Opened in 1985, Arun's was the first high-end Thai restaurant in Chicago. Chef/owner Arun Sampanthavivat is credited for introducing Chicagoans to authentic Thai cuisine and his memorable, 12-course degustation feasts helped him attain a James Beard award.

While most Thai spots in Chicago lean toward the casual side, Arun’s serves a pre-fixe menu with 8 to12 course options. Each is elegantly presented and served in an equally adorned restaurant space filled with chef Arun Sampanthavitat’s Thai baubles. A dungeness crab cake and a poached lobster tail are a few menu highlights that exemplify his ornate take on Southeast Asian flavors. The cradled prawn—with red curry, kaffir lime leaf, sweet basil and a cucumber salad—is as delightful to look at as it is to eat. It's a must-try experience for Thai food fanatics.

In addition, interestingly crafted cocktails that contain intriguing ingredients like pineapple and peach barbecue sauce purée make for a fascinating meal. If you opt for the full meal, prepare to take some food home–every course is delicious and you won’t want to waste any of it. While Arun’s remains open for dine-in service, customers can also order to-go online.

• Google rating: 4.5/5.0
• Opening hours: Thu to Sun 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
• Phone: +1 773-539-1909
• Website: https://www.arunsthai.com/
• Address: 4156 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

For a more down-to-earth Thai restaurant, try Star of Siam. On Illinois Street near downtown, this restaurant is close to everything and is famous for its large portions and fast service. The restaurant serves an authentic Thai menu in a modern, open concept setting with eye-catching accents and decor.

However, this “fast food” approach doesn’t mean that Star of Siam is any less authentic than any other restaurant. The food is delicious and worth a try. It’s small and cozy with a warm atmosphere, and depending on the time of day, you might even be lucky enough to snag a seat by the large bay windows that overlook Devon Avenue.

The menu offers everything from Pad Thai to curries, from spring rolls to satays. The chicken massaman is delicious, too, and the satay with peanut sauce cannot be beaten. Desserts are limited to ice cream, custard, Thai banana, and lychee on ice. A unique seating area is a conversation starter; some diners will have to sit Indian-style or on their knees on a raised platform dotted with low tables. Star of Siam is definitely one of the best Thai restaurants in Chicago.

• Google rating: 4.1/5.0
• Opening hours: Sun to Thu 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Fri to Sat 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
• Phone: +1 312-670-0100
• Website: https://www.starofsiamchicago.com/
• Address: 11 E Illinois St #1, Chicago, IL 60611

Sticky Rice, named after the sticky rice balls eaten with bare hands in Thailand’s northern highlands, is an authentic Thai restaurant that offers more than just Pad Thai and green curry. The restaurant is decked out with kitschy Thai ornaments and sports red-and-yellow walls, but it’s the flavors of the food that are the brightest and most distracting things here.

Sticky Rice specializes in Northern Thai cuisine, and the long menu is as comprehensive as an Ayn Rand novel. You have an array of options, with menu sections ranging from Thai Northern Dish and Thai Curry Dish, to Sticky Rice’s Specials. One of the most favorite dishes here include the tiger prawn pad karee, which is served over a curry with ground chicken and egg, then spooned over sticky rice that soaks up all the sauce. The mango chicken is another go-to when you're looking for something light and a little sweet.

Other highlights include the sweet-and-sticky pork gang hung lay, laced with ginger, and the substantial salads crammed with cilantro, basil and lime. This place works for a casual weeknight spot or a serious takeout operation. They’ll also deliver if you’re staying nearby.

