I went to Silver Seafood twice a couple years after writing my first review and it's actually pretty good here! Â One time we did dinner and the other time was dimsum. Â They have reasonably priced family-style dinners according to how many people are in your party. Â The portions were generous as we were full by the end of the meal and also took the food to go. Â The dimsum was really good as well. Â I thought that the size of some of the dimsum was larger compared to Furama's. Â You have to wait a bit though since they don't do the cart thing. I also like that parking is available in the neighboring lot, just don't forget to get your red slip!
Review Source:I've visited this place twice. Â The first time I had a great experience - the food was good, reasonably priced, and it was a much better option than the hour-plus trek to Chinatown for dim sum. Â
The second time I visited here happened to be on a busy day when many large groups were eating lunch. Â My group was seated when there were relatively few others in the restaurant. Â However, all the other groups (all of a similar size) who came in after us received their food well before us. Â When the servers DID pay attention to us, they were incredibly rude and often ignored/did not respond to requests for more dim sum or things such as silverware. Â Finally, two hours after starting to try and eat our meal, we decided to just cancel the last, open orders (that we had made well over an HOUR before) and leave the restaurant.
I head here for lunch at least once a week. Walk in and expect great service, please take your pot of tea over the ice water. Grab a dish for $5.75 including your tea. I personally recommend the "seafood rice noodle soup," which is filled with calamari, shrimp and scallops.... But the best part the... the broth found also in 3 other items. I recommend this place over the overpriced pho joints
up the street.
Came here late night as they are conveniently open until 1AM daily. This place has been bookmarked for some time ever since it debuted on check please.
My GF ordered the egg drop soup and stir fried veggie shrimp in white sauce. The egg drop soup was pretty straightforward and average, but her shrimp entree certainly was more memorable. Usually white sauces are bland in my opinion, but silver seafood's has an appealing character for the taste buds.
I ordered a supposedly small order of the  hot & sour soup with seafood. The bowl that they gave to me was HUGE, and nearly filled my belly with spicy deliciousness before my entree arrived. My main choice was frog in a black bean sauce as I wanted to be a little creative and try something I never had before. The sauce was delicious and the frog was extremely tender, but a little more fatty than I would have preferred (eh, I guess that's the price one pays for taking a chance on something they've never tried before).
This is one of the few authentic Cantonese style restaurants found in the northside of the city. The food quality is solid, on par with most traditional Cantonese style restaurants. Their prices are very reasonable as well. This is my go to spot for Chinese food when I don't want to make the drive to Chinatown.
Review Source:I came here with a new friend who, for reasons I don't understand, doesn't really like Thai food. Â For me, ever since I discovered Thai food, I've almost never been interested in going to Chinese restaurants... Lao Sze Schuan being the one exception. Â It's just not something I crave. Â But I'm flexible and I like to eat pretty much anything, so I went for it! Â It's not far from the Lawrence red line, up on Broadway where you just start getting into Little Vietnam. Â Allegedly they have a parking lot, but it's a really accessible location so you shouldn't need it.
The dining room is pretty sparsely decorated, except for over to the one side you can see a dance floor and a podium - looks like this place is used as a banquet hall, perhaps for weddings? Â They serve a little wine and beer, and also bubble tea, but we didn't get any. Â Their menu is massive and it's hard to make decisions. Â We went with the red snapper in Hunan sauce (an indulgence at about $22), and the mapo tofu (called "spicy tofu with ground pork"). Â "That dish has meat in it," warned the server. Â I nodded seriously, and thanked her for the useful information. Â I would never have guessed that a dish by that name would have meat in it, so good thing she warned me! Â
Everything was tasty, it's just not my favorite type of cuisine. Â I loved the silken tofu in the mapo tofu. Â Though advertised as spicy, it was really not bad at all. Â The tofu and meat were served in a tasty, sticky sauce with a few peas and some scallions. Â The savory tofu was the best part, but as always I can take-or-leave the sticky, gloppy sauce that seems to be in so many Chinese dishes. Â Our server cut the red snapper for us, which was good as we were about to screw it up royally. Â She was disappointed I didn't want to eat the eyes. Â It was good, I liked the crispy texture, but I'd just as soon have paid $10 less for a different seafood dish. Â Quite a large portion though, as it's, you know, a whole fish. Â
Service was friendly and attentive. Â And I got a good fortune in my cookie. Â I wouldn't be opposed to coming back if Chinese was on the agenda, but I have to say it just doesn't really hold my interest the way that Thai or Indian food do. Â It didn't stand out to me as unique, the way Lao Sze Schuan did. Â I'd rather trek down to Chinatown.
