High quality Thai food. Limited menu (no pad Thai) but that doesn't detract from the offerings. Grandma's pork belly is different from your typical pork belly dish. The pork belly is cut into bitter sized pieces and deep fried. Served with the jaew sauce is really delicious. My wife loves coming for the papaya salad and Thai fried rice. The pad siew is also really well prepared here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Thai Style Fried Rice, Pad Kee Mao
Valeria Esparza
The food is beyond amazing !A million times worth the wait. Sit down, relax and you will not regret it. Everything is made fresh and the owner cooks all the dishes himself!
We liked the pork belly, the crab fried rice, and the sticky rice dessert. The restaurant was getting crowded and we had to wait quite some time for the dishes to come, but once the first dish arrived, the rest arrived fairly quickly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crab Fried Rice
Dan Saxman
The food was great, very different from other American Thai places I have gone. If you order spicy it is actually very spicy. I got the Tod mun pla and the nam khao Tod and they were both good. The nam khao tod had an interesting fermented flavor that may not be for every palate. I have heard the pork belly is good here as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tod Mun Pla, Krapow Gai
Elliot Drabs
Tucked away from the usual hustle, this gem of a Thai restaurant deserves a standing ovation for its authenticity. A Michelin bib gourmand winner, it flaunts its culinary prowess in a delightfully off-the-beaten-path locale. The star of the show? The shrimp pad kee mao - an absolute flavor explosion that will leave your taste buds doing a happy dance. And just when you think it couldn't get any better, don't forget to wrap up your culinary journey with the mango sticky rice dessert – a sweet finale that lingers like a delicious daydream. This place isn't just a dining experience; it's a passport to Thai gastronomic bliss! ?️?
Mona Oommen
Very unique Thai food. You can't get the usual green curry chicken, etc. here but what you do get is absolutely scrumptious. Take a chance and order anything on their small menu. We had the Krapow Gai (ground chicken) which was our favorite. The green papaya salad and the pork belly with accompanying sauce were both delicious. We did notice Thai people eating here so that's a great sign that the food is authentic. I peeked into the kitchen on the way out. It's just one elderly lady and a younger helper. That explains the somewhat slow service -- everything is cooked fresh from scratch and is served piping hot. The decor/ambience is very humble and there are about 6-7 tables. We went on a Saturday night and could have our choice of tables.Vegetarian options: Not many vegetarian options. The papaya salad has dried shrimp in it and I imagine that many dishes that sound "vegetarian" have fish sauce or shrimp paste or something similar in them.Parking: Cermak has meter parking and some side streets require residential permits but some are free.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Krapow Gai, Salads
Neville Mistri
We traveled here from Berwyn because I was tired of the overly oily and sweetened Thai food in Berwyn, Oak Park and Forest Park. The food here was the best Thai food I've had in the Chicagoland area in a while. Small menu, but both dishes we got were tasty and light. I'll be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pad Kana, Salads
Wyn Douglas
Easily the most authentic-tasting Thai I’ve had in Chicago. No frills, just great cooking.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Annica Lao
my favorite thai place EVER!! the grandma’s pork belly with the jaew sauce would be my death row meal. everyone i’ve taken here has fallen in love with the place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Howard Lin
This place is amazing - it's cozy and small but we did not wait long to be seated and get served. Be warned, there's a heavy aura of spices in the air - my GF was crying half the time we were here because there's so much pepper in the air. However, the food was good. Their Pork Belly was good but in my opinion a little overrated - I didn't feel like it was the star of the show, their fried rice on the other hand was amazing. Their curry fried rice had so much flavor in every bite and the next time I come back I will be getting that. The lady that served and seated us was very kind too, we had a good time here. Would come back
After reading reviews I was very excited to check this place out. I was underwhelmed by the food. I was with a vegetarian so we didn’t try any of the meat dishes, so perhaps that’s where the magic is. If I lived in Chicago I would go back to try other dishes. It had a cool vibe!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Kongton S.
My daughter loves the basil chicken, son-in-law loves sweet crispy potbelly and krispyfried rice Noodle soup was too mild and I had to fix it up.Fried noodles was good.
Amy
The food is so delicious! I really like the pad kee mao with tofu. Best Thai food in Chicago and the owner is very sweet. Prices are reasonable. Will be coming here a lot ???
May Bentley
I have ordered delivery from this place three times, every single time it bombs. The crab fried rice, pork belly, pork shoulder, the fish cake and the krapow Gai are all so good. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Have to dine in one day!
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Satay Skewer
Sanjeev M.
