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Pot Pan
Categories: Restaurants Thai Restaurants Vegetarian Thai, Vegetarian [Edit]
1362 N Milwaukee Ave(between Wood St & Wolcott Ave)
Chicago, IL 60622
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
(773) 862-6990
- Nearest Transit:
-
Damen-O'Hare (Blue Line)
Division (Blue Line)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
248 reviews for Pot Pan
Review Highlights
"great food, love the crab rangoon and pot stickers."
(in 20 reviews)
"Egg rolls were crisp and flavorful."
(in 14 reviews)
"The pad thai w/ shrimp was excellent too."
(in 83 reviews)
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248 reviews in English
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Review from rebecca c.
Chicago, IL
I must say I thought everything about this place was great. Price was very reasonable and the food quality was good. We went for lunch and it was 5.95 for a small portion of your choice of dish and soup was included.
We started off with the veggie egg rolls which were cooked to perfection. The Tom Kha soup was absolutely amazing and my entree was very good as well... I ended up getting Chicken and Mixed veggies.I am a very critical eater, and I thought this place passed my high standards -
Review from Jeff R.
11/30/2011 3 photos
Erica and I are still looking for a go to Thai place in the hood. There are many options, or at least more than we have had time to try. We will all know when Wicker Park becomes the next Lakeview when there is a sushi/thai/noodle/byo on every corner. Thai Village wasn't our favorite so we picked up from Pot Pan the other night on a recommendation (and it's just down the street). It was our standard and simple order - chicken satay with peanut sauce, pad thai for the pad thai queen and my pad see eew.
I said we are still looking for a go to Thai place because Pot Pan was good but still missing that extra umpf (or MSG or something) than makes you want to go back and stuff more tofu in your face. The peanut sauce for the satay was great but the two noodles dishes were just so so. Erica's pad thai was much worse than my pad see but both dishes needed that extra flavor punch. I like my noodles and vegetables - both well cooked and with great texture. But my favorite part of a good thai noodle dish is the sauce, and neither had very much. The pad thai was seriously bland. We'll continue our journey for our favorite local noodle place and maybe give Pan another look. It's close, cheap and the food's decent but not awesome. -
Review from Tram L.
Madison, WI
10/30/2011
A nice lovely place near the six corner. The food is inexpensive and the ambience is nice where you can sit in the outdoor or inside with some space for yourself.
The only reason I dont give it a 5* is because of the limited assortment they have in the menu -
Review from Allison K.
Chicago, IL
1/30/2012
Normally Pot Pan is so good, but my last experience was baaaaad. I ordered delivery on a Sunday and it took an hour and 45 minutes to get my food. When I got it, the tempura was cold and super soggy--pretty inedible. The Pad Woonsen was good, but also not very warm.
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Review from Andy D.
Chicago, IL
1/30/2012
I had the Red Curry made spicy (4 out of 6 spicyness rating) with Beef and it was the best red curry I've had in a long while. Also, the cucumber salad was fresh and had a delicious sweet sauce over it. I find myself craving this place and can't wait to go back.
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Review from Steena B.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 1/5/2012
Now that I have been more than once, the initial love has worn off. Don't get me wrong, I could never separate from my Panang Curry. Its just all the other stuff is horrible. The Crab Rangoon tastes like pure MSG (or what I believe MSG tastes like), the Wonton Soup had me gagging in the middle of the restaurant, and the Chicken Satay has too much cumin flavor in it. The seats are tiny and the staff is slow. My friends also got the Thai iced tea which tasted like one of the waitresses vomited it into the cup. Sorry for the visuals but if you tasted it, you would know. Overall I will only go back when I get my Panang Curry craving once every few months.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/17/2011
My favorite Thai place in the city.
I've only had a few of their dishes because I absolutely love… Read more »
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Review from kalli J.
Chicago, IL
1/7/2012
Fast delivery but forgot my Thai iced tea. Pad Thai not good and I have had pad Thai all over the city. I dont want to totally bash because it makes me feel icky but really bad first experience.
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Review from Phil T.
10/26/2011
Hoping to find a solid thai joint in the area! Well Honestly i's hard to mess up pad see eiw, but at the sametime it's hard to find a really good one! This was just mediocre at best. Luckily the food did come out in 5 mins for take out, not kidding. If it wasn't for that then def rating would be lower.
