We had high hopes for this place due to some of the reviews. We were left very disappointed. We ordered the spring rolls, basil dynamite, yellow curry, and mango sticky rice. Spring rolls- no flavor, stale tasting Yellow curry- old potatoes, sauce seemed over cooked as it was a creamy texture Basil dynamite - fresh at least, but lacked flavor Mango sticky rice- very good. Little shy on the mango itself Service: the server was nice but very young and his age showed in his service. We won't be returning. read more

Was here for a dinner with family for the first time. I hate to say that everything we ordered was super bland. I ordered pad Thai and it has burned and funky taste. My kids and husband's food wasn't good as well that we didn't finish any of them but the appetizers. I was disappointed with the food but the server was so nice and friendly. Will never go back. read more

This is my favorite Thai restaurant! Great food, great staff, friendly and caring owner. Fresh food, try the Crab Rangoon it's excellent. I also like the Pad Thai, and the Panang Curry. I've loved everything I've tried there. Also they have a nice luncheon special on week days. read more

Located in a small strip mall, Thai First could be easily overlooked. It's worth a visit though. Tasteful and simple decor; vibrant colors w/out being too loud. Wooden tables and chairs with linen table cloths Pretty good food. My favorite dish (which I have not found in other Thai restaurants) is the Panang Noodle... it's wide rice noodle topped with Panang curry, coconut milk, bell peppers and carrots. I've had Panang curry before but not with the noodles. YUMMY! read more

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This was our second visit and we're now convinced that this is our next favorite Thai Restaurant. Dishes ordered... Egg Rolls - Nice and crispy Penang Noodle - Excellent heat and very deep flavor Chicken Pad Thai - Ordered "Thai Hot" and they delivered... hot and spicy and delicious. Ambiance is nice an intimate and tastefully decorated. read more

We were in town for a few days, picked this out of the Yelp results, wanted something a bit exotic. We were not disappointed, this is a very nice place for an unassuming strip mall in the Midwest. My wife had a teriyaki salmon dish, I got a mongolian spicy beef. The dishes arrived relatively quickly, were well made and had fresh well spiced appeal. Our server was (maybe an owner) very nice and attentive. No real issues, I didn't like the wrapper for my spring rolls, but that is a style choice not a complaint. If we lived in the area we would likely come back. read more

Checked this place out last night! Very clean, nice decor. We had the Crispy Tofu; Thai curry fried rice with shrimp and Panang noodle. Our server was tentative and dishes were fresh, well prepared and delicious. I can't wait to get my clear braces off and go back for their curry. Definitely worth the 20 minute drive to get there!! read more

Some of the best Thai food I've ever had! Enjoyed a fantastic red curry, cucumber salad, and Tom Yum soup, all seasoned to perfection. There is a sweet spot with vegetables being cooked and not overcooked - vibrant and still maintaining texture. Anyway, Thai First gets it! Nothing was better than this hot, savory meal on a cold gray day. I recommend 1. eating here and 2. trying pretty much anything! Just order it all. 6 stars read more

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Thai First was great. We originally planned on a different spot in the area, but it was closed so found Thai First on Maps and decided to give it a try. To keep it short and sweet: Food was delicious, super fresh and flavorful. Service was high quality - Lin took care of us and had great energy doing it! Thanks Lin! Be back soon -AG read more

We made plans to get together for dinner with some friends for her birthday. The problem they live in Plainfield & we live in Chicago. The solution find something near the midpoint. We decided on Thai food so I started a search on Yelp. I found several Thai restaurants in the target area that were highly rated on Yelp and fell near the midpoint. We went to Thai First (4 1/2 stars) in Downers Grove. The restaurant has a nice decor, but the food and service were very inconsistent. We ordered several dishes and got separate plates so we could eat family style and try multiple dishes. We got the Cashew chicken w/vegetables, Eggplant & Vegetables w/chicken, some udder dish w/chow fun & Red Sea Salmon. The first 3 dishes were nothing special with very little differentiation in flavors. The Red Sea Salmon was very good with an assortment of vegetables in Panang sauce topped w/crispy basil leaves & roasted peanuts. They serve tea in individual pots, but the water was lukewarm not hot the way tea should be served. The server was a very nice lady, but the service was very inconsistent. (To her defense she was the only waitress & there were quite a few tables). She brought 2 dishes of the 4 while we waited for the other 2 none of which had no serving utensils. She brought the 3rd dish and said she misplaced the Salmon order so we started with the 3 we had while they reordered this dish. We asked her for water several times before she finally brought it out. The serving sizes were kind of small, the food was nothing special and the service wasn't very good. Will I be going back? (28 miles) Probably not, especially when I live in Chicago and there are so many better more options much closer to home. read more

