Krystal Thai
230 W Virginia St, Crystal Lake, IL, 60014
Krystal Thai Menu
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Address :
230 W Virginia St
Crystal Lake, IL, 60014 - Phone (815) 444-0004
- Website https://www.krystalthai.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Stephy M.
Great bubble tea and big portions for lunch specials. Their pad see ewe, lad nar, and panang curry are all tasty. Not the best Thai I've ever had, but I'm still a fan. A bit of a wait if you do take-out (even if you call it in early); I'd prefer to visit and eat in person.
(4)Michael W.
Great lunch. Fast service. The food was excellent. I just changed my rating to 5 stars as a result. I want to go back often! The food was large in portion but the flavors were just outstanding. We do not go to Crystal Lake for much because we feel we have better options in Algonquin/ Lake In The Hills but I have eaten at all of the Thai places near me and Krystal Thai beats them all for speed of service, quality of food, and price.
(5)Clint R.
Heard good things about this place from a friend so I decided to give this place a try for lunch today. I love authentic Thai food and it usually is my go to along with BBQ and Tex Mex and eat it every chance I get as I travel the country for work. I found the little place in a strip mall and walked in to a cute little joint that has good furniture and cute waitresses. Looks authentic enough and nice ambiance. $8 lunch specials! Score! Then, reality sets in. First thing I see is Chinese dishes on the menu. Red flag #1. Most Chinese places that are Americanized Hack jobs try to have some Thai on the menu to please everyone, yet the other way around usually isn't the case. Food: I order chicken green curry and get asked what level of spice 1 - 5. I get 4. That is a good sign that they ask. Soup comes out and I am not sure what it is, but it basic and not Thai. Clear broth with carrots and cabbage and peas in it. Meh. Curry comes out plated, which is bold (most serve it in a bowl and rice separately). Initially plating looks nice. Then reality sets in. They plated it because it is obvious the chicken is not cooked in the curry. I get very confused with the veggies on the dish. Corn, Carrots, Lima beans, and peas.... Hmmm and they are mushy. Wait a minute! This is a heated up bag of Tyson's mixed veggies put in the dish to act as filler! Confused I give it a try. Spice is more like a 2 to 2.5 not a 4, but I realize I am in Northern Illinois where most can't do spice at all. No excuse for mushy veggies on a Thai dish, let alone ones that are never used in Thai dishes. I hated mixed veggies as a kid and now is no different. Curry flavor is good but the chicken is dry. All in all the meal was... good for an $8 lunch yet terrible for a Thai dish. If I was doing a "Best meals for under $10 in McHenry County" list this may be on it. Problem is I am reviewing this for being a Thai restaurant. They have the paintings, the furniture, the Asian waitresses. But when you get down to it this place is am Americanized hack job of a Thai restaurant that isn't authentic and has a flavor that doesn't compete with average places down in Schaumberg or in the city. The good service and flavor of the curry saved it from 1 star. It gets 2... barely.
(2)Debi H.
We love Krystal Tia so fresh ,alot of food we've never had a bad meal here. We do take out orders
(4)Jen F.
Went here on a Thursday night. The staff was wonderful, very attentive and patient (we took forever to decide what we wanted).we ordered the Thai escargot (which was amazing and very neat presentation-you have to order if you're there!) pad thai with shrimp and the rama noodles with chicken. Everything was spot on. We will definitely return to Krystal Thai.
(4)Emmanuel M.
This place is k, the environment is nice but the food is average. I honestly don't plan on coming back. There are many restaurants better than this around the area. Don't recommend it.
(2)Michelle A.
Krystal Thai eggplant was delicious, I chose tofu as my protein which was also tasty. Kids ate sampler platter appetizer for dinner, made sense since cost is the same... Thai ice tea was good too.
(4)Alan A.
The lunch menu is a great place to try some new dishes. But today it was a traditional favorite for me. Pad Thai.
(4)Thomas C.
Service was a tad bit slow, but the quality of food was fantastic. The only thing I would have liked better was the spice in the fried rice. I should have asked for a higher level. Overall, if you are in the neighborhood, I highly recommend stopping by for your Thai fix.
(4)Jenna A.
We LOVE this place! I am most excited about the egg rolls - made in rice paper wrappers so this gluten free goddess can partake in one of my most missed foods! I always get the Tom yum soup, egg rolls and cashew chicken. Chris always gets the curry and the boy always eats the (rice paper wrapped) fried egg roll hotdog! Lol Oh and the fried banana dessert and homemade coconut ice cream are both amazing too!! The service has been excellent every time too! (And we eat here often.)
(5)Natalie K.
I ordered egg rolls, pad thai and an order of sweet and sour chicken. I really liked the pad thai and the egg rolls were pretty good. The sweet and sour chicken was just okay - could've been better. It was a little bland. Service was great.. I might go back if I had a taste for thai and I was in the area.
(3)Stef M.
Went there for a weekday lunch and left pleased. The staff were very friendly and courteous, the Basil Chicken was excellent and the complementary soup and spring roll that came with the lunch special were delish.
(4)Corey D.
I feel like I should give Krystal Thai five starts solely based on the fact that there are 2 locally owned restaurants in Crystal Lake and this is one of them. Ok, that's a WILD exaggeration, but really there are probably 3. And during my 3 days in town I ate there twice so that says a lot. It says there are only a few options AND it's damn tasty. The Krystal Chicken is nuts....NUTS! Get it, then prepare to devour some crazy crack-laden cross between a chicken finger and crispy sweet and sour chicken. Their Pad Thai was also solid, as was the basil chicken. I felt the prices were a tad high for Thai but portions were large!
(4)Kiki M.
Recently tried their tofu Popeye and I'm so glad I did it is very very good and has become part of our regular order.
(5)Larry O.
Great service and food. They don't skimp on the vegetables and the meats are excellently prepared.
(4)Geli V.
I'm a huge Green PeaPod fan but wanted to branch out and try something different, so my boyfriend and I tried Krystal Thai tonight - and we're glad we did! I had the 7 Wonders with tofu and he had the Spicy Dish with chicken (spice level 3). Mine was wonderful - the sauce was slightly spicy and perfectly sweet, the vegetables were crunchy, and although the tofu tasted a bit different than what I've had in the past I really liked it. His was great too - hot enough but not overwhelming, juicy chicken, fresh veggies. The price and size of the dishes was right on too so that was nice. And lastly, the service was great - frequent water refills and checks to see how we were doing. I can't wait to go back!
(5)Melissa W.
Restaurant atmosphere is great. Food was awesome and very well described in the menu. The only downside was that although our server was attentive, she was not very friendly. I would definitely recommend eating here!
(4)Ajay J.
Really awesome food. Entries are excellent. Fresh and great flavors. Green Curry here is my wife's favorite. The 7 wonders vegetarian is surprisingly good as well. All in all a good Thai place. Appetizers are average. Good portions and quality.
(4)Jessica S.
We came here to get my thai pregnancy fix and to try the beef and meatball noodle soup. It was the BEST!! I was so unbelievably happy and relieved when I had my first taste! I've been looking for a Thai place that does this soup right, and from the broth to the delicious meatballs and tender beef, my taste buds were dancing. Not to mention awesome service. All in all we will be back very soon! Great food!!
(5)maggie c.
Solid Thai food! Have been coming here for 5 years and we have never had a bad meal. Freah spring rolls are excellent, spicy dish, Nam sod, basil chicken all are our.favorites. this is the best thai food around! You won't be disappointed.
(5)Yolanda K.
