For some reason, this gem of a restaurant often gets forgotten... likely because Chicago is a relatively tiki-rich city. Chef Shangri-La deserves a visit, as its drinks are spot-on, and the food is predictably and somehow appropriately mediocre. The place has a sort of almost neglected, run-down feel, but the bones are there, and there are tikis everywhere. The bar in particular has recently undergone a rare remodel that has improved the feel of the place.
Chef Shangri-La himself, owner Paul Fong, could often be found there before his passing in 2012. Before opening his own Polynesian restaurant, Fong was the chef at the now-defunct Shangri-La
The restaurant has a few Witco pieces, including a very large Ku that greets you immediately upon entry. These pieces are some of the last Witco items produced; Witco went out of business one year after Chef Shangri-La opened.
The bar and restaurant also includes a small gift shop.
Some great potential, but the establishment seems to walk right past it. Felt more like a sports bar with football on TV, no music, and no tiki mugs at all. You are welcome to buy a plastic tiki mug (extremely cheap), or a glass tiki-esque fishbowl. The drinks are decent, but dont expect much more.
Classic Chinese restaurant with a strong retro tiki vibe. Drinks were fair for what you'd expect. Food was good, but the kitschy decor is what makes this place worth the visit
We visited in the middle of the afternoon, when the place was nearly empty. That meant we could get some nice pictures of the decor, which is a perfectly-preserved (or restored) time capsule of 1970s exotica. They have an extensive "tropical" drink menu, but most of them are not classic tiki drinks. They tend toward sweet fruit flavors. The soundtrack during our visit was Israel Kamakawiwoʻole and other Hawaiian music, from early 20th century to contemporary. This is a special place, and I appreciate the effort they are making to preserve the genre of old school tiki-fied Chinese restaurant.
Some great potential, but the establishment seems to walk right past it. Felt more like a sports bar with football on TV, no music, and no tiki mugs at all. You are welcome to buy a plastic tiki mug (extremely cheap), or a glass tiki-esque fishbowl. The drinks are decent, but dont expect much more.
Classic Chinese restaurant with a strong retro tiki vibe. Drinks were fair for what you'd expect. Food was good, but the kitschy decor is what makes this place worth the visit
We visited in the middle of the afternoon, when the place was nearly empty. That meant we could get some nice pictures of the decor, which is a perfectly-preserved (or restored) time capsule of 1970s exotica. They have an extensive "tropical" drink menu, but most of them are not classic tiki drinks. They tend toward sweet fruit flavors. The soundtrack during our visit was Israel Kamakawiwoʻole and other Hawaiian music, from early 20th century to contemporary. This is a special place, and I appreciate the effort they are making to preserve the genre of old school tiki-fied Chinese restaurant.
This place has great Tiki potential, but the patrons in the bar were all absorbed in the sports games on the TVs. I think of a Tiki bar as a place to escape, not a place I want to see a bunch of TVs tuned to sports.
Perhaps, had a sat in the dining room I might have had a different experience. The other parts of Chef Shangri-La were very cool.
I went in May 2016 and it seems like a week later it was under new management (check Tiki Central for details). Glad we made it before the change. The food and drink, not the most awesome but its place in Chicagoland tiki is. I had visited a few years back and it was not doing well but I guess the owners daughter took over and really made it shine the last few years. Hopefully the new management will not run it into the ground.
THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!!! Seriously, it's like a mini Mai Kai. There's a fountain, tiki everywhere, a gift shop with cheap Hawaiian shirts, and floor shows on select nights. I especially like that it is a full service restaurant in addition to the tiki bar. This place is very family friendly and in a hip, urban neighborhood. I was most impressed with the Don The Beachcomber tikis on the back wall which is also decorated with tropical flair and the historical pictures of the place in the entry way. The only suggestion I would make would be to have a better selection of mugs available for sale. I really wanted a Dr Fu mug but they were out. Nonetheless...I highly recommend it. One of the best!!!
Went with some friends, and we all enjoyed every drink. 8 drinks done well in keeping to genuine tiki recipes. I appreciated that. And the decor was a lot of fun. We had kids with us, and they had a good time too.
Had a whirlwind day in Chicago recently and Chef Shangri-La was part of it! Drinks were good, staff was great and seems in good hands with the new generation!
Just a hipster's paradise! I can not wait to get back to Chicago to drive past the Hala Kahiki (sadly over rated) and boogie on down the road to the Shangri-La!!!
My favorite thing about this place was the side room, separated from the rest of the restaurant by a beaded curtain, where we found an elderly woman sleeping in a bed!