Today I finally had the pleasure of visiting Dowize in Downtown Wilmette, which is the sister restaurant of Dozika, which is located in downtown Evanston. Dowize recently opened, at the end of June, and I have been meaning to go in and try it. Although Dowize and Dozika have similar menus, they are not the same place. Dowize definitely has more of a focus on the Thai food aspect, while Dozika has lots of great deals that highlight their sushi choices. Dowize is also more intimate, and the spacing is very open. Walking in, I could tell that I was going to love it. Although it's a little tricky to find, it is well worth the hunt in the end. They have a great lunch special, which goes from 11:30 AM-3:30 PM. For 7 dollars, you get: an appetizer, entree, bowl of miso soup, and a salad. Of course everything is in lunch size portions, but it is an absolute steal to order, because of the sheer quantity of food they bring you. As a poor college student, I decided to try out the lunch special, ordering the crab rangoon as my appetizer and the Red Curry with Beef as my entree. No complaints here. The crab rangoon was incredible, with that perfect proportion of cream cheese to crab, and not too heavily fried. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it now (this seems to be a common trend in these reviews for me). My Red Curry was very hot, but I love spicy foods so it was right up my alley. Best part is it wasn't so spicy that I couldn't taste the individual flavors, like the sweetness of the Red and Green Bell Peppers, or the crispness of the Bamboo shoots. My friend L ordered the Curry Noodles (see my review on Dozika for more of what is on their menu, as they are owned by the same family). She knew that they would be delicious, and said that they were practically identical to Dozika's as well. We came to the conclusion that they must share recipes. Overall, for a new place just starting up, I was extremely impressed. The atmosphere is welcoming, our waitress was attentive but not pushy, food was great, and the prices are pretty reasonable for the amount that you are getting. Anyone who is already a fan of Dozika needs to check out Dowize, as well as any fans of Thai or Asian food in general. A great place, and I can't wait to go back soon! read more

I live around the area and this place is great. Their crab rangoons are great. They are crispy and somewhat sweet. I ordered a bi bim bob which is a Korean rice dish. The rice was okay and the vegetables were well coked. Their spicy sauce is amazing! The sushi rolls are small but they taste very fresh. Beware, the portions are small so do not expect tons of rice and vegetables to take home as leftovers. The price is affordable and the food is quite good. They also have lunch boxes for seven dollars during lunch hours. The atmosphere of the place is very subtle. I will definitely try some other dishes. read more

Food tastes good but way overpriced given the VERY little meat in their dishes. I used to love their beef and broccoli, but the dish is 4/5 broccoli and 1/5 beef (which equates to 4 small pieces of beef). If they are running out of beef they should inform the customer so they can choose some other protein instaed of charging full price for poor servings. read more

I was pretty excited for this place to open up and I was disappointed after our first visit. We went at 5:40 on a Friday with our three young children and we need two highchairs. We were told they only have 2 highchairs total and 1 was for a 6pm reservation. We debated leaving and going next door to the Big Tomato (awesome place) but decided we wanted to try something new. So I stuck the calmer of the twins in a booster, which was fine, but a restaurant in such a kid packed area needs more than 2 highchairs. The food was pretty tasteless. I had the Tom Yum (I order it at EVERY Thai restaurant I visit and we eat a lot of Thai food) and it was pretty bland. My husband had a Bim Bim Bop, also lacked much flavor. We shared some sushi with the kids because they love California rolls and Tamago nigiri. The rice was definitely not sushi rice and it tasted like grocery store sushi that had been sitting around a day. I didnt try the tamago, but my 2 1/2 year old did and she has been having tummy problems ever since. Finally the twins had the Mickey Mouse or Pluto combo--can't remember which Disney name it was. That was actually pretty decent and they ate all of the chicken satay. Although I HIGHLY doubt Disney is aware they are using their trademarked name and I am pretty sure Disney would not be happy if they knew... Furthermore it was not that busy and yet the waitress hardly came by to remove plates even as she dropped off more food---small table + lots of empty plates+ three children under three= disaster. I tried to catch her eye to have to come by but it was useless. I wasnt impressed and I wished we had gone next door for dinner instead. read more

A welcome addition to the Wilmette dining scene. Tasty pan-Asian fare with a Thai emphasis. Well worth checking out.

