I stopped by the Naperville location for lunch today. Compared to the Westmont one where you order at the counter, this is a sit-down restaurant with waiters. You even get a fortune cookie with the check! (I would have preferred if they had kept it like Westmont.) I had the beef tendon noodle soup, which was as good as at Westmont, but in a different-shaped, slightly fancier, black-colored bowl. Mr Red Shirt was there, but not in a red shirt. He recognized and greeted me enthusiastically. I congratulated him on the new store and wished him happy Chinese new year.

Last night, Mrs. JiLS and I took full advantage of the fact that my brother's family lives in Naperville to combine a family get-together with dinner at Katy's new Naperville location. There has been plenty of comment on the food here and in the original Katy's thread, so I won't elaborate (simply concur with the praise). What I enjoyed most about our Katy's experience (and I did enjoy my szechuan beef noodle soup very much) was how great they were with my 4-year old niece. She felt very grown up, because she was treated with respect (and affection) by our server. Families, take your kids to Katy's Naperville. You and the kids will be happy here; top marks for those seeking kid-friendly dining.

I finally got to go to Katy's for the first time in Naperville. I ordered the Chengdu Dumpling not knowing what it was but my was it good. It was a pork dumpling soaking in a hot chili sauce and was awesome. My wife got a chicken and noodle dish but she asked for it bland for our son, but the noodles were still very good. The decor is horrible, but I find most of my favorite eats are from places like this. It is a nice addition to the west suburb eats circuit. I have three Asian joints in Naperville. Katy's, House of Emperor, and Joy Yee's. ranked in that order.

We stopped in on Friday night for take out. We asked our very friendly waiter if they were going to get a liquor license or if they would allow byob. I THINK he said they'd have their license by next week and he's allowing byob. I didn't bother to ask about corkage fees since the whole conversation was a little confusing. We had some fried rice, orange chicken and I ordered the Szechan style beef noodle soup. I don't know what I got, but it had no noodles. Since it was take out, I didn't know until it was too late but it was pretty good anyway. Everything else was excellent. The orange chicken was the hit.

After glancing at their menu, I'll have to check this place out next time I'm in the area. It's one of the few Chinese restaurant's that I've found with lamb on the menu. The only other I can recall is Beijing in Glen Ellyn.

Actually, Lao Szechuan in Downers Grove and Mapo in Naperville also have a few Lamb dishes, including "Xin Jang Style" which is awesome at Lao Szechuan. I only had Mapo's version once but it was disappointing, although Mapo is fantastic in general especially Szechan stuff. It will be intersteresting to see how Katy's compares though it will probably be a few visits until I work my way through the dumplings and noodles

Jean Blanchard wrote:We stopped in on Friday night for take out. We asked our very friendly waiter if they were going to get a liquor license or if they would allow byob. I THINK he said they'd have their license by next week and he's allowing byob. I didn't bother to ask about corkage fees since the whole conversation was a little confusing. We had some fried rice, orange chicken and I ordered the Szechan style beef noodle soup. I don't know what I got, but it had no noodles. Since it was take out, I didn't know until it was too late but it was pretty good anyway. Everything else was excellent. The orange chicken was the hit.

It was a funny night at Katy's - first I ran into Jean as I arrived, then Jim showed up toward the end of the meal, and finally Mr (Red, green, blue) shirt, who has always seemed half asleep and (almost) completely oblivious to my existence (fine by me, btw) greeted me like a long lost brother. Family night at Katy's.

The menu here is a great expansion even on the expanded menu at the Westmont Katy's. The traditional noodle delights are all there, but they occupy less than 1/2 page of what is now a 10 page tome, more like LSC than Katy's or FN.

We mixed the new and the old, starting with pot stickers. They seemed very doughy to me, with even more bready wrappers than normal. Not bad, but I like a slightly thinner wrap.

Then on to Beef Noodle Soup that was spot on. My dining companions were game, but as all around began to cough, cry and blow their noses it became clear that the rich combination of spices and chiles had done them in, so I was forced to finish the bowl on my own. Stir fried noodles with dried chiles were also as good as always. Stir fried chinese cabbage with garlic was beautiful - perfect little wedges of cabbage arranged on a plate with the right touch of garlicky sauce.

A fine meal, rich with flavor, attention to detail and surprising warmth from the staff and owner (surprising in the sense that they never behaved that way in Westmont).

As to alcohol, they expect to have their license this week and serve it. At first they did not want to allow us to open a bottle of wine we brought, but then they did. No corkage was charged, and the whole meal came in right around the LTH standard dinner price of $17 everything included.

A very good day in Naperville, indeed.

Sweet...the Naperville location is about 2 minutes from my work. Will have to hit it for lunch.

