Good food descent price. Ordered my all time favorite- spicy basil fried rice. I can give it a solid 6. Warning, this dish is hot! Taste was good, the rice was a tad bit dry. Portion was alright for $8 but I can generally get it for about $6.
(4)
Steve W.
Staying at the HGI in Schaumburg I found that Thai Pepper fit the bill for a tasty meal to take back to the room for the usual business travel dinner of eat & e-mail. Stopped by there at 8:45, & had the Tom Kha Kai which was really good and Pad Thai which was just OK, but with 15 minutes to closing I felt some pressure to order easy - this from myself, not from the owners. Based on the tasty soup I think that I'd try one of the curries next time and then move on to the rest of the menu. If I were driving by here on my way home every day I could probably find at least a year's worth of reasons to stop. Once again thanks to Mobile Yelp! Download it to your phone and you"ll never have to eat chain food again!
(4)
Edzellou A.
The food here is good, however if you don't like waiting for awhile, this is not the place. My husband and I out ordered our lunch over the phone and they said it will be ready by 20mins when we got there to pick it up we still have to wait for another 20mins. come on that's why we call to order that way when we pick it up it's at least almost ready. All they can say is "Oh sorry we're busy", and we're not? That's why we order take out!
(3)
Mike G.
Best pad-Thai I can find from a carry out restaurant in the area.
(5)
Palak Q.
Fantastic food. The hostess always customizes my meal, and I like the personal touch. I order the pad thai and the pad siew everytime I go there. The food tastes fresh and amazing. I just think they need to work on their customer service. More English speaking people needed.
(5)
Maren B.
I know I'm going to go back anyway... but I was not impressed. Is this really authentic Thai food??? I got the pad thai and the noodles had the thickness and texture of angel hair. Plus they packed it into a tiny container. I don't mind getting a little extra bang for my buck, but why not just use a bigger dish if you're going to give that much food? That way everything doesn't get smashed into a noodle nugget. Even the sauce was not as good as I expected, and the onion shavings sprinkled on top did exactly nothing for me. I also got the crab rangoon, which I'm not sure if they completely cooked because the filling was just a little... chunkier than I expected. I think pad thai and crab rangoons are two of the basic things that should be delicious whether you're actually in Thailand or dining at a place like Panda Express, so I was shocked when Thai Pepper proved me wrong. I wanted it to be my secret hole-in-the-wall-next-door for awesome Thai food, but I guess I will have to settle for its mediocrity until I venture to another spot.
(2)
Brandon F.
I know people love to write reviews and say, "I could eat at restaurant XYZ every day of the week," but do they ever actually do it? I mean, I COULD quit my job and run for president, but will I actually do it? ...maybe next year. Well, when I was remodeling my kitchen, I DID eat at Thai Pepper Carryout EVERY. DAY. It's fantastic. Get the Pad Kee Mao.
(4)
Maria A.
Fried chicken wings amazing. Drunken noodles not so much.
(3)
Apara W.
Food is good, packing sucks. Tried curry noodles, will be back. Pretty average price.
(4)
Nita W.
I went to Thai Pepper for my lunch three days in a row. First day I had their beef pad see ewe, YUM. Second day I had their beef pad kee mao - I wish they had put more noodles in there, but with how much veggies they put in the dish, I couldn't complain. Third day I had their beef spicy basil - I could really taste the basil and I loved it! Many restaurants don't go as bold. In fact, I just finished eating it and felt compelled to yelp about this place. Lunch specials are $6.95 (with tax $7.75) and you'll get an egg roll/crab rangoon (both very delicious!) + rice + soup. The girl who took my order is always so kind and helpful, that means a lot to me. Plus, location is very close to office so I'm seeing a long-term relationship with this place. Love it!
(5)
Andrew K.
I am rating this a 5-star for what it is. I am not saying it is the ultimate Thai food joint, but it is a carry out Thai restaurant. That being said, this place is really good. The food is freshly prepared and flavorful. I typically go a couple times a month for lunch and get their special. The Pad Kee Mao is pretty incredible if you like spicy noodles. I also really like their stuffed chicken wings as well. Truly a hidden gem
(5)
Jenny P.
Sold Thai food, great flavour and value. My fave is their Spring roll, it's light, fresh and yummmy! I love their lunch menu great value for $, I can leave the soup behind, eek it was just hot water with a very strong garlic taste(garlic soup?) For a quick yummy Thai this place does it right. I'll be back again....; o)
(4)
Rubecca S.
Hopeless food. I have ordered from this place twice and its completely pathetic and tasteless food. Try Thai Garden in comparision with this pathetic place youll know the kind of food you eat and money you spent is far better over there. They use frozen food like spring rolls and crab rangoon and just deep fry them as if i cant do that at my home wasting money here!! Serious NO to this place.
(1)
Palak G.
Best carry out Thai food. They should try expanding their space and turn it into a restaurant. Very helpful staff, and would customize your order however you want. I've been buying from them for the last one year, and have never been disappointed. I specially love the lunch special, and the owner always makes me a non-fried spring roll instead of the regular one. I would highly recommend it.
(5)
Carlito B.
Really good and really funny place. The people the own it or run it must be characters but who cares! I LOVE THE flavor and the quality of the food. I always do take out from this place and it's amazing. I know Thai food (for a white fella) and this is just good stuff. Do it!
(5)
Ashwin B.
Great food, reasonable price, carryout only.
(5)
Moala P.
My friends and ordered delivery from Thai Pepper. I had difficulty understanding the woman on the other line and placed my order. She told me it would take 45 minutes, which is unusual for the things that we ordered. We ordered pad thai, spicy basil fried rice, and a beef salad. After a half hour of waiting, Thai Pepper called me and requested my address again in which I gave to them, but the person who took my oder said she had no idea where I lived. After I spent 5 minutes on the phone explaining it to her, she said she would have the driver call me. After one hour went by, I called them back asking the whereabouts of our order. The woman on the other line that I have been communicating with told me that she tried to call me a few times which my phone didn't show any miss calls. Obviously she miswrote my number down. Instead she asked that I call the driver to tell her of my location. I was frustrated at that point. She told me that I needed to get off of the phone so that I can get the other call. I believe nowadays they invented something called, call waiting, which I think she was unfamiliar with. I called the driver in which she said she was circling my apartment and needed to know which door it was. Trying to keep calm, I told the driver for the 6th time, which unit I lived in. I waited for another few minutes, and then the driver called me again to ask which unit I lived in again after I gave her clear instructions in which apartment I lived in. Overall the ordering experience was the worst that I have ever experienced. The actual food: I've had thai food before, and this was not even close to what I've had in the past. I enjoy the taste of Thai food but this was nothing close. The beef salad had so much fish sauce in it that my stomach felt nauseous after eating a few bites. I tried the fried rice, which was not spicy at all, and even that had a bland taste. I had the pad thai today, and overall it wasn't appetizing. The noodles were all stuck together because of how dry they were and there was a sweet taste at the end of each bite. Overall, I will never order food from this place alhtough it was my first time. Maybe Thai Garden will be better. But I would never recommend this place to anyone.
(1)
John K.
The friendly staff and great tasting food with reasonable prices makes this place an excellent choice when you are looking to order carry out. You really can't go wrong with anything in their menu but I always order the Basil Fried Rice!
(5)
Melissa B.
I think they might be under new management. since i just live down the street, i got food from pepper when they first opened. everything was delicious and the portions were big......... it's been about 6 months or so since i was there and last night i ordered food to go. the spring rolls didn't taste as good as i remember. the hot/sour soup was NOT hot/sour. it was some vegetable soup and i was truly disappointed. the pad Thai was still good. i also got the fried banana for dessert. in the past they gave 6 pieces, but i got 5 last night. they didn't taste as good as i remember. they were just ok. they had coconut in them. the menu stated nothing about coconuts and i am not a coconut fan..... maybe it was an 'off' night for the restaurant yesterday, i was disappointed. i also noticed that they raised their prices a bit. not sure if I'll be going back again.
(2)
Renee T.
This is a carry out Thai food... pretty convenience during quick lunch,....Good foods, reasonable price.. I recommend this place.
(5)
Tommy A.
Well here is a place I wish I had in my over 30 years of living in the south burbs, a pretty damn good Thai place. I struggled quite mightily to find one that was even decent in the south burbs, and wouldn't you know pretty much the closest restaurant I live to now is a solid Thai place. With price and everything else factored, I'd probably go 4.5 stars if I could cause Thai pepper is pretty good, especially with the noodle/rice dishes. Some of their fried appetizers are kind of junkie, can't go up to 5 with that going on. Also the help in there kind of bothers me too. They always seem to act helpless when your ordering (and live too, never tried over the phone). One time I had the special of the day basil pad thai, and it completely rocked. So a couple weeks later I order Pad Thai and I asked for them to put basil in it. The girl acted like I was crazy, give me a break, it was on special just a couple weeks ago and basil is like a centerpiece of Thai food. I was also more than happy to pay a couple extra bucks for it. I don't mean to sound knitpicky and rediculous like so many people on here do, but it wasn't the only time the help has given me that confused look my dog gives when the vacuum cleaner goes on. Anyway, stick Pad Thai, Pad See Ewe, Thai Combination Fried Rice, all winners. Great take home option.
(4)
Shiori K.
Well, food was good, but their operation is really chaotic. I placed order one hour prior to it, but after all, I was at the store for half an hour to get a complete order. One lady is taking order in person and phone and doing cashier, so knowing that my order is sitting at the counter, I had to wait for them to take orders. Plus, they did not take my order right. They are completely missing one order even though charging them all. There are some mix up on soup and salad too. One thing I could not believe was they run out of plain rice at lunch. A guy was ask to replace noodles for rice along with sesame chicken. If that was me, I will order some noodle dish instead... Also, for the lunch special you are supposed to be able to pick either egg roll, spring roll, or crab ragoon, but they have only egg roll or crab ragoon. Another thing I did not like was the soup. Broth itself was well made, but they through frozen mixed veggies. In my opinion, that really killed the soup.
(3)
C.S. C.
although they have a table or two, this is definitely a carry out place. first off, great food at great prices for lunch. when i usually want something asian, whether chinese, thai, japanese or korean, i look at the $6-8 range. this place for lunch def. fits in that range. 1. basil chicken - really flavorful. got to have it with ground chicken. the dish was very tasty and well seasoned. i think i poured every bit of sauce into my rice cause i didn't want to waste a drop. excellent dish. 2. green curry - what i love about this dish is that it has a great kick after you take a bite. i am not sure if it is some kind of thai pepper or jalepeno, but i love the heat after taking a bite. there is just the right amount of coconut milk, not too much and not too little. there were plenty veggies and meat. 3. drunken noodles - again, great flavor and great heat. the noodles were cooked properly and there were plenty of ingredients in the dish. my only hope was that there was a little bit more food. there is a place in arlington heights called gumrai thai that just kills it in terms of portions although the food itself can be hit or miss in terms of taste. i know most places cannot match the quantity of gumrai thai, but a little more would be nice. 4. pad thai - this is kind of disappointing. a staple dish for all thai places but the one here was a bit flavorless, bland and dry. tried to eat it and tried to like it, but this one fell short compared to the other three dishes. the veggie soup that comes with the lunch special is nothing to write home about. it is almost so bad in concept, they can even save a buck and not serve it. however, in terms of rice, you are offered either white steam rice or basic fried rice at now extra charge which is always a plus. overall, great bargain for the quality of food you receive.
While I've had better, this place is definitely much better than it looks. For the price and location, I'm a repeat customer. Their service is never rude and food is usually pretty consistent, which is difficult to say especially with spice preferences...
(4)
Troy K.
We ordered for take out. We had never ordered here before and didn't have a menu. We couldn't understand the lady on the phone so we went with the family meal and just got the orange chicken. Picked up the food and the people there were great. A guy helped me bring my food to my car. It was 4 degrees out so that was really nice. The food itself was really good. There was enough food in the family meal to feed about 7 people. All in all a good experience and we are looking forward to seeing what else they have to offer.
(4)
Allegra M.
One of the best places to eat authentic thai food!!! Their pad thai is one of the best dishes i have ever tasted and everyone needs to try it!
(5)
Lisa S.
Love ordering delievery here they're pretty quick & fast the food is delicious. My fav so far
(5)
Karen K.
I've gone here a total of 4 times so far and they have messed up my order each time so check your orders before leaving! The thai food is pretty sub-par but I will go here bc it's super close to my job. Staff is fairly friendly and service is quick. pad thai: ok spring rolls: Didn't seem that fresh. I've had spring rolls that I really enjoyed but these were just ok crab rangoon: good but who doesn't love fried things? hot and sour soup: so disappointed. didn't taste like normal hot and sour soup pad see ewe: super greasy cheap(er) lunch specials so i will come here again
(3)
Tamra G.
