There were about a half dozen different restaurants I was considering launching this blog with, but nothing feels more appropriate than my absolute favorite spot in the city, Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar. Every time I move to a new neighborhood, I like to establish myself as a regular in at least one place. There’s nothing that beats that feeling of familiarity and like you’re part of the group. In Bucktown, I’m proud to have earned that rapport at two places: Le Bouchon and Chef’s Special.

If I’ve gone more than two weeks without a Chef’s Special trip, something is wrong. It’s my home away from home, my happy place, my little oasis. There’s no occasion that Chef’s isn’t perfect for. Its cozy, moody vibe is perfect for dates, solo dinners, dinners with groups of friends, I’ve even taken my family there on more than one occasion. On most of my trips though, you can find me parked at the bar, surrounded by only my favorite dishes and a good book.

Chef’s is a cocktail bar that serves the best Americanized Chinese food I’ve ever had. There are so many good dishes on this menu, I would be writing for days if I went into all of them. So instead of focusing on one particular experience, for this post I’ll just be diving into some of my favorites. I’ll warn you in advance, the pictures on this post will not do the food justice - most of the time, I’m wayyy too excited about the food to take a picture first, so just assume the presentation of all these dishes is better in person, before I’ve dug into them.

THE APPS

You can’t go wrong with any appetizer on the menu, but my top three are the crab rangoon, egg rolls, and chili oil wontons.

I’m a crab rangoon connoisseur. From a young age, crab rangoon was one of my main food groups. Not much has changed. Although not perfect, Chef’s crab rangoon is my favorite in the city. Always perfectly crispy, the four fold shape offers a great crip to filling ratio. The cream cheese filling is melty and packed with umami flavor. They also sprinkle something delicious on top of the rangoons that is salty and savory and just fantastic (MSG? who knows, I don’t particularly care). Every order comes with a trio of sauces: chili oil, sweet and sour, and hot mustard. I recommend a mix of the chili oil and sweet and sour to dunk the rangoons in.

Then the egg rolls. I dream about these things. Sure, any egg roll is pretty tasty and most of the time, the blend of cabbage and nondescript other fillings is quite satisfying. That is until you’ve eaten a Chef’s Special eggroll. This thing is packed with pork, plump shrimp, and veggies, before being perfectly fried. Come during happy hour and you can even snag one as part of their beer and shot special. What more could you ask for??

And the dumplings??? I’ve talked about my thoughts on chili oil in my Noriko post, but a lot of them these days are just a little generic and bland. Not at Chef’s. Their delicious dumplings come covered in their super flavorful chili oil, along with what I’d guess is some dark vinegar and green onions. These things are hot and tasty and I’ll easily down the whole bowl by myself, despite the fire in my mouth. It burns soooo good.

THE MAINS

You can’t go wrong with just about any main dish, but the dishes I come back to time and time again are:

Dry Chili Chicken
Kung Pao Beef
Walnut Shrimp
Rolled Noodles
Dry Fried Green Beans (technically on the appetizer menu, but I usually order it as a main)
Veggie or Combo fried rice

If you’re a fan of spicy, there is no better dish for you in Chicago than the dry chili chicken. It comes out SO CRUNCHY, but still moist and tender on the inside. Drenched in that same, delicious, chili oil, along with big chunks of garlic and onion, this chicken is sensational, even when eaten cold out of the fridge the next day. If I can exercise enough restraint to heat it up, it’s also excellent chopped up and tossed with whatever rice I have left over from my meal, whatever veggies I can scrounge from the fridge, and a scrambled egg for the perfect, leftover fried rice.

The Kung Pao Beef is a sleeper hit. Each time I order it, I’m shocked at just how delicious it is. The big chunks of barely cooked onion and bell pepper add crunch to tender, flavorful pieces of beef. The whole dish is sprinkled with some umami, chili powder that I just cant get enough of. Definitely the best beef dish on the menu.

Chef’s Walnut Shrimp is also the best variation I’ve ever eaten. Less sweet than a traditional walnut shrimp, these butterflied bad boys come fried to a crisp and then tossed in a delicious, slightly sweet, tangy, and creamy sauce. They sit on a bed of radicchio, which adds more crunch and is an extra vehicle for that tasty sauce, and are topped with some sliced, fresh chilis, which add a little zing of heat. I ordered this dish the first time I went to Chef’s Special and ate it every trip after until I was sick of it. It’s now a solid member of my normal dish rotation.

What’s better in this world than a rolled noodle? Rolled noodles with little cubes of short rib. Although Chef’s rolled noodle dish changes with the seasons, the variation with short rib is a solid winner. The rolled noodles are little morsels of starchy goodness and I savor every bite. The fatty, tender short rib bites add a bit of texture variation and are delightful little treats in between bites of noodle. This disk is a must order.

Since we like to pretend we’re eating healthy, we order the green beans on occasion. These things are so garlicky and savory, I don’t even feel like I’m eating a veggie. They also are the PERFECT veggie to add to your leftover fried rice the next day.

THE DESSERTS

I always want to end my meal with a sweet treat. There are two at Chef’s Special that I highly recommend.

If you’re eating in and just want something, the almond cookies are the way to go. They come out warm and soft and taste like the Pillsbury sugar cookies we used to throw in the oven as kids. They’re nothing fancy, but they’re nostalgic, and we love an unpretentious treat.

If you saved room for more dessert, get whatever ube custard is on the menu at the time. The old presentation (RIP) came topped with marshmallow fluff and homemade fortune cookie pieces. Although that custard will always hold a special place in my heart, the new variation is also fun and interesting. It’s currently topped with toasted coconut pieces, plums, black sesame crumble, and little mochi bites. The different textures are so much fun and the flavors all come together well. I wish the plum was cut up and had a bit more flavor, but overall, it’s still a great little dessert.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There’s no restaurant in Chicago that I recommend more than Chef’s Special. Need a spot for a good drink? Chef’s. Need a date night rec? Chef’s. Need a birthday spot for your friend group? Chef’s. It really checks all the boxes and I’ve NEVER left disappointed. The food is solid. The service is solid, I can’t find a bad thing to say about it. Even long after I’ve moved out of Bucktown, I plan to be a regular at Chef’s Special. PLEASE GO EAT THERE ASAP! Ok, thanks :)