• Google rating: 4.2/5.0
• Opening hours: Tue to Sat 11:30 AM - 9:30 PM, Sun 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Phone: +1 773-588-0133
• Website: https://www.stickyricethai.com/
• Address: 4018 N Western Ave Ste 3727, Chicago, IL 60618

Opart Thai House is an affordable Thai restaurant located in the burgeoning South Loop Chicago neighborhood that is a notch above its peers. The menu is quite extensive and includes all the usual suspects, including various noodle dishes, appetizers/soups, and curries. You can always degust good wonton soup, crab rangoon, and Panang curry at this place. Tasty mango sticky rice, fried bananas, and banana dessert are the best dishes. Some clients recommend delicious draft beer, wine, or liqueur at this spot. A selection of great iced coffee, Thai iced tea, or ice tea is provided to guests.

Opart Thai House itself is relatively large for what appears to be mostly delivery and carry-out service. It is also very nicely decorated with beautiful Thai artwork and subtle lounge music. The dining area is well kept and the staff is friendly and well-versed in English. There is a full bar that includes beer and spirits. Food is prepared relatively quickly - both for carry-out as well as dine-in. Most entrees top out at ten dollars and there is usually street parking available. A couple can expect to spend approximately twenty-five dollars for dinner - not including drinks or tips.

• Google rating: 4.4/5.0
• Opening hours: Sun to Thu 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM, Fri to Sat 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Phone: +1 312-988-0986
• Website: https://opartthai.com/
• Address: 1546 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Aroy Thai is yet another high-quality, authentic Thai restaurant. For the past 26 years, Aroy Thai restaurant has attracted a diverse range of local and international customers, from office workers to tourists to royalty. A good 80 percent of the restaurant's customers are regulars who frequently bring their family and friends for important family events, gatherings, and functions.

The appetizers are outstanding, as are the entrees and desserts. This quiet BYOB in Ravenswood has a long menu of Thai staples to choose from, and the highlights are the grilled pork neck salad and the combo platter of sausages. Going to Aroy Thai and not getting the egg rolls and fried shumai (shrimp dumplings) is like going to Millenium Park and not getting the Bean. In addition to the fried appetizers, the soups are delicious. From tom yum - the traditional Thai appetizer soup - to egg drop, these will warm you up on a cold Chicago day. This is the type of place where you’ll want to know what all the surrounding tables ordered, and then order it for your own table to split.

• Google rating: 4.5/5.0
• Opening hours: Mon to Sun 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Phone: +1 773-275-8360
• Website: https://www.aroythaiatchicago.com/
• Address: 4654 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Spoon Thai is one of the best Thai restaurants in Chicago, introducing many Chicagoans to Thai cuisine. The restaurant uses only the freshest ingredients around, ensuring that every dish is of the highest possible quality.

A dish like Thai boat noodle soup should not be overlooked, and the secret menu for some northern Thai specialties should be perused while you're there. Kung chae num pla, raw shrimp marinated in lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and chili—a fiery Thai take on ceviche—is a must-try. The nam kao tod, a crunchy, salty, tangy salad of fried rice, tiny ham bits, and cilantro flecks, is incredibly addictive.

Curry lovers should try the kaeng som kung sod, a thin, slightly sour tamarind curry with shrimp. Papaya salad topped with preserved crab and pickled fish, yum talay covered in a spicy lime dressing, as well as chicken larb are among the many salads for you to choose from. Spoon Thai also offers a few specialties to spice things up in addition to serving hearty, comforting dishes.

• Google rating: 4.3/5.0
• Opening hours: Mon to Sun 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
  
• Phone: +1 773-769-1173
• Website: https://www.spoonthai.com/
  
• Address: 4608 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Ghin Khao Eat Rice is a Pilsen BYOB restaurant with a short menu of Northern Thai dishes like grilled meats served with sweet and spicy Jaew sauce. This is the kind of small restaurant where the owner will probably take your order himself and then fire up the grill. It’s definitely not the only place to find Northern Thai in the city, but you won’t find food like this anywhere nearby.

