Alex: Team Lily Garden

Whenever we play those “getting to know you games” during the first couple days of a new school year, I always say the same thing.  Seriously.  Ask anyone who has known me since third grade and they will tell you that I say: “Hi, my name is Alex, I have a younger brother, a dog named Hoosier, and my favorite food is Chinese food.”

Ever since I can remember, I have always requested Chinese food as my birthday dinner because it was something I didn’t get to have very often and always craved.  I would be sitting in English and think to myself, ‘I could really go for an eggroll with chicken fried rice right now.’  That’s the story of my life.

So, when Emma told me that she thinks China Bistro has better Chinese food, I laughed in her face.  I have been a loyal customer to Lily Garden since I could chew, and there was no way I was going to try another place.

For me, the problem with trying new Chinese food restaurants is the fear that it will be awful, because then I just wasted my money on food that I was really excited to eat and it didn’t even taste good.  But sometimes, the new places you try end up being life changing.  *Cough, cough Lily Garden.*

Over the long weekend, Emma and I went to Lily Garden and China Bistro to determine which restaurant had the best Asian cuisine.  I’m going to be honest here: China Bistro was not too bad.

At both places, I ordered an eggroll as an appetizer and sweet and sour chicken with chicken fried rice as a main dish.  These things are always my go-to items whenever I get Chinese food.

The eggrolls at China Bistro were not as crunchy as those at Lily Garden, but I did enjoy the sweet and sour chicken about the same.  Nothing about China Bistro stood out, but it was not as inferior as I thought it would be.

Lily Garden can be pricey…I usually pay around $10 for my staple items.  Whenever my family gets take-out, it usually costs about $40.  China Bistro was basically the same price as Lily Garden.  With there not being a lot of Chinese food restaurants in our area, the prices have to stay similar in order for their to be competition.

I got the same vibe in both places…like I was sitting in a grandmother’s basement.  Chinese food is definitely something to take out and bring home.  Dining in at both places weirded me out.

Nevertheless, Lily Garden still has my heart. Sigh. Typing this just makes me want to stuff my face with eggrolls and chicken.  I highly recommend that the next time you or your family get a craving for Chinese food, you check out Lily Garden.  But beware: they will have your business (and tastebuds) until you are put in the ground.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Emma: Team China Bistro

As we begin to finish up the school year, Alex and I decided to treat ourselves to our favorite kind of food: Chinese.

Going off of the locals recommendations, we chose China Bistro to compare to Lily Garden.  

China Bistro is located off of Algonquin Rd and Lily’s Garden is also off of Algonquin Rd, but is Lake in the Hills.

At both restaurants, I have tried customer favorites like egg rolls and sweet and sour chicken.

After a long debate with Alex, I decided that China Bistro was my number one.

For me, Chinese food is a hit or miss. It is either really good, or not good. Both Lily Garden and China Bistro were amazing food and that’s what made our decision so hard.

Alex and I were forced to look at outside factors. I took into consideration the wait for our table, the service and the restaurant’s interior.

Everything about the restaurant made me feel like an authentic family dinner.

I could tell that the food was fresh and carefully prepared.

Typically with these “Good Eats” blogs we chose which food literally tasted better, but this time it was more than that there was a sense of comfort and precision with the preparation of the food.

If you and your family are going out to eat, and you are looking for good Chinese food, I recommend China Bistro to anyone.

If you are not looking to stay in and wait, there is take out as well which I have also had, and the wait is never long. Opposed to Lily Garden.

Lastly, the only hard part about China Bistro, is that the prices tend to average two to three dollars more than Lily Garden. But in my opinion, would you rather save your money and spend it on something really good, or rush it and get a decent experience?