Saint's Alp Teahouse — Restaurant in Chicago

Been going to this location almost 10 years, I remember when it was at a different address completely.

Even though this is in the heart of Chinatown let me reassure you that if nothing else the drink quality in this establishment is 2nd place to Joe yee The legendary establishment for smoothie lovers, do not take that as an insult however that is one of the best compliments you can receive given the fact that this location is less then a 2 minute walk away from there.

Unlike most Chinese food restaurants which want to give you a more premium version of the traditional synthetic corporate food. They have decided to go with the more authentic take with ingredients and also items listed , It's almost a guarantee you will not find on the menu whatever is in a traditional take out Chinese location but instead you will find actual dishes that have an origin not in the humdrum attempt at trying to create a similar dish from a homeland which is What initially birth the rise in American South Chinese food but instead you will find Asian cuisine here.

Going here is like going to an authentic South American restaurant after eating Taco Bell your whole life. You can in fact order something as cliche as shrimp fried rice however given their unique appetizers and regular menu and the meat selection being more than chicken cow and shrimp, I can honestly you would be doing yourself a disservice to not put some effort into expanding your palette.

But that's not the best thing about this place, Obviously given the name Tea House seems like almost a let down, This place should be called KING OF TEA'S house in my opinion. They have over 40 varieties of exotic drinks in almost every color under the rainbow not just brown and shades of yellow. Half of the ingredients and fruits which are not native to America so to describe the taste would almost be like trying to explain color to the blind.

And that is in no way shape or form me speaking hyperbolically, Some of the drinks are even one color but transition to a different 1/2 way through the glass. And a serving amount is well over or just about 2 cups per drink. I don't know the health level or sugar levels if not some other form of sweetener they use but I feel like I'm glad they don't have alcohol in them because there'd be a lot more drunk people addicted to these drinks.

Super sweet drinks, tangy drinks, Drinks that literally look like something you see at the other end of a telescope at night, and Taro at the bottom of anything you can think of.

You will come for the exotic menu you will come back for the drinks over and...

Stumbled upon Saint's Alp Teahouse & Gourmet while walking around the plaza and my hunger got to me, and I saw they served food and bubble tea, so I knew it was the perfect place to go. The teahouse has a minimalist decor style which comes off as a clean-cut - modern style in the restaurant. I started the meal off with the Chili Salt Seafood (Spicy) which comes with shrimp, imitation crab and squid in tempura as it had a deep fried shell around the seafood. A lemon mayo also accompanies the dish. They state the dish is spicy - however, I did not find it spicy on any level. From a 0 to 10 it is a two in my personal opinion. I have also gotten the vegetable dumplings which are served with a red vinegar sauce. The dumplings are delicious; however, I wish the dish was served with a different sauce. For my entree dish, I decided to choose the Beef Noodle in Spicy Soup - for my choice of noodle I went with U-don. It is my absolute favorite dish - it is slightly spicy but it is more of a broth, and the beef is always tender.

The tea rose that they offer is on another level honestly. It is sweet however it is not overpowering sweetness that you feel like five packets of sugar were added to the pot. (pssttt it also smells lovely).

The only reason I took one star away is that the service can sometimes be a little bit slow, but each time I have gone it has gotten better.

The reasonable prices, late-night hours, and a great menu selection make it easy to say that St. Alps Teahouse is my favorite place to visit while...

The deep fried pumpkin (on the street food menu) was a hit with everyone at the table. Salt and pepper pork chops are excellent, Taiwanese pork chops are very overcooked and not as good as they were years ago (they were hard and chewy today). The almond shrimp appetizer was excellent. Our appetizer came after the entrées and we were all served at different times. My friends pork chop came almost 20 minutes after everything else was served at the table. We shared with her, or she would have been watching us eat the whole time. The teas are fantastic with or without tapioca. Service could have been better. It was hard getting the server's attention to get containers to take the food home ( and it wasn't very busy). All in all, it's a decent place with better food than most places in Chinatown. Oh, i forgot ... The Saint Alps fried rice is excellent, the fried sweet potato appetizer is excellent, and their Mongolian beef is great. Bathrooms...