Kam Fung

Food was a 2.7÷5. Overall food quality has gone down in recent years due to a change in management and staffing.
Salt and pepper shrimp isn’t close to what it used to be (wasn’t properly fried, nor washed properly). Some of the Chinese greens were old. Beef Gai Lan was 3.5÷5.
The reason why I’m giving them a ¹⁄₅ is because they charged me $ 41.30 for three dishes which was supposed to be $ 27 – 28. I pointed this out and they said that «it was an old menu that they hadn’t used in a long time». I suspect it was because I mentioned I was visiting from Michigan, so they felt they could mark up the menu price. Even though that’s illegal

The prices for lunch is reasonable but the food is extremely salty. The quality isn’t there like it used to be.

My favourite restaurant in old Chinatown! Really traditional Taishan food!

I came here with a large family party on Saturday night. The restaurant was completely empty at 830PM. We ordered the family party menu and each of the dishes were pretty good compared to the family party menu we had for lunch from Mayflower.
Highlights? The yellow chicken at my table was delicious, but it was undercooked at the other table. Good variety of dishes. Lowlights? Eel in a clay pot was disappointing. I don’t know what kind of rice they used, but it was hard and a bit dry. I like eel, but I wasn’t a fan of the flavor either. It was pretty cold in the restaurant. We brought the space heater to the table, but I could barely feel anything.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal. There isn’t much in terms of décor or ambiance, but eh. The quality is better than some other restaurants. Plus since it’s on a side street, you’ll likely have the place to yourself!

This is a toi shan style cantonese restaurant. it reminds me of my grandmother’s dishes. Im a fan of their rice clay pot with cured meats! So tasty! I will be back!

The 煲仔饭 is the one must order items here, small place but sometime they keep it as very taishangese local style. Food are authentic and good. I will go Back

A great low priced restaurant with great food. My not have the biggest dining area but the people who works there are extremely friendly.

This restaurant has good food and it not that pricey. I do recommended this restaurant. The place is small but it can accommodate large groups. We were a family of 11 adults and two toddlers and had no issues with customer service.

On a side street off bustling Wentworth, I never would have come across this place had I not been looking for a place to get Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage) clay pot and through some brief Internet research, this place came recommended. The dish was not actually on the menu (well the English side at least) but they were more than happy to make it for us. The service was friendly and attentive. Great hot and sour soup, fried potstickers, Szechuan string beans, and the main course of Lap Cheong clay pot (chopped up flavorful sausage, rice, mushrooms and green onions) made for a delicious dish big enough for 4 to share. The flavor was subtle and delicate, but truly tasty. The prices were also very affordable. Take a break from your go-​to Chinatown spot and go-​to dishes and give this place and its unique offerings a shot. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

This place has been around forever and this was my first time stepping foot in the door. Our relatives came to visit from NY and they have close ties to this place, so we had dinner here with the family. From the outside, this place looks small and unattractive. This place is definitely hidden and if you aren’t local, you won’t know this place existed. The inside, however, is more welcoming and it wasn’t bad at all.
My relatives ordered all the food and I didn’t look at the menu, so my review won’t be that specific. My favorite dish they had was the tea leaf shrimp (direct English translation). It was recommended by the chef (owner). This was better than the Salt and Pepper Shrimp. Another dish that is extremely good was the Steamed Scallop Shell with Vermicelli in Garlic Sauce. This place pretty much serve really traditional Chinese food and they have certain entrees that I have never had at other restaurants. All the other dishes we had were just average.
This is a place that I would only come if my family is with me because it is that traditional. All the good stuff I do not know how to order.

This is a hole in a wall place with the bare minimal décor. Here you will find cheap and decent Chinese food. Very authentic dishes, and big portions. I always leave stuffed, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This place is located in an unassuming side-​street right across from the original Triple Crown restauarant. The place is rather small; it could maybe fit about 100 – 120 people max. We ordered the beef stipe, but it was rather chewy and not fresh at all. The plate portions were not that great and we left there hungry.
BATHROOM REVIEW
If there’s only one rule I follow when I go to Chinatown, or any restaurant, its that you always use the bathrooms AFTER you eat because what you find in the bathroom might make you lose your appetite. In this case, I should have NEVER used the bathroom, even after the meal… yeah, it was that bad. The bathroom was a one-​staller and came straight out of a horror flick. Flickering dim light, rust and mildew everywhere. I did the trick of kicking the toilet seat up and peeing — now i’m wondering if I should burn my shoes. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. SIT or SQUAT??? Do I really need to answer that question? I’m shuddering just writing this. please make this bathroom memory go away!

