Thai Aroma
417 W North Ave, Chicago, IL, 60610
Thai Aroma Menu
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Appetizers
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Salads
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Soups
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Rice Dishes
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Chefs Favorites
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Side Order
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Desserts
Healthy Meal suggestions for Thai Aroma
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Appetizers
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Salads
-
Soups
-
Rice Dishes
-
Chefs Favorites
-
Side Order
-
Desserts
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Address :
417 W North Ave
Chicago, IL, 60610 - Phone (312) 664-3400
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
- Mon : 11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Amanda Z.
So, my little sister lives near here, and every time we walk by, she makes a comment..."I wanna try this." So when it came time for her birthday dinner, I took her here. This place is typical of your little Thai joint. BYOB, little tables, and your basics on the menu. (Not sure about a corkage fee because I try not to drink with pre-teens...) Egg rolls were decent, my garlic chicken was fine (nothing special), but my little sis a very interesting take on cashew chicken. It involved stuffing chicken with crab, rolling it, and deep-frying. Served with a side of peanut sauce, it was definitely unique. She loved it (aside from the peanut sauce). Also fun? Using chopsticks. She's a natural. Not the cheapest, not the best in Thai food, but seeing her smile with delight at her meal and hearing her tell our server "Good food, good service" was enough for me to take her back when she wants to go. Oh, and she also decided that it would be a good place for take-out, telling me "I'll just tell my mom it;s Chinese food." Eleven year olds truly say the darndest things.
(3)Y.D. K.
More like 3.5 stars...place is decent, though I only get the lunch specials, which are decently priced with a nice portion of your choice of 11 entrees and 5 different appetizer for under $7; not bad for the price, I'd say. My coworkers say the food is good here too, maybe even better than, say, Panang, but I digress. Oh yeah, did I mention that this place delivers?
(3)Denise F.
Thai Aroma is my go-to takeout spot in Old Town. It's close to the train, cheap (can't beat the lunch special!) has big portions, and tasty food. It's not the best Thai food I've ever had, but it's definitely better than average, and like I said, you can't beat the convenience. One of my favorite features is that you can customize how spicy you want any dish, I believe on a scale from 1-6. Also, they keep your phone number on file, and I've noticed that you get bonus food every once in a while if you're a regular customer. Overall, it's a great spot for takeout, and I find myself going there pretty regularly (well...enough to get bonus food...) I wouldn't make a special trip to the neighborhood for Thai Aroma, but it's a great quick option if you're nearby. Also: BYOB.
(4)Allyson C.
Went to Thai Aroma for dinner after having had and really liking their delivery food. It was an average dinner. Food was pretty good and very inexpensive. We were some of the only people there on a Friday night so we didn't have to wait for a table for wait very long for food. It was BYOB but our waitress was good and actually opened and poured and refilled our wine glasses for us. Definitely 1 star ambiance-wise though. Next time I'd rather order their food for delivery than eat at the restaurant.
(3)Mary M.
Great lunch spot. They have a special w/an entree, appetizer and soup for $5.99. Their Pad Thai is fantastic which is a good indicator in my book. It's also BYOB, which we didn't take advantage of but good to know!
(4)Tony W.
"Thai-Rome" I eat here frequently. The food is great for the price. Fierce lunch special ($6 for soup, appetizer & entree). Also I recommend dining in and ordering the crab rangoon. Its amazing when its fresh out. I live nearby but dine in just to have the fresh-goon.
(4)Krystyna B.
Oh, Aroma, how you disappoint me. I've ordered takeout from you before, and while I wasn't bowled over by the quality of your food, I was also never disgusted. What a change a single delivery order can make. Last night, while working from home and absolutely not feeling like venturing into my kitchen, I ordered pot stickers and BBQ fried rice from Aroma. The pot stickers arrived cold and burnt. I'm not talking about a nice brown crust. It seemed that someone forgot about the dumplings, let them smoke in a saute pan, and then just dumped them in a carryout container. Unfortunately, that was the best part of the meal. The BBQ pork friend rice was, in essence, sticky white rice mashed into a clear plastic carry out container and covered with about 2 cups of BBQ sauce. Arranged over the top of the rice were 7 slices of thinly sliced and dried out pork (also cold) smothered in yet more BBQ sauce. The highlight of this meal was the garnish. 2 tomato wedges and a few slices of fresh, crunchy English cucumber. I ended up eating the garnish and a few slices of pork with a forkful or two of rice - it was all I could rescue out of that container swimming in sauce. Thank goodness for microwaveable popcorn. It saved my night. Aroma has a $12 minimum order for delivery. My order came to $14, delivery fee was an extra $3 and tip was another $4. I should have just called Thalia and ordered the $20 worth of food to get them to deliver. Aroma has lost my business.
(1)Pamela D.
This is my go to place when I am dog sitting my best friends dog, which is usually once a month! Is is cheap, fast, and always filling for TWO meals. I tried the other Thai place in Old Town last month and it was OK but Thai Aroma regains supreme! I only wish they had veggie pot stickers!! But their other food is amazing! LOVE the spring rolls and fried tofu with the yummy sauce it comes with is like a peanut type sauce, good whatever it is!!! I have also eaten there for lunch I bring a book or watch the traffic of North Ave! BYOB
(4)Kelsey K.
We ordered from GrubHub tonight and the food from Thai Aroma was pretty darn good. Good enough to order from there again, but not good enough to order from there if we're in the delivery range of The Spice on Milwaukee and Diversey. Good? Yeah, I'll give them that. Awesome? Nah, not so much, but good enough to order again if we're in their delivery area.
(3)Annie W.
Bare decor, barely hole-in-the-wall. Prices aren't even THAT cheap and portions are nothing to write about. We were studying at the Borders a few blocks away and wanted to grab some Thai and this was the closest option (yay for iphones). Do NOT get the Pad See Ew. Beef was tough as hell and the noodles were oily and rubbery. Do NOT get the Larb Gai. Chicken was dry and tasteless. So dissatisfying. I instead had quite a bit of my friend's Green Curry Noodles to fill me up. The noodles were quite good and the curry tasty but this place sure does add helluva salt. It's not that noticeable at first but a couple hours later, I could not stop drinking water. They have a spice meter where you can indicate about 6 levels of spiciness. Medium is pretty spicy--my friends had runny noses towards the end of the meal. Impressive: definitely not the gringo scale of hot!
