We are a Chinese food restaurant with a focus on noodles and dumplings.

Pronunciation: [Lao - Pung - Yo] Meaning: Old Friend

We are counter-service and BYOB, serving “half-authentic” Chinese food with lots of flavors and various influences. Located in the beautiful neighborhood of West Town, Chicago, our food is made with love and pride. We hope you like it.

FAQ

Below we list some frequently asked questions to help you have the best experience at Lao Peng You. Not enough? Feel free to shoot us an email.

  • No, all of our seating is first come, first serve. We DO offer a texting waitlist system. If there is a wait, you can put your name on the list, then explore the neighborhood until we text to let you know your table is ready. If any tables look "empty," someone hasn't returned for their table yet. It's a small dining room, and we try to make it as comfortable as possible for everyone dining and waiting.

  • Sometimes, we have to turn off online ordering due to heavy traffic and to prioritize the orders in front of us. It is a small dining room and kitchen, like real small. So be kind and patient with us. We want you to eat too!

  • The short answer is: no. The focus of our menu is serving dumplings, noodles, and bread. Currently, the dishes are all made with wheat flour and soy sauce, making it very difficult to accommodate this particular allergy. Though we can adjust our salads, you will miss the full experience.

  • It’s authentic to us (whatever that means) and what we want to serve and eat. We’re not trying to be your grandma’s cooking, the last restaurant you ate at, or even detour you from Chinatown. We love Chinatown and all Nai Nais.

  • Yup. And that’s how we like it. There is chili oil in everything for a cohesive menu. We can accommodate lower spice tolerances. Just ask when ordering. Request extra spicy at your own risk.

FEATURED NOVEMBER ARTIST:

Eli Sterling

Eli Stirling is a designer, illustrator, and animator from Chicago, IL, who lives in Denver, Colorado. When living in Chicago, Eli was one of the first artists to create something for Lao Peng You. This piece has been framed in the restaurant ever since, and now it is available on a postcard! Celebrating our 5th anniversary this month, we’re honored to highlight Eli as our featured November artist.

Our new postcard series encourages guests to contact loved ones to strengthen the relationships that make us old friends.

Who we are and why we do what we do.

We are two half-Chinese brothers who opened Lao Peng You in 2019. Our inspiration for opening comes from how we grew up with the love of sharing food with our family and friends.

Our staff is an extension of our family. To contribute to and provide health insurance for our team, we include a 4% service charge on every order.

Make Lao Peng You at home.

We are now selling frozen dumplings! Share dumplings with your loved ones and old friends. Order in person, online, or over the phone for same-day pickup. See more details about the options below. Dumplings are available in increments of 15. They will be sold frozen, and if you would like, we can provide broth kits separately for an additional charge.