After receiving a recommendation for trying out NaKorn for a possible review on my blog, I followed through and was glad of it. In the heart of downtown Evanston in a spacious restaurant, NaKorn is clearly a welcomed addition to Evanston. I opted for a prix fixe during my first visit. I ordered a negroni as a starter cocktail. Very nice without being heavy handed with the alcohol. The taro chicken was a good appetizer. I thought the peanut gastrique was going to be more like a peanut sauce. It turned out to be a coating of chopped peanuts, which still wasn't bad. The second course was a plate of pan seared whitefish served with a nice tamarind sauce and a bowl of rice. That went down well along with a sazarac. I finished with a traditional dessert of mango sticky rice that was quite a hit. The dishes don't seem to be the usual pad thai, curries, pad see ew, and the like. There is still a heavy Thai influence in what's served and that coupled with fantastic service warrants a return visit for more photos and material for a proper review on my blog. read more

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NaKorn's menu is unlike any other. Their menu offers unique Thai dishes and I honestly had a hard time choosing what to eat since everything sounded amazing from their description. Per our server's recommendation, I opted for the Amish chicken over coconut rice and papaya salad, which was served in an adorable "binto" set. The food was fresh and healthy. The papaya salad had a nice kick to it, which complemented the chicken and the coconut rice well. I was blown away by the beautiful interior. We came to eat on a beautiful summer day and the open glass windows brought out the perfect amount of sunshine. The light fixtures were stunning and overall, I liked the hip feel to the place. Service was wonderful and overall my dining experience at NaKorn was a pleasant one. Prices are a bit steep, but the quality of food and the experience seems to make up for it! read more

NaKorn - Papaya salad & Amish chicken - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

This place was good although a bit on the expensive side. Their menu is very different from a traditional Americanized Thai place. No Pad Thai for you! I got this chicken and kabocha dish. They rolled up pieces of chicken and stuffed them with kale. They also had small pieces of kabocha on the side. I thought the concept was kinda neat but the chicken was a tad bit dry. Luckily the dish had tons and tons of curry, so the flavor and wetness of the curry helped a lot. My friend got a similar vegetarian dish and she got the same curry. She cleaned that plate! We both agreed the curry was quite good. I've yet to try the other dishes. It's a little expensive (mine was $20) but if the flavors are good enough, then sure I guess it's fine to be paying that much for a meal! read more

NaKorn - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

My husband and I ran into this place while we were looking for a dinner in Evanston. We weee so glad to find this unique and eccentric space for dinner. I have been to a lot of Thai restaurants but this has been my favorite so far! All the food options have some creative twists but kept the authenticity of its origin. There's also live music during weekend nights, so definitely a great spot for a nice date night. read more

NaKorn - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Brilliant menu with fusion Thai which tastes authentic. Spicing is gentle and the atmosphere is relaxing. Service is good and attentive.

I had food from here at the release party for the annual NS (North Shore) magazine restaurant issue. They served delicious food from NaKorn. This included watermelon with cured salmon and mango and coconut Sweet Sticky Rice. I would consider this food to be Thai Fusion and the presentation was outstanding. The Taste is good and surprisingly different. I liked both of the appetizers but the watermelon with cured powdered salmon toppings and crispy shallots was my favorite. It was a great event with even better food and I will definitely check out NaKorn if I'm in the area. I will revise my review when I actually visits the restaurant location. read more

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fabulous meal and service! definitely need to go and go often--if i lived in the evanston area i would be here at least once a week!!

