PL8 Restaurant — Restaurant in Barrington

Pl8 was (was is the key word) our go-to Asian place and a Barrington jewel. We primarily do carry out post pandemic plus it's just more convenient with kids. I usually don't write poor reviews but I have complained a number of times of over the last 12 months for what I'm writing and it's not gotten any better so I feel like they have had a chance to make things better. But I think they are resting on their laurels now and letting their brand carry them vs the quality of the food.

The food has turned very inconsistent. We usually order some staples - sesame chicken and potstickers one of them. The sesame chicken sauce is confounding. It is usually a sweet savory flavor but now we are lucky if its even close to the same order to order now. Today was the last straw - it was so salty that No one in family could not eat it! It was like someone took a container of Morton's salt and dumped it in! I don't think they have any quality control happening now given the inconsistencies. Also the chicken has become fattier - gristle pieces. The pot stickers are often burned beyond recognition on the bottom and also the filling has become fattier and gross at times. The vegetables are spotty and look unappetizing.

If you order carry out carefully check items. On more than one occasion they have forgotten items from main dishes to sides. There is no quality control on packing or expediting carry out orders.

I'm really sad to have to write this review. This place used to be unbeatable; for the price you pay, skip Pl8 and try your luck at different...

Where have I been? This place is awesome! A previous reviewer is a perfect example of pretentious reviewers who get jollies from finding fault... Listen...if a reviewer EVER says that something overpowered the Thai basil, slap his face. You know he's a lying liar who lies and has no palate. Any way... Slow Sunday night and it couldn't have gone better. Great ambience, clean place, sat in the bar area. Our server/bartender Patrick was polite, upbeat and casually professional. He described a beer and declined to tell us what his favorite dishes were, for exactly the right reasons. (people, when a server recommends something that they like, there's likely a profit motive behind it, not a flavor motive.) We started with the firecracker shrimp, delicious, but not as spicy as I assumed, not a bad thing! My wife had the Kung Pao chicken, fresh, balanced and plentiful- a solid preparation. I had the aforementioned 7 Flavor Chicken... I was 7 kinds of impressed! Sweet, crispy, slightly spicy, garlicky with a hint of green onions and lemongrass... D- licious!!! The Thai basil was, is and always will be overpowering when eaten, but was a perfect side note of flavor just being in the preparation. I LOVED THIS DISH! $13for an entree this good, and enough to take some home is a bargain, I don't care what those previous Chuck E Cheese reviewers say! Try PL8, please, do...

Stopped here early around 4pm on a Wednesday. We were the only table in the restaurant and no one at the bar. The menus that we were given looked very old. Food stained, greasy and the pages were frayed from heavy use. Our server was attentive and had good menu knowledge (Austin?) although he did not tell my companion what the selections were on the sushi plate when delivered. Drinks were good. Hot Sake, Bourbon Smash, and Mai-Tai. Courses were timed perfectly. Dirty dishes and empty drink glasses remained on the table. Appetizers were good. The house salad with ginger dressing was fresh and very flavorful. I had the Seven Flavored Chicken. The menu description was excellent but the dish was average. Heavy sauce and chopped peanuts overwhelmed the flavors of Thai Basil and garlic. The restaurant decor looked drab. At least 20-30 light bulbs out all over the restaurant. The bathroom was dirty. The facial tissue dispenser was empty and water spotted. The sink and mirrors were dirty as well as the door to the bathroom which had greasy handprints all over it. I'm sure this place was nice when it first opened but it is in need of a face lift and a good cleaning. Overall it was an okay experience. It's hard to pull off a modern Pan-Asian theme in...