My husband and I used to order carry out from Thai Pepper all the time before we moved out of the area a few years ago. I remember the food as being pretty good, overall. On a whim, I was in the neighborhood and dropped by to grab lunch to take home with me. When I drove up I was a bit surprised that it was more of a hole-in-the-wall strip-mall type of restaurant, and walking through the door confirmed that (my husband was always the go-to for pick-up, hence my ignorance). When I walked in, I should have immediately turned around and left without ever ordering. I was greeted by an almost stomach-turning (rancid mop-ish?) smell. But, given we'd had good food here several times before, I really wanted to hold out before judging. --Maybe I caught them on a bad day. Looking around me though, my second cue to leave was that the place wasn't very clean. The floor was filthy, and the surfaces of the (few, small) tables looked questionable. Sit down here to eat, ever? HELL no. Another cue was that there were two employees plus the owner (?) sitting down eating when I came in. The "chef" and owner both got up to service my order, but the owner had been sniffling as he was eating (sure, could have simply been a hot meal...or...a cold, flu, etc.), and *I don't recall* seeing either him or the "chef" wash their hands before handling my food. As for the owner, I didn't see him do this after finishing our transaction at the cash register either. Unfortunately, all of that wasn't the worst of my experience. Surprise. I got sick after eating my basil fried rice. Should I have listened to my initial instincts? Absolutely. Since I didn't eat all of the meal, I had left overs. Like the idiot scientist I was trained to be, we like experiments (even to the point of sometimes sacrificing ourselves), so a day and a half later, I nuked the ish out of the stuff in the microwave, and gave it another go. Same thing happened--I got sick. Again. Needless to say, I will never eat at Thai Pepper again. Luckily, I know of some good, clean, fresh, seriously-restaurant-y alternatives, so I'll just make sure I'm near one of them the next time I'm in the mood for Thai.
(1)
Maria L.
Consistently great food from the rice dishes to noodles. Fresh basil and perfect amount of spice. Favorite Thai place in this area. Green curry is my favorite with white steamed rice! Dining room is brightly lit and most people order to go so I get the place to myself.
(5)
Sarah J.
I've noticed this place is under new management, and I'm glad that theirs at least one Asian person in that restaurant now. Because if I'm going to eat their, I want my food cooked from a true Thai chef. All in all, delicious food, great service, and will be coming back again for more Thai food.
(5)
Trever J.
I had the Mongolian Beef lunch special, which was a good amount of food for the cost. The entree was flavorful, the crab rangoon was average, but the soup was awesome! Looking over the menu, everything here is reasonably priced as well. Everyone that I went with was also very satisfied with their food. The restaurant is fairly small with seating for only about 15 or 20, and there was a steady line for take-out when I visited around noon, so keep that in mind if you are in a hurry. I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again.
(4)
Angie L.
I was craving some good ol fashioned Asian food when I stumbled on this place on yelp. The pictures of all the foods from yelpers made me insta~drool! So after a quick run at Lilac Park, I stopped in just right before their lunch cut off at 3pm. There are many choices on their lunch special menu, entree, soup of the day, an egg roll or crab rangoon, and rice for an awesome price of 6.99. I decided to go with the tried and true basil chicken lunch special. Its got just a mild kick with the red thai chilis and the chicken was diced up. I loved it. The egg roll was veggie, crispy, and freshly fried. My soup was a clear broth with veggies and chicken, hit the spot for sure. This place delivers, awesome! The couple running the front is as nice and sweet as they come. I will def be back many times to try more items!
(4)
Somchai S.
Disappointed is an understatement. I was craving Thai food & decided to order take out from here instead of a place closer to my home. I badly regret not choosing the other place. Here's where it went wrong. 1. Sticky rice was old and dry. It was in the plastic too long to where one side had gotten mushy. I guess I will have to make my own sticky rice for my leftovers. 2. Fried chicken was dry and cold. It seem like it was old & sitting out. The chicken was practically so tight it was pulling away from the bone. So chewy like it was chicken jerky with a smattering of meat. 3. The papaya salad luckily was average. However, the packaging is terrible as all the liquid spilled into the bag. For what I ordered there should have been little chance for them to get it wrong. Freshness was key and that seemed to be a concept they forgot.
(2)
Phil P.
Not a fan of this place at all. The noodles are soggy and overcooked, the beef is tough and chewy, sauce is flavorless, portions are a lot smaller than other Thai restaurants, and none of the ingredients tasted fresh. Will not be ordering from here again.
(2)
Blythe B.
I am a fan of one of a kind fooderies in strip malls and I had my eye on this place for a while and I finally made it in last week. Not very fancy or new on the inside, but you can see what's cookin! I simply got a lunch special - Pad See Ew (forgive my spelling) and it was DAMN GOOD! The noodles were big, thick and flavorful and the chicken was perfectly cooked. Most would say the broccoli could be more cooked, but I am a big fan of barely cooked veggies in my meals. It came with soup and a crab rangoon. Soup was good - but I somehow ended up eating it with the needles and chicken in it. The ranagoon tasted just dandy to me. Nothing fancy, but tasty. It's close to work and I think this will be my new place for lunch for a while as I make my way through the menu!
(4)
BB C.
So I ordered some carry out for lunch. When I went to pick it up, they still had not made it. I was a bit upset, but thankfully I wasn't in a hurry that day. They apologized and I only had me wait a few minutes. It was worth the wait! The Beef Pad Thai was D-lish! Talk about yummy, the crab Rangoon was crispy and flavorful. And my BBQ pork fried rice was heaven. Most places fried rice are usually bland, but not here. I will be ordering agin, and will encourage my coworkers to do so as well.
(5)
Candice G.
I got iced at Thai Pepper! No, not the 'traditional' Smirnoff icing way- I got Thai ice(tea)'d at Thai Pepper and it was by far the (*cue Beyonce*) best I ever had. Thai Pepper is pretty much meant for just carry-out, but on this particular occasion the manz and I decided to eat in since as of yet, we don't own chairs, tables, dish-soap or anything modern-day American would consider necessary for grubbin' at the homestead. We checked out their menu, though he and I pretty much stick to our usual fave Thai dishes anywhere we go. Thai Pepper's list of offering is almost literally 848489471 bullet points long. I went with a the hottest (temperature-wise) Tom Yum soup I've ever had. My tongue mtay have 3rd burns and need a taste-bud graft, but it was SO worth it. It took a while for the kitchen to make it and I could smell it about 10-12 minutes after our order. The lime, the lemongrass, the tomato. I got mine with tofu and though it was a small for around $3.65, it was still a dang decent portion. For my main course I got my usual, Spicy Basil Leaves w/ Tofu extra, extra spicy, though the photo of the garlic scallops on the wall almost had me go in the seafood direction. My dish was a fair amount spicy, enough to get my nose running, but nothing too cray. Next time imma go extra, extra, mega, super spicy and see if they'll kick it up a notch for me. The portion was plenty generous- infact, I even took some home... and that NEVER happens. And never have I ever had so much tofu in the dish. There had to have been at least a half a regular retail-sized package or more in there. For sure a bargain bite, if there ever was one. My one critique would be that there was hardly any juice in the dish and I'm a gal who lika da joos when it comes to Spicy Basil. My Boo got his usual and said it was the best he'd ever had as far as pad see ew goes. I'm not really a big noodle gal, but I will cop to his dish being particularly spectacular and it was surprisingly light. Not greasy in the least bit like most places, but it did fare more toward Chinese flavors than Thai, to me. But I can't hate, it was one steller see ew. All that, and our bill came to less than $24. Not too shabby, Shanghai! I took one of their GIANT menus to go and I'm excited to go back (or get delivery) and try the rest of the 902379497389 things on Thai Pepper's menu.
(4)
Cecilia O.
The beef salad was delicious and plenty of food was given. The service is typical for a quick/carry out location. I will definitely come back for carry out again.
(4)
Terri C.
I had very mediocre, greasy Pad Thai here a few months ago, and on Valentine's Day 2015 we tried it for takeout again. What a waste of money . . . my red curry shrimp was so bland with almost no shrimp whatsoever. My husband got shrimp fried rice, again almost no shrimp and we've had much better from mall food courts. Tried it twice now, and very sorry that I did. Spring rolls were tasteless except for the peanut sauce that came with them; Crab Rangoon was nothing more than deep fried cream cheese.
(2)
Dan B.
Awful tasting food. I used to go here often a year or so ago but I believe ownership must have changed. I got a pad see ew lunch special which is the worst see ew I have ever had. The noodles were not cut properly and in huge sheets, the dish didn't have much flavor and were gummy, but worst of all was the aftertaste. It leaves a greasy, almost buttery coated aftertaste that lingers. This place is pretty bad. I am usually not this harsh, but I suggest skipping Thai Pepper.
(1)
Jenny K.
I've tried soo many Thai places since my move back to suburbia, and I can't seem to find one place that is comparable to my favorite Thai restaurant in Indy. On a random day, I found Thai Pepper. I ordered the chicken spinach soup, which is still my utmost favorite! The flavor of the chicken is delicious, and the soup broth was great. I, also, ordered the Basil Chicken, which is enough to eat for two days. The entree included the perfect amount of spice when ordered medium or else it can be a bit spicy. I always scoop my basil chicken on top of my rice and eat it; it's soo good. I've tried their chicken satay and crab rangoon, which are both realy good and haven't disappointed me yet. I've brought my family here and recommended to multiple friends. Thai Pepper is definitely my favorite Thai Restaurant, but closing on Sundays really puts a damper on my cravings!! I can only hope that they pick another day to be closed :)
(5)
Austin K.
The young lady at the counter's face didn't work. Careful there's poison on there my friend could smell it. I went to Mcdonald's after.
(2)
Nic Z.
Thai Pepper, you're not too shabby! I've been driving past for about a year and finally decided to try it out. Dinner entres are $8 unless you're fancy pants McGee and have to get sea bass, then it'll be around $12. They're quickly prepared and pretty tasty. Broccoli Beef -- My friend mopped this up in two seconds. I don't eat beef, so I didn't try, but his verdict was "Not bad." Spicy Eggplant with Tofu and Chicken -- I hesitated whether to get chicken or tofu, decided on tofu, then she said she'd add a little chicken for no charge. Sweet! This dish was the blandest of the three, but after some soy sauce and chili sauce, it was great. Drunken Noodle -- The noodles are pretty damn drunk because there's just a couple of 'em, and they're way at the bottom under all the vegg.I actually ate this one first thinking it was my Spicy Eggplant (there's eggplant, chicken, and mushrooms in both). Portions are decent and you get rice per person, not per dish.
(4)
Conor G.
Lunch specials are an excellent deal and the food is fantastic. The green curry was particularly good.
(4)
Shama A.
This place was introduced by a friend and it's a neat Thai hotel, even if it says Sushi below the name ;) We ordered veg phad Thai, dragon rolls and tom yum soup. It exceeded my expectation on the fresh ingredients quotient. Everything had fresh vegetables and made the food a whole lot tastier. Economic too.
(4)
Lois C.
This place is absolutely great! I love their fast and friendly service and their lunch specials are priced right. I always order the Lard Nar at thai restaurants and am disappointed when they tell me I cannot have my noodles crispy. Thai pepper not only makes my noodles crispy but also puts the sauce on the side so that my noodles don't get soggy. They are the only thai restaurant around the Schaumburg area that does it right! I will definitely be coming back and trying some other things on the menu that you can't get at all thai restaurants like their papaya salad.
(4)
Pari P.
Tried Thai Pepper again for their takeout and was surprised. It's not often that you get a better experience than you have in the past that would bump it up to another star for a review. The noodles for pad see ewe where long and chewy. I can tell that they were fresh and not frozen since there weren't a bunch of small broken pieces. Both the shrimp and chicken were cooked well. If you have Thai or Chinese food often, then you're probably used to overcooked proteins that are tough and chewy. This wasn't the case at Thai Pepper. I also tried something new on their menu which provoked me rewriting this review. Their Thai Pepper Fried Rice was really good. It's a spicy version of a traditional Thai fried rice. Sounds simple but a lot of places change the way how it should taste and Americanize it. Real authentic Thai fried rice should be sweet, salty, and sour which differs from what most people are used to when they think of fried rice. The Thai Pepper Fried Rice hit all of those notes and was simply delicious. I know that it sounds odd to go out of your way for fried rice but it's comfort food to me. For fans of fried rice and simple authentic Thai takeout, Thai Pepper is the way to go.
(4)
Liz B.
I'm increasing a star because every time I have ordered since my original review they have had the food ready to go when I got there!
(4)
Dorothy P.
I am currently schlurping down a bowl of tom yum soup that's setting my throat on fire (in the best way possible) that I just picked up from Thai Pepper. What's great about this soup is that, despite it's spiciness, it's got a great, complex flavor, which just so happens to include a nice lemongrass zing and subtle mushroom base. I was sitting at work, listening to my stomach rumble and grumble, and trying to figure out what to have for lunch. Of course, Yelp to the rescue, I typed in "Thai food Schaumburg" and this God-send popped up. To top it off, it's literally 5 minutes from my work, so I would have been a fool to go anywhere else. The restaurant is quite modest, open kitchen with a few tables lining the windows for those who want to dine in. Their menu is pretty extensive, but seeing as it was lunch time, I opted for one of their $6.95 lunch specials. And it is, indeed, special. For under $7 (plus tax, of course) you get soup, an eggroll or crab rangoon, and an entree that's decently sized. I ordered the tofu pad thai, and the lady taking my order was nice enough to ask if eggs were ok-so accommodating, a big plus (what she didn't tell me is that there is chicken in the tom yum soup, which is ok since I'm not actually a vegetarian but might put off some others). The quality of food is great for the price, and the service was super fast. I ordered in store (didn't realize I could order ahead...thinking with my stomach again) and was in & out in under 10 minutes. Considering Thai Pepper is a mere stone's throw away, you better believe they haven't seen the last of me!
