Red Chopsticks

Pretty underwhelming, just «ok». We came in the afternoon and were one of three people there, and yet the service was lacking. Had to wait a while at the front and eventually seated ourselves because no one was present. Lots of vegetarian options, which is awesome. The portions are quite large and I enjoyed a few more reheated meals out of my entrée.
For an appetizer, I had the hot and sour soup. I’m a wimp, but I found it overpoweringly spicy. Also, so much oil and salt, definitely much different than the hot and sour soups I have tasted before. Didn’t finish it, but my mom seemed to enjoy the rest.
My entrée was stir fried mixed vegetables. Mysterious sauce on top that I would like the recipe for. That’s pretty much it, nothing too exciting.
I’ll probably go back and try some of the other recommended dishes. I have hope.

I’ve been wary to come to Red Chopsticks but my parents dragged me here with a Groupon and it surprisingly was pretty good for the burbs!
The décor is nice and modern, servers were pleasant (although none of them azn?), and service was very fast. They also have a traditional Asian menu which I recommend you to order off of.
We had the general tsos chicken (really tasty in a naughty way), fried green beans (a little salty), basil eggplant (not too basily, very tasty but super oily), chili bean fish filet (pretty good), and the Red chopsticks seafood noodles (pretty tasty but kinda rameny flavored).
Overall, Red Chopsticks exceeded my expectations, will probably be back again!

Had cashew chicken and curry fried rice. Really fresh food. Large sizes. Atmosphere is good.

Im sorry. I believe every restaurant deserves a shot in the biz… But this is unacceptable. Its simply not fair to disrespect the culinary craft, open a restaurant, and serve people walmart food. I feel like the owners were low on budget and figured «fuck it we’ll use the majority of the loan money on a beautiful venue and hire a bunch of ammateur cooks». Big fail. The food tastes like packaged chinese tv dinners. Rice tasted microwaved. Pad tai was as orange as an oompa loompa and probably less tasty… a joke. Noodles and company is 5 star in comparison.
Message to the owners… Please invest your earnings (if any) into pro chefs who can cook. Restaurants fail for having shitty food more than anything else. Props on the clean bathrooms. But Id rather poop out some excellent food in a hole in the wall.

For some reason, I’m not blown away by Red Chopsticks. The food is good, as in there’s nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t seem good enough to put Red Chopsticks in that all-​important restaurant rotation. I agree that the servers could use some perking up — they aren’t the peppiest or most attentive bunch, but I wouldn’t call it bad. Just not good enough, as is the restaurant itself, to stand tall against the other multitude of Asian-​cuisine places in Naperville/​Aurora.
I will say this, though; the décor is amazing. Compared to the usual cheap look of most strip-​mall Thai restaurants, Red Chopsticks was refreshing.
One more tip: avoid the egg rolls. They were dry and full of some sort of rice, not packed with fish and other goodies like other places. Nor Red Chopsticks’ specialty.

Ok so we have been here 3 times now. Food is always amazing, great portion, price and taste. The problem with this place has always been the service. First visit was good but not great, the second was mediocre, third was just horrible.
Let me say none of these times were they ever very busy either. Will we return again yes but just for food alone. They Def need to up the anti on their service and staff if they plan on staying around.
I’m not saying that the food isn’t prompt or slow service it’s the staff. They are just not into their jobs I know who is but use your brains is all I’m saying.

My hubby and I tried this restaurant for the first time last week and we were quite impressed.
Décor: Beautiful modern décor. Sleek, clean bathrooms. Fantastic exterior design.
Service: Top notch. Our server was helpful, prompt, and quick to refill water glasses.
Food:
We started with the Crispy Vegetarian Egg Rolls. Wonderfully crispy with a mixture of veggies and something like a fine rice noodle inside. The homemade sweet and sour on the side was one of the best I have tasted. We really enjoyed these.
We split two entrees: Basil Eggplant and Braised Tofu. I really loved the flavor of the Basil Eggplant. And the eggplant itself was perfectly cooked — it melted in our mouths. The only improvement I would make is to serve this dish on a bed of chow fun noodles. That would make it out-​of-​this-​world good. The Braised Tofu was fine. I didn’t think the sauce had a lot of flavor, so I mixed that dish in with the Basil Eggplant and drizzled a little of the leftover sweet and sour sauce on top. Then it was delicious. What I will say about the tofu is I like the way it was prepared. They deep fry it before adding sauce, I like that texture as opposed to the more silky texture of unfried tofu.
We opted to go with the fried rice on the side of one of the entrees ($ 1 upcharge) — it was vegetarian fried rice with small cut mixed veggies. I liked the fried rice, it was light and not overly salty.
We also got the complimentary hot Chinese tea which really hit the spot. And good news — my fortune cookie told me that I would have a comfortable retirement, how nice is that?
We look forward to going back and trying some of the other vegetarian items on the menu.