Kind of sad to see Jin's go as this was a regular lunch meeting place...not the greatest chinese food but I always enjoyed the lunch buffet. But if it had to go glad to have Katy's in its place.

I saw the credit card question asked upthread... cash only like Westmont?

I typically dont carry cash but will for my visit this Saturday for lunch if needed.

They take Visa and Mastercard

ube wrote:They take Visa and Mastercard

thank you, saves me a stop @ the ATM after Caputos Saturday morning.

I paid my maiden visit to Katy's Naperville yesterday at lunchtime. The new space, as has been noted is much larger than the Westmont location and is quite plush in comparison. Although my GPS got me to the Naperville strip mall with no problems, finding Katy's is a bit of a trick, since the signage from the previous restaurant is still prominent, with only a small paper sign in the window indicating that this is Katy's. As a bit of geographical assistance, Katy's is located about 5 -6 store fronts East of the Binny's in the same strip mall.

After being greeted by Mr. Red Shirt (sporting a tan number on that day), who inexplicably seems to now be able to speak quite acceptable English, our waiter took our order. Although we ordered some dumplings to start, the first dish to the table was one of the Westmont standbys, Stir Fried Onion Pancake With Shredded Pork. Surprisingly, this dish was a bit of a disappointment. It tasted more or less the same, but it was served only lukewarm and lacked the characteristic wok hay of the Westmont location. The fact that it made it out of the kitchen so quickly caused me to think that they had premade a batch and just scooped it onto a plate as ordered.

Katy's Naperville Stir Fried Onion Pancake With Shredded Pork


Next up was the Mr. Red Shirt recommended Suzhou Style Duck with Soy Sauce. This turned out to be the same cold duck that is sold in the cooler in Westmont, only served on a real plate instead of the usual plastic take out container.

Katy's Naperville Suzhou Style Duck with Soy Sauce


We also tried a dumpling dish from the new expanded menu, Dumplings in Spicy Sauce. I couldn't tell any difference between these and Changdu Dumplings, which are also on the menu. In any event, while these were perfectly fine the version served at LSC are clearly superior, as are the fatter pot sticker style dumplings made at Katy's. I'd avoid these next time.

Katy's Naperville Dumplings in Spicy Sauce


Next up was another stalwart, Dan Dan Noodles. The Naperville version of these were served much more dry than those in Westmont, although there was still plenty of broth to be had. I prefer this dryer version and will probably ask for it to be prepared that way on my next Westmont visit (if I can manage to communicate that request due to the language barrier).

Katy's Naperville Dan Dan Noodles


Another choice off the expanded menu was a dish called Griddle Cooked Spareribs. This was a fantastic dish, which is actually more of a casserole than what you would expect from the description. This dish, along with the Dan Dan Noodles, were my favorite items of the day. It's a casserole composed of spareribs in a spicy sauce redolent of Szechuan peppercorns, onions, bell peppers, scallions and who knows what else. It is brought to the table covered and bubbling in an earthenware casserole; then the cover is removed by the waiter with a flourish. These little ribs rival the deep fried ribs at Sun Wah for my favorite new (to me) preparation of spareribs of the last year. In fact, I prefer this rendition to the Sun Wah treatment.

Katy's Naperville Griddle Cooked Spareribs



To round out the meal, we also ordered some Stir-Fried Chinese Cabbage with Garlic. This dish was a nice counterpoint to all the other rich food, though it ended up being the least consumed of everything we ordered.

Katy's Naperville Stir-Fried Chinese Cabbage with Garlic


The service was very good, bordering on intrusive. We were one of only two tables occupied at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon, so this could account for the "overabundance" of attention we got from the waiter (refilling of water glasses after only 1 sip was taken; rearranging of our plates every time a dish was passed, etc.). All in all, this Katy's is really good, though I'd really have to have a hankering for those Griddle Cooked Spareribs to make me bypass the Westmont location and make the extra 15 mile drive to Naperville.

Katy's Dumpling House
790 Royal Saint George Drive
Naperville, IL 60563
630-416-1188

=R=

I'm in complete agreement w/Steve Z on all counts. The pancake does not develop it's full potential when served quickly @ room temp. I've had that problem @ Antiprima before. Delivered to table 3 mins after ordering and not even hot, as it should be if it were actually just made correctly. They've got 80-100,000 btu's back there. Wish they'd have used them for us. After the long ride, I began to pout @ this point.

But not for long. I preferred the Dan Dan dryer and coveted the griddled ribs in casserole. My problem with the cabbage/baby bok choy was the almost raw garlic. Refer to those specks in Steve's pix. If they were the least bit golden, or better yet, sliced and golden, it would have been fine for me and was the reason I only sampled lightly.

