Best Thai Asian Restaurant. The people are very nice and friendly. The food is tasty and price is right for the portion.

Looks more like a take out place but the food is really tasty and good priced. The owners r polite and friendly and this place truly deserves to be tried for really nice chinese and thai cuisine.. read more

Great food real authentic. I ordered beef lab- great flavor good sizing. Papaya salad is to die for I got super super spicy and it's amazing. Pad see-euw also very good and very flavorful. The owners are very nice and welcoming. Highly recommended if you're in the mood for authentic Thai/Laos food. read more

I love this place, the staff, the pad thai, and egg rolls.

This is our favorite place to eat in Elgin. There is great variety and reasonable prices and the food is delicious. We have friends from out of town who insist on coming here every time they visit us (and we sure don't complain!) Try the Lad Na, it's amazing, and if you eat meat, the Lao Sausages are fantastic, my husband orders those almost every time. read more

Not an eye catcher from the street but the food is so fresh and nothing I have tried has been less than delicious. Their egg rolls are closer to what cookie cutter chinese places call spring rolls but their home made quality and peanut dipping sauce can't be beat. Their wonton soup is amazing and I love, love, love that their soups come with fresh veggies to add yourself. Cilantro in the fried rice and soups! YUM! They are a little pricier than the run of the mill, generic asian joint but the freshness and flavor can't be beat. Soda is by the can. Mom and Pop is an understatement. There is a charming old man that grows peppers behind the building. You can see him tending his plot in the warm months. Don't miss this place. read more

I love this place! my home away from home. the pad thai and lao sausage with sticky rice are my favorites that I order time and time again!

Food is aways good. This is a go-to take out spot for my family. Nice sized portions. Friendly service. The dining room is lack luster but I don't care. Prices are fair. read more

PHO!!! love love love this place. Always get pho carry out (haven't been brave enough to order with the tripe but they always are good about not putting it into our order) the staff is always super friendly. Oh the thai iced tea is really good too (I'm addicted!) We haven't tried anything else on the menu but we definitely love this place for its PHO. read more

Ate at the White Pearl tonight for the first time, and was quite impressed. We were craving a bowl of pho, and I found this listing in a Yelp search. I was actually more motivated to come here when reviewers said negative things about the decor or the fact that they're located in an old Taco Bell. No, the White Pearl is not a place to wear a cocktail dress to or anything like that, but the humble location is not indicative of the quality of food in the least. Don't be a snob. If you like great Asian food you should check it out. We ordered two different kinds of pho and an order of eggrolls. We had the Thai Iced Coffee to drink as well, and it was excellent. Very strong coffee flavor, with just enough sweetness and milliners. The eggrolls came six to the order and with a sweet vinegary sauce studded with ground peanuts. These were very fresh; you could actually taste the filling inside! The pho came in huge bowls and was accompanied by a plate overflowing with romaine leaves, bean sprouts, chilis, and lime slices. Next time I would like to try the Lao sausage and some sticky rice! read more

Ive been going here for years. Best pho, pad thai, fried rice, egg rolls, pad see ew. I always want to get more than one dish. One of the things I miss about leaving the suburbs. read more

I love the food!!! Great variety of dishes. Very authentic tasting. We tried the padthai, papaya salad, chicken wings and beef jerky. They were all very good! The place is kinda old but the food is great. read more

I have been going here since the 1st time they opened a smaller restaurant next door, only serving soups, like pho, wonton egg noodle, and kao piek (Lao chicken noodle soup) back in 1998. I love their food. Their papaya salad IS LAOS style. Their portion size is just right. Cost of produce and meats goes up, so would their cost of dishes. I've moved to many states since, and can NOT find another Laos restaurant for the best of me. I tried ones that is available, and can't help but compare to White Pearl. Chicken Pan Fried noodles is definitely my all time favorite dish, something I can't find either. Miss this place. Last time I visited, they were closed for 4th of July..was pretty bummed. read more

