New Chiam

BEST CHINESE FOOD IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS! Love the egg rolls & egg drop soup… the Chiam is an Ottawa classic! Quality food and huuge portions for cheap… what’s not to love about it…

Seriously the best Chinese I know of. Quality egg rolls, not just cabbage! Fried rice is also the real deal, not the frozen Sysco out of a bag so many seem to serve.

I’m from San Diego, CA. But Ottawa is my home town. This is my favorite Chinese food here! The fried rice is amazing and the chicken almond ding is my go-​to. The food is hot and tastes fresh. Their lunch combos are filling and cheap. The service here is a little unorganized. The waitresses ALWAYS seem overwhelmed no matter how full or empty the restaurant is. Not really sure what that’s about. But the food is good and cheap so I can’t complain! :)
I’ll be back here when I’m in town in October again!

I drove from San Francisco to New Jersey over the summer, and I’m still dreaming about their Mongolian Beef. I wasn’t expecting much. I just wanted to eat something close to i-​80 and saw this place had decent reviews. My waitress was… interesting, but very attentive. If you’re making the cross country drive and need a bite off of route 80, I highly recommend stopping by and getting their Mongolian Beef. You will not be disappointed!

A great place to enjoy a wonderful meal. I’ve never tasted Mongolian Beef as delicious as this place. It has a sweet sear to it, while other places just give you a soggy steamed piece of meat. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Love it.

New Chiam has been around for over 30 years and its customers are mostly locals and their families. The décor hasn’t changed much in 30 years either – but people don’t come here for the ambiance… well, maybe for the fireplace during ther winter months, but they do come for the best tasting, fresh & delicious piles of Chinese food at cheap prices. Their egg rolls are the best in LaSalle county. Just ask any local.
And, where else can you eat cheap & delicious Chinese food in front of a fire place in the winter? That’s right. Have your lunch/​dinner in front of the fireplace & warm your bones. The service is fast. The food is prepared quickly. It’s fresh and super yummy. They got big fishbowl hawaiian cocktails too! And a full service bar. In the 12+ years I’ve been coming here, I’ve hardly seen anyone drink though. It’s primarily a family spot, a carry-​out spot, a lunch & dinner spot. In the 80’s some genius built strip bar & an adult book store nearby – but that whole fracas is not next door. More like, next acre over. And, those places come alive after 10pm – when the restaurant has long closed at 9pm. If you want leftovers, a great lunch combo deal, the best egg rolls, and heaps of delicious Chinese food at cheap prices, eat at New Chiam. They have a big parking lot too.

I’m not really impressed with the food here. The egg rolls are good & they have fabulous hot mustard. the food is so-​so my family loves it that’s why we go there. Not bad just not great. Very nice & friendly staff i will give them that.