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Vong's Thai Kitchen - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Thai Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Asian Fusion Thai, Vegetarian, Asian Fusion [Edit]
6 W. Hubbard StreetChicago, IL 60654
Neighborhood: Near North Side
(312) 644-8664
- Nearest Transit:
-
Grand-Red (Red Line)
Merchandise Mart (Brown Line, Purple Line)
State/lake (Brown Line, Green Line, Orange Line, Pink Line, Purple Line)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
227 reviews for Vong's Thai Kitchen
Review Highlights
"For dessert we had the Warm Passion Fruit souffle."
(in 13 reviews)
"...behold, they have a red curry chicken pad Thai and it was..."
(in 5 reviews)
"But trust me, chocolate cake and coconut sorbet is mouth..."
(in 3 reviews)
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227 reviews in English
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Review from Chris H.
Noblesville, IN
8/18/2010
In Chicago on business and looked for a great little Thai place for lunch. Fantastic!
Ambiance is perfect. Kind of chic, contemporary. Dim lit and well decorated. I was very impressed. All the noise of a busy city just disappeared.
Started with green mountain jasmine tea. So fragrant. Warm on a cool day. Next the black plate. Order for one and share with two. Eveything was excellent. Perfect balance of savory, spice and sweetness. Tuna sashimi really sticks out as the winner.
Next the main dish. Shrimp and chicken pad Thai. Let's just say this... Pad Thai was meant to be prepared this way! Awesome!!!! So fresh, light but filling, and simply delicious.
A must for anyone seeking Thai in Chicago. I will be back as often as possible. -
Review from Katie H.
Chicago, IL
5/12/2008
In the restaurant business, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day are referred to as "Amateur Nights" meaning that people who aren't usually accustomed to dining out suddenly flood the restaurants (read: flaming idiots...i.e. "I don't see why I need to tip! If the waitress doesn't like it then why doesn't she get a better job" and "Y'all got popcorn shramp? It ain't on the menu but e'ryone got popcorn shramp, right?").
Anyrate, I was smart and took the day off much to my general manager's chagrin. Ooooh I was happy.
I asked my step-mom where she would like to go, and being from out of town, the only places she's familiar with are Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. She said she wanted Vong's. I can groove with that.
I had been to Vong's once before for a quick dinner. The food was great but I remember being annoyed with their weak-sauce mixed drinks. According to some of my coworkers Lettuce is know for skimping on the hard alcohol... like one small jigger pour per drink, but they'll still charge you like you're buying a double. Also, interesting fact, no Lettuce restaurant will allow you to order a shot. They'll say something like "I can serve it to you neat." And you'll be all like, "Uh ok... isn't that the same thing?" Uuughhh I guess they want it to be more about the atmosphere and the food than getting sloshed - but as a hardened alcoholic that's an automatic 2 star deduction. Moral of the story - stick to beer and wine at any Lettuce joint if you want your money's worth.
So why am I giving Vong's 4 stars then? Well they reeeeeally came through on Mother's Day. I got a reservation right when I needed it, no hassle. The service was so courteous. My waitress didn't even flinch at all my mom's crazy-ass special orders/allergy reports and was happy to answer my parents' myriad of questions(I tipped her accordingly).
We pigged out on chicken satay, tempura whitefish, shrimp and scallop curry, beef tenderloin with crispy noodles, banana spring rolls, mango mochi and Prosecco. Everything was great. Best of all, they gave all the mothers these complimentary orchid bouquets...way more than I thought to do!
Yeah it's more pricey than your local Thai takeout place but you're not going to get any dud meals here and you'll feel like a classy bitch while you're eating it. -
Review from Dee W.
11/5/2007 5 photos
What a wonderful experience - It's useful to know when you come here, you're expecting a trendy Asian Fusion and not Thai food.
The group share menu is a fabulous option which is $24.95 per person (there are a couple entrees on there where they will charge you extra $$ per person though) but we started with their black plate appetizers which was fabulous. The tuna sashimi was delish and the chicken satay was perfectly covered in sauce. The shredded papaya salad was fresh and mouth-watering.
The entrees were generously portioned (and so good that we even requested refills of some of our entrees - it's free except for those entrees that cost a little extra to start off with) - we had their beef tenderloin (which was so tender that it was like butter in our mouths), pad thai, penang curry, noodles, and another garlic chicken dish.
Dessert was equally amazing with their mango souffle and the chocolate molten cake and the creme brulee was really out of this world. We also had a birthday cake with our group, so besides the cake cutting fee which we were really disappointed by. We were charged a fee yet the cake wasn't cut and we weren't even provided with a knife to cut the cake so we just dug into the cake with our forks. -
Review from Kristin R.