Seriously, what is up with the frozen/canned American vegetables in every entree? I love Krystal Thai's convenient location and that is about it! Food, not so much. I have only eaten items from this establishment because my dear mother-in-law finds this place tasty, however, she's old and her taste buds have certainly diminished and she has never had truly authentic Thai food like they serve up in Chicago. Almost every main entree at this place has the same flavor, a little heavy on the vinegar with water down sauce - PLUS, all those American vegetables, like lima beans, CORN, cubed carrots & green beans - YUCK! Lima beans? Excuse me... My spring rolls totally lacked traditional ingredients that make Thai spring rolls truly delicious, such as lime juice, carrots, cilantro, mint, or basil. Nope, none of that! I got a tasteless roll with a few pieces of lettuce, shrimp & rice noodles that included a water-down dipping sauce. Naaassttyy! Also, how can you mess up Pad Thai? Come on... At this place, you will not be receiving any red cabbage, carrots, peanuts, lime wedge, or cilantro. You will get tasteless sticky noodles with white cabbage, small portions of overcooked chicken and eggs. Sorry, but your dishes lack authenticity and differential taste. I truly hope that you realize that your use of unorthodox ingredients are a means to provide greater portions, which does not fool me at all - and perhaps other patrons that can critically assume your subtle deception on the lack of "classic" Thai ingredients are a means to reduce costs on your end too. Please keep it real after reading this review. I would love nothing more than to write something positive about this place in the future since you're like the ONLY Thai restaurant in all of Crystal Lake, PLEASE KEEP IT REAL!
(1)David D.
For CL really good place. Spring rolls/fried rice/fried tofu all excellent. Carry out quick and affordable.
(4)K K.
Volcano Fried Rice is pretty good, that's about it.
(3)Sarah M.
Love this place!!!!! My husband and I went to Thailand on our honeymoon and every time we are craving thai we hit up Krystal Thai!
(5)Chrissy C.
Go eat here!!! The food is so good!!!
(5)Ann C.
I ate here years ago and was less than thrilled with my meal (and the fact that they had no heat that day... in January). Last week, the hubby wanted Thai food. He was on a mission, a mission to convince me that we needed Thai food, and we needed it soon. We loaded the family, plus one, in the family truckster and away we went. When we arrived at Krystal Thai, the place was almost empty, and that scared me. It is never a good sign when the staff outnumbers the patrons. We started out with an order of Crab Rangoon (delish) and an order of Crab in the Bag (way overcooked). The little kids (ages 6 and 8) had the Kids Fried Rice and thought it was "meh, okay". My 16 year old also had the kids fried rice and ordered a appetizer of Fresh Spring Rolls to eat with her dinner. She really enjoyed the Fresh Spring Rolls. My daughters boyfriend had the sweet and sour beef. He said it was good. I cannot remember what my husband had but he devoured it, so it must have been okay. My meal is why I am giving Krystal Thai 4 stars instead of 3... I ordered the Mussamun Curry with chicken. It was wonderful and reminded me of my favorite Thai dish from Wild Orchid. I have literally been thinking about it since I finished off my leftovers the day after we went (OH, it is even better the second day!). The food was good... I noticed a lot of regulars walking in. I think next time we will try take-out so we can get the kids something un-Thai while I eat my Mussamun Curry!.
(4)Ariana M.
Fantastic food! The pad thai and tom yum soup especially so, with almost everything on the menu having the option of a spicy heat scale for all tastes. The presentation is also very good, with everything being served up in nice china. The staff are all very friendly and your order comes out to your table quickly. This is a very nice place for a date as the restaurant is on the quieter side and has an intimate atmosphere.
(4)Mike S.
Crystal Lake has its share of Asian restaurants and most are just OK. This one is excellent. It is on par with Green Pea Pod in McHenry or Thai Noodle Cafe in Libertyville. (OK, I'm a Thai junkie!) These spring rolls are incredible! They have more ingredients than typical spring rolls and are excellent as a small meal or appetizer for the table. As far as main courses, I try to have a different one each time I come and haven't yet been disappointed. Pad Thai is excellent. Krystal Fried Rice was really good. There was a really good wide noodle with peanut sauce dish - the name escapes me. I really like the iced tea and a friend had an excellent fruit smoothie thing. I've always had good service here as well. Prices are what you'd expect, $8-$12 for entrees and appetizers around $5. The atmosphere is very nice - White table clothes and Asian art everywhere. Quite classy.
(5)Victoria C.
After about 4 times I've dined here - I feel it's time to review. 1st experience: To-go order - Pad Thai Upon eating, I noticed there were charred pieces in the dish - so it overall tasted a little burnt and it was just OK. Honestly the Pad Thai at Noodles & Co is better (Its hard for me to even say that) 2nd experience: Dining in with my husband. Staff was attentive - I ordered Shrimp Panang Curry. It was pretty good - although their choice of "vegetables" is odd. Corn? Lima beans? My husband seemed to enjoy his food although I forgot what he ordered. 3rd experience: To-go order - Spicy Dish with Shrimp It was OK nothing great and I did feel kind of ripped off. Shrimp is $2 up charge, so the entire dish was over $10 and wasn't much - I was still hungry after. Oh and it was LOADED with celery. I don't know anyone that loves an abundance of celery. 4th experience: (and last unless I'm desperate) Just a reminder, when ordering during lunch - say lunch special. They only have a lunch special menu, not a regular menu. I made the mistake of saying "rama noodles" instead of "rama noodles lunch special" even though it was noon - so they told me my total was like $10.71....after I hung up, I thought there's no way a $7.95 lunch comes out after tax to be over $10 - so I called back up within 2 mins and the lady tells me "oh sorry its too late they started making it" - after I complained and said "then just cancel my order" she gave me to a manager to talk to. The dish was ok - the sauce was quite tasty but I'm not sure it was worth the hassle and I am still hungry! If I could just bottle their sauce and make my own dishes I'd be happy!!! Overall: I don't know if I will go back unless as stated above, I'm desperate for some curry. Anyone know of another Thai place in Crystal Lake ?
(3)Austin F.
A blonde waitress refused to serve me ketchup and was vary unprofessional during my dinning experience
(1)Marisa V.
Great place for Thai food. Had the tom yum noodle soup shrimp, which was humongous. And husband had chicken pad Thai. Both dishes were really good. This will be our go to Thai. :) and we had sticky rice dessert with coconut ice cream. Yum. :) Last night, I had fried rice, first on listed on menu and Pad Kee Mau(spelling??) anyway best dishes ever. I asked for 2 spicy and it was a little spicy for my taste.
(5)Kimberly R.
The food here deserves more than two stars but I have never had decent service and it is not the wait staffs fault, it is the kitchens. The kitchen is always behind no matter if you eat in or order carry out. I sadly always crave that curry fried rice and get stuck waiting. I wish they would hire a second chef or an organized one so I could give them a better review because the food deserves it but it never trumps my anger over having to wait so long.
(2)David S.
Very friendly Staff, always fast, and the quality of food A-OK! David Born and raised CL
(4)Michael G.
I wanted to try a different place for Thai with my beautiful wife. It was our monthly dinner date night and it was my pick. I had looked for some places and Krystal Thai had received pretty good reviews so I thought we would give it a try. The place was not busy when we got there. We were sitted and it did take a while for our waitress to come over and get our order. We ordered the pot stickers, the hot and sour soup, and the basil fried rice with chicken. The food was good, not great. The soup was spicy, yet not overpowering and the fried rice was not greasy and the vegetables were fresh. The pot stickers were very good. Overall I liked Krystal Thai. However the service could be improved upon. The waitress was not very friendly and that always can go a long way especially when the food is good. Being tentative to your patrons is important. If the service was a bit better I would have given it 4 stars.
(3)A K.
I can make better red curry than what they serve. But a decent Thai experience. Not bad. wait staff is cool.
(3)Lorrie S.
