It was disappointing to discover that the restaurant is not open for dine-in, take out only. It was more disappointing that the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup was not good and ended up being about $17. The dish was very salty and the soup had too much of a herb taste. The beef shank itself was tender but way too salty. My friend ordered the Popcorn Chicken, which had the texture but no flavor and quite bland. Sadly, it was a disappointing visit to this Taiwanese Cafe.
Food: 2
Alexander D.
Their spicy Taiwanese beef noodle soup is so good, out of this world! It is the best we've found anywhere around Chicago. It's better than any place we've tried in Chinatown. Highly recommend it. Also, great smoothies, they use fresh fruit.
Senor C.
Authentic Taiwanese breakfast items including soy milk, Chinese crullers, sesame flat bread, savory turnip cakes. They also offer a unique Taiwanese breakfast "taco" made from a scallop pancake folded in half with a fried egg, lettuce, and pork floss. You have to try it! 527 is a husband and wife team so allow for 15-20 mins during the day. Best to call ahead and pick up. You won't be disappointed.
Jenny K.
I've always wanted to sit down and have lunch at this place but I never got a chance to. Since the pandemic, they've changed their system to take out only. Ordering online was very simple and easy. I got the Pork with Rice, Taiwanese Pork Chop Fried Rice, Popcorn Chicken, Green Onion Pancake Egg Sandwich w/ Youtiao and Pork Floss. For drinks I got the Sweet Soy Milk and a Matcha Latte. The food was decent. My favorite item was probably the green onion pancake sandwich. I really liked the sweet soy milk as well. I would like to go back one day and try a few of their other menu items.
Amy Landolt
This is my go to place for Kung Pao Chicken. The servings are very big - it’s enough for two meals. We missed ie so much during the shutdown that we learned to make it at home. Delivery service is usually very quick.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Green Onion Pancake V
Jasmine C.
Hmmm quite disappointing with the portion size and customer service here. First time was sooo much nicer but that was before pandemic. The reason it gets three stars is because the chestnut chicken with carrots is still quite yummy even though the price went up about $3 compared to pre pandemic. :/ Taiwan style popcorn chicken was more chewy than crunchy:(( I really hope the quality of the food and the portion sizes get better as I really loved the place before covid/)
Debra L Comess
Taiwanese cuisine, large and interesting menu — that we’d love to explore more. We had been getting the salmon teriyaki a lot (my kids’ favorite) with rice and sautéed vegetables (green and red peppers and onions). Super fast service, we’ve only done pickup because of Covid-19. Very nice owners I especially like the appetizer-Steamed Vegetables With Meat SauceSteamed bok choy topped with a tasty pork belly sauce.We’d love to try more dishes, but will wait until we can dine in.The only reason we stopped going was that the salmon portions were too small (about 4 oz). My kids would still be hungry. I’ve mentioned the size, but I think the pieces are precut. :(.
Timmy L.
I badly want to recommend this place BUT I cannot. The food is bland and too generic. The beef taiwanese noodle soup is just plain tasteless. I ordered twice, the vermicelli and egg noodle but it's still not stimulating my taste buds. The popcorn chicken just lacks the salt and flavor. I am not getting how people can appreciate this.
Miguel Reyes
Soooooo sllllooooowwww moving and they don't even have the items they advertise. Be ready with a plan B and plan C. Literally just wanted some smoothies and it took over 20 minutes and the smoothies had to be modified since they didn't have the ingredients.
Service: 1
Plano
Bland! Their pork chop is barely seasoned, popcorn chicken is mediocre (small portion too) and fried rice is average or below average in my opinion. Their eggs are mostly tasteless, definitely not braised or marinated long enough. And the pork belly rice barely consists of any pork belly. Their purple rice yogurt drink is NOT an accurate depiction of what it is supposed to be. Their rice is not sticky or chewy and there’s barely any in there. I bought it thinking it will taste like the ones from Yomie Rice x Yogurt but it’s totally different. Tapioca is hard as well. Got two yogurt drinks and one was OVERLY sweet that I couldnt finish it.Also, they have no bell or any way of you calling out to them from the entrance so we had to wait quite a bit to get their attention. They are still not doing dine-in so they blocked off the entrance.
