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Mon. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"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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Driving up and down Taylor street and out of three Thai restaurants, this place had more people in it, in my mind this place must be good. The prices were reasonable. I ordered the "Jade Noodle", (noodles made from spinach w/ choice of meat (chicken) stir fried with basic veggies and a Thai chicken soup.
The portions were decent, but it was very salty. I literally had to wash the noodles down with water or soup. I definitely will not order this again and should have just stuck to my routine Pad Thai, which I had ordered to go. It was way better than the Jade noodle.
This restaurant is NOT BYOB.
Oh Thai bowl, how average yet delightful you are. The panang curry was good, but sorry to say it was no Joys Noodles. The basil chicken rice, was fine, but not the explosive tasty deliciousness that I am accustomed to with other Thai restaurants. One huge bonus! Complimentary crab rangoon, my favorite! Although, this may have been a mistake on their end...
I may go back if I am in the neighborhood for their adorable out door patio, but not otherwise.
Being a Thai fanatic, and living so close, I've come here many times...but its not the best. The portions are very large, which is a huge plus. Prices are the usual average Thai prices.
I'm a big fan of Pad See-Ew because I love broccoli in my dishes. Thai bowl did a good job making this dish there was a lot to eat. I usually love putting saracha sauce on my thai noodles, compliments most dishes very well! They usually have the sauce in liquid form with the seeds and a spoon, but I prefer it in the bottle. I recently had the Lard Nhar noodle dish and I wasn't very impressed with the taste of the brown gravy sauce in the dish. But since I had it take out, I added some soy sauce and a lot of saracha and made it taste a lot better!
Biggest downside I think is the service, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. One time I literally sat my table for 10 minutes before the waiter realized and came over to serve us.
I got carry out tonight and I was standing near the register waiting for my food. As I was standing there was a big table of police officers next to me and they all kept randomly staring at me. They were all discussing one of the officers mustaches, in which I wanted to laugh at because his mustache was WEAK, very weak. Also, one of the employees kept staring at me. I was very confused and felt as though I had something hideous on my face. Then after 5 minutes the employee quickly said "sit" to me...and i slowly walked to an empty table and sat down. What if I didn't want to sit!?! I enjoy standing...sometimes! I JUST wanted some Thai!
Also, compared to other Thai restaurants, it takes them much longer to make your dish.
The indoor seating is alright, cheap seats and tables, not too big. There is also outside seating with some cool decorations.
Overall, a good Thai restaurant, not great.
This place hits the spot when craving Thai. The prices are just right.. and the portions are great especially when you are hungry! The food is pretty authentic but I have had better. It is kind of a "quick fix" for a Thai craving. I have eaten at many Thai places that prepare the food much more fresh and more appealing looking... Never the less, the food tasted good and the service was OK.. nothing to write home about.. but ok.
Pretty good food here, the portions were amazing, but my main dish didn't blow me away. I think it may have been more of my choice than the food there in general, and the crab rangoons with jalapenos were really good.
Also, be careful if you decide to eat outside and it's kind of late; there are spiders like everywhere. It wasn't as horrible as that sounds, but it was a little distracting. The outside seems like the only nice place to eat though, so I'd suggest carry-out if it's getting late.
A friend of mine, who is a local to this hood, suggested we grab dinner here. I liked her choice and would come back again.
Our frozen fruit smoothies were yummy, and while none of the food was particularly memorable, it was good. I ordered the garlic chicken bowl, and was able to substitute tofu for the chicken to please the vegetarian in me. Portion size resulted in two full meals for me, and I happily ate my leftovers the next day.
Their patio was quite nice for a summer night. I think that in non-summer months, dining indoors would take away from the overall experience of eating here.
Service was efficient but not particularly friendly.
If in the area and/or someone else suggested coming here, I would be all about it. I would, however, also be all about trying one of the many other options in the area.
On Taylor Street craving Thai?
Thai Bowl!
The portions here are very generous if you are willing to wait a bit.
I come here for one dish and one dish alone...
...PIN NOODLE DUCK PAD THAI.
