Update 4/7/24It’s been like a year since I was last here but we decided to give it a try again. We came here for a late lunch. It’s located in a small outlet, so parking can be limited since it’s shared. They do have some places to sit and eat but it’s limited especially during peak hours. When we came in, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. I believe it’s family owned and the owners are very nice and attentive. They have one gender neutral bathroom.We ordered stir fried lamb with onions, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, and shrimp, chive, and egg dumplings. Portion sizes are very generous and prices are reasonable.-stir fried lamb with onions 5 - lamb meat is very tender, requires very little chewing.-sweet and sour pork with pineapple 5 - most Americanized Chinese places, the pork would be soggy, but here the skin is very crispy. Pork inside is succulent.-shrimp, chive, and egg dumplings 5 - I really liked how they listened to my feedback from last time and added more moisture inside. They were definitely juicier and tastier than before. Skin is thin, good sized dumplings, and flavorful.Rating is 4No, the owners have not changed. I recommend getting dishes that are not the typical Americanized Chinese dishes like mongolian beef. Try something new and different.Dumplings I would give 4/5. I’ve tried several different kinds but they could be juicier. They have good flavor, just a little dry. I’ve tried shrimp, chive, and egg, beef onion, lamb carrot, and chicken and cabbage mushroom.Scallion pancake was too dry for me. It could use more flavor.Quick fried sauteed intestines were very tasty. I really like this dish.Shredded pork dishes were good. Spicy is really spicy. Shredded pork is not dry, is moist and just a little chew.Portions are generous. Service is good, they take care of their customers. Prices are fair for all the food you’re getting.
Eggrolls are small and because of that there was too much wrapper. Too bad they don’t have egg foo young. Mongolian beef was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Egg Roll
Sunny Bhawnani
Small place but authentic "China" Chinese cuisine. Not your typical Cantonese restaurant. Really good taste and quality. Family owned, friendly service and everything is priced right as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mongolian Beef, Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, Dumplings
Ethan Montague
Really good chineese food and the chilli sauce at the table is really
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Xinyan C.
Best Chinese restaurant in the area, better than Xi'an cuisine which makes everything unnecessarily spicy. Very authentic. Good service too.
SCOTTYESSA
A little pricey for a small place in Lisle. Food was pretty goodMongolia beef tasty.Chicken fried rice excellent.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mongolian Beef, Fried Rice
Kyle Fluck
Have ordered take out 3 times now and each time has been great. The fried rice is incredible. Have also had crab rangoon, egg rolls, mongolian beef and orange chicken. All have been incredibly delicious. I look forward to ordering from S.Y Chef again. Staff is also very friendly when picking up.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adel W.
Newer restaurant in the Lisle area, and easy to miss as it's a tiny spot in a small strip mall! We came as a group of 8, and they graciously moved some tables to accommodate us. The interior is pretty small, and seats around 30-35 people! We ordered a bunch of dishes, and in the end it only came out to $110 total. My favorites were the Colorful wide cold noodle, pork head with cucumber, eggplant with potato and pepper, homemade H& pancake, and the boiled sour cabbage pork dumplings. I'd probably skip on the special dry chili chicken and stewed pork with fried tofu.Service was wonderful, only 1 woman was serving the whole place.
John L.
Ordered a chicken dish everyone got sick from it the other food items we ordered were nothing special .I have been having a hard time getting good quality Chinese food these days. won't be going back
Ao Liu
Their food is so authentic and good tasting that although their size is as small as 4 tables for dining in, I still wanted to give them a 5 star review.Their service is not the most welcoming and their decorations are not the most chic, but, omg their food is just so great. I ignore all other things when I enjoy such good food lol.Very honest review lol.