This review is of their relatively new dim sum offerings. They also have a weekday lunch special menu with noodle soup offerings.
This time we had their siu mai, bamboo dumpling, sweet potato cake, taro puff, corn and shrimp cake, and stuffed eggplant. It was more than enough for my wife and I and our 2 year old daughter without feeling stuffed (I was tempted to add one of their congees and you-tiao but that definitely would have put us over).
They laminated their color dim sum menus now and diners use dry erase markers to make their choices before their server enters it into the computer ordering system.
Notes on the food: the bamboo dumpling I believe had a mismatch picture and different Chinese name on the menu. It's very good (I think all veggies)...you might need to ask for help to match it. The sweet potato cake is little softer on the inside than how my mom makes it, but still yummy with a crispy outside. We gave their siu mai a spin to test their dim sum standard and it was a light fluff on the ground pork with roe on top. The other items were solid without any problems of note.
We dropped by this time closer to noon and parking was still available in the lot. A little busier in the restaurant but not yet past 50% capacity. Consider Silver if you have a large group that you need to get in and out with convenient parking. My choice on the north side (over the quality and cart experience of the competition) and has convenience advantages over driving further to Chinatown for other dim sum varieties.
This is my go-to pre-Green Mill dinner spot. Their portions are enormous and delicious. Every time I bring new friends I always suggest that we split an order. It never happens and we always end up with a huge batch of leftovers, which is a great problem to have.
Their presentation is artistic for a few dishes. I had the broccoli chicken once and the broccoli was arranged like a bouquet. Last time I had their sweet and sour chicken, which had to easily be 1-2 pounds of chicken strips. Also BYOB friendly.
I really like Silver Seafood Restaurant ordered Garlic Chicken off the lunch special and it was oh so delicious. Hmmm Hmmm Good! Next Day I ordered General Tso Chicken and unfortunately it didn't look like chicken nor tasted like chicken so I sent it back. Overall every time I have gone in they have never disappointed me. The people are nice and the food is super fresh.
Review Source:I've been here multiple times for dim sum, but I have yet to try their dinner. Stopped by again this afternoon for dim sum (woot! 20% off everyday!). Ordered: eggplant stuffed with shrimp, shrimp rice crepe, choy (green veggies) all with the sauce on side, fried taro puffs, fried pot stickers, and chicken feet. Split between two big eaters, the food was pretty filling and overall good standard dim sum fare.
My only qualm was that the pot stickers kind of had an off filling texture. I don't know why, but it just didn't taste right to me...too mushy I guess (I've tried plenty of pot stickers at dim sum/non-dim sum restaurants before to reference). Other than that, I was pretty satisfied with the food. Kind of spotty service, especially when we were among the very few diners there, but I don't really come to dim sum for service--just the food. It *did* worry me a bit that the restaurant was practically empty during the lunch hour...but maybe it's hopping during dinner?
Overall, I liked Silver Seafood. I will probably stop by again for dim sum, and try out their dinner sometime too.
My wife and I went there on 3/24/12. We thought the food was prepared fast-but when we tried to eat the left overs that evening, the food was spoiled! We thereby were served food from previous day. Least to say, we will never go there again. The owners are gambling that patrons won't get sick. Personally, I am reporting the restaurant for a City inspection!
Review Source:A friend of mine was in Chicago for a few hours and he called me to see if I was available for dinner. Â Of course, I gladly agreed to dinner. Â With my friend's meal options being very limited, he mentioned he loves Chinese. Â So, being in Uptown, I had loads of options. Â We I decided Silver Seafood. Â
After arriving, we were greeted by a very hospitable woman. Â She made our dining experience a great one!!!
As an appetizer, we ordered veggie egg rolls. For a main dish, we all ordered a different dish: general tso's chicken, shrimp with and lobster sauce, Â empress chicken, and double flavors chicken. We all loved our dishes.
No complaints on this end!!! Will definitely go back to this place!! Great food, great service, great location!!!
Another night out to see my oldest daughter and her troop perform in their improv show. Â My wife, younger daughter, her friend, my sister-in-law and I all decide on Silver Seafood for dinner and then the improv show.
We of course ordered the Shrimp and Sweet Walnuts dinner again. Â Huge pieces of shrimp with small cut walnuts in an ohhhh sooooo good sweet sauce. Â We also ordered the Mongolian Beef, with loads of tender beef strips that were really good. Â We had the Combination Fried Rice with loads of tasty meat pieces but some of the blandest tasting rice ever. Â The Egg Rolls were good. Â The Saute Beef was out of this world, the beef was cooked just right, tasty and tender with green peppers, tomatoes and pineapple pieces. Â Also the Pot Stickers were thin breaded and steamed, not deep fried and heavy. Â Everything, including the Banana Smoothies was really good.