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I had never tried a curry dish before. Love at first taste. Panang curry with veggies and plunked in the middle was a thick hunk of freshly seared salmon done rare as I asked. Price was fair. $18. Spring roles, so so. Can't wait to go back. read more

Pad Thai is very good as well as the Mongolian Beef and egg rolls. Very quick service! Will be back!

Have ordered takeout here several times and will continue to do so. The entrées are very good, the appetizers less good imo but certainly ok. Interactions have always been pleasant. Unfortunately, the food has never been finished at the predicted time, usually ca. 15 minutes later. I recommend calling in your order via telephone as the online ordering comes with a service charge. read more

Excellent food. But painfully slow service. I'm not sure if the kitchen is too small or it's understaffed, but you will enjoy the food greatly after a long wait, even for takeout. read more

Very surprised that the food got high ratings. Perhaps both my husband and I have been to Thailand too much but this was not authentic Thai food. Pad Thai noodles were thin and the rice noodles pad see ew wasn't great. Disappointing dinner. read more

I really wanted to experience this place based on all the great reviews. We arrived here 8:45pm, and the lady behind the counter asked if I had a take-out order. I replied: no, we're dining in. She responds "we close soon." To that, I checked the time and said you guys close at 9:30. It's only 8:45. She still refused to seat us. So I said "okay, we'll go somewhere else instead." As a business owner, to turn away paying customers is terrible etiquette and for that reason, I will never return. read more

Had a really delicious meal here. Surprisingly not too many places to eat around Maple and Belmont. Great food, great people, great vibes. Enjoyed the Pad Se Ew for lunch. I was on the go and they were able to make a quick meal for me to have on the way to my next job. If you gotta phone in an order, they will accommodate. Also their website is very easy to use for menu, etc. A+ from me! read more

Thai First - Thai Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Me and my family stopped in yesterday, it was one of those nights where it was late and we hadn't gone grocery shopping since last week. So we decided on Asian and looked on yelp to see what nearby Asian food we could find. Thai first popped up and they had good reviews and we decided to give it a try. This place was decorated so cutely for Valentine's Day.The lady who served us was very nice and the food was delicious! The food also came out in a timely manner so we weren't waiting long! It can't get much better than that. This restaurant is also able to change some recipes into being vegan (for any vegan or vegetarian people out there)! I would definitely recommend as a nice Thai restaurant for the area, we plan to go back soon. read more

Friendly owner and the food never disappoints. If you enjoy duck their basil duck is a go to and best I've had in the area.

Doesn't look like much from the outside but inside it's a different story! The decor is very pleasant and the food was great. We had a curry and a pad see ew. I'll Definitely be going back! read more

This is our go-to place for Thai food. I always get the Chicken Pad Thai. It is delicious-the ingredients seem very fresh and the flavors are just right. I also like the Crab Rangoon which is great, but I am always tempted by the other appetizers which I need to try sometime soon. We often get carry out when our extended family comes over and some of their favorites are Sesame Chicken, Thai Pepper Steak, Mongolian Beef and Chicken Pad Ew. read more

First the good. Service was pleasant. It seemed relatively clean. The compliment stops there. Several years ago we tried this restaurant and was unimpressed. I've been looking for a good Thai place since Thai Happiness closed and have not found anything. A friend suggested Thai First and I was willing to give it a second try. The spring rolls were anemic and flavor free. The "plumb sauce" was salty and burnt - bad really. Certainly not worth $7. THe Pad Thai was sticky, with tiny bits of dry chicken, again flavor free with no lime offered. $12. Nope not even worth that. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Never again. Skip. read more

