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    Zaab E Lee

    4.2 (42 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 week ago

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    ZAAB E LEE ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Zaab E Lee

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    Jennifer D.

    Enjoyed a really nice dinner here with friends and felt that the overall flavors tasted pretty authentic. The tum tad with raw seafood was something new for me. Loved the spice level on the papaya salad and seafood tasted good, great dish to share. I tried a little bit of everything as we shared our dishes family style but one of the stand out dishes to me was the tom yum, was super rich with flavor without being heavy. Menu has so much to choose from and the space is quite large so I'm sure a walk-in is very doable. Staff was attentive, would definitely come back to try some other items on the menu.

    Chili fish and crab fried rice
    Wajhi K.

    Zaab E Lee is a solid Thai food option with an extensive menu and some out of the box options. It's pricey but good portions, it's hard to do elevated Thai with so many wonderful take out operations in the area but they do have something different about them. Crab fried rice was very good, chili fish was decent, and a few other items were ok at best. They don't play with their spice which I love, and if I lived nearby I would frequent but wouldn't go out of my way more than once. Def give them a try though.

    Little bit of everything
    Cecilia X.

    Huge fan! Came with a large group and just got a little bit of everything to share and it was all so good. Really appreciated that it was authentic Thai spice and flavors but they could also make dishes mild and keep the original flavor too. It takes a lot for me to think a that place stands out because most places in Chicago are all vaguely the same amount of good but this was a stand out

    Kristen S.

    If you haven't discovered @zaabeleechicago Thai Street Food yet, let this be your sign to add it to your list. From the moment you walk up, you might not expect what's waiting inside--but as soon as the doors open, you're instantly transported into the vibrant energy of Thailand. Think colorful umbrella-lined ceilings, and cozy seating nooks. One of the biggest surprises? How spacious it is inside. Owner Jessie has created a space that feels both lively and welcoming, with plans already underway to expand a private events room. Even though the restaurant has only been open for about seven months, you can tell she's thoughtfully building something special--so definitely keep an eye on their socials for future events and parties. Jessie greeted us and shared that this is her third restaurant, and it shows. Her experience and passion shine through in every detail--from the atmosphere to the menu to the overall guest experience. We started with drinks, and I ordered the iced Thai tea, which came in the most beautiful presentation--complete with a delicate flower floating on top. It truly felt like a mini vacation in a glass. For our meal, I ordered the Khao Soi with chicken, and I can confidently say it was one of the best I've ever had. Rich, comforting, and packed with flavor--it's a must-order. My husband went with the crab meat fried rice, a fan favorite--and for good reason. It was fresh, and flavorful. To start, we shared the satay and the "Tiger Cry"--a standout dish featuring grilled beef marinated with onion, mint, rice powder, chili, cilantro, and fresh lime sauce. Bold, vibrant, and incredibly satisfying. With a menu full of appetizers, curries, soups, and unique salads, there's truly something for everyone--and plenty of reasons to come back and try more. What really ties it all together is the hospitality. The entire team is warm, welcoming, and happy to guide you through the menu with recommendations.

    Crab Rangoon and papaya salad
    Will N.

    Really charming interior, large space. Very kind workers. Love the expansive menu. The Penang Noodle is an absolute gem. Fried rice noodle tossed in a rich curry is a combo made in heaven. The crispy and chewy juxtaposition will have you craving more. The crab rangoon is super fluffy and delicate. This item is usually a greasy delight but here, it's a perfect starter. The Tum Tad has a fun mix of meats, seafood, and bites. However, the salad became extremely spicy even though we ordered mild. I am a big spicy eater as well, but even I was affected. Which is confusing because our noodle dish was medium but that was very manageable. The pad kanar moo krob has a juicy, soft texture but this flavoring fell really short in the whole grand scheme of things.

    Mango Sticky Rice
    Paula B.

    First time at Zaab E Lee and honestly we were very impressed with how cute the interior looked and the high quality of the food. Thankfully we made a reservation in advanced and got seated in one of the cute huts inside but this place got packed within the hour. It's a family owned business and appeared to have just one server during the dinner rush but she did a great job attending everyone. We've never been to an "authentic" Thai restaurant before and normally stick to the more well known dishes such as Panang Curry and Pad See Ew. We love venturing out and trialing new foods so we started our dinner with the Moo Daad Diew (fried pork) which was 10/10 chefs kiss. Highly recommend this dish because for how tender and delicious the pork was. For the entrees we ordered Khao Soi with chicken (perfect curry sauce) and the Yum Ma Ma (cold seafood dish with noodles). Both were great and had a beautiful presentation. For dessert don't miss out on the mango sticky rice, we were fighting over the last pieces of it. Oh and it's BYOB and they don't charge a fee for it which is excellent. I can't wait to try more dishes and make this our new go to Thai restaurant in the area.

    March 2026
    Allison T.