This is a fun, lively spot run by chef siblings Nova and Kami Sasi, with graffiti-like signage, hip-hop in the background, and colorful murals bedecking the walls. From the crunchy and subtly spiced fishcakes with cucumber-herb salad to the glorious nam khao tod, which features crispy rice with ground chicken, pork skin, plenty of fresh ginger, cilantro, and green onion, everything is perfectly balanced. The majority of the dishes here are large enough to share family-style, such as a mountain of fried rice topped with chunks of crab meat or the Krapow Gai, an excellent ground chicken dish flavored with basil, garlic, and Thai chili.

• Google rating: 4.8/5.0
• Opening hours: Tue to Sat 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Phone: +1 773-565-4487
• Website: https://www.ghinkhaochicago.com/
• Address: 2128 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608

Immm Rice & Beyond is a casual BYOB spot in Uptown that specializes in Thai street food, and the menu is so extensive that it takes up a huge chalkboard wall. That’s probably the first thing you’ll notice when you walk in - and the second thing you’ll notice is the steam table full of stews and curries, which smell like they’ve been developing flavor all day long.

Simply select the "Thai Dinner Table" option, which allows you to order a variety of dishes in small, tasting-size portions for $6 each, such as the fantastic pangang mhoo (thinly sliced pork in a rich and spicy curry), the moo whan (caramelized pork belly in a fish sauce that's the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and fatty), and the fried hard-boiled eggs. Aside from the ''Thai Dinner Table'' options, order a few full-sized dishes, such as the pad prik khing in a spicy lime curry and the khao mung gai, which is one of the best things on the menu.

The to-go boxes are easy to transport and have a variety of delicious options, including all of the street food menu items as well as various curries and noodle dishes.

• Google rating: 4.5/5.0
• Opening hours: Sun to Mon & Wed to Thu 11:30 AM - 9:30 PM, Fri to Sat 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
  
• Phone: +1 773-293-7378
• Website: https://immmchicago.com/
  
• Address: 4949 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640

If you've been to one of Chicago's many fine Thai restaurants, you'll notice that In-On Thai is different. All of the sauces and curries here are made from scratch, and it's clear from dishes like the kean-pa and rich panang that whoever makes them knows what they're doing. The crispy fish jungle salad has a great sauce that's just on the verge of being too tart, but the mango on top helps balance it out with some sweetness. And then there's that fantastic pad see ew. It has perfectly chewy noodles with just the right amount of char and a not-too-sweet sauce.

One thing to keep in mind is that In-On Thai isn’t the most relaxing spot to hang out - bright lights and usually zero background music can make eating here feel more functional than leisurely. But the friendly family running the place is charming enough to make you want to stick around anyway - the owner’s wife takes your order, her mom is in the kitchen, and the owner checks on you to make sure you’re doing OK.

• Google rating: 4.6/5.0
  
• Opening hours: Tue to Thu 4:00 PM - 8:30 PM, Fri 4:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Sat 3:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Sun 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
• Phone: +1 773-944-0114
• Website: https://www.inonthaichicago.com/
• Address: 4641 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640

Located along a bustling stretch of Chicago Ave. in West Town, J.J. Thai Street Food is a small BYOB restaurant specializing in food found in Thailand’s streets and markets. Unlike numerous other Thai restaurants in Chicago that serve a hybrid of Thai and Chinese cuisines in order to appeal to a wider American audience, JJ's focuses on offering traditional and authentic Thai recipes under the leadership of Chef and owner Jiranya Thosatheppitak.

J.J.’s serves excellent Thai street food. So you’ll find dishes like sai-krok e-sarn and crispy khao mun gai tod - which are so good that guests usually end up ordering a second plate. The soups here are also excellent - they’ve all got flavorful broths and springy noodles. There are less than 30 seats, so no matter where you end up you’ll be within seeing distance of the open kitchen. This is great, because if you see something that looks delicious, you can always add it to your meal.

• Google rating: 4.6/5.0
• Opening hours: Sun to Mon & Wed to Thu 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM & 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Fri to Sat 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
• Phone: +1 312-929-4435
• Website: https://www.jjthaistreetfood.com/
• Address: 1715 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622