I was looking for a dinner spot before a concert at DePaul, and Paula's Thai Kitchen ended up being a great choice. It's a very small place for dine-in, although I saw a steady stream of people coming in for takeout. The inside is unpretentious, and from the look of it, you'd never suspect that the food is so great. We got pineapple fried rice (asked them to make it extra spicy, and they certainly delivered) and pad see ew. Both arrived fresh from the wok, still steaming. I've tried many Thai restaurants, and this certainly ranks among the best. The service was fast. Nothing special, but no complaints either. If you're tired of eating the Sysco food imposed on us at more and more restaurants, try Paula's where they actually cook the food from original recipes. read more

I wanted a Thai iced tea and a little snack and it was soooo good. I got the chicken curry puffs (love a tiny potato) that came with really delicious peanut sauce. (My mouth is watering remembering it.) The place was small but cute, the service was really friendly, and I'm just sad it's not closer to me so I can't get it all the time. read more

Great, quick service! Food came out very quickly and hot Really enjoyed, will be back for the lunch special. Would recomend the Thai ice tea for a sweet treat read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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it is time I start asking how spicy food is before I order it - we started with the chicken sauté, which had big chunks of marinated meat and a delicious peanut sauce. A classic for a reason! - my mom is such a fan of the drunken noodle and says it's the best one she's had in Chicago. the thick chewy noodles, the perfect ratio of sauce, and the fresh veggies scattered throughout. - the glass noodle dish was delicious, the perfect level of spicy, salty, and sweet! - we had a reservation as it was a weekend night, but the place had an empty table or two. the service was nice and the food came fast (despite us asking for the appetizer before the entrée so we could have more time together) - there is about five tables inside and you have to walk through the kitchen to use the bathroom. I believe they have outdoor seating as well, but it was not offered to us - my parents had ordered takeout from this place before and never commented on the spice levels! despite my spicy seafood salad being fresh and filled with a variety of seafood, the chili sauce was so extreme that it was challenging to eat. no vinegary or salty taste to juxtapose....and I swear I can usually handle spice read more

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1. Papaya Salad Thai style 2. Bamee BBQ Pork - Steamed egg noodles, BBQ pork, bean sprout, baby bok choy topped with green onion, cilantro, peanut and garlic. 3. Drunken Noodle - Stir-fried flat rice noodle, baby corn, peapod, carrot, tomato, beansprout, basil, with mild spicy brown sauce I'm going to try more Papaya salad moving forward. This one was so good and refreshing. Both the noodle dishes were flavorful and all the ingredients were cooked properly. No issues with service. I like the no frills interior. I would absolutely return. read more

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Kudos to Paula for opening at 2pm on a Saturday, as opposed to some of other restaurants on the same street. Very cute yard, nicely shaded. Food was really good and I enjoyed everything I ordered. The waiter was missed one dish because he didn't take notes while we order, so if your food is not coming up for a while, might be a good idea to check. Otherwise, good experience. I would come back again. read more

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Ordered Ubereat once and I would give this place 3.5. Not a truly authentic Thai restaurant, lot of place could be improved on. It is a bit pricey compared the size of the portion of food givens I ordered lots of seafood dish, it is not very fresh and small amount of seafood were given. Tom Yum Soup (seafood): the flavor of the soup is enjoyable, but the not much of ingredients (seafood, mushrooms, etc.) were included. This soup was somehow really oily. I had Tom yum soup other places, but I don't remember it to be this oily. Papaya Salad: I ordered medium spice level, but it wasn't really spicy. The portion is small compared to the price I paid for. Lots of lime, but not much of a savor taste. The green beans were really RAW, I had to remove them. It is not well marinated. Just an ordinary papaya salad, nothing memorable. Garlic Scallops: I suggest on avoiding this dish. This dish is strongly flavored, you cannot taste the flavor of the scallops at all. All you can taste is the ginger and sauce (oyster sauce). It comes with lotssss of veggies and only a few scallops (5 to 6 smalls scallops). Definitely not worth the price. Seafood salad: overly priced for a small portion of seafood served. The seafood is small and not super fresh. The flavor was just alright, subtle sourness and spicy. Not an amazing dish. Overall, this place is pricy and the amount of seafood I got is just sad. Probably won't give this place a second try. read more

