CHI TEA - Hot Chicken, Burgers, & Wings

I went with the staple: The Big Bird. Nashville hot fried chicken. It was messy, juicy, and dripping flavor. If you’re a “I can’t eat without napkins!!” kinda guy, maybe skip it. Sunday Night Football was on, so the wait for my takeout felt manageable. Now the negatives: the vibe was off. Nobody seemed to actually sit down and enjoy their food, and the layout felt weird. The hype around the Big Bird had me expecting fireworks, but it was more like a sparkler. Still good, but not breathtaking. And the worst of it all… they gave me pickles. I asked for no pickles. I don’t like pickles. Overall? Not bad. Still would go again, except I would make sure no pickles before I left the restaurant. I recommend takeout too. I have also yet to try the boba.

I went to Chi Tea and ordered my favorite, the Big Bird 🐔🐔🐔🐔—it was amazing! I also got a Karak☕ Chai, which was so yummy. The front staff, Maira, is super friendly. I work at Ace Dental, and she even gave me a 10% discount! The Big Bird was incredible. Our office often orders their food and sliders, and I also really love their Boba Tea—definitely 10/10!👍

Got the Flip Bird chicken sandwich (mild) and it was a decent sandwich, nothing really stood out, but it was solid for sure, 8.3. The beef-loaded fries, however, it was like that fr. It essentially fries with house sauce and ground beef on top, and jalapeño. It's simple but highly effective 9.2. I chased it down with a peach lemonade, which was cool too, but again doesn't stand out 8.4. Lastly, for dessert, I got banana pudding which was surprisingly good, 8.7 ngl. Customer service doesn't exist here. I ordered from a kiosk, and someone from the back area hollered my name when my order was ready. Overall, nice space and a decent menu 8.6.

The food here is good, especially their big bird sandwiches but the place is so dirty! I walked in a little after they had opened and I was the only customer there. The were napkins on the ground, and the tables and the high chair were covered in grease their bins were full of trash and the guy working there was just sitting on his phone the whole time. Won’t be coming back here again the place is just so filthy.

Keeps on getting worse and worse - Bollingbrook location had burnt slider party and this seems steamed - that’s what happens when you expand super fast and your quality diminishes. Is this a grilled slider or a steamed slider patty burger?

Quaint little spot for snacks, smoothies and boba teas! Not all boba tea places offer an option for sugar level, such as Kung fu Tea which offers 0%, 25%, 50%, or 100% sweetness. CHI offers no added sugar, 50% or full sweetness. This is one of the very few boba spots near me that offer horchata milk tea. First time I had that was in California and I fell in love but alittle harder to find in midwest. Good selection of teas, fruit teas and milk teas, and also snacks like loaded fries, chicken sandwiches, ect. This place is halal certified. There's tables to sit and hang inside, no out door seating, rest rooms inside.

I’ve always passed this place and decided to give it a try. The beautiful placement of the neon lights and the flowers draping is ethereal and a much needed experience for all. The fusion of cultures and the variety of milk tea flavors gives this place an edge over other tea places in the area. I was hesitant to try brown sugar milk tea, and the robust and strong flavors left me with the curiosity to take sip after sip. While I may not try the brown sugar again, I am still pulled by the beauty that is chi tea. Great customer service as well.

This place is really cute and aesthetic. If you are planning to go there over the weekend make sure you are ready to wait. They were super packed. And on weekends if you are planning to order take out you’ll have to wait about 20-30 mins before the order is ready. So plan accordingly. The food is really good. I got the big bird slider and seasoned fries and they were amazing. I highly recommend this place.

Heard a lot of great things about this place and decided to give it a try- because why not!? The food is very good. I had a burger and a strawberry boba tea smoothie. Both were great. The burger almost reminded me of a Culver's burger (not as buttery though). I found the boba smoothie to be filling. I also think the cups are adorable. This place was super crowded (which speaks for itself). The cashier was a young teen. When he took my order he asked "what's up", while taking my order he was texting lol. I have never seen anyone text while taking my order. I don't care too much though, but that is a reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5. I definitely would still recommend this place though. The food definitely makes up for any deficiencies in customer service.

