We came here thanks to the recommendation of someone who LOVES Cozy Thai! And we are now hooked as well! The vibe/atmosphere is really fun and low-key. The decor is engaging, nostalgic, and made for wonderful dinner conversation with my son! It was fun to swap stories about things he recognized and things that were from my childhood! The staff were fantastic! So kind and continually checking if we needed anything. And the food.... The food was some of the best Thai we have ever eaten (and we are Thai food snobs)! Apologies for not recalling the exact names of everything we ate, but we had the appetizer sampler (everything was delicious), the spicy chicken with vegetables (also delicious), and the salmon with vegetables and rice (very, very good). We also ordered Strawberry Mango and Mango Lemonade mocktails and they were beautiful and tasted divine! We will definitely be back on our next trip!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Egg Rolls, Pad See EW, Crab Rangoon
buzzer
Whoa! The food is decent enough, but the woman who mans the cashier and was the only server on the two occasions we were there seems to have disdain for the patrons, at least to us. We ordered take out the other day at the restaurant. My wife ordered my drunken noodles and wanted to know if I wanted to pay extra for chicken. I was in our car just outside the front door. I said yes, but the mysterious cashier/server said it was too late to add the chicken, even though my wife hadn't even signed the receipt yet.
I also on my previous visit asked the strangely dismissive woman if the Cozy Noodles in Chicago was related to the one in Evanston. She tersely responded that the Evanston site is the only Cozy Noodles. But look online and you will see that there is a carbon copy Cozy Noodles in Chicago that uses the same brand as the one in Evanston and that they are related.
Also, on another visit I asked the woman in question if I could have some pepper with my noodles. She responded with a furrowed brow that they didn't offer pepper with their dishes. Ten minutes later she brought some hot sauce and plopped it on the table. Twenty minutes later, she brought some pepper without explanation.
She is clearly not interested in customer service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Sarah Heck
I have been coming here for years and since the new location opened the food is even better than ever! Wonderful traditional Thai dishes better than anywhere else like the pad Thai and Nan Tok, and creative dishes like the Evanston curry noodles. I’ve tried finding other good Thai in the area and nothing else compares!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rob Vanderpool
Cozy has been our go-to Thai spot for years, and it never disappoints! Bee, the wonderful owner, runs this place with warmth and pride, and it shows in every dish and every interaction. The inside is so fun with all the nostalgic decorations! The service is always phenomenal—friendly, fast, and attentive.
The chicken pad Thai and baby eggrolls are absolute must-haves —crispy, flavorful, and perfectly portioned. The basil chicken is to die for—bursting with fresh herbs and spice—and the Masaman curry is hands-down the best I’ve ever had, rich and comforting with the perfect balance of flavors.
Cozy is more than just our neighborhood Thai restaurant—it’s a local gem and truly among the best Thai food I’ve eaten anywhere. We’re so lucky to have this place close by!
Thanks, Bee and Yee!! Keep up the great work!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mike
While the food while serviceable - was offset by the sub par service, mediocre waitstaff and utter lack of attention to any detail. If you come here for lunch make sure you add a buffer to your calendar as you will not be making any appointments after your time here.
I came in not expecting much but was disappointed anyways.
Also the sauce while it did not taste very good — there was rust under the sauce cup lid, and I was told it was okay to eat out of the oxidizing metal.
Perfectly solid C- Restaurant at least it did not give anyone food poisoning
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
John Gergerian
The owner/host seemed quite frustrated that we dare bring children. The restaurant was completely empty and she wasn’t sure because of reservations. She never brought my drink and seemed like she wanted us to leave.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Kurt Bruggeman
Delicious Curry and Great Atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
A.C. Wilson
Papaya salad was very good. Sauces on hot dishes were much too sweet.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Tyler Xu
Terrible experience, don’t recommend anyone coming, especially those from Thailand. And DO NOT ADD ANY TIPS! they charge you 20% automatically without notifying.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Marcia Poyser
I stopped into Cozy Kitchen today to grab a quick $7 order of egg rolls before my beauty appointment next door. Simple, right? Nope. The woman behind the counter took one look and told me there was a $15 card minimum—and flat-out refused to take my order.
No sign. No workaround. Just a hard no.
At my appointment, I told my friend what happened. She goes there often and said she’s never had an issue paying under $10 with a card. She usually grabs just a Thai tea—no problem. So why was I treated differently?
I started digging… and what I found was disappointing, but unfortunately, not surprising. Multiple Black customers have reported similar experiences—being ignored, talked down to, or told they couldn’t use their card under certain amounts… while others had no issue. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a pattern.
Evanston is a diverse, inclusive, and conscious community. There is no place for racism here, subtle or otherwise. Cozy Kitchen may serve food, but it clearly lacks the most important ingredient: respect.
I won’t be back—and I encourage others to think twice before supporting a business that doesn’t support ALL of its community.