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Every neighborhood needs a solid go-to Thai restaurant! I had been eyeing Paula's for awhile and was finally able to try some of their menu at an outdoor pop-up event. The menu was sample sized but featured some favorites including spring rolls, noodles, desserts, and specialty drinks. The staff was very friendly and patient with the crowd of customers. I opted for the chicken panang curry and it did not disappoint! The sauce was so tasty and slightly spicy that I could just drink it, but the rice was the star of the show. It was perfectly sticky, fluffy, and incredibly addictive, soaking up the curry sauce perfectly. I appreciated that they did not skimp on the chicken, but found it to be a bit dry. Maybe this was just a challenge presented by maintaining inventory off-site all day. I highly recommend paying this restaurant a visit, and look forward to returning in person! read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Panang Curry - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came back after over a year from my first time at Paula's (the first review was written way late) and it was even better. Lamb lollipops were spicy and so tasty as an appetizer. Pineapple fried rice was so on point. Cucumber salad and edamame solid as always. While you may not think much of this place, it's a favorite for me and I'm not even the biggest fan of most Thai spots. read more

Found this place and was attracted to how cute it looked. The place has indoor and outdoor seating. One thing that was a bit off was the fact that, for the bathroom, you would have to go through the kitchen, but other than that the workers were super nice and the food was good! read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Drunken Noodle - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cute patio area and very helpful and kind server. My food was good but would try a noodle dish next time. The tamarind sauce was sweet and unique. Really liked the ginger honey tea! read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - TIGER CRY - Grilled Steak - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So good! Love the chicken egg rolls, chicken pad Thai, tom soup. They're fast and really nice too! Thank you!

Excellent food and service - local cute Thai spot :) awesome to dine or do take out. My fav dishes - crunchy pad thai, basil chicken, tiger fry, basil fried rice. And mango sticky is to die for. Authentic flavor with it being spicy but not overwhelming. For drinks we like the honey ginger hot tea during winter or the cooling fresh coconut water for summer. Ate the food too fast so will be adding pictures next time as this will be our go to spot to get our Thai fix :) read more

Food is decent enough, standard good Thai. But the interior smells a little dank and doesn't feel clean. I would improve that. But the service was nice and the food was fine. Just improve ambiance. read more

Came in for the lunch special because I just started working on the neighborhood. Probably the worst meal I have had in the 3 years I'm living in Chicago. I ordered string beans with chicken. It came with 3 potstickers. I ordered to go. When I opened the lid o saw the 2 potstickers which were somewhat warm, not tasty at all and this huge bowl of rice with a few little string beans, some green peppers a few tiny red peppers and a couple of little strands of chicken. Huh??? Where's the rest of the string beans. I ordered medium spice and it was so hot!!! Here is a photo of the lunch after I ate. The small portion of string beans and chicken.... Needless to say, I'll be finding other places for lunch at my job! Thanks for the white rice and spice.... Next time add something worth eating! read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Green beans and chicken - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Paula's Thai Kitchen offers delicious dining, takeout and delivery to Chicago, IL. Paula's Thai Kitchen is a cornerstone in the Chicago community and has been recognized for its outstanding Thai cuisine, excellent service and friendly staff. Restaurant is known for its modern interpretation of classic dishes and its insistence on only using high quality fresh ingredients. Great outdoor patio with heater for winter dining. read more

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Drinks did not meet expectations. Service was fine. The dining area was amazing. Everything else was great. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food and service was pretty good overall. The prices were tad high for the small portions however the execution was pretty good. We liked the pad see wee with seafood (kid friendly). Moo ping, pad prik catfish was good too. The only dish that we didn't care for was bambee pork noodle ( the meat tasted different -not stale but just personal preference). The seating in the inner patio is attractive and away from traffic. read more

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After passing this spot for months, I finally check it out this Friday. I opted for a lunch special and kept it simple... Thai fried rice with added protein. I did the crab Rangoon appetizer and ordered on the speciality teas, Butterfly Pea Tea. Nothing disappointed. The portions was average for a lunch serving and was just enough for me. Full of flavor but I did not like the greens included. The stems were very firm and leafy portion just had a super strong taste that took away from the other flavors. After just pushing aside, it was all good. I'm notably a Thai ice tea fan but I chose something new and it was amazing. The butterfly pea was so refreshing and really sealed the meal. Service was ok. There was only a handful of patrons. I did not read other reviews prior to dining but agree that the prices were on the higher end. Perhaps to keep in competition with Noodles in the Pot just a few doors down. Overall, I liked it. I would recommend for date or solo dining experience. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Butterfly Pea Ice Tea - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Loved Paula's Thai kitchen! It was delicious and it's so cute. Paula was very sweet. I can't wait to go back.

