I ordered the Ginger Bourbon Popcorn Chicken and it was like eating fried shoe leather. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating. The vast majority of the pieces of chicken were so small, they were just skin and coating, and I had to spit many of them out. Not a pleasant experience at all. My husband had the Tiger Prawns with noodles and it was okay. Everything was way too expensive for what you get. Go elsewhere. read more

Worst dining experience I ever had in Evanston (or actually anywhere). I'm by no means a picky eater; in fact I have never given a restaurant below 3 stars before. Went in for lunch and ordered sliced beef tenderloin, duck breast noodle soup and charred eggplant and tomato -- all of them were terrible. Sliced beef tenderloin looked NOTHING like how it was pictured on their own instagram. If there had been a recipe change in one of the highly advertised dishes, the waiter should have let us know when we ordered it. But he didn't. He just said he knew we were looking at pictures but it's been changed and now looks different. Not only did it look different, but it also smelled really bad so that was even more disappointing. The duck breast noodle soup did not have any noodles or bok choy, because apparently they accidentally served us a similar dish from their dinner menu. Duck breast was very mushy and salty. The charred eggplant and tomato was literally some pieces of very cold eggplant and sliced up tomato.. Due to the misorder (or missing ingredients), they took out the duck breast soup from our bill so we paid for the eggplant and beef tenderloin. Still NOT worth what we paid for. I'm all for paying extra $$$ for great dining experiences, but this place was not worth any of my money. A good dining experience is not just about taste; it's also about service and thoughts that went into preparing the food.. nakorn absolutely had none of those. read more

NaKorn - Duck breast noodle soup ..????????? - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

NaKorn is less of a place to eat than it is a culinary dining experience. There are not many ethnic restaurants of this authentic (far from old world) caliber in Evanston making NaKorn a true gem. It is not inexpensive, pricing out the college crowd, but this is an exploration in dining, not just dinner. The food is gorgeous, a true feast for eyes and palate. We ordered the tofu frisée salad, Amish Chicken with tamarind and the jumbo lump crabmeat with rice noodles. Each dish was executed perfectly, with amazing presentation and bright delicious flavors to match. Our server Seth was attentive and knowledgeable, checking in with us appropriately and offering suggestions. We had intended to have dessert and coffee elsewhere, but couldn't leave NaKorn - best decision ever! Seth suggested the black rice sticky pudding, which was one of the best desserts I have ever had anywhere. Ever. Congratulations to the owners and staff at NaKorn. You have created a unique urban taste of Thailand in Evanston and we love it! read more

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Meh. Mediocre Thai fusion food, not authentic or memorable. I had some weird not fresh seafood thing with albino p3nis mushrooms. This is not a good place to eat and it's not cheap either. I suspect the positive reviews are from 18 year old students who grew up on a farm where the only food options are chain restaurants read more

NICE THAI JOINT We had lunch here and enjoyed the Coconut-Tamarind Sauce Sautéed Rice Noodle and Kale & Tofu "Greens" dish. Both were nice. The service was attentive. We don't get to Evanston often although I grew up here, but this would be a place to consider returning to. read more

NaKorn - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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food tastes good but that really is NOT Thai cuisine, maybe could be considered as some food sounds like from Thailand.

Very cool decor, food really good and the owner was so gracious and friendly! A bit pricey but I'll go again

Why is NaKorn not winning every award out there??? Amazing service, ambiance, food(!!!), cocktails, everything!! We went last night and truly had the best date ever. Reeeeeally great for gluten free folks. Almost every item is GF or can be made GF. So. Just go. Support an amazing restaurant and eat delicious food. read more

Delicious Thai food unparalleled to the usual noodle and rice Asian options. I've tried and loved: Monika's Ginger Bourbon Popcorn Chicken Coriander Crispy Shredded Beef Coconut-Curry Braised Chicken New York Strip Steak (Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, sweet Thai basil and green chili curry) Grilled Half All-Natural Amish Raised Chicken (with spicy tamarind sauce) Pan Seared Sea Scallop Great service, fun cocktails, quiet, relaxing atmosphere, great location. read more

I was excited to try some creative Thai small plates, and this place was like a well bred Asian child -- it didn't disappoint. The amish chicken is about as good as it gets. Mixing it up with the brown rice was increidlby savory and wholesome. I died especially at the tamarind sauce, which I'm looking up how to make as soon as I get home. The duck was a solid 3/5. While a sort-of visionary dish with the slabs floating in a soup, it ended up not working out as well. The melon + coconut combo went along like plaid and polka dots -- not the best. The soup was also pretty saccharine. I didn't like the lack of vegetables in my meal -- it was pretty much just meat and grains. I think with dishes like these, much more of a balance should be required. read more