Somehow this place continues to fly under the radar despite being one of the best restaurants in Evanston! NaKorn serves food that is on par with Michelin starred restaurants in Chicago proper at a fraction of the price. I'm yet to have a bad dish or bad experience here and would recommend it for all occasions (anniversaries, big groups, hosting out-of-town guests, etc.). NaKorn prides itself on not being a cookie-cutter Americanized Thai restaurant and it really shows in the menu - you won't find things like Pad Thai here. However, while all the dishes are so exciting and tasty and creative, everything is pretty accessible too. It's one of those places where closing your eyes and pointing randomly is not a bad idea at all. Some of my personal favorites are the Big Fish (branzino), Braised Angus Beef with Bah Mi Noodles, and Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Meat. Especially for the dishes with a curry/broth, you can tell a lot of care went into making sure everything is precisely the right flavor. All the meat-based dishes I had were extremely juicy and you can tell that the preparation is always consistent. The price isn't quite as cheap as a mom-and-pop store but the portion sizes are big so I felt the prices were reasonable. Looking forward to my next visit back here! read more

There is NO WAY with all the restaurants in Evanston that I would pay to hold my reservation! Yes, it's taken off the bill at the end, but it just leaves a BAD TASTE in my mouth!! Anywhere else before this!!! -- thanks for the reply! -- but I still say there are SO MANY OPTIONS - why would I come to you?? read more

Outstanding unique, flavors created with fresh ingredients and served with a smile. Super friendly staff in a cozy, lovely atmosphere.

NaKorn is great-- the food is delicious and the atmosphere is incredible. I've been here several times for various occasions and brought visitors here for a nice dinner out. I love the coconut curry braised chicken and tiger prawn with noodles. Their raspberry hibiscus soda was like drinking liquid cotton candy-- so amazing! The reason I give 4 instead of 5 stars is because the food can be noticeably inconsistent. The first and last times I went (April and November 2022, respectively) were fantastic. But the 3 times I went in between that period were not very good. For example, in one visit the appetizers were served on lettuce that was turning black on the edges and the chicken/fish were very dry, and the potatoes very undercooked (too hard to eat). I would still recommend going because the food is wonderful, but caution that some days it's better than others. read more

I heard great things about NaKorn and I was disappointed when I ate here. It's modern Thai food but it wasn't the best food. The noodles in the pan seared swordfish was all stuck together and I had to bite into it. Or it fell off into chunks. The coconut curry had a weird taste that I didn't like but I've heard great things from other people so I'm just speaking from my experiences! The service was also very slow and they were focused on one or two other tables. I didn't like my experience here but I'm going to try again in the future. read more

NaKorn - Coconut-Curry Braised Chicken - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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We can in today for lunch at noon. There were a few tables, not overly crowded. We ordered 2 entrees and 1 appetizer. The appetizer came out fairly quick, we ordered the sausage. The dish was decent, nothing to wow over. My wife did not enjoy it. Another 25 mins passed and we still did not have our entrees. I asked about it and they went to check but did not hear back. At that point, it's been 50 mins since we been there and we only for served one appetizer and water. I got up left some cash and left. They probably didn't even know that we left. Poor customer service and food, our one appetizer, was mediocre. I'm guessing don't come on your lunch break or you might not make it back to work on time. read more

Food was great. Atmosphere and coconut margarita was out of this world. Please get the duck. Friendly staff!!! No where else I'd rather get Thai in Chicago!!! The owner came up and talked to us. You won't be disappointed. They let us in last minute. Couldn't ask for a better dining experience!!! read more

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After a wonderful dinner tonight, my husband and I have decided this is our new favorite restaurant! All of the dishes were so unique but so flavorful. We ordered way too much food because we were on a date night, but now we have some great leftovers! The scallop entree and the chicken curry were amazing, and we loved the mango sticky rice dessert. The service was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back soon to try more dishes! This is a good special occasion place, but is not too pricey that you couldn't also come whenever! They have mocktails too which was a plus for my husband who had to drive! read more

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Amazing service! Staff was extremely friendly and accommodated well to my allergies for the food. Ambience was extremely nice and cozy! read more

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Just moved to Chicago and have been looking for a Thai inspired restaurant exactly like this one. They served similar food and flair to our favorite restaurant in Portland, OR where we just moved from. Service was great, food and cocktails were amazing. Every dish we ordered was better than the next. We can't wait to go back! read more

