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Cozy Noodles & Rice
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
1018 Davis St(between Maple Ave & Oak Ave)
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-0101
- Nearest Transit:
-
Davis (Purple Line)
Dempster (Purple Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sun 4 pm - 9:30 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
166 reviews for Cozy Noodles & Rice
Review Highlights
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166 reviews in English
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Review from Brett M.
Evanston, IL
The Cozy Noodles experience.......
I've been here several times and plan on going again. The food is solid and the portion sizes are very generous, all at very reasonable pricing. Each dish comes with a base variety of noodles in tandem with your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or Tofu.
The service here is nothing to write home about HOWEVER it's not bad. I come to Cozy Noodles with the idea of being left alone. -
Review from Matt M.
Chicago, IL
this little place is full of yummy, comforting dishes. i have gone with groups and also just with my partner. it is a nice spot for friends, but also an inexpensive, fun date night.
i think my favorite thing on the menu (that i've tried so far) is the tom kar soup. it is a spicy coconut soup that i have ordered as a dinner sized portion with tofu several times. it is creamy like a bisque, and the galanga root seasons similarly to ginger, but with more complexity.
the menu can read a little generic, that is, many of the descriptions can seem very similar. but we've found that each dish has it's own specific qualities that make it special. every time we've been, the place has been so busy that i can't say i've felt comfortable taking up too much of the wait staff's time by asking them questions.
just rated on aesthetics alone, Cozy could easily take five stars. collections of kawaii and kitsch, the walls are packed with collectible figurines, plush toys, lunch boxes, paz dispensers and other over-the-top whimsy. -
Review from Janet B.
BYOB, cheap, DELICIOUS noodles, fast delivery, coupons, enough veggies in most dishes to convince yourself that you're eating healthy = my favorite restaurant as an undergrad.
I miss. -
Review from Kit G.
Cheap, but not very good.
I ordered take out for lunch. I tried the chicken with broccoli and rice. It was not very good. It had a strange taste to it. I only ate half of it and I doubt I will eat the rest. -
Review from Jamie B.
I will start by saying that this place has a fantastic lunch special. For $6.25 you get soup, choice of egg roll, spring roll or cucumber salad and an entree or noodle dish.
I ordered the bamee noodles and asked for no pork (they let me substitute tofu for the pork). I was happy to find that my request for no pork was met, but there was supposed to be crab in the dish, and there was no crab to be found. So I ended up with egg noodles, tofu and bean sprouts. They did a good job with the tofu, but I think the crab would have added some much needed extra flavor and it could have used some sort of light sauce because the noodles seemed very dry.
On a whole I still enjoyed the noodles and tofu and cleaned my plate, I just probably wouldn't order it again. I'm sure I'll be back at some point though because the lunch special is just too good to pass up. -
Review from Ameed M.
Chicago, IL
The food is mediocre, but service is terrible especially on busy nights.
Our group of 5 went here for a little reunion get together, and we basically were kicked out for not eating and paying quick enough.
We waited for about 10 minutes for a table (not terrible), but then it took 15-20 minutes to get us our menus. The waitress claimed they had a reservation waiting for our table as soon as our food came out and asked us to pay quickly.
None of us believed that a restaurant would do that so we kept trying to enjoy our meal. Finally, she brought over the group of Northwestern undergrads that wanted our table to stand around our table as we were all finishing our meals.
The waitress/host then threatened to call the police if we didn't leave right away. She was the rudest person I have encountered at a restaurant and I don't plan on going back. -
Review from Jeanne Z.
Walnut Creek, CA
You know how in real estate the term "cozy" is used to describe a cramped space? While I would not describe the restaurant as cramped per se, this place is not for you claustrophobics out there. The tables are small (ideal for two people but a third can be squished in) and placed pretty close together. I thought it was "cozy" in a nice way.
The decor is very interesting. It's like being in a show of Hoarders Extreme. The walls are filled with beanie babies, cans, signs, etc.
The food is reasonably priced and tasty. I got the Crazy Noodles because I'm a crazy gal! It was delicious- egg noodles with chicken and shrimp.
Place is BYOB! -
Review from Jennie S.
