I absolutely love this place. I came here with my mom over a year and a half ago and have been coming back weekly ever since. The food is so incredible and the portions are perfectly filling for somebody like me who is a bottomless pit for Thai food. If you are going there for the first time be sure to order any of the noodle dishes that have crispy noodles-- to die for. Also don't miss the appetizers-- this place has the most amazing crab rangoon and steamed shumai in the universe. The waitresses are very sweet too. They have memorized our orders by now-- no joke. Once I was in the bathroom when the waitress came to take our order and my boyfriend ordered the wrong noodle dish and she corrected him-- now that's what I call service! read more

Now, if you haven't noticed the Northside is saturated with Thai restaurants. Most of them are mediocre. However, this place certainly deviates from the typical, bland food that you can find in North Center's New Thai Kitchen or Lincoln Park's Noodles in the Pot. If there is a Thai word for gringo, I'm sure they're muttering it under their breath at me at the aforementioned places. This is not the case at Royal Thai. The food is full of flavor, and if you request it spicy, you won't be disappointed. I've probably tried each curry dish here, and the seafood ones are special standouts. Red Curry with Talapia and the Green Curry with catfish are the true gems of their menu. What the staff lacks in timeliness, they make up with personality. The waitress is pretty hilarious. I asked her about the dinner-plate sized goldfish swimming on the back wall. She said it was convenient to have them nearby in case the kitchen runs out of fish. The wait staff other Thai places should take a hint from her. Lighten up and crack a smile every now and then. There are only two factors preventing this place from earning five stars. 1. Some times they can bring members of your group their meals considerably longer after one person in the group has been served. That's a bit weird. 2. They don't accept AMEX. read more

A year and a half later, I've revisted Royal Thai Restaurant three times within 2 months, and each time friends and I have had good experiences. The place is small but cute. The staff is friendly and accommodating. One time, I decided to get take-out, so I stopped by at lunch time. I sat down to wait for my order, and a waitress brought out complementary green tea for me. That was a good customer service experience. In recent visits, we've had the following, and were happy with our choices: - Vegetarian egg rolls - Yentafo, a soup consissting of wide rice noodles with shrimp, squid, tofy, and Chinese broccoli in a tomato-based broth. (Incidentally, the waitress told us it was typically made much spicier in Thailand. This has been toned down to serve American tastes.) - Pad Cashew with vegetables - Pad Broccoli with chicken - Mixed Vegetable - Thai Iced coffee Another concession they make to American tastes is providing fortune cookies with the check. Totally, totally not in keeping with Thai tradition or culture, but hey. The menu says that dishes can be prepared spicy. Someone else will have to test that, 'cause it sure won't be me In keeping with typical Thai restaurant tradition, prices are reasonable. They do charge an extra $.75 if you want brown rice instead of white. Why there should be a price differential, I don't know. I do prefer the brown rice. I'll say, too, that Royal Thai has restored my desire for Thai food, after an unfortunate incident early last year involving another Thai restaurant in the area, some poorly-prepared food, and a following day spent in my bathroom "processing" said food. After that, I just did not want Thai food of any sort, in any shape, in any way. But when a friend really, really, REALLY wanted to go to Royal Thai, I acquiesced. And now, I'm glad I did. My faith has been restored. Lots of free parking available in the area. Thats another bonus since, as a long-time Chicagoan, it is totally against my morals to pay for parking. All in all, three visits = three good experiences. Recommended. read more

We were looking for some nearby non-pub food, and quick. A lot of places are closed on Mondays, which led us to try somewhere new and duck into Royal Thai. I'm glad we did - It's a small and friendly operation, and it's good if you're in a hurry because they serve the food faster than fast food. We got the panang noodle with pork and the pad thai with tofu and we were satisfied with both plates - flavorful and well portioned. It confirmed my increasing love of Thai food. Royal Thai is a reliable choice when you're looking to get out for a laid back, sit-down meal, or if you're on the clock to go onward to a game, a show or some other event next. read more

You should probably share. Their portions are massive. But the pad thai was sooooo gooood, and no one was watching, so I ate the whole thing. Classy. My waitress was sweet, and happy to make suggestions for my next visit. There will be many next visits. As soon as I get rid of this food baby. read more

