Sabai Dee

I’m thrilled I live a few short blocks from this place. I shop at Golden Pacific a good bit but never ordered from Sabai Dee until last week. The prices are great and the food is extremely fresh and made to order. There was only one guy working there so I placed an order to-​go and went grocery shopping while my food was made (it took about 20 minutes). I ordered one of the noodle salads with tofu and it was so fresh and flavorful. My husband had a papaya noodle dish with Mango and fish sauce and he loved it. I’m not a fan of the smell of the place (I think the smell is dried fish) so I would prefer to take out vs. dine in. I highly recommend!

Hate to be the downer here since it sounds like everyone else had a great experience. I had high hopes for this place based on the other great Asian food in the area and the fact that it’s connected to one of my favorite Asian markets, but we were left unimpressed.
After shopping at aforementioned market, we were actually so hungry after looking through all the goodies that we decided to stop by Sabai Dee to order something to go. There was no one else in the restaurant, but the order still took a good 30 minutes to prepare for whatever reason. Upon getting home the food was somewhat bland and very greasy. I’ve never had Lao before, but I was expecting something closer to the fresh, fiery flavors of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
Honestly, I’d like to give it another shot, but there are so many amazing Asian restaurants in the area, it’s hard to forgo some new treat in favor of something that disappointed before. Maybe one day.
Overall, I’m glad that others are liking it because we have to do all we can to keep the restaurants afloat that have been able to make it so far on this especially hard hit strip.

I moved to Edgewater this past October and had been curious about this place from the very beginning. Laotian food? Huh?
Curiouser and curiouser…
Finally went a couple of weeks ago. Can’t wait to go again.
Sabai Dee — something completely familiar, yet totally different than anything else I’ve experienced.
First — the menu is extensive. Good luck making a decision!
I had something that was called «phở» but was not quite like the versions I’ve had before. Made with chicken. Delicious and filling.
The bf had a chicken curry. More similar to the versions I’ve tried at Thai restaurants. Still delicious and filling.
We shared an appetizer of some spicy sausage. We’re Polish, so we like our sausage. This one was excellent. Good texture and flavor.
Seemed like there was only one guy waiting tables (in their defense, the restaurant was practically empty) but he was very friendly and attentive. Food arrived quickly. Prices were extremely reasonable.
Two downsides — the décor is kind of «cold». Modern, but not very cozy. And they’re not open on Monday.

Had a date night with my husband and had an awesome, flavorful meal!
Got the pork sausage, beef larb, and papaya salad with sticky rice. The pork sausage was really tasty and my fav. dish. For the papaya salad, I asked or slightly hotter than mild and there wasn’t any spice. Before they finished cooking the beef larb, I asked if they could make it spicier it. They sure did! I was steamy up internally and my husband starred at my red face throughout dinner. It was still all really good and would go again when I have another Laos craving.

My cousin came to visit from New York… Brooklyn. The plan was for him to eat something he didn’t eat too often in New York. Korean was out (except we ended up having korean a few days later), Japanese was out, Chinese was out, Mediterranean was out… yeah, we were struggling a little.
So TGFY *thank god for Unilocal*,I started searching around and found Sabai Dee!
When we walked in, we were the only people in there. The owner was really helpful in suggesting wha to order. We noticed a lot of the dishes were more chinese than laotian, and wanted to get something that wasn’t laotian. The owner gave us great suggestions, and we ended up getting sticky rice, cucumber salad, and pork sausage. Everything was delicious, spicy, and satisfying.
My cousin even chatted the owner up about the kind of music was playing, and they exchanged numbers or something.
Anyway, It’s been awhile. I need to get back there!

Sabai Dee is amazing.
I had never had Lao food before, and decided to try it while walking by one day. I checked Unilocal to find out what dishes I should try, and I was thoroughly impressed.
The waiter was very helpful. He explained the menu to us and answered all of our questions. He seemed like a very happy person.
The papaya salad was out of this world. I haven’t tasted such an interesting and wonderful flavor since I first had Purplesaurus Rex Kool-​Aid.
The Beef Larb was also tasty, and the portions were so huge that we ordered way too much and had an excellent lunch the next day.
I’m really glad that Sabai Dee is in my neighborhood.

I saw the good ratings and decided to trust the other reviewers, even though my wife and I were met by a bad smell from the grocery store next door when we first walked in. I’m glad we decided to trust the other reviewers and brave the smell.
We ordered the pad thai with pork and the pad woon sen, and by the time it arrived the grocery smell was gone. Both dishes were very good, albeit with a little more soy sauce than we prefer. The waiter was friendly, and I had the sense by both his demeanor and the cleanliness of the restaurant that they take pride in what they do. The attitude is contagious, and lends itself to a great meal at an excellent price.

