I'm always craving their Taiwanese Style Salt and Pepper Chicken. Â I've pretty much stopped ordering anything else. Â Perfectly seasoned, slightly crispy chicken with fried basil. Â My dining partner got the shredded beef dish (can't remember the exact name) last time that made me rethink my go-to order. Â Maybe I'll rotate. Â
I wish they delivered, but nothing worth having is easy.
It's never hard to find cheap Chinese food in Champaign. Just wok onto the Green St. and 4th St. intersection and turn your head one way to find Mandarin Wok or the other way to find Lai Lai Wok. Both are equally good and convenient. It just depends on which side of the street your own and whether or not you want to wok across the street.
Okay, maybe there are slight differences. Lai Lai Wok is supposed to be more Taiwanese, where as Mandarin Wok is supposed to be more mainstream. I can't tell the difference since they have many of the same dishes.
I do like Lai Lai Wok's soups and noodle varieties. The other dishes are also great and is useful for dining family-style. This place is a good bang for your buck.
Good spot, better than most Chinese places I've been. This review may be biased, only because I'm not the biggest fan of Chinese food. But I do know a good place versus a bad place....this was good. The food is made cleanly and quality is good, its a clean spot too....I'm from Chicago...and some Chinese places are not so good at keeping the place clean. Â We had some fried tofu which was awesome, some breaded fish, walnut shrimp, and another tofu dish with beef which was good. I love walnut shrimp, but the sauce on it was overkill and just drowning in it that day. I'd still come back to try other things! In short, nice spot, better than most Chinese joints!
Review Source:Despite what others say about Lai Lai Wok, I actually like this place. The prices are relatively cheap and the food is good. The lady that works the cash register is really nice too. I usually get the salt and pepper squid and fried pork chop over rice. Everything is so flavorful and perfectly seasoned. Did I mention it's cheap? My family loves it too. Always gotta stop by and get some takeout before I head home. Make sure you stop by!
Review Source:Meh... I came in around 19:00 and the buffet was mostly dried up. Some bins didn't have anything left, but the hostess (owner?) assured me she would make more of whatever I wanted. Soups (egg drop, hot and sour) were alright, but I think I'll pass on this place next time, even though it was super cheap.
Review Source:I was pleasantly surprised to find this place in Illinois. After having a miserable experience visiting the campus filled with men who act like they're never seen a lady before and keep making animal noises... this was the highlight of my stay in the state!
I got a cup of hot and sour soup first... really flavorful! It also had a nice spicy kick to it, which was refreshing change from the Americanized chinese restaurants I had been eating at. Also their portions are REALLY nice! The cup actually filled me up quite a bit, but I was hungry and I managed to munch on to my entree.
LOVED the sliced chicken with garlic sauce and vegetable lo mein noodles! I typically don't like thick noodles, but my mom does so I went with it and I have no regrets about it. I think there was maybe a little too much sauce in the sliced chicken entree and it was a really strong flavor, but I was starving so it didn't phase me.
They don't provide chopsticks unless you ask for them... or if you're Asian. lame! Their hot tea was really good too. I wasn't a huge fan of the seating because it kind of seemed like a fast food restaurant in the front and with the tables and there was a weird sign saying: "Please clean your table for the next customer." Super confusing...
Great experience though! I'm never ever going back to Illinois... but if I had to, then I'd eat here!
A little overrated, I think?
They tend to be closed a fair amount and it's not announced or mentioned on their website, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a website. Â During the summer and winter holidays from school, it seems like they are closed more often than not. Â I only mention this because (due to all the glowing reviews) I have tried to eat there at least 7 times and only been successful twice due to them being closed.
The entrees are good and the sauces are tasty. Â Prices are a little on the high side to me - some of the meat dishes have so many vegetables it seems almost like filler. Â I would like it if some of the dishes or sauces were a bit more heavily spiced, though. Â For comparison, Empire and Woori Jib are a bit cheaper. Â It's about the same price range as Golden Harbor and definitely faster, but I've never been blown away by a dish here like I have been at Golden Harbor.
So that's pretty much it. Â For campus, a little expensive. Â It works if you really want an on-campus Chinese fix, and it is better than Cravings or Bo-bo China. Â If you are meeting someone here, I'd call first to make sure they are actually open.
Great Chinese! Â Yum-o! Â Service was a little dicey, which is why I didn't give it a 5--just a little understaffed. Â Well-priced and well-selected menu. Â We had Kung Pao Chicken and Salted and Pepper (?) Chicken. Â Both were good, but the Kung Pao was better. Â S&P Chicken was like a Chinese fried chicken, but it wasn't greasy or anything. Â Good stuff!
