When in Chicago, we always like to try various Thai places and this time we had a late lunch at Chai's. The service was really nice and had great conversation with the waitress. We ordered a California roll for an appetizer and the salmon curry dish for both of us. The California roll was okay. We ordered jasmine tea and the teapot was refilled when needed. The salmon curry dish came and the salmon was still raw in the inside. I told the waitress, she apologized and had it finish cooking. Even with the hiccup of the salmon not being cooked enough the first time, when it was fully cooked and brought the second time it was delicious. The jasmine rice went nicely with it. But I will say that the cabbage could have been fresher. All in all, the location was convenient for where we were, the waitress was great, and the taste of the dish was good but minus two stars for the attention to detail for the salmon and vegetables. read more

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Crispy chicken it's so delicious, eat a meal.Not feeling greasy or blah after like you normally do. The cucumber salad that they give you with the meal is delicious. read more

This tiny storefront has always done a brisk business, both dine-in and to-go. Though limited to carryout and delivery these days, the flame continues to glow under their woks. I attempted to order online, but after entering all of the requisite info and clicking "place order" ... BOING! Error message! Oh, how I hate when this happens! Unable to resolve it, I ended up calling the restaurant. It turns out that several people were trying to order online at the same time, overwhelming their system. About 30 minutes later, the restaurant called; our order was ready for pickup. Chai's is just five minutes away and the food was still reasonably hot when we put it on the kitchen table. Our meal began with two appetizers, chive dumplings and pot stickers. These were nicely crisped and the fillings were delectable. The accompanying soy-based sweet & sour hot sauce is addictive. My Missus' cashew chicken entrée fell short of her expectations, perhaps because it was a different interpretation of the Cantonese-American classic. The sauce was watery, but the veggies were crisp and not overcooked. I was very satisfied with my Pad Woon Sen with chicken. Entrees include white rice, but for $1 additional we substituted brown rice. The portions are not huge but the prices are very reasonable. read more

Chai's Asian Bistro - Cashew Chicken (nuts on the side) and Pad Woon Sen with chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We tried Chai's at the Schaumburg Septemberfest. Best we Crab Rangoon we ever had! Since we live in Schaumburg, we're definitely planning a night to visit Chai's in Chicago. It will be well worth the drive. Thank you! read more

Chai's Asian Bistro not only had clean, great tasting food, however the service was incredible. I walked in and was treated like a friend of theirs. It's a small quaint place and loved the ambiance. I ordered the basil wontons which was very different than what I typically order at a Thai place. It was really really good and unique. I also ordered the fried rice and the flavor was awesome. read more

It's been awhile since I've been here. With Covid, we decided to get carry out. It's still just as solid as eight years ago. One new surprise is that if you want really good sushi and not break the bank, this is the place for you. As I mentioned, the sushi tonight was phenomenal. The volcano roll and Philly Roll were really great! We also liked the angel wings as a good appetizer. I got the garlic chicken and the rice soup. Both were ok, but didn't wow me. Still, with so many places on the verge of closing, it's nice to support a local restaurant. I can say that this is a hidden gem of Sauganash. If you are in the area, stop on by! read more

It was my first time trying this restaurant. I ordered the pad thai with beef, spicy salmon deluxe, and lime chicken. Everything was delicious especially the lime chicken! It's super crispy and juicy. The lime sauce that comes with it is amazing. Will come back again. read more

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Top shelf on all levels. Afraid to review. Tiny storefront 5 or 6 tables. Lots of takeout. I won't go into further detail. Love the waitress/server/everything. Do friendly. Byob read more

I seriously love love love I cannot say how much I love this place the Thai boat noodle soup is seriously life-changing and then this summer roll is almost as good and this place in that busy so you don't usually have to wait that long to get amazing food read more

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We stopped in on a whim after driving by so many times; we didn't know until now what we were missing! The server was very attentive and the restaurant was well kept. Crab Rangoon and pot sticker appetizers were delicious. My son ordered Red Curry, said it was great. My daughter got the Traditional Fried Rice and said it was the best ever. We also ordered Kee Mow-just the right spiciness-and another thin noodle dish with chicken & veggies. All the ingredients were fresh and dishes were prepared just right! We'll be back PS you can park in the back-bonus! read more

I was expecting more then I bargained for, very disappointed with the food I selected.16 bucks for chive potstickers, thai tea, and tom kha soup that ended up in the trash is very disappointing. I do believe this place may have some quality food just not what I selected. It has many good reviews for it to be a bust. read more