The portion size was smaller n was lacking the typical Thai two portion meal. :( I did ask for it to be spicy and they made it with a perfect kick. Overall flavor wasn't that impressive.
Besides that when ordering take out, you have to order at the back of the store. You will notice that literally it seems like a mini hoarder lives back there. Definitely a surprise bc the ambience is rather nice but kids toys of the owner, stacks of older magazines, just mounds of paper work. It's clutter that you can see or even sit next to when waiting for food. It's completely sloppy and shouldnt be visible. If the owners are sloppy wouldn't want to see the kitchen! No way Jose....this is an one-n-done! ;-) -
Review from Katie A.
9/26/2011
Used to go here pretty regularly when I lived in the neighborhood, but one time I went with a friend and saw the owner (?) cutting her daughter's hair in the *kitchen*.
Yeah, that's what I said.
Cutting hair in the kitchen. Next to the food.
Never again. -
Review from Kathleen C.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 10/14/2011
Pot Pan never disappoints. This spot is consistently delicious. I changed things up and ordered my pad thai spicy - perfect!
It's perfectly priced, delicious, BYO and friendly!
LOVE IT!Listed in: Cheap Eats
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/11/2011
Yum Yum Yum
I have thoroughly enjoyed every meal that I have eaten at Pot Pan. The food is… Read more »
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Review from Jass V.
Chicago, IL
9/4/2011
This might have been a three star experience were it not for the green curry.
For those of you who don't know, I am a green curry FANATIC. If I go to a restaurant that serves it, you better believe that's what I'm getting. It's not that I'm not an adventurous eater, or that I dislike leaving my comfort zone. It is simply that I love green curry to the point of wishing I could publicly declare my undying devotion to it, before promising it a lifetime of care and commitment.
Oh wait. I just did.
Mooooving on. The Pot Pan is beautifully appointed, with (what I assume to be) an authentic Thai (or tourist-Thai) atmosphere. We came for a birthday dinner and the food was indeed celebration-worthy (or at least mine was).
The service, however, was a little spotty, considering we were the only large party of maybe three other tables. I won't go into detail, as it truly didn't detract from the fun of the evening, but I would recommend a little more attention to detail from staff. But once again, not a big deal on this occasion.
The food, including it's presentation, was delicious. I can't speak to the taste of everyone else's dishes, but my green curry was JUST the right kind of spicy. It can sometimes be very difficult to impress upon a restaurant that I do, indeed, want it as spicy as humanly possible. Often I end up disappointed. Not so at Pot Pan. Perfectly spicy, perfectly mouth watering and perfectly unfunky tasting chicken (which is harder to find than you would think).
I would go back. Good green curry is hard to find. -
Review from Chris M.
Iowa City, IA
10/13/2011
Meh is exactly how I would describe this place. I was in the mood for thai food and I was new to the area and this place seemed worth a shot.
It wasn't. I wouldn't say it was bad but it definitely wasn't anything special. For the record I did do take out, but just not that great. -
Review from Chan K.
Chicago, IL
12/5/2011
I haven't been here since they moved to their new location on Milwaukee Ave, but the interior does look nice (at least from the sidewalk). The menu isn't large, and standard Thai dishes but nothing overly exotic is offered. My favorite is the eggplant with basil and shrimp. I ordered mine spicy, but it didn't seem to have enough kick for my spice-hardened taste buds. Still it was an enjoyable meal I'd return for.
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Review from marc f.
Chicago, IL
1/21/2012
maybe the kitchen just had an off night. or maybe the food here is just awful. either way, there's no reason to investigate further.
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Review from leila r.
Chicago, IL
1/29/2012
ok. so i can't say that I've had the food, but I'm a stickler for service. if you treat me right and the food is good, i'm a customer for life. i tried placing an order for delivery and the fools wanted to charge extra because i wanted rice noodles instead of rice. they said i had to pay for the side order even if i didn't want the rice in my meal. wtf?! is it really that big of a deal? cancelled my order, called someone else who was happy to oblige.
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Review from Shawn H.
Chicago, IL
9/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
The decor in Pot Pan was great. It was a very nice environment for a meal. There were multiple vegetarian options and the food was tasty.
My only knock is no hot sauce for the food. I really enjoy Thai hot sauce.