This restaurant is easy to miss, as it's in a small strip mall right near a busy intersection. I only learned of it after someone in a Naperville Facebook group recommended their dumplings. This is what I had a taste for when I visited recently.I learned from the friendly order-taker that dumplings are served as an entree in China, unlike here where they are a side or appetizer. That explained why there were 12 pieces in an order. I got the Napa Cabbage Pork dumplings and paid $1 extra to have them fried (aka "pot stickers"). They were slightly smaller than what you might get if ordering elsewhere as a side. But the wrap was lovely and tender, not doughy like many other places. The filling was plentiful and tasty. The dipping sauce was also a little 'different' but complemented the dumplings perfectly! I also ordered chicken fried rice, and I asked for pineapple to be added. (I don't think they even charged me!) There was no egg, and the onion was white onion, not green onion - which was fine. The pieces of chicken were large, tender, and flavorful. The rice was flavored nicely and not oily. The portion size was generous. My take-out was ready in just under 10 minutes, and the price I paid was definitely worth what I got. Last thought: any comments I made about things being different than what I expected or had elsewhere were not complaints, just observations. These small details made me think Sy Chef was maybe a bit more authentic than some other places I've gone to. I will definitely be back!
Maria T.
We visited for the first time this past Sat. We had a great experience so we visited again the next day. This is a little Hole in the Wall with great food and great service. There are several 4-top and 2-top tables. I think the restaurant could seat a maximum of 22 people comfortably. The food was really good both days. On the first day, we ordered Mongolian Beef, spicy eggplant and combination fried rice. All was delicious! We liked the thickly sliced mushrooms included in the beef dish. The eggplant had a kick to it but was not overly spicy. The rice was flavorful with an abundance of protein. On the second day we ordered sweet and sour pork with pineapple and shrimp chowein. The soft noodles were handmade and the dish had lots of shrimp. Other: - In a rather run down strip mall with limited parking. - One unisex bathroom. - Soda served in cans (no refills)No complaints. Would definitely recommend. Great food and great value (big portions). May now be our "go to" for Chinese restaurant... At least for takeout or a quick bite.
Hunter Bauer
Best authentic Chinese food in the suburbs.Try the Stir Fried Sweet And Sour Pork. You will come back for more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bob Schwartz
Ordered the combination chow mein - amazing flavor and veggies were hot and fresh! The general tso chicken was super moist and crispy and the veggies perfectly cooked, fresh and crisp. Mongolian beef could have been spicier but it was flavorful and the crab rangoons were stuffed just right. I will return! Highly recommend to anyone!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mongolian Beef
Julio V.
Ordered delivery from here. Fantastic Chinese food! Great quality and flavors. We ordered chicken chow Metin and the general Tsos chicken.We would definitely order again!
Update 4/7/24It’s been like a year since I was last here but we decided to give it a try again. We came here for a late lunch. It’s located in a small outlet, so parking can be limited since it’s shared. They do have some places to sit and eat but it’s limited especially during peak hours. When we came in, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. I believe it’s family owned and the owners are very nice and attentive. They have one gender neutral bathroom.We ordered stir fried lamb with onions, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, and shrimp, chive, and egg dumplings. Portion sizes are very generous and prices are reasonable.-stir fried lamb with onions 5 - lamb meat is very tender, requires very little chewing.-sweet and sour pork with pineapple 5 - most Americanized Chinese places, the pork would be soggy, but here the skin is very crispy. Pork inside is succulent.-shrimp, chive, and egg dumplings 5 - I really liked how they listened to my feedback from last time and added more moisture inside. They were definitely juicier and tastier than before. Skin is thin, good sized dumplings, and flavorful.Rating is 4No, the owners have not changed. I recommend getting dishes that are not the typical Americanized Chinese dishes like mongolian beef. Try something new and different.Dumplings I would give 4/5. I’ve tried several different kinds but they could be juicier. They have good flavor, just a little dry. I’ve tried shrimp, chive, and egg, beef onion, lamb carrot, and chicken and cabbage mushroom.Scallion pancake was too dry for me. It could use more flavor.Quick fried sauteed intestines were very tasty. I really like this dish.Shredded pork dishes were good. Spicy is really spicy. Shredded pork is not dry, is moist and just a little chew.Portions are generous. Service is good, they take care of their customers. Prices are fair for all the food you’re getting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cumin Lamb, Pork Dumplings, Dumplings, Stir Fried Lamb with Onion
Eggrolls are small and because of that there was too much wrapper. Too bad they don’t have egg foo young. Mongolian beef was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Egg Roll
Small place but authentic "China" Chinese cuisine. Not your typical Cantonese restaurant. Really good taste and quality. Family owned, friendly service and everything is priced right as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mongolian Beef, Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, Dumplings
Really good chineese food and the chilli sauce at the table is really
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best Chinese restaurant in the area, better than Xi'an cuisine which makes everything unnecessarily spicy. Very authentic. Good service too.
