Pho’s Spicier Thai Cuisine

This is my go-​to Thai takeout place. The reviews are true… this place knows their spice!!! I always just order a level 1(out of 5) and it’s the perfect level of spice. I will say that one time I ordered the 1 and it was too hot for me to finish, so if you don’t like any spice, go with the mild.
The ingredients in everything they make taste fresh, unlike many other stale Restaurants in the city. I typically order the chicken pad Thai which my boyfriend and I both love. Their shrimp tom yum soup is also to die for… the perfect amount of spice and acid to balance it out. I have also tried a few curries and other noodle dishes, and honestly it’s all delicious. The best part about ordering takeout from here is that they give you a free order of crab Rangoon! And let me tell you… it’s all about their crab rangoons. One of the best I’ve ever had, you can tell their homemade.

Best Thai in the city no joke !
I’m super picky about food almost to a unhealthy ocd level so
If I say something is good it really is.
The place is clean thank god because we all know Chicago restaurants have an issue with that.
The food is sooo good and you can watch them prepare it the ingridenets you can taste are super fresh and the meat they use is not some cheap crap its very lean and high quality.
They even make their own crab Rangoon by hand with stuffing they make not the crap you get at every other place that’s already premade and frozen.
Anyway we get delivery from here at least once or twice a week pad Thai and pineapple fried rice are killer

Great Little neighborhood food joint. Excellent food — great ambiance!

The only Thai place in Chicago (that I know of so far) that get’s the spiciness and flavor perfect!

Solid Thai offering. Great flavor, fresh and affordable. We went for lunch and it was a great quick lunch special with many options. They will make the spice level to your liking. We’ll be back.

Can’t believe I didn’t find this place until two nights ago, I am in love with the concept. They offer various levels of spice and they abide by the level you order (e.g., low, medium, medium-​spicy, spicy, 1X spicy, 2X through 16X). And if you order 5X or higher, you get to have your picture taken and posted on the restaurant’s wall.
I started with a small order of the Tom Yum Soup (vegan) and was pleased with it overall. My spouse ordered the Papaya Salad (vegan) and that was surprisingly good as well. Since this was my first time at this restaurant, I ordered my entrée, Panang Curry (vegan), with 1X spice. My dish was great, but I felt there was too much peanut butter in the curry and I also didn’t care for the imitation meat (I am not a vegan who eats fake meat often). I did love the spice level, which was super hot, so I will experiment with higher levels and other dishes when I visit again.

Highly recommend this cute little Thai joint for some really great food. I highly recommend ordering the 3spice level low than your usual. I love spicy and hot food. But there medium spicy was pretty spice for me as well ;)
Highly recommend: Pad Khee Mao and Pad phra.
And honestly I wasn’t a fan of the spring rolls but will definitely come back for some quick take out!

Spicier, indeed. And yummy too. Fresh ingredients and great flavor. I have ordered a couple times and it’s been slightly spicier than I prefer, but still delicious.

I’m not sure why I haven’t reviewed this little bright yellow piece of heaven yet. I live in the neighborhood, so they may or may not already know my order when I call. And they may or may not always give me a free bag or crab rangoon (or two) with every order.
Anyway, let’s get real. With all the Thai restaurants in Chicago proper, it can be the (first) world’s biggest pain in the ass/​stress-​inducing feat to pick which Thai restaurant to order from. Which will make your rice the perfect ratio of fluffy to sticky? Which panang curry with have just enough peanut flavor without being overly sweet, or runny? Which Drunken Noodle entrée will fill your maintenance belly without giving you wallet a coronary occlusion? Well, look no further my friend. You have arrived.
The spice factor, though, is really what places Phở’s above all others who try and live up to its intensity. I am the kind of gal who wants my food to be so spicy that I drip sweat and maybe even shed a tear. Phở’s is the only place that can satisfy this (twisted) desire. I know I’m not the only spice junkie out there. C’mon people, raise your hands. HIGH, so I can see ‘em!
All in all, even if you aren’t into not being able to feel your tongue, Phở’s packs a lot of flavor and quality into every small white cardboard container. (Don’t act like you aren’t all too familiar with these containers. This is a no-​judgement zone.)
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend, every time. Get over there, quick! No thai to waste! (sorry, I had to.)

Mehhhh. Yes it’s spicy, kudos. On to the actual taste of the food. It was just ok. With all of the thai places in the area I won’t be going back. The appetizers were terrible. The pot-​stickers were doughy and came with this sour/​pungent sauce. The rangoons were nothing but wonton, the little amount of filling in them was comical.
The entrees were ok. My husband loved his pad see ewe, my praram long song chicken was alright, and the tom yum kind of just tasted like water with vinegar in it.

One of the best Thai places in the neighborhood. Their food is spicy and at the same time flavorful.
I always end up getting the pineapple tofu fried rice and cashew nut tofu curry– outta the world.
Also they give something like fortune cookies by looks but I dono what it is but the best one I have tasted.

