Amarind's
(between Grove Ave & Newcastle Ave)
Chicago, IL 60707 (773) 889-9999
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 3:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
25 reviews
Neighborhood: Near West Side
"I am a bit surprised by some of the reviews, but I won't let that faze me. I vote this as the best Thai in the Loop. The menu is not as…" read more »
17 Reviews for Amarind's
One of the most bland Thai restaurant I've been to. I've been here twice and was not impressed either time. They don't offer my favorite dish, panang curry. The tofu was a bit chewy. If you want good Thai food, go to Yum Thai in FP.
One of the better Thai places I've been to.
Their stir-fried glass noodle (Pad Woon Sen) is super yummy, and Tom Yum soup flavorful. The fried rice isn't bad, either.
Make sure you leave room for the warm yucca potato custard for dessert. It's a must!
A bit more expensive than the other Thai restaurants in the area, but the quality is generally better.
There's a parking lot right next to it, and there's always room.
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I love this place. we live in oak park and it's so convenient for us. You can also order for take out which often comes in handy. Last time i had three flavor beef, which was so tasty and the mushrooms were so fresh i wanted to order a second plate full! Lucky for my waistline, I did not. It's so cozy and comfortable and a great neighborhood place.
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We went here over the weekend with a group of friends. We walked right in at 7:30 on a Saturday night. We ordered and the food came quickly. Service was good as our water glasses never went dry. The food was just ok. It was decent in terms of freshness, but everything we had was bland. My husband ordered the garlic chicken and asked for it to be extra spicy, but there was hardly any heat to it at all.
It was fine for what it was, but I think next time we will wait for a table at the Cuban restaurant next door.
On a side note, I think it should be illegal to play an instrumental version of "A Whole New World" (especially in a Thai restaurant).
Amarind's is one of the nicer thai restaurants I've been to--and to mixed effect. On one hand, the decor was lovely and inviting--but the prices were a bit steep. Say, $2 more than most places for equal sized portions. They do have a killer lunch special m-f, $6.95 for soup, salad, and entree. Alas, i don't work nearby, but if I did, I'd be a regular!
As for non-lunch times, if you're looking for good, fresh Thai(and maybe looking to wow that special someone, eh? eh?)) Almarind's is a great choice. But if you're just looking for some tasty thai to go, I'd have to guess(don't know the area super well) there are better options.
PS They have wine and beer now, but you can bring your own wine for a $7 corkage fee(kiiinda not worth it).
Fabulous food and all within about a five minute walk from my house! I love the shrimp rolls as appetizers and Pad Sie Eiw with Beef - light on the greens, heavy on the delicious noodle. The building is unusual, but once inside, the ambience is very calming and quiet. Unlike a lot of places in neighboring Oak Park, I have not had the screaming child problem here.
Also, take out is handled well- they package everything the right way and orders never take longer than 20 minutes.
Consistently outstanding every time we've been there. It's easy to overlook, but the food is just incredible. The Pad Siew is sweet and a little spicy, and the curries are to die for. Everything always tastes very fresh. After venturing out to a couple other places in the area and being disappointed, this is now the place we go when we crave Thai.
Just visited this est. last night with my sister and our friend.
It was Sunday night. The rest. closes at 9, and we arrived just around 7pm.
We didn't wait too too long, appox 10 minutes while 2 of the waitresses cleared tables.
We ordered drinks and appetizers.
The Shumai that came was acutally really good. The are shrimp, pork and vegetable mixed dumplings that are real farmers food in Thailand supposedly.
They were better then the Shumai that Ive had at 2 of my favorite Thai places, so that was a definite plus.
My sister and I waited over 20 minutes for iced tea, which I t thought was a little ridiculous. The waitresses did not check on us very often which was also a turn off.
We also had miniature egg rolls as a starter, and those were sub par compared to the Thai egg rolls that Ive pretty much have had at any other Thai restaurants.
I ordered Pad Ke Mao, which is one of my favorite Thai dishes to order at a restaurant. In other places it can be called Drunken or Crazy noodles. I ordered it extra spicy, which they did not disappoint me with when it came out nearly too spicy to eat (though I asked for it and loved it like that anyway ha ha)
My problem with it were a few things:
First off, I believe that my pad ke mao was probably sitting waiting for my sisters Curry to come out for a few minutes, because when it got to the table, temp wise, it was luke warm.
Secondly, the dish is similar to Basil Chicken in the fact that it uses A LOT of Basil as well as a brown sauce that is basically infused with fish sauce, dark soy and oyster sauce. However, when it came to the table, the noodles were on the dry side and did not have nearly enough basil or savory sauce.
