We got take out for dinner and decided to try a different place than the usual Thai place. The place was set up only as take-out and delivery that day which works for us. Parking could be a challenge. Our little kids enjoyed their pad see wee which was wonderful for any parent that have fussy eaters. We got Mongolian beef. It wasn't prepared they way I expected which would be more Chinese stir-fry style with lots of onions but this version was still very good. The basil chicken was spicy but the flavor was off and wasn't as great as other Thai places for me. We also got egg noodle kee mao which was meh. maybe it would have been better if i stuck to the usual rice noodle.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4

Yikes. Came here for lunch and was pretty disappointed. My boyfriend and I are both vegetarian, and we ordered veggie egg rolls, panang curry, and pad thai. We were the only people in the restaurant, and the waiter was not very attentive. When the egg rolls came, I bit into it and one of them had meat inside. We were the only people in the restaurant. Really?? Main courses were pretty good, but very small portion sizes compared to most Thai places. While we were waiting for our food, another man came into the restaurant, the waiter acknowledged him and said she’d be with him in a minute, but never went to help him. 15 min later, the man approaches her saying he’s been waiting for 15 min and needs to be helped. Definitely wouldn’t go back.

Food was ready fast and my order was exactly what I asked for, and I can be a little picky. Finally a place that understands what I mean by "extra spicy". I can't remember the last time I told someone that, and didn't end up adding hot sauce. No hot sauce needed here. No soy sauce or anything else for that matter. Great Pescatarian options! I just ate my food a block away and I'm literally thinking about going back already. I always try to give at least one pro/con, so I'll say there lobby could use some organization. Lots of stuff stored in the seating seating area that would probably be put away somewhere out of sight. If this sounds like a petty complaint, you might be right. But I literally have no other complaints.

I can't stop thinking about this food! I went on a day trip to Chicago for work and stopped here for lunch. I ordered two meals to-go, one for lunch and one to bring home that night to Indiana. The lunch basil chicken fried rice was awesome. I enjoyed all the flavors that would surprise you in each bit. But the chicken green curry I took home was possibly the best I had ever tasted. I intended to share it with my husband so I told him about it before coming home. I wished I had tasted it first. That food wouldn't have made it home. I would have hid it before having to share it! Planning a personal trip to Chicago soon!

I just ordered delivery from SaiMai and I am NOT disappointed! I got the drunken noodles w chicken and held the tomatoes and substituted broccoli. It was perfection. I ordered medium spicy and that wasnt too spicy but definitely had a kick, it has the right amount of sauce on it, not too dry, not drowning in liquid. The chicken was a thinner cut and a nice quality of meat. The vegetables tasted fresh and crunchy and overall the dish was delicious! I will definitely try this place again to explore other dishes!
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Recommended dishes
Pad Kee Mao

Horrible experience! I went there after a Jeff Goldblum concert (02-15-19) at the Park West. No greeting from the waitress-she just pointed at a table. The food was less than average for a Thai restaurant. She never came back to the table to ask, if we were alright or anything. She did come back to get the bottle of soy sauce-but not the signed bill, after paying with a credit card. I guess she didn't want to thank us for visiting the establishment, which she didn't. Very poor customer service. I don't know if it was racism or just plain ignorance.

I wanted to like the experience, but our server didn't write anything down...so that meant the she and a co worker had to come to our table 3 times to ask us what we ordered, after they delivered the wrong soup to my friend. Annoying. Not to mention no one came back to ask us if our food was ok. Food was tasty but overpriced, with small portions. I get it. They can charge this much because of the neighborhood. I used to live on the Northside of Chicago, so I know there are plenty of better cheaper places to eat.

Their food is really tasty, having had Pad Thai and a few other places in Chicago I can definitely say that this is near the top especially for the price. Their lunch special is definitely the way to go since it is only $8 and you get an entree, an appetizer, and a daily soup, it's especially cheap when you consider that there on trees alone are $9.50. their bubble teas are very good too. Have you worked at Lincoln Park Zoo this was definitely one of my favorite places to go eat at.

Food is very good, Curry is on the sweet side and also is the thinner variety. Service in the restaurant is strange at best. We brought a bottle of wine, she brings us out some glasses but never opens or brings a corkscrew! 5 minutes later I flag her down for an opener and open it myself! Hmm what was the $5 corking fee for?? Warning BYOBeer is $1 / bottle so that six pack you bring just doubled in price. Probably best for take out.