Came here on a Wednesday night after working out at the LSAC with my husband. We got there around 730ish and it was packed. We waited for like 10-15 minutes for a seat and we basically just sat next to the door while everyone just stared at us, felt very uncomfortable. Anyways, when we finally got sat, it took like 10 minutes for the server to take our orders and then another 30 minutes to get our food. I have no clue if they make their noodles from scratch which could explain why it took so long. My husband and I got fried tofu, fried chicken pad thai, and beef royal thai noodle. The food was delicious. I guess next time I would just do carry out instead of dine in. I would've given this place 5 stars for food but overall experience deserves a solid 3. read more

I was impressed with this place and I will be back. I always order Panang Curry at my first visit at a new Thai place, and this curry did not disappoint. Flavors and spice were right on point. It was delicious. We also ordered Tom Yum soup with shrimp which was delicious and their house noodle dish, which wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad either. I'll definitely order from here again! read more

This is our go-to Thai spot. We typically order takeout but on occasion have dined in. It's in the bf's hood and we have yet to find a Thai restaurant near my place that is as good. I'll admit it, I like my Thai food pretty Amercianized. I'm not ashamed to order Crab Rangoon when I get Thai or the Philadelphia roll when I get sushi--cream cheese just makes everything better!!! The Rama Chicken and Crab Rangoon are my standards, and being that I order it about once a week, I can definitely vouch for the consistency. read more

um, whoa. I was looking forward to this based on the reviews, but I didn't expect this level of goodness. What struck me most was the portion sizes of the appetizers that I ordered. I'm normally used to some big portions that leave you comatose and with a belly full of food before you even get into the entrees. That wasn't the case at all here as I got some potstickers, chicken satay, and also got some crab rangoon free with my order. All of those were perfectly portioned for being appetizers and the crab rangoon was flat out awesome. On top of that, I got an order of panang chicken and hallelujah, they put a good amount of spice in it like I wanted. Normally I get that americanized spicy look when I tell them that I want it spicy and its dumbed down, that didn't happen here. The heat from it wasn't brutal, but it was noticeable and exactly what I wanted. I should also add in that the noodles for this were just awesome. They complimented the chicken and curry real well and soaked up a lot of the flavor perfectly. I only got this for pick up, but I will need to come back and dine in as the place was nice and intimate and having a nice amount of charm to it as well. There are tons of thai places in the general area where this is, but its well worth going out of your way to go here read more

Well based on reviews, I wanted to try this place out. It was okay to me. The service was professional and friendly. The food was ..fine. We ordered the royal catfish off their recommended sign on the wall, pad kee mao, and nam tok. Nam tok - beef salad was flavorful. I found the ground rice to be a bit gritty but I think that's how it is supposed to be. royal catfish - this was tasty but didn't seem much like a Thai dish. it reminded me more of Indo-Chinese food...like chicken Manchurian. it wasn't spicy either. pad kee mao - it was forgettable. I felt the dish has the same veggies as the catfish The BYOB part made the meal more enjoyable. For 2 people, the entre portion can be viewed as "just the right amount" or smaller than expected. I would go back to try other things like the curry but I won't be eager to back either. read more

I had carry out from here this past Monday night, and in my experience, Royal Thai is a pretty good Thai Place. We ordered crab rangoon, chicken pot stickers, beef spicy drunken fried rice, beef pad see ew, thai pepper steak, and chicken pad see ew. I called my order in, and they quoted me twenty minutes. When I got there twenty minutes later, my food was ready to go. The crab rangoon was pretty good, and the pot stickers were a little bit on the small side. The pad see ew and the fried rice were great (although my acquaintance did not like the veggies), but the thai pepper steak was a letdown. The beef was bland, and the sauce could not compensate. I think Royal Thai offers pretty good Thai for the price, but it won't displace Thai Bowl as my favorite for cheap Thai food to go. read more

Went in for the advertised "lunch special" and was told that it was actually more than the advertised price for the soup, appetizer and entree. Not a huge deal, but they should change their sign. The food is above average, but I always feel like their portions are undersized here. The lunch special even further accentuated that notion. If you want a decent Thai meal, this will do, but I have had better within walking distance of here. My wife would disagree with me, but she's not writing this review (although she does force me to go with her and shut my piehole when we're there). read more