All and all, very good. Too far unless a very special hankering (ribs) or occasion though. From my house, Westmont is bad enough.

ronnie_suburban wrote:



=R=

I think he was expecting a genie to pop out when the cover was opened.

stevez wrote:I think he was expecting a genie to pop out when the cover was opened.

Or maybe one of those slinky-snake things.

nice pictures, and recap of your meal at katy's steve, I

wanted to try the spareribs for lunch today, maybe next time. I will post my pics & recap in a few minutes as soon as my camera is done downloading the photos .

Went to Katy's in naperville today for lunch while we were out doing some shopping for the Super Bowl menu in Naperville. We have eaten @ the Westmont location before, and were looking forward to the expansive menu the Naperville location offers.

Katy's was pretty empty @ 11:15, and had partially filled by the time we were done dining. Good service, and good food.

We started with egg rolls, and # 65 Chengdu Dumplings. The egg rolls were average, and the dumplings were pretty good, not on par with LSC as mentioned above, but pretty good, with some good spice. Next came the other dishes we ordered in quick succesion. # 51 Beef fried rice(for the non-spicy food eaters at our table). The beef fried rice was ok, I have had better fried rice at numerous places. # 53 Korean Fried Noodles with chicken(thats what we ordered but I think we got Korean noodle soup wich was all good). Probably the favorite of the table. Thick noodles in a spicy broth the dish not only contained chicken, but shrimp, beef, pork, and squid. A very nice dish. # 63 Stir Fried Onion Pan Cake w/ shredded pork. This dish also came with shrimp, and beef mixed in. Not a bad dish, but any dish loaded with onions will get a thumbs up from me. All the protein was cooked perfectly, and we enjoyed this dish. #189 Ants Climbing Tree. I was intrigued by the name, so I figured it was worth ordering. Thin noodles ina garlic/ginger/sesame oil sauce with bits of pork that was a pretty enjoyable dish.

All in all I like the "new" Katy's, I like the larger location, and the larger menu. However as before, for my tastes in the immediate area , I prefer LSC(Downers Grove), Fabulous Noodles(Lisle), and then Katy's(Westmont, or Naperville) in that order. A good addition to chain heavy Naperville, and we will return to Katy's at some point.

# 65 Chengdu Dumpling:



Should have been#53 But I think it is Korean Noodle Soup with chicken, squid, beef, pork, and shrimp(thick noodles were under the heaping ammounts of protein):



# 189 Ants Climbing Tree:



# 63 Stir Fried Onion Pancake w. shredded pork, beef, & shrimp:

We ate at Katy's in Naperville tonight after driving around not knowing about the Jin's sign because I did not read the post closely enough. They seem to have a good business. Personally I like having waiters and being able to use a credit card and having a larger more traditional Chinese restaurant space. Not hole in the wall, but not Hollywood either.

The onion pancakes with Pork were good as were the pot stickers, although I wish they had a better dipping sauce which seems to be pure soy sauce rather than a soy based sauce with green onions. The egg rolls were okay.

We had another really hot beef dish I neglected to find the name of but it was mostly for my companion. We took tons of food home with us.....good eats for tomorrow and maybe even beyond.

Headed there today for lunch. I am looking forward to it as I am already hungry. Review will follow.

My wife and I had lunch today at Katy's in Naperville. Not many people there at noon, probably only 4-5 tables filled. Perhaps they'll draw more when they get rid of the "Jin's Mandarin" sign on the building.

Started with the pork egg rolls. They were good, but pretty much average.

We ordered three dishes to share. My wife wanted the Kung Pow Chicken and she liked it a lot. I didn't have any because it's a bit spicy and I can't do that right now (just two weeks after gall bladder removal).

I wanted to try both the Beef Fried Noodles and the Stir-fried Onion Pan Cake with Shredded Pork, so we ordered both. I really liked both of these dishes, as did my wife. I thought the noodles had a great mouth-feel, thick and a bit chewy but not gummy. The onion pan cake also had a great mouth-feel, but didn't have a heavy onion flavor, which I wouldn't have cared for. I would highly recommend both dishes.

I'm not a big fan of oriental food, but I would definitely go back.

John Danza wrote: My wife wanted the Kung Pow Chicken and she liked it a lot.

I know you said you couldn't eat it due to your condition but, in your estimation, is their Kung Pao (Gōng Bǎo) chicken

American style like this?



Or more like the actual Szechuan - Chinese version such as what is served at Spring World?



additional image of the traditional version



I am curious because, while the American version of this dish is, with almost no exception, dull and not something I would order at an Ameri-chinese (or in the case of Katey's, one of the dishes that are cooked for the common American palate). However, the dish I have come to love at Spring World is fantastic... alive with ginger, scallion, dried "facing heaven" chile, Szechuan "flower pepper", and garlic... and would be worth seeking out just to have a comparison with SW (so far the undisputed king of Chicago when it comes to this dish).Thanks for indulging my digression.

