Chi Tea — Restaurant in Naperville

This was such a letdown. I never go to grand openings, and it should've stayed that way. With an hour-long line for a brand that is so well-known in Chicagoland, I unfortunately had big expectations.

Here is everything I ordered and my thoughts on everything:

• Brown Sugar Milk Tea over ice 0/10, dumped it down the garbage disposal. It is both too sweet and unfavorably salty at the same time.

• Horchata over ice 6/10, it tasted fine, very Christmas-time flavored. But it was syrupy, so you know it's not actual fresh "horchata", but given this isn't a Mexican restaurant, that's fair I guess.

• Mango-pineapple blended drink 2/10, it tasted like what you would expect from a powder (as in, not made using fresh or frozen fruit). Note: I was not aware that the drinks from CHI TEA were made using powders and ahead of time, so it was a very unpleasant surprise lol

The Big Bird Slider - Spicy 4/10 this is my biggest beef with this location of CHI TEA. Just look at the photo comparison between the website and what they give you (banana for scale). What a disgusting bait and switch. As far as the taste, it was good, the slaw was tasty. The "spicy" flavor was mostly from a spice powder 🥲

Chicken Loaded Fries 8/10, this was delicious, and we ate the entire thing! The chicken was well-seasoned and juicy, and the portion was generous. The chicken was a bit salty, but the slaw was delicious, and the fries were well-cooked.

Overall, I'm disappointed and I don't see myself going back unless it's for the loaded fries or the quality of the drinks goes up.

Edit: Also, all but one review for this restaurant were posted a day before the restaurant had its grand opening...I'm inclined to believe these are friends and family of the owners and not indicative of true,...

Stopped by Chi Tea in Naperville for a little food and bubble tea situation. I got the spicy chicken sandwich, the beef-loaded fries, and a bubble tea because balance, right?

The food? Honestly, really solid. The sandwich had great flavor and a nice kick without turning my mouth into a fire drill. That said, I do remember the chicken being bigger the last time I went to their Lombard location. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, or maybe the chicken hit the gym and leaned out. Either way, my stomach noticed.

The beef-loaded fries were the real MVP—savory, cheesy, messy in the best possible way. Definitely recommend eating them with a fork unless you’re cool with wearing your lunch.

Now the bubble tea? Chef’s kiss. I got mango and strawberry and both were refreshing, flavorful, and hit the perfect boba-to-liquid ratio. Could’ve easily had a second one, but I respect my pancreas too much.

Overall, great experience. Friendly staff, tasty food, and a chill spot to hang. Just hoping next time my chicken sandwich comes with a little more chicken and a little less déjà vu.

Would I come back? Yep. Will I pre-game with snacks just in case?...

I recently visited Chi Tea in Naperville and I’d say it was a pretty mixed experience overall. I’m giving the restaurant 3 stars overall, the food itself a 4-star rating, the atmosphere a full 5 stars, but the service only 2 stars.

The biggest issue I had was the wait time. Even though the place wasn’t busy at all, my order took a long time to come out, and I was sitting there pretty hungry. The food, when it arrived, was actually quite good—hence the 4 stars on that front—but the delay just made it less enjoyable.

Price-wise, I felt it was a bit steep. I paid around $18 for a chicken sandwich with fries and a water bottle, and honestly, I think something in the $15-16 range would have been more reasonable.

A couple of minor gripes: I would have preferred ketchup dispensers instead of packets, and it would have been nice to have a free water cup option instead of having to buy a $2 water bottle. The atmosphere was really great, though, so if they can work on the timing and maybe the pricing a bit, it could...