3.5 stars. Really.. Yelp, get on with changing this feature. I came by here because Bobby P. recommended the crispy pad thai for me. I never had that either or saw it as an option at any of the other Thai restaurants I've been to. Thus, came by with a friend for a quick lunch.. and I gotta say, I was disappointed. Service was quaint, appetizer was good, but the main entree was a disappointment. I just don't think pad thai being fried is its best form. I felt that by being fried, the flavor was more intensified than it should be and we all already know that thai food is already heavily seasoned. Overall, I still think this a decent thai restaurant but it missed the mark for me on the main entree. Been lacking on the reviews but thanks to Bobby for getting me back on it since I was told I eat a lot *ahem* Bobby P.. and the rest of the world :P read more

Royal Thai Restaurant - Beef crispy pad thai - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered the sampler for 2, basil fried rice, and the Panang Curry with brine rice (this restaurant's most popular dish with the locals). I must say I was impressed throughout. Our host was very gracious, everything tasted excellent and authentic, and was very well presented. I'm glad they have brown rice options, and what they have labeled as "extra spicy" won't work you into a crazy sweat (like some other Thai establishments I've been to.) We can see why it's so popular locally. We would definitely come back the next time were in town. read more

Royal Thai Restaurant - Panang Curry with shrimp and brown rice, extra-spicy - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I say that because I went here based on these reviews and I wasn't so happy. The questions of "where did you guys go? are you sure it was really here?" come to mind because I feel let down by my experience here. Three things seem to come to mind: 1. entrees lacking sauce = lacking flavor 2. stingy on the rice = too much of the lacking flavor entree left over and fighting your friend for the remaining rice = nasty friendship quarrels 3. prices not so good for reasons 1 + 2. I wanted to like them. The workers are nice. The interior is cute (though we got take away), and they're practically in my backyard. But overall, not that great an experience. read more

Yummy! Enjoyed the fresh soup and beef salad. Good and friendly service as well. Would definitely return! read more

My wife and I made reservations and were promptly seated upon arrival. Throughout the meal the service was above average and the food was fantastic. We really enjoyed the curry dishes and the crab rangoons. They were the best crab rangoons I've ever eaten. Everything we ordered tasted fresh and we loved our BYOB wine!! The restaurant has a great neighborhood feel with good atmosphere. read more

I've been going to Royal Thai for a few years, and it's become a "sure thing" when I'm in the neighborhood and have a yen for reliable Thai food in a nice setting. Some might quibble about the "authenticity" of the food, but hey, it's tasty, the people are nice and the room is pleasant -- the same cannot be said for many of the other Lincoln Square Thai restaurants. On this visit, I really liked pork Lard Nar -- crispy noodles, tender pork, a good comfort dish on a chilly night. Tom Kha soup was pleasant, though there was no sign of galangal, and it wasn't as limey as I'd expect. Beef Panang curry was tasty, but the beef was a bit chewy. As always, our server was very friendly. One thing to be aware of is that they seem to do a substantial carry-out and delivery business around 6:00pm on weekdays, so table service may become very slooooow -- this can be a problem if you have to be somewhere on time. read more

I am so surprised I have not reviewed Royal Thai to date. Been coming here for several years now with our friends Duane and Gisselle and love it. It is smallish inside but the food is outstanding and the service is great as well. It is BYOB and parking is sometimes a challenge but heck, this is Chicago. We always get 3 or 4 appetizers all of which are great but my hands down favorite for an entree it the pan fried Idaho Rainbow Trout served with a Tamarind Sauce and a variety of pepper such as jalapeno and tri-color mix. This tops it off very nicely and I never leave a bite on my plate. The soups are also outstanding but my favorites are either the Tom Yum or the Tom Kha. Try this place and you won't be disappointed! read more

This is the best Thai place I have encountered in Chicago and I have been to a lot! (~ 20-30) Pad Thai is one of my favorite foods and my "fastball" in the kitchen. This is the only place that compares to my authentic homemade recipe. Yes I know Pad Thai may be "boring" but I can't help but order that first whenever I try a new Thai place. That dish tells a lot about the restaurant as the sauce is complex but the preperation is simple but prone to stupid errors especially with cooking the noodles. In addition the crab ragoon here is AMAZING as well. It's funny but crab rangoon is a pretty good indicator on how much TLC a place puts into their food and they hit this one out of the park. Honestly, I haven't had any other dishes here because I love the Pad Thai so much. I lived in Roscoe Village for three years and my only regret was I didn't discover this place sooner. I recently moved to Wrigleyville which is just far enough away to be inconvenient and Royal Thai is what I miss the most. I even miss it more than Famous Taco Burrito on Western after a long night of drinking. To add a little more perspective, Wrigleyville (I live next to the stadium) has many decent/good Thai places but just terrible Mexican places and I still miss Royal Thai the most. FYI - The taco place under Redline Addison stop is pure garbage and I notice it even when I've drank all night. True I still go there. I point this out because it has four stars on Yelp which made me question my reliance on Yelp but I got over that ;) - The Rambler read more