Chicago, IL
2/25/2008
I'm a little surprised this place is averaging a 3.5 star rating. I love the food here and the atmosphere is also very cool. Pretty dark and mysterious inside but not too loud to the point where you have to scream across the table to your dinner company.
I've been her twice now and both times the food was excellent. They bring out some little salad bit in the beginning. I have no clue what it is but it's an unusually savory little sucka. Love it.
We usually order the crab and shrimp pad thai: amazing. It's also filled with generous lumps of crab so take advantage, it's awesome. We also ordered the citrus seafood curry. We wanted to spice it up a bit and order something different than regular primary colored curries so we went out on a limb and tried the seafood curry. VERY good. The citrus taste to it was amazing and it's filled with yummy oysters, clams, calamari, scallops (my fave) and shrimp. We had to ask for more rice though. Why do all the Thai places try to jip on rice? No clue.
They have a wonderful array of cocktails, wine, and....beer? Not sure about the beer but definitely lots to choose from in regards to liquor-based and grape-based beverages. I ordered some great little tasting treasure with sake, ginger and lemonade. Yummy.
So the service...it was great until the very end. I'm not sure if we did something to offend our waitress (Melissa) but when she set our bill down, no thank you. When she picked it up, no thank you. We had 3 credit cards in there and she didn't even ask how we wanted them split. Luckily into thirds was fine but what if it wasn't?! I totally think waitressing is an incredibly hard, stressful, shit job so will give her the benefit of the doubt; maybe she had a bad day. But the degree of her bitchiness was so severe, unexpected and random that I couldn't give her more than a 15% tip. In fact, I think I gave her a little less. Well, what can I say? The quality of service was sub par but the food is incredibly good. You should definitely check this place out if you're in the area. -
Review from Jessica L.
San Mateo, CA
2/25/2008
A VERY good Thai food place in Chicago.
Gets crowded so make a reservation!
The special crab pad Thai was wonderful - unique and it comes with lots of crab meat and shrimp. Give it a try.
We also had the citrus seafood curry which was fantastic - light and not too lemony, actually, I thought it was perfect.
Their calamari appetizer is also unique - with herbs sprinkled on it and a fun chili oil sauce for dipping. YUM!
Lots of cool specialty drinks as well - I had one with lots of fresh shredded ginger in it.... can't wait to go back!
(Service did suck here - a little slow and definitely unfriendly - but the food is so good and different, I can't knock stars.)Listed in: I (heart) Thai Food!!
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Review from Mary T.
10/6/2009
2 words: Chocolate Beignets
Vong's was the first stop on our boozy, bachelorette debaucherous Saturday evening. A prix fixe, family style menu in the private room right off the bar was arranged for our party. I'm kind of lukewarm on the whole experience, so I'll break it down by part.
* Space - The bar area is way too small for such a busy spot. I also don't understand the need to serve bar bites here either; personally, I would've gone nuts if there were people leaning across my meal every two seconds to order drinks. I think the regular dining tables in the bar area are a bad idea too; nothing like sitting ass-level while a bunch of people crowd the bar and practically sit on your lap while you eat.
* Service - Several members of our party described our server as annoying. I didn't find her annoying so much as frequently absent and pushy about some new wine no one was interested in trying. However, the food runners and busers were great at making sure we were in good shape with most things.
* Drinks - We opted to exclude drinks from the prix fixe menu. Drinks were pricey, but strong; the Greyhound I got was unremarkable. I found it strange that they only list wine by the glass on the menu, per our server they price bottles at 4x the glass price; I skipped the wine, but I didn't notice anyone complain.
* Portions - Generally speaking the portions were generous, with one exception, the rice. They brought out a small bowl of jasmine rice to accompany our meal. The rice made it to the fourth person before running dry; instead of replacing it with a bigger bowl we kept getting more tiny bowls - what an exercise in futility!
* Food - I was lukewarm on the food, but it may just be that Thai isn't my thing. We started with the shredded salad, which was kind of like a Thai cole slaw. Entrees included: Tamarind Glazed Tilapia, Yellow Curry Vegetables with Tofu, Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai, Grilled Beef Tenderloin Noodles, and Garlic Chicken with Thai Chiles. I didn't try the beef or chicken, but the Tilapia was amazing, melt in your mouth good. I wasn't the only one who thought so, we ended up requesting an additional platter. I wasn't impressed with the veggie dishes at all; I didn't care for the texture of the tofu and found both dishes to be bland. The curry was very awkward; it had a soup-like consistency, but was served in a flat serving platter, making passing it around the table a cruel balancing act.
