Royal Cantonese Restaurant — Restaurant in Mundelein

If “has been” was a restaurant, this place is it. We came to this “neighborhood fave” just a couple of nights ago for dinner expecting the food to reflect the number of stars people have given this place in these google reviews…but sadly, it was not the case. First off, the decor is drab and old, which is an easy fix with just a simple refresh of paint and perhaps a good old deep cleaning. Also, do people actually enjoy going out to eat in a place that is 1/3rd restaurant, 1/3 bar, and 1/3 gaming (the slot machine kind)? Cause this place gets ZERO stars for ambiance, that’s for sure. But even with all that going against it, I would still overlook all of those negatives as long as the food was actually good. I mean I would patronize this place over and over IF the food was at least moderately ingestible. Let me begin with the cocktails, which should at least give you a heads up on how the rest of your dinner is going to go. My husband ordered a Chinese restaurant staple: MAI TAI. I reiterate, he ordered a MAI TAI. What he got was a glorified limeade served in a fancy tropical glass which got his hopes up for a good tasting libation. Sadly, it was neither a cocktail or good tasting. It was lime juice mixed with some other concoction and no, we didn’t taste any alcohol in it whatsoever…to the point that he had to order a second shot of rum to throw in there to make it seem like a cocktail at all. But let me digress because there is more of this train wreck of a dinner to be had. On to the appetizers. I ordered the egg drop soup and my hubby ordered the hot and sour…both of which were OK and we had no complaints. But then, we were served vegetable spring rolls which tasted like it was fried in old, dirty oil. I took one bite and just simply could not stomach the rest of it. No amount of sweet and sour sauce was going to salvage that at all. OK. So now we are on to the main course. I ordered another Chinese food staple…noodles with beef and green onion. It’s the wide rice noodles that are stir fried. I even asked the server to have the noodles fried “hard” so as to make them crispy just as I like it. What I got was a plate full off drab looking limp noodles, and some beef that tasted like it was day or two old meat which had been cooked before and just reused and served in this dish. It was tough and chewy and dry. My point is: it was definitely NOT fresh at all. It had been rehashed and made before, probably cooked the day before and stored in the fridge to be served to some poor unassuming customer who wouldn’t know any better. My husband ordered the happy family which looked livelier and had more color to it. But on closer inspection, the vegetables were wilted (the carrots lacked the crunch that fresh carrots normally have when you bite into them) and the meat again was not fresh. It had the same problem as the meat from my dish: dry, chewy and tough. The sauce for the happy family was waaay too sweet for this dish…but that’s a personal preference, so it’s OK…I guess. I’m sad that this place didn’t even have the decency to serve edible Chinese Food. Perhaps what makes me the most sad about this place is how they pass off the food they serve as Chinese Food at all. I mean, how disrespectful to pass off this food to unsuspecting customers who come in here thinking that since it was rated as a top “neighborhood fave” the food would be mildly good at all! I sure would like to chat with those reviewers who awarded this place with that distinction and ask them what food did you eat? Cuz it certainly wasn’t from here! Do better…I get prices for meat and vegetables are skyrocketing but cutting corners such as serving old food and reheating it, passing it off as freshly cooked is dishonest and frankly just making asses of both you and your customers. Shame...

I've been trying local places around. So far this is my favorite Chinese. I will say, i was hesitant to try due to the prices. I'm can be very cheap at times. But the food looked good in the pictures and the restaurant has been in business for 50+ years so i decided to give in a try last week. I ordered the chicken and broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, pork egg foo yung, pot stickers and crab ragoon. When i tried that pot sticker, it was the most delicious pot sticker i have ever eaten. And the egg foo young, delicious! Tasty flavorful sauce and the patty texture, egg to bean sprout and meat ratio, and taste was perfect! I have been searching for that consistency in an egg foo young for years and finally found it here. The other dishes were delicious as well. I requested for the chicken and broccoli to be in white sauce. Yum! It was worth every penny. Take my money please! I came back again today. I had to. I got the chicken egg foo young and more pot stickers. An order for myself and one for my husband. He loves the pot stickers as well. While i was there both times, i saw a lot of people come in to dine in and get drinks. Seems like a very chill environment to come have some food and drinks with friends. I am very satisfied with this restaurant. It has been a royal experience. Hope they stay open for the...

I have loved Royal Cantonese for years. Their egg rolls and barbecued ribs are the best around, in my opinion. Now I am writing this review to commend them not just on their great food… but their amazing customer service. Some fairly simple actions can differentiate a business, yet are rarely done. I usually order online for delivery, but this time I went to pick up my order in person. While Megan went in back to get my order, Doreen (maybe the owner?) was doing some administratie work at the counter. She looked up while I was waiting and offered me a glass of ice water while I waited. Nobody else does this!! She then gave me a sincere wish for a good 2025 to me and my family. Megan returned with my order and Doreen saw the name on it and actually recognized my name and what I typically order!! We chatted a bit after that, and she made me feel very valued as a customer. Something went wrong with the debit card terminal and it had possibly charged me twice. Doreen called me that evening as she said she would, to tell me she voided the duplicate and I should see the refund within days. She even followed up by sending me a copy of the refund receipt. Why would I ever want to order from another Chinese restaurant with service like this? ...