The food was good, but the service was horrible. I don't know if the server has something against us Asian, but she was acting like we were begging for her food. Seriously, stop. We ordered crab rangoon, chicken satay, yellow curry, and thai roasted chicken (must-try) All the dishes were good, but I would never go back again. read more

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Sushi and Thai cuisine. I've been here a few times for their lunch menu. Approx $5.95- $7.95 & $9 for sushi. Lunch portions are satisfying, you get the entree with choice of meat / veg (tofu) and choice of appetizer(Egg, Spring, or California roll or Crab rangoon). Crab rangoons are not sweet, just plain, served with a light sweet and sour sauce. I've had the Pad See Ewe and Crispy Chicken. I'd say skip the Crispy Chicken, there's nothing to the entree, its chicken battered, deep fried and chopped to smaller bite size pieces. Also served with tangy chili sweet and sour sauce. Cool interior, well, cool enough for Sauganash. Few tables, mostly seating 4-6 people, those seating two are cramped. If dining alone, you can also sit at the bar. Service is quick and takes requests. Located near the off/on ramps for I-94. Ample street parking. Once Whole Foods, opens on the corner, Chai AB, will surely become more popular. I'm not the biggest fan of Thai food, I really don't have a clue about the food and I stick to those dishes I know. What I've had was good and filling. I would/do come back with friends for food and drinks, before starting my weekend evenings. read more

I've lived in the area all my life and have driven by this place several times but have never stopped in for some reason but my dentist moved her office right down the street from it and it was one of the the only places open later after my apt so I decided to try it. I ordered Thai chicken fried rice and a wonton soup. I loved them both! The rice was very fresh and flavorful and the soup was yummy too. They gave a good portion of food too which was nice. I'll definitely go back again cause it was delicious! read more

Pad Thai was grey in color, and had relatively no flavor. Tasted like noodles that marinated in some dirty sock water for a day. Don't get me wrong, I love pad Thai with that fishy tangy sweet powerful flavor. This wasn't good fishy tangy, it was funky in an unappetizing way. Whatever "sauce" used wasn't even strong in flavor either, it was just a faintly bad taste. I'm used to pad Thai being a bright orangey brown, and the pictures looked promising! What got delivered was one large grey brick of compressed noodles in a murky watery puddle at the bottom. Ended up in the garbage, which is saying something because I was starving. Thankfully I ordered chicken satay and a few other things that tasted great, they just really missed the mark with the pad Thai. Hoping it was an isolated incident but scared to give it another try and waste my money. read more

Great crab rangoon and egg rolls- not greasy and bad oil taste. Delivery is quick. read more

highly recommend if anybody looking for Authentic Thai food! their Boat noodles are on point! will be back again

I am sitting over here and enjoying sushi rolls, people are super friendly and food is amazingly tasty. Here goes the 5 star review for them. Pictures has been posted read more

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Great place!!! They have some of the best crab rangoon. The service is always quick. Their sushi is amazing and I always love coming to get back for more. It's usually not as busy whenever I go during the day. The past couple times I've been there, me and my cousin were the only customers which is shocking for how good their food is! Definitely underrated and serve big portions of noodles and rice. read more

Chai's Asian Bistro - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was gonna give them five stars but then when we went In nobody greeted us we have to seat ourselves and grab our menus (this was last Friday night) .... What really did it was their food .... We ordered fried tofu (yummy!) , fried rolls( yummy again! ) , crab Rangoon ( yum!yum!) , boat noodle (ooooohhhh!!!) and traditional beef fried rice ... read more

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Don't let the lack of ambience in this small storefront deter you from trying this place. The food was excellent. My only complaint is that service was lacking. read more

I've been here before and can't believe I had forgotten to Yelp it! I was here Monday night -my friend Anna (bless her heart) took me out for a bday dinner. I really do like this place. It's very small and the food is good. My only complaint is that the service is pretty slow. My boyfriend got his dish a good 10 minutes before ours came out. So, he was being polite and ate slowly, but he probably could have finished before ours even came out. I suspect they only have one cook in the back who literally cooks the entrees one dish at a time. Other than that, I really like this place. That said, if you have time to kill and a fun group of 2-4, you can chit chat and pass the time. However, if you are in a hurry or have a large group and need things to come out at once, this might not be the best place. read more

I've been dining at Chai for over two years now and today the service was so horrible that I don't know if I can return. Co-workers and I went here for our lunch today and were greeted by sub par service that took so long to get our food we ended boxing it up and leaving. We only get so much time to take lunch here in corporate America, so when it takes almost an hour to receive my Chinese food, I am not a happy camper. To top it off, they comped us all of 10% off our meal for the delay. Mind you we've spend a good deal of money at Chai Bistro over the years that they could have comped at least one of our meals. 10% isn't much on a $40 tab. I hate leaving bad tips but this time it was required. Hopefully they get their act together because the food is good here. read more