Another excellent dinner with family and a GREAT improv show by my oldest daughter. Â What more could a father ask for.
This restaurant is fantastic. Â It has kind of a run-down banquet hall ambiance, but the food is incredible. Â The menu is overwhelming and comprehensive. Â I am looking forward to coming back to try more items.
I especially enjoyed the juicy barbeque intestines appetizer, though I just couldn't make myself eat the included pair of rectums. Â We also ordered clams with black bean sauce, which were incredible.
If I were hungry and I was going to eat some Asian food up on the north side, that wasn't dim sum, Peking Duck, or pho - Silver Seafood would be my shot on target. Carrying a full menu of Vietnamese and Chinese dishes and serving up eats past midnight you could do far, far worse in Uptown and Edgewater.
I will let you in on a secret for Silver Seafood, the best dish in the entire menu is THE BIRD'S NEST. What's a BIRD'S NEST you might ask? Imagine a basket weaved of fried noodle and taro deep fried to edible perfection. Now let me tell you, inside this basket  they will load it up with stir-fried shrimp, squid, mushroom, scallop, and veggies to fill your heart's desire. Pescetarians, be aware that the BIRD'S NEST may be the best of Chinese cuisine that you'll ever encounter!
How good is the crunchy BIRD'S NEST and accompanying fillings? It was so good a group from another table was intrigued by how appetizing the BIRD'S NEST looked and asked what we were eating. The answer is "BIRD'S NEST and it's automatically the best thing on the menu."
Tired of getting ripped off getting Chinese seafood? Stop playing around and get yourself a seat at Silver Seafood. It's open late, extremely affordable AND you can get your drink on! Last I visited, I saw a pack of drunk Vietnamese birthday revelers being louder than I could ever be walking out with a case of Heinekens.
To each their own and get your own BIRD'S NEST!!!!
There's only one reason why I go here, my aunt and uncle love this place and we come here for special occasions.
-baby clams. it was a joke. half them were empty. not cool.
-crab. toughest thing to eat. and cut yourself doing so.
-no waters brought out for us.
-slow service
Pros:
-free parking, but sucks that you gotta go back to your car to put the thing on your dashboard.
-i like the shrimp though.
Friendly waitstaff! They're mostly from Hong Kong, including the chef, so you'll see some good ol' cantonese food on the menu. Well I suppose some other people said they're not friendly, but I asked about Hong Kong and they opened right up...
there are a couple of treasures here like full sections of abalone and shark's fin dishes... wow, that is rare.
I wouldn't say the quality would be much more than average on a weeknight, like when I went on Tuesday, but you do get some true-to-form HK'ers in this restaurant because you can hear the cantonese sputtered throughout the dining room, which looks like a pretty typical chinese restaurant.
seafood here is indeed good n fresh, and they're open till 1am (late night menu, free parking!)(!) Â dang!
True-to-form HK'ers don't really do spicy food that much--they are masters, however, at brown sauce, fresh seafoods, and some stylish fried things. If you want to stretch for it, go for the abalone: if you've never had it, you're missing out.
staples like the hong sieu tofu and black mushrooms are done well. scallops and shrimp had the characteristic crispiness of freshness and good cooking.
if you're there drunk late night, you probably could use some fried food and protein, which is completely recommendable.
I love seafood. I love fresh seafood. I love eating late. I love doing all of these things on a budget. Silver seafood is awesome. Free parking, late night menu (half price), super quick service.
The wait staff isn't overly friendly, but that is no surprise at any good chinese food spot. Hong Kong style food is pretty darn good. I highly recommend the shrimp and walnuts, spicy smelt, and spicy tofu. These are my favorites. You really cant go wrong with anything on the menu though.
Make sure you get a parking pass from them, they will tow you out the lot before you even get your carryout.
So what do you after your fill of green beer...you go out for Chinese food!! Â We have walked past this place a million times and never ventured in. Â After attending a party we were famished and were looking for something to eat and there was Silver Seafood...so we ventured in.
Food was very good and the portions were very plentiful. Â Sizzling seafood, beef and broccoli, fried crab claws and fried tofu were all consumed. Â I wish we had the oysters that another table ordered but at that point I was stuffed.
A very enjoyable time!!
This place used to be my go-to place for Chinese seafood that Chi Cafe probably wouldn't have. But I've since found my new favorite for Chinese seafood at Go 4 Food.
