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    Tom Yum Cafe

    3.9 (192 reviews)
    InexpensiveThai
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Tom Yum Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    TOM YUM CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Tom Yum Cafe

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    Crying Tiger
    Lana T.

    This place is so cozy and cute. The service was amazing and the food as well. I absolutely loved the pad Thai which was really good, better than other places I have been. Loved their papaya salad which was so fresh and really spicy. If you can handle spice we'll get the papaya salad. Their Thai iced tea was good, just a little watery but overall still good. The crying tiger was okay I would say, usually it is fried but still good.

    Sarah P.

    very small seating but the service was nice and quick. I will say when I went in the AC was not turned on. Didn't bother me too much just as a fair warning if u plan on dining in the summer. The prices were fair and the portions were decent as well. Would come again for a good eat and would want to try something else. Pad Thai is just my go to. I asked for medium spice and I do have a higher spice tolerance but it wasn't spicy at all for me so keep that in mind.

    Rama Chicken and Pad See Ew
    Joe C.

    It's a small hole in the wall with like 4.5 tables. It's hard to find almost. It's directly across from Stella's with its big old hand with utensils. But some of the best spots are teenie tiny. I've been here a few times and the food was great. Their panang curry is super tasty and savory. The noodles we tasty and perfectly cooked. My wife finished her pad kee mao completely even though it was a generous portion. Long day and a tasty meal. For dessert we had the mango sticky rice. Very tasty. I haven't had that in ages. Had to order the special dessert on the hand written menu. The starchiness of the rice adds to the sweetness of the mango and gives a custardy texture. Yum! Definitely give them a try. They have a pretty nice and efficient ordering system as well so it's easy to take out.

    Meenarin P.

    The best Thai food in United States for me! They offer the authentic Thai taste. The special menu is a must. If you are Thai or have been to Thailand and craving for real Thai food. This place would be the one for you. I came here every time I visit Chicago. The food is very consistent in flavor, ingredients and display. So much love for this place. It's my happy meal. Restroom : Yes Seating : 12-15 people capacity. Parking : street parking / pay to park Service : great!

    Jada C.

    For some time, the craving for Thai food keeps growing and growing for me. Joseph searched on Yelp to see Thai restaurants will come up. Tom Yum Cafe ranks up the list as a go to place. The adage, "Good things come in small packages" applies to Tom Yum Cafe. Even though the restaurant looks small, it feels intimate. The place itself looks snug - it can only fit a couple of customers. However, with the warm weather, Tom Yum Cafe can use the outdoors to extend the dining experience. Being my "go to" favorite dish, I immediately searched for Paw Kee Mao. Tom Yum Cafe prepares it with wide noodles, red peppers, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and chopped tomatoes. It tastes fabulous! The aroma smells amazing. Joseph goes for the Rama chicken. He says it tastes fine. Like with many restaurants, Tom Yum Cafe has an online order portal which allows patrons to order. Patrons can customize their food. Come and bring family, or friends. This place makes for the perfect date.

    Moldy tofu in the Green Curry
    Samantha A.

    Beware: MOLD! I ordered last night on DoorDash and my green curry had mold all over the tofu. Fingers crossed I don't get sick. Posting this in hopes that others don't have a bad experience like I did!

    Thai Spring Rolls
    Peter S.

    3.5/5, rounded to 4/5 Of the 3 dishes we ordered, the spring rolls were definitely the least liked. It felt somewhat Americanized - excessively sweet sauce, dry wrap. The Penang Curry was pretty good, albeit a bit of a diluted flavor in comparison to other Thai restaurants. The Tom Yum is the same except probably the best of the 3 dishes. Not bad.

    Andy N.

