Tom Yum Cafe

Very delicious meal although they didn’t have any Tom Yum soup! Was very disappointed about that but… all in all, thumbs up.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to eat here. At 1pm on a Tuesday they were not open for business regardless of the hours listed on their door that clearly stated they were open 11am-​10pm. Door was locked, nobody’s home. Very disappointing.

True Thai food in Chicago — an amazing thing. As good as the great places in LA, Portland, etc. Very highly recommended.

I don’t know how this place has such a high rating. My favorite Thai place in Chinatown recently closed, and I was super disappointed, so it was decided to try this place because the pictures and menu looked up to par (and was actually a bit cheaper) to my (now no longer) favorite Thai restaurant.
Moo Ping — Moo ping, from my past experience, is absolutely delicious. This was not. Some parts were warm while other parts were cold. It’s obvious they were refrigerated then heated to order. So disappointing. Honestly, the sauce for me is what makes the dish, and it was awful. It had way too much salt and lime (I’m assuming). I thought maybe I’d enjoy the meat without the sauce, then, so I tried it by itself. I’m used to a moo ping that is well-​seasoned and looks like it has been grilled. This meat had a funky flavor and texture — a bit too soft. ¹⁄₅
Crab Rangoon — It was served a little above room temperature. Again, disappointing. The wonton was over cooked, so it was falling apart. The filling just tasted of cream cheese, not that I’m complaining too much because I love cream cheese. Wish there was more crab and some green onion or some type of herb in it. Also wish it came out hot, or at least warm enough. ²⁄₅
Tom Yum Soup (Veggie) — This was okay. The flavor was nice, and came with a good amount of veggies. The base of the soup had a floral taste to it, which I was not expecting. I’m used to a spicy, limey broth. It was okay. I was happy to get something I could actually semi enjoy. ³⁄₅
Pad Thai (Veggie) — Again, a good amount of veggies. The flavors were nearly there, but it was greasy. Extra lime on it and I was good to go. Only thing I wish they included was salt and some chili powder like I’m used to. ³⁄₅
Overall, I won’t be returning. This place is super tiny. Could fit about 8 – 10 people. It didn’t deter me, though, because I know a few whole-​in-​the-​wall places that serve yummy food. The only reason I’m giving this a two star is because the tom yum soup and pad thai were edible and semi enjoyable. I suppose I was spoiled by my previous Thai spot, so I will continue my search in finding my favorite Thai dishes elsewhere.

Great, authentic Thai food!
Honestly wasn’t expecting much when I walked by, but don’t turn away if the place is mostly empty. They do a lot of take out orders and the food is incredible! Their curry and tom kha soup are so authentic — feels like I’m back in Thailand!

This place is small, it’s a little off to the side located physically on Barry as opposed to Broadway, it doesn’t have a ton of seats but this is my favorite Thai food in Chicago and I’ve been to a good amount of Thai restaurants. I’ve eaten there a number of times and have never been disappointed. My favorite dish is the garlic and pepper stir fry with either chicken or tofu. The pot stickers or chicken satay are my go to for appetizers!

Took about 40 mins for the food to be served. The taste of each dish was not that great like other Unilocalers posted. Wont come back.

Let’s just keep it 100 here: The «7» «Filipino Lumpias» are in fact 3 regular sized lumpias cut in half, with another half thrown in for good measure. For $ 6, I wouldn’t exactly call this a deal. It tasted good, so if you’re in dire need of a lumpia fix, this is an option.
To their credit, the Thai omelet was very tasty. And the sauce they served it with was also the perfect complement. However, be warned that it actually didn’t come with rice, despite what was listed on the menu. I busted out the rice cooker, but if I didn’t have one, I would be peeved if I was expecting it.
The restaurant itself is very small with limited seating. I usually see the tables filled, so calling ahead/​take out is probably your best bet.

