Yan Bang Cai

This restaurant deserves way more fame than it does. I’m so in love! After seeing the pictures on Unilocal,I showed my mom and we went to eat here. Honestly, Yan Bang Cai is better than Lao Sze Chuan and most of the restaurants here in Chinatown. Out of all the 6 dishes we ordered, I can confidently say that all of them were perfect. Will visit 100 000 084 7373x more, lol.

I wasn’t impressed with my first restaurant’s lunch and so I opted for a second lunch at Yan Bang Cai. Mind as well since I drove through the god awful traffic/​construction to get to Chinatown.
This place is legit when it comes to Szechuan food. I ordered braised pork belly with mustard greens, mapo tofu, and the chilled spiced rabbit for about 31 bucks. The interior seems new and very clean which I appreciated even though I was just patiently waiting at the entrance for my food to be made while secretly spying on what other people ordered. I wished I could have eaten everything there but even after the hour drive back everything was still hot and delicious. The tofu was my least favorite but still decent. There seemed to be lot of chili oil, but other than that, it didn’t have much of a flavor. It didn’t make my mouth numb and wasn’t that spicy. The rabbit and braised pork belly however were knockouts! The rabbit was slightly chilled with a fantastic flavor that would be a great addition to any family meal. It is a little bony, so be prepared to eat slower. The pork belly with mustard greens is rich and fatty, just how I like my pork. The menu does have English so don’t be afraid to visit. I will definitely «gently» force my guy to come here one day.

Excellent Food– must try Small Plate Chicken, Zing Zong Salt Merchant Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup

Order the 松鼠鱼!!! (the fried sweet sour fish?) it’s really good, definitely best I have had in the U.S. Lol my parents liked it so much that we went to this place twice in two days.
Other fish and veggie stir fry dish is pretty good too.
We also got the 7 step duck — the meat is kind of dry and mostly fat. And the pork stir fry — the pork was kind of tough but the celery is really good and crisp.
The service is okay, dishes came out pretty fast. The interior is dated and feels dingy; I think they could attract a lot more clientele if they spend some money to modernize the interior. It’s located at a nice spot easy to find. You can get two dollar parking credit if you dine in.

It is OK, but far from acceptable as a Szechuan restaurant for someone from Sichuan/​Szechuan.
Too expensive, too little amount. Not spicy and salty enough. Spicy and salty are the spirit.
Also service is not good. Only one waiter for the whole dining hall.
But I have to say, it’s definitely not the worst, compared to some other Szechuan restaurant in Chinatown. After all, there are NO really good Szechuan restaurants in Chinatown.

BYOB alert! I recommend bringing sweeter white wines or lagers to offset the spiciness of the Sichuan food served at Yan Bang Cai.
I was part of a group of ~10 people having dinner here on a Saturday night. We made a reservation in advance, which, after seeing the seating arrangements in the restaurant, I would say is necessary for groups larger than 6. Most of our group spoke Mandarin, which definitely made ordering easier because the English proficiency of the server varied from person to person.
Yan Bang Cai gets 5 stars for food and 3 stars for service (thus my 4-​star review). All of us were very familiar with Sichuan food, and we all agreed that the food was great and authentic. Dishes we had included the Zigong Salt Miner’s Eggplant, Mapo Tofu, Squirrel-​Shaped Fish with Two Flavors, Beef Noodles, and Green Beans with Pork. Service was so-​so: first, we had to ask for water/​tea refills, napkins, and extra bowls/​plates, but when asked the servers brought the requested items promptly; and second, they were slow to clear the table.
Street parking is difficult in Chinatown; you’re much better off paying for parking in the lot by the El and walking over.

Weekday lunch. Was 1 of 2 tables there.
Definitely get CA15, side pork with garlic sauce. It’s thin slices pork belly in a garlic Szechuan oil. It was fantastic.
Highly recommend the Salt Miner eggplant. Crispy exterior, sort of like a light tempura, no sauce. Very very good.
The salt miner beef noodle was spot on. Tender beef tendon bites with very good (and long– literally about 3 – 4 ft long individually) noodles. I don’t even like noodle dishes and this was on point.
Got the sliced boiled beef L01. Very good too.
The staff was very accommodating too, although it was basically just us in there.
The only problem is that I ruined my shirt by getting oil drops on it from slurping the noodles and devouring all the oily saucy dishes.
Great job Yan Bang Cai!

What is up with the SALT??? Neither of us could eat it. We asked why it was so salty and if it was by design. The «more interested in his computer than us» waiter just looked at us and laughed. Not sure what that’s all about.