I come here all the time and everything is delicious especially their pho. They are family owed and make really good food. I usually stick to the same stuff like their pad thai, sticky rice and sausage. But I always get their beef pho. Yummy!!!! read more

Hot and Delicious Pho and other traditional Thai/Lao noodles soups. Sticky rice is a must along with Lao sausages or Beef Jerky. My favorite Thai/Lao restaurant in the area. read more

My first memory of this place was looking at the old Taco Bell building they reside in with a dubious eye... then opening the door and having the most delicious scents waft out! The food is excellent, authentic, good quality food. The Laos Sausages are incredibly tasty, the Pho is really good, and they have the best Pad Thai I've eaten. The beef jerky is just like the jerky I used to make at home, and very tasty. Add a side of sticky rice and some of the tastiest won-ton soup you've ever had and it's a great meal. The downsides are the dine-in atmosphere is really bad. It's a revamped Taco Bell that looks like someone just tossed a coat of paint on and threw some old tables they had in their basement around. It's not the best environment for eating in. I usually do take out, however, so this doesn't bother me very much, but it's worth mentioning for those looking for a good dine-in experience. The other downside is the food is EXPENSIVE. While it's generally worth it, the cost is somewhat prohibitive, and someone used to other takeout places may well get some sticker shock. I think the value is pretty good overall, and the quality is top-notch, but price and value are a factor. That said, it's the best takeout place I've found in Elgin yet for any style of food. You can't really go wrong, just be prepared to pay a premium for the quality they routinely deliver. read more

Ok so my favorite thing from White Pearl is the papaya and sticky rice! I use to be able to handle the HOT but have gone down to Mild : / Love this stuff!!!!!! read more

I always come here for egg rolls and their combo pho..It's the BEST. You have to visit this place!!

Just want to start off saying that I am a avid phö lover with a few viet friends that make really good phö. So I did have the phö here and it was a bit of a let down. The broth wasn't as rich or tasty same with the meatballs. The tripe and beef were pretty good. I also had their egg rolls and fried bread and both were tasty. The egg rolls were not your typical chinese ones. I gave it three stars because of the egg rolls and friend bread. read more

Great service, nice people, huge portions, so generous, delicious! Friendly, clean and tasty! Authentic!

I got a tip from a friend in Rockford about the great egg rolls. He was right and all the other menu items are fantastic. Glad I found this gem of an Asian restaurant. It is a casual neighborhood joint with great food, service and price. read more

We drive from Carpentersville to get the soup as well as all of there food. Well worth the drive.

when my cambodian friend brought his family over to visit us we took him over to this restaurant to try real authentic laotian foods. he and his wife wanted to have lao flavor papaya salad, tum-mak-houng, with sticky rice and beef jerky (seen-savanh). so we went to this place. we asked that food should not have peanut in it because his kid has severe allergy. look like they did complied because that kid was alive and well when we were done. around this area and in our community this restaurant is considered a lao restaurant eventhough the lao-chinese owner would like it to be known more like a thai or vietnamese of sort since they seem to serve all these ethnic dishes. if you go there and want to try off menu lao dishes you can make a request. we have done it countless time. it appears that if you are not-native (look like asian) they will cook to suit your palate. my kids love to go here for their pho beef noodle soup. it is cheaper to go here than to go to chicago's uptown and the pho they have here is as good or better. save gas, time, and money. when we were there usually we asked propreitor/waitress what's his/her favorite dishes and tried that. this place is a good place to get reasonable priced thai, lao, and vietnamese foods. it is not a place to take your first date out to because it can be very noisy, so family oriented and down to earth. give it a try if you are in town. you might not like the decor, location or ambiance but i betcha that the food is good and the price is easy to live with. read more

I love this place. Super friendly guys! They always make it a good time. The food is the best I love everything from the sticky rice to the beef jerkey to the pad tai and the iced coffee ...uuuggghhh it's making me hungry just thinking about it! I would recommend this place to everyone I know! read more