We have been looking through the window at this place for a while and I have to say we really enjoyed our first visit here last night. The service was impeccable, right up there with a 5 star restaurant. My water was refilled often and servers were super friendly and welcoming. We really loved the ornate chairs that really make the restaurant feel. Our tempura appetizer was a great choice, it was FANTASTIC! It came out piping out right out of the fryer and the sweet spicy sauce on the side is to die for. Our entrees were made with super fresh ingredients and were also piping hot. I had the Jungle Curry with seafood which has a lot of juice/sauce which was great and my husband had cashew chicken stir fry which was more dry. He mentioned that he would prefer more sauciness so maybe next time he will ask for extra sauce. We had enough to bring home for lunch today so nice size portions. Also, they take reservations but we didn't need one at 7pm on Friday.
(4)Joanne L.
Thai is one of my weaknesses, so I looked forward to coming here. The spring rolls were passable (although I don't know how I feel about julienne strips of ham in there). But frozen mixed vegetables and tough chicken in the panang curry? I barely touched it, and that says a lot.
(2)Ron P.
We are new to the northwest suburban area and looking for good Thai food. Up until now we haven't found any as good as in the city but today we got closer with Krystal Thai. Very nice entrees and good Thai iced coffee. My wife had the Hot Chili Garlic entree. It could have been spicier (she ordered 5 stars) but it was really good. I got the Pad See Ewe which was the best I've had in a long time. I really liked that they make it with Chinese broccoli. Yum. Chicken Satay appetizer was OK but not stellar. It seemed like it was reheated rather than made when we ordered it. So far this is the only suburban Thai restaurant that we will return to. We are glad we stopped in.
(4)Scott K.
Excellent food. Everything I've tried so far is delicious. They could improve a little on the service though. Waitress was nice but, had to ask twice for plates so we could eat our food before it got cold and had to ask 4 times for some sauce. Still was happy though because food was great.
(4)Brian F.
I came to Krystal Thai at 8:30pm on a Monday night. I wanted to order takeout for our family and use a coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) entree (up to $15 off). I was told that the coupon would not be accepted because it was for dine in only, and I offered to place an order comparable to a full dine in order, complete with two full priced beverages (Thai iced coffee, green tea bubble tea), two entrees, a kids meal and appreciative gratuity. He ended up giving me a counter-offer. Instead of what was advertised, he would give only a free appetizer, AND he insisted on punching my coupon card despite not honoring the initial offer. Upon picking out an appetizer, he told me I picked out a plate that was too expensive (it was $7.95) and I needed to pick one of the $5.95 starters. I contested, telling him again the original coupon was a $15 value. He then settled on giving me the $7.95 appetizer. This was seven dollars less than what the coupon stated. The bill also ended up being $11.00 more than I had planned on paying. He told me the order would be twenty minutes. I left and came back in thirty minutes. It was not ready. I waited while other people who had placed their orders after me, left with their food in hand. He told me I was waiting on my bubble tea. After ten more minutes the bubble tea came out but the food did not. Another ten minutes went by. After fifty minutes my order came out. The man quickly apologized but appeared slightly annoyed when I asked him to review what was in my sealed to-go bag. This place appears to be suffering. I believe any restaurant who would make such a big deal about renegotiating a coupon would have to be, since it obviously makes them appear less focused on making a good impression on the customer and more about the pennies.
(1)Gladys C.
Don't be fooled that it's located in a strip mall, it's actually really pretty inside with nice wooden decorative Thai-style furniture. There are 2 TVs with the Sox game on for the sports lover and a full bar in the back. The service was great - the staff very friendly, checked up on us throughout dinner and our water was never empty. We started off with the Queen of Tofu - deep-fried tofu tossed in a chili sweet & sour sauce, with a touch of red wine. I thought it was very tasty, but I'm also a fan of sweet & sour sauce. For my entree, I decided on the Basil chicken & tofu - stirred-fried with fresh basil leaves, garlic, bell pepper, onion and house sauce. It was also very good. I was surprised at the firm tofu that they used, but it wasn't a bad thing! My friend ordered the Krystal Thai Eggplant with beef, very spicy and enjoyed it as well. I had a piece of the eggplant and found it yummy. Didn't have room for dessert, but the Baby Banana Rolls - baby bananas in crispy blankets topped with chocolate or strawberry topping and coconut tapioca with banana look really good. I had a great time and I totally recommend it if you are in the area! *Delivery & catering available*
(5)Jennifer D.
Best Thai anywhere in the area hands down. Their pad Thai is outstanding.
(5)Chelsea L.
For being hidden in a "strip mall", this is a phenomenal place. Typical Thai menu, but I've yet to have anything that wasn't quality and fresh. I have always had good, fast service and satisfying meals.
(4)Brad D.
Best Thai food in the northwest. Love the food, and the owners are super nice. Even the kids like it. My only complaint is that I wish they had more restaurants!
(5)Patrick R.
I am a regular at this place. IMHO this is the best Asian food you will find in McHenry County . Nick and his staff always do an excellent job and will recognize you and welcome you back.
(5)Liz B.
After reading all the reviews about Krystal Thai, I finally got the chance to try it. I ordered to-go. I didn't have a menu, so I had to go there to place my order. The inside is very nice and clean. One girl placed my order and then a gentleman came back to ask me how spicy I wanted my food. It did take a while for the food, so I wandered around TJ Maxx next door, and it still wasn't ready after all my putzing around. I finally got my food home and dug in. We ordered the pad thai with shrimp (pretty meh), the sizzling duck (better than the pad thai), and the tom yum soup with shrimp (by far the best out of the three). The pad thai was definitely missing some cilantro and lime and it just tasted like a mushy mess. I'm not head over heels for this place, but I might try it again.
(3)Julie Z.
love this place! it's one of our favorite places to eat in Crystal Lake, IL
(5)David P.
Ordered Chicken Pad Thai, Pork Peanut Satay and Tom Kha soup for delivery. Delivery took over an hour and was cold by the time it reached us. Worse, everything was quite bland, having little flavor and no spice to speak of. The noodles were also cut or broken up prior to cooking, which makes it impossible to spin a bite onto a fork and instead requires you to scoop which then falls off the fork quite often. Quite honestly the worst Thai food I've ever had.
(1)Marc B.
I would agree with the reviewers who talk about how this is a wonderful family-run business that offers such friendly service -- that in and of itself earns it four stars. Not the most authentic Thai food, but definitely the best in the area. Great appetizers.
(4)Andy B.
I've been going to this place for the last 3 yrs. It has been consistently the best in food, price and atmosphere. I do travel for work quite a bit and do make it a habit to check out local Thai restaurants. But they always fell short of Krystal Thai. I'm so glad this place is near my house.
(5)Larry B.
had to knock off a star. on a recent visit the service was very poor and the food seems to have dropped in quality. it was very bland and had to have spice added to make it better. not sure i will return.
(2)K S.
Best Thai food in the area. The service is wonderful and the people who run the restaurant are extremely nice. I like the red curry beef, but I like everything I've ever had there.
(4)Teri P.
The best Thai food around here. The owner is super nice (and knows my name, where I live, and where I work, since he also does the deliveries). The food is outstanding and the prices are reasonable. I love the $7 lunch special that comes with an appetizer and soup, an entree, and a slice of melon at the end. The service is good, the food is fantastic, and the atmosphere is casual but nice. The emptiness of the restaurant worries me, but all the more reason for me to keep going back! I only wish it was open past 9pm.
(5)Sean N.
First off I have to info everyone. This place is awesome. I lived in Okinawa japan for 3+ years. I visited all over and when I was in Thailand for awhile eating at little mom and pop places. This is the place u will find. It's family owned and the father as the cook.y friend and I spent 40 with tip left full and had food to bring home. We had the shrimp crab bag with a tastey dipping sause for starters. My friend had peanut sause with beef and veggies. I had a Bangkok shrimp peppers. The food was amazing. I highly recomend this place to people. For there spice they have 5 levels.My buddy had 3 and I 2. I think mine was hotter but I did have mine on the side so I could mix. I ate it straight. It had a quick bit then all of a sudden the flavors just start popping off in the mouth. I can't wait to try more levels to see what they have. The service was great. I do understand that it was dead but the fact that the whole staff tended to our needs on a constant basis. Like I said before they are family owned. They aim to please. Ok so if u have read this all the way here's the best part. As I was sittig there I see they waitress cleaning the table. Next thing I know I see her running out the door with a sweater in her hand the lady left behind. Now thats why I only eat mom and pop places.