This restaurant is quite noticeable from the road and I immediately wanted to try it (but not immediately). I put it on the mental list and was reminded of the restaurant when Amazon emailed me with a list of local deals. $ 20 or $ 10! Surely it was the sign from the food gods instructing me to go eat at Red Chopsticks. Sunday was the big day and I read through the Unilocal reviews to see if there were any outstanding dishes I should try.
Instead of coming away with a narrowed down list of options, I was filled with doubts. Why are there so many mixed reviews? The service was great, our drinks sat empty for a very long time, über attentive, service was also *incredibly* slow, MMM, completely flavorless, the food was very good, dishes were luke warm… I didn’t know what to expect. I bet you are dying to know. Well, read on.
I came for an early Sunday dinner and the inside was bigger than I thought it was. The restaurant was about 25% full, which seems like a lot for early dinner. I waited a minute before the hostess greeted me and showed me to a table. I had skipped lunch, so I was famished. Our waitress was very nice, and very busy, so our service ended up being a little slow. And when I’m hungry, time doubly slow down, so you can imagine. Here are the dishes I tried:
Chicken Pad Thai $ 9 — Big portion, funky red color, noodles done well, overall decent. I just wonder why some places make pad thai that has this overly reddish color.
Salt and Pepper Fish Fillet $ 14 — MMM! This dish was delicious. Just the right amount of salt (on the salty side in a good way) and tastu flavoring from the onions and jalepeno (non-​spicy). The fish fillet are breaded and cut into bite size.
Summary: The food was good, the price is comparable to other Thai restaurants in the area, the décor is modern and clean, and the service is friendly but slightly slow.

We had dinner here once and then also tried lunch here. Both time we were very happy with the food and services. Nice to see another nice Chinese restaurant in this area.
The lobby was decorated modern and elegant. Dark wood color with red blocks give the whole place some cool and Asian flavor. We had a huge group for the dinner so we were seated in kind of separated area with a few big round tables. They also have a nice bar area.
We had pre-​ordered food for dinner which included some dishes on the menu like braised Tofu, Peking duck but most of them were special requested like Crabs with salted egg yolks, lobster with scallion and ginger, and Braised Pork Belly etc. The cold dishes were Shanghai style smoked fish, braised beef, and braised duck. I have to say I loved every single one of them.
Peking duck were marinated and roasted perfectly with crispy skin and tender meat. Crabs and Lobsters were fresh and cooked just right. Braised Tofu and Shanghai style smoked fish were surprise tasty which reminded me of my hometown flavor. Really hard to find in this area. I was told I could practically pre-​order any dishes I like in advance and they could cook it for me. Suddenly I had too many dishes in my mind I want to ask them to cook…
When we came in for lunch on a Friday, they were very busy. I liked it that the hostess told me that only two waiters here and we might need to wait a bit longer. Since I asked about the Braised Tofu, the waiter brought me another more Chinese oriented menu. We tried Tofu, Half Crispy duck, Pork belly with pickled veggie, and beef noodle soup. Half crispy duck was great but not as good as Peking duck. Pork belly was excellent. Even my kids liked both duck and pork belly meat. Beef noodle soup was not the best I have tried. I think the broth was not cooked long enough to have the right flavor.
The services were always great even they are busy. They do have 10% discount when you check in on Mobile Unilocal.So happy to dedicate my 200^th review to this place.

Four of us had carryout lunch from Red Chopsticks yesterday. I can’t speak to the restaurant itself because I never stepped inside, but the food left A LOT to be desired.
We all ordered the lunch portion of the Pad Thai. The lunch portion comes with an eggroll and your choice of Egg Drop or Hot and Sour Soup for $ 8 or $ 9, depending on which protein option you choose.
First, the eggrolls were completely flavorless. I did not see any chicken, only some very light vegetables. No pizazz, no zing, no nothing. We ended up feeding them to our dogs.
Second, the soups were also flavorless. I had a few spoonfuls of my Hot and Sour Soup and then threw it away.
Third, the Pad Thai was the least bad of the three items in terms of flavor. However, it was literally the color of Cheetos. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen bright orange Pad Thai in my life. Nor have I ever had Pad Thai with slices of yellow or white onions (I couldn’t tell which due to the orange color).
Truly, the best part of the lunch was the fortune cookie, which wasn’t made by Red Chopsticks.
Won’t be back.

