I had so much hope for this but the food was very disappointing. Tried the mussaman curry, very mid food, maybe I should try something else next time but there's many good restaurants nearby to give this another go. The service was very quick and friendly, three stars purely for the service. read more

Sticky Rice - Laotian Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Food was good, wouldn't crave anything from here again, it was all hot and fresh. The biggest turn off was the pricing that is listed on the ordering website was way off! So I was shocked when I expected to pay between $20-30 to pay almost $50 for one person When I asked about the pricing differences the gal at the front was super cold and acted like she was well aware of the difference in pricing issue (like she's been asked about it a few times) so as far as customer service ratings go that is what really brought it down. FYI The Medium spice is hot! read more

We ordered take-out for dinner for the family and I was impressed with what a great job they did in boxing our dishes. Everything was as nicely presented as if we had dined in. Their menu is extensive and the food was wonderful. The curry dishes are spicy. "Medium" was pretty hot for my palate. The only dish that was a disappointment was the crab rangoon. These appetizers are better fresh to the table instead of cold with takeout. Reasonable prices. read more

Honestly I was so excited for this place but was disappointed by the taste, especially for the price. The basil chicken was quite dry and hard to chew and I was the most disappointed by this. The best item we had was tom kah kai soup, the flavor was great and such a comfort food! The pad see ew and red curry was pretty average. I did enjoy the shrimp in the blanket more than I expected! The restaurant vibes were cute and the service was great though! read more

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Food was amazing. I didn't expect the bowl to be so big but I am not complaining. I truly enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. read more

Sticky Rice - 2. Vegetable Egg Rolls - Laotian Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Best restaurant I've been to in the area. it's actually peak. try mango sticky rice if you can!

I'm a nearby university student and this is my first time writing a negative review for a restaurant. I've never done so in my ENTIRE LIFE. Here's what I've went through this evening(May 18th 2025): My friends and I had an extremely terrible experience at Sticky Rice in downtown Champaign. While I want to be transparent that one friend briefly ate takeout from another restaurant during our **30-MINUTE WAIT AT THE ENTRANCE** (she only did so after being starved and ignored), this does not justify the staff's blatant discrimination and hostility. From the moment we arrived near closing time (8.20pm 40 minutes before closing hour 9pm), the waitress refused to acknowledge us, despite our polite presence. She repeatedly attended to white customers who arrived later, leaving us stranded without updates. When we finally asked for a table, her disdain was palpable. The situation worsened when she **SPILLED WATER ALL OVER ME** after we were seated and callously cleaned the floor while ignoring my soaked clothes. When we calmly addressed her behavior, she **REFUSED SERVICE** and demanded we leave--even though we had not yet eaten. The waitress later attempted to justify her behavior by citing my friend's takeout food (eaten out of hunger after being ignored), but this is irrelevant to the racial contempt we endured from the moment we entered. Bringing outside food--while inadvisable--does not warrant **spilling water on a customer, refusing to apologize, or retaliating by ejecting patrons without service**. Discrimination is not a "punishment" for minor infractions; it is a failure of basic humanity. Sticky Rice's staff chose hostility over professionalism, and management should be ashamed of both the blatant bias and the toxic service culture here. read more

Sticky rice is probably the nicest Asian fusion restaurant in the CU area. wonderful stirfry, really good fried noodles, terrific noodle soups, and a nice selection of salads. They also offer curry, though I haven't tasted theirs yet. Wintertime always makes me hungry for their noodle soup! I also love their coconut custard for dessert. This place is located in the old Carmens location, so parking is easy. Cute interior. I'll be back. read more

This is some of the best Thai food that I have ever had. The spring rolls are chock full of vegetables. The Chicken Basil dish was flavorful and fresh, with the vegetables cooked just right. Good service, great ambiance. Definitely will be back! read more

It's not a bad place to get your pho fix. The crab rangoons were huge and they had an interesting sauce. It's not the typical sweat and sour sauce. A lot more tangy and citrusy. The Pad Kee Mao was decent. Not the best around Champaign but it was a decent portion, the Pho was very flavorful. Didn't even need sriracha or hoisin sauce. Overall pretty good however I would say you can find better for the price elsewhere. read more