* Dessert - We got an assortment of desserts, in descending order of popularity we had: Chocolate-filled beignets - perfect, round, amazing little dough balls full of chocolatey goodness; warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake - a delectable molten cake served with coconut sorbet and a ginger basket; warm Passion Fruit Souffle - served with a scoop of ice cream dumped on top, which per the server was THE way to enjoy it. The souffle was weakest link and the only item to remain unfinished; the ice cream the server tossed in made it look all gross and soupy.
Bottom line: I almost never eat Thai and know virtually nothing about it, dining here didn't really change that. Everything seemed to be made with fresh, high quality ingredients, but for what we paid I was disappointed. At the very least I expected a lot of spice and flavor, but for the most part we never got it. I don't see myself making this a destination in the future, but if I did it would be for the Tilapia and those chocolate desserts.
TIP: This place always seems to be packed, I highly advise reservations.Listed in: Closing Time, On the 3-6, Greyhounds
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Review from Tom M.
Chicago, IL
1/30/2007
Great food - went their for an after-work dinner with 4 colleagues, and had the "Black Plate" special (family style appetizers, entrees, desserts). $24.95 per person - and they really bring lots of food! You choose the entrees and desserts:
great assortment of appetizers
Vegetable Curry (more tofu, please!)
Tamarind Tenderloin
Chicken noodle dish (wow - really good!)
oozing chocalate cake
crem brulee (utterly declisious!)
good drinks
good espresso
good service
Worth every penny! -
Review from Jessie G.
New York, NY
12/17/2006
I've been here about three times, they have amazing mixed drinks, which is probably one of the main reasons to go here, some with a lemongrass soda and others that are just really new and interesting combinations.
The food is basic thai food, I think even a little bland at that, even ordering things spicy here doesn't make them spicy. And the food consistantly has taken FOREVER! to come out, it's a shame.
The interior is decorated sort of like a thai swanky club with the round booths and slow speed low fans, but come for the drinks and don't expect much on the food.
If you are vegetarian/vegan they do have a seperate vegetarian menu which is helpful too.Listed in: Yummy Veggies, Yummy.
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Review from Lindsay K.
Chicago, IL
11/4/2009
Sometimes I really loathe coming to this area. Too many tourists and too much traffic. But when there's family in for one night from out of town, you gotta do it!
Convenient from most downtown hotels is VTK - which I had never heard of until the concierge at the Renaissance recommended it.
But as a Thai/French restaurant. HUH? What kind of mix is that?
Well not much of one it would seem.
VTK seems to think the one page they deem "French" is okay because it has some seafood and some meat plate on it. Yeah...no.
Beef satay was like buttah....yum. The sauce was kind of too sweet and really thick though. Skip the sauce, and just have that lovely meat how it's already nicely seasoned!
The pad thai was just fine. I've had worse and I've had better.
Their wine and beer list was, again, fine. Nothing too exciting.
The best thing about this place is the interior and atmosphere. I love it. It's gorgeous! I want it in my home! The food, I could take it or leave it. But good in a crunch when the baby bro was in town!! -
Review from Yanyao N.
Updated - 1/15/2010
I am so sad that VTK is gone.
Stopped the day before closing for the standard black plate and family-style lunch. Delicious as usual. I am pretty much obsessed with their ahi tuna roll and the pad thai.
The best part? They ran out of mini passion fruit souffles for dessert but the chef offered to make us a BIG one! Hooray! Best goodbye meal ever?!
Also, for you fellow passion fruit souffle lovers, I peeked the recipe of LEYE's Facebook fan page. SWEET!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/26/2008
This place was suggested to us by a friend of my parents. He also suggest Phoenix and Lao Sichuan in… Read more »
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Review from Susan F.
8/13/2007
UPDATE:
I can't believe I haven't updated this in so long. This place has the best pad thai in the city!! I'm really not kidding. For dinner, they serve shrimp/crab pad thai--HUGE serving with a crap ton of crab. The noodles are amazing and the leftovers still taste great-unlike many Thai places.
They have mini desserts that are pretty delish. The servers are really great people, too.
I came here one late night with 5 friends and it was amazing. I had the chicken pad thai--which I ate all of. It was fabulous--didn't get bored with it at all. The beer selection was good, though I just had Sapporo of course. The serving sizes were very large, which is great for take out. The meals range from 12-25, not not the biggest selection of variety, but all very good! -
Review from eliza b.
Haddonfield, NJ
8/6/2008
crab.pad.thai. BEST.
they even removed the shrimp for me cause i'm allergic! the service was outstanding and every single thing we ordered was screamingly good. -
Review from Katty D.
