Easily one of my favorite spots in Chicago! If it weren't for the drive, I'd go more often. Their happy hour is amazing--great prices on food and drinks. My top picks? The egg rolls, crab rangoons, fried green beans, DRY CHILI CHICKEN x10, and fried rice. Everything is packed with flavor, and the dry chili chicken? Spicy, but 100% worth it. Their cocktails are good, but this place is all about the food. I'm crossing my fingers they open a location closer to the city!

I love it here. I love it here. I love it here. Ordered 5 different dishes, from orange chicken to the beef to the rice. Some dishes had more spice than others. Our server was super knowledgeable and let us know beforehand what to expect though so there were no surprises. All in all, this place is worth atleast one visit if not more

Delicious food and cool ambience, love the vegetarian options they have and quality of ingredients and food is great. Service was also excellent!

Had a reservation for a Monday night with two friends. We probably could have been seated as a walk in at that time as it was busy but not packed. I'm still glad we made the reservation though. Food is brought out as it's ready because it's meant to be shared so keep that in mind when ordering! For the 3 of us we got 2 apps, one veggie dish, and 3 mains. That was plenty as we each had leftovers to take home! While all the mains were good, my favorites were the Brussels sprouts and crab Rangoon. The spice indicators in the menu were a little inconsistent as we got a few items with 2 chili spice markers but one was far spicier than the others! Free street parking on Western and some side streets make it convenient if driving. I enjoyed the holiday decorations throughout the restaurant. Service was friendly, but not overly attentive. I noticed others got their food much faster with different servers. Not a huge deal. I definitely look forward to coming back! The prices were reasonable and food was delicious.

Everything about our date night at Chef's Special Cocktail Bar was fantastic. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting and the menu had so many interesting options to choose from. As vegetarians, we were so impressed by how many dishes could be modified to fit our dietary needs! For starters, we ordered the vegetable spring rolls and congee with roasted mushrooms. For mains, we ordered rolled rice noodles (without meat) and dry chili chicken (subbed with tofu to make it vegetarian). The vegetable spring rolls were perfectly crispy and packed with fresh, flavorful veggies - definitely a highlight. The congee was so unique, comforting, and loaded with roasted mushroom goodness. Every dish was delicious but our two starters really stood out for us. Another thing we loved was the trio of sauces they brought out for the table. Each one was so flavorful and paired perfectly with all the dishes. If you're looking for great food, amazing drinks, and a spot that caters to different diets, Chef's Special Cocktail Bar is a must-visit. We are already planning our next visit so we can try more of the menu!

I loved Chef's Special! I had heard good things online but knowing it was "Chinese New American", I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the food or if it would taste too different from what I was used to with Chinese cuisine, but I found the flavors familiar and comforting while also enjoying a new twist in some dishes. To start, I got the lemongrass gimlet and honestly I expected the lemongrass flavor to be way stronger, I felt like I could barely taste it. But the drink was decent. My friend got the No Shade and I think I liked it more! I would want to try a new cocktail next time. For an appetizer, we got the wontons in chili oil which is one of my favorite dishes and it hit the spot for me. I thought it was a good, not overpowering level of spice and the skin was perfect - chewy and just the right thickness. I thought there was a little bit too much meat in the middle for a good ratio, but I appreciate the value nonetheless. Our mains were the rolled noodles, which I felt was a must, and the dry chili chicken. I really enjoyed the rolled noodles, it almost reminded me of a doughy pasta like gnocchi. I personally would come back for that dish alone. The short rib was tender, well cooked and well seasoned. The rolled noodles were bouncy and kind of lightly chewy, and I enjoyed the textures of the meat and noodles together. I wish there were a bit more greens in it! The dry chili chicken was great, not too spicy, and very crisp. The size of the chicken pieces were great too, as sometimes I've had this dish where some pieces are tiny and basically all batter. I also enjoyed the ambience of the place, it felt fun and a bit quirky. The service was pretty good but I felt our server was hard to find sometimes.

WHAT an experience! My girlfriend surprised me for my birthday dinner and I was so excited! Chef's Special had been on my list for a while and I was not disappointed. The staff were all so pleasant and on top of it, and the atmosphere was so chic and fun. Now for the food! I LOVED the potstickers and crab Rangoon. They give three different homemade sauces with the apps and they were all delicious. We then got the green beans, orange chicken, and Mongolian beef for the main course. All were incredible! And we had plenty left over which is the best :) Highly recommend!

Finally tried Chef's Special and it was as great as I had heard. The cocktails were really good and very unique, and the food was delicious. The ambiance and decor of the place was really cool and seemed like a fun spot to spend an entire night drinking and eating at. The rolled noodles were great and the short rib in there was delicious. Both the pork & shrimp egg rolls were delicious as well but the sauces really stole the show. A mix of sweet, spicy, and savory between the mustard wasabi, sweet n sour and chili oil. The wontons were really good as well with a great level of heat. They're very clear about allergies as well with tons of options on the menu for those with nut and/or seafood allergies. Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

INCREDIBLE. A perfect date night spot with the most amazing Asian flavors and cocktails. There are only a handful of Asian cocktail bar restaurants in Chicago that excel in both the dishes and drinks. Chef's Special achieves that AND it's price point is unbeatable for the serving size and quality of it's dishes. I truly was so impressed. It is no wonder that it was so packed and the wait-list without a reservation was 2.5 hours at 7pm on a Saturday! Definitely make reservations ahead of time! Food we ordered: - Char Siu Pork Ribs (6/5): The meat fell off the bones and it was so so flavorful! Love the hoisin sauce flavor and the thin slices of onion on top to balance out the richness of the meat. It came with 3 side sauces (I think chili crisp, wasabi mustard, and something like a thin sweet and sour). All sauces were delicious! At first we thought the side sauce wouldnt be necessary because it already was so flavorful. But it added so much variety of flavor so that each bite could never be boring. Also I love that they brought out a plate for bones and some wet wipes too. Such thoughtful touches that made the experience so comfortable! No sticky fingers or needing to get up to wash our hands after! - Wok Tossed Brussel Sprouts (5/5): Amazing flavor and textural variety! The crispies were my favorite. So rich and it came with a side mountain of rice, freshly cooked. - Rolled Rice Noodles (5/5): The noodles had a lovely bouncy texture. The meat was sooo tender and had the classic cumin flavor of a specific szechuan dish. So so delicious! This was all more than enough food for the 2 of us so we took a substantial portion home for leftovers :) The cocktails were creative and fun! I got the lemongrass gimlet and the space songs. The lemongrass one was on the sweeter side which I liked. The Space Songs was very interesting with its mix of flavors and it grew on me! Service was phenomenal! The server checked in at frequent enough intervals so we felt taken care of. Other staff came by to take away finished dishes in a timely manner so our table was clean and never felt overcrowded with plates. They even replaced our plates after eating the ribs which was also thoughtful and added to the pleasant experience! Can't wait to come back and try everything else!