Come enjoy a yummy dish at Chicago Café. They are open late from Wednesday to Saturday and are easily accessible by public transit but also by bicycle and car. The neighboring area is notable for its restaurants, merchants and parks.
We enjoyed the Chicago's Spring Feast. on Thursday the 25 april. 8 great items from appetizer to dessert Spring rolls great. Red Curry Beef was excellent. Second time for us and surely will attend and enjoy again. Hosts Ed and Helen. very cordial and welcoming. . Service was excellent as well.
Being on town on a business trip, I always prefer to dine at local owned restaurants that more or less serve homemade delights. In doing searches online I came across the menu for Chicago Cafe and found some interesting selections.
At first walking in I was taken aback by the atmosphere. I thought, WOW. I truly enjoyed the dim lighting, soft Asian spa like music and the service was phenomenal. The history behind this restaurant is amazing and the transformations it has experienced since 1904 was truly interesting to hear and see.
I had the pleasure of trying the Thai Coconut Chicken Lemongrass Soup. It had a nice kick to it and was quite flavourful. The Sizzling Green Curry Coconut Chicken entree thereafter was the perfect complement to the soup. The chicken, hot for the spicy lovers, had a nice kick to it with the spices and lemongrass. I have tried lemongrass dishes in the past and this is the first time I can say I actually enjoyed it.
I am told to try their Lamb the next time.
For dessert I had the luxury of trying their homemade green tea ice cream. The best ice cream I have had by far.
The restaurant was well organized with the right amount of servers for the population of the patrons and it is obvious the owners and staff take pride in their building, food, which is fresh, and service.
Some might be scared off by the prices, but by far, it is well worth it. You get exactly what you pay for!!!
5 stars all around. This will be my regular restaurant upon my journeys to the Bay. Thank-you Helen for a wonderful experience!!!
Dining at the Chicago Cafe is always a pleasant experience. Many times I have been disappointed by the food at various restaurants that serve Chinese food. The Chicago Cafe is entirely different. The ambience of the setting is relaxing and calming. Most importantly, the food is always delicious. You can certainly taste the quality ingredients used in each dish. Just a word of advice...always save room at the end of your meal for their homemade ice cream!
When we want to treat ourselves, our family or our friends to a wonderful meal in North Bay, we go to Chicago Cafe.We have always been delighted with the food, the presentation and the ambiance. Helen, the owner, always makes us feel welcome and often has a new dish to suggest. The latest one is a lobster and shrimp combination which is truly sensational. Another of our favorites is Quail, prepared in the Asian fashion and it is a most delecious and exotic dish. We highly recommend Chicago for truly world class cuisine and service.
Chicago Café
Reviewed by Louis M
Our extended family is widely scattered around Canada and the U.S.A. so sometimes we must travel many miles to attend gatherings for weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations. Our first experience with the "Chicago" was at a sister's wedding anniversary many years ago. We drove about 8 hours to attend the party. Others, in attendance had traveled from as far away as London (Ontario) and Atlantic City, New Jersey but we were unable to claim the prize for the longest distance traveled which went to a brother from B.C.
Since then we have had many meals at North Bay's finest restaurant and Helen and her staff have never failed to please whether the food is ordered from the menu or served at the seasonal feasts Unless fate intervenes at the end of September we will travel from our camp in the Muskokas for the "Autumn Moon Feast" and the trip will be made well worthwhile by the five-star food, the excellent service and the homey, friendly atmosphere.
Our party of 8 went during a "special event" evening for Chinese New year. This was supposed to be 7 courses of food per person...sounds like a lot of food doesn't it? Think again, The servings were way too small for our table. We were served two plates of food for each course for our entire table to share. Ribs was one of the courses, we got ONE rib each. Beside us was a table of two. They were served one plate of food with the same portions, yet 8 of us had to share 2 plates? We went home hungry and ate again after our dinner. The service was VERY poor. We waited for service for drinks all night and had to ask for drink refills all evening. When one of us asked for a refill, the waitress would not even look at anyone else's drink to see if they also needed a refill. Our designated driver was drinking diet pepsi all evening. At the end of the evening we find out that refills are not free or discounted so he paid over $14 for pop. The food tasted okay, not great. Overall, not impressed and will not be back again.
Luncheon buffet selection offers little selection. Everything is heavily battered and deep-fried which means everything ends up tasting the same. Very slow to replenish buffet. All in all a half-hearted effort. Why should one expect anything different from the menu?
All of the reviews below are right on the mark so I don't have to repeat it all again.