I found myself craving Thai food earlier this week and decided it was time to try one of the many Thai restaurants in my neighborhood that I had not yet visited. I chose Royal Thai due to the restaurants proximity to the library. The restaurant itself is small and cozy. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted not just by a smiling young woman, but also by the intoxicating smell of food cooking. Mmm...if I wasn't already hungry, then I would have been as soon as I stepped inside. The food was excellent. The pork pot stickers were perfectly cooked and very flavorful. The garlic scallops were delicious, and the golden noodles that I got to take home for lunch the next day were tasty and exactly what I wanted. I will definitely be visiting Royal Thai again. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the prices were reasonable. Add BYOB to all of that, and Royal Thai is a winner! read more

Inadequate service, won't be returning. Came here a couple days ago with some friends. My two friends both ordered the bamee bbq pork and I got the yellow curry. Their two meals came but not mine. After several minutes I had not received my meal nor an explanation on the wait. After several minutes I had to get up and inquire about it to which they assured me it would be out soon. All in all, 16 minutes went by before I received my food after my friends, at which point they were already done eating so I just asked for a box right away. There had to have been a mixup in the kitchen. I understand things like this happen. However, no one made an effort to let me know, offer a discount, or even simply apologize for the wait and that's where my bad review lies. read more

Tried one place after another in search of the best curry...finally found it! Good crab Rangoon, too. My new go to.

Love this place. BYOB thai food that is awesome. I've had Pad Thai, Pad Ginger, and a Spicy Basil Fried Rice dish and have been very happy with them all. Nice decor, good service, and AWESOME Crab Rangoons. Excellent value! read more

I ordered the Royal Thai Seafood dish. Overall it was pretty tasty, but as a Thai food, it is very Americanized. There wasn't exactly a large amount of seafood in it (as expected) and there were these deep fried noodle things at the bottom that actually tasted pretty good. The service was average, but the decor was pretty nice even though this is a very tiny place. The prices were pretty good ($8-9 range). Food Quality/Taste = 4 Stars Portion Size Given Price = 3 Stars Price = 4 Stars Service = 3 Experience with Staff = 3 Stars Decor = 4 Stars read more

This place was an unplanned stop on a date I recently went on. We were actually headed towards my old stand-by, Thai Room, when we saw this place on the way and decided to try something new to the both of us. The place is small. When we walked in, just about everyone eating stopped talking until we were seated and settled (awkward). But the staff quickly came over and welcomed us in. I ordered the Panang Noodle dish. I thought it was awesome. It was like Thai comfort food. Crispy, drunken noodles in a creamy and sweet/spicy sauce? What's not to love? I'm not sure what my date had, but he seemed happy with his dish. The portions were small, but it was probably the perfect size for a Wednesday night dinner. Aside from the food, the service was consistent throughout dinner. We were the last ones out of the place, and the staff didn't rush us out or seem pissy that we weren't leaving with the others. I'd definitely go back again and try some apps and other dishes. Check this place out. read more

It's a small restaurant. We first ordered some pork potstickers as appetizers. You can asked for them to be steamed or fried. We got them fried. You get to drip them in soy sauce with sesame seeds. Those were very yummy. Then we got a lemonade and a blueberry tea. They don't allow refills on those by the way. The blueberry tea kept getting darker through lunch, but it still needed splenda for each cup because without it, you can't taste the blueberry in the tea. I ordered the beef Royal Thai Noodle, which is noodle soup basically. My mom ordered the sesame chicken entree, which I wish I had ordered instead. Don't get me wrong. The Royal Thai Noodle was tasty, but the Sesame chicken with brown rice is better. The Sesame chicken was also fried. Each table has a jar of hot, sweet and sour sauce. It's very hot! Eat at your own risk. For dessert, I had thai custard and mom had coconut ice cream. The thai custard was amazingly delicious. It was hot when I ate it so you have to let it cool first. The custard and the ice cream taste delicious together. The waitress was nice and patient. The bathroom was clean and very small. The whole restaurant was small too, but they have very beautiful art on the walls. Go and see them. read more

Great Penang curry is great and also tried the royal Thai plate. This place is top on mu list for Thai. read more

