Siam Splendour is my favorite Thai restaurant in Evanston. Its taste far surpasses that of Thai Sookdee, in my opinion, although not in ambience. Get the green curry and pineapple fried rice – you will not be disappointed. I also order delivery on the days I can’t go to the restaurant itself, and the food is always served hot and in large portions. I would give Siam Splendour 5 stars for its food but due to its interior – you see a buffet as soon as you come in – I am giving it a 4. I am still a huge fan of this place and highly recommend it to those who want great tasting Thai food in a mom and pop setting. It will definitely be a treat!
Matt C.
Place rating: 5 Evanston, IL
This is an all-star spot for me. I’ve had many dozens of variations of pad thai from around the world, and Siam Splendour’s earns my stamp of approval. Their delivery folks are super nice, too. BYOB — good place to get lit with the boys.
Chris H.
Place rating: 2 Skokie, IL
I have been eating here since the 90s when it was Ruby of Siam, and it was delicious consistently. The last few times I have ordered take out and there is a drop in quality. Last night I ordered the pork satay appetizer and shrimp pad thai. The pork had no flavor and was dry and overcooked, even burnt a little in places. The pad thai the last few times is OK, nothing special. I think there has been a change in the kitchen.
Christine C.
Place rating: 4 Wilmette, IL
Let me preface this review by saying that, I only get two things from here. I get the Lime Chicken & Chicken Pad Thai. Let me start with the lime chicken. I have had lime chicken from Ruby of Siam and here.(I think this place used to be ruby of siam?) Anyways, this is the best entrée ever. I mean EVER. It is kind of like pork cutlets, but fried on a bed of kale chips sorta thing. The best part is the sauce. It is a sweet white sauce that pairs very well with the lime chicken. The crunch from the lime chicken and smoothness of the sauce is perfection. The pad thai is pretty decent. Nothing too special, but not terrible. The problem with many pad thais are that the noodles are too dry and not enough flavor. But the pad thai is flavorful and is also a good portion. I highly recommend the lime chicken! You won’t regret it.
Pete C.
Place rating: 2 Chicago, IL
This place used to be called Ruby of Siam and it used to be really good with a Thai feeling cause everyone was dressed in Thai dress wear. They must have changed owners and now it’s empty. I understand why because the food was not really good at all. I guess I will have to drive somewhere else to get good Thai food.
Liz H.
Place rating: 1 Iowa City, IA
We came based on location(near the Hilton Garden Inn) and Unilocal rating. It’s in a strip mall next to the El. While we were waiting for our food, a mouse(!) ran across the room. There were only four other people there. Food was meh. Seems like it’s close to going out of business, honestly.
Patricia A.
Place rating: 4 Evanston, IL
So fresh! But next time, I will ask for spicy!
Jessica W.
Place rating: 5 Chicago, IL
Hands down the best Thai food I’ve ever had. The Tom Yum soup is addicting, as well as the Pad Si U. This is always my go to place when wanting to order or eat out. And the owners are so very friendly and accommodating to any specific requests I have!
Judy H.
Place rating: 4 Evanston, IL
A group of us, primarily vegetarian, had a delicious evening at the restaurant last night. My Pad Paak Roum(sauteed vegetables) was really stellar. I got it with tofu, which was nice and firm. The vegetables were still just a little crisp, yet tender. The light sauce was flavorful and not too salty. Just because it is such a simple dish, I really didn’t expect to find it so pleasing. Today I got to enjoy the leftovers(portions are large), and there was no grease or oil congealed in the container. Service is a little slow, so just don’t be in a hurry and you’ll love it.
David W.
Place rating: 5 Skokie, IL
The best Thai food in Evanston — Have never had a bad meal there. The service is prompt and courteous. My favorite dishes include the pad Thai, tod mun, tom ka kai soup, and the pad si ew is which IMHO is the best in Evanston
Andy C.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
I come here once a week as a northwestern student. I Ive across the street and the staff is so great. It’s nice to come here to talk and enjoy some thai food. The rice, pad Thai, and satay are my favorite. Weekday lunches are all you can eat served with a free drink for about 10 – 12 dollars. They take student discount.
Sunny K.
Place rating: 5 Chicago, IL
I moved downtown from Evanston last year and Siam Splendour is probably the restaurant I miss most. Just being able to order Panang and Masaman curry, having it delivered to your door along with some Thai iced tea! How seamlessly it pairs with Netflix! I live in River North now and compare every Thai place I try to Siam Splendour. So far, none measure up. It’s inexpensive, it’s quick, it’s delicious. 5⁄5 stars.