(2)Brenna M.
Less than half a block away, this place may have become my new go-to joint for pickup. I was so starved last night I jumped online at work and ordered from Thai Aroma. It was ready when I got home, paid in cash (so no need to enter any credit card info online, sweet), and left with a ton of food. Note, the interior is pretty blah, with 80's carpet and some laminate posters on the walls; but it is BYOB, so maybe ambience doesn't matter as much when you're tipsy? The Basil fried rice with veggies was awesome. The green beans, mushrooms, onions and corn were all fresh and crisp. The fried tofu I got on the side was pretty bland, but the peanut dipping sauce was tasty. And for a little protein, it served it's purpose. I'll be back!
(4)Tara M.
So I wrote my review last night as I was waiting for Aroma to deliver my food. I guess I spoke too soon, because they made a major change in their menu. First of all, they raised their prices. I get it, the economy sucks and the price of rice noodles has increased substantially. Right? I was also charged $3 for delivery when the new, updated menu that came with my food said that the delivery charge was $2. Whatever, it's a buck, I can deal. But the big problem was the noodles in the Pad Thai. Rather than the typical long noodles that every other Thai place in the world (well maybe just America) uses, this order was made with these short, tiny, super thin clear noodles that were thinner than angel hair and about two inches long each. Weird, but I figured it couldn't taste much different--they are still rice noodles, right? Wrong! So I took a bite and the texture and taste of these new noodles was just gross. I figured this had to be a mistake. Rarely one to complain on the spot (I'd rather just bitch on Yelp :) ), I called the restaurant back to ask what the deal was. Conversation between myself and the woman who picked up: Me: "Hi, I just ordered Pad Thai for delivery and it came with the wrong noodles. They are small and very thin clear noodles." Lady: "Yes, we changed the noodles, these new ones taste much better!" Me: "Oh so you are using these permanently? I don't like how they taste--and I always loved your Pad Thai!" Lady: "Sorry!" and hung up Okay so she really likes the new noodles. I picked the chicken out of the noodles and ate that. Anyway, the crab rangoon was still good. But no more Aroma PT for this girl.
(2)K P.
Decent enough, I guess, but nothing extraordinary for your typical hole-in-the-wall Thai. I prefer Jim's on Lincoln or Wild Thai Ginger on Clybourn. No secret menu here. I say, keep going.
(2)Angela H.
the food was verey tastless, the crazy noodles was so so so soft,when we informed the manager she asked us if we want to put in a order and pay for something else. She flat out refuse to accommodate us with a different dish, but in reality it is the worst food and service that I have had and I have been put in 3 different situation to visit them and all 3 times the food was gross, fried rice, cashew chicken and now the crazy noodles. might as well cook my own rice and veg and add some salt and pepper!!!!!!!
(1)Joe Z.
great tofu. best panang curry in the city. all the classics are amazing here.
(4)Jori F.
Ordered Lunch Special at 11:34 a.m. for delivery and got a confirmation saying it'd be delivered by 12:37 p.m. (which is typical of most places), but when you get your food around 1:04 p.m., it's definitely a problem. Not just that, but I called twice and they had no idea where the food was. To make matter worse, when the delivery driver finally arrived, I asked him what took so long and he said "I had another delivery and I'm always late." So I call and speak to manager, because now the food is cold (not that it's too die for anyway) and her response was, "What do you want me to do? You want refund, we don't give for nothing, you give us back food!" Talk about terrible customer service. Definite thumbs down.
(1)alexandra k.
I was really hungry one day and pretty much anything would have tasted great to me... Almost anything. I has the Pad See Ew and it was horrible. The place was empty the food was overpriced and when I finally did get it after a long wait it was sooo bland. Never again. I can't believe this place is still open.
(1)Tom D.
The food is expected, comes in huge portions if you order in-house. Wish they had bubble tea lattes.
(3)jenn m.
This is an interesting spot. Dining in offers one room with maybe 10 or 12 tables. Never dined in, but ordered food to carry out and for delivery many times. If you choose to dine in, you can BYOB. The delivery is usually pretty quick; effectively keeping the food warm and not soggy. I like everything ive tried on their menu (ie: pad thai, garlic chicken, etc). The crab rangoon is pretty good as well.
(4)L. R.
Delivery to my job... Oh man, I definitely have no choices of places to eat around my job and Thai Aroma saves my day! I order the same from their other location on Broadway (I like broadway better) and I eat something other than chicken... now tell me why places don't like to deliver any forms of beverages!
(4)Scott C.
Great lunch specials that include an appetizer, soup. The soup and spring rolls were nothing to write home about, but the Phad Thai was really good. I'm anxious to return and try more dishes.
(4)Shane H.
Fast Food THAI!!! Why Thai-Aroma on North is better than BK. Yup, I stop in here and get a boat-load of Pad Tai Chicken for about the same price as a Western Bacon Chee' Combo meal at the Burger King. Not spicy at all but they are very nice and accomodating if you want to kick it up a notch. Sorry, no little plastic toy comes with this meal though. However, you do get chopsticks that you can try and catch a fly with later if you want. Just not in here because the place is really clean and comfy. It's a BYOB that I stop in about once a week before my Second City times. But the BEST thing about Thai Aroma vs. Burger King is that you won't find any Creepy King commercials with them. I would have given them 5 stars but the crossword that I was working on when I was waiting for the food was obviously broken. I couldn't figure it out.
(4)Nikki G.
Ordered deliver from this place yesterday for lunch. We ordered ginger chicken and broccoli beef. Delivery guy arrived fast wthin 35 mins. Food as good as always. 2 entrees, 2 appetizers..we were full and the bill was small.