Gettysburg, PA
BYOB. I've only eaten here twice, and realized this the 2nd time when I saw two groups that brought in their own six packs.
Their wall decorations are AWESOME and organized by wall. They have pez dispensers, license plates, lunch boxes, tsatske type stuff. It keeps you pretty entertained while you're waiting for your food. This is helpful since they're not the speediest.
Their food is good. I ordered the pad-see-ewe with tofu and it was delicious. The first time I went, I ordered panang (red) curry and it was SUPER spicy. They charge extra for additional tiny bowls of rice, so practice rice conservation.
Check out their website for specials and discounts before you go eat there. -
Review from Rish N.
Skokie, IL
Cozy is always satisfying. I love coming here for the consistency and for the atmosphere. The food is always good! I love their decor by the way, the place is covered with vintage toys!
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Review from Liz J.
Chicago, IL
The quest for decent Thai delivery to Rogers Park continues. And we continue to be unsatisfied. I decided to be creative and try their crispy pad thai. It was ... really strange. The noodles were wide and, well, HARD. Like difficult to chew. The lady had crazy noodles which she was underwhelmed by. Fast delivery through GrubHub.
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Review from Amy Y.
Chicago, IL
Cheap but crappy food - the wide noodles and like giant hard thick crackers, and and curries are so bland sometimes I think it's cooked in flavored water. The vegetables have a tendency to be either under or overcooked, and the flavors don't come together at all. You can get better result by buying a bottle of paste, mix some coconut milk, and it will taste 10x better. Only positive is that they have good delivery, even during lunchtime, so our work gets them for us. If I had to pay, I would never come here.
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Review from Ellen P.
Cook, IL
Soooo their curry dishes have changed because they don't buy the same coconut anymore. Flavor is not 100% the same and texture is totally horrendous.
What used to be a pretty pale yellow dish is now murkey and brown, it looked and tasted like soup. Wah wah!
However, if I could rate service separately it'd be a 5 star. Theyre always good with their "reservations" and put you at the top of the wait list, even if the waiting area is non existent.
Also, we told our waitress that our dishes were not what they usually were like, and she sent the boss lady over. She IS SO SWEET! She apologized that our dishes were unsatisfactory and even explained why the change had happened. She swapped my friends curry dish for another dish that everyone loved, and obviously did not charge us for curry dish. After we had tried the new dish my friend got, she came back over to check that this new dish was good (it was GREAT) and again apologized and chatted.
Also, for such a busy place, once the waiting masses seemed to die down, they were still super super attentive as we spent three hours drinking wine and chowing down.
If they were able to replicate the old curry (apparently they no longer import the coconut they were using into america and this new brand they are trying out, and this new brand is much more watery - oh and did i mention the boss lady even thanked me for speaking up so they could know that maybe they should try a new brand of coconut!) i would still come back constantly. I fear I may need to find a new Thai place :( Suggestions????1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/25/2010
this has become a staple for my boyfriend and i for special occassions/celebrations.
not very big so… Read more »
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6/25/2010
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Review from Lin T.
Evanston, IL
I've never been in the store. I usually order for delivery. Not the best thai experience, but not the worse.
I much prefer the red curry at Indian restaurants though. -
Review from Tarra T.
Solid Thai place! BYOB which is awesome and on Sunday's you buy one entree get the second 1/2 off. They've got your basic selection of Thai dishes and they are pretty quick with the service. They do deliver and they take credit cards. Good spot for a cheap dinner and good time.
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Review from Thais A.
Pad Woon Sen
Cashew Entree
BBQ pork and rice
Had all three for dinner, and all three were incredible! Delivery was super fast too, they originally said 45min, it arrived in 30. Best noodle place around! -
Review from kim s.
Evanston, IL
Love, love, love me some Cozy! If the hubby and I are ordering in, Cozy is our go-to. We're vegetarian and they are always so accommodating, offering to make Orange Tofu for my husband with no complaints at all.
They have a great basic Pad Thai, but I also adore the Pad See Ewe, Pad Khee Mao, Spicy Udon, Pad Woon Sen... I could go on. And on. The spring rolls are fabulous and their soups are great too!