Great "hole in the wall" Thai food, frequented by U I C students. Small but authentic menu.
High quality Thai food. Limited menu (no pad Thai) but that doesn't detract from the offerings. Grandma's pork belly is different from your typical pork belly dish. The pork belly is cut into bitter sized pieces and deep fried. Served with the jaew sauce is really delicious. My wife loves coming for the papaya salad and Thai fried rice. The pad siew is also really well prepared here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Thai Style Fried Rice, Pad Kee Mao
The food is beyond amazing !A million times worth the wait. Sit down, relax and you will not regret it. Everything is made fresh and the owner cooks all the dishes himself!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Thai Style Fried Rice, Pad Kee Mao, Fried Tofu, Curry Fried Rice
We liked the pork belly, the crab fried rice, and the sticky rice dessert. The restaurant was getting crowded and we had to wait quite some time for the dishes to come, but once the first dish arrived, the rest arrived fairly quickly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crab Fried Rice
The food was great, very different from other American Thai places I have gone. If you order spicy it is actually very spicy. I got the Tod mun pla and the nam khao Tod and they were both good. The nam khao tod had an interesting fermented flavor that may not be for every palate. I have heard the pork belly is good here as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tod Mun Pla, Krapow Gai
Tucked away from the usual hustle, this gem of a Thai restaurant deserves a standing ovation for its authenticity. A Michelin bib gourmand winner, it flaunts its culinary prowess in a delightfully off-the-beaten-path locale. The star of the show? The shrimp pad kee mao - an absolute flavor explosion that will leave your taste buds doing a happy dance. And just when you think it couldn't get any better, don't forget to wrap up your culinary journey with the mango sticky rice dessert – a sweet finale that lingers like a delicious daydream. This place isn't just a dining experience; it's a passport to Thai gastronomic bliss! ?️?
Very unique Thai food. You can't get the usual green curry chicken, etc. here but what you do get is absolutely scrumptious. Take a chance and order anything on their small menu. We had the Krapow Gai (ground chicken) which was our favorite. The green papaya salad and the pork belly with accompanying sauce were both delicious. We did notice Thai people eating here so that's a great sign that the food is authentic. I peeked into the kitchen on the way out. It's just one elderly lady and a younger helper. That explains the somewhat slow service -- everything is cooked fresh from scratch and is served piping hot. The decor/ambience is very humble and there are about 6-7 tables. We went on a Saturday night and could have our choice of tables.Vegetarian options: Not many vegetarian options. The papaya salad has dried shrimp in it and I imagine that many dishes that sound "vegetarian" have fish sauce or shrimp paste or something similar in them.Parking: Cermak has meter parking and some side streets require residential permits but some are free.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Krapow Gai, Salads
We traveled here from Berwyn because I was tired of the overly oily and sweetened Thai food in Berwyn, Oak Park and Forest Park. The food here was the best Thai food I've had in the Chicagoland area in a while. Small menu, but both dishes we got were tasty and light. I'll be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pad Kana, Salads
Easily the most authentic-tasting Thai I’ve had in Chicago. No frills, just great cooking.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
my favorite thai place EVER!! the grandma’s pork belly with the jaew sauce would be my death row meal. everyone i’ve taken here has fallen in love with the place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is amazing - it's cozy and small but we did not wait long to be seated and get served. Be warned, there's a heavy aura of spices in the air - my GF was crying half the time we were here because there's so much pepper in the air. However, the food was good. Their Pork Belly was good but in my opinion a little overrated - I didn't feel like it was the star of the show, their fried rice on the other hand was amazing. Their curry fried rice had so much flavor in every bite and the next time I come back I will be getting that. The lady that served and seated us was very kind too, we had a good time here. Would come back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
After reading reviews I was very excited to check this place out. I was underwhelmed by the food. I was with a vegetarian so we didn’t try any of the meat dishes, so perhaps that’s where the magic is. If I lived in Chicago I would go back to try other dishes. It had a cool vibe!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
My daughter loves the basil chicken, son-in-law loves sweet crispy potbelly and krispyfried rice Noodle soup was too mild and I had to fix it up.Fried noodles was good.
The food is so delicious! I really like the pad kee mao with tofu. Best Thai food in Chicago and the owner is very sweet. Prices are reasonable. Will be coming here a lot ???
I have ordered delivery from this place three times, every single time it bombs. The crab fried rice, pork belly, pork shoulder, the fish cake and the krapow Gai are all so good. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Have to dine in one day!
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Satay Skewer
Great "hole in the wall" Thai food, frequented by U I C students. Small but authentic menu.