Like many of the other reviews I heard of this place thanks to the social media buzz. Thankfully for the most part it lived up to the hype. Chicken sandwich is a juicy and crispy with tons of good flavors happening. The esthetic is nice and has a cool modern feel. Seasoned fries were good and I loved that the give you a ton of them. I didn't catch much of the seasonings on the fries though just salt. Service was fine but I did not find the women at the register to be very friendly or welcoming. Not a deal breaker but definitely a drawback.

Look, this place should be a dump, with only bubble tea and a healthy dose of sadness thanks to the other businesses that have died nearby. Instead, this was a solid chicken sandwich with a way-too-large portion of fries on the "side" for about $14. The Big Bird was really big, but it wasn't spicy enough for my tastes so I'll have to go with the top spice level the next time around. I'm told the burger is great, so maybe I'll give that a spin instead. This place was a big surprise. Looking forward to a future visit!

Taste is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!, service was fast , and nice clean place to to eat. The fries I couldn't stop eating!! Drink was great toooo! Will be coming back soon!!

Yooooooo this place is fire! Instagram brought me here and I had to see what all the noise was about. Upon arriving, you know you are in the right place because it's packed inside and folks on the outside are still trying to press their way through. My friend and I decided to order a lot. We did both sliders: the big bird slider and chi tea classic. we ordered two large bobas with tapioca. One was brown sugar and the other was purple haze. If you are wondering what purple haze tastes like, it's similar to brown sugar in my opinion. I didn't notice any special taste. We chose to order an order of the angry bird fries and the loaded chicken fries. I enjoyed the food options chosen; however, I felt the chicken was dry. Large portion and super crispy, but it didn't really hold flavor. Unless you have the sauce they give you, it doesn't do well by itself. The burgers were tasty but I wanted more meat on the patty to match the levels of the veggies on the burger. I wouldn't be opposed to returning and dining in on a random weekday.

Came after bowling with my wife and a friend. It was packed when we walked in but lucky after a little while, it cleared out. The ambiance in the restaurant is casual and relaxed. We ended up ordered the Chi Tea Classic burger, the Angry Birds nuggets, Tiger Sugar Thai Tea and Coconut Bubble Tea. Food was good. I got the spicy but it was a lot milder than i expected. The coconut bubble tea was really good and my wife enjoyed her tiger sugar thai tea. One complaint would be that there wasn't an option to have no ice. It was either over ice or blended. My coconut bubble tea was good but the bottom was very cold and slushy. Would have preferred it without or atleast with less ice option. Overall, a nice place for food and bubble tea with friends. Service was quick and the food was good.

My brother sent me a text mentioning this place. I decide to come and check this place out. I can't believe how I had drove passed this place for years. Without noticing this place existed. I ordered the Mango Lemonade and loaded fries with chicken. Upon entering there was a young man behind the counter texting on his phone. Never looked up to greet anyone or take orders. I had to kindly say excuse me what flavor lemonades do you have? LOL. That got his attention quickly and he was full alert and ready to take my order. The Ambience is ok. Nothing too special. Service was meh. Now the food was good and full of flavors. The prices are very reasonable and nor over the top. This must be the place to come because it was non stop traffic coming thru the door. I guess social media really helps promote businesses. I'm coming back to check out the burgers and chicken sandwiches. There are alot of flavors of drinks on the menu to choose.

Flavorful, filling and reasonably priced! Chi Tea has it all, it's a must check out and check out again spot. This is a fairly small establishment, can probably seat (indoor) comfortably about 15-20 people at max. There are 2 options of ordering while there: kiosk or at the front counter. Staff was very friendly and the service was super fast. It was extremely packed when my fiancé and I arrived there and we were expecting a good 30-45 mins to receive our food... goodness we were very wrong! After placing our order our food and drinks arrived within 7-10 mins. We basically tried the entire menu and our favorites were the Big Bird chicken sandwich with mild sauce, the loaded chicken fries and the chi tea classic burger. Chicken (and everything else) is coated and flavored very well and cooked to perfection.

The food is ok. The service NOT so well they messed up my order by assuming it was supposed to be tenders EVEN THO there is only 1 item in the menu that is called the angry bird which is the burger and got confused by switching them to tenders.