(4)
Jennifer C.
I didn't really like this as much as I thought I would. I wanted to order the appetizer sampler, but they said they were out of a lot of the stuff. So I ordered the Thai fried chicken which was just ok. The sauce it came with was good. I also ordered the potstickers which were quite tasty. My husband ordered the fried catfish which he really didn't like at all. He did say that the fried rice that came with it was pretty good. The service here was good, all of the employees were super sweet. Overall, I'm in no hurry to go back, but I would order the potstickers again.
(2)
Nicole W.
Affordable prices, substantial portions and hot, tasty eats...damn right I'm a fan of Thai Pepper. And, all of this deliciousness can be delivered via Grub Hub. Win. Yep, laziness had set in, I was in pajamas at 8pm and I didn't want to leave the house. But oh I wanted some Thai food. Within a few minutes of surfing the nearby restaurants that deliver, I settled on Thai Pepper. 45 minutes later, the kitchen island was full of tantalizing Thai eats. Here's what I indulged in (that evening and the days to follow): Chicken Satay: 5/5: Wham bam, thank you, ma'am. Perfectly speared bird with a fan-peanut-tastic sauce on the side and a small plastic ramekin of fresh cucumber salad. I think there were five satays for $5.95. Pretty sweet deal. Crab rangoon: 2.5/5: Meh. The flavors were decent but these rangoon lacked substance. Literally. There was only a touch of rangoony goodness stuffed into each fried pocket. Pad Thai: 4/5: I ordered this hunk of noodles "medium spicy," and was very glad I did. There was enough heat to keep things interesting but I still retained the feeling in my tongue. Flavors were great overall - just be aware that the noodles come very tightly packed. Let the carbs breathe a bit! At $7.95, this dish could easily feed me for three lunches or two dinners. Now I'm craving some Thai Pepper...
(4)
Maricar P.
I used to go here all the time when I lived in Schaumburg. This place has definitely changed owners! I picked up food yesterday and I could not even eat it! So gross and so disappointing!
(1)
Laura K.
Because i had to give it a star. First time writing a review ..ever. No time for this but I must say. First and last time ordering. The veg and shrimp in pad sew ew totally burned..worst burned crab rangoon ever! Sorry! This place should not even stay open. Such a waste of space.
(1)
Sarah S.
The person taking the orders was super friendly, great service. I ordered take out at 4:55 and it was ready when I picked up after work at 5:10. $8.55 for a tofu pad thai which was big enough for 2 meals. The pad thai is very different here then other places. The noodles are much thinner and has a slightly different taste to it. I would say it's ever so slightly better than the usual pad thai. I'm definitely going to give them another try. There are a few Thai places in the area and I think this is the most convenient & best thus far.
(4)
Sara L.
I normally pass this place on my way to work and decided to try it! I got their basil chicken lunch special. The basil chicken was actually quite good! It wasn't greasy and had some kick to it. Their lunches come with soup, egg roll and the main entree all around $8 bucks...not too shabby! I would go back again and try out their dinner selections.
(4)
Yane Y.
FYI: This is not a restaurant that you can dine in. It's merely TAKE OUT Thai/Chinese food. This place is pretty awesome! So far, I've ordered Pad Thai, Panang Curry, and General Tso' Chicken. I'm not positive, but I think the owners are Thai, which is a very good sign, if they're selling Thai food! COST: The prices here are very reasonable for most all their dishes. It's relatively cheap - it probably helps because they are not a restaurant. I have a feeling that they're knocking off $1-2 their dishes because it's take out food (as compared to a nice, fancy sit-down restaurant). Not only are their prices reasonable, but they are also pretty generous with their portions. It's all very reasonable... AMBIANCE: It's like a hole-in-the-wall. Once you walk into the store, you're in front of their counter and you can see their kitchen, where they're cooking all the food. It's really nothing fancy or glamorous, but that really does NOT matter! (as long as it is not dirty) Every time I'm there, the lady/person cooking is always washing the wok and the stove area with water ... between meals and all... so it was good to see. She was very thorough because she kept cleaning and cleaning (or so I thought). FOOD: The Pad Thai and the Panang Curry was delicious! I can't give you any details because it's been awhile, but I remember thinking that I will definitely order from here again. The General Tso's was good, but not a "WOW" meal, ya know? It was just .... fine. Side Note: I went twice within the past couple of months. They must have had their children there. They were really cute helping out the 'rents with orders, etc. I asked the little girl what her favorite dish was out of the whole restaurant, and she chose Pad Thai. The little boy said his was the General Tso' (i think), which was why I ordered that the last time. Since they or their parents or whoever owns it, I figure they can eat anything and everything on the menu and know what's best.... it won't hurt to ask them! CONCLUSION: I will go back to this place again..and again.. and again... Just gotta let time pass in between because Thai/Chinese food is "heavy"...!!!
(4)
Armil B.
Typical Thai restaurant. Pad Thai was typical. This place is definitely geared for take out customers. Do not plan on having a lunch or dinner in the restaurant. I would come here again only for take out.
(2)
Ann B.
This is our go-to place for Thai food. It's inexpensive, delicious, and it's always prepared fast. The portions are excellent and you can choose your level of spicy. My favourite is the cashew nut entree, extra spicy.
(4)
H H.
Basil Chicken is excellent! Fresh and tasty! This place has a wide selection. Food is fresh and cooked in sight as the kitchen is visible from the limited seating area. Carry out
(5)
L p.
Product: Excellent Service: Disorganized, but friendly Ambience: Would be better off as carry-out only Product I enjoy a good curry. Thai curries are my favorite, period. My wife and I shared a red curry, and I asked to replace the meat with mushrooms. The attendant was more than willing to make the replacement. The curry was served VERY hot (which I prefer), with an adequate portion. The flavor was very good. Rich, creamy, a bit sweet, and spicy (medium, about a 4 out of 10). We also ordered spring rolls, but they were out of stock, so we switched to egg rolls. These were delivered about 5 minutes after the curry. Other than that, they were good, crispy, and hot. Service The folks running the show were cordial. However, in our 30 minutes in the store, it became painfully obvious that they are disorganized. I believe they were cooking one meal at a time, and delivering, before starting the next. My wife and I were completely finished with our curry before the couple who ordered just after us received their food. That trend continued to the next order, and so on. My tip, then, is to call ahead and/or avoid this restaurant on a Saturday evening, unless you've got a lot of time and patience. We were not in a hurry, so this didn't bother us particularly, but I wouldn't return to this Thai Pepper unless I had plenty of time. Ambience This restaurant, in my opinion, should focus on making food for carry out. Only. It's not set up or organized for an in-house dining experience. There are only a handful of tables. None of them match. Some of the chairs match. Some. Four of them look comfortable. The temperature was chilly-ish. As we sat and dined, those who came to order after us were pretty much standing right next to us. The lights are suitable for a kitchen, not a dining room. And lastly, to get to the restroom, you pass through a food prep area which, honestly, made me thankful I don't eat meat regularly. That's probably the kindest way to put it. I didn't even end up using the restroom. I would eat Thai Pepper curry again. I wouldn't eat Thai Pepper curry at Thai Pepper curry again. Remove the ambience, and this restaurant would get four stars. Add a solid manager, and this restaurant could be a five star (carry-out).
(3)
Michael P.
The food is authentic and service is ok. Not the best atmosphere to sit and eat but take out always works. I recommend a remodel to attract more people and keep the food choices the same. I would rate it a 4 if they cleaned the place up a little.
(3)
K E.
After reading the Yelp reviews on this place, I decided to give it a try. I ordered one of my favorite Thai dishes, chicken pad thai. At first glance It looked awful. When I took my first bite I realized it tasted even worse than it looked. It was like eating burnt noodles and peanuts. I don't like to waste food,but it was so BAD I had to throw it in the garbage. I didn't even call and tell them because no way was I driving back to get a second helping of nastiness.
(1)
Jon R.
This is a very average Thai joint. The food all has good flavor and is a decent place to hit up if you're in a rush. I only really go here because it's only a block from my office and are fairly quick at getting my order out. I've had the Tom yum and Tom kha. I think the Tom yum is better of the two. It's nowhere any as good as Dan Thai, but is nice on a cold day. I tend to stick to my other standard of panang curry. Not a whole lot to say about this other than its quite watery. Flavor is average. They are better about about making it spicy, but its just too watered down. I imagine its not too far off from Lindsay's hot ham water. A nice find yesterday was the Pad Kra Prao. This is basil ground chicken with peppers and onions. I really don't like onions... That's the nice way putting it. I hate onions...unless they are really grilled well. They did a great job with this because I really didn't notice the onions at all. As long as they stay in the same location and my job or office don't change I'll keep going here... At least for lunch.
(2)
Ryan M.
This place used to be really good to me but alas times have changed. The mango sticky rice is good but the mango were sour and the portions were lack luster. I went again to get Pad Si Ew and the whole thing was full of vegetables. Hardly any noodles and 3 shrimp. The location smells kind of foul too.Hope they can turn things around
(3)
Mike O.
It's right near my office, good lunch food. I need to order from them (they're on GrubHub.com ) for delivery sometime. I tried to speak some Thai to them and they were impressed :-)
(4)
Chris M.
There are a lot of Thai places in the area and each is pretty good, so picking a favorite comes down to a specific dish or two, price, and convenience. We live across the street so convenience is an easy win for us, and we'd tried it when they first opened up but were not impressed at the time, but the good reviews here on Yelp encouraged us to try it again. This time I got panang curry beef and I'd say it's on par with my other favorite Thai restaurant in the area, Thai Thanee. Everyone else in my family seemed to enjoy their meal as well. I understand that they have a couple tables in the restaurant but it's really meant to be take-out. I will certainly be ordering there again and trying my other favorite dishes to see how they stack up.
(4)
Peter K.
At most Thai restaurants, I like to order their Beef Pad See Ewe to check whether or not I like the place or not. I tried that dish here and it was a 8.5 out of 10. My favorite place to get that dish is in Champaign, IL which is too far away. I liked the way they prepared the dish with eggs, long soft noodles, tender beef, and perfectly cooked broccoli. A couple things I think they could improve upon is adding a little bit more beef in the proportion of beef to noodle and also including a bit more in the dish itself. After stepping in here for the first time, the place looks clean and there are 3 or 4 2-person tables to sit at. It looks like their primary method of selling food is either through delivery or carry out. But they have a fairly comprehensive menu and it would definitely be a place where I'd like to try more dishes in the future.
(4)
Brent W.
Caveat Emptor: just bc my son's grandma is part owner of Thai Pepper and is seriously one of the most awesomest ppl I know, there is NO bias.lol Srs. None. Some of the best Pad Thai you'll experience, both shrimp or chicken. What I love about any of their chicken dishes is the fact they always do excellent job of searing the chicken in the wok and it gets a nice caramelized exterior. I have it on good authority that they get their veggies in on the regular so they are always super fresh and high quality. They do a ton of take away and delivery but you can eat in as well and check out the action in the open kitchen just adjacent to the smallish yet sparkling clean dining area. Can't miss here.
(4)
Erin M.
I really wanted to like this place. I was working in the area on a cold and blustery day and found myself craving some spicy comfort food. I went to my trusty yelp app on my I phone and this restaurant came up. I called, placed my order and drove in for the pickup. The girl took my money, handed me a bag full of food and I was on my way. 4 minutes later I get a frantic phone call. "please come back". SIGH... I was 3 miles down the road at this point. The thing that really got to me was when I brought it back, she took it from me and handed it to the guy whose bag it really belonged to. Isn't that against health regulation?? I was so irritated. When I finally dug into my correct food it was just ok and certainly NOT worth all of the unnecessary hassle.
(2)
Lancer K.
They have this yummy mango sweet rice.
(4)
Nicole L.
I'm just not having luck trying out new places lately. The pad see ew here was overcooked. Some noodles were actually hard and they all had an oily flavor to them. I'm rather shocked by all the glowing reviews. Did I just get a poorly prepared dish? Was it a fluke? I'm not really inclined to go back and find out as there are plenty of Thai restaurants to try instead. It's too bad as I thought the woman who took my order was really nice and the price for lunch was extremely reasonable with the crab rangoon and soup it comes with, but I can't tolerate oily hard noodles. Also I didn't care for the broccoli used, although I'm aware it was the more authentic type that should be used in this dish, I prefer regular broccoli. Visited: April 6, 2012
(3)
Insun M.
Schaumburg REALLY lacks thai restaurants but this is a good little mom and pop take out joint. Unique pad thai: noodles are much thinner then the normal pad thai. (don't get the seafood version...the scallops are horrid) Decent red curry: slightly oily but i'll let that go since they use vegetable oil instead of lard like most take out places
(4)
Brandy B.
Good crab Rangoon. Fairly standard. Good yellow chicken curry as well. Friendly staff. Open on Sundays.
(5)
Dan F.
I've been to Thai Pepper twice now and the food is good and reasonably priced. Nothing spectacular, but nothing disappointing either. The service is friendly, the decor is modest. I'll go back if I'm nearby and want Thai. I doubt I will make a special trip though.