This little gem that’s just a short walk from Lincoln Park ZooGreat lunch specials and amazing pad Thai. On Saturdays they have potstickers as the appetizer in their lunch specials along with me so soup. It’s very good and you get a lot of money for just eight dollars. It’s really convenient and they make your food fast especially when you order it advance. It’s really nice when you just need something quick for your break at work.

Good food, but lacked service. The food was not bad at all, we just didn't have a good experience with the server. No "hi" or "thanks for coming", Lacked effort of wanting to keep patients. I would not mind ordering to go, but I wouldn't go back to sit. Maybe the server was just having a bad day.. If they had great service, they could easily be 4.5 stars, but the service drops them to 3 stars.

Absolutely amazing. Couldn't believe the value, presentation, and quality of the food. Best bang for our buck in Chicago this week. Maddie treated us very well, and the Panang Beef Curry was one of the best curry dishes I have ever had, including some amazing Indian food I've had. Don't let the hole-on-the-wall entrance deter you. Great experience, and just 2 blocks from the zoo entrance.

I do not support establishments that support racism! Terrible service. My family was judged immediately for being multi racial. The waitresses were rude and already had a preconceived notion about our small group. Our family has plenty of money and are very educated...but even if we weren’t we don’t deserve the treatement we received. I will be reporting this place to the BBB.

I’m not one to write a review for restaurants, but this one really blew me away! I’ve had curry in Thailand many times, and have been on a mission to find a place in Chicago that tastes just as good. I got the green chicken curry and would definitely give it five stars!! Great delivery service as well. I hope to eat here in the future when they open their dine in

Went here yesterday for dinner and was surprised by the quality of the food! Usually when I get noodles/pad thai at restaurants they are saturated in sauce but these dishes were perfect -- I didn't leave feeling greasy and bloated. 10/10. Also there is street parking in front of the restaurant (not a parking lot). Good prices, most dishes are 10 bucks.

I would say that the other reviews are accurate. Food is good. Service is poor. When we went we were the only ones in the place and definitely were kinda neglected. Had the vibe of we were bothering the server by being there. However we did get our food quickly and never really lacked anything we needed. So not horrible just not very attentive.

All food was tasty and fresh. One area to improve was wait time to irder while dining in. In all fairness they were properly staffed for the low dine-in patrons and high take out and delivery orders. We simply arrived during their rush hour. Cucumber salad super fresh and large portion. All portions were large and everything tasted very fresh.

Solid lil neighborhood Thai shop. Have dined in once (pre-covid) and was the same 'meh' expierence as others (poor service). But for take out their solid. I love getting their green curry and baby egrolls. Wife is an avid fan of Pad Thai, but does not like theirs, at all. Fried rice is good. Food is always on time, easy pick up during covid.

The food was amazing! After walking around the zoo, I had quite the appetite. I got a lunch special with an egg roll, soup, and pad siew. The mango bubble smoothie was so good and I could tell they used real mango. Staff was friendly and service was fast. I lingered since I was a bit tired and never felt rushed or pressured to leave.

Sai Mai Thai is the best Thai restaurant in Chicago. I have tried several other places and they just do not compare
Service
Take out
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Penang Curry Fried Rice, Green Curry

The food tasted OK, not the best Thai food I ever ate. What I want to say is that the service was really bad. The waitress’s face made us feel like that we own her some money. My niece even asked me why the waitress showed her cold face. We won't go there again even it is just 5 min's walk from our building.

Sai Mai was is our favorite Thai restaurant and even though we no longer live in Chicago, we order carry out whenever we have a chance. It holds up well on a 3-hour drive home and is often still warm and always delicious when we arrive! The staff are great and always take good care of us.

I live nearby, so I order takeout from here all the time, and usually get one of the lunch specials. Food tastes quite good, however the price has increased somewhat in the last two years. Service is alright and the place is clean with nice decor. It'ss usually not too crowded here.

So so happy I stumbled upon this Thai restaurant after a night at Lincoln Park's Zoo Lights. This is the best Thai food I've had since I went to Thailand. Big portions, decently priced for the area, and my Rama Chicken was incredibly flavorful. I practically licked my plate clean.