T S.
Place rating: 5 Wilmette, IL
I am a total regular here and I always sampled many dishes. My absolute favorite is Lad Na and Crab rangoon. The chive dumpling they added to the menu not long ago is totally awesome. I would also recommend papaya salad and larb. The chef is also accommodating if you want to add/leave some ingredient for the dish. On weekdays I think they have lunch buffet for around $ 10. That’s a good way to sample a lot of Thai dishes you don’t know. I usually do it for Thai dessert, which is not always on the regular menu. The food is more authentic than many Thai restaurants I have been in Illinois, definitely better than Thai Sookdee(don’t get me started on that place, let’s say I ordered once and never again). The place is clean and the waiter is nice. I sometimes even wonder why this place is not busier.
Maris W.
Place rating: 4 Glencoe, IL
This is my favorite Thai place ever! I highly recommend it to everyone. My family has been coming here for over a decade, and I compare all the other Thai food I eat against Siam Splendor. The staff is always very friendly and they recognize us every time we come in. I will say that the quality of food is a little inconsistent at times. But, most of the time it is spot on. It used to be called Ruby of Siam, but they split from the other Ruby of Siam in Skokie a while back. I think that Siam Splendor is better than Ruby. My family always loves to get the lime chicken or Kari puffs for starters, and we love the naem sod salad, drunken noodles, and basil beef. I would recommend this to everyone. I always take out of town guests here so they can get a taste of my favorite Thai!
Team B.
Place rating: 4 Evanston, IL
We visited Siam splendor on a Monday evening. the place was nearly empty, but it still took a few minutes for someone to seat us. The dining room is a bit shabby. If we lived closer we’d probably have preferred to take our meal to go. We ordered the fried spring rolls, Panang Curry with tofu over crispy noodles, and a Thai Iced Coffee. The spring rolls were good, but not outstanding. We were very pleased with the curry, though we’d recommend sticking with the standard rice preparation; the sauce did not readily stick to the noodles, so a fair amount of it was wasted. The iced coffee was also excellent.
Tian Y.
Place rating: 2 Evanston, IL
Eh… I don’t eat thai food much and came here once maybe 3 years ago at the recommendation of friend, and it was pretty good. The other night I ordered delivery hoping for some comfort food, and it was very below average. Completely overly sweet curry, where the option to make it spicy meant a pool of chili oil on top of the food. Thai iced coffee, usually deep and rich yet barely sweetened, tasted like stale instant coffee. A noodle dish that sounded nice — «thick gravy sauce» is… unrecognizable, like I have no idea what kind of sauce they served me. Americanized Pan-Asian goop. Watered down yet sticky soy sauce with a shit ton of MSG. I’m not knocking msg, but if that’s the only thing flavoring the dish, then why am I paying $ 15 for this? Tom Yum soup was… decent. And the worst part is that the meat was all dry. Like… you’re an Asian restaurant. Velvet your damn meats. Avoiding this place for the foreseeable future.
Amber K.
Place rating: 3 Chicago, IL
Did they change the chef in the past year or two? All of the dishes that I used to get all the time now taste and look a little different. Sadness. Plus, I asked for no onions in my food, which they forgot about. It’s no big deal that they forgot, except that they didn’t offer to cook me a fresh plate without onions. What’s up with that?
Jane W.
Place rating: 3 Baltimore, MD
Lunch buffet for $ 10? I’m down! Wish this place was closer because it’s quite a journey just to grab a lunch… and it’s not feasible when I only have an hour or so in between classes. Admittedly, the food isn’t the freshest I’ve had or the most delicious, but for $ 10 you get access to 2 soups, about 6 entrees, and a few desserts.
Ellen M.
Place rating: 4 Oak Park, IL
I’ve visited four times, always at lunchtime. I haven’t tried the lunch buffet, and I probably wont — I like to concentrate on one or two things at a time, made fresh to order. That said, the buffet looks better than most. The vegetable soup is delicious. I love the curries. My last time, I got the pineapple fried rice, which had shrimp, chicken and beef. I usually don’t like shrimp, because most midwestern places don’t have a good source for it, it seems. Siam Splendour’s shrimp was so tender and delicious, I would go out of my way to have it again. One of the better thai places in the area.
Tricia D.
Place rating: 4 Chicago, IL
Solid Thai food. There’s over 100 choices on the menu, but all I can tell you is that the pad see eiw with beef hits the spot. Spacious restaurant. There’s a lunch buffet too. And while I’m not too crazy about the name change coming up(to Siam Splendour), I’ll keep coming here.