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    Khmai

    4.6 (110 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

    Order Khmai Takeout or Delivery

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    KHMAI ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Khmai

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    Danielle H.

    Everytime I go to Khmai I leave full and happy. it's a great addition to Roger's Park especially since there are not many sit down restaurants. The tasting journey is something extremely unique. My favorite dishes are the Somlar Machu Kreoung, Sach Ko Ja Kak and the Sach Ko tuk prahok. I had never had Cambodian food before I tried it and it has changed my thoughts about cuisine all together.

    Jennifer D.

    Had a wonderful Mother's day dinner here with the family. There are two dining spaces at this restaurant: normal ala carte area and the fine dining space. There was only availability for the fine dining seating so we opted to get 2 family meals and try one of each dish. First off, I loved that each dish was unapologetically flavorful. I have never had Cambodian cuisine but the incorporation of fresh fruits, raw and soured veggies, and funky fish paste made everything taste authentic. The only thing that could use some improvement would be the organization. There were maybe 2 or 3 dishes not available so we had to double up on things. In my experience with coursed meals especially with a reservation made in advance, I think this needs to be accounted for. I would understand if I were ordering ala carte. Also, the pacing of the courses felt a little awkward. At times many of the empty dishes were not promptly cleared from the table. Our utensils were cleared and we still had one course remaining, which was fine because we were all so full anyways. They were nice enough to pack it to go. Overall, the family meal was HUGE. Definitely worth the price. I will be returning for the ala carte experience and happy hour to enjoy some more traditional Cambodian food. My favorite was the nyom svai, mango salad with chili fish sauce, topped with a fried tilapia.

    Alvin T.

    I've never had Cambodian food before so I didn't know what to expect, but this place definitely impressed me and then some. The atmosphere of this place feels upscale while the food still feels very comfortable and Asian. While the prices are a bit higher than what you would usually expect from southeast Asian cuisine, it does make up for it in presentation, taste, and overall style. You can't go wrong with what your waiter recommends, as I remember everything tasted super good and had a flavor profile that I definitely was not used to. This place is truly a gem in Chicago.

    Kapi Ktisa
    Linda L.

    This is the first time I've had Cambodian food, and I'm glad to try it out. Kroeung is in a lot of dishes and is a foundational herb with spices like Lemongrass, galangal, tumeric, garlic. The dishes we tried had similar notes to other SE Asian delicacies but a little different flavor profiles and styles. It was a little funky with the fermented fish paste but in a good way. The Trei Chien- fried red snapper was awesome. The market price we paid was $45 and was tasty with the mango salad and fresh herbs. The Katang was almost like a Thai Pad Sie Iew with the wide noodles. I craved a bit of spice with it. The Amok Tawhou was like a curried tofu, the little bamboo box it came in was cute. I enjoyed the Kapi Ktiss with rice instead of just the raw veg to cut the saltiness of the fermented paste. Service was a bit slow and the main server seemed a little over whelmed. But overall it was a good experience and I'm glad we went.

    Mary L.

    This was my very first time trying Cambodian food, and it blew me out of the water. The food was extremely flavorful and the value of the dishes good for the price for each dish. This was perfect for family style. The staff were all super friendly and helpful. I wanted to plan a second visit before I even left! My favorite was definitely the national dish of noodles. The fish broth has so much fish pieces in it, it was so good. And the broth wasn't even fishy!

    Felice B.

    The food is great. The flavors are bright and vibrant and the dishes are well prepared. Our server was personable, engaged, and appropriately solicitous. So what went wrong? We deliberately made our reservation for Sunday night so we could order the tasting menu. The reservation was confirmed and we received a reminder on the day of. Long story short, Khmai didn't have enough reservations to open the dining room so our reservation was canceled and moved to Khaun Khmai without informing us. To make matters worse, the young man working FOH tried to ineptly gaslight us into thinking it was the same. The meal was very good but it was not the experience we expected and looked forward to. I feel that the management made a serious mistake in not informing us as soon as they made the decision to not open the fine dining room.