As I write this, 4 hours later, I am still traumatized.
Came in on a slow night, sat down, saw the menu that seemed pretty unique. The apathetic waiter took our order and then disappeared to his computer in the other room.
Then I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Something little and brown.
«Oh my God. I just saw a mouse»
3 minutes later, ‘Remy’ scurried back out from under the booth.
That was it. We ended up walking out. Kind of rude, I know, but I really was too traumatized to eat there after that, no matter how good the food is rumored to be.

After coming here for so many times (9 times for now) I’m finally writing a review now.
As a Sichuanese, where this type of food came from, I think it is pretty authentic. Zigong is a city in Sichuan. The real Zigong food is very salty and very spicy. I like Yan Bang Cai kinda tone the heaviness of the favoring down a bit because even for local Sichuanese, Zigong food can be too spicy.
Before coming in, I have some warnings for you.
Don’t expect American style Chinese food here (I don’t know why would someone come to Chinatown for that. Panda Express has all they want).
Don’t expect food placed in fancy bone china and decorate too nicely. Food is priced quite cheaply here and appetizer portion is close to Entrée size. If someone still want more than that, go out and turn left to Lao series restaurants. I usually roll my eyes when someone brings up Lao Sichuan after I mentioned that I grew up in Sichuan.
I wouldn’t say everything dish is equally good (I don’t think any restaurant is like that). My favorites are: YiBing noodles, pork belly with bamboo, green beans with pork, pork belly appetizer (蒜泥白肉), poached spicy fish and 藤椒沸腾鱼。

We have been here 3 times already and have not been disappointed. Portions are large for a fair price and food so far has been delicious. We’ve had the salt miners fish, the crispy eggplant in fragrant sauce, side pork with garlic, spicy beef and tripe dressed in chili, Sichuan style small plate chicken, pork belly with mustard greens, and Sichuan lamb. It’s also BYOB.

Visiting from San Francisco and found this place after reading about it in the NY Times. It’s a quaint and cosy little place across the street from the Gates of Chinatown.
Never having had Zidong style food I was intrigued. We ordered 3 dishes– Fish w/​two flavors; rabbit w/​chili peppers; Salt miners eggplant. First off, the dishes are beautifully prepared. Having worked in a Chinese kitchen these folks make the extra effort to prepare both esthetically pleasing as well as deliciously flavored dishes. I would return in a heart beat.

Totally not spicy enough.
Beef tripe was alright, it was chewy and could be less beefy. The yushiang eggplant was texturally not too squishy but could udr some deep fried crunchy edges. It just didn’t live up to its spicy counterparts at other restaurants.
The mapo tofu was probably the best dish of the mix. The tofu seemed fresh.
The cold spicy bean curd appetizer was covered in chili oil but it seemed prepared last minute as they used cold five spice dried tofu and none of it had taken on the chili oil flavor. Very disappointing.
I would come here over Lao Sze Chuan but it is no comparison to Szechuan mala spice at chengdu impression.
Props for having wifi though.
Also don’t sit near the annoying chimes at the door.

This restaurant was alright for me. The décor is unique, service pretty decent, food came out fast and hot, and prices are a little on the high side for Chinatown (closer to suburban pricing). The flavors are pretty good, but doesn’t seem too distinguished from other similar restaurants — for one that boasts several pages on their menu about regional specialties. With that said, they do have a wide variety of spicy dishes that come in a good portion size with nice presentation. But really nothing stands out that would really pull me away from one of Tony’s restaurants.
Here are some of my notes on specific dishes:
Song’s Three-​Bean and fish soup: Nice light soup with pea shoots and seasoned with just the right amount of white pepper. The fish is tender and lightly flavored. A bit pricey for a soup that doesn’t contain more complexity and body.
Quick-​fried Seven-​step duck: Probably the most skillfully prepared dish I tried. With the multiple cooking steps, in the end it tastes something like a mix between twice cooked pork and smoked duck with tender meat witht he flavors of onion and jalapeño coming through strongly. However, chopping it into pieces rather than slicing in a way to minimize the inconvience of bones while eating really took away from a great dish.
Spicy cumin lamb: The lamb and its marination are flavorful and tender — salty with a light aroma. The cumin here is definitely noticable but not robust like preparations you find elsewhere although the flavor of the garlic was nice and strong. Not too spicy and good for a nice meal in the winter.
Zigong Salt Miners Spicy Pork: The pork has a bouncy texture and the pepper flavor is noticable, however this dish really could’ve had stronger and more distinctive flavors.
Crispy eggplant in fragrant sauce: The batter for the eggplant was definitely crispy, however it was fried fluffy like what you find in a Chinese Buffet rather than using a nice thin tempura-​like batter. The eggplant flavor itself was barely noticable although the sweet vinegar sauce tasted great with the batter.
Squirrel-​shaped fish w. two flavors: Comes in two flavors. The orange sauce is tongue-​numbing spicy but really has little depth to it. The brown sauce is a sweet vinegar. Both pieces of fish looked great with a real flower next to it, but it did not come out crispy at all.
Pork belly with mustard greens: Pork belly come out very tender with a great amount of fat on it. But this dish tastes exactly the same as any other preparation in Chinatown for the same dish. I would’ve preferred maybe to see a slightly different type of pork used or a regional flair to it.
Glutinous rice balls w. sesame stuffing: Strong egg flavor balanced with a light wine. A little on the sweeter side but not excessively so. Light hint of ginger and good body to the soup. The sesame filled rice balls are soft and provide just the right amount of chewiness. This one was the best executed dish of the ones I tried.
In summary, the food here is pretty good however I put it at 3 instead of 4 stars because of its prices for the quality, lack of uniqueness, and inconsistent execution accross dishes.

