Takeaway:Great hidden gem, hole-in-the-wall restaurant with huge portions and fair prices - my favorite Chinese-Korean spot in Chicago!Context:Dined in for dinner with a few friends.What I Got:Mongolian Beef (7/10)A pretty standard-tasting Mongolian Beef you might find at a Chinese-American restaurant (basically slices of beef sauteed with scallions, soy sauce, & sugar). Only major difference is that the texture of the beef has a lot more bite than a typical Mongolian Beef - where they go heavy on the corn starch to tenderize the beef. I don't really have a preference between the two so was nice trying something that felt a bit "natural"Sweet & Sour Pork (8/10)Highlight of the meal for me! Pork pieces in fried dough drenched in a sweet and sour sauce. I really enjoyed the texture of the pork - instead of a glutinous rice dough it seemed closer to something you might find on a pastry. Worked really well for me and stayed crispy throughout. The pork is tender and the sweet and sour sauce is nice and balanced.Black Bean Noodles (7.5/10)Personally, I've never been a big fan of this dish or any of the variations of it. If you haven't had it before, it's wheat noodles tossed in a thick fermented black bean sauce (savory and sweet) with pieces of cucumber, zucchini, onion, and pork mixed in. They do a good job of it here and the portion is quite substantial, but nothing about it really stood out to me.
It’s been over a decade since I last ate at Peking Mandarin…crazy to see the same workers! So glad that it survived Covid. The food is still on point. We ordered the traditional Korean-Chinese items. Pro tip: get the sauce on side for deep fried pork so it stays crispy. For the spicy seafood soup get it extra spicy. It’s still manageable but much more flavourful. Already thinking of when I will go again. ?
Tried this place with a group of friends, and we were all pleasantly surprised at how much we all enjoyed it. The food was delicious and the total bill ended up being a lot cheaper than we expected for how much we ordered. Less than around $75 total for 5 people. We feasted on 2 bowls of cha chiang mien, chow ma mein, 2 orders of the sweet and sour pork, and a spicy noodle platter. The sweet and sour pork was crispy and the sauce was a great complement to its texture that had an abundance of flavor. The noodles were chewy and thick, and the sauce/soup of each dish was well flavored with generous portions of toppings. Absolutely no complaints on any of the food we ordered. Although be careful with the spicy noodle platter it is pretty spicy for even a spice lover like me. Definitely will be coming back here in the future, and worth trying out for those who haven’t. Only reason that I gave four stars is the ambiance of the place is a little outdated and the bathrooms were not clean.
I've been coming here since I was a kid with my mom! I don't live in Chicago anymore but every time I visit I make sure to come back for the spicy seafood noodle at least twice lol. Even over the course of a decade the food is still just as delicious and the staff just as wonderful! Can't wait for my next visit!
This place is one of the best! The spicy seafood soup is my favorite along with crab Rangoon. A lot of their other options are worth it for the price!
The best Korean-Chinese Restaurant in Chicago. Located in Albany Park on Lawrence Avenue aka Korea Town, aka Seoul Drive. There are many familiar Chinese American dishes, but they specialize in Korean-Chinese dishes. These became prominent in Korean cuisine when Chinese immigrants lived in Incheon during the 19th century. It would be a huge miss if you didn't try the dishes they are truly known for.As a child, I remember coming here frequently as they are known for their delicious, sweet and savory noodle dish, Jjajangmyeon. The dish is just as good as it was when I was a young girl. Their Tangsuyuk (Sweet and Sour Beef or Pork) is amazing, crispy pork with a tangy and succulent sauce. I always ask for the sauce on the side so I can reheat it again at home. Of course, you cannot skip out on Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup), the spicy seafood broth is soo addictive. All three are usually my go tos when I dine here. My son loves their Jjajangmyeon as well and I'm glad he can go through the same experience as I did.I love Peking Mandarin not only for nostalgic reasons, but because it is one of the few remaining Korean businesses in Albany Park. The space is always clean and I love that the design is still the same as I remembered it. Seating is limited due to Covid precautions, though carry out is available. The staff is very diligent to ensure everything is packed correctly and neatly. The staff is quite multicultural, as some of the servers can speak Chinese, Spanish, and Korean. Albany Park surely has changed, but going to Peking Mandarin helps me remember my roots as a Chicago Korean American. 코리아 화이팅!!
Been going here for almost 10 years specifically for one specific soup. It is delicious and I think it's one of their most popular items. I've had it about 20 times with only 1 or 2 occasions where it was just a little off. I've only tried a couple other dishes which were all good. I'm not crazy about their preparation of Korean style chicken wings, a little too saucy and I don't like my chicken wings cleaned "lollipop" style but that is personal preference. Occasionally I notice they only give the kimchi and Korean bon chon sides to certain guests and I have my own opinion as to why, I just wish it was more consistent, but I also understand, they're complimentary and some people don't even touch them which is wasteful. Overall, good simple service, and a soup that has kept me coming back to this homey location for almost a decade. Also BYOB. 4.5 stars
My boyfriend has always raved about this place and we finally went and I’m so glad we did!Service: it was great! Very friendly and made sure we had everything we needed.Atmosphere: it’s very cute! It was very quite which was a change of pace for sure!Food: Ww decided to get the jjiamymin and the spicy seafood soup and oh my gosh both were absolutely amazing! I had never got either before and now all I do is crave them.If you’re ever in the area, I HIGHLY recommend stopping in or even getting takeout from here as it’s absolutely amazing!
Friendly and cozy place, good food and not expensive, friendly stuff and resectfull until you live the place, the Mongolian beef was amaizingDefenetly coming back!P.S. you sould ask for the egg drop soup ?
They dont even greet you. Once inside they told my husband he had to have a mask on inside(in a really bad attitude). And they didnt even take our order but rather took other people who came in after us got their orders taken first and they took off their mask inside. Like ok that was rude. So we just stood up to leave and they finally wanted to take our orders. Like no. So not great hospitality. Wouldve given them a zero star but since its not possible. ?? We even had to pay a 1$ for the tea which We didnt even taste. Never again will go there. Knowing I came for a mini vacation and with this.