    Patricia R.

    This restaurant was great. The wait staff are very attentive and work well together. The food was supper delicious and the presentation was beautiful. Not a big fan of the three dip course. Otherwise, everything was great. You'll want a reservation for the weekend, as it was quite full.

    Darina H.

    My family and I were in town for the Chicago Marathon and stopped by Khmai for our post-marathon celebration dinner. As a Cambodian-American I take pride in the food and culture that my ancestors gifted to us and was extremely thrilled to learn that there was Cambodian food just a few minutes away from our hotel! We made reservations online because our large party (we had six people and wanted to secure a spot). We were welcomed inside by the friendly staff and quickly seated. The wait staff were very kind, personably, friendly and easy to talk to. The restaurant features a bar area for drinks and tv / sports watchers as well as a dining area for guests. There is also another larger room for private parties or fine dining experience as well. My family and I ordered the Mai's Eggrolls and Chien Tropp (eggplants). Both very delicious and full of flavor! We loved the chien tropp and the delicious sauce (roasted tomato kreung) it came with to compliment the entire dish. For the main entrees, my kids ordered the Cha Mee Katang (Chicken) and they loved it! My husband ordered the Cha Mee Katang (Tofu) and he was super impressed as well. I ordered the Amok (with Salmon) and it was so yummy. I loved that the Amok was also available in Tofu for my Vegetarian husband. The dinner table was VERY quiet as we delved into our plates and enjoyed the flavors that reminded me of my motherland! For dessert, my kids ordered the coconut ice cream and my husband and i ordered the sticky rice flan dish. Overall, a wonderful time and I can't wait to come back to share more memories and flavors with my friends and family!

    A traditional khmer painting
    Peter S.

    The food is magnificent having traveled to Cambodia multiple times. I find the food to be authentically delicious. The service is great they always greet you at the door with the traditional wai both hands clasped a bow greeting you with " Jum teapsua. They dress Khmer traditional. I love this place

    Somlar kari- chicken curry
    Jonathan W.

    Takes credit card. Can make reservation online or walk in. It's better to make a reservation. There are 2 establishments that are next to each other. Khmai- is the fine dining option, but is currently closed for renovations. Kaun khmai is the casual reservation. Excellent service. Coming from Long Beach, CA where Cambodian flavor are abundant, the food here is exquisite. Nom krouk ($9)- an appetizer with 2 small crab cakes over a crunch bread. It's a lot of multiple flavors. Kapi khour Cheng ($12)- the bone marrow The bone marrow dish was super super tasty. Well cooked with grill flavor. Bai sach ($25)- the grilled pork shoulder was a mix. Some parts were grilled perfectly, soft, nice char on the outside with fatty flavor, other parts was too thin and over cooked. Somlar Kari $27- the chicken curry. It's a huge pot of coconut curry, large chunks of soft potatoes and carrots which are so soft. The onions are soft and blend in with the curry. It comes with bread and extremely filling. Jackfruit soda ($3.75)- they make in house and is really good Rambutan spritzer ($3.75)- very refreshing.

    Store front
    Linda K.

    My mother is from Cambodia so while visiting Chicago, we figured why not try this place. I have followed them since they opened on Instagram and was really excited to give it a try. We ordered the slaw Maju and to our surprise it did not have the ingredients as the authentic would have but the flavor was there. We also had the beef skewer which was on the sweeter side and have peanuts, I guess for decoration. But did not have the lemon grass flavor as the traditional. The service was on point. The mock tails were absolutely tasty. It was small dining area but the ambience was chill..

    Cindy L.

    Such a nice find. The place itself is nice and the staff makes you feel welcomed. I loved that the plating felt like a fancy downtown spot but the vibe was much more relaxed. It's a great go to for a "nice" dinner without the drive. Everything we ordered was delicious.

    Liz M.