Review Source:I've heard lots of praise about this place, but frankly I didn't care too much for Lai Lai Wok at all... and I love Chinese food. Â
The place seems to get pretty packed and there is not much room inside, so I would expect a wait if you go during peak hours and want to eat in. Â The service was OK, but the workers had a hard time speaking English, so I didn't know if my order was being taken correctly, and they had a really hard time explaining to me what certain dishes were. Â
The food was ok. Â Nothing terribly wrong with it but I guess it did not just suit my fancy. Â I disliked the taste of the sauce used in the entrees. Â It had a very ketchup/hot sauce type of taste to it. Â My parties entrees had similar sauces. Â Some people might like this type of sauce, but I dislike it strongly.
The prices are good, and you get a good sized portion of food. Â It's not a bad restaurant by any means, I just don't prefer their recipes. Â I will be sticking with Golden Harbor.
UPDATE: Â Forgot to mention they DON'T take credit cards.... A bit disappointing since we live in 2011....
A business traveler's perspective: The prices are alright, but the food was really really greasy. I got spring rolls that were dripping and crab rangoon that were somehow greasy and dry cardboardy at the same time. No homemade sweet and sour sauce. The wonton soup was decent, a little light on flavor and the wontons fell apart instantly. I also got mixed sauteed vegetables.. they were cooked nicely and you get a load of rice, but the sauce is pretty heavy and salty. Since I have to eat out when I travel obviously, I ordered the sauteed vegtables thinking I could get something healthy to save for lunch when I wouldn't have time to go out for lunch the next day. Nope.
Not great for eat in if you travel and have to eat out a lot, since I have to go to a restaurant all the time, I want to sit somewhere nice if I am going to stay in the place while I eat. As a note I got takeout, but that is a tip I always wish I had ahead of time regardless.
My friends and I differentiate between our two favourite Chinese places in C-U: The "really good one" (Lai Lai) and "the really fast one" (Empire). Â Lai Lai is a bit spartan in its set up, but if you want a great selection, central location, and a delicious menu, hit it up. Â I think it's ideal for a lunch time meet up with people from the university, and the tea dispenser is rather convenient.
Enjoy.
Best Chinese Food on Campus. I wish they were open late and had delivery, but they already have enough loyal Lai Lai fans ordering takeout and sitting-in to keep them busy. I must comment about how fast their takeout time is. I call, put in my order, they tell me 5-10 min (usually 5 mins), I leave my house, and my hot, delicious is waiting for me on the counter. Great! :)
My favorite Lai Lai Wok dishes that will never disappoint my hungry stomach:
1. Crispy Tofu
2. Empress Chicken
3. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce
4. Mongolian Beef
Seriously some of the best Chinese I've had. Just as good if not better than Chopstix in Gainesville, FL. This place seems pretty authentic. I got the Taiwanese style salt and pepper chicken. It was so tasty. I could hardly stop eating it. I had plenty of leftovers and ate it twice for dinner, but the portion could've easily served three.
The only reason this gets four stars is that it upset my stomach the two days I ate it. But it was so good that I will definitely get food here next time I am wanting chinese.
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Champaign-Urbana area. I've been coming here ever since I landed in this town about 5 years ago; and the keyword that sticks out in my mind when describing this place is: consistency. No matter how many times I come here the food is always delicious and never lets me down. With so many different, competing Chinese restaurants just in Campustown alone, this place must be something special for me to say it's my favorite in the area, thus proving that not all Chinese places are the same.
The food I feel is the most authentic Chinese food I've had ever since moving down, and also provides the best quality food, comparing right on top with my other favorite Chinese restaurant back up north in the suburbs (China House, Schaumburg, IL). Â The food is very fresh and stands out as being the only place I've been to on campus that doesn't come out greasy and flavor masked in an oily feeling in the mouth. The flavor pops with every dish and portion size is pretty generous. Â My favorite dish is anything from the pan fried noodle section. The noodles come out perfect, and as the sauce sinks in, you get a nice balance of crispy and soft-flavor soaked noodles. Â It also comes with a hefty amount of vegetables (bak choy is a plus) and lot of protein (depending on which you got). Â I always surprise whoever I come with because they are always thrown off by the portion size (which is huge). Â Some other dishes that stand out are the Orange chicken (as my friend, who I brought, said it was the best he had in the area). Â
Another note, the wait staff is pretty on or off. Â Usually when I go, the only time I see the 'waiter' or owner is when they bring out the food. You have to get your own water/tea and ask for additional items (ie. more rice) at the counter. Â It's not too bad, since it only takes an extra second to do all that. Â Plus it's unlimited tea, and that makes up for it. Â
Overall, really good Chinese food and definitely recommend this place to everybody in the area. Â Hopefully, you'll have the same experience I had.
