I was shocked to see the rave reviews for Lin's. Call me fussy. Call me a food snob. Either way - I found the food to rather mediocre. In fact, I think it fell on the less than mediocre side.
I had my first Lin's experience and it totally fell short. I work right down the street and have been avoiding Lin's for quite some time. Despite how coworkers rave about it, I had one bad experience with takeout and I vowed never to return. Or so I thought.
Let's start with the food. Yes, the prices for lunch (and dinner) are very reasonable. My guess is because the ingredients they use (particularly the meat) are questionable at best. Lunch options come with your choice of egg drop, wonton, or hot and sour soup. I went for the wonton (filled with pork). It wasn't the greatest thing I've ever eaten, but it wasn't terrible. My coworker opted for the hot and sour soup. We both found it tasted like sweaty gym shoes that had been sitting in a hot locker for 3 days. No exaggeration. There was a horrible pungent odor and taste that neither of us could get past. As for my entrée, I ordered Szechwan chicken with steamed rice. I was fine with the sauce and veggies, but couldn't handle the chicken. Let's put it this way, if what I had eaten had been in fact poultry, I would be shocked. I tried my coworker's General Tso's chicken and tasted the same rubbery chicken wrapped in a gargantuan sized blanket of dough and sticky sauce.
As for service and ambiance - once again, nothing special. The service was fast and I never had to ask for my water refilled. However, our waitress didn't seem to know what was in half of the dishes. The décor is definitely outdated and in massive need of an overhaul.
Final thoughts - You get what you pay for, and in Lin's you definitely sacrifice quality. In the Norridge area, there are definitely better options.
The delivery took an 1 hr and 20 mins. Â They are 5 minutes from my office.
We have ordered from them often but today they were so bad, i called there twice to find out what was taking so long? The driver mentioned nothing, so when I said he took and 1hr and 20 mins to deliver he stated he was SUPER busy today, so I told him that I was SUPER hungry today - I feel like the ownership changed or something did here because they used to be fast and half way decent.  This makes me sad because the next best option is Fong's and after eating fong's  you feel "Fonged".  And I know now that I am destined to be "Fonged", at least the food gets here on time and tastes good going down.  Super busy today - psh.
Food is fresh but nothing special. Probably one of the cheapest options in the area due to proximity to airport. I paid 5 something dollars for a dinner pint...came with steamed rice and the portion was more than enough for me. Keep in mind I'm petite to begin with though so (WARNING: gross generalization) a truck driver might require more.
Review Source:BY FAR THE BEST RESTURANT IVE EVER BEEN TO, & THE MOUTHWATERNG EGG ROLLS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. To those of you who haven't gotten the privilege to eat here yet, I guarantee that by the time you've finished reading my review, your search for a good Chinese place will finally be complete. I was introduced to this place roughly 6-7 years ago by the so called, "Duke" aka. my brother Daniel. (If anyone knows how to pick a restaurant, its him. That's your go to Guy.) Since day one, Richie and his staff have provided me with the most top notch customer service and still continue to do so today. Their loyality to me has given me a reason among others, to keep coming back for more. Immediately, I'm greeted by my first name & if that's not enough after all this time, they still know my "usual order." (Kudos to them since I've been told I'm a picky eater, and my order is usually not your regular #5 on the menu) I usually order their vegetable egg roll (not a spring roll, like many restaurants do) with an order of crab ragoon followed by an order of Extra Spicy Kung pao chicken/extra peanuts & water chestnuts with or without chicken, depending on the day & a side of steamed rice and soy sauce. (Their Mongolian beef, orange chicken & Kung pao chicken/shrimp is to die for when it comes to the entrees . Hot & sour soup is another one & the EGG ROLLS alone, i can order a few of these and be satisfied)Richie and I,  once had a  discussion as to why I ask for those "to go soy sauce packets" instead of the regular soy sauce on the table, and regardless of the reason, Richie and his staff never fail to bring me 2 packets with my meal. The food is always hot and tastes just as good as the first time. I've recommanded this place to many friends along the years and I have yet to hear anything but good things. Prices $$$$$$$ are so CHEAP considering the amount of food you receive. If your having one of those days and don't feel like getting out of the house, your in luck b/c they deliever. I guarentee your order will arrive hot & fast. Need to cater a party, special event ?Know that they will be more than happy do so & will leave you and your guests speechless. Unfortunatly kind of,  I had to go away to college & i now live in Arizona and have lived here for about two years, and let me tell you, the Chinese places here are shit compared to LINS. On the bright side, I get to fly back home often and God knows that my first stop before I even make it home, is LINS. I make sure that I eat there as much as I can before I go back. Richie if your reading this, I hope you know how much I value your restaurant and your services and I only hope that in the future you can expand your business and go big. Your lotality to not only myself, but to my family and friends as well as your other customers over the years, should be recognized and awarded. Keep up the excellent service, keep your profound recipes the way they are because without LINS, where will I go? Most importantly, where will daniel go? And for those of you still reading, pick up the phone, get in the car and go, I DARE you to prove me wrong!!!!!!!!!If only they delivered all the way to Arizona, I'd stop my mouth from watering just thinking about those egg rolls. Now that Ive made myself sound like a fat **** , I also hope whoever is reading this  & has eaten here before can share their experiance as well.