Food is excellent and served stove hot. Atmosphere is quiet and dim setting. Light music playing in background. Owner is friendly and personable. read more

No idea why this restaurant is getting 4.5 stars, the food is really not that good and actually rather disappointing. Came for an early dinner at 5PM on Saturday after hiking all day, we were really hungry and it wouldn't have taken much to make us happy, the food at Thai First did not impress. We ordered a Tom Yum soup, a beef salad and 3 other dishes. The Tom Yum soup was our favorite and everything else was meh. The beef salad was probably the worst version I've had in a while, the beef was tough, not a lot of flavors. I order Thai for delivery a lot in the Loop so have a lot to compare it to. We then ordered 3 entrees that very sadly looked the same, tasted the same, and were not good: who knew that pad ke-mao, eggplant deluxe and basil duck would be using the exact same sauce with just slightly different mix of vegetables and spice level? The menu description is different! In addition, the basil duck was cold when the server brought it out to us so it has probably been sitting on the kitchen counter for a while. Maybe this is the best Thai restaurant in the neighborhood but there are much better places elsewhere in Chicago, for example Bangkok Thai Cuisine. Will not be coming back. read more

I lived in Thailand for two years and I love this place, Linda H has a great restaurant here, She is friendly as is the entire staff. Her food is always super fresh and made with the highest and best ingredients, her recipes are excellent, so is the taste! also a very pretty restaurant, nicely decorated. Just a friendly and comfortable place to eat some wonderful Thai food. I'd tell you what my favorite dish is, but there isn't space and you can read the menu yourself. I've loved everything they have and other than a couple of items with fish (sorry I don't like fish) I've had everything she serves and always wonderful food. read more

Our waiter was nice. My pad thai had an overpowering charred taste. It was mostly edible but not that great. I would not recommend or go again. read more

I try to support local businesses, always. But the fact that the prices have gone up and their portions have gone down SIGNIFICANTLY is a shame. 2 orders here is the equivalent of 1 in most other Thai restaurants. read more

This is the Authintic Thai Cuisine ive try the 1st time get there is almost late Dinner, i carry out order front disk staff very helpful when it comes the food that you are Vegetarian. I have the tofu pad thai and tom yum soup tofu.. I recommend this place for a dine in. Carry put they dont put soy sauce, fortune cookies, napkins & plastic fork maybe the old lady forget it to put inside the paper bag at my order was place. read more

AWESOME Thai food! I drive around a lot and never noticed this place before. Luckily, I did this time. Went in for lunch and got the lunch special. Lynn, their server, recommended the Crab Rangoon and Red Curry (my favorite) and did not disappoint. It was the best Thai food I have had in the area, hands down. Crab Rangoon was so delicious and the curry was actually spicy! I usually order Thai Spicy because even ordering 5 stars at a Thai spot gets you hot for a white guy. But they did it right and I was tearing up! Loved it. Had some won tons and rice soup with the lunch special and they were great too. Lynn was very nice, courteous and appreciative. No doubt I will be back when I am in the area. Thanks guys! read more

I discoverd this place when I moved into Downers Grove a few months back. Since then, they've been a staple in my weekly dinners. I love their Tom Yum soup. It's sour and has big shrimps, although the tofu is pretty good too. I also like their Panang Curry, with rice or with fat noodles. I do wish that they give a little bit more noodles with their Panang Noodles dish. Chicken Pad Thai is pretty standard, though. No complains but nothing exception either. The people that work there are pretty nice for pick-ups. They'll get you in and out pretty fast. Definitely a good spot for Thai in DG. read more

Loved it!! Went with Co workers for lunch, we ordered green Thai curry. Pad Thai , yellow Thai curry and everything was awesome. Lunch specials menu is great with portion sizes. The dish comes with an appetizer and soup. read more

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Food was fantastic, full of flavor, curry was spicy but not over powering. Service was great. We would 100% recommended.

