527 Cafe

The service was good and they were helpful. Place is clean and not packed like Joy Yee. For a Sunday afternoon it wasn’t packed. Started with the popcorn chicken (non spicy) and it was so good. I had the Taiwan beef noodle soup which was so good and I asked for less spice, plenty of meat in there which was so tender. You can definitely share this for two! My husband had the kimchi fried rice which he really liked, but I thought the soup and chicken were way better. Can’t wait to go back and try more.

My mom and I were looking for a nice lunch after my Northwestern interview, so we decided on Joyee’s. Since 527 and Joyee’s are right next door, we almost accidentally stepped into 527 but then made our way into Joyee’s, which didn’t have many customers. So then we quickly walked out and back into 527. Safe to say, we were pleasantly surprised by the homey atmosphere of the café. The cashier gave us suggestions as it was our first time there. We first ordered the pork and rice, and the beef noodle soup. The pork and rice came out first, and it exceeded our expectations. Then the noodle soup came out. I thought I ordered a phở type soup, but it’s definitely not. It’s spicier and had a different tangy-​ness which I didn’t enjoy, maybe it was too unfamiliar for me. So then I asked to exchange the order for popcorn chicken salad and the employee was nice enough to make the change at no cost! The popcorn chicken salad was great and simple! The fried batter on the chicken was unique and tasty. I would definitely order it again.
TL;DR:
Pros: customer service, innovative dishes
Cons: misleading menu photos

Kimchi Fried Rice was very underwhelming. Very dry and not as flavorful as I was expecting… also like maybe 2 slices of kimchi in there?
Their dumplings were delicious though! I would come here just for that.
Otherwise, nothing to write home about.

The only place to get good Taiwanese food in Evanston. Love the pork with rice (lu lou fan) and the beef noodoh (niu lou fan). Good and quick service as well, will come back.

I think Joy Yee’s popularity and location next to 527 overshadows this place, but 527 is a great place to satisfy your Taiwanese food cravings.
My friends and I ordered some bok choy and dumpling appetizers, and I ordered a sausage fried rice and a guava/​peach green tea with pearls.
At 527, you need to go up to the counter to order; we ended up awkwardly waiting for 10 minutes before realizing.
All the food, while not spectacular, was enough to be comforting and tasty! My tea was a little watery and the pearls had little flavor, but it was enough to remind me of California boba. My fried rice was topped with 肉松, which was bomb mixed in with everything else.
Overall, 527 is a little slice of home in Evanston; I will definitely be back when I’m craving some comfort Asian food!

BEEF noodle soup.
The beef is top quality and falls apart right when you bite in. You get 3 huge chunks of satisfying and perfectly textured meat. It’s so satisfying.
The one thing I didn’t expect is that the beef noodle soup is spicy. It’d be nice if they ask if I wanted it to be spicy, since I personally believes the spiciness subtracts from the soup itself.
Service is alright, a little unresponsive.

From what I understand this is one of the rare Taiwanese restaurants in the Northshore. This is clearly a mom and pop shop that is not only refreshingly local but cook some good comfort food. I would consider 527 Café the healthier, fresher alternative to the busy Joy Yees down the block!
I usually order the popcorn chicken, but I have ventured into the beef noodle soup and other dishes. It is a bit pricier than I want, but I understand this is not a franchise, but a small-​time Taiwanese family trying to make a living. I have not had the drinks, but they are on the high end in price as well. Everything tastes homemade, and the best thing is that all of the dishes taste good to great. Support local!