Saw this gem on Instagram and have been wanting to stop in. I haven't gotten a chance to dine in yet, but ordered delivery to my job. I got the loaded season fries and my coworker got the Angry Bird. When we received our order it was still nice and warm. Everything was flavorful and delicious! Can't wait for the opportunity to dine in :)

This spot is not only affordable but also delicious and despite being packed often, the food does come out quick. You can order online, at a kiosk inside or with a cashier and this helps move things along too. The bubble tea was actually pretty good and the sliders had big pieces of chicken with just the right amount of spice. The bubble tea helps balance out the spice so it's actually a surprisingly good pairing. I will say the chicken could be more crunchy but besides that it's great. They're open late too! Definitely recommend stopping by!

Food was delicious and I love that it's halal, but there was no one actually in the restaurant and we needed help and couldn't get anyone's attention from anywhere. There needs to be people to help with customers if needed

I came here when it first opened and I remember enjoying my chicken sandwich and taro bubble tea. But when I came again years later for a late night bubble tea I found both the atmosphere and service to be lacking and the worst part was the tapioca in the bubble tea tasted old, overcooked and was falling apart in my mouth with just a terrible texture.

Loved chi tea! My matcha boba was bomb. It was so nice that no drink had dairy in them. The drink menu was a bit limited but still found something that I enjoyed. We also ordered the fries which were tasty! The service was fast and the place was packed. I hope to come back to try their burgers next!

Very sweet. I ordered a watermelon & lychee bubble tea with lychee jelly & tapioca. Although I asked for 50% sweetness, it tasted like 120% sweet. For those who prefer real fruit bubble tea, you may want to explore other options. It seems like they use flavored powder at this place. If you don't really care and prefer convenience, then this might be ok for you, especially since it's open late night. Personally, next time I'll drive a little farther for something more my taste!

Quality has decreased significantly since I started going here a year ago. The tapioca balls are very too hard inside and too soft on the outside. Unfortunately this seems to be the trend since our last three visits. Sad! Will not come back.

I'm a delivery driver for DoorDash and I pick up from this place often. Most of the time their customer service is terrible. They don't greet you when you walk in. They don't say anything when they throw the food on the counter and walk away. I would never try this place. DO NOT RECOMMEND. If that's how they treat ppl who deliver food for them I don't want it.

Still really excellent chicken sandwiches! Unfortunately, they have been out of stock of their signature Spiced Chai bubble tea for a while now and when asked the cashier said they had no plans on restocking this flavor. I hope this isn't true and please bring back the Spiced Chai, it's in the Chitea name!

one of my go to's i will forever drive whatever distance for this place!! their chicken is double fried and it's sooooo juicy sooo tender sooooo flavorful the fries are really crispy and flavorful as well. the chi sauce is insanely yummy i love it hereeeeee they're really nice and have a tablet to order if you don't want to talk to a person, the service is pretty quick and they have a cute ambience :)

The food is not your typical cafe food , it hits to a different taste bud. The service is self service but the pick up is nice. Ambiance is like that of European cafe vibe. Enjoy

This is the most bizzare restaurant to me because the bubble tea is the advertizing point but it is by far the most disappointing thing on the menu. The food is incredible. I never would have walked into a bubble tea place and ordered food, nor thought the food would be good but it's incredible. Chicken sandwich is priced well, the taste is phenomenal. The fries are great.. The store itself is a cute place to sit in. Its just unexpected but its good nonetheless

Love Love Chi Team Consistent good and consistent Boba been going to this place in Lombard for a while and now it's in schaumburg

Let me start off by saying that their smoothies are really good. However, the service is not good at all. I have gone in there several times and every time I try and place an order, they direct me over to a kiosk. If I wanted to do a kiosk, I would have ordered online. The only reason that I came here is because it is Desi owned and I'd like to support our smaller family owned establishments over big box stores. The heavyset Desi guy behind the counter, directed me over to the kiosk even though there was no one else in line and I complied only for the kiosk to not be working. I told him the kiosk was not working, and he said it would be about 5 to 10 minutes before he could take my order. Did I mention already that there was no one else in line?! Every time I come here I get frustrated because it seems that I care more about their business then they do. All he had to do was stop playing on his phone and take my order. I go out of my way to find small businesses to support but I guess I'll just walk over next-door to tropical smoothie where at least the customer service was great and I had my smoothie within two minutes. Disappointed that they don't care about their business as much as they should. My sunrise smoothie was about the same price, a lot bigger, and the service was much better. I guess you get what you pay for.