My favorite Chinese place in town. Every single time I go back to Champaign, I HAVE to eat here.
I remember the other restaurants that used to be in this location...Fazoli's...Happy Wanderer...that Hawaiian place...but Lai Lai looks like it's here to stay!
The food is superb and it comes out pretty fast. Decently priced too. I love the Gan Chao Niu He (dry-fried beef chow fun) because it's never too oily but it's still super tasty. They also have Oh Ah Jian (though it's not on the English menu) which is the Taiwanese oyster pancake that you can buy on the street in Taiwan.
The owner is pretty good at treating regular customers well (those who aren't students, that is) with appetizers on the house. Chances are also pretty good you'll run into an ECE professor or two during dinnertime at Lai Lai.
In short, Lai Lai is definitely my FAVORITE restaurant near the U of I campus...and maybe in all of the C-U area as well!
It's good for both groups as well as for a couple of friends, and fairly priced too.
The food here I have found to be consistently good. Â It's not overly greasy as most Americanized Chinese food joints are, and I love coming here on a cold day for a big bowl of beef-noodle-stew.
Remember that whole curse about this location? Â How a restaurant had never been able to last there for more than a year? Â Well, Lai Lai definitely proved everyone wrong and is still going strong.
They're pretty hands-off here. Â If you would like more tea or water, get up and get it yourself! Â If you're in a rush to pay the check, walk it up to the front and get it rung up. Â Overall, I much prefer not being all fussed over during my meals, so this works for me =)
As everyone else is recommending, their tofu (both mapo and home-style) are very yummy. Â Actually, everything I've had here is very good.
Going back again soon!
Went here for a dinner with a group of nine people whilst visiting campus for the weekend. Â We managed to get the extremely large table by the window with a glass lazy susan on it, which helped us share our meals later on. Â The service wasn't that great -- we sat at the table for fifteen minutes before someone realized we were there and gave us menus and waters. Â When our food arrived, some of us had to wait twenty more minutes for theirs to arrive, by then, most of us were done with our portions! Our glasses of water were also sitting empty for awhile (water refilling is a vital part of my ratings).
The food was superb, though. Â We all sampled each other's food and not one dish was to my disliking. Â YUM! Â Definitely would come back here on a future visit.
Surprisingly good Chinese food in the middle of Champaign.
Yes, it is mostly Americanized, but it's not too greasy, and not too crazy with the sauces such that it doesn't overwhelm but instead massages the palate with simple flavors and limited numbers of different textures.
The dish I recall the best was the ma pa tofu and hot and sour soups. Simple, convenient, and not too difficult to eat. The noodles were a bit disappointing (lo mein came out a bit.. hm, drier than I thought it would be, almost like the noodles didn't cook properly).
Ate here with my wife and Mom while visiting a few weeks ago.
I live in Chicago and grew up in the suburbs with a Chinese friend, so I know what good Chinese food tastes like.
We ordered: home style tofu, short ribs, and orange chicken.
The home style tofu was perfect and had a very nice consistency while the tofu was not simply deep fried and then stir fried - it was cooked properly (something that many restaurants could learn from - leathery tofu is no fun.)
The short ribs were awesome! Nice sauce, and the meat was falling off the bone. Good stuff!
The orange chicken was crispy and spicy and included the elusive but much wanted "candied orange peel" - caramelized the way I like it :-)
It was nice that we could hop up and get refills on water and hot tea - I've seen few places that will do this. I've been ignored plenty while eating at  Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants - I don't think it's rudeness - it's usually that the kitchen is busy and the restaurant is understaffed.
We ate late, and were one of three tables. Our service was prompt and good. I think that sometimes you might have to get someone's attention to place an order - not the end of the world by any means for me based on my experiences eating in many restaurants in Chicago.
We had leftovers for 2 meals to take home. It's nice that the take-out boxes are easy to find and are self-service. I hate waiting for boxes and hate even more when my food is taken back to the kitchen to be boxed (leaving food behind and anyway I like to see my food while it is boxed.)
I'd give it a try if you are a student or are just in town for a few days.
Service was awful. Sat down, was asked to order not even 60 secs later, and then was dutifully ignored the rest of the time. I'm Asian too, but apparently no love there.
I had the three-cup chicken, and on a sudden craving an order of crab ragoon. The chicken came out pretty fast in a one of those sizzling bowls (yum!). I was pretty excited because it was drowned in delicious brown, basil sauce and had large bamboo shoots. I totally would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't obvious that the chicken was the normal breaded chicken breast bits used in every other chicken dish Chinese fast food restaurants have. Three-cup chicken should be made with chicken on the bone, with the meat nearly falling off because it has been simmered lovingly. Apparently, my expectations were too high--my bad.