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the whole Chicago area. Number one, best, first choice. I am married to someone who came from China, and I have been to China several times, so I know and appreciate the difference in authentic Chinese food and the more common Americanized variety. I particularly like good, spicy, and authentic Szechuan style food.
Yan Bang Cai is not a fancy place but the food is great and they have lots of good choices. We always try something new so I don’t even have a favorite dish. Almost everything has been amazing.
The people working here are generally nice and will help you find something you like, and there are usually seversl groups of Chinese customers who will be happy to recommend something.
So, in my humble opinion, if you like spicy food and are a little bit adventurous about eating, this is a place in Chicago that you have to try.

This is my new favorite restaurant in Chinatown and this is based on a single experience on a chilly Sunday at 2pm.
As a new resident of Pilsen, it’s been my goal to visit every restaurant in Chinatown, but now, that may not happen because this is the only place I want to go.
I ordered just one dish, too, the $ 18 spicy shrimp large wok. The sauce reminded me of my favorite dish at San Francisco’s Mission Chinese, the thrice cooked pork.
On my next visit, if their pork is anything like that shrimp dish, I’m done. The FBI can shut down all of the Chinatown restaurants as long as they leave this one alone.

GOOD LUCK FORTUNE
No fortune cookie was needed to find this place. It was all good luck. We were starving and had missed lunch. It’s was 2pm and we were in Chinatown without a plan. We needed to be in the Gold Coast area by 3:30pm. We knew that our regular Chinese restaurants that we typically eat at were not very fast, so we through caution into the air. There was a parking spot directly in front of this restaurant and I grabbed it. We then saw the 3 red hot chili peppers on the awning and knew this place would be spicy enough for us. Our last check was the Unilocal app which showed us a 4 star rating. This must be our lucky day. Look out Mega Millions I’m buying a lottery ticket tonight.
As I walked up, I loved all of the photos of food on the outside storefront window. Even the Hungry Hound had his headshot plastered on the front door. Honestly has Steve D eaten at every restaurant in Chicago? I’m starting to feel like he is watching me like Santa. Hopefully I’m not on the naughty food list.
I loved the interior because it was warm and inviting. We were quickly greeted by Kevin who was also our waiter. Kevin is from a town near Beijing and has been living in Chicago for about a year. He loves his job and he loves the food here. After our lunch we spent some time talking to him and asking him what his favorite dishes were. He listed a whole bunch of his favorites and we are now ready for our next visit. He highly recommended the DanDan Noodles, which is one of my favorites, so I can hardly wait until my return visit.
We ordered a cold appetizer of spicy chicken and noodles. It is the first time I’ve ever ordered cold noodles at a Chinese restaurant and it was really good. The dish was perfect with just the right amount of kick. I wish I had a slice of bread to wipe up all of the delicious chili oil on the bottom of the plate. I will definitely order this dish again.
Do you like really spicy food? Then I recommend the Shredded pork with sliced jalapeño peppers. This Authentic Chinese Dish is from the city of Zigong, the third largest city in the Sichuan province of China. I promise that the dish will hurt you. If I was appearing on an episode of Man vs Food. I would have won at first but hours later the jalapeños came back roaring and beat me down. Yes food won and as much as I loved this dish I will not be ordering it ever again. The shredded pork was cooked perfectly and there were a ton of long sliced jalapeños that provided an amazing punch. There were also hints of fresh ginger in the dish. It was good but very spicy.
A couple of things that I loved. The rice was free unlike another nearby Sichuan place that charges a $ 1 per person for rice and was recently shut down by the FBI. This place takes credit cards (see comment above). They also have free hot green tea and it was really good. It was perfect on a cold chilly fall day in Chicago.
This may be a new favorite of ours and I can not wait to come back. There was authentic Chinese music playing in the background that went along with the soothing waterfall in the restaurant. I loved the interior which had a great authentic feel on the inside. Throw in some free wifi and I could hang out here all day long.
If you do come here check out the walls for great info. There is a board that shows how much they love social media platforms encouraging customers to write reviews. By posting this it shows their confidence in the food they are serving. There was a community board with local info. Another board with letters and reviews written by real customers. It’s like a Unilocal review of the day but on the wall of the restaurant. There were also various magazine articles and great restaurant awards posted around. All I could see was an owner who cares about his customers, community and business by serving fantastic authentic food.
I loved this business from when I first walked in the door and it did not disappoint me. The service and food were incredible and I hope I visit again soon. Chinatown in Chicago is starting to remind me of my trips to Beijing and it’s only 3 miles from my house. So I have no excuses not to be a frequent diner here. See you again soon my new favorite but keep the shredded pork & jalapeños away from my belly.

