I always forget just how awesome and inexpensive this place is! It's a really great alternative to getting a quick pizza delivery. The next time you're in the mood for something different, try Thai Linda and enjoy their fresh spicy dishes, most under $8!
(5)
Jenny C.
I recently moved to Roscoe Village from Lakeview/Wrigley area. I absolutely loved Bamee Noodle on Broadway and was hoping to find an equally awesome Thai restaurant in my new neighborhood. I've been to Thai Linda a few times, and all the dishes I had were pretty good. Their veggie pot stickers are really good too. My only complaint about this place is that their portions are a little bit on the skimpy side. The rice carton was a little nugget, and the entree container was smaller than normal as well. The quality of the food itself is good though. I'll definitely be frequenting this place, as it's so close to my apartment.
(4)
una g.
the food wasn't the greatest try YES THAI instead
(3)
K S.
My wife and I used to walk here when we lived in Roscoe Village. I really liked the food a lot, but the portions are a bit small.
(3)
jason s.
I've had difficulty finding a good thai place in Chicago. Thai Linda is about as close as I've come. The basil fried rice isn't bad, but it can be somewhat bland. The curry is great. I haven't tried much more on the menu though. It's usually pretty easy to get seated right away. Good choice for quiet dining.
(3)
mike l.
just got home from Thai Linda (is that weird? Am I the only one that does that? Visits a place & has to jump on Yelp to review?!) and I've got to say I'm pleasantly pleased. Overall, quite impressed. We started with the steamed veggie dumplings. I hate to break to y'all, but you can get the same ones in the freezer case of any asian grocery. Steam them & them fry 'em a little to crisp up the outside. Next, the all important TOM YUM SOUP! yes, it's unfortunate that we judge all TYS against Arunee Thai back home. But, TL's held up quite nicely. It was really spicy, but very rich, flavorful & generous with the shrimp. For the main dish, we split the seafood noodles & the spicy duck. Both were really nice. There was tons of seafood on top of wide, chow fun noodles in a slightly too-sweet sauce. The duck was nice, but a little underwhelming. There was plenty of duck, I just think there could've been more than just duck & steamed carrots & peppers. But, whatever, it was worth it.
(4)
Kelly F.
I saw the review for the Beef Almond & called to order it, but she acted as if she had no idea what I was talking about. To be fair, the menus in Yelp aren't always consistent with the restaurants'. So I ordered my stand-by, Lime Chicken - which is outstanding at Thai Linda! Never had a problem with their meals & delivery has always been timely. Asparagus Rolls are very tasty, too!!
(5)
Catherine B.
I stopped by Thai Linda Cafe last night with my roommate. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone craving Thai. This is a great place to order take-out from on a Friday night. It was definitely easy to get a last minute reservation. From our experience it was clearly not the happening place to be on a Friday night in Roscoe. It was us and one other couple in the restaurant that night. Service was just fine, I think there was only really one person working that night. I should also note that this place is BYOB. They'll give you a bottle opener and some glasses, but that's really as far as their BYOB service goes. We ordered the Aloha Fried Rice, Kung Pao, Crab Rangoon and Pad Thai. -The Pad Thai wasn't very different from any other Pad Thai. -Aloha Fried Rice was good, it's your typical pineapple fried rice with raisins. -I usually substitute meat for tofu, I think the Kung Pao could have used a little more vegetables a little less tofu. -Crab Rangoons were good, not your typical chinese food restaurant ones. These almost tasted homemade. 10% discount if you pay with cash!
(3)
Karolina T.
Not the worst but def. not the best. We ordered take out from here because it is one of the closest Thai restaurants by our apartment. I got my usual pad se eew as well as gyoza. I was pretty disappointed because the pad se eew that I am used to has a lot of sauce. This one lacked sauce, in fact it had none. We also asked if the gyoza was pan fried or fried, and we were told it was on a pan but when I got the order, it was fried which causes it to lose flavor. Overall, although the food wasn't great it was cheap but I don't think we will be ordering from here again.
(3)
Denny D.
Ordered through Grubhub last night and was disappointed. Our bubble teas were probably the only good thing out of our whole order. We ordered pho and let's just say.. It was not pho. It's as if they weren't expecting a pho delivery order at 8pm on a Tuesday because it was horrible. The broth was very dark almost black, the noddles weren't even noddles just some crammed up mushy stuff in a container we had to add to the pho ourselves.. It had absolutely no flavor and the beef were just chunks thick THICK meat not nicely thin... Won't be ordering again...
(2)
Katie S.
My husband and I ordered from Thai Linda on a rainy night. Parts of my experience were very off-putting and others were positive. We tried to order online, but there was a problem with the website. Not sure what, but we ended up having to order over the phone- not a big deal. I went to go pick up the food. I walk in the restaurant and no one is anywhere to be seen. There is one girl who is doing homework in the corner- I'm guessing the owner's daughter. But other than that, there's no one. I waited FOREVER for someone to appear. At one point, a man from the kitchen emerged. He saw me and made no acknowledgement of my existence. It didn't even look like he told anyone that I was waiting. Finally, a woman emerged and I paid and left. But I was probably waiting for a good 5-7 minutes. The food was good. We ordered the crab rangoon. One complaint with that is the container of sweet and sour was much too small to dip the rangoon into. They should get bigger containers. I ordered the veggie fried rice and it was great. We got the Tom Kha Soup and omg it was delicious!! It was tart, but sweet. Oy- amazing! Overall, the food was good. But having to wait that long for someone to provide any service was very off-putting.
(3)
Jamie B.
They give you a discount if you pay cash. BYOB and they have a patio. I don't know what went wrong but I ordered pad thai and it smelled and tasted awful. Since I've personally worked in many a restaurant, I don't EVER, and I mean EVER send food back. I either choke it down or I don't eat it. And if the server or management is smart, they'll ask "was there something wrong with your dish?" at which point I would tell them how gross it was and so on and so forth. The pad thai was very odd. The menu is huge here, maybe they need to consolidate to focus on areas that need to be improved.
I honestly don't get all of the so-so reviews. In my opinion, Thai Linda is WAY better than the Thai place that's one minute away. The Panang Curry is awesome. The Basi Fried rice is delicious. The Hawaiian Fried Rice is delightful. The Sesame Chicken was just okay. The service is great.
(4)
David P.
Another disappointing, over priced and low quality Roscoe Village restaurant. Would someone please come and open a good restaurant in the neighborhood? My girlfriend and I eat Thai food at least once a week, as we are big fans. We tried this place for the first time about a month ago, and we were very disappointed. The good is pretty bland, the portions are small and the quality of the ingredients are poor. We had there pad Thai, chicken satay, their spicy basil chicken. I really can't tell you much more, except that none of the dishes would make me go back. We did notice, it was a Friday night, and their was only one other table in tjebwhle place, enough said...
(2)
Aloe A.
Myself and one other went Sunday afternoon on a whim and we were not disappointed. The menu was much larger than I had anticipated which was a pleasant surprise. We tried their chicken satay as an app, and a thing of Pad Thai and a bowl of chicken massaman curry for the mains. Although the satay was not chunky, it was still good. The dishes could have been a bit more spicy, but our noses still ran a bit and the overall taste did not suffer. One thing that is worth noting was their Thai Tea which was delicious.
(4)
William R.
Easily the worst food I've had in Chicago. Ordered the Panang steak, and it was actually inedible. Go anywhere else. Overpriced, poor delivery (wrong address, wrong time), and the food when/if it arrives is really bad.
(1)
Fitile K.
Go to place in the neighborhood. Economic pricing. Excellent quality food, including chicken. Highly recommend.
(4)
Anne M.
There's some really mixed reviews for good old Linda here. I didn't think she fell into an extreme category - I thought it was a perfectly good, casual spot to grab dinner. On a Friday night me and the man were hungry. I was craving Thai, so we walked down to pay a visit to Linda. There were several other full tables, and a lot of take-out orders on the front counter waiting to be picked up. We were seated, immediately served water and we place our orders for some apps - crab rangoon (my usual) and a beef-wrapped asparagus. The apps came out pretty quick - and they were good; not great. Entrees - we split the chx pad se eew and the lard nar. The lard nar was served in a deep bowl and was the most soupy I've ever seen it. I prefer that dish more on the dry side because I don't enjoy eating spoonfuls of gravy - but it did taste good... The pad se eew was our preferred dish - that had much better texture and flavor. By the time we got our bill, we were the only table in the restaurant. Still, the take-outs and deliveries were steady. Bonus: they served a delightful little fortune cookie roll - I've never seen that kind, but it was way tastier than a regular fortune cookie. Was this the best Thai ever? No. But it certainly wasn't terrible (or even bad). We had a nice dinner, the space was calm and quiet - I would come back again for another low-key meal anytime.
(4)
Mandy V.
Awesome food-- good prices -- and byob. Tons of choices and great vegetarian options!! Never crowded so great place to sit in or carry out
(4)
Andre W.
After getting delivery over the past 3 years, I finally had the opportunity to go to the actual place. Not too big, not too small as it was a nice space. It was virtually empty when we walked in. We started out with the thai dumplings which were very good. For my entree, I got the Spicy Fried Rice with Vegetable and it was definitely spicy! Their delicious thai iced tea definitely helped keep my mouth cool. I love that I finally showed up as the staff was pretty nice and its a nice joint...will return more often as this is one of my favorite thai places in the city...Also this joint is BYOB!
(5)
Vanitha S.
First time here for carry out. Cute ambiance and space but disappointed with my order. $5 for bubble tea? Go somewhere else of you can...the tea was good but there were barely any bubbles. Not worth it. My Tom yum soup was extremely disappointing. Oil droplets were floating on top. No flavor, kinda stale chicken and definitely old lemongrass...not at all fragrant. Service was cold and unfriendly. Won't be back here.
(2)
Nichole M.
I think I have figured out what is wrong with this place after having eaten here 3 times. They have good recipes, but do not know how to cook properly. The first time I ordered, our beef was overcooked, almost burnt. The second time, the noodles were mushy and again the meat was burnt. But the flavors were still good and so I wanted to give them one last try to see if they'd worked out their kinks. The third and last time...my shrimp was almost completely raw, like see through, and they were not de-veined. Disgusting. There was a very young person waiting on us and I felt bad hassling him. So I just pushed the shrimp to the side and ate my rice and veggies. The sauce was amazing, but how can I get past raw shrimp that still has it's poop in it?! Mortifying. I will not be back. The sauces for all of their dishes are very tasty so I wish they just knew how to cook food. Very sad.
(2)
Marty M.
The food is meh. I've had much better. I got take out so I can't speak to the atmosphere inside. The people seemed nice enough, but the food was really disappointing. Thai food is about the only thing lacking in Roscoe.
(2)
Kryste N.
Nom nom nom nom! I've been going here for years, it's our girls night out dinner place. The food is delicious, the service is always great, and best of all - 6 people can eat here for $100! We went last night and it was fantastic, we always order a bunch of entrees and pass plates. Cashew Chicken, Sweet Basil, and Garlic Noodle with beef were stand outs. Till next time Thai Linda!
(4)
Dinah M.
My husband and I consider Thai Linda one of 'our' places. We went there on one of our first dates when he lived in the neighbourhood and we love to go there a few times a year. I don't think we've ever seen more than one other table occupied, but don't let the emptiness fool you in to thinking it's not popular! The food is delightful and the service is the perfect amount of attentiveness.
(4)
Candi D.
Delivery thru Grub Hub First timer- ordered on Thanksgiving. Ordered simply Thai offerings: crab Rangoon, side salad( ginger dressing on side) spring rolls, small tom yum soup w tofu dressing on side. Review: I was really impressed with the whole process. Food was on time. Delivery driver was nice! :-) Every selection tasted super fresh and was prepared perfectly. Food was hot!!!!! I ate everything!!!!! Crab Rangoon: perfect sizes very delicate and melted in my mouth. Usually, these appetizers are way too big and over stuffed with too much cream cheese. Spring rolls: were larger than I am use to here, but I liked it since cabbage, carrots are raw w tofu it good cause I could really taste the freshness Soup: Amazing- asked for it to be medium and it actually was. W large pieces of tofu :-) they did not skimp on that. Side salad: they have the ginger dressing that I love. Simply greens with shredded beets and carrots I drizzled done olive oil on top w dressing and was yummy. Only thing is wish I would of received a fortune cookie
(5)
Tim H.
Solid spot for Thai food. I've only ever ordered to-go, but I really like the online ordering. I can pick a time to have ready and they're always on-time, or there's an option to have ready "asap" and they will call you when it's ready; usually like 15-20 minutes.
(4)
Sheila M.
I ordered food for delivery tonight via GrubHub from Thai Linda. I specifically requested a beef appetizer (Tiger Cry) be cooked Med Rare or Medium at the most. It was beyond well done, it was burnt to a crisp and they refused to issue a refund. The chicken satay was also well done; it was very hard to eat. The restaurant requires that I bring back the steak (Tiger Cry) to prove that it was overcooked. The delivery time was prompt and friendly, but the food wasn't something I would even give to my dog! Stay away from this restaurant, it is disgusting. GrubHub helped intervene and they directly gave me a $10 coupon to spend to make up for the experience. Do NOT eat here, I am trying to save you the same frustration that I experienced.
(1)
Kaitlin D.
The food is quite good for the price and the service is always exceptional at Thai Linda. Their patio over the summer was great for people watching over a yummy meal. I usually get the chicken pad thai and would definitely recommend it - I've tried a few appetizers as well (don't recall which ones!) and was pleased.
(4)
Kristin S.
Pretty decent Thai food at an okay price. Truthfully, I don't think I'd go here much if it wasn't directly across the street from me. For convenience sake, though, it's good. The take out portions are a little small (usually Thai takeout lasts me at least two meals. This was definitely only one.), but the quality of the food is pretty good. The two times I've eaten in, the service was incredibly slow, even though we were one of TWO tables in the place. The food presentation eating in is pretty nice though. They've also got some good outdoors seating in the summer so that's nice. The prices are a little higher than some, but again, the quality of the food is better than your average dumpy takeout place. I've had MUCH better throughout the city, though, so if I move away, I don't think I'll be back.
(3)
Kate C.
Good Thai food, good service, nice atmosphere AND BYO-we will definitely be back!
(4)
Heather P.
Disappointed. We ordered in from Thai Linda not long ago and enjoyed it, so when I saw they had a Groupon Now, we thought we'd head over and dine on the patio. The whole experience was completely riddled with screw-ups, based in no small part on the fact that our waiter looked to be about 16 and spoke almost no English. When we sat down, he asked if we were using the Groupon. I thought this was weird, as in all my years (?) of Grouponing, no establishment has asked about it before we'd been given the check. We said yes. He flipped the menu over and showed us the section we could not order from. Already a bad sign, since restaurants are allowed to add their own "fine print" to the Groupons and nowhere on the Groupon did it say "not applicable on House Specials". We ordered spring rolls and two cups of tom kha. Then I ordered the Thai salad and he ordered curry. I thought it was really weird that my salad came out before anything else, since it has egg, tofu and peanut sauce, and I remembered being a size more suited to an entree, and also it was the only thing I ordered that was not an appetizer. I placed it to the side and stared at it for a bit. We ate our soup (not great) and the spring rolls (completely standard). My salad sat alone. And sat. And sat. Our waiter appeared after a time and asked for the Groupon. I pulled it up on my phone, and he disappeared with the bar code. I figured he was killing time until the curry showed up. Then he came back with the check and said, "Thank you!" Uhh. I informed him we were still waiting on food. He looked perplexed. The curry, I reminded him. OH RIGHT, THE CURRY. He came back almost immediately with the curry, which had been sitting God knows how long, waiting to be delivered to us. Finally, I got to eat my salad! I really like this salad, but I thought it seemed much... more petite than I remembered. Definitely much, much smaller. And Boyfriend's curry as well, was extremely petite. It was not a shareable portion. In fact, with all the rice that was brought out, and all the curry in the dish, it only filled a salad plate. I have never seen such a small portion at a Thai place. There is a photo attached. That's it, folks. We had zero leftovers, despite ordering quite a bit of food. I'm starting to wonder if we actually received less food due to using the Groupon. They did know about it in advance (which automatically makes me anxious.) After all that, our bill was calculated wrong and I'm still not sure how or what happened, since the waiter lacked the language skills to explain it. Won't be back. Glad we didn't pay full price.
(2)
Julie H.
Went here for dinner last night and utilized a Groupon Now. Note: I've noticed this place frequently has Groupon Now deals. I ordered the lemon grass chicken; my bf ordered the peapods with beef. His looked good, mine was good. Chicken was perhaps a little dry. Tip: Awesome beer to enjoy with your food at this byob is called Siamese Twin from Uncommon Brewers (it is brewed with thai spices). We also got the vegetable pot stickers which were tasty; I enjoyed the black bean sauce. Staff was very friendly and the place was very chill, not at all crowded. Cute place for a date.
We also took advantage of the $20 groupon for $10. Nice location on the cusp of Lincoln Park. We parked on the street and walked about 2 blocks to the restaurant where we were greeted by a very friendly young man. We ordered the full appetizer plate and it was very good, we enjoyed everything and I particularly like the shumai. We also had the beef pad see ewe and green curry with beef. Now - everything was wonderful and tasty except for the portions which is half the size of what you would normally get elsewhere. So, if you are looking to lose weight or if you weigh 90 lbs, the serving size would be fine for you. The taste is 5 stars. If budget is not an issue, order two of everything and you'll be satisfied.
(3)
Ruby L.
Had pad kee mao. Loved it. Could use a bit less oil though.
(4)
Misty S.
Fried rice test score: C+ We sat down and the waiter brings us a couple of glasses of water. Then a few seconds later he comes back and picks up my glass of water and looks at it suspiciously for a few moments. I think at that point he didn't have a choice but to come back with a new glass of water because who would drink out of it after that? The crab rangoon was recommended, but I was not impressed. The filling was creamy...too creamy...and not that tasty and the shell was too hard. The fried rice was above average, but nothing I would come back to order. I had it with tofu which was good with the eggs in it. The sweet basil chicken was average and not enough rice came with it. The restaurant is pretty big with lots of tables and cool art on the walls. There were only 2 other tables occupied when we came for dinner on a Friday night. Tip: There's a great wine place (Lush) a few blocks from this place where you can pick up your BYOB.
(3)
Christina G.
Something has changed here, and in a good way. I saw a groupon deal for this place and bought it. $10 for $20, and the place is practically in my backyard. I decided it was worth another try. We went on a nice night, so we could sit outside on the patio. We started with the thai dumplings. You only got 6 small-ish dumplings, but they were really good. I ordered the same dish I tried out last time - chicken pad thai, and my husband had spicy mint. I wonder what was updated, but both dishes were very tasty. The chicken had a ton of flavor and the noodles were cooked well, not too heavy or greasy. The spicy mint had subtle hints of mint, and was the perfect amount of spice. I really enjoyed our waiter too. He was young, very friendly, and very helpful. And the place is BYOB with no corkage fee. We stopped by Lush on the way over and picked up a great $10 bottle of wine to complete the meal. I will certainly be back again!
(4)
Rafiq A.
It was just ok. And for the price I paid I would expect more. I got the pad thai beef. there was an up-charge for the beef. fine. but the amount of meat wasn't a lot. Also, the noodles are thinner than I expected. they did add a lot of crushed up peanuts, so that was nice. I also got the tom kha soup. it was a little too oily for my taste. my bf got their chicken rice soup and he said it was good. it also took 20 minutes to prepare and I was the only person in the place and their delivery drivers were sitting there. don't forget to asl about the free app for orders of $20 or more for take out and delivery. obviously they don't mention them to you. in a pinch it will do.
(3)
Keith A.
Thai linda, to me, is exactly what roscoe village is about. The second I walked in, it just felt comfortable and had a neighboorhood vibe too it. I had called ahead for take out, so I can't say anything about what its like to sit there. I ordered up a bunch of stuff to have over a couple of days. I got the spicy duck, pad thai, and lemongrass chicken along with a couple of appetizers. They even threw in some potstickers automatically because I had ordered over $20 worth of food. I'm used to outright asking when it comes to the deals, and I didn't know about it. The appetizers were very good. I had gotten some thai dumplings and theses hit the spot. They were nice and hot when I got them. The chicken satay was okay, it was just normal chicken satay, so while that was fine, I wanted a bit more. The potstickers they threw in were very good and made up for the chicken satay. They weren't over fried which can happen all too often. As far as the entrees go, they were really good. The pad thai was pretty standard. It wasn't great, but it was far from being bad either. For me, the key to pad thai is always the noodles, and these noodles were good, but they really paled in comparison to the other two dishes. The spicy duck, however, was awesome. It had heat to it, but it wasn't too much for me at all (granted I have no problem with things being very spicy). The duck itself was really good and done very well. The lemongrass chicken was also very good and was a nice contrast to the spicy duck. I ordered up some of the more expensive items on the menu, but all of that lasted me a few days. There's a lot left on the menu and i'm in the area a good amount, so stopping in again is bound to happen
(4)
Terri B.
Skip it. Go elsewhere unless you want to have one of the weirdest restaurant experiences of your life, as I did: My family has been going to Thai Linda since before they changed management, so no hesitation to go back even under new ones. Sat down with my friend and decided to try their spin on a new kind of Pad Thai, one that had Wontons in it. We started with crispy crab and fish rolls ,which were pretty good but had a spongy quality that I wasn't expecting. Still fairly tasty. When the pad thai arrived, I discovered after one bite that this dish had NO noodles in it whatsoever. It was pad thai sauce dumped on wonton crackers and shrimp. Not at all what I wanted- who orders pad thai and says "Hold the noodles, please"?? So I called our waitress over and explained that I'd like to have regular pad thai instead, since this new dish did not meet my expectations. The waitress, who clearly spoke very little English, informed me that since I had ordered this, this is what I get to eat. I figured she must be misunderstanding- perhaps she thought I was saying I hadn't ordered this in the first place. So, I explained again that I just didn't care for this, and I wanted to send it back and order something different. Again, she looked baffled- and then said "Let me ask my manager." At this point I'm thinking- I don't need a manager's permission not to like this dish. Waitress comes back and tells me that the manager says I have to pay for this since I ordered it but I can also get something else, at which point I got angry. I told her to tell her manager that I would NOT be paying for food I don't like or eat, and then asked her to just tell the manager to come and speak to me directly. She comes back AGAIN and says "My manager will give you half off this dish. But you cannot change." Now there's steam shooting out of my ears. I stood up, walked into the restaurant with the plate of (now soggy) wonton crackers and sauce, thunked it down on the counter, and said loudly, "Tell your manager to come out of the kitchen and speak to me, please." And then I stood at the counter and waited. Waitress tells me she's on the phone. I still stand there. Waitress comes out for the FOURTH time and now says, "OK, we will take this off and you want regular pad thai?" I say yes and go back outside. Quite possibly the oddest thing that's ever happened to me- I actually had to pick up my plate and practically threaten to walk it back into the kitchen myself to stress the point that I would not be forced into eating a crappy dish or paying for it. So don't bother going to Thai Linda, unless you are absolutely sure you are going to love whatever the hell they put down in front of you.
(1)
Rachel L.
Amazing little neighborhood gem. The food is delicious and not overpriced. The server was attentive, but not overly so. And it's a BYOB. So to summarize: Great food. Attentive staff. BYOB. P.S. The spicy duck is to die for!
(5)
Walter R.
I'll keep it concise. Fair service and sparse, but pleasant decor. Nobody was gushing over us being there, but staff were fairly prompt and courteous. I've eaten at Linda's three times already (already says something, right?) and it comes out to about 3 stars on average. The standard pan-asian appetizers are typical in quality. The curries have proved to be consistently too dry. Thai staples like Pad-Thai, Pad-See-Ew and Pad-Woon-Sen (no idea how to spell this) were served with some burned eggs and dry meat and shrimp. Nothing was bad enough to complain about, though. And in the future, if I want some quick, cheap and good-enough Thai, I will come back.
(3)
Jason D.
Always in the mood for thai, I ordered delivery from Thai Linda Cafe. I sure wish I hadn't. Being only 6 blocks from the restaurant and on a Wednesday I was hoping the 30 minutes the person on the phone said it would take.. would only be 20 minutes. It took a little over an hour. Okay.. no big deal, things happen. Upon opening my chicken pad Thai noodle I was impressed by the amount of food I had.. which made me forget about the time it took to arrive. Yummy this is fairly good.. the noodles weren't too greasy and the flavor was good. So why one star? After a big bite.. I looked down and saw something black. Burnt rice chunk? No.. it was a dead fly. Upon calling and complaining about this tragedy.. I was told I could only get restaurant credit. I continued to say I wanted my money back because I refused to eat there again. After 10 minutes of back and forth I lost my temper which finally convinced the lady on the phone to reimburse me. So in conclusion.. slow delivery, dead fly and horrible customer service netted them a one star rating.
(1)
Torry H.
yuk! In an area of delicious Thai food...Thai Linda does not stand up! The pad thai was lacking all flavor. I usually order that from a new thai place since its so basic and is normally good. It was very greasy and really bland. I would not order from here again. Head up the road to Thai Oscar, Opart Thai House or even Spoon.
(1)
Lauren B.
Wish I didn't have to write this review but... I ordered the chicken pad see ew lunch special. First thing I noticed is that their egg rolls are now about 1/2 the size than they used to be and they do not taste nearly as good as they used to. My entree also was not nearly as good as it used to be. The chicken was dry and bland and the noodles were not very flavorful. THEN I found multiple hairs in my dish. Clearly this is gross and unacceptable!
(1)
Emily H.
Situated in the heart of Roscoe Village, Thai Linda is a tasty fusion of Northern and Southern Thai cooking. Their curries taste sweet, rich, and spicy in Chiang Mai style, but their noodle dishes are straight from Phuket; tangy and complexly layered with garden-fresh spices and sauces. My favorites are the Tom Kha coconut-lemongrass soup with chicken and straw mushrooms, and the Panang Curry with beef over rice. The spring rolls are fresh, filled with crisp vegetables and complemented well by the plum sauce. I like Thai Linda so much I eat there at least once a week.
(4)
Devon F.
Love this place. My wife and I love to grab some beer and wine and enjoy the BYOB. We love the Pad Thai
(5)
Roxana B.
I decided to give this place a try since it had mix reviews. Oh boy was it bad! I decided to order there and do take out. The food was not good at all. I never had bad Thai food, and never thought it could be made bad. We ordered crab Rangoon which tasted funny, and my pad Thai had no flavor. Even the thin noodles was bad. My husband had fried rice which he said was okay. This place is nothing special just save money and go somewhere else.
(1)
Jacques M.
I'm debating between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I'll go ahead and go with 4 because the price is right and its BYOB. The overall Yelp 3.5 rating has this one pegged perfectly. If you like the homey mom and pop feel this is defiantly your place. Our server (who I suspect is the owner) was very friendly and attentive. Lunch for two was about $20 (with Tip) and its BYOB on top of that. My Chicken Pad Tai was excellent. However, my wife's dish (I can't recall the name) was a little over done and lacked flavor. I don't know what type of sauce they put on the egg rolls, but it was on of the better egg rolls I have ever eaten. Overall, this is a great option for an affordable Thai lunch in the Roscoe Village area.
(4)
L.G. R.
Oh Thai Linda. It has been the best thai food I've had in Chicago. But it's very hit or miss. We ordered pad thai, red curry chicken (2 star spicy), and 2 crab rangoon tonight. The red curry chicken wasn't spicy at all (they left it plain, I've had it spicy so I know the difference). They only gave us 1 order of crab rangoon but they brought the other order out 1 1/2 hours later. The pad thai was great as always. I love the fat noodles. I'd normally give them 5 stars because the food is that good when it's on. But sometimes it is off :-( Just make sure you double check your order before accepting it.
(3)
Dan L.
I would love to support a local restaurant but our experience was so bad that not only do I not want to return, I think that other folks should think twice about going. We went there on Christmas night -- it was the only place on the Roscoe strip that was open. And I totally get that it may not be perfect, or even close to perfect, on Christmas night. But it was just terrible. We and everyone else there waited over an hour for our entrees to come out, and the food quality was significantly worse than it was under previous management -- from a significantly fattier beef dish to a much less flavorful noodle dish. What really made me angry about the whole situation though is that neither of the two folks working the front of the house came up to anyone and said anything as little as: Hey, it's Christmas, and we're doing our best but it's slow. We get it. But they wouldn't even make eye contact with anyone, much less apologize for it. It took us getting up to talk to them to actually make them address it, which they basically declined to do even then. Without any discussion, they did knock 15% off our bill. Again, no fronting of the situation, no words at all. Can't imagine returning.
(1)
Sara O.
