Great Sea Restaurant

Great Sea, Albany Park’s Chinese-Korean wing haven, opens new space | Eater Chicago

"I visited the Chinese-Korean spot in Albany Park known for its lollipop-style chicken wings, which reopened this month across the street from its original location after the longtime spot closed on March 24 after 32 years to move to a larger, more modern space and tweaked its name to Great Sea Lollipop Wings. The wings—hacked and fried—are smothered in Great Sea’s sticky sauce with a little heat (available regular or spicy and sold for retail); an order costs $16.99 (up from $15.49) and arrives as a deep bowl with at least 20 wings plus a bowl of rice, so they feel worth the premium. The new restaurant is about 1½ times larger, feels more open and modern (even the bathrooms have automatic light switches), and is under new ownership: Frank Wang, who purchased the restaurant from the original owners in 2016, has sold it to James Bee, who has hired longtime employee Lilly Lan to manage the space—Lan wouldn’t say if he’s the same Bee behind Sai Cafe in Lincoln Park, only that “he was busy as a bee,” and Wang, in his 80s, decided to retire. New menu additions include salt-and-pepper fries and salt-and-pepper shrimp served head-on in their shells with a healthy dose of Sichuan peppercorns; there’s also a smoothie bar and new tea selections with the possibility of Taiwanese shaved ice this summer depending on customer response. The restaurant is BYO because the new ownership opted not to pursue a liquor license. The Tribune first noticed the reopening." - Ashok Selvam