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"The portions are smaller here than other thai places. But the prices are still reasonable and the quality is top notch. Fresh, well…" read more »
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I've had 4 star meals here, and I've had 2 star meals, so a three is a happy compromise.
Our most commonly ordered meals are the red chicken curry or green curry beef, which are usually pretty delicious. My biggest complaint though is the amount of spice. I genuinely like my food pretty spicy but sweet baby jesus, even when you tell them "mild, baby spice... seriously, no spice at all" it comes out mouth burning hot. If it was a one time thing fine, but come on, every time we order?
Otherwise, the soups are pretty decent and the appetizers hit or miss.
I really wish I liked it more... especially considering how often I order from there!
I stopped in to get some dinner last night. The night was wet and dreary. It didn't help that when I walked in the staff was not welcoming at all.
I sat at the bar and ordered the Pad See Eiw which is one of my favorite dishes. While I was waiting for my meal, I was given the standard condiments - soy sauce, jalapeno vinegar, and chile/garlic paste. Great stuff.
The Pad See Eiw was delicious but the beef was very tough compared to the Pad See Eiw's I've eaten at all other restaurants.
I will say that Singha is very affordable so I may go back with a group or to get take out.
I'd typically give this sort of restaurant 3 stars, but I'm bumping it up to 4 because of the stellar service provided by the owner! Our organization worked with him in hosting our annual membership dinner and even invited us for a complimentary tasting for our planning committee beforehand! I stopped by a second time to finalize details before the event and was treated to dinner again! Of course, we tipped VERY well and it was well deserved because all the servers are speedy and super friendly!
The food is by no means the best Thai food, but it satisfies and the appetizers are great! I would recommend my favorite: goong hor, but the chicken satay is a good choice as well! Definitely try the Nam Tok as it comes with plenty of beef, but beware that it has a kick to it! So don't try it if you can't handle a bit of spiciness. Moving on to entrees...pad thai has always been a favorite of mine, but Singha's tends to be mediocre at best. My favorite curry is usually panang, but theirs was too thick and full of peanut butter. Steer away from those two selections and you should be good to go!
Oh, and a good compliment to your meal is Singha beer. No, I'm not telling you to try it because it shares the same name as the restaurant. It really is that good!
Decor! How could I forget about it?! I love the bold, rich colors of the Thai culture and how you can be seated on cushions in the middle of the restaurant. It's definitely a fun atmosphere and you won't be disappointed!
Chicago is a food paradise and Singha is not worthy. I would not come here again. A major turnoff for me is bad smelling food. The nose knows all. Looking back at my experience I can think of a million other places I would have rather gone. I can't even remember what we had because all I can remember is the smell. I felt kind of dirty eating there because of the cushion/carpet scene they had going. And not in the good way.
This place is very detailed-oriented and thoughtful with great business ethics. I truly admired how the owner operates this place and trains the employees.
My old office was across the street from this place. I went there several times during lunch breaks. From the outside, Singha is beautiful and fresh-looking with seats outside during the summer.
The Yellow Curry Rice Dish is absolutely amazing. It's not too creamy nor too sweet. It's right in the middle with correct amount of carrots and potatoes. The chicken could be a little more juicier, but the sauce makes up for it eve just the way it is.
The servers are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Onetime I was looking for bus route while having lunch there. The owner came out himself and printed out a google map for me. That was very thoughtful.
Even the delivery service is great. The food got here within the time frame they told me. It was 3F that day and the delicious Pad-See-Ewe was fresh and hot as if it just came out of the pot. The portion is considerably bigger than most Thai restaurants I have ordered take out/delivery from. I had for 2 lunches. The delivery container is also a thoughtful design of Singha. It's thick, big, and microwave reheatable.
Of course, The Pad-See-Ewe was absolutely amazing. The noodles are soft and sweet, but it's not salty as many Pad-See Ewe else where. The tender beef accounts for over half of the portion. Very generous.
Just those details and generosity of this place makes it a unique spot that I will go back whenever I can.