It's BYOB and they are always happy to provide corkscrews and glasses. There is a liquor store right across the street, which is very convenient! They're open late and delivery is usually between 20-40 minutes. Meals are CHEAP, freshly made, and just super yum! -
Review from Alex B.
I like this place - it's is quirky and kooky and a great place for dinner before a movie in Evanston. The food itself is good, though you can find better Thai. However, the fish cakes are particularly yummy, with lot's of good Lemon Grassy goodness.
I like the place because of it's charm and it's outstanding price point. From a value perspective this place is the Bomb. We got out of here for $30 for the two of use plus $5 for two giant cans of Foster's from the liquor store across the street (Cozy is BYOB). On a seperate note - did you know that there is a law in Evanston that if you purchase a single beer of less than 40 ounces you must purchase two of them? Gotta love it - did the Schlitz Malt Liquor people put them up to this?
The decor is awesome - shelf after shelf of pez dispensers, bobble heads, and lunch boxes. Straight out of the forty year old virgin. And, you can amuse your guests for hours by playing games like "find the Boba Fet pez" and "who is that fat guy next to Elvis." Bon Appetit! -
Review from Miro N.
Chicago, IL
Food is mediocre at best while staff barely speaks any English, so if you proceed to ask them a basic question they might get the look on their face that some people get at tough exams. " Think, think, think what is broth again. Ah this is going to be a long day. "
The only positive thing is that the place cheap which I would expect to be considering the food quality. -
Review from Neha N.
Evanston, IL
Well hello there green curry....you are my new favorite! Cozy doesn't dissapoint whether it is take out or dine in. I went on a Friday night where it was PACKED and still ended up getting good food relatively quickly. Also, they freshly prepared the green curry without fish sauce, which so FEW thai restuarants do these days. The place is a little noisy because it's so busy, but oh well. The staff is nice and really make you feel like your business is wanted. Don't prepared to be wowed by the decorations...they are toys covering about every inch of the wall. A little weird for a Thai place, but the other Cozy location looks exactly the same.
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Review from Hula B.
Chicago, IL
my go to place for carry-out/delivery on chicago's northside rogers park area.
plus they have on-line ordering. yeah! -
Review from Mike S.
Evanston, IL
Very nice Thai place with friendly staff and decent food. Love their colorful interior. I recommend trying one of their Thai Curries (especially the green one) and Bubble tea (the green tea one is my favorite) - both are delicious. Also, it's a BYOB, which make it a good place for informal gatherings.
My only complain is that the place does not accept coupons once the check is on the table, i.e. you have to mention that you have one when making an order. -
Review from Keith A.
Wilmette, IL
mmmmmmmmmm, thai food. Gimme moar. I was jonesing for thai and needed some delivery since I felt like being lazy and not going out to get it. Enter cozy noodles.
I made sure to go with some normal staples like chicken satay and some crab rangoon while also getting some spring rolls. I liked the fact that the chicken satay wasn't already on skewers and were just loose pieces of chicken. The spring rolls were extremely good. I was doing my best not to just run right through them. The crab rangoon was excellent and was packed with cheese and meat. These weren't your normal crab rangoon's that don't have much meat and are more flaky crust, these were more meat and cheese.
Since my friend and I were chomping down on the food, we also ordered up some entrees. We got some chicken pad khee mao and shrimp bamee noodles. the pad khee mao was good, but the noodles were just okay. They did it right with the amount of heat on the spices, but I was really wanting for some better noodles. But, in comes the shrimp bamee to bring back something real good. The noodles were really good and I was doing my best not to fully bogart the food.
Most of all, it was very affordable. A lot of food was ordered and it only ended up costing around $30 after tipListed in: Evanston
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Review from Angela W.
Evanston, IL
I'm surprised to find Takoyaki here. They were great, and comparable to the ones I had in Japan.
I liked the Pad Woon Sen, but I found the Garlic Chicken Noodle a bit too sweet. -
Review from Chris S.