    3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. After seeing trending posts on Instagram, was so excited to give it a try. Recently traveled to Bangkok during the summer and we miss authentic Thai food so much. Based on the Thai menu, we thought maybe it's as close to Thai food from Thailand but we were wrong. Photos are promising. Taste, not so much. Decor and service was good. Portions are on the smaller side and it's a typical Chicago Thai place. Don't forget they don't play with spicy so if you can't handle "Thai spicy", stick with American medium spicy. -goong chae nam pla: shrimp salad. We really came for this dish (and the fish) as it's hard to find in Chicago but were so disappointed. Typically they take sashimi grade shrimp with fresh garlic & spices. Looked like they used Costco style frozen shrimp. Thawed and put a lot of garlic to hide the shrimp texture. I was worried I may get food poisoning since it's looked like thawed uncooked shrimp. I only ate 2 pieces & am ok. -pra sam rod (fried fish); when done right, fish meat has a lot of good flavor with crispy on the outside. The fish had no other flavor than the fish itself. The sauce looked like it was from bottled sauce and not homemade special sauce. This, too, was very disappointing. -som tum; flavorful but too much fish sauce. They use dried shrimp as garnish so be careful if you have shrimp allergy. -creamy tom yum: definitely not creamy. It's a typical tom yum. -moo ping: on the pricy side for 4 skewers -fried rice -pad Thai- typical. Nothing special. Overall, good to try to get my curiosity out but we won't be returning.

    Crab Rangoon
    Ron T.

    Tucked into Albany Park, Zaab E Lee Thai Street Food feels like stepping into a lively, slightly offbeat corner of Thailand--equal parts neighborhood hangout and destination dining. It's the kind of place that doesn't just serve food; it pulls you into its orbit with color, heat, and personality. The real star here is the food--and it hits hard. Zaab E Lee leans into bold, authentic Thai flavors, especially from the Isan region, so expect serious spice and punchy seasoning. This is not toned-down, tourist-friendly Thai; it's vibrant, funky, and unapologetically intense.

    Worst food ever. I'm so sorry but who's cooking this?  The picture is after we are done eating  still plate full.
    Keo C.

    Food is horrible. Look at what's left on the table. No wonder we were the only Asian ther. So sorry but pls do better. Bill $50 n I still tip $20 Service good but food is horrible.

    Thai fried rice
    Eleanor B.

    They're serving delicious and authentic Thai street food, the portion was huge and staff was amazing!! Highly recommend the som thum Thai, Thai fried rice, and pad kee mao (drunken noodles)! Ambiance was nice and to teleport to Thailand

    Tom Zaab
    Lois N.

    The establishment is kinda off by itself but there is surrounding street parking available. The decor is very Thai and vibrant; they also have ambient Thai music in the background. The staff are very nice and attentive. It seems they specialize in Isan Thai food, and also offer Thai dishes that I don't typically see elsewhere. I forgot to take pictures because I was so excited to eat but my favorite items were the moo ping and tom yum goong. Their sauces were perfect! I'm from Thailand and I think it's a little Americanized but they do the country pretty good justice.

    We didn't have a reservation- and next time we will get one! So lovely to see it so packed! Really good vibes in here. Cute decor, happy patrons. We were seated in the back, which was also cute but we were seated by the cleaning section. Unfortunately the mop smell permeated next to the table. We started with the veggie egg roles which were good ! Then had our main dishes. I understand that they were busy, but service was really really slow. It took over an hour for our main dishes to come out. Our ordered were slightly wrong- Hawaiian fried rice was regular. Green curry was amazing- we will Get this again for sure. Food is amazing, but service was rough. We asked for to go boxes and they never arrived. They were swamped by the time we were leaving. Will try again - but won't sit next to the mop area.

    Crab Rangoon

    This place has AMAZING Thai food. They take such care and elevate every dish. Service was "top notch" too. Food came out fast and hot. I didn't catch the waiters name but he was very kind. We had crab rangoon and the scallion dumplings to start. The rangoons were so puffy and delicate. One of the best I have ever had. The scallion dumplings were delicious. Lots of scallions but not too strong and maybe a bit of cheese in the filling? Very tasty. The main courses of crispy pork belly and pad thai with chicken were also very good. The menu is a bit confusing as the main courses do include your choice of a protein but it doesn't say that on the menu. Also, the description of the two crispy pork belly dishes are identical, but the waiter explained to me how they were actually different. We loved this place! Please don't get put off by the look of the outside of the building - so cute inside! I can't wait to come back and try more!

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    8 months ago

    Terrible service sat in lobby waiting for order over 30 minutes they told me 5 ridiculous slow woman at front desk!!! Horrible food!