I stopped in this place when the restaurant I was intending on going to was with a wait. And boy was I glad I did! This place was really tasty and the menu was rather extensive--for a Thai place! The crab rangoon was pretty close to phenomenal. Tom Yum Soup, FAB(ulous). And the Pad See Ew... YUM! Bonus Points for BYOB... always a good time!!
(4)
Amanda K.
Got sick from the food, and the waiter didn't speak ANY English.
(1)
Richie D.
I was walking along Roscoe with my partner trying to find a place to grab dinner that would be fairly inexpensive and quick. Shooot, Thai food is always the answer when it comes to those specifications. We came up to Thai Linda Cafe and stepped on in to an empty restaurant (not necessarily surprising for a Wednesday evening). We were greeted by a friendly waiter who was Mexican which seemed to surprise me at first since most Thai restaurants are staffed by Thais themselves. Either way, the service was efficient and quick like any other Thai restaurant in the city. To begin, Thai Linda has adorable menus which are woven and made of bamboo. In addition, their dishware is quite beautiful and matches every plate they bring out during the meal (I want one of their little rice bowls with a cover). We ordered the spring rolls which had to have been made way in advance and stored in a refrigerator for a few hours. The inside was half frozen in texture and temperature. I ordered the Panang Curry as mild and the waiter said it's already made and the spiciness could not be adjusted. He did back it up with a "heat scale" where he said between 1-5 it's a 2. When it came out, the curry was pretty tasty and not too spicy or too sweet--and yes I'd agree that it was a #2. My partner also had a curry but with noodles and enjoyed it as well. All in all, $14 a person for an average appetizer and entree is expected. And once again, Thai food maintained it's reputation of inexpensive and quick. Note: If you work in the area or are off for the day, be sure to check out their weekday lunch specials.
(3)
Kelly C.
Horrible service. To cure a hangover, we decided to find some cheap and quick Thai food, and searched Groupon Now. Thai Linda was chosen over the 5 others nearby that came up because the Fine Print did not specify "Dine in Only", and we preferred carry-out. We ordered on the website which was really easy, then I went to pick it up after 25min. The person up front, who also appeared to be the waiter was about 16 and spoke little English...this is why I ordered online. My total was $28, and I pulled up my $20 Groupon Now and a $10 bill. I was then told something about how the Groupon is for Dine in. "But it does not say that in the fine print," I responded. "Sorry, you need to pay $28." "No, I bought this over 5 other places because I wanted carry out." He then went to the back to discuss with his hire-ups, then came back and told me "Sorry, dine in for Groupons, it is $28." I showed him the $10 bill, and said, "All I have is $10 to cover the extra not covered by the Groupon, so I cannot pay for this." Obviously, I had credit cards with me, but I wasn't about to spend $28. The boy ran to the back again, had a short conversation, then came back out and told me I owed to total of $28. So I left with no food. I could understand if they made a mistake when signing up for the Groupon, since the English was very broken, but the conditions on my Groupon were clear. I have used Groupon Nows for carry out at similar places several time before with no issues about having to "dine in". The fact is, that no manager ever even bothered to discuss it with me, and just used a 16yr old to deny its use. I ordered $28 worth of food, so they were still making money off me, and it seemed like there was no clear reason not to let it go, realizing their mistake in the Groupon. I never got to have the likely overly oily food and I will never be back .
(1)
Matt A.
Having not had Thai in some time, I was excited to try some, what I had been told to be, great authentic Thai food. Thai Linda Cafe is located in a pretty suburban feeling part of Logan Square, across from a Starbucks. Excited that it was byob, me and a few buddies set out with a few beers to give it a shot. I cant say I was disappointed, or overly enthusiastic about it. The patio was nice, though the service was so-so. I ordered a pepper steak dish, which was good, but pretty run of the mill. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their dishes as well. I wouldn't mind going back, as the menu was pretty good. Maybe it's my fault for ordering something simple, but I wasn't "wowed" by my first experience.
(3)
Josh H.
This is my go-to place for affordable and delicious thai food in Roscoe Village. I have always been incredibly satisfied with the food and service is always friendly! The lunch deal is great...selected entree with your choice of veggie or chicken egg roll along with soup or cucumber salad for just $6.95.
(4)
Andy S.
Thai isn't usually my go-to Asian cuisine, but it has been growing on me, and the other night i opted to try Thai Linda Cafe as opposed to another nearby spot that I've been frequenting of late...whoops! When I called for take out the man on the other end of the phone told me 25 minutes. In 25 minutes (at a prime dining time I might add) I arrived to an empty restaurant save for one table 3 women that were being seated as I arrived. The man who directed them to their table disappeared for 5 minutes or so before coming out, at which point I said I was there to pick up my order, meanwhile a line was forming behind me. He told the others in line that he was going to help me then he'd get to them. Once again he disappeared, for another 5-7 minutes, finally coming back with my simple order (lad nar & egg rolls). I got home, and well, I shouldn't have been surprised, the lad nar was amazing lukewarm and flavorless (even for lad nar, which is a fairly spiceless dish to begin with), with the egg rolls (*not* spring rolls) being completely cold and soggy. At the very least the portions were big and lasted me a couple tasteless days, it's just unfortunate I had to make the food hot on my own not only for leftovers, but for first time eating too!
(1)
Anthony H.
This place used to be decent... but the last three times I've gone have been terrible. Extremely long waits for food (over an hour), terrible service, and on two separate occasions- burnt AND cold food. One time our bill was twice the amount it should have been. Avoid this place.
(1)
Colleen R.
First time at Thai Linda cafe - and I must say the chicken pad Thai was delicious! Ordered for a pickup and it was ready on time and very friendly people.
(4)
Jerry W.
Okay today is a two for with my reviews (read my earlier one on Rudy's Bakery, or if you have the time you can read all my reviews). I was saying it was errand Saturday. The errands started around 9:00 in the morning out in the Joliet area with my youngest daughter. The day ended that night back home around 8:00 pm, with my wife and oldest son. What a day, I even forgot all about Earth Day/Hour until this morning!! Well along the way one of our stops was at Thai Linda Cafe in Roscoe Village. We have never been to Linda's so it was nice to try. I always like trying new places. My Dad always use to say at least give it a try and then if you don't like it that is fine. My Dad is a smart man! I don't think I have ever tried Thai food before. Of course I am getting older and maybe having memory issues. So it was nice to give this place a try. My wife, oldest daughter and oldest son all were with me when we stopped for dinner at Linda's. We started with two cups of shrimp won ton. The broth was very tasty but we thought there were way too many vegetables in the soup. Then for appetizers we ordered the egg rolls, spring rolls, pot stickers and shrimp suit (I think I spelled that corectly?). The pot stickers and shrimp suit were very good. The egg rolls and spring rolls were just average. I've had better at other Chinese restaurants. So on to our main course, which we ordered an entree of Beef Almond, and entree of Pepper Steak and an entree of one of the Noodle dishes (I forget the name of it, yes I said earlier I am getting older and possibly having memory issues). The beef almond was very good. There was plenty of beef and almonds. The broccoli and carrot slices were fresh and tasty. I thought the pepper steak and noodle dishes were just ok. The pepper steak had way too many vegetables ("where's the beef" or in this case the steak) and the noodle dish was bland and lifeless tasting. Our total bill came to roughly $61 dollars. Our waitress was super nice and friendly. The place was very clean, not too busy though for a Saturday dinner. Personally for Asian food I have always loved Japanese first and then Chinese second. I would rank Thai food after that with Korean and Vietnamese. I know my wife and son think the same way. Maria even says that Thai food is like Chinese food's ugly cousin. But to be fair to Linda's my oldest daughter just loved it. She even thought it was probably some of the best Thai food she has ever had in the city. And she has been to several different Thai establishments. So overall I would give Linda's three stars but I guess based on my oldest daughter's input and the super friendly service from our waitress I will go reluctantly with four stars. I guess if I liked Thai food more I probably wouldn't be so hesitant with my rating.
(4)
Theresa D.
I came in here on a sunday early evening around 6. There were 4 people in the restaurant eating. I ordered a pad thai with tofu and a cucumber salad to go. The total came to $11 bucks. I got home to eat my meal and was very disappointed. My pad thai and cucumber salad was very bland. Those two things are hard to screw up. The reason why my review is two stars instead of 1 star is because the food was edible. Even though I live in the neighborhood, I wish I could have saved myself the trip and money, now i know for next time.
(2)
Gina M.
I just moved in around the corner. I was bored one afternoon of what Roscoe St. has to offer because I was growing tired of sandwiches and pizzas so I remembered Thai Linda Cafe. The first time I got the chicken Pad Thai (extra spicy). WIN! I have had some problems with finding a Thai place that makes the Pad Thai like I used to get at my favorite thai restaurant in Detroit. It was so delicious that I obsessed about it the next day and the minute they opened I placed another order for pad thai. They didn't fail me. Three days later a few friends came over and i raved about this place so much that they gave in. One friend isn't a fan of thai, chinese, or really anything "un-American." We got pad thai (chicken and vegetable), the Thai Linda Chicken and Panang Curry. We didn't talk much while eating except for mumbling "mmm's" and "ohmygosh." Everything we ate was out of sight and for all that it was about 30 dollars. I always seem to see the same lady there and she is always so nice or as my friend put it, "super happy to be alive." I will eventually go in there and sit down and eat. I only deducted one star because I am not very knowledgable about thai food. I like what I like, I rarely venture for those foods. I've only tried about 5 Thai restaurants ever, so this place could very well be the best or it could turn out to be a top contender.
(4)
Andrew C.
If you live in Roscoe Village, this should be in your weekly rotation. For the money, they can't be beat. To be honest, I only order a few items like the Pad Thai, Spicy Mint or Tofu Curries. (and crab rangoon) What keeps me from marking them a 4 star is consistancy. Some of their dishes are made just right with the right amount of heat (spicy) come back another week and the same dish is overpowering with heat.
(3)
Marissa B.
When I get carry-out I like to be eating that food for days. I'm talking day-one-dinner, day-two-lunch, day-two-dinner, day-three-lunch... you get my point. The food at Thai Linda is not pricey - (approximately $7 or $8) but I'd rather pay an extra few dollars and get some more foooood!!! Okay, let me tell you what the problem really was: the smallest rice container ev-er. Normally when you get two entrees you'd expect a large container of rice. Right? Well, our two entrees came with one medium/small container of rice. We had to very carefully ration out the rice so as to have enough to last the 1.5 meals we were able to squeeze out of the Thai food. The Basil Tofu was good - good sauce, nicely cooked tofu. The egg rolls were huge and, unfortunately, over-fried. They offer delivery, for a small fee if you're in the service area. BOTTOM LINE: Good food, good prices, but ask for extra rice.
(3)
Christina S.
I knew it was too good to be true! After one winning dine-in experience, I threw caution to the wind and announced that this was my new Thai place. One nasty take-out experience has me wishing I'd never typed those words, Yelp! You've had your own nasty take-out experiences, I'm sure, so there's not too much to say. The rice was hard. The curry was curdled. The chicken was skimpy. Barf. You'll say I'm too good for this. You'll say I should just sever ties and move on. But I'm going to give Thai Linda Cafe one more try. Update to the update to come.
(1)
Ross W.
Great food. Great service. Great price.
(5)
Daina T.
This is my FAVORITE Thai place in Chicago. I lived in Roscoe Village for a while and this was my roommate and my go-to-place for Thai Food. We absolutely loved it. The people that work there are so nice and the food is delicious! Also, when you order delivery the food gets there in a reasonable time and the older man who delivers to us typically is so sweet... I have only eaten in the restaurant once with a group of good friends. The service was great but it took a little longer to get the food which was probably since we were in a larger group and they aren't accustom to that...Otherwise, my roommate and I used to order in from this place at least once or twice a week. Not big cooks ;) Shout out to the Pad-Se-Ew! Holla (with chicken)! This is by far the best Pad-Se-Ew I have ever tasted AND the cream cheese wonton thingy's. To die for! While I recommend these two items, I am reassure you that anything you order will be good. Also super affordable and will go back there every time I visit Chicago!
(5)
Christie Katelyn S.
As I was strolling down through Roscoe Village I came upon this place & checked out the Yelp reviews. I've ordered from there 3 or 4 times now & I think they're great! Ginger chicken, crab rangoon & garlic noodles are fantastic, but beware of their Spicy rice! Two of my friends couldn't handle it.
(4)
Eddie L.
The charming interior, friendly staff, and delectable aromas make you feel welcomed like family. Then you pass the corner kitchen as you walk towards the bathroom/storage closet; giving you the feeling that you may actually be dining at somebody's house. Thai Linda isn't flashy but they do a great job with the food they serve. The quiet atmosphere makes for a pleasant dining experience and you always feel like you're the only diners in the restaurant (which isn't to say nobody dines in). As I work down the menu, I have yet to find a dish I don't like...but If I could suggest a dish for you, I'd go with the eggplant. It's light, tasty, and satisfying.
(3)
Katy M.
We located from Wicker Park/East Village and had a hankering for Thai food. I'm not embarrassed to say what Penny's on Damen devotees we are. We ordered the chicken pad thai - a gloppy mess. The summer roll was totally devoid of the promised shrimp. My husband said the miso soup was fine; how can you screw that up? Overall, totally disappointing. We'll be running to the Penny's location on Sheffield.
(1)
Vanessa F.
I want to give this place 2 stars based on two things: portion size and price. The prices would be okay if this portions were bigger and vice versa. But I moved it up to three stars since the food is absolutely delectable and they handle giant byob birthdays well. There's nothing else to really say except for if you get a dish...order an extra side of egg rolls or something to make it a meal.
(3)
Christine F.
The fact that this place is terrible is really depressing - I love thai food and I used to live right around the corner from Thai Linda Cafe. The first few times I tried it I got carry out. I got the usual thai staples - Pad Thai, Pad Se Eiw, etc. What I found when I opened the takeout container was highly displeasing. A bunch of limp noodles swimming in about a 1/2 inch of oil. GROSS. Who wants that? "Maybe it's a fluke," I said to myself. I really wanted this place to be good since I REALLY love thai food. I went back a few weeks ago and got the Tom Kha soup, which was surprisingly good. However, my counterpart wasn't so lucky. She got the Hot and Sour soup. Now, we've all had hot and sour soup. It's usually not TOO spicy (unless you ask for it like that) - it's tolerable. The soup my friend got was INSANELY spicy - half a spoonful had her and I both coughing. Yes, there was a 'spicy' indicator (a little pepper) next to the dish on the menu, but there was also one next to my soup and the Tom Kha soup wasn't spicy at all. My friend complained to the waiter that the soup was wayyyy to spicy for her to eat and that she'd like to send it back and try something else. The waitress said that we could send it back, but we'd still have to pay for it. LAME. I will never go back there. Also, non fish eaters beware: This place makes their stuff with premade sauces, so if you ask for a dish without fish sauce the vast majority of their stuff is unavailable to you as a diner.
(2)
Andrea W.
The food and service here was great. Our waiter was amusing and attentive. I ordered pineapple curry and it was perfect! I couldn't think of any way to make it better. The portions were on the smaller side for Thai food but still enough for left overs.
(4)
Emily B.
My g/f lives right across the street from Thai Linda so it is our go-to when we are lazy and don't want to cook. It is consistently good and the spicy is quite spicy. We've never eaten in--always take out. But we've never had a bad dish.
(4)
Matthew D.
Ok... I'm sad to say that I finally found out how to measure Thai food by the establishment... Look for the place with the most Asian "flair" in the dining area. Gold stuff +2, Dragons +2, Tassles from the ceiling +3 and so on. anyway, this place had it all as well as really good food. Excellent Tom Yum soup and Great Curries. They have a red curry that I always get that is actually Pad Thai noodles with spicy red curry. Yum Yum.
(4)
Becky S.
I tried the Pad Thai recently and was somewhat disappointed. In many reviews, people say that this is the best Pad Thai they've ever had. I don't know if I went on an off night or what but my Pad Thai was not anything special. I'll stick to my sweet thai basil.
(4)
Julia H.
We used to eat here all the time. It's right around the corner from our house and it was really really good. Well maybe they got someone new in the kitchen or something because in the last year something has changed. It's still good (I love their chicken egg rolls) but we each had to search around the menu for something new because what we used to get wasn't good anymore. I now grab the Hawaiian fried ride with chicken. Yum. Say double meat and you really get a better portion. It's still a neighborhood place and perfect to eat outside in the summer. I had to update this- we had Thai Linda a few nights ago and it was the BEST Thai I have ever had EVER. I mean that. There is someone new in the kitchen and they are amazing. Everyone at the table was blown away. Our chicken egg rolls were so so good AND my Hawaiian Fried Rice came inside a full sized pineapple!!
(5)
Kristin R.
Oh Thai Linda....always so prompt. So friendly. Never messed up my order once. They have a great panang curry and spicy mint noodle (pad kee mao). My only complaint is that their portions are a little too small for my big appetite. Other than that...love 'em!
(4)
Shannon D.
This is truly my favorite Thai restaurant in the city and I promise you I have tried most of them! The mere fact that I can get the most delicious, make-your-nose-run VEGETARIAN Thom Yum Soup alone makes it a gem. BUT when you add on the most mouth watering panang curry or spicy mint noodles it's all over. Thai Linda officially is the best. I love that when I order it spicy it is true Thai, sweat your ass off, spicy. Oooh don't miss out on the tofu satay either. Oh hell, you should just go there now!
(5)
Joe T.
Fans of this Roscoe Village restaurant laud its "Burger King" prices, "delicious" dishes, and "sparse, but pleasant decor." Detractors denounce the dishes as "depressing," while others note that "the portions are a bit small" and suggest that you "ask for extra rice." N.B.: Some raters have found their curry to be too "junebug"gy, while others prefer their pad khee mao sans chicken feet.
(2)
Lauren H.
If you're looking for tasty Thai food at very reasonable prices, plus friendly staff, THAI LINDA CAFE is the place for you! I actually stumbled upon this place when the sushi place near by was too crowded (an hour wait!), and boy am I glad! Now I frequent the place at least once every other week (even if it's just for take-out). It's nothing special decor or ambiance-wise, but it is BYOB (with no fee), and there are rarely more than 3 other tables filled. Usually that's a scary sign, but in this case I'm happy because I know I'll never wait. Plus, they deliver, which is what makes up the bulk of their business. So, for the food, my favorites are the Chicken Egg Noodle soup (enough to share with 1-2 people or bring some home), the crab rangoon (YUM!), and the sweet ginger with shrimp (awesome for ginger lovers). I love how even after only 1 or 2 visits, all the staff recognized me and said "welcome back!". Now they know me by name! It's definitely a favorite and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys delicious food at reasonable prices and service with a smile. Side note: they have a brother location down on Armitage (called Charley Thai Cafe) with the same owner and menu (which I visited once b/c Thai Linda was closed). The food was good as usual and I liked the decor, but our waitress was terrible. Just an FYI.
(5)
Bev h.
this place is awesome! great ambiance (minus the single restroom), a seriously eager to please and very competent waitress, and some tasty food! and i'm not just saying that because i got a lil crunk at dinner.... we went on saturday night around 8, and had plans to go out in costume after dinner. four of us were seated no problem, and there was no judgement when we realized that not only did we have 2 bottles of wine and 10 beers between the four of us, but that we would have to drink it all or be forced to throw it out before going to the bar! we sampled some crab rangoon to start (second only to joy's, came with the sauce drizzled on, light and sweet). i ordered the pad see-ew with tofu, and the presentation and flavor were excellent. i usually like this dish a little saucier, but it was tasty nevertheless. adam m. had a wonderful mint/noodle/chicken dish that i stole some bites of, and i would probably order that next time. and there will be a next time, linda. soon! ps. did i mention that we each only paid about $15, including a generous tip?!?!
(4)
Kat M.
I concur with my lovely friends about this place - it was a solid four stars. We started off with the crab rangoon... at this point, I had not imbibed too much booze, so I can confidently say that the appetizer was great... flavor was excellent and the sauce drizzled on it was fantastic. And as Adam M. mentioned, I got the Tom Yum soup with tofu and the beef salad. The soup was AWESOME... the tofu was the perfect firmness and it was spicy but not too spicy to make me regret it. The beef salad was great - nice mix of green onions, cucumbers, and the dressing on it was also perfect. Bailey let me try some of her pad see-ew and I thought it had a great flavor. I'm not sure if it was a two-person operation (I think the wife was in the front taking care of customers and the husband, who came out every once in awhile, was in the back cooking), but I thought service was more than adequate - the waitress was not overbearing and she didn't ignore us either. We got our food quickly and at the perfect temperature with a great presentation. Yes, that was me slugging down an entire bottle of white wine by myself in 10 minutes. They did practically kick us out of the restaurant... I came out of the bathroom and all of the chairs had been put up on the tables... but we were a little bit drunk and disorderly at that point (or maybe that was only me?), so I don't blame them a bit. All in all, great Thai food with great service at a very reasonable price. It's a repeat in my book.
(4)
Scott H.
I completely agree with Lauren H's review of this place. Unassuming spot, but surprisingly good Thai food. We order here occasionally, but still prefer Pho's on Lincoln just south of Roscoe (another unassuming place). Nice people, good food, fast delivery (which is HUGE).
(4)
Christine P.
This place is outstanding! I love that the pad thai isn't greasy, and that they give you manageable portions. Further, the patio is great when it is nice outside. I eat here at least two or three times a month and have never been disappointed.
(5)
Shawn G.
I'm not sure if the "Linda" in this restaurant's name is real but, if she is, I would bed her. The food is typical Thai - no more, no less - but here's the thing: this may be the first place I've been to that has done every typical Thai item right. From the crab rangoon to the Lad Nah portion size to the Thai iced tea to the BYOB to the fast service to the atmosphere, you can't get any more prototypically perfect. Plus, it's cheap. And, for what you get, a great value. I've been to Thai places that give you twice as much food for the same price, but it all tastes like it was scraped out from the shared gutters of a Chinese and Indian restaurant. Linda gives you the goods, and in the right amount to make your stomach happy and your wallet - oh, God, I can't believe I'm about to say it - happier. Four stars, you ask? Gees, you're nosy. If you must know, I've only eaten in there once and gotten take out the numerous other times. Sometimes, with the take out, they'll tell you it's a 15-minute wait, and you get there in 20 minutes, and still wait another 5 or 10. Not a big deal when you live like a block down, but if you order carry out from a distance, just give it more like 25-30 minutes so you're not stuck sitting around.
(4)
Laura I.
The prices here are amazing and directly correlate well to the portion size (which is perfect). I've both sat in the restaurant and have gotten take away from them. Both ways, the food was served well and was always fresh. The inside is decorated in an appealing, yet simple manner. The workers here are always extremely nice, happy and always smiling. My biggest love is the way they cut and cook their beef in the beef dishes; it doesn't become "tough" as many other Thai places serve it. The thai iced coffee is pretty yummy too!
(5)
Mike W.
I order from thai Linda on a bi-weekly basis. Very good food and delivery usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. Good value.
(4)
Paul H.
Standard thai food but overall impressed. Went for takeout and it is was ready in no time. The prices here are really good too. Check it out if you are in Roscoe Village.
(4)
Justin M.
Thai Linda is pretty awesome and the food is really good quality and quite reasonably priced. The portions might be a bit small if you're really hungry, but cause the prices are so reasonable you can always get something else as well. Decor is nice - its a quiet restaraunt and is a hidden gem of roscoe village.
(3)
Betsy S.
I've been to Thai Linda a couple of times. I love Thai food and it's nearby. Sadly, I've never had anything that I've liked. My husband and I have ordered at least a half dozen things off of the menu and we haven't found anything to merit going back. It's really sad for me because Thai Linda is incredibly close to home and I tend to really like cheap Thai food. The servers have been nice to us and nothing has been gross or made us sick or anything. I'm still hoping that the place will make a miraculous turnaround. Until then, I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)
Erin H.
I live close to Thai Linda, and go here often. Although it is mostly carry out and delivery, the dining room is very soft and romantic, a great place to dine. I have been to Thailand, and I can say that Thai Linda is definitely authentic food. It is very fresh and tasty every time I go. The only thing that lacks is the service. While the waitstaff is nice, they are often not the most attentive as they are paying more attention to carry out/delivery orders. But, if you want really good Thai food in a nice, quiet setting, Thai Linda is your place.
(4)
P N.
The spicy curry here is de-lish! The noodles are well cooked and the sauce is spicy and well flavored. The crab rangoon for some reason always looks burned but when you take a bite it is oozing with delicious flavor. The free pot stickers you get with a minimum purchase of $20 (I think) are pretty good too, for being free. I don't know how anything else is on the menu, I can never say no to the spicy tofu curry :)
(4)
Sarah F.
This place is very cozy, friendly and inviting. The food is fresh and they serve a nice variety of foods. It is well worth checking out for dining in or for carry out.
(5)
Jennifer S.
The prices here are incredible reasonable. You won't find anything over $11.00 on the menu! The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is inviting, and the food is great. I would definitely go back for a casual dining experience that won't break the bank!
(3)
Josh F.
We order in all the time from here and have eaten in the restaurant once and always enjoy their food. Most of the time it's just pad thai but it is always good pad thai
(4)
Jonathan M.
This is the first place I ever tried Thai food (2 years ago) and it is my second favorite in the city. I have always had a nice experience here it's b.y.o.b. so you can bring that 5$ bottle of wine that has a picture of a rooster or a foot on the front of it. The food is always great and service is awesome as well. (Careful though because they don't speak fluent English, but they are very sweet and try really hard.) I'm lucky to live only a block away. I recommend the spinach with chicken.
(4)
Jonathan K.
saw the yelp sticker and dropped in impromptu during the roscoe village oyster fest. sat outside on the street, had the best spicy basil noodles ive EVER had. best thai noodles ive ever had, hands down. keep your eyes open for the yelp stickers...
(5)
Erin C.
As far as thai food goes, this is not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is 3 blocks from my house and does the job when I need it to. The portions are smaller than most thai places in that I can eat the whole entree the night of instead of eating it for 3 days to come. That's probably a good thing. The service is very friendly here, but i usually carryout because otherwise we're usually the only people here. It's weird to eat alone in a restaurant. Their thai iced coffee is excellent, however. Definitely give that a try.
(3)
Nicholas C.
Fast service, cheap and delicious food. The thing I like most is the perfect-sized portions. It's great for a meal before going out because you can finish the whole thing in one sitting without feeling stuffed and without facing the temptation to carry a doggy bag of delicious spicy duck around with you all night. It's never over-crowded which is appreciated in this neighborhood.
(4)
Meghan S.
BYOB-good thing LUSH, a great wine place, is just a few blocks down. I love Thai food but of course I don't like it all that spicy. A running theme in most of my entries. Thai food has so much flavor that even if it is a little bit spicy it just tastes good because the flavors and spices blend together so well. Last night we tried: chicken satay, shrimp suit, Tom Kar?, pad thai with shrimp, spinach with shrimp, and Thai Linda Chicken. I liked everything that we ate. I did agree with my boyfriend that we could have been a little more adventurous with the main dishes so when we return we will do that. The satay was small but delicious. The shrimp suits (shrimp with herbs and garlic wrapped and fried) was very tasty. The Tom Kar or something like that was a soup. It was different but I liked it. It had shrimp, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, onions in a coconut milk broth. Try if you haven't before. Pad Thai was good just sweet, but I still enjoyed it. Spinach had mushroom, onions, green peppers and carrots with shrimp in a black bean sauce, my favorite. The Thai Linda chicken said spicy but it didn't bother me at all. The chicken was crunchy and kinda fried but overall it was a good dish. Of course we have a ton left over which is a good sign. BYOB made it more enjoyable as well while we sat outside at the tables on the sidewalk. Gotta love Roscoe!!
(4)
D.A A.
I thought the service was great the people are pleasant the food was tasty and the price was right.
(4)
Carl G.
One of my greatest questions is this: Who IS Thai Linda? She sure makes a dang fine crab Rangoon though, a dish that I do not like except at Thai Linda. Food is good, service is earnest if a little over-stretched.
(4)
Kelly F.
I saw the review for the Beef Almond & called to order it, but she acted as if she had no idea what I was talking about. To be fair, the menus in Yelp aren't always consistent with the restaurants'. So I ordered my stand-by, Lime Chicken - which is outstanding at Thai Linda! Never had a problem with their meals & delivery has always been timely. Asparagus Rolls are very tasty, too!!
(5)
Catherine B.