Chicago, IL
The food here is pretty decent but not the best Thai restaurant around. I give this place two stars because of my first (and last) experience here with the waitstaff. After finishing my dinner with my friends, I look at the bill and see that they have entitled themselves to a 20% tip...uh WTF? I should note that there were only three of us dining, so this was extremely unusual. The service was good and I would have gladly tipped very well but I was taken back by their audacity in tipping themselves (how about you let me be the judge of your tip, you know, it being my money and decision and all of those commonly held notions abut tipping?) These people think so highly of themselves that they GIVE themselves the highest possible tip...please people, this is a neighbourhood Thai restaurant, not a 5 star f***ing joint. Another thing that just irritates me is that they would not split the bill amongst our group. I was thinking wait, you tip yourself 20% and then don't even bother trying to earn the tip by doing me the favour of splitting the bill. This place is not worth your time, don't go here, you will leave feeling seriously angry.
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Review from Chris W.
Chicago, IL
The decor is great. I love checking out the Pez dispensers, and lanterns. The food is decent. I haven't had a lot of experience with Thai but I don't see a reason not to go back. I usually get the Pad Khee Mao and our table always orders the Crab Rangoon. I'm not sure if I currently know a better place right now for Crab Rangoon.
My only complaint is the waiters are sometimes slow and forgetful. My party sat down and looked at the menu to decided what we were going to eat and we had all closed out menus in hopes that the wait staff would notice that we were ready to order. They looked over a few times but never came over until we said something. Out party had 3 diet cokes and 2 green teas ordered but they never showed up. We had to have them remove it from our check. When the food was order, it did come fast. I guess that means the kitchen staff knows whats going on. -
Review from Jenny F.
I love this place. Every time one of my friends comes to visit, I take them here.
It's like an 80's throwback/garage sale/ebay collector's heaven. Pez dispensers, lunch boxes, random action figures and robots, Elvis, license plates...a little ADD, but they make it work.
and it's cheap! nowadays it's very rare to find a place that serves actual meals for under $10 that don't make you feel like you need to carve out your arteries after you eat them (read: fast food places). and if you can get a coupon (either the Northwestern Daily, those mailer thingies, or online), it's a steal. Buy one entree get one 50% off!
The portions are just right too. You could finish it all if you're really hungry, otherwise you have a nice little take out box when you're done.
It's not blow-your-mind-fan-freaking-tastic food, but it's good thai, and it's cheap, which to me, makes it great thai. i recommend the pad see ewe, lard na, or the bamee noodles.
i luh me some cozy noodles & rice. -
Review from Richard H.
Chicago, IL
This is my favorite place for lunch. There are so many great items on the menu. I recommend the noodles panang and rama special.
The decor is super cute, full of toys and pez dispensers and other great kitschy stuff. -
Review from Janice W.
Chicago, IL
The place is bright and clean and is decorated in a very kitchy way. I thought all the food was too sweet but everyone else loved it. It's not bad - just wasn't amazing. But it's probably a good place for families or groups, especially if some in the group aren't familiar with Thai food.
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Review from Lori L.
I cannot lie. I'm a fan of Cozy.
After an embarrassing attempt to open and enter through the wrong door, I was greeted with a smile and shown to my table.
Their lunch specials really cannot be beat. A long list of entrees, which include soup, a choice of spring roll, egg roll, or cucumber salad for only $5.95. I went with Pad See Ew w/chicken. This has slowly become my new favorite Thai dish. Cozy's is very flavorful with just enough sweetness not to cause a cavity. I really had to control myself from snarfing down my entire plate. I wouldn't say the portions are huge, but they are generous enough to provide leftovers.
Hint: If you receive the Daily Northwestern, there is usually a coupon inside.Listed in: Where the Wildcats Roam, Noodle Me this Batman
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Review from Trisha F.
Manhattan, NY
Really good food, charming atmosphere, but terrible terrible service. Multiple times I've been asked to leave the restaurant before I finished my food because they have people waiting for a table. So rude.
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Review from Dee W.
Mediocre food - wasn't impressed by the pad thai or pad see ew or lad nar, however their pad prik and curries were incredibly spicy and required me to make more rice to sop up the spiciness! I've stopped by before for dinner since they're BYOB and food is well priced for the portions that you get. Since they're usually really crowded, we usually opt for delivery instead.