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Delicious food and very kind staff. Fast service and reasonable prices for the portions. Thank you to the waitress who said she'd feed me for my grandparents. You made our night read more

Had dinner with my friend at this restaurant during the 2023 Champaign County Restaurant week. Their RW special is roll the spring roll by yourself. Great fun! It's so amazing to see that the hard, crispy spring roll wrapper becomes sticky right after it touches water. Besides, the shrimp for us to "roll" is tender and fresh. Besides this RW special, I ordered a Mussaman curry and my friend ordered a pho. We also had a papaya salad (Thai style) . The curry was nice for me, though it would be better if it had more veggies. My friend enjoyed his pho as well. The portion size of the salad was generous, but it was too oily for me. Finally, the atmosphere of the restaurant was good. The restroom was clean, and I especially like the painting at their bar. So in general, it's not a bad restaurant, but the dining experience was not perfect either. read more

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Nice place! Friendly staff, reasonable prices, and very tasty food. Would definitely return.

I have loved sticky rice since 2024 when I first tried it. The beef pho was amazing the flavor was perfect and the chili oil was perfectly spicy. I went yesterday for the first time in a year expecting the same delicious meal. I ordered the beef pho and I was not only met with a smaller portion but a higher price. They increased the price of the pho by a dollar or so and decreased the amount of topping by at minimum 2x. They also decreased the serving size of the actual soup. Furthermore the food was lacking in flavor heavily. The pho was a bit too oily unlike other times I visited. And what really threw me off was the chili oil. There significantly less spice to it almost like they took away the spice FROM THE CHILI OIL. I might try again, hopefully this was just a one time thing but sadly don't think so. read more

Let me tell you about this little gem. Visiting the area and stopped in at SR. Fast service, tasty Pad Ke Mau and green curry. Server Tee was warm and welcoming. No frills place and reasonably priced. Don't miss out. read more

The menu looked extremely attractive so we came for lunch. Unfortunately the food was extremely salty and the ingredients were so so. Sort of disappointing. The drinks were extremely sweet. read more

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Was not accepting mobile pickup orders in this treacherous cold weather. And would not answer any phone calls

Everything on the menu is amazing! I have yet to try something I didn't love. Also it's both a cozy spot for a nice bowl of hot soup on a cold day and the patio makes for a nice spot for a summer dinner. Everyone's so nice too. You can't go wrong! read more

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Why is Thai food so hard to get right and do well? Second visit for me. First time wasn't memorable - nothing notably great or bad. So why did I come back? Because it was my daughter's bday, and she likes this place. So this second visit... Party of five. 1:30pm, not busy, not slow. Restaurant was not quite half full. First, if your familiar with the place, we were seated in that cubby with the weird wall that cuts into the dining space. Were it not for the wall, it would be plenty of room for 5-6 diners. But as it is, THERE IS A WALL. My son literally ate his whole meal with his plate on his lap; he's 10 so he thought he was at a backyard picnic. Anyway there were plenty of seats, so why? The Red Curry was full of veggies and chicken, but it was poorly seasoned and the flavors were bland because not enough curry. We added salt which helped a little. Also had the Basil Beef. If I was eating at a See-Thru-Kitchen, I'd say it was pretty good. But this is a Thai restarant, so it was just alright. The Pork Fried Pineapple Rice also would be good if being served at China Wok II, but I wasn't really getting the THAI seasoning. Maybe the pineapples screwed it up. Anyway my son loves pineapples. There is a silver lining, I always order Chicken Lard Na whenever I eat Thai, and I have to say that Sticky Rice's Lard Na is one of the top 5 Lard Nas I've ever had! Don't know what changed since my first visit because I don't even remember that one. Servers were kind, friendly, and attentive in the right amounts. read more

We love it here. The staff is wonderful, helpful, and amazing. This time we went for spicy food. It was so good. I love how Thai spice is warm, but you can still taste the other flavors. We finished with coconut ice cream and mango sweet rice. The sweet removes all the heat from your mouth. It just vanishes. You bet we will be back. read more