I really wish I could give a place a ZERO star. The food here is probably the worst I’ve ever eaten… Ever! I can usually find something, but here, never again. The fish I ordered had some sort or sweet curry or coco powder and cold rubbery sausage that made me lose my appetite instantly. My girlfriend ordered a pork and rice dish that was so greasy. We probably ate 1 – 3 bites then threw in the towel. Totally regret and it ruined a perfectly nice date night. Shouldve 8 just walked 10 more steps next door to Joy Yee’s…

I have yet to eat at this location in person. We have gotten take-​out three times now… and it has been a hit each time. The first time my partner and I were in the mood for dumplings and read a review that 527 Café had scrumptious ones. The review was correct. We’ve gotten their dumplings every order since. The next two times I ordered the chicken kimchi fried rice and am completely hooked. It is extraordinarily flavor and filling. I was able to make it dinner and lunch the next day because of the excellent portions! And it is well priced. Although we have only gotten take out, we have noticed how very friendly the staff have been each of the three times. As a result of the great flavors, personal and prices, 527 Café has definitely become one of our favorites in Evanston!

one of the best taiwanese food in Chicago, i would say it is authentic, the portion is huge too
the only reason I’m not giving it a higher rating is because of the service, the waiters are nice, but it seems like they are a bit under staffed, it took us half an hour to get our bubble tea

This is a nice small restaurant good for brunch, lunch or dinner. They have Taiwanese breakfast (Soymilk) and Korean dishes. When I came here I got Kimchi Fried Rice and Fried Tofu. Both were really good — the first bite literally made my mouth water. The fried tofu has a flavorful, crunchy exterior and a soft warm interior.
The reason why I give this restaurant 4 stars is because it isn’t the best KFR (kimchi fried rice) that I’ve had, and I’ve had better for slightly cheaper. However, the KFR here is delicious nonetheless and they give you huge portions. If your in the area and you’re looking for a bit to eat, whether it be for brunch or dinner, I would definitely recommend coming here.

Sometimes I wish I could barge into Joy Yee’s and give a PSA that 527 Café is right next door and is definitely a way better option for fresh, healthy, and delicious food. It just makes me upset whenever I walk by and 527 is empty while Joy Yee’s is bursting with customers, most of whom have never had authentic Asian food.
They recently upped their prices for about 10%. Also, they don’t give a Wildcard discount. Wah. Stars of the menu are the Beef Noodle Soup (sometimes a little salty), Korean taco, and Pork with Rice (a little oily… but when I mentioned to the worker, she pointed out that it’s pork belly. Of course it’s oily. Point taken).
The only confusing dish is the Kimchi Fried Rice. UGH — read my other reviews and I’m always complaining about Kimchi Fried Rice. The portion is large, the meat is generous, and they give you a nice sunny side up egg on top. But they also use some kind of red ketchup-​y sauce… it’s more sweet than spicy. Kimchi Fried Rice isn’t supposed to be made with any sauce, and it unfortunately takes away from it.
Despite the increasing prices and disappointing KFR, I can always depend on 527 for consistently delicious and fresh food and a chill meal with friends.

Located next to the ever-​so-​popular, Joy Yee, I would highly suggest stopping by 527 Café to avoid the hustle and bustle next door. 527 is run by a couple with very few helpers.
You order up front and food is brought to the table. The menu selections are unique since there are a variety of Taiwanese style dishes and other Asian fusion dishes as well.
Their sweet potato plum fries are highly recommended! They are sweet with a touch of tang and crispy to perfection. I also usually order pork with rice or pork chop with rice. Just a word of caution: make sure to differentiate one or the other. I’ve ordered pork chop with rice and got the pork rice instead. I’ve also had their milk tea with boba and Taiwanese shaved ice before. I didn’t really care for the milk tea (slightly overpriced) but the shaved ice was great!
Overall, I highly recommend 527 Café if you are looking for a quiet and fast place to eat!