I have been to many many Thai restuarants that are great for certain dishes and warned to stay away from other dishes. At Chai's so far I've tried 5 entress and 4 of their sushi plates and all were beyond my expectations. I had just gotten back from Bangkok and I really missed the smell of the food, I found my go to place now! Must try dishes are the Pad See Ew, combo fried rice, crab rangoons, and spider rolls. Chai's Asian Bistro is not your hole in the wall establishment where food is prepared quickly and tastelessly. They use quality authentic ingredients and great cuts of meat and I'm willing to pay a little more to have that. See for yourself y'all. I'm just glad I live so close to them. read more

A hidden gem. My wife and I love Thai food and were looking for a new spot to try on date night. The place is quite small, but the decor is cozy and inviting. The food was fantastic. We tried shrimp tofu potstickers, tom yum soup, kee mao, and basil chicken. Everything was wonderful with fresh ingredients and plenty of vegetables. We're picky about Thai food and would highly recommend chai's! read more

This little BYOB place is perfect for the Saughanash hood. The service is a little slow, which is odd for such a small place, but it's tolerable. I have never been disappointed by this place and the dine in and take out crowd seem to agree. Everything from crab ragoon to pot stickers to sushi can be found on their menu. The food is always flavorful and lip-smacking. Everytime I go here, we order one of something and love it so much we have to order another. It's perfect for a low-key dinner out with any companion. The sushi is notable as well! Enough to choose from that I haven't tried all of them already but not limited to the standard rolls like california and spider. I'm pretty sure there is no corkage fee either- this place is great for a cheap night out that isn't lacking in flavor or variety! read more

Being a huge sushi & Thai fan I was extremely pleased to see that one had opened up a few blocks from me. I love that it is BYOB and there are many places close enough to walk to buy a bottle of wine before stopping in to get our fill of pad woon sen or volcano rolls. Both of which i highly recommend. It is a small location, but never too crowded, service is a little slow, but mainly because the staff is small. But, that just leaves room for conversation in the comfy atmosphere of friends and wine. Plus a bonus is delivery and pickup. Which I have taken advantage of as well! read more

Stopped in for lunch a couple of times and also for dinner. Food has always been really good, never really had bad service, and the place is always immaculate. I knocked off a star because it seems like their lunch portions have gotten really small. I picked the pot-sitcker appetizer and basil chicken off of the lunch menu and was disappointed to only get 2 pot stickers and a really small portion of basil chicken. My husband received the same portion size on his lunch order. We both left hungry! We will most likely skip this place for lunch going forward but will still return for dinner. read more

Lived in the neighborhood for 2 years and am usually disappointed by any new sushi takeout place I've tried. Well, not totally disappointed but never as excited as this time around! Ordered the volcano, spicy salmon and shrimp tempura and man on man are they good!!! This will for sure be my new sushi takeout place. read more

After reading some of the other reviews, I have to share my own opinion/experience... My advice to those of you who posted good reviews: Get out of the neighborhood and try something better cause this family owned establishment sucked!!! This place is terrible! Sushi is nothing to write home (for those of you who think its good "get out and try something else") There is more to Saugaunash/Chicago than this crap! For the price we were unimpressed to say the least! In addition, we have ordered from them a couple of times (due to the fact that they're little to no other alternatives in the area for Thai/Sushi) and have never once had a memorable experience. In addition to dining in, we ordered delivery from them which was cold, we were charged for food we didn't receive, and when we called and complained the employee gave us attitude. That said, when they finally understood their mistake (especially on a $100 delivery order) the owner called back and apologized for the misunderstanding and brought us an extra chicken dinner (and the food forgotten) back to our house...At that point I could of cared less, and in all actuality felt as though they spit in our food because of how nasty I got with them over the phone...More importantly, when I am charged for something I didn't receive and am told I did it just gets stupid...I prefer the consumer is always right attitude especially when it comes to something forgotten, but billed nonetheless. We have not ordered from them since and have passed on our negative experience to others.. read more

Amazing Thai food! I came with a group of 4 on a Saturday night. This place hit the spot. It's BYOB, but there's a Whole Foods across the street with anything you could want. We had appetizers, sushi, pad thai and dessert. This was the best and most authentic Thai food I've had in Chicago. read more

