Tae Fu Chinese Restaurant

Years ago lived in Lombard and Tae Fu was the best Chinese around. In fact, judged all other chinese places by Tae Fu and found the others lacking. Well remember original restuarant before remodel. Found out about the Chinese Korean fusion and knew why it was so good. Moved out of area but still came back until food/​service went downhill. However, I am an asian food lover, works best with my allergies and I read Unilocal reviews and decided to try it again. Wow, glad I did. Had Garlic chicken, veg soup, egg roll and fried rice. FOOD WAS AWESOME and service was great. The veg soup had a delicate flavor and was wonderful, the garlic chicken took me back to the very beginning (so good, could have ordered more but was full) and the egg roll and fried rice were good. I will be back soon along with my sister who was thrilled that Tae Fu was back to their high quality food standards. Can’t wait to try some of the other dishes including the korean ones I am told are on back of dinner menu, shame they were not on lunch menu. Also, service was fast, correct and excellent. She kept my water glass full and never had to ask for anything, she anticipated my every need. Just WOW. Thank you Tae Fu for the best lunch I’ve had in a really long time.

Best Chinese Mandarin restaurant in the Chicago area. Located in a former Arby’s that was basically converted into a Chinese temple when they opened in the 1970’s. They were the first area restaurant to offer Szechuan, Hunan, and Mandarin cuisine. I’ve been a regular customer for almost 40 years, and have found no comparable establishment. Food is unique, and high quality, from the appetizers (giant eggrolls, deep fried pot stickers, etc), shrimp soups, & sizzling entrees, to the glazed banana dessert. A truly classy and romantic dining experience. I’ve never found another place with matching décor. You’ll feel as if you’re in Hong Kong, or Beijing. I’ve brought Asian guests there several times in the past, and they’ve always asked to eat there, again, the 2^nd night of their trip. Not a place for those who like mundane items like fried rice, or chop suey, this IS 5 star Chinese food, for those seeking «something different»! Go there and create your own Sunday afternoon brunch of appetizer plate and soup for 2! I’ve never been disappointed! A Villa Park original! Viva Tae Fu!

Lived in Villa Park for two years before finally trying this place. Wish we would have come sooner. Food is outstanding. My husband and 5 year old love this place as well. Dined in our first time and received our food very quickly, we were the only table. On another visit there were 4 or 5 other tables and service was much slower. We don’t mind waiting a few extra minutes for freshly prepared food and understand when there is a larger crowd it will take longer to prepare everyone’s food fresh and hot. Staff is friendly and accommodating. Don’t wait two years like we did, give this place a try!

Excellent service as we were greeted and seated right away. The waitress was very nice and answered questions we had about a few dishes. My wife and I enjoyed the egg rolls served before our dinner. Both of us had the General Tso’s Chicken. I was considering something else but I liked my wife’s choice, so I ordered the same. We were happy with the choice. The good news is that the dishes were so large we has dinners to take home. I should mention even the manager stopped by our table to see how everything wss. Before we left we told the waitress how pleased we were and that we would be back. Epect this restaurant to become one of regular selections in the future.

Place is so decorative and pretty. I always order either the chicken teriyaki or orange chicken — they’re both good. I took my friend here one time and he was impressed. The server didn’t say much, however.

My family has been coming to this restaurant for 30 years or so and the food has always been amazing. They’re really starting to step it up with their specials and management. Highly recommend. There is nothing on the menu that I wouldn’t recommend.

My family and I ate there after reading the reviews. We have passed this place for years and finally decided to try it. The food was good and they offered the typical dishes you would expect. The service however was awful. Our server was inattentive and our meal took over an hour to reach our table. We inquired several time over the hour and were told it was coming soon. We were just ready to leave when it finally arrived at our table. While the food was good, it definitely was not worth the wait. Too many other Chinese restaurants serving similar dishes to bother waiting for their food. It was really disappointing.

Stopped in for lunch and had a wonderful meal. The décor alone kept my eyes busy. I’ve never been in an Asian restaurant that looked quite like this restaurant. I love it! The egg drop soup was fantastic. I love it when there is more to this soup than broth, egg and green onion. Loved the egg roll and steamed buns. Never had steamed buns before and would recommend them to everyone to try. For the entrée, I had the lunch special– chicken egg foo yung with fried rice. It was great and I enjoyed the leftovers the next day. Wish this place was closer to me.

We order take out — large combination fried rice from this joint.
Price is ok. I ask for NO msg, some items already contain it, the lady said. Minus a star for that one.
Very pretty inside. Never dined in.

I haven’t been here in a while but I took my son after a hectic day and we had a great dinner. They were very accommodating and the interior is like being transported to Chinatown. I ordered the vegetable egg foo young and I loved it. There were big pieces of broccoli and it was cooked perfectly. I have been wanting to go back for more ever since.
I can’t eat MSG so I took off one star because some of the prepared items already have it in them.

We had a great Saturday lunch at Tae Fu. I’m glad that their lunch specials are on Saturdays also. I got the Mongolian Three on the lunch menu. It was beef, chicken and shrimp in the Mongolian sauce. I thought it was perfect. I upgraded from a spring roll to an egg roll. I’m glad I did. The egg roll was great. The entrée came with fried rice. The fried rice was just ok. It was fine as an accompaniment to an entrée. However, I would not consider it flavorful enough as an entrée alone item.

