A few friends and I ate at this restaurant during early October 2024. We wanted something different so we took a ride out from our hotel to try this Thai restaurant. Because there was no wait to be seated, we were very excited. The restaurant was very quiet and clean. Our server was very attentive. The food was very tasty. I can truly foresee myself returning to this restaurant in the future.

Personal hotpot for around 35 dollars. Rotary items on the conveyor bell were good as well. They didn't have corn on the cob but had baby corn instead. Got the Thai Tom Yum broth with pork and was okay. I'd probably recommend a different broth instead but it was still pleasant. There is a "create your own dipping sauce" station which had a variety of sauces. Dessert ice cream is included in the price as well.

Another surprise find. The Thai food is probably the best you can find. We have been to many Thai places and I can say the Kua Kling was the best hands down! Also had Pad Kra Pao and Basil Fried Rice, all which were delicious. My wife was excited to see the Luke chin pla on the menu and made it dissappear in minutes 😋. We plan to go back soon because we couldn't eat enough.
Very nice place with great people too.

This was such a fun experience for my daughter and I. The atmosphere was cute and dainty the food was very flavorful. We had the hotpot with the spicy chicken broth. The gyoza and dipping sauces were delicious. You get alot of food for your money I will definitely be returning.

Muan Jai Thai Kitchen has some tasty dishes, but the overall experience was a bit mixed. The food was flavorful but not quite well.
Would recommend if you’re craving Thai food and have a bit of time to spare.

I highly recommend Muan Jai Thai! We stumbled on this place and the food and the service was absolutely amazing! We ordered the tumyum soup with scallops (per our server Ben’s recommendation which enhanced the dish to another level), basil fried rice and seafood pad Thai with a lychee mule and Chang beer to drink….amazing. We asked to make everything super Thai spicy and it was PERFECT. Best Thai food in Chicago! Most importantly, shout out to our server was Ben…they were fun and super warm and friendly. Looking forward to trying the other dishes next time!

My first time in Chicago and the first authentic Thai restaurant I tried. It was a GREAT decision. Poom, the manager was very professional and attentive to my husband and I. The service from the entire staff was excellent. Food was fantastic. I will definitely be coming back here. Highly recommend.

The broth was delicious. Worth the experience if you come with a big appetite but little pricy for a normal eater who doesn't eat much. They only give you 90 minutes.

This has been one of my favorite Thai spots in downtown Chicago. I’ve dined in a few times and ordered pickup multiple times, and the food has always been solid. It’s located next to the hotpot place, so it’s easy to find.

Food – 5/5
Everything I’ve tried has been really tasty and well-prepared.
- Pad Thai: Really good! The first time, it was spicier than expected but still had great flavor. The second time, we asked for less spice, and it was just right.
- Crispy Chicken: A great appetizer. Crispy, flavorful, and served with sweet and sour sauce on the side. My favorite!!
- Tom Kha and Tom Yum Soup: Probably the best dishes I’ve had here. Bold flavors and really well-balanced. I get the squid one and it was very well cooked!!
- Thai Iced Tea: Tastes great, and I liked that they serve it in a medium-sized bowl—nice little touch.

Service has always been quick and efficient, especially for pickup. The restaurant has plenty of tables, but the high chairs weren’t the most comfortable for the table height.

Parking is typical for downtown—street parking is available but pricey and sometimes hard to find, especially on weekends. It’s close to a CTA station and bus stops, so public transit is a good option.

Overall, Muan Jai is definitely my go-to for Thai food in the area. The food is great, and they definitely deserve a higher rating!

as of 11/24/2024, this place charged me a 3.5% Hospitality Fee for a pick-up order.

This is not even about money, its shady and did not make any sense.

Made mistake of paying before looking at the receipt, careful.
-----------------------------
2/23/2025
very funny, we all know thats bs. menu price will go up with every opportunity possible. hidden fee is to catch ppl off guard. 3.5% hospitality for a TAKE-OUT, what hospitality? for swiping my card at the machine? it doesnt even make sense.

