Royal Thai: User Reviews

Royal Thai continues to please us -- it’s our favorite Chicago destination for Thai fare. Everything about the place sets it apart: the food is well-prepared and attractive, the room is relaxing and nicely decorated and the staff is cordial. Oh, and did I mention? -- the price is right! Tonight we enjoyed Tom Kha soup (no galangal, but terrific anyway), crispy Panang noodles, and beef Pad Prik Khing. Everything was tasty and spiced just as we requested. On a cold, damp evening, there was no place I’d rather be!

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Mmmm ... the food was good tonight, as it always has been -- not great, but better than average all around, and a good value, too. What struck me most this evening was the simple pleasure of being in this tiny, quiet, relaxing restaurant with its simple décor and genuinely congenial staff. I am grateful for such places, and it was the perfect spot for dinner tonight.

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Recently went to Royal Thai for a great dinner. Went with the basics to test my usual faves. Pad thai, pad see ew, basil chicken (pad ka prow gai), and pork pot stickers. everything was very, very good. The pot stickers had a nice, crunchy, delicate shell, basil chicken served with optional brown rice ( a first for me in a thai place) and both noodle dishes were very tasty. Waitstaff were very attentive and responded graciously to my limited use of Thai. BYOB is a great option, and we were offered wine glasses and bottle opener. Had 3 entrees and appetizer for $25. Will definitely be back.

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Appetizer, soup and entree for $5.95 -- with several options in each category. Hard to beat for the price, quality and variety.

I had the vegetables dumplings, spinach soup, and the recommended pad thai dish. (I forget what it was called, but it was with the thin glass noodles.) And each dish was very good.

Obviously, for $5.95, you're not talking big quantities. (The soup was a fairly small cup, there were two dumplings, and the entree was maybe a bit more than half what you'd get for a full dinner entree.) But, all in all, it's a good amount of food for lunch, and a great value.

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Service was fine, but waited 50 minutes for food. Food was decent at best but beef was chewy and tasteless. Also sat by the door in middle of winter, not too pleasent. I've definately experienced better.

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I've been going to Royal Thai for over 4 years now and have not had a single negative experience in that time. The food is fresh, delicious, plentiful, and VERY reasonably priced (I think the Reader refers to it as "above-average Thai for below-average prices"). The vegetarian selection is great and unlike some other restaurants, they offer you the option of brown rice instead of white.

Apart from the food, what makes Royal Thai so great is their consistently friendly and welcoming service. The dining room is small and comfortable, and in general I've only seen one waiter there at a time, though this has never slowed or compromised service. This is a far cry from Opart just a few blocks away where I have consistently received slow service from cold and indifferent waitstaff and hosts.

Royal Thai is a wonderful place for a quiet date or to take some out-of-towners for a taste of true Thai. Best to call for a larger group, as the place is small. However, I've never had to wait for a table.

I love this place!

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I finally tried Royal Thai after frequenting some other Thai restaurants in the area. The food was excellent, the service incredibly fast and the restaurant has a nice atmosphere being across from a park near the corner of Montrose and Lincoln Ave. I'll be back.

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Probably the best pad thai I have ever tasted and I've tried a few and don't like many of them. At first glance it seemed weird with its orangey color but taste great and worth getting second. I've tried the curries as well. But if you love pad thai, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

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This is an absolutely wonderful Thai restaurant. The food is always delicious and fresh tasting, the prices are extremely reasonable, the service is fantastic, and it's BYOB. They make you feel like you're part of the family.

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Hidden on Montrose just off Lincoln Ave., from the outside this place appears "just another mediocre pad thai spot". We barely found the front door walking down the street. Once inside, I was not particularly stricken by the atmosphere, and the place was nearly empty on a Wednesday night. But our party was particularly impressed by the friendly and wanting-to-please service, and the egregiously low prices. If you are willing to skimp on chic atmosphere, this place is an absolute MUST visit in Lincoln Square for it's homey, low-key style, unbelievable prices, and now the important part, the FOOD! Our food had obviously been served not more than 30 seconds after its preparation, still steaming hot and heat-lamp virgin. The dishes were not all served at once, obviously because they did not want to let it get cold in the kitchen waiting for the other dishes. We got over that, because it was the best thai cuisine we had ever had, really. Everything was fresh, cooked to perfection, and de-licious. A definite 4 stars.

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