(5)Joey B.
Delicious Duck Noodle soup! I shall return.
(4)Michael S.
I've been here a few times in the past and always liked the food. Came here for lunch this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of food that came with the lunch special. I had Chicken Pad Thai which was a well priced 7 dollars. The special also came with some soup and an appetizer (A piece of Crab Rangoon I believe) which was glazed with a wonderful sweet and sour sauce. The soup was a bit hot for me, but if you like spicy things you will like it. The Pad Thai was delicious and a very good peanuty flavor to it. There was a really good amount of Pad Thai on the plate too, just because the lunch menu is scaled back, doesn't make the amount they give you any scaled back! To finish up they gave you a slice of watermelon and with a check a little piece of fruit candy that was quite good and sweet. I was amazed that this was only 7 dollars! What a big lunch and small on the wallet too! There was so much I had to take the rest home for later. And I will enjoy eating the rest too! I should also mention that every time I have been here it's always pretty quiet if not abandoned. It's a small place inside, but it has a nice clean atmosphere and it always seems like theres not too many other people here. I guess every usually goes to Wild Orchid instead, though I would rather go here instead.
(5)sue c.
Great place, great people. Everything is so fresh and the staff tries so hard to please. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is I think that it might be just a little high priced....not too high, but just a little.
(4)Ashley L.
Was craving some thai food, but the usual place was closed since it's Monday. Was excited to see good reviews for another place close by so decided to give it a try and ordered for carry out. Very expensive in comparison to other local places. Pad thai was so dry and didn't have much flavor. It all stuck together in one massive clump. Ramen probably would have tasted better.
(1)Corryn A.
I've eaten here numerous times and gotten take out as well. I love Thai food, and I do find the noodle dishes to be a bit limited, but people in our dinner parties have asked to switch up noodles with different dishes, and they've been very accommodating. TIP - when dining in, iced tea and soft drinks are not free refills!! (Good way to make money) Between my family, we have sampled almost every dish and rarely are disappointed. The only thing I did not like so far was the pork-wrapped deep fried shrimp. The pork was so dense, it was like meatloaf and I couldn't taste the shrimp at all. Weird. I would call this a fail. I'd also like to know the difference between red, yellow, and green curry, and the menu should also explain why Indian curry is different than Thai curry. Their garlic scallops are fantastic. Cooked perfectly and just the right amount of garlic sauce. You can also ask for brown rice instead of jasmine for a health boost, and their brown rice is delicious!! The owner is super sweet and will stop by your table to chat or help out his servers when they get busy. By the way, the furniture was all hand-carved in Thai and brought here! I don't personally like the fake flowers and the decor is a bit dingy, but it's clean and the food is great. I haven't used the bathrooms, so I don't know how they are. I've also had inconsistency with the heat factor. They'll ask you how much you want on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the hottest. I love heat so when I say 4, I want my mouth to be tingling a bit. I've had 4 and it was so mild and other times I've asked for 4 and my mouth needed a fire extinguisher. The last visit, the owner said it really depends on the dish and he actually recommended a 3 for me based on the dish and it was right on this time. I gave it 4, because it's great for the area, but you can get better in the city. I had Thai in Oak Park and that blew this place out of the water.
(4)Nicole L.
So thrilled to finally find such a great place so close to home! We have been culturally starving since we moved to Crystal Lake 4 years ago... the first thing we saw when we walked in was a great mix of patrons that ranged in race and age... we saw everyone from big midwest families to even a few tattooed hipsters. This is where all the cool people in CL have been hiding! Fabulous, bright, fresh flavors... since we found out about it 5 days ago, we've been here three times. Everything here is fantastic!! Faves are Tom Yum soup, fish cake appetizers, glass noodle salad, beef noodle soup. PS- I mistakenly ordered something "very spicy" since I thought I was hardcore (I put sriracha on everything), but that turned out to be the wrong move for me... I will definitely stay in the medium spicy range with these guys... they do not kid around!!
(5)Lena D.
Tried this place for the first time tonight with the family. Their food is really tasty and a great selection on the menu. Everything we had tasted great and the service was exceptional. Will definitely go back.
(5)Kevin G.
Beautiful original Thai decor. Polite service. I suppose being this far away from major Thai ingredients, it makes originality a bit difficult, but there is no excuse for poor quality. The green curry was watered down, a sign of only cost savings. This dish should also not have corn, lima beans and peas! The heat is derived from crush red pepper used on pizza and the chili's were not Thai. This place is just another example of what Thai's think they can pass off to Americans - sweet, watery, and spicy. In the end, the business will suffer and it's sad to see. They only need to make original Thai food. I ate my food, but I won't return again. Shame.
(2)Nathan S.
Beef pho soup. It's a soup that warms the soul. I like it so much I have not ventured off that dish. In fact, I come here for lunch from work with a few co workers and we ALL get the soup. Make sure you add just enough of the thai chili pepper to get the proper heat for you.
(4)Walter J.
Just had lunch there yesterday and really enjoyed it! I must admit it wasn't the first time I've eaten at Krystal Thai, back before the economy went to hell I used to go out to lunch all of the time and Krystal Thai was one of the places I would frequent often. It was as good as I remember. Even though it's in a strip mall next to TJ Maxx, it is still charming and has a nice atmosphere. Asian art and decoration adorns the dining room as soft, sweet Asian melodies dance through the air. Ok, enough of the fluff. The straight and narrow of Krystal Thai is they have a great lunch special. For $7.95 you get a spring role, a cup of soap, a healthy sized main dish, and afterwards to cleanse your pallet, some fresh fruit. Any of the dishes offered are excellent. I had the curry fried rice with chicken at a spice level of 4- It was excellent. I would also recommend the Thai iced coffee. The owner's English isn't the best but he is an extremely friendly guy and the wait staff has always been friendly and attentive. I definitely recommend Krystal Thai for a tasty lunch treat.
(5)Neil D.
Hands down the best Thai Food I have ever had. Vegetables on my entree were perfect, still crunchy and not soggy. I would definitely go back. Drove 14 miles for this dinner, and it was worth it, very well worth it.
(5)Eric P.
Very good food, pretty high prices, small portions. All in all, the quality of food justifies the price.
(4)Nikki Z.
This is my third experience with Thai food. This is the second time I've had food from Krystal Thai. The first time was take out, this time was dine in. Both times, the food was good. Portion sizes are on the smaller size for entrees. They ask how spicy you'd like your dish using a scale of 1-5, 5 being the spiciest. I ordered the stir fry brocoli w/ beef, and asked for extra meat. My husband ordered spicy garlic w/ beef. The vegetables were cooked perfectly. The beef was tender and moist. The restaurant was not packed, but it was busy. There were 5 other tables. Multiple people were serving us, so we didn't have to really wait long for drinks or the check. We left content, and we plan on getting take out in the very near future!
(4)John M.
Not sure what the positive Pad Thai reviews are all about. This was the worst Pad Thai I've ever had. There was absolutely nothing good about the dish. Among other things, it was way too sweet, had no tang whatsoever, was way too dark in color, and lacked authentic ingredients. I definitely will not get the Pad Thai again and likely will not go back. If you can't do Pad Thai, you likely can't do anything else.
(2)Lyn W.
Yum!
(4)Lauren W.