Hi Stagger,

The Kung Pow/Kung Bo Chicken dish at Katy's looked more like the one you labeled "traditional", although I didn't see any whole chilis in it. Hope that helps.

John

It does... as long as there are no huge chunks of carrots and celery, it is off to a good start. Thanks!

Took a friend to lunch at Katy's today. It was a first time for both of us. I had the advantage of having read all about the restaurant here. We ordered fairly traditional stuff...but augmented the standard fare with the wonderful Chengdu Dumplings and the Stir Fried Onion Pan Cake with Shredded Pork. Truly an outstanding lunch...with left overs for both of us.

I have also shared this wonderful forum with my friend...so she can have as much fun finding new places. Thanks to you all

ube wrote:They take Visa and Mastercard

Per my visit Saturday they also take Discover. I am also guessing they have a liquor license now, as their was a Miller Lite neon sign in the window! I am not 100% on that, as I was getting take out and did not think to ask if they were serving alcohol yet.

As to our order I tried the previously mentioned Spareribs dish and really enjoyed it, very tasty spareribs (though can be a bit tough to eat unless you're willing to grab the little ribs with your hands). Spicy with a nice combination of flavors from the nice sized chunks of vegetables. We also had the Boiled Spicy Pork with Szechwan Sauce (we had tried to order #185, but apparently there was a miscommunication and we ended up with this dish, #195) which was quite good. Thin, but still meaty tender bits of pork in a spicy sauce rich with what appeared to be a combination of ground red pepper flakes and what else I could not discern. The dish had a really savory garlicy aroma. The take out order filled two of their large take out containers, so I will be enjoying this dish all week long. Appetizer of potstickers was as always quite good with that wonderful brothy flavor.

All in all I was pretty pleased with our meal and thought it compared equally to the Westmont location and love that Katy's followed me in my move from Westmont out to Naperville. Now if only Taqueria el Pulpo could move in next door too.

I was able to get to Katy's Naperville location today for lunch. I can't add much more than what's been said! We shared an order of Szechwan style pickled vegetables which was OK and our not very adventurous friend did not like at all, my partner loved it. We had everything off the lunch specials menu. Our friend had vegetable delight, I had shredded pork in garlic sauce that had a lot of garlic and my partner had mapa tofu which was rated 3 chiles hot. She said it made her eyeballs sweat and smiled! We came home with a mountain of leftovers, they do give you a lot of food and the bill for the 3 of us with the appetizer ws $23.

A wake this evening in Naperville will allow us a second visit to Katy's tonight.

I was looking at Katy's naperville website menu, and it seems their menu has been paired down from the last time I looked at it back in January. I just hope the menu @ the restaurant still has those griddle cooked spareribs from upthread in addition to some of the things we enjoyed on our last visit.

Katy's was as good as ever last night for an early dinner. We had the griddle cooked spareribs which were very good, and had a nice spice level. The only negative was the lack of meat on the bones. We also had the stir fried noodles with dry chilis, excellent dish with chicken, shrimp, pork candy as I call it, and krab. Great noodles, and flavor. Of course fried rice was had, and it was a pretty good version of beef fried rice. large chunks of beef, peas, and green onions.

Tried out the new Naperville location for Katy's this weekend. They now have a large sign "Katy'sdumplinghouse" so you can't miss it. I had pre-printed what I wanted to order:

• Potstickers (pork with chive)
• Shredded Pork stir-fried with Pancake
• Beef Tendon Noodle Soup
• Spicy fried noodle with dry chili (not really spicy)

When I handed it our server he wanted to know where I got the list from, and I told him LTH. The server said that those were some of the most popular ordered disheson the menu. So I said, why don’t you make it an LTH “special” on your menu? The server was very nice, and brought us extra bowls, as four of us wanted to share everything. We still had a lot of food to take home. (I had the spicy fried noodle for breakfast the next day.)

Just a couple comments, the dipping sauce they served with the potstickers was outstanding. Almost sour, and it went very well with the potstickers. The Beef Tendon Soup was much more spicy than anticipated. Most in the group could not finish it. Everyone loved the noodles. We thought it sad when a family in a booth next to us asked that the noodles be replaced with rice. The server tried to encourage them to try the noodles next time they visited, because most people came just for the noodles. I really felt for the server when the man of the family waxed on about how he missed the last Chinese restaurant that had been in that location, particularly one particular dish. Yadda Yadda Yadda. I wonder what I would have said if I had been the server! At 7 PM the place only had about 5 tables going. A large flat screen TV was playing America’s Funniest Home Videos, much to the delight of the children in the booth behind us. Overall, a very nice experience. Nothing fancy, but some great Chinese noodles and potstickers!