Delivery isn't so bad and you can usually use those coupons that they mail to you or are also available online. Overall, it's pretty much our preferred Thai delivery place.
However, they do have great lunch specials and their decor is uber cute. There was a wall covered with tin lunch boxes from the 80s. Sometimes, the food is a hit or miss, but not bad since it's in Evanston.Listed in: BYOB Restaurants, Evanston Cheap Lunch, Thai Restaurants
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Review from David R.
Despite living in or near Evanston for the last several years, somehow I managed never to come here until recently. Too bad, because it's a cute sit-down place with above-average, cheap Thai food. The bright walls and playful decor--hundreds of Pez dispensers, dozens of lunchboxes, old radios, cigar boxes, and license plates--bring some figurative warmth on cold winter afternoons.
The lunch special is a steal, especially given the high quality of the food: $5.95 for soup, small appetizer, and full-sized entree. The spring rolls are bland and mushy, but the egg rolls are perfect little bites which come with an excellent sweet chili sauce. The cucumber salad has chunks of the vegetable instead of slices, and a perfect tangy dressing.
The pad thai is good, maybe a B. It's slightly salty and greasy, has no carrots, and needs more peanuts, but overall has a good flavor and balance of cooked and fresh ingredients. The pad see ewe is in the B+ range. The star of the entrees that I have tried is my old standby, Thai spicy basil. Theirs has BIG chunks of vegetables, the perfect level of spice (enough to make me fret a little but not still be tasting it an hour later), and a generous portion of ground chicken; a solid A.
Service is standard. Go for the food and the bright atmosphere.Listed in: Lunch in Evanston
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Review from Yanyao N.
I can't get enough of the vegetable egg rolls from here. Luckily I live a block away and can call for pick up all the time. The crab rangoon is awesome. I tried the fried tofu last week and will order it again. I usually get the woon sen pad thai, which is pad thai made with glass noodles. The crispy pad thai is also good for those looking for something different. The usual suspects (pad see ewe, cashew chicken, pad thai) are all delicious.
Even though we mostly just do carry out orders, it is really fun to eat in here. The walls are bright yellow and covered with novelty items like beanie babies and robots. Plus, there is a liquor store across the street and the restaurant is BYOB. The staff are really friendly. Good value for price too.Listed in: Carbo Loading
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Review from Candice G.
Naperville, IL
This place is what the inside of my head looks like. Just a sh*t ton of nostalgic toys and colors, a life size Elvis replica, it's BYOB, reminders that dessert is the backbone of any diet, and there are robots a plenty... that's right, robots live in my brain. Just call me Yoshimi 'cause I gotta black belt in karate... okay, I only made it to green belt IRL but the point is, I'm f*cking fierce.
I've been debating between a 4 and 5 star rating but settled on the 4 because the food was really good, but not super great- though their portions are super generous. We got the spicy Tom Yum soup and Fried tofu. And for din I got Spicy Basil leaves with tofu and the BF got some sort of giant beef dish that he couldn't finish if he wanted to leave with his top pant button still in tact. Lucky for me, I wore stretchy pants... aka, God's answer to Thai food. Amen!
I will say that I was pretty disappointed with the bubble tea. I got the plum bubble tea and was defo not a fan. I gave up after a few sips and tried to force feed it to my BF because I hate for food to go to waste. I ended up taking most of it home and using the giant straw as a dart gun and the tapioca bubbles as darts on my from front lawn in the snow. They were much better suited for that anyhow. Also, ordering was kind of difficult here, as our server's English was very, VERY limited and my ability to decipher things even when said with a very minimal accent, leaves much to be desired. We were not a good pairing.
I will totally be back, maybe for a birthday dinner with friends, since I like making people drive as far as reasonable possible to celebrate me... and because I can't stay away from a place that is straight out of a Flaming Lips concert.Listed in: Jack Talk Thai
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Review from traveler c.
Chicago, IL
WARNING: If you are semi-A.D.D or A.D.H.D, stay away from this place if you are going on a date / meeting someone to have an important convo or catching up. Half of my night went like this below:
Her: "Are you listening to me? Hello? What are you looking at?