Nevertheless, I love their stir-fry calms in black bean sauce. Mmm, delicious. The spicy and salted shrimp dish and the steamed fish in ginger and onion are also delicious. So are the steamed oysters in black bean sauce. The fish bladder with crab meat soup reminded me of my mom's Chinese New Year soup. Mmm, I miss some of mom's home cooking just thinking about it. My friends and I usually order a lot more but I don't remember what else I've tried here. But I can vouch that the food experience here reminded me of good food in SF's Chinatown. Â Totally worth it.
So why is Go 4 Four my favorite pick? Well, Silver Seafood has mediocre service and decor. The staff is wonderful, but only when you speak Chinese to them. Otherwise, they're great but they don't really serve you as well as they would a Chinese-speaking person. The interior of Silver Seafood look like they're set up for a banquet. It's the type of place you'd like to have your wedding reception (Chinese or Vietnamese style) at, but then you're reminded that they have white plastic garbage bags as tablecloths and you're wondering what makes this a great banquet location? I mean, they have the size and the people to do it. Oh, and their bathrooms are kind of scary too (but Cantonesia tops theirs for scariest bathroom ever).
Silver Seafood does offer parking validation for the lot next to the restaurant though.
My mom engages in old school Yelping: finding out restaurants by word of mouth from her co-workers. Their latest suggestion? Silver Seafood because it's "the best seafood north of Chinatown."
I'm going to have to disagree with this claim.
Silver Seafood is located around the corner from the Lawrence red line stop, and north of the tire garage. You can tell it's a fixture in a neighborhood that's gentrifying.
Restaurant patrons are from all walks of life - though our little family felt dwarfed sitting at a big, round table meant for at least seven people. Many families of seven or larger came in to dine.
The menu is extensive and they offer things I normally don't see: shark fin soup, meats in a 'bird's nest', and other things.
We ordered half a crispy chicken, pineapple with seafood fried rice, shrimp with sweet walnuts, and a steamed tofu dish with bok choy and shrimp. The crispy chicken dish came with prawn crackers (one of my favorite snacks). I also ordered a mango smoothie. Overall, we weren't impressed even though the bill was extremely reasonable. The crispy chicken was just that - crispy chicken. No flavors really stuck out in my mind. The tofu dish was bland (as expected) though unique. I've eaten better shrimp with sweet walnuts, and had better mango smoothies elsewhere. And fried rice is fried rice.
I must reiterate that this place is fantastic for groups.
We've been going to Silver Seafood for a few years now (started going before their appearance on Check Please!), and I have to say the service was much friendlier this time. I'd love to give them 5 stars, but some of the dishes aren't fantastic and the decor has remained the same over the years, so it's not for everyone.
But people come here for the food -- specifically the seafood. So if you are new to Silver Seafood and a little intimidated by the long menu, permit me to make a few recommendations:
- Go with a group (4-8 people) so you can order several dishes (or just order a lot and take home leftovers).
- Order the seafood potstickers instead of the crab rangoon for an appetizer (and if you're really adventurous try the intestines).
- Get one chow fun noodle dish and one fried rice dish (either pineapple or chinese sausage) and skip the white rice.
- If you like spicy food, try a "hot pot" dish and ask for extra chili sauce on the side.
- Get at least one vegetable -- such as chinese broccoli in oyster sauce or hollow vegetable in garlic (but they are pretty similar to each other).
- Try a "salt and spice" dish (crab or smelt) for some finger lickin' food.
- Don't be put off by the simple english names of the food. "Fish fillet with pork" is actually a mound of delicate fried fish with portabella mushrooms and a little bit of pork served in a pie dish over a bed of perfectly cooked baby bok choy.
- Skip the shark fin soup and let them keep swimming!
Good authentic Chinese food in the Argyle Chinatown area. Â The food itself is about a 4 star rating and the rest of the total dining package, including the wacky service, is what brings the total rating to 3 stars overall.
Our party of 5 had the Dinner for 6 for $74. Â A better value would have been the Dinner for 4 for $34, and then you add your own other extra dishes. Â It's just a preference on what you want to eat - Â the Dinner for 6 was pricier by good Chinese restaurant standards but included fried frog legs, steamed talapia, shrimp, clams in black bean sauce, Chinese fried chicken, and spicy beef short ribs. Â
Some of the little debits -
*  If you park in the large parking lot to the north of restaurant, you have to get  back to the car after checking in to put a red tag on your dash to keep car from being towed.  System worked though.
* Â Waitress had to be flagged for attention. Â They forgot our frog legs, and we had to ask for them at the end. Â At least they came out fresh and hot from the kitchen.