(3)
Robert G.
After my Thaifoon (London, ON) experience the other day, I was Jones'n for something new here at home for redeption: found it at Thai Pepper. This place just opened in October and is primarily take-out or delivery, as there is total seating for ten peeps. No worries like some other joints, plenty of room for the walk-in-walk-out din while you're eating so as not to disrupt you. In a strip mall, it's an order-at-the-counter, non-table service place even for eating in, and food is also served using similarly take-out-able containers and utensils [see pics]. To me, in retrospect, those didn't detract from the food, all things considered. Right away I ordered my token Crab Rangoon ($3.95) and was not disappointed: think there were five, each with the crispy 'handles/top' and slightly doughy bottom--exactly my fav. I normally don't do lunch menu v. dinner menu, but I opted for the lunch special ($6.95; Pad Kee Mao). With that, I got my token egg roll and soup, both of which were decent--the soup much better than the ER. The soup was actually quite a bit larger than I expected or that I recall in my few other outings; believe there was also tofu in it. The PKM was very good: no sprouts per my request; not too oily, perfect medium spice; a slightly grill flavor to the beef; good balance between beef/peppers/noodle, though Chinese broccoli instead of broccoli would have been better. Diet Coke was $1.25 can--standard. Portion sizes were good and I was full when I left. Nong [maybe Pe] working the counter (I didn't catch her name) was unusually talkative for a Thai restaurant employee. When I ordered, I did so in Thai and while she was writing my order, she looked up and said, "Did you just speak Thai to me"? Chai klap. So I banter with her about my Thai compulsion and my panraya, a surprising convo reallly. When I was eating, she surprised me by asking "Aloy dee mak kaa?" Not an unsual question by any means, but of all the places I'd eaten, none ever asked me if the food was good in Thai :) Chai, chai, aloy mak. When I took one of the pictures, I said "Neung, sorng, sam [1, 2, 3]" and all three gals chuckled--think they got a kick out of me speaking Thai, and it was nice they embraced my trying. Looking over my precious other 5-star reviews, those were optimally based on taste and value--especially as they matched expectations-- above all else. Those factors, including things mentioned in Paragraph 3 make this one of my favs--er, not to mention location to my house. Perhaps this is a 4.5 stars given the serving stuff, but other than that, certainly the benefit of the doubt as a whole. FOLUP: Went back for lunch today and got same service and good, quality stuff (Crab Rangoon, Pad Thai [beef] with soup [khao tom gai--chicken rice] and eggroll, wife got Pad Pet Pladook [spicy fried catfish with veggies]). Turns out one of the cooks is from the same town as my wife (Lampang). Still a high recommend...
(5)
Sayantan D.
The journey ends here! No really!! This is the best Thai food I have had and I truly believe that (if I had the money) I would invest in these guys to open a bigger venture for them. It was that good. At first sight you'd almost miss it and it is more a delivery and take away place than one to sit and eat in. But we sat and ate and took some back too... And Thai being on the top 3 of my favorite cuisines, I am very critical of bad Thai food. But this was just great! If you are somewhere in and around and thinking of good food, try this place! You can see the cooking, which just (to my mind) adds to the overall taste experience.
(5)
Nichole H.
Food was amazing. I had the spicy eggplant with chicken, it is a huge portion loaded with meat and fresh veggies! My counterpart had the yellow curry which was also delicious. Our thai iced teas were very good. The crab rangoons.....were good, but there is very little filling :( Dessert consisted of the banana crepe with coconut ice cream and green tea ice cream. The banana crepe things were soooo good! This place must be more of a take-out place because there were lots of people going in and out for food, but NO ONE except us eating inside! Also, we ate off of styrofoam plates/bowls and had plastic silverware which was a little wierd.....but not bad! I will eat off styrofoam any day to get that amount of delicious thai food at such a reasonable price! Yay!
(4)
Bernard P.
I know it may be a little too early for an update, but the wife and I tried a few more tasty dishes off of Thai Pepper's menu including the catfish curry, sesame chicken, and spinach soup. Everything was delicious!!! The catfish curry had large pieces of fried catfish stir fried with fresh basil, peppers, bamboo shoots in red curry paste. It was the best catfish curry we've ever had. The sesame chicken was a good portion size and the batter was just as perfect as the sauce that came with it. Finally, the spinach soup was a savory broth that included fresh spinach, soft tofu, glass noodles and a dumpling that tasted like heaven! For all of you true Thai food lovers out there, Thai Pepper Restaurant uses real Thai peppers in their spicier dishes. Request extra if you are brave enough. Also, the owners and manager introduced themselves to us which was great since they always make us feel welcome whenever we visit. While there, please be sure to say hello to Toom, Ma and Mai - three of the nicest, most beautiful Thai chefs you'll ever meet!!!! Be sure to check out this place if you're looking for truly exceptional, authentic Thai cuisine served with a smile!!!!!
(5)
Heather L.
Love the Pad Thai here. Come for lunch often. Very friendly. More of a takeout place but they do have seating and will serve you soup while you wait.
(4)
Frank A.
WHAT?!!! Stuffed Chicken wings??? No way! OK. When I was dating my wife back in the day, she would make me this dish to win me over. Haha. In all my years, I've never seen it in a Thai place! That instantly gives this place major props because she never makes it for me anymore. HAHA. How did it taste? AWESOME! That's because they fried it instead of the "healthier" method my wife uses, which is baking. Not to say the baked version is inferior.. *wink *wink. Oh, yeah, the rest of the dishes we ordered were also fantastic. Probably the best Thai in the area.
(5)
Sandeep M.
Good foood, Pad Thai was great. The food is delicious but not pricy, will definately come back.
(4)
Claus P.
The food used to be really awesome but there is new ownership and a new chef now. I tried 2 dishes with the new chef and both were missing taste and spices, I'm not going back.
(2)
Megan O.
You wouldn't think it be hard to screw up fried rice, but it's possible. But before I begin, no Thai Pepper DID NOT screw up on the rice :) I am super picky when it comes to fried rice--no thanks on the over the top soy sauced rice, or "let's put yellow food coloring over the rice to make it look like fried rice-rice," and in Thai Pepper, the Pineapple Fried Rice was nothing of those sorts. It was lightly fried, not too oily and surely did NOT skimp on the goods (pineapple, beef, egg, carrots)! ($7.95) I also had 1 scoop of green tea ice cream-delish! ($1.12 w/ tax) The venue has some tables, but the capacity can seat like less than 20, so you're probably better off ordering out and enjoying Thai Pepper's food in the comfort your home.
(4)
Dj M.
This place is right around the corner from my work. Had the drunken noodles lunch. The food was ok. The portions were too small for my liking. Nothing really stands out for me here. The wait wasn't that long. I had it to go. There are a couple booths you can sit at, but this is not a restaurant atmosphere. Probably not my first choice for Thai food, but I'd eat it again.
(3)
Jackie M.
How does this restaurant have such a good rating???!? Have these people ever had Thai food? This SUCKED! Everything was greasy and bland. YUK!!!!! The prices were pretty steep for what we got...we will never be back.
(2)
Linda C.
Thank goodness for the Yelp smartphone app! It was definitely a lifesaver tonight! FOOD: I can't decide what's the best part of Thai Pepper Restaurant... the hearty portion of fresh veggies (perfectly cooked crisp) and meats or the homemade (according to the very nice lady who took our order) noodles they make the night before. We ordered Pad Kee Mao, Spicy Meat, Drunken Noodles, Green Curry, fried chicken wing appetizer, and their Thai iced tea. The flavors were wonderful, but the best thing were definitely the noodles and the fresh vegetables. My Pad Kee Mao was a little bit oily but then again what fast food Asian restaurant isn't. The drunken noodles may not have looked all that appetizing in their picture on the wall when you first walk in... but I was definitely surprised, it was still really delicious! The chicken wings however were nothing too special but overall still good. If you are looking for awesome fried chicken wings go to Happy Elephant in Elk Grove Village. The only thing we were disappointed about was that they ran out of Pad Thai noodles so we were unable to order the dish everyone is raving about on Yelp! SERVICE: We got lucky in that we came in just before a wave of orders hit so the wait wasn't too bad. We ate in the restaurant. Most people do take-out which is fine but I would advise ordering ahead as the wait seems like it could get long if there is a number of orders in since there seems to be only one or two cooks at a time in the small kitchen. The lady who took our order was very sweet and explained about the running out of Pad Thai noodles conundrum that day as she was very surprised it happened since she made so much of it the night before. AMBIANCE: clean and simple... typical take out looking joint but that by no means should reflect badly upon the food. I like that I can see what's going on in the kitchen... they keep it tidy! OTHER COMMENTS: definitely coming back to try their Pad Thai... their noodles are definitely unique.
(4)
Gail G.
Ok, so I decided to try this place for lunch after reading some of these reviews, and I must say..... "Damnit, Yelp!! I trusted you!!!!" Ok, but seriously, the food here is just O.K. I would not go back. For the reviewer who said it was the BEST Thai food he's ever had, I say "Are you kidding me? Was your reivew a practical joke to get people to eat here so you can quietly laugh with each new bad review....?" I went there with my sister and mom and we did dine-in, but they still served us with the styrofoam carry-out containers... that was odd; especially given the fact that on their website's home page, they picture dishes in ceramic dishes, not styrofoam. Yeah, the lunch specials are really cheap, but so what? My favorite Thai place has lunch specials for the same, exact price ($6.95)! Plus, my favorite Thai place also has printable coupons on thier website, so in that sense, Thai Pepper is more money with not as good food. My litmus test for good Thai is the Panang Curry, it's what I order to test out a new Thai joint. My sister ordered the Yellow Curry, and both of our curries were very thin and soupy. I like my curry to have the consistency of at least a thick stew. The flavors were ok, but were somewhat muted and needed more punch. The room was VERY cold! It seemed like they didn't have any heat in the place. I read one review that said he went in the middle of summer and there was no A/C, so I wasn't surprised. Room temperature control is really important to me, so that was another point deduction. The BEST Thai food I've ever had is still CK Pad Thai in Carol Stream. Honestly, on the way home from eating at Thai Pepper my mom joked that she felt like going to CK Pad Thai to eat again b/c she didn't feel satisfied, haha. If you're really craving Thai (and I was), drive to Carol Stream for some AWESOME Thai food (what I should have done). On the plus side, the girl who took our order was very nice and polite. Since we ate there, she brought us water and my sister spilled a little of her drink on the floor and she cleaned it up with a smile. However, I must note that she (nor any other staff member) never came back to ask if we needed anything else. Luckily we didn't need water refills, but I guess they just expect you to walk up to the counter and ask for anything you need. We left a tip but none of us will ever go back.
(1)
Danny Y.
Holy crap.. hot day + broken AC + pad kee mao @ Thai Pepper = sweat up a storm. Should've listened to yelpers and took my food to go!! The pad kee mao was pretty good, like 3.5 stars good, albeit slightly smaller portions than I had hoped. The prices SEEMED reasonable, but with a soda and tip, came out to be about $12/person anyway. The search goes on for good thai food.
(3)
Brook E.
One of my favorite Thai dishes to order is papaya salad. It should be made with green papaya--usually pretty spicy with some sweetness thrown in. It's tasty, but it's also pretty healthy too. The Papaya Salad here is papaya with a garlic bomb. No spiciness, no sweetness, my mouth is still burning from the garlic. I'm just a bit disappointed. It was also pretty expensive for what it was--half of the dish was just a head of lettuce. Most reviews seem so glowingly positive, and I was excited to try a Thai place in Schaumburg--maybe I'm just spoiled by all the Thai restaurants I go to in the city? I'll probably be back to try one of their noodle or curry dishes when I'm not trying to watch my waistline.
(2)
Phuong T.
Why did it take me so long to discover this place?? I travel to Schaumburg every year for 3 months and have never been here?? Since discovering it 5 days ago, I've been here 2 times (3rd time tonight after I write this review)... The food is cooked to order, fresh and made in front of you. I've lived in Thailand for a bit and can say that it tastes as authentic here as it does overseas. My favorite by far is the papaya salad! Yummmm.... (Tip: Go one notch lower on their spiciness scale. I almost lost my voice after ordering medium. I now order mild and ask for a chili on the side if I want that extra kick). Great service, great food. I'll definitely make this a regular spot every time my travels bring me to Chicago!
(5)
Vivek R.
Best Thai Veg. Green Curry in town. The staff are courteous and was able to tailor the dishes to my taste...
(5)
David B.
I think it is a gem in Schaumburg, which is overflowing with chain reasturants. Cheap and Delicious.
(4)
Arthur-Angelo S.
Ive had better, maybe because ordered late. My beef pad seo was watered down, didnt taste much of the sauce. I still like Thai House better, take out time is the same.
(2)
Ella K.
I just love the texture of the flat rice noodle! Always quick and so good although the sticky rice with mango was a bit drier than I remember it to be its still a must order every time, the mango was delicious which I must say surprised me this time of year!
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : No Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Sherill M.
Good food descent price. Ordered my all time favorite- spicy basil fried rice. I can give it a solid 6. Warning, this dish is hot! Taste was good, the rice was a tad bit dry. Portion was alright for $8 but I can generally get it for about $6.