I stopped by Thai Linda Cafe last night with my roommate. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone craving Thai. This is a great place to order take-out from on a Friday night. It was definitely easy to get a last minute reservation. From our experience it was clearly not the happening place to be on a Friday night in Roscoe. It was us and one other couple in the restaurant that night. Service was just fine, I think there was only really one person working that night. I should also note that this place is BYOB. They'll give you a bottle opener and some glasses, but that's really as far as their BYOB service goes. We ordered the Aloha Fried Rice, Kung Pao, Crab Rangoon and Pad Thai. -The Pad Thai wasn't very different from any other Pad Thai. -Aloha Fried Rice was good, it's your typical pineapple fried rice with raisins. -I usually substitute meat for tofu, I think the Kung Pao could have used a little more vegetables a little less tofu. -Crab Rangoons were good, not your typical chinese food restaurant ones. These almost tasted homemade. 10% discount if you pay with cash!
(3)
Karolina T.
Not the worst but def. not the best. We ordered take out from here because it is one of the closest Thai restaurants by our apartment. I got my usual pad se eew as well as gyoza. I was pretty disappointed because the pad se eew that I am used to has a lot of sauce. This one lacked sauce, in fact it had none. We also asked if the gyoza was pan fried or fried, and we were told it was on a pan but when I got the order, it was fried which causes it to lose flavor. Overall, although the food wasn't great it was cheap but I don't think we will be ordering from here again.
(3)
Denny D.
Ordered through Grubhub last night and was disappointed. Our bubble teas were probably the only good thing out of our whole order. We ordered pho and let's just say.. It was not pho. It's as if they weren't expecting a pho delivery order at 8pm on a Tuesday because it was horrible. The broth was very dark almost black, the noddles weren't even noddles just some crammed up mushy stuff in a container we had to add to the pho ourselves.. It had absolutely no flavor and the beef were just chunks thick THICK meat not nicely thin... Won't be ordering again...
(2)
Katie S.
My husband and I ordered from Thai Linda on a rainy night. Parts of my experience were very off-putting and others were positive. We tried to order online, but there was a problem with the website. Not sure what, but we ended up having to order over the phone- not a big deal. I went to go pick up the food. I walk in the restaurant and no one is anywhere to be seen. There is one girl who is doing homework in the corner- I'm guessing the owner's daughter. But other than that, there's no one. I waited FOREVER for someone to appear. At one point, a man from the kitchen emerged. He saw me and made no acknowledgement of my existence. It didn't even look like he told anyone that I was waiting. Finally, a woman emerged and I paid and left. But I was probably waiting for a good 5-7 minutes. The food was good. We ordered the crab rangoon. One complaint with that is the container of sweet and sour was much too small to dip the rangoon into. They should get bigger containers. I ordered the veggie fried rice and it was great. We got the Tom Kha Soup and omg it was delicious!! It was tart, but sweet. Oy- amazing! Overall, the food was good. But having to wait that long for someone to provide any service was very off-putting.
(3)
Jamie B.
They give you a discount if you pay cash. BYOB and they have a patio. I don't know what went wrong but I ordered pad thai and it smelled and tasted awful. Since I've personally worked in many a restaurant, I don't EVER, and I mean EVER send food back. I either choke it down or I don't eat it. And if the server or management is smart, they'll ask "was there something wrong with your dish?" at which point I would tell them how gross it was and so on and so forth. The pad thai was very odd. The menu is huge here, maybe they need to consolidate to focus on areas that need to be improved.
I honestly don't get all of the so-so reviews. In my opinion, Thai Linda is WAY better than the Thai place that's one minute away. The Panang Curry is awesome. The Basi Fried rice is delicious. The Hawaiian Fried Rice is delightful. The Sesame Chicken was just okay. The service is great.
(4)
David P.
Another disappointing, over priced and low quality Roscoe Village restaurant. Would someone please come and open a good restaurant in the neighborhood? My girlfriend and I eat Thai food at least once a week, as we are big fans. We tried this place for the first time about a month ago, and we were very disappointed. The good is pretty bland, the portions are small and the quality of the ingredients are poor. We had there pad Thai, chicken satay, their spicy basil chicken. I really can't tell you much more, except that none of the dishes would make me go back. We did notice, it was a Friday night, and their was only one other table in tjebwhle place, enough said...
(2)
Aloe A.
Myself and one other went Sunday afternoon on a whim and we were not disappointed. The menu was much larger than I had anticipated which was a pleasant surprise. We tried their chicken satay as an app, and a thing of Pad Thai and a bowl of chicken massaman curry for the mains. Although the satay was not chunky, it was still good. The dishes could have been a bit more spicy, but our noses still ran a bit and the overall taste did not suffer. One thing that is worth noting was their Thai Tea which was delicious.
(4)
William R.
Easily the worst food I've had in Chicago. Ordered the Panang steak, and it was actually inedible. Go anywhere else. Overpriced, poor delivery (wrong address, wrong time), and the food when/if it arrives is really bad.
(1)
Fitile K.
Go to place in the neighborhood. Economic pricing. Excellent quality food, including chicken. Highly recommend.
(4)
Anne M.
There's some really mixed reviews for good old Linda here. I didn't think she fell into an extreme category - I thought it was a perfectly good, casual spot to grab dinner. On a Friday night me and the man were hungry. I was craving Thai, so we walked down to pay a visit to Linda. There were several other full tables, and a lot of take-out orders on the front counter waiting to be picked up. We were seated, immediately served water and we place our orders for some apps - crab rangoon (my usual) and a beef-wrapped asparagus. The apps came out pretty quick - and they were good; not great. Entrees - we split the chx pad se eew and the lard nar. The lard nar was served in a deep bowl and was the most soupy I've ever seen it. I prefer that dish more on the dry side because I don't enjoy eating spoonfuls of gravy - but it did taste good... The pad se eew was our preferred dish - that had much better texture and flavor. By the time we got our bill, we were the only table in the restaurant. Still, the take-outs and deliveries were steady. Bonus: they served a delightful little fortune cookie roll - I've never seen that kind, but it was way tastier than a regular fortune cookie. Was this the best Thai ever? No. But it certainly wasn't terrible (or even bad). We had a nice dinner, the space was calm and quiet - I would come back again for another low-key meal anytime.
(4)
Mandy V.
Awesome food-- good prices -- and byob. Tons of choices and great vegetarian options!! Never crowded so great place to sit in or carry out
(4)
Andre W.
After getting delivery over the past 3 years, I finally had the opportunity to go to the actual place. Not too big, not too small as it was a nice space. It was virtually empty when we walked in. We started out with the thai dumplings which were very good. For my entree, I got the Spicy Fried Rice with Vegetable and it was definitely spicy! Their delicious thai iced tea definitely helped keep my mouth cool. I love that I finally showed up as the staff was pretty nice and its a nice joint...will return more often as this is one of my favorite thai places in the city...Also this joint is BYOB!
(5)
Vanitha S.
First time here for carry out. Cute ambiance and space but disappointed with my order. $5 for bubble tea? Go somewhere else of you can...the tea was good but there were barely any bubbles. Not worth it. My Tom yum soup was extremely disappointing. Oil droplets were floating on top. No flavor, kinda stale chicken and definitely old lemongrass...not at all fragrant. Service was cold and unfriendly. Won't be back here.
(2)
Nichole M.
I think I have figured out what is wrong with this place after having eaten here 3 times. They have good recipes, but do not know how to cook properly. The first time I ordered, our beef was overcooked, almost burnt. The second time, the noodles were mushy and again the meat was burnt. But the flavors were still good and so I wanted to give them one last try to see if they'd worked out their kinks. The third and last time...my shrimp was almost completely raw, like see through, and they were not de-veined. Disgusting. There was a very young person waiting on us and I felt bad hassling him. So I just pushed the shrimp to the side and ate my rice and veggies. The sauce was amazing, but how can I get past raw shrimp that still has it's poop in it?! Mortifying. I will not be back. The sauces for all of their dishes are very tasty so I wish they just knew how to cook food. Very sad.
(2)
Marty M.
The food is meh. I've had much better. I got take out so I can't speak to the atmosphere inside. The people seemed nice enough, but the food was really disappointing. Thai food is about the only thing lacking in Roscoe.
(2)
Candi D.
Delivery thru Grub Hub First timer- ordered on Thanksgiving. Ordered simply Thai offerings: crab Rangoon, side salad( ginger dressing on side) spring rolls, small tom yum soup w tofu dressing on side. Review: I was really impressed with the whole process. Food was on time. Delivery driver was nice! :-) Every selection tasted super fresh and was prepared perfectly. Food was hot!!!!! I ate everything!!!!! Crab Rangoon: perfect sizes very delicate and melted in my mouth. Usually, these appetizers are way too big and over stuffed with too much cream cheese. Spring rolls: were larger than I am use to here, but I liked it since cabbage, carrots are raw w tofu it good cause I could really taste the freshness Soup: Amazing- asked for it to be medium and it actually was. W large pieces of tofu :-) they did not skimp on that. Side salad: they have the ginger dressing that I love. Simply greens with shredded beets and carrots I drizzled done olive oil on top w dressing and was yummy. Only thing is wish I would of received a fortune cookie
(5)
Tim H.
Solid spot for Thai food. I've only ever ordered to-go, but I really like the online ordering. I can pick a time to have ready and they're always on-time, or there's an option to have ready "asap" and they will call you when it's ready; usually like 15-20 minutes.
(4)
Sheila M.
I ordered food for delivery tonight via GrubHub from Thai Linda. I specifically requested a beef appetizer (Tiger Cry) be cooked Med Rare or Medium at the most. It was beyond well done, it was burnt to a crisp and they refused to issue a refund. The chicken satay was also well done; it was very hard to eat. The restaurant requires that I bring back the steak (Tiger Cry) to prove that it was overcooked. The delivery time was prompt and friendly, but the food wasn't something I would even give to my dog! Stay away from this restaurant, it is disgusting. GrubHub helped intervene and they directly gave me a $10 coupon to spend to make up for the experience. Do NOT eat here, I am trying to save you the same frustration that I experienced.
(1)
Heather P.
Disappointed. We ordered in from Thai Linda not long ago and enjoyed it, so when I saw they had a Groupon Now, we thought we'd head over and dine on the patio. The whole experience was completely riddled with screw-ups, based in no small part on the fact that our waiter looked to be about 16 and spoke almost no English. When we sat down, he asked if we were using the Groupon. I thought this was weird, as in all my years (?) of Grouponing, no establishment has asked about it before we'd been given the check. We said yes. He flipped the menu over and showed us the section we could not order from. Already a bad sign, since restaurants are allowed to add their own "fine print" to the Groupons and nowhere on the Groupon did it say "not applicable on House Specials". We ordered spring rolls and two cups of tom kha. Then I ordered the Thai salad and he ordered curry. I thought it was really weird that my salad came out before anything else, since it has egg, tofu and peanut sauce, and I remembered being a size more suited to an entree, and also it was the only thing I ordered that was not an appetizer. I placed it to the side and stared at it for a bit. We ate our soup (not great) and the spring rolls (completely standard). My salad sat alone. And sat. And sat. Our waiter appeared after a time and asked for the Groupon. I pulled it up on my phone, and he disappeared with the bar code. I figured he was killing time until the curry showed up. Then he came back with the check and said, "Thank you!" Uhh. I informed him we were still waiting on food. He looked perplexed. The curry, I reminded him. OH RIGHT, THE CURRY. He came back almost immediately with the curry, which had been sitting God knows how long, waiting to be delivered to us. Finally, I got to eat my salad! I really like this salad, but I thought it seemed much... more petite than I remembered. Definitely much, much smaller. And Boyfriend's curry as well, was extremely petite. It was not a shareable portion. In fact, with all the rice that was brought out, and all the curry in the dish, it only filled a salad plate. I have never seen such a small portion at a Thai place. There is a photo attached. That's it, folks. We had zero leftovers, despite ordering quite a bit of food. I'm starting to wonder if we actually received less food due to using the Groupon. They did know about it in advance (which automatically makes me anxious.) After all that, our bill was calculated wrong and I'm still not sure how or what happened, since the waiter lacked the language skills to explain it. Won't be back. Glad we didn't pay full price.
We also took advantage of the $20 groupon for $10. Nice location on the cusp of Lincoln Park. We parked on the street and walked about 2 blocks to the restaurant where we were greeted by a very friendly young man. We ordered the full appetizer plate and it was very good, we enjoyed everything and I particularly like the shumai. We also had the beef pad see ewe and green curry with beef. Now - everything was wonderful and tasty except for the portions which is half the size of what you would normally get elsewhere. So, if you are looking to lose weight or if you weigh 90 lbs, the serving size would be fine for you. The taste is 5 stars. If budget is not an issue, order two of everything and you'll be satisfied.
(3)
Ruby L.
Had pad kee mao. Loved it. Could use a bit less oil though.
(4)
Misty S.
Fried rice test score: C+ We sat down and the waiter brings us a couple of glasses of water. Then a few seconds later he comes back and picks up my glass of water and looks at it suspiciously for a few moments. I think at that point he didn't have a choice but to come back with a new glass of water because who would drink out of it after that? The crab rangoon was recommended, but I was not impressed. The filling was creamy...too creamy...and not that tasty and the shell was too hard. The fried rice was above average, but nothing I would come back to order. I had it with tofu which was good with the eggs in it. The sweet basil chicken was average and not enough rice came with it. The restaurant is pretty big with lots of tables and cool art on the walls. There were only 2 other tables occupied when we came for dinner on a Friday night. Tip: There's a great wine place (Lush) a few blocks from this place where you can pick up your BYOB.
(3)
Christina G.
Something has changed here, and in a good way. I saw a groupon deal for this place and bought it. $10 for $20, and the place is practically in my backyard. I decided it was worth another try. We went on a nice night, so we could sit outside on the patio. We started with the thai dumplings. You only got 6 small-ish dumplings, but they were really good. I ordered the same dish I tried out last time - chicken pad thai, and my husband had spicy mint. I wonder what was updated, but both dishes were very tasty. The chicken had a ton of flavor and the noodles were cooked well, not too heavy or greasy. The spicy mint had subtle hints of mint, and was the perfect amount of spice. I really enjoyed our waiter too. He was young, very friendly, and very helpful. And the place is BYOB with no corkage fee. We stopped by Lush on the way over and picked up a great $10 bottle of wine to complete the meal. I will certainly be back again!
(4)
Rafiq A.
It was just ok. And for the price I paid I would expect more. I got the pad thai beef. there was an up-charge for the beef. fine. but the amount of meat wasn't a lot. Also, the noodles are thinner than I expected. they did add a lot of crushed up peanuts, so that was nice. I also got the tom kha soup. it was a little too oily for my taste. my bf got their chicken rice soup and he said it was good. it also took 20 minutes to prepare and I was the only person in the place and their delivery drivers were sitting there. don't forget to asl about the free app for orders of $20 or more for take out and delivery. obviously they don't mention them to you. in a pinch it will do.
(3)
Keith A.
Thai linda, to me, is exactly what roscoe village is about. The second I walked in, it just felt comfortable and had a neighboorhood vibe too it. I had called ahead for take out, so I can't say anything about what its like to sit there. I ordered up a bunch of stuff to have over a couple of days. I got the spicy duck, pad thai, and lemongrass chicken along with a couple of appetizers. They even threw in some potstickers automatically because I had ordered over $20 worth of food. I'm used to outright asking when it comes to the deals, and I didn't know about it. The appetizers were very good. I had gotten some thai dumplings and theses hit the spot. They were nice and hot when I got them. The chicken satay was okay, it was just normal chicken satay, so while that was fine, I wanted a bit more. The potstickers they threw in were very good and made up for the chicken satay. They weren't over fried which can happen all too often. As far as the entrees go, they were really good. The pad thai was pretty standard. It wasn't great, but it was far from being bad either. For me, the key to pad thai is always the noodles, and these noodles were good, but they really paled in comparison to the other two dishes. The spicy duck, however, was awesome. It had heat to it, but it wasn't too much for me at all (granted I have no problem with things being very spicy). The duck itself was really good and done very well. The lemongrass chicken was also very good and was a nice contrast to the spicy duck. I ordered up some of the more expensive items on the menu, but all of that lasted me a few days. There's a lot left on the menu and i'm in the area a good amount, so stopping in again is bound to happen
(4)
Terri B.
Skip it. Go elsewhere unless you want to have one of the weirdest restaurant experiences of your life, as I did: My family has been going to Thai Linda since before they changed management, so no hesitation to go back even under new ones. Sat down with my friend and decided to try their spin on a new kind of Pad Thai, one that had Wontons in it. We started with crispy crab and fish rolls ,which were pretty good but had a spongy quality that I wasn't expecting. Still fairly tasty. When the pad thai arrived, I discovered after one bite that this dish had NO noodles in it whatsoever. It was pad thai sauce dumped on wonton crackers and shrimp. Not at all what I wanted- who orders pad thai and says "Hold the noodles, please"?? So I called our waitress over and explained that I'd like to have regular pad thai instead, since this new dish did not meet my expectations. The waitress, who clearly spoke very little English, informed me that since I had ordered this, this is what I get to eat. I figured she must be misunderstanding- perhaps she thought I was saying I hadn't ordered this in the first place. So, I explained again that I just didn't care for this, and I wanted to send it back and order something different. Again, she looked baffled- and then said "Let me ask my manager." At this point I'm thinking- I don't need a manager's permission not to like this dish. Waitress comes back and tells me that the manager says I have to pay for this since I ordered it but I can also get something else, at which point I got angry. I told her to tell her manager that I would NOT be paying for food I don't like or eat, and then asked her to just tell the manager to come and speak to me directly. She comes back AGAIN and says "My manager will give you half off this dish. But you cannot change." Now there's steam shooting out of my ears. I stood up, walked into the restaurant with the plate of (now soggy) wonton crackers and sauce, thunked it down on the counter, and said loudly, "Tell your manager to come out of the kitchen and speak to me, please." And then I stood at the counter and waited. Waitress tells me she's on the phone. I still stand there. Waitress comes out for the FOURTH time and now says, "OK, we will take this off and you want regular pad thai?" I say yes and go back outside. Quite possibly the oddest thing that's ever happened to me- I actually had to pick up my plate and practically threaten to walk it back into the kitchen myself to stress the point that I would not be forced into eating a crappy dish or paying for it. So don't bother going to Thai Linda, unless you are absolutely sure you are going to love whatever the hell they put down in front of you.
(1)
Rachel L.
Amazing little neighborhood gem. The food is delicious and not overpriced. The server was attentive, but not overly so. And it's a BYOB. So to summarize: Great food. Attentive staff. BYOB. P.S. The spicy duck is to die for!
(5)
Julie H.
Went here for dinner last night and utilized a Groupon Now. Note: I've noticed this place frequently has Groupon Now deals. I ordered the lemon grass chicken; my bf ordered the peapods with beef. His looked good, mine was good. Chicken was perhaps a little dry. Tip: Awesome beer to enjoy with your food at this byob is called Siamese Twin from Uncommon Brewers (it is brewed with thai spices). We also got the vegetable pot stickers which were tasty; I enjoyed the black bean sauce. Staff was very friendly and the place was very chill, not at all crowded. Cute place for a date.
(3)
Jason D.
Always in the mood for thai, I ordered delivery from Thai Linda Cafe. I sure wish I hadn't. Being only 6 blocks from the restaurant and on a Wednesday I was hoping the 30 minutes the person on the phone said it would take.. would only be 20 minutes. It took a little over an hour. Okay.. no big deal, things happen. Upon opening my chicken pad Thai noodle I was impressed by the amount of food I had.. which made me forget about the time it took to arrive. Yummy this is fairly good.. the noodles weren't too greasy and the flavor was good. So why one star? After a big bite.. I looked down and saw something black. Burnt rice chunk? No.. it was a dead fly. Upon calling and complaining about this tragedy.. I was told I could only get restaurant credit. I continued to say I wanted my money back because I refused to eat there again. After 10 minutes of back and forth I lost my temper which finally convinced the lady on the phone to reimburse me. So in conclusion.. slow delivery, dead fly and horrible customer service netted them a one star rating.
(1)
Torry H.
yuk! In an area of delicious Thai food...Thai Linda does not stand up! The pad thai was lacking all flavor. I usually order that from a new thai place since its so basic and is normally good. It was very greasy and really bland. I would not order from here again. Head up the road to Thai Oscar, Opart Thai House or even Spoon.
(1)
Lauren B.
Wish I didn't have to write this review but... I ordered the chicken pad see ew lunch special. First thing I noticed is that their egg rolls are now about 1/2 the size than they used to be and they do not taste nearly as good as they used to. My entree also was not nearly as good as it used to be. The chicken was dry and bland and the noodles were not very flavorful. THEN I found multiple hairs in my dish. Clearly this is gross and unacceptable!
(1)
Emily H.
Situated in the heart of Roscoe Village, Thai Linda is a tasty fusion of Northern and Southern Thai cooking. Their curries taste sweet, rich, and spicy in Chiang Mai style, but their noodle dishes are straight from Phuket; tangy and complexly layered with garden-fresh spices and sauces. My favorites are the Tom Kha coconut-lemongrass soup with chicken and straw mushrooms, and the Panang Curry with beef over rice. The spring rolls are fresh, filled with crisp vegetables and complemented well by the plum sauce. I like Thai Linda so much I eat there at least once a week.
(4)
Devon F.
Love this place. My wife and I love to grab some beer and wine and enjoy the BYOB. We love the Pad Thai
(5)
Roxana B.
I decided to give this place a try since it had mix reviews. Oh boy was it bad! I decided to order there and do take out. The food was not good at all. I never had bad Thai food, and never thought it could be made bad. We ordered crab Rangoon which tasted funny, and my pad Thai had no flavor. Even the thin noodles was bad. My husband had fried rice which he said was okay. This place is nothing special just save money and go somewhere else.
(1)
Jacques M.
I'm debating between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I'll go ahead and go with 4 because the price is right and its BYOB. The overall Yelp 3.5 rating has this one pegged perfectly. If you like the homey mom and pop feel this is defiantly your place. Our server (who I suspect is the owner) was very friendly and attentive. Lunch for two was about $20 (with Tip) and its BYOB on top of that. My Chicken Pad Tai was excellent. However, my wife's dish (I can't recall the name) was a little over done and lacked flavor. I don't know what type of sauce they put on the egg rolls, but it was on of the better egg rolls I have ever eaten. Overall, this is a great option for an affordable Thai lunch in the Roscoe Village area.
(4)
L.G. R.
Oh Thai Linda. It has been the best thai food I've had in Chicago. But it's very hit or miss. We ordered pad thai, red curry chicken (2 star spicy), and 2 crab rangoon tonight. The red curry chicken wasn't spicy at all (they left it plain, I've had it spicy so I know the difference). They only gave us 1 order of crab rangoon but they brought the other order out 1 1/2 hours later. The pad thai was great as always. I love the fat noodles. I'd normally give them 5 stars because the food is that good when it's on. But sometimes it is off :-( Just make sure you double check your order before accepting it.
(3)
Dan L.
I would love to support a local restaurant but our experience was so bad that not only do I not want to return, I think that other folks should think twice about going. We went there on Christmas night -- it was the only place on the Roscoe strip that was open. And I totally get that it may not be perfect, or even close to perfect, on Christmas night. But it was just terrible. We and everyone else there waited over an hour for our entrees to come out, and the food quality was significantly worse than it was under previous management -- from a significantly fattier beef dish to a much less flavorful noodle dish. What really made me angry about the whole situation though is that neither of the two folks working the front of the house came up to anyone and said anything as little as: Hey, it's Christmas, and we're doing our best but it's slow. We get it. But they wouldn't even make eye contact with anyone, much less apologize for it. It took us getting up to talk to them to actually make them address it, which they basically declined to do even then. Without any discussion, they did knock 15% off our bill. Again, no fronting of the situation, no words at all. Can't imagine returning.
(1)
Theresa D.
I came in here on a sunday early evening around 6. There were 4 people in the restaurant eating. I ordered a pad thai with tofu and a cucumber salad to go. The total came to $11 bucks. I got home to eat my meal and was very disappointed. My pad thai and cucumber salad was very bland. Those two things are hard to screw up. The reason why my review is two stars instead of 1 star is because the food was edible. Even though I live in the neighborhood, I wish I could have saved myself the trip and money, now i know for next time.
(2)
Richie D.
I was walking along Roscoe with my partner trying to find a place to grab dinner that would be fairly inexpensive and quick. Shooot, Thai food is always the answer when it comes to those specifications. We came up to Thai Linda Cafe and stepped on in to an empty restaurant (not necessarily surprising for a Wednesday evening). We were greeted by a friendly waiter who was Mexican which seemed to surprise me at first since most Thai restaurants are staffed by Thais themselves. Either way, the service was efficient and quick like any other Thai restaurant in the city. To begin, Thai Linda has adorable menus which are woven and made of bamboo. In addition, their dishware is quite beautiful and matches every plate they bring out during the meal (I want one of their little rice bowls with a cover). We ordered the spring rolls which had to have been made way in advance and stored in a refrigerator for a few hours. The inside was half frozen in texture and temperature. I ordered the Panang Curry as mild and the waiter said it's already made and the spiciness could not be adjusted. He did back it up with a "heat scale" where he said between 1-5 it's a 2. When it came out, the curry was pretty tasty and not too spicy or too sweet--and yes I'd agree that it was a #2. My partner also had a curry but with noodles and enjoyed it as well. All in all, $14 a person for an average appetizer and entree is expected. And once again, Thai food maintained it's reputation of inexpensive and quick. Note: If you work in the area or are off for the day, be sure to check out their weekday lunch specials.
(3)
Kelly C.
Horrible service. To cure a hangover, we decided to find some cheap and quick Thai food, and searched Groupon Now. Thai Linda was chosen over the 5 others nearby that came up because the Fine Print did not specify "Dine in Only", and we preferred carry-out. We ordered on the website which was really easy, then I went to pick it up after 25min. The person up front, who also appeared to be the waiter was about 16 and spoke little English...this is why I ordered online. My total was $28, and I pulled up my $20 Groupon Now and a $10 bill. I was then told something about how the Groupon is for Dine in. "But it does not say that in the fine print," I responded. "Sorry, you need to pay $28." "No, I bought this over 5 other places because I wanted carry out." He then went to the back to discuss with his hire-ups, then came back and told me "Sorry, dine in for Groupons, it is $28." I showed him the $10 bill, and said, "All I have is $10 to cover the extra not covered by the Groupon, so I cannot pay for this." Obviously, I had credit cards with me, but I wasn't about to spend $28. The boy ran to the back again, had a short conversation, then came back out and told me I owed to total of $28. So I left with no food. I could understand if they made a mistake when signing up for the Groupon, since the English was very broken, but the conditions on my Groupon were clear. I have used Groupon Nows for carry out at similar places several time before with no issues about having to "dine in". The fact is, that no manager ever even bothered to discuss it with me, and just used a 16yr old to deny its use. I ordered $28 worth of food, so they were still making money off me, and it seemed like there was no clear reason not to let it go, realizing their mistake in the Groupon. I never got to have the likely overly oily food and I will never be back .
(1)
Matt A.
Having not had Thai in some time, I was excited to try some, what I had been told to be, great authentic Thai food. Thai Linda Cafe is located in a pretty suburban feeling part of Logan Square, across from a Starbucks. Excited that it was byob, me and a few buddies set out with a few beers to give it a shot. I cant say I was disappointed, or overly enthusiastic about it. The patio was nice, though the service was so-so. I ordered a pepper steak dish, which was good, but pretty run of the mill. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their dishes as well. I wouldn't mind going back, as the menu was pretty good. Maybe it's my fault for ordering something simple, but I wasn't "wowed" by my first experience.
(3)
Josh H.
This is my go-to place for affordable and delicious thai food in Roscoe Village. I have always been incredibly satisfied with the food and service is always friendly! The lunch deal is great...selected entree with your choice of veggie or chicken egg roll along with soup or cucumber salad for just $6.95.
(4)
Andy S.
Thai isn't usually my go-to Asian cuisine, but it has been growing on me, and the other night i opted to try Thai Linda Cafe as opposed to another nearby spot that I've been frequenting of late...whoops! When I called for take out the man on the other end of the phone told me 25 minutes. In 25 minutes (at a prime dining time I might add) I arrived to an empty restaurant save for one table 3 women that were being seated as I arrived. The man who directed them to their table disappeared for 5 minutes or so before coming out, at which point I said I was there to pick up my order, meanwhile a line was forming behind me. He told the others in line that he was going to help me then he'd get to them. Once again he disappeared, for another 5-7 minutes, finally coming back with my simple order (lad nar & egg rolls). I got home, and well, I shouldn't have been surprised, the lad nar was amazing lukewarm and flavorless (even for lad nar, which is a fairly spiceless dish to begin with), with the egg rolls (*not* spring rolls) being completely cold and soggy. At the very least the portions were big and lasted me a couple tasteless days, it's just unfortunate I had to make the food hot on my own not only for leftovers, but for first time eating too!
(1)
Anthony H.
This place used to be decent... but the last three times I've gone have been terrible. Extremely long waits for food (over an hour), terrible service, and on two separate occasions- burnt AND cold food. One time our bill was twice the amount it should have been. Avoid this place.