Review Source:If you live in the Park Ridge area, you know good Chinese is pretty much impossible to find. My bf and I had all but given up on trying when we went here. It's pretty amazing. Probably the best egg rolls I've ever had, and close to the best crab rangoon ever too. Really fair prices ($3 for rangoon? Unheard of!), and a really nice staff. Very small place, and when we went someone on the staff must've had family visiting...which was actually quite entertaining to watch them so excitedly interact while who I assume is the manager kept telling them to be quiet while we (the only ones in there) were eating. Will definitely eat from here again.
Review Source:You may pass this place given it's hole in the wall status, however, its good people and good eats truly make up for what it lacks in real estate.
Tucked in the corner, you can get dinners specials which consist of an egg-roll, soup of your choice (wonton, egg drop, or hot and sour) and your pick of delicious entree. Â Orange Chicken please, extra spicy! Â The bill comes out under $8 for all this.
Close by, inexpensive, and great eats. (And high-five!) Lin (the owner) is f***-ing awesome. Sadly, they close at 9:30 so no late night munchies.
With not too many Chinese food options by my office, I'm glad to have been introduced to Lin's by fellow co-workers. Whilst the place isn't spacious or glammy, it does have its good points.
The lunch specials put this place in the good cheap eats that I need to have close by so I'm grateful for that. The food tasted good enough for the various times I've visited. It wasn't spectacular but overall a good value for price and amount that you get.
I subsequently have found a few more Chinese places near work but this one is starting to become my first choice.
i was hesitant to order from a new place.but I did anyway. Glad I did. I ordered from grubhub. It said it would take an hour to get here. It took like 15 minutes the lady that delivered was reeeeally nice. The food was piping hot and delicious. They supplied plates forks napkins cookies ect. We ordered the empress chicken and it was real chicken not some other crappy meat. Overall satisfied =) Will order again..
Review Source:Rich; the owner really knows how to take care of the customers. He never charges any corkage fees and you can bring in any kind of your favorite beverage in with you and they will supply the glasses. The best food and the best value I have ever had at any restaurant. He remembers the loyal customers so when I go in he knows I want my food extra spicy and he never dissappoints me. Recommend this restaurant to all my friends and family who want to save money and still have a great meal.
Review Source:I love Lin's Mandarin!!!
When we first moved to the area, 7 years ago, we tried out all of the Chinese places near us. Â They all sucked, until we found Lin's. Â They have huge portions and delicious food. We order from them a couple times a month and have never been disappointed.
They also have extremely fast delivery!!! We order and about 15 minutes later, it's here. Â It's further than several other places we order takeout from, but they always beat them in delivery time. Â So, if your really hungry and want your food fast, try Lin's Mandarin.
I love Lin's Mandarin - this must be the best Chinese food in the area! I love the shrimp fried rice and Kung Bao chicken. The portions are massive, especially when you dine in. Speaking of dining in, the restaurant is small, but quaint. I have mainly dined there in the evenings, Â so we usually get decent service. We did make a mistake of going there for an early Saturday dinner and it was packed, so the service was slow. The food, fortunately, was still top notch.
This is a family owned business and everyone contributes to customer service. This means that your food will be delivered to your table as soon as it is ready. I have to say that this restaurant serves the best Kung Bao chicken I have had.
We wanted to try a different Chinese joint and due to the raving reviews I ordered Lin's. Everything started off well with quick delivery and the food was piping hot (pretty impressive as this place was 4 miles away). We ordered the General Tso's chicken and the sauce was tasty and not overpowering, the chicken was fresh and cooked right, wish it was a little spicier but good nonetheless. The shrimp fried rice was awesome, there was actual shrimp in here, decent sized shrimp, not the one out of the can where there's about 5000 to the pound. And it was a generous amount of shrimp, great start so far. The Egg Rolls weren't my favorite, but they were good. they were the thick mandarin variety with white cabbage (I prefer green, just my preference) And the Crab Rangoon was good and actually had some crab in it, only 4 to an order here. All for $23, very good value. The order taker and the driver were very nice. Between here and King's these are my go to Chinese joint's in the area. Can't go wrong with this place.