I have a slight obsession with the show Chorus Line so when I found out my alma matter, NU, was putting on the show I bought tickets for myself + 9 other fans. And when a group of moms has an excuse to skip the dreaded bedtime routine it's fun to make a night of it so I did a little research (thanks Yelp) on a good dining spot for a large party. NaKorn proved to be the perfect spot since it's a few blocks from the Davis St. Metra (perfect for those of us coming from downtown), had parking outside for those driving and they were very responsive when I emailed them for a large party res. I heard back just seconds after pressing send. I haven't been that satisfied with Thai food I've found in Chicagoland, but NaKorn is really tasty! The majority of our table chose to share a bunch of dishes, but with the intent of being healthy I ordered my own rainbow trout and even skipped out on the rice (was very proud of myself). It was soo delicious and the others at our table seemed to enjoy their meal as well. The service was also great. Our waiter did a great job of explaining his favorite dishes on the menu and our food came out relatively fast so we had plenty of time to settle into our seats at the show before "One Singular Sensation" began, which was amazing even though I've seen it 4839 times now. I'll definitely be back when I'm looking for somewhere to dine in Evanston! read more

Such sophisticated and delicious food, beautiful plating. Very kind staff. Ambiance was there too!! 9.4/10 or 5 stars

This restaurant had been on my list since Yelp Elite had a gathering there I was unable to attend. An impromptu date night seemed like the perfect time mid week to try a new place. What a great first visit! It was a quiet night, and a wonderful dining experience. The hostess was so friendly upon entering and offered to take my coat. Our server was over right quick to take our drink order. We ended up ordering a bottle of the Brut Rose which was a perfect pairing all around. We chose to take advantage of the pre-fix menu offering during restaurant month which was $30/pp. It includes an app, main entree & dessert. I started with the tapioca pearl crackers. Hand made. Crisp and colorful with a cilantro leaf on each and topped with minced chicken &'strip. While my husband had the Vegetarian Scallop, although good he really liked the pearl crackers better. We both had the Coconut Curry Braised Chicken which I gotta tell you was fantastic. Served with a side of white rice. It's a little spicy. But the flavor is so good. And lastly we ended with a small chocolate mousse. It was very good. They had two desserts to pick from tho so can't recall the other one. Everything was very good. We will definitely be back! Parking can be a challenge. If you can't find anything on the street park in the underground garage under chase bank across the street on Orrington. You'll come up street side across from the restaurant. read more

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Stopped by here for lunch while visiting my son at school in the weekend. The food was well-prepared and tastes great. The restaurant has unique interior decoration with lots bird cages. I had Stuffed Cabbage Medallions, my daughter ordered Southern Style Fried Noodle and my son had Grilled Amish Chicken. Our conclusion is if they offer a larger portion at the same price, there will be more customers willing to come in. You know, college kids eat a lot and did not have high income. read more

NaKorn - Stuffed Cabbage Medallions - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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What an amazing dining experience! Very welcoming, excellent service, absolutely delicious food, and live music that was enjoyable but not too loud. Highly recommend. Great with food allergies. Menu clearly labeled and waiter knowledgeable. read more

Incredible atmosphere, service, food, and drinks. Haven't raved so much about our dining experience (at the table, while it was happening) in a really long time. Warm, friendly, and delicious. Consider us new regulars. read more

It's great Asian food. It has great & fast service. The ambiance is very inviting And welcoming read more

