Imperial Restaurant
Dim sum restaurant · South Loop ·
Dim sum, seafood & Cantonese staples amid chandeliers
Dim sum, seafood & Cantonese staples amid chandeliers
"This second-story restaurant inside Chinatown Square is renowned for dim sum thanks to first-rate versions of chicken feet, siu mai, creamy egg yolk buns, and more. The banquet-sized dining room is decked out with chandeliers and able to accommodate large parties so bring companions to sample as many bites as possible. Additionally, there’s also an extensive menu of Cantonese staples and American-Chinese favorites." - Jeffy Mai
"Cai's spacious dining room can handle most special requests in Chinatown. They will even let you serve your mother's mapo tofu or another special dish if it really means something special." - Naomi Waxman, Eater Staff
"Imperial (which used to be named Cai) is a dim sum place on the upper level of Chinatown Square. The space is huge and there’s plenty of lazy Susan tables for groups of all sizes. The all-day dim sum menu here is gigantic (both in terms of its length and its actual physical size) and everything is pretty good, especially the pork pastry and the beef and enoki rice noodle. Imperial is also great for a big group dinner, where you can share the Peking duck carved tableside." - adrian kane, john ringor
"You’re starting to wonder: How dare they leave beloved Chinatown staple Cai off this list? Don’t worry, we didn’t. Cai is under new ownership, and is now named Imperial. But the name is the only thing that’s changed about this dim sum spot on the upper level of Chinatown Square. The space is still huge, you order from a paper menu, and there are plenty of lazy Susan tables for groups of all sizes. The all-day dim sum menu is gigantic (both in terms of length and physical size) and everything is pretty good— like the pork pastry and the beef and enoki rice noodle. " - john ringor, adrian kane, veda kilaru
"Imperial used to be named Cai, but the only thing that's changed about this dim sum place on the upper level of Chinatown Square is the name The space is huge and there’s plenty of lazy Susan tables for groups of all sizes. The all-day dim sum menu here is gigantic (both in terms of length and physical size) and everything is pretty good - we really like the pork pastry and the beef and enoki rice noodle. Cai is also great for a big group dinner, where you can share the Peking duck carved tableside." - Adrian Kane