(1)
Colleen R.
First time at Thai Linda cafe - and I must say the chicken pad Thai was delicious! Ordered for a pickup and it was ready on time and very friendly people.
(4)
Jerry W.
Okay today is a two for with my reviews (read my earlier one on Rudy's Bakery, or if you have the time you can read all my reviews). I was saying it was errand Saturday. The errands started around 9:00 in the morning out in the Joliet area with my youngest daughter. The day ended that night back home around 8:00 pm, with my wife and oldest son. What a day, I even forgot all about Earth Day/Hour until this morning!! Well along the way one of our stops was at Thai Linda Cafe in Roscoe Village. We have never been to Linda's so it was nice to try. I always like trying new places. My Dad always use to say at least give it a try and then if you don't like it that is fine. My Dad is a smart man! I don't think I have ever tried Thai food before. Of course I am getting older and maybe having memory issues. So it was nice to give this place a try. My wife, oldest daughter and oldest son all were with me when we stopped for dinner at Linda's. We started with two cups of shrimp won ton. The broth was very tasty but we thought there were way too many vegetables in the soup. Then for appetizers we ordered the egg rolls, spring rolls, pot stickers and shrimp suit (I think I spelled that corectly?). The pot stickers and shrimp suit were very good. The egg rolls and spring rolls were just average. I've had better at other Chinese restaurants. So on to our main course, which we ordered an entree of Beef Almond, and entree of Pepper Steak and an entree of one of the Noodle dishes (I forget the name of it, yes I said earlier I am getting older and possibly having memory issues). The beef almond was very good. There was plenty of beef and almonds. The broccoli and carrot slices were fresh and tasty. I thought the pepper steak and noodle dishes were just ok. The pepper steak had way too many vegetables ("where's the beef" or in this case the steak) and the noodle dish was bland and lifeless tasting. Our total bill came to roughly $61 dollars. Our waitress was super nice and friendly. The place was very clean, not too busy though for a Saturday dinner. Personally for Asian food I have always loved Japanese first and then Chinese second. I would rank Thai food after that with Korean and Vietnamese. I know my wife and son think the same way. Maria even says that Thai food is like Chinese food's ugly cousin. But to be fair to Linda's my oldest daughter just loved it. She even thought it was probably some of the best Thai food she has ever had in the city. And she has been to several different Thai establishments. So overall I would give Linda's three stars but I guess based on my oldest daughter's input and the super friendly service from our waitress I will go reluctantly with four stars. I guess if I liked Thai food more I probably wouldn't be so hesitant with my rating.
(4)
Christina S.
I knew it was too good to be true! After one winning dine-in experience, I threw caution to the wind and announced that this was my new Thai place. One nasty take-out experience has me wishing I'd never typed those words, Yelp! You've had your own nasty take-out experiences, I'm sure, so there's not too much to say. The rice was hard. The curry was curdled. The chicken was skimpy. Barf. You'll say I'm too good for this. You'll say I should just sever ties and move on. But I'm going to give Thai Linda Cafe one more try. Update to the update to come.
(1)
Ross W.
Great food. Great service. Great price.
(5)
Gina M.
I just moved in around the corner. I was bored one afternoon of what Roscoe St. has to offer because I was growing tired of sandwiches and pizzas so I remembered Thai Linda Cafe. The first time I got the chicken Pad Thai (extra spicy). WIN! I have had some problems with finding a Thai place that makes the Pad Thai like I used to get at my favorite thai restaurant in Detroit. It was so delicious that I obsessed about it the next day and the minute they opened I placed another order for pad thai. They didn't fail me. Three days later a few friends came over and i raved about this place so much that they gave in. One friend isn't a fan of thai, chinese, or really anything "un-American." We got pad thai (chicken and vegetable), the Thai Linda Chicken and Panang Curry. We didn't talk much while eating except for mumbling "mmm's" and "ohmygosh." Everything we ate was out of sight and for all that it was about 30 dollars. I always seem to see the same lady there and she is always so nice or as my friend put it, "super happy to be alive." I will eventually go in there and sit down and eat. I only deducted one star because I am not very knowledgable about thai food. I like what I like, I rarely venture for those foods. I've only tried about 5 Thai restaurants ever, so this place could very well be the best or it could turn out to be a top contender.
(4)
Andrew C.
If you live in Roscoe Village, this should be in your weekly rotation. For the money, they can't be beat. To be honest, I only order a few items like the Pad Thai, Spicy Mint or Tofu Curries. (and crab rangoon) What keeps me from marking them a 4 star is consistancy. Some of their dishes are made just right with the right amount of heat (spicy) come back another week and the same dish is overpowering with heat.
(3)
Marissa B.
When I get carry-out I like to be eating that food for days. I'm talking day-one-dinner, day-two-lunch, day-two-dinner, day-three-lunch... you get my point. The food at Thai Linda is not pricey - (approximately $7 or $8) but I'd rather pay an extra few dollars and get some more foooood!!! Okay, let me tell you what the problem really was: the smallest rice container ev-er. Normally when you get two entrees you'd expect a large container of rice. Right? Well, our two entrees came with one medium/small container of rice. We had to very carefully ration out the rice so as to have enough to last the 1.5 meals we were able to squeeze out of the Thai food. The Basil Tofu was good - good sauce, nicely cooked tofu. The egg rolls were huge and, unfortunately, over-fried. They offer delivery, for a small fee if you're in the service area. BOTTOM LINE: Good food, good prices, but ask for extra rice.
(3)
Kaitlin D.
The food is quite good for the price and the service is always exceptional at Thai Linda. Their patio over the summer was great for people watching over a yummy meal. I usually get the chicken pad thai and would definitely recommend it - I've tried a few appetizers as well (don't recall which ones!) and was pleased.
(4)
Daina T.
This is my FAVORITE Thai place in Chicago. I lived in Roscoe Village for a while and this was my roommate and my go-to-place for Thai Food. We absolutely loved it. The people that work there are so nice and the food is delicious! Also, when you order delivery the food gets there in a reasonable time and the older man who delivers to us typically is so sweet... I have only eaten in the restaurant once with a group of good friends. The service was great but it took a little longer to get the food which was probably since we were in a larger group and they aren't accustom to that...Otherwise, my roommate and I used to order in from this place at least once or twice a week. Not big cooks ;) Shout out to the Pad-Se-Ew! Holla (with chicken)! This is by far the best Pad-Se-Ew I have ever tasted AND the cream cheese wonton thingy's. To die for! While I recommend these two items, I am reassure you that anything you order will be good. Also super affordable and will go back there every time I visit Chicago!
(5)
Christie Katelyn S.
As I was strolling down through Roscoe Village I came upon this place & checked out the Yelp reviews. I've ordered from there 3 or 4 times now & I think they're great! Ginger chicken, crab rangoon & garlic noodles are fantastic, but beware of their Spicy rice! Two of my friends couldn't handle it.
(4)
Eddie L.
The charming interior, friendly staff, and delectable aromas make you feel welcomed like family. Then you pass the corner kitchen as you walk towards the bathroom/storage closet; giving you the feeling that you may actually be dining at somebody's house. Thai Linda isn't flashy but they do a great job with the food they serve. The quiet atmosphere makes for a pleasant dining experience and you always feel like you're the only diners in the restaurant (which isn't to say nobody dines in). As I work down the menu, I have yet to find a dish I don't like...but If I could suggest a dish for you, I'd go with the eggplant. It's light, tasty, and satisfying.
(3)
Katy M.
We located from Wicker Park/East Village and had a hankering for Thai food. I'm not embarrassed to say what Penny's on Damen devotees we are. We ordered the chicken pad thai - a gloppy mess. The summer roll was totally devoid of the promised shrimp. My husband said the miso soup was fine; how can you screw that up? Overall, totally disappointing. We'll be running to the Penny's location on Sheffield.
(1)
Vanessa F.
I want to give this place 2 stars based on two things: portion size and price. The prices would be okay if this portions were bigger and vice versa. But I moved it up to three stars since the food is absolutely delectable and they handle giant byob birthdays well. There's nothing else to really say except for if you get a dish...order an extra side of egg rolls or something to make it a meal.
(3)
Kristin S.
Pretty decent Thai food at an okay price. Truthfully, I don't think I'd go here much if it wasn't directly across the street from me. For convenience sake, though, it's good. The take out portions are a little small (usually Thai takeout lasts me at least two meals. This was definitely only one.), but the quality of the food is pretty good. The two times I've eaten in, the service was incredibly slow, even though we were one of TWO tables in the place. The food presentation eating in is pretty nice though. They've also got some good outdoors seating in the summer so that's nice. The prices are a little higher than some, but again, the quality of the food is better than your average dumpy takeout place. I've had MUCH better throughout the city, though, so if I move away, I don't think I'll be back.
(3)
Kate C.
Good Thai food, good service, nice atmosphere AND BYO-we will definitely be back!
(4)
Kryste N.
Nom nom nom nom! I've been going here for years, it's our girls night out dinner place. The food is delicious, the service is always great, and best of all - 6 people can eat here for $100! We went last night and it was fantastic, we always order a bunch of entrees and pass plates. Cashew Chicken, Sweet Basil, and Garlic Noodle with beef were stand outs. Till next time Thai Linda!
(4)
Dinah M.
My husband and I consider Thai Linda one of 'our' places. We went there on one of our first dates when he lived in the neighbourhood and we love to go there a few times a year. I don't think we've ever seen more than one other table occupied, but don't let the emptiness fool you in to thinking it's not popular! The food is delightful and the service is the perfect amount of attentiveness.
(4)
Sara O.
I stopped in this place when the restaurant I was intending on going to was with a wait. And boy was I glad I did! This place was really tasty and the menu was rather extensive--for a Thai place! The crab rangoon was pretty close to phenomenal. Tom Yum Soup, FAB(ulous). And the Pad See Ew... YUM! Bonus Points for BYOB... always a good time!!
(4)
Amanda K.
Got sick from the food, and the waiter didn't speak ANY English.
(1)
Walter R.
I'll keep it concise. Fair service and sparse, but pleasant decor. Nobody was gushing over us being there, but staff were fairly prompt and courteous. I've eaten at Linda's three times already (already says something, right?) and it comes out to about 3 stars on average. The standard pan-asian appetizers are typical in quality. The curries have proved to be consistently too dry. Thai staples like Pad-Thai, Pad-See-Ew and Pad-Woon-Sen (no idea how to spell this) were served with some burned eggs and dry meat and shrimp. Nothing was bad enough to complain about, though. And in the future, if I want some quick, cheap and good-enough Thai, I will come back.
(3)
Christine F.
The fact that this place is terrible is really depressing - I love thai food and I used to live right around the corner from Thai Linda Cafe. The first few times I tried it I got carry out. I got the usual thai staples - Pad Thai, Pad Se Eiw, etc. What I found when I opened the takeout container was highly displeasing. A bunch of limp noodles swimming in about a 1/2 inch of oil. GROSS. Who wants that? "Maybe it's a fluke," I said to myself. I really wanted this place to be good since I REALLY love thai food. I went back a few weeks ago and got the Tom Kha soup, which was surprisingly good. However, my counterpart wasn't so lucky. She got the Hot and Sour soup. Now, we've all had hot and sour soup. It's usually not TOO spicy (unless you ask for it like that) - it's tolerable. The soup my friend got was INSANELY spicy - half a spoonful had her and I both coughing. Yes, there was a 'spicy' indicator (a little pepper) next to the dish on the menu, but there was also one next to my soup and the Tom Kha soup wasn't spicy at all. My friend complained to the waiter that the soup was wayyyy to spicy for her to eat and that she'd like to send it back and try something else. The waitress said that we could send it back, but we'd still have to pay for it. LAME. I will never go back there. Also, non fish eaters beware: This place makes their stuff with premade sauces, so if you ask for a dish without fish sauce the vast majority of their stuff is unavailable to you as a diner.
(2)
Andrea W.
The food and service here was great. Our waiter was amusing and attentive. I ordered pineapple curry and it was perfect! I couldn't think of any way to make it better. The portions were on the smaller side for Thai food but still enough for left overs.
(4)
Emily B.
My g/f lives right across the street from Thai Linda so it is our go-to when we are lazy and don't want to cook. It is consistently good and the spicy is quite spicy. We've never eaten in--always take out. But we've never had a bad dish.
(4)
Matthew D.
Ok... I'm sad to say that I finally found out how to measure Thai food by the establishment... Look for the place with the most Asian "flair" in the dining area. Gold stuff +2, Dragons +2, Tassles from the ceiling +3 and so on. anyway, this place had it all as well as really good food. Excellent Tom Yum soup and Great Curries. They have a red curry that I always get that is actually Pad Thai noodles with spicy red curry. Yum Yum.
(4)
Becky S.
I tried the Pad Thai recently and was somewhat disappointed. In many reviews, people say that this is the best Pad Thai they've ever had. I don't know if I went on an off night or what but my Pad Thai was not anything special. I'll stick to my sweet thai basil.
(4)
Julia H.
We used to eat here all the time. It's right around the corner from our house and it was really really good. Well maybe they got someone new in the kitchen or something because in the last year something has changed. It's still good (I love their chicken egg rolls) but we each had to search around the menu for something new because what we used to get wasn't good anymore. I now grab the Hawaiian fried ride with chicken. Yum. Say double meat and you really get a better portion. It's still a neighborhood place and perfect to eat outside in the summer. I had to update this- we had Thai Linda a few nights ago and it was the BEST Thai I have ever had EVER. I mean that. There is someone new in the kitchen and they are amazing. Everyone at the table was blown away. Our chicken egg rolls were so so good AND my Hawaiian Fried Rice came inside a full sized pineapple!!
(5)
Kristin R.
Oh Thai Linda....always so prompt. So friendly. Never messed up my order once. They have a great panang curry and spicy mint noodle (pad kee mao). My only complaint is that their portions are a little too small for my big appetite. Other than that...love 'em!
(4)
Shannon D.
This is truly my favorite Thai restaurant in the city and I promise you I have tried most of them! The mere fact that I can get the most delicious, make-your-nose-run VEGETARIAN Thom Yum Soup alone makes it a gem. BUT when you add on the most mouth watering panang curry or spicy mint noodles it's all over. Thai Linda officially is the best. I love that when I order it spicy it is true Thai, sweat your ass off, spicy. Oooh don't miss out on the tofu satay either. Oh hell, you should just go there now!
(5)
Joe T.
Fans of this Roscoe Village restaurant laud its "Burger King" prices, "delicious" dishes, and "sparse, but pleasant decor." Detractors denounce the dishes as "depressing," while others note that "the portions are a bit small" and suggest that you "ask for extra rice." N.B.: Some raters have found their curry to be too "junebug"gy, while others prefer their pad khee mao sans chicken feet.
(2)
Lauren H.
If you're looking for tasty Thai food at very reasonable prices, plus friendly staff, THAI LINDA CAFE is the place for you! I actually stumbled upon this place when the sushi place near by was too crowded (an hour wait!), and boy am I glad! Now I frequent the place at least once every other week (even if it's just for take-out). It's nothing special decor or ambiance-wise, but it is BYOB (with no fee), and there are rarely more than 3 other tables filled. Usually that's a scary sign, but in this case I'm happy because I know I'll never wait. Plus, they deliver, which is what makes up the bulk of their business. So, for the food, my favorites are the Chicken Egg Noodle soup (enough to share with 1-2 people or bring some home), the crab rangoon (YUM!), and the sweet ginger with shrimp (awesome for ginger lovers). I love how even after only 1 or 2 visits, all the staff recognized me and said "welcome back!". Now they know me by name! It's definitely a favorite and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys delicious food at reasonable prices and service with a smile. Side note: they have a brother location down on Armitage (called Charley Thai Cafe) with the same owner and menu (which I visited once b/c Thai Linda was closed). The food was good as usual and I liked the decor, but our waitress was terrible. Just an FYI.
(5)
Bev h.
this place is awesome! great ambiance (minus the single restroom), a seriously eager to please and very competent waitress, and some tasty food! and i'm not just saying that because i got a lil crunk at dinner.... we went on saturday night around 8, and had plans to go out in costume after dinner. four of us were seated no problem, and there was no judgement when we realized that not only did we have 2 bottles of wine and 10 beers between the four of us, but that we would have to drink it all or be forced to throw it out before going to the bar! we sampled some crab rangoon to start (second only to joy's, came with the sauce drizzled on, light and sweet). i ordered the pad see-ew with tofu, and the presentation and flavor were excellent. i usually like this dish a little saucier, but it was tasty nevertheless. adam m. had a wonderful mint/noodle/chicken dish that i stole some bites of, and i would probably order that next time. and there will be a next time, linda. soon! ps. did i mention that we each only paid about $15, including a generous tip?!?!
(4)
Kat M.
I concur with my lovely friends about this place - it was a solid four stars. We started off with the crab rangoon... at this point, I had not imbibed too much booze, so I can confidently say that the appetizer was great... flavor was excellent and the sauce drizzled on it was fantastic. And as Adam M. mentioned, I got the Tom Yum soup with tofu and the beef salad. The soup was AWESOME... the tofu was the perfect firmness and it was spicy but not too spicy to make me regret it. The beef salad was great - nice mix of green onions, cucumbers, and the dressing on it was also perfect. Bailey let me try some of her pad see-ew and I thought it had a great flavor. I'm not sure if it was a two-person operation (I think the wife was in the front taking care of customers and the husband, who came out every once in awhile, was in the back cooking), but I thought service was more than adequate - the waitress was not overbearing and she didn't ignore us either. We got our food quickly and at the perfect temperature with a great presentation. Yes, that was me slugging down an entire bottle of white wine by myself in 10 minutes. They did practically kick us out of the restaurant... I came out of the bathroom and all of the chairs had been put up on the tables... but we were a little bit drunk and disorderly at that point (or maybe that was only me?), so I don't blame them a bit. All in all, great Thai food with great service at a very reasonable price. It's a repeat in my book.
(4)
Scott H.
I completely agree with Lauren H's review of this place. Unassuming spot, but surprisingly good Thai food. We order here occasionally, but still prefer Pho's on Lincoln just south of Roscoe (another unassuming place). Nice people, good food, fast delivery (which is HUGE).
(4)
Christine P.
This place is outstanding! I love that the pad thai isn't greasy, and that they give you manageable portions. Further, the patio is great when it is nice outside. I eat here at least two or three times a month and have never been disappointed.
(5)
Shawn G.
I'm not sure if the "Linda" in this restaurant's name is real but, if she is, I would bed her. The food is typical Thai - no more, no less - but here's the thing: this may be the first place I've been to that has done every typical Thai item right. From the crab rangoon to the Lad Nah portion size to the Thai iced tea to the BYOB to the fast service to the atmosphere, you can't get any more prototypically perfect. Plus, it's cheap. And, for what you get, a great value. I've been to Thai places that give you twice as much food for the same price, but it all tastes like it was scraped out from the shared gutters of a Chinese and Indian restaurant. Linda gives you the goods, and in the right amount to make your stomach happy and your wallet - oh, God, I can't believe I'm about to say it - happier. Four stars, you ask? Gees, you're nosy. If you must know, I've only eaten in there once and gotten take out the numerous other times. Sometimes, with the take out, they'll tell you it's a 15-minute wait, and you get there in 20 minutes, and still wait another 5 or 10. Not a big deal when you live like a block down, but if you order carry out from a distance, just give it more like 25-30 minutes so you're not stuck sitting around.
(4)
Laura I.
The prices here are amazing and directly correlate well to the portion size (which is perfect). I've both sat in the restaurant and have gotten take away from them. Both ways, the food was served well and was always fresh. The inside is decorated in an appealing, yet simple manner. The workers here are always extremely nice, happy and always smiling. My biggest love is the way they cut and cook their beef in the beef dishes; it doesn't become "tough" as many other Thai places serve it. The thai iced coffee is pretty yummy too!
(5)
Mike W.
I order from thai Linda on a bi-weekly basis. Very good food and delivery usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. Good value.
(4)
Paul H.
Standard thai food but overall impressed. Went for takeout and it is was ready in no time. The prices here are really good too. Check it out if you are in Roscoe Village.
(4)
Justin M.
Thai Linda is pretty awesome and the food is really good quality and quite reasonably priced. The portions might be a bit small if you're really hungry, but cause the prices are so reasonable you can always get something else as well. Decor is nice - its a quiet restaraunt and is a hidden gem of roscoe village.
(3)
Betsy S.
I've been to Thai Linda a couple of times. I love Thai food and it's nearby. Sadly, I've never had anything that I've liked. My husband and I have ordered at least a half dozen things off of the menu and we haven't found anything to merit going back. It's really sad for me because Thai Linda is incredibly close to home and I tend to really like cheap Thai food. The servers have been nice to us and nothing has been gross or made us sick or anything. I'm still hoping that the place will make a miraculous turnaround. Until then, I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)
Erin H.
I live close to Thai Linda, and go here often. Although it is mostly carry out and delivery, the dining room is very soft and romantic, a great place to dine. I have been to Thailand, and I can say that Thai Linda is definitely authentic food. It is very fresh and tasty every time I go. The only thing that lacks is the service. While the waitstaff is nice, they are often not the most attentive as they are paying more attention to carry out/delivery orders. But, if you want really good Thai food in a nice, quiet setting, Thai Linda is your place.
(4)
P N.
The spicy curry here is de-lish! The noodles are well cooked and the sauce is spicy and well flavored. The crab rangoon for some reason always looks burned but when you take a bite it is oozing with delicious flavor. The free pot stickers you get with a minimum purchase of $20 (I think) are pretty good too, for being free. I don't know how anything else is on the menu, I can never say no to the spicy tofu curry :)
(4)
Sarah F.
This place is very cozy, friendly and inviting. The food is fresh and they serve a nice variety of foods. It is well worth checking out for dining in or for carry out.
(5)
Jennifer S.
The prices here are incredible reasonable. You won't find anything over $11.00 on the menu! The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is inviting, and the food is great. I would definitely go back for a casual dining experience that won't break the bank!
(3)
Josh F.
We order in all the time from here and have eaten in the restaurant once and always enjoy their food. Most of the time it's just pad thai but it is always good pad thai
(4)
Jonathan M.
This is the first place I ever tried Thai food (2 years ago) and it is my second favorite in the city. I have always had a nice experience here it's b.y.o.b. so you can bring that 5$ bottle of wine that has a picture of a rooster or a foot on the front of it. The food is always great and service is awesome as well. (Careful though because they don't speak fluent English, but they are very sweet and try really hard.) I'm lucky to live only a block away. I recommend the spinach with chicken.
(4)
Jonathan K.
saw the yelp sticker and dropped in impromptu during the roscoe village oyster fest. sat outside on the street, had the best spicy basil noodles ive EVER had. best thai noodles ive ever had, hands down. keep your eyes open for the yelp stickers...
(5)
Erin C.
As far as thai food goes, this is not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is 3 blocks from my house and does the job when I need it to. The portions are smaller than most thai places in that I can eat the whole entree the night of instead of eating it for 3 days to come. That's probably a good thing. The service is very friendly here, but i usually carryout because otherwise we're usually the only people here. It's weird to eat alone in a restaurant. Their thai iced coffee is excellent, however. Definitely give that a try.
(3)
Nicholas C.
Fast service, cheap and delicious food. The thing I like most is the perfect-sized portions. It's great for a meal before going out because you can finish the whole thing in one sitting without feeling stuffed and without facing the temptation to carry a doggy bag of delicious spicy duck around with you all night. It's never over-crowded which is appreciated in this neighborhood.
(4)
Meghan S.
BYOB-good thing LUSH, a great wine place, is just a few blocks down. I love Thai food but of course I don't like it all that spicy. A running theme in most of my entries. Thai food has so much flavor that even if it is a little bit spicy it just tastes good because the flavors and spices blend together so well. Last night we tried: chicken satay, shrimp suit, Tom Kar?, pad thai with shrimp, spinach with shrimp, and Thai Linda Chicken. I liked everything that we ate. I did agree with my boyfriend that we could have been a little more adventurous with the main dishes so when we return we will do that. The satay was small but delicious. The shrimp suits (shrimp with herbs and garlic wrapped and fried) was very tasty. The Tom Kar or something like that was a soup. It was different but I liked it. It had shrimp, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, onions in a coconut milk broth. Try if you haven't before. Pad Thai was good just sweet, but I still enjoyed it. Spinach had mushroom, onions, green peppers and carrots with shrimp in a black bean sauce, my favorite. The Thai Linda chicken said spicy but it didn't bother me at all. The chicken was crunchy and kinda fried but overall it was a good dish. Of course we have a ton left over which is a good sign. BYOB made it more enjoyable as well while we sat outside at the tables on the sidewalk. Gotta love Roscoe!!
(4)
D.A A.
I thought the service was great the people are pleasant the food was tasty and the price was right.
(4)
Carl G.
One of my greatest questions is this: Who IS Thai Linda? She sure makes a dang fine crab Rangoon though, a dish that I do not like except at Thai Linda. Food is good, service is earnest if a little over-stretched.
(4)
Jenna D.
I always forget just how awesome and inexpensive this place is! It's a really great alternative to getting a quick pizza delivery. The next time you're in the mood for something different, try Thai Linda and enjoy their fresh spicy dishes, most under $8!
(5)
Jenny C.
I recently moved to Roscoe Village from Lakeview/Wrigley area. I absolutely loved Bamee Noodle on Broadway and was hoping to find an equally awesome Thai restaurant in my new neighborhood. I've been to Thai Linda a few times, and all the dishes I had were pretty good. Their veggie pot stickers are really good too. My only complaint about this place is that their portions are a little bit on the skimpy side. The rice carton was a little nugget, and the entree container was smaller than normal as well. The quality of the food itself is good though. I'll definitely be frequenting this place, as it's so close to my apartment.
(4)
una g.
the food wasn't the greatest try YES THAI instead
(3)
K S.
My wife and I used to walk here when we lived in Roscoe Village. I really liked the food a lot, but the portions are a bit small.
(3)
jason s.
I've had difficulty finding a good thai place in Chicago. Thai Linda is about as close as I've come. The basil fried rice isn't bad, but it can be somewhat bland. The curry is great. I haven't tried much more on the menu though. It's usually pretty easy to get seated right away. Good choice for quiet dining.
(3)
mike l.
just got home from Thai Linda (is that weird? Am I the only one that does that? Visits a place & has to jump on Yelp to review?!) and I've got to say I'm pleasantly pleased. Overall, quite impressed. We started with the steamed veggie dumplings. I hate to break to y'all, but you can get the same ones in the freezer case of any asian grocery. Steam them & them fry 'em a little to crisp up the outside. Next, the all important TOM YUM SOUP! yes, it's unfortunate that we judge all TYS against Arunee Thai back home. But, TL's held up quite nicely. It was really spicy, but very rich, flavorful & generous with the shrimp. For the main dish, we split the seafood noodles & the spicy duck. Both were really nice. There was tons of seafood on top of wide, chow fun noodles in a slightly too-sweet sauce. The duck was nice, but a little underwhelming. There was plenty of duck, I just think there could've been more than just duck & steamed carrots & peppers. But, whatever, it was worth it.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Jenna D.
I always forget just how awesome and inexpensive this place is! It's a really great alternative to getting a quick pizza delivery. The next time you're in the mood for something different, try Thai Linda and enjoy their fresh spicy dishes, most under $8!
(5)Jenny C.
I recently moved to Roscoe Village from Lakeview/Wrigley area. I absolutely loved Bamee Noodle on Broadway and was hoping to find an equally awesome Thai restaurant in my new neighborhood. I've been to Thai Linda a few times, and all the dishes I had were pretty good. Their veggie pot stickers are really good too. My only complaint about this place is that their portions are a little bit on the skimpy side. The rice carton was a little nugget, and the entree container was smaller than normal as well. The quality of the food itself is good though. I'll definitely be frequenting this place, as it's so close to my apartment.
(4)una g.
the food wasn't the greatest try YES THAI instead
(3)K S.
My wife and I used to walk here when we lived in Roscoe Village. I really liked the food a lot, but the portions are a bit small.
(3)jason s.
I've had difficulty finding a good thai place in Chicago. Thai Linda is about as close as I've come. The basil fried rice isn't bad, but it can be somewhat bland. The curry is great. I haven't tried much more on the menu though. It's usually pretty easy to get seated right away. Good choice for quiet dining.