Wish I lived in Evanston so I could order from here everyday. Its hard to find authentic Taiwanese food so I'm always on the lookout. I was in Evanston over the weekend visiting my friend and she said this was one of her favorite spots. We basically ordered this to-go as my welcome meal (I wanted it again for my farewell meal too, but sadly we didn't make it back in time.) Beef Noodle Soup - Broth was tasty and slow cooked beef was juicy and tender. Pork Chop Fried Rice - For my West Coast friends, better than Din Tai Fung I dare say? Stirfry Rice Cake - Love chewy rice cakes. Chive Pocket - Nice and crispy on the outside with veggie filling inside. We each got a Purple Rice Yogurt and it was sooo goood. It's almost like a snack in a drink. My fav was passion fruit, but strawberry was yummy too! The lady taking our order was really friendly and helpful when we asked for recs.
Naotomo Y.
Came here for their attractive boba drink menu, but very disappointed. The honey boba has no taste, egg oinon pancake is way too salty. The fried dough is hard, sweet soy milk seems from the box. The place seems very old and messy. The popcorn chicken is ok. Ended up throw away the honey boba and got another one from the nearby babo shop. Also have to throw away more then half of the egg oinon pancake, as the sauce is too salty and the onion pancak is so chewy, and only ate half of the fried dough due to it's getting difficult to chew. What a waste!
Michelle Gan
Green onion egg pancake sandwich was delicious and my mom liked the big mouth shaobing. Fresh sweet soymilk was a perfect addition.
Carol L.
If I lived in Evanston or even closer to Evanston, I'd probably come here again! Stumbled upon 527 cafe as my friends and I were looking for a "snack" after going strawberry picking, but something small as to not spoil our dinner appetites. Can't speak to the drinks here, but their popcorn chicken was really good. Seems weird to have to add 75 cents for basil in popcorn chicken as that should always be included, but who knows haha. I also got the scallion pancake and egg with some soy paste sauce. Really good, but definitely overpriced for what it was. My friends also got the chive pocket which they seemed to enjoy. I think their portions are quite small for the price (which is why it's 4 stars not 5 stars), but the food was really good. It is currently take out / delivery only. You can order at the door or online.
Tina P.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! This was one of my go-to places for Taiwanese's breakfast, but sadly, I must report that since th pandemic, this restaurant has taken a turn for the worst. First of all, they're one of the few restaurants that still do not allow dine in. They've barricaded the entire restaurant and you must order behind plastic covers with a mask on. It appears as though it is just one person who is taking orders and making the food, because it is taking at least 45 minutes to get your order. The portions have diminished, which is commonplace now with the increased inflation.
It was disappointing to discover that the restaurant is not open for dine-in, take out only. It was more disappointing that the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup was not good and ended up being about $17. The dish was very salty and the soup had too much of a herb taste. The beef shank itself was tender but way too salty. My friend ordered the Popcorn Chicken, which had the texture but no flavor and quite bland. Sadly, it was a disappointing visit to this Taiwanese Cafe.
Food: 2
Their spicy Taiwanese beef noodle soup is so good, out of this world! It is the best we've found anywhere around Chicago. It's better than any place we've tried in Chinatown. Highly recommend it. Also, great smoothies, they use fresh fruit.
Authentic Taiwanese breakfast items including soy milk, Chinese crullers, sesame flat bread, savory turnip cakes. They also offer a unique Taiwanese breakfast "taco" made from a scallop pancake folded in half with a fried egg, lettuce, and pork floss. You have to try it! 527 is a husband and wife team so allow for 15-20 mins during the day. Best to call ahead and pick up. You won't be disappointed.
I've always wanted to sit down and have lunch at this place but I never got a chance to. Since the pandemic, they've changed their system to take out only. Ordering online was very simple and easy. I got the Pork with Rice, Taiwanese Pork Chop Fried Rice, Popcorn Chicken, Green Onion Pancake Egg Sandwich w/ Youtiao and Pork Floss. For drinks I got the Sweet Soy Milk and a Matcha Latte. The food was decent. My favorite item was probably the green onion pancake sandwich. I really liked the sweet soy milk as well. I would like to go back one day and try a few of their other menu items.