My sister had the curry and I had a taste and honestly I can say the Red Curry was better then Ive had at many places, so there...there were no complaints. I can recommend the curry.
The bill came to almost $60 for the 3 of us, which for the slow service, and so so Thai, I thought was sort of a rip off.
All in all, if we are up in that area again (my friend lives up there) I wouldn't HATE going there, but I am sure there are plenty good Thai places in the area that would Trump this place.
It's not the best Thai food I have ever had, but I was pleased with the varied menu options and the ambiance.
The exterior has an old castle-look about it. Theres an outside area in the back which you can see from the street, but it looked rather unused and run-down. Could just be that its all junky at the moment due to the time of year, but I thought it would be really spectacular if it was spruced up for outdoor dining in the summer. Would be very charming outdoor eating.
The interior is possibly the nicest looking for a Thai restaurant I have been in in Chicago. The decorations are not chintzy, the lighting is good and everything just sort of works very harmoniously. Our server was very prompt and efficient and we never felt like we were being ignored, even though it was a rather busy Friday night.
I had the Amarind Noodle, which, on closer inspection, was nothing more than a jazzed-up Pad Thai. Spinach noodles with shrimp, crab meat, scrambled egg, and bean sprouts had a mild tamarind and chili sauce. Tasty, but not terribly exciting as I'd hoped. The chive dumplings were unlike any I'd had before. Three pure white dough mounds glistened wetly on the plate enveloping steamed chives, accompanied by a rich soy sauce. They were on the bland side, but my opinion could have been skewed abit after my dining companion announced he thought they looked "like snot".
He had the Three Flavoured Beef, which I thought was done very well. It's Beef marinated with a three flavoured sauce, chili paste and sesame oil, accompained by sauteed vegetables. Beef was tender, vegetables were crisp, and the sauce added just enough flavour. He also ordered the chicken satay, which he loved, but I thought the chicken was too dry. But the peanut sauce that came with it was very tasty.
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It seems like the best restaurants are in the most unlikely places. That is how I feel about Amarind's. Amarind's is located on the northwest side of Chicago, located near the suburb of Oak Park. Amarind's is a great restaurant. The service is great for both dining in and take out. The restaurant is cozy and extremely inviting to all diners. Their menu is extensive and extra yummy (try their chicken satay with the peanut sauce -- it's to die for!!). The entree prices are extremely affordable. So you won't feel guilty from enjoying the great food at this restaurant.
I am definitely a fan and will continue to visit this restaurant.
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Thai food exquisitely presented and matched in taste. Desserts here are unusual but good.
Too bad it's a drive out to the west side because this ranks near the top of my Thai restaurants.
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Amarind's is a really great place for Thai. Appetizers are prepared like little pieces of art. Love the Thai Iced Tea. But my favorite thing about Amarinds is that you feel like you are dining inside of your house. It is very small building, I think at one time it could have been someone's home. It is a bit pricey for thai, but definately worth the trip for a quiet sit down dinner. They also have several unque thai desserts, that we have tried and loved!
Week nights are not too crowded.
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What a find! Moving to Chicago from the Detroit area, we were worried we'd never find a place to compete with Bangkok Cuisine! We were so wrong. This place is delish, friendly service, adorable castle-like exterior.
My husband and I have yet to have a bad meal there. Love it! All the apps are tasty and the Pad Thai is delish.
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I found a new place for my Thai fix! Definitely on the top of my list of places to frequent; in fact, I have even driven from Elmhurst to get takeout from here, it's so good! Just outside of Oak Park, they offer simply delicious thai food in a pleasant atmosphere. A friend had mentioned that their chef used to be at Arun's; don't know for sure that it's true but he's certainly great! Their menu was fairly extensive, with some unusual dishes, and all the food we tried was excellent. I just about slurped up the hot sauce from my dish because I did not want to miss a drop. It's cute and clean inside, a little more fancier than some Thai places, and the service was attentive and friendly. Prices were slightly higher than some other mom and pop establishments, but well worth it. The best shumai I've had, and it even looked artistic! Highly recommend it; I will be coming back here quite often!
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This is my second favorite place to eat Thai. I prefer King and I in Oak Park for the selection and price, but this place has fresher taste but a little more expensive.
The lunch special is awesome
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wonderful, just wonderful. everything here had passion & flavor. best thai place since moving to chicago, & we've tried 4 or 5. the tom yum was a little flat, but it actually grew on me. miniature spring rolls were also a little flat (probably frozen). the whole snapper was a little pricey, but definitely worth it. whole chunks of fried fish with a sweet dipping sauce. the beef panang curry was pretty nice too. Lots of rice and friendly, but not annoying service. definitely definitely worth the drive.
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