If you're in the neighborhood, you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Lori Taylor R.
Chicago, IL
7/11/2011
Not impressed ... We entered and the owner was sitting at a large table alone, eating. The entire restaurant was empty. He did not get up, but pointed over to the left for us to take a seat.
Many of the reviews talk about the decor - But what about the mess!?! The walls were filthy, the floor dirty and heavily scratched and the window in the lobby area I don't think has ever been cleaned. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed all of this if our service was a little more attentive.
We couldn't understand it - we were the ONLY people in the entire restaurant. Why couldn't we get better service? The food was alright, but both of us ordered spicy entrees and neither of us tasted any spice at all. It took forever for the waitress to bring our check over.
As we were leaving the man that had been eating at the large table in the center of the restaurant had now moved over to a small two top table on the right-hand side of the restaurant for his afternoon nap. Seriously? Wake up and pay more attention to your customers - just a thought. -
Review from Stefan H.
Chicago, IL
1/3/2012
Very good value on decent Thai food in a city that (surprisingly) doesn't seem to have many good Thai restaurants. The delivery has been lightning fast in my experience as well. The restaurant itself is comfortable and the service good...and impossible to argue with the price! I will be back often.
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Review from Kiki M.
10/19/2011
It is inexpensive, but the food is just not good. Its all way, way, way too sweet. Just not worth coming back here. I wish there were a decent alternative in the neighborhood.
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Review from Bob L.
Chicago, IL
11/16/2011
Boring, not good food. Below average service.and we found a hair in mocci
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Review from Kerri C.
Chicago, IL
10/23/2011
Fast delivery, food was pretty standard. I ordered the spicy noodles- khee mao with tofu, their famous egg roll, and Thai iced tea. I didn't like that online ordering forced a meat protein ( although you can clarify that you would like vegetarian in the notes). There was a little too much tofu and not enough noodles and medium spicy felt like no spice at all. I'll order another dish in the future because it has potential.
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Review from anna k.
Chicago, IL
11/8/2011
First visit was delivery. Green curry chicken and oyster chicken and tofu. mild. Very good.Super fast delivery. Gonna try medium next time... really like this place! This will be on my speed dial.
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Review from Rick M.
Chicago, IL
5/4/2011
POT PAN is one of my favorite Thai restaurants. They used to be located on North ave but then closed for about year. Then I was surprised to see them again on Milwaukee. The owners are very friendly and you'll even be greeted by her 8 year old son who manages to sneak in showing you his toys. If you are real nice, sometimes he'll even give you a piece of candy. The ambiance is pleasant with candles decking the tables, an Asian-esque feel to it. The owner shared too how she remodeled the new location by herself.
Oh and to the food. Great Thai cuisine, reasonably priced. Ask for the Lad Nar but have them make the noodles crispy. OMG. -
Review from Steve H.
Chicago, IL
7/16/2011
Great neighborhood place. Very reasonably priced and the food has been great so far. The portions are perfect and we enjoy trying different things on the menu each time.
We're new to the neighborhood, but we will continue to come back to this consistent favorite.
P.S. Thai iced tea......yum! -
Review from Michael S.
Chicago, IL
3/31/2011
I don't think I judge Thai restaurants too critically, but I was seriously disappointed in this place given the location and decor.
We ordered the pad woon sen and pad see ewe in addition to spring rolls as appetizers. None were good at all even after we tried to doctor the food with chili and fish sauce... speaking of which, they did not have fish sauce out. Soy sauce is not a Thai staple like fish sauce. We had to actually ask for the fish sauce with peppers (nam pla prik.) Nam pla = fish sauce... prik = pepper. At least the waitress did get that for us. Service was okay, but the lady seemed a bit rude.
Anyways, back to the food... Both noodle dishes were waaay too sweet. Even the thai coffee was the same way. The spring rolls had old tofu in it and lots of sauce on top which I assume was to try and cover the shoddy ingredients. Shame on you Pot Pan... I went home not eating too much. I also had a bad tummy ache after as well. Not even sure what to do with the leftovers that I took.
2 stars because I liked the decor and service was ok. Otherwise, I'd give a 1.
Btw... just because you're in a nicer area and have a nice looking restaurant doesn't mean you can get away with bad food... unless that's what the hipsters in the area like... In which case, please carry on. I'll go where they actually serve good Thai food.Listed in: Thai Food!