Great place open airy just a few other people here 1/4 restaurant full both times I have came here. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - No one sees here I highly recommend. - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is tasty but it's way overpriced If you want to pay $10 for an order of sticky rice.. go for it. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - I called for a take out.. didn't order thru any apps but they charged me $9.05 for side of sticky rice - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Takeout tip: Be sure to ask for sauces if you want them and if you order more than one meal be sure to ask for x number of sauces. I say this because my roommate and I ordered takeout and although I asked for sweet and sour sauce for us we only got one. I didn't want to share! Another tip: they have a lunch special. It's $8 and there's a few options plus you either get a crab Rangoon or a couple of potstickers. It's not on their online menu but the roomie and I saw it when we walked into the little restaurant to order. We both ended up ordering it. I got cashew chicken and he got pad Thai. Food was good and it wasn't too long of a wait which is why I think it deserves 4 stars. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Cashew chicken lunch special - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered for pickup. My mom really enjoyed the scallops. However, my spicy basil ground chicken was full of these hard stems, which I'm presuming are from the Thai chilis used. Inedible! And I got a buy 1 get one free deal (which isn't actually a deal because the price is jacked up), so 2 dishes were ruined. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was ok. I would say maybe 70% authentic. Although it's really weird to find broccoli and carrots in many dishes which is not a main ingredient for Thai food. Service was less than satisfactory. We ordered way too much for two people yet we were still asked to up our bill by adding more proteins to our meals. Ended spending almost 100 dollars for two and wasted a bunch of food. We will not be eating here again. No service- you have to wave and get the attention from the waitress. I don't understand what the tips are for. read more

The food was delicious and the outdoor seating was cute. Could not get enough of the crispy pad thai or gui dumplings.

a few people at work swear by paula's lunch special and i finally got it for myself. it's $9 for pad thai with potstickers (or crab rangoon - your choice) on the side, and it lasted me two days which is incredible. i've had a lot of pad thai in my life and Paula's is the real deal. it's very flavorful and comes with sauce and some lime to use at your discretion. i think the lunch special is an incredible deal that you should take advantage of if you live/work in the area! read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai with Vegetable Pot Sticker on the side - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here with a group of my friends on a Tuesday evening and the restaurant wasn't too busy. The staff offered us to sit outside on the patio but we hesitated because it was a little bit cold. But I'm so glad we did! The patio was heated and there were also some "bonfire pits", which gave off such home-y & cozy vibes. We ordered papaya salad, tiger cry, and grilled jumbo squid as appetizers; drunken noodle, green curry with beef, and tom yum soup for entrees; sticky rice with mango for dessert & Thai iced tea for drinks. Although we ordered a lot, it was a rather affordable meal. We really liked the tiger cry dish - the meat was cooked just right, it was tender & not dry. I also liked the tom yum soup, it was tangy/sour but not as spicy as I wanted them to be. We stayed & chatted for a long time well after we had paid for the meal because of how relaxing the atmosphere was. The service was really good and the staff kept coming out to check on us even when we were the only table sitting outside. My friends and I are planning to return & feast on the food here again! read more

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Really good food I enjoyed every bit of my experience here! The teas are also really really good I highly recommend going read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Paula's curry - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is your typical Thai restaurant. To start, we ordered chicken potstickers and chicken satay, which were both delicious! For entrées we got chicken panang curry and beef pad see ew. Both dishes tasted just as I would expect them to; perfect amount of spice and seasoning. I thought $8 for a cup of Tom kha soup was a bit on the pricy side, and the portions were not big for the amount they charged. One star down for the whole bathroom situation. You literally have to walk through the kitchen, past the fresh vegetable station (which is a bit unsanitary in my opinion), to get to a tiny, rundown, dirty bathroom. read more

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We came as a group of 7. A lot of things didn't work out. One person in the group ordered a vegan fried rice and got egg with it. It had to be sent back. I ordered the seafood special fried rice. There was squid mentioned in the menu. But they were out of squid. So they said they'll add extra shrimp. That's probably the only plus point. Other than that. The food was below average. Drunken noodles, seafood Tom yum fried rice, Tom kha chicken soup (the chicken was so chewy), I would give it a one star. The crab fried rice and the vegan Thai fried rice were decent. read more