* Â They brought our check, but forgot our dessert which was part of dinner package. Â They took no notice, we didn't care much anyway, and we got a better dessert somewhere else.
*  The Dinner for 6 was a bit unbalanced  - and lacked a vegetable dish.
* Â They automatically added 17% tip on our meal. Â This was pretty presumptious for the service and for a Chinese restaurant to boot.
Overall, and despite the little negatives, not a bad place, and nice to have in the North area  -  but I can see where this place can have its moments with some customers.
I have eaten at Silver Seafood several times in recent months, after learning about its existence recently. Each time, I selected one of the family set dinners, which are a great deal. Â It was so nice to find a restaurant on the North Side serving traditional Hong Kong/Cantonese cuisine, and has a roomy dining room. Parking is also convenient with the free adjacent lot. The only minuses were that the restaurant decor is a little outdated, the vibe a little quiet (it was never crowded during each of our visits even on Friday/Saturday nights), and the service a little slow (though the food comes out quickly). However, I was very satisfied with the quality of food and the generous portions. In addition, the menu does not have as much variety as some of the Chicago Chinatown restaurants.
Dishes I particularly enjoyed during the three dinners include the ginger onion twin lobster, ginger onion crab, chan giang pork ribs, mixed seafood basket, steamed oysters with black bean sauce, and combination fried rice with chinese sausage. Â
This restaurant is a great option for those on the North Side who want a proper Cantonese dinner and are short on the time to drive all the way down to Chinatown. It is one of the better authentic Chinese options in the Chicago area.
my first 5 star review!
First I want to state that some people on here give way too much precedence to service and cleanliness for a Chinese restaurant. Â It's a right of passage for a Chinese restaurant to get shutdown for a health violation! Â (jk) Â Service may not be as good as your neighborhood Applebee's. Â Maybe because the servers are old school Chinese people not willing to put on a fake smile with 20 flares on their uniform. Â The bottom line is that Chinese and Asians value food quality and value, not service and ambiance so if you're looking for good sweet and sour chicken with a birthday candle and song, probably want to start somewhere else. Â It's all about expectations.
Whew, with that off my chest, this restaurant is delish! Â We were looking to fulfill our typical Argyle Street fix but we decided to change it up a bit and check out this place after several friends recommended it. Â Looked like a standard Chinese restaurant that you'd find in Chinatown. Â We ordered the dungeoness crab with garlic ginger sauce and a seafood vegetable noodle hot pot. Â Best dungeoness crab i've ever had! Â The brown sauce looks like standard brown sauce mush, but it was amazing! Â The hot pot was so fresh, light and tasty! Â The squid was more tender than usual. Â
Walked away very content! Â The menu is very large, like with any Chinese place, so I can't wait to come back and try more dishes!
Best Chinese food I've had in Chicago. I like that this place has two menus: one standard American Chinese food menu, and one Chinese Chinese food menu. As a result, you can get everything from boring beef and broccoli to stir fried duck tongues. Great variety. I wish I ate fish or seafood obviously, but even if you don't the land animal fare is outstanding as well.
The Food: flavorful sauces that aren't to oily. I've had beef dishes from the Chinese menu both times I went and I've been impressed both times. My companions had a fish dish and a shrimp dish and were blown away (and one's an old school Brooklyn Jew so he knows his Chinese food to say the least). Well made soups are important to me, and this place has it. The food goes easy on the salt, but I can appreciate that. There's the old saying: salt, sugar, and oil are masks for poor cooking. It's not burdensome to add your own salt if you even need it.
Ambiance: Typical Chinese food restaurant. They've got plastic over the table clothes, which is odd, but I can understand since the way most Americans eat Chinese food (often in a humorous attempt to use chop sticks) leave sauces dripping from even the ceiling. No complaints; I'm more into the food anyway. There's a small stage with a table on it. I asked about it and I got a polite but uninformative response. I still have no idea why there's a table on that stage.
Service: Well, both times I went the place wasn't too busy so the service was good. I drink a lot of water when I eat, especially when I eat Chinese food, and my glass was always full. In a way, I suppose it's how I judge the merits of the service. I wasn't disappointed. My waitress thought I was a "nice guy" since I found a random iphone on the street outside and I waited for the owner to call me back, which he did, tso I could tell him where I was so he could swing by and pick it up.
Basically, I can't wait to go back and try new things.