Inviting atmosphere with excellent food. I would probably recommend ordering to go rather than eating there. The waitstaff is a bit scattered. I sat for nearly 7 minutes without a drink or menu as the waitresses were running around frantically. I saw a table of 8 and another table of 4 and then just by myself. My waitress was a bit overbearing that she kept on trying to push alcohol, appetizer and desserts at me. I understand that's how restaurants make their money but I just wanted to a simple quiet meal. By the end of the meal, I was glad that the table of 8 leaned over to chat with me. I was tired of playing on my phone and just people watching. They were super friendly for sure. By the end of the meal, I left happy and full. I would come back again but this time, as I mentioned, take it to go. read more

Thai First - Pad Kee Mao with beef. Definitely hit the spot with taste, temperature and spice! - Thai Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

This place is wonderful. The service was great. The people are so kind and polite. The food was very good. It was fresh and very tasteful. I had The basil dish with chicken and the Thai fried rice with shrimp. The flavor was amazing in both dishes. We dined in. They let us know upon arrival that they were really busy and asked us to be patient. We waited no longer than 10 minutes for our food. The restaurant was clean and pleasant. We really enjoyed our meal and we will definitely be back. Thank you Thai First for a delightful dining experience. read more

I tried Thai First for the first time about two weeks ago. I picked up curry fried rice as a carry out order. While the food was ready in time and the waiter was friendly, the food was only okay and what's more, I found a piece of plastic in the rice. Luckily I spat it out but was disappointed with the quality of food. read more

Thai First - Piece of plastic in my carry out order! - Thai Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Very disappointing. I visited Thai First when they just opened their restaurant. Wonderful food! Fresh vegetables, perfect spices. Splendid Thai food! And a lovely family that owns it. However, they must have lost their original amazing chef and now have a 'cook.' I ordered Pad Thai with tofu that described the dish with fresh vegetables and mint. What I was served was a big plate of luke warm noodles, a few thin slices of chicken. If there was 2 oz of chicken I would be surprised. Besides. I ordered it with tofu...Luckily I am not a vegan. The vegetables amounted to bean sprouts with a few thin carrot strips. Not a drop of mint or any other vegetables. No color. A big plate of beige noodles...I also asked for some spice in my dish. Nope. Nothing added. To be honest the dish is something I could have made at home by boiling noodles and adding a drizzle of peanut Thai sauce. I gave it two stars because the Chardonnay was good (they were out of both red and white organic wines on their wine list.) The atmosphere is pleasant and I really like the family. I'm not sure I will return because the bill came to $38 (with tip) for two and honestly my meal tasted like Ramen noodles with a drizzle of bottled Pad Thai sauce. Too bad. read more

Decided to get takeout here after a recommendation from a local and I was not disappointed. I ordered some of my go tos: crab rangoon and tom kha soup with chicken. The tom kha was super delicious and flavorful, sometimes this soup is so watered down at certain places but Thai First really knows what they're doing. The crab rangoon was great as well. Super fresh and flavorful and included lots of crab in the filling. Comes with a small cup of sweet and sour so if you like a lot of sweet and sour I'd ask for an extra one. I would definitely go again and get the same meal! The only thing they're missing from their menu is khao soi, which would be an awesome addition. Overall, I highly recommend this for great thai food! read more

I stopped here for lunch and got the Pad Se Ew lunch special. I ordered it Thai-hot, and it was plenty spicy. Very very tasty. It is a very nice Thai restaurant. The quality of the food seems to be very good. It is a nice place with nice decor and I would come here for dinner as well. read more

Had lunch here. It was very quiet during this time; I was almost scared to speak too loudly. The place is very nicely decorated and had plenty of natural light. Service was good and everything came quickly. The crab rangoons and Thai iced tea were delicious. The wife and I agreed on that. I personally loved the Tom Yum soup, but my wife didn't like the tomato flavor. The pad se-ew was a bit underwhelming; the veggies could have been chopped smaller and the entree could have used more sauce for flavor, but it wasn't bad. read more

Thai First - Crab rangoons, thai iced tea, tom yum soup - Thai Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Very tasty and fresh Thai food! The pad thai is tremendous and even the beef see ew(sp?) is great. You can't go wrong. Portion sizes are a bit on the small size so order an app or grab a small snack prior. read more