(4)Jessica R.
I love this place! Honestly, I'm surprised to see only an average of 3 stars. I used to live in the neighborhood (Old Town) and go there/get take out all the time. Now that I moved out of the neighborhood, I STILL almost alwasy order my thai take-out food from there, and they deliver in a very timely manner. The dishes here are great....fabulous traditional pad thai, love the pad see ew(spelling?) , curry dishes are YUM, and everything that has veggies is fabulaous as the veggies are SO fresh. It's BYOB if you dine in, which is always awesome, and to add to it the prices are extremely reasonable....borderline cheap I would say, especially for the quality that comes with it. Always have had great service, friendly and unintrusive. Would definetly recommend for a simple yet delicious dining experience, or for any night in when you don't feel like cooking!
(4)CJ M.
this place is fine. but i'd stay away from the ribs appetizer. it wasnt very good. wife liked the pad thai
(3)Kelli B.
Teeny Tiny, very casual, good food, good service, BYOB and SUPER cheap!! I gave it four stars instead of 5 because my favorite five star Thai restaurant is Thai Classic on Clark. But if I can't make it there Thai Aroma will definitely do! You can tell them how spicy you want your food on a scale from one to six. Six isn't so bad! The cashew chicken is very good as is the combo appetizer. Appetizer and two entrees all for a mere 22 bucks! Can't beat it!
(4)Christine A.
The food is pretty good and reasonably priced, but the people who work there are VERY rude! I love the way they cook their tofu and the curry fried rice. If this restaurant wasn't so conveniently close to my office, I'd be really put off by the staff and probably wouldn't go back. Would it kill them to smile?
(3)Robyn W.
I love this place...it's cheap, fast, and the waitress (I'm ashamed to say I don't know her name because I go there about once a week) is so nice and even splits up checks for up to 6 or 8 people. I love the Pad Woon Sen (very tasty) and the Panang Noodle kicks ass. I was trying everything on the menu until I got to the Panang Noodle, and now I have to fight with myself just to try something new. Plus, they have one in Uptown/Buena Park as well, and you can order from either location through delivery.com (which is very convenient, not having to place an order over the phone).
(4)Bess R.
I really enjoy going up to the Thai Aroma up north (Broadway and Irving Park) for dinner, but this one definitely isn't as good. Might be the whole eating in the restaurant vs. delivery thing. I am a sucker for the Tom Yum soup with chicken and the Emerald Treat (fresh green beans with ground chicken in garlic sauce with rice). As far as the rest of the food, no idea. Oh yes, and the cheapness. Always a nice bonus!
(3)Tamara J.
Stopped in for lunch (take out). I have walked by this place a number of times, as my dentist's office is a few doors down. I had just left the dentist and was on my way to the El stop (headed back to work), so, I decided to give it a try. I ordered the Yellow Curry w/Chicken, no carrots. They got the order right and brought it to me very quickly all packaged up. They gave it to me in a plastic bag with handles. I proceeded to walk to the El stop and the train came quickly. As I was sitting on the train, with the food on my lap, I noticed a lot of heat coming from the bag. It was burning my lap. Turns out that on the short walk from the restaurant to the El while I was holding the bag by its handles exactly as they had given it to me, almost the entire dish had seeped out of the container and was sloshing around in the bottom of the plastic bag. This was all due to an ill fitting lid on the food container. Then, what I was able to salvage (when I got back to my office) was mediocre at best. The sauce was extremely greasy and barely had a curry or coconut milk flavor. It was basically a bland sauce with some chilies thrown in (I asked for a heat level of 3 out of 6). I also orderd brown rice, which I guess was left in the crock pot too long. It was dry/overcooked/crusty. This place is cheap, but that's about all they have going for them. There are way better places to have Thai food in the city.
(1)Bobby M.
The duck curry here is absolutely amazing. It is a heavy meal, but this is the only Thai place that has this dish (at least that I know of). Great place for take out and BYOB if you eat in.
(4)Robert S.
I ordered from Thai Aroma through GrubHub. Yuck. Noodles were rubbery, Pad Thai sauce tasted like sugar water, no flavor. Rangoons had almost no filling. I even ordered twice to make sure that it's wasn't just an off night. The Tom Yum wasn't bad though.
(1)TheLeg G.
We ordered take out. The curry was so thin it was like soup and had about four shrimp included. The pad thai was among the worst I've had. It was cold, stale, and tasted like they made it from the Trader Joe's box.
(1)Anna V.
Always quick, cheap, and tasty!
(4)Stacey P.
Eh... not so much a fan. We got lemongrass shrimp, tom yum soup, pad see yew. It was very average thai. Kinda flavorless. Not horrible though, if you have serious cravings and can't get one of the other 48027 thai places around to deliver to you:)
(2)Lindsey M.
YUCK! Worst thai ever. I was suggest to try them after a friend suggested it. I ordered Pad Thai, baby egg rolls and the thai ice tea. The egg rolls were soggy, the thai tea was ok and the Pad Thai was burnt! BURNT?!?! How do you burn this when it was over an hour and half delivery and cold when it gets to my door!! No sauce and burnt. I was so disappointed since I was craving thai but threw it all away but the Tea. NEVER TRYING AGAIN!
(1)tobey t.
Well, just normal American Thai Food, but i absolutely don't think the food worth that range of price. One time is enough.
(2)Megan H.
I'm not even kidding you when I say I've been ordering the same dish from Thai Aroma for the last 6 years, almost every single Sunday. And by "almost" I mean I may have missed a half a dozen Sunday's over the years... Which was most likely due to being out of town traveling someplace or another. I have been known to schedule travel days around Sunday's for this exact reason. No joke. Thai aroma and HBO!! It's what I live for!! Anyway.... Love the potstickers and the sauce (I've never tried another sauce that even comes close to their potsticker sauce). I always order the Jungle Curry medium with chicken and extra veggies. Which is a spicy curry dish without the coconut. Which makes me feel like a little less of a fatty... But it doesn't stop me from eating some of my husband's chicken pad Thai. Every. Single. Time. "Sorry Adam, I ate half your pad Thai.. Again! " The only issue I've ever run into over the years is that their brown rice can sometimes been pretty bleh - like over cooked or a day old or something. But it hasn't stopped me from coming back. Every place has problems from time to time. Anyway... I look forward to this dish every week! Definitely check it out! Oh and their delivery is super fast if you live anywhere nearby.