It's a unique Thai dish you can't order at every Thai restaurant.
Different from your standard pad thai noodles, this dish is a nice change of pace for all you pad thai lovers. The duck is flavorful. Add a dash of lime 'n hot sauce if you prefer.
For dessert, try one of their bubble shakes.
JADE NOODLES! I'm usually the type of eater who tries something new/different every time I eat at the same restaurant. But at Thai Bowl, I only crave the Jade Noodles. Sweet/spicy garlic chili noodles with green spinach noodles.
I usually try the Pad Thai first to rate a thai place, but i've actually never tried it from here.
When you think of rama chicken you think of a peanut dish with a thicker sauce and some broccoli thrown in right? Wow, not the case at Thai Bowl! I am so enjoying a rama dish that is almost like a peanut curry...this dish is packing some heat!
Thai Bowl offers brown rice too which makes this an excellent, cheapie restaurant in my book!
Tasty Thai food that is decently priced at $7.95 for just about every entree dish -- pad thais… Read more »
I have liked this place since high school and I'm glad that I live closer to it now. Let's divide the reasons in sections shall we?
FOOD
Cheap and always tasty. The pad Thai is scrumptious, the lard nahr is yummy and the sweet and sour chicken is so crunchy that I only crave it from there. The added on Boba fruit smoothies are great. You watch as they pour huge amounts of fresh fruit into the blender and they usually serve it with a large chunk of fruit. Try the banana dessert. Out of this world.
SERVICE
People are always nice. Always.
OUTDOOR SEATING
Comfy and pretty it's great for the summer.
It's a nice neighborhood place that I've grown comfortable with.
I love the food. It is just sooooooo good. I have been going here for the past 10 years or so. I just can't get enough. The Pad thai is rad and so is the panang curry . Yes it is true that the waiters were very very rude but it has changed now. New waiters, really great and nice service. Hope this helps....!!!!
BYOB
Oooh this place brings back SOOO many memories!!! Any student who has ever gone to UIC has surely been to this place! This was my first taste of Thai food ever.
Food: The food is cheap and for a restaurant that caters to poor college students, it's good enough to foot the bill. They have all your standard, typical thai dishes (pad thai, pad see ew, noodles with beef or chicken, etc.) and it's best to stick with those dishes. It doesn't get too inventive here but that's ok because they are not catering to the professional, yuppie crowd.
Service: It's a hit or miss from time to time, but remember, you're here for the food. It's a hole in the wall place on Taylor, but sometimes the best finds are in these places! Also, don't forget to check if they offer discounts for UIC students!
Location: Parking is a pain on Taylor. If you find a spot, nab it and walk over to Thai Bowl.
I love this place. I went to UIC for school and this is still one of the places that I return as often as possible. If you are looking for great food and don't really care about the walls and how the location looks like, this is a great place. Remember, this place is located in the heart of UIC, so they are not going to invest much money in making this place look all nice inside. You will get the BANG FOR YOUR BUCK here, especially during these tough times.
I haven't been here since my naive undergraduate years, you know when you follow where your new friends eat cuz they think it's good.
Luckily, I quickly grew some real tastebuds.
This place is NOT good. Besides the large portions, there's nothing much going for them. Service is the same quality as their food.
I'm partial to this place only because of my undergrad years at UIC... had it at least once every two weeks and it was always good... so consistent. Spicy Chicken Pad Thai was my favorite dish. If you can't handle spice make sure them to make it MILD otherwise even the regular pad thai has a kick to it
This is still our go-to delivery spot when people at work are craving Thai. My usual order is for the Crazy Noodles and a Tom Yum soup with extra veggies. They do a fantastic job of adding in the veggies. I just wish it would come in a bigger size!
Not the best Thai I've ever had, but it's consistently good and the delivery doesn't even take that long.
My company tends to get takeout from here pretty often. The food is decent, as are the prices. The… Read more »
This is definitely the worst experience I've ever had.
The food is ok, and with a good portion for the price, but it is not the best.
The food alone is not enough to take me back to this small and bad managed place.