The food - perfect and piping hot! So many unique dishes that I've never heard of. A culinary adventure!!
Service - Fast, friendly, and personnal.
Atmosphere - Clean, quiet, roomy, and classy.
Our server was very knowledgeable of the various menu items. He was friendly and funny.
Helen, the owner was extremely friendly and was by often to make sure everything was going well.
Not a single negative thing to say about this establishment!
The best food is ordered off the menu and not what is on the buffet. The buffets are good but very mainstream and I don't go for the Canadianized chicken balls and fried rice mumbo jumbo.... The true taste treats are the from scratch Asian soups and entrees. I have eaten here for more than 30 years!
I've been here quite a few times.
Food is excellent. Service is quick and friendly. Atmosphere is warm.
There is not much to say, I highly recommend this restaurant.
First off, Helen is awesome! Such an interesting...
First off, Helen is awesome! Such an interesting woman to talk to meet. The food was incredible, and I was surprised at how large the portions are. When you look at the menue it seems pricey but one entre can EASLY do 2 people so if you take that into account it's not bad at all.
great place, love the atmosphere!
The food was lacklustre, but man was there a lot...
The food was lacklustre, but man was there a lot! It was enough to feed three of us, which was good since we could only afford to order one plate.
The atmosphere is wonderful. Most places on mainstreet have good atmosphere, and at times, I felt it was too dark.
Service lacked big time. Lady came once and treated us like dirt because we were students. Not impressed.
The food was fantastic, the service was top notch! Great place to experience authentic Asian cuisine. The wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable. As someone with a culinary background, I rate the food 5 stars. Great place for groups, planning to return for a romantic dinner for 2! (Heads up guys this is a great place to bring you significant other!) Excellent wine selections as well!
Thanks for the experience
Lady was rude when serving us, food was gross, and it seemed like it was sitting for awhile, we were hte only ones in the entire place, and i found it a bit dirty, im quite surprised with the positive feed back i've seen, i think its nothing close to even okay. its terrible.
The service was excellent, and we were treated like celebrities. This dining experience really added to our weekend vacation. After sitting down in a candle lit room with we were greeted by an extremely friendly waiter. Both the hostess and the waiter made ordering extremely easy and answered every question we had. They also made excellent recommendations on what we should order. We ordered the tiger shrimp soup, dim sum platter and the steamed lotus leaf. For dessert we shared a red bean and walnut sorbet, which was an excellent finish to our amazing meal. Everything was extremely light and flavourful, and the portions were perfect for sharing. We had an excellent time, and would encourage everyone to try it for a group or small party of people!
I can't wait to be hungry again so that I can return to Chicago Cafe and try the many entrees that peaked my interest. The hard part will passing on their Hot & Sour soup in order to do so.
This restaurant is warm and inviting. From the comfy chairs, to the smell of sesame when you walk through the door, to the salt rock candle holders which emit just the perfect lighting. Fresh ingredients are used in every dish, right down to homeade sorbet at the end of your meal. No artificial colours in sauces, no skimping on focal ingredients in dishes and no need to season your food when it arrives...piping hot by the way!
Everything was perfect! And to top it all off, Helen makes you feel special...a quality in service that is lacking from just about every restaurant in North Bay.
We decided to try this restaurant because of all...
We decided to try this restaurant because of all the rave reviews here. The decor was contemporary, the atmosphere , the food portions generous, and the hospitality from Helen superb. If we were staying longer in North Bay we would definitely come back. There were several other dishes we were interested in, but the rich and generous portions limited us to two mains. The cashew chicken was lip-smacking, while the seafood loi mein was amply topped with plump scallops, large tiger prawns, and a salmon fillet. My husband absolutely adored the homemade sorbet - a light and refreshing palate cleanser that nicely finished the meal. Great dinner, and it was so interesting to chat to Helen - a warm, down-to-earth and gracious host.
The atmosphere was great, the food was outstanding and the service was beyond restaurant expectations.
The menu selections were fabulous!!
We ordered soup, and duck to start. The duck was the best I have ever had.
We highly recommend this Chicago Cafe for a night out. We will be back!
My favourite place in town. FRESH, FRESH, FRESH...
My favourite place in town. FRESH, FRESH, FRESH ingredients always. Dipping sauce for spring rolls is different but amazing. Tofu is always so fresh. Hot pots and soups made with their shitake broth are very good. Try the green tea with aloe - very unique! (they get it shipped from Toronto i think but it tastes very fresh)