NaKorn - Brown rice or crack - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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I really enjoyed the cabbage salad. It had this falafel like fried thing that was incredibly tasty. The desert was also phenomenal with the banana and putting. Service was top notch - they were nice and gave us great suggestions. read more

NaKorn - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

The food here is really delicious. My girlfriend got the kale and tofu and the sauce is truly delicious. I got the duck and the broth was incredible. Both wonderfully flavorful and unlike anything I've tried before. The chef here must really be someone special. One of the few pricer places I've been to where I've truly felt the increase in price reflected the increase in quality. Worth it. Both times I've been there has also been a young jazz pianist gigging who has incredible chops. Amazed at how effortlessly he plays standard after standard. Really sets a wonderful atmosphere and makes NaKorn all the more worthwhile. read more

This Thai place has quickly become our favorite. The decor is elegant, warm and creative. Every dish on the menu are creative, authentic, and delicious. My husband and I have been going there every week and we tried different dish every time. The papaya salad is fresh and tasty not overpowered by dressing. The duck noodle soup hits the spot on a chilly night. The sauce in curry chicken and grill char has such complex flavor. I also tried the whole fried fish. It is crispy outside and tender inside with lots of seasoning. I have to have sticky rice with coconut milk and mango for dessert which was my favorite snack when I was traveling in Thailand. The staff are very friendly and attentive. read more

I have never left a review for a restaurant, but I believe it is warranted here. Last weekend my parents came into town for my birthday, and we decided to pick up food from here before driving to stay at a hotel in the city. All of the food that we ordered was absolutely delicious, but NaKorn forgot my mother's entree. We called, and instead of being defensive and difficult the women who responded was kind and apologetic, and even offered to have my mother's entree delivered into the city where we were staying. Not only that, but when the delivery woman arrived with the (piping hot) food, two chocolate mousse desserts were also given to us, free of charge. That is the intense level of dedication to their customers that is so admirable, and should have everyone dining here with some peace of mind, the kind that is hard to come by in these tumultuous times. This restaurant is one of the finest in Evanston, and I hope it stays open for years to come. read more

Another fantastic event from Angela everything was wonderful and beautiful. Sam and Mina have a great Thai concept which is great simple home food. We had several different appetizers that were very different. read more

I have mixed reviews about this restaurant. I went in with an open mind because I really wanted to like it. Yes, as the other reviews have said, the presentation of the food here is beautiful. They really put time into the plating and it's quite impressive. However, I wish they put as much effort into the actual execution of the dishes. My friend and I split everything that we ordered: the taro chicken, grilled octopus, green curry steak and seabass. What was good? The taro chicken was very yummy, I wouldn't change a thing. What needed some work? The octopus and steak. The sauce that was served with those two dishes was delicious but the actual octopus and steak were very bland and chewy. I didn't eat much of the seabass because by that point I was very full. The few bites I did have though were good. Again, the broth the seabass was in was delicious, but the skin on the fish was soggy and a bit off putting. Would I return to NaKorn? Perhaps to try their lunch options. Not sure about dinner.. read more

NaKorn - Octopus. - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Most definitely not your average Thai food... sooo much better! The dishes are creative, beautiful, and delicious. We started with the Crab Cake Bite, then shared the Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Meat, Coconut Poach Seafood, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts, finishing with the Fresh Mango and Sticky Rice. The Crab Cake, Crab Meat and Seafood were both outstanding! We had several cocktails and all were well crafted. Loved the ambiance, and the service was warm and attentive. Definitely one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in Evanston, highly recommend! read more

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Nice ambiance, food with good and mild flavorWill definitely come back to try other dishes. read more

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Had dinner here with an out-of-state friend. We were hopeful with the good reviews. The service was great and they were friendly. The food is more like a fusion/modern take on Thai food. It was a bit pricy for the portion size, but the presentation was very instagramable. We felt that the food was a bit too salty for our taste and the rice wasn't enough to help it. read more

NaKorn - Coconut-curry braised Chicken Kale and Tofu - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Delicious and perfectly cooked poached seafood in coconut broth. We liked the lump crab with curry noodles as well. Taro chicken was different from most fried chicken places and was a pleasant surprise. Will definitely be back and this place is not really meant for kids. read more