Disclaimer: I am not a foodie at all, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. However, I took my aunt and uncle here (both of whom are Asian food connoisseurs) and they gave their enthusiastic approval, so hopefully my opinion holds a little more weight.
This is definitely my favorite Thai place. At first glacé, the size is a little discouraging, seeing as there’s only about 4 tables (so you’ll be waiting if it’s busy). However, it gives a nice intimate feel inside. No need to worry about shouting to hear your conversation or trying to flag down your server from afar.
As for the most important part– the food– is fantastic. On my last visit, we ordered pad see ew, chicken larb, panang curry, pad thai with tofu, and tom kha. All of it was excellent. We ordered medium spiciness on everything (mainly because I am a spice weakling) and it was just right to me. I would definitely recommend all of it. I was least enthusiastic about the tofu, mainly because I’m a carnivore through-​and-​through. My aunt and uncle, however, loved it.
As for dessert, definitely get the mango sticky rice. It almost tastes better and better every time I get it!
This is definitely my go-​to Thai place, and the fact that it’s a block from my apartment makes it even better!

Nom nom yum yum. Good prices, nice family, and a tofu pineapple fried rice that my wife would not share. Nice heat too on the papaya salad.

Great food, very fresh and delicious! Lunch special can’t be beat. VERY small seating area, but you can just call ahead and take it home. Really worth a try.

Although this place is small, it definitely packs a punch inside! The service was great and because it is family owned, they are genuinely very nice and want to satisfy their customers. The food was just as amazing!
I ordered the Tom Yum Soup with chicken, and after a morning out in rainy and windy Chicago, this soup warmed me up and packed a nice kick in spiciness. As my entrée, I ordered the Panang Noodles, I was given the option of crispy or steamed noodles, so I went with crispy and discovered that I made a great choice! The Panang curry itself was so rich and flavorful, the noodles were crispy and went fantastically with the sauce and the peas and broccoli added to the depths of flavor. I would go back just for this dish!
My friend ordered the Red Curry and was obsessed with it as well. It was spicy but not overwhelming, there were basil leaves in it so that added a great flavor as well.
For dessert, we ordered the Thai Mango and sticky rice. The mango was very fresh, and the sticky rice was fantastic. We would’ve ordered another one if we weren’t so full from the entrees!
Definitely worth a visit! I will for sure be back!

Tom Yum has moved to the top of my local Thai take-​out place list. I had a couple horribly ridiculous delivery experiences with Joy’s, and the food is nowhere near good enough to compensate. Thaiday got worse in both quality and quantity. And PS Bancock is some of the worst shlock I’ve wasted time chewing in years. So we got around to trying Tom Yum and were very happy. Nothing special about the Basil Chicken Rolls, and they were solid. The wanton soup was excellent, with large wontons and a delicious, flavorful broth. My gf loved her green curry (and had plenty to spare), and my larb was great (and big), though it could have used just a little more lime. Overall a solid meal from top to bottom. Good portions, ingredients were relatively good quality, flavorful, this is now the reigning champ for close-​by Thai.

I needed a Thai food fix and since I was traveling by myself, this seemed like the perfect place: small, quaint, and serious about their food.
I ordered the Coconut Green Curry with shrimp and served in a fresh coconut, and a Thai iced tea. The beverage took a while to come and the waitress came to my table and apologized, saying that one of the cooks had to run out and get ice, so for the wait, she gave me a tall glass of fresh coconut water. How nice!
The green curry was absolutely delicious. The coconut meat was falling off the inside of the coconut and added a lovely soft and silky texture to the curry, which had a plethora of ingredients: basil, eggplant, bell pepper, and at least 8 pieces of shrimp. I kept digging my spoon in and pulling out more spicy delicious surprises. At one point, I muttered to myself with a mouthful of food, «Oh my god, this is so good…» and the waitress had heard me and looked in my direction with a pleased expression. Not as pleased as me though!
The Thai iced tea came in handy since I ordered my curry spicy and it did not disappoint!
When the check came, the waitress had comped the Thai iced tea since it came late. Again, how nice!
Additionally, there were several parties of Thai customers and plenty of people getting takeout so you know this place is legit.
I’ll be back if I’m in the area!