(3)mike l.
just got home from Thai Linda (is that weird? Am I the only one that does that? Visits a place & has to jump on Yelp to review?!) and I've got to say I'm pleasantly pleased. Overall, quite impressed. We started with the steamed veggie dumplings. I hate to break to y'all, but you can get the same ones in the freezer case of any asian grocery. Steam them & them fry 'em a little to crisp up the outside. Next, the all important TOM YUM SOUP! yes, it's unfortunate that we judge all TYS against Arunee Thai back home. But, TL's held up quite nicely. It was really spicy, but very rich, flavorful & generous with the shrimp. For the main dish, we split the seafood noodles & the spicy duck. Both were really nice. There was tons of seafood on top of wide, chow fun noodles in a slightly too-sweet sauce. The duck was nice, but a little underwhelming. There was plenty of duck, I just think there could've been more than just duck & steamed carrots & peppers. But, whatever, it was worth it.
(4)Kelly F.
I saw the review for the Beef Almond & called to order it, but she acted as if she had no idea what I was talking about. To be fair, the menus in Yelp aren't always consistent with the restaurants'. So I ordered my stand-by, Lime Chicken - which is outstanding at Thai Linda! Never had a problem with their meals & delivery has always been timely. Asparagus Rolls are very tasty, too!!
(5)Catherine B.
I stopped by Thai Linda Cafe last night with my roommate. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone craving Thai. This is a great place to order take-out from on a Friday night. It was definitely easy to get a last minute reservation. From our experience it was clearly not the happening place to be on a Friday night in Roscoe. It was us and one other couple in the restaurant that night. Service was just fine, I think there was only really one person working that night. I should also note that this place is BYOB. They'll give you a bottle opener and some glasses, but that's really as far as their BYOB service goes. We ordered the Aloha Fried Rice, Kung Pao, Crab Rangoon and Pad Thai. -The Pad Thai wasn't very different from any other Pad Thai. -Aloha Fried Rice was good, it's your typical pineapple fried rice with raisins. -I usually substitute meat for tofu, I think the Kung Pao could have used a little more vegetables a little less tofu. -Crab Rangoons were good, not your typical chinese food restaurant ones. These almost tasted homemade. 10% discount if you pay with cash!
(3)Karolina T.
Not the worst but def. not the best. We ordered take out from here because it is one of the closest Thai restaurants by our apartment. I got my usual pad se eew as well as gyoza. I was pretty disappointed because the pad se eew that I am used to has a lot of sauce. This one lacked sauce, in fact it had none. We also asked if the gyoza was pan fried or fried, and we were told it was on a pan but when I got the order, it was fried which causes it to lose flavor. Overall, although the food wasn't great it was cheap but I don't think we will be ordering from here again.
(3)Denny D.
Ordered through Grubhub last night and was disappointed. Our bubble teas were probably the only good thing out of our whole order. We ordered pho and let's just say.. It was not pho. It's as if they weren't expecting a pho delivery order at 8pm on a Tuesday because it was horrible. The broth was very dark almost black, the noddles weren't even noddles just some crammed up mushy stuff in a container we had to add to the pho ourselves.. It had absolutely no flavor and the beef were just chunks thick THICK meat not nicely thin... Won't be ordering again...
(2)Katie S.
My husband and I ordered from Thai Linda on a rainy night. Parts of my experience were very off-putting and others were positive. We tried to order online, but there was a problem with the website. Not sure what, but we ended up having to order over the phone- not a big deal. I went to go pick up the food. I walk in the restaurant and no one is anywhere to be seen. There is one girl who is doing homework in the corner- I'm guessing the owner's daughter. But other than that, there's no one. I waited FOREVER for someone to appear. At one point, a man from the kitchen emerged. He saw me and made no acknowledgement of my existence. It didn't even look like he told anyone that I was waiting. Finally, a woman emerged and I paid and left. But I was probably waiting for a good 5-7 minutes. The food was good. We ordered the crab rangoon. One complaint with that is the container of sweet and sour was much too small to dip the rangoon into. They should get bigger containers. I ordered the veggie fried rice and it was great. We got the Tom Kha Soup and omg it was delicious!! It was tart, but sweet. Oy- amazing! Overall, the food was good. But having to wait that long for someone to provide any service was very off-putting.
(3)Jamie B.
They give you a discount if you pay cash. BYOB and they have a patio. I don't know what went wrong but I ordered pad thai and it smelled and tasted awful. Since I've personally worked in many a restaurant, I don't EVER, and I mean EVER send food back. I either choke it down or I don't eat it. And if the server or management is smart, they'll ask "was there something wrong with your dish?" at which point I would tell them how gross it was and so on and so forth. The pad thai was very odd. The menu is huge here, maybe they need to consolidate to focus on areas that need to be improved.
(2)Ian H.
Another triumph! I know how cliché it is to order Pad Thai at a Thai restaurant but, wow, was it worth it! The balance of flavors was incredible and the shrimp were perfectly prepared. If you appreciate good Thai cuisine, run, don't walk, to the Thai Linda Café on Roscoe Street!
(5)Christine S.
I honestly don't get all of the so-so reviews. In my opinion, Thai Linda is WAY better than the Thai place that's one minute away. The Panang Curry is awesome. The Basi Fried rice is delicious. The Hawaiian Fried Rice is delightful. The Sesame Chicken was just okay. The service is great.
(4)David P.
Another disappointing, over priced and low quality Roscoe Village restaurant. Would someone please come and open a good restaurant in the neighborhood? My girlfriend and I eat Thai food at least once a week, as we are big fans. We tried this place for the first time about a month ago, and we were very disappointed. The good is pretty bland, the portions are small and the quality of the ingredients are poor. We had there pad Thai, chicken satay, their spicy basil chicken. I really can't tell you much more, except that none of the dishes would make me go back. We did notice, it was a Friday night, and their was only one other table in tjebwhle place, enough said...
(2)Aloe A.
Myself and one other went Sunday afternoon on a whim and we were not disappointed. The menu was much larger than I had anticipated which was a pleasant surprise. We tried their chicken satay as an app, and a thing of Pad Thai and a bowl of chicken massaman curry for the mains. Although the satay was not chunky, it was still good. The dishes could have been a bit more spicy, but our noses still ran a bit and the overall taste did not suffer. One thing that is worth noting was their Thai Tea which was delicious.
(4)William R.
Easily the worst food I've had in Chicago. Ordered the Panang steak, and it was actually inedible. Go anywhere else. Overpriced, poor delivery (wrong address, wrong time), and the food when/if it arrives is really bad.
(1)Fitile K.
Go to place in the neighborhood. Economic pricing. Excellent quality food, including chicken. Highly recommend.
(4)Anne M.
There's some really mixed reviews for good old Linda here. I didn't think she fell into an extreme category - I thought it was a perfectly good, casual spot to grab dinner. On a Friday night me and the man were hungry. I was craving Thai, so we walked down to pay a visit to Linda. There were several other full tables, and a lot of take-out orders on the front counter waiting to be picked up. We were seated, immediately served water and we place our orders for some apps - crab rangoon (my usual) and a beef-wrapped asparagus. The apps came out pretty quick - and they were good; not great. Entrees - we split the chx pad se eew and the lard nar. The lard nar was served in a deep bowl and was the most soupy I've ever seen it. I prefer that dish more on the dry side because I don't enjoy eating spoonfuls of gravy - but it did taste good... The pad se eew was our preferred dish - that had much better texture and flavor. By the time we got our bill, we were the only table in the restaurant. Still, the take-outs and deliveries were steady. Bonus: they served a delightful little fortune cookie roll - I've never seen that kind, but it was way tastier than a regular fortune cookie. Was this the best Thai ever? No. But it certainly wasn't terrible (or even bad). We had a nice dinner, the space was calm and quiet - I would come back again for another low-key meal anytime.
(4)Mandy V.
Awesome food-- good prices -- and byob. Tons of choices and great vegetarian options!! Never crowded so great place to sit in or carry out
(4)Andre W.
After getting delivery over the past 3 years, I finally had the opportunity to go to the actual place. Not too big, not too small as it was a nice space. It was virtually empty when we walked in. We started out with the thai dumplings which were very good. For my entree, I got the Spicy Fried Rice with Vegetable and it was definitely spicy! Their delicious thai iced tea definitely helped keep my mouth cool. I love that I finally showed up as the staff was pretty nice and its a nice joint...will return more often as this is one of my favorite thai places in the city...Also this joint is BYOB!
(5)Vanitha S.
First time here for carry out. Cute ambiance and space but disappointed with my order. $5 for bubble tea? Go somewhere else of you can...the tea was good but there were barely any bubbles. Not worth it. My Tom yum soup was extremely disappointing. Oil droplets were floating on top. No flavor, kinda stale chicken and definitely old lemongrass...not at all fragrant. Service was cold and unfriendly. Won't be back here.
(2)Nichole M.
I think I have figured out what is wrong with this place after having eaten here 3 times. They have good recipes, but do not know how to cook properly. The first time I ordered, our beef was overcooked, almost burnt. The second time, the noodles were mushy and again the meat was burnt. But the flavors were still good and so I wanted to give them one last try to see if they'd worked out their kinks. The third and last time...my shrimp was almost completely raw, like see through, and they were not de-veined. Disgusting. There was a very young person waiting on us and I felt bad hassling him. So I just pushed the shrimp to the side and ate my rice and veggies. The sauce was amazing, but how can I get past raw shrimp that still has it's poop in it?! Mortifying. I will not be back. The sauces for all of their dishes are very tasty so I wish they just knew how to cook food. Very sad.
(2)Marty M.
The food is meh. I've had much better. I got take out so I can't speak to the atmosphere inside. The people seemed nice enough, but the food was really disappointing. Thai food is about the only thing lacking in Roscoe.
(2)Kryste N.
Nom nom nom nom! I've been going here for years, it's our girls night out dinner place. The food is delicious, the service is always great, and best of all - 6 people can eat here for $100! We went last night and it was fantastic, we always order a bunch of entrees and pass plates. Cashew Chicken, Sweet Basil, and Garlic Noodle with beef were stand outs. Till next time Thai Linda!
(4)Dinah M.
My husband and I consider Thai Linda one of 'our' places. We went there on one of our first dates when he lived in the neighbourhood and we love to go there a few times a year. I don't think we've ever seen more than one other table occupied, but don't let the emptiness fool you in to thinking it's not popular! The food is delightful and the service is the perfect amount of attentiveness.
(4)Candi D.
Delivery thru Grub Hub First timer- ordered on Thanksgiving. Ordered simply Thai offerings: crab Rangoon, side salad( ginger dressing on side) spring rolls, small tom yum soup w tofu dressing on side. Review: I was really impressed with the whole process. Food was on time. Delivery driver was nice! :-) Every selection tasted super fresh and was prepared perfectly. Food was hot!!!!! I ate everything!!!!! Crab Rangoon: perfect sizes very delicate and melted in my mouth. Usually, these appetizers are way too big and over stuffed with too much cream cheese. Spring rolls: were larger than I am use to here, but I liked it since cabbage, carrots are raw w tofu it good cause I could really taste the freshness Soup: Amazing- asked for it to be medium and it actually was. W large pieces of tofu :-) they did not skimp on that. Side salad: they have the ginger dressing that I love. Simply greens with shredded beets and carrots I drizzled done olive oil on top w dressing and was yummy. Only thing is wish I would of received a fortune cookie
(5)Tim H.
Solid spot for Thai food. I've only ever ordered to-go, but I really like the online ordering. I can pick a time to have ready and they're always on-time, or there's an option to have ready "asap" and they will call you when it's ready; usually like 15-20 minutes.
(4)Sheila M.
I ordered food for delivery tonight via GrubHub from Thai Linda. I specifically requested a beef appetizer (Tiger Cry) be cooked Med Rare or Medium at the most. It was beyond well done, it was burnt to a crisp and they refused to issue a refund. The chicken satay was also well done; it was very hard to eat. The restaurant requires that I bring back the steak (Tiger Cry) to prove that it was overcooked. The delivery time was prompt and friendly, but the food wasn't something I would even give to my dog! Stay away from this restaurant, it is disgusting. GrubHub helped intervene and they directly gave me a $10 coupon to spend to make up for the experience. Do NOT eat here, I am trying to save you the same frustration that I experienced.
(1)Kaitlin D.
The food is quite good for the price and the service is always exceptional at Thai Linda. Their patio over the summer was great for people watching over a yummy meal. I usually get the chicken pad thai and would definitely recommend it - I've tried a few appetizers as well (don't recall which ones!) and was pleased.
(4)Kristin S.
Pretty decent Thai food at an okay price. Truthfully, I don't think I'd go here much if it wasn't directly across the street from me. For convenience sake, though, it's good. The take out portions are a little small (usually Thai takeout lasts me at least two meals. This was definitely only one.), but the quality of the food is pretty good. The two times I've eaten in, the service was incredibly slow, even though we were one of TWO tables in the place. The food presentation eating in is pretty nice though. They've also got some good outdoors seating in the summer so that's nice. The prices are a little higher than some, but again, the quality of the food is better than your average dumpy takeout place. I've had MUCH better throughout the city, though, so if I move away, I don't think I'll be back.
(3)Kate C.
Good Thai food, good service, nice atmosphere AND BYO-we will definitely be back!
(4)Heather P.
Disappointed. We ordered in from Thai Linda not long ago and enjoyed it, so when I saw they had a Groupon Now, we thought we'd head over and dine on the patio. The whole experience was completely riddled with screw-ups, based in no small part on the fact that our waiter looked to be about 16 and spoke almost no English. When we sat down, he asked if we were using the Groupon. I thought this was weird, as in all my years (?) of Grouponing, no establishment has asked about it before we'd been given the check. We said yes. He flipped the menu over and showed us the section we could not order from. Already a bad sign, since restaurants are allowed to add their own "fine print" to the Groupons and nowhere on the Groupon did it say "not applicable on House Specials". We ordered spring rolls and two cups of tom kha. Then I ordered the Thai salad and he ordered curry. I thought it was really weird that my salad came out before anything else, since it has egg, tofu and peanut sauce, and I remembered being a size more suited to an entree, and also it was the only thing I ordered that was not an appetizer. I placed it to the side and stared at it for a bit. We ate our soup (not great) and the spring rolls (completely standard). My salad sat alone. And sat. And sat. Our waiter appeared after a time and asked for the Groupon. I pulled it up on my phone, and he disappeared with the bar code. I figured he was killing time until the curry showed up. Then he came back with the check and said, "Thank you!" Uhh. I informed him we were still waiting on food. He looked perplexed. The curry, I reminded him. OH RIGHT, THE CURRY. He came back almost immediately with the curry, which had been sitting God knows how long, waiting to be delivered to us. Finally, I got to eat my salad! I really like this salad, but I thought it seemed much... more petite than I remembered. Definitely much, much smaller. And Boyfriend's curry as well, was extremely petite. It was not a shareable portion. In fact, with all the rice that was brought out, and all the curry in the dish, it only filled a salad plate. I have never seen such a small portion at a Thai place. There is a photo attached. That's it, folks. We had zero leftovers, despite ordering quite a bit of food. I'm starting to wonder if we actually received less food due to using the Groupon. They did know about it in advance (which automatically makes me anxious.) After all that, our bill was calculated wrong and I'm still not sure how or what happened, since the waiter lacked the language skills to explain it. Won't be back. Glad we didn't pay full price.
(2)Julie H.
Went here for dinner last night and utilized a Groupon Now. Note: I've noticed this place frequently has Groupon Now deals. I ordered the lemon grass chicken; my bf ordered the peapods with beef. His looked good, mine was good. Chicken was perhaps a little dry. Tip: Awesome beer to enjoy with your food at this byob is called Siamese Twin from Uncommon Brewers (it is brewed with thai spices). We also got the vegetable pot stickers which were tasty; I enjoyed the black bean sauce. Staff was very friendly and the place was very chill, not at all crowded. Cute place for a date.
(3)Lesley A.
I was a bit wary to try Thai Linda Café after so many bad reviews and my parents saying they did not like their food, but I liked it here! Thai Linda Café is actually quite good, but I need to do some more empirical testing to completely rave about them . I came here with the sig o at the time for Wednesday night dinner at 7 pm and we received PROMPT service. As soon as we sat down, our waitress brought us waters and menus, within five minutes came back to take our order, and within a reasonable amount of time the chef brought out our appetizer, and our entrée was ready as soon as we finished our appetizer. All of this was done while Thai Linda's staff handled several carry out orders. We ordered the crab rangoon and chicken pad woonsen. We received six crab rangoons that were nice little pouches of fried wontons with savory cream cheese. Thai Linda's crab rangoons are distinctive in that they put chives in them. The crab rangoons had thin sweet and sour sauce for dipping, and the sauce had more of a light and sweet flavor. The chicken pad woonsen was pan-fried bean thread noodles with egg, white onions, tomatoes, green onions, peapods, carrots and corn in a light brown sauce. We really liked this dish! The bean noodles were flavorful and we liked that the dish came with a lot of vegetables, including a side garnish of thinly sliced carrots and a red root. The portion was reasonable for the price of $8 without tax. Thai Linda's ambiance is conducive for a date. The lighting was dim, the décor was tasteful with Thai art, bamboo placemats, and rattan chairs. They also have an outdoor patio. I plan to be back to try other offerings I have not seen at other restaurants, such as their lime chicken. I would also like to try their bubble tea and fruit freezes.
(3)Gerry T.
We also took advantage of the $20 groupon for $10. Nice location on the cusp of Lincoln Park. We parked on the street and walked about 2 blocks to the restaurant where we were greeted by a very friendly young man. We ordered the full appetizer plate and it was very good, we enjoyed everything and I particularly like the shumai. We also had the beef pad see ewe and green curry with beef. Now - everything was wonderful and tasty except for the portions which is half the size of what you would normally get elsewhere. So, if you are looking to lose weight or if you weigh 90 lbs, the serving size would be fine for you. The taste is 5 stars. If budget is not an issue, order two of everything and you'll be satisfied.
(3)Ruby L.
Had pad kee mao. Loved it. Could use a bit less oil though.
(4)Misty S.
Fried rice test score: C+ We sat down and the waiter brings us a couple of glasses of water. Then a few seconds later he comes back and picks up my glass of water and looks at it suspiciously for a few moments. I think at that point he didn't have a choice but to come back with a new glass of water because who would drink out of it after that? The crab rangoon was recommended, but I was not impressed. The filling was creamy...too creamy...and not that tasty and the shell was too hard. The fried rice was above average, but nothing I would come back to order. I had it with tofu which was good with the eggs in it. The sweet basil chicken was average and not enough rice came with it. The restaurant is pretty big with lots of tables and cool art on the walls. There were only 2 other tables occupied when we came for dinner on a Friday night. Tip: There's a great wine place (Lush) a few blocks from this place where you can pick up your BYOB.
(3)Christina G.
Something has changed here, and in a good way. I saw a groupon deal for this place and bought it. $10 for $20, and the place is practically in my backyard. I decided it was worth another try. We went on a nice night, so we could sit outside on the patio. We started with the thai dumplings. You only got 6 small-ish dumplings, but they were really good. I ordered the same dish I tried out last time - chicken pad thai, and my husband had spicy mint. I wonder what was updated, but both dishes were very tasty. The chicken had a ton of flavor and the noodles were cooked well, not too heavy or greasy. The spicy mint had subtle hints of mint, and was the perfect amount of spice. I really enjoyed our waiter too. He was young, very friendly, and very helpful. And the place is BYOB with no corkage fee. We stopped by Lush on the way over and picked up a great $10 bottle of wine to complete the meal. I will certainly be back again!
(4)Rafiq A.
It was just ok. And for the price I paid I would expect more. I got the pad thai beef. there was an up-charge for the beef. fine. but the amount of meat wasn't a lot. Also, the noodles are thinner than I expected. they did add a lot of crushed up peanuts, so that was nice. I also got the tom kha soup. it was a little too oily for my taste. my bf got their chicken rice soup and he said it was good. it also took 20 minutes to prepare and I was the only person in the place and their delivery drivers were sitting there. don't forget to asl about the free app for orders of $20 or more for take out and delivery. obviously they don't mention them to you. in a pinch it will do.
(3)Keith A.
Thai linda, to me, is exactly what roscoe village is about. The second I walked in, it just felt comfortable and had a neighboorhood vibe too it. I had called ahead for take out, so I can't say anything about what its like to sit there. I ordered up a bunch of stuff to have over a couple of days. I got the spicy duck, pad thai, and lemongrass chicken along with a couple of appetizers. They even threw in some potstickers automatically because I had ordered over $20 worth of food. I'm used to outright asking when it comes to the deals, and I didn't know about it. The appetizers were very good. I had gotten some thai dumplings and theses hit the spot. They were nice and hot when I got them. The chicken satay was okay, it was just normal chicken satay, so while that was fine, I wanted a bit more. The potstickers they threw in were very good and made up for the chicken satay. They weren't over fried which can happen all too often. As far as the entrees go, they were really good. The pad thai was pretty standard. It wasn't great, but it was far from being bad either. For me, the key to pad thai is always the noodles, and these noodles were good, but they really paled in comparison to the other two dishes. The spicy duck, however, was awesome. It had heat to it, but it wasn't too much for me at all (granted I have no problem with things being very spicy). The duck itself was really good and done very well. The lemongrass chicken was also very good and was a nice contrast to the spicy duck. I ordered up some of the more expensive items on the menu, but all of that lasted me a few days. There's a lot left on the menu and i'm in the area a good amount, so stopping in again is bound to happen
(4)Terri B.
Skip it. Go elsewhere unless you want to have one of the weirdest restaurant experiences of your life, as I did: My family has been going to Thai Linda since before they changed management, so no hesitation to go back even under new ones. Sat down with my friend and decided to try their spin on a new kind of Pad Thai, one that had Wontons in it. We started with crispy crab and fish rolls ,which were pretty good but had a spongy quality that I wasn't expecting. Still fairly tasty. When the pad thai arrived, I discovered after one bite that this dish had NO noodles in it whatsoever. It was pad thai sauce dumped on wonton crackers and shrimp. Not at all what I wanted- who orders pad thai and says "Hold the noodles, please"?? So I called our waitress over and explained that I'd like to have regular pad thai instead, since this new dish did not meet my expectations. The waitress, who clearly spoke very little English, informed me that since I had ordered this, this is what I get to eat. I figured she must be misunderstanding- perhaps she thought I was saying I hadn't ordered this in the first place. So, I explained again that I just didn't care for this, and I wanted to send it back and order something different. Again, she looked baffled- and then said "Let me ask my manager." At this point I'm thinking- I don't need a manager's permission not to like this dish. Waitress comes back and tells me that the manager says I have to pay for this since I ordered it but I can also get something else, at which point I got angry. I told her to tell her manager that I would NOT be paying for food I don't like or eat, and then asked her to just tell the manager to come and speak to me directly. She comes back AGAIN and says "My manager will give you half off this dish. But you cannot change." Now there's steam shooting out of my ears. I stood up, walked into the restaurant with the plate of (now soggy) wonton crackers and sauce, thunked it down on the counter, and said loudly, "Tell your manager to come out of the kitchen and speak to me, please." And then I stood at the counter and waited. Waitress tells me she's on the phone. I still stand there. Waitress comes out for the FOURTH time and now says, "OK, we will take this off and you want regular pad thai?" I say yes and go back outside. Quite possibly the oddest thing that's ever happened to me- I actually had to pick up my plate and practically threaten to walk it back into the kitchen myself to stress the point that I would not be forced into eating a crappy dish or paying for it. So don't bother going to Thai Linda, unless you are absolutely sure you are going to love whatever the hell they put down in front of you.
(1)Rachel L.
Amazing little neighborhood gem. The food is delicious and not overpriced. The server was attentive, but not overly so. And it's a BYOB. So to summarize: Great food. Attentive staff. BYOB. P.S. The spicy duck is to die for!
(5)Walter R.
I'll keep it concise. Fair service and sparse, but pleasant decor. Nobody was gushing over us being there, but staff were fairly prompt and courteous. I've eaten at Linda's three times already (already says something, right?) and it comes out to about 3 stars on average. The standard pan-asian appetizers are typical in quality. The curries have proved to be consistently too dry. Thai staples like Pad-Thai, Pad-See-Ew and Pad-Woon-Sen (no idea how to spell this) were served with some burned eggs and dry meat and shrimp. Nothing was bad enough to complain about, though. And in the future, if I want some quick, cheap and good-enough Thai, I will come back.
(3)Jason D.
Always in the mood for thai, I ordered delivery from Thai Linda Cafe. I sure wish I hadn't. Being only 6 blocks from the restaurant and on a Wednesday I was hoping the 30 minutes the person on the phone said it would take.. would only be 20 minutes. It took a little over an hour. Okay.. no big deal, things happen. Upon opening my chicken pad Thai noodle I was impressed by the amount of food I had.. which made me forget about the time it took to arrive. Yummy this is fairly good.. the noodles weren't too greasy and the flavor was good. So why one star? After a big bite.. I looked down and saw something black. Burnt rice chunk? No.. it was a dead fly. Upon calling and complaining about this tragedy.. I was told I could only get restaurant credit. I continued to say I wanted my money back because I refused to eat there again. After 10 minutes of back and forth I lost my temper which finally convinced the lady on the phone to reimburse me. So in conclusion.. slow delivery, dead fly and horrible customer service netted them a one star rating.
(1)Torry H.
yuk! In an area of delicious Thai food...Thai Linda does not stand up! The pad thai was lacking all flavor. I usually order that from a new thai place since its so basic and is normally good. It was very greasy and really bland. I would not order from here again. Head up the road to Thai Oscar, Opart Thai House or even Spoon.
(1)Lauren B.
Wish I didn't have to write this review but... I ordered the chicken pad see ew lunch special. First thing I noticed is that their egg rolls are now about 1/2 the size than they used to be and they do not taste nearly as good as they used to. My entree also was not nearly as good as it used to be. The chicken was dry and bland and the noodles were not very flavorful. THEN I found multiple hairs in my dish. Clearly this is gross and unacceptable!
(1)Emily H.
Situated in the heart of Roscoe Village, Thai Linda is a tasty fusion of Northern and Southern Thai cooking. Their curries taste sweet, rich, and spicy in Chiang Mai style, but their noodle dishes are straight from Phuket; tangy and complexly layered with garden-fresh spices and sauces. My favorites are the Tom Kha coconut-lemongrass soup with chicken and straw mushrooms, and the Panang Curry with beef over rice. The spring rolls are fresh, filled with crisp vegetables and complemented well by the plum sauce. I like Thai Linda so much I eat there at least once a week.
(4)Devon F.
Love this place. My wife and I love to grab some beer and wine and enjoy the BYOB. We love the Pad Thai
(5)Roxana B.
I decided to give this place a try since it had mix reviews. Oh boy was it bad! I decided to order there and do take out. The food was not good at all. I never had bad Thai food, and never thought it could be made bad. We ordered crab Rangoon which tasted funny, and my pad Thai had no flavor. Even the thin noodles was bad. My husband had fried rice which he said was okay. This place is nothing special just save money and go somewhere else.
(1)Jacques M.
I'm debating between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I'll go ahead and go with 4 because the price is right and its BYOB. The overall Yelp 3.5 rating has this one pegged perfectly. If you like the homey mom and pop feel this is defiantly your place. Our server (who I suspect is the owner) was very friendly and attentive. Lunch for two was about $20 (with Tip) and its BYOB on top of that. My Chicken Pad Tai was excellent. However, my wife's dish (I can't recall the name) was a little over done and lacked flavor. I don't know what type of sauce they put on the egg rolls, but it was on of the better egg rolls I have ever eaten. Overall, this is a great option for an affordable Thai lunch in the Roscoe Village area.
(4)L.G. R.
Oh Thai Linda. It has been the best thai food I've had in Chicago. But it's very hit or miss. We ordered pad thai, red curry chicken (2 star spicy), and 2 crab rangoon tonight. The red curry chicken wasn't spicy at all (they left it plain, I've had it spicy so I know the difference). They only gave us 1 order of crab rangoon but they brought the other order out 1 1/2 hours later. The pad thai was great as always. I love the fat noodles. I'd normally give them 5 stars because the food is that good when it's on. But sometimes it is off :-( Just make sure you double check your order before accepting it.
(3)Dan L.
I would love to support a local restaurant but our experience was so bad that not only do I not want to return, I think that other folks should think twice about going. We went there on Christmas night -- it was the only place on the Roscoe strip that was open. And I totally get that it may not be perfect, or even close to perfect, on Christmas night. But it was just terrible. We and everyone else there waited over an hour for our entrees to come out, and the food quality was significantly worse than it was under previous management -- from a significantly fattier beef dish to a much less flavorful noodle dish. What really made me angry about the whole situation though is that neither of the two folks working the front of the house came up to anyone and said anything as little as: Hey, it's Christmas, and we're doing our best but it's slow. We get it. But they wouldn't even make eye contact with anyone, much less apologize for it. It took us getting up to talk to them to actually make them address it, which they basically declined to do even then. Without any discussion, they did knock 15% off our bill. Again, no fronting of the situation, no words at all. Can't imagine returning.