I gave benefit of doubt and trusted the prices, it sounded mostly correct and didnt look line by line. fool me twice, shame on me

We got take out for 3, unfortunately one dish had a cooked arthropod and another had a hair. I did call to try and resolve this issue and I was told a refund couldn’t be given and I’d have to reach out to the app used to order. I sent this same photo to the number requested but heard nothing back (see photo for proof below). The person I spoke to seemed to have difficulty with English which may have led to the confusion. Overall though, I wouldn’t recommend.

Very cute, and intimate. I think the scores overall are a little low. I think I would give this spot 4.4 (if Google gave me the option). If you are in the Gold Coast and looking for tasty and affordable meal, this is it. You’re definitely not going to find better Thai in the neighborhood.

Great atmosphere and a fun place. Good food too

Delicious food and great experience to cook own hot pot and grab from the rotary

Another surprise find. The Thai food is probably the best you can find. We have been to many Thai places and I can say the Kua Kling was the best hands down! Also had Pad Kra Pao and Basil Fried Rice, all which were delicious. My wife was excited to see the Luke chin pla on the menu and made it dissappear in minutes 😋. We plan to go back soon because we couldn't eat enough.
Very nice place with great people too.

We ordered shrimp pad Thai and Gai Tod Hyat Yai. It was delish. And service was awesome. Ben was great! I recommend this place if you’re in downtown Chicago.

Tasty food, the atmosphere is great. Most notably, I really appreciated the customer service at this restaurant. Beverly made my experience at this restaurant very memorable 🙂

The food is so delicious and flavorful
Friendly staff

You already know I had to try that chicken fried rice! Quick and tasty.

This was such a fun experience for my daughter and I. The atmosphere was cute and dainty the food was very flavorful. We had the hotpot with the spicy chicken broth. The gyoza and dipping sauces were delicious. You get alot of food for your money I will definitely be returning.

A few friends and I ate at this restaurant during early October 2024. We wanted something different so we took a ride out from our hotel to try this Thai restaurant. Because there was no wait to be seated, we were very excited. The restaurant was very quiet and clean. Our server was very attentive. The food was very tasty. I can truly foresee myself returning to this restaurant in the future.

my first time eating mango sticky rice and it was great!

I highly recommend Muan Jai Thai! We stumbled on this place and the food and the service was absolutely amazing! We ordered the tumyum soup with scallops (per our server Ben’s recommendation which enhanced the dish to another level), basil fried rice and seafood pad Thai with a lychee mule and Chang beer to drink….amazing. We asked to make everything super Thai spicy and it was PERFECT. Best Thai food in Chicago! Most importantly, shout out to our server was Ben…they were fun and super warm and friendly. Looking forward to trying the other dishes next time!

Save your time and money and go to Shabu hot pot instead.
Service was extremely slow here. Yes there were only two girls who were the hosts, servers, and everything in between - but that isn’t my problem.
The food was ok - lack of variety like Shabu has: no corn, no various desert options, slow service as you need to place every round with a server vs a tablet, had to ask for water twice and only got it mid meal, low variety of veggie options and sauce area was small.
Broth was not as flavor as descriptions made them sound to be.
Wouldn’t be back.

The rotary was just okay. It was $100 for two people so the price point did not match the quality of the food. There were limited options on the rotary, and the condiment station was not restocked, as they were out of most sauces and it seemed like it was old. Most of the veggies looked old too unfortunately. I had much higher hopes for the price rage. The tables were also very small for a rotary spot and sticky. From my seat you could see the microwave behind a curtain.

Went to the non hot pot side. Food is good, and different than your usual Thai takeout which is nice.

Our family loves to try new Thai places so was excited to try this place. Was disappointed that they are unable to make the Pad Thai, Lad Nar, or any of their curries vegetarian. So the vegetarian options are pretty limited. We tried the cashew tofu, basil fried rice, and pad see ew. All the dishes were ok… none of them were very flavorful. The cashew tofu didn’t really have any type of sauce with it.

Authentic flavors and friendly servers will guide you through their favorites. Spicy if you like it. Just as good if not better day 2!

Service was slow, waited a long time to even get a menu.

Food was okay, the meats took a long time to be served even though there were probably only 4 tables at that time.

Broth was quite tasteless as well. The selection of items on the conveyor belt was not to expectations for the price point.

