Lao Hu Tong — Restaurant in Schaumburg Township

It was about a year ago that I first spotted a sign on the old Boston Market, informing that an Asian dumpling restaurant would soon be taking over the space. Ever since that fateful day, my husband and I have been eagerly awaiting the grand opening of "Boston Dumplings," as we have been calling it. At long last, opening day has come, and with it, the restaurant's real name: Lao Hu Tong.

We've just had our long-awaited first meal here, and it has exceeded our hopes and expectations.

First, the ambiance. The music imparts a modern, hip, and relaxed vibe. The space has been completely redecorated, and is much more sophisticated than in its previous life. Many new establishments will just change the paint color and add some plastic foliage to the wall(s) and call it a day, but Lao Hu Tong has gone a step beyond to establish their own identity.

Of course, what is most important is the food. The menu features a wide assortment of dumplings, in addition to appetizers, small plates, and noodle dishes we will definitely have to stop back to try. This time, we ordered the baby bok choy with garlic, the crab meat soup dumplings, and the black truffle (with pork) soup dumplings. Everything was excellent, but the black truffle soup dumplings were definitively the star of the show.

The soup dumplings were all bigger than I expected; certainly bigger than most soup dumplings I've gotten. So keep that and the size of your appetite in mind when ordering!

They give you a nice big menu to look at with some photographs, but ultimately you place your order by marking what you want on a piece of paper - a bit like the All You Can Eat sushi places, but with only a la carte options.

Right now, prices are reasonable when compared to other authentic dumpling restaurants - hopefully it will stay that way, because I'm hoping to become a...

Who needs Din Tai Fung when you have Lao Hu Tong? For years I've wished a Din Tai Fung would open in Chicago, but I think I've found something just as good--if not better. Lao Hu Tong offers a menu that feels very similar, and during our visit we went all out, trying about 12 different dishes.

This place gets busy. We waited about 30 minutes for a table, and parking was a bit of a challenge during peak dinner rush, so keep that in mind. Once seated though, service was excellent--our food came out quickly and the staff was attentive.

Here's what we ordered: Hu Tong Pot Stickers Braised Beef Noodle Soup Kimchi Pork Dumplings String Bean Fu Chi Fei Pian (beef tendon, beef tripe, beef shank, cilantro, hot chili oil) Wood Ear Mushroom Salad Hot & Spicy Cucumber Chicken Fried Rice Pork & Veg Soup Dumplings JJaJang Noodle Salt & Pepper Chicken Emperor's Cabbage

While everything was enjoyable, a few dishes really stood out and will definitely be my "go-to" orders next time: Hot & Spicy Cucumber - refreshing, bold, and perfectly salted with a good garlic flavor Chicken Fried Rice - comfort food done right and well seasoned (didn't even need soy sauce) Pork & Veg Soup Dumplings - delicate, juicy, and so satisfying (dough had the right texture and bite) String Bean - well prepared and flavorful Fu Chi Fei Pian - rich, spicy, and complex with the numbing Szechuan peppercorns Wood Ear Mushroom Salad - light, crunchy, and unique, yet well sauced

And the best part? There's still so much left on the menu I haven't tried yet, which makes me even more excited to return.

If you're craving dumplings, noodles, and bold flavors in Chicago, Lao Hu Tong is absolutely...

Came here for a late lunch for the first time. First impression when we walked in was nice.....modern with a cultural pop of color and decor. Our waitress was dressed in a traditional silk like blue Chinese top. Ordered the shrimp wonton soup, beef dumplings, scallion pancake and vegetable noodles (forgot if was specifically called something else) The food was overall good. I just wished the scallion pancakes had more of the scallions because that flavor was faint in the pancakes. They were thin and perfectly crispy so if you like texture, you would love this. I was glad they had these because the other dumplings were mostly pork or had pork mixed in with shrimp. They are on the salty side in my opinion but it went well with the scallion pancakes since they weren't salty. The vegetable noodles could have included more veggies though. It's a bit on the greasy side but again it is stir fried so it is what it is. The prices were okay but it could be better considering their portion size. Perhaps not their fault since everything is going up in general. I would go back again and try their beef noodle soup. Also, I'm hoping they would add actual vegetable dishes as options aside from the cucumber appetizer they do offer. Stir fried/steamed Chinese brocolli would be a...