Chinalite

RIP– another business bites the dust.
This was a great, fast, healthy oriented china food eatin’ kind of a place that survived many years through the «yuppification» of Southport.
Couldn’t survive this economy.
I will miss thy egg foo yung.

A three-​star average is pretty low for Unilocal (which has ludicrous grade inflation just like in the academic world), but I have always liked this place.
1. The food DOES taste and feel lighter and cleaner than most Americanized Chinese joints.
2. The portions are huge. Buy two entrees and an appetizer between two people, and I guarantee that both will have at least one leftover lunch for the next day.
3. I like their fried rice.
4. Their mu shu is the best that I have had anywhere.
5. They have an enormous delivery area (1000N to 6400N and lake to 3300W).
Then again, the egg rolls are not that great, and any dish that comes with the clear sauce is pretty bland. But overall, this place gets a thumbs-​up from me.

When I first moved to this neighborhood, I ordered from here at least once a week. I was lured in by the «healthy Chinese food» slogan and the convenience of being able to order online. I’ve since experienced other places for Chinese and rarely order from here anymore but it doesn’t mean I no longer like it.
Their schezwan green beans keep them on my rotation as well as their huge portions, fast delivery, and reasonable prices. The appetizers are also fantastic although their humongous crab rangoon is a tad on the sweet side. Try their chicken, broccoli, and caramelized walnut in white sauce dish. It’s sweet. It’s savory. It’s interesting. It’s strangely delicious.
If you eat in, you will have the privilege of being one of the only customers in the dining area because it seems that their business is primarily based on take out or delivery. It’s nice to have a clean and quiet dining experience every once in a while though– especially when you’re the center of attention for the courteous staff!

LITE ON OIL, HEAVY ON PORTIONS
Damn this place gives a lot of food. I was skeptical at first given the neighborhood, but was happy with my order for a middle-​of-​the-​week got-​home-​from-​the-​gym-​late-​and-​not-​in-​the-​mood-​to-​cook Chinese takeout place.
I ordered the spicy eggplant which would be the test of how light their food really is as Chinese restaurants tend to deep fry their eggplant before the stir fry it, and was pretty happy with the results. It wasn’t too oily, wasn’t too soggy, and had good flavor. The only miss for me was the Mongolian beef which was swimming in a sea of onions (I prefer mine with only green onions).
Is this the place to go to experience the height of Chinese cuisine? No. But for a takeout place it hits the spot.

I ordered from Chinalite after a rave review from a co worker. We ordered Schezuan Beef, Schezuan Eggplant, Orange Chicken, Crab Rangoon, and Hot Sour Soup. The Eggplant was inedible, the Orange Chicken had a bitter aftertaste and was not good, the Beef was acceptable but not good, and the soup was not great.
It was a let down. I had to drive to China town a few days later to get my good chinese food fix…

Chinalite was marketed to me (Didn’t check Unilocal,sorry… I’m new to this thing) as a «Healthy» chinese place. I didn’t try the monster rangoons, but if I get a chance to go here again, I’ll do so.
I was looking for quick, easy Chinese food, and that’s what I got. Parking situation/​Construction Situation/​One-​Lane Road situation was horrible in that neighborhood… That kind of upset me. They promised me 10 minutes, and I walked in just as she was bringing my food from the kitchen… Exactly 10 minutes. They get 4 stars just for that.
The sesame chicken was really sweet and mostly bread… I wasn’t a huge fan. The chicken pieces inside of it were bigger than most, and the portion was huge (for $ 8 it better be). The lunch specials (like so many other «Chinese» restaurants in Chicago) were a good deal.
Restaurant décor was fair. It was a typical chinese restaurant.
In all, not a bad place to eat, but I’d advise taking out rather than eating in.

Fuck Jimmy Johns, this place has the fastest delivery ever. I ordered at 2:31 Sunday afternoon and my food was there at 2:47. Sixteen minutes from the time of order is pretty spiffy. The delivery driver must be on crack hooray for crack!
I’ve only gotten fried rice and egg rolls from here so my review is based solely on that. I’ve had the veggie rice and the combo one as well and am always satisfied. The rice is loaded with lots of vegetables and big hunks of chicken beef and shrimp. It’s greasy, but when your hung-​over from 18 vodka and sodas that’s all you can ask for. The egg rolls were not any better or worse than any other egg roll I’ve ever had in my life.
One thing I will say is why can’t they send me some extra hot mustard. It’s not just this place but also every Chinese place I’ve ever ordered from. Please let me have more than one packet of hot mustard. It’s like liquid gold.