he even opened Giant, when I saw him on Vivian Howard's TV show. I attended her book-signing event at Giant. I've sent countless people there with the personal recommendation that it's the best restaurant in the city. And I heartily support their policy of charging customers to subsidize health insurance for employees. No more. The lesson? In the end, everyone, eventually, disappoints.