I love the food and the ambiance. However I have a strong reaction when I eat MSG. The night after I ate their food, I came down with a THROBBING headache, an indescribable one that I ONLY get after eating MSG. I am SURE (although I cannot prove it) that they put MSG in the food. The only times I have gotten a headache like this is after consuming MSG tainted food. So- I would ask them to cook it MSG-free (I mean MSG is not good for you, it is natural, but not in the amounts they use). Or, put pressure on them to NOT ADD MSG!!!! read more

This place is a Wilmette gem. Order the chicken fried rice and the miso soup and it makes for a good night!

I really wanted to like this place. So much that I didn't want to believe another review of this restaurant warning me of blandness. The best way I can describe the Pad Thai and Pad See Ew is tasteless. It's hard to believe that after dumping tons of Chili sauce, it was still bland! I really hope the owners change their recipes or cook because I really want to be able support our town restaurants! read more

Sooo delicious. Always fresh ingredients. Their chow mien and winter maki roll is to die for.

I loved the pad kee mao dish, there was tons of flavor and vegetables along with spices. It took me a while to order because there were so many different options on the menu to choose from and it was refreshing to see actual authentic thai food and not a mixture of chinese-american greasy food. My friend did get the sushi, and beware, the rolls are extremely small, so if you want to make a meal out of six rolls, i would suggest doing two kinds and six of each. My only complaint was that the service was pretty rude. Our waitress pretty much grunted at us and had her headphones on while we were eating. read more

Was not a fan. The Thai iced coffee tasted like shitty chocolate milk. The Tom yum soup was not Tom yum!! And they used regular mushrooms, not the Tom yum mushrooms. The pad Thai was ok but bland. Would not reorder. read more

I have a top five restaurants that I totally enjoy and this restaurant is on top of my list. The food is excellent. The owner (Pe A) who also cooks all the food, knows her way around the kitchen. The servers are all excellent and take care of me every time I come. My favorite dish is the Duck soup. All the dishes I have had is very delicious. While in Wilmette this is the place to go. read more

One of the only sushi places in the area open for a late lunch. The food here was great, the service was fast and friendly and the decor is really cozy. They also offer lots of vegetarian options and substitutions. read more

I'd been looking for good Thai for a while, after just trying Pad Thai in the Bay Area. I wanted to try some at home, but the best place was too far. So, living in Wilmette, we ordered takeout from Dowize. The Pad Thai, Pad See Iew and Bi Bim Bop are amazing, albeit the portions are a bit large. The potstickers (Gyoza) are not the best, but still good. We order delivery year round from Dowize. No mistake. read more

I give this place 4.5 stars. Their pad thai has tons of vegetables and is some of the better pad thai I've had. Their ramen is tasty, as well. The broth is salty, but not overbearing. Their delivery service is fantastic and pretty fast. It averages 20-40 minutes, which is shorter than expected, as I am out of their 2-mile range. read more

Pretty good for Wilmette. One of the best in the area but not best in the city.

I'm now a regular and their lunch specials are my go to's - Kung Pao Chicken, Brown Rice, Salad, Miso Soup and Egg Rolls for $8.95. Tried many things there and everything was great - even their sushi. Typically I'm their for carry out. Super nice people and they remember you. Highly recommend and a nice addition to downtown Wilmette. read more

I work close by & grab lunch here almost once a week. Their lunch specials are DELICIOUS! Expect quality & quantity for very reasonable prices. I've always had fast service here - usually in & out in about 30 minutes. An order for pick-up takes about 15 minutes. I would highly recommend the Pad Thai - but the Chicken Teriyaki & Chicken with Fried Rice options are also to-die-for. If you're debating on an appetizer, go for the egg rolls! read more

Was not impressed. Neither the appearance nor the food itself was worth it. Tasteless spring tolls and Goma-AE, bland Rama garden and really disappointing signature dowazi maki. I was hoping for way much more. read more

I have ordered delivery from here many, many times, but the last two meals have been very disappointing. A week ago, they totally sent the wrong entree. Tofu instead beef. Grubhub took care of it, but it still was annoying for the family members that wanted a meat entree. Tonight was even worse, how do you burn Pad See Ew ? And the pot stickers were burnt also ? Too bad, it was once a go to place for us, not anymore. read more

Love this place. I order through Eat24. They are quick, consistent and always tasty. I've only ever had takeout, but highly recommend the fresh rolls and pork with sticky rice. read more

I'm a big fan of Dozika in Evanston, and their cousin-restaurant, Dowize, is almost as good. The menu is very similar to Dozika's, with a good mix of Thai dishes and sushi. By far, the best value is their lunch special. I came in for lunch last week and got their Pad See Iew lunch special, which includes miso soup, an appetizer, salad with ginger dressing, steamed veggies (Which were completely bland, actually. They needed sauce.), and a generous serving of noodles with your protein of choice for only $7. Pretty cheap, if you ask me! All in all, everything was pretty good. Not "Oh my god, I want this in my mouth forever" good, but still yummy. I'll be back next time I need a quick and tasty lunch. read more

