Tom Yum Cafe - Chicago

I loved the crab fried rice here! So delicious! Not a ton of seating room, but the food was amazing! Reasonably priced too in my opinion. The crab fried rice was I think $13 and could feed two people.Food: 5/5

I had stopped ordering from here about 3 years ago since the food was no longer good...I had been a loyal customer since 2016. I have been ordering from all the recommended other sources and they all seem to have gone down lately. I thought I would give Tum Yum another try since their reviews seem to have gone up and since the others were disappointing lately and WOW! They're back! Food was reasonably priced, portions were generous and the quality was exceptional! I'm back to being a loyal customer again!...so happy!OK...I ordered twice since the 5 star review above. They have no menu to offer and ask you to look online...the prices online are from delivery services and they are elevated prices that the delivery services are charging to cover their expenses...even if you pick up the food...so it is way overpriced! The services add about 20%, or at least 15% to menu prices to cover their expenses...so Tom Yum charges the same for some reason. The quality of the dishes the next two times I ordered was not good. They forgot the sauce for the mediocre pot stickers, the Tom Kha soup was like water with very little flavor, The Lard Nar was inedible...not like anything I have had before and the Shu Mai was full of baby shrimp (not minced) and very fishy tasting...we tossed them. The Pad Thai had no flavor, it was like soggy bean sprouts and bland noodles... So long Tom Yum Cafe. There are better places for less money and higher quality. I get upset when I feel ripped off!

It's a small hole in the wall with like 4.5 tables. It's hard to find almost. It's directly across from Stella's with its big old hand with utensils. But some of the best spots are teenie tiny. I've been here a few times and the food was great. Their panang curry is super tasty and savory. The noodles we tasty and perfectly cooked. My wife finished her pad kee mao completely even though it was a generous portion. Long day and a tasty meal. For dessert we had the mango sticky rice. Very tasty. I haven't had that in ages. Had to order the special dessert on the hand written menu. The starchiness of the rice adds to the sweetness of the mango and gives a custardy texture. Yum!Definitely give them a try. They have a pretty nice and efficient ordering system as well so it's easy to take out.

The chicken pad Thai is delicious, but I also got pot stickers this time and didn't care for them. I got them steamed and they weren't firm in the way they should be. They were super long and floppy and stuck together so they ripped open when I tried to separate them. They also weren't that flavorful. I still love this spot, but I wouldn't recommend the steamed pot stickers.

Don't go to Thailand for Tom yum. Let it come to you. Eat here. I found a genuine Thai person who said it's as legit as the Thai cook making it. Tom yummmm! ?