If the food lived up to the décor, this place would be awesome.
The restaurant looks edgy and cool, from the vivid red exterior to the funky lamps to the wide booth seating.
Unfortunately, the food was just… your average Chinese food. Nothing stood out as being really unique.
I went with a friend, and they offered us a two-​person four-​course prix fixe meal: soup, appetizer, entrée and dessert.
My soup was Tom Yum, okay but very fish sauce-​y and very spicy.
Everything else was pretty standard: egg rolls, Kung Pao beef and Orange chicken, and dessert of an almond cookie with ice cream.
Overall, this was decent, but why settle for that when there are so many Chinese restaurants around? It’s disappointing that the food wasn’t more ambitious or memorable.

Yesterday which was Chinese New Year we went for dinner here. Dinner was AWESOME. We had there Peking Duck which is served whole, had a special soup that was made for us, along with Mongolian Beef. Service was very good, our waiter (Tony) who has waited on us before was excellent also.
Have been there in the past, always good food. In the beginning service was spotty, but they have worked out all the kinks a new restaurant can have.
We have had the Orange Chicken, Brocc & Beef, and several other dishes. Each entrée can be shared as they are so larger. This is a plus as we’re all trying to make our $$ go farther.
They also do To Go, which last nigh seemed to be very busy, but you didn’t have to wait because of it.

So Red Chopsticks is a new restaurant that has sprouted among the retail weeds of New York and Rt. 59. (In case you’re brain has blocked out the eyesore of the dying strip mall, its the one with the Best Buy and the Fox and the Hound). The building sticks out since it’s structure is unique, with bright red paneling. A few of my co-​workers and I have been dying to get in there, but after a particularly hard workout session, my sister and I decided to treat ourselves to a night of Pad Thai.
Ambiance: You can tell this is a place that is still definitely still trying to get their sea legs. The layout itself is typical of a fast casual eatery — attractive tables and booths laid out in grids. That’s pretty much where it ends though, since you are greeted at the door by a fairly well stocked bar and really beautiful golden wire lamps. (I’m a sucker for the aesthetic; these things amplify an experience for me).
Service: Here’s where Red Chopsticks really shined. The place was totally empty when we walked in, but all the of the waitstaff seemed diligently working. (Granted, we walked in around 8:30; I’m guessing we missed the dinner rush.) Our waiter Pablo was a total sweetheart and did not leave us wanting for anything. He was on top of refills, met every request with a smile, and checked up on the food twice. Though I can’t remember her name, our hostess was also equally polite, saying she hoped we enjoyed our experience. I know saying something like that is so minor and automated for restaurants, but she was so earnest and I am absolutely convinced that it really *was* important to her (and all the waitstaff we encountered) that we enjoyed our experience.
Food: And then we get to the food. The food itself was solid, but we didn’t really get anything that blew us away. The crab rangoon was typical; the standout was the thin and slightly spicy duck sauce we had for dipping. The Chicken Satay was sadly a little chewy and there simply was not enough peanut sauce served for the two piece set. My sister asked for the Pad Thai with curry and tofu, which was absolutely delicious. We also got the Sesame Chicken, which avoided the over-​sweet tendency of most other restaurants.
Over all, it was a good meal at a great price. For all the food listed above, it was about $ 35 without tip. I’d say if you’re shopping in the area and are craving Asian food that isn’t Panda Express, Red Chopsticks is a pretty solid choice.

Best, most authentic Sichuan mapo tofu outside of Chinatown. Excellent cumin lamb. Service is good and friendly. I’ve eaten here 5 times since it opened and I’m on my way in for #6. I love this place.

When we saw this place under construction, my wife and I figured this was going to be the new home of a former favorite brewpub that had shut down months before. Once it was complete… well, no. The outside grabs your attention, at least in reference to the surrounding buildings. Needless to say, we were intrigued. And on one night when my wife suggested Thai, I suggested Red Chopsticks.
Style-​wise everything is very clean and modern, which is a refreshing break from the usual dreary, worn-​out décor of every Chinese restaurant you’ve ever been to. It is, as others have said, very bright inside… but for me, it worked. Considering the presentation our instincts began to wonder «is this a chain?», and we’d find out through the magic of Google that this place had ties to Oysy sushi restaurants which I had loved when I lived in downtown Chicago.
The menu is very normal, there are no surprises and it reads like a Chinese takeout menu. Sure there are Thai dishes on here, but it’s mostly Chinese fare. I’m not complaining, since Naperville has a dearth of decent Chinese restaurants (PROVE ME WRONG FELLOW UnilocalERS!). I’m not the most discerning Chinese foodie as just last week I’d accidentally eaten my boss’s chicken teriyaki dish as opposed to the kung pao chicken I’d ordered. But I digress. I took the menu for a basic test drive and ordered the standby General Tso’s chicken while the wife ordered the equally-​adventurous beef with broccoli. Both were the best we’ve had in the area. I also had the egg drop soup, which should be forgettable but actually left an impression.
Our server was Tony, and he was ridiculously attentive and polite. Food came out very quickly. I should point out the restaurant had a decent crowd too. Overall a great experience and we’ll be back for sure. Can’t say I’d give this place a 5 star review as there are other Chinese restaurants (not in the area) that I love… plus Red Chopsticks was playing Kenny G while we were there. I generally like music from the 90’s, but there’s no excuse for Kenny G.

