Jin Thai

Great place & amazing food! Service is excellent & a good value for your money! I try something new each time and everything is super great!

This will definitely be my go-​to Place for Thai from now on! The potstickers, Rama Chicken, and Kee Mow were so unbelievably good I’m still dreaming about them. Service was also super :). I can’t wait to go back and try more!!!

Jin Thai was one pitstop on the journey to eating at all the bib gourmand restaurants in Chicago. We are getting close now – only around 15 restaurants left!
Jin Thai was totally good. The food is very unlike the typical thai food you can get at any local thai delivery place. The flavors are cleaner and fresher than your typical place. For example, the pad thai my husband ordered and devoured tasted brighter and fresher than what we usually get. I ordered the Kao Soy and was very pleased. Everything at Jin Thai was deliciously spicy, too – I felt like my sinuses were totally cleared after that meal!
We also ordered the pot stickers and thai crêpe – both delicious.
One last thing: Jin Thai is AFFORDABLE. We ate a lot of food and it didn’t cost very much at all. We love that!

A couple of friends and I decided to embark on Jin Thai after seeing it in the Michelin Cheap Eats guide. We had their lunch special which came with a soup of the day and an appetizer. The soup of the day tasted like rice with some sort of chicken broth. The soup was soothing considering it was pouring rain outside. Next, my appetizer came out which were the spring rolls. I thought the spring rolls were nicely presented, but tasted so-​so due to the excessive bean sprouts. I probably would have been better ordering the egg rolls instead. Finally, my main dish, the Kee Mow came out which consisted of spicy flat noodles with chicken, green beans, broccoli, etc. It was pretty good but the portion was small. Also, we ordered a separate siu mai appetizer. However, that appetizer tasted like it came out of the freezer as it was a soggy mess. I would avoid ordering that dish.

Came in this afternoon, Tuesday, for a quick pick up order. I can’t say that I’m a regular, I’m from the area and have only been to Jin Thai a handful of times. One thing I have noticed is that this place has been empty each and every time I’ve picked up or dined in… I can’t help but feel weird about that.
Overall the food is pretty good, can’t complain about it! I’m always happy with what I order and they’re pretty quick to bring your orders out! I’ve never had to wait longer than I needed to and that goes for dining in and ordering out! I’ve never had a moment where I had to wait for a table.
One thing I have to mention is that the portion sizes and pricing set Jin Thai apart from the neighboring restaurants! The portions are pretty small, if you’re looking to leave stuffed this isn’t the place to dine, unless you order a list of options.
Jin Thai really focuses on, based on my ordering history and experience, quality over quantity and their pricing greatly reflects that! Some have mentioned that this place is a bit overpriced and I will agree with that, it totally is overpriced! I for one have dined in and left feeling a little hungry, is that a bad thing? Some may say, hell yes! Others are open to heavily portion controlled meals. At the end of every visit, it’s hard to complain.
Also, I’ve ordered from their lunch menu and it’s pretty unimpressive in terms of potion sizes. Portions are obviously smaller than what’s expected and in my opinion pricing isn’t much different! You’re better off ordering from the regular menu.
All that said, I obviously like the place but not enough to dine in /​order out regularly. I would recommend trying the place out and enjoying a neighborhood delight. The staff is great, very attentive, very welcoming, and happy to see that you’re experience is nothing short of perfection. See for yourselves!

Small place but test service and good good. No frills but good food at GREAT PRICES. Do yourself a favor and try this place.

Jin has become my favorite Thai in the city. I live in the block, so I usually get carry out. But, the dining room is quaint and charming. The food is authentic and always consistent.

This review is take-​out only
There are probably a thousand places to get Pad Thai in Chicago. I like most of them. Jin Thai goes the extra mile. I think their PT is better, I’m not sure why. The carrott, peanuts, onions, noodles, and chicken are extremely fresh. The tofu is never scorched. The sauce tastes homemade
The restaurant has a decent crowd most of the time. The staff seems friendly as can be. I hope to dine in some time

Decided to go back after work to enjoy some thai food and let’s just say I won’t be going there again. I was in the process of eating my basil chicken and noticed a long piece of hair stuck to a few pieces of chicken. I was not impressed. The server did apologize and gave me another dish to take home with me, but who knows what mystery body product I might find in there. Definitely not recommending this place anymore.

I’ve stopped by Jin Thai twice to sample their boat noodles. The first time I had them, they were quite delicious. The broth was rich and there were plenty of greens and meat. The second time I had these noodles was not so great. They were so sweet that I couldn’t get through the bowl. Hit or miss here.

I went to Jin Thai this evening for dinner. I love Thai food & who wants to cook dinner after work? I don’t & neither does my husband. I had a taste for Thai soup, so I ordered TK chicken soup. This soup is a coconut base soup with mushrooms, onions, basil, chicken, lemongrass, and tomatoes. I ordered it spicy because I love spicy food. I ordered Basil Beef (spicy) for my husband. The food was good however, I’ve had better. They skimp on the rice, meat, veggies, mushrooms, and the rest of the ingredients. My TK chicken soup only had one very small tomato & small mushrooms cut in half. The soup tasted good however, It was not delicious because it was mostly coconut milk & chicken broth ;(
My husband’s Basil beef came with rice. Once again they skimped on all the veggies & meat. This dish was mostly broth.
The next time I have a taste for Thai food, I will go somewhere else (about a ½ block away going south there is a better Thai restaurant with larger portions)
There is street parking, but it’s difficult to find parking because this Thai restaurant is in a residential neighborhood.
Once again, my husband and I concurred we will NOT go back to this restaurant. We really wanted to love it, but we didn’t. Overpriced for the small portions!!!