Burgers are so good!! And they serve bubble tea! It's a hidden gem. I definitely recommend!

Great place for dinner! We got the Big Bird chicken sandwiches and bubble tea. The burger was very flavorful and tasty. I probably have lower than average South Asian/Desi heat tolerance, the medium spice level was a little too much for me (but is probably fine for the average Desi). I still really enjoyed the burger overall. The seasoned fries were a great side to have too. We had "over ice" Bubble Tea. Their default bubble tea is like a smoothie blended variety (which isn't what I expect at most bubble tea places). The boba was soft and nice. We really liked the Taro. Tiger Sugar was a little different compared to other Brown Sugar teas I've had since it was Thai Tea based, but still good and the sweetness helped calm down the spice from the sandwich . If you're not generally a bubble tea person, they have a LOT of flavors to choose from, including some that would probably taste like your general Oreo smoothie or Mocha Frappe. Overall fantastic place. Really like the modern decor too and service was very kind.

My recent visit to chi tea left me thoroughly impressed. The efficiency of their service was exceptional, with friendly manager The big bird was perfectly seasoned and crispy Also the chai was extraordinary ,perfect texture and well balanced sweetness.

This place was sooo busy when my friends and I went. Lots of carryout and dining in....on a Tuesday night! We tried their special drinks: horchata and red velvet! Added tapioca of course! I really liked the horchata! The food smelled good. If I'm in town again, I am for sure trying out their food! Menu was confusing to some. One part looked like a list that was blended only but the whole menu you can choose over ice or blended. Also, learned their have dairy free options! Make sure to ask what they are out of because I wanted to different things but they were out so I tried the Horchata one! Cute logo too! Plenty of parking! Bathroom available.

Unique cuisine. Full of flavor although heavy . Great service. Fairly priced. Boba tea was a hit.

Pretty good spot for boba. Really enjoyed the matcha blended drink with boba we ordered which was super refreshing on a humid summer night. While the selection is pretty limited, they do have some rotating special flavors on the menu closer to the register. Price point is quite nice compared to the Chicago Chinatown spots. Parking is free. Definitely draws a younger crowd, but all in all I'm sure I'll be back for more. 'Til next time, cheers!

Ok we came to this place because of TikTok so we had a big bird sandwich extra spicy and on spicy and some chicken tenders to go with slider fries I think it was called but everything was good I will come back for more for sure the chicken was not to thick or thin just right it was cooked well all around and lived the crispy edges for sure. I never eat coleslaw and it was actually good on this big bird the pickles also good combo with it and the sauce was pretty good as well. For drinks we had a lemonade with peach which was super good just a bit too much ice and not enough of the drink so I would go easy on the ice for sure to get more product also had watermelon boba and it was good as well and also mango boba was also good. One thing I did noticed they just need to pay a bit more attention to keeping the eating area cleaner as people eat and leave we always try to leave it clean for the next people but needs to be a bit cleaner and floors mopped. But other than those things they have a pretty good thing going on here for sure just take care of those 2 things and you guys are almost at a 5 star rate. The staff was good also and food came out pretty fast on time.

One lazy night we ordered this place through Uber Eats and it got here very quickly and was still hot. We got the big bird Slider, the angry birds, and regular chicken sandwich (the big bird). It was a bit on the expensive side for chicken sandwiches and the sliders are only one slider, but they picture two of them so that was my bad for assuming that there were two sliders. One slider on Uber eats was around $8. The food was really good, including their fries. My only complaint is that it is a little overpriced. Overall, definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a pretty good chicken sandwich!

Came here with a friend after dinner and it was an okay spot for boba. I do want to try their chicken sandwich so I think that's the only reason why I'll give this place another try for their boba. I'm not a big fan of their tapioca which was pretty bland for my tastebud. The boba I got was strawberry mango and it tasted artificial in my opinion. I thought they would at least use real fruits such as mangos and strawberries even if it was frozen but I guess not. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad or anything. I was just looking for something refreshing such as fresh fruit freeze style like Joyees

DELICIOUSNESS! The food is amazing, specially the big bird slider. I also ordered the fries, strawberry drink, popcorn chicken and classic slider. I wasn't crazy about the popcorn chicken. But I shall try the loaded fries next, heard they were amazing.

tea was rank. but the loaded fries we got oooooeoeeeee they were so yummers perfect crisp and spice to them.