This is one of the very few Chinese restaurants in Chicago that live up to my expectations. The Americanized menu is minimal at best, but if you want things like baby clams in a stunningly vibrant black bean sauce, roasted pigeon, or quail stir-fried with ginger and green onions, not to mention a huge variety of other options, this is a fantastic place. Â I could easily come here on a regular basis and find new things to try, many of which are rarely seen even in Chicago's Chinatown. Everything is fresh, the service is efficient and friendly, and I've never had a bad experience here.
It's true that the atmosphere is lacking, but who really cares? Order some items from the Chinese menu, take a few risks, and have fun. Then go back and do it all over again. Life is far too short to simply order beef and broccoli every time you go out. This is a place where you can expand your palate. Next time I go, I'm getting the chicken feet in hot sauce...or maybe the fried intestines.
Silver Seafood is my go-to Chinese spot outside of Chinatown. Â I suppose the service could be described as "utilitarian". Â They sit you down, they take your order, and they bring your food. Â Pretty straight forward. Â What I really come here for is the food. Â The highlights for me include the Hot & Sour Soup, Beef Chow Fun, and Lemon Chicken. Â I know these may sound like some items you'd typically see from your dime-a-dozen Americanized Chinese restaurants (and they do have an extensive authentic Chinese menu if you're feeling adventurous), but it's the execution and flavor of these dishes that truly separates Silver Seafood from the rest of the pack.
FYI, you can park in the big parking lot just north of Silver Seafood for free. Â Just be sure to ask for a parking pass at the restaurant to put on your dashboard.
Silver Seafood is one of the best places to find authentic Chinese in Chicago (my other favorite on the north side is nearby Sun Wah--you won't find better roast duck in town). Don't go here for the ambiance: go for the food. Which is fantastic. Not only is the seafood wonderful, but they have fantastic dishes all across the board, and the menu is extensive. (I haven't yet coughed up the money for the difficult-to-find shark's fin soup, but it's on the menu--and priced accordingly so that you're likely to get a good amount of actual shark fin in each bowl.) Try the Duck with Assorted Meats (don't worry, it has lots of vegetables as well), which is my favorite dish. The portions are generous and meant to be shared family-style, and the one time I walked in to order takeout my dish sufficed for three meals.
For all the complaints about the service, I've never had any issues--in fact, they've been particularly nice, and I'm in there on a very regular basis (some of the staff actually recognize me now).
I am Chinese, and I used to cook a decent amount of it in my own kitchen until moving 10 minutes away from the Argyle area. With amazing, reasonably-priced Chinese food so close by, there's little reason to make it at home.
The food here is really. Â The lemon chicken at Silver Seafood puts all other lemon chicken to shame. Â I always make sure someone is ordering the lemon chicken every time I go. Â I encourage everyone to at least try the seafood corn soup. Â If corn soup or seafood is not your thing, I understand. Â Otherwise, no excuses. Â I have, on multiple occassions, walked out with a scorched tongue because I could not wait for the soup to cool before eating it.
The portions are gigantic. Â I have gone with three people, ordered two dishes, and still had leftovers. Â And the food is cheap, especially for the quality and quantity.
I can understand the complaints people have about the service. Â I won't say that the service is bad, but it has certainly never been above mediocre. Â That is the only thing holding Silver back from being a five star review.
Went here for my birthday (it was my fifth visit) we had a group of 11 and had a great time. Â Now I have read the other reviews, and I have an advantage my friend Steve who is Chinese and always is the table captain and does all the ordering for the whole table. Â he is a pro! Â The best dish was Chinese sausage fried rice. Â The amazing and different flavors in this dish was amazing. Â I could of just ate that! Second was hollow root, I think they call it (empty vegetable with garlic) it is also amazing! Â it was my favorite from before I had the fried rice. Â Fried soft shell crab was next......yummy. Â Next was duck with taro root. Â very unexpected and delicious with a nice dipping sauce. Â We also had a fried Tilapia which was so tender it melted in your mouth. Â next was the Clams with black bean sauce. Â We also had orange chicken which was a table favorite.
I know I am missing some dishes but when I remember I will add them later.
The decor is bland at best, the service is tough because English is everyone's second language there. Â But all is worth it for the food! Â The bubble teas are good there, but they don't have taro root which if you ever have a chance to get a Taro Root bubble tea get it they are strangely amazing(Joy Yee has them) I had a mango with tapioca.
They also had about 10 kids terrorizing the place all about 4-6 years old. Â They didn't bother me but other customers were rolling there eyes.
Basically sometimes for good food you have to put up with cultural differences and bland decor to make your taste-buds sing!
P.S. make sure you get a parking sign for your car if you park in the lot! Â I have never had a parking problem there!!