This is truly my favorite restaurant in Champaign. Their seasoning is incredible, the flavors are so nuanced. My go to is always the Green Curry with shrimp and tofu. The crab rangoon is also legit. We have gotten pretty much every item on the menu over time and I have never been disappointed. The herbs and vegetables are always so fresh, and the service is the best! Also, they do a great job with to-go orders. The food is always still really warm (even hot) and taste amazing even if you have to wait. read more

People of Champana are spoilt for good food from the Asian continent. Too many options for the local crowd here. However, Sticky Rice was a Laotian themed restaurant that we recently heard about and wanted to try it out. If you prefer to stay away from the university crowd and driving, this restaurant is perfectly situated in Downtown Champaign. Our dishes were Khao Moon, Pho special and Papaya salad. Khao Moon was good. Reminded us of Laksa or coconut curry based noodle dishes that you get from Singapore. Good amount of seasoning and the rice noodle was perfectly cooked. Would definitely recommend it. A bit high on the spicy side of things but nothing that would knock you out. 4/5 Pho special needed a bit more oomph. The broth was boring TBH. The meat balls and the beef slices were good but the noodle and the broth were a bit of a let down. If you need Pho, you have so many better choices in Champana. 3/5 Papaya salad was too sweet for our liking. Even though salads are better to be eaten at home and not in a restaurant, we have had an affinity towards to Thai salads. This was not really a thai salad but the sweet dressing could be what made us not really happy 2.5/5 Overall service and ambiance is great for a small restaurant that is far away from the university. read more

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Service is always friendly, interior is clean, and the food is fantastic! One of my favorites in Champaign.

Went here while visiting my child in college. I had the beef pho and it was amazing! My daughter had the yellow curry with tofu. It was the best curry I've ever had! Yum! I'll be back! The place is cute. We sat in a little alcove which was cozy. The staff was friendly and accommodating. read more

My husband and daughter enjoyed their Tom Kha Kai and Pineapple Fried Rice. I asked the waitress for a recommendation and had the Pumpkin Curry. It was delicious. Small, clean space. Prompt and friendly service. We'll be back. read more

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We've here twice and I really like the place. They have a much more diverse menu than a lot of Thai restaurants I've been to before. So much so that I tried curry for the first time and it was really good. I asked for it to be mild - they have spiciness ratings up to burn your innards out. It came with just the perfect amount of heat and some coconut sweetness. I had them add duck which made it just that much better. My wife had pad Thai and she said it was excellent! The dining room is a bit small do make sure to get there before the dinner rush or you may be waiting. But, they do have a full bar, so that may help the tube pass quicker. We'll definitely be returning soon! read more

Sticky Rice - Duck curry with potatoes and onions - Laotian Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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This is a fun spot in downtown Champaign. We went on a busy night -- it was Father's Weekend at U of I and it was packed, but they made a place for us at the bar immediately, which was great. We got pad Thai and massaman curry and shared them. The pad Thai was really good, and the curry was decent, but if I were to go back I'd probably try something different. Overall, this is a big thumbs up and a solid option for Thai food in Champaign. read more

Best pad Thai on the Champaign side of town. The noodles are congealed together but springy and lush. Portions are decent but not as big as Thara Thai so it costs less here. Their other non-soup based noodle dishes are also delicious. Customer service is friendly and there is parking around the restaurant. read more

Sticky Rice - Noodle dishes on point! - Laotian Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Came here during a quick trip in town. Thai food tastes good for the area but can't really compare to those in Chicago. With that, the price is definitely steep for a college town. I order fried rice with duck - the duck costs $5 extra but only a few slices and tasted bland. Service was quick and staff are friendly. read more

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Don't skip this small restaurant right before you hit downtown. Sticky rice is an amazingly fresh twist of Lao/Thai brought to the CU area. We stop here pretty often when it gets cold because their Pho Special is a phenomenal soup with tons of umami and fresh ingredients. We had the vegetable egg rolls with the chili sauce for an appetizer and their Thai iced tea to drink. My wife had Pad Thai and continues to order it every time we come. The meals are huge and there is always plenty leftover for the next day. read more

