527 Cafe

This restaurant was recommended by my Chinese friends. I had their Takoyaki, Taiwanese Beef with Rice Noodle Soup and Taiwanese Style Fried Rice recently. Takouaki is really tasty and I highly recommend this but the other two are not good at all. Rice noodle soup had no any flavor, it just tasted like a mix of water and rice. Fried rice was too salty. To be honest, I might not go this place again even there are lots of others in their menu.

This is an amazing little cafe serving delicious Taiwanese food. Portions are extremely generous, and they don't skimp on meat. I was still finding chunks of beef in my beef noodle soup long after another restaurant's dish would have run out. For dessert, the shaved ice is highly customizable and great for sharing! Also, the employees were very nice. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone craving Taiwanese food, or trying it for the first time.

amazing, authentic taiwanese food - 10/10 recommend! i’m so happy to have found this spot. hidden between two joyee store fronts, 527 offers an infinitely better experience than its neighbor, both in terms of food and service. the food: overall everything i had was delicious and affordable. i ordered the beef noodle soup and was so pleased with the flavor of the broth and how soft and tender the pieces of beef were. at around $12 this is such great value in chicagoland where bowls of ramen go for $14+. the pork chop rice was also delicious, just like what you’d find at a local bento box place in taiwan :) crispy pork with a generous serving of rice topped with braised pork sauce and egg — you can’t go wrong! i would also highly recommend the fried mantou - crispy on the outside but soft and subtly sweet on the inside, with a delicious black sesame sauce drizzled on top, this is great as an appetizer or dessert. the service: you order at the counter and they bring the food to you. the business appears to be family run, with the daughter taking orders and the elderly man bussing the tables. the man was an absolute sweetheart and made the experience so pleasant. he was so incredibly polite i wish all servers were like him!!!

Taiwanese 527 Cafe is a must for all foodies! While the ice is not snowy like in Taiwan, the shave ice is absolutely delectable every time we have it....which is about twice a month winter and weekly summertime. During quarantine, we order curbside and the lovely staff(shoutout to jeje) will put it in a large box for us to pick up to eat in the car. Their spicy beef noodle was better than the ones we had in Taiwan; popcorn chicken was ok; three cup chicken savory; salmon fried rice light and hit the spot; Kalbi tacos are good and a whole lot more varieties to try. Go get your shave ice NOW!

Solid place to eat with decent food and prices. Their popcorn chicken is decent and the kimchi fried rice is okay. Service is always super fast and nice though so if you need to just grab a quick bite this is the place to go. The menu has a good variety of dishes, but not too many as to be concerning.