This is my go to place for Kung Pao Chicken. The servings are very big - it’s enough for two meals. We missed ie so much during the shutdown that we learned to make it at home. Delivery service is usually very quick.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Green Onion Pancake V
Hmmm quite disappointing with the portion size and customer service here. First time was sooo much nicer but that was before pandemic. The reason it gets three stars is because the chestnut chicken with carrots is still quite yummy even though the price went up about $3 compared to pre pandemic. :/ Taiwan style popcorn chicken was more chewy than crunchy:(( I really hope the quality of the food and the portion sizes get better as I really loved the place before covid/)
Taiwanese cuisine, large and interesting menu — that we’d love to explore more. We had been getting the salmon teriyaki a lot (my kids’ favorite) with rice and sautéed vegetables (green and red peppers and onions). Super fast service, we’ve only done pickup because of Covid-19. Very nice owners I especially like the appetizer-Steamed Vegetables With Meat SauceSteamed bok choy topped with a tasty pork belly sauce.We’d love to try more dishes, but will wait until we can dine in.The only reason we stopped going was that the salmon portions were too small (about 4 oz). My kids would still be hungry. I’ve mentioned the size, but I think the pieces are precut. :(.
I badly want to recommend this place BUT I cannot. The food is bland and too generic. The beef taiwanese noodle soup is just plain tasteless. I ordered twice, the vermicelli and egg noodle but it's still not stimulating my taste buds. The popcorn chicken just lacks the salt and flavor. I am not getting how people can appreciate this.
Soooooo sllllooooowwww moving and they don't even have the items they advertise. Be ready with a plan B and plan C. Literally just wanted some smoothies and it took over 20 minutes and the smoothies had to be modified since they didn't have the ingredients.
Service: 1
Bland! Their pork chop is barely seasoned, popcorn chicken is mediocre (small portion too) and fried rice is average or below average in my opinion. Their eggs are mostly tasteless, definitely not braised or marinated long enough. And the pork belly rice barely consists of any pork belly. Their purple rice yogurt drink is NOT an accurate depiction of what it is supposed to be. Their rice is not sticky or chewy and there’s barely any in there. I bought it thinking it will taste like the ones from Yomie Rice x Yogurt but it’s totally different. Tapioca is hard as well. Got two yogurt drinks and one was OVERLY sweet that I couldnt finish it.Also, they have no bell or any way of you calling out to them from the entrance so we had to wait quite a bit to get their attention. They are still not doing dine-in so they blocked off the entrance.
Restaurantji Recommends
Wish I lived in Evanston so I could order from here everyday. Its hard to find authentic Taiwanese food so I'm always on the lookout. I was in Evanston over the weekend visiting my friend and she said this was one of her favorite spots. We basically ordered this to-go as my welcome meal (I wanted it again for my farewell meal too, but sadly we didn't make it back in time.) Beef Noodle Soup - Broth was tasty and slow cooked beef was juicy and tender. Pork Chop Fried Rice - For my West Coast friends, better than Din Tai Fung I dare say? Stirfry Rice Cake - Love chewy rice cakes. Chive Pocket - Nice and crispy on the outside with veggie filling inside. We each got a Purple Rice Yogurt and it was sooo goood. It's almost like a snack in a drink. My fav was passion fruit, but strawberry was yummy too! The lady taking our order was really friendly and helpful when we asked for recs.
Came here for their attractive boba drink menu, but very disappointed. The honey boba has no taste, egg oinon pancake is way too salty. The fried dough is hard, sweet soy milk seems from the box. The place seems very old and messy. The popcorn chicken is ok. Ended up throw away the honey boba and got another one from the nearby babo shop. Also have to throw away more then half of the egg oinon pancake, as the sauce is too salty and the onion pancak is so chewy, and only ate half of the fried dough due to it's getting difficult to chew. What a waste!
Green onion egg pancake sandwich was delicious and my mom liked the big mouth shaobing. Fresh sweet soymilk was a perfect addition.
If I lived in Evanston or even closer to Evanston, I'd probably come here again! Stumbled upon 527 cafe as my friends and I were looking for a "snack" after going strawberry picking, but something small as to not spoil our dinner appetites. Can't speak to the drinks here, but their popcorn chicken was really good. Seems weird to have to add 75 cents for basil in popcorn chicken as that should always be included, but who knows haha. I also got the scallion pancake and egg with some soy paste sauce. Really good, but definitely overpriced for what it was. My friends also got the chive pocket which they seemed to enjoy. I think their portions are quite small for the price (which is why it's 4 stars not 5 stars), but the food was really good. It is currently take out / delivery only. You can order at the door or online.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! This was one of my go-to places for Taiwanese's breakfast, but sadly, I must report that since th pandemic, this restaurant has taken a turn for the worst. First of all, they're one of the few restaurants that still do not allow dine in. They've barricaded the entire restaurant and you must order behind plastic covers with a mask on. It appears as though it is just one person who is taking orders and making the food, because it is taking at least 45 minutes to get your order. The portions have diminished, which is commonplace now with the increased inflation.