I always order the Royal Thai noodles. They are crispy and delicious. This used to be a four star review but after dozens of orders they have earned the five stars. Best Thai in the city. read more

Updated review : Lost a star because they lost our reservation and were really unapologetic about the whole thing . I get it - misunderstandings happen. But say you're sorry and see what you can do to right the situation That said- there are thai places all over the city but I have to say this place is definitely not your average thai food joint. The pad sew ewe ( spelling?!) is probably one of the best I've ever had and the fact that it's BYOB makes for a delicious but affordable night out read more

This cozy little Thai restaurant overlooking Wells Park is an excellent place to grab an intimate meal or for a jovial gathering of friends. It is a small place but you can call ahead to reserve seats! The food is great and, it gets better... IT'S BYOB! The prices are more than reasonable and I've yet to be disappointed with anything I've ordered. To enjoy Royal Thai to the full effect: Take full advantage of the BYOB (they'll even open your bottles if you forget your opener- like this dummy did!) and be wowed by the courteous and polite service and the well portioned and fairly priced food- plus their menus were just updated! Currently my favorite Thai place in town. :-) read more

I'd been burned a few times by Thai places in Chi-town (stop pushing your Chinese food on me!), but this place redeems Thai food around here. Yeah this place is good. The green curry and red curry are both solid, Panang curry and pad thai some of the best I've had anywhere. I'm not sure what it is about the pad thai that's so good, becuase it's pretty much the same anywhere, but Royal Thai's shines. Delivery is quick and it's none too pricey. read more

We really enjoyed our meal here. Flavors were terriffic for the Tom Kah Gai Soup, Crab Rangoon, Raama Chicken and Green Curry Tofu. We would definitely eat here again and try all new things just to see what else they are good at! They do take out as well, we observed. The thai iced tea was a bit heavy on the milk, and just a heads up - extra anything, including rice, will cost extra. Portions are reasonable, not large, and we didn't have any extra to take home, but weren't stuffed to the gills either. Which is a good thing IMHO. Great decor, decent music, and attentive service. Be careful when parking on the street. PS they have brown rice! read more

Ordered from here in an effort to give other local Thai restaurants a chance outside of Opart Thai. I called to place my order and there was a little confusion on the phone (The woman I spoke to was having trouble understanding me and vice versa) but it was resolved rather quickly. Having placed my order for 1 pad eggplant with basil and tofu VERY spicy and 1 Panang Curry with chicken no spiceI went to pick up the meal 15 minutes later. It was delicious and they did not fail to meet my request for VERY spicy on the eggplant dish. The portion to price ratio was fair as was the meal. I will probably order from here again, once I finish trying the myriad of other Thai options in the region first. read more

The food here is delicious! My favorite is the masuman curry. I also have ordered the sampler which has the chicken egg rolls, fried shumai, crab rangoons and pot stickers. All delicious. It's a BYOB place so make sure to bring a bottle of wine! The staff is also very friendly and helpful. Nice table next the window as well across from Lincoln square. read more

Royal Thai Restaurant - Masuman curry - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Rama chicken is unique & flavorful. Pad broccoli is great, sauce has great taste. Went for pot stickers & crab Rangoon; both were splendid. Portions seem a bit small but it filled me up and the flavor made up for it. read more

Royal Thai Restaurant - Yeh buddy - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

More like 4.5 stars. My partner and I eat here all the time. I think what we love most is the consistency. Our food (no matter what we end up ordering) has always been good, fresh, and hot. Even when we get our food to-go or delivered, the quality does not suffer. The restaurant itself is small, about 10 tables or so. Usually busy around the usual lunch/dinner hours, but we've only had to wait for a table once I think. Check this place out if you're in Lincoln Square and want good Thai food--it's better than Opart in my opinion. read more

Picked up dinner pad thai and royal thai noodle. Tasted great! First timer. Will order again! read more

Royal Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hands down the best Thai food in the city! Pad Thai, Crispy Pad Thai, Pad Ke Mao, Panang Noodle, Duck Curry, and the starter Peanut Sauce Spring Rolls. BYOB. Service is always great, and the food is always on point. We go at least once every three weeks. read more

Ugh. Dinner tonight is AWFUL. Pad see ew is tasteless. Ordered their delicious chicken egg rolls, they sent stinky veggie egg rollsnot sure about the pad thai, my daughter is eating that. Just very disappointing for a 48$ delivery. read more