Nice restaurant nestled in the Lincoln Pk neighborhood... Food was nice and light, staff was very friendly. Really enjoyed the Pad Thai Woosen (glass noodles), the SaiMai platter... The wonton soup was light, could have benefited from a richer broth, the egg plant had good flavor

One of my fav Thai places in this area. Simple and unpretentious.. But for tastes great. Basil fried rice and pad Thai are the best. Their 'spicy' spice level is very hot (comes from someone who can stand pretty good spice level). So be careful putting in your spicy level.

I’m not sure why this place has good ratings. I ordered Pad Thai with green curry and it was such a disappointment. Nothing had real flavours. I suspect this might be good if you prefer Americanized food—a toned-down, sweetened version of the traditional Thai dishes.

Food is very very good. Ordered spicy red curry,Penang curry, pad Thai, chicken basil and the best lava cake. Note, spicy is really spicy here. Everything was good. Lava cake was cherry on the top. Clean and neat restaurant with great service. Highly recommended.

Great food. Great location. Highly recommended. I had green curry with scallops and fried rice while my wife had pad thai and cold coffee. We were super hungry before we arrived and were full within 10 minutes. It is a hip place with minimalist interior.

A true gem of a restaurant. The green curry was perfectly balanced and wonderful depth of flavor. The pad thai and panang noodles were also fantastic. Make sure to order the Thai iced tea to wash it all down. Definitely a place to visit on the regular.

We’ve had two fantastic experiences at SaiMai - one in person pre-pandemic and one delivery order this week. Both times we had the chicken, pineapple fried rice which has a great flavor without being too curry-heavy. Will 100% order from here again.

Wow! Best green, red and masaman curry I have tasted in a long while. Loved that they went out of their way to accommodate us even when the resturant was completely full on a rainy night. Boba and appetizers were also excellent. 100% would recommend

Overall the food was great. As well as the customer service. It is rather pricey when ordering for a family, however, for a individual date or a place to eat its great.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

Delicious! Kind service. Look forward to visiting again.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 3
Recommended dishes
Brown Rice, Basil Fried Rice

LOVED this place! Staff was friendly, restaurant was clean, and it was some of the best Thai food I've ever had. Our food came pretty quickly (but it was also 8:45 on a Friday night, so it wasnt crowded). 10/10 would recommend!!

The delivery and food was amazing, especially in craziness we are going through. Will be ordering again for sure. I also love how they don't use third party delivery apps to increase the cost of food to the end user.

Delicious food. Quick carry out. The perfect combination for a lazy weekend day. We ordered the spring rolls, the vegetable and tofu fried rice, and the panang curry. I really couldn’t decide which dish I liked best.

I order from this place every Sunday for lunch. The food is incredible. The lady that works at the counter is welcoming and kind. I highly recommend you try this place out whenever you're in the Lincoln Park area!

Dirty place. Workers shoes visable under bar counter. Rude staff. Food is all processed or frozen. To avoid at all costs. Can't understand why some people gave this dump a 5 star rating. Totally grim experience

This place rocks! Every time I’m craving Thai curry, I’m really just craving their red veggie curry. On top of the awesome food, the staff is so friendly and always super prompt. A neighborhood staple!

Let me start by saying that I am a big sweet tooth. But even so, the Panang curry was beyond what I could take. It was so sweet. Pad thai was relatively better but still sweet.
Service
Delivery

This place completely surprised us! The thai curry and Pad Kee Mao were very good. Perfectly made with good quantity. The service was on point. The waitresses were super nice. Loved it!

Really authentic Thai food, flavorful Shrimp tom yum. Can be perfect if the dine-in option is available.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30

Yum! I ordered delivery and had the tom yum soup and egg rolls and both were delicious. The broth in the soup is so good! Definitely will order again or try dine in!
Food: 5

A great neighborhood Thai place. Kind, courteous service, delicious red curry dish for me. My group was well pleased with our lunch.

It's okay. I had the Massaman Curry which was good, but the sweet potatoes were under cooked and uneatable.

Really enjoyed the food here! It also has lovely art work and a beautiful wood fireplace (just decoration).

Great take out Thai food in LP! Quick and consistent. Basil chicken spicy is a must!

The green curry chicken and the spring rolls, were absolutely fantastic!

This place is AMAZING the food great and it's next to my job. Love it!!