The service is terrible, the worst as far as I know. The waitress was rude and did not seem to care about what we wanted or why we were there. She did not take our order well since she forgot to ask for drinks. Since she forgot to ask for drinks, we had to get up and go ask for them. The worst thing is that she even saw that we got up to ask and did nothing to come and ask the rest if we wanted something to drink.
I could understand if the place was at full capacity and she really did forget to ask or was really busy, but the place was empty and had no customers but ourselves and it pissed me off.
I would not recommend this place at all for anyone, unless you will consider ordering take out or carry out since it seems that is the only good thing they do according to what i have heard. But other than that, the place needs to improve on the ambiance and look of the place and is in desperate need of trained wait staff.
Oh, Thai Bowl-how I miss you! Freshman year at UIC was the first time I've ever a) met a Thai person b) tried Thai food...needless to say, it was a good year. Thai Bowl was always my go-to place for pad thai. The food here is authentic, service fast, and portions huge! What more can you ask for? Try the spicy beef salad (nam tok), it's my favorite!
This is the best Thai place in the Little Italy/Greek town area. We usually get delivery once every week to two weeks. The delivery has usually been prompt and the food has always been excellent. My wife likes the coconut and chicken noodle soups, and I usually order the noodle dishes. Additionally, it is truly cheap eats, with no entree priced above $6.95. Highly recommended.
Thai Bowl is the BEST Thai food Ive had if I don't count the Thai food I had in Bangkok!
I ALWAYS get the "Shrimp Fried rice" which is just spicy enough that it doesn't burn your tongue and isnt exceptionally bland that it doesn't have any taste.
My friend had the "Mixed Fried Rice" bowl which he ENJOYED to the fullest-LITERALLY because those bowls are HUGE and one can almost never finish the entire thing. lol.
The seating outside in the spring, and summer time is too cute! :-)
Alright Thai Bowl, you're getting upgraded because the last three times I've gotten my food in less than 25 minutes, and GASP, ONE TIME EVEN IN LESS THAN 10!!1@!!one!! You go back to your old lollygagging ways though and you'll be downgraded again LIKE THAT!
First off, it would get three stars if my average wait time for a meal was less than 25 minutes.… Read more »
Within walking distance of UIC: great for quick, satisfying lunch.
Big, diverse menu
Bubble tea!
Indoor seating/nice outdoor patio
Friendly service.
Takes credit cards!
Great place to go with friends.
Wow look at all the bad reviews of this place recently. I mean, I kinda like this place and it's a solid 3 for me.
I'm not Thai but I think the Thai food is pretty decent for Chicago. I've really only had the curries with chicken and beef pad see ew, both of which are good. I like the tom yum soup too. The portions are good, the prices are fair, the service is ok - I've really got nothing to complain about. The outdoor seating when the weather is good is a nice bonus too.
Uh I feel a little sheepish recommending this place after reading some of the more recent reviews, but I don't think it's that bad. Give the green curry or pad see ew a try, and if you think it's terrible then well, I suck.
Rude and mean. The food was ok, but when you go there the people seem like they hate you, like they are really not happy to be alive.
Alrite people, here's the thing. I hated Thai Bowl with a passion and didn't understand why so many people I knew liked this place. I tried the pad thai twice (once dine-in and once delivery) and it was dry and I couldn't finish it. Knowing how much of a food lover I am, that rarely rarely happens. The food must be pretty darn bad for me to even consider that.
However, one of my friends who is in love with the chicken pad thai there made me have it again and you know what? It was pretty good...not phenomenal but good. I don't know how to explain it but it was more addictive than good. I wanted it the next day even though I've already established in my head that it's not the best pad thai I've ever had. Don't really know how to explain it...Still can't justify giving it 4 stars just because the other stuff I had there isn't really very good.
I only came here since my non-Thai boyfriend gave it rave reviews. They have a big menu and prices are reasonably affordable. It's not your typical thai restaurant that serves $9 a dish. I ordered thai noodles. Doesn't matter which menu item, actually, but the food is only as good as the weakest dish.