1. Bad service - ordered garlic fried rice, after 20 minutes server came back said no garlic fried rice, asked for white rice, never came until 20+ mins. Same thing with protein order, every order takes more than 20+mins for raw sliced meats.
2. Hygiene - found one small cockroach on conveyer belt running, the internal kitchen guy came out with a towel and killed it in front of us, and said sorry.
3. Wait time - the shop is only half occupied, the 2 waitresses didn’t seem to be able to handle the crowd. There were time they were just standing in front of counter chatting. The waitresses seemed to be arguing with internal kitchen personnel too.
4. Stove lost power - the 4 electric stoves on table kept losing power multiple times, ended up moving our table.
- a lot more small red flags, not recommended to anyone! Wish I could give 0 star.

Really liked the free shrimp crisps. Kao pad rod fai and kaprao were good. Great service, but the menu is a bit limited. Huge portion sizes for a good price.

The broth was delicious. Worth the experience if you come with a big appetite but little pricy for a normal eater who doesn't eat much. They only give you 90 minutes.

Was some of the best Pad Thai I have had in a while. Definitely worth it.

Muan Jai Thai Kitchen has some tasty dishes, but the overall experience was a bit mixed. The food was flavorful but not quite well.
Would recommend if you’re craving Thai food and have a bit of time to spare.

Personal hotpot for around 35 dollars. Rotary items on the conveyor bell were good as well. They didn't have corn on the cob but had baby corn instead. Got the Thai Tom Yum broth with pork and was okay. I'd probably recommend a different broth instead but it was still pleasant. There is a "create your own dipping sauce" station which had a variety of sauces. Dessert ice cream is included in the price as well.

I love hotpot and I get it every month so when I came to Chicago and saw this restaurant, I had to try it. I went and this one was one that I would not be coming back to. Ever.

The main reason was that the cuts of the meats were way too thick (the lamb was almost inedible when cooked), when broth was added to refill our share, it was a vegetable broth that-was poured and unfortunately, it changed the entire taste experience of the broth. The soup is the key character when it comes to hotpot, so I couldn’t bring myself to try anything else as I had the sukiyaki. To top it off, there was an 18% gratuity that gets automatically applied to your bill, no matter what size of the party you are! This would have been nice to know at the beginning as I was quite shocked. The server was nice, but she was quite forgetful and forgot to punch in a few items. There is also a hospitable fee of 3.5% that’s added, but could be removed.

I really wanted to enjoy my time here, but unfortunately there were too many factors that led to a disappointing experience.

Probably one of the best hot pots in Downtown Chicago, outside of Chinatown. Thick slices of protein and various unique options from the broths, to items on the rotary belt, including different types of noodles, especially packs of Buldak ramen. Different sauces at their sauce bar area as well as two house sauces. Would visit again.

Food was súper nice!

I don't understand how this place has 4 stars... the only positive is the rotary of veggies/sides but even that was lacking/skimpy when we went. Service was very slow and quality is not great.

The food is ok. The experience is fine. The chopsticks they give you are cheap crappy wood and splinter, warp, and are difficult to use as they're bent out of shape before you're halfway through the meal. Everything feels cheap.

They add 3.25 for "service" on your bill, and then an 18% service fee. I checked with the host before tipping and he told me they don't get any of that 18% on their wage.

Please stop scamming people. The 18% is for the humans that work there. Printing a tip line for someone to tip on top of that while you pocket the cash is insane.

There are undoubtedly worse places to eat, but 1star for the bad business practices and overall lack of care put into the dining experience.

Do better.

Fun place to go with out of town friends. Conveyer belt ingredients for all you can eat hot pot! It’s fun trying different things and it’s fun to try to decide if you want to pull something off to go with your concoction. Our server was super friendly and immediately understood what our plan was, and she was a delight!

To my surprise, this Thai restaurant moved into the space where a former sushi spot was. That sushi spot was pretty good, although fairly pricey.

I'm very happy to see this Thai spot move in because River North lacks decent Thai food, and this location is right next to a Red Line subway station making it super convenient for my partner and I.

Onto the food - everything we ordered was easily an 8/10 or higher. I really also liked their cocktails as well. I don't feel like there was any dish that we didn't like. Everyone agreed that this was a nice choice for sure.

