The atmosphere is simple, tasteful and uncomplicated. The dishes are amazing, made with fine ingredients, perfect portions and everything is plated so beautifully! The grilled salmon with teriyaki is without a doubt a PERFECT dish and my personal favorite. Served with fluffy bed of fresh mesclun greens, two filets of salmon that are crispy sweet on the outside, and moist on the inside, with asparagus spears. And if I'm lunching there, I'm a huge fan of the basil chicken. It never comes off like a cheap take out place. Its excellent, well priced food that satisfies the expectations of a finer palate. I've been going there since it opened. So, as a local, I don't EVER want to see them leave! read more

Some of the best Thai food I've had! The setting is very clean and sharp and the service is good. We go here everytime we want some great Thai food. read more

The place is pretty tiny and the service is hit or miss but the food? It's pretty good. My sister and I usually get the same things: Chicken Pad Thai and the Spicy Seafood Noodle. Both are usually very good but the past couple of times I've been here the pad Thai was dry and chewy. Typically there's just enough sauce and seasoning and you can get different levels of spiciness (you can get mild, med, hot, or extra hot...though I'd stick with mild here. The medium panang curry my man got was the spiciest thing I've ever eaten in my life...and I like spicy food.). Prices are decent too but considering how far this is from home, I'd rather go to CK Pad Thai, V Thai, or Thipi Thai. Sorry, Alt Thai. read more

driven by this place several times until finally coming in a while back ago. it's a new favorite of mine and a perfect spot for myself (a vegetarian) and my mother who can be picky with her food. extremely kind and attentive staff and really good food. not to mention a lovely interior that feels very cozy and contemporary. it can be hard to find vegan friendly places without driving to Chicago so this is a suburban gem. read more

The wine selection is great. Service is great. I get the red curry and it's so delicious!

Another reminder of why it's futile to find good dining in AH. Don't be upset - I was born and raised here - I know what it's about. I had recalled my bro and I coming here when it had initially opened and being disappointed. I have tried other Thai restaurants in AH with mixed results (apparently having a nut allergy is not a real thing according to some restaurants in the area). Anywho, wanted to take my mom out for Mother's Day and she had said she would like to have Thai food. Since this is the only "nice" Thai place in the area, I figured might as well give it another go. So much disappointment. Let me tell you we went to dinner at 5pm on Monday and there was only one other couple in the entire restaurant. I would have expected better service. Ordered medium spicy pad kee mao and basil noodle with tofu. Pretty standard stuff. Told the girl to make it vegan - no fish sauce, oyster sauce. This is how we eat Thai food and I've never had it be such a challenge. Even in Springfield, IL did I have a better experience. She then proceeded to ask if egg was ok. Listen, if you don't understand what vegan means, by all means, please ask! I also told her I had a nut allergy - she seemed to understand that. So then the food comes out. Imagine that someone threw together noodles, veggies and tofu and oil and threw it on a plate. That's what we had. A little challenging to distinguish one dish from another but the basil noodle had literally no flavor at all. I told her about this and she was like, "well, the fish sauce and oyster sauce are the only ingredients that provide flavor so without them...." Are you telling me that you douse your food in fish and oyster sauce and call that flavor?! How is there nothing else that goes into this and why didn't you think I should be told about this prior to me placing the order? It is extremely irritating to me when a server does not offer a solution and instead places the burden on me...I don't know what would be a better choice nor do I know what you can add to the already bland dish, I'm not the one who works there. (I work in retail so I get what customer service is supposed to be like.) She suggested a cashew dish, because there would be flavor from cashews. She had clearly forgotten that I had a nut allergy. Eventually we decide that we will have a basil fried rice. A few minutes later, a man comes out to apologize about the food and tells us that there literally was no sauce on the basil noodles because the server had instructed to not have any sauce on there. I told him that that was not the case. He tells us that the head chef is not here but they will make the basil fried rice taste good. We wait for a long time. Eventually the rice comes out and it is so spicy, my mom, who adores spicy food, and I are just downing water and not eating the rice. We inform the man of this (I honestly have no idea what his role is in the restaurant is) and he apologizes but doesn't do anything about it. By this point, I am just ready to leave and be done with the place. I end up paying for both of the dishes (which I thought was unnecessary) and we took home 95% of the rice dish. Lovely. Fortunately, Yogurtland made up for the evening. I will never go to Alt Thai again and if you're vegetarian or vegan or have allergies, you shouldn't either. read more