We were so lucky to have tried this place! It's an urban Thai restaurant and I can say I have never had anything like it. I liked the simple modern interior of the restaurant, the food was amazing and unlike any Thai place I have ever been to, and the wait staff from the hostess and waitress to the bus boys was excellent. We had a great bottle of red wine that our waitress Bianca confirmed was good and said was a popular choice and she was spot on. They had an interesting spirit list with local distilleries. Bianca was incredibly attentive and efficient and she helped enhance our meal with great, honest recommendations. We had the appetizer special with smoked whitefish with lemongrass that you ate wrapped in a Paan leaf and a vegetarian scallop dish made from mushrooms with a delicious chili jam which was my personal favorite. For my meal, I decided to have the Jumbo Lump Blue Crabmeat dish as so many people recommended it. It was amazing and when they bring it to you, they pour a coconut curry sauce into it, that had a nice spiciness to it. My husband had the Head On River Prawn special with ocean shrimp and mushrooms. They also poured a sauce into it when they brought it to the table. Everything we ate was very flavorful with a nice tanginess to it. They had a lot of gluten-free options but limited vegetarian choices in my opinion. This will definitely be one of my new favorite places. If you want a delicious and novel Thai food experience, this is the place to go. read more

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I came to NaKorn with a big party, and they were super accommodating which was much appreciated. Love the vegan options. The vegetarian scallops were really good but the cauliflower steak seems a little undercooked. Everyone in the party enjoyed their food but the only issue was the temperature in the restaurant. Since we were sitting near the door cold air kept coming in from outside. Besides this overall a great meal! read more

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NaKorn is a wonderful gem in downtown Evanston. Every time we dine there the service is wonderful, the food is outstanding and we thoroughly enjoy ourselves. read more

My friend felt like eating Thai, but didn't want the same old pad thai type of food. I remembered attending a NaKorn Yelp event, and suggested going there, as Nakorn is a gourmet Thai restaurant with a unique menu and beautiful ambiance. We got there on a Wednesday night which turned out to be good because they had a three course prix fixe menu special for $30.00 available on Wednesdays. Some of the highlights of our dinner were vegetarian scallops, chicken roulette, and house made pandan tapioca pearl crackers with chicken and shrimp. The food presentation was very beautiful. The combination of flavors were exotic and a little unusual They had a nice variety of spicy dishes such as short rib and non spicy dishes such as chicken roulette to accommodate everyone's taste. Both my friend and I had a nice time and enjoyed our meal. read more

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An absolutely spectacular restaurant with unique and outstanding dishes matched only by the managenent's caring and personal investment in its patrons. I had the coconut curry braised chicken, boasting a combination of flavors that was a first for me. Everything about the dishes is interesting as well as flavorful. Lots of delicious surprises along the way ... small onions, slivered almonds, potato straws (I think ... not even sure). You just can't wait to see what's next on that fork. The dessert was equally interesting, and delicious. Banana bread with vanilla ice cream but with a brûléed banana and other fun stuff. What a treasure. Hands down the best Thai restaurant I have ever been to. Will definitely be back. (Pics don't do the dishes justice. We are outside, and it was dark out.) read more

NaKorn - Coconut curry braised chicken - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Had dinner here after watching Call Me By Your Name at the nearby movie theater. Great service from our waiter, lovely interior, enjoyed all the foods ordered: coriander crispy shredded beef brisket ($10), kabocha-kale chicken roulade ($19), and jumbo lump blue crabmeat ($20). read more

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YUM. We ate the appetizer rather immediately (Monika's Ginger Bourbon Popcorn Chicken). Crispy and tasty and it had a little side salad of mixed greens with some tasty dressing and pomegranate seeds. The Coconut Blanched Banana Blossom salad (?) was also tasty and crunchy and was all presentationy with the waiter pouring the dressing/ sauce over it at the table. Very fancy. The entree Coconut-Curry Braised Chicken was super delicious. You could tell that the flavors were ones you had before in Thai food but not the same as what you had before. This was different. You could eat just the sauce with a spoon. Seriously, I would eat just the sauce with a spoon. Then there was the mango sticky rice dessert. I wish the description was on the website. Firstly, they had one delicious mango as the fresh fruit part. Then there was the mango ice cream part. Thirdly, there was the warm but not too warm sticky rice. On top of which there was the yolk. The mango yolk. Who knew mangoes had yolks? Fortunately unfertilized. I'd hate to eat a babby mango. Lovely mango sauce inside. So molecular, such gastronomy. I would totally eat here again. Preferably well rested and not driving so I can mess around with the drinks menu. And maybe some liquid dessert beverages. Needless to say the portions were very nice. The entree was 2 chicken breast paillards, about a half pound of bird, and the banana blossom dish could have been a whole entree on its own. Even the popcorn chicken was plenty of food for a couple people to share. I will absolutely eat here again next time I'm in Evanston. read more

