Opart Thai House: User Reviews

This place is great! So yummy if you are a fan of Thai.

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I used to live one block from Opart Thai, on the corner of Eastwood and Campbell, so it was a no-brainer to walk to one of the few restaurants available in the 80's in Ravenwood. I don't know when they actually opened (if they preceded my move their in 1985 or not), but it seems that I've always eaten at Opart Thai. We've watched them grow from a micro-place, then absorbing each store to the south of them when it became available. Through the 20+ years that we've been eating there, it has become our default setting for all things Thai! Sadly, we're in part responsible for their increasing success because for every occasion, we bring our friends and family to eat there, and then they bring their friends, and so on and so on! Now, unless you get there when they open around 5:00, you have a long, long wait!

After dining there for (I think) 20 years, we are now at the point where we can NOT eat at any other Thai restaurant, because nothing compares to the flavours and preparation of Opart Thai. Hands down, the BEST Tom Ka Kai in the world! Also, their Chinese Sausage Salad, Duck, Shumai, Spring Rolls, Thai Iced Coffee...oh, just everything is better at Opart Thai than any other restaurant we've tried. They've spoiled it for us so badly, that when we moved to Lincoln Park that has an equal ratio of Starbucks to Thai eateries, we tried them all and still drove back to Opart Thai, even when we couldn't just walk there any longer.

We are no one special. The waitstaff does not favour us or treat us with any special service so this is not the reason why we return over and over again. It is the quirky decorations, the convienent parking, but 100% for the best Thai food for your money! And it helps that they actually improved the bathrooms from the almost Porta Potty conditions that they had when they first opened! :) In closing, I have to say that if there was one restaurant that we'd mourn if they ever closed, it would be Opart Thai.

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Hands down, my favorite thai restaurant in all of Chicago. The ground basil chicken, tom yum soup, and gaeng panang curry are the dishes i always order. And each time, they are done perfectly and they done right. I have tried to be adventurous and try other thai restaurants but i have had wayyy too much bad thai food.. so now I wont eat thai unless its at opart. (And my boyfriend, who is a chef absolutely HATES thai food. But he WILL eat at Opart). service here is a bit lacking, but the food always brings me back.

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Opart is one of many Thai options in Lincoln Square, and it's probably the most over-rated. I've been here a number of times, mostly because I like the huge selection on the menu and in general, the food has been good. However, I would put Opart at the bottom of my list in the neighborhood because of repeated instances of poor, indifferent, or downright rude service.

This place is always busy (as I said, it's over-rated), so you can expect to wait for a table and also expect slow service once seated. This is not an exception here, but the norm. I've even had to wait 10+ minutes on more than one occasion for carry-out after arriving when I was told it would be ready.

The absolute worst, however, is that I've twice tried to order delivery close (but not after) their cut-off time of 9:30 and been told they were no longer taking orders for delivery. One of these times I was ordering a veritable banquet (order would have totaled close to $100) and despite explaining to the person on the phone that I was a regular customer and would be placing a large order, was turned down. And this BEFORE their cut-off time of 9:30! This is absolutely TERRIBLE service and simply put, says to me "we don't need or value your business."

After numerous experiences like this, I just can't justify subjecting myself to Opart's indifference any longer. There are too many other great options (like Royal Thai at Montrose/Lincoln and Spoon just a few hundred feet south) to waste time with a restaurant that doesn't even value my business.

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Decor is only so, so and BYOB, but I think it is the best Thai food in the city -- and i've eaten at a lot of Thai restaurants. And just got back from Thailand -- Oparts can hold its own with restaurants in Bangkok and Phuket. The Lincoln Square location is too far north to deliver to where I live in the West Loop, but luckily the South Loop location delivers downtown.

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My girlfriend and I ate here based on the high scores other reviewers had given, and it was the worst of dozens of Thai restaurant experiences in chicago. Our table was in the middle of the walkway and we felt in the way. The service was rude, hurried, and alltogether poor. The food was bland and thoughrouly unimpressive. I could not find a single positive to our experience and would recommend any other Thai restaurant in the city before Opart.

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I am a thai food snob and I can honestly say this is the best in the city. Great catfish curry and pad thai. There is always parking in the area and service is quick and friendly. And it's BYOB. Never a bad meal here.

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Hands down, the best Thai food we've had in Chicago. The crispy catfish and Thai eggplant is spicy and fantastic, the peanut-sauce spring rolls are firm and flavorful, and the Tom Kha Kai soup will bring tears to your eyes (in a good way). The wait staff is mostly attentive and friendly, though they sometimes get distracted and forget to check in. Doesn't bother me much - the restaurant's always busy and that's a good sign!

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June 22, 2007

This was my second visit to Opart and I was not disappointed again. Has to be the best Crab Rangoon anywhere (yeah, it's not really Thai but it's that good)! Pad Thai noodles were perfect and tangy. Didn't even need the chicken. Tried the Peanut Sauce Lover dish with chicken, ordered "medium spicy" and it was oooh spicy but still good. The Tiger Cry is really tasty, Mee Krob is like a yummy dessert, but a nice balance to the spicy dishes. We ordered the Shu Mai and Egg Rolls for my husband, who had never tried Thai food and he was very happy with his food. The service was outstanding with carafe's of water dropped at our table before we even knew we needed more. Recommended wine is a Viognier--goes great with everything we tried. Recommended beer is Tsingtsao. Can't wait to go back there again!

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good food and service

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