    With one of my favorite spots in the area being closed on a holiday, I did a quick Yelp search to see where I would go for some takeout before heading home. My senses led me to Tom Yum Cafe where I was pleasantly surprised at the price, quality, and taste of my order. The name of the place itself doesn't scream anything imaginative but I am so glad I gave them a shot because it was definitely good quality! I ordered their Fried Thai Meatballs ($4.95) and the Penang Noodle ($8.95) with pork and crispy, flat egg noodle. The meatballs came in three skewers and was an assortment of different meats that you can dip in a sweet sauce. Not too bad! As for my noodles, I was surprised to see how thick my fried noodles were. They were kind enough to separate the noodles from the curry stew itself so that it didn't get soggy while on my way home. My Penang curry was spicy and flavorful, and over a bed of crispy noodles, the dish was fantastic. I really loved the food I got from Tom Yum Cafe and am jealous that such a great place exists up here for locals. I would definitely come back and dine in the small, cozy restaurant if given the chance. It definitely felt very intimate from the customers I did see dining inside.

    what a healthful meal!!!! fried omelette/mackerel/veggies with nam prik kapi (shrimp paste sauce), okra tom yum, and fresh rice!!
    Wendy Z.

    WHAT A FANTASTIC NEIGHBORHOOD GEM!!!! this restaurant is tiny, probably maybe only around 5 tables, but the flavor and variety of thai options here do not disappoint!!!! i've been here twice and have left super satisfied and happy both times :) i think some of my favs have been the kanom jeen, tom yum fried rice, the rice omelette + mackerel with nam prik kapi (shrimp paste sauce), and the okra tom yum. the flavors are always bright, bold, and fresh, and the portions super fair for the reasonable prices!! please continue to support this family gem as i hope it stays in lakeview for a long long long time :) they have a thai menu that i def wish i could order more from (can't read thai sigh), but they do have lots of pictures of dishes on the wall that aren't on their main menu, and i do recommend you check them out!!!

    $9.50 Pad See Ew in Beef + $3 Thai Iced Tea
    Belle L.

    BYOB. 12-seats. Lots-n-Lots of authentic Thai Spicy Dishes! Neighborhood Place. "No delivery as they only have 2 Cooks." :-) Untainted by Greed! Basic protein is INCLUDED with dish. *Yay* $9.50 PAD SEE EW is a single serving. So, so THAI ICED TEA. I look forward to coming back for more, especially the Soups!

    Kai Jeow Ground Pork
    Misty S.

    This Thai restaurant is small, but has seating for about 12 people. The menu offers a large variety of dishes, which is great. The food was pretty good, but some dishes were a miss. Tod Mun Pla $6.50 - Small delicious fish cakes. Tom Kha soup $4.50 - Good and comes loaded with ingredients. Kai Jeow Ground Pork $7 - You can't go wrong with Thai omelet. Pad Ped Pla Duk $12 - Catfish with just the right kick. Bamee Galic Chicken $9 - Not much to this dish other than noodles and chicken. Not the bamee style I like. Mor Kang $4 - Pass on this dessert. I've had much better Thai custard than this dry and bland one. We were able to find paid street parking out front. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ )

    Lunch special: crab rangoon, tom yum soup, beef panang curry rice. 中午特餐:蟹角,泰式酸辣汤,牛肉咖喱饭。

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    3 years ago

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    11 months ago

    Don't let the small space deceive you. Food is well prepared and delicious. Definitely a good option if you're in the mood for Thai.

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    3 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    9 months ago

    The food was fabulous! We did take out. It's a pretty small place. I have eaten there inside before, but that wouldn't work this time..

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    2 years ago

    Food is fresh and delicious. Papaya/ Jicama salad is on point! Owners are very accommodating and are willing to customize orders to suit.

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    2 years ago

    The food was so delicious and our server was very sweet. Cute and small place with a cozy atmosphere. Will be returning soon!

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    3 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Their menu is 10 years old and they will not update it. Be warned - what you see online is no longer accurate ‍

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Pad se ew was not tasty at all. Bland. Crab Rangoon was ok greasy ( good) and there were plenty.

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    3 years ago

    The Tom yum soup was flavorless and they sent me noodles with cut up hotdogs for my other dish! I won't order from here again!

