Minyoli's Rich Wang's Favorite Spots in Chicago are Under-the-Radar Gems

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Every month, people from Chicago's hospitality industry share recommendations for food, drink, ingredients, and more as part of our Chef Picks series.

Rich Wang grew up in Taipei, and after moving to the suburbs of Chicago with his family as a teenager and later abandoning a career as an attorney, decided to devote his life to food and attended Kendall College. He cooked at the renowned Boka and Fat Rice, then took a handmade noodle apprenticeship in Lanzhou, China, a city known for its beef noodle soup. 

He opened Minyoli in Andersonville in 2024, sharing his talent for noodle-making in dishes like beef zhajiangmian, a thin wheat noodle in a rich sweet bean sauce, and his love of Taiwanese flavors in his signature fried chicken dusted with tart plum powder. Wang and team are nominated for Best Hospitality at the 2026 Jean Banchet Awards, thanks in part to their nimble guidance through Wang’s menu of juàn cūn-inspired dishes, a unique style of cooking that emerged from Taiwan’s post-Chinese Civil War military villages in the middle of the twentieth century, where cooking from many regions of China blended with local Taiwanese cuisine. 

Here are Chef Wang’s picks for Chicago eats, drinks, and more.

Favorite restaurant

Krung Thep. A Great Thai restaurant, and the sparerib soup is divine.

Favorite dish

Eel Rice in Clay Pot from China Cafe in Chinatown is an excellent rendition of the Taishanese classic. Dried mandarin peel really brings out the umami, and the portion is big enough to feed at least four people.

Favorite place to drink

Dancen. A Korean gastropub with great makgeolli cocktails served in giant wooden bowls. 

Favorite place to buy ingredients

88 Marketplace is the most well-stocked Chinese supermarket in Chicago.

Favorite local Chicago brand

Jenny's Tofu/Phoenix Bean. I just love her products, and use them for my restaurant.

Favorite place in the city to bring an out-of-town guest

Calumet Fisheries. Go early for the smoked fish.

A person in the industry you admire

My first boss in the industry, Lee Wolen of Boka. A true leader with a contagious work ethic and a clear point of view on cooking.