Chang’s Chinese Restaurant

Noooooooooooooo!!! It’s closed?! This was the best Chinese food I’ve had in Chicago over the last 10 years. Can I have your recipe for Mongolian beef please?!

This was the best korean-​chinese restaurant in Chicago for sure. I wanted to really thank for the great food before I left, but it was closed last time I visited here in August. Says the owner, the old lady who was the server/​cashier, has been retired.
It is a bummer Chicago has lost a great food spot even though not many people have even noticed this place. Hope everything is well with the ownership.

Reading some of their reviews which in some ways are alike many restaurants serving Chinese food; do you think Americans know that dim sum is supposed to have a level of grease to it?
Are people learned enough (Or take the care to find out) to know that hot tea is to be ordered and used as a filter to cut the grease? At least that’s how I’ve understood it whilst having traditional dim sum with «mainland» Chinese people in the past. (Note)
I can report that on my most recent trip, the tea was weaker than it needed to be but maybe that was due to the timing of my visit. Nearer to closing.
I first tried out Chang’s more than a decade plus ago when Chicago still had a plethora of options for Korean — Chinese fare. Accompanied by a group of Korean friends we’d hit this spot and order a plethora of entrees to try. Items mainly off their Korean menu.
Today is a different Chicago and while more people know about the pluses of ordering off the «Korean» menu, only a few restaurants remain in play and Chang’s was one of these.
When I was in my teen’s we would hit up Chang’s for their Korean — Chinese menu, these are dishes inspired by flavors geared toward Chinese Korean tastes. Commonly one could find dishes like Gan pong shrimp or chicken, jjam ppong (spicy seafood soup) or jja jjang myun (black noodle). All favorites and all done slightly differently depending on where you dined at. Chang’s, at different times, had done these exceptionally well which you can tell from the reviews. There are a few reviews shared here by Unilocalers whose tastes mimic my own and therefore why I can find reviews of Chang’s by many of them. Also highly rated.
Beyond the Chinese Korean menu we’d never ordered anything more than some appetizers and for those seeking decent Chinese food, I’d say you’d probably have to go elsewhere.
As others have shared the place is old-​school. It’s surely dated and in desperate need of tender, loving, care. Also a good steaming would make it’s surroundings feel cleaner. But alas I’m not sure if the other reviewer that shared recently is correct (about their closing) but a quick call to their business verified that the number had been disconnected. Surely if some younger entrepreneur could take up the reigns of this place, it could be born anew of a fresh place with newer tastes.

Chang’s officially went out of business 3 weeks ago. I notified Unilocal multiple times, but for some reason they are ignoring me.

I stopped by today and was disappointed to see the signage of «permanently close. off to retirement»

They are closed due to the owner retiring =(
(Go to V.I.P. Restaurant on Montrose)

This place is fantastic. My favorite local Chinese food place. Its BYOB and its great sized portions for a good price.

Extremely attentive service which was very welcomed. I ordered the Kung Pao shrimp: the right amount of spice and lots of yummy veggies to go with the shrimp. I do wish there was more shrimp in the dish.
My girlfriend «I love Changs»
I also ordered the seaweed soup which was alright.
I also wish that they would give each person a bowl of rice with their entrée instead of just one small bowl for the table.
Again the service was great so asking for those extras isn’t a big deal.

I been coming to changs for years!!! Never disappoints and definitely my favor local chinese spot and needless to say the service is great

Poor quality food, especially their meats. Really rude owner. Place is a dive and do not recommend.

After 25ish years driving past the restaurant on my way to Jong Bu Market (aka Chicago Food), I finally had lunch. Décor is 70’s/80’s. Got the Jampong and three stars are for the food. It was a unique roasty spicy taste and it was more soupy than chunky. It was average.
Value is very good, did not try anything on the lunch menu, but prices looked really good for what you got. the Jampong was $ 8 which is average. Service is awesome and the older woman who was there was very nice and receptive. I will probably try again and try something off of their regular menu to get a better perspective.

