Aroy Thai Restaurant - Chicago

Loved the bamee noodles and red curry ... we didn't live the shell on crab in papaya salad... though I'm sure it s good certain nutrients...

Family members used to live a block away from here and just happened to stumble upon it a couple years ago and the food keeps us going back! Please try the...

Please note This restaurant is cash only My friend and I came here for dinner recently while we were in the area. We ordered pot stickers to start and...

I love Thai food and have been to many Thai restaurants in Chicago, and this is the #1 on my list. Here are my go-tos: Pad kee mao and Pad see ew This is the dish I’d order at every Thai restaurant I go and a lot of times I just get a sad dish of sloppy and soggy noodles. And I hated it when restaurants use broccoli instead of Chinese broccoli. Not at Aroy Thai! Their rice noodles are well-charred and have a ton of Wok hei which I love. I can feel that caramelization of the sweet and savory sauce. Such a comforting dish. Fried half chicken(forgot the proper name) This is usually on their special section. The chicken is crispy and juicy. There’s also a lot of fried onions on top which makes the dish even better. Crab fried rice Again, cooked with a lot of wok hei. Good portion and decent amount of crab meat in it. I’ve tried several different fried rice and this is my favorite. Papaya salad Their papaya salad is on the sweeter side. And don’t get ambitious with the spice level. I ordered level 3 for the first time and could barely eat it. Now I learned my lesson and go with 1. It still has a kick and the heat would build up in your mouth the longer the chili peppers sit in the sauce.

Food was decent and I can see why people like it. The restaurant being cash only was a bit of a shock which could have been embarrassing, as I dining with a friend from out of town. Yes they do have an ATM (which is a “convenience” I haven’t seen in a cash only restaurant before). But with card holder wallets and ones attached to phones, it’s not unusual to have someone carrying only a driver’s license and a credit card. Thankfully, I had a debit card on me. But there was a moment of panic of thinking “oh man, what if I can’t settle this bill” which is a feeling I’ve never had before. There really should be large signage on the door and menus to avoid potential embarrassment I also understand that small businesses may not want to pay the larger credit card fees associated such transactions. However, we now have many other electronic payment options which could be made available: Zelle, Venmo, etc. Honestly, the payment experience ruined the whole meal experience for me. Probably will not be returning or recommending, which is a shame, because the food was decent and the service was polite.