Recommended dishes: Braised Pork Chop Bento Box, Basil Chicken
Tim G
Having been to Taiwan, I can say that everything about this place is authentic, and I would dare to say better than most places in Taiwan. The popcorn melts in your mouth and the green beans were cooked and spiced perfectly. The beef noodle soup was delicious - tender and tasty. The milk teas were great…not many places have wintermelon since it’s pretty much a Taiwan thing, and theirs was great. The boba had good texture and slightly sweet taste as well. Would highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Popcorn Chicken
Sylvia Lin
Best Taiwanese restaurant in the Midwest!
Yifei Sun
The last choice in Ben don section is so good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
xuan huang
Dislike the place
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Hollis Travel
Stopped by this Taiwanese spot during a recent visit to Chicago and left with mixed impressions—but open to round two.
The overall dishes were decent, though nothing particularly stood out. The dry noodle in particular felt underseasoned—lacking the punch and depth I was hoping for. It wasn’t bad, just a little flat in flavor.
The staff were friendly and attentive, which made the experience more enjoyable. They kept things moving and were quick to respond, which I really appreciated.
The vibe was pretty standard—not too loud, not overly decorated. It’s not the kind of ambiance that transports you, but it’s comfortable enough for a casual meal.
While the first visit didn’t blow me away, I’m planning to return. Sometimes a second try reveals the hidden gems, and I’m curious to see what else they can offer.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Helen Low
Food: Pop corns chicken is not bad. Braised pork rice is too oily, fat belly follows every bites but not meat (supposed to be pork belly). The bubble milk tea is like HK style milk tea added bubble. Shrimp omelette is the scariest. Tastes sour and spoil - I wondered if something is expired. You won’t see much eggs but a thick layer of dough, with the sweet and sour sauce on top - huge mistake to order this, can barely put it into my mouth and it cost $12. Bubble waffle is ok.
Atmosphere: The restaurant has a very strong air con - I have to wear a sweater to help stop shivering.
Service: waitress seems to be a bit rush. I haven’t finish checking out the menu and she attempted to pull the menu at least three times while I’m still reading it. My daughter asked for some ketchup for the popcorn chicken and we get informed it cost $0.75 for ketchup. I was like, ok, whatever, she needs it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Memo Dominguez
Amazing food but my favorite is the tea with fruits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Trip
July 2025 After 7 years, we returned to Taipei Cafe. What a treat!? Excellent food and lovely people. We loved crispy chicken and tofu dishes.
Most excellent! Everything was very good. Food had authentic tas and beverages were great. It is BYOB.
I really wanted to like Taipei Cafe, but the experience has been nothing short of frustrating. First off, if you’re trying to order online beware. A simple $30 order can easily skyrocket into nearly $50 with all the added fees. It’s ridiculous. There’s a $5.99 delivery fee, plus other hidden charges, and to top it off, the drivers still have the nerve to ask for extra tips, even though they’re already being paid through the fees. To make matters worse, the drivers are often rude, and I’ve even had some straight up ask for cash tips at the door on top of everything already paid. That’s just greedy and unprofessional. Now, if you think going in person is any betterit’s not. The staff seem more interested in flirting with each other or trying to “look cute” rather than doing their actual jobs. One of the girls came off as completely distracted and airheaded, barely acknowledging customers. The customer service was sloppy and careless. As for the drinks? They fill the entire cup with ice so you barely get any actual beverage. It’s just another sneaky way to cut corners and give less for more money. This place seriously needs to get it together. Between the overpriced delivery, rude staff, and unprofessional service, it’s just not worth it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jiaqi Chen
great food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelly M
great food and the servers were super kind! ordered fantuan, boba, and a popcorn chicken bento which was not on the menu but they made us one anyway :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joselynne Palomar
The lady taking order needs to be much more welcoming and thanking everyone for coming in. Instead she doesn’t smile at all. It makes the place not friendly. Just saying.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Mallory O
We asked my 4 year old if she liked this place. She enthusiastically said, “Three thumbs up!”
