No lie: everyone likes Italian food. But even the most ardent lasagna lover can get burned out on the trattorias. That's why Yummy Thai is a welcome addition to the Old World goodness of Taylor Street, Chicago's version of Little Italy. The cute-as-a-button Thai joint serves up wallet-friendly, pan-Asian standards in an endearingly kitschy yet airy space...and there's not a meatball in sight.
Tables of West Loopers and students from neighboring UIC fill the restaurant during lunch hour, and smells from the open kitchen in the back waft past the tables. If you're having a bad day, Yummy Thai could be the spot to turn things around: the restaurant is dotted with tapestries and statues of elephants, a traditional good luck charm. Nods to the younger clientele also abound, like the stack of Onion newspapers thoughtfully placed by the door for mealtime reading.
Any noodle or rice dish you're craving is bound to be on the menu; Yummy Thai offers up about 20 entrees, each less than $9. Choose from standbys like pad Thai and curry noodles, or, for the more adventurous, try the restaurant's cheeky spin on fried rice, complete with hot dog slices, raisins and pineapple. The kitchen serves up generous portions, so be prepared to take home leftovers. For those whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs, appetizer choices range from cucumber salad, with crinkle-cut carrots and chunks of cucumber in a thin, tangy dressing, to the hilariously named crab in the bags, a batch of fried crab and shrimp dumplings (apps range from $2.95-$4.95).
No meal at Yummy Thai should be without an order of the Thai iced tea, a sweet, creamy concoction topped with whipped cream that's reminiscent of a tea milkshake. It's enough to push visions of gelato clear out of your head.
Centerstage Reviewer: Elisabeth Kilpatrick
