Where the Locals Eat Rating
Best Thai
Top 100 Restaurant, Chicago
"Arun's continues to operate as a professional Thai restaurant whose objectives are to serve as a good model for the best of Thai cuisine in general, and to maintain a balance between preserving classical Thai cooking and perpetuating new innovations. ... In general, we recommend dining family-style when you eat at Arun's. Thai food is traditionally served as a sequential banquet for a family clan, with dishes representing the many techniques, textures, flavors and regional styles of Thai cooking, for all to share and sample."
– Arun's Thai Restaurant website
"When it comes to Thai, it doesn't get any better than this. Contemporary ideas match up against regional classics. Noodle dishes are exceptional, as are the curries. Expensive, but worth it."
– Chicago Sun-Times
"Critics and diners agree–you haven't experienced Thai food until you've let Arun Sampanthavivat seduce you with his sophisticated fare. Arun's brings Thai cuisine to new heights, using only the freshest ingredients in tantalizing combinations plated so exquisitely that it's almost vandalism when you dig in."
– Chicago Reader
"Unquestionably, the restaurant continues to provide an excellent dining experience. ... Arun's is more than just another restaurant; it's a vitally important piece of Chicago's culinary history."
– Phil Vettel, Chicago Tribune
How Others Rate Arun's Thai Restaurant
Chicago Tribune
*** (Excellent)
James Beard Foundation
Best Chef: Midwest, 2000
Best Chef: Midwest Nominee, 1994-1999
Zagat 2008
28 Food Rating (Extraordinary to Perfection)
Mobil Travel Guide
*** (Excellent Food, Attentive and Skillful Service, and Enjoyable Decor)