(1)Sara O.
I stopped in this place when the restaurant I was intending on going to was with a wait. And boy was I glad I did! This place was really tasty and the menu was rather extensive--for a Thai place! The crab rangoon was pretty close to phenomenal. Tom Yum Soup, FAB(ulous). And the Pad See Ew... YUM! Bonus Points for BYOB... always a good time!!
(4)Amanda K.
Got sick from the food, and the waiter didn't speak ANY English.
(1)Richie D.
I was walking along Roscoe with my partner trying to find a place to grab dinner that would be fairly inexpensive and quick. Shooot, Thai food is always the answer when it comes to those specifications. We came up to Thai Linda Cafe and stepped on in to an empty restaurant (not necessarily surprising for a Wednesday evening). We were greeted by a friendly waiter who was Mexican which seemed to surprise me at first since most Thai restaurants are staffed by Thais themselves. Either way, the service was efficient and quick like any other Thai restaurant in the city. To begin, Thai Linda has adorable menus which are woven and made of bamboo. In addition, their dishware is quite beautiful and matches every plate they bring out during the meal (I want one of their little rice bowls with a cover). We ordered the spring rolls which had to have been made way in advance and stored in a refrigerator for a few hours. The inside was half frozen in texture and temperature. I ordered the Panang Curry as mild and the waiter said it's already made and the spiciness could not be adjusted. He did back it up with a "heat scale" where he said between 1-5 it's a 2. When it came out, the curry was pretty tasty and not too spicy or too sweet--and yes I'd agree that it was a #2. My partner also had a curry but with noodles and enjoyed it as well. All in all, $14 a person for an average appetizer and entree is expected. And once again, Thai food maintained it's reputation of inexpensive and quick. Note: If you work in the area or are off for the day, be sure to check out their weekday lunch specials.
(3)Kelly C.
Horrible service. To cure a hangover, we decided to find some cheap and quick Thai food, and searched Groupon Now. Thai Linda was chosen over the 5 others nearby that came up because the Fine Print did not specify "Dine in Only", and we preferred carry-out. We ordered on the website which was really easy, then I went to pick it up after 25min. The person up front, who also appeared to be the waiter was about 16 and spoke little English...this is why I ordered online. My total was $28, and I pulled up my $20 Groupon Now and a $10 bill. I was then told something about how the Groupon is for Dine in. "But it does not say that in the fine print," I responded. "Sorry, you need to pay $28." "No, I bought this over 5 other places because I wanted carry out." He then went to the back to discuss with his hire-ups, then came back and told me "Sorry, dine in for Groupons, it is $28." I showed him the $10 bill, and said, "All I have is $10 to cover the extra not covered by the Groupon, so I cannot pay for this." Obviously, I had credit cards with me, but I wasn't about to spend $28. The boy ran to the back again, had a short conversation, then came back out and told me I owed to total of $28. So I left with no food. I could understand if they made a mistake when signing up for the Groupon, since the English was very broken, but the conditions on my Groupon were clear. I have used Groupon Nows for carry out at similar places several time before with no issues about having to "dine in". The fact is, that no manager ever even bothered to discuss it with me, and just used a 16yr old to deny its use. I ordered $28 worth of food, so they were still making money off me, and it seemed like there was no clear reason not to let it go, realizing their mistake in the Groupon. I never got to have the likely overly oily food and I will never be back .
(1)Matt A.
Having not had Thai in some time, I was excited to try some, what I had been told to be, great authentic Thai food. Thai Linda Cafe is located in a pretty suburban feeling part of Logan Square, across from a Starbucks. Excited that it was byob, me and a few buddies set out with a few beers to give it a shot. I cant say I was disappointed, or overly enthusiastic about it. The patio was nice, though the service was so-so. I ordered a pepper steak dish, which was good, but pretty run of the mill. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their dishes as well. I wouldn't mind going back, as the menu was pretty good. Maybe it's my fault for ordering something simple, but I wasn't "wowed" by my first experience.
(3)Josh H.
This is my go-to place for affordable and delicious thai food in Roscoe Village. I have always been incredibly satisfied with the food and service is always friendly! The lunch deal is great...selected entree with your choice of veggie or chicken egg roll along with soup or cucumber salad for just $6.95.
(4)Andy S.
Thai isn't usually my go-to Asian cuisine, but it has been growing on me, and the other night i opted to try Thai Linda Cafe as opposed to another nearby spot that I've been frequenting of late...whoops! When I called for take out the man on the other end of the phone told me 25 minutes. In 25 minutes (at a prime dining time I might add) I arrived to an empty restaurant save for one table 3 women that were being seated as I arrived. The man who directed them to their table disappeared for 5 minutes or so before coming out, at which point I said I was there to pick up my order, meanwhile a line was forming behind me. He told the others in line that he was going to help me then he'd get to them. Once again he disappeared, for another 5-7 minutes, finally coming back with my simple order (lad nar & egg rolls). I got home, and well, I shouldn't have been surprised, the lad nar was amazing lukewarm and flavorless (even for lad nar, which is a fairly spiceless dish to begin with), with the egg rolls (*not* spring rolls) being completely cold and soggy. At the very least the portions were big and lasted me a couple tasteless days, it's just unfortunate I had to make the food hot on my own not only for leftovers, but for first time eating too!
(1)Anthony H.
This place used to be decent... but the last three times I've gone have been terrible. Extremely long waits for food (over an hour), terrible service, and on two separate occasions- burnt AND cold food. One time our bill was twice the amount it should have been. Avoid this place.
(1)Colleen R.
First time at Thai Linda cafe - and I must say the chicken pad Thai was delicious! Ordered for a pickup and it was ready on time and very friendly people.
(4)Jerry W.
Okay today is a two for with my reviews (read my earlier one on Rudy's Bakery, or if you have the time you can read all my reviews). I was saying it was errand Saturday. The errands started around 9:00 in the morning out in the Joliet area with my youngest daughter. The day ended that night back home around 8:00 pm, with my wife and oldest son. What a day, I even forgot all about Earth Day/Hour until this morning!! Well along the way one of our stops was at Thai Linda Cafe in Roscoe Village. We have never been to Linda's so it was nice to try. I always like trying new places. My Dad always use to say at least give it a try and then if you don't like it that is fine. My Dad is a smart man! I don't think I have ever tried Thai food before. Of course I am getting older and maybe having memory issues. So it was nice to give this place a try. My wife, oldest daughter and oldest son all were with me when we stopped for dinner at Linda's. We started with two cups of shrimp won ton. The broth was very tasty but we thought there were way too many vegetables in the soup. Then for appetizers we ordered the egg rolls, spring rolls, pot stickers and shrimp suit (I think I spelled that corectly?). The pot stickers and shrimp suit were very good. The egg rolls and spring rolls were just average. I've had better at other Chinese restaurants. So on to our main course, which we ordered an entree of Beef Almond, and entree of Pepper Steak and an entree of one of the Noodle dishes (I forget the name of it, yes I said earlier I am getting older and possibly having memory issues). The beef almond was very good. There was plenty of beef and almonds. The broccoli and carrot slices were fresh and tasty. I thought the pepper steak and noodle dishes were just ok. The pepper steak had way too many vegetables ("where's the beef" or in this case the steak) and the noodle dish was bland and lifeless tasting. Our total bill came to roughly $61 dollars. Our waitress was super nice and friendly. The place was very clean, not too busy though for a Saturday dinner. Personally for Asian food I have always loved Japanese first and then Chinese second. I would rank Thai food after that with Korean and Vietnamese. I know my wife and son think the same way. Maria even says that Thai food is like Chinese food's ugly cousin. But to be fair to Linda's my oldest daughter just loved it. She even thought it was probably some of the best Thai food she has ever had in the city. And she has been to several different Thai establishments. So overall I would give Linda's three stars but I guess based on my oldest daughter's input and the super friendly service from our waitress I will go reluctantly with four stars. I guess if I liked Thai food more I probably wouldn't be so hesitant with my rating.
(4)Theresa D.
I came in here on a sunday early evening around 6. There were 4 people in the restaurant eating. I ordered a pad thai with tofu and a cucumber salad to go. The total came to $11 bucks. I got home to eat my meal and was very disappointed. My pad thai and cucumber salad was very bland. Those two things are hard to screw up. The reason why my review is two stars instead of 1 star is because the food was edible. Even though I live in the neighborhood, I wish I could have saved myself the trip and money, now i know for next time.
(2)Gina M.
I just moved in around the corner. I was bored one afternoon of what Roscoe St. has to offer because I was growing tired of sandwiches and pizzas so I remembered Thai Linda Cafe. The first time I got the chicken Pad Thai (extra spicy). WIN! I have had some problems with finding a Thai place that makes the Pad Thai like I used to get at my favorite thai restaurant in Detroit. It was so delicious that I obsessed about it the next day and the minute they opened I placed another order for pad thai. They didn't fail me. Three days later a few friends came over and i raved about this place so much that they gave in. One friend isn't a fan of thai, chinese, or really anything "un-American." We got pad thai (chicken and vegetable), the Thai Linda Chicken and Panang Curry. We didn't talk much while eating except for mumbling "mmm's" and "ohmygosh." Everything we ate was out of sight and for all that it was about 30 dollars. I always seem to see the same lady there and she is always so nice or as my friend put it, "super happy to be alive." I will eventually go in there and sit down and eat. I only deducted one star because I am not very knowledgable about thai food. I like what I like, I rarely venture for those foods. I've only tried about 5 Thai restaurants ever, so this place could very well be the best or it could turn out to be a top contender.
(4)Andrew C.
If you live in Roscoe Village, this should be in your weekly rotation. For the money, they can't be beat. To be honest, I only order a few items like the Pad Thai, Spicy Mint or Tofu Curries. (and crab rangoon) What keeps me from marking them a 4 star is consistancy. Some of their dishes are made just right with the right amount of heat (spicy) come back another week and the same dish is overpowering with heat.
(3)Marissa B.
When I get carry-out I like to be eating that food for days. I'm talking day-one-dinner, day-two-lunch, day-two-dinner, day-three-lunch... you get my point. The food at Thai Linda is not pricey - (approximately $7 or $8) but I'd rather pay an extra few dollars and get some more foooood!!! Okay, let me tell you what the problem really was: the smallest rice container ev-er. Normally when you get two entrees you'd expect a large container of rice. Right? Well, our two entrees came with one medium/small container of rice. We had to very carefully ration out the rice so as to have enough to last the 1.5 meals we were able to squeeze out of the Thai food. The Basil Tofu was good - good sauce, nicely cooked tofu. The egg rolls were huge and, unfortunately, over-fried. They offer delivery, for a small fee if you're in the service area. BOTTOM LINE: Good food, good prices, but ask for extra rice.
(3)Christina S.
I knew it was too good to be true! After one winning dine-in experience, I threw caution to the wind and announced that this was my new Thai place. One nasty take-out experience has me wishing I'd never typed those words, Yelp! You've had your own nasty take-out experiences, I'm sure, so there's not too much to say. The rice was hard. The curry was curdled. The chicken was skimpy. Barf. You'll say I'm too good for this. You'll say I should just sever ties and move on. But I'm going to give Thai Linda Cafe one more try. Update to the update to come.
(1)Ross W.
Great food. Great service. Great price.
(5)Daina T.
This is my FAVORITE Thai place in Chicago. I lived in Roscoe Village for a while and this was my roommate and my go-to-place for Thai Food. We absolutely loved it. The people that work there are so nice and the food is delicious! Also, when you order delivery the food gets there in a reasonable time and the older man who delivers to us typically is so sweet... I have only eaten in the restaurant once with a group of good friends. The service was great but it took a little longer to get the food which was probably since we were in a larger group and they aren't accustom to that...Otherwise, my roommate and I used to order in from this place at least once or twice a week. Not big cooks ;) Shout out to the Pad-Se-Ew! Holla (with chicken)! This is by far the best Pad-Se-Ew I have ever tasted AND the cream cheese wonton thingy's. To die for! While I recommend these two items, I am reassure you that anything you order will be good. Also super affordable and will go back there every time I visit Chicago!
(5)Christie Katelyn S.
As I was strolling down through Roscoe Village I came upon this place & checked out the Yelp reviews. I've ordered from there 3 or 4 times now & I think they're great! Ginger chicken, crab rangoon & garlic noodles are fantastic, but beware of their Spicy rice! Two of my friends couldn't handle it.
(4)Eddie L.
The charming interior, friendly staff, and delectable aromas make you feel welcomed like family. Then you pass the corner kitchen as you walk towards the bathroom/storage closet; giving you the feeling that you may actually be dining at somebody's house. Thai Linda isn't flashy but they do a great job with the food they serve. The quiet atmosphere makes for a pleasant dining experience and you always feel like you're the only diners in the restaurant (which isn't to say nobody dines in). As I work down the menu, I have yet to find a dish I don't like...but If I could suggest a dish for you, I'd go with the eggplant. It's light, tasty, and satisfying.
(3)Katy M.
We located from Wicker Park/East Village and had a hankering for Thai food. I'm not embarrassed to say what Penny's on Damen devotees we are. We ordered the chicken pad thai - a gloppy mess. The summer roll was totally devoid of the promised shrimp. My husband said the miso soup was fine; how can you screw that up? Overall, totally disappointing. We'll be running to the Penny's location on Sheffield.
(1)Vanessa F.
I want to give this place 2 stars based on two things: portion size and price. The prices would be okay if this portions were bigger and vice versa. But I moved it up to three stars since the food is absolutely delectable and they handle giant byob birthdays well. There's nothing else to really say except for if you get a dish...order an extra side of egg rolls or something to make it a meal.
(3)Christine F.
The fact that this place is terrible is really depressing - I love thai food and I used to live right around the corner from Thai Linda Cafe. The first few times I tried it I got carry out. I got the usual thai staples - Pad Thai, Pad Se Eiw, etc. What I found when I opened the takeout container was highly displeasing. A bunch of limp noodles swimming in about a 1/2 inch of oil. GROSS. Who wants that? "Maybe it's a fluke," I said to myself. I really wanted this place to be good since I REALLY love thai food. I went back a few weeks ago and got the Tom Kha soup, which was surprisingly good. However, my counterpart wasn't so lucky. She got the Hot and Sour soup. Now, we've all had hot and sour soup. It's usually not TOO spicy (unless you ask for it like that) - it's tolerable. The soup my friend got was INSANELY spicy - half a spoonful had her and I both coughing. Yes, there was a 'spicy' indicator (a little pepper) next to the dish on the menu, but there was also one next to my soup and the Tom Kha soup wasn't spicy at all. My friend complained to the waiter that the soup was wayyyy to spicy for her to eat and that she'd like to send it back and try something else. The waitress said that we could send it back, but we'd still have to pay for it. LAME. I will never go back there. Also, non fish eaters beware: This place makes their stuff with premade sauces, so if you ask for a dish without fish sauce the vast majority of their stuff is unavailable to you as a diner.
(2)Andrea W.
The food and service here was great. Our waiter was amusing and attentive. I ordered pineapple curry and it was perfect! I couldn't think of any way to make it better. The portions were on the smaller side for Thai food but still enough for left overs.
(4)Emily B.
My g/f lives right across the street from Thai Linda so it is our go-to when we are lazy and don't want to cook. It is consistently good and the spicy is quite spicy. We've never eaten in--always take out. But we've never had a bad dish.
(4)Matthew D.
Ok... I'm sad to say that I finally found out how to measure Thai food by the establishment... Look for the place with the most Asian "flair" in the dining area. Gold stuff +2, Dragons +2, Tassles from the ceiling +3 and so on. anyway, this place had it all as well as really good food. Excellent Tom Yum soup and Great Curries. They have a red curry that I always get that is actually Pad Thai noodles with spicy red curry. Yum Yum.
(4)Becky S.
I tried the Pad Thai recently and was somewhat disappointed. In many reviews, people say that this is the best Pad Thai they've ever had. I don't know if I went on an off night or what but my Pad Thai was not anything special. I'll stick to my sweet thai basil.
(4)Julia H.
We used to eat here all the time. It's right around the corner from our house and it was really really good. Well maybe they got someone new in the kitchen or something because in the last year something has changed. It's still good (I love their chicken egg rolls) but we each had to search around the menu for something new because what we used to get wasn't good anymore. I now grab the Hawaiian fried ride with chicken. Yum. Say double meat and you really get a better portion. It's still a neighborhood place and perfect to eat outside in the summer. I had to update this- we had Thai Linda a few nights ago and it was the BEST Thai I have ever had EVER. I mean that. There is someone new in the kitchen and they are amazing. Everyone at the table was blown away. Our chicken egg rolls were so so good AND my Hawaiian Fried Rice came inside a full sized pineapple!!
(5)Kristin R.
Oh Thai Linda....always so prompt. So friendly. Never messed up my order once. They have a great panang curry and spicy mint noodle (pad kee mao). My only complaint is that their portions are a little too small for my big appetite. Other than that...love 'em!
(4)Shannon D.
This is truly my favorite Thai restaurant in the city and I promise you I have tried most of them! The mere fact that I can get the most delicious, make-your-nose-run VEGETARIAN Thom Yum Soup alone makes it a gem. BUT when you add on the most mouth watering panang curry or spicy mint noodles it's all over. Thai Linda officially is the best. I love that when I order it spicy it is true Thai, sweat your ass off, spicy. Oooh don't miss out on the tofu satay either. Oh hell, you should just go there now!
(5)Joe T.
Fans of this Roscoe Village restaurant laud its "Burger King" prices, "delicious" dishes, and "sparse, but pleasant decor." Detractors denounce the dishes as "depressing," while others note that "the portions are a bit small" and suggest that you "ask for extra rice." N.B.: Some raters have found their curry to be too "junebug"gy, while others prefer their pad khee mao sans chicken feet.
(2)Lauren H.
If you're looking for tasty Thai food at very reasonable prices, plus friendly staff, THAI LINDA CAFE is the place for you! I actually stumbled upon this place when the sushi place near by was too crowded (an hour wait!), and boy am I glad! Now I frequent the place at least once every other week (even if it's just for take-out). It's nothing special decor or ambiance-wise, but it is BYOB (with no fee), and there are rarely more than 3 other tables filled. Usually that's a scary sign, but in this case I'm happy because I know I'll never wait. Plus, they deliver, which is what makes up the bulk of their business. So, for the food, my favorites are the Chicken Egg Noodle soup (enough to share with 1-2 people or bring some home), the crab rangoon (YUM!), and the sweet ginger with shrimp (awesome for ginger lovers). I love how even after only 1 or 2 visits, all the staff recognized me and said "welcome back!". Now they know me by name! It's definitely a favorite and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys delicious food at reasonable prices and service with a smile. Side note: they have a brother location down on Armitage (called Charley Thai Cafe) with the same owner and menu (which I visited once b/c Thai Linda was closed). The food was good as usual and I liked the decor, but our waitress was terrible. Just an FYI.
(5)Bev h.
this place is awesome! great ambiance (minus the single restroom), a seriously eager to please and very competent waitress, and some tasty food! and i'm not just saying that because i got a lil crunk at dinner.... we went on saturday night around 8, and had plans to go out in costume after dinner. four of us were seated no problem, and there was no judgement when we realized that not only did we have 2 bottles of wine and 10 beers between the four of us, but that we would have to drink it all or be forced to throw it out before going to the bar! we sampled some crab rangoon to start (second only to joy's, came with the sauce drizzled on, light and sweet). i ordered the pad see-ew with tofu, and the presentation and flavor were excellent. i usually like this dish a little saucier, but it was tasty nevertheless. adam m. had a wonderful mint/noodle/chicken dish that i stole some bites of, and i would probably order that next time. and there will be a next time, linda. soon! ps. did i mention that we each only paid about $15, including a generous tip?!?!
(4)Kat M.
I concur with my lovely friends about this place - it was a solid four stars. We started off with the crab rangoon... at this point, I had not imbibed too much booze, so I can confidently say that the appetizer was great... flavor was excellent and the sauce drizzled on it was fantastic. And as Adam M. mentioned, I got the Tom Yum soup with tofu and the beef salad. The soup was AWESOME... the tofu was the perfect firmness and it was spicy but not too spicy to make me regret it. The beef salad was great - nice mix of green onions, cucumbers, and the dressing on it was also perfect. Bailey let me try some of her pad see-ew and I thought it had a great flavor. I'm not sure if it was a two-person operation (I think the wife was in the front taking care of customers and the husband, who came out every once in awhile, was in the back cooking), but I thought service was more than adequate - the waitress was not overbearing and she didn't ignore us either. We got our food quickly and at the perfect temperature with a great presentation. Yes, that was me slugging down an entire bottle of white wine by myself in 10 minutes. They did practically kick us out of the restaurant... I came out of the bathroom and all of the chairs had been put up on the tables... but we were a little bit drunk and disorderly at that point (or maybe that was only me?), so I don't blame them a bit. All in all, great Thai food with great service at a very reasonable price. It's a repeat in my book.
(4)Scott H.
I completely agree with Lauren H's review of this place. Unassuming spot, but surprisingly good Thai food. We order here occasionally, but still prefer Pho's on Lincoln just south of Roscoe (another unassuming place). Nice people, good food, fast delivery (which is HUGE).
(4)Christine P.
This place is outstanding! I love that the pad thai isn't greasy, and that they give you manageable portions. Further, the patio is great when it is nice outside. I eat here at least two or three times a month and have never been disappointed.
(5)Shawn G.
I'm not sure if the "Linda" in this restaurant's name is real but, if she is, I would bed her. The food is typical Thai - no more, no less - but here's the thing: this may be the first place I've been to that has done every typical Thai item right. From the crab rangoon to the Lad Nah portion size to the Thai iced tea to the BYOB to the fast service to the atmosphere, you can't get any more prototypically perfect. Plus, it's cheap. And, for what you get, a great value. I've been to Thai places that give you twice as much food for the same price, but it all tastes like it was scraped out from the shared gutters of a Chinese and Indian restaurant. Linda gives you the goods, and in the right amount to make your stomach happy and your wallet - oh, God, I can't believe I'm about to say it - happier. Four stars, you ask? Gees, you're nosy. If you must know, I've only eaten in there once and gotten take out the numerous other times. Sometimes, with the take out, they'll tell you it's a 15-minute wait, and you get there in 20 minutes, and still wait another 5 or 10. Not a big deal when you live like a block down, but if you order carry out from a distance, just give it more like 25-30 minutes so you're not stuck sitting around.
(4)Laura I.
The prices here are amazing and directly correlate well to the portion size (which is perfect). I've both sat in the restaurant and have gotten take away from them. Both ways, the food was served well and was always fresh. The inside is decorated in an appealing, yet simple manner. The workers here are always extremely nice, happy and always smiling. My biggest love is the way they cut and cook their beef in the beef dishes; it doesn't become "tough" as many other Thai places serve it. The thai iced coffee is pretty yummy too!
(5)Mike W.
I order from thai Linda on a bi-weekly basis. Very good food and delivery usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. Good value.
(4)Paul H.
Standard thai food but overall impressed. Went for takeout and it is was ready in no time. The prices here are really good too. Check it out if you are in Roscoe Village.
(4)Justin M.
Thai Linda is pretty awesome and the food is really good quality and quite reasonably priced. The portions might be a bit small if you're really hungry, but cause the prices are so reasonable you can always get something else as well. Decor is nice - its a quiet restaraunt and is a hidden gem of roscoe village.
(3)Betsy S.
I've been to Thai Linda a couple of times. I love Thai food and it's nearby. Sadly, I've never had anything that I've liked. My husband and I have ordered at least a half dozen things off of the menu and we haven't found anything to merit going back. It's really sad for me because Thai Linda is incredibly close to home and I tend to really like cheap Thai food. The servers have been nice to us and nothing has been gross or made us sick or anything. I'm still hoping that the place will make a miraculous turnaround. Until then, I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)Erin H.
I live close to Thai Linda, and go here often. Although it is mostly carry out and delivery, the dining room is very soft and romantic, a great place to dine. I have been to Thailand, and I can say that Thai Linda is definitely authentic food. It is very fresh and tasty every time I go. The only thing that lacks is the service. While the waitstaff is nice, they are often not the most attentive as they are paying more attention to carry out/delivery orders. But, if you want really good Thai food in a nice, quiet setting, Thai Linda is your place.
(4)P N.
The spicy curry here is de-lish! The noodles are well cooked and the sauce is spicy and well flavored. The crab rangoon for some reason always looks burned but when you take a bite it is oozing with delicious flavor. The free pot stickers you get with a minimum purchase of $20 (I think) are pretty good too, for being free. I don't know how anything else is on the menu, I can never say no to the spicy tofu curry :)
(4)Sarah F.
This place is very cozy, friendly and inviting. The food is fresh and they serve a nice variety of foods. It is well worth checking out for dining in or for carry out.
(5)Jennifer S.
The prices here are incredible reasonable. You won't find anything over $11.00 on the menu! The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is inviting, and the food is great. I would definitely go back for a casual dining experience that won't break the bank!
(3)Josh F.
We order in all the time from here and have eaten in the restaurant once and always enjoy their food. Most of the time it's just pad thai but it is always good pad thai
(4)Jonathan M.
This is the first place I ever tried Thai food (2 years ago) and it is my second favorite in the city. I have always had a nice experience here it's b.y.o.b. so you can bring that 5$ bottle of wine that has a picture of a rooster or a foot on the front of it. The food is always great and service is awesome as well. (Careful though because they don't speak fluent English, but they are very sweet and try really hard.) I'm lucky to live only a block away. I recommend the spinach with chicken.
(4)Jonathan K.
saw the yelp sticker and dropped in impromptu during the roscoe village oyster fest. sat outside on the street, had the best spicy basil noodles ive EVER had. best thai noodles ive ever had, hands down. keep your eyes open for the yelp stickers...
(5)Erin C.
As far as thai food goes, this is not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is 3 blocks from my house and does the job when I need it to. The portions are smaller than most thai places in that I can eat the whole entree the night of instead of eating it for 3 days to come. That's probably a good thing. The service is very friendly here, but i usually carryout because otherwise we're usually the only people here. It's weird to eat alone in a restaurant. Their thai iced coffee is excellent, however. Definitely give that a try.
(3)Nicholas C.
Fast service, cheap and delicious food. The thing I like most is the perfect-sized portions. It's great for a meal before going out because you can finish the whole thing in one sitting without feeling stuffed and without facing the temptation to carry a doggy bag of delicious spicy duck around with you all night. It's never over-crowded which is appreciated in this neighborhood.
(4)Meghan S.
BYOB-good thing LUSH, a great wine place, is just a few blocks down. I love Thai food but of course I don't like it all that spicy. A running theme in most of my entries. Thai food has so much flavor that even if it is a little bit spicy it just tastes good because the flavors and spices blend together so well. Last night we tried: chicken satay, shrimp suit, Tom Kar?, pad thai with shrimp, spinach with shrimp, and Thai Linda Chicken. I liked everything that we ate. I did agree with my boyfriend that we could have been a little more adventurous with the main dishes so when we return we will do that. The satay was small but delicious. The shrimp suits (shrimp with herbs and garlic wrapped and fried) was very tasty. The Tom Kar or something like that was a soup. It was different but I liked it. It had shrimp, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, onions in a coconut milk broth. Try if you haven't before. Pad Thai was good just sweet, but I still enjoyed it. Spinach had mushroom, onions, green peppers and carrots with shrimp in a black bean sauce, my favorite. The Thai Linda chicken said spicy but it didn't bother me at all. The chicken was crunchy and kinda fried but overall it was a good dish. Of course we have a ton left over which is a good sign. BYOB made it more enjoyable as well while we sat outside at the tables on the sidewalk. Gotta love Roscoe!!
(4)D.A A.
I thought the service was great the people are pleasant the food was tasty and the price was right.
(4)Carl G.
One of my greatest questions is this: Who IS Thai Linda? She sure makes a dang fine crab Rangoon though, a dish that I do not like except at Thai Linda. Food is good, service is earnest if a little over-stretched.
(4)Kelly F.
I saw the review for the Beef Almond & called to order it, but she acted as if she had no idea what I was talking about. To be fair, the menus in Yelp aren't always consistent with the restaurants'. So I ordered my stand-by, Lime Chicken - which is outstanding at Thai Linda! Never had a problem with their meals & delivery has always been timely. Asparagus Rolls are very tasty, too!!
(5)Catherine B.