(5)Gibran G.
I somewhat feel bad for this post be I have been a fan for a long time of Thai Aroma but today's actions were too much. I have ordered the same thing from this place every other week for months, and like normal I placed my picked up order and never had an issue. But this time the rudeness from the clerk was beyond belief. Times must be tough bc she tried to charge me for the free hot sauce, when I asked her again she continued to say it was .75 cents. The owner came out and yelled at her for charging guest for free hot sauce. Pick better employees and I hope that .75 cents makes up for the $30 I spend a month.
(1)Rayna W.
Food was ok, not good enough to make me go back.I got the lunch special but the appetizer was small, not filling.
(2)Basil D.
DO NOT ORDER DELIVERY FROM HERE!!! Hey, I can understand one screw up, but tonight was the final straw. It took them over an hour and a half to deliver my food....No lie. No football game on, weather was fine, no snow, no rain, no exceptional traffic. No major events going on... AN HOUR AND A HALF...AGAIN!!!! Needless to say the food was cold, cold noodles, cold chicken. DON'T BOTHER THEY DON'T CARE.
(1)Nikki Y.
I've never actually been here, but order delivery frequently. Their curries aren't that fantastic, but nothing to sneer at. But the tofu pad thai; man, that tofu pad thai is delicious! And there's always enough for 2-3 meals too! So if you're college student looking for cheap, delicious pad thai, get on GrubHub and order from Thai Aroma. You won't regret it.
(3)Natalia E.
I like this place, food tastes great, they are BYOB, which is nice. I usually stop by there to get some food to go, as this place on my way home. I takes them 5-10 mins to provide me with my food.
(4)Lindsay Lou L.
Would've been 1 star had the food and the apologies not be so prevalent. Monday Night football but we didn't order til 9pm so we thought, sure, it'll be here within 20-30 min. Tried ordering online and couldn't because the place was outside their delivery area - THREE blocks away. So we justified a call to ask for delivery... (couldn't pick up as it's not even 20 degrees out and sure, we can afford the $3 delivery charge, right?) Cool. Phone guy super nice. Says he'll take our order over the phone. Takes order with minimal repeating order again. Says 45min-1 hour. You're THAT busy on the Monday before Thanksgiving? To deliver three blocks away.. Okay. Okay. So we are now on a wait til almost 10pm for our food. No joke we had to call in at 10pm as there was no sign of our frozen food or delivery guy. Phone guy (said he remembered who I was?) said I ordered AN egg roll for delivery (no... but we did order Panang Curry w/ Chicken medium spicy (YUMMMM), Pad Thai w/ chicken (rubbery.. presumably from waiting in its take out box for an hour) and some crab rangoon (also super YUM). Delivery shows up at 10:15 (ordered at 8:58). Again, nice delivery guy... Good attempt at customer service. I have so much more respect for people who try to make things right than those who wash their hands of things that are clearly in their control. The panang curry was excellent and after reheating our food (save the pad thai) it was a meal worth saving. Presenting now with food coma and bedtime soon.
(4)Jesse L.
I've been here many, many times and had it delivered twice. It's night and day with delivery vs. eating in. They need to step up the delivery 1000%. It never tastes as good, takes forever and wrong things/missing things happen often. Dining in is a whole other story. The Panang noodle is amazing, as is the Crazy Cousin. My go to for the past few months has been the spicy noodle - delicious. Their spice levels are legit - order carefully!
(4)Adam C.
This place is VERY inconsistent. I live a block away and I've been eating here for 3 years. Sometimes it's good...sometimes it's bad but it is generally below average. I usually get the crazy noodles and when it is done right, it is quite good. When picking up I always go 5 min after they say it will be ready as the time they give you is not always accurate. Not the cleanest place either. My fiancé said our napkins smelled like gasoline tonight! If I didn't live so close I wouldn't go here...
(2)Rocio L.
You should give it a try. I order massaman chicken, Tom kha soup, and Tom yum chicken soup and its was very tasty. The staff is very friendly and always happy to help. Each dish is less than $10, all the dishes are available with or without spicy peppers.
(4)cara r.
Great place to grab a quick bite to eat - the noodles, curries, and rice dishes are as good as the Aroma on Randolph, and service is fast. It doesn't seem to ever be crowded, and the take-out is even faster than they tell you on the phone! Beware of the drinks, though - Thai iced tea tastes more like sweet water, and the hot tea is served with one tea bag in a big teapot. Edited 12/4/07: Go for the lunch special! It is crazy cheap ($6), and I got a cup of deliciously good chicken glass noodle soup, 3 crab rangoon, and cashew chicken. YUMMMMY.
(3)Evelyn P.
This place is close to work, and I had a thai craving so I decided to go. It was completely empty which I thought was strange for lunch time. The decor was also pretty plain. The waitress was very friendly and attentive from the moment I walked in until I left which was the best part of the experience. They have a lunch special which includes an appetizer and entree for $6.99. I ordered the crab rangoon and pad thai. A small bowl of "soup" was brought out with my appetizer. The soup was mostly broth with some rice and chicken. It was ok so I can't complain. The crab rangoon was freshly made and smelled great, however there was tons of creams cheese and I'm still not sure if I actually tasted crab.I love cream cheese so I didn't mind, but I'm sure others would. My pad thai was good but as I read from another Yelper didn't include green onions which is strange. It was also pretty oily which after a while begins to upset the stomach. I really wanted to love this place, or at least look forward to going back since it is conveniently close to work but unfortunately that's a no. If as much effort was put into the food as there was in making the website, perhaps they would have gotten a better review from me.
(2)Sylvia A.