Chicago, IL
8/2/2007
To be quite honest - I hated this place until my sister started serving here and convinced me to give it another shot. She took me and my family to do their group share menu on her, so I couldn't refuse.
The first thing you should keep in mind is that this is not meant to be truly authentic Thai food. They do a sort of Thai/French fusion. I think the first time I was expecting something else, which is why I came out unhappy.
We did the group share menu, which is $24.95/person and offers a variety of appetizers, your choice of entrees and desserts, with the amount of food served based on how many people in your party. We had 4 people in our group, and we each got 1 piece of the appetizers that included -tuna roll -duck roll -chicken satay -coconut shrimp -an eggroll. We also had a large plate of salad that came along with this. All of the appetizers were delicious! I would recommend to eat the eggroll last with the lettuce wrap they suggest.
For our entrees we were able to pick 3 and chose the Panang Shrimp, Crab & Shrimp Pad Thai, & Tamarind Steak. All of the dishes were prepared well and were unique tasting. My favorite was the Tamarind Steak as it came with this incredible side of fried rice that is only describable by eating it yourself. Keep in mind, its an little known fact that you can actually get refills on these entrees (we were too stuffed to get to that point, but its useful info!)
For dessert we split the Warm Valrona (Lava) cake w/sorbet & Passion fruit Souffle. If you are a dark chocolate fan, DEFINITELY get the Lava cake and order a glass of Syrah to compliment it.
I think the ambiance was perfect, it wasn't too loud to have conversations, and the service was perfect, our server didn't miss a beat. -
Review from Pinaki S.
Chapel Hill, NC
3/25/2009
When a Facebook friend (wait, you don't have Internet friends? oh yeah, I forgot, I'm on Yelp) from out of town picked this place, I thought... "seriously, a 'upscale' Thai place in a city of hundreds? Couldn't you have asked me for suggestions, since I, um, live here?"
Well minus the fact that paying $15 for a Pad Thai is somewhat ridiculous (luckily I got expense accounted), the food, drinks and atmosphere are pretty awesome.
The crispy noodles (more like flat, pad-see-ew, fried noodles rather than chow mein batterfried) was one of the best thai dishes I had ever gotten at a restaurant. My dining-mates' pad thai's were "the best they've had", which probably doesn't say much.
The drinks are really strong-- my Facebook friend's coworker was drunk off two gulps of the mango drink. Granted, she never drinks (who are all these out of town people that don't drink??) but I definitely thought it was strong (yeah, I got the drink too. Yes, I'm a chick.)
If you're looking for downtown thai for dinner and want to limit your options to simply the best ones and get pretty creative drinks, you might want to check this place out. -
Review from Jean Z.
Chicago, IL
1/26/2008
I intend on reading all the other reviews but only after I write mine.
This place sucked immensely. There was literally a CUP or more of sticky greasy sauce on my plate after I found the crispy noodles that was supposed to be the main ingredient. Yes, I'm talking a cup, like 8 ounces of sauce left. Gross.
These kinda places need to lay off the sauce and focus more on providing better quality kitchen help to get the gristle and bone out of the pieces of chicken they toss into their dishes.
The soup, the soup was a horse of a different color too. Its served with a little fire under it, in a parchment paper lined mesh bowl with a ladle. oh come on please. this was the biggest rip off. the broth was flavorful, the shrimp wasn't too over cooked, but there was only about 10 pieces of anything floating in this very very clear broth. Gross.
Never go back....never recommend this to anyone you care for. -
Review from Tom S.
Chicago, IL
8/13/2008
Appetizers for lunch
I pull the same "appetizer lunch" here that I do in a lot of places. My favorite combo starts with pot stickers, shrimp Satay and the Thai Kitchen Tuna Sashimi roll.
If I'm feeling naughty it's hard to resist the Red Passion, it's their number one cocktail for good reason: it's delicious and boozy.
If VTK is famous for one thing it's their $1 dessert menu. Save room and order a platter full. I usually stop at 3; it's just the right amount of highly flavored sweets to end an appetizer lunch. -
Review from Misse D.
Chicago, IL
9/9/2007
Suprisingly good! To be honest, I had a $10 g.c. to VTK. Since we're saving for our wedding, my fiance and I decided it out. We ordered the family platter-- appetizer sampler, choice of entree, and dessert for $25 per person. It was a really good deal & we enjoyed the food.
The dessert we chose-- creme brulee-- came in 3 suprising flavors: orange, lemongrass, and ginger. Very tasty! -
Review from Bernard L.