I stopped by Thai Linda Cafe last night with my roommate. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone craving Thai. This is a great place to order take-out from on a Friday night. It was definitely easy to get a last minute reservation. From our experience it was clearly not the happening place to be on a Friday night in Roscoe. It was us and one other couple in the restaurant that night. Service was just fine, I think there was only really one person working that night. I should also note that this place is BYOB. They'll give you a bottle opener and some glasses, but that's really as far as their BYOB service goes. We ordered the Aloha Fried Rice, Kung Pao, Crab Rangoon and Pad Thai. -The Pad Thai wasn't very different from any other Pad Thai. -Aloha Fried Rice was good, it's your typical pineapple fried rice with raisins. -I usually substitute meat for tofu, I think the Kung Pao could have used a little more vegetables a little less tofu. -Crab Rangoons were good, not your typical chinese food restaurant ones. These almost tasted homemade. 10% discount if you pay with cash!
(3)Karolina T.
Not the worst but def. not the best. We ordered take out from here because it is one of the closest Thai restaurants by our apartment. I got my usual pad se eew as well as gyoza. I was pretty disappointed because the pad se eew that I am used to has a lot of sauce. This one lacked sauce, in fact it had none. We also asked if the gyoza was pan fried or fried, and we were told it was on a pan but when I got the order, it was fried which causes it to lose flavor. Overall, although the food wasn't great it was cheap but I don't think we will be ordering from here again.
(3)Denny D.
Ordered through Grubhub last night and was disappointed. Our bubble teas were probably the only good thing out of our whole order. We ordered pho and let's just say.. It was not pho. It's as if they weren't expecting a pho delivery order at 8pm on a Tuesday because it was horrible. The broth was very dark almost black, the noddles weren't even noddles just some crammed up mushy stuff in a container we had to add to the pho ourselves.. It had absolutely no flavor and the beef were just chunks thick THICK meat not nicely thin... Won't be ordering again...
(2)Katie S.
My husband and I ordered from Thai Linda on a rainy night. Parts of my experience were very off-putting and others were positive. We tried to order online, but there was a problem with the website. Not sure what, but we ended up having to order over the phone- not a big deal. I went to go pick up the food. I walk in the restaurant and no one is anywhere to be seen. There is one girl who is doing homework in the corner- I'm guessing the owner's daughter. But other than that, there's no one. I waited FOREVER for someone to appear. At one point, a man from the kitchen emerged. He saw me and made no acknowledgement of my existence. It didn't even look like he told anyone that I was waiting. Finally, a woman emerged and I paid and left. But I was probably waiting for a good 5-7 minutes. The food was good. We ordered the crab rangoon. One complaint with that is the container of sweet and sour was much too small to dip the rangoon into. They should get bigger containers. I ordered the veggie fried rice and it was great. We got the Tom Kha Soup and omg it was delicious!! It was tart, but sweet. Oy- amazing! Overall, the food was good. But having to wait that long for someone to provide any service was very off-putting.
(3)Jamie B.
They give you a discount if you pay cash. BYOB and they have a patio. I don't know what went wrong but I ordered pad thai and it smelled and tasted awful. Since I've personally worked in many a restaurant, I don't EVER, and I mean EVER send food back. I either choke it down or I don't eat it. And if the server or management is smart, they'll ask "was there something wrong with your dish?" at which point I would tell them how gross it was and so on and so forth. The pad thai was very odd. The menu is huge here, maybe they need to consolidate to focus on areas that need to be improved.
(2)Ian H.
Another triumph! I know how cliché it is to order Pad Thai at a Thai restaurant but, wow, was it worth it! The balance of flavors was incredible and the shrimp were perfectly prepared. If you appreciate good Thai cuisine, run, don't walk, to the Thai Linda Café on Roscoe Street!
(5)Christine S.
I honestly don't get all of the so-so reviews. In my opinion, Thai Linda is WAY better than the Thai place that's one minute away. The Panang Curry is awesome. The Basi Fried rice is delicious. The Hawaiian Fried Rice is delightful. The Sesame Chicken was just okay. The service is great.
(4)David P.
Another disappointing, over priced and low quality Roscoe Village restaurant. Would someone please come and open a good restaurant in the neighborhood? My girlfriend and I eat Thai food at least once a week, as we are big fans. We tried this place for the first time about a month ago, and we were very disappointed. The good is pretty bland, the portions are small and the quality of the ingredients are poor. We had there pad Thai, chicken satay, their spicy basil chicken. I really can't tell you much more, except that none of the dishes would make me go back. We did notice, it was a Friday night, and their was only one other table in tjebwhle place, enough said...
(2)Aloe A.
Myself and one other went Sunday afternoon on a whim and we were not disappointed. The menu was much larger than I had anticipated which was a pleasant surprise. We tried their chicken satay as an app, and a thing of Pad Thai and a bowl of chicken massaman curry for the mains. Although the satay was not chunky, it was still good. The dishes could have been a bit more spicy, but our noses still ran a bit and the overall taste did not suffer. One thing that is worth noting was their Thai Tea which was delicious.
(4)William R.
Easily the worst food I've had in Chicago. Ordered the Panang steak, and it was actually inedible. Go anywhere else. Overpriced, poor delivery (wrong address, wrong time), and the food when/if it arrives is really bad.
(1)Fitile K.
Go to place in the neighborhood. Economic pricing. Excellent quality food, including chicken. Highly recommend.
(4)Anne M.
There's some really mixed reviews for good old Linda here. I didn't think she fell into an extreme category - I thought it was a perfectly good, casual spot to grab dinner. On a Friday night me and the man were hungry. I was craving Thai, so we walked down to pay a visit to Linda. There were several other full tables, and a lot of take-out orders on the front counter waiting to be picked up. We were seated, immediately served water and we place our orders for some apps - crab rangoon (my usual) and a beef-wrapped asparagus. The apps came out pretty quick - and they were good; not great. Entrees - we split the chx pad se eew and the lard nar. The lard nar was served in a deep bowl and was the most soupy I've ever seen it. I prefer that dish more on the dry side because I don't enjoy eating spoonfuls of gravy - but it did taste good... The pad se eew was our preferred dish - that had much better texture and flavor. By the time we got our bill, we were the only table in the restaurant. Still, the take-outs and deliveries were steady. Bonus: they served a delightful little fortune cookie roll - I've never seen that kind, but it was way tastier than a regular fortune cookie. Was this the best Thai ever? No. But it certainly wasn't terrible (or even bad). We had a nice dinner, the space was calm and quiet - I would come back again for another low-key meal anytime.
(4)Mandy V.
Awesome food-- good prices -- and byob. Tons of choices and great vegetarian options!! Never crowded so great place to sit in or carry out
(4)Andre W.
After getting delivery over the past 3 years, I finally had the opportunity to go to the actual place. Not too big, not too small as it was a nice space. It was virtually empty when we walked in. We started out with the thai dumplings which were very good. For my entree, I got the Spicy Fried Rice with Vegetable and it was definitely spicy! Their delicious thai iced tea definitely helped keep my mouth cool. I love that I finally showed up as the staff was pretty nice and its a nice joint...will return more often as this is one of my favorite thai places in the city...Also this joint is BYOB!
(5)Vanitha S.
First time here for carry out. Cute ambiance and space but disappointed with my order. $5 for bubble tea? Go somewhere else of you can...the tea was good but there were barely any bubbles. Not worth it. My Tom yum soup was extremely disappointing. Oil droplets were floating on top. No flavor, kinda stale chicken and definitely old lemongrass...not at all fragrant. Service was cold and unfriendly. Won't be back here.
(2)Nichole M.
I think I have figured out what is wrong with this place after having eaten here 3 times. They have good recipes, but do not know how to cook properly. The first time I ordered, our beef was overcooked, almost burnt. The second time, the noodles were mushy and again the meat was burnt. But the flavors were still good and so I wanted to give them one last try to see if they'd worked out their kinks. The third and last time...my shrimp was almost completely raw, like see through, and they were not de-veined. Disgusting. There was a very young person waiting on us and I felt bad hassling him. So I just pushed the shrimp to the side and ate my rice and veggies. The sauce was amazing, but how can I get past raw shrimp that still has it's poop in it?! Mortifying. I will not be back. The sauces for all of their dishes are very tasty so I wish they just knew how to cook food. Very sad.
(2)Marty M.
The food is meh. I've had much better. I got take out so I can't speak to the atmosphere inside. The people seemed nice enough, but the food was really disappointing. Thai food is about the only thing lacking in Roscoe.
(2)Candi D.
Delivery thru Grub Hub First timer- ordered on Thanksgiving. Ordered simply Thai offerings: crab Rangoon, side salad( ginger dressing on side) spring rolls, small tom yum soup w tofu dressing on side. Review: I was really impressed with the whole process. Food was on time. Delivery driver was nice! :-) Every selection tasted super fresh and was prepared perfectly. Food was hot!!!!! I ate everything!!!!! Crab Rangoon: perfect sizes very delicate and melted in my mouth. Usually, these appetizers are way too big and over stuffed with too much cream cheese. Spring rolls: were larger than I am use to here, but I liked it since cabbage, carrots are raw w tofu it good cause I could really taste the freshness Soup: Amazing- asked for it to be medium and it actually was. W large pieces of tofu :-) they did not skimp on that. Side salad: they have the ginger dressing that I love. Simply greens with shredded beets and carrots I drizzled done olive oil on top w dressing and was yummy. Only thing is wish I would of received a fortune cookie
(5)Tim H.
Solid spot for Thai food. I've only ever ordered to-go, but I really like the online ordering. I can pick a time to have ready and they're always on-time, or there's an option to have ready "asap" and they will call you when it's ready; usually like 15-20 minutes.
(4)Sheila M.
I ordered food for delivery tonight via GrubHub from Thai Linda. I specifically requested a beef appetizer (Tiger Cry) be cooked Med Rare or Medium at the most. It was beyond well done, it was burnt to a crisp and they refused to issue a refund. The chicken satay was also well done; it was very hard to eat. The restaurant requires that I bring back the steak (Tiger Cry) to prove that it was overcooked. The delivery time was prompt and friendly, but the food wasn't something I would even give to my dog! Stay away from this restaurant, it is disgusting. GrubHub helped intervene and they directly gave me a $10 coupon to spend to make up for the experience. Do NOT eat here, I am trying to save you the same frustration that I experienced.
(1)Heather P.
Disappointed. We ordered in from Thai Linda not long ago and enjoyed it, so when I saw they had a Groupon Now, we thought we'd head over and dine on the patio. The whole experience was completely riddled with screw-ups, based in no small part on the fact that our waiter looked to be about 16 and spoke almost no English. When we sat down, he asked if we were using the Groupon. I thought this was weird, as in all my years (?) of Grouponing, no establishment has asked about it before we'd been given the check. We said yes. He flipped the menu over and showed us the section we could not order from. Already a bad sign, since restaurants are allowed to add their own "fine print" to the Groupons and nowhere on the Groupon did it say "not applicable on House Specials". We ordered spring rolls and two cups of tom kha. Then I ordered the Thai salad and he ordered curry. I thought it was really weird that my salad came out before anything else, since it has egg, tofu and peanut sauce, and I remembered being a size more suited to an entree, and also it was the only thing I ordered that was not an appetizer. I placed it to the side and stared at it for a bit. We ate our soup (not great) and the spring rolls (completely standard). My salad sat alone. And sat. And sat. Our waiter appeared after a time and asked for the Groupon. I pulled it up on my phone, and he disappeared with the bar code. I figured he was killing time until the curry showed up. Then he came back with the check and said, "Thank you!" Uhh. I informed him we were still waiting on food. He looked perplexed. The curry, I reminded him. OH RIGHT, THE CURRY. He came back almost immediately with the curry, which had been sitting God knows how long, waiting to be delivered to us. Finally, I got to eat my salad! I really like this salad, but I thought it seemed much... more petite than I remembered. Definitely much, much smaller. And Boyfriend's curry as well, was extremely petite. It was not a shareable portion. In fact, with all the rice that was brought out, and all the curry in the dish, it only filled a salad plate. I have never seen such a small portion at a Thai place. There is a photo attached. That's it, folks. We had zero leftovers, despite ordering quite a bit of food. I'm starting to wonder if we actually received less food due to using the Groupon. They did know about it in advance (which automatically makes me anxious.) After all that, our bill was calculated wrong and I'm still not sure how or what happened, since the waiter lacked the language skills to explain it. Won't be back. Glad we didn't pay full price.
(2)Lesley A.
I was a bit wary to try Thai Linda Café after so many bad reviews and my parents saying they did not like their food, but I liked it here! Thai Linda Café is actually quite good, but I need to do some more empirical testing to completely rave about them . I came here with the sig o at the time for Wednesday night dinner at 7 pm and we received PROMPT service. As soon as we sat down, our waitress brought us waters and menus, within five minutes came back to take our order, and within a reasonable amount of time the chef brought out our appetizer, and our entrée was ready as soon as we finished our appetizer. All of this was done while Thai Linda's staff handled several carry out orders. We ordered the crab rangoon and chicken pad woonsen. We received six crab rangoons that were nice little pouches of fried wontons with savory cream cheese. Thai Linda's crab rangoons are distinctive in that they put chives in them. The crab rangoons had thin sweet and sour sauce for dipping, and the sauce had more of a light and sweet flavor. The chicken pad woonsen was pan-fried bean thread noodles with egg, white onions, tomatoes, green onions, peapods, carrots and corn in a light brown sauce. We really liked this dish! The bean noodles were flavorful and we liked that the dish came with a lot of vegetables, including a side garnish of thinly sliced carrots and a red root. The portion was reasonable for the price of $8 without tax. Thai Linda's ambiance is conducive for a date. The lighting was dim, the décor was tasteful with Thai art, bamboo placemats, and rattan chairs. They also have an outdoor patio. I plan to be back to try other offerings I have not seen at other restaurants, such as their lime chicken. I would also like to try their bubble tea and fruit freezes.
(3)Gerry T.
We also took advantage of the $20 groupon for $10. Nice location on the cusp of Lincoln Park. We parked on the street and walked about 2 blocks to the restaurant where we were greeted by a very friendly young man. We ordered the full appetizer plate and it was very good, we enjoyed everything and I particularly like the shumai. We also had the beef pad see ewe and green curry with beef. Now - everything was wonderful and tasty except for the portions which is half the size of what you would normally get elsewhere. So, if you are looking to lose weight or if you weigh 90 lbs, the serving size would be fine for you. The taste is 5 stars. If budget is not an issue, order two of everything and you'll be satisfied.
(3)Ruby L.
Had pad kee mao. Loved it. Could use a bit less oil though.
(4)Misty S.
Fried rice test score: C+ We sat down and the waiter brings us a couple of glasses of water. Then a few seconds later he comes back and picks up my glass of water and looks at it suspiciously for a few moments. I think at that point he didn't have a choice but to come back with a new glass of water because who would drink out of it after that? The crab rangoon was recommended, but I was not impressed. The filling was creamy...too creamy...and not that tasty and the shell was too hard. The fried rice was above average, but nothing I would come back to order. I had it with tofu which was good with the eggs in it. The sweet basil chicken was average and not enough rice came with it. The restaurant is pretty big with lots of tables and cool art on the walls. There were only 2 other tables occupied when we came for dinner on a Friday night. Tip: There's a great wine place (Lush) a few blocks from this place where you can pick up your BYOB.
(3)Christina G.
Something has changed here, and in a good way. I saw a groupon deal for this place and bought it. $10 for $20, and the place is practically in my backyard. I decided it was worth another try. We went on a nice night, so we could sit outside on the patio. We started with the thai dumplings. You only got 6 small-ish dumplings, but they were really good. I ordered the same dish I tried out last time - chicken pad thai, and my husband had spicy mint. I wonder what was updated, but both dishes were very tasty. The chicken had a ton of flavor and the noodles were cooked well, not too heavy or greasy. The spicy mint had subtle hints of mint, and was the perfect amount of spice. I really enjoyed our waiter too. He was young, very friendly, and very helpful. And the place is BYOB with no corkage fee. We stopped by Lush on the way over and picked up a great $10 bottle of wine to complete the meal. I will certainly be back again!
(4)Rafiq A.
It was just ok. And for the price I paid I would expect more. I got the pad thai beef. there was an up-charge for the beef. fine. but the amount of meat wasn't a lot. Also, the noodles are thinner than I expected. they did add a lot of crushed up peanuts, so that was nice. I also got the tom kha soup. it was a little too oily for my taste. my bf got their chicken rice soup and he said it was good. it also took 20 minutes to prepare and I was the only person in the place and their delivery drivers were sitting there. don't forget to asl about the free app for orders of $20 or more for take out and delivery. obviously they don't mention them to you. in a pinch it will do.
(3)Keith A.
Thai linda, to me, is exactly what roscoe village is about. The second I walked in, it just felt comfortable and had a neighboorhood vibe too it. I had called ahead for take out, so I can't say anything about what its like to sit there. I ordered up a bunch of stuff to have over a couple of days. I got the spicy duck, pad thai, and lemongrass chicken along with a couple of appetizers. They even threw in some potstickers automatically because I had ordered over $20 worth of food. I'm used to outright asking when it comes to the deals, and I didn't know about it. The appetizers were very good. I had gotten some thai dumplings and theses hit the spot. They were nice and hot when I got them. The chicken satay was okay, it was just normal chicken satay, so while that was fine, I wanted a bit more. The potstickers they threw in were very good and made up for the chicken satay. They weren't over fried which can happen all too often. As far as the entrees go, they were really good. The pad thai was pretty standard. It wasn't great, but it was far from being bad either. For me, the key to pad thai is always the noodles, and these noodles were good, but they really paled in comparison to the other two dishes. The spicy duck, however, was awesome. It had heat to it, but it wasn't too much for me at all (granted I have no problem with things being very spicy). The duck itself was really good and done very well. The lemongrass chicken was also very good and was a nice contrast to the spicy duck. I ordered up some of the more expensive items on the menu, but all of that lasted me a few days. There's a lot left on the menu and i'm in the area a good amount, so stopping in again is bound to happen
(4)Terri B.
Skip it. Go elsewhere unless you want to have one of the weirdest restaurant experiences of your life, as I did: My family has been going to Thai Linda since before they changed management, so no hesitation to go back even under new ones. Sat down with my friend and decided to try their spin on a new kind of Pad Thai, one that had Wontons in it. We started with crispy crab and fish rolls ,which were pretty good but had a spongy quality that I wasn't expecting. Still fairly tasty. When the pad thai arrived, I discovered after one bite that this dish had NO noodles in it whatsoever. It was pad thai sauce dumped on wonton crackers and shrimp. Not at all what I wanted- who orders pad thai and says "Hold the noodles, please"?? So I called our waitress over and explained that I'd like to have regular pad thai instead, since this new dish did not meet my expectations. The waitress, who clearly spoke very little English, informed me that since I had ordered this, this is what I get to eat. I figured she must be misunderstanding- perhaps she thought I was saying I hadn't ordered this in the first place. So, I explained again that I just didn't care for this, and I wanted to send it back and order something different. Again, she looked baffled- and then said "Let me ask my manager." At this point I'm thinking- I don't need a manager's permission not to like this dish. Waitress comes back and tells me that the manager says I have to pay for this since I ordered it but I can also get something else, at which point I got angry. I told her to tell her manager that I would NOT be paying for food I don't like or eat, and then asked her to just tell the manager to come and speak to me directly. She comes back AGAIN and says "My manager will give you half off this dish. But you cannot change." Now there's steam shooting out of my ears. I stood up, walked into the restaurant with the plate of (now soggy) wonton crackers and sauce, thunked it down on the counter, and said loudly, "Tell your manager to come out of the kitchen and speak to me, please." And then I stood at the counter and waited. Waitress tells me she's on the phone. I still stand there. Waitress comes out for the FOURTH time and now says, "OK, we will take this off and you want regular pad thai?" I say yes and go back outside. Quite possibly the oddest thing that's ever happened to me- I actually had to pick up my plate and practically threaten to walk it back into the kitchen myself to stress the point that I would not be forced into eating a crappy dish or paying for it. So don't bother going to Thai Linda, unless you are absolutely sure you are going to love whatever the hell they put down in front of you.
(1)Rachel L.
Amazing little neighborhood gem. The food is delicious and not overpriced. The server was attentive, but not overly so. And it's a BYOB. So to summarize: Great food. Attentive staff. BYOB. P.S. The spicy duck is to die for!
(5)Julie H.
Went here for dinner last night and utilized a Groupon Now. Note: I've noticed this place frequently has Groupon Now deals. I ordered the lemon grass chicken; my bf ordered the peapods with beef. His looked good, mine was good. Chicken was perhaps a little dry. Tip: Awesome beer to enjoy with your food at this byob is called Siamese Twin from Uncommon Brewers (it is brewed with thai spices). We also got the vegetable pot stickers which were tasty; I enjoyed the black bean sauce. Staff was very friendly and the place was very chill, not at all crowded. Cute place for a date.
(3)Jason D.
Always in the mood for thai, I ordered delivery from Thai Linda Cafe. I sure wish I hadn't. Being only 6 blocks from the restaurant and on a Wednesday I was hoping the 30 minutes the person on the phone said it would take.. would only be 20 minutes. It took a little over an hour. Okay.. no big deal, things happen. Upon opening my chicken pad Thai noodle I was impressed by the amount of food I had.. which made me forget about the time it took to arrive. Yummy this is fairly good.. the noodles weren't too greasy and the flavor was good. So why one star? After a big bite.. I looked down and saw something black. Burnt rice chunk? No.. it was a dead fly. Upon calling and complaining about this tragedy.. I was told I could only get restaurant credit. I continued to say I wanted my money back because I refused to eat there again. After 10 minutes of back and forth I lost my temper which finally convinced the lady on the phone to reimburse me. So in conclusion.. slow delivery, dead fly and horrible customer service netted them a one star rating.
(1)Torry H.
yuk! In an area of delicious Thai food...Thai Linda does not stand up! The pad thai was lacking all flavor. I usually order that from a new thai place since its so basic and is normally good. It was very greasy and really bland. I would not order from here again. Head up the road to Thai Oscar, Opart Thai House or even Spoon.
(1)Lauren B.
Wish I didn't have to write this review but... I ordered the chicken pad see ew lunch special. First thing I noticed is that their egg rolls are now about 1/2 the size than they used to be and they do not taste nearly as good as they used to. My entree also was not nearly as good as it used to be. The chicken was dry and bland and the noodles were not very flavorful. THEN I found multiple hairs in my dish. Clearly this is gross and unacceptable!
(1)Emily H.
Situated in the heart of Roscoe Village, Thai Linda is a tasty fusion of Northern and Southern Thai cooking. Their curries taste sweet, rich, and spicy in Chiang Mai style, but their noodle dishes are straight from Phuket; tangy and complexly layered with garden-fresh spices and sauces. My favorites are the Tom Kha coconut-lemongrass soup with chicken and straw mushrooms, and the Panang Curry with beef over rice. The spring rolls are fresh, filled with crisp vegetables and complemented well by the plum sauce. I like Thai Linda so much I eat there at least once a week.
(4)Devon F.
Love this place. My wife and I love to grab some beer and wine and enjoy the BYOB. We love the Pad Thai
(5)Roxana B.
I decided to give this place a try since it had mix reviews. Oh boy was it bad! I decided to order there and do take out. The food was not good at all. I never had bad Thai food, and never thought it could be made bad. We ordered crab Rangoon which tasted funny, and my pad Thai had no flavor. Even the thin noodles was bad. My husband had fried rice which he said was okay. This place is nothing special just save money and go somewhere else.
(1)Jacques M.
I'm debating between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I'll go ahead and go with 4 because the price is right and its BYOB. The overall Yelp 3.5 rating has this one pegged perfectly. If you like the homey mom and pop feel this is defiantly your place. Our server (who I suspect is the owner) was very friendly and attentive. Lunch for two was about $20 (with Tip) and its BYOB on top of that. My Chicken Pad Tai was excellent. However, my wife's dish (I can't recall the name) was a little over done and lacked flavor. I don't know what type of sauce they put on the egg rolls, but it was on of the better egg rolls I have ever eaten. Overall, this is a great option for an affordable Thai lunch in the Roscoe Village area.
(4)L.G. R.
Oh Thai Linda. It has been the best thai food I've had in Chicago. But it's very hit or miss. We ordered pad thai, red curry chicken (2 star spicy), and 2 crab rangoon tonight. The red curry chicken wasn't spicy at all (they left it plain, I've had it spicy so I know the difference). They only gave us 1 order of crab rangoon but they brought the other order out 1 1/2 hours later. The pad thai was great as always. I love the fat noodles. I'd normally give them 5 stars because the food is that good when it's on. But sometimes it is off :-( Just make sure you double check your order before accepting it.
(3)Dan L.
I would love to support a local restaurant but our experience was so bad that not only do I not want to return, I think that other folks should think twice about going. We went there on Christmas night -- it was the only place on the Roscoe strip that was open. And I totally get that it may not be perfect, or even close to perfect, on Christmas night. But it was just terrible. We and everyone else there waited over an hour for our entrees to come out, and the food quality was significantly worse than it was under previous management -- from a significantly fattier beef dish to a much less flavorful noodle dish. What really made me angry about the whole situation though is that neither of the two folks working the front of the house came up to anyone and said anything as little as: Hey, it's Christmas, and we're doing our best but it's slow. We get it. But they wouldn't even make eye contact with anyone, much less apologize for it. It took us getting up to talk to them to actually make them address it, which they basically declined to do even then. Without any discussion, they did knock 15% off our bill. Again, no fronting of the situation, no words at all. Can't imagine returning.
(1)Theresa D.
I came in here on a sunday early evening around 6. There were 4 people in the restaurant eating. I ordered a pad thai with tofu and a cucumber salad to go. The total came to $11 bucks. I got home to eat my meal and was very disappointed. My pad thai and cucumber salad was very bland. Those two things are hard to screw up. The reason why my review is two stars instead of 1 star is because the food was edible. Even though I live in the neighborhood, I wish I could have saved myself the trip and money, now i know for next time.
(2)Richie D.
I was walking along Roscoe with my partner trying to find a place to grab dinner that would be fairly inexpensive and quick. Shooot, Thai food is always the answer when it comes to those specifications. We came up to Thai Linda Cafe and stepped on in to an empty restaurant (not necessarily surprising for a Wednesday evening). We were greeted by a friendly waiter who was Mexican which seemed to surprise me at first since most Thai restaurants are staffed by Thais themselves. Either way, the service was efficient and quick like any other Thai restaurant in the city. To begin, Thai Linda has adorable menus which are woven and made of bamboo. In addition, their dishware is quite beautiful and matches every plate they bring out during the meal (I want one of their little rice bowls with a cover). We ordered the spring rolls which had to have been made way in advance and stored in a refrigerator for a few hours. The inside was half frozen in texture and temperature. I ordered the Panang Curry as mild and the waiter said it's already made and the spiciness could not be adjusted. He did back it up with a "heat scale" where he said between 1-5 it's a 2. When it came out, the curry was pretty tasty and not too spicy or too sweet--and yes I'd agree that it was a #2. My partner also had a curry but with noodles and enjoyed it as well. All in all, $14 a person for an average appetizer and entree is expected. And once again, Thai food maintained it's reputation of inexpensive and quick. Note: If you work in the area or are off for the day, be sure to check out their weekday lunch specials.
(3)Kelly C.
Horrible service. To cure a hangover, we decided to find some cheap and quick Thai food, and searched Groupon Now. Thai Linda was chosen over the 5 others nearby that came up because the Fine Print did not specify "Dine in Only", and we preferred carry-out. We ordered on the website which was really easy, then I went to pick it up after 25min. The person up front, who also appeared to be the waiter was about 16 and spoke little English...this is why I ordered online. My total was $28, and I pulled up my $20 Groupon Now and a $10 bill. I was then told something about how the Groupon is for Dine in. "But it does not say that in the fine print," I responded. "Sorry, you need to pay $28." "No, I bought this over 5 other places because I wanted carry out." He then went to the back to discuss with his hire-ups, then came back and told me "Sorry, dine in for Groupons, it is $28." I showed him the $10 bill, and said, "All I have is $10 to cover the extra not covered by the Groupon, so I cannot pay for this." Obviously, I had credit cards with me, but I wasn't about to spend $28. The boy ran to the back again, had a short conversation, then came back out and told me I owed to total of $28. So I left with no food. I could understand if they made a mistake when signing up for the Groupon, since the English was very broken, but the conditions on my Groupon were clear. I have used Groupon Nows for carry out at similar places several time before with no issues about having to "dine in". The fact is, that no manager ever even bothered to discuss it with me, and just used a 16yr old to deny its use. I ordered $28 worth of food, so they were still making money off me, and it seemed like there was no clear reason not to let it go, realizing their mistake in the Groupon. I never got to have the likely overly oily food and I will never be back .
(1)Matt A.
Having not had Thai in some time, I was excited to try some, what I had been told to be, great authentic Thai food. Thai Linda Cafe is located in a pretty suburban feeling part of Logan Square, across from a Starbucks. Excited that it was byob, me and a few buddies set out with a few beers to give it a shot. I cant say I was disappointed, or overly enthusiastic about it. The patio was nice, though the service was so-so. I ordered a pepper steak dish, which was good, but pretty run of the mill. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their dishes as well. I wouldn't mind going back, as the menu was pretty good. Maybe it's my fault for ordering something simple, but I wasn't "wowed" by my first experience.