Chicago gets cold in the winter. Oh Lord, does it get cold. Most of you are now thinking, no sh*t Sherlock, what'd you go there in the winter for? I travel every week for my job, and my most recent assignment had me visiting Chicagoland in November through January. I never seem to get a Florida assignment in the winter. :( But I digress. One cold and snowy night, I persuaded a coworker to scope out a particular Chinese bistro in Arlington Heights for dinner. Little did we know the place is closed on Mondays. So we drove around looking for someplace else Asian, and Google Maps sort of led us to altThai. I say sort of because we asked for Asian restaurants in Arlington Heights, but the map directions had us driving all around the place...it's tucked into a corner of a small courtyard that also houses a Noodles & co., a sushi parlor, an ice cream parlor, and some other businesses. Thankfully, free garage parking was available so we didn't have to park on the snowy street. The establishment is small and intimate, softly lit. Instead of cheesy quarter-tone music, light dinner jazz played overhead. Tables are small and seat no more than four. I'd guess they seat no more than 30 overall. Service was attentive without being pushy, and on both occasions we went, the server was quite knowledgeable about the food. Because I was freezing my buns off, I started with the tom kha soup. (Note for those new to Thai food: Tom kha is the one with the coconut milk; tom yum is the broth.) Coworker went with the spinach soup with chicken balls. The serving of tom kha can be a meal by itself. Large portion, tangy, coconutty, with a variety of yummy ingredients. I had them put tofu in, but of course you can choose chicken if you prefer. When I go to a new Thai place, I always ask for medium spicy, figuring I can modulate up or down if needed. This place's "medium" is just a little bit on the hot side; I'd give it a 6 on a scale of 0 to 10 for heat. Curries at altThai are just sensational. On my first visit, I chose the red curry, medium spicy with tofu. A huge bowl of vegetables and tofu with a soup-like portion of coconut gravy came my way, with white rice. Brown rice or noodles are available for an upcharge, but I feel like spicy food isn't cooled off by brown rice very well even though I know it's better for me. What a savory, mellow taste. A perfect toe-warmer! The next time we visited, I chose the same soup but for an entree, chose the Crispy Basil Salmon. Now, that name is linguistically ambiguous; you would think "crispy" refers to the salmon, but it doesn't. What I received was a large salmon filet, cooked properly, with crispy basil leaves on top and vegetables to the side. Apparently they fry the basil leaves, which is a nice crunchy garnish. The best part of this dish, besides the perfect salmon, is the melt-in-your-mouth eggplant that appears in the vegetable mix. A nice foil for the spice. Sadly, my favorite Thai dessert, mango with sticky rice, was not available this winter; my server informed me it's seasonal, which is reasonable but still disappointing. I never get any other dessert in a Thai restaurant. So, I guess I'll just have to hope my company sends me to Chicago this spring or summer, so I can enjoy another terrific meal at altThai! read more

Seriously, the absolute freshest ingredients and beautifully presented Everytime! It's a small place and I like that. The owner,Kevin is very good about dietary restriction and modifying heat because it's all freshly made; thank you, Alt Thai!!!! read more

Who doesn't love thai food especially delicious thai food so am allways in the area visiting my my best friend and I was like she kept this from me I loved every thing about this place the service was great the food perfect the desert ended the night with a smile on my face so in my books this place rocks and this place has such a cool vibe read more

My friends highly recommended this place so we went for lunch. The restaurant is clean and inviting and servers were friendly and helpful. However the food certainly didn't meet my expectations. I ordered a dish with beef and vegetables and the meat was tough, sliced much too thick and the dish had little flavor and very few vegetables. The brown rice was not like any I've ever had....literally very dark brown and tasted heavily of soy sauce. I didn't want to complain as my friends like this place so much but one of them called to say they were also very disappointed with their meal and wondered if there was a different chef that day. There are so many good restaurants in the area so I won't be going back. read more

Possibly my favorite Thai food place in the burbs. I go here at least once a week and have been keeping this tradition for a good 2 Years. The service is good, prices are great , the food is original yet modern and the place is kept clean. That's all I need and will continue the tradition. read more

I never take pictures of my food, but when I was served the duck breast with Chinese broccoli at altThai, I was inspired. Not only was the dish beautifully presented, but it was delicious, and the service was excellent--warm, friendly and attentive but not intrusive. My husband's pad thai was delicious, so much so he cleaned his plate before I could get a second bite! Great little find. When I'm back in the 'burbs for work again I will definitely return! read more

altThai - Duck breast with ginger sauce and Chinese broccoli - Thai Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

This place is great, food is so fresh it tastes like its home made. The presentation is beautiful, decor is trendy. The Tom Kha soup is my all time favorite and this place had the best one that I have ever had. Prices are moderate and portions are huge. read more

