Lai Lai

My family gets the ja jang (noodles in black bean sauce, pork, and veggies) and jamb pong (spicy noodle soup with seafood and veggies) sometimes after we shop at Assi Plaza. Not bad. I like the ja jang better. Friendly staff.
It took less than expected for a food court. Ordered at Bob Sang Korean Kitchen before here, but our Lai Lai food managed to come out before the Bob Sang Korean Kitchen food.
Since it is a food court, it is relatively accessible. You might need to move some tables and chairs. The grocery store restroom is close to the food court and has a spacious accessible stall.

Went here for the first time and I would have to say they have the best Orange Chicken in Niles. The plate was $ 11 and it came with a small portion of rice. Could have been More generous with the rice but the chicken was on point! Can’t wait to try the wings.

The first time I ate at the Assi Plaza /​Market food court, I ate at Lai Lai to try out their famous half & half Jjahm Jja Myun (½ Jjahm Bbong & ½ Jja jahng myun). Ever since I tried the half & half + Tahng soo yook, I have been hooked.
I went back yesterday for jja jahng myun & Lai Lai did not disappoint. The lady who helped me this time was even more friendly than the first lady who helped me the first time I was there.
Even though it’s a bit of a drive, I plan on returning to this spot again often.

Pretty decent for quick food court food. We have only tried the Jjajangmyun n jjamppong. You can get half and half if you have the taste for both! Can’t wait to go back n try more off their menu.

This used to be my favoriate place for Korean-​Chinese fix until 3 years ago, but recently the quality and taste have been getting worse. I still go there from time to time because of the price, but I know I am getting what I pay for.

Lai Lai beats every Chinese Korean restaurant with jam pong I have ever been to. The soup is the just right amount of spice and very clean. I also love this place because you can get a jam ja combo where you get black bean noodles (ja jang myun) on one side and the seafood noodle soup (jam pong) in the other. Great place for lunch!

The best Chinese restaurant hands down. I am not speaking about the authentic Chinese food but the American Chinese food such as orange chicken. The orange chicken at this location is crispy and the sauce is only comparable to great sea Chinese restaurant in Chicago. Great food.

I was a little skeptical when Kenny told me that a Chinese restaurant called Lai Lai in the Assi Plaza has jjajangmyun and jjamppong. A couple of friends had recently been to the Lai Lai in downtown Chicago and the jjajangmyun lover said that she didn’t really like theirs. So upon hearing the name Lai Lai, I immediately thought that it’s the same restaurant.
Fortunately, while I have no idea whether the two restaurants are connected, this particular Lai Lai had a pretty tasty jjajangmyun and jjamppong combination dish (#3 on the menu) for $ 8.50. My cravings for jjajangmyun was finally satisfied! The flavor of the jjajangmyun was so good! The jjamppong was pretty decent too, but I think I’ve had better in Chicago.
I am definitely going to want to stop by here every time I go to Assi now. I love jjajangmyun!

You have to try their Delicious seafood noodle soup. It is #2 on the menu. If there is a magic way to shrink all the distance between my house to Lai Lai, I would have my lunch there every single day.
I stopped here after a trip to Evaston. I needed some Asian groceries and read the wonderful reviews about this place. Lai Lai is nested in a small food court within Assi Market. I ordered the Jjajang myun (#1 on the menu) and Jampong (Chinese-​Style Seafood Noodle Soup) to go. A cute young man took care of the order and kindly took the package out of counter and put it in my shopping cart. when he saw me come back with my kid. Nice.
He packed the noodles separately so noodles were not mushy when I mixed the sauce with noodles 45 minutes later at my home. Kids liked Jjajang myun a lot as the black bean sauce was all over their faces in the end. I do loved the taste of noodles but didn’t care the onions in that.
I absolutely loved Jampong which has a perfect spicy kick with good amount seafood. The noodles were chewy and flavorful. The broth was in a light orange color and tasted so right with noodles.
The portion was huge for $ 15 for both dishes. I fed my family with these two dishes adding a few sliced cucumbers. Cannot really beat that.

«Peking noodle”/ja ja myung is what I come here for. Fresh tasting noodles, topped with Black bean sauce & julienne style cool cucumber… it’s delicious!
I crave this dish, happy to get my fix closer to home.
The Seafood Noodle dish is tasty. large plump shrimp, tender squid, and spicy sauce. (same noodles)
Located in Korean Asian supermarket, Assi.
Casual atmosphere, Order at the counter, cafeteria style seating.
Comes with side dishes, small pieces of raw white onion and black seaweed paste that you dip together and eat. Not sure why it taste so good. Haha.
Good deal! Big portion, cheap price. My kind of meal.
Get your grocery shopping or asian snacks while your at it.:)

the jjam jja myun (half jja jang myun and half jjam bbong) is the best deal and tastiest thing on the menu. the split dish is less than $ 7 but dont make the mistake of ordering 1 per person. it was WAAAAY too much to finish.

i think they changed owners. the guy who owned it before was awesome!!!
but my recent experience with the new owners was horrible. i found hair in two of my entrees. hair… that is unsanitary and disgusting. i wont be going back, and i used to go here all the time.

Wow~! This place is amazing! that ggangpoong chicken is straight up blazin~!! Jjajang myun is too legit, like MC hammer just one taste u won’t want to quit. i cannot lie everyone needs to give this joint a try. 5 STARS!

I love this place; I thought it was a panda express but it was only a large child at the front counter that resembles a panda.
J/​k
But seriously this place really satisfies the cravings of jajang and jambong. Both at the same time with half and half! The price will not hurt your wallet and the family there is very friendly. I love their lajamein, though not as good as Yu’s but still very good. I also like getting the orange chicken but putting on gangpoongi sauce on it. That is money!
Seriously best korean chinese food in the area. Hands down better than H-​Marts. Try it, you won’t regret.

This place is definitely worth the trip. If you’re familiar with Mandarin style Korean-​Chinese food, this place has all the popular dishes and their damn good.

Since my favorite Chinese restaurant underwent new management, the food there hasn’t tasted the same. Thank goodness, though, my mom found out that the previous owners hadn’t left the restaurant business at all, but instead moved over to a food court stall inside Assi Plaza!
I was thrilled to find out I could still get my delicious jja jang myun (black bean noodles), I only needed to drive out a little farther. Assi Plaza’s food court has a lot of other stands, but I have yet to venture from Lai Lai. Everything is delicious! You can order pretty much everything for take-​out except for the jja jang myum/​champong (seafood noodle) combo dish (I think it’s #3). Also, the fried rice is wonderful.
Reasonably priced, it’s a lot of food for not too much cost! The portions are generous so you really get your money’s worth. Hmmm maybe I’ll make my way there for lunch today…