The noodles were dry and oily. A typical screw-up, I'm sure. The chicken was not only dry... but hard. Oh, and an excessive use of black pepper that I almost sneezed.
Would I go ever go back? If it were 2 to 1, sure. What am I supposed to do? Eat alone? hehe
Delicious Thai food, large portions, decently priced, the option to eat outside... what more could you want! very good tasting food. I miss living next to this place! everything I tried on the menu was good, they have tasty Thai iced tea and great appetizers (loved the crab rangoon, fish cakes were good too). Main drawback is that they are frequently pretty busy, so you might have to wait for the awesome food! remember, big portions, tasty food, and decent prices...
Gotta love Thai Bowl! The food is excellent and it's a UIC staple (10% discount with a UIC ID). They also have outdoor seating, so it's a great place when it's pleasant out.
Try the Pan Fried Chicken Noodles or the Sweet and Sour Chicken (the sauce is amazing)
I just made a trip back here yesterday and lemme just say... it was so nostalgic. So many memories of the good old college days... broke and hungry. Thai Bowl, you were my savior at the time.
Last I remember, if you were a student, you can show your id for 10% off or a free appetizer. I'm not sure if this only applies to UIC students but I'm sure nearby schools work as well? My IDs a little old and faded so I don't think I can pull off a 20 year old college student anymore. especially since you can't even see my face on the id anymore... sigh... =[ sadness.
The decor has improved a lot. They even have a TV now! ::collapses in shock:: wow. times have changed. Too bad its still too damn small in there. So don't go during busy hours or else you'll wait outside in the cold! (they do have outdoor seating but since i was never in the city during summer, i haven't had the pleasure of mosquitoes biting me while i eat)
i'm a creature of habit so Jade Noodles with Tofu is my choice of poison. I heard a rumor before that you get the least amount of food when you deliver, a lil more when you pickup, and the most when you dine-in. I've never actually compared but either way, it's a lot of food for about $8 a dish.
Perhaps i should show my appreciation more often for this little shop of deliciousness.... i still need to refill my desire for their pad see ew and basil chicken... and curry fried rice... and spring rolls...
can i just say though... i hate trying to find parking here.
I used to swear by this little Thai eatery and venture out on summer nights to enjoy their outdoor dining experience. But a while back, I was met with hostility and sass from the wait staff. Not only did it take them 20 minutes to bring us a can of soda, the waiter also snapped back at us when we questioned about the soda. This was all prior to us receiving our food! He rudely exclaimed "You are NOT the only people here, OK?" This prompted a small argument. When we went to pay our check, we noticed they actually tried to mark up items on our bill as well. Management was not helpful and supported the staff's rudeness. I have not been back since. I make my way a few blocks west to Yummy Thai where the food is a lot tastier.
Everywhere I go in the country, I compare them to Thai bowl. Be sure to try the pad thai, beef curry noodles and mango bubble tea drinks (when in season).
Prices are low, they offer student discounts and if you phone ahead you don't have to wait! I've eaten at this place for about 4 years and have had nothing but good experiences.
You know I been experimenting here and there with certain foods and thai food is one of them. I finally found a dish I totally can eat thanks to my good friend of mine. =)
Crazy noodles! HmMm Its stir fried rice thick noodles with chicken, mixed veggies, yummy basil leaves and some hot chilli!! I love spicy food!
Our waitress was horrible! When asked her a question about the menu she responded like I was stupid. Didn't appreciate that. Then I pretty much finished my dish before my friend got his. Maybe its just their personality. Who knows, but da food was good.
Not a big place, but they do have outdoor seating and good prices I'd come back.
If this review were solely based on the food I had recently, I'd give ZERO stars. I had the very typical pad thai and chicken salad. The pad thai was greasy and not as tasty as other places down on Taylor. The chicken salad? DISASTER. The veggies were soggy and the dressing was ridiculously salty that I couldn't get past two fork bites.
One star for spacious outdoor seating.
One star for cheap prices (which, based on my experience, isn't worth paying for such sub-par food).