Nice to have a casual Asian restaurant with a full service bar in Aurora. It’s a very modern, new restaurant. The prices are reasonable, the food was excellent, as one reviewer says here the servers are inexperienced but I’ve had much worst service from very experienced servers. The service was attentive and that’s what you look for the most from a server. I will definitely go back and it’s close enough for me and take out. So much better than most of the other Asian restaurants in the area. Give it a try, I think some of the negative reviews are a result of growing pains for a new place.

I can’t really review the food or service, because we walked out before being greeted by a server.
The hostess was dressed inappropriately casual, wearing a Gilly Hicks hooded sweat shirt, faded skin tight yoga pants and a pair of sneakers. Not a great first impression.
When we were brought to our table, she literally sat us at the smallest table in the place even though the majority of tables were open.
The lights were on so bright throughout the restaurant that it was like being in a hospital cafeteria. In fact, the table we were seated at was like sitting underneath a heat lamp.
So, while it smelled delicious, my gut told me that burning a date night with my husband on this place was a mistake — so we left.
If management is okay with the presenting image of their place being so lazy and with little to no thought put into the ambience, there’s no way they rotate their walk in or clean their kitchen appropriately.
Sorry, Red Chopsticks. It could have been awesome.

An ok place with a spacious and clean interior, and nice large tables. Wife and I had two lunch specials — kung pao chicken and beef pad thai, each $ 8. The lunch specials come with an egg roll and soup, and the lunch specials are overall fairly generous. The orangish pad thai noodles were a bit stringy and undercooked. The chicken was ok, but everything was on the slightly salty side for our tastes. They carry American desserts like mousse cheesecake and tiramisu. Service was attentive and the numerous employees/​servers at this new place seemed well prepared.

Look up at the ceiling for amazing lighting and décor. Very modern interior, great Thai and Chinese menu items.
I ordered a hot tea, which came in a mug with a handle, not a more traditional handle-​less cup. I was debating whether I should try a couple of appetizers and the pineapple fried rice, but since I was by myself, I decided to just order one entrée and take any leftovers home for lunch the day after.
I settled on the Pad See Lew with shrimp. Delicious! Large pieces of greens, thick and caramelized rice noodles, delicious shrimp. MMM.
There are also tons of vegetarian options so there’s something for everyone. Even folks w allergies if you know what to look for or ask for.
My waiter, Pablo, was über attentive and incredibly curteous. I had come in at an odd time, 5:30 pm so the dining room was almost empty with about three or four other tables being occupied. I usually see tons of cars in the parking lot.
Between the cool décor, very nice menu, proximity to my house, and great service I will be back soon!

Giving this place five stars is insane.
All of the staff with which we interacted were incredibly inexperienced; they didn’t know how to host, how to handle plates, how to take our order, how to check up on us… nothing. The service was also *incredibly* slow – despite the restaurant being, at most, half full. Our server did apologize for the delay, which is at least something.
When I finally got my kung pao tofu, it was lukewarm at best. The sauce was acceptable – it tasted canned, honestly – but the tofu and vegetables were rubbery and poorly-​cut. My wife’s thai basil chicken was missing peppers, which the manager confirmed was, indeed, not how it should have been prepared. According to my wife, while not bad, it was nonetheless very bland. We ordered crab rangoon, which was practically flavorless, and hot tea, which as far as I could tell was Lipton (and served in typical diner cups; we were not given a pot).
Yes, the décor is very nice, though the space is cavernous and was very loud despite the lack of customers; our waitress had a hard time hearing my order.
Now, sure, for the money, the food is not too bad; you can get a dinner for two and pay less than $ 30. But I don’t think it’s any better than your average hole-​in-​the-​wall takeout joint. A chain restaurant like Stir Crazy seems like gourmet Asian compared this this place.
I realize that this place is new, and the manager was telling us that they are still working out the kinks, but, honestly, it would need to get a LOT better before we think of going back there.