I've been to Paula's kitchen many times and as of late, their service has significantly decreased including servers tipping themselves 40% of the bill before I even have an opportunity to tip. As I made the mistake of not looking at the itemized receipt before paying because I wanted to take care of my table before they had the opportunity to see the bill, I ended up tipping an additional 20% of the bill with the 40% previously added gratuity included. Adding 40% in tips without informing the customer is unethical of any business. The servers distracted me while paying by engaging in conversation about the extremely lackluster service (3 hours dinner for a table of 3). We had to request basic things such as water, remind team of our delayed drinks (over 30 min wait for ice teas and mango juice). Additionally, the servers do not follow the new COVID 19 mask mandate, violating Chicago's COVID-19 regulations. I'd not recommend Paula's Thai Kitchen to anyone anymore as this place has proven to be unethical in their practices. It's unfortunate as the food is amazing but it's not worth the scam. read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Receipt of the server added 40% tip without customer approval. - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Friendly staff, cozy environment outside and the food was just amazing!!! The drunken noodle was spicy but the taste was on point!

I grabbed Paula's the other night for take out and had it delivered and I was honestly really impressed. I've been craving Thai food in chicago, but honestly have found anything the great. However, this is the best Thai food I've had so far. I got two different things: Pad See Ew: (4/5) warning, if you don't like things with a little kick, you won't like this. However, I do, and I actually enjoyed it a bit. I got it with beef, which I would honestly skip that and just get it with veggies. However, it really wasn't that salty and the noodles weren't soggy at all. Grilled Pork Thai Salad: now this was the best part of my meal. I will state that I'm a huge fan of pork and the didn't disappoint at all. The only thing I would honestly change is eating there just due to the actual salad being a bit wilted by the time it reached me. But even so, the pork was perfectly marinated and cooked and the sauce it came in was fantastic! Definitely recommend getting this (even if it is a bit pricey) Overall, I was really impressed with Paula's and it will now be my go to Thai restaurant when I'm craving some good food! read more

Paula's Thai Kitchen - Pad See Eiw Noodles - Thai Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Paula's kitchen is my favorite Thai addition in the neighborhood. The dishes are an explosion of flavor and boy do I love my flavors. I've been here for dinner twice and have been satisfied with every dish! I particularly enjoy the Tom Yum soup. It's served in a hotpot with an automatic fire pit on the bottom so it keeps the pot hot the entire time. The taste is a tad sweeter than other places, but it's just the right amount mixed with sourness. Their moo ping (pork skewers) and papaya salad are great starters. The ground chicken salad is bursting with thai flavors. It doesn't come with anything but I prefer to pair it with sticky rice. Their thai basil chicken is off the hook! The more common entrees such as thai fried rice, pad thai, and pad kee mao are all really tasty. You really can't go wrong with any dish here! A big plus for their BYOB! It's a small space but I've never had to wait (hopefully I don't jinx myself). I'll try their curries on my next visit! read more

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Amazing food for both takeout and delivery! The Tom kha soup is delicious and fresh - I get it every time. Venue is clean and staff is friendly. read more

We were starving on Easter Sunday, trying to find a place that was open tough! Thank goodness Paula's Thai Kitchen came to our rescue!! I ordered the drunken noodles and shared the crab Rangoons. Both dishes were so delicious! The drunken noodles actually had a kick to it (but personally was not unbearable). The drunken noodles are a little bit pricier than other local places in the area, and the portion was a little smaller as well (a downside because it was so delicious!). The crab rangoons were also pretty good. The filling was much sweeter than most places I've had around the city. read more

Sorry, but stay away. This was a place that we were hoping would be delightful but it's just way overpriced... We ordered the mango sticky rice dessert and it was awful. We ordered the Thai custard... also not great. The portions are small, the price is pricey. I just wouldn't come here when there are a bunch of Thai options available. read more

Overpriced. Served as as adequate. Hard to find location. Won't be back to this location

Authentic Thai in a tiny location but well worth you taking the time to try it out! This is one of the best Thai places in Chicago area serving Northern Thai food. We drove almost an hour but was well worth it. Been here a few times and definitely a no frills tiny little place that you could walk by in the blink of an eye. Dont blink and walk in to try this place if you love authentic Thai cuisine. We had papaya salad with crab/Som Tum with three chilis spice level absolutely suberb! We also had the Isaan sausage whice was cooked perfectly and just sour enough to make the taste buds tingle. We also had the chicken wings which were crispy and full of flavour. The crspy pork with basil was one of the best we have had since we moved to Chicago. Lots to enjoy here and we also ordered shrimp pad thai to bring home and eat today :) It's also BYOB which we like a lot. Do yourselves a favour and check this place out. read more