We have ordered many times because we have always loved it!!! tonight everything delivered arrived cold like it was sitting there waiting for other deliveries. Pick it up yourself! Pad Thai- cold, Gyoza- cold and hard, tempura- unable to eat. Really do not recommend delivery! read more

I like this place. The service is good and it's very clean. I tried the basil chicken and it was very tasty. They also have a good selection of Asian beers. The menu is reasonably priced, too. read more

Normally my "go to" for Thai in the northern burbs but something was very "off" Saturday night. The food was bland and the service atrocious. We had to get up and walk to find the waitress for service and correct the entrees and lack of accompaniments included (miso soup, sushi left off). After getting up once again to ask for a check (while the staff worked on take out orders) we waited another 10 mins for a bill. And after sub par service they tacked on a "20" tip on a 5 person table. This was so disappointing. read more

The egg rolls were great - not over fried. The Green Curry was perfectly spiced and loved the sweet potatoes. The Tom Kha soup was so good we will get the largest size next time! read more

Very friendly and respectful, I only order for pickup and their food is very fresh and consistently good, the lunch specials are the perfect amount of food and are decently priced read more

We eat here a lot. Food is good. Staff is super nice. Usually I have Pad See Ew and or Red Curry.

Saturday night order took one and a half hours to deliver, and the food was just passable. Much better Thai in the area.

Pretty good lunch deals here. I had the Pad Kee Mao platter. You get a tray like a bento box with salad and steamed veggies, plus one appetizer of your choice. A complimentary bowl of miso soup was a nice touch. Everything was quite tasty except for the gyozah I chose as an appetizer. It was cold, even though it appeared to have been freshly seared. Maybe it had been in a freezer and it was in the wok long enough to only thaw. Friendly service. read more

Nice little Thai place in downtown Wilmette! Lunch special is incredibly cheap--spent $24 for two people, including beer. We had the red curry and the pad see iew, with the chicken gyoza and spring roll appetizers. All was delicious! Restaurant was a little chilly, and there was a TV tuned to the Golf channel that we could have done without. read more

Had the lunch special and really enjoyed it. Nice presentation and flavor. I shall be back to try the dinner menu. read more

Live right around the corner from Dowize, so have ordered take-out at least a half-dozen times. Restaurant is immaculately clean, food is fresh, and service excellent. Have ordered the chicken fried rice, chicken teriyaki, spicy kung pao (the roasted peppers are some kind of hot......yeowza), and the wife loves the bento dinner. The bento dinner is at the higher end of their prices at $12.50, but you really get your money's worth in the amount of food that's included, could easily feed two. Great place to chow down. read more

I love this place. Great food, great prices, great service. What more could you want? I would definitely recommend the chicken satay. It's got a nice vibe and my server was really sweet. read more

I just ordered from Dowize. Tom Yum Soup (oily tasting, very little in the broth), tempura appetizer (mealy, soggy breading, tasteless) and thai fried rice (okay, ordinary). Very disappointed. I will not order from here again. read more

We used to love their food. Ordered take out today & the Pad Thai Chicken was INEDIBLE !!!! So gross. The chicken was tough & has spots on it- I'm so grossed out, I'm calling them tomorrow & insisting on our money- that's not ok to give people food like that!!! read more

Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Unlike the prior reviewer, I thought the chicken in my noodle dish was delicious. The waitstaff was attentive and friendly. We will definitely return. read more

This is definitely the best Thai place on the north shore. It doesn't have much of a dine in experience but is perfect for take out / delivery. Food is always great. We love the fresh rolls, basil chicken, red curry and pad thai. When we moved to the suburbs from the city we were sad to leave great take out behind so this has been an amazing find! read more

Fabulous! Finally a great sushi/thai place in Wilmette that delivers!

Only good thing about this place is the proximity. Menu can't decide on its ethnicity so let's call it generic Asian. Sushi, Thai, fortune cookies. Food was extremely mediocre. Ruby of Siam infinitely better. But worst of all was service. We were only customers most of the time and the two visible employees were both buried in their phones. Nobody came over when we arrived. Had to call over to get someone to take our order, nobody checked on us to see if we needed anything like a drink refill (I did) and had to call over to get our check. Too bad. Always like supporting local businesses but they need to try harder. read more