(4)Steve W.
Staying at the HGI in Schaumburg I found that Thai Pepper fit the bill for a tasty meal to take back to the room for the usual business travel dinner of eat & e-mail. Stopped by there at 8:45, & had the Tom Kha Kai which was really good and Pad Thai which was just OK, but with 15 minutes to closing I felt some pressure to order easy - this from myself, not from the owners. Based on the tasty soup I think that I'd try one of the curries next time and then move on to the rest of the menu. If I were driving by here on my way home every day I could probably find at least a year's worth of reasons to stop. Once again thanks to Mobile Yelp! Download it to your phone and you"ll never have to eat chain food again!
(4)Edzellou A.
The food here is good, however if you don't like waiting for awhile, this is not the place. My husband and I out ordered our lunch over the phone and they said it will be ready by 20mins when we got there to pick it up we still have to wait for another 20mins. come on that's why we call to order that way when we pick it up it's at least almost ready. All they can say is "Oh sorry we're busy", and we're not? That's why we order take out!
(3)Mike G.
Best pad-Thai I can find from a carry out restaurant in the area.
(5)Palak Q.
Fantastic food. The hostess always customizes my meal, and I like the personal touch. I order the pad thai and the pad siew everytime I go there. The food tastes fresh and amazing. I just think they need to work on their customer service. More English speaking people needed.
(5)Maren B.
I know I'm going to go back anyway... but I was not impressed. Is this really authentic Thai food??? I got the pad thai and the noodles had the thickness and texture of angel hair. Plus they packed it into a tiny container. I don't mind getting a little extra bang for my buck, but why not just use a bigger dish if you're going to give that much food? That way everything doesn't get smashed into a noodle nugget. Even the sauce was not as good as I expected, and the onion shavings sprinkled on top did exactly nothing for me. I also got the crab rangoon, which I'm not sure if they completely cooked because the filling was just a little... chunkier than I expected. I think pad thai and crab rangoons are two of the basic things that should be delicious whether you're actually in Thailand or dining at a place like Panda Express, so I was shocked when Thai Pepper proved me wrong. I wanted it to be my secret hole-in-the-wall-next-door for awesome Thai food, but I guess I will have to settle for its mediocrity until I venture to another spot.
(2)Brandon F.
I know people love to write reviews and say, "I could eat at restaurant XYZ every day of the week," but do they ever actually do it? I mean, I COULD quit my job and run for president, but will I actually do it? ...maybe next year. Well, when I was remodeling my kitchen, I DID eat at Thai Pepper Carryout EVERY. DAY. It's fantastic. Get the Pad Kee Mao.
(4)Maria A.
Fried chicken wings amazing. Drunken noodles not so much.
(3)Apara W.
Food is good, packing sucks. Tried curry noodles, will be back. Pretty average price.
(4)Nita W.
I went to Thai Pepper for my lunch three days in a row. First day I had their beef pad see ewe, YUM. Second day I had their beef pad kee mao - I wish they had put more noodles in there, but with how much veggies they put in the dish, I couldn't complain. Third day I had their beef spicy basil - I could really taste the basil and I loved it! Many restaurants don't go as bold. In fact, I just finished eating it and felt compelled to yelp about this place. Lunch specials are $6.95 (with tax $7.75) and you'll get an egg roll/crab rangoon (both very delicious!) + rice + soup. The girl who took my order is always so kind and helpful, that means a lot to me. Plus, location is very close to office so I'm seeing a long-term relationship with this place. Love it!
(5)Andrew K.
I am rating this a 5-star for what it is. I am not saying it is the ultimate Thai food joint, but it is a carry out Thai restaurant. That being said, this place is really good. The food is freshly prepared and flavorful. I typically go a couple times a month for lunch and get their special. The Pad Kee Mao is pretty incredible if you like spicy noodles. I also really like their stuffed chicken wings as well. Truly a hidden gem
(5)Jenny P.
Sold Thai food, great flavour and value. My fave is their Spring roll, it's light, fresh and yummmy! I love their lunch menu great value for $, I can leave the soup behind, eek it was just hot water with a very strong garlic taste(garlic soup?) For a quick yummy Thai this place does it right. I'll be back again....; o)
(4)Rubecca S.
Hopeless food. I have ordered from this place twice and its completely pathetic and tasteless food. Try Thai Garden in comparision with this pathetic place youll know the kind of food you eat and money you spent is far better over there. They use frozen food like spring rolls and crab rangoon and just deep fry them as if i cant do that at my home wasting money here!! Serious NO to this place.
(1)Palak G.
Best carry out Thai food. They should try expanding their space and turn it into a restaurant. Very helpful staff, and would customize your order however you want. I've been buying from them for the last one year, and have never been disappointed. I specially love the lunch special, and the owner always makes me a non-fried spring roll instead of the regular one. I would highly recommend it.
(5)Carlito B.
Really good and really funny place. The people the own it or run it must be characters but who cares! I LOVE THE flavor and the quality of the food. I always do take out from this place and it's amazing. I know Thai food (for a white fella) and this is just good stuff. Do it!
(5)Ashwin B.
Great food, reasonable price, carryout only.
(5)Moala P.
My friends and ordered delivery from Thai Pepper. I had difficulty understanding the woman on the other line and placed my order. She told me it would take 45 minutes, which is unusual for the things that we ordered. We ordered pad thai, spicy basil fried rice, and a beef salad. After a half hour of waiting, Thai Pepper called me and requested my address again in which I gave to them, but the person who took my oder said she had no idea where I lived. After I spent 5 minutes on the phone explaining it to her, she said she would have the driver call me. After one hour went by, I called them back asking the whereabouts of our order. The woman on the other line that I have been communicating with told me that she tried to call me a few times which my phone didn't show any miss calls. Obviously she miswrote my number down. Instead she asked that I call the driver to tell her of my location. I was frustrated at that point. She told me that I needed to get off of the phone so that I can get the other call. I believe nowadays they invented something called, call waiting, which I think she was unfamiliar with. I called the driver in which she said she was circling my apartment and needed to know which door it was. Trying to keep calm, I told the driver for the 6th time, which unit I lived in. I waited for another few minutes, and then the driver called me again to ask which unit I lived in again after I gave her clear instructions in which apartment I lived in. Overall the ordering experience was the worst that I have ever experienced. The actual food: I've had thai food before, and this was not even close to what I've had in the past. I enjoy the taste of Thai food but this was nothing close. The beef salad had so much fish sauce in it that my stomach felt nauseous after eating a few bites. I tried the fried rice, which was not spicy at all, and even that had a bland taste. I had the pad thai today, and overall it wasn't appetizing. The noodles were all stuck together because of how dry they were and there was a sweet taste at the end of each bite. Overall, I will never order food from this place alhtough it was my first time. Maybe Thai Garden will be better. But I would never recommend this place to anyone.
(1)John K.
The friendly staff and great tasting food with reasonable prices makes this place an excellent choice when you are looking to order carry out. You really can't go wrong with anything in their menu but I always order the Basil Fried Rice!
(5)Melissa B.
I think they might be under new management. since i just live down the street, i got food from pepper when they first opened. everything was delicious and the portions were big......... it's been about 6 months or so since i was there and last night i ordered food to go. the spring rolls didn't taste as good as i remember. the hot/sour soup was NOT hot/sour. it was some vegetable soup and i was truly disappointed. the pad Thai was still good. i also got the fried banana for dessert. in the past they gave 6 pieces, but i got 5 last night. they didn't taste as good as i remember. they were just ok. they had coconut in them. the menu stated nothing about coconuts and i am not a coconut fan..... maybe it was an 'off' night for the restaurant yesterday, i was disappointed. i also noticed that they raised their prices a bit. not sure if I'll be going back again.
(2)Renee T.
This is a carry out Thai food... pretty convenience during quick lunch,....Good foods, reasonable price.. I recommend this place.
(5)Tommy A.
Well here is a place I wish I had in my over 30 years of living in the south burbs, a pretty damn good Thai place. I struggled quite mightily to find one that was even decent in the south burbs, and wouldn't you know pretty much the closest restaurant I live to now is a solid Thai place. With price and everything else factored, I'd probably go 4.5 stars if I could cause Thai pepper is pretty good, especially with the noodle/rice dishes. Some of their fried appetizers are kind of junkie, can't go up to 5 with that going on. Also the help in there kind of bothers me too. They always seem to act helpless when your ordering (and live too, never tried over the phone). One time I had the special of the day basil pad thai, and it completely rocked. So a couple weeks later I order Pad Thai and I asked for them to put basil in it. The girl acted like I was crazy, give me a break, it was on special just a couple weeks ago and basil is like a centerpiece of Thai food. I was also more than happy to pay a couple extra bucks for it. I don't mean to sound knitpicky and rediculous like so many people on here do, but it wasn't the only time the help has given me that confused look my dog gives when the vacuum cleaner goes on. Anyway, stick Pad Thai, Pad See Ewe, Thai Combination Fried Rice, all winners. Great take home option.
(4)Shiori K.
Well, food was good, but their operation is really chaotic. I placed order one hour prior to it, but after all, I was at the store for half an hour to get a complete order. One lady is taking order in person and phone and doing cashier, so knowing that my order is sitting at the counter, I had to wait for them to take orders. Plus, they did not take my order right. They are completely missing one order even though charging them all. There are some mix up on soup and salad too. One thing I could not believe was they run out of plain rice at lunch. A guy was ask to replace noodles for rice along with sesame chicken. If that was me, I will order some noodle dish instead... Also, for the lunch special you are supposed to be able to pick either egg roll, spring roll, or crab ragoon, but they have only egg roll or crab ragoon. Another thing I did not like was the soup. Broth itself was well made, but they through frozen mixed veggies. In my opinion, that really killed the soup.
(3)C.S. C.
although they have a table or two, this is definitely a carry out place. first off, great food at great prices for lunch. when i usually want something asian, whether chinese, thai, japanese or korean, i look at the $6-8 range. this place for lunch def. fits in that range. 1. basil chicken - really flavorful. got to have it with ground chicken. the dish was very tasty and well seasoned. i think i poured every bit of sauce into my rice cause i didn't want to waste a drop. excellent dish. 2. green curry - what i love about this dish is that it has a great kick after you take a bite. i am not sure if it is some kind of thai pepper or jalepeno, but i love the heat after taking a bite. there is just the right amount of coconut milk, not too much and not too little. there were plenty veggies and meat. 3. drunken noodles - again, great flavor and great heat. the noodles were cooked properly and there were plenty of ingredients in the dish. my only hope was that there was a little bit more food. there is a place in arlington heights called gumrai thai that just kills it in terms of portions although the food itself can be hit or miss in terms of taste. i know most places cannot match the quantity of gumrai thai, but a little more would be nice. 4. pad thai - this is kind of disappointing. a staple dish for all thai places but the one here was a bit flavorless, bland and dry. tried to eat it and tried to like it, but this one fell short compared to the other three dishes. the veggie soup that comes with the lunch special is nothing to write home about. it is almost so bad in concept, they can even save a buck and not serve it. however, in terms of rice, you are offered either white steam rice or basic fried rice at now extra charge which is always a plus. overall, great bargain for the quality of food you receive.
(4)Chicago P.
It's a pity that I had not reviewed this restaurant in spite of having visited this place multiple times, the place is slightly different to a typical carry out restaurant with an open kitchen a few tables to accommodate some people who would prefer to eat there the food is amazingly simple, satisfying with respect to taste, quantity with entrées rightly priced. The staff is also very friendly suggesting items on the menu if you want to try anything new. I have tried there fried rice, curries other entrees all of them turn out to great with an 80-85% consistency. I am stressing this number because I have seen great restaurants serve great food with utter disappointment on your next visit if you were to order the same food again. Over all I am very satisfied with this place the only caution I would give is please be little careful when you tell the food to be made spicy they make it "HELL SPICY".
(4)Patricia S.
While I've had better, this place is definitely much better than it looks. For the price and location, I'm a repeat customer. Their service is never rude and food is usually pretty consistent, which is difficult to say especially with spice preferences...
(4)Troy K.
We ordered for take out. We had never ordered here before and didn't have a menu. We couldn't understand the lady on the phone so we went with the family meal and just got the orange chicken. Picked up the food and the people there were great. A guy helped me bring my food to my car. It was 4 degrees out so that was really nice. The food itself was really good. There was enough food in the family meal to feed about 7 people. All in all a good experience and we are looking forward to seeing what else they have to offer.
(4)Allegra M.
One of the best places to eat authentic thai food!!! Their pad thai is one of the best dishes i have ever tasted and everyone needs to try it!
(5)Lisa S.
Love ordering delievery here they're pretty quick & fast the food is delicious. My fav so far
(5)Karen K.
I've gone here a total of 4 times so far and they have messed up my order each time so check your orders before leaving! The thai food is pretty sub-par but I will go here bc it's super close to my job. Staff is fairly friendly and service is quick. pad thai: ok spring rolls: Didn't seem that fresh. I've had spring rolls that I really enjoyed but these were just ok crab rangoon: good but who doesn't love fried things? hot and sour soup: so disappointed. didn't taste like normal hot and sour soup pad see ewe: super greasy cheap(er) lunch specials so i will come here again
(3)Tamra G.