Headed a little bit north of the city to Evanston on a Tuesday night to catch dinner with a friend. I had heard great things about NaKorn from friends prior to visiting, so already had high expectations. It was not very busy when we arrived, and we were seated at a cozy table by the window as soon as we got in. The atmosphere of the restaurant reminds one of a Thai home and kitchen: overhead lights were captured in creative old fashioned birdcages, and a small window into the kitchen provided a peek of the staff working behind the scenes. The menu, however, provided dishes that were decidedly modern. This has to be the first Thai restaurant I've been to that didn't offer pad thai or pad see ew as their standard fare, which was just fine. My friend and I split the vegetarian scallops that was well glazed and not overwhelmingly fungi in taste. I ordered the most popular coconut curry braised chicken for my entree. The chicken was tender and served with a nonspicy, rich curry sauce prepared with just the right amount of coconut milk. The free jasmine rice was honestly just a nice addition, I could've eaten the dish on its own as is. Topped everything off with a fragrant flowery cocktail drink that was super Instagram worthy. Overall a great experience venturing out for fine dining in Evanston, I should do it more often! read more

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Thoroughly enjoyed dinner with spouse here. We lucked out to live music too. Everything about Nakorn is great; it's clean, service is fantastic and the food.... Amazing! We enjoyed sweet potato croquettes (light, airy, just the right touch of sweetness), lettuce wraps, and mains of curried chicken and jumbo blue crab. The cocktails were soooooo good and we also enjoyed the "You Asked for it" dessert. Highly recommend!!! read more

We are regulars at NaKorn, and brought friends who were less familiar. Our friends came away thrilled to have another place in neighborhood to frequent. Their Thai menu is a notch above the usual Thai storefront fare. As someone who is pre-diabetic and so trying to avoid carbs, I found it easy to skip the rice and enjoy the flavorful arctic char and curry chicken. They have a small, creative cocktail and beer selection, and serve fine teas. Our favorite long-time server waited on us, gracious as always. We were serenaded as usual by a talented young jazz duo. The owner greeted us on the way out. Based on our past experience, their food is best enjoyed in the restaurant rather than take out. read more

Good food and service. Total dining experience was pleasant. I went with my husband for lunch and decided to try off the reviews I read.

Excellent service and good food. This restaurant was a very short walk from my hotel, had good reviews, and i was looking for a relatively quick dinner and Thai sounded good. From the very beginning, the service was excellent. The servers and the hostess were all extremely polite and very helpful. For appetizers, I got their ginger popcorn chicken. Very flavorful but also very decadent (deep fried and sweet). For the main meal I got their coconut braised chicken curry, which was not quite one of the traditional Thai curries, but was good. I can't recall the cocktail I had but it was delicious. All in all a very nice place. Good food, great service, and nice ambience. read more

Very very different from the regular Thai menu we are used too. No familiar pad thai, however we were treated to some phenomenal bright flavors and colors of the dishes. Certainly will be back to explore more items, on a special occasion. The dishes are pricy, but are certainly worth it. I had the butterfly pea flower rice with Thai herbs - the rice was blue!! The nahm budu sauce the waitress poured on it muted the color a bit, but the flavor was phenomenal. This is a good dish to split with friends. The drink I tried was very much like a mezcal margarita - lovely on a hot summer night. They have tables outside, and the waitress we had was super attentive, friendly, and nice. read more

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Open for two years so far. Spoke with one of the two owners who is passionate about making authentic Thai cuisine from her childhood with the co owner. Those patrons that want typical Pad Thai, go elsewhere, you don't deserve this place. The Rainbow Trout is simply a masterpiece. Fennel, fresh ginger, English cucumber, pomegranate, shallot, lemongrass-tamarind coconut reduction all garnishing a perfectly cooked trout. Exquisite! read more

NaKorn - Rainbow Trout. Fennel, fresh ginger, English cucumber, pomegranate, shallot, lemongrass-tamarind coconut reduction. - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Urban Thai! The many flavors are spectacular. The folks are very friendly. Our Server Boyan was professional and attentive... Go with his recommendations and will have a memorable dinner with friends... Their drinks are also special... Jasmine Old Fashion... Don't forget desserts. All very unique and delicious. We order many plates and shared family style... Urban Thai Tapas... Will be back next time in Evanston. read more