I love this place! I came here about a year ago with a friend because we wanted good Chinese food and this is what Unilocal came up with, for us. The place looked run down and we weren’t sure it was even open, but aside from that the food was so good I came back the next week for take-​out! Anyway, now that I live right down the street my husband and I eat here at least once a week or every other week! We always get the Mongolian beef and an order of their pot stickers (the stickers are a good size for the price, not those wimpy ones you get from other Chinese restaurants). Their «spicy seafood soup», or Jjamppong (sp?) is tasty too! Overall, the place doesn’t look like much but the owners are polite and the food comes out, fast, hot and delicious!

don’t be fooled by the 3.5 star rating. this place is the best jjamppong/​jjajang you can get in the city.
i don’t know why it’s so hard to find in chicago, but chang’s seems to be the only place that knows how to do it right.
their jjambbong is delicious– good amount of heat, tons of seafood/​meat/​veggies, and perfectly cooked noodles.
jjajangmyun is very good as well. lots of flavor and good consistency on the sauce.
the ajoomah (old lady) who runs the place is super sweet and accommodating. her son is typically around to help out as well.
we usually get the mongolian beef, tofu, or tangsooyuk in addition to the noodles.
2 jjambbongs, 1 mongolian beef, 1 order of giant dumplings, and unlimited kimchi/​radish/​onion/​rice all for $ 28. enough to feed 4! oh, and they’re BYOB. they have a small parking lot (free) and plenty of free street parking nearby.
it’s just a wholesome family business that provides awesome dishes at a very reasonable cost. i hope they never go out of business!

Oh man… Maybe it’s because I’m Asian and I’ve been spoiled with authentic, home made food, but this whole experience was a disaster. Went for their lunch «specials», but there was nothing special about them. Rice was reheated and bland, general Tsao was dry on the inside (reheated), it was sweltering inside with a single, useless box fan, and the server seemed inconvenienced by my presence. Never again. I guess you get what you pay for.

So my husband and I love Chinese food. Normally we order in but about 2 weeks ago we decided to try a new place and eat in the place. Boy am I glad we did! I stumbled upon this place after asking about to friends who live nearby it. When you first get in you’re sort of filled with this old time-​nostalgia vibe. It seems the building has had some amazing history, if only walls could talk. When we sat down our waiter came over and took our drink order. He was very polite and easy to understand unlike some Chinese workers. He was also quick and even threw in a free drink for our son who was with us. I definitely will come back to this place. My husband had the sesame chicken and our son had some fried rice. I had a few different small things which were all amazing. I actually prefer this place to some others we’ve eaten at. They’re friendly and respectful while also serving amazing food in a great atmosphere. I have already recommended them to a few friends. Whenever we have the time and cash we will come here again. Since they don’t deliver to our neighborhood eat in or take out will be our only options. But for food as good as this? I certainly don’t mind the trip!
I’m so used to the mediocre Chinese food taste, but I must say that their food tasted much more fresh and authentic. It is almost as good as the Chinese food you’d find in China Town in NYC. Which in my opinion is the best place I’ve eaten Chinese at. However this place holds their own and I really hope they stay that way and stay open. From the outside of the building you’d think it’s a dump and run down but once you get inside? You’ll surely change your mind, especially after your first bite of food. I can honestly say that I love this place and hope to return soon… maybe even tomorrow! I’ve been craving some of their ragoons lately! I must also mention the prices are EXTREMELY affordable and probably one of the cheapest in Chicago. How much better can it get? Cheap and tasty! This place is now in my top 3 Chinese places here in Chicago. Kudos to you guys! Keep up the good work and amazing food. May I also add that the place is pretty clean? It is.
For those who have never been here, do yourself a favor and go. like RIGHT NOW! Yum!

Good comfort food in an atmosphere that feels like time forgot it slightly. At one point, I am guessing this was a really happening place with a bar and cocktails. But at some point, the liquor license went away and the cocktail pages of the menu got stapled together. I’d also guess times have been a little tough since then but it is clean and comfortable and I hope one day the liquor license comes back and the cocktails return because this place would be really great with tiki drinks.
But back to the food — hot and sour soup is one of the best although it does have what appear to be frozen vegetables in it. Shrimp fried rice is very good. The dishes with fried chicken like General Tso’s and such have actual bits of ginger and other spices. Apparently, a large number of their customers are Koreans who order Chinese food that is popular in Korea. My wife and I observed some of the dishes going by our table and asked the server the next time we came in and he was happy to fill us in on some of the details. Trying those things is next on our list but keep your eyes open if that sounds tempting.
This is now our go to place for Chinese comfort food. Don’t go expecting it to be perfect. Go expecting decent food at decent prices. It isn’t perfect but we have visited a number of bad Chinese places on North Ave and this place is much better. If you want great food, go to china town!