My husband and I used to order carry out from Thai Pepper all the time before we moved out of the area a few years ago. I remember the food as being pretty good, overall. On a whim, I was in the neighborhood and dropped by to grab lunch to take home with me. When I drove up I was a bit surprised that it was more of a hole-in-the-wall strip-mall type of restaurant, and walking through the door confirmed that (my husband was always the go-to for pick-up, hence my ignorance). When I walked in, I should have immediately turned around and left without ever ordering. I was greeted by an almost stomach-turning (rancid mop-ish?) smell. But, given we'd had good food here several times before, I really wanted to hold out before judging. --Maybe I caught them on a bad day. Looking around me though, my second cue to leave was that the place wasn't very clean. The floor was filthy, and the surfaces of the (few, small) tables looked questionable. Sit down here to eat, ever? HELL no. Another cue was that there were two employees plus the owner (?) sitting down eating when I came in. The "chef" and owner both got up to service my order, but the owner had been sniffling as he was eating (sure, could have simply been a hot meal...or...a cold, flu, etc.), and *I don't recall* seeing either him or the "chef" wash their hands before handling my food. As for the owner, I didn't see him do this after finishing our transaction at the cash register either. Unfortunately, all of that wasn't the worst of my experience. Surprise. I got sick after eating my basil fried rice. Should I have listened to my initial instincts? Absolutely. Since I didn't eat all of the meal, I had left overs. Like the idiot scientist I was trained to be, we like experiments (even to the point of sometimes sacrificing ourselves), so a day and a half later, I nuked the ish out of the stuff in the microwave, and gave it another go. Same thing happened--I got sick. Again. Needless to say, I will never eat at Thai Pepper again. Luckily, I know of some good, clean, fresh, seriously-restaurant-y alternatives, so I'll just make sure I'm near one of them the next time I'm in the mood for Thai.
(1)Maria L.
Consistently great food from the rice dishes to noodles. Fresh basil and perfect amount of spice. Favorite Thai place in this area. Green curry is my favorite with white steamed rice! Dining room is brightly lit and most people order to go so I get the place to myself.
(5)Sarah J.
I've noticed this place is under new management, and I'm glad that theirs at least one Asian person in that restaurant now. Because if I'm going to eat their, I want my food cooked from a true Thai chef. All in all, delicious food, great service, and will be coming back again for more Thai food.
(5)Trever J.
I had the Mongolian Beef lunch special, which was a good amount of food for the cost. The entree was flavorful, the crab rangoon was average, but the soup was awesome! Looking over the menu, everything here is reasonably priced as well. Everyone that I went with was also very satisfied with their food. The restaurant is fairly small with seating for only about 15 or 20, and there was a steady line for take-out when I visited around noon, so keep that in mind if you are in a hurry. I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again.
(4)Angie L.
I was craving some good ol fashioned Asian food when I stumbled on this place on yelp. The pictures of all the foods from yelpers made me insta~drool! So after a quick run at Lilac Park, I stopped in just right before their lunch cut off at 3pm. There are many choices on their lunch special menu, entree, soup of the day, an egg roll or crab rangoon, and rice for an awesome price of 6.99. I decided to go with the tried and true basil chicken lunch special. Its got just a mild kick with the red thai chilis and the chicken was diced up. I loved it. The egg roll was veggie, crispy, and freshly fried. My soup was a clear broth with veggies and chicken, hit the spot for sure. This place delivers, awesome! The couple running the front is as nice and sweet as they come. I will def be back many times to try more items!
(4)Somchai S.
Disappointed is an understatement. I was craving Thai food & decided to order take out from here instead of a place closer to my home. I badly regret not choosing the other place. Here's where it went wrong. 1. Sticky rice was old and dry. It was in the plastic too long to where one side had gotten mushy. I guess I will have to make my own sticky rice for my leftovers. 2. Fried chicken was dry and cold. It seem like it was old & sitting out. The chicken was practically so tight it was pulling away from the bone. So chewy like it was chicken jerky with a smattering of meat. 3. The papaya salad luckily was average. However, the packaging is terrible as all the liquid spilled into the bag. For what I ordered there should have been little chance for them to get it wrong. Freshness was key and that seemed to be a concept they forgot.
(2)Phil P.
Not a fan of this place at all. The noodles are soggy and overcooked, the beef is tough and chewy, sauce is flavorless, portions are a lot smaller than other Thai restaurants, and none of the ingredients tasted fresh. Will not be ordering from here again.
(2)Blythe B.
I am a fan of one of a kind fooderies in strip malls and I had my eye on this place for a while and I finally made it in last week. Not very fancy or new on the inside, but you can see what's cookin! I simply got a lunch special - Pad See Ew (forgive my spelling) and it was DAMN GOOD! The noodles were big, thick and flavorful and the chicken was perfectly cooked. Most would say the broccoli could be more cooked, but I am a big fan of barely cooked veggies in my meals. It came with soup and a crab rangoon. Soup was good - but I somehow ended up eating it with the needles and chicken in it. The ranagoon tasted just dandy to me. Nothing fancy, but tasty. It's close to work and I think this will be my new place for lunch for a while as I make my way through the menu!
(4)BB C.
So I ordered some carry out for lunch. When I went to pick it up, they still had not made it. I was a bit upset, but thankfully I wasn't in a hurry that day. They apologized and I only had me wait a few minutes. It was worth the wait! The Beef Pad Thai was D-lish! Talk about yummy, the crab Rangoon was crispy and flavorful. And my BBQ pork fried rice was heaven. Most places fried rice are usually bland, but not here. I will be ordering agin, and will encourage my coworkers to do so as well.
(5)Candice G.
I got iced at Thai Pepper! No, not the 'traditional' Smirnoff icing way- I got Thai ice(tea)'d at Thai Pepper and it was by far the (*cue Beyonce*) best I ever had. Thai Pepper is pretty much meant for just carry-out, but on this particular occasion the manz and I decided to eat in since as of yet, we don't own chairs, tables, dish-soap or anything modern-day American would consider necessary for grubbin' at the homestead. We checked out their menu, though he and I pretty much stick to our usual fave Thai dishes anywhere we go. Thai Pepper's list of offering is almost literally 848489471 bullet points long. I went with a the hottest (temperature-wise) Tom Yum soup I've ever had. My tongue mtay have 3rd burns and need a taste-bud graft, but it was SO worth it. It took a while for the kitchen to make it and I could smell it about 10-12 minutes after our order. The lime, the lemongrass, the tomato. I got mine with tofu and though it was a small for around $3.65, it was still a dang decent portion. For my main course I got my usual, Spicy Basil Leaves w/ Tofu extra, extra spicy, though the photo of the garlic scallops on the wall almost had me go in the seafood direction. My dish was a fair amount spicy, enough to get my nose running, but nothing too cray. Next time imma go extra, extra, mega, super spicy and see if they'll kick it up a notch for me. The portion was plenty generous- infact, I even took some home... and that NEVER happens. And never have I ever had so much tofu in the dish. There had to have been at least a half a regular retail-sized package or more in there. For sure a bargain bite, if there ever was one. My one critique would be that there was hardly any juice in the dish and I'm a gal who lika da joos when it comes to Spicy Basil. My Boo got his usual and said it was the best he'd ever had as far as pad see ew goes. I'm not really a big noodle gal, but I will cop to his dish being particularly spectacular and it was surprisingly light. Not greasy in the least bit like most places, but it did fare more toward Chinese flavors than Thai, to me. But I can't hate, it was one steller see ew. All that, and our bill came to less than $24. Not too shabby, Shanghai! I took one of their GIANT menus to go and I'm excited to go back (or get delivery) and try the rest of the 902379497389 things on Thai Pepper's menu.
(4)Cecilia O.
The beef salad was delicious and plenty of food was given. The service is typical for a quick/carry out location. I will definitely come back for carry out again.
(4)Terri C.
I had very mediocre, greasy Pad Thai here a few months ago, and on Valentine's Day 2015 we tried it for takeout again. What a waste of money . . . my red curry shrimp was so bland with almost no shrimp whatsoever. My husband got shrimp fried rice, again almost no shrimp and we've had much better from mall food courts. Tried it twice now, and very sorry that I did. Spring rolls were tasteless except for the peanut sauce that came with them; Crab Rangoon was nothing more than deep fried cream cheese.
(2)Dan B.
Awful tasting food. I used to go here often a year or so ago but I believe ownership must have changed. I got a pad see ew lunch special which is the worst see ew I have ever had. The noodles were not cut properly and in huge sheets, the dish didn't have much flavor and were gummy, but worst of all was the aftertaste. It leaves a greasy, almost buttery coated aftertaste that lingers. This place is pretty bad. I am usually not this harsh, but I suggest skipping Thai Pepper.
(1)Jenny K.
I've tried soo many Thai places since my move back to suburbia, and I can't seem to find one place that is comparable to my favorite Thai restaurant in Indy. On a random day, I found Thai Pepper. I ordered the chicken spinach soup, which is still my utmost favorite! The flavor of the chicken is delicious, and the soup broth was great. I, also, ordered the Basil Chicken, which is enough to eat for two days. The entree included the perfect amount of spice when ordered medium or else it can be a bit spicy. I always scoop my basil chicken on top of my rice and eat it; it's soo good. I've tried their chicken satay and crab rangoon, which are both realy good and haven't disappointed me yet. I've brought my family here and recommended to multiple friends. Thai Pepper is definitely my favorite Thai Restaurant, but closing on Sundays really puts a damper on my cravings!! I can only hope that they pick another day to be closed :)
(5)Austin K.
The young lady at the counter's face didn't work. Careful there's poison on there my friend could smell it. I went to Mcdonald's after.
(2)Nic Z.
Thai Pepper, you're not too shabby! I've been driving past for about a year and finally decided to try it out. Dinner entres are $8 unless you're fancy pants McGee and have to get sea bass, then it'll be around $12. They're quickly prepared and pretty tasty. Broccoli Beef -- My friend mopped this up in two seconds. I don't eat beef, so I didn't try, but his verdict was "Not bad." Spicy Eggplant with Tofu and Chicken -- I hesitated whether to get chicken or tofu, decided on tofu, then she said she'd add a little chicken for no charge. Sweet! This dish was the blandest of the three, but after some soy sauce and chili sauce, it was great. Drunken Noodle -- The noodles are pretty damn drunk because there's just a couple of 'em, and they're way at the bottom under all the vegg.I actually ate this one first thinking it was my Spicy Eggplant (there's eggplant, chicken, and mushrooms in both). Portions are decent and you get rice per person, not per dish.
(4)Conor G.
Lunch specials are an excellent deal and the food is fantastic. The green curry was particularly good.
(4)Shama A.
This place was introduced by a friend and it's a neat Thai hotel, even if it says Sushi below the name ;) We ordered veg phad Thai, dragon rolls and tom yum soup. It exceeded my expectation on the fresh ingredients quotient. Everything had fresh vegetables and made the food a whole lot tastier. Economic too.
(4)Lois C.
This place is absolutely great! I love their fast and friendly service and their lunch specials are priced right. I always order the Lard Nar at thai restaurants and am disappointed when they tell me I cannot have my noodles crispy. Thai pepper not only makes my noodles crispy but also puts the sauce on the side so that my noodles don't get soggy. They are the only thai restaurant around the Schaumburg area that does it right! I will definitely be coming back and trying some other things on the menu that you can't get at all thai restaurants like their papaya salad.
(4)Pari P.
Tried Thai Pepper again for their takeout and was surprised. It's not often that you get a better experience than you have in the past that would bump it up to another star for a review. The noodles for pad see ewe where long and chewy. I can tell that they were fresh and not frozen since there weren't a bunch of small broken pieces. Both the shrimp and chicken were cooked well. If you have Thai or Chinese food often, then you're probably used to overcooked proteins that are tough and chewy. This wasn't the case at Thai Pepper. I also tried something new on their menu which provoked me rewriting this review. Their Thai Pepper Fried Rice was really good. It's a spicy version of a traditional Thai fried rice. Sounds simple but a lot of places change the way how it should taste and Americanize it. Real authentic Thai fried rice should be sweet, salty, and sour which differs from what most people are used to when they think of fried rice. The Thai Pepper Fried Rice hit all of those notes and was simply delicious. I know that it sounds odd to go out of your way for fried rice but it's comfort food to me. For fans of fried rice and simple authentic Thai takeout, Thai Pepper is the way to go.
(4)Liz B.
I'm increasing a star because every time I have ordered since my original review they have had the food ready to go when I got there!
(4)Dorothy P.
I am currently schlurping down a bowl of tom yum soup that's setting my throat on fire (in the best way possible) that I just picked up from Thai Pepper. What's great about this soup is that, despite it's spiciness, it's got a great, complex flavor, which just so happens to include a nice lemongrass zing and subtle mushroom base. I was sitting at work, listening to my stomach rumble and grumble, and trying to figure out what to have for lunch. Of course, Yelp to the rescue, I typed in "Thai food Schaumburg" and this God-send popped up. To top it off, it's literally 5 minutes from my work, so I would have been a fool to go anywhere else. The restaurant is quite modest, open kitchen with a few tables lining the windows for those who want to dine in. Their menu is pretty extensive, but seeing as it was lunch time, I opted for one of their $6.95 lunch specials. And it is, indeed, special. For under $7 (plus tax, of course) you get soup, an eggroll or crab rangoon, and an entree that's decently sized. I ordered the tofu pad thai, and the lady taking my order was nice enough to ask if eggs were ok-so accommodating, a big plus (what she didn't tell me is that there is chicken in the tom yum soup, which is ok since I'm not actually a vegetarian but might put off some others). The quality of food is great for the price, and the service was super fast. I ordered in store (didn't realize I could order ahead...thinking with my stomach again) and was in & out in under 10 minutes. Considering Thai Pepper is a mere stone's throw away, you better believe they haven't seen the last of me!