FAREWELL TO A FORMER FAVE For years, Thai Aroma was a personal fave - the place I had to introduce to out-of-town friends for their once-incomparable Aroma fried rice. But the owners have let quality and service slip badly. The food's now "meh" and their drivers are argumentative and RUDE. Done!
(2)Catherine C.
I highly recommend the Shrimp Won Ton Soup and Crab Rangoon both are great, huge portions and cooked perfectly. Lunch special is a great deal. Also Chicken Pad Woon Sen is very good I will definitely be reordering
(4)Tom W.
Just awful. The restaurant sent the wrong order, and then when we called to get it fixed they yelled at us and told us it wasn't their problem (and, to top it off, that we ordered the wrong thing)... We ate one of the spring rolls, which were dry and not at all fresh. There are too many thai restaurants in the city for one this bad to exist!!
(1)Anne A.
Decent Thai food in Old Town. I can't say this place blew me away, but it's not bad for the area. The portions are larger than normal. There were generous amounts of chicken in my Pad Thai and the Crab Rangoons were really tasty. Ask for extra sauce for your noodles though, felt they were a little on the dry side. I'd check this place out again since it's close to me.
(3)Janet E.
The food here is good and not greasy. I tried lard nar for the first time here and now its my new favorite dish!!! I've sampled a lot of their other dishes and each dish is full of flavor and not a lot of grease. Service is friendly and ordering carry out dishes is quick.
(4)Elizabeth P.
My favorite dish here is the Thai marinated chicken and rice. This dish is what keeps me coming back! It's priced right and you get a ton of food. The only time I don't get the Thai marinated chicken is when I order the lunch special. You get a lot of food for a good price. The staff are also really nice. This place knows how to keep me coming back for more!
(4)Nick L.
There are some good Thai restaurants in Chicago, a lot of mediocre ones, and places like Thai Aroma. Mind you, this was my first time ordering, but given the abundance of Thai restaurants in Chicago--seriously, it's absurd--I think it'll be my last. I ordered Tom Kha soup, potstickers, and soba noodles. I was sick at the time. The broth of the Tom Kha soup was okay, not great, but the ingredients were super cheap. A few bits of lemongrass and that adorable little asian variety of mushroom were included, but the majority of the soup was spinach, white mushrooms (the kind you find all over the grocery store), and quartered vine tomatoes. Those last three ingredients are generally not something you'd expect in tom kha soup and just made it taste like something from Papa John's. The potstickers were filled with chicken that tasted like it came out of a can and was old. The soba noodles also came with balls of the can chicken and--huzzah--more spinach. Spinach everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I like spinach, tomatoes, and white mushrooms, but those are not things that belong or taste well in the dishes I ate. I'm not sure if they don't know the proper recipes of the dishes they cook or if they don't care. I don't care to find out.
(1)Danny S.
Holy crap the pot stickers are awful. Don't get those. Everything else though, fairly solid. Food good, quick, and fast. Nice people working there too. Just don't get the pot stickers.
(4)Lauren H.
I live right down the street from this place and I am a huge fan! We actually ordered it last night because of the snow and our Sunday hangovers. I got the pad thai medium spicy. It...was...spicy, just how I wanted it! I was planning to have the leftovers for lunch but it was so good I ate the whole thing! Again, no gluten free soy sauce but I have learned to live without it. You can order online and it is quick, cheaply priced, and warm! I highly suggest this place!
(5)Ana B.
We have been Thai Aroma patrons for over 5 years. The service is not spectacular, but for a hole in the wall restaurant, the food is satisfactory. We typically get delivery, and they often overstate their delivery times, so the food comes relatively quickly. We highly recommend the Indian Noodle (dryer finish--not a liquid-y sauce), Red Curry, and Panang Noodle. Also, the egg rolls are tasty, fried goodness. If you ignore the customer service, it's a pretty great Thai delivery spot.
(4)kate g.
Just got Thai Aroma's lunch special with some spicy basil chicken and an egg roll. So good! Delicious, fragrant meat and veggies with bamboo shoots and string bean (BONUS!) so it's a little more than your standard chicken/ onions & peppers. Bamboo and ginger really add some brightness. Medium-hot spiciness was the perfect amount of attitude without yielding tears and sniffles, which get annoying at my mostly-phone-based job. Prices here are standard for the area. Can't find cheaper thai of this quality; have exhausted all options. I have ordered delivery pad thai from here before with kind of so-so results, but after ordering delivery pad thai from my favorite untouchable thai place, I've realized it just isn't a dish that travels well. The pineapple fried rice is also stellar, as well as the panang curry!
(4)Kayla S.
Solid place. I work a few doors down from here so needless to say I've been a few times. There are a few standouts on the menu. The crab rangoon is absolutely perfect. Love the kanom jeeb, the shrimp in them is fresh and it's seasoned so perfectly. I could eat a double order of those things in one sitting, no problem. The red curry itself almost got this place a fourth star. It is hands down the best thai dish I've ever had anywhere. Perfectly spicey, the veggies are crunchy and it's beyond flavorful. The rice portion is perfect too. The staff is hit or miss. Some are really friendly, some can be very short with you especially on the phone. Customer service is a pretty big deal for me, but I've never had a horrible experience and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way. I count on this place too much for lunch. lol. They did forget my soda with a delivery once, but they left a note on my account for a free one next time which I liked. They get orders out pretty fast. Even working a couple doors down if I call it in, the order's usually ready by the time I get my coat on and walk over. They few times I have dined in, I never waited more than 10 minutes for my order. If you're in the neighborhood it's a solid go-to thai spot. Try the red curry! You won't regret it!
(3)Truth B.
I LOVE Thai Aroma, they always deliver early and the portions are good for the price... but I do have complaints- Tom Kha soup isn't as rich with coconut as other restaurants, there isn't any eggplant in the green curry (which is why I ordered it, thinking they were out of that ingredient. Nope. They just omit it.
(3)Andrew P.