This restaurant was a yelp discovery & it was a good one. We ordered take out - Soup & Red Curry. They both were very yummy. We eat a lot of Thai & not everyone can do it right. This was a challenge & they passed. 5 stars for sure. It was 10 mins from our hotel at a mall with a theatre in the village. Good neighbor hood. I would recommend this restaurant for good Thai food. read more

I have eaten here a number of times and after a recent abscess tooth removal (hurt like hell), all I could think about was getting some AltThai veggie Pad Thai! I was supposed to be eating ice cream and yogurt, but I got the Veggie appetizer platter (for 2) and my usual veggie Pad Thai. I wanted taro pudding for dessert, but they said they were out of that - bummer. I picked it up (first time doing take-out) and let it cool to lukewarm before chowing down. The veggie appetizer platter was healthy (Spring Rolls, Veg. Pot Stickers) and satisfying (the deep fried parts -- Veg. Egg Rolls & Fried Tofu with peanut sauce, LOL). The veggie Pad Thai has given me three meals and is, as usual, outstanding. Light, sweet, tangy and tasty. I could eat this every week. I need to try some new dishes, but I love my Pad Thai so much, it's hard to want to branch out. read more

Great service. These guys are on top of things. I've been to some high rated places lately that have had sub par service and it's great to see there are still people that actually care about you. Recommending this place to everyone. read more

Curry dishes were way too thick for my liking but it was edible. Chicken satay came out cold. Tea was good.

altThai is my favorite Thai jn Arlington heights/ Palatine area. Clean place, servers are nice. Good food, Penang Curry a must try, Chicken Satay are juicy but Basil Fried Rice and Pad Thai my absolute favorite. Neighborhood gem read more

Place is a joke. Made reservations yesterday only to be told that they have no record of it although we had text messages confirming reservation. Then they told us to wait for about 15 minutes and in the mean time they were letting in people with no reservations. We ended up walking out. read more

My boyfriend and I tried altThai for the first time last night. We ordered the vegetarian appetizer sampler, pad thai with tofu, and basil fried rice with chicken. The serving sizes were a bit smaller than some other Thai places (but still very large). Where it really shined was the freshness of the food... absolutely delicious flavors and not as heavy as some Thai food. We will definitely be back. A word of caution... if you order takeout and drive to the restaurant to pick up your order, finding parking nearby can sometimes be a pain if it is a weekend. read more

Loved the Tom yum soup.. Mild spicy was a good spicy flare to open up nostrils blocked out owing to extreme winter weather :)... Would love to visit again. read more

The ambiance is clean and chic. The food was very fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Our table ordered the grilled salmon teriyaki; the duck dish; the spicy basil dish with chicken; a noodle dish with thin glass noodles, tofu & broccoli; and massuman curry, and no one was disappointed. (The brown rice is well worth the $2 upcharge.) We also ordered several orders of satay and the chicken tempura, which were delicious as well. I would have given 5 stars, but there was one big "glitch" that bothered me quite a bit about the service: My 6-year old son wanted salmon. As there is no children's menu or smaller portions to choose from, we asked to add a side of salmon to my entree, which is listed on the menu for $7 extra. They would not do it. They said they could only add the salmon into my dish, they would not serve it on the side so my son could eat it. They said we would have to buy the full $15 grilled salmon entree for him and order it without teriyaki sauce. This would have been a waste of food and money, and he ended up not ordering food at all, so they lost money. And, the menu is downright misleading in this regard. Another smaller glitch about the service was that it took the waiter three different times to confirm the food allergies for someone at our table. I am glad that he didn't take a chance and get it wrong, but he should have written it down the first time, rather than coming back twice to confirm. Overall a good experience, but it is not family friendly; next time we will order carry out or go without kids. read more

Great staff, welcoming and kind. The food tasted great. Lots of flavor and memories for my stomach lol. Truly a great place, and very relaxing. The price is the in mid range and worth every bit. A+++ read more

I met up with a friend for dinner. I love the location and it's small feeling atmosphere. The waiter was great at attending our needs such as refilling our water and asking how our food was. I love the spiciness of the food (soup). The prices were reasonable and look forward to going there again. Great location to meet up with friends, not break the bank and try some great food! read more

Delicious! My first experience at a Thai restaurant because I was lucky enough to be traveling with two carnivores who also love Thai food. As a vegan, altthai had a lot on their menu for me to choose from. I ordered the Pad Kee Mao with tofu. This is a wide noodle dish with veggies. It was heavenly! My friends loved what they ordered as well...Tom Yum soup, veggie spring rolls, Pad Thai with chicken and I forget the other main dish with beef but they raved about it. We all had large portions of food and were quite full and satisfied when we left. All of that food and the bill was about $42 with tax included. The establishment was clean. The employees were friendly and attentive. I wish I lived closer so I could go back again! read more

Great food and service. I had the red curry with tofu, with brown rice and it was delicious. Tasty options for vegetarian and vegans.