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I ate here several years ago, was not impressed, and agreed to go with a friend for a second chance. Big mistake. The setting is lovely and the tea was good (ginger-lemongrass) but the food: eh. I ordered the pad thai thinking how can a thai restaurant go wrong on such a stand dish. Sadly, it was dry, flavorless, with a huge pile of red pepper flakes (which they told me to remove if it was too much) with little piles of dry ingredients which you had to mix together. Mostly rice noodles, no sauce, no seasonings, no taste. Their display is nice but yuk for the food. Food is not in-expensive for what you get. Will not return. read more

Everything we tried was so delicious! We ordered the brussel sprouts, sticky rice with beef, braised coconut curry chicken and for dessert, chocolate mousse. The lychee rose cocktail is a must! read more

really liked the short rib soup, the soup base is really good, a kick of spiciness is nice, though the soup itself is not very full bodied. the short rib is really tender, but a bit bland. the rainbow trout is ok, the presentation looks good, but the taste is just ok. the coconut rice is great! fragrant, but a bit salty. read more

NaKorn - Short rib - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Honest review: shhh the secrets out my search for the best thai restaurant is over ( be warned not your typical thai food which means no pad thai, pad se ew, or fried rice) even though its far u can always take the train evanston is so pretty its going to be the new foodie destination the ambiance is very pretty perfect for date nights theres a bar area if you wanna go get drinks. Service is really good really attentive change plates just didnt describe dishes train the staff on the menu. Food: food was amazing, just plz put more sauces on dishes. Then you should have the option for noodles instead of rice because i hate rice. Then plz make desserts more creative and unique. The mango sticky rice was amazing you guys have the talent to make better desserts so do it. Ik there aren't a lot of Thai desserts but you can use Asian Ingredients. Then was empty at dinner time if you guys add pad thai n pad se ew guarantee it would be crowded everyday n ik you guys are doing more of an upscale thing but give the people what they want make a fancy version of a pad thai/ pad se ew like feel everyone no matter how far they live would come for a fancy pad thai like the pad thai situation was so bad heard almost every person who ordered food ask about it another issue is do not use the same sauces for dishes cause people will get irritated eating the same thing just a different protein / one thing i didnt like was how they charged us $3 for coconut rice? Didnt see any coconut rice? Then they charged $3 for extra sauce nit picking is something that could make a person not come back here js. if all the issues were fixed would be the busiest restaurant in evanston. best things: new york strip/ crispy salmon/ blue crab curry/ fried fish/ mango sticky Taro chicken $8 ( deep fried satay) its really tasty the chicken was tender and really crispy the sauce is like a sweet n spicy its sort of like a satay just ups scale. The thing i didnt understand was the chestnut taro puree it didnt really taste like anything or add anything? So add something else really good cause usually dont like satay New york strip steak $27: i been to many thai restaurants and had a lot of green curries in my life this by far was my favorite. The green curry was supper flavorful and had a wonderful herbaceous flavor you can tell it was from scratch because there was a lot of depth. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare really tender sea salt on top perfect. Then loved all the veggies for freshness. Issue with this it needed more curry so put more plz Crispy skin salmon $24 (spicy dish but not to much): how could you resist crispy salmon skin? The salmon was perfectly cooked really crispy n not tuff. The sauce was really good it was spicy snd had so much depth of flavor. Only issue plz put more sauce. Loved the zucchini ribbons for freshness Jumbo lump blue crab meat $20: the sauce was really good loved the veggies and loved how they give you noodles instead of rice. Then theres like a crispy rice cracker. issue was that wish they used a different protein crab was good just felt shrimp or anything else would have been better. Another issue was the sauce wasn't so hot Fried fish $32: the fish was cooked perfectly and had a really good seasoning on it just was hopping it had more seasoning on it cause they jus put turmeric on it. It was crispy without being greasy and it wasn't dry. The salad with the dressing was amazing just put more salad and dressing on the side because after a couple bites your left with just fried fish :( Mango sticky rice $10: I actually hate this usually at Thai restaurants, but this was phenomenal. The sticky rice has wonderful texture wasn't to mushy. The mangos add freshness. N loved the ice cream really was an amazing desert if I had any complaints add complexity like something spicy salty n acidic Chocolate mouse $8: this was really good. The chocolate mousse was really smooth n wasn't bitter. Loved the ice cream. My issue is you can get this dessert anywhere, so add more Asian Ingredients Black sticky rice pudding $8 I didn't like this. It was way to acidic from the coconut cream. Then the lotus root is poached in hibiscus which is acidic. Then the black rice is like sweet sticky rice wouldn't order this again the mango one was so much better Coconut parfait $8( its like whip cream and waffles) the waffles were really crispy n the whip cream was really silky and there's fruit in there. read more