The pad see ew was so good, I had to return for a second round in the same day! The chicken wings are deliciously big with a hint of sweetness. Enjoy! read more

Very rude. I'm not picky and can deal with the minimum in hospitality but as a service business you have to value your customers no matter who they are. In an almost empty retaurant the host sat us at a dirty table when many clean ones were availavle. As we go to sit my son was going to get some utensils and the guy yells at him really mean and loud "don't touch that". I asked the guy was he serious and he said yes the sign says dont touch the utensils. Ok the little sticker on the utensil tray says dont touch, but do you have to yell at a customer 30 seconds into their visit when you dont even know their intentions. What if I had told my son to get us some utensils because you mysteriously moved them from our table. If you dont want customers to touch the chopstick leave them in the back. We then sat down and were going to eat but felt akward and judged. We left without ordering and will never go back. read more

Food is alright. Service is good. Used to come here often until I found hair in my lad na. I understand accidents happen, so I gave them another chance. This round, I found hair in my kao piek. Disgusting. Enough said. read more

I read great reviews about this place so was looking forward to going.... Food was Okay and service was not very good at all... I took friends and was very disappointed. read more

I ordered a Thai soup here, its the worst soup I ever had in this world. It's not spicy, I don't know what the hell is that taste like. Never again!!! read more

I have visited white pearl a number of times since my first review and have to say that I have really come to appreciate the authenticity and charm of the place. The Papaya Salad is by far the best in the area... get it spicy and really enjoy the taste of Laos and Thailand. The Omelet, Ginger Fish, Egg Rolls, Fried Rice, and Chinese Broccoli are all delicious. read more

Best food ever! The service is great and the food is amazing. I always try something new and,I always end up loving it. I've been going here for sometime, and no other place can compare. Best Thai food around, hands down. read more

This place is a hidden jewel. The people are friendly and the food is fantastic. Never had a bad meal. Try the beef jerky, not what you would Invision. read more

White Pearl is delicous! They offer a variety of dishes. Their papaya salad, soups, and noodle dishes are out of this world. Highly reccomended, my parents, request to go here everytime they come in! The dishes are fairly spicy, get ready for a flavor explosion! read more

I ordered the food the night before to prepare for a big lunch for the next day. This places opens at 11am. I needed the food to be ready by 11:20am. The owners came into work earlier than normal and had the food ready, fresh and on time. The order was correct, the meal was delicious and the workers made it better by having it prepared. read more

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! I love the egg rolls, they are so crispy and come with a yummy sweet sauce. The owner will remember you and they are so friendly. Papaya salad is to die for! Pho is amazing, I honestly go once a month. read more

This review is strictly about the chicken pho and spring rolls. It is the only food I've ordered. I've eaten at the restaurant and placed orders to go. The spring rolls and pho are always great. read more

So good. The surroundings are simple, casual this humble place serves amazing food. This a locally owned Family run business which I strongly believe in supporting. Besides the fact authentic Lao food is hard to find in the Chicago area, this place is hands down the best. This family stands by their cooking. Fresh, authentic, spicy, sour, sweet, salty all the flavors are there. The menu exemplifies the Lao culinary history of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai influences in their cooking. For those complaining about the flavoring of their Thai dishes -many Thai dishes are actually Lao dishes in origin- Lao food is spicy so don't be offended if they steer you away from ordering extra spicy they want to make sure their customers do indeed actually enjoy the food. They are always welcoming and generous with portions. I've been frequenting this place for a long time despite the distance for me in driving here. If you love Southeast Asian food particularly the soups and Lao food run don't walk here. read more

This is a Laos restaurant that offers Laos, Thai, Vietnamese, & Chinese food. The Thai food is very tasty, especially the northern Thai dishes, like the dried/salted beef, sticky rice, fried chicken. The pho is just okay (it's not like Argyle St). Prices are a bit high too. read more

it was good i went there for my 16th birthday all the people were so nice i even got a free dessert! :)