Tugo Tea House — Restaurant in Wheeling Township

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Tugo Tea House, and I can’t say enough good things about this gem of a place! From the moment we walked in, we enjoyed the cozy, casual atmosphere. While we arrived 45 minutes within closing and missed out on the popular and sold out beef noodle soup, we were still excited to eat! Gerald felt bad about us missing out on the beef noodle soup but he let me know I can always call in so they can save us some beef noodle bowls for our late evening food runs.

The Taiwanese popcorn chicken with basil bucket is an absolute must-try. It's perfectly seasoned, crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside, with a burst of flavor from the fresh basil. The portion size is incredibly generous, making it a fantastic dish to share with a group and plenty to take back home. It's been three nights since we ordered the bucket and I have indulged in the delicious popcorn chicken each night.

The bento boxes are another highlight. They are beautifully presented and packed with a variety of delicious items that make for a satisfying and balanced meal. Each box is thoughtfully prepared with fresh ingredients and a perfect blend of flavors.

The pot stickers were simply divine – crispy, juicy, and full of savory goodness. It's clear that Tugo Tea House takes pride in every dish they serve, and it shows in the taste and quality.

Jessica was cheerful, attentive and so welcoming to our group. She even provided us a hefty bowl of extra rice for the three of us to fully enjoy the meal. Since we arrived so late, they were even kind enough to let us stay a bit past closing so we can enjoy our meal with no pressure of being rushed out. We definitely felt welcome and at home by the family that runs this wonderful establishment.

Overall, Tugo Tea House is a fantastic spot for anyone looking to enjoy authentic Taiwanese cuisine in a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. The combination of mouth-watering food, kind service, and the friendly family vibe truly makes this place stand out. I can’t wait to go back and try more of their menu! Highly...

3/2/25 update:

I haven’t been here for a long time but I was in the city. Lunch time on a Sunday was wonderful, it wasn’t busy. We were fortunate to grab a table for 2. We ordered the regular not large beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken/Taiwanese sausage bento, assam milk tea, and almond milk tea. The milk teas were great, smooth, and delicious. It was my first time trying the beef noodle soup. We got the wide traditional noodles, they had a little chew to it. Broth was savory. Beef was very tender and succulent. Popcorn chicken is always wonderful. It has just the right amount of seasoning and the Taiwanese sausage pairs great with the white rice. Service is always superb, owners are extremely nice.

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Update: I love coming here wherever I'm in the area. I didn't add pictures to my review last time, so here are some pictures. Yes, there are plenty of parking. You can now order from the two kiosks. Only thing that is a downside is if you come here too late in the night, most of the items will be sold out… even on a week night like Wed.

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We came here for the first time. We ordered the bento boxes. 1 was just popcorn chicken and the second one was a combo of pork chop loin cut and popcorn chicken. When I had that first bite of the popcorn chicken I was blown away by the flavor and how tender and crispy it was. The pork chop loin cut was equally as good. It was tender, bursting of flavor, and succulent. We had two of the frog bang drinks and they were delicious. We had one of the ginger base taro bowls, highly recommended for a dessert. This was a good family owned restaurant and I’ll be coming...

Jessica has owned and operated this authentic Taiwanese street food joint for a little over 5 years. She is from the southern part of Taiwan and the cooking style reflects exactly that. The pop corn chicken and other fried items use gluten free breading, it is made from traditional sweet potato flour or starch. It will give you the same crispy and crunchy texture as flour and cornmeal but with more chew. The flavor is very authentic, but the only way to reheat it is to use an oven or air fryer otherwise the breading will become very mushy and difficult to eat. The pork chop was very tender, same breading, same flavor as the chicken. The size of the pork chop is quite large, flattened out and fried to perfection. The side dishes were perfect, the pickles cabbages, the marinaded egg， the minced meat on the rice, it gives you instant flash back to the night markets in Taiwan. The beef noodle soup, perfect noodle, good portion of the tender beef, but the soup base is not my favorite, while it is bold and strong, it is on the sweet side and it needs a bit more five spice. But this is true to the southern Taiwan cooking style. If you have had good bubble tea, you will realize that the tapioca here was cooked way to soft, compare to the honey infused tapioca served in some of the joints in China town, Tugo has a long way to go to get...