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Review from Hasket M.
Chicago, IL
4/27/2011
Upscale atmosphere but very reasonably priced typical Thai which went down easy but wasn't something I felt couldn't be replicated at another restaurant.
Also, I had to flag down a kitchen worker on his way to the bathroom to get the rest of my food to go so y'know, there's that too.
It's worth noting that the kitchen entrance pathway is right between the entrance of both bathrooms. I wouldn't go here when it's crowded if you're thinking about it. -
Review from Erin J.
4/4/2011
I got their chicken lad nar, the Vietnamese spring rolls and crab rangoon last night and I was thoroughly unimpressed.
The noodles in the lad nar were all congealed at the bottom of the dish into one big uni-noodle. The gravy was scant and the chicken tasted boiled. The broccoli was greyish. I tossed it about two minutes after I opened up the container. $8 down the drain right off the bat.
The spring rolls tasted good; my only complaint is likely a matter of taste...but who wraps up all the ingredients into a thick, watery leaf of iceberg lettuce and then wraps it up into rice paper? I HATE iceberg lettuce and it was wholly unnecessary for this dish. I really liked the spicy peanut oil they served with it, however.
The crab rangoon was 4 little twisted over-fried pouches of goo. I've gotten a lot better - and more - for less elsewhere.
Also, I ordered an iced tea, and for $1.50 I honestly expected more than a 12-oz cup filled with ice. That makes me sound cheap, but there it is.
I won't go here to eat and I won't order delivery from them again. -
Review from Kammie G.
4/3/2011 2 photos
Went here for lunch today and the place was empty which allowed my friend and I to just sit wherever and talk about whatever.
The food was good and I liked that you get a free appetizer or soup with lunch entree purchase. The spring rolls were yummy. Also the pad woonsen with tofu was delicious. The entrees were also nicely put together and looked just as good as they tasted.
The service wasn't the best, I don't rememebr our waitress saying anything to us besides "what would you like". -
Review from Rich W.
Chicago, IL
10/3/2011
Not a big fan of Pot Pan. I know when it comes to Asian restaurants, that it can be a total hit or miss. Asian food is suppose to be cheap, and quick. Ordered a Chicken Pad Thai and Chicken Panang Curry. The chicken was sliced so thin that it was almost non-existent. The flavors of both dishes lacked flavor. Most likely not giving this place another chance.
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Review from Kristin R.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 1/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Update!
So in my last review, I make mention of the fact that I can't comment on service or ambiance because I have only ordered out. Well, came here the other evening and absolutely adored it. The inside is very clean and appropriately decorated to make you feel as if you're in a Thai abode. The restrooms were also very tidy and super clean. Always a plus in my book.
The service was a bit slow, but I didn't mind it. It's nice not to be in a rush and to just enjoy dinner once and a while!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/5/2011
Pot Pan might be the best Thai food I have had in Chicago thus far. I would for sure order the… Read more »
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Review from Keith A.
Wilmette, IL
4/14/2011
Its been too long since I've satisfied my thai craving, so I met a friend here for lunch. Its rare that I'm at a place to take advantage of a lunch special, so I had to take care of that as well.
Being very hungry and waiting for a friend, I ordered up some shrimp dumplings. These were the best part of the meal and I even ordered up a second round when my friend arrived. For the main course, I got some panang chicken along with an eggroll as well. Both the eggroll and and panang chicken were pretty good, but nothing too memorable.
Overall pot pan was pretty solid. The waitress was nice and let us dine at our own pace. Granted, we were the only ones in there, but still. It was pretty enjoyable, but nothing to go out of the way for -
Review from jasmine p.
Chicago, IL
3/21/2011
I tried Pot Pan when I saw them on GrubHub. (Thanks, Pot Pan, for delivering to me!) I really was craving Thai food and Pot Pan did not disappoint. I ordered my usual (Pad See Eiw) with spring rolls and crab rangoon.
Everything came properly packaged and delivered with care. Nothing was spilled helter skelter and delivery was very timely. I hope to experience Pot Pan's restaurant, but for now will be ordering for delivery from them. Keep up the great service and yummy food! -
Review from Carlos T.
Chicago, IL
5/31/2011
Okay, I don't like writing negative reviews, but this time I had to.