In a pinch, I was starving and ordered Thai Aroma since my car needed a jump and I was waiting for my friend to show up with cables. I wanted to get Thai food from Ben's Noodle and Rice up where I used to live in Edgewater (it's the best I've had in the city). So I ordered what I usually get at Ben's. Pad Thai. Extra spicy. Chicken. Add Cilantro. With the craving I had for Thai, I couldn't wait to eat. I opened up the bowl. First thing I noticed. No cilantro. Second thing I noticed - no green onions - any good Thai place always includes green onions in their pad thai. Third. The chicken was overcooked and very dry. At least it was edible, but I threw out my leftovers. Even now that I live in Old Town, I'd drive back up to Edgewater just to get Ben's. In summary: Pass this place up. There are far better Thai options in this city.
(2)Carly G.
I ordered lunch here yesterday for delivery. They are a block and a half down ( I know I am lazy, but whatever). I ordered at 11 am and it took over an hour to get to me. The delivery driver was very friendly so that's a plus. I ordered the Pad Woon Sen and a Thai Iced Tea. Why this took over an hour beats me. The Thai Ice Tea was just that; you can't really F that up. As for the Pad Woon Sen, the Chicken was as if it was dehydrated. It was jerky like. The rest of the veggies were lacking any kind or moisture as well. It tasted very old, as if it was last nights batch just microwaved. I am saddened because I thought this would be my lunch time gem. I guess not. And warning, if you order anything medium hot, its very spicy.
(1)M D.
I still enjoy coming here (or did until last night) but no longer do I regard it as affectionately as I once did. Service seems to have declined considerably (last night had to get up from the table multiple times to refill our water glasses because the waiter/waitress totally ignored us from the moment the food was served until we finally got frustrated waiting for the check and asked for it ourselves) and, while this used to be a quiet place for good food and good conversation, there was a group of drunk college age folks that was pretty disruptive and made it an unpleasant experience ("LARD NAR?! Who the hell would order something called LARD NAR?" and "Pad See Ew?! Sounds good but who the hell would order something with 'Ew' in the name?"). Not that the staff should be faulted for others' grotesque, disruptive and rude behavior but if a group is clearly being disruptive to the rest of your guests a simple acknowledgement and apology would seem appropriate. I don't think I'll be back.
(3)Andrew G.
Not good food. I had the spicy catfish curry, and the catfish was like rubber. Only good thing about this place is that it was BYOB, and we didn't have to wait for a table on a Friday night.
(2)Katelyn E.
umm.. YUM. I love this place! I ordered delivery and for me and the fiance, it was only $17! AND it came within 30 minutes. DEAL! I'm going to throw it out there...this might be my favorite Thai place in the city. It was delicious, not greasy or too heavy, and I loved the "hot meter" on their website. It allows you to pick between five (or six?) levels of spiciness. Being the huge spice baby I am, (even mild salsa is sometimes too hot for me) I loved the fact that I could pick the absolute mildest type of spice. Big bonus points in my book. I ordered Basil Fried Rice with Tofu and the soon-to-be ordered Chicken Fried Rice. My rice dish was so delicious and full of fresh pineapple. The tofu was awesome as well. The entire dish felt healthy and I am super pumped to finish the rest of this tomorrow (the sizes are pretty big). This is definitely my new to-go Thai joint.
(5)Ronald S.
Just had Thai Aroma yesterday carry out. The Thai Basil fried rice with vegetable was very tasty and their Aroma Noddle where good also. But as for their fried tofu although cooked but it lack seasoning. So that is why they were just okay for me.
(3)Samantha B.
Really good food, affordable prices and good service. The BBQ pork Aroma noodles were amazing! Saw a ton of people coming in for takeout while we ate, so would like to try that as well.
(5)Christy L.
Meh - you could definitely find much better in Chicago without looking too hard. I ordered Green Curry, which was watery and not overly flavorful. My friend had the Panang Curry, which had more flavor. The potstickers were pretty plain as well. Given the decor, I imagine they run more of a take-out business.
(3)V F.
I ordered delivery from the North Avenue location. I appreciate that you can place your order online. They have a good variety of dishes; all are very reasonably priced and the portions are so large you can easily share one dish between two people and will probably have leftovers. This was my 2nd time having their food. The first time it was very bland; this time it was more flavorful, but I was disappointed when my seafood rice arrived they used imitation crab meat which gave too much of a sweet flavor for my taste. They do have a $10 minimum for delivery + a $3 charge, so this option may not be the best for a single diner on a budget. The staff is friendly and the food arrives quickly. I believe its a family run chain also and I patronize small businesses when possible since I am a small business owner also. I wouldn't go out of my way (not a destination restaurant), but if I wanted to order in, they would be on my list of possibles.
(2)Mike S.
Pretty decent. I got my food to go and sometimes that backfires if the tupperware they use is cheap. The noodles can get hard and cold, etc. I ordered my Pad Thai hot and I really enjoyed it. A generous portion as well. Made for two meals. Good flavor mixed with the hot sauce. While inside, the seating, although small had a pretty cozy feel to it. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Pad Thai and Thai food all together. Peace.
(3)Nicole M.
Recently updated decor. Much better than before! Still great service, food, staff and prices!
(5)Adoley J.
I love this place. I have been eating here for years and the food is consistently delicious. First of all I support every place that is BYOB. Second the lunch special is out of this world. For a good price you get soup, an appetizer and a entree. I love the fried rice, the pad Thai and the basil chicken. Overall a great place to grab a delicious inexpensive meal.
(4)Gary M.
I always have a great experience with this place!! The Crab Rangoon are probably the best I've had in Chicago!! Delivery is fast and the food is always hot when it gets here!
(5)Kaitlin D.
The menu on the website stated the lunch special was $5.99. We were very unhappy when it was delivered that they charged us 3.00 delivery fee EACH and we were charged 6.99. I called the place after and the woman was rude and asked "do you really want just one dollar back." (Ummm yes? But I guess not since you are making me feel like I am cheap...) So what was supposed to be a light $6 dollar lunch turned into $11 bucks with all the hidden charges. It doesn't seem like a lot unless you are an intern/college student like me on limited funds. I felt deceived. On top of that, the food was very bland and the chicken was dry and tasteless. Thank God for soy sauce. But they only give you one packet so it doesn't go far. I could forgive this place if the food was good but it really wasn't. Best Advice : Go somewhere else, anywhere else!