The crab ragoon came out nearly at the end of the meal, which caused me much confusion because I had forgotten about it. Nearly burnt to a crisp, but still fried wanton skins filled mayo..can't go wrong with it.
I'll come back, and with lowered expectations I am sure I will enjoy myself more.
Everything on Lai Lai's menu tastes amazing. Â I've tried chicken with mushrooms, beef with mushrooms, orange chicken, sesame chicken, chicken with black bean sauce, and the spicy chicken with black bean sauce. Â Out of all those, chicken in spicy black bean sauce is definitely the best (and it's not very spicy at all, actually). Â Prices for the entrees are very reasonable, and the portions are so huge that I usually have enough for lunch the next day.
Review Source:I'm Taiwanese, so having an authentic Taiwanese restaurant on campus is fantastic. The food is alot more flavorful than your regular chinese cuisine. Try their yen-su ji (salt and pepper chicken), beef noodle soup (though sometimes it's not that good, it varies from day to day), the pai gu fan (pork chop rice) and their mapo tofu. They also have some hard to find Taiwan delicacies/snacks like oh-ah-zen (oyster pancake). This is probably the best chinese/taiwanese restaurant on campus, second best being "Cravings" (everyone else is disgusting). Closed on Mondays, but great lunch specials and open pretty late. Order at the counter and they'll bring the food to you.
Review Source:I give 5 stars in the context of the area, Champaign IL.
There is no comparable food for the price. I would say that Mandarin Wok is right behind in terms of food selection and quality, but their service is severely lacking.
I've known the owner of Lai Lai since I was a wee freshman, and have held many Chinese New Year's dinners at one of the traditional giant round tables for my friends.
The food selection is superb and *mostly* authentic. My favorite dishes here are the "3 Cup Chicken" aka "San Bei Ji", the tofu dishes such as "Ma Po Do Fu", and the snowfish that comes out over a flame.
The owner is always very accommodating, but keep in mind that I place my table reservations at least two weeks ahead of the dinner.
On the days we have the dinner, the owner even let us bring some of our own celebratory big bottles of sake. Although at the expense of her restaurant (no liquor license :X), we really appreciated the gesture of accommodating guests!
Even my super-white Illinois-raised friends and classmates all agree that Lai Lai has the most authentic Chinese/Taiwanese food in the area. Like the restaurant name implies (Lai Lai = Come Come), come for great food!
P.S. I find it funny that lots of the reviewers are from California, yayyy
First chinese restaurant I went to in Illinois that was not completely Americanized. Heck, even my parents from the west coast approved!  It is absolutely awesome! They have a  economic specials menu for good eats for under 7 bucks / person... and they give you sooooo much food! Plus, the owner is super nice and cute and quite charismatic! I was impressed by the quality of food for such the small town of Champaign.
Review Source:This place is a tad better than Mandarin Wok across the street but they don't take CREDIT CARD. Â I don't like that. Â They also charge more than Mandarin Wok which is ridiculous. Â I would rather go to The Wok in Mahomet.
I do think they take some short cuts in their food.. they don't use authentic veggies all the time.. and the lady is not terribly friendly. Â They do have a punch card though.. if you can buy 10 dishes in one month. you get one for free I think.
Hands down this is the best Chinese restaurant in Chambana. Lai Lai is relatively new but customers keep coming back for its authentic fares. The menu has two sides. One is in English only while the other is bilingual. The bilingual menu is the authentic one and note that the price is a little higher as well. The dish is huge though, usually enough to feed two or even three if you don't eat a lot. So, it evens out about the same price as other restaurants. Do try the salt and pepper tofu (and squid), it's my favorite. If fear factor is your passion, they serve innards too. Their crispy intestines are wonderful - the perfect dish to end your date (or not). =)
Review Source:Lai Lai Wok has a lot of the standard fare you often encounter in Chinese restaurants, such as sweet and sour chicken. However, it has large enough selection that I prefer it to many other Chinese restaurants in the area (there are lots!). Don't order what you know- branch out here, it's worth it.
I would note their menu has an unspoken distinction between the Westernized and more authentic items, which is easy to find- simply note there are two chicken sections and the Westernized contains the familiar items like Kung Pao and Sesame. Try the other section.
What keeps me coming back is the Taiwanese Salt and Pepper chicken I randomly ordered off the "authentic" section of the menu. It's crispy pieces of peppery chicken fried in ginger. It's wonderful and unlike anything I've ever had.
The atmosphere is nothing special and the tea isn't as good as Mandarin Wok's, but the menu makes it worth it.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