The bento portion is good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Pork Chop Bento Box, Basil Chicken
Having been to Taiwan, I can say that everything about this place is authentic, and I would dare to say better than most places in Taiwan. The popcorn melts in your mouth and the green beans were cooked and spiced perfectly. The beef noodle soup was delicious - tender and tasty. The milk teas were great…not many places have wintermelon since it’s pretty much a Taiwan thing, and theirs was great. The boba had good texture and slightly sweet taste as well. Would highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Popcorn Chicken
Best Taiwanese restaurant in the Midwest!
The last choice in Ben don section is so good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dislike the place
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Stopped by this Taiwanese spot during a recent visit to Chicago and left with mixed impressions—but open to round two.
The overall dishes were decent, though nothing particularly stood out. The dry noodle in particular felt underseasoned—lacking the punch and depth I was hoping for. It wasn’t bad, just a little flat in flavor.
The staff were friendly and attentive, which made the experience more enjoyable. They kept things moving and were quick to respond, which I really appreciated.
The vibe was pretty standard—not too loud, not overly decorated. It’s not the kind of ambiance that transports you, but it’s comfortable enough for a casual meal.
While the first visit didn’t blow me away, I’m planning to return. Sometimes a second try reveals the hidden gems, and I’m curious to see what else they can offer.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food: Pop corns chicken is not bad. Braised pork rice is too oily, fat belly follows every bites but not meat (supposed to be pork belly). The bubble milk tea is like HK style milk tea added bubble. Shrimp omelette is the scariest. Tastes sour and spoil - I wondered if something is expired. You won’t see much eggs but a thick layer of dough, with the sweet and sour sauce on top - huge mistake to order this, can barely put it into my mouth and it cost $12. Bubble waffle is ok.
Atmosphere: The restaurant has a very strong air con - I have to wear a sweater to help stop shivering.
Service: waitress seems to be a bit rush. I haven’t finish checking out the menu and she attempted to pull the menu at least three times while I’m still reading it. My daughter asked for some ketchup for the popcorn chicken and we get informed it cost $0.75 for ketchup. I was like, ok, whatever, she needs it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Amazing food but my favorite is the tea with fruits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
July 2025
After 7 years, we returned to Taipei Cafe. What a treat!? Excellent food and lovely people. We loved crispy chicken and tofu dishes.
Most excellent! Everything was very good. Food had authentic tas and beverages were great. It is BYOB.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
True gem. Great food. Not ultra expensive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I really wanted to like Taipei Cafe, but the experience has been nothing short of frustrating. First off, if you’re trying to order online beware. A simple $30 order can easily skyrocket into nearly $50 with all the added fees. It’s ridiculous. There’s a $5.99 delivery fee, plus other hidden charges, and to top it off, the drivers still have the nerve to ask for extra tips, even though they’re already being paid through the fees.
To make matters worse, the drivers are often rude, and I’ve even had some straight up ask for cash tips at the door on top of everything already paid. That’s just greedy and unprofessional.
Now, if you think going in person is any betterit’s not. The staff seem more interested in flirting with each other or trying to “look cute” rather than doing their actual jobs. One of the girls came off as completely distracted and airheaded, barely acknowledging customers. The customer service was sloppy and careless.
As for the drinks? They fill the entire cup with ice so you barely get any actual beverage. It’s just another sneaky way to cut corners and give less for more money.
This place seriously needs to get it together. Between the overpriced delivery, rude staff, and unprofessional service, it’s just not worth it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
great food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
great food and the servers were super kind! ordered fantuan, boba, and a popcorn chicken bento which was not on the menu but they made us one anyway :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The lady taking order needs to be much more welcoming and thanking everyone for coming in. Instead she doesn’t smile at all. It makes the place not friendly. Just saying.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
We asked my 4 year old if she liked this place. She enthusiastically said, “Three thumbs up!”
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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