Muan Jai Thai Kitchen

Tried their lunch special it was really good!! I recommend their fried rice and fried tofu, the place was nice and quite. Would def go back :)

Another surprise find. The Thai food is probably the best you can find. We have been to many Thai places and I can say the Kua Kling was the best hands down! Also had Pad Kra Pao and Basil Fried Rice, all which were delicious. My wife was excited to see the Luke chin pla on the menu and made it dissappear in minutes 😋. We plan to go back soon because we couldn't eat enough. Very nice place with great people too.

Great thai street food! Loved lard nard and larb shrimp dish. We recently went back to this place and the food is amazing. They updated their menu and changed their table cover. We really loved the panang curry, som tam poo ( soft crab papaya salad) and chicken satay!

This has been one of my favorite Thai spots in downtown Chicago. I’ve dined in a few times and ordered pickup multiple times, and the food has always been solid. It’s located next to the hotpot place, so it’s easy to find. Food – 5/5 Everything I’ve tried has been really tasty and well-prepared. - Pad Thai: Really good! The first time, it was spicier than expected but still had great flavor. The second time, we asked for less spice, and it was just right. - Crispy Chicken: A great appetizer. Crispy, flavorful, and served with sweet and sour sauce on the side. My favorite!! - Tom Kha and Tom Yum Soup: Probably the best dishes I’ve had here. Bold flavors and really well-balanced. I get the squid one and it was very well cooked!! - Thai Iced Tea: Tastes great, and I liked that they serve it in a medium-sized bowl—nice little touch. Service has always been quick and efficient, especially for pickup. The restaurant has plenty of tables, but the high chairs weren’t the most comfortable for the table height. Parking is typical for downtown—street parking is available but pricey and sometimes hard to find, especially on weekends. It’s close to a CTA station and bus stops, so public transit is a good option. Overall, Muan Jai is definitely my go-to for Thai food in the area. The food is great, and they definitely deserve a higher rating!

I came to visit from Texas, and this was one of my favorite places we ate at. I had the Cashew stir fry with fried chicken and extra spicy, delicious! We also had the matcha ice cream for dinner, definitely recommend. Our server was Anna, incredible sweet and helped me decide on my meal and made great conversation. When i’m back in Chicago i’m definitely coming back here.

Excellent spot for Thai food. Very authentic flavours. Try the crab papaya salad, pad thai, and grilled squid! Mango sticky rice is a must.

I highly recommend Muan Jai Thai! We stumbled on this place and the food and the service was absolutely amazing! We ordered the tumyum soup with scallops (per our server Ben’s recommendation which enhanced the dish to another level), basil fried rice and seafood pad Thai with a lychee mule and Chang beer to drink….amazing. We asked to make everything super Thai spicy and it was PERFECT. Best Thai food in Chicago! Most importantly, shout out to our server was Ben…they were fun and super warm and friendly. Looking forward to trying the other dishes next time!

Amazing food. We ordered fried rice which was outstanding. The green curry was awesome. The service is excellent.

Restaurant is an all you can eat. Choice of basic, mid level and high end. I had the basic that included chicken, fish and pork. Plenty enough for me. You get started with broth of vegetable or soy mix. You use the broth to cook your choice of protein, noodles and vegetables. I like the selection of mushrooms and different textures of noodles/tofu. I love the experience.

The food was very good! Stumbled upon this restaurant while walking. Great flavors! Got the yellow curry, pad Thai and pad see ew noodles.

This is my new go-to Thai spot. The family used to run a second Friends Sushi location here but were just recently able to convert the location to a Thai restaurant and serve food that they grew up eating--food that they wanted to tell more stories with. Their menu has the classic dishes (but better and more authentic)--papaya salad, pad see ew, larb, tom yum--along with unique dishes if you want something bold or something different. The som tum papaya salad, my favorite, was so flavorful with just the right amount of spice. The soft shell crab curry was full of umami and offered a nice balance to the other bright and spicy dishes. The hatyai chicken was crispy and came with a delicious sweet sour sauce--something you couldn't go wrong with. The pad see ew came on a sizzling plate and was sweet, salty, chewy, hot (and you could customize it to your liking too with a little bit of tableside sugar, soy, fish sauce, and/or chili flakes). I like Friends Sushi, Friends Station, and Friends Ramen, but I think MuanJai is my favorite of them all. It's a place you'll want to go to when it's gray and gloomy, or when you miss your mom's cooking, or when you just want good, inexpensive food. I know I'll definitely be back.