After reading the other reviews on this place, I was curious to check this place out. And when I described it to a friend who was visiting from out of town he immediately suggested we go for dinner, so off we went.
We both started with a small Won Ton Soup, which I really liked. Great broth, delicious dumplings and nicely seasoned. Simple but just great.
Then came dinner: I ordered Combo #1. This was terrific, great Beef Larb, delicious Green Papaya Salad and sticky rice. It doesn’t look like it will be filling on first glance, but I was so wrong. I did make sure to order mild since I’m a lightweight, but I’ll try medium another time for sure. The Beef Larb was wonderfully seasoned, and the Papaya Salad was great as well. I had never had anything like this before but it was terrific. My friend had Combo #2, which had a kind of spicy sausage instead of the beef larb, otherwise it was the same. He also ordered it spicy and he really enjoyed it, despite breaking into a sweat!
Just like other reviewers have mentioned, the owner is more than willing to take time and answer any questions, and is also very courteous. Also — on my last visit (Mem Day weekend) it looks like they’ll be doing delivery beginning sometime in June ’09. I can’t wait to go again.

My husband is Thai and he loved this place. He also liked the snacks you can buy to to go on the counter. He brought home some tiny little fried fish that I’m sure were great, but um… yeah.
For appetizer we ordered the green papaya salad. My husband requested that they make it «not too spicy». The white girl can’t handle too much heat (but I’m slowly conditioning my taste buds). He was really happy I liked it because he thought it had a good kick (for a sissy like me) and we cleaned that plate in no time flat.
I ordered the pad thai with chicken and was so happy to see it wasn’t orange! The noodles were perfect, chewy but not overcooked. The sauce was sweet but not too sweet and the chicken was moist and tender. Some places give you dried out chicken. Buzz kill.
He had the Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Squid. I’m sure anyone that likes squid has been somewhere that served it up really chewy (I mean like a tire chewy). You have to chew and chew before you swallow. This squid was so delicately soft and tender I hardly knew it was squid. Not to mention the taste was out of this world. But his dish was considerably spicier than mine so I left the rest to him.
We finished it off with Thai iced coffee (one of our favorites). No secret it was delicious too.
Have to give it five stars. Oh, and hide from my hubby when he pulls out those fried fish snacks. I swear their eyes are looking at me!

After seeing this place open 1.5 years ago, being very happy that this place is surviving, I finally got the chance to eat there. I’m very knowledgeable of Thai food and I know there is some cultural overlap between Thai and Lao culture — so I had a very vague idea of what to expect. That being said, I decided to order the combination plate of dishes of which I was unfamiliar, and was told that were exclusively Lao.
Food: I’m very impressed. I had some sort of bok choi tofu clear soup, beef larb, papaya salad and sticky rice. My combination was comprised of salads which I found to be a thoughtful balance between being light, refreshing, savory, and flavorful. I love hot food, so I had it seasoned to Lao tastes… fantastic! Very rarely am I satisfied with the level of heat in my restaurant food. For those of you with less tolerances for hotness, be sure to order mild. Funnily enough, I hate papaya, so I wasn’t expecting much from the papaya salad. However, they use green or unripe papaya, so that sickly sweet smell and taste is absent. Finally, the soup I had deserves mention. It was amazing. I’ve never had soup with browned garlic floating in it, but I was impressed. The plate set up is also excellent.
Service: It is impossible for the service to be better. We were the last people in the place so «Kevin,» the owner/​operator, and I had some really interesting conversations about a myriad of topics spanning Lao history, food, music, and language in Southeast Asia. He also recommended my food. If you have no clue what to order, just ask him and he’ll happily give you thoughtful recommendations and comprehensive explanations. He definitely helped make our experience 5 star. He’s a very nice man with some interesting things to say.
All in all, I’m very sorry my laziness prevented me from coming here sooner, and I’m very much looking forward to returning.
PS: They do have excellent chop sticks.