This is a great place to have a fun dinner with friends. As other reviewers have mentioned, this place can be a little slow, so if you want a quick meal, this isn't the place for you. I usually head to Chai with friends I haven't seen in a while, and we always have a great time. And with BYOB with no corking fee, how could we not? The spring roll is good - usually 3 of us share it and we all get a few pieces. Their pad see ewe is really good, as is their sushi. One of the biggest cheers for this place comes from Chai being so very accomodating to food allergies. One of my friends has many severe allergies, and Chai takes extra care to prepare the meal she wants in a way that she can have it. Looking forward to heading here again soon. read more

I've been going to this place ever since they opened because my parents live nearby. I haven't dined-in in awhile, so I can't really comment on service .Yet, I find the food just average. My family and I ordered take-out from here last night - mainly because it offers both sushi and traditional Thai dishes (we couldn't agree on cuisine). I hadn't had food from here in awhile so I had forgotten what I liked. However, I was in a sushi-mood, so I ordered the dragon roll. My mom ordered the Pad See Ewe. The dragon roll was fine, but the pad see ewe...The broccoli was not fresh, making the dish blah. As we ate, I remembered why I don't really ever crave this place. It doesn't really offer any outstanding dishes, just decent dishes to give you your Thai/sushi Fix. When I have the time, I go somewhere else to get tasty Asian food. As the Yelp rating for three stars identifies, this place is only "A-OK". read more

The 5-star rating is for the food and service. The location itself is casual, like this is probably better as a takeout place. But the food... we got the vegetarian and seafood appetizer samplers, tom kha, red curry with shrimp and green curry with chicken. The appetizers were really scrummy, and my table could easily have filled up on them. The shrimp in the red curry was really plump. If you want a spicy curry, you'll have to ask for that. The tom kha was very flavorful. BYOB. This restaurant is not really near where we live, but I'm looking for excuses to go back. read more

Nice place, very convenient to Edens Expressway. We met our daughter for lunch there the other day, and shared Vietnamese Roll, Spicy Beef Salad, and a Yellow Chicken Curry. We finished it off with Sticky Rice and Mango. Food quality was excellent, very tasty, We weren't in a huge hurry, and didn't notice any particular delays. The hostess / server was very pleasant and fairly attentive. read more

Just ordered and picked up my food , Rama curry chicken dish was with super dry and old chicken , and it seems like every chicken dish you get is like that , brown rise was tasteless and broccoli undercooked , the only dish that is good is Tum yam soup !! Seriously you have a restaurant don't try to fool people by giving than an old or not good ingridients read more

Chai's Asian Bistro - I am hungry but that food will have to go to garbage , cause it tastes like crap - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

There are maybe 3 - 4 Asian restaurants in the Sauganash neighborhood/area, and Thai is definitely in the top three. :) I had the pad thai many times and it is very similar to the pad thai at Cozy Noodles in Evanston - spot on texture of noodles, great blend of tamarind and fish sauciness, AND orangish yellow color. I dont know why but I am very attracted to the the orange/yellow colored pad thai, eventhough it's probably just tumeric powder (which is arguably flavorless). I am glad that there is atleast one decent dish I can get on the run in my parents neighbhorhood. For those familiar with the area, it is nice not having to drive that far for good asian food. For those not familiar, the neighborhood is on the outskirts of the city, bordering Skokie, Niles and Lincolnwood; Anything remotely good is atleast a 10-15 minute drive. read more

We celebrated my mom's birthday here last night. Everything was sooo delicious! We had shrimp panang curry, beef Lard nar, chicken pad see ewe, boat noodles, Chai's fried rice with shrimp, and papaya salad. The beef and chicken was so tender, and the shrimp was huge. BYOB was a plus, and we also brought in a dessert for my mom's birthday. They even brought out some birthday dessert for her, with a candle. Wonderful owners and food! read more

This place has more ambiance than most other Thai places (trendy and modern but small) and BYOB. I come here if I am in the area and am too lazy to venture to Lincoln Square (it is right off the highway and right next to Whole Foods!) That said I like the pad thai and curries from here. Trust me and skip the sushi completely. Portions - adequate, Parking - fairly easy (Cicero or Peterson), Service - good (family owned) read more

I work in Skokie and have been on the prowl for a Thai restaurant with a good lunch special for a while now---and I think this might be the place. For $7-$8 you get your choice of an appetizer (Crab Rangoon, Egg Roll, California Roll, or Spring Roll) and a decent sized entre. The food was good--I had the Crab Rangoon that (shockingly?) appeared to have actual CRAB MEAT in them and the Ginger Chicken, which was great. The service wasn't too hot (one server for the whole restaurant--and people at my table were being served entres before everyone had received their appetizers), but overall it was a pretty good meal. I wouldn't drive out of my way to go to this place, but it's a nice for a cheap Thai lunch if you're in the hood already... read more