San Francisco, CA
2/20/2008
Normally Vong's would be 4 stars based on food, but I just found the prices be to out of sync. It's good food, not very authentic, but better than some of the Thai food I've had in Chicago thus far. This is probably a place for an occasion rather than a casual dinner and works well for groups.
For starters, had the chicken samosas with cilantro yogurt dip. They were excellent and I highly recommend them. But you only get 3 samosas for $8 (hence my comment on price). After a long wait, we finally got our entrees. Had the grilled tamarind beef and that was really good. The red curry beef tenderloin, on the other hand, was not that exceptional. They did a good job with the chicken pad thai, but it'll be hard to mess up such a basic dish. The Thai crispy wide rice noodles were interesting because the noodles were really thick, thicker than the kind you would see in a pad kee mao, and they were fried to a crisp. This was innovative. They had a great homemade chili sauce that the waiter recommended and I highly recommend it as well. Although the sauce seems to be based on sriracha sauce on first impression, there are some twists to it that pack a punch.
The menu had three different options for prix fixe dinners. Maybe next time I'll try those out.
Overall - cool atmosphere, good food, good service, but prices are a bit high if your expectation is a casual dinner (still searching for a place that has good and cheap Thai food). -
Review from Andrew D.
1/5/2009
The atmosphere is very nice here. When it comes to service and the taste and appeal of the food I would say that this does not seem like a Jean George establishment. I guess it is now part of the Chicago Dining group chain of some sorts.
We had the Set tasting menu with the Shrimp and Crab Pad Thai and the Red curry. We asked for spicy Red Curry, and were given a mild blend. Not bad, just not great. The crab in the pad Thai was not flavorful, although I did not mind the lighter version of Pad Thai that this place offers.
The Creme Burlie desert was very good. the ginger one was offensively strong, but the Tamarind and the Coconut were very good.
You pay the extra money for a bit of a scene here, that's all. If you want Thai go around the corner to Siam Star, I thought it was pretty good!
Our server must have been a lesbian as every time she approached the table she would always look at my date and would hardly give me a glance. All this even though I clearly ordered the drinks and our meal. I found it rude, my date found it to be a refreshing change! -
Review from Rhonda G.
10/28/2009
Ah the work lunch. what to order? what to order?
Dilemma:
Do you order a salad to avoid looking like a greedy Gus?
Order something pricey to show that you enjoy the finer things in life and thus deserve a raise?
Order something cheap to highlight your lack of knowledge of the finer things in life thus making your colleagues feel sorry for you and lobbying for you to get a raise or increasing offers to pay for lunch?
Solution:
I had shrimp and scallops with red curry over rice and it was fantastic The group shared shrimp and chicken pot stickers and those were pretty awesome as well. Staff started off quick and attentive but then lost speed and enthusiasm. Not great when you're dealing with people on a limited time schedule so keep that in mind. -
Review from Niki C.
Chicago, IL
5/11/2006
Consistently good Thai food. & that's hard to find. Every person I've taken here has ooohed & ahhed over their dish. Make sure you make a trip during Thai New Year ... the atmosphere is festive & makes the food just that much better. The only thing I would gripe about is the inconsistency on which they provide the yummy salad as a complimentary starter. Some times they do, some times they don't & there's no rhyme or reason about it. Delish!
***Knocking it down a star because we ordered Carry-Out this afternoon for lunch. When we went online to check out the menu, it said that for carry-out, we needed to order through CEO Deliveries, which we did. When I called for verification of delivery time, CEO told us to call the restaurant. When I called the restaurant, they said with an attitude, "When you call for carry-out, you call the cafe only." I said, "Ok, well then you need to change your website." Then my colleague went to pick up our food after I was told, "Your food has been ready for some time." FORTY FIVE MINUTES LATER (our office is literally a block away), we got our food because they gave it to some other woman. They did not discount the price, but gave us "dessert" - three teeny tiny Thai fortune cookies. Not impressed. -
Review from Kevin T.
Chicago, IL
3/27/2007
i think my favorite dish there would have to be their seared tuna. maybe because it was the 1st time I had ever ate my tuna seared. I normally prefer my fish raw.... as in taking-a-bite-outta-the-fishies-while-scuba-diving raw!!!
the atmosphere was comfortably classy too. i would also like to go back for their wasabi mashed potatoes.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Puja D.
Chicago, IL
2/27/2008
This place is horrible.
I grew up in Bangkok - and I've been on the search for good thai food in chicago. This place is at the bottom of the pack. The food is greasy, not well seasoned, lack of spices, and doesn't even taste like thai food. On top of it, its expensive.
The only reason I am giving it two stars is because the drinks we had, the spicy lychee drink and the thai mohito was just amazing. Food was horrible. -
Review from David R.