This is a newer Thai restaurant and the flavors are really authentic! I had the Hat Yai fried chicken, Papaya salad, waterfall beef. All of them were delicious. I highly recommend this place.

opened last week 🎉: SUPER authentic & now my favorite in Chicago. I swear , Chicago has almost zero authentic Thai restaurants. Every Thai person I meet (you know who you are!) doesn't eat out because they get disappointed. I've been on the longest journey trying to find the best authentic Thai restaurant in Chicago and I might've found mine! HIGHLIGHTS ✔️ 100% Thai chef, owner, & waiters. Please say hi to Eicq and welcome him to Chicago! He just moved here 5 months ago and the day we met him was the first day he was on the job! ✔️authentic ingredients, spices & herbs . Exactly how it tastes in Thailand, even the thai tea (less sweet), and mango sticky rice ✔️ 🌶️Thai spicy available! The owner made the Pad Cha for me, at 70% spicy 😂 SO GOOD and the papaya salad at 100% Thai spicy. Absolutely perfect. Crying like I did in Krabi 😂 note; EICQ orders his 200%-300% spicy , so if you're Thai this is an option! If you can't eat spicy, you should get 30-50% ✔️ Absolutely PHENOMENAL grilled items. Im already craving the Moo Ping & grilled Steak. Seriously charcoal grilled to perfection with super tender meats + amazing flavor 🤤 ✔️ Super cute Thai dishes & cups, traditional & so pretty! With big portions ✔️ Amazing seafood , especially if you love it the Pad Cha Cha Cha had tender octopus, scallop, mussels, shrimp, fish, and 2x mushrooms + all the peppercorns, chilli's, and basil I could dream of ✔️ They have DURIAN Or MANGO STICKY RICE YESSS What we got: Nam tok $12.99 Grill beef +$4 Tom Tard big app with Som Tum papaya salad $45.99 Side sticky rice $3 x2 Moo ping grilled pork $12.99 Pad Cha Cha Cha $28.99 Mango Sticky Rice $9.99 Thai iced tea less sweet $6 x2 Chang beer $5.95

Probably one of the best hot pots in Downtown Chicago, outside of Chinatown. Thick slices of protein and various unique options from the broths, to items on the rotary belt, including different types of noodles, especially packs of Buldak ramen. Different sauces at their sauce bar area as well as two house sauces. Would visit again.

Finally a good authentic Thai place in chicago 🙌🏾 I was losing hope since so many other places are very mid at best. Som tam (Thai spicy level) was phenomenal and the flavors were distinct. I absolutely can’t wait to come back and bring more people here!

We really enjoyed our AYCE Hot Pot meal at Friends Station Such a treat to be one of the first people to experience a shabu shabu dinner at the first and only rotary hot pot restaurant in Chicago. It was such an awesome experience that we are already talking about when we can dine there again. You can eat as much as you want or as little as you want. But trust me, be prepared to overeat. Once you are there you will be tempted with a lot of choices and it's a great time to try eating something new. Let me start with saying make sure you get extra napkins, it will get messy. Keep a plate or two so that you have a place to put any shells or peels on the side. We started off with garlic fried rice and kimchi appetizers. Both were delicious and It was fun to watch them being delivered to our table by the robot. There are a lot of choices, so I would suggest that you pace yourself. Grab some of the dishes off the conveyor belts and put them on the side of the table so you can plan your meal. You should start with cooking your vegetables first, as they take the longest. Then add noodles,  egg, chicken,  seafood and meats. We tried a little bit of everything but my favorites were the baby bok choy, King oyster mushroom, marinated chicken, sliced beef ribeye, mussells, and Squid. You will have plenty of time to have a second helping of your favorites, so relax and enjoy! The staff is very nice and accommodating, broth was refilled constantly and dishes were cleared immediately. The broth is actually a little bland, but if you add a dash of soy sauce or their Hua Lampong Sauce (sweet and spicy garlic sesame, our favorite) the flavors will compliment the food. We had an awesome and delicious dining experience and can't wait to bring friends here for the experience.

This is a fabulous spot for a unique dinning experience! We had a wonderful time with conveyor belt Shabu Shabu. I have been several times for family style Shabu Shabu but never as individual hot pot with items coming down a belt. Each person can customize their own soup. The items for the soup are on a belt and you take what you would like one by one. They also serve some items via a trolley! The staff were extremely friendly and helpful on how to cook each item. They offered suggestions and kept the table clean as the dishes piled up. The food was fresh, varied and plentiful. The AYCE special restaurant menu was a great value and nice addition to try lobster and other boutique items.

Went for Restaurant Week! For the lobster tail, scallops, mussels, and wagyu beef. The rest of the hot pot experience was all-you-can-eat from a rotary belt! The broth was flavorful, and the staff were very attentive to refilling our water and broth (get the sukiyaki broth!! It was great!) They were also quick to clear out our plates from the table. The matcha tiramisu was the icing on the cake. Not too sweet but still delicious. Definitely would go back!