A default lunch-time choice of sorts for my co-workers and I. Friendly staff (for the most part) and quick service. Most dishes are around 7 dollars. The quality and quantity is not bad for the price but do not expect anything spectacular. Overall, not bad if you are in the neighborhood and are craving something spicy.
Pad See Eiw is a common Thai dish, but also one of my favorites, and Singha's was excellent.
My comrades during lunch had varying curries, that all looked quite interesting, notably the green curry with a HUGE infusion of thai basil. Smelled and tasted amazing!
The fried tofu appetizer was simple, but quite good.
Prices are extremely reasonable, especially for River North, and I found the ambience quite charming.
Some of the servers need a lesson in manners (-1 star), but overall a great experience.
Food: I ordered the beef salad. Tons of beef, I was quite surprised; especially at $6.50. The salad was a bit too salty, they put too much soy sauce on it. And it was ladened with lots of cilantro; which I personally like. My friends ordered Pad Thai. Not a fan. Noodles were a bit soggy, not quite al dente. And the flavor seemed a bit too American. Too sweet and not tangy enough to get the tamarind flavor of the sauce.
Service: Top notch, Jimmy John's fast. I was mid sentence when they came back; they startled the bajonkerz out of me. Great for power lunches. Water was refilled like clockwork. And our check was given to us fast. This place was almost "fast-food" fast.
Ambience: Spacious; gitchy seating. They have the hole in the ground style of table that they have at some Asian restaurants.
Pros: Cheap, fast, comfortable, great service
Cons: Food is not stellar by any means.
Great place for cheap, vegetarian-friendly, fast, tasty lunch with a nice atmosphere to boot. Its definitely the type of place where you'll want to try everything on the menu that looks interesting so you can find your favorites because they aren't all going to be good. For example, I had the Pad Thai and I thought it was really bland and would never get it again. However, that was the only dish out of 5 that I've had so far that I wouldn't come back for more. The Pad See Ew and Crazy noodles are awesome.
Stopped in for dinner with a couple friends about a week ago. I had never been before, so I kept it pretty simple and just ordered the Pad Thai with tofu. The portion size was generous, but I wasn't blown away by my meal. (I would agree with other yelpers comments on it being a bit on the sweeter side.) Note: We started with the veggie egg rolls as an appetizer and they were good... I could have made a meal out of those.
The decor and atmosphere were enjoyable (dimly lit, traditional seating, etc.)... even if the music selection they had playing didn't quote coincide with all of that. The wait staff was very friendly and quick.
I'd go back if I was over that way.
Dinner at Singha was definitely a traumatizing experience...
I went with my boyfriend at the time, excited because this place had been rated best thai in the city on some website, but not only did the food not live up to my expectations at all, I got food poisoning.
We ordered the crab rangoon as an appetizer, and it just tasted... off. Sort of like the cheese that it had been made with had gone rancid. Dinner was no better, as the chicken in the dish I ordered was way overcooked.
The worst part was a few hours later when we were back at home and fighting for the bathroom. I'm guessing the crab rangoon was the issue.
Definitely not returning to this place.
...But the seats were cool.
It was just ok. Star of Siam is a lot better.
Ok. I'll write more. Their crab rangoon is terribly disappointing. It is more like fried dough with a cream cheese filling. This would be ok if you're one of those people who wears winter pants year round, but no thanks for me.
I ordered the tofu pad thai, because its my favorite. The order was large enough to feed four people. However, I think the noodles were overcooked and I really wish they included bean sprouts in the dish.
Bland and greasy food, poor beer and wine selection and RIDICULOUSLY slow service.
Note to self: Do NOT wear a dress if coming here.
You know why? You basically have to gracefully shimmy out of the seats if you do. Or swing your legs over the seats and pray no one is looking. Or crawl out of the seats. That's what I noticed men doing.
Pad thai and shrimp rolls were my favorites. Followed by Chinese broccoli with tofu, chicken satay and beef salad. We also had some curry, but I was too stuffed to attempt to eat alot of it.