Updating this review as 527 is now home to our favorite dish in all of Evanston, the fried tofu.
The fried tofu is absolutely the bomb shiggity. Three big squares of lightly fried soft tofu, topped with kim chi and served on top of two sauces — one that seems like a spicy mayo and the other that’s more like a teriyaki. The thing is only $ 6. Do yourself a favor and order it.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — –PREVIOUS REVIEW:
Had a great little meal here.
The restaurant is very casual and full of trendy plastic chairs so it’s a good spot for lunch or takeout, but not dinner.
I ordered the Korean sushi roll and the dumplings. Both were good. Boyfriend ordered some kind of broth based udon/​meat soup.
Overall I like the vibe in this place and will have to go back to try a few more of the 475 menu items they offer. The flavored shaved ice looks awesome and is entirely more enormous than it appears in the photo, FYI.

I love the red bean shaved ice!!! It was awesome!!!

This place was dead when I was there in July! I am thinking because students are not that plentiful anymore but I got a bit nervous that the food wasn’t going to be that great. I was pleasantly surprised! I got the beef noodle soup like everyone recommended on here and it was pretty tasty! The meat was a bit fatty but the noodles were a good texture. Reminded me of bun bo hue but lacked a bit of umph. I wish it had a bit more veggies than I got, which was one sad piece of bok-​choy. I actually had enough for leftovers– heats up really well!
Wish I had room for the shaved ice! It looks incredible in all the photos. Would come here just for that next time!
We sat by the window and I didn’t notice until after we sat there that there were a tooonnn of dead flies at the window. made the food less appetizing to me…

I like how quiet the restaurant is. When I came today, most of the customers were by themselves. They seemed peaceful and happy, as they munched away on their food in blissful solitude. Another girl typed away on her computer as she sipped on an iced drink. I think 527 offers Taiwanese styled comfort food and the food also tastes healthy so people are always attracted to it. I always have nice, peaceful conversations in this restaurant. The food always fills me up as well :).
It’s impressive because not many cooks are hacking away in the kitchen, but they offer well prepared dishes that are quite beautiful to look at as well. The servers are very nice, and you pay before you sit down, so make sure you add a tip!
I had the salmon salad today, and my friend ordered the mustard green noodle soup.
I liked the freshness of the salad and the light miso dressing. The thin slice of salmon on top was excellent. The soup tasted mild and friendly to the stomach, and the noodles were cooked perfectly.

I was pretty disappointed with 527 :(I ordered the taro tea, popcorn chicken and pork chop and noodle soup to share. The taro tea was terrible, popcorn chicken was too small and not spicy (even though I ordered spicy) and the pork chop and noodles were meh. I liked the noodle SOUP though (not the noodles).
The restaurant is a order, pay, and choose your seat kind of place but you have to ask for water and water cups everytime you need water which could get annoying.

My boyfriend and I love 527 ! BEEF NOODLE SOUP (this is basically all I’ve eaten here)
Advice #1: Go for lunch. Preferably right when it opens, which is 1130 a.m. We would wait to go at that specific time because at no other is the beef as tender, as fresh and juicy… Sprinkle some sriracha onto noodles before consumption and you’re DONE.
Advice #2: Lesser known — 527’s milk tea bubble tea is excellent.
Advice #3: If it’s bright out, don’t sit by the windows as your eyes will hurt.
There’s something about it. I don’t often call restaurants «chill» but if I did this would be it. The owner kind of hangs out in the kitchen, makes DELICIOUS beef noodle soup, brings it to your table, and you’re off on your own. No waiters asking you if this and that is okay, if you have a cold. You just get your food, enjoy, look out onto Davis St, bring the plates back. Finito. What else?

As a Taiwanese native, I feel the food here has always been underwhelming. The Taiwanese dishes here always taste like they have been diluted in flavor (esp. the beef noodle soup). I really want to like this place but it’s really just A-​OK, maybe I should try some of the non Taiwanese dishes on the menu.
However, some pluses about this place is that they have some pretty neat drink options (pink cow float) and they have Taiwanese shaved ice, although the shaved ice is pretty average in my opinion. But I’m glad they do offer these options.
Deco is modern and place is clean. You have a number and you place it on the cardholder for the waiter to bring the food to you. This place employs a lot of NU students, be sure to leave some tip!