    Finally visited Khmai's fine dining side of the house last night after looking forward for many months! My friend and I ordered several (4 I believe) dishes to share and two drinks each, and after tip it is about $100 per person. We decided not to do the prix fixe because of some allergy limitations. We really enjoyed our meal. The curry that is available with either salmon or tofu was outstanding. We chose tofu and I really enjoyed it. We also really liked a rambutan cocktail that was a special. It's a longer dining experience as well, so be aware of that. For us it was about exactly two hours. The biggest area of improvement I see is a subjective one. I think the space really needs some adjustments. It's a large beautiful room but it's a bit awkward because the space isn't broken up enough and you can see and hear way too much. Here are some possible suggestions the restaurant may way to look into to warm up the space and create more privacy: - lower the embedded lighting, or turn it off altogether and add more hanging lights or tabletop lighting -add more fabric wherever you can to absorb more noise. Perhaps some heavy curtains over the white part of the external wall -add a large piece of furniture or some kind of sculpture or something towards the center of the room. Even the use of some silk screens or drapes to section off the space more -the middle row of tables being weirdly off kilter is strange in the space. Break it up into two rows perhaps or try staggering them somehow to make it less sterile Overall a REALLY great meal. I hope to return to the more casual restaurant soon to try that menu.

    Nom krouk

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    3 months ago

    Food was amazing, serves was great and restaurant was trendy. A must if you are in the area.

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    Ask the Community - Khmai

    Do they have high chairs, is it kid friendly?

    Definitely kid friendly. They have a play area outside. I wasn't paying attention for high chairs.

    Is Khmai vegetarian friendly?

    Yes!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Royal Thai Restaurant - Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango

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    We walked in here randomly on a weekday for lunch. Seems like most ppl order take out, but we had a…read morelovely time dining in. We each got a Thai iced tea, they were splendid. Then we started w peanut sauce spring rolls and crab Rangoons. They do not skimp on the peanut sauce and as a peanut sauce lover, i was very happy w the amount of sauce they put on the rolls. The crab Rangoons were also excellent. We got beef pad see iew and tofu pad Thai. I will be back for both these dishes, esp the pad Thai. Delicious! This was actually my first time trying sticky rice w mango, it was insane lol soooo good. What have I been doin my whole life without this dessert??! The mango was ripe AF. Wow so good. I will definitely be back! There's some easy parking right out front.

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    I've been to Noodles Party a handful of times and drive about an hour from Aurora each time. It's…read moreone of the few Thai places around Chicago that really reminds me of eating back in Thailand. Boat noodles are probably my favorite noodle soup overall and something I grew up eating, so that's usually what I'm looking for. I also like that they rotate their noodle soup menu weekly, so there's always something different to try. Last time I had the dry suki and it was great, especially with the homemade sauce that comes with it. Their papaya salad is really good too. Everything I've tried here has been worth the drive, which is why I keep coming back.

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    We recently visited Pasteur for the first time and loved our experience. The store front and…read moreambiance are elegant, warm, chic, and inviting. The hostess and waitress were friendly and helpful from the moment we walked in until we left. Great service! We both tried cocktails and enjoyed their unique flavors. We tried the Lychee Martini and Pasteur Old Fashioned. Both were on the sweet side and deliciously boozy! For food, we started with the steam dumplings with chicken. The ginger dumpling sauce was so savory and scrumptious for dipping the delightful dumplings. We loved every bite! For meals we got the Basil Beef and Ginger Chicken. We tried one another's dishes and would have been happy with either meal. Both were bursting with fresh flavors and had perfect portion sizes. We loved every bite and had no leftovers. While Pasteur is on the pricier side, it is because the food is high quality and beautifully presented. Well worth the price! Pasteur has reservations, which I would recommend, especially if you want to sit outside on their gorgeous patio during warmer months. If you haven't been to Pasteur, we would recommend trying it at your earliest convenience!

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    Khmai - cambodian - Updated August 2026

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