That's the best Thai place in Chicago You have to come and try all the appetizers And the price affordable read more

Went here for lunch with my co-workers and loved everything I ate! We started off with the chicken meatballs and crispy beef. Both of the appetizers had great taste and texture! For my main course I decided to go with the coconut curry beef and I was absolutely delicious! It came with noodles on the bottom, decent sized chunks of extremely tender beef, topped with crunchy noodles, and chili flakes on the side. So so good. Washed it down with the Thai iced tea, best decision ever! Will definitely visit again! read more

Delicious and flavorful dishes served in an upbeat atmosphere. The service was good as well.

It's always fun to discover new (to me), unique restaurants, and that was the case for me with NaKorn, an "urban Thai" place in downtown Evanston. Thoughtful menu, good cooking, and cordial staff were highlights on a recent weeknight visit. VIBE: Small, somewhat dark, multilevel (watch your step!) dining room with a bar. Eclectic music, not too loud. More upscale than the typical Thai storefront. SERVICE: Everyone on staff was cordial & helpful. Service was attentive. Food was paced just right - not too fast, not too slow. FOOD: We enjoyed everything.The recipes were well-conceived and nicely executed. Popcorn chicken appetizer is a must-have - tender & delicious. Cauliflower steak was delicious and nicely cooked - neither "hard" nor mushy. Coconut curry chicken with fingerlings featured Persian spices; it was all tender & tasty. None of the dishes were "hot." There's a compact selection of cocktails, wine and beers (many craft beers from Evanston). NOT SO GOOD: The lighting was too dim for me; this detracted from the attractive plating of the food, and gave the room a somewhat gloomy, cave-like feel. I'd have probably given it another * if the lighting had been better. I'm glad I discovered NaKorn. The food is so good that I'll be back to sample more, dim ambiance notwithstanding... read more

This was one of my favorite meals in a while 6 friends celebrating wife's birthday Started with monika's ginger bourbon popcorn shrimp and there special salad both were bursting with flavor, for dinner we had and split 6 meals Whole lightly fried branzino , jumbo blu crabmeat served on a bed of warm Thai rice noodles with spicy turmeric. Pan seared sea scallop, Rainbow trout , and there steamed seafood. Everything was delicious the only slightly disappointment was the steamed seafood. read more

Just the take out I needed! I was in Chicago and needed something fast and delivery enabled! This was what I was looking for. Decent price, authentic flavors, great presentation, and all around yummy. I went with the Rice noodles, crab, and coconut curry sauce. For the side I did the roasted cauliflower cause ya know, vegetables or whatever. But for a little splurge I did the house made hibiscus soda! Everything was fresh, full of flavor, prepared very well. My only complaint is the menu could do with a few more options and my take out had no utensils. I know, I know. But I didn't want to have to ask the hotel for utensils. Other than that, great little place! read more

I love the food from Nakorn! Personal favorites are monikas popcorn chicken and rice crackers for starters. Favorite main dishes are the jumbo lump crab meat with noodles and the branzino. I'm hungry just writing this! read more

Great food and customer service! Our server was very polite and he explained to us, in details, all the menu. And for course, the food was GREAT! Tarot chicken hit the spot. My boyfriend and I ordered the Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Meat and Coconut Milk Poached Prawns, it was spot on. We finished the whole plate and we want moooore! Desserts were on point! Chocolate Mousse is okay but the Mango sticky rice was the best! I love this place. Definitely, we will go back here... soon! read more

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NaKorn is no ordinary Thai restaurant. The food here is incredibly flavorful and the offerings are unique. Service is Thai friendly and efficient. Special attention goes to the lump crab in a flavorful sauce with Thai noodles Absolutely delicious Also, the half grilled chicken is outstanding Ginger tea is wonderful And now in season is the mango sticky rice Better than Thailand itself Give anything on the menu a try..you won't be disappointed read more