I stopped into Cozy Kitchen today to grab a quick $7 order of egg rolls before my beauty appointment next door. Simple, right? Nope. The woman behind the counter took one look and told me there was a $15 card minimum—and flat-out refused to take my order.
No sign. No workaround. Just a hard no.
At my appointment, I told my friend what happened. She goes there often and said she’s never had an issue paying under $10 with a card. She usually grabs just a Thai tea—no problem. So why was I treated differently?
I started digging… and what I found was disappointing, but unfortunately, not surprising. Multiple Black customers have reported similar experiences—being ignored, talked down to, or told they couldn’t use their card under certain amounts… while others had no issue. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a pattern.
Evanston is a diverse, inclusive, and conscious community. There is no place for racism here, subtle or otherwise. Cozy Kitchen may serve food, but it clearly lacks the most important ingredient: respect.
I won’t be back—and I encourage others to think twice before supporting a business that doesn’t support ALL of its community.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Claudia Benites
Me and my boyfriend got the Pad Thai and the Pad See Ew, and immediately after we had stomach problems and fever. We had to wait 30 minutes for the food, and the server was very rude.
Service: 1
Sam Liu
Everything was fine until paying, when for some reason the waitress refused to provide an itemized receipt when I saw an inexplicable sum added and deflected all questions. The same happened to my peers. Later we deduced it was most likely an included gratuity, but there was zero indication of such. In addition to a written tip—it was an underhanded practice by staff undermining otherwise delicious food. Proceeding to report this practice as an official consumer complaint.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Zexin Zeng
Please be really careful, the bill they gave you is automatically charged with 20% tip, and if you give 15% based on the bill, you will be ending up charged with a 40% tips! I ended up tipping 40% without being aware of it until I step out of it. The service is definitely not worth such a big amount of tip. I don’t even know whether it is legal to automatically charge you with 20% tip when you insert your credit card!
Also the owner is racist. The way she treated white people and non white are totally different. Every white table got a bowl of free shrimp chips but I need to ask for three times to get one for my table. When she gave me mine, she even said:” next time you want it, just order it.” I was almost furious and asked back:” oh? I thought every table got a free bowl of this?” Then she just silenced her mouth and walked away. Such a bad experience, I want to say: STOP BEING RACIST! Especially you yourself is not even white, can’t you relate with people with skin colors? If you feel inferior to white, i am okay with it. Just do not assume everyone else with a skin color is the same.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
joslyn jelinek
Precious noodle shop with lovely decor and amazing food selections. Ample food and beverage selections that are beautiful as they are tasty. The owners were our host and server for the evening
We came here thanks to the recommendation of someone who LOVES Cozy Thai! And we are now hooked as well! The vibe/atmosphere is really fun and low-key. The decor is engaging, nostalgic, and made for wonderful dinner conversation with my son! It was fun to swap stories about things he recognized and things that were from my childhood! The staff were fantastic! So kind and continually checking if we needed anything. And the food.... The food was some of the best Thai we have ever eaten (and we are Thai food snobs)! Apologies for not recalling the exact names of everything we ate, but we had the appetizer sampler (everything was delicious), the spicy chicken with vegetables (also delicious), and the salmon with vegetables and rice (very, very good). We also ordered Strawberry Mango and Mango Lemonade mocktails and they were beautiful and tasted divine! We will definitely be back on our next trip!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Egg Rolls, Pad See EW, Crab Rangoon
Whoa! The food is decent enough, but the woman who mans the cashier and was the only server on the two occasions we were there seems to have disdain for the patrons, at least to us. We ordered take out the other day at the restaurant. My wife ordered my drunken noodles and wanted to know if I wanted to pay extra for chicken. I was in our car just outside the front door. I said yes, but the mysterious cashier/server said it was too late to add the chicken, even though my wife hadn't even signed the receipt yet.
I also on my previous visit asked the strangely dismissive woman if the Cozy Noodles in Chicago was related to the one in Evanston. She tersely responded that the Evanston site is the only Cozy Noodles. But look online and you will see that there is a carbon copy Cozy Noodles in Chicago that uses the same brand as the one in Evanston and that they are related.
Also, on another visit I asked the woman in question if I could have some pepper with my noodles. She responded with a furrowed brow that they didn't offer pepper with their dishes. Ten minutes later she brought some hot sauce and plopped it on the table. Twenty minutes later, she brought some pepper without explanation.
She is clearly not interested in customer service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
I have been coming here for years and since the new location opened the food is even better than ever! Wonderful traditional Thai dishes better than anywhere else like the pad Thai and Nan Tok, and creative dishes like the Evanston curry noodles. I’ve tried finding other good Thai in the area and nothing else compares!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cozy has been our go-to Thai spot for years, and it never disappoints! Bee, the wonderful owner, runs this place with warmth and pride, and it shows in every dish and every interaction. The inside is so fun with all the nostalgic decorations! The service is always phenomenal—friendly, fast, and attentive.
