Hong Kong Inn — Restaurant in Lincoln Park

I did not expect a place like this to serve fantastically high quality dishes, but I have a couple of problems with it.

First of all this review is based on having had food from this place at least half a dozen times in the past 8-10 months. That being said, I have never had one dish from this place that has been flavorful. Every dish has been quite bland, BUT, they did not taste off or awful.

The four specific times I have asked for extremely elevated spice levels to the Sichuan (Szechuan) dishes all had no detectable spice at all. Twice the salt level was unbearable.

Two other times I tried the Sweet and Sour Chicken and, as I mentioned above, both times it was very bland. The second time it was like eating chicken coated in very sugary plum juice.

There is a lack of consistency across the board with the dishes as far as how they are made.

As for order accuracy, twice our order contained the wrong dishes for two people, even though it was repeated back to me correctly.

Two things this place has going for it: The orders are always ready in time, and the portion sizes are pretty big for what you pay, but that has the trade-off in quality and consistency.

Each time I ordered from this restaurant it was to give them the benefit of the doubt and a chance at redemption. Unfortunately they consistently failed to do that.

They may have potential to be a better restaurant if they could teach their kitchen staff about seasoning, flavor and consistency. Until then, we (my immediate family and I) will not be a fans...

I'm a regular at this fantastic chinese place. I always get the same thing: a sweet and sour chicken combo with chicken noodle soup. I get the sweet and sour sauce on the side. It's very filling and it's a great deal especially during the lunch menu. The staff has memorized my order but always ask me if I want my usual. I really respect that. Also I've had two incredible emotionally charged experiences here. The first time was when I was 19. My girlfriend had just dumped me, my grandpa had just had a stroke, and I had just dropped my entire semester to focus on my mental health which was in a seriously bad place at the time. Me and my girlfriends song started playing and I burst into tears. Two people of the waitstaff actually asked me if I was okay. They checked on me. They cared. A few years later I fell into a deep depression. Not many people noticed. I wouldn't say I was suicidal when I came into the restaurant but I definitely didn't wanna be living the life I had at the time. I hated myself and wanted to end my life. Nobody had asked me if I was okay other than one person: A waitress at Hong Kong Inn. That meant alot to me. My mother didn't even ask. The girl I was involved with at the time didn't even ask. Anyway, for these reasons this restaurant will always be one of my absolute...

When Cathay House in Lincoln Park had to close due to a fire a few years ago, my husband and I started going to Hong Kong Inn for our take out. Well, Cathay House has since reopened, but we haven't been back. We are now Hong Kong Inn customers for good!

One of my hallmarks for Chinese food is the ingredients used in the eggrolls. For me, it must be bean sprouts instead of cabbage. Hong Kong Inn does that, and does it very well. The food is always steaming hot, made with fresh ingredients and served with generous portions. The average cost of our meals for 2 is around $25, but that gives us at least 6 meals, so plenty for leftovers. Really, a great deal for the price.

The biggest drawback to this restaurant is the parking. They only have space for 4 vehicles in front of the restaurant. After that, you must park on the street or across the street in a lot adjacent to a bar. It's not a huge inconvenience, as city life goes. Plus, if using this parking arrangement keeps costs down since they don't have to pay for a larger lot, I can...