The service was cordial and decent. I came here to grab a lunch, and while waiting for the food, did a little grocery shopping as the restaurant was conveniently attached to Golden Pacific Market.
The food: 3.5 stars. I ordered the $ 10.99 combo of Soup (Tom Yum Chicken), Green Papaya Salad, Beef Larb, and Sticky Rice. It is as Lao as you can get in Chicago. I went spicy all the way, and hell it was; indeed, I was crying. I was very glad that the kitchen did not dumb it down for me. The beef in the Larb dish was thin sliced. I prefer minced meat, texture-​wise. Green papaya salad was served in a bowl for practical purpose, but I think it would be better served on a plate, with its sauce and juice more evenly spread out. But that was relatively minor. The problem was the dressing, the larb and the salad tasted the same after a while! Thumbs up for the saran wrapped sticky rice, which was kept warm and soft.
The menu was a bit disappointing. I do not think Mongolian Beef is a very Southeast Asian. It is not even Chinese. Full of generic dishes, it is hard to tell it is actually a Lao restaurant. Only after finishing the meal I chatted with the owner, and he told me that Mok Pa (Fish and spice baked in banana leaves), not on the menu, could be ordered in advance. He said he would review the menu soon. For Beerlao fans, sorry, this place does not have a license yet.
Lao restaurant is hard to come by, and for this reason alone, I think I will probably stop by again to give this place another try. I agree with Erika G., Sabai Dee has rooms for improvement, especially in terms of its menu. Otherwise, I think the menu selection is more interesting at «Sticky Rice,» Chiang Mai (Northern Thai) cuisine is similar to Lao and Isan (Northeastern Thai) cuisine. You could even order fried worms there (insects! don’t you love things that crawl?), also a Lao delicacy. Also, the Larb there has organ meat mixed in, so there is this unique, pungent taste in additional to the lime, chilli pepper, and sugar. I am not even a fan of organ meat; I’m just being just adventurous! No two dishes should taste the same.

You can tell they take pride in their restaurant by the little things.
.. . decent quality chop sticks (as one reviewer noted)
.. . and the way the owner packages your carry out order by perfectly placing everything so it won’t spill or fall out. ~To all grocery baggers at Jewel: please watch carefully and take some notes!~
.. . impeccable service
.. . very reliable quality
And here you can have a great meal being adventurous or by just sticking with the familiar. Either way you will have a perfectly prepared meal (and lightening fast) for a really good price.
Most of their entrees would feed two (i usually order an extra serving of rice), but I’m a glutton so I eat it all. I especially love their Panang curry. Thinking about the carrots and chicken in that curry broth can make me hungry even if i just had a seven course prix fixe. Even better is the Kao Poun. It’s a coconut milk and curry, chicken soup served over vermicelli — I would sell my first born for the stuff (but i don’t have one, so I’ll just sell someone else’s and hope it goes un-​noticed)
*And if you ask, the owner will politely instruct you how to pronounce menu items. .. even when you say it wrong the first three or four times like me!

I came here with a large group and the restaurant was able to cater some dishes for us. Everything tasted great!!! But I am a fan of fish sauce so if you dont like fish sauce, you may not like some of their dishes. They have a dessert dish with sweet rice, mango and coconut sauce. It is delicious!

I adore their chopsticks! They’re wooden and disposable, but not the cheap kind you always get at Asian restaurants. These chopsticks are slim, round, splinter-​free, and I love them. I know that’s a weird first thing to notice about a restaurant, but despite the light and casual décor, that classy touch had me right away. And, luckily, the food that followed did not disappoint.
Over the years I’ve actually had my share of Lao food because my friend’s family prepares it, so I have something to compare Sabai Dee to. The papaya salad is good, although sweeter and spicier than I’m used to (if you don’t want too much heat, make sure you let them know); the sticky rice and tofu soup were great; and the beef larb was absolutely perfect (as good as I’ve had– and that’s saying a lot). If you want to try something authentically and deliciously Lao, try the beef or chicken larb. It’s soooo good and probably the main reason I plan on going back (often). The milk tea with tapioca is also super yummy, so don’t forget to try that. All in all, it was a great experience and I look forward to trying other items on the menu. Just make sure you chew a piece of gum before interacting with the outside world. ..

As far as I know (and other other Unilocal reviews seem to confirm this), Sabai-​Dee is the only place in Chicago to get Lao food.
I had to idea what to expect, and was suprised to see so much Chinese and Thai on the menu, then I remembered where Laos was and stopped being suprised.
Even though I wasn’t hungry and only wanted to get a to-​go menu (which they don’t have yet for some reason) I ordered my favorite green papaya salad, a Lao version with noodles. «Spicy» asked the man behind the counter. «Yes, please,» I said. He said I should get medium spicy, because that was very hot. I agreed, expecting to get some mild dish (which is usually what happens).
A couple of hours later, I tried the salad, and MY GOD was he right! I am so glad I didn’t get the very spicy, as the medium is so hot that I had to drink three large glasses of milk just to get through half of my dish! My roommate tried one small bite and said it was unpleasantly spicy. I almost have to agree, as it’s been almost 18 hours since I ate that dish and I continue to have stomach troubles. Overall, the salad was too spicy yet tasty (a little more fishy than I normally care for, though) and I will definately try it again as a «mild».
Yes, I will go back and brave more stomach churning to try other dishes. I’ll just make sure to ask the staff what they recommend for me.