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Tom Yum Cafe

    Are they still open for business? No answer by phone and mailbox is full.

    I was there this week but I don't know their hours. I was there for lunch. Their page says open 11 am to 10 pm

    View All 2 Questions

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    Muan Jai Thai Kitchen

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    The food here is very good.I had chicken pad thai which was seasoned very well and the portion was…read moreeasily enough for two. I also had the tom yum soup ..i give it a ten. Spicy but very delicious..the service is equally as good. If you are in the area and in the mood for Thai , definitely stop in enjoy the cool vibes and good food.

    Came to Muan Jai Thai for lunch on the weekend and was happy with my visit - the decor is really…read morenice, lots of greenery and plants, st patties themed - overhead lamps add a nice touch and everything is pretty clean, bathrooms included. There are window views from the restaurant, making for good people watching. Mainly metered parking available Medium to large sized place with dedicated sections for thai food (about 8 tables and 2 rows of bar style seats) vs for sushi and ramen but all under the same place/owner, can order from any menu - the decor on that side is super cute, fish cutouts, anime/manga decorated walls, decked out bars Got the scuba diving chicken from the chefs faves and must say it was pretty good - a bit on the greasier side but the aroma of the herbs and the spices from the curry really pull through, chicken is cooked very well, super tender and juicy. I got the "No turning back" spice level and theres a hefty kick - halfway into the dish my mouth def feels it but nothing too extreme (FYI theres a slight mala-like numbingness to it) The traditional papaya salad was crunchy and refreshing, sauce is tangy but not too overwhelming. The peanuts add a nice nutty element to it. There were hardly any dried shrimp, so wouldve like to see a bit more of that. Be sure to give it a good mix as the sauce and topping fall to bottom of the bowl To top it off, the service was great. Albert was really attentive and helpful - would come back if im in the gold coast area again to try the other menu offerings

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    Small but cozy place. We were able to call ahead and make a reservation…read more Moo ping (pork skewers with sticky rice) - 10/10. My toddler devoured this. Could have easily done a second order. Papaya salad - 9/10. Really good. I loved the dried shrimp. Crispy chicken salad - 10/10. This was sooo good. Tiger cry - 5/10. Normally a favorite for me at Thai restaurants. This one was overcooked, which was unfortunate. Crab fried rice - 7/10. Solid. Chunks of crab. Mango with sticky rice - 8/10. Needed more mango but it was delicious.

    So so good! My husband & I were craving Thai food and decided to come here for lunch. We got here…read morejust about a half hour opening and it was already pretty busy with people dining in and people waiting for takeout... always a good sign! Seating was a little tight like at Phodega, but not terrible. To view menu, you scan a QR code at the table. My husband & I ordered the following: - Grilled Squid This was really good! I thought it was going to come out like little calamari rings, but it was actually a decently sized whole squid, sliced with the tentacles on the side. It was cooked perfectly as it was not chewy or rubbery. The flavor was great, especially with the paired Thai-spicy seafood sauce. - Crab Meat Fried Rice Loved that this was with real crab! & not the imitation crab. There were bits of crab meat throughout the rice and then topped with a big lump of crab meat. It came served with a lime & yummy fish sauce with fresh Thai chili's. - Bamee Noodles with BBQ Pork without broth This bowl of egg noodles had a slightly sweet flavor to it, served with a fox amount of BBQ Pork which was also nice & tender! Slurped it all up! - Jina's Fried Chicken This was good, but not anything like out of this world. It was fried chicken leg quarter, served with black sticky rice. - Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango LOVED this! It was a great way to end our meal! I loved that it came with extra sweet sauce! - Taro Tapioca in Coconut Milk Cream This was great too! It was actually a warm dessert. The menu described it as "Tapioca pearls" so I was expecting the tiny little clear boba balls, but it was cubes of like glutinous rice. Which was not bad! I liked it a lot; it reminded me of Ginataang Bilo Bilo (#iykyk if you're Filipino)! Overall, a delicious experience! We would eat here again!

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