Our Story
At Tuk Tuk Thai Isan Street Food, we strive to provide delicious and authentic flavors of Thailand in a traditional street food yet casual atmosphere. Our mission is to share the flavors and culture of Thailand with people from all around the world. All of our dishes are made from scratch. Whether you are craving a classic Pad Thai or looking to explore something new, our chefs will bring the bold flavors of Isan to your plates. Come enjoy a unique culinary experience that you won’t find anywhere else.
Isaiah Tong
I fear this might be my new favorite restaurant in Chicago!! everything was so transcendentally delicious: we got the Signature Pad Thai, Spicy Pork Belly salad, and Grilled Pork Neck appetizer (I don’t know the names in Thai as they appear on the menu sry), and they were ALL amazing. the pork neck in particular was to DIE for, genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my LIFE. for drinks and dessert, we got the Thai Iced Coffee, Pink (Sala) Milk, and Mango Sticky Rice (they warned us that the mango would be a bit sour, but even so it was amazing). everything was great.
even the interior: the walls, the table, the table setting, were so beautiful and immaculate vibes.
10/10, would come back again
… moreRachel Maeng
Not to be dramatic but this is the best thai food I’ve had in a such a long time I especially liked the curry!! I usually don’t put tofu as my protein in curries but I might get this again because it was so so good!! They were like sort of crispy kind and it was so delicious and spice level was just perfect. I’m so happy that I live close to the restaurant and I definitely will be back!!! + all the employees are super friendly 🙂
… moreGraham
Coming here on a Thursday at 6:30pm, we did have to wait 40 minutes for a table. That being said, it was absolutely worth the wait. This is the most authentic Thai food to the food I ate while I lived in Bangkok. Absolutely so delicious. We ordered some of the classics, panang curry, chicken pad Thai, and papaya salad. The curry had strong lemongrass flavor which I love. The pad Thai came with the classic sugar, peanuts and bean sprouts, the flavor was so good! My friend had a shrimp allergy and they were so good at handling it. Service was so kind, and such a fun environment. Also BYOB, we brought beers inside (no fee)
Can’t wait to come back here and try more dishes!!
… moreVilma S.
Great service and the food is very flavorful! We enjoyed the panang curry with chicken, crab rangoons and kao pad krapow. The Thai iced tea was really good as well. The signature pad Thai was too sweet for our liking but everything else was great. The Thai-basil fried rice was probably our favorite!
… moreXianbin Xu
Great food, very rich flavor with the curry. Chicken is delicious. Authentic Papaya salad (according to a friend of mine more familiar with Southeastern Asia cuisine) with marinated crab in it.
Portion is surprisingly large and definitely worth the price. Good for hang-out with friends or just grab a quick dinner by oneself.
It can get crowded, except 15-30 minutes wait for seats for dinner even in weekdays. You can see around Lakeview at the same time so it’s actually not that bad.
Also, they don’t serve alcohol, at least I didn’t see it in the menu.
The photo is a bit messy, I was too busy eating before realizing I should take a photo.
… moreNaomi Oshima
Coming from someone who is half Thai, this is the BEST Thai restaurant in Chicago, hands down. Since moving to the US after living in Bangkok for 7 years as a half Thai, I really missed having authentic Thai food and the food at tuktuk is good every time. I will never forget the first time I went to the restaurant, I got to speak Thai to the wonderful and kind staffs, surrounded by decor that looked just like how it did at home. The fact that the menu had dishes you would actually see in Thailand instead of “chow mein” and sushi like other “Thai” restaurants in the US – I knew the food was gonna be good.
I have yet to try other stuff on the menu but the kor moo yang paired with the som tum with sticky rice (traditional isaan style) tastes delicious and very authentic. There was even dried shrimp in the som tum.
Some other favorite dishes: kra pao moo krob (amazing) and panaeng curry. Even after needing to adapt a few dishes a little to suit American tastes so the business can survive (such as button mushrooms instead of Thai oyster mushrooms in the Tom yum) it is still very very delicious. I’ve come here 3 times and ordered on DoorDash atleast 3 times. My favorite restaurant in Chicago, khob khun mak kha ❤️
… morechintot
When we came our reservations was made with OpenTable but not on their site which was not linked at the time. Good thing they were still able to sit us, we were a large group of 15. All of the dishes were excellent and we were able to enjoy the wine bottles we brought. Minus one star because the packaging can be made with sustainable materials.
… moreWEBE Emmert
“Brought some friends here for lunch who are newer to Thai cuisine, and it was a great choice. The food is authentic, and since we stuck to the more common dishes, everyone really enjoyed their meal. It’s a small, cozy spot with okay service, and the BYOB policy is a nice plus. Definitely a solid spot for a casual, high-quality lunch.”
… moreChris Anderson
We had been wanting to try Tuk Tuk Thai Isan Street Food for a while, and it did not disappoint! The pad Thai and fried rice were bursting with flavor—some of the best we’ve had. The restaurant is cozy and small, so expect a wait, but the lively, casual atmosphere and attentive staff make it well worth it. Perfect for an authentic Thai street food experience in a friendly setting.
… moreJonathan K
Incredibly delicious and authentic Thai food on the north side of Chicago! Everything was so good we had to come back the very next day. Definitely stopping here again next time I’m in Chicago!
… more