This has been my only experience with Thai food. So the 5-star description of "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" applies to me, but for the average Yelp reader, you can take this review with a grain of salt. My fiance and I had lunch and dinner out of whack due to the holidays, so we decided to look on Yelp for something new to try. From everyone's recommendations, we decided to go ahead and give this place a try. Granted, we got here at around 4. So it was empty because we're super weird. The staff was extremely friendly and we ordered our dished based on what the Yelp users had suggested. I had the Pad Thai, and it was amazing! I like spicy food, but I was not sure about what level to request, so I chose a 3 out of 5. It was a good amount, but I think I could have gone spicier. My fiance wanted the Bangkok crispy noodles. We shared parts of our dishes, and we decided that both were great, but we both liked the Pad Thai better. All in all, I loved my experience, maybe it would be more lively at night. Or I can do take-out
(5)Tommy C.
After reading some reviews we decided to give this place a try since Thai Bistro down the street had closed (very good place by the way a shame to see it go). After being seated quickly and having our waters filled it took another 10 minutes before our teenaged waitress came to take our order while clearly hating her job. It was a Saturday night about 730 and there was only about 5 other tables seated but seemed to have a lot of takeout business. Took awhile for our waitress to walk around to the other employees to find someone of age that was willing to get me a beer and make my wifes drink. After the tables to either side of us had been served, eaten and were cleared our app. finally came out. A slimey, cold spring roll with what appeared to be a spam like pork product in it. This was the last time we saw our waitress at our table only to catch a glimpse of her putting her coat on to leave. Our dinners were mediocre at best. Some small pieces of meat and some veggie scraps in a variety of flavorless brown sauces. We were finally able to get the gentleman I'd refer to as the bus boy to clear our table and bring us the check. Sat for another 10min waiting for someone to take the check, but ended up waiting in the takeout line to pay so we could get out of there. Don't think we'll be back
(1)Jason G.
This place has always been a family favorite. My parents are known to frequent every couple of weeks. My wife and I join when we can. Each time we enter the door we are greeted with big smiles. I love the fact that it is easy to get a seat, but surprised that such a wonderful gem of a restaurant isn't getting more patrons. We always start with an order of the spring rolls, which are great and a perfect start for a party of 4. They have Sing Hi (sp?) beer which is a must for my Dad and me each time. My favorite is the Rama noodles (chicken). As with all dishes here, you need to inform the server of the spice level you prefer because if you don't you might be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised. I would and do recommend this as a must try in McHerny County. This is a perfect place to stop before or after a good TJ Max shop with Mom & wife ;)
(3)Lindsey E.
I would say I was pleasantly surprised by this place! My husband wanted to go here and for some reason I had it in my head that it was not going to be as good as our other favorite Thai place. It was clean inside, nice and calm, and the menu had a bunch to choose from. I was super happy with what I ordered (Basil Veggies) and there was great portion sizes. We will be back here again and will likely not be making the trek all the way out to our other place since it is not as close and this place is just as good.
(4)Christine V.
Solid choice for Thai food in Crystal Lake. This is a quiet, small restaurant in a strip mall on Route 14. They have fairly large portions and keep the water coming! Seriously, my glass was never NOT full. And it is needed for how spicy my husband likes his Thai food. When asked "how spicy?" he says.. "if the scales is out of 5 peppers, I want 6 peppers".. he wants the heat!! And normally, I get annoyed when people say things like "110%" or "20 out of 10" .. those measurements are NOT possible. just give it a 100% or 10 out of 10... But he's my husband so he's still cute when he says it :) End rant. That felt good. Anyways, we have had a good variety of their main dishes. Everything from red curry with chicken to beef and basil, tom yum soup, pork dumplings, I have even had their crispy fried catfish over spicy peppers, yummy! They offer brown rice as well as white rice and the rice is so comforting when sauce is poured over it... They do lunch as well, and it has never disappointed.
(4)Nick G.
This is the best Thai food I've had in the northwest suburbs. The strip mall setting next to a Good Will maybe leaves a little to be desired, but inside its very nicely decorated and the food is outstanding. Green curry and pad thai are always very good. They have outstanding drunken noodles here too.
(4)Jody P.
My husband and I have ordered takeout and eaten at the restaurant, we had a great experience, it's so nice to enjoy food from a place that actually has spicy food!! Plenty of food comes with the meal too!! It's a little expensive for the whole family, but not bad for two.
(4)Jessie K.
I love this place. I have been going here for years. My ex and I even went here for our anniversary dinners. Their food never disappoints. The staff is always great and the owner is always there to make sure you're happy. One time, when we ordered for delivery, it was storming very badly out and the owner himself delivered the food to us. It's great to see such a hands-on and caring management. I love how they cook their tofu here and they always have such yummy and fresh tasting food. The only problem I can see is with how popular they have gotten, the service has gotten a bit slower and frustrating. But it's well worth the wait. They also need to stock up on thier mango ice cream. They tend to be out of it a lot when we ask for it. But the green tea ice cream is good as well.
(5)Mike O.
I go to this place at least once a week. I get serious cravings for Krystal Thai. The lunch deals are very good. For about $8 you get an appetizer (usually soup or salad) an egg roll and a large portioned meal which comes with white rice. The dinner entrees are also great. Very large portions and a large menu. I recommend this place to all my friends and I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about it.
(5)Michael F.
This place is normally great but the last time and now tonight awful. I'm Irish and could cook Thai food better than the stuff that was survived. 3 peanuts in my pathai 3 peanuts. Place was great before we're going to give it more try.
(2)The Decide R.
We ordered a very large take out order, well over $150. They went over the entire order before we left. When we arrived home and sorted out the boxes we were missing an entree and an appetizer, so we called them. The missing dishs were understandable, it was a large order. What is not understandable is how the employees argued with us on the phone over the missing dishes. Piss poor service for wanna be Thai. I will never spend another dime at this restaurant.
(1)Franklin D.
Still nice decor, smooth music playing. Same family running the place. I hung out and watched a Bears game here with the waiter-dood one last year when I was there for lunch. Good times. Anyway I decided I would come back and bump this place up one star since tonight when I was walking in to pick up my volcano rice and spring rolls, what did I see on their door? Why, a Yelp sticker of all things! How cool is that?
(5)Rich A.
6-2011 AND 9-2011 Believe this used to be a BBQ restaurant when I lived here in Crystal Lake about 6 years ago. This is a very nice, traditionally Thai decorated restaurant that looks very different than the external strip mall view. Inside, is very yummy Thai food and great appetizers. My lovely wife had the Pad Thai, which was exceptional, and I had chicken basil stir-fry. Quite tasty! I wish that I lived closer. First went there in June, and then just went back in September.. Five stars both times!!!
(5)David B.
I have eaten here twice. To be fair, both times have been on Valentine's day, randomly-- and both times the service has been really bad. The food has been really good, so I hate to knock them this much, but I probably won't return. Last night: One of the waitresses (we had three or four at our table during the night) was visibly frustrated due to the heavy volume of customers and definitely gave off the vibe that she didn't want to be there. After ordering, we waited a somewhat long time for our food, but this is understandable because they were swamped. At one point, they were clearing our appetizer plates and my girlfriend's fork was on her plate, the waitress told her to remove her silverware and told her to use it for her entree too-- not really an issue, but it was odd that the waitress did make it an issue. After finishing, all four waitresses disappeared, and it took us about 15-20 minutes to get the check because they were so busy. We finally had to walk up to the front in order to pay. Totally awkward. In addition to this, they had apparently promised a huge number of takeout orders without realizing that they didn't have an army of cooks. So, throughout the entire meal, there was a group of about a half dozen to a dozen people standing in the small entranceway, angry and complaining loudly about the fact that their take-out orders were hours late. True, if this owner would have told customers that they had a 2-3 hour wait for takeout or a 2-3 hour wait to be seated for a table, they most likely would have purchased their food from another location that night (myself included). But it probably wouldn't take me a year to return. Anyway, the food was good, but I can't be bothered to review it.