San Francisco, CA
7/12/2008
This is not real Thai, Should be called " Thai Inspired" cuisine.
The food I ordered tasted like it was part of a Kraft Foods recipe on the back of one of their jars of "Thai Seasoning" The food had no soul. anyone who gives this place more than 2 stars has no idea of what good food is and should be barred from writing any reviews. I think they even had sushi on the menu, now theres a authentic Thai item! Anyway, I heard some good things about it, but it was just a disappointment.
So far the only decent Thai food Ive had was out west in some plaza that had real Thai people running things. I'll have to write them a good review.
In a nutshel, this place is White mans americanized Thai, and It just plain sucked. The only thing that saved it from a one star was some cutties that where there. Is this a chain? Tastes like one. A bad one. -
Review from Shradha A.
Chicago, IL
1/11/2009
I had heard some decent things about this place and finally decided to check it out last night with a friend.
First impressions matter - and this place didn't do well there. The hostess was standing there chatting with a friend/coworker even after she saw us and finally when their girl-talk was over, she decided to help us for a table.
They offered to take coats from the next couple who came in - because they were 50 and looked money-ed, but didn't care about us because we were 23.
The decor of the place is really dark and gloomy. The tables are all to close together. So first, you hear everyone's conversations and they hear yours, but second, the servers all duck between your table anytime someone else has to pass and hold their plates right about your head to clear the passage. It was annoying and irritating and disturbed us too may times.
The food was very ehhh - the spring rolls were so deep-fried that the only thing you could taste was the oil and the burned skin.
Their "curries" are apparently their "specialties" - but mine was so watery that it felt like I had just opened and made cup noodles. I've lived in Singapore and know what good Thai food is - this place was terrible!!
To top it all, their valet service is also very slow and the valets have a huge attitude problem. Again, they run after the money, not following a first-come first-serve and kept us standing 18 minutes before they took our coupon!
Overall, one of the worst experiences I've had in recent times!!! -
Review from Christina S.
Corte Madera, CA
3/15/2007
I recently dined at Vong's Thai Kitchen for a friend's birthday.
I actually liked the lively decor, complete with a red painted wall and bamboo, which created a loungy atmosphere.
But, beyond this, the restaurant left much to be desired. I had the shrimp and crab pad thai which I found quite bland. None of the appetizers I sampled were memorable. The service.....just o.k.
Although I did not care for the food, I might come back to Vong's and visit the bar to have one of the sweet cocktails, such as the Mistletoe, which is made with strawberries, basil, gin, vanilla, and lemonade. The also have a decent selection of wines by the glass. -
Review from Me, Myself and I.
Chicago, IL
1/1/2008
Ugh. Let me repeat that....ugh.
Went there last night (12/31/2007) solely because my friend had a $100 Lettuce Entertain You Gift Card from work and Cafe Ba Reeba didn't have any open tables for 2 on New Year's Eve.
All I can say - is what a tremendous let down, even for a chain restaurant.
This is NOT (and let me emphasize that again!) a Thai restaurant, it is a chain restaurant masquerading as a Thai restaurant that caters to uniformed suburban diners who think they're with it and hip by eating here AND for people on business who are being wined/dined on someone else's dime.
A bottle of wine, 1 chicken samosa appetizer, my friend had salmon and I had the Red (Spicy) Chicken Curry Pad Thai Noodles - Bill was $88.
What a rip off - totally.
Chicken Samosas, although small and only 3 for a whopping $7.50 were by far the best thing we had. But 3 small samosas for $7.50?! Give me a f*cking break Vong's. Go up to Devon Street and get way bigger ones for much less. The white wine we had was OK at best - an $8 bottle that they resold for $39.
From what I tried of the salmon it was OK, way too much terriyaki glaze. This dish was not Thai - It's rare to see salmon at a Thai restaurant...and the ones I have seen it at, it was not prepared this way, this was like Benihana circa 1987.
My Red Curry Noodles were a bigger bust than the 2007 Chicago Bears. For the $15 or so that they charged, the portion was small and on 1-10 scale for spicy, I would give them a 1.4 (and that's pushing it) - I asked for hot sauce and got a portion about the size of 1/5th of a shot glass. The noodles themselves were a bit soft and overall, not spicy at all with only a mild hint of curry. I've had much better Pad Thai for $7, seriously.
Save your money please - go to a non-chain Thai joint, like Penny's, Sai Mai, or the countless others that are all over the city and spend about 1/3 less and get a much much better meal. Unless I get a free meal there, I will never return there again, and even then I might have to think twice.
Do not eat here if you have eaten at any other Thai restaurant, you will be very very disappointed.