(4)Jennifer C.
I didn't really like this as much as I thought I would. I wanted to order the appetizer sampler, but they said they were out of a lot of the stuff. So I ordered the Thai fried chicken which was just ok. The sauce it came with was good. I also ordered the potstickers which were quite tasty. My husband ordered the fried catfish which he really didn't like at all. He did say that the fried rice that came with it was pretty good. The service here was good, all of the employees were super sweet. Overall, I'm in no hurry to go back, but I would order the potstickers again.
(2)Nicole W.
Affordable prices, substantial portions and hot, tasty eats...damn right I'm a fan of Thai Pepper. And, all of this deliciousness can be delivered via Grub Hub. Win. Yep, laziness had set in, I was in pajamas at 8pm and I didn't want to leave the house. But oh I wanted some Thai food. Within a few minutes of surfing the nearby restaurants that deliver, I settled on Thai Pepper. 45 minutes later, the kitchen island was full of tantalizing Thai eats. Here's what I indulged in (that evening and the days to follow): Chicken Satay: 5/5: Wham bam, thank you, ma'am. Perfectly speared bird with a fan-peanut-tastic sauce on the side and a small plastic ramekin of fresh cucumber salad. I think there were five satays for $5.95. Pretty sweet deal. Crab rangoon: 2.5/5: Meh. The flavors were decent but these rangoon lacked substance. Literally. There was only a touch of rangoony goodness stuffed into each fried pocket. Pad Thai: 4/5: I ordered this hunk of noodles "medium spicy," and was very glad I did. There was enough heat to keep things interesting but I still retained the feeling in my tongue. Flavors were great overall - just be aware that the noodles come very tightly packed. Let the carbs breathe a bit! At $7.95, this dish could easily feed me for three lunches or two dinners. Now I'm craving some Thai Pepper...
(4)Maricar P.
I used to go here all the time when I lived in Schaumburg. This place has definitely changed owners! I picked up food yesterday and I could not even eat it! So gross and so disappointing!
(1)Laura K.
Because i had to give it a star. First time writing a review ..ever. No time for this but I must say. First and last time ordering. The veg and shrimp in pad sew ew totally burned..worst burned crab rangoon ever! Sorry! This place should not even stay open. Such a waste of space.
(1)Sarah S.
The person taking the orders was super friendly, great service. I ordered take out at 4:55 and it was ready when I picked up after work at 5:10. $8.55 for a tofu pad thai which was big enough for 2 meals. The pad thai is very different here then other places. The noodles are much thinner and has a slightly different taste to it. I would say it's ever so slightly better than the usual pad thai. I'm definitely going to give them another try. There are a few Thai places in the area and I think this is the most convenient & best thus far.
(4)Sara L.
I normally pass this place on my way to work and decided to try it! I got their basil chicken lunch special. The basil chicken was actually quite good! It wasn't greasy and had some kick to it. Their lunches come with soup, egg roll and the main entree all around $8 bucks...not too shabby! I would go back again and try out their dinner selections.
(4)Yane Y.
FYI: This is not a restaurant that you can dine in. It's merely TAKE OUT Thai/Chinese food. This place is pretty awesome! So far, I've ordered Pad Thai, Panang Curry, and General Tso' Chicken. I'm not positive, but I think the owners are Thai, which is a very good sign, if they're selling Thai food! COST: The prices here are very reasonable for most all their dishes. It's relatively cheap - it probably helps because they are not a restaurant. I have a feeling that they're knocking off $1-2 their dishes because it's take out food (as compared to a nice, fancy sit-down restaurant). Not only are their prices reasonable, but they are also pretty generous with their portions. It's all very reasonable... AMBIANCE: It's like a hole-in-the-wall. Once you walk into the store, you're in front of their counter and you can see their kitchen, where they're cooking all the food. It's really nothing fancy or glamorous, but that really does NOT matter! (as long as it is not dirty) Every time I'm there, the lady/person cooking is always washing the wok and the stove area with water ... between meals and all... so it was good to see. She was very thorough because she kept cleaning and cleaning (or so I thought). FOOD: The Pad Thai and the Panang Curry was delicious! I can't give you any details because it's been awhile, but I remember thinking that I will definitely order from here again. The General Tso's was good, but not a "WOW" meal, ya know? It was just .... fine. Side Note: I went twice within the past couple of months. They must have had their children there. They were really cute helping out the 'rents with orders, etc. I asked the little girl what her favorite dish was out of the whole restaurant, and she chose Pad Thai. The little boy said his was the General Tso' (i think), which was why I ordered that the last time. Since they or their parents or whoever owns it, I figure they can eat anything and everything on the menu and know what's best.... it won't hurt to ask them! CONCLUSION: I will go back to this place again..and again.. and again... Just gotta let time pass in between because Thai/Chinese food is "heavy"...!!!
(4)Armil B.
Typical Thai restaurant. Pad Thai was typical. This place is definitely geared for take out customers. Do not plan on having a lunch or dinner in the restaurant. I would come here again only for take out.
(2)Ann B.
This is our go-to place for Thai food. It's inexpensive, delicious, and it's always prepared fast. The portions are excellent and you can choose your level of spicy. My favourite is the cashew nut entree, extra spicy.
(4)H H.
Basil Chicken is excellent! Fresh and tasty! This place has a wide selection. Food is fresh and cooked in sight as the kitchen is visible from the limited seating area. Carry out
(5)L p.
Product: Excellent Service: Disorganized, but friendly Ambience: Would be better off as carry-out only Product I enjoy a good curry. Thai curries are my favorite, period. My wife and I shared a red curry, and I asked to replace the meat with mushrooms. The attendant was more than willing to make the replacement. The curry was served VERY hot (which I prefer), with an adequate portion. The flavor was very good. Rich, creamy, a bit sweet, and spicy (medium, about a 4 out of 10). We also ordered spring rolls, but they were out of stock, so we switched to egg rolls. These were delivered about 5 minutes after the curry. Other than that, they were good, crispy, and hot. Service The folks running the show were cordial. However, in our 30 minutes in the store, it became painfully obvious that they are disorganized. I believe they were cooking one meal at a time, and delivering, before starting the next. My wife and I were completely finished with our curry before the couple who ordered just after us received their food. That trend continued to the next order, and so on. My tip, then, is to call ahead and/or avoid this restaurant on a Saturday evening, unless you've got a lot of time and patience. We were not in a hurry, so this didn't bother us particularly, but I wouldn't return to this Thai Pepper unless I had plenty of time. Ambience This restaurant, in my opinion, should focus on making food for carry out. Only. It's not set up or organized for an in-house dining experience. There are only a handful of tables. None of them match. Some of the chairs match. Some. Four of them look comfortable. The temperature was chilly-ish. As we sat and dined, those who came to order after us were pretty much standing right next to us. The lights are suitable for a kitchen, not a dining room. And lastly, to get to the restroom, you pass through a food prep area which, honestly, made me thankful I don't eat meat regularly. That's probably the kindest way to put it. I didn't even end up using the restroom. I would eat Thai Pepper curry again. I wouldn't eat Thai Pepper curry at Thai Pepper curry again. Remove the ambience, and this restaurant would get four stars. Add a solid manager, and this restaurant could be a five star (carry-out).
(3)Michael P.
The food is authentic and service is ok. Not the best atmosphere to sit and eat but take out always works. I recommend a remodel to attract more people and keep the food choices the same. I would rate it a 4 if they cleaned the place up a little.
(3)K E.
After reading the Yelp reviews on this place, I decided to give it a try. I ordered one of my favorite Thai dishes, chicken pad thai. At first glance It looked awful. When I took my first bite I realized it tasted even worse than it looked. It was like eating burnt noodles and peanuts. I don't like to waste food,but it was so BAD I had to throw it in the garbage. I didn't even call and tell them because no way was I driving back to get a second helping of nastiness.
(1)Jon R.
This is a very average Thai joint. The food all has good flavor and is a decent place to hit up if you're in a rush. I only really go here because it's only a block from my office and are fairly quick at getting my order out. I've had the Tom yum and Tom kha. I think the Tom yum is better of the two. It's nowhere any as good as Dan Thai, but is nice on a cold day. I tend to stick to my other standard of panang curry. Not a whole lot to say about this other than its quite watery. Flavor is average. They are better about about making it spicy, but its just too watered down. I imagine its not too far off from Lindsay's hot ham water. A nice find yesterday was the Pad Kra Prao. This is basil ground chicken with peppers and onions. I really don't like onions... That's the nice way putting it. I hate onions...unless they are really grilled well. They did a great job with this because I really didn't notice the onions at all. As long as they stay in the same location and my job or office don't change I'll keep going here... At least for lunch.
(2)Ryan M.
This place used to be really good to me but alas times have changed. The mango sticky rice is good but the mango were sour and the portions were lack luster. I went again to get Pad Si Ew and the whole thing was full of vegetables. Hardly any noodles and 3 shrimp. The location smells kind of foul too.Hope they can turn things around
(3)Mike O.
It's right near my office, good lunch food. I need to order from them (they're on GrubHub.com ) for delivery sometime. I tried to speak some Thai to them and they were impressed :-)
(4)Chris M.
There are a lot of Thai places in the area and each is pretty good, so picking a favorite comes down to a specific dish or two, price, and convenience. We live across the street so convenience is an easy win for us, and we'd tried it when they first opened up but were not impressed at the time, but the good reviews here on Yelp encouraged us to try it again. This time I got panang curry beef and I'd say it's on par with my other favorite Thai restaurant in the area, Thai Thanee. Everyone else in my family seemed to enjoy their meal as well. I understand that they have a couple tables in the restaurant but it's really meant to be take-out. I will certainly be ordering there again and trying my other favorite dishes to see how they stack up.
(4)Peter K.
At most Thai restaurants, I like to order their Beef Pad See Ewe to check whether or not I like the place or not. I tried that dish here and it was a 8.5 out of 10. My favorite place to get that dish is in Champaign, IL which is too far away. I liked the way they prepared the dish with eggs, long soft noodles, tender beef, and perfectly cooked broccoli. A couple things I think they could improve upon is adding a little bit more beef in the proportion of beef to noodle and also including a bit more in the dish itself. After stepping in here for the first time, the place looks clean and there are 3 or 4 2-person tables to sit at. It looks like their primary method of selling food is either through delivery or carry out. But they have a fairly comprehensive menu and it would definitely be a place where I'd like to try more dishes in the future.
(4)Brent W.
Caveat Emptor: just bc my son's grandma is part owner of Thai Pepper and is seriously one of the most awesomest ppl I know, there is NO bias.lol Srs. None. Some of the best Pad Thai you'll experience, both shrimp or chicken. What I love about any of their chicken dishes is the fact they always do excellent job of searing the chicken in the wok and it gets a nice caramelized exterior. I have it on good authority that they get their veggies in on the regular so they are always super fresh and high quality. They do a ton of take away and delivery but you can eat in as well and check out the action in the open kitchen just adjacent to the smallish yet sparkling clean dining area. Can't miss here.
(4)Erin M.
I really wanted to like this place. I was working in the area on a cold and blustery day and found myself craving some spicy comfort food. I went to my trusty yelp app on my I phone and this restaurant came up. I called, placed my order and drove in for the pickup. The girl took my money, handed me a bag full of food and I was on my way. 4 minutes later I get a frantic phone call. "please come back". SIGH... I was 3 miles down the road at this point. The thing that really got to me was when I brought it back, she took it from me and handed it to the guy whose bag it really belonged to. Isn't that against health regulation?? I was so irritated. When I finally dug into my correct food it was just ok and certainly NOT worth all of the unnecessary hassle.
(2)Lancer K.
They have this yummy mango sweet rice.
(4)Nicole L.
I'm just not having luck trying out new places lately. The pad see ew here was overcooked. Some noodles were actually hard and they all had an oily flavor to them. I'm rather shocked by all the glowing reviews. Did I just get a poorly prepared dish? Was it a fluke? I'm not really inclined to go back and find out as there are plenty of Thai restaurants to try instead. It's too bad as I thought the woman who took my order was really nice and the price for lunch was extremely reasonable with the crab rangoon and soup it comes with, but I can't tolerate oily hard noodles. Also I didn't care for the broccoli used, although I'm aware it was the more authentic type that should be used in this dish, I prefer regular broccoli. Visited: April 6, 2012
(3)Insun M.
Schaumburg REALLY lacks thai restaurants but this is a good little mom and pop take out joint. Unique pad thai: noodles are much thinner then the normal pad thai. (don't get the seafood version...the scallops are horrid) Decent red curry: slightly oily but i'll let that go since they use vegetable oil instead of lard like most take out places
(4)Brandy B.