The chicken pad Thai and baby eggrolls are absolute must-haves —crispy, flavorful, and perfectly portioned. The basil chicken is to die for—bursting with fresh herbs and spice—and the Masaman curry is hands-down the best I’ve ever had, rich and comforting with the perfect balance of flavors.
Cozy is more than just our neighborhood Thai restaurant—it’s a local gem and truly among the best Thai food I’ve eaten anywhere. We’re so lucky to have this place close by!
Thanks, Bee and Yee!! Keep up the great work!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While the food while serviceable - was offset by the sub par service, mediocre waitstaff and utter lack of attention to any detail. If you come here for lunch make sure you add a buffer to your calendar as you will not be making any appointments after your time here.
I came in not expecting much but was disappointed anyways.
Also the sauce while it did not taste very good — there was rust under the sauce cup lid, and I was told it was okay to eat out of the oxidizing metal.
Perfectly solid C- Restaurant at least it did not give anyone food poisoning
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The owner/host seemed quite frustrated that we dare bring children. The restaurant was completely empty and she wasn’t sure because of reservations. She never brought my drink and seemed like she wanted us to leave.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Delicious Curry and Great Atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Papaya salad was very good. Sauces on hot dishes were much too sweet.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Terrible experience, don’t recommend anyone coming, especially those from Thailand. And DO NOT ADD ANY TIPS! they charge you 20% automatically without notifying.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
I stopped into Cozy Kitchen today to grab a quick $7 order of egg rolls before my beauty appointment next door. Simple, right? Nope. The woman behind the counter took one look and told me there was a $15 card minimum—and flat-out refused to take my order. No sign. No workaround. Just a hard no. At my appointment, I told my friend what happened. She goes there often and said she’s never had an issue paying under $10 with a card. She usually grabs just a Thai tea—no problem. So why was I treated differently? I started digging… and what I found was disappointing, but unfortunately, not surprising. Multiple Black customers have reported similar experiences—being ignored, talked down to, or told they couldn’t use their card under certain amounts… while others had no issue. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a pattern. Evanston is a diverse, inclusive, and conscious community. There is no place for racism here, subtle or otherwise. Cozy Kitchen may serve food, but it clearly lacks the most important ingredient: respect. I won’t be back—and I encourage others to think twice before supporting a business that doesn’t support ALL of its community.
Restaurantji Recommends
I stopped into Cozy Kitchen today to grab a quick $7 order of egg rolls before my beauty appointment next door. Simple, right? Nope. The woman behind the counter took one look and told me there was a $15 card minimum—and flat-out refused to take my order.
No sign. No workaround. Just a hard no.
At my appointment, I told my friend what happened. She goes there often and said she’s never had an issue paying under $10 with a card. She usually grabs just a Thai tea—no problem. So why was I treated differently?
I started digging… and what I found was disappointing, but unfortunately, not surprising. Multiple Black customers have reported similar experiences—being ignored, talked down to, or told they couldn’t use their card under certain amounts… while others had no issue. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a pattern.
Evanston is a diverse, inclusive, and conscious community. There is no place for racism here, subtle or otherwise. Cozy Kitchen may serve food, but it clearly lacks the most important ingredient: respect.
I won’t be back—and I encourage others to think twice before supporting a business that doesn’t support ALL of its community.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Me and my boyfriend got the Pad Thai and the Pad See Ew, and immediately after we had stomach problems and fever. We had to wait 30 minutes for the food, and the server was very rude.
Service: 1
Everything was fine until paying, when for some reason the waitress refused to provide an itemized receipt when I saw an inexplicable sum added and deflected all questions. The same happened to my peers. Later we deduced it was most likely an included gratuity, but there was zero indication of such. In addition to a written tip—it was an underhanded practice by staff undermining otherwise delicious food. Proceeding to report this practice as an official consumer complaint.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Please be really careful, the bill they gave you is automatically charged with 20% tip, and if you give 15% based on the bill, you will be ending up charged with a 40% tips!
I ended up tipping 40% without being aware of it until I step out of it. The service is definitely not worth such a big amount of tip. I don’t even know whether it is legal to automatically charge you with 20% tip when you insert your credit card!
Also the owner is racist. The way she treated white people and non white are totally different. Every white table got a bowl of free shrimp chips but I need to ask for three times to get one for my table. When she gave me mine, she even said:” next time you want it, just order it.” I was almost furious and asked back:” oh? I thought every table got a free bowl of this?” Then she just silenced her mouth and walked away. Such a bad experience, I want to say: STOP BEING RACIST! Especially you yourself is not even white, can’t you relate with people with skin colors? If you feel inferior to white, i am okay with it. Just do not assume everyone else with a skin color is the same.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Precious noodle shop with lovely decor and amazing food selections. Ample food and beverage selections that are beautiful as they are tasty. The owners were our host and server for the evening
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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