Sticky Rice - 20. Pho Special - Laotian Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

My boyfriend and I recently dined in at Sticky rice and had such a pleasant experience! We went during peak lunch hour on a weekend, but still got seated promptly (within 5 minutes). We ordered spring rolls as an appetizer, which were filled with fresh veggies and both shrimp & chicken! I got the Shrimp Pad Thai which was flavorful and the Pad Thai noodles were extremely chewy, which I really liked. My boyfriend got the curry, which he ABSOLUTELY LOVED. Lastly, we also got the mango sticky rice dessert, which was something different than what I have tried before! While it wasn't my type of dessert, my boyfriend devoured the whole dish. Service was fast and we will be returning to try their other dishes! read more

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Very disappointed in taste and lack of vegetables. Website is confusing and accidentally ordered food with some heat. The mild seasoning and medium seasoning were exactly the same. People were unable to eat with this level of heat. I will not return. read more

Don't risk the pad thai; or if you do and it's not good, ask for another dish (they messaged me to say I should've returned it; I didn't want to risk a conflict with a server, since I'd brought my friend to Thai restaurant for their first time). I've had good experiences in the past with Sticky Rice's curries. But today's really bad pad thai (tofu) makes me want never to return. For 16.50, sodden noodles and over-sweet sauce, lumped on a plate. Please step up your game given the quality of places like Lanxiang, Thara, etc in this town. Wow. Disappointed in the extreme, despite previous experiences with your khao poon. read more

Pretty good spot. I have had multiple meals here and they are all good. Nothing has blown my socks off but all pretty good. The staff is very friendly and attentive. I would recommend going here I just don't have any dish that really jumps out at me. read more

Really tasty (I had a lunch special curry) in a nice place with a friendly server, all provided quickly. Lovely spot!

I've been here twice and each time I brought home leftovers.... that were promptly eaten as late night snacks. On my first visit I had the Shrimp in a Blanket, Pad Se-Ew and Pad Ped with Beef. The shrimp were fried perfectly and the noodle dish had just the right kick of spice. I did not have to add additional hot sauce or spice. The Pad Ped Beef was also delicious with the most of veggies in the brown sauce. The second time I went tried the Pork Egg Rolls and the Pad Lard Nar. I'd never had the Pad Lar Nar and enjoyed the fried noodles in it. It provided a different texture and added to the dish. As a side note, it warms my heart that Sticky Rice and the previous restaurant are/were owned by minorities. Based on conversations with older citizens of CU, the original establishment did not serve people of color. It makes me happy that this space is flourishing with the current owner. My friend and I returned and remembered to take photos this time! We had the pork jerky and beef meatballs as appetizers. I probably could've had the jerky with rice and called it a night but I also ordered the panang curry with shrimp. The balance of heat and taste of coconut were delicious. My friend has the pho kai with chicken and enjoyed the plethora of noodles in her bowl. read more

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Excellent Thai food, dope, relaxed vibe, family friendly but chicken pad Thai is legit. Service is fast, remember to park across the street (not behind the restaurant), they remind you at the door. As good as thai as I've had, check them out, worth the trip. read more

Sticky Rice - Chicken pad Thai. - Laotian Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

The prices are not updated on Yelp. The actual prices are significantly higher than what is posted on Yelp. There is no link to the website where they say the accurate prices are listed. This Pad Thai better be worth the $20 they actually charge. read more

I went to dinner at sticky rice last night with some friends. I have a gluten allergy and I called before we went to the restaurant to ensure that there were options I could eat because I did not see any menu options online specifically noting gluten free. When I called the woman on the phone ensured me that they could make almost anything gluten free and had plenty of options. I stated to my server at the table that I had a gluten allergy and asked for suggestions. My server told me that they could substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce and make the fried rice gluten free. Unfortunately this was not the case. Upon leaving the restaurant I broke out into hives and had an allergic reaction to the food I had eaten. I will not be returning to sticky rice and would advise anyone with a gluten allergy to avoid going as well. read more

Key and Josh were our servers. The place was nice and cozy. And very welcoming. The food was so good and fresh. read more

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