Tom Yum Soup — vegetable broth with galangal, lemon grass, lime leaves, mushrooms, tomatoes, green onion and cilantro with fresh lime juice.
Satay Chicken– good flavor on the chicken. The peanut sauce was a little too creamy and rich for my taste, but it still was good.
Veggies Egg Rolls– thin rolls were crisps nicely with a nicely spiced filling.
Pad Thai– really good. Be careful of the spiciness level, it can sometimes be too hot, but with water and the cucumber salad from the satay, it was delicious!
The service was fast. Took about 10 – 15 minutes after ordering. There was 1 young Vietnamese woman working the occupied tables and the register. In the kitchen, there was a small elderly vietnamese women alone, working from one large wok, so we knew it was authentic :)

A review long due. One of the best Thai in Chicago. Have ordered from this place a dozen times and food has been consistently great.
Their basil fried rice and pad thai hits the spot each time and the spice adds the edge. Authentic Stuff !
Funnily even the Medium is a touch spicy for me. Note to self — Order Mild !

Judging from Phở’s signage, they seemed to welcome vegetarians and I had a hankering for some Pad Se Ew. I ordered take out, first starting on the website. There didn’t seem to be any place for me to customize the order to make sure there were no eggs and no fish sauce in it. I ended up having to call to get the order just as I wanted it.
The food was good, the noodles and the sauce were tasty. The tofu was a little on the soft end of the spectrum. I prefer it to be firmer and more fried. Listen to what I’m about to say: THIS PLACE IS NOT JOKING ABOUT THE SPICE LEVEL. I got a medium and it was one of the hottest things I’ve ever eaten. Be warned. Their medium is like an extra hot at some other places. Don’t underestimate the spice level, it’s real.

Gave this place a try tonight ordering online (10% off and free crab rangoons) and am glad we tried something new.
The food was pretty good. The green curry was alarmingly runny and über sweet (?) though I ordered mild plus based on the other recommendations, probably could have done more spicy. The spring rolls were nothing but carrot and I hate carrot. I would skip these again. Tom Kha soup was just alright, too sweet again. The long life noodles tasted pretty good. The shumai were standard shumai.
Overall I think the flavors need more balancing, more veggies should be in the spring rolls, more veggies in the Tom Kha soup.

OMG this place don’t play when it comes to spice. I can usually handle a medium fairly well, but damn, this kicked me in the butt. This is definitely a spot where you’ll expect more authentic fare. I, however, felt the menu was slightly limited. I was craving more of a slightly crispy chow-​fun noodle dish. This place probably has only 5 different types, and I usually desire my noodles other than the typical pad thai affair. I got the basil noodle. It was okay, but dang. So much spice, i could barely enjoy the dish.
Other appetizers we got included chicken satay, which was a little different than anywhere else I had it. IT came with a little fiery grill to heat your skewer, which was appreciated. It kept that nice little grilled heat. The sauce was more peanuty than creamy. I do like creamier better. Came with complimentary cucumber salad. Meh.
Shrimp shumai. Standard, but no wows here. The sauce was more sweet and sour-​like than it was hoisin or soy saucey. Meh.
Thai iced tea. weird after flavor. more bitter than i’d like. Thai iced coffee: it was okay. i also could have done with more sweetness or cream.
Here’s my one gripe.
CARROTS! CARROTS EVERYWHERE! stringed carrots. flowered carrots. overdosed on carrots. If you like carrots, and spice, this is definitely your spot.
It was affordable, at a typical $ 7/​plate, and a good late bite that was «healthier.»
But i have no love affair for carrots. So i may not necessarily return.

We’ve ordered from here twice since moving to the area and have not been disappointed! The tiny crab ragoons hit the spot (6 for $ 2.95) and entrees are large enough to share if you have an appetizer. The most impressive thing is the hot levels! Most places that boast being spicy barely register on my fiancé & I’s radar but hot is NO JOKE. I rarely think ‘maaaaybe that’s too hot’ but although it’s good, we may try medium next time haha The hot will have your mouth on fire and clear your sinuses. It’s a good heat but keep that in mind when ordering.
Looking forward to trying out the restaurant and the Byob options sometime soon.

This place is great as it’s down the street from me and extremely convenient. I also love that you get free crab rangoon with your meal. The portions are a healthy size and as many other state be careful with the spice level. I have made the mistake of ordering medium before and not been able to eat my meal.
I usually go with the mild (for my husband) or one step above, I have no idea how some of these people tolerate the hottest levels! I always order the red curry which has the perfect amount of sweetness and heat to it. If you are looking for a good local thai place than this is your stop.

New favorite neighborhood Thai. See others’ reviews for the spicy guide-​I will confirm «medium» is a great place to start for people who like hot/​spicy.
Had the medium tofu green curry and hot beef pad kee Mao. Both outstanding– fresh & budget friendly. Byob is always a perk.
I like things a little rough around the edges so found the ambiance nice, but some others may feel the dining room needs some updating.

Overall: A great Thai spot that’s hidden among a bunch of other restaurants and bars in the area. Cozy with great food. Some spicy Thai!
The good: Great food, some of the spiciest Thai that I’ve had in awhile. The food came out quickly, our service was friendly and attentive, and it’s BYOB. Cheap.
The bad: The menu isn’t huge, but it’s not bad by any means. Food was swimming in oil/​sauce. Bathroom is really gross.
This was an update from a previous review I had a year ago. Overall, great food!
Atmosphere: ⁷⁄₁₀
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Food: ⁸⁄₁₀