I’m not a fan of their yang jang pi, but their jjajangmyeon was pretty good.
The yang jang pi is perhaps one of my favorite Korean-​Chinese dishes. It has clear flat rice noodles, various seafood, julienned meat and vegetables, mixed up in a spicy mustard sauce. I’m sorry I don’t know how to describe what it is in a more appetizing manner, so you’ll just have to look it up on Google or something. I wish I had taken a picture for this, but Chang’s display wasn’t very pretty.
The jjajangmyeon (black bean sauced noodles) was very good. I liked it. It’s another one of my favorite Korean-​Chinese dishes, and I almost wished that I had ordered it with jjamppong (spicy seafood noodles) instead of the yang jang pi. The two noodles are a great combination together. One sweet, the other spicy.
I’d like to come back to try their other items on the menu.

So great to have a Korean-​Chinese place in the city when I don’t want to trek up to Great Beijing in Lincolnwood. Jjambbong, Cha Chang Myun, and Mongolian Beef. The last might be even better than GB’s version. Service has been highly attentive the last two visits with the supercourteous son waiting on us. And a bang for the buck.
I need to try the Tiki drinks. Note: parking is miniscule and funny on the triangular lot, but you’ll find nearby street parking.

My last review said the jia jiang myun and the service were just so-​so. I think I was overly harsh though because both the dish and service were a lot better, but maybe I’m just not as bitter as before. As an appetizer we got the fried dumplings which were really just kind of ‘eh.’ The girl and I ate at Hyo Dong Gak in NYC which supposedly has the best fried dumplings and jia jiyang in NYC. Flip that on its head and you have Chang’s. The dumplings here are definitely not as good but the spicy jia jiang myun was better here, in my opinion.
The lady got the Jjampong, which she liked-​better than the place in Flushing but not as good as Hyo Dong Gak’s in her opinion. I honestly think the service got better here, particularly with the son being there more often than not and being able to crack the whip as another diner put it during my most recent visit. We asked him for the check and I was just about the point of complaint when he said «Check, table 4,» and his mother came by a few minutes afterward, as a Korean kid myself, it’s hard to be assertive to Korean parents but he was pretty forceful. I don’t think the son is snarky, I just think that’s how he is. He’s really focused on timing all the dishes out and presenting them that he’s not the friendliest guy but still he tries very hard to make sure customer’s are satisfied. My gf wanted ‘Jjam/​jia jiang’ which is a dish with jia-​jiang on one side and jjampong on the other. She asked if it was served here and as she tried to explain what it was he said «I know what that it is, but we don’t serve that here.» I can definitely see where people might think he’s a bit snobbish but I don’t think it’s the case at all he’s just one of those guys who are very direct.

This is one book you should not judge by its cover. The outside of this restaurant doesn’t look like much, but there is much deliciousness waiting on the inside. There are a couple of parking spots right in front, and plenty of free street parking around the restaurant.
I feel like I was transported to another era as I sat in a booth by the window. There are traditional Chinese lamps hanging from the ceiling, large Chinese art on the wall, neon signs from the 80’s, and an old fish tank by the door.
The menu offer many dishes under $ 10 and the portions are large.
STEAMED POT STICKERS — Huge pot stickers packed with meat and water chestnuts.
BEEF AND OMELET RICE — It’s beef friend rice covered with egg, topped with a glob of ketchup. This dish also comes with a soup.
They have a full bar and offer drinks such as piña colada ($ 4.50). There was only 1 waiter on a Saturday night, but he was friendly and fast. I was impressed with his multitasking skills. He brought out some «banchan» prior to the main course, which I guess goes with the Chinese-​Korean menu they offer. There was a bowl of onions, kimchi, and pickled radish.
Careful getting up from the booth. The duck tape almost took a piece of my thigh off!