Hubby and I were in the area and had heard good things about this place from a friend so we decided to try it out. We placed an order online and it was ready within ~10-15 minutes. We both had the Big Bird (Nashville hot style fried chicken served with coleslaw, Chi-sauce on a brioche bun). We both enjoyed our chicken sandwiches which were flavorful and the chicken was tender. We shared an avocado bubble tea (one of the few flavors made with real fruit) and it was good. We got the Angry bird (popcorn chicken with fries and Chi-sauce on the side) for our toddler and requested that it be made non-spicy. Lo and behold it was spicy when it was prepared and I didn't try it before I gave it to my toddler so she was quite unhappy after taking a bite. Hubby got it replaced with the non-spicy version but there was a piece of metal in the fries (looked like it was from steel wool for washing dishes). Hubby tried to contact Chi Tea to bring it to their attention so that this wouldn't happen to future customers (not sure how this occurred) but did not receive a response. I would have rated Chi Tea higher but they seem to lack attentiveness.

We waited 30 mins for 2 sandwich's and some boba. On top of that, we asked for pickles and coleslaw on the side instead of in the sandwich and instead of putting on the side, they say they can't put it on the side and instead gestured us to buy the side of pickles and coleslaw what a joke... P.S. how cheap can you be

I just tried this restaurant for the first time. I had the loaded chicken cheese fries. And a burger. The food was

When you see a line wrapped around a place during the dead of winter in a pandemic, it catches your attention! I had this place on my radar for a while and finally went in today. We were excited to try the food and I was excited to try bubble tea. We ordered online ahead of time it said it would be 15 min away. About 6 minutes later I got a text that the food was ready! So be ready to go pickup when you order. I got the burger minus grilled onions and my husband got the chicken sandwich plain. He's been in search of a good chicken sandwich for a while and today he said he found it! It's a big one, with a nice crunchy crust and great flavor. He rated the heat a 6-7/10. The burger was great, I enjoyed the grilled jalapeño and chi tea sauce. The seasoned fries are great. The portion is big, you can def share w someone else if you'd like! The tea was also very refreshing! I got strawberry (felt safe as a newb) and I added strawberry popping pearls. It was so yummy. I would be torn on if I should get that again or try to branch out next time! We will definitely be back.

I've be. Here so many times, and this restaurant is so good. Last week, me and my whole family went their on a Saturday night. Their drinks are really good and their classic chicken sandwich is really good. The service is rapid and the workers are nice. Even though it's in a really small place, a well deserved 5. Their banana bread is also pretty good. I personally loved everything, and so as my family did too. This looks and the boxes are really neat. A high 5/5!

I ordered a chocolate peanut butter bubble tea and it tasted more like an espresso, maybe they gave me the wrong item. Decent prices and nice chill spot.

Very good. good chicken, good tea, good sandwiches. The chicken has different spice levels you can choose and there are many many flavors of tea and add ons, good place.

Chi Tea never disappoints. Local business, open late night. The Big Bird chicken sandwich is a crowd favorite of course! The coleslaw was surprisingly uncompromising to the sandwich ( & I dispise coleslaw). TRY THE SANDWICHES AS THEY COME. The extra spicy option is not too much. The flavors are very inviting to the tastebuds. From fruity flavors to dessert flavors, their range of boba is IMPRESSIVE. It's like boba ice cream if you will: Awesome! The boba teas have new flavors like Cake Batter that tickle my fancy. Efficient service. Eager to fix any concerns. Minority-owned. My colleagues and I visit here too often: sometimes for sandwiches, sometimes for Boba, sometimes just for the vibes. HIGHLY RECOMMEMD.

This is difficult for me to rate a 3 star because the food is undoubtedly 5 stars! The issue is they don't have enough seating and it gets crowded. It would be nice to have fountain drinks but they do have plenty of other drink options for shakes/teas. It's very much a self serve fast food environment. If you do a carry out, you don't be disappointed but if you want to dine in, be prepared.