I’m always so pleased to find hidden gems in Chinatown, and Yan Bang Cai was definitely a delightful Sichuan surprise.
Our meal was amazingly flavorful, well executed, and home-​y, and it definitely beats going to tourist-​ladden Lao Sze Chuan. The food hails from Zigong in the Sichuan province, which is known for their salt mines. Our server told us the chef has 6 restaurants in Michigan and this is his first venture in Chicago (so he definitely has his shit down).
Our server made great recommendations on the following:
Sichuan style small plate chicken: Winner winner chicken dinner, this dish definitely stole the show. A complex stew of bone-​in chicken, carrots, potatoes, and hand pulled noodles in a sichuan pepper curry broth, this was unlike anything I’ve eaten before, and tasted like Mom made it. This is a must-​try!
Rabbit & Chili peppers (cold) & Dan Dan noodles: we had these as appetizers and both were greatly flavored without being too spicy
Zigong salt miner eggplant: I always associate Sichuan food with eggplant, and this eggplant was perfectly fried, light creamy texture and dusted with cumin & sichuan spices
Squirrel fish in two sauces: This was a really interesting dish in that two fish filets were fried and covered in two sauces, one sweet & vinegary, another chili based. This is a great option if you like heavier sauces with fish
Pork belly & bamboo shoots: Although this dish was tasty (how could pork belly not be?) I probably wouldn’t order again since it was just an ok version of pork belly
Overall, Yan Bang Cai was a great Sichuan food experience and I will definitely be back to try more.

Date night at YBC. We Unilocaled for a place «off the beaten path» from the square…
there were only two other tables dining in an otherwise silent restaurant. Whispers seemed privy to the entire dining area. I figured this was only going to solidify it’s «hidden gem» status. We ordered the kou shui chicken (aka «mouth-​watering chicken»). It came out dubiously fast and tasted off to me, slightly sour, definitely not fresh. Since we also had szechuan the night before, we went with their «signature» squirrel fish. Do not fret– it’s only called that because the filleted, fried fish resembles the shape of a squirrel’s tail. Like our chicken, the piece of fish tasted off as well. We didn’t bother with the rest of it. Our green beans were super salty.
I was really hoping for a great new find. but alas we left indifferent.
Maybe YBC was just having the case of the Mondays.

Arrived in Chicago hungry. Where is my first stop? CHINATOWN! I take every opportunity to get authentic Chinese food which is hard to come by in the city I currently live in. Yea I know I’m so Chinese, lol!
I had heard a lot about another restaurant Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown but after reading mixed reviews, I decided to come to Yan Bang Cai instead. I parked just outside the restaurant on the street with no problem. Parking is $ 2 per hour which seems to be the norm in Chicago.
The restaurant was very clean and well decorated. It was quite empty during lunch hour on a Thursday when I visited. Being the only customer, I was able to chat quite a bit with the server in Mandarin. She told me because of the Chinatown location most ppl live nearby are Chinese. Chinese ppl don’t like spending money so they usually bring lunch to work and that’s why there aren’t many customers for lunch. But it usually gets very busy at dinner time. Hmm, that makes sense. Guess I’m not so Chinese after all b/​c I eat out all the time, lol! She also told me the owner/​chef came from Sichuan province in China so the dishes are very traditional Sichuan style.
I studied the menu for a bit and ordered the pork in garlic sauce (Yu Xiang Rou Si) and a cold dish appetizer beef slice in chili sauce (Fu Qi Fei Pian). My order came quickly. And the portion was big enough for two people to share.
I have to say the beef slice in chili sauce was the BEST! It was very authentic and addicting! I highly recommend it if you like spicy dishes! It was just like the flavor you would taste in China. The pork in garlic sauce was good but not great. I don’t think I would order it again. But then again I think I might have ordered the wrong dish b/​c it isn’t really a Sichuan speciality to begin with. I’ll deff have to try something else next time.
My server was nice and attentive. My bill came to be around $ 18 plus tip. It was a bit steep for one person but I think it is actually reasonable if you consider the portion of the dishes.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this restaurant. I’d totally come again on my next trip to Chicago!