As far as authentic Chinese food goes, this place has got it down.
And I am authentic Chinese.
This is what I get almost every time I go: Fresh steamed bass (like, swimming in a tank in the back fresh), ong choy with garlic sauce, chinese sausage fried rice and beef with green onion (my boyfriend's choice, not mine). Â
Having grown up eating in Chinatown, NYC every Sunday evening I can honestly say this is one of the only places that is reminiscent of those happy days. Â I think it's a fresh fish. Â Or the white trash bags covering the table (yes, people, this is a common thing in Chinese restaurants ... and it's really not a big deal ... we're cheap as hell).
Either way, go, order off of the non-white menu, don't expect white, friendly service and you'll enjoy yourself. Â If that doesn't sound appealing, then don't bother.
CHINESE MOM APPROVED!!!
If you come here expecting Americanized kung pao this and General Tso' that, take this opportunity to experience some REAL Cantonese/Hong-Kong style cuisine.  Ever since I've moved to Chicago I've been craving some home-style Chinese cooking and  Silver Seafood has not disappointed.  I was so impressed by this place I actually took my Chinese aunt (tough critic) here and she was very happy with the food.
HITS:
-Deep fried salt pepper pork chops (a MUST-HAVE dish, salty, spicy, crispy, and a potential candidate for my last meal on Earth)
-Ong choy with spicy bean curd (creamy, spicy, and perhaps the only dish I would consider becoming a vegetarian for)
-Crispy chicken with 5 spice salt (huge portions...1/2 a chicken is plenty, moist meat, and wonderfully crisp skin...go easy on the salt if you're a rookie)
-Stir-fried shrimp with snow peas (fresh shrimp and crisp snow peas in a light sauce)
-Fast delivery
MISSES:
-Slight language barrier when ordering take-out (not a big deal for me)
-Decor (I maintain that the Hefty bag table cloth is a sign of quality, authenticity, and an homage to operational efficiency, but if you're a snob you'll probably be turned off).
-Bubble tea drinks (skip it, it's no Joy Yee's)
-Draconian parking attendants next door (get a free parking pass from the hostess or risk a shock and awe towing assault).
This is the real deal people...forget driving to Chinatown!
I've been to Silver Seafood just two times, I think, both for lunch. Â We almost ordered delivery for the in-laws a year or so ago, but we were afraid that the menu would be incomprehensible and "scary" to them so we nixed that.
Anyways, as others have pointed out, the interior is not impressive in terms of what American diners expect. Â When you enter, you see a bar area that's really just the place where the beer and wine are stored, and the smoothies are made. Â Then you see the interior - one large room with plain off-white walls, a mirror on one wall, an impressively large lobster towards the back right of the room, and a stage far on the right (my wife wondered what it's used for, but it seems like they do special events etc). Â Oh, and against the back wall is a lobster / crab tank that they restocked with crabs, to the delight of my children. Â The tables are covered with thin plastic for easy cleanup - so, no, it's not too elegant.
The first time we came, we had a lunch special. Â I can't remember too much about it, but I was a little disappointed because I didn't get a chance to order some of the interesting things they have on the menu (a whole frog's legs section!). Â Today we we had some several simple dishes. Â Ma Po tofu, Chinese broccoli with garlic, shrimp and cashew in a potato nest, and vegetable chow mein. Â The kids also had vegetable egg rolls and a strawberry smoothie; we had Tsing Tao of course.
The egg rolls, which we ordered right away, came quickly and were hot - and our kids (2 and 4) were stoked. Â The other food followed about ten minutes later - perfect timing for a lunch if you ask me. Â The Chinese broccoli was first - crispy and substantial, and coated in a glorious garlicky sauce - not swimming in an oily-garlic soup as it it sometimes presented (though I do love that - as long as there's lots of garlic). Â A+. Â
The chow mein was probably next. Â Now, I haven't had chow mein since I was a kid - I guess I associate it with cheap supermarket and generic Chinese restaurant meals. Â This was a totally different dish - slightly crisped noodles were covered with just-done mixed veggies (water chestnuts, broccoli, snow peas, onion, mushrooms, baby corn, baby bok choy...) in a light clear sauce. Â Simple and elegant, and beautiful in the dish. Â
The shrimp and cashew was next. Â The "nest" of deep-fried potato strips sat on a bed of shredded napa cabbage, and the shrimp and cashew in its dark sauce filled the interior. Â Again, the shrimp were nicely done here, and there were lots of them. Â Lots of cashews, too, and chunks of cucumber to offset what might otherwise have been a heavy dish with the nuts and shrimp. Â This was good, but not as impressive to me as the other dishes.
