Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar

Guys, no part of me is exaggerating when I say this was the best Crab Rangoon I have ever had in my life. The outside was thin, flavorful, and served as an incredibly humble vessel for the perfectly blended inside. The only issue I had was choosing between the three PERFECT sauces they served it with. Unbelievable. 5/5. Kicking my feet and skipping into work today.

Dry chili chicken was also superb.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

One of my favorite spots for Asian food in the city. Unassuming on the outside, but a great vibe inside, and the happy hour is unbeatable. Great cocktails, great service, and great food. Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food is AMAZING here and we love the vibes. Last time we went, the waiters were a bit over-attentive. It almost felt like we were being pushed out even though we hadn't been at our table for a full hour yet.

I'd recommend that only one or two people be assigned to check in on tables so your clientele don't feel like they're being pushed out. We had like 4 different people checking in on us asking if we wanted anything more and cleaning up while we still had food in front of us. It felt a bit awkward. Still love the food and we're definitely coming back.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Where do I begin!!??
We celebrated Haley’s birthday here. I can not even begin to tell those of you who are reading this review how incredible the food was!! I wish we would’ve taken picture of the food, but I was so excited we all dug in immediately !!
We had egg rolls and crab rangoons..(best ever)
We had charred snap pea salad, smashed cucumbers…and that was just the beginning!
For dinner: Mongolian beef, shrimp Kung Pao, hand pulled noodles and rolled noodles!!
Be prepared to share dishes!
DO NOT SKIP DESSERT!
The banana custard and black sesame cake were AMAZING!!!
But honestly, if you don’t have good service , it doesn’t matter how delicious the food is. We had the MOST AMAZING SERVICE!! Everyone was fantastic and so friendly!! From the moment we walked in until we walked out, we were treated so kindly.
I can’t wait to go back!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Whoa!! This place is 🔥🔥🔥 get the rolled noodles, egg rolls, potstickers, lo mein. Seriously impressive. Staff were cool, service was fast. Must return asap

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve dined here several times now and have recommended Chef’s Special to many local friends and visitors. The decor is beautifully artsy, tastefully retro yet contemporary. Food has been consistently excellent. Every dish meets or exceeds expectations with enough flavor/unami. My personal favorites are the pork + cabbage potstickers, hand pulled noodles with short rib, and the three sauces that accompany the scrumptious crab rangoon.

Service is generally fast and efficient. The bussers and kitchen staff clearly form the backbone of the operation—they keep things running smoothly. That being said, I’ve waited to write this review because something has always felt slightly off, which seemed out of place given how deliciously dankkk the food is. I’ve realized now how the hosts and wait staff over several visits have consistently lacked warmth. While they’re polite on the surface and have been trained to say the bare minimum of ‘right things’, interactions are rather rushed and more automated than a personal experience. It’s one small trade-off for the quality of food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

We are regulars at Chef’s Special and it’s SO worth the hype! Just wanted to say thanks again for opening in the neighborhood—you’ve become a staple. We do prefer dining in, so we are you as often as we can get in.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Crab Rangoon, Dry Chili Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Orange Chicken, Rolled Noodles, Wontons in Chili Oil 6pc, Egg Rolls 2pc, Dry-Fried Green Beans, Kung Pao Chicken, Smashed Cucumbers

Love the restaurant but do not order delivery from them. We ordered at 6 pm and it wasn’t until 7:55 that DoorDash called us and said the restaurant told them our order wouldn’t be ready for another hour at least. So that’s 3 hours to wait for your food and a very late notification. Very disappointed.

Service: 1

I just had an amazing experience. Great food and excellent service and quality of food. 10/10

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Easily one of our favorite spots in the city. The food is incredible, staff is great and attentive, everything is done exceptionally well. I'd recommend all of their highlighted dishes -- everything we had was bursting with flavor. Cocktails were strikingly balanced and an overall joy to drink. It is a bit cramped, but still very much a vibe. They still earned a rare 5/5 from me.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing flavors and ingredients. Staff is friendly and informative.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food, and cool atmosphere. We will be coming here again. :)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We visited Chef’s Special cocktail bar as a group of six friends and had a great time. The service was friendly and attentive, though a bit on the slow side. The food was absolutely delicious, and the cocktails were just as impressive — creative, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Portions were on the smaller side, but the quality made up for it. Overall, definitely worth dropping by for a tasty bite and a well-crafted drink.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

REAL hipster trendy...lol.. but all love and good vibes. We bumped into it after getting ink done from down the street. Due to a reservation cancellation we were able to get a table. Staff were incredibly friendly and our dog could not get enough pets and love from them. The service was excellent! We had the dry-fried green beans, walnut shrimp, and a noodle dish (forgot name). Drinks were two beers my wife's was an Easy Lover and yeaa, umm, was so delicious. Daughter had a homemade non-alcoholic beverage that was also delicious. The food was masterfully created and just real, real good. Appreciate you guys for the evening and walking around our bully big head pup.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Shrimp lo mein has way too bush ginger and very salty. Egg rolls are not good, no visible shrimp or pork even though they are claimed ingredients. Mongolian beef is good put they give you way more onions and vegetables than beef. They charge you 5 percent for their employees health insurance on top of gratuity. I probably wouldn’t go back. Food is not worth additional charges.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 3