(1)Marjorie F.
A 5 minute walk from my place, I decided to give this place a chance. The verdict? It's not my favorite place for Thai, but it's decent. I ordered the Thai Iced Tea which was served with a giant dollop of whipped cream on top. Strange... But what the heck? I gave it a shot. Turns out it was wayyyy too sweet for my taste. It improved once the ice melted and diluted it a bit. I resorted to drinking my water for most of the meal. Spring rolls were OK. They were fresh and with crunchy veggie filling (cucumbers and I'm not sure what else). My main entree was something called "Crazy Cousin." I'm not sure what was so crazy about it, but it was pretty good! The fat noodles and marinated bits of chicken hit the spot. Service was fast. They're not very chatty there, but then again I wasn't there to make new friends. :) There wasn't much in the way of ambiance. Overall, it's just a decent place to grab a quick bite and catch up with a friend.
(3)Liz P.
Thai Aroma may not look like much from the outside, but it is consistently excellent and reasonably priced. I highly recommend the red curry with chicken and the Thai iced tea.
(4)Tim Y.
FIrst time here, hopefully not the last. Though Old Town is not My Town, it's close enough to make this a regular stop. I really enjoyed the Panang Curry. I asked for it to be "#5 hot" which is one below the "#6" that carries a warning. I didn't find it to be very hot, but it was still really quite good. I liked the fresh vegetables quite a bit, and the amount of chicken was surprisingly ample. The small dining room lends itself more toward community discussion (e.g., unavoidable eavesdropping) than intimiate conversation, so this wouldn't be a place to take a date and let her know that the test came back positive.
(4)Michael E.
Delicious Pad Thai. BYOB which is another plus although I have not dined in yet. I wish I could give a better review on this place but I've never gotten past the Pad Thai.
(4)LTine M.
Panang Noodle hit the spot! Large portion, small prices. AND you can BYOB. What's not to love? Only negative, it was sooo hot inside the restaurant, and not because I ordered my dish spicy.
(4)Michael M.
Standard Thai place. Large menu with a lot of options. I had Pad Sew Ew which was good. My date loved her Panang Curry. Dinning room is small, but nice. They appear to do a really good carryout business.
(3)Temi C.
I'm torn between giving them 4 and 5 stars bc they have a $5.99 lunch special every day for soup, appetizer, and select entrees. It's also byob should you choose to get your drink on early. I've eaten a lot of crab rangoon and theirs is pretty frickin good. They're not tiny either. The pad thai has gotten better (it wasn't very good before), but the crazy cousin is still my favorite dish. It's wide flat rice noodles with ground chicken and veggies. Their curries are also pretty good. Stick to the chicken dishes because their beef tastes funny.
(4)Mindy M.
I LOVE their Panang Chicken Curry with Rice! I usually get it level 4 or 5 spicy, level 6 is brow sweating hot! It is a perfect blend of sweet and spicy. If I lived closer to this place I would eat there every day!
(4)H T.
Food- just okay. Been ordering from them for a while now as they're right by us/our children's' schools. They have unfortunately done a poor job with their recent hires. Ordered for take out, but my little girls decided upon entry they would like to stay to eat there. An ask- resulted in an eye roll and a grunt. But no worries, we ate fast out of our to-go boxes and were almost out in about 20 minutes. Still a small tip was left (about 10%). When I asked for hot sauce, the staff (of one) raised her voice and told me she had "packed the bag" herself and there was hot sauce in there. When I said I didn't find one, she proceeded to go to my take out bag to rummage for it! whilst yelling accusatorially. She scared my little kids, and shocked me. To which I promptly asked her for my check back and scratched off her tip, told her that I would ensure my friends in the neighborhood and otherwise would hear of this. Such a shame they're in my neighborhood and a nice one at that with such shabby hires.
(2)Jaimi T.
Have been here a few times for dinner, and they have a nice selection of Thai food. I tried the aroma pad thai, with the glass noodles and chicken and shrimp. It had a lot of veggies in it, and they didn't skimp on the meat. We started off with the tempura, and the peanut sauce to dip it in is delicious, just enough heat not to overpower the vegetables which are fried perfectly. On a different night I got the green curry noodle hot, and woof, I was sweating a bit, but the heat didn't take away from the flavor of the dish for me. The broccoli and the bamboo shoot were cooked enough, but still had the needed crunch to to the dish. My boyfriend had the pad thai with duck and it was perfectly smoky, and tender. There was a lot of meat added to the top of the dish. We really like the ambiance in there it's quiet and BYOB. It's a nice place for an easy going dinner, nothing fancy
(4)Patty S.
$5.95 for lunch special that includes an appetizer, soup, and entree! Seriously, can you really beat that? I mean a sandwich combo meal at subway is more than that! There are 4 apps to choose from and about 10 entree choices on the lunch special ranging from your typical Pad Thai to Basil Chicken. You can also choose the type of meat you want - beef, pork, chicken, and for the vegetarians, tofu. The veggies are also fresh and never over cooked. Overall, this place has my pick for a great lunch spot. Don't worry, they are also quick as well! If you're in the neighborhood and need a dependable place to eat, this is it!
(4)Kelly K.
This is a great BYOB joint in Old Town. While it's not anything spectacularly out of the norm, it's quick and tasty. I alternate between the garlic chicken and chicken pad thai. When it's particularly blustery, the Udon soup does the job! Would I go out of my way to go here? Probably not. Is it a standby when I'm in the area? Definitely.
(4)Amy Y.
Lunch special is really cheap here - $6 for soup salad and main. Quality is just OK. Pad Thai was decent but others not so much. Don't think I would recommend this place other than for its lunch specials.
(2)Morgan V.