Review Source:I always go back and forth about how useful it is to render a decision about whether one Chinese joint is any better than another for my own recollecting, let alone bothering to issue an opinion for consideration by others, but LINS is a good place to eat Chinese food. Great crab rangoon and I really like their Orange Chicken and the cheap lunch specials. Some of the best Hot&Sour soup I've had and their veggies are not overdone. AND they are quick with the service. I love their beef dishes.
Review Source:When I first got transferred to the O'Hare base, I lived in a flight attendant flop house with 12 people near the Cumberland Blue Line Station. Lin was my first real friend in Chicago. He always remembered me, he knew my order by heart, and he started teaching me phrases in Mandarin to use on unsuspecting Chinese passengers, like "Ni Hao! Wa Ay Ni!!"
No matter how many times I have told Lin about the reasons why, after 7 long years of matrimony, I am still barren, Lin always greets me with a smile and the same phrase, "How many months along are you?" To which I always reply, "Zero months, Lin, my best friend..I am just fat and I need more Chinese Food please!" Â He just does not get it!
We had crab rangoons and my husband ordered their very delicious Kung Pao Chicken extra garlic. I ordered my usual dish, which I originally tried simply because the name is hilarious, it is called the vegetable HO FUN Noodle. This ho loves me some "Ho Fun Noodle." Lin's Mandarin, Me Love You Long Time....
This spot has its advantages. On those cold nights it makes for a nice stop within walking distance of my place. The hot and sour soup is flavorful but listed as "no meat". This is the only spot that I can recall ever having this type of hot and sour.
The dumplings are massive, a bit on the doughy side, but the portion is huge. Eight pieces for around five bucks. Paired with the sauce and some chili oil, a great way to kick that wind chill factor in the teeth.
Main dishes are just okay, and prices are fair. Â Service is spotty at times, but overall pretty friendly. Nice option to have your food delivered for a dollar fifty, a real bargain.
This spot is conveniently located near where I work, so it makes for an opportune lunch spot. Â How can you pass up the $5.25 lunch special?! Â This comes with a choice of soup and rice along with the entree. Â There are plenty of options, and they seem to remember the people that come in often and what they like. Â They are pretty friendly as well. Â The food comes out quick and they can adjust to your spicyness level. Â If you order delivery or carryout you can easily eat it for 2-3 days because the portions are very nice and large. Â There's not too many other Chinese restaurants that I'd choose over this one in this area - probably within a good mile radius.
Review Source:Ya know I'm not a Chinese Food kinda girl but this place rocks! Â Been here a couple times within the last year and never remembered da name into a couple days ago when I realized I probably wont b back as often unless in da area. Man there kom pao beef or however you spell it is awesome as well as their mongolian beef. They have pretty good lunch specials and there soup has grown on me too. Although I won't b working up this way 2 much I think this placec is actually worth driving out da way 4.
Review Source:Lin's Mandarin rocks!
I work near here, so I go to Lin's for lunch. Â They have great lunch specials that include soup/rice/entree. Â I usually get the orange chicken or kung pao shrimp (big shrimps and lots of them!!!) depending on my mood for spicy or sweet with a little bit of spice.
Their egg rolls are probably the best I've ever had! Â Always comes out piping hot and delicious!!!
The portions are huge and the food is excellent! Â I wish it was close to home so I can have it for dinner!!!
And if you become a regular, they'll give you almond cookies on the house!!! Â Yummy!
Starving, I had just dropped off my parents at O'Hare and forgot that I was headed back to the office and not home (wishful thinking since it was a Saturday) so I cut over to Cumberland after missing my exit. Â All I wanted was a Subway to take the edge off.
I'd never been to Lin's but Chinese sounded fabulous. Â For seven bucks I got some awesome tasting hunan beef and a drink, and salivated the rest of the way back - it smelled amazing. Â And it was ready in about five minutes.
The dining room is itty-bitty, but the mirrored wall will stave off the claustrophobia.
When you first walk in you'll grab for your wallet because it appears that you're entering an upscale price gauging establishment, but that is not the case. Â It's very reasonably priced and they have lunch and dinner specials under $10. Â This is a great place to take a date and yes, the food is good. Â Note: Â There is no liquor served here, so maybe some of you won't want to take a date here (lol).
Review Source:
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