(2)Debbie A.
A friend and I went here based on a few good reviews from friends. After seated the waiter got our drink order. A couple of their "specials" cocktails. The fact that it took 15 minutes to get our cocktails when there was only two other tables seated in the restaurant was beyond me. And when we did receive our drinks they were so nasty I could barely drink it. We ordered a shrimp salad and again waited too long than it should have taken. The shrimp wasn't even cooked!!! I was appalled! I immediately waived the server over and complained because if eaten, we could have gotten very sick! I also told him the drinks were sub par and hardly worth what they cost. I told him that we were not going to eat the salad and we wanted the check. We paid for our drinks and left. We will NEVER come back here again!
(1)Brian M.
The food and service was excellent. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone.
(5)Bill S.
I really like this place I have eaten there numerous times , My only complaint is the water has a foul taste and the tea made from the water tastes bad also , when you look at the carafe of water it is not crystal clear, its like it is well water or something but they need to invest in a water purifier or something. The food is wonderful though the service is always friendly The seating and furniture is not the most comfortable but the food is excellent Rich A the BBQ restaurant was next door this place use to be called Sari Thai 3 6 years ago Brian James : So you went there with an invalid coupon and complain about them for not honoring it ? Why you where in the wrong to begin with . thats just rude
(4)Susan S.
The suburbs aren't known to be a mecca for ethnic dining. So when you do find a non-chain restaurant with good food, it's worth noting. I've lived in this area for over 10 years and I can say without a doubt that Krystal Thai is as good as it gets for Thai food in McHenry County. Are there better Thai restaurants than this in the city? Yes, but even so, Krystal Thai could hold its own against many of them. The restaurant is nothing special to look at -- just a strip mall storefront. The food, however, is fresh, flavorful and plentiful. I don't think I've ever had a bad meal from this place. The spring rolls are fresh and crispy; the curry dishes are all good (and contain more veggies than many other Thai restaurants' versions -- but that's fine with me), and the ginger chicken and pad khee mao are also favorites. You can choose your level of spiciness on a scale of 1 to 5; I usually prefer "3" for a pretty spicy, but not painful, dining experience. For dessert, I strongly recommend the mango and sticky rice and the bubble tea lattes. I usually get carryout, but service has always been quick and friendly, and they never seem to get an order wrong. Prices are neither high nor low; they're about average for this area.
(4)Adam R.
Wife and I went for the lunch special and we were pleasantly surprised. For $7.95 we each got 1 appetizer, 1 soup and 1 entree. The appetizer and soup were pre-selected for the lunch special. The day we went they were a veggie spring roll and a chicken and rice soup. Both very delicious. I had the yellow curry and the wifepiece had the stir fried basil. My curry was really good, very flavorful, with plenty of peppers, carrots, and bamboo shoots. Wife enjoyed the stir fried basil. I tried it, but was too busy devouring my curry to give her plate more than the obligatory taste. Their Thai iced tea was good and the hot tea came in a nice sized pot for the wife. The lunch special runs from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday (I believe.) Before you go check out their website, krystalthai.com for coupons We'll definitely go back for lunch again.
(4)Dori N.
Excellent Thai food- Not very spicy, but it still hits the spot. Many choices of vegetarian options- 7 wonders is a fabulous dish. Service is always quick, and the atmosphere is always mellow. If I get Thai food it is from Krystal Thai.
(5)Candice J.
Went there on Sunday with my girlfriend for lunch. The Tom Yum soup taste like water. The waiter was so rude - when he took our order, I told him that we already put in the Tom Yum order, after he asked my girlfriend, and he turned to me and asked what about you? I told him again, I said the Tom Yum soup is my order. He made me uncomfortable for making us feel that we don't order enough. So overall, service was bad and my Tom Yum soup tasted like water. I actually have my own fave Thai restaurant nearby my house that has very yummy Tom Yum soup. So no star for this one.
(1)Cristina W.
Generous portions on their lunch combos for a sweet price. Appetizer is included with every meal (dine-in or take-out) My go-to was always the Beef Panang Curry!
(3)Tim M.
trying to find a place open for our family Christmas eve dinner so i called here to find out how late/if they are open Christmas eve. it was like a fight to get a simple yes/no answer. all he wanted to talk about was the size of our party which i couldn't answer because our family is from all over chicagoland. if this joint is open til 10pm that means everybody is coming. if this joint is only open til 7pm only part of the family can make it. the guy who answered the phone spoke in broken english and apparently listened in broken courtesy as he would ask a question and then talk over me when i tried to answer him. finally i just said okay, i guess you can't help me; we'll find another place for our dinner. he laughed and tried making some snide comment. some people are their own worst enemies. i won't call there ever again. tried their food years ago and wasn't impressed but thought i might give them another chance. he made it clear in my mind i'll never try them again, not that he'd even let me. lol!
(1)George H.
I wish Yelp would let us do half stars...if they did Krystal Thai would get 4.5 from me. We have been there three times in the past few months and are looking forward to our next visit soon. We have had a variety of entrees ranging from Pad Thai to Panang Chicken and all have been wonderful. In fact, the Panang was notable in the fact that they do not use the thick, gloppy peanut butter sauce that many Thai restaurants resort to. Their Panang sauce is still wonderfully flavored, though. But for my wife and I, the one item we order every time is the Thai Escargot. YUM!!!! Yes, I know escargot are snails - but get over it...it's a mind thing once you taste them you'll forget about it. But back to the dish...They are served on a clay dish with a series of indentations where the escargot sit and are covered in a coconut milk/garlic/red curry 'broth' and topped with fresh basil. They are then covered in what could be best described as clay 'teepees' until they are cooked. They bring it out with delicious garlic toast (we usually ask for a second plate of the bread - wasting the sauce would be a sin). YUM!!! I am drooling just thinking about these right now and it is only 8:45am! As others have said, it sits in a nondescript strip mall next to a TJ Maxx - don't let that dissuade you - this is one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever gone to.
(4)Brandy B.
Amazing Thai food! Best crab rangoon I've ever had!! Tom Yumm was as good as I've ever had and the mussemon curry was a bit surprising with pineapples in it but it was sooooo good, especially since there was no problem modifying it for me. The staff is super nice and food came out in perfect time. We will definitely be back to the restaurant though we may "attempt" to do a deliver some time since they said they deliver in our area all the time. (Cary High School/Three Oaks). Deliveries "they said" takes 30-45 min to our area...we'll see I guess. I'm an optimist so I'll wish for the best on that one. Pad Thai the man got was huge and he loved it too. Ordered basic chicken fried rice for the teen and she enjoyed it as well..no complaints and that's an accomplishment. So happy to find even better Thai locally then we had before!!
(4)Rob H.
This is actually a mixed review, so I'm going with an average overall rating. We ordered crab rangoons as an appetizer, based on other users feedback. They were excellent-very crispy, and light, not greasy at all. I dare say, that might be actual crab meat in there. And the noodles were fresh, not frozen before they were cooked. For entrees, we had Chicken Panang Curry, Tofu Pad Thai, and Crispy Fried Snapper with a pepper sauce. The Panang curry was a little bland, and had some distinctly untypical ingredients - corn, peas, and green beans. It was better when we added hot sauce to up the heat and flavor. The Tofu pad thai was similarly bland. It was prepared with far too much sweet, and lacking the sour tang, distinctive savory fish sauce, and no detectable spiciness at all. Also missing were the traditional lime wedge, sprouts, and peanut garnish. The final entree was the best of the three we ordered. Market price ($23.99) the fried red snapper was served whole crispy fried in a very light coating, that barely deserves to be called a batter. The sweet and sour base sauce had a hint of spiciness that went well with the mild fish. The fish was cooked very well, and was absolutely delicious. Summary: Appetizer, crab rangoons and entree crispy fried red snapper delicious 4-5 stars. Pad Thai and Panang Curry entree very bland 2 stars. Service was good. Atmosphere was a bit off due to the large hip 20-ish birthday bash, that was very rowdy, in what appears to be normally a quiet restaurant. Since this restaurant is a 20 minute drive and Toom Toom Thai is closer and better, IMHO, I won't be back.