We wanted to try a place off the beaten path in Chinatown and luckily I happened to peer down some random alley and spot this place. I’m glad I did because it turned out quite well.
Food: Most of the items were stellar. None in our party spoke a Chinese dialect, so we were kind of relegated to the English menu. True, I guess we could have asked what some of the Chinese dishes were, but there were so many that it would been a burden to have the waiter walk us through everything. Egg drop soup was excellent, and the pot stickers were also amazing as well. They served them with a «red vinegar,» something I’ve never seen before. However, it was really good, and I could easily see my self prefer the vingar to garlic sesame soy sauce occasionally. We had mongolian beef which was well done, and the waiter was nice enough to let us have the Szechuan string beans with some pork in it. However, it also came with tiny, dried shrimp, and I don’t eat seafood generally (yeah, a crime I know…). Other than that, the dish was really quite good. So we politely asked to have that dish redone and the waiter graciously agreed. The replacement came back about 5 minutes later sans shrimp, though the green beans were noticeably undercooked and the seasoning was toned way down. I have a feeling that they probably thought, «ok, let’s just put out something that can’t possibly offend these guilo.» Anyway, that was the only flaw.
Service: Very nice and accommodating. No complaints.
I’ll definitely come back. This place is one of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve been to in the city.

On hindsight, we probably should have heeded the negative review given here by a Unilocaler friend. Although we did not encounter the same problems as in that review, all was not rosy at our group’s meal either. Kam Fung was a last minute choice switch in our group’s quest for Cantonese fare. Their menu met that criteria and the ingredients used would please the many who savor the cuisine of south China. We were seated at a round table with a round glass «lazy susan» in the center of the white vinyl «table cloth.» Although the rotating glass disc was large, the number and size of all our dishes eventually overwhelmed it.
We chose one of the pre-​selected «family» package meals that was intended for a group of 8. This would give us an excellent introduction to the cooking at Kam Fung while also providing a variety of meat, fowl, seafood, and vegetables. As with many such Cantonese meals, our table began it by sharing a tureen of flavorful soup, based on a pork broth, containing pieces of Chinese broccoli. It was a good beginning. A helpful touch at Kam Fung for large groups are the electric rice steamers that they station next to your table, so you can refill your own bowls of white rice as you feel the need to.
Our main dishes were a mixed bag. The whole lobster was one any kitchen couldn’t mess up, presented in cut pieces with the shell still attached. The vegetable stir fry featured slices of lotus root, wood ear, and black mushrooms, but nothing much memorable about that. There was the two-​bite filets of white fish gently deep-​fried in a whisper-​light golden coating of flour (?), presented on a plate of complimentary vegetables.
Cantonese cuisine doesn’t use the spicy, hot flavors of the northern cuisines. But sweet and sour is something that highlights its dishes. Ours was a rather odd one; pieces of cut-​up pork chops (instead of ribs) battered and coated in a gloppy red sweet/​sour BBQ sauce. One ate it for the well-​cooked meat, but the sauce was a disaster! We also enjoyed the large shrimps (oxymoron) in a stir fry with unmemorable vegetables and a too-​thick sauce.
Being that we were dining just ahead of the lunar new year, the prospect of sharing a whole roasted chicken was a traditional touch of good luck. Unfortunately, the platter of sliced pieces (including the head, of course) must have just come out of the refrigerator — cooked, but cold! I can’t recall ever getting chicken served this cold in a Chinese restaurant or even direct from the Chinese BBQ shop. The standard dipping sauce for chicken of salt and oil with chopped chives was a hit though.
Everyone thinks that fortune cookies are the Chinese «dessert.» It’s not! Maybe that’s because the sweet treats that end a Cantonese meal aren’t all that spectacular. Our meal ended with each getting a small bowl of traditional, cold, sweet, red bean soup. THEN, the fortune cookies. All in all, not a terrible meal. And the service was good and attentive. But with so many choices in Chinatown and around the city, it’s unlikely our group will return here.

This is currently my favorite Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown. It’s open late, the service is solid, and the food is just a bit (or often more than a bit) fresher than its competitors.
If you don’t speak English, some servers are more helpful than others, since there’s a fairly extensive Chinese-​only menu with great options that just aren’t listed otherwise. The eel with ginger and green onions, for example, which is a bit pricey but amazingly flavorful if you like eel.
And, as for the English menu, I have not had better clams in black bean sauce in any restaurant around here. The sauce is light but intense, with enough fermented black beans to complement the clams but not overwhelm their natural sweetness. This is a must-​try dish here, in my opinion.
As always, I’d love to go back with a group of friends and really dive into the menu. It’s well worth a visit.

Restaurant review
Where in Chicago can you find a expansive authentic cantonese menu? Kam Fung is the place to visit during your next trip to Chinatown. Hidden away on a side street of Chinatown is one of the most versatile Chinese restaurants in Chicago. The menu is expansive including your typical asian-​american dishes (fried rice, chop suey, chow mein, walnut shrimp), but the true gem is in the detailed menu that is in english and partially in only chinese. Included are some picture of excellent food items that I would not know how to order (I had a friend that could read chinese) which included twin stir-​fried lobster, organic free range chicken (you have not had chicken until you try this dish), striped pangasius maws stirfry, and fresh steamed fish just to name a few. They are open late nights and also have clay pot rice which is one of the few places in IL which have this dish. If you want to take a walk on the wild side and try authentic Cantonese/​Asian cusine you should venture here for a try!
Pro: extensive menu, variety of meat/​fresh seafood/​chicken dishes, large portions
Cons: part of the menu is only in Chinese and you might need them to translate or have a friend that can read chinese
Hidden gem: the clay pot rice is cheap and enormous, only place where you can find this dish. Also BYOB which saves you a ton of money!