New favorite Thai place in town!
I honestly didn’t even know this place existed until my friend told me about it and I live basically down the street. I’m so glad that I decided to try it because I’m now obsessed.
The chef told me that she makes everything the way she would for herself. She looks for be most authentic ingredients and many ingredients she prepares in house because she can’t find anything to meet her standards. I find this to be so impressive because for a small place she would probably save money buying it pre-​made.
Honestly this is as close as I’ve experienced to actually being in Thailand. Some of these dishes are maybe even better. I come here all the time alone because it makes me feel like being back home.

Maybe I just don’t get Thai food. I keep trying, but it doesn’t ever hit the spot.
My lady and I ordered carryout from here. Even though the restaurant was totally empty, we were told the wait would be 30 minutes.
* Steamed Vegetable Pot Stickers ($ 4.95) While these were fairly tasty, they completely ripped apart in our hands. Each pot sticker would stick to another one. It was like the octopus-​eating scene in Oldboy. These are decent, but not exactly worth $ 1 each.
* Ka Nom Jeen Gang Kai ($ 8.50) Thai pasta topped with green curry, chicken, bamboo shoots, eggplants, bell peppers and basil. My noodles came in a styrofoam container, while a soupy mixture of everything else came in a plastic container. This wasn’t all that great. Had maybe five small pieces of chicken floating in a spicy, milky soup. Disappointing.
Perhaps my palate isn’t really adjusted to Thai food, but nothing I had here really merits a return visit.
If you go to the actual restaurant, be advised it is VERY small, with room enough for maybe 12 patrons, tops.

I was looking for a Thai place nearby and stumbled across Tom Yum Café. Two things I noticed right off the bat — 1. It’s impossible to park around here and you might run a pedestrian over if you aren’t careful while turning. You might ask why I was driving around this place to begin with but that’s another story. There happened to be a few cop cars nearby too so I was even more reluctant to park illegally. 2. The inside is excruciatingly small, like three small tables small. It’s completely unable to hold any more than 20 people max, maybe like 15 people max.
Pad Kee Mow — I would go for this if you want a spicy kick in your noodles. Overall, it was just okay, nothing extraordinary. Slightly overpriced in my opinion for Thai food and for the quantity as well.
Chicken egg rolls — again very ordinary, although I barely noticed any chicken in my egg rolls. I liked that in my takeout box, they used one with holes so that the hot air is able to get out and the egg rolls stay crispy even after a 15 minute drive home. That’s a definite plus.
I would stop by if I happened to be nearby again (and on foot) but I don’t think I would specifically drive here just to eat.

I haven’t yet figured out where the Tom Yum Café fits in to the ecosystem of Thai restaurants in Lakeview:
It’s not quite as fantastically flavorful and innovative as Andy’s Thai Kitchen, let alone Tac Quik. But it’s substantially closer and therefore has proved a much better supply of takeout.
It’s definitely tastier than Joy’s Noodles, and also has our much-​needed staple of papaya salad. But it’s far enough away that it’s not stumbling distance away; indeed I rarely eat out anywhere in my neighborhood that requires walking past Dryhop. And so far the takeout process has not always been smooth either.
Yet in the three weeks I have known about this place I have already been there three times. So I guess I’m finding a place for it…

Very good Thai edition in the neighborhood.
Atmosphere: Very small space with only 4 tables so call ahead to see if there is a wait! Otherwise, very clean and modern space.
Food: The food here is good, but portions are on the smaller side. Certainly enough for a meal, but there probably won’t be any leftovers. Pricing is about on par with the other Thai restaurants in the area.
Service: There was only 1 lady taking care of the phone, delivery orders, and waiting on people. She was nice, but spoke limited English. Service was spotty at times due to her multitasking.
Overall: I’m glad this place opened up as there are a multitude of Thai places in Lakeview, but none are very good in my opinion. The place has only been open a few months so I expect they will get better with time.

This place caught me off guard, It is essentially a contemporary ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ that cooks great dishes. I’m not a connoisseur of Thai food but I could tell that all the ingredients were fresh and both of our dishes were well seasoned and very tasty. I am actually calling for pick-​up for this place tonight to try more of their dishes.
I had the Duck Curry and my girlfriend had the Pineapple Fried Rice. Both were very good, but I kinda thought the meat in my curry was the last of the duck they had. The fried rice was seriously awesome though. Innovative seasoned deliciousness.