Most photos that I ever posted in a review. So amazed by everything going in here. Big shout out to Yelp for gearing me toward this Hot Pot spot. Location is good, smack down in the middle of River North. It is right across the street from the new Lifetime Gym. Hopefully folks will check out this restaurant after hitting the gym hard. Some parking nearby, pay as you go and some spots on Spot Hero too. Anyhoo, the restaurant is connected to Friends Station which is a sushi spot. Upon arrival, Covid19 protocols were enforced. We booked a reservation through Open Door and you had a choice between traditional table and hightop. Hightop was were we landed snd we were happy for the extra space. With the AYCE, you get 80 minutes of Hot Pot making and appetizers. For appetizers we grabbed garlic rice, chicken gyozas (x3), & vegetables tempura. All were delicious. We also got drinks because its Date-Night. I got Mai Tai and my husbae got his go to Old Fashion. Both drinks were delicious. We also ventured into Sake Bomb land. and then we stopped promptly when realizing someone has to drive. Lol. Hot Pot was incredible. I ended making 3 different bowls. For broth, I used carrots, broccoli, cabbage, onions, corn, ponzi sauce and spicy yuzo sauce. For meat, 1st round rib eye. 2nd round, added bok choy, more carrot, whole egg, and pork belly. For my last pot, added nappa cabbage, more onions and for meat: mussels. All of my pots had noddles. I was so full by the time I got to the 3rd pot. However my broth was by then and I wore my stretchy jeans. Lol so AYCE was my motto. Stuffed at the end but still able to cleanse my palate with orange slices. Last, but not least the service was 5 out of 5 . Our server was friendly and she was good about keeping our broth full. Kai, also came buy and chatted with us. A cook also came by and brought me spicy chili sauce. He also suggest a new way to cook my egg in my noddled. Excited to hear about future innovation to come. Will be back, as we know everyone we bring will enjoy this restaurant. Ingredients were fresh and plentiful.

Best Thai food restaurant in downtown Chicago! Absolutely delicious chicken Pad See Ew -- highly recommended with their lunch special!

Unique option for casual dining in the river north/Gold Coast area. Our group lacked previous hot pot experience, and our first 15 minutes of dining were absolute pandemonium. Once we got the hang of it, our meal was fabulous. Conveyor belt concept works perfectly. Restaurant was mostly full and the belt was well stocked, so grabbing items we wanted was always easy. Impressive meat quality and the dipping sauces are exceptional. Make sure to save room for the green tea ice cream after! Attentive service too. It’s a small restaurant, probably best for groups of four or less. Definitely plan on returning as Friends Station is a bargain for the price.

We stopped by at this restaurant for takeaway on our last night in Chicago. They were incredibly busy, and our food arrived a bit later than expected. Not a big deal given how busy they were, but we were impressed by how they handled the situation. While we waited, they offered us some refreshing drinks. At the end, the owner came out to hand us our order and apologized for the wait. She explained that she wanted to ensure the food that we received, and that other customers met the restaurant’s standards. That showed how much she cares about her business and customers. The food was delicious: papaya salad, grilled pork neck, and my partner absolutely loved the Pad See Ew, nice well balanced charred between noodles and sauce. We love it :)

Oh man, this food was great! They have five kinds of Thai papaya salad. We only tried one. It was the best my wife has eaten since she lived in Thailand. Unfortunately, they do not have hot pot running right now so my kids were pretty disappointed initially. They came around when they tasted the salmon curry. It was quite mild and very delicious. It was a stretch for my kids taste buds – – they’re not accustomed to spicy food.

Can’t express how good this place is. From the friendly atmosphere to the beautiful plated dishes and the excellent service from the server. Willing to explain and take her time to go above and beyond! Felt and tasted like authentic Thai food. Loved it here.

Stopped here for lunch on a Wednesday. Not crowded at all, service was fast and nice, and food was hot and fresh. Portion sizes are a good value for the money at $14/plate. Look at how much tofu is on the Pad Thai plate! Regardless, there is certainly better Thai food out there. I would try another location before coming back, but mostly based on flavor. The place is decent and clean, but they played loud Thai/Asian hip hop during the whole lunch hour. I found it really annoying and I am musically flexible!

Muan Jai Thai Kitchen serves up thai street style food! Loved the phad siew, phad kra pao and larb shrimp dishws. We thought the taste, fresh ingredients and spice levels were on point. The menu has plenty to choose from and is kid friendly. Our table really loved the panang curry served in a hot pot. We'll have to return for the som tum (papaya salad) and bamee soup. Can't wait until our next visit to Muan Jai Thai Kitchen.

I ordered on line and arrived in 35 minutes. They said it would be done within 30-35 minutes. When I arrived I discovered the order was not yesterday put into the kitchen. The food was very authentic Thai, perhaps the most authentic in the City. But the staff was over worked.