I'm a big fan of this place. It's a small, quiet place in downtown Arlington Heights. I love the zen feeling (as other reviewers mentioned), as it provides a calm atmosphere from the minute you step in. The food is always fresh and prepared the way you ask for it. They are a little on the spicy side, but they do warn you. I ordered my dish medium and it tasted more like hot to me. Luckily I enjoy spicy food. I wish they had a more extensive drink menu, but I've always been satisfied with the wine. It's also reasonably priced and the portions are big, but not overwhelming. I can usually get a dinner and a lunch out of one meal. Good value and yummy food! read more

I go to alt Thai on a regular basis, whenever I'm looking for well prepared Thai food in a nice relaxing almost zen like setting. The papaya salad plate is really good and refreshing and all the more traditional Thai dishes curries or noodles are worth trying. The staff is friendly, the cook will truely prepare your dish to your required degree of spiciness and you can wash it down with your favorite beverage from Thai coffee to wine or tea. Worth the detour for a nice meal in a relaxing quiet setting. read more

I'm a HUGE fan of all things thai, especially thai curry dishes so I was pleasantly surprised to find these quaint little spot with modern decor. Service was prompt and friendly but the food was the star of the show. I've never really been asked how spicy I wanted my dishes before which was a wonderful concept. I picked the medium panang curry dish and it was perfect. Overall I had a pretty good experience read more

My friend and I were in the area and decided to get some Thai food. First of all, I loved the fact that they were playing ambient jazz instead of the usual combination of Top 40s and random classical music. I ordered the standby, pad see-ew, while my friend had a curry. Loved the fact that when my friend ordered his "mild," it actually came out mild! (A rare occurrence in Thai restaurants.) Portions were rather spare, but neither of us went hungry. We finished the meal with the mango with sticky rice, which is nothing short of amazing. Maybe it's the fact that the mango was perfectly ripe, or the fact that the rice was actually sticky with the perfect amount of coconut and sweet, but it was probably the best dessert I've had in ages. read more

If you like Fresh Vegetables and a great atmosphere then this is the place to go for Thai food. I've come here numerous times and never been disappointed at the food or the service. Try the Sea Bass and I highly recommend the Vegetarian Plate as a starter, best grilled Satay Tofu I've had! Eat here and you will definitely come back again and again. read more

This is my favorite thai place in the burbs. I typically go during lunch, the $7 lunch special is a great deal (appetizer, soup or salad, and an entree). It is relaxed, the staff is attentive, and the price is just right. And I cannot forget, the food is great. read more

It was cold and windy and we were hungry. So we tried this place again. The chicken was fresh, the sauces were pretty good and the service was just fine. Compared to other Thai places in this area, this is a good choice. The smooth jazz they were playing was kind of awful. Reasonably priced. read more

Very good fresh food and casual setting. Enjoyed my meal and the service was above average. Will be back after lent so I can try something other than tofu :) read more

Good suburban Thai, which is insanely hard to find. Place is pretty busy and staff was friendly enough. The city isn't that far for us, so unlikely we'll return. But if u can't drive down to Chicago, this is a great place to get your fix in the burbs. read more

I love alt Thai!!! They have delicious food and beautiful decor!!! But sometimes the service is slow!

Had the chicken stuffed pod stickers, steamed, good with the sauce! Got the curry rice with chicken and mild spice level -delicious! If you tend to eat mildly flavored foods, the mild level of spice may be a tad hot after the first few bites. It's not burning the mouth hot, just a nice heat level that was tolerable with ice water handy! It'll make your nose run for sure! The wide noodles were a little over done or squishy for my taste...curry flavor here is the way to go. The jasmine tea was good, brought us a nice big pot of hot water for the table. read more

I like the atmosphere and the food here. I always get curry. Don't forget to get the fried ice cream... yes.. FRIED ice cream! Get the strawberry ice cream... oh.. paradise. :) read more

My favorite Thai restaurant! Been there for dinner few times before and always enjoyed the food. This time My girlfriends and I tried their lunch specials and it was all good. We had the pad Thai, basil fried rice and also a wide noodle dish. Good portions, nice presentation, decent price, efficient service and most importantly- tasty food! read more

So despite the negative reviews about service, I thought the service was great. The manager did mention that in the past they were understaffed but that problem has been corrected. I had the pad Thai, fantastic flavor and the calamari was cooked perfectly. It was also relatively affordable for the display. We will definitely be here again! read more