Takie Outit

Takie Outit in Chicago

Admittedly, Takie Outit in Chicago's Ukranian Village is not the height of Asian cuisine. As the stylized English language pun suggests, this is an unpretentious establishment serving Americanized Chinese take-out. As such, it has developed a loyal following among inhabitants of the Village and surrounding areas. It's particularly worth visiting - or calling for delivery - if you are looking for a lot of food on a tight budget and are not overly concerned with zesty spices.

The Takie Outit gets big points for not pretending to be anything other than what it is: an American restaurant serving Americanized Chinese food. Like the name, the display window is so comical one can't help but wonder if it was intended to be. This is a place that assumes its customers have never seen an egg roll before - so they helpfully provide a label on the display

One of their most popular house specialties is the General Tso's chicken. The small lunch portion is available for $5.25 while the large is $7.55. Despite the low prices, Takie Outit does not skimp on portions. The chicken is plump, tastes fresh and plentiful in both sizes - although the quality of the vegetables varies rather wildly. One day the broccoli will be crisp and firm; on another day it might be soggy to the point of near-disintegration. Of note, however, is the quality of the sweet and sour sauce. So many Americanized Chinese restaurants get sweet and sour wrong, making it gelatinous and sickeningly sweet. Takie Outit's sauce actually has the texture of sauce instead of caramel syrup. While true Chinese connoisseurs will no doubt criticize it for being on the bland side, fast food take out junkies will be delighted that the taste doesn't drown out the vegetables and chicken as the syrupy stuff invariably does.

One area where Take Outit particularly shines, however, is in its attention to customer service. Many restaurants of this type have prepackaged dishes that are heated up instead of being prepared to order. While Takie Outit obviously doesn't make their dishes from scratch, they are surprisingly nimble and accurate about accommodating individual needs. What's even more surprising is how quickly they accomplish this. Takie Outit may not offer the best Chinese food in Chicago, but it has to be among the top 10 fastest. And the staff is invariably friendly and enthusiastic - a welcome rarity.

If you'd rather meet Takie Outit's delivery drivers than their waitstaff, then you're in luck - Takie Outit is available on Delivery.com. Meaning all you have to do is point, click and eat. No registration required to browse the menu - just enter your address and click on Takie Outit to view all the tasty details.