Really liked the free shrimp crisps. Kao pad rod fai and kaprao were good. Great service, but the menu is a bit limited. Huge portion sizes for a good price. Edit: 3.5 stars. Went back and it's not as good as the first time. The som tum was very wet, the fried rice not as good.

Personal hotpot for around 35 dollars. Rotary items on the conveyor bell were good as well. They didn't have corn on the cob but had baby corn instead. Got the Thai Tom Yum broth with pork and was okay. I'd probably recommend a different broth instead but it was still pleasant. There is a "create your own dipping sauce" station which had a variety of sauces. Dessert ice cream is included in the price as well.

Muan Jai Thai Kitchen has some tasty dishes, but the overall experience was a bit mixed. The food was flavorful but not quite well. Would recommend if you’re craving Thai food and have a bit of time to spare.

I chose this for my solo Valentine's Day spot that would prevent me from being surrounded by lovey dovey couples. It was the perfect choice. All of the staff were super friendly, attentive, and helpful. The concept of a hot pot place where the add-ins like veggies and noodles are on a rotary was so smart. I truly dislike being forced to eat things I don't want just because it comes on a big platter with what I do want. Also, the convenience of getting it yourself when you're ready for it makes the experience even better. I loved that they had an area where I could get toppings like kimchi and garlic, along with my choosing of sauces, myself. Just delightful. There's just a few things that could be different. One, when cooking beef, the broth can get scummy on top. Adding more broth doesn't help. I haven't experienced this at any other hot pot place or even when my friend does hot pot. Another would be how close the high top cooking stations are to one another. With everything I had, I was taking up the spots on either side of me as well. I don't know how that would work if it were busy. A guy sat two stations away from me and felt uncomfortably close. Lastly, my 2nd round of Wagyu beef had so much grizzle on it that most of it was inedible. I've NEVER experienced this with what is being claimed to be Wagyu beef at any type of restaurant before. It's a bit suspicious. Overall, though, I had a fun time on my solo Vday dinner. I've already told a few people I want to go back there with them. I'm looking forward to returning often.

A real good place to experience your first hot pot if you're new to it. The choices in the belt were real good. Just grab and go. They also put the appetisers on there as well, they're all pretty good and if there's something specific you want but hasn't shown up on the belt, the waiters will bring you a plate of it. The broths given were simple but you can flavor it with the veggies and meats that come through giving you something you will love. I'd rate it higher but i didn't get to see the train be put to use in the top of the belt for the drinks (which is just a personal thing) and the waitress who was taking care of us kept forgetting my rice but i didnt mind it too much.

Nice mood, nice location , nice combination of Thai food (one entree, one soup, one appetizer, and salad) for lunch special.

The broth was delicious. Worth the experience if you come with a big appetite but little pricy for a normal eater who doesn't eat much. They only give you 90 minutes.

The service at Muan Jai Thai was great, but the food didn’t quite meet expectations. The beef was very fatty, underwhelming, and not spicy. The Thai green tea was good, though we later realized the server accidentally gave us salt instead of sugar lol which was funny once we figured it out. Also, the food ended up upsetting my stomach later on, which is not a good sign. Overall, while the service stood out, the food itself was underwhelming based on my experience.

I usually order DIY NOM TOK with tiger steak added ($6 extra) . It usually comes in medium rare but this time it came well done and dry. I couldnt find “comment” section to specify i want it to be medium rare, but hope they stick to medium rare as default.

Portions are tapas style--small plates. Flavors are mediocre, on the sweeter side. If you're looking for a quick place to satisfy Thai street food craving in the downtown area, this place will do. 📸 Crab Papaya Salad Chicken Larb Fried Pork Thai Tea Latte

A rather underwhelming hot pot experience. The vegetable selection on the conveyor belt was quite basic and not the freshest, and the sauce station had very limited options & topping ingredients. Service was another drawback - though the server was friendly, having only one person managing the entire restaurant felt overstretched with minimal attention given to the table.

I came here on 2/19 for a friend's birthday and the service was horrible!!! There were only two people working and I kinda felt bad but a lot of the issues just came down to time management.People were served before me,even though I ordered and arrived them.I ordered a drink and waited over an hour and never received it.After a hour and 30 minutes later she told me that she can not make drinks because they are short staffed.Which would have been ok if the would have told me that a hour and 30 minutes ago.I had to ask more than once for food and water.It also took her more than 45 minutes to bring hot tea.At 9:22pm I saw them bring another table drinks,the same drinks that she told me that they were not able to make.They also had a lot of posters that showed passed promotions.I asked for the xox daiquiri and she told me that they don't have it any more but you have it posted and displayed every where.I will not be back.

Delivery food from Uber. Som tum poo pra ra test only sour (no fish sauce test no spicy nothing and quality of crabs is terrible. (Not small crabs). Secound time order because we live near by but son tum never test good. End up did not eat it and paid full.