The Ma Po tofu was different than others I've had. Â First the tofu itself was in larger chunks - about 2" cubes - and the sauce was lighter and not as hot, and not drowning the tofu. Â Again, as with the chow mein, the vegetables were discrete and identifiable, not swimming in sauce. Â If I was alone or at least without kids, I would have wanted the sauce to be hotter. Â But it was perfect for the kids, who both like fried tofu and helped themselves to it.
Our experience with the service was perfectly fine - some servers had heavy accents but they certainly were attentive and actually brought a high chair to the table before we even got there. Â Best of all, the bill was much less than I expected it to be.
I didn't know this restaurant was on Check Please!, but my impression is that for lunch they're still doing a great job. Â I'll go back again for sure, it's a great outing after hitting the Asian groceries closer to Arglye and just steps away from the Lawrence El.
I just got back from dinner at Silver Seafood. I have been walking past this place for the past two years and by outside appearance I have never been enticed to stop in. Â Also, I would typically tell you that I hate Chinese food (clearly because of fast-food Chinese food crap).
This place was amazing! Â The menu is pages and pages of dishes that all sound amazing. Â The menu ranges from affordable to extravagant. Â For instance, Â they have listings of super gourmet seafood soups that are $40-$80 a pop.
My date and I decided on hot and sour seafood soup and crispy season shrimp. Â You could really tell how fresh the food was and the flavors were amazing.
Thank god for check please! Â I will be back again and again to try all their interesting menu items!
Oh and one added note: Â The take-out menu is different than the dining in menu. Â So you might order take out and not be as happy if you order in!
I have lived in Buena Park for 17 years, and I have known that Silver Seafood is on Broadway, across the street from the Uptown Theater. To be perfectly honest, I have driven by this restaurant for years and have been turned off by their awning and sign graphics. I can only imagine that the interior is as depressing as the exterior. I would have never considered trying it until last night, after I saw it featured on Check Please!
After finding their menu on-line (a difficult task since they do not have a website), I gave them a call. The server could barely speak English. On top of that, the room was very noisy, so I had to YELL my order over the phone. It took 10 minutes to place a simple order, and I almost hung up half way through the process. The only thing that kept my cool was that the server eventually gave the phone to someone else to finish taking my order.
After telling me that it would take 45 minutes, the food was at my door and piping hot within 15 minutes. That's what I call FAST!!! I have to say it was very good. The beef was tender; the shrimp were large and tasty and the hot and sour soup was loaded with seafood (even if I could not tell what kind). All-in-all, not bad.
With the glut of Thai, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants in my neighborhood, it's actually refreshing to find a good Chinese restaurant.
Oh, and by the way. I travel several times a year to China. If you are looking for authentic Chinese food--chicken feet, jelly fish, etc.--this is your place. It does nothing for me, but I know that it is authentic. Enjoy!
Took my mom here this week, she wanted some seafood- but did not want to spend big bucks. She loves Shaw's, but she would not let me pay. Â Got to love the out-of-town guests who want great food really cheap. Â You normally get what you pay for.
Well, for once, we got quite a bit more than we paid for. Â
I had the scallops with veggies- it was perfect. Â Huge scallops, great sauce, but not too much, zucchini, bok choy, mushrooms (a variety of them), carrots, etc. Â Scrumptious!!
My mother ordered the steamed clams- I knew she was not totally sure what she would get, and I was right (got to love when that happens). Â She had the black bean sauce, mild, with them. Â They were good, not great. Â But a heaping huge portion. Â She was upset that they were just steamed clams- no veggies. Â That is what the menu said, and that is what she got. Â No false advertising here.
My meal was big enough to feed both my mother and I, and still have some left over. Â Hers too! Â The pot stickers were OK, nothing to write home about.
Oh, they do have parking in the lot next door, but you do need a tag from them. Â My Mom wants to come back. Â Good enough for me!
The best mongolian beef I've found outside of Chinatown. The kung-pao chicken is HOT! Every place always puts the little pepper picture next to the kung-pao chicken but this place doesn't mess around. I liked the pot-stickers, they were big and meaty but my fiancee thought the flavor was off and gave up on them after 1/2 of one. The eggroll is lightly fried, too flaky/pastry like for my taste, but the flavor is average.
EDIT: October 25, 2007. I think they might be suffering from the Check Please effect.. We gave them another try, and the delivery took over 70+ minutes, and the Mongolian beef this time was not very good at all. The egg rolls are still just paper thin and deep fried, not very big or thick. The fiancee did like the moo shu pork.
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