Vong's, you're fired. -
Review from MELEK L.
Chicago, IL
12/12/2007
I've only been here to eat and drink in the bar area. I have found the staff to be generally pleasant, the drinks to be tasty, the ambiance to be comfortable, and the food to be more than adequate.
I had the Tom Yum soup and a chicken with wide noodle dish. Both were great and particularly flavorful. The gentleman sitting next to me had a towering plate of chicken salad that looked amazing too.
I will definitely be back, hopefully for a table dining experience next time. -
Review from K. S.
Evanston, IL
2/8/2008
Awwwwwwww yeah!
I went there before and I'm going there tonight for my birthday. Holler if you see me and buy me a drink!
The one price 3 course meal was great for my sister's birthday when we went in November and I assume it'll be just as good tonight. The grilled meats made us all foam at the mouth and the fact that you get to eat all you want (some do charge again) is great.
I might have to jog a bit and go in sweatpants but doubt it because most people are dressed nice/trendy.
Last time I went too, there was this lady's head that burst into flames, I kid you not...but that's because she had a ton of product in her hair and wasn't paying attention to where the candle was when she was chitchatting with her guy. Free entertainment! -
Review from andriy k.
Chicago, IL
11/27/2006
This place is awesome.
Great bar, tasty drinks, nice ambiance and most importantly great food.
I would suggest this place to anyone that wants to experience thai food in a downtown-chicago like style.
O yeah .. curry-beef.. yum! -
Review from Sunshine A.
Chicago, IL
5/10/2007
One of the better Thai offerings in the city for a commercial restaurant...
...if one really wanted AUTHENTIC Thai food, I would definitely say go to a mom and pop type establishment...but its defiitely not bad for our buck.
Also, try the Thai tea! -
Review from Alison M.
Chicago, IL
10/3/2008
Ok, I'm going to admit it, and you're probably going to judge me, but I don't care. I like VTK.
I know, it's fake-Asian cuisine, but, it's fake-Asian cuisine at its best. The reason I like VTK, while frowning upon Big Bowl and Ben Pao, is that you don't have to spend a fortune here. The key is the group share dinner.
You get the Black Plate Appetizers (shrimp and chicken satay, tuna sashimi roll, and their "rocket rolls") for the table. Plus, your choice of 2 or 3 entrees and desserts (depending on the size of your group). All for under $25! Ridiculously affordable for a three course meal in downtown Chicago.
If you want to splurge, I wouldn't even bother with any more food-- I'd get the 10 Mangoes cocktail, made of rum, mango puree, lime and vanilla. It's almost ten dollars (so, nearly 1/2 the cost of your whole meal), but, I promise, it's a really well spent ten dollars.Listed in: Open Table
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Review from Kathy P.
Chicago, IL
10/9/2008
Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of dining at Vong's Thai Kitchen. Although the evening got off to a shaky start (we had to wait until our entire party of two arrived before we could be seated in an empty restaurant on a Wednesday at 6:00PM), Vong's soon redeemed itself.
Our waiter, John, was amazing. You could tell that he loves the food at Vong's simply by listening to his descriptions and recommendations. When my friend revealed she was vegetarian, he brought her a special vegetarian menu and was more than helpful in responding to her questions about the differences between various curries.
We began with deliciously garlicky tofu fries with "thai ketchup," a gingery tomato dipping sauce. I may have forgotten their name on the menu, but I will not forget thinking what a delectable tofu treat they were. Crispy on the outside - almost like they were batter-dipped - and firm on the inside, they were the perfect starter to our meal.
I ordered the red curry chicken pad thai. Although red curry is supposed to be spicy, this only had a little kick of curry. I think I would order it extra spicy next time as I expected it to be a little more dramatic. The red curry had a sweetness that would be an amazing contrast to some fiery red Thai peppers.
My veggie friend ordered the Penang curry - one of the best panang curries in the city, according to John - and it was rich and creamy, striking the perfect balance between the velvety smoothness of the coconut milk and the kick of the paprika and ginger. It almost bordered on too rich, but fortunately, never crossed that line. There was a lot leftover - my friend could've used some more rice with her meal.
For dessert, we had a seasonal treat, the pumpkin mochi ice cream, flown in from Hawaii. The mochi, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, was a little tough, which made it kind of difficult to eat. However, once you got past the mochi exterior, the ice cream was amazing - like all the flavors of pumpkin pie melting and dispersing slowly across your palette. All the treasures of autumn, encompassed in a little rice ball!