Things we ordered:
- 2 tum yum soups
- 1 crab rangoon
- 1 chicken satay
- spring rools
and here it goes...
When we open the bag, there were the two tum yum soups, each in it's cup and each cup wrapped in a plastic bag. What happened? well, the 2 plastic lids were totally destroyed, which means that at least half the soup (in each cup) was all over the plastic bag, which I wasn't going to eat, due to the unknown origin of the plastic bags and the hygiene issues. I ended up having the soup that was left, though. In the ingredients of the soup it reads "mushrooms" but what did I get? ONE mushroom in each soup... really?
Alright... enough with the soup.
Crab rangoon: most of it was crust. Just a little cream cheese and the sauce for it wasn't enough.
Chicken satay: the chicken tasted like anything but satay. Funny flavor also.
Spring rolls: is it really that hard to go wrong with spring rolls? Well, it seems that it's possible! We were not even able to eat them with our bare hands! They were not sticky as spring rolls should be, so they kept on falling apart, plus they were not tight. Seem that there wasn't enough filling.
oh, on top of all these, the delivery dude was rude. Didn't even say "hello", he just handed me the bag.
basically... on my *beep* list. -
Review from Angela Z.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 4/4/2011
Definitely an improvement from my last time ordering. Everything was delivery timely and was tasty.
I ordered Pad See Eiw Beef- I think it could have used a bit more sauce.
Crab Rangoon was tasty
Shrimp roll was really good.
You can not really go wrong with fried items. I will be ordering from here again in the future. I am glad they made a turn around from my last order.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/12/2008
If was good. Seems like it lost some edge. Satay was a bit pricey for the amount. However, the crab… Read more »
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Review from Monica W.
Chicago, IL
9/12/2011
I'm not a connoisseur but I am a healthy eater so I eat Thai alot. I found their green curry to be hot just to the limit of what I could eat comfortably and I have never tasted more tender or juicier chicken satay. Great place to eat!
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Review from Keely B.
1/23/2011
I really wish I could give half stars, because the perfect rating for this place is a 3.5. It's cute and cozy, modern. The food was better than average (though no one will ever compare to Ben's, as far as I'm concerned). The service was slow and...unpleasant is too harsh a word. Civil, I guess is the word I was looking for. Polite, but not friendly.
The Tom Kha was a little on the sour side and lacked the spice I had hoped for, and the Pad Sie Eiw was a bit dry, but I am told that the vegetarian egg rolls were fantastic. -
Review from Jinna H.
Chicago, IL
11/29/2010
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT-
no, it really was
-WHEN I went to pick up my carryout order from Pot Pan.
Wasn't sure what to expect. $11.88 and I was out the door with my food. Finally getting it back to my digs in Humboldt Park, I basically had the best Thai I have ever had.
Egg rolls were crisp and flavorful. Not to mention ACTUALLY EGG ROLL SIZED, instead of those tiny ones most Thai places give you.
And the pad sie ew with tofu...guh. Largest serving of the stuff I've ever had. Sauce is thick, and all of it on the noodles. Very flavorful and filling.
Being a tasty food addict, I will definitely come back here again. -
Review from Seth M.
Chicago, IL
11/15/2010
1) BYOB
2) Great Food
3) Good for large groups
Those are the 3 big wins for this place. I had the Spicy Basil Fried Rice and thought it was really good.
Thats my simple review and everything you need to know if your looking for a group dinner in Wicker Park -
Review from Christine P.
Chicago, IL
9/12/2011
Great food at a great price. My husband and I have been here many times for romantic "date night" dinners and dinner with friends. Everything I've tried has been very tasty. My favorite appetizer is the Vietnamese spring roll - they are so fresh, mouthwateringly good and the presentation is 5 star restaurant quality. One of the best parts about Pot Pan is that it is BYOB. Plus the staff is really nice and very attentive. I'll be back soon!
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Review from Jennifer T.
Downers Grove, IL
11/29/2010
I've only been here once and it was late at night... around 10pm. There wasn't many places that were still open. And of course, I had to have a taste for Thai food and so I was super happy to see that this place opens late. The portion are just right not too large (maybe get an appetizer!) and it had a decent price for being in Wicker Park. The Pad See Eww was not too shabby and I give an A for food presentation.
Would try again if I'm back in the area.