Decent Thai food at a good price. I mostly eat their lunch special because it's cheap and they give you a LOT of food. $6.66 gets you a meal, an appetizer, and soup if you eat in....no soup on to-go orders. Most of the appetizers are kinda bland, but the crab rangoon is great. Cheap, quick, and gets the job done.
(3)Frank M.
Hmmm...girlfriend and I went to dinner here Sunday night - early evening. Loads of street parking available which is great (even though we live walking distance)...Ambiance is lacking a bit, but I didn't expect it to be above average. This was our first time here and we will definitely be back - although we may opt for carry out instead. I ordered the Lemon Grass Tofu with brown rice ($2.50 up charge), it was tasty - firm tofu, not too mushy, and they allowed me to determine how spicy I wanted the dish. I have an issue with spicy food, so medium was just right for me. My girlfriend ordered Pad Thai w/ chicken. She really enjoyed it (she dumps about half the jar of chili sauce on her plate) so I found it hard to believe how anyone can enjoy it...regardless, she thought it was tasty - I thought it tasted like the smell of a zoo... just my opinion - I'm very pick about thai food, so I tend to stay away from dishes with fish sauce. All in all, pretty good; would recommend this place for a cheap dinner any day of the week.
(3)Vinny M.
Big bonus points for being able to pick your spiciness. They have a scale from 1-6 and 4's about right for me. Beyond that it's nothing special but that option has really spoiled me at other Thai places where the wait staff may not speak the best english. Me: "Can I get the Pad Thai but can you make it spicy?" Other Thai Place Waitresss: (Big Smile) "No! Pad Thai no spicy it's OK!" Me: "No, I know it's not spicy, I was hoping you could make it kind of spicy? Please?" OTPW: (Nodding extensively, still with the big smile) "Yeah, it no spicy, it's ok!" and then walks away. Oh well.
(4)AV G.
1. I live around the corner from the place 2. It is my go-to dump storefront carryout place 3. The food is really quite decent,and it appears to be a reasonably inexpensive and clean place 4. They have a lunch special that includes an app and entre 5. It is totally good enough
(4)Michael K.
If this place was more consistent, I could give them a higher rating. On the plus side, when they say "spicy", they mean "SPICY!" That's a very good thing to me, as so many other Thai places are just too bland. Sadly, their meat is of variable quality. I usually get one of the dishes with ground chicken, and I've found gristle and even bone in my food more often than not. Sometimes the meat is fine, other times I give up halfway through my meal after chewing on too many disgusting bits that should have been trimmed before the meat was ground. Perhaps vegetarian is the only way to go with Thai Aroma.
(2)Kristian B.
My go-to spot in Old Town. Have it on speed-dial. I eat here at least once a week. Mostly for take-out. The food is usually ready within 10 minutes of call-in orders. They have a quite extensive menu, at very reasonable prices. My favorites dishes are the curry dishes. For a long time, the duck curry was my preferred item (one time the duck was very fatty and chewy, but usually it is perfectly tender). Lately, I have been mixing it up with the jungle curry, red curry, yellow curry and panang curry -- all very delicious. Value for money is great!
(5)Jenny T.
Ok...before you think "5 stars? This b***h is crazy", let me explain. I give Thai Aroma 5 stars because a) it's cheap & fast, b) it's totally walkable from my place, 3) it's BYOB, 4) it's super tasty and 5) it's become my go-to order out place. If that doesn't justify my 5 stars I don't know what does. I always order the lemon grass tofu & always leave Thai Aroma stuffed, happy, and with the best aftertaste I've ever experienced. It's not greasy nor cheap tasting, which is always a good thing. Also, they don't skimp on the tofu which so many other places do. The fresh peppers, mushrooms, bamboo, and onions combined with the firm tofu & lemony/salty sauce equals perfection in my book. I'm not a huge fan of their pad see ew or their pad thai (other entrees I've ordered), but hey as long as I keep ordering what I know is the best I'll keep Thai Aroma at 5 stars & there aint nothin' you can do about it!
(5)Dory O.
This place is still great. I dine with or order carry out from Thai Aroma at least once or twice a month. It's a BYOB so if you dine in, don't forget to bring wine or beer!
(4)Cayce M.
My order was last night, they delivered in a timely manner but I have had a horrorshow experience today as backlash from last night's mediocre eats. My tale is as follows... So have you ever seen a diagram of what a blocked artery looks like? With yellow congealed blockage? That's what my sweet and sour chicken looked like. The breading peeled off easily, the pieces of chicken were tiny and the inside of the breading was bright yellow, greasy and entirely unappetizing. I know that sweet and sour chicken is really unhealthy, but that was way too gross looking to be eaten. I also ordered the crab rangoon and baby eggrolls. Unnecessary to say that the whole meal was unhealthy as greasy Thai/Asian food usually is, but this was disgusting. Everything tasted the same as thought the grease hadn't been changed for months. The crab rangoon had the consistency of what I imagine fried butterballs to be like. The baby eggrolls tasted like miscellaneous meat french fries. GROSS! I felt fine after waking up, but a couple of hours later I felt the typical symptoms of mild food poisoning. I felt clammy and booted for 15 mins. I can't leave my house because I have what olestra claims as a common side effect. Making myself redundant, I am not feeling well. I will stay as far away from Thai Aroma as possible as I fear even the sight of that place will make me ill again.
(1)Alex H.
Live next door, wonderful smells waft our ways. Standard Pad Thai, aroma pad Thai, lard na, Rama broccoli, crab Rangoon, all top notch. I could go on and on. Good price lunch specials. Don't get the chicken wings. Good hangover blaster.
(5)Liza M.
This place is OK. I've ordered take-out from them a few times and have been less than thrilled. Mostly, just know that this is NOT cozy noodle. (Cozy Noodle is my favorite thai place and holds a special place in my heart.) The pad thai is fair, also garlic chicken is not impressive. The service was speedy when I went in to eat once. The curry was the best of anything I've tasted there. I ordered it medium, which was very, very spicy, but good. Overall, it's average, go to cozy noodle if you can!
(3)