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    JJ Thai Street Food - Fried chicken wings

    JJ Thai Street Food

    4.4(572 reviews)
    5.3 miUkrainian Village, West Town
    $$

    Had a lunch there with my friends in Chicago. Actually it was highly recommended by one of my…read morefriends, who said "she had tried almost every dish on the menu". Indeed, this spot did not let me down! It is a small Thai restaurant in West Loop, with a large menu featuring monthly specials and quite a few dishes I rarely find in other Thai restaurants in U.S. For food, we ordered the following: 1. Khao Ka Moo: a stewed pork hock platter served with rice, pickled mustard greens, shitake mushrooms, sauce (similar to soy-sauce) and egg (which I opted out). It was my first time to have pork hock in a Thai restaurant. The meat was juicy and the skin was mouth-melting. Highly recommended. 2. JJ Tiger Cry: Basically grilled ribeye served with Thai style sides. The ribeye was cooked at ~medium well. I wish it could be a fattier cut and cooked for a shorter time, but my friend thought the temp. was perfect for her. It was served with a Thai sauce and cabbage+carrot slaw. 3. Green Curry Chicken: my sister's entree. The curry tasted refreshing and flavorful. It was also great that the dish came with both rice noodles and jasmine rice, so you can try both of them -- indeed, the rice noodles, after soaking it in the green curry, tasted heavenly! 4. Yum Hed. Grilled mushroom salad. There were shitake and king oyster mushroom. Served over a bed of fresh lettuce and a kind of spciy, sour sauce. Great as a side. 5. Guay Tiew Tom Tum Koong: Shrimp and rice noodles served in a generous bowl of Tom Yum Soup. It also had much veg. Unfortunately, I am allergic to some seafood so for safety I did not try this dish. Overall, the dishes are of medium sizes, but definitely enough for us. Service was friendly and quick. I may try more dishes the next time I visit Chicago.

    Cute spot! Service was prompt and friendly, even while they were slammed. Nice little outdoor…read moreseating area. Got the Thai basil chicken, one of the more flavorful and well done versions of the dish I've tried.

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    JJ Thai Street Food
    JJ Thai Street Food - Crab fried rice - recommend adding a fried egg

    Crab fried rice - recommend adding a fried egg

    JJ Thai Street Food - A9 Gui Chay Tod (tapioca dumplings with chive)

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    Serai

    Serai

    4.0(16 reviews)
    4.0 miDePaul
    $$

    Ordered through door dash for the drunken noodles and have ordered 3 times since already, lol…read more Amazingggg food, flavor, quality chicken, and spice. Best $12 ever spent. The crab Rangoons are AMAZING as well, which says a lot because I have tried at least 30 in the city. These are top 5. Lastly, beef chow fun was okay. It didn't have much flavor and the beef was tough/hard to bite through so not a fan of that.

    I've been going to Serai for years, which makes this review especially disappointing to write. I'm…read morenot sure if there has been a change in management or the kitchen, but this was by far the worst experience I've ever had here. The food was completely underwhelming, and when we shared our concerns with the staff, nothing was done to address them. The service was equally disappointing. Our server spent much of the time sitting on her phone while we waited for basic service like water refills, being asked about drinks, and receiving the drinks we ordered. We repeatedly had to get up and find someone just to receive attention. As for the food, the gyoza was bland and tasted like unseasoned pork. The lemongrass beef stew curry, which was highly recommended, arrived cold, had an odd texture, and lacked any real flavor. Most shocking of all were the drunken noodles. I've ordered them countless times over the years and always considered them among the best in Chicago. This time, I couldn't get past a single bite. Every dish was left unfinished. We didn't finish a single plate and didn't take any leftovers home--something that never happens for us. Between the poor service and incredibly disappointing food, this was an awful dining experience from start to finish. Unfortunately, after being a longtime customer, I won't be returning.

    Photos
    Serai - Rojak merah

    Rojak merah

    Serai - Serai interior

    Serai interior

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    Nasi lemak with nyonya curry chicken

    Aroy Thai Restaurant - Pineapple Fried Rice

    Aroy Thai Restaurant

    4.1(493 reviews)
    1.3 miRavenswood, Lincoln Square
    $$

    Great authentic Thai food! Small space, so we recommend making reservations. Tom Kha was super,…read moreveggie rolls, chicken wings, crab rangoons were the best I ever had! Great location. Cash only but ATM inside.

    I had not been here in quite sometime and was pleased to find it better than when I last left it…read more In particular, I was really please to find that they now have outdoor seating. (Unfortunately, the sidewdalk is sloped, so the tables are sloped.) C and I order shumai, which in my experience, is served as an appetizer. Our order didn't arrive until after the main course was served. (Note to self: Next time order the main course after the appetizer has been served.) Cuisine: 4 stars - We ordered Basil Rice, to share. The flavor was different than what I have been served elsewhere. More sour than sweet. I think a better balance between sour and sweet would be better. Also, elsewhere, the rice and ground chicken are served tossed together. Here, the rice and chicken arrive on separate plates. It's difficult to mix sticky rice and chicken on a flat place. Nevertheless, the meal was completely acceptable; just a bit different. Service: 4 stars - The server was polite and friendly. Ambiance: 4 stars - We dined outside, but the interior looks nice. It's really nice to find a Thai restaurant with outdoor seating. What to know: It's BYOB (a plus) and does not accept card; only cash. For me, that's also a plus. Would I return? Yes.

    Photos
    Aroy Thai Restaurant - Inside of restaurant

    Inside of restaurant

    Aroy Thai Restaurant - Crab Rangoon Appetizer, Tom Kha Kai Soup

    Crab Rangoon Appetizer, Tom Kha Kai Soup

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    Zaab E Lee - thai - Updated August 2026

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