(3)Audrey C.
My boyfriend and I came upon this place by getting completely lost on the way from a wedding nearby. We were hungry and it was late; we needed vegan options and were about to settle for eating Taco Hell when we saw this lone Thai place in a strip mall. We looked in and there were a few tables of patrons so we decided it was better than nothing. It was decorated with traditional tapestry and furniture and although it looked like they were closing for the night, the host graciously took us in. We had the pad thai and the curry and it was fresh and so worth it. Kudos for the shy, but very friendly waitress and the freshness of everything we had. I'll never be in the area again, but if I ever were in a 20 mile radius of this place, I'd gladly come back.
(4)Joe Z.
got delivery when lamai thai closed it's doors, they actually delivered to my house 5 miles away! Broadest selection of thai I've ever seen on a menu, yellow curry chicken was great, beef salad was great, spring rolls pretty good. The owner is very nice on the phone and in person, now I gotta actually go into the restaurant to check it out (and get some dessert) Update: dined in a couple times. Atmosphere is nice, still same good food. Have tried a few other dishes, all very tasty (especially the alligator). For dessert they have the usual sweet rice with peaches which I love.
(5)nicole h.
It absolutely kills me to write a negative review about this place. The food is ALWAYS fantastic. Nick, the owner, is the most accommodating, professional restauranteur I know. That said, two nightmare delivery experiences warranted a review update. In short: I encourage you to eat Krystal Thai. It's delicious. But ALWAYS order for pick up. NEVER order for delivery. The past two times we've ordered for delivery, our order came excessively late (I'm talking 2+ hours wait time). The first nightmare experience entailed an excessive wait, dinner at 9:15...but my husband couldn't join us in eating because he had to help the delivery kid break into his car because he had locked his keys in his car. Yes, I'm serious. The second nightmare experience entailed said kid taking over two hours to arrive (no excuse this time because he'd surely been here at least 3 times prior). When my husband went to the door and peeked out the window he found the kid dumping sauce from the spilled bags all over our driveway. Seriously? Nick has apologized and compensated us. He has assured us that the notorious delivery driver no longer works there. But it's still going to take a giant leap of faith to get everyone on board to order from here again...
(2)Ben K.
Bastardizing "Crystal" Lake with a K and placing your thai restaurant in a desolately empty strip mall is not exactly the beginning of the recipe for a solid thai place. However Krystal Thai manages to serve up a pretty delicious thai meal. The red curry chicken and the basil noodle were a hit (surprisingly average cashew chicken though) and the gyoza were great as well. Edamame was pretty plain and boring. I can't imagine myself in desperate need of thai food while rollin down route 14 at any time in the predictable future. But if I were, I wouldn't hesitate to come back here.
(4)Crystal L.
A while back, I wrote about take out food from the Krystal Thai Restaurant. Well, I went there the other day to dine in and my experience was far less than pleasant. My biggest gripe was the waitress. She made it so apparent that she did not like her job and that she did not want to be there. I thought that she might be having an off day, but when I talked to my parents, they said that she was the same way when they went there as well. Even for take out, she isn't a pleasant person either. I think that she is a part of the family that owns the place. If she is, that is too bad, she is really hurting the business. I won't go back and dine in there again. Anyway, for an appetizer, we had Tempura, which is calamari, shrimp and mixed vegetables deep-fried in a batter. It was pretty good, but the only problem was we only got one piece of calamari and two shrimp, that stunk. The main dish was pretty good. I did like the fact that I could order my dish at my own hotness level. The problem being is they use jalapenos to kick up the spice. The bad thing about jalapenos, you get a bust of hotness that scorches your taste buds. This is a poor method to use and doesn't make the taste of the dish constant. The dessert was good but not fantastic. When had Baby Banana Rolls, which is pieces of banana rolled in a pastry and deep-fried and topped with strawberries or chocolate. The chocolate was just Hersey's syrup, from a bottle, nothing special. Overall, I might get take out again from here, but I don't think I will try dine in again. I know I sound picky, but in the modern day economy, with the costs being so high, if you spend $50 for dinner you expect decent food and at the very least, friendly service. If restaurants want to stay in business, they need to be on top of those issues.
(2)Jennifer G.
There are a few places to get Thai food in this area, and this is by far the best. They have what I could consider to be more authentic Thai food than most of their competitors. The restaurant itself is a little deceiving as far as appearances go, but don't be deterred, it's definitely a diamond in the rough. The staff is a little...well, colorful, but they are nice (which I believe is integral to running a business) and they serve up good food at fair prices. We have eaten in the restaurant, picked up, and had delivery...yes, they deliver, which is nice, and so far, I have not had any issues with their delivery. Their menu is pretty self explanatory but the one thing that is not done nearly enough justice is the Stuffed Chicken Wing appetizer...order it and you'll see why. I give it four stars instead of five because if you order meat ie: chicken/beef/pork with any of the noodle dishes, they are a little skimpy and you have to order "extra" meat at $1.50 to get what I would consider an adequate amount. All in all, a great place to go for any Thai food lover.
(4)Cora G.
It was good! The portions are on the smaller size for the price. We ordered take out, based on the reviews we knew not to ask for delivery or eat-in. We got Volcano Fried Rice #3 spicy, Red Curry #3 spicy w/ chicken and Pad See Ewe (#61) #3 spicy and free Crab Rangoon because of a coupon on their website. It was good food. The spice was just right for the Volcano Fried Rice and the Pad See Ewe, but the Red Curry was more spicy. Which is typical for Thai Food. We always have problems with the spice level in different dishes at a single thai restaurant. The one item that we did not like was the crab Rangoon. It was chewy, greasy and dried crab mixture in the middle. I wouldn't get it again. I'm glad we tried this place.
(4)Brian S.
When I want Thai I go here knowing that I am going to have a great meal. The inside takes a bit of getting used to but all in all you get the feeling that someone tried their best but maybe didn't quite exactly know how to design a restaurant to be a comfortable dinner place. I find the chairs to be too upright to actually be comfortable. The staff are always friendly and happy to help. The food though is always spectacular and delicious. My favorites are of course pad Thai. Spicy crazy noodles. Basil friend rice. Tom yum soup made spicy. Yum neau a beef salad. Nam sad chicken salad. Spicy chili garlic. I do take-out from here as much as I dine in, as for me it is as nice to bring Thai home as eating it out...and sometimes I order more as having the left-overs the next day is something that I look forward to. I have introduced several friends to Thai food in general here and additionally to Krystal Thai they have all loved their food and become new Thai food addicts. If you want a cocktail the owner will do his best to please your particular taste.
(4)Capt Ron L.
Took my wife here for the first time on Valentines day, then again this past weekend. Valentines day was busy, but that was expected. The food is consistantly good and the price is reasonable. They don't have an experienced bartender, so it may take a bit for your drinks. Ranks as one of the best Thai places in the area.
(4)Linda E.
We've ordered delivery from Krystal Thai twice now and am very excited to have found their food to be very good! Our first order was in the evening (prime time!) on a Thursday. Delivery took about 45 minutes, but we knew to expect it since when we ordered they told us 45 min to 1 hour. We ordered enough in advance to not care if it took the hour! We had a very tasty cucumber salad to start. Very light and good. My DH had a VERY SPICY fried rice (he loves spicy!) and I had a medium spicy fried rice. Both were perfect if not a little hotter than we expected since we are completely 'into' spicy food. It's a nice change to have a spicy dish arrive when you ask for it! We also tried the sweet sticky rice and were disappointed as it was a little dried out. If this was my first try at sticky rice I would never order it again! Thankfully it was not! Second delivery time was mid afternoon and delivery was very fast, and pleased to say EVERYTHING was yummy once again! Glad to have such a great thai restaurant in the burbs!
