Hunan Pearl

Such a great hole in the wall. Last night was my first time here, even though I pass it daily. Nothing really compelled me to go in before, but I’m really glad I know how good it is now.
Ordered carry out, food was ready in 20, the woman at the front was very sweet. We ordered the orange chicken and BBQ fried rice. The orange chicken had a hint of cinnamon and the fried rice was so good too! Everything is pretty fairly priced as well.
One Star Dry Basil Guy is just being a hag. However I would suggest to add on the menu when white rice comes with? I am sooo full

We go here quite often as we live a few blocks away. I find the food always good, never varies and I’ve tried a few different items. My only negative is that most of the fried items taste the same. I love crab rangoon but it taste like the eggrolls, maybe it’s that they don’t change the oil often enough. Great prices and big portions, I can rarely finish my meal from there. And the owner is wonderful, nicest guy on the planet. Carry out only and don’t be scared of the storefront, it’s tiny and not adorned at all, but who cares?

I almost gave this restaurant more stars just because, if you are judging on appearances like I was, you will be very surprised by how good the food was. Still, it is not really anything super amazing – just solid, predictable Asian fare. This place is teeny tiny and generally seems empty but I live nearby so I felt compelled to try it. I got takeout pad Thai and my husband got Mongolian beef… nothing too fancy, but we were both happy/​satisfied and would gladly order from there again. Leftovers heated up well too.

When you think Chinese take-​out, you think quick and close. Well, this place is worth driving a few more minutes to get to and from; really! Yes the portions are large, yes the owner is nice, yes the food quality is consistently good (although I can’t seem to get them to spice it up a bit when asked), yes they will accommodate special preparation requests. A pearl is a good metaphor for Hunan Pearl: there are lots of oysters in an oyster bed but only a few will nurture a beautiful pearl; Hunan Pearl is a pearl among Chinese take-​out restaurants. Please note: this review is limited to Hunan Pearl’s preparations using fresh vegetables, chicken, and shrimp; dishes with beef or pork are not ordered, nor are deep fried menu items. Their Singapore noodles (without pork; not dry and not overly saucy) dish is good, so is their Pad Thai (good, but not as good as you’d expect from a first rate Thai specialty restaurant). A few other reviewers fail to appreciate how well these people do operating year round out of an impossibly small facility.

If I can give –10 stars I would. This place serves the worst tasting Chinese food on the planet. I ordered the Thai Basil chicken that is supposed to come with fresh Thai basil leaves per the menu– you know what they use? Dried freakin basil… and the chicken tasted sour like it was left to rot for days before serving. When I confronted the woman working there, she said «oh sorry, dried basil tastes the same.» What a joke! I also ordered the Kung Pao chicken — it tasted just as sour as the Basil chicken. I am praying I don’t live in the bathroom the entire night. There are plenty of better options in Highland Park such as Little Szechuan — soo much better. I called them and told them how horrible my meal was — they told me to drive back, bring the entrée back so they can taste it and then maybe get my money back. I wasted $ 32 at Hunan Pearl, I wasn’t going to waste another second of my life on this putrid establishment. DO NOT EAT HERE OR YOU WILL GET SICK!!!

I believe this restaurant changed ownership a while back and ever since then, it’s become — with only one exception (maybe an off day, but it was still good) — ridiculously good as Chinese take-​out goes. If anything, every time I try it it seems to have gotten a little better.
As the review below me noted, the food here is not aggressively sauced. What sauces are on the food taste natural, delicious and as if they’re made there. The flavors are surprisingly subtle and layered — without aggressive saucing, the food speaks for itself and the results are tremendously enjoyable. Beyond that, the portions are very satisfactory for the price paid. Ingredients are fresh and high quality.
Little place, but wow, really good food. Better than a number of high-​end options nearby and — as the reviewer below me noted — far better (and cheaper) than PF Changs or Big Bowl.
Highly recommended.

Hunan Pearl is a simple, no frills Chinese take-​out restaurant that has some of the best authentic, reasonably priced Chinese food on the North Shore. Their dishes are generous in portion, and not drowning in soy sauce or msg. I love the noodle, fried rice, and tofu choices. Wonderful and friendly owner. Give them a call and you’ll be enjoying better Chinese food than PF Changs or Big Bowl and saving money too.
Highly recommended!

This place is a little gem. Phenominal Pork Fried Rice, egg rolls, and Chicken with brocolli and pea pods! We carry-​out twice a month, very consistent.

The food is decent and the employees got our food fast. I really don’t have anything negative to say except the food didn’t blow me away. I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was truly happy with the portion sizes… I felt like a pig!

It’s not the worst, it’s not the best.
The owner is super nice and he gives big portions. The price isn’t too bad either. The potstickers are amazing and the sauce that comes with it, the bomb!
If you’re in the area and want Chinese food, this is basically the only Chinese food option in Ravinia.
[carry out place]

This was pretty enjoyable. I was stuck at work and this was brought in for us while we did inventory. The food was pretty standard american style chinese, but was very good. The General Tso’s was very good as was the mongolian beef, but the orange chicken was pretty forgettable. I should also note that the egg rolls were really good and I had no problem downing several of them over a period of time.
Overall the food was pretty good and it wasn’t a big msg bomb that a good amount of chinese places can be on the north shore. While it wasn’t the greatest chinese food I’ve had, it certainly wasn’t the worst and I wouldn’t mind trying some more of their food

Not the best Chinese food in this area, but not bad for the price. Egg rolls are very good. I’d recommend the Kung Pao chicken special. Very large portions.

Nothing special here. The North Shore has an abundance of excellent Chinese options and this is not of of them. You can get decent affordable food here, but it won’t blow you away. I think the only reason I’ve tried this is we meant to order from Hunan Chef and dialed the wrong # (whoops!).

i seem to always be able to find the cheapest chinese food even in the most unlikely spots. food by the pound — the ratio of $/​lb is I think what I’m drawn to. what can i say, i’m a classy guy.
Hunan pearl is straight up cheap chinese food. The only distinguishing fact is that it comes with large pieces of fresh veggies like peppers, tomatoes and onions. I find that a lot of the time cheap chinese food is filled out with water chestnuts and celery which… i don’t know… is just kind of cheap. You’ll definitely get your bang for your buck here; i found it to be quite enjoyable.
I had the pepper steak lunch special which came with fried rice (nicely executed) and an egg roll (not homemade and overcooked). The lunch special was more like an oversized dinner; i don’t think i even got halfway through it. it was like five something dollars. yeah i’d go back.