Perhaps I went on an "off" night. Yet, I'm reluctant to give this place another try.
This place is great. The dishes are yummy, the staff is helpful if you want to make a substitution, and serving sizes are big and warm. Mmmm... just thinking about those jade noodles is making me hungry. It's also super convenient if you're on UIC campus.
Love it!
I still hold this little gem as the best place for Thai in Chicago that I am aware of within the UIC/ DePaul/ Loop areas.
Portions are great!
Prices are reasonable.
Service has been good when I've gone.
I usually go at night when there are maybe only 2-3 other couples dining in, so I would say the atmosphere is quite relaxing from my expierence. I order Pad Thai variants when I visit.
Usually I see a lot of people take out though, and find myself doing the same if the place is full. It's a great little restaurant to get your moneys worth on some tasty Thai food if you don't have the time to make it at home.
I'll keep it short and sweet. All I get here is the pad thai with tofu. Rationale being: why mess with the best? OK, while it might not be "the best," it is darn good.
That being said, I'm a student at UIC. If I wasn't, would I make a trip down here? No. Plenty of other good Thai around, closer to where I am. And with delivery woes (late, messed up orders) from when I used to work in the West Loop and read about here, would I order from them? Probably not. But while I'm around campus, and I want some pad thai that I know will be the same piping hot bowl of goodness each time... heck yes.
Also note: $10 credit card minimum, 10% off for UIC students.
Not many people realize that Thai Bowl caters, but let me tell you, it's worth working through the language barrier to provide students (especially freshmen who've never had Thai food before) with some yummy pad thai!
The restaurant is definitely lacking in "atmosphere", but if it's a hot fresh bowl of pad thai you're looking for, you can look past the small cramped spaces and ugly decor. In the summer, they have a nice outdoor seating area.
This is the best Thai food in Chicago! Hands down! I can never get enough of this place.
It looks pretty cruddy and the service could be a lot better (sometimes they're a little rude). Another drawback would be that parking sucks. It sometimes takes a bit to find a spot. It is Taylor St afterall! But once you try they're food, it's so worth it. They're still in buisness for a reason-they're the best! They have boba drinks made fresh right there. They're best dish is they're beef curry. Everyone I have taken there to try that stuff has been hooked. Any chance I get, I try to get their food. It's huge portions, at a great price. I've found myself binging on the stuff, because I just can't stop. It's awesome! Their tom yum soup is really good too!
I'd been going to this place for years because it was close to school (UIC), cheap, and good.
Those things are still true, however I've recently discovered their food now features COOKED BEATLES. No joke.
Gross! About to ralph remembering it...
I now go to Joy Yees on South Halsted for my pan-asian cuisine.
I think one of the dangers of http://yelp.com is that when you read a bunch of fabulous reviews, it makes an average or slightly negative experience seem worse than it really is.
With that in mind, I am giving Thai Bowl three stars instead of two. Also because the woman who took my order was a stitch.
However, even with explicit, turn-by-turn directions, the delivery guy still wandered around the neighborhood for twenty minutes before finding us. He went first to wrong building three blocks down and had their security guard screaming at me to come and get my food.
By the time he got here, the food was lukewarm and a half hour past when we were told to expect it. I ordered the Pad Thai with beef and crab rangoons because this is the first time we tried Thai Bowl and those are my standard first-try items. The rangoons were good, but how hard are those to mess up? The Pad Thai was average to good. Everyone liked their spicy beef and curry.
Still, that's the chance you take getting delivery. I'll try it again because the jade noodles piqued my interest. If so many other yelpers weren't fans, though, I wouldn't bother.
EDIT: I was looking for a sushi place and parked in front of Thai Bowl. We decided to eat here because of the really nice, relaxing outdoor patio with garden. It was a very atmosphere for a quiet, lazy lunch. I ordered the jade noodles and the taste, while not kicking my skirt up, was pleasing. The spring rolls were very good as well. I kicked up my rating another star to reflect the dining-in experience.
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: University Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Brighton Park
Neighborhood: University Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: University Village
Category: Thai
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