I had higher expectations for Chi Tea. The good: The spice level of the chicken sandwich was great and the fries were fresh. The bad: The chicken was overdone and the boba was basically just sugar and fruit flavor. It tasted alright, but it was barely a boba tea experience and felt more like we were served cold, melted ice cream. I want to give this place another try, maybe it was an off day.

this place may only be a few years old, but it is a a lombard classic! my friends and i from suburbs 25+ mins away make the drive over to get chi tea. the chicken sandwich is so good. SOMETIMES it can be a bit dry tho. the place is so cute visually too and the branding etc. just really add to the vibe. it's small ofc but yeah. overall a place i rlly enjoy

Walked in with the family and first thing I notice is the dirty floors and tables. There wasn't even that many tables inside to begin with. The host greeted us and was polite but not proactive. He mentioned we could order through him or the kiosk. Kiosk ordering was easy but slightly confusing. The tv played a cheese burger with bacon but there wasn't a bacon option to add to burger. After I paid for my food the kiosk asked for a tip lol. I had to get up and wipe down my own table from the people before us, pick up my food from the counter and clean up after myself and you want a tip? Food was actually pretty good, had the chicken sandwich and it was big and juicy. The hamburger meat was way too small for the buns they used. The loaded fries were good but a little saltier than what I would like. The kids ordered boba tea and the amount of ice inside their drinks was disappointing. The owners could really improve the customers experience by changing a few things. First, mop the floor and have an employee wipe the tables after people eat. Add more seating. Remove the storage stuff you have by the bathrooms. Have the person taking my order put more effort in customer service, he looked depressed and miserable. Maybe give him a raise. Have the food I ordered brought to my table or remove the tip option. Play some music. No one wants to listen to the couple next to them arguing over in-laws and other nonsense. Mark the food!!!! A two letter abbreviation is not enough. Less ice in drinks and drinks should be bigger at that cost. China town has bigger and cheaper boba drinks and it's in Chicago. I would like to give this place a second chance. I want to support Muslim establishments but personally I cannot get over the lack of cleanliness. My rule is if the customers area is dirty, then the kitchen is 10X worse. I will monitor the stars to see if they increase. I'll be back once you reach 4 stars.

I read a review about a bubble tea place having no business having a SANDWICH THIS GOOD. And I 100% agree!! My bubble tea was excellent, the tapioca is a little harder than I'm used to for my tasting. I like them squishy and only a few places I've gone have the perfect tapioca! But that's not going to stop me from still giving this place 5 stars!! As my bubble tea itself tasted spectacular! And don't get me started on the sandwich! I chose medium heat which was PERFECT and decided to add the honey glaze Top tier ! I highly recommend you stop here

Long wait. Staff can't say how long food/drinks will take and weren't even customer friendly or engaging or apologetic. Cooks were in and out of the doors. People were almost elbow to elbow and a lot of people waiting both by the online and in person pick up. Drinks were not even good. We ordered the classic milk tea and it tasted like they used powdered ingredients for their bubble teas and boba was hard. Their famous chicken sandwich was also pretty average. Not worth the wait in my opinion and definitely will not be going back.

Excellent selection of boba tea flavors. The main burgers can be a bit pricey so try their side items such as beef or chicken loaded fries which are an excellent value for money. Quick service.

It's weird to write an update when I am not changing the stars. However, the negatives about this place has changed. They might have a line that is around the building but they can't help that. Plus that is always a good sign However, the timing is much better. I talked to one of the owners, all of them have no kitchen experience so it was a process to get everything done quickly but they seems to have mastered it quickly. I ordered a secret drink called the Almond Joy. Again, it was amazing and it tasted like the candy. Nice hints of chocolate, coconut and almond with a lot of love. Also, I finally got to try the Big Bird aka: Chicken Sandwich. I wish I could give this 10 out of 5 stars. I can see why this is a big hit. It can be spicy for a lot of people but that's why you have you amazing drink to help wash it out. I am a spicy eater. I love my habaneros. I took a few bites and thought "well, this isn't too bad". However, near the end... the heat built up so much that even I was sweating a little and needed to drink my drink a little faster. In the end, luckily, I was eating outside my car because I had to come back in for a midnight snack which was the Big Bird. I did also get a Lychee with coconut jelly but I may have drank that a few hours ago. Oh well... another reason to return Staff is very nice and friendly. They are doing a great job with social distancing. And their system is working much better. I am a fan like last time and I will continue to be one! This is a must check out!