Honestly, these people who are giving two stars, are you even ordering the right dishes? who orders orange chicken at an authentic chinese restaurant? try a chinese american place.
Anyway, Kam Fung isn’t 5 stars but it’s a solid 4. Their food is good, especially the Fish Chow Fun. I’d definitely want to go back just for that next time I’m in Chicago.

Really bad Chinese/​Cantonese food! We came here for a family dinner with lots of people, hence we ordered lots of dishes. Honestly, all the dishes were salty & oily.

Came here with family and friends. Wasn’t too impressed with the food. A few of us thought the food was a bit salty.
We had some kind of fish soup (I think), squab, crab, walnut shrimp, salted fish eggplants, black pepper beef, 2 kinds of clay pot rice (one is with chinese sausage with some other things and one with eel), greens, mixed greens and I can’t remember the rest.
The squab was good. Walnut shrimp didn’t have much mayo which was good, but tasted different than other places, the 1^st clay pot rice was ok, the eel was tough in the other clay pot, mixed greens was pretty good (crunchy). Overall, nothing too impressive.
Dessert was red bean/​tapioca soup.
My sister ordered Orange Chicken for her husband for take-​out and it was basically like Mandarin Pork Chop sauce with chicken and spicy.

Hellooooo Kam Fung!
On a recent trip to Chinatown with some friends, my BF & I wound up at their favorite restaurant for a late dinner. Walking in to Kam Fung is an unimpressive event, it looks like every other little restaurant you’ve ever seen around the country that doesn’t care about their décor. Paper flags on all the linoleum walls with specials (I think) printed in Chinese with random prices, minor décor, all items picked up at the local stores, and huge lazy susans in the middle of each table.
Don’t let that deter you, once you get your first dish from the kitchen, you’ll swear you’re sitting in heaven.
We lucked out and hit the place at a great time. We walked in at about 9:30 on a Sat. night, and easily had our choice of any seat in the place. That quickly changed, as Kam Fung serves a late night menu (until 2am) where everything is $ 3.99. By the time we left we were the only non-​Chinese people in the place and there were people waiting for our table.
We started with soups — wonton, which had a flavorful, fragrant broth and multiple (!) wontons; and a hot & sour, which was loaded with pork, chicken, mushrooms, and tons of other things in a thick, brown soup. I’ll be getting the wonton again next time I go back, which will be soon. On to the egg rolls — served hot & crispy without any stray oil & grease.
By this time I’m bouncing around with anticipation like a little school girl waiting for the main dishes. I mean like silly giddy. We ordered 4 dishes, which was WAY too much food. But that’s ok, because it was soooo good that all the leftovers (2 more meals worth!) got devoured.
We had the:
Shrimp & vegetable chow fun — served in a casserole dish, the noodles were delightfully slightly crunchy while being the perfect noodle consistency at the same time. The sauce was light, the vegetables plentiful & crunchy, and the shrimp was wonderful.
Seafood w/​XO sauce — For those of you who don’t know what XO sauce is (that was me until I tried this dish), here’s wiki’s answer:
. Kam Fung doesn’t joke around when it comes to seafood. This dish was piled high with shrimp, scallops, octopus, and other fish that escapes me right now. Yum. I’m now a huge fan of XO sauce.
Shredded Pork in Ya Shung sauce — I’m not a big pork eater so I only had a bite to taste this, but it tasted remotely like barbeque. It was as good as something you don’t really like can be. :) The 2 guys at the table who love pork raved about the dish; flavor, texture, and anything else they can think of. It was an overflowing plate of food and they put a nice dent in it.
Shrimp in lobster sauce — You all know this dish. An old standard that Kam Fung does well. They do theirs with a yummy thick brown sauce with tons of giant shrimp. Certainly not disappointing.
I haven’t had good, real, Chinese food since moving here from NY, and my BF, who is from Alabama, has had great NY Chinese, but nothing as authentic as this. Kam Fung is the real deal, and restored my faith in Chinese food and opened his eyes to an entirely new world. I can’t wait to go back, and I’m sure it’ll be soon.
Everyone left stuffed and elated, and brought home over half their dish. But we all clutched them tightly on our way homes, for fear of forgetting our delishiousness in the cab.
Go and try this place. I can’t stress it enough. Judging by their late night crowd they’re not hurting for business, but you’ll certainly be thrilled you went.