I was incredibly hungry by the time I stopped in for a quick late lunch. While they offer a full Laotian menu with table service, I opted for the cafeteria-​style dishes so I didn’t have to wait any longer to eat. You can get items a la carte or go for the $ 5.99 special, which buys you two entrees, plus fried rice or chow mein, and a beverage. Not a bad bargain and just about the right amount for a full lunch.
The food was tasty enough, though nothing spectacular. My main complaints were that my dishes weren’t served quite hot enough for my preference and the noodles had far too much chili oil. Not that it was too spicy for this spice lover; I’m simply not a fan of finding my food sitting in a pool of oil. In fact, as far as spicy goes, I was warned that my choice of basil chicken was very spicy. I’m happy to report that it was.
Overall, this is a great little place to stop in for lunch. It’s especially convenient if you need to stop next door at Golden Pacific to do some shopping. Sabai Dee has a lot of room for growth. I’ll most certainly be back to check out the full menu and see how it evolves.

As it is the only place in the city to try Laotian food (a particularly scrumptious cuisine), this should be on every one’s short-​list to try. If you’re unfamiliar, Laotian resembles Thai, but with less emphasis on fish, and more on red meats. (Lao sausages and jerky are particularly worth trying.)
The food is great: the sticky rice is very sticky, the papaya salad delightfully both cool and hot, the soups and curries spectacular, the meats fascinatingly seasoned, the green tea superb, and the desserts so refreshing. It’s also all very cheap, so if you come with a big appetite and are willing to drop $ 15 on a 4 – 5 dishes, you’ll eat like royalty. That last review is totally unjust, by the way, and anyone who expects to just order one thing at a Laotian restaurant simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. There’s Thai and Chinese on the menu too, but leave that for the unsophisticated.
But perhaps even overshadowing the food is the service, which I’d venture was the most pleasant, friendly, helpful, and low-​key I’ve ever seen. Ask for help deciding which Laotian dishes to try, and you’ll be showered with smiles and help. It’s evidently clear that this restaurant is an immigrant-​family dream, and I sure hope they keep the dream alive, because I hope to come back!
On the décor: it is barebones, but in the style of an exceptionally cheery roadside Laotian café. And anyway, if a cheap immigrant café looks «chic,» caveat emptor folks. The table service continues to expand, by the way, and you order at the counter no longer.

I just have to say it – I am TOTALLY sold on Sabai Dee. I have ordered from them several times, but have always ordered the same thing thus far — hot sour soup and spicy beef salad. That said, their hot sour soup is the most amazing I have EVER eaten. YUM YUM YUM! I crave it! It ‘s made fresh with excellent ingredients and has the perfect combination of heat and tang. They will also spice it according to your specifications. The Beef Salad is likewise delicious and generous in portion!
Sooner of later I will branch out and try something different. I am confident that I will not be disappointed.
The owner is always there and gladly provides all sorts of helpful info to aid in your dining decision. This is a big bonus in my opinion.
The space itself it nicely appointed and sparklingly clean. It also attached to the Golden Pacific Market, so you can pick up some fabulous Asian gorceries on your way out.
In short, SABAI DEE is simply delicious!

I love this place! There are lots of Laotians in CA, but I never imagined I’d find a Lao restaurant in Chicago! The owners are actually from Laos so they have some Lao dishes, such as the ka piak (chicken rice noodle soup — I especially LOVE this soup when I am feeling sick with a cold), ka pun (coconut curry noodle soup), nam kaow (pork and crispy rice salad), and Lao-​style sausages.
Besides the fact that there is no «Lao» category in Unilocal (can you add it?), I guess this place was categorized as Chinese because there are some more traditional chinese and vietnamese dishes available, such as chow mein, spring rolls, phở… I assume this is because those items are «safe» for random customers who come in to check it out and are not familiar with Lao food, but trust me, if you go here, you should order the Lao stuff.
Damnit, I want to take away one star for the place not being closer to where I live… That said, I would visit this place more often, but I can’t. So please please, YOU go and eat there so they can stay in business and do well. Maybe they can even get rid of all that boring stuff and expand their Lao menu.
Btw, I got my food to-​go, but I saw they’ve set up some dining tables for customers. I don’t think it’s wait service, but I could be wrong…

Just opened! Very clean, cute little Laotian — yes, Laotian — joint, but tables to come. Mongolian Beef was good, if a bit bland. Shrimp spring rolls sitting out on counter, unrefrigerated — which gave me pause — but I tried ‘em anyway. They were crunchy and pretty good, if a bit dry.
This place will hopefully evolve — right now, it’s just sorta mediocre, with room for improvement.
Reading the other review, I now must go back and try again!
UPDATED TO ADD: this place is really improving. Got some absolutely delicious chicken curry dish. I’ll be going here more often.