(3)Josh H.
This is my go-to place for affordable and delicious thai food in Roscoe Village. I have always been incredibly satisfied with the food and service is always friendly! The lunch deal is great...selected entree with your choice of veggie or chicken egg roll along with soup or cucumber salad for just $6.95.
(4)Andy S.
Thai isn't usually my go-to Asian cuisine, but it has been growing on me, and the other night i opted to try Thai Linda Cafe as opposed to another nearby spot that I've been frequenting of late...whoops! When I called for take out the man on the other end of the phone told me 25 minutes. In 25 minutes (at a prime dining time I might add) I arrived to an empty restaurant save for one table 3 women that were being seated as I arrived. The man who directed them to their table disappeared for 5 minutes or so before coming out, at which point I said I was there to pick up my order, meanwhile a line was forming behind me. He told the others in line that he was going to help me then he'd get to them. Once again he disappeared, for another 5-7 minutes, finally coming back with my simple order (lad nar & egg rolls). I got home, and well, I shouldn't have been surprised, the lad nar was amazing lukewarm and flavorless (even for lad nar, which is a fairly spiceless dish to begin with), with the egg rolls (*not* spring rolls) being completely cold and soggy. At the very least the portions were big and lasted me a couple tasteless days, it's just unfortunate I had to make the food hot on my own not only for leftovers, but for first time eating too!
(1)Anthony H.
This place used to be decent... but the last three times I've gone have been terrible. Extremely long waits for food (over an hour), terrible service, and on two separate occasions- burnt AND cold food. One time our bill was twice the amount it should have been. Avoid this place.
(1)Colleen R.
First time at Thai Linda cafe - and I must say the chicken pad Thai was delicious! Ordered for a pickup and it was ready on time and very friendly people.
(4)Jerry W.
Okay today is a two for with my reviews (read my earlier one on Rudy's Bakery, or if you have the time you can read all my reviews). I was saying it was errand Saturday. The errands started around 9:00 in the morning out in the Joliet area with my youngest daughter. The day ended that night back home around 8:00 pm, with my wife and oldest son. What a day, I even forgot all about Earth Day/Hour until this morning!! Well along the way one of our stops was at Thai Linda Cafe in Roscoe Village. We have never been to Linda's so it was nice to try. I always like trying new places. My Dad always use to say at least give it a try and then if you don't like it that is fine. My Dad is a smart man! I don't think I have ever tried Thai food before. Of course I am getting older and maybe having memory issues. So it was nice to give this place a try. My wife, oldest daughter and oldest son all were with me when we stopped for dinner at Linda's. We started with two cups of shrimp won ton. The broth was very tasty but we thought there were way too many vegetables in the soup. Then for appetizers we ordered the egg rolls, spring rolls, pot stickers and shrimp suit (I think I spelled that corectly?). The pot stickers and shrimp suit were very good. The egg rolls and spring rolls were just average. I've had better at other Chinese restaurants. So on to our main course, which we ordered an entree of Beef Almond, and entree of Pepper Steak and an entree of one of the Noodle dishes (I forget the name of it, yes I said earlier I am getting older and possibly having memory issues). The beef almond was very good. There was plenty of beef and almonds. The broccoli and carrot slices were fresh and tasty. I thought the pepper steak and noodle dishes were just ok. The pepper steak had way too many vegetables ("where's the beef" or in this case the steak) and the noodle dish was bland and lifeless tasting. Our total bill came to roughly $61 dollars. Our waitress was super nice and friendly. The place was very clean, not too busy though for a Saturday dinner. Personally for Asian food I have always loved Japanese first and then Chinese second. I would rank Thai food after that with Korean and Vietnamese. I know my wife and son think the same way. Maria even says that Thai food is like Chinese food's ugly cousin. But to be fair to Linda's my oldest daughter just loved it. She even thought it was probably some of the best Thai food she has ever had in the city. And she has been to several different Thai establishments. So overall I would give Linda's three stars but I guess based on my oldest daughter's input and the super friendly service from our waitress I will go reluctantly with four stars. I guess if I liked Thai food more I probably wouldn't be so hesitant with my rating.
(4)Christina S.
I knew it was too good to be true! After one winning dine-in experience, I threw caution to the wind and announced that this was my new Thai place. One nasty take-out experience has me wishing I'd never typed those words, Yelp! You've had your own nasty take-out experiences, I'm sure, so there's not too much to say. The rice was hard. The curry was curdled. The chicken was skimpy. Barf. You'll say I'm too good for this. You'll say I should just sever ties and move on. But I'm going to give Thai Linda Cafe one more try. Update to the update to come.
(1)Ross W.
Great food. Great service. Great price.
(5)Gina M.
I just moved in around the corner. I was bored one afternoon of what Roscoe St. has to offer because I was growing tired of sandwiches and pizzas so I remembered Thai Linda Cafe. The first time I got the chicken Pad Thai (extra spicy). WIN! I have had some problems with finding a Thai place that makes the Pad Thai like I used to get at my favorite thai restaurant in Detroit. It was so delicious that I obsessed about it the next day and the minute they opened I placed another order for pad thai. They didn't fail me. Three days later a few friends came over and i raved about this place so much that they gave in. One friend isn't a fan of thai, chinese, or really anything "un-American." We got pad thai (chicken and vegetable), the Thai Linda Chicken and Panang Curry. We didn't talk much while eating except for mumbling "mmm's" and "ohmygosh." Everything we ate was out of sight and for all that it was about 30 dollars. I always seem to see the same lady there and she is always so nice or as my friend put it, "super happy to be alive." I will eventually go in there and sit down and eat. I only deducted one star because I am not very knowledgable about thai food. I like what I like, I rarely venture for those foods. I've only tried about 5 Thai restaurants ever, so this place could very well be the best or it could turn out to be a top contender.
(4)Andrew C.
If you live in Roscoe Village, this should be in your weekly rotation. For the money, they can't be beat. To be honest, I only order a few items like the Pad Thai, Spicy Mint or Tofu Curries. (and crab rangoon) What keeps me from marking them a 4 star is consistancy. Some of their dishes are made just right with the right amount of heat (spicy) come back another week and the same dish is overpowering with heat.
(3)Marissa B.
When I get carry-out I like to be eating that food for days. I'm talking day-one-dinner, day-two-lunch, day-two-dinner, day-three-lunch... you get my point. The food at Thai Linda is not pricey - (approximately $7 or $8) but I'd rather pay an extra few dollars and get some more foooood!!! Okay, let me tell you what the problem really was: the smallest rice container ev-er. Normally when you get two entrees you'd expect a large container of rice. Right? Well, our two entrees came with one medium/small container of rice. We had to very carefully ration out the rice so as to have enough to last the 1.5 meals we were able to squeeze out of the Thai food. The Basil Tofu was good - good sauce, nicely cooked tofu. The egg rolls were huge and, unfortunately, over-fried. They offer delivery, for a small fee if you're in the service area. BOTTOM LINE: Good food, good prices, but ask for extra rice.
(3)Kaitlin D.
The food is quite good for the price and the service is always exceptional at Thai Linda. Their patio over the summer was great for people watching over a yummy meal. I usually get the chicken pad thai and would definitely recommend it - I've tried a few appetizers as well (don't recall which ones!) and was pleased.
(4)Daina T.
This is my FAVORITE Thai place in Chicago. I lived in Roscoe Village for a while and this was my roommate and my go-to-place for Thai Food. We absolutely loved it. The people that work there are so nice and the food is delicious! Also, when you order delivery the food gets there in a reasonable time and the older man who delivers to us typically is so sweet... I have only eaten in the restaurant once with a group of good friends. The service was great but it took a little longer to get the food which was probably since we were in a larger group and they aren't accustom to that...Otherwise, my roommate and I used to order in from this place at least once or twice a week. Not big cooks ;) Shout out to the Pad-Se-Ew! Holla (with chicken)! This is by far the best Pad-Se-Ew I have ever tasted AND the cream cheese wonton thingy's. To die for! While I recommend these two items, I am reassure you that anything you order will be good. Also super affordable and will go back there every time I visit Chicago!
(5)Christie Katelyn S.
As I was strolling down through Roscoe Village I came upon this place & checked out the Yelp reviews. I've ordered from there 3 or 4 times now & I think they're great! Ginger chicken, crab rangoon & garlic noodles are fantastic, but beware of their Spicy rice! Two of my friends couldn't handle it.
(4)Eddie L.
The charming interior, friendly staff, and delectable aromas make you feel welcomed like family. Then you pass the corner kitchen as you walk towards the bathroom/storage closet; giving you the feeling that you may actually be dining at somebody's house. Thai Linda isn't flashy but they do a great job with the food they serve. The quiet atmosphere makes for a pleasant dining experience and you always feel like you're the only diners in the restaurant (which isn't to say nobody dines in). As I work down the menu, I have yet to find a dish I don't like...but If I could suggest a dish for you, I'd go with the eggplant. It's light, tasty, and satisfying.
(3)Katy M.
We located from Wicker Park/East Village and had a hankering for Thai food. I'm not embarrassed to say what Penny's on Damen devotees we are. We ordered the chicken pad thai - a gloppy mess. The summer roll was totally devoid of the promised shrimp. My husband said the miso soup was fine; how can you screw that up? Overall, totally disappointing. We'll be running to the Penny's location on Sheffield.
(1)Vanessa F.
I want to give this place 2 stars based on two things: portion size and price. The prices would be okay if this portions were bigger and vice versa. But I moved it up to three stars since the food is absolutely delectable and they handle giant byob birthdays well. There's nothing else to really say except for if you get a dish...order an extra side of egg rolls or something to make it a meal.
(3)Kristin S.
Pretty decent Thai food at an okay price. Truthfully, I don't think I'd go here much if it wasn't directly across the street from me. For convenience sake, though, it's good. The take out portions are a little small (usually Thai takeout lasts me at least two meals. This was definitely only one.), but the quality of the food is pretty good. The two times I've eaten in, the service was incredibly slow, even though we were one of TWO tables in the place. The food presentation eating in is pretty nice though. They've also got some good outdoors seating in the summer so that's nice. The prices are a little higher than some, but again, the quality of the food is better than your average dumpy takeout place. I've had MUCH better throughout the city, though, so if I move away, I don't think I'll be back.
(3)Kate C.
Good Thai food, good service, nice atmosphere AND BYO-we will definitely be back!
(4)Kryste N.
Nom nom nom nom! I've been going here for years, it's our girls night out dinner place. The food is delicious, the service is always great, and best of all - 6 people can eat here for $100! We went last night and it was fantastic, we always order a bunch of entrees and pass plates. Cashew Chicken, Sweet Basil, and Garlic Noodle with beef were stand outs. Till next time Thai Linda!
(4)Dinah M.
My husband and I consider Thai Linda one of 'our' places. We went there on one of our first dates when he lived in the neighbourhood and we love to go there a few times a year. I don't think we've ever seen more than one other table occupied, but don't let the emptiness fool you in to thinking it's not popular! The food is delightful and the service is the perfect amount of attentiveness.
(4)Sara O.
I stopped in this place when the restaurant I was intending on going to was with a wait. And boy was I glad I did! This place was really tasty and the menu was rather extensive--for a Thai place! The crab rangoon was pretty close to phenomenal. Tom Yum Soup, FAB(ulous). And the Pad See Ew... YUM! Bonus Points for BYOB... always a good time!!
(4)Amanda K.
Got sick from the food, and the waiter didn't speak ANY English.
(1)Walter R.
I'll keep it concise. Fair service and sparse, but pleasant decor. Nobody was gushing over us being there, but staff were fairly prompt and courteous. I've eaten at Linda's three times already (already says something, right?) and it comes out to about 3 stars on average. The standard pan-asian appetizers are typical in quality. The curries have proved to be consistently too dry. Thai staples like Pad-Thai, Pad-See-Ew and Pad-Woon-Sen (no idea how to spell this) were served with some burned eggs and dry meat and shrimp. Nothing was bad enough to complain about, though. And in the future, if I want some quick, cheap and good-enough Thai, I will come back.
(3)Christine F.
The fact that this place is terrible is really depressing - I love thai food and I used to live right around the corner from Thai Linda Cafe. The first few times I tried it I got carry out. I got the usual thai staples - Pad Thai, Pad Se Eiw, etc. What I found when I opened the takeout container was highly displeasing. A bunch of limp noodles swimming in about a 1/2 inch of oil. GROSS. Who wants that? "Maybe it's a fluke," I said to myself. I really wanted this place to be good since I REALLY love thai food. I went back a few weeks ago and got the Tom Kha soup, which was surprisingly good. However, my counterpart wasn't so lucky. She got the Hot and Sour soup. Now, we've all had hot and sour soup. It's usually not TOO spicy (unless you ask for it like that) - it's tolerable. The soup my friend got was INSANELY spicy - half a spoonful had her and I both coughing. Yes, there was a 'spicy' indicator (a little pepper) next to the dish on the menu, but there was also one next to my soup and the Tom Kha soup wasn't spicy at all. My friend complained to the waiter that the soup was wayyyy to spicy for her to eat and that she'd like to send it back and try something else. The waitress said that we could send it back, but we'd still have to pay for it. LAME. I will never go back there. Also, non fish eaters beware: This place makes their stuff with premade sauces, so if you ask for a dish without fish sauce the vast majority of their stuff is unavailable to you as a diner.
(2)Andrea W.
The food and service here was great. Our waiter was amusing and attentive. I ordered pineapple curry and it was perfect! I couldn't think of any way to make it better. The portions were on the smaller side for Thai food but still enough for left overs.
(4)Emily B.
My g/f lives right across the street from Thai Linda so it is our go-to when we are lazy and don't want to cook. It is consistently good and the spicy is quite spicy. We've never eaten in--always take out. But we've never had a bad dish.
(4)Matthew D.
Ok... I'm sad to say that I finally found out how to measure Thai food by the establishment... Look for the place with the most Asian "flair" in the dining area. Gold stuff +2, Dragons +2, Tassles from the ceiling +3 and so on. anyway, this place had it all as well as really good food. Excellent Tom Yum soup and Great Curries. They have a red curry that I always get that is actually Pad Thai noodles with spicy red curry. Yum Yum.
(4)Becky S.
I tried the Pad Thai recently and was somewhat disappointed. In many reviews, people say that this is the best Pad Thai they've ever had. I don't know if I went on an off night or what but my Pad Thai was not anything special. I'll stick to my sweet thai basil.
(4)Julia H.
We used to eat here all the time. It's right around the corner from our house and it was really really good. Well maybe they got someone new in the kitchen or something because in the last year something has changed. It's still good (I love their chicken egg rolls) but we each had to search around the menu for something new because what we used to get wasn't good anymore. I now grab the Hawaiian fried ride with chicken. Yum. Say double meat and you really get a better portion. It's still a neighborhood place and perfect to eat outside in the summer. I had to update this- we had Thai Linda a few nights ago and it was the BEST Thai I have ever had EVER. I mean that. There is someone new in the kitchen and they are amazing. Everyone at the table was blown away. Our chicken egg rolls were so so good AND my Hawaiian Fried Rice came inside a full sized pineapple!!
(5)Kristin R.
Oh Thai Linda....always so prompt. So friendly. Never messed up my order once. They have a great panang curry and spicy mint noodle (pad kee mao). My only complaint is that their portions are a little too small for my big appetite. Other than that...love 'em!
(4)Shannon D.
This is truly my favorite Thai restaurant in the city and I promise you I have tried most of them! The mere fact that I can get the most delicious, make-your-nose-run VEGETARIAN Thom Yum Soup alone makes it a gem. BUT when you add on the most mouth watering panang curry or spicy mint noodles it's all over. Thai Linda officially is the best. I love that when I order it spicy it is true Thai, sweat your ass off, spicy. Oooh don't miss out on the tofu satay either. Oh hell, you should just go there now!
(5)Joe T.
Fans of this Roscoe Village restaurant laud its "Burger King" prices, "delicious" dishes, and "sparse, but pleasant decor." Detractors denounce the dishes as "depressing," while others note that "the portions are a bit small" and suggest that you "ask for extra rice." N.B.: Some raters have found their curry to be too "junebug"gy, while others prefer their pad khee mao sans chicken feet.
(2)Lauren H.
If you're looking for tasty Thai food at very reasonable prices, plus friendly staff, THAI LINDA CAFE is the place for you! I actually stumbled upon this place when the sushi place near by was too crowded (an hour wait!), and boy am I glad! Now I frequent the place at least once every other week (even if it's just for take-out). It's nothing special decor or ambiance-wise, but it is BYOB (with no fee), and there are rarely more than 3 other tables filled. Usually that's a scary sign, but in this case I'm happy because I know I'll never wait. Plus, they deliver, which is what makes up the bulk of their business. So, for the food, my favorites are the Chicken Egg Noodle soup (enough to share with 1-2 people or bring some home), the crab rangoon (YUM!), and the sweet ginger with shrimp (awesome for ginger lovers). I love how even after only 1 or 2 visits, all the staff recognized me and said "welcome back!". Now they know me by name! It's definitely a favorite and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys delicious food at reasonable prices and service with a smile. Side note: they have a brother location down on Armitage (called Charley Thai Cafe) with the same owner and menu (which I visited once b/c Thai Linda was closed). The food was good as usual and I liked the decor, but our waitress was terrible. Just an FYI.
(5)Bev h.
this place is awesome! great ambiance (minus the single restroom), a seriously eager to please and very competent waitress, and some tasty food! and i'm not just saying that because i got a lil crunk at dinner.... we went on saturday night around 8, and had plans to go out in costume after dinner. four of us were seated no problem, and there was no judgement when we realized that not only did we have 2 bottles of wine and 10 beers between the four of us, but that we would have to drink it all or be forced to throw it out before going to the bar! we sampled some crab rangoon to start (second only to joy's, came with the sauce drizzled on, light and sweet). i ordered the pad see-ew with tofu, and the presentation and flavor were excellent. i usually like this dish a little saucier, but it was tasty nevertheless. adam m. had a wonderful mint/noodle/chicken dish that i stole some bites of, and i would probably order that next time. and there will be a next time, linda. soon! ps. did i mention that we each only paid about $15, including a generous tip?!?!
(4)Kat M.
I concur with my lovely friends about this place - it was a solid four stars. We started off with the crab rangoon... at this point, I had not imbibed too much booze, so I can confidently say that the appetizer was great... flavor was excellent and the sauce drizzled on it was fantastic. And as Adam M. mentioned, I got the Tom Yum soup with tofu and the beef salad. The soup was AWESOME... the tofu was the perfect firmness and it was spicy but not too spicy to make me regret it. The beef salad was great - nice mix of green onions, cucumbers, and the dressing on it was also perfect. Bailey let me try some of her pad see-ew and I thought it had a great flavor. I'm not sure if it was a two-person operation (I think the wife was in the front taking care of customers and the husband, who came out every once in awhile, was in the back cooking), but I thought service was more than adequate - the waitress was not overbearing and she didn't ignore us either. We got our food quickly and at the perfect temperature with a great presentation. Yes, that was me slugging down an entire bottle of white wine by myself in 10 minutes. They did practically kick us out of the restaurant... I came out of the bathroom and all of the chairs had been put up on the tables... but we were a little bit drunk and disorderly at that point (or maybe that was only me?), so I don't blame them a bit. All in all, great Thai food with great service at a very reasonable price. It's a repeat in my book.
(4)Scott H.
I completely agree with Lauren H's review of this place. Unassuming spot, but surprisingly good Thai food. We order here occasionally, but still prefer Pho's on Lincoln just south of Roscoe (another unassuming place). Nice people, good food, fast delivery (which is HUGE).
(4)Christine P.
This place is outstanding! I love that the pad thai isn't greasy, and that they give you manageable portions. Further, the patio is great when it is nice outside. I eat here at least two or three times a month and have never been disappointed.
(5)Shawn G.
I'm not sure if the "Linda" in this restaurant's name is real but, if she is, I would bed her. The food is typical Thai - no more, no less - but here's the thing: this may be the first place I've been to that has done every typical Thai item right. From the crab rangoon to the Lad Nah portion size to the Thai iced tea to the BYOB to the fast service to the atmosphere, you can't get any more prototypically perfect. Plus, it's cheap. And, for what you get, a great value. I've been to Thai places that give you twice as much food for the same price, but it all tastes like it was scraped out from the shared gutters of a Chinese and Indian restaurant. Linda gives you the goods, and in the right amount to make your stomach happy and your wallet - oh, God, I can't believe I'm about to say it - happier. Four stars, you ask? Gees, you're nosy. If you must know, I've only eaten in there once and gotten take out the numerous other times. Sometimes, with the take out, they'll tell you it's a 15-minute wait, and you get there in 20 minutes, and still wait another 5 or 10. Not a big deal when you live like a block down, but if you order carry out from a distance, just give it more like 25-30 minutes so you're not stuck sitting around.
(4)Laura I.
The prices here are amazing and directly correlate well to the portion size (which is perfect). I've both sat in the restaurant and have gotten take away from them. Both ways, the food was served well and was always fresh. The inside is decorated in an appealing, yet simple manner. The workers here are always extremely nice, happy and always smiling. My biggest love is the way they cut and cook their beef in the beef dishes; it doesn't become "tough" as many other Thai places serve it. The thai iced coffee is pretty yummy too!
(5)Mike W.
I order from thai Linda on a bi-weekly basis. Very good food and delivery usually takes 30 to 40 minutes. Good value.
(4)Paul H.
Standard thai food but overall impressed. Went for takeout and it is was ready in no time. The prices here are really good too. Check it out if you are in Roscoe Village.
(4)Justin M.
Thai Linda is pretty awesome and the food is really good quality and quite reasonably priced. The portions might be a bit small if you're really hungry, but cause the prices are so reasonable you can always get something else as well. Decor is nice - its a quiet restaraunt and is a hidden gem of roscoe village.
(3)Betsy S.
I've been to Thai Linda a couple of times. I love Thai food and it's nearby. Sadly, I've never had anything that I've liked. My husband and I have ordered at least a half dozen things off of the menu and we haven't found anything to merit going back. It's really sad for me because Thai Linda is incredibly close to home and I tend to really like cheap Thai food. The servers have been nice to us and nothing has been gross or made us sick or anything. I'm still hoping that the place will make a miraculous turnaround. Until then, I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)Erin H.
I live close to Thai Linda, and go here often. Although it is mostly carry out and delivery, the dining room is very soft and romantic, a great place to dine. I have been to Thailand, and I can say that Thai Linda is definitely authentic food. It is very fresh and tasty every time I go. The only thing that lacks is the service. While the waitstaff is nice, they are often not the most attentive as they are paying more attention to carry out/delivery orders. But, if you want really good Thai food in a nice, quiet setting, Thai Linda is your place.
(4)P N.
The spicy curry here is de-lish! The noodles are well cooked and the sauce is spicy and well flavored. The crab rangoon for some reason always looks burned but when you take a bite it is oozing with delicious flavor. The free pot stickers you get with a minimum purchase of $20 (I think) are pretty good too, for being free. I don't know how anything else is on the menu, I can never say no to the spicy tofu curry :)
(4)Sarah F.
This place is very cozy, friendly and inviting. The food is fresh and they serve a nice variety of foods. It is well worth checking out for dining in or for carry out.
(5)Jennifer S.
The prices here are incredible reasonable. You won't find anything over $11.00 on the menu! The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is inviting, and the food is great. I would definitely go back for a casual dining experience that won't break the bank!
(3)Josh F.
We order in all the time from here and have eaten in the restaurant once and always enjoy their food. Most of the time it's just pad thai but it is always good pad thai
(4)Jonathan M.
This is the first place I ever tried Thai food (2 years ago) and it is my second favorite in the city. I have always had a nice experience here it's b.y.o.b. so you can bring that 5$ bottle of wine that has a picture of a rooster or a foot on the front of it. The food is always great and service is awesome as well. (Careful though because they don't speak fluent English, but they are very sweet and try really hard.) I'm lucky to live only a block away. I recommend the spinach with chicken.
(4)Jonathan K.
saw the yelp sticker and dropped in impromptu during the roscoe village oyster fest. sat outside on the street, had the best spicy basil noodles ive EVER had. best thai noodles ive ever had, hands down. keep your eyes open for the yelp stickers...
(5)Erin C.
As far as thai food goes, this is not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is 3 blocks from my house and does the job when I need it to. The portions are smaller than most thai places in that I can eat the whole entree the night of instead of eating it for 3 days to come. That's probably a good thing. The service is very friendly here, but i usually carryout because otherwise we're usually the only people here. It's weird to eat alone in a restaurant. Their thai iced coffee is excellent, however. Definitely give that a try.
(3)Nicholas C.
Fast service, cheap and delicious food. The thing I like most is the perfect-sized portions. It's great for a meal before going out because you can finish the whole thing in one sitting without feeling stuffed and without facing the temptation to carry a doggy bag of delicious spicy duck around with you all night. It's never over-crowded which is appreciated in this neighborhood.
(4)Meghan S.
BYOB-good thing LUSH, a great wine place, is just a few blocks down. I love Thai food but of course I don't like it all that spicy. A running theme in most of my entries. Thai food has so much flavor that even if it is a little bit spicy it just tastes good because the flavors and spices blend together so well. Last night we tried: chicken satay, shrimp suit, Tom Kar?, pad thai with shrimp, spinach with shrimp, and Thai Linda Chicken. I liked everything that we ate. I did agree with my boyfriend that we could have been a little more adventurous with the main dishes so when we return we will do that. The satay was small but delicious. The shrimp suits (shrimp with herbs and garlic wrapped and fried) was very tasty. The Tom Kar or something like that was a soup. It was different but I liked it. It had shrimp, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, onions in a coconut milk broth. Try if you haven't before. Pad Thai was good just sweet, but I still enjoyed it. Spinach had mushroom, onions, green peppers and carrots with shrimp in a black bean sauce, my favorite. The Thai Linda chicken said spicy but it didn't bother me at all. The chicken was crunchy and kinda fried but overall it was a good dish. Of course we have a ton left over which is a good sign. BYOB made it more enjoyable as well while we sat outside at the tables on the sidewalk. Gotta love Roscoe!!
(4)D.A A.
I thought the service was great the people are pleasant the food was tasty and the price was right.
(4)Carl G.
One of my greatest questions is this: Who IS Thai Linda? She sure makes a dang fine crab Rangoon though, a dish that I do not like except at Thai Linda. Food is good, service is earnest if a little over-stretched.
(4)Jenna D.
I always forget just how awesome and inexpensive this place is! It's a really great alternative to getting a quick pizza delivery. The next time you're in the mood for something different, try Thai Linda and enjoy their fresh spicy dishes, most under $8!
(5)Jenny C.
I recently moved to Roscoe Village from Lakeview/Wrigley area. I absolutely loved Bamee Noodle on Broadway and was hoping to find an equally awesome Thai restaurant in my new neighborhood. I've been to Thai Linda a few times, and all the dishes I had were pretty good. Their veggie pot stickers are really good too. My only complaint about this place is that their portions are a little bit on the skimpy side. The rice carton was a little nugget, and the entree container was smaller than normal as well. The quality of the food itself is good though. I'll definitely be frequenting this place, as it's so close to my apartment.
(4)una g.
the food wasn't the greatest try YES THAI instead
(3)K S.
My wife and I used to walk here when we lived in Roscoe Village. I really liked the food a lot, but the portions are a bit small.
(3)jason s.
I've had difficulty finding a good thai place in Chicago. Thai Linda is about as close as I've come. The basil fried rice isn't bad, but it can be somewhat bland. The curry is great. I haven't tried much more on the menu though. It's usually pretty easy to get seated right away. Good choice for quiet dining.
(3)mike l.
just got home from Thai Linda (is that weird? Am I the only one that does that? Visits a place & has to jump on Yelp to review?!) and I've got to say I'm pleasantly pleased. Overall, quite impressed. We started with the steamed veggie dumplings. I hate to break to y'all, but you can get the same ones in the freezer case of any asian grocery. Steam them & them fry 'em a little to crisp up the outside. Next, the all important TOM YUM SOUP! yes, it's unfortunate that we judge all TYS against Arunee Thai back home. But, TL's held up quite nicely. It was really spicy, but very rich, flavorful & generous with the shrimp. For the main dish, we split the seafood noodles & the spicy duck. Both were really nice. There was tons of seafood on top of wide, chow fun noodles in a slightly too-sweet sauce. The duck was nice, but a little underwhelming. There was plenty of duck, I just think there could've been more than just duck & steamed carrots & peppers. But, whatever, it was worth it.
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