We live relatively close and have passed by this restaurant numerous times but never stopped in until our son moved about 3 blocks away. What a little gem! The interior is very clean and well appointed. Went with the dinner for two and we were blown away by how much food we had on the table. Package comes with soup, good sized potsticker, egg rolls, tea and cookies. The two entrées we ordered were Mongolian Beef and Orange Chicken both superb. All in all terrific food and great for value minded customers. Service is super also.

STAY AWAY! Food was mediocre at best although not sure if the rest of what we ordered would have been any better. After 90 minutes, only receiving appetizers, and asking where our entrees were no less than 4 times, we finally canceled the rest of our order and walked out. Tables around us were equally frustrated. If Unilocal had allowed me to put 0 stars I would have.

I just had a massive Chinese food feast for about $ 13. Tae Fu has sat on my «to try» list for awhile, and I wasn’t really in a big hurry because I already have a favorite Chinese place. But a friend talked it up so I decided to suggest it to another friend when we met for lunch today.
GLAD I DID.
It was surprisingly delicious. It’s not the very best food I’ve ever had, but my dining companion and I both truly enjoyed what we had. We used the Unilocal check-​in offer for a free order of egg rolls, followed by an order of the bbq pork dumplings, (a must try), and both had the lunch special that was accompanied by a piece of shrimp toast and a spring roll. LOTS O’ FOOD.
Our server was very friendly and helpful, but she did comment on the amount of food we ordered, so I sat there feeling like a pig, especially since I finished most of mine.
But despite being judged, I still liked what I had and would come back. Two things were just ok, but not actually bad. The fried rice and the soup. I may just skip both of those next time.

Not a fan

Come here often with my family. Food is always consistently great! We’ve had the Lo Mein (best and freshest lo Mein I’ve ever tried), Walnut Shrimp, Dried Chili Chicken, Three Musketeer and plenty other dishes. My Dad loves the hot and sour soup and my sister loves the crab Rangoon too. Their fried dumplings are huge and the best we’ve ever tried. The staff is very friendly, the owner Josh is very personable and so is the waitstaff. I would highly recommend this place! Very random gem in Villa Park and the best suburban Chinese restaurant I’ve ever tried.

I haven’t been able to find a good Chinese restaurant in the area, so I went on Unilocal and decided to check this place out on a Thursday night on my way home from work. I called ahead to place my order and it took the standard 15 minutes to be ready. When I walked inside I was surprised at how the restaurant looked. It was like I was in China! Very Authentic. When I got home, I noticed that my small Mongolian beef was like really small. I was actually shocked at the portion, but after eating it I realized that the portion was perfect for one meal, and it was delicious! I’m just used to a ton of food from Chinese restaurant’s and was hoping for some leftovers, but the food was so good, I changed my thought and said I cannot wait to go back. My husband was a huge fan too. Check this place out if you haven’t already.

The owner here is really amazing and cares a lot about his customers! The facilities are clean and well maintained and makes me feel comfortable dining there.
They’re starting to pump out new awesome menu items (asparagus beef anyone? :D)…can’t wait to see what other new specials will be coming out!
Thanks for the awesome experience!!!

New management deserves 5 stars for this place. We were feeling Chinese and a friend recommended it. We left so impressed that it’s official, we found our place.
Originally we were going to order the old stand-​bys as a marker but that ended quickly after finishing our Tae Fu Appetizer (sampler) platter and speaking with the owner.
We decided to order the chefs special, which changes often, of mango chicken and beef and asparagus.
Wow, I’m craving it now, thanks brain. The beef was so incredibly tender and not fatty, thank you. Sheet the first bite, I didn’t want to share. I felt the same about the orange chicken.
Ate everything, so stuffed. We’ll definitely cine back to try more dishes.
The owner tells us the restaurant, open for 38 years– you know they’re doing something right, this is Chinese with a little Korean fusion. That explain a dark tasty change.
He also recommend the noodle dishes and the Korean back page. Also noodle and black bean dish. I forgot the name.
Unfortunately, we have to try everything on the menu, I guess they might get sick of us.

My husband is bananas about Tae Fu — it is just about his favorite restaurant. So, needless to say, we eat here quite often. I find it rather hit or miss. Sometimes the food is excellent, and other times not so much.
When you dine in at Tae Fu, it is an interesting experience (which I think is one of the reasons why he enjoys it so much). The restaurant itself and the atmosphere are pretty cool — the inside is decorated very richly like a very old school Chinese restaurant. They are never very busy; I’ve never seen the restaurant more than half-​full, so don’t anticipate that you’ll need to call ahead. The wait staff is odd — it always feels like there was just a major blow-​out fight in the kitchen, and now they’re all angrily serving food while trying not to act annoyed. I don’t know how to describe it any other way, but if you eat there you will understand. They take care of all of your needs promptly, but seem distracted. The one exception to this is a younger man who I believe is the manager (?). He has come out when we’ve had an issue in the past or when they are very busy and is unfailingly polite and wonderful. He’s very personable and seems genuinely concerned about your experience.
The food itself is typically pretty good, and you get a lot for the price. I have had a few times when the chicken tasted overcooked or extra soggy, but I’d say 85% of the time it is fantastic. I generally order the sesame or orange chicken. It does NOT come with broccoli as pictured in the menu — you have to ask for that extra, which I sometimes forget. We also love their rangoon and egg rolls. They are pretty open to special orders and add on’s too, which is nice.
One tip for you is, honestly, do not do carry out orders there. We made that mistake once and the food was gross. I’m not sure why, but in the container waiting for you it becomes a soggy nightmare. It could have been just the one time, but our entire order was pretty bad. When you dine in and take your leftovers home, they reheat pretty well, so I’m not sure why the carry out doesn’t work so well!