Me: (My eyes slowly wandering up and down the walls and ceilings.. from staring at actual vintage radios from the 70's to action figures on a shelf, to some random russian dolls, Big Bird next to my leg by the windowsill, and awesome signs everywhere).
Me: Huh? Oh yes, how are you doing? (stares off into some dream world).
Her: What?.. ugh.
This place reminds me of someone's toy chest from the 80's which exploded and magically stuck to the walls. There is probably not 1 inch of free space as this cozy little restaurant (prob seats 30 max) has vintage/old school items everywhere. The men's restroom is super tiny but has Marilyn Monroe paintings everywhere.
Ok a bit side tracked... to the food we go. This place which is BYOB (no alcochol served here) apparently encourages you to use a coupon which you can find online. The online coupon is buy 1 entree get 1 free; however, you need to spend at least $15 total dollars which isn't hard to make. 2 entrees, 2 apps, and 1 drink does it. Entrees range around $7 dollars.
We ordered the Thai Chicken Fried Rice and the Pad Khee Mao (spicy). These were pretty authentic.. a lil bit on the sweet side, but still good nonetheless. We ordered two appetizers also, including the Cucumber Salad and the Shrimp Shumai. The Cucumber Salad was definitely great and healthy, while the shumai - just stay away from it. They were tiny, not authentic (but not horribly bad either).
The service was great.. they refill water quick and the staff is very nice.
I would definitely come back again... Give it try.
Oh btw, their parking lot fits about 3 cars max (no joke), and street parking is metered. -
Review from Grace P.
Evanston, IL
We have only gotten take out once, but it was excellent! The delivery was fast, the food was hot, and we plan on going in to eat there in person sometime soon.
The crab rangoons might be the best I have ever had, the fried rice, and panang curry noodles were also exceptional. We got a free order of pot stickers for spending a certain amount, they were the only thing that was just mediocre. I got a good amount of spice on my rice (which I requested) which was a nice surprise. So often with other restaurants I request spicy, and get incredibly weak spice.
Overall we loved the food, and can't wait to try more things on the menu. -
Review from Marion P.
Chicago, IL
I have finally figured out why their food always tastes fishy: They do add fish sauce even to their vegetarian dishes. You order your curry with tofu as a 'meat', you still get fish sauce all over everything.
As if that isn't bad enough, they charge a one dollar surcharge when you order something without the fish sauce.
Pay more - get less, I've never understood that logic.
That being said, I like the food here a bit better than in the downtown location (albeit not as much as Thai Sookdee just around the corner), the lunch specials are very affordable, and even with the one dollar surcharge it's less expensive than some of the other Thai restaurants in Evanston. -
Review from Dan A.
Chicago, IL
Your in Evanston, hungry and only have 10 for lunch but don't want some greasy burger or anything fried. Head to Cozys. You will not regret it.
Staff is nice and know how to handle the lunch crowd. I've always been been seated and served in about 30min.
Food is great and fresh. I've only had lunch at Cozys, so can only speak to that menu. Ginger chicken is nice and not too spicy. Ive had a few other items but can't remember the names. All lunch specials came with a choice of spring rolls or egg rolls and miso soup. -
Review from Jeanne J.
Chicago, IL
I love Cozy Noodles! The restaurant has good lunch specials, and good coupon deals that you can find on their website..
I agree that their decor is anything but Thai but it's all still so cute and, needless to say, cozy.
Their portions are generous and their regular prices cheaper than other Thai restaurants around.
Their dumpling noodle was a disappointment - my dish came with a single dumpling. But I do like their pad thai - flavorful. -
Review from Sandra W.
Chicago, IL
The food is good for the price you pay. Sometimes I feel like the things that I order (I always try to order something different each time) and it's very heavy. I can never finish a whole plate and if I do, I don't feel good afterwards. I dont' know, it's a little heavy for me.
The drinks are good though. like the smoothies and such. It's in a great location. The service is fine. It's pretty authentic. It's BYOB. I like the decorations at the place. It has a bunch of license plates all over the wall and random decoration collections. It's fun to look around.