Good crab Rangoon. Fairly standard. Good yellow chicken curry as well. Friendly staff. Open on Sundays.
(5)Dan F.
I've been to Thai Pepper twice now and the food is good and reasonably priced. Nothing spectacular, but nothing disappointing either. The service is friendly, the decor is modest. I'll go back if I'm nearby and want Thai. I doubt I will make a special trip though.
(3)Robert G.
After my Thaifoon (London, ON) experience the other day, I was Jones'n for something new here at home for redeption: found it at Thai Pepper. This place just opened in October and is primarily take-out or delivery, as there is total seating for ten peeps. No worries like some other joints, plenty of room for the walk-in-walk-out din while you're eating so as not to disrupt you. In a strip mall, it's an order-at-the-counter, non-table service place even for eating in, and food is also served using similarly take-out-able containers and utensils [see pics]. To me, in retrospect, those didn't detract from the food, all things considered. Right away I ordered my token Crab Rangoon ($3.95) and was not disappointed: think there were five, each with the crispy 'handles/top' and slightly doughy bottom--exactly my fav. I normally don't do lunch menu v. dinner menu, but I opted for the lunch special ($6.95; Pad Kee Mao). With that, I got my token egg roll and soup, both of which were decent--the soup much better than the ER. The soup was actually quite a bit larger than I expected or that I recall in my few other outings; believe there was also tofu in it. The PKM was very good: no sprouts per my request; not too oily, perfect medium spice; a slightly grill flavor to the beef; good balance between beef/peppers/noodle, though Chinese broccoli instead of broccoli would have been better. Diet Coke was $1.25 can--standard. Portion sizes were good and I was full when I left. Nong [maybe Pe] working the counter (I didn't catch her name) was unusually talkative for a Thai restaurant employee. When I ordered, I did so in Thai and while she was writing my order, she looked up and said, "Did you just speak Thai to me"? Chai klap. So I banter with her about my Thai compulsion and my panraya, a surprising convo reallly. When I was eating, she surprised me by asking "Aloy dee mak kaa?" Not an unsual question by any means, but of all the places I'd eaten, none ever asked me if the food was good in Thai :) Chai, chai, aloy mak. When I took one of the pictures, I said "Neung, sorng, sam [1, 2, 3]" and all three gals chuckled--think they got a kick out of me speaking Thai, and it was nice they embraced my trying. Looking over my precious other 5-star reviews, those were optimally based on taste and value--especially as they matched expectations-- above all else. Those factors, including things mentioned in Paragraph 3 make this one of my favs--er, not to mention location to my house. Perhaps this is a 4.5 stars given the serving stuff, but other than that, certainly the benefit of the doubt as a whole. FOLUP: Went back for lunch today and got same service and good, quality stuff (Crab Rangoon, Pad Thai [beef] with soup [khao tom gai--chicken rice] and eggroll, wife got Pad Pet Pladook [spicy fried catfish with veggies]). Turns out one of the cooks is from the same town as my wife (Lampang). Still a high recommend...
(5)Sayantan D.
The journey ends here! No really!! This is the best Thai food I have had and I truly believe that (if I had the money) I would invest in these guys to open a bigger venture for them. It was that good. At first sight you'd almost miss it and it is more a delivery and take away place than one to sit and eat in. But we sat and ate and took some back too... And Thai being on the top 3 of my favorite cuisines, I am very critical of bad Thai food. But this was just great! If you are somewhere in and around and thinking of good food, try this place! You can see the cooking, which just (to my mind) adds to the overall taste experience.
(5)Nichole H.
Food was amazing. I had the spicy eggplant with chicken, it is a huge portion loaded with meat and fresh veggies! My counterpart had the yellow curry which was also delicious. Our thai iced teas were very good. The crab rangoons.....were good, but there is very little filling :( Dessert consisted of the banana crepe with coconut ice cream and green tea ice cream. The banana crepe things were soooo good! This place must be more of a take-out place because there were lots of people going in and out for food, but NO ONE except us eating inside! Also, we ate off of styrofoam plates/bowls and had plastic silverware which was a little wierd.....but not bad! I will eat off styrofoam any day to get that amount of delicious thai food at such a reasonable price! Yay!
(4)Bernard P.
I know it may be a little too early for an update, but the wife and I tried a few more tasty dishes off of Thai Pepper's menu including the catfish curry, sesame chicken, and spinach soup. Everything was delicious!!! The catfish curry had large pieces of fried catfish stir fried with fresh basil, peppers, bamboo shoots in red curry paste. It was the best catfish curry we've ever had. The sesame chicken was a good portion size and the batter was just as perfect as the sauce that came with it. Finally, the spinach soup was a savory broth that included fresh spinach, soft tofu, glass noodles and a dumpling that tasted like heaven! For all of you true Thai food lovers out there, Thai Pepper Restaurant uses real Thai peppers in their spicier dishes. Request extra if you are brave enough. Also, the owners and manager introduced themselves to us which was great since they always make us feel welcome whenever we visit. While there, please be sure to say hello to Toom, Ma and Mai - three of the nicest, most beautiful Thai chefs you'll ever meet!!!! Be sure to check out this place if you're looking for truly exceptional, authentic Thai cuisine served with a smile!!!!!
(5)Heather L.
Love the Pad Thai here. Come for lunch often. Very friendly. More of a takeout place but they do have seating and will serve you soup while you wait.
(4)Frank A.
WHAT?!!! Stuffed Chicken wings??? No way! OK. When I was dating my wife back in the day, she would make me this dish to win me over. Haha. In all my years, I've never seen it in a Thai place! That instantly gives this place major props because she never makes it for me anymore. HAHA. How did it taste? AWESOME! That's because they fried it instead of the "healthier" method my wife uses, which is baking. Not to say the baked version is inferior.. *wink *wink. Oh, yeah, the rest of the dishes we ordered were also fantastic. Probably the best Thai in the area.
(5)Sandeep M.
Good foood, Pad Thai was great. The food is delicious but not pricy, will definately come back.
(4)Claus P.
The food used to be really awesome but there is new ownership and a new chef now. I tried 2 dishes with the new chef and both were missing taste and spices, I'm not going back.
(2)Megan O.
You wouldn't think it be hard to screw up fried rice, but it's possible. But before I begin, no Thai Pepper DID NOT screw up on the rice :) I am super picky when it comes to fried rice--no thanks on the over the top soy sauced rice, or "let's put yellow food coloring over the rice to make it look like fried rice-rice," and in Thai Pepper, the Pineapple Fried Rice was nothing of those sorts. It was lightly fried, not too oily and surely did NOT skimp on the goods (pineapple, beef, egg, carrots)! ($7.95) I also had 1 scoop of green tea ice cream-delish! ($1.12 w/ tax) The venue has some tables, but the capacity can seat like less than 20, so you're probably better off ordering out and enjoying Thai Pepper's food in the comfort your home.
(4)Dj M.
This place is right around the corner from my work. Had the drunken noodles lunch. The food was ok. The portions were too small for my liking. Nothing really stands out for me here. The wait wasn't that long. I had it to go. There are a couple booths you can sit at, but this is not a restaurant atmosphere. Probably not my first choice for Thai food, but I'd eat it again.
(3)Jackie M.
How does this restaurant have such a good rating???!? Have these people ever had Thai food? This SUCKED! Everything was greasy and bland. YUK!!!!! The prices were pretty steep for what we got...we will never be back.
(2)Linda C.
Thank goodness for the Yelp smartphone app! It was definitely a lifesaver tonight! FOOD: I can't decide what's the best part of Thai Pepper Restaurant... the hearty portion of fresh veggies (perfectly cooked crisp) and meats or the homemade (according to the very nice lady who took our order) noodles they make the night before. We ordered Pad Kee Mao, Spicy Meat, Drunken Noodles, Green Curry, fried chicken wing appetizer, and their Thai iced tea. The flavors were wonderful, but the best thing were definitely the noodles and the fresh vegetables. My Pad Kee Mao was a little bit oily but then again what fast food Asian restaurant isn't. The drunken noodles may not have looked all that appetizing in their picture on the wall when you first walk in... but I was definitely surprised, it was still really delicious! The chicken wings however were nothing too special but overall still good. If you are looking for awesome fried chicken wings go to Happy Elephant in Elk Grove Village. The only thing we were disappointed about was that they ran out of Pad Thai noodles so we were unable to order the dish everyone is raving about on Yelp! SERVICE: We got lucky in that we came in just before a wave of orders hit so the wait wasn't too bad. We ate in the restaurant. Most people do take-out which is fine but I would advise ordering ahead as the wait seems like it could get long if there is a number of orders in since there seems to be only one or two cooks at a time in the small kitchen. The lady who took our order was very sweet and explained about the running out of Pad Thai noodles conundrum that day as she was very surprised it happened since she made so much of it the night before. AMBIANCE: clean and simple... typical take out looking joint but that by no means should reflect badly upon the food. I like that I can see what's going on in the kitchen... they keep it tidy! OTHER COMMENTS: definitely coming back to try their Pad Thai... their noodles are definitely unique.
(4)Gail G.
Ok, so I decided to try this place for lunch after reading some of these reviews, and I must say..... "Damnit, Yelp!! I trusted you!!!!" Ok, but seriously, the food here is just O.K. I would not go back. For the reviewer who said it was the BEST Thai food he's ever had, I say "Are you kidding me? Was your reivew a practical joke to get people to eat here so you can quietly laugh with each new bad review....?" I went there with my sister and mom and we did dine-in, but they still served us with the styrofoam carry-out containers... that was odd; especially given the fact that on their website's home page, they picture dishes in ceramic dishes, not styrofoam. Yeah, the lunch specials are really cheap, but so what? My favorite Thai place has lunch specials for the same, exact price ($6.95)! Plus, my favorite Thai place also has printable coupons on thier website, so in that sense, Thai Pepper is more money with not as good food. My litmus test for good Thai is the Panang Curry, it's what I order to test out a new Thai joint. My sister ordered the Yellow Curry, and both of our curries were very thin and soupy. I like my curry to have the consistency of at least a thick stew. The flavors were ok, but were somewhat muted and needed more punch. The room was VERY cold! It seemed like they didn't have any heat in the place. I read one review that said he went in the middle of summer and there was no A/C, so I wasn't surprised. Room temperature control is really important to me, so that was another point deduction. The BEST Thai food I've ever had is still CK Pad Thai in Carol Stream. Honestly, on the way home from eating at Thai Pepper my mom joked that she felt like going to CK Pad Thai to eat again b/c she didn't feel satisfied, haha. If you're really craving Thai (and I was), drive to Carol Stream for some AWESOME Thai food (what I should have done). On the plus side, the girl who took our order was very nice and polite. Since we ate there, she brought us water and my sister spilled a little of her drink on the floor and she cleaned it up with a smile. However, I must note that she (nor any other staff member) never came back to ask if we needed anything else. Luckily we didn't need water refills, but I guess they just expect you to walk up to the counter and ask for anything you need. We left a tip but none of us will ever go back.
(1)Danny Y.
Holy crap.. hot day + broken AC + pad kee mao @ Thai Pepper = sweat up a storm. Should've listened to yelpers and took my food to go!! The pad kee mao was pretty good, like 3.5 stars good, albeit slightly smaller portions than I had hoped. The prices SEEMED reasonable, but with a soda and tip, came out to be about $12/person anyway. The search goes on for good thai food.
(3)Brook E.
One of my favorite Thai dishes to order is papaya salad. It should be made with green papaya--usually pretty spicy with some sweetness thrown in. It's tasty, but it's also pretty healthy too. The Papaya Salad here is papaya with a garlic bomb. No spiciness, no sweetness, my mouth is still burning from the garlic. I'm just a bit disappointed. It was also pretty expensive for what it was--half of the dish was just a head of lettuce. Most reviews seem so glowingly positive, and I was excited to try a Thai place in Schaumburg--maybe I'm just spoiled by all the Thai restaurants I go to in the city? I'll probably be back to try one of their noodle or curry dishes when I'm not trying to watch my waistline.
(2)Phuong T.
Why did it take me so long to discover this place?? I travel to Schaumburg every year for 3 months and have never been here?? Since discovering it 5 days ago, I've been here 2 times (3rd time tonight after I write this review)... The food is cooked to order, fresh and made in front of you. I've lived in Thailand for a bit and can say that it tastes as authentic here as it does overseas. My favorite by far is the papaya salad! Yummmm.... (Tip: Go one notch lower on their spiciness scale. I almost lost my voice after ordering medium. I now order mild and ask for a chili on the side if I want that extra kick). Great service, great food. I'll definitely make this a regular spot every time my travels bring me to Chicago!
(5)Vivek R.
Best Thai Veg. Green Curry in town. The staff are courteous and was able to tailor the dishes to my taste...
(5)David B.
I think it is a gem in Schaumburg, which is overflowing with chain reasturants. Cheap and Delicious.
(4)Arthur-Angelo S.
Ive had better, maybe because ordered late. My beef pad seo was watered down, didnt taste much of the sauce. I still like Thai House better, take out time is the same.
(2)Ella K.
I just love the texture of the flat rice noodle! Always quick and so good although the sticky rice with mango was a bit drier than I remember it to be its still a must order every time, the mango was delicious which I must say surprised me this time of year!
(4)