While I will not be forsaking any of my neighborhood Thai joints anytime soon, Vong's is a great place to go when you want to feel like a grown-up (a trendy grown-up, at that!), are downtown with friends or family, or want something different from the same greasy spoon (greasy chopstick?) that you usually patronize. -
Review from Anastasia K.
Chicago, IL
1/21/2009
Really good, hot and spicy, but small portions for the prices. Mild doesn't describe any of these dishes. The dessert cookies are quite tasty, though, so try to score a few extra.
I ordered via phone for take-out and the bartender was tres snobby when I came to pick up the food (although the hostess was friendly). -
Review from Mick S.
Brooklyn, NY
Updated - 9/29/2008
I returned with a colleague and had much the same experience as my first visit. Pretty average food dressed up in a well designed atmosphere with attentive and prompt service.
Had the calamari appetizer and chicken red curry. No exceptional flavors in either dish, and the curry had WAY too much liquid in the serving dish.
I won't be returning again. Not because it sucked, but because I can think of many other places I would rather spend money at that I really enjoy. Sorry, VTK.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/2/2008
I love Thai food for having introduced me to an entirely new world of flavors. The bold and spicy… Read more »
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Review from Bethany J.
Chicago, IL
7/26/2008
Love Love Love the VTK!
Just happened to pop in here the first time I came to Chicago because it was down the street from where I was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. I thought the Pad thai was amazing, and wanted to come back, but couldn't remember the name of the place.
Almost a year later, I rediscovered VTK & brought my mom here while she was visiting. We got the Zen curry pizza as an appetizer, which was one of the most wonderful things I've ever tasted, you MUST try this! The appetizer was pretty filling so we just shared the pad thai, which was 5 star pad thai in my opinion, and I have eaten A LOT of pad thai in my day.
On both occasions our servers were so incredibly helpful, friendly and attentive. This is also one of those places where they are "On it" when it comes to refilling your water. I love that.
One last rave- the bathroom. It wasn't just nice & clean, but I love that it promotes proper hand-washing. There is a sign that encourages you to use the paper towel to open the door on your way out, something I have always done & felt bad about. I think VTK is my soulmate.
Did I mention how much I love this place??Listed in: A tourist guide to Chicago
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Review from Jason L.
2/14/2007
I've had mixed feelings about the two or three times I've been. But service is always good. They used to have a $1 dessert menu during lunch which consisted of tiny versions of their regular dinner menu desserts. I think that has gone away.
Two gripes. 1. You really must study the menu closely to make sure you order what you want. Their attempts at making the dishes "sound" like contemporary fusion are a little over baked. If it's chicken pad thai, why not just call it chicken pad thai? 2. Drinks are overpriced.
All in all it's a nicer than average place. -
Review from Jessica D.
Aurora, IL
7/16/2008
Lovely place, very hawaii/asian in a retro but 80s-ish way. Smart waiters and bartenders keep things flowing amidst a crowd on any day.
Delicious lemonade with mint was THE perfect thing after a hot summer walk over from the hotel. Tons of things to enjoy on the menu, and a lovely surprise with the freebie pickled watchamacallit as soon as we sat down.
Great options for vegetarians and carnivores alike. I enjoyed the yellow curry vegetables and couldn't believe how tasty it was.
Something for everyone, along the lines of fusion Asian cuisine. The only downside was a way overpriced mochi ice cream plate that split two mochies and charged an arm and a leg for it. Guys you need to improve the dessert value for the money.
Would definitely come back any time for more delectables! -
Review from Charles S.
La Jolla, CA
2/7/2009
I had a great time here with three friends. Pretty restaurant. Good for conversation. Convenient location if you live downtown. As the crowd thinned out, the waitress actually became friendly.
But VTC is to Thai food, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food. It's gringo-ized, sanitized and beautified.
Now the desserts are another story. There's no pretense that that they are Thai -- and they are great. We had mochi ice cream (the mango are the best) and the passion fruit souffle. The souffle was extraordinary.
Bottom line: eat somewhere else then go to VTK for dessert. -
Review from Aivy C.
Updated - 7/5/2009
Better than I remember - strong cocktails, prompt waitstaff, quick seating, lively atmosphere, and amazing food.
Family Style is always the way to go. You get a plate of appetizers (the Black Plate), chopped salad, two entrees, and choice of dessert for 25 bucks a person. This time around we tried the Grilled Tamarind Beef Tenderloin and the Panang Curry Chicken over wide rice noodles. For dessert we had the Warm Passion Fruit souffle.
Everything was delicious, and even though you might not think 2 entrees is enough, it was definitely more than enough food.
I wish they would open up shop in the Bay Area.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/8/2006
My co-workers and I stumbled upon this place by accident; we were in Chicago on business, hanging… Read more »
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