Fresh, delicious, innovative food and cocktails. We enjoyed the taro chicken appetizer, SO yummy! We also had a salad with a spicy peanut dressing that was surprising and tasty. We had the short rib soup and whole crispy branzino, loved them, especially the fish. We finished with the pineapple creme brûlée and a warm banana bread with ice cream, both fantastic. 1000% will be back!!!! I forgot to add that our server was absolutely awesome too! Thanks for a great evening. read more

NaKorn - Screaming Spaniard cocktail - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Your palate is in for a delightful experience at Nakorn. From the inventive cocktails to delectable dishes with fragrances that tickle your tongue or deliver that spicy kick, NaKorn creates excellence. Try their mango sticky rice when it is in season. Your taste buds will thank you! The space has an intimate atmosphere with a staff that welcomes you like family. It's my go to when I'm the mood for this cuisine and a friendly face. read more

NaKorn is definitely going for a more modern take on your favorite Thai dishes. The atmosphere is more fitting for date night than family dinner out. Every dish came out smiling and camera worthy. Pandan Tapioca Pearls - The little tapioca pearls are gather together and deep fried into chips and served with tamarind coconut sauce. Not a very filling dish but has good flavor to nibble on as you wait for your entree. Blue Lump Crab - This dish is presented with lump crab meat atop a bed of vermicelli. The server will pour the curry sauce over the vermicelli upon serving it to you. In many pictures, what looks like halved hard-boiled eggs (at least it did to me) is not. It's texture was a cross between bamboo and water chestnuts. I should have asked what it was but I didn't. The curry was light on the rich coconut milk that is signature in Thai curry dishes. Overall it was pleasant. They also offer a "Little One" menu for kids 12 years old and younger for $6. Though my child devoured it, I found the selection underwhelming. The service was notably variable. The multi-purpose lady (hostess, waitress, kitchen help) seated us and checked in with us several times. Our server was too busy to notice us, but we flagged him down so we could order. The bus boy was the most welcoming of the staff there that night. He welcomed us, got us water and stopped by at the end of our meal to collect our dishes and asked if we enjoyed our meal. read more

NaKorn - Kid's Menu - Thai Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

NaKorn is not your typical Thai place. The menu is SMALL. The prices are kinda steep. The food is less traditional and often with a bit more of a modern spin/presentation. But at the end of the day, they still taste good. Kinda wish there was that 3.5 star option as it was good but I'm not sure I'd return. We started with the Taro Chicken and the Chicken Meatballs. Surprisingly, I found the chicken meatballs to be the better of the two options as they were seasoned well and had a nice, spicy sauce on them. The taro chicken was friend and had a strange gastrique on top which was unnecessary. I got the white fish (the cheapest entree and was still $16). The fish was cooked well and had this great crispy side to it. It came with an incredibly delicious chili-tamarind reduction. I finished the plate and found myself immediately wanting more - partly because it was good, but partly because there just wasn't much fish. The food was very tasty but I'm not sure I'd return. read more

Wow! What great food! Not a teaditionsl Thai restaurant but everything we tried was 6 stars or more! Very vegetarian and vegan friendly....such fantastic flavors and textures you wont miss the meat. Seriously, try this place! read more

Possibly the best food and drinks we have had in Chicago area. There is one other place downtown that might be better but we have tried 75+ places in our four years here and NaKorn was shockingly perfect. Inventive drinks that had creative ingredients. Drinks tasted familiar yet unique. Food was awesome. Great options for my vegan Fiancé in addition to flavorful traditional options. Our bartender/server was very helpful, fast, and talented. The chefs were keeping up with a full restaurant while maintaining perfection. read more

Love this restaurant. A great vibe, attentive service and the food is delicious. The pastry chef's special desserts on fridays and saturdays are outstanding read more

Very good food the service is a little slow but the restaurant is very Nicky decorated and cozy.