(4)Dale Z.
One of our favorite places in the area. The owner knows us by name and is always nice and smiling. The food is always consistent and amazing. We always do the Spicy Crazy Noodles and the egg rolls, and I like the chicken and jasmine rice soup too. This is a must try of Crystal Lake
(5)Kharry D.
OMG this restaurant is so good. I used to oder food for delivery never had any complaints and today our whole family went there for lunch. The restaurant is so cute. We were sitting next to the window this will be my favorit place to sit. The service was good and the food was delicious. We all loved Tom Yum soup. I enjoyed Shrimp Bankok style. My husband said that that he had the best crab rangoons ever. And we all enjoyed home made ice cream. Thank you Krystal Thai for the good time we spent there. PS: quick note for the owner : I wish that the bathrooms would be cleaner.
(5)Andrew K.
I love this restaurant. The owner is so nice, and the food is really great. They are extremely vegetarian friendly. I have been going here for at least 5 or 6 years, and I cannot imagine anything stopping me short of moving out of the area.
(5)Scott N.
By far the best Thai food & service in the area. The owner has gone out of his way to help us several times. My favorite dish is the Mussaman Curry, but the Red Curry is also good. Make sure to try a bubble tea when your there.
(5)Jason G.
Good service, watch out for medium spicy it's actually hot! Other than that very good food.
(4)H F.
Tried this twice within 1 week. Food was good. Things that weren't spicy seemed to lack flavor. Happy that they will make everything vegetarian. Tried the deep fried tofu, very bland. Yellow curry with chicken was good. Would have loved to see tons of onions in it. Not the biggest fan of the peas and lima beans in everything. Will be going back here. Need to try more food!
(4)Paul A.
Their curry doesn't disappoint. Best thai food in crystal lake.
(4)Ryan H.
It was dinner hour on a Monday night when we walked in to Krystal Thai to find the restaurant devoid of any patrons. Ordinarily, an empty restaurant is a signal to run like hell, however, upon cursory inspection, the restaurant appeared meticulously clean and inviting so we decided to stay. We were promptly seated upon beautifully carved (and heavy) wooden chairs and ordered drinks and a couple appetizers. The spring rolls and stuffed chicken wings were outstanding. Not wanting to be too adventurous, I ordered a simple yellow curry with chicken. The other guests in my party ordered a pineapple fried rice (served in a grilled pineapple), and some other dish I do not recall. The curry left me in a bit of a quandry. I was expecting an over the top spicy curry but instead the curry was oddly sweet. It was actually quite good, just not the spicy curry that I am used to. Slices of chicken, onion, bell pepper, peas and what I think was maybe soybeans completed the dish. The flavor was good however and the jasmine rice complimented the dish nicely. The service was excellent, although menu substitutions were decidedly not allowed. After seeing the completely empty restaurant for a good 90 minutes, I was excited at the possibility that my Yelp review would be a "First". Imagine my surprise when I saw that Krystal Thai had already been reviewed 16 times. I was worried for a while thinking that Krystal Thai might be on their way to the grave, but I'm glad to see that people actually go there because the food is quite good. On the way out, I picked up a copy of their to-go menu (printed on nice, heavy stock), and I was delighted to see lunch specials from $6.95. This restaurant will definitely be on my short list when I'm jonesing for some decent Thai food.
(4)Lynn C.
Nice atmosphere, food is good, the staff is friendly. I would return here to try more menu items.
(3)Sarah C.
A few weeks ago we got a coupon for Krystal Thai and thought we'd give them a try. I called to place an order and they asked if they could call back in 5 minutes but they never did. On wednesday we thought we'd give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a try again. We ordered for pick up. Panag Curry and Rama chicken with a crab rangoon app. I had to wait a few minutes to be served which I didn't mind because it was busy and I understand. My order came up and I paid. I thought it was kind of pricey for what we ordered, almost $30. When we got home ready to dig in my husband's curry didn't come with any rice and both dishes were super watery and the portion sizes were small. The flavor of the food wasn't bad just the overall presentation was poor which was a huge disappointment. The crab rangoon was cold and didn't have much flavor. We won't be back.
(1)Taylor O.
Strip mall Thai abounds in the suburbs and it thrives. Outside it is under construction and I only noticed it coming out of TJ Maxx but I peeked in to see some wonderful wood work on the chairs and bars which seemed to indicate a quality establishment. The satay chicken appetizer, a Thai necessity, was good as usual, fried and tender. I tried a Honey Dew bubble tea and had a Singha beer; overkill I know but if you're not paying go for it. Evil Jungle shrimp was my entree and I asked for 4 out 5 on the spicy scale. It was a 2.75 on my subjective spicy scale rating. However, it was delicious! Why do Thai restaurants give me Tootsie Rolls instead of mints?
(4)Maria L.
Went there yesterday with my girls, grandma and mom. The food for the grown ups was fine, but my girls were picking at their meals, my oldest who loves rice and is not too fond of veggies, was picking all the veggies from her kids fried rice and eating only that and the chicken, she did not eat any of her rice. When we were done I told my mom we wouldn't need a leftover box for my daughters food, because I didn't think they had really liked their food. So my mom decides to try the kids fried rice, because the color was different from the fried rice she had ordered, she said it was horrible. When a waitress approached our table to ask if everything was ok, we told her about the rice, then she brought along a man who I'm guessing was the owner, and we again told him about the rice. His answer the kids fried rice is made with ketchup!!!! I have tried many Thai restaurants and NEVER have I seen fried rice made with ketchup, he stated "kids love ketchup on their fired rice".....really? Well my kids don't, it didn't state on the menu that it was made with ketchup, because if it had we would not have ordered it! Now any other restaurants would have comped that meal, he did not even offer to do that. Yes he did offer to make something else, but by then we were ready to just go home, and forget about the awful experience.
(2)Pete S.
Comfortable and nicely decorated dining room. Very friendly and helpful staff!! Good portion size. Thai iced tea is refreshing. Unfortunately, the chicken was dry almost tasteless in Pad Thai. Beef is better. Overall flavors are decent, but not particularly memorable. Would recommend for a casual meal if you are in the area.
(3)Isaac P.
Wow, I have no idea what the other bad reviews are talking about. This is as good as it gets when it comes to Thai food! Way better than any other suburban chain could cough up. An its very hidden in a big empty strip mall. You would have no idea from the outside that this place is this good! The service was very friendly and prompt that almost makes you fell like your at home. So, as the suburbs go, this is the most authentic it as it gets!
(5)Jillian S.
Best Thai in Crystal Lake if you ask me. I used to be a Wild Orchid fan, but now I'd say I'd pick Krystal Thai over Wild Orchid. Portions are bigger and in my opinion, more reasonably priced. The egg rolls are crispy but not greasy, the cucumber salad is fresh and refreshing, and their soups and noodles are always perfectly spiced. This place rivals any Thai place I've visited in the city, and that's saying a lot, trust me.
(4)Melissa b.
There are 2 Thai restaurants in CL and this is definitely our favorite. Nice ambiance, great service, reasonable prices and delicious food. I've tried many things on the menu, and they have all been wonderful. The veggies are always crisp and tasty, and the noodles cooked perfectly. Their chicken satay is some of the best I've had. Definitely worth a trip.
(4)Dianne R.
Just tried this place for the first time a month ago and we have been back two times since. GREAT food, a full bar menu and the interiors are done very well. Classy Asian decor. Absolutely loved the food. As good as any Thai food I have had in the Chicago area!!!!!
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