Great service and cozy, warm environment. It'd be a perfect date place or night out with a big group of friends.
Parking is apparently available in the structure next door - and my friends only paid $8 on a Saturday night!
I never noticed this one even though I trounce around these parts often. Looking for Thai and wanting to avoid some of the health issues mentioned by Yelpers in the West Loop we headed here. And you can see in to the kitchen; I even accidentally kept making eye contact with a chef.
I sat at the cut out table area, dragging my legs over the carpeted wood. Only two other tables were occupied at 7:30 this weeknight but things picked up around 8.
Our server was quick, well spoken and polite. The soups are for two, so shrimp Tom Yum was on the way. A tad sweeter than I like but good.
The pad thai looked fairly boring so I tried almond beef. The toasted almonds were nice and lent the sauce a smoky, masculine taste. Like Thai Beef 'n Brandy. The meat, however, as is often the case overcooked and dry. The prices were a reasonable ~$8 an entree; the portion wasn't huge but not that small either. A few too many bamboo shoots, but not as many as others noted below, so maybe they're decreasing. I'm not a panda, you know. In fact, I wouldn't want to be one. Do you know how hard it is to get them to procreate?
The second time is a charm, especially when someone else is buying dinner.
I ordered the chicken pad see eiw per my previous suggestion, and was satisfied. I also ordered it for a friend and he liked it too (good choice to ask the resident foodie: me).
We also split some crab rangoon and it wasn't bad. I was expecting standard crab rangoon: triangular, puffy cream cheese, fried in two-day old oil. But no, Singha's crab rangoon was slightly boat-shaped, has a cheese filling that was a little gooey, and no old-oil smell. Also, instead of providing sweet and sour sauce for dipping, they provided some signature hot sauce concoction that went very well with it.
Note though, they include this sauce with EVERYONE's meal.
Expect future updates!
Despite my feelings about this place, my peers continue to choose it because it is reasonably… Read more »
I've been here a few times and it just doesn't do it for me. It's a nice location downtown with nice service. However, the food is bland and their panang curry is too heavy for my liking. I'd rather Siam Rice in the loop.
I was craving me some Thai food and after reading some of the reviews, I decided to go to Singha. Not the best choice I've made in a while. This place was so dead on a Friday night. I wasn't expecting Singha to be some bumping hotspot, but Jesus, it was empty.
They had the radio blasting, which is fine with me except when a) the restaurant is borderline empty and b) they have it set to a radio station. I feel like having music blasting in an empty place is just annoying. If there's one advantage to being the only dork at a restaurant, it's being able to talk to the person you're dining with. I couldn't even do that. And the radio station thing. I didn't mind the station they had it tuned to, but when the station goes to commercials it's almost unbearable. There's nothing worse than trying to talk to someone and having the most annoying voice talk over you. Kill me.
The food was average. We order the spring rolls, which said, "Spring Rolls (2)" but instead came with like 10 spring rolls. That was a little confusing. I'm not complaining. It was just weird. The spring rolls themselves were fine, but the plum sauce that covered them was overwhelming. It was so sweet and I could only eat two or three rolls. I tried to wipe it off, but it was overpowering. For my entree I ordered Pad Thai noodles. I've definitely had better Pad Thai noodles.
After eating about half of my dinner, I decided I wanted some coconut ice cream to finish off my meal. I got super hyped up about this coconut ice cream. I'm really into desserts. However, I didn't even get the option to order some, because our waitress dropped off our bill at the table while we were still eating our meals. I hate this. I'd prefer to beg a server for my check, as opposed to having it put on the table while we're still eating. The place was empty. There was no need to rush us out of there.
After that I was done. It was clear I wasn't going to have my ice cream and I just wanted to get the hell out of there.
To be fair though, I had my Pad Thai noodles as left overs the day after and they were delicious.