A little pricey for a small place in Lisle. Food was pretty goodMongolia beef tasty.Chicken fried rice excellent.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mongolian Beef, Fried Rice
Have ordered take out 3 times now and each time has been great. The fried rice is incredible. Have also had crab rangoon, egg rolls, mongolian beef and orange chicken. All have been incredibly delicious. I look forward to ordering from S.Y Chef again. Staff is also very friendly when picking up.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Newer restaurant in the Lisle area, and easy to miss as it's a tiny spot in a small strip mall! We came as a group of 8, and they graciously moved some tables to accommodate us. The interior is pretty small, and seats around 30-35 people! We ordered a bunch of dishes, and in the end it only came out to $110 total. My favorites were the Colorful wide cold noodle, pork head with cucumber, eggplant with potato and pepper, homemade H& pancake, and the boiled sour cabbage pork dumplings. I'd probably skip on the special dry chili chicken and stewed pork with fried tofu.Service was wonderful, only 1 woman was serving the whole place.
Ordered a chicken dish everyone got sick from it the other food items we ordered were nothing special .I have been having a hard time getting good quality Chinese food these days. won't be going back
Their food is so authentic and good tasting that although their size is as small as 4 tables for dining in, I still wanted to give them a 5 star review.Their service is not the most welcoming and their decorations are not the most chic, but, omg their food is just so great. I ignore all other things when I enjoy such good food lol.Very honest review lol.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
This restaurant is easy to miss, as it's in a small strip mall right near a busy intersection. I only learned of it after someone in a Naperville Facebook group recommended their dumplings. This is what I had a taste for when I visited recently.I learned from the friendly order-taker that dumplings are served as an entree in China, unlike here where they are a side or appetizer. That explained why there were 12 pieces in an order. I got the Napa Cabbage Pork dumplings and paid $1 extra to have them fried (aka "pot stickers"). They were slightly smaller than what you might get if ordering elsewhere as a side. But the wrap was lovely and tender, not doughy like many other places. The filling was plentiful and tasty. The dipping sauce was also a little 'different' but complemented the dumplings perfectly! I also ordered chicken fried rice, and I asked for pineapple to be added. (I don't think they even charged me!) There was no egg, and the onion was white onion, not green onion - which was fine. The pieces of chicken were large, tender, and flavorful. The rice was flavored nicely and not oily. The portion size was generous. My take-out was ready in just under 10 minutes, and the price I paid was definitely worth what I got. Last thought: any comments I made about things being different than what I expected or had elsewhere were not complaints, just observations. These small details made me think Sy Chef was maybe a bit more authentic than some other places I've gone to. I will definitely be back!
We visited for the first time this past Sat. We had a great experience so we visited again the next day. This is a little Hole in the Wall with great food and great service. There are several 4-top and 2-top tables. I think the restaurant could seat a maximum of 22 people comfortably. The food was really good both days. On the first day, we ordered Mongolian Beef, spicy eggplant and combination fried rice. All was delicious! We liked the thickly sliced mushrooms included in the beef dish. The eggplant had a kick to it but was not overly spicy. The rice was flavorful with an abundance of protein. On the second day we ordered sweet and sour pork with pineapple and shrimp chowein. The soft noodles were handmade and the dish had lots of shrimp. Other: - In a rather run down strip mall with limited parking. - One unisex bathroom. - Soda served in cans (no refills)No complaints. Would definitely recommend. Great food and great value (big portions). May now be our "go to" for Chinese restaurant... At least for takeout or a quick bite.
Best authentic Chinese food in the suburbs.Try the Stir Fried Sweet And Sour Pork. You will come back for more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered the combination chow mein - amazing flavor and veggies were hot and fresh! The general tso chicken was super moist and crispy and the veggies perfectly cooked, fresh and crisp. Mongolian beef could have been spicier but it was flavorful and the crab rangoons were stuffed just right. I will return! Highly recommend to anyone!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mongolian Beef
Ordered delivery from here. Fantastic Chinese food! Great quality and flavors. We ordered chicken chow Metin and the general Tsos chicken.We would definitely order again!