My mom & I have been here over 5 times now!!!
It’s basically become a ritual to come here after picking me up from college or just trying to catch up on all the missed time from each other!
The owner is very, very nice and we are always greeted warmly.
I’m in love with their Pad Thai and my mom really enjoys their Boat Noodle!
The portions are a bit on the smaller side but it’s still filling.
Try it out!
Being part Thai & having gone to Thailand it’s pretty authentic. Love!

Before I gush about how much I love Jin Thai, I’ve gotta provide my credentials to make some claims:
1. I’ve been to Thailand a couple of times and make it a point to seek out authentic Thai food that the local Thais would eat.
2. I’ve made a pretty good tour of various Thai spots around town and can rank Jin Thai according to a variety of places.
Now that that’s done, Jin Thai is my favorite spot for Thai food in the city. The service is friendly, the take-​out is quick, and the food is delicious & consistent. Also, the owners (Jin & her husband) are there every time I go in. Reasons Jin Thai is special:
1. It’s not just Pad Thai and Green Curry. So many Thai restaurants in the city (and the US) focus on Southern Thai food, like Pad Thai. Jin Thai has a nice offering of Northern Thai cuisine that is unfamiliar to many. The Kao Soi is simply amazing — complex flavors that are addictive.
2. Almost every time I go at night (late, just before closing), the staff & owners are sitting down to have their dinner. One night, our server recommended a pork shoulder that was on special. While enjoying the superbly delicious pork shoulder, I saw the owner enjoying the same dish. If a Thai person is eating the same thing I am, that’s a really, really good sign.
3. It’s received the Michelin Bib Gourmand award every year that the award has been given in Chicago. Michelin knows a bit more about food than your average Unilocaler, so maybe take that picky review focused on crab rangoon with a grain of salt. (Also, crab rangoon, while delicious, is not a Thai dish. Cream cheese is virtually non-​existent in Southeast Asia)
4. I used to think Pad Thai was boring. Then I went to Thailand and saw it made countless times, appreciated all of the different flavors, and loved it. Upon return, Jin Thai’s Pad Thai actually tasted like those I had in Thailand. Other more popular places still taste boring.
5. It’s BYOB and not full of woo girls chugging wine before a night at Mad River.
While I’ve literally enjoyed everything I’ve ordered here, I do think some menu items are unique and/​or so well done that you should consider them more than others:
Kao Soi
Thai Crêpe
Angel Wings
Hot Curry Catfish (and I don’t even like the idea of catfish)
Duck Bahmee
Spicy Basil (as one reviewer noted, there are a lot of veggies in it, though she incorrectly said it was bean sprouts — they are bamboo shoots. It’s so good and adds a nice crunch)
Green Curry
Som Tum — authentic papaya salad — spicy & crunchy & fresh!
Yum Woon Sen — careful, it’s a face melter but so worth it.
Mango Sticky Rice
Give it a chance, and, like most places, go with an open mind.

I wanted to try something different in the neighborhood, so I stepped away from my usual Thai restaurant to try Jin Thai.
I ordered the Basil Chicken, my friend orders the Tom Yum Fried Rice. The flavor was okay on both dishes, but it felt like they were cutting corners a bit, filling dishes with veggies and less meat. Portions were good. The service was also good and everyone was polite when ordering. The delivery was very quick. I just wish there was more to the dishes we ordered.

We got take out here and it was delicious. I got the lite noodles and my fiancé got the kee mow. The service was very quick — it took less time than expected. We can’t wait to try more dishes!

Ridiculously good, fair priced, chill, laid back place. Byob so that works well too! Delicious potato yellow curry.

My husband and I came here for a late dinner. It was a cold winter night so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We were promptly seated.
The place is dimly lit so it’s good if you are planing a romantic evening that won’t break the bank. They take credit card– VISA/​MASTERCARD.
I ordered the Garlic Shrimp and it was good and a good sized portion. My other half got the Thai Roasted Chicken which smelled divine. Overall, we were satisfied with the food. They also have lunch specials M-​FR from 11 – 2. The prices were also decent.

Jin Thai is a solid Thai place, and I was very impressed by the depth and richness of flavors that a lot of the dishes had. Amazing chicken Thai basil for instance. The Kao Soy that everyone raves about wasn’t actually my favorite, perhaps due to the subdued flavors and lackluster noodles and luckily my dining companion Charlotte F. was willing to trade me her Rad Na Krapraw, which I liked a lot. It was ground pork, on flat noodles, with a delightful sweet and savory sauce with broccoli peppers bamboo and basil. The crispy taro appetizer was also quite good.

Authentic Thai cuisine with great customer service & BYOB — trifecta of deliciousness. I love that their menu has offerings that I don’t normally see at «Americanized» Thai establishments.
I’ve been here twice — the first time when they had just opened and the second time just recently. I feel that their food has gotten much better! We tried their Taro appetizer and angel wings. The taro was out of this world. When we ordered it, the waitress was like «YES!» — like so glad that people were trying something different and it was also one of her favorite dishes. It didn’t disappoint! The angel wings were also really good, with a nice sweet/​spicy dipping sauce.
The entrees are all beautifully presented and I think it would be difficult to order something that wasn’t tasty. I had initially ordered one of the noodle soups, but they were sold out. Really sad about that — I guess it’s one that people don’t normally order. Next time!

First time was an order of sukothai noodle soup — my digestive tract was not prepared. At the time I was eating it it was yummy though, so I’m willing to believe it was my fault.
Second time we had lunch here, and had Kao Soy as per the recommendations on Unilocal.It was a good choice! I assume that dish might not turn out so well if it was ordered delivery or takeout, however.
Girlfriend was not so lucky, and it was not memorable enough for me to even recall the name of the dish now.
Will be back!