I
My husband and I are huge fans of Thai food, and this was one of the few places in our area that we hadn't tried. We started with the crab rangoon, and it was good. Not the best we've had in the city, but definitely good. Now my Pad Thai was a different story. It was completely dry and tasteless. Basically it was just a pile of dry noodles with a lemon and some peanuts on the top. If we hadn't ordered carry out, I would have sent it back it was so bad. I actually considered calling them to let them know how horrible it was. I'm giving them 2 stars because my husband said his Pepper and Garlic Chicken was pretty good. At least he could eat his. Overall, definitely sub par Thai food. We won't be going back.
This is a really great place to go for lunch if you are in the loop area. Just over the river on Clark it is close enough for most downtown dwellers. I went for lunch and had the crab rangoon and the Pad See Ewe (spelling?). My friend had the Pad Thai. All of the dishes were generous portions, fresh and tasty. The food also came very quickly which was good as we were on a lunch break with limited time. The people sitting next to us ordered some kind of soup and it looked delicious - a meal in itself. The ambieance of the resturant is cool too, very traidional Thai colors and decor with tables that are low to the ground. They have regular tables too. It was an excellent spot and I will be back.
This location and this price? Wow.
It's pretty spacious and I like the seating. Atmosphere is nice, very comforting & relaxing. Food is not expensive but not bad. A salad I ordered, Yum Woon Sen, was HUGE and I could not finish it myself. Entrée is like $7 or so. Great place, great price, good food.
Seems like all the Thai i've tried with my family in Chicago has been bland and not very good. Singha was a clear example, the pictures make it seem like a beautiful large restaurant but it was old and smelled funny. The food was mediocre at best, wait staff was uninterested, and the experience was just uncomfortable. There was no music playing so I think that made it so weird.
Another stop in the quest for good Thai in Chicagoland.
First time here. Ordered the standard chicken pad thai to use as a litmus test. Within 8 minutes, everyone's dishes were out. I thought the pad thai was a bit on the sweeter side, but considering the price of $6.50, can't really complain. I like the seating arrangements as well. At Siam, it takes forever to get a table and when you do, you find yourself sitting with another party... overall, good experience.
really like this place. great location, easy to meet friends for a quick lunch. only complaint is that it's a little on the noisy side, so if you want to catch up with a friend you haven't seen in a while, maybe not the best choice.
but the food is great and they accommodate vegetarians pretty readily. the tofu is consistently good and well-seasoned. the service and decor are no frills and sort of businessy, but the food is fresh and wellcooked.
A great downtown Thai restaurant. The portions are just right for the price. The food is decent. Service can get a little busy but overall, not too bad. Plus, I love the seatings.
This is a great lunch spot! The food is decent, and pretty cheap. I'm most impressed by the service. The service is always great. The food comes out quickly, and there are servers everywhere. So it only takes a few seconds until I can get a spoon or chopsticks. Water is refilled constantly. It's easy to have an enjoyable meal in your lunch hour here!
Oh, and I really like those tables! I think that's so cool.
This place hasn't let me down. I've been here a multitude of times during lunch. It gets really busy at lunch time but the service is always very quick and efficient.
I love their pad thai and pad see eiw. I'd like to credit this place for making the best cucumber salad ever. It's the perfect blend of vinegary sweetness.
If it's after 8PM and I'm still at work, my company will pay for dinner. Such was the case for my year of 2007, when I ate at work about 2 nights a week. And Singha was always the standby.
We'd always order the same stuff (pad thais, pad see eiws, lard nars, curries) with different proteins and levels of spice. But we'd always be satiated, with leftovers for the next day's lunch. This isn't a new chic-fusion Thai place; it's the mom & pop standby that's open late.
I've recently tried their Tom Yum and it's pretty good, but there's not much food in the soup, so you better order some rice. Sort of annoying that you need to pay extra for rice, even with curries, but whatevs.
In terms of dining in, it's a madhouse when you come for lunch, so I prefer slow weekend afternoons and evenings. You'll probably be the only table there, but they'll only have one waitperson at those times, too, twiddling his/her thumbs at the bar. Definitely a place where you'll have to raise your hand and ask for a water refill or your bill.
The reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because I had a bad experience with takeout. After calling in a large order, a co-worker jumped on the bandwagon, so I immediately called back and asked them to add it to my previous order. When I came to pick up the food, they considered the last entree a separate order and charged me the $10 minimum. I tried to explain the situation, but was ignored by two employees who spoke in rapid Thai, only slowing down to say my name in English, repeatedly. Isn't it a general rule that when you talk sh*t about someone, you don't say their name? I gave up and just paid the extra $5.
So overall, decent food, poor service.
PS: If you want free United Mileage Plus miles when you dine here, sign up for Mileage Plus Dining: http://mpdining.reward...
A few miles here and there never hurt anybody. =)
Nice solid choice for lunch if you want something a tad healthier than McD's and don't want to pay a lot. Standard Thai choices, deliciously prepared and served hot and fast.
Pad Thai was very good. I like the shaved carrots. Could have gone a touch easier on the green onion, but still quite good. Fills up fast for lunch, but service is good. Soups are a good bargain. They are hot, fresh, and huge.
For those who are sensitive to the issue, be forewarned- it's Americanized Thai food. I wouldn't know authentic Thai if a cold, marinated tentacle reached out and throttled me.
Location, quality and price make for a delightful experience. Service is all business around lunch time, so don't expect a lot of ass-kissing or smiles. Take out is super fast even though the dining areas are usually packed between noon and 1p.
Little benefits: If you order a dish with tofu instead of meat, you'll rarely have to ask for nam pla to be left off. Every time I've ordered a dish with tofu as a meat selection (I've also seen it happen at neighboring tables), they ask if you're vegetarian and leave off the fish sauce. Makes lunch-life easy and delicious. The lion statues out front are pretty cool, too.
Recommended: tom yum, tofu & veg soup, tenpura, cashew vegetables house special, and any noodle dish except the pud thai. If you saw the gallon jug that sauce comes out of at any other restaurant, you probably wouldn't want it from there either.
I went there on a date with my boyfriend. He is very tall, so the seating arrangement made both of us feel very comfortable. We played footsie all night long! I ordered a pad thai chicken and my bf ordered a coconut curry chicken. Both delicious. We also shared an appetizer of crab rangoon, and it, was, AMAZING! Best we've ever had! If you ask me, any thai place that can't make a decent crab rangoon should just pack up their bags and move to Montana!
Singha reminded me of my trip to Phuket last year. We stayed at a 5-star resort and we just pigged out on the most authentic Thai food right in our hotel. My boyfriend and I were both so excited to find such an authentic Thai place right in the heart of Chicago. And we definitely will be back.
Phuket!!!
Singha Crab Rangoon----I love you.
My FAVORITE place to grab a bite during lunch when the weather is nice. Thankfully I got my friend hooked and now we take turns enabling each other by sending e-mails right at 11:30 that simply say, "Singha?" A question, that we always know will be answered with, "YES! I'm so glad you e-mailed me."
The crag rangoon is the BEST. The rest kind of falls to the wayside. We like the chicken and rice soup, although my only true recco is the crab rangoon. Best in the city. Perhaps best in all the land.
Ooh, Singha--a much nicer option than the lone yogurt and carrot sticks waiting for me in the office fridge. I come here with coworkers when we need to get the hell outta the office and when i can't make it til dinnertime to satisfy my crab rangoon fix.
Since I'm a rangoon hog, I typically order it and a cucumber salad for my meal, but occasionally my friend, Laura B., and I will share some chicken satay, served with that wonderful peanutty-goodness. I hear there are plenty of other tasty things to eat at Singha, but I HEART CRAB RANGOON!
11/22/06 update - Crab rangoon is still delish... Finally tried the green curry with chicken. Oh. My. Gosh. It is soooo good and really freakin' spicy. I loved it even more when my manager tried a taste and had to spit it out since it's so spicy. Heh. More for me. :)
Inexpensive, good Thai food is what this place is about. On business trips, this is where we go after a few days of expensive meals to stay within (or close to) the budget. It's probably not the most authentic, the atmosphere isn't amazing, and the servers aren't always right there. But it's good, inexpensive, and rarely crowded in the evening. I've been going for 15 years and it's one of my regular stops when I'm in town.
I have no idea why the map put this restaurant at about 900 N LaSalle. Yelp maps seem to pick that address when they can't figure it out. The same thing happens with Souk restaurant.
Close to work location makes this restaurant an option. I would not go out of my way to come eat here otherwise. Lunch servers are always rushed and even kind of mean. The food isn't that great either. Veggie Pad Thai left something to be desired. This place just doesn't cut it as a must-go dinner restaurant, lunch however, it's acceptable.
This is right across from where I work and I've had lunch here numerous times.
They are also great for take-out if you're in a hurry and need to eat at your desk. They pack everything neatly, include all the sauces, a plate, cutlery, napkins, and all the taste! It's still hot when you open it too!
Recommendations For Vegetarians: Spring Roll for sure! And Pad Thai (request vegetarian with tofu)
We were cold and we were tired. This place was warm and open, unlike the place we set out to eat at (yes, I know. Join the 19th century and actually *call* the restaurant beforehand).
The food was quite lovely, with Ginger Chicken (Kai Pad Khing) and Beef Curry (Panang Nue) being ordered, with spring rolls for an appetiser. My biggest issue with the spring rolls and the beef dish was that I found it a little too sweet. The Ginger Chicken, however, was quite excellent, with flavours layered, and not just mixed, with each flavour notes coming in crystal clear, not producing a muddled cacophony: a well-orchestrated concert of flavours.
I'm not penalising the restaurant any for this, because I should also learn to read (10th Century BC invention?), but I found the beef curry to be overwhelmed by the peanut sauce, which I do not quite like. I blame the Food Network for this -- Iron Chef made Satay Sauce look and sound rather appetising, thus causing me to forget this important detail.
The service was also quite excellent and attentive, though there were only 2 tables in use at the time.
What the restaurant does lose points for is in its decor. I found its ambiance a little lacking, with an undirected mixture of pseudo-art-deco mirrored wall decoration to my left, traditional Buddhist decor to my right, and an eyesore in front of me. The lighting was too subdued, and the overall effect was shabby, not chic.
My boyfriend used to live a block away from Singha, so we would go there often.
I have only tried one dish, the chicken pad thai. I have grown to like it but it is not that great. The dish is more orangey than typical pad thai and is a lot greasier.
They give HUGE portions though. We can finish 1 order and still have left overs. Prices are very reasonable, about $7 total.
When we've eaten there, the service is slow and usually there is only one person working. But I have only eaten there for dinner, so I'm sure lunch is different.
Since we don't live around there anymore, I doubt we'll go back. But if you're in the river noth area, try it out to see if you like it.
I only go here for lunch, not sure if it would be a special place for dinner, though it is very cute. Perhaps a good early date spot - not too casual, not too fancy. They have a full bar and some fun drinks. But it's still a special treat when I go. Perhaps it's because it's a treat to go and sit somewhere for lunch during work any day. But I also think it's because Singha is tasty.
I've mainly gotten the pad sie ewe and the mild yellow curry, both of which I think are tasty. The yellow curry is amazing. I haven't seen this recipe anywhere else and it is by far the best I've had. Perhaps my love of this dish makes me bias. But everyone I go with seems to love it too.
They are incredibly fast at lunch- at least with bringing out your food once you order. They refill your water every four seconds too. But it takes eons to get your check. I cannot understand it, but it's always true. It's become a joke - food comes in 30 seconds, check comes 3 hours later. But then they are willing to split it across however many credit cards you given them, so it works out. Over all (even with the check wait) they are fast. You can get in and out for lunch in less than an hour easily without feeling rushed.
Cheap food considering the location. Chat up with the owner if you get a chance, he's cool. I've gotten a bunch of pads (pad thai, pad se-iw, pad lard nar) and have enjoyed each one. The downstairs area is great for parties as well. I've been to a couple.
Oh yeah, there's also some thai beer called Phuket Beer. Tasty stuff.
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Chinese
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