I think my only two complaints would be that our server (who was indeed nice) forgot to bring us extra plates/getting water or getting their attention in general was a little difficult... AND that it was super hot in the back where we were sat (literally the very back). Not sure if the AC wasn't working or if it just didn't reach us, but we were all sweaty back there.

Would still recommend this place for a date night or to grab dinner with friends. It's definitely not a place where you're getting cheaper Thai food, but also not outrageous either.

The grilled squid was delicious. The staff was very friendly.

Great thai street food! Loved lard nard and larb shrimp dish

As someone previously mentioned, this location has been taken over by a new restaurant or management. The prices are a lot more expensive and while there may be more meat variety the rotary items are much more limited. We came in an hour and a half before closing and the rotary track was only 20% full, so they stopped putting ingredients out at least 2 hours before close. We were also informed you cannot order more meats 45 minutes before closing. So for two people our total was $110 dollars for broth, white onions, green onions, and 6 slices of steak. Really disappointing as we had really enjoyed the friends station before

WE LOVE BEN!!! The food here was amazing. Compliments to the chef. Seriously. Drop the addy. I’ll be there

Great flavours, generous portions

The place that occupies this space is not friends station but another hotpot place. Unfortunately the current hotpot place is riding on the coat tails of the previous one as they are drastically worse. Not alot of options for veggies or meat. Also very pricey with no dessert included. Uncharging for "specialty" broths is insulting. The 2 free broths have little flavor.

My first time in Chicago and the first authentic Thai restaurant I tried. It was a GREAT decision. Poom, the manager was very professional and attentive to my husband and I. The service from the entire staff was excellent. Food was fantastic. I will definitely be coming back here. Highly recommend.

I love this restaurant so much. I am Thai and Muanjai manages to make me miss home so bad with every dishes served. The location is a dream and the service is always up to standard. Even though it’s new, it has become my most go to spot💖
The only thing I wish to change is just the table because they are too high for a 5’2 girl like myself lol

Bes was absolutely amazing and made having food here 10 times better! The food was great and our server was so kind, funny, and friendly! (Thank u Bes!)

Great thai salmon curry. Loved it.

I was there yesterday, I order the 38.99 deal with a cocktail. My total was suppose to be $60.34, but instead my total came to be to $71 all beacuse they two hidden fees. If their going to charge people a hidden servies fees without it being discusssed by their waiter before and after their meal they should work on having a better variety of meat and side dishes. I will not be coming back here.

The salmon choo chee was one of the best things I have ever had in a Thai restaurant. Simply amazing. With a cold Singha. It doesn’t get better.

Food is okay. Service is really bad. We waited for ~40 minutes and all we got was some water. Not even the free appetizer that every table gets. Even tables that came later than us are getting their orders. We then asked and they start to realize that they didn’t put our order in lol.

Food was okay, nothing special. I had high expectations that the place just didn’t meet. The service was very slow and can tell they were very unorganized. Portions were small for the price too. I don’t think I’d come back.

As a Thai and tried basil stir fried dish for almost every Thai restaurants in Chicago, I can confirm that this taste like local restaurants in Thailand. Couldn't recommend enough.

Iv been here a handful of times in the past with family and friends and have recommended it time and time again in the past but after my last visit here I definitely won’t be back or recommending it again. Walked in only to be placed at a burner that wasn’t working and when asked to switch a seat another table's burner was also not working. The menu has drastically changed as well as an increase in price, with a lot of items missing on the rotary that are claimed to be on the menu. If you can’t even provide an all-you-can-eat experience with said items that are on the menu what are we paying for? Another thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was when we initially walked in pop music and some K-pop was being played and then all of sudden Chief Keef and Migos started being played????? And honestly it wasn’t the first time this had happened, it happened during my last visit but I wrote it off as a one-off instance only for it to happen again during this visit. I didn’t know all African Americans are a monolith and only listen to rap/trap. Overall I would seek out other AYCE hot pot locations.

I used to love this place, but it appears to have changed ownership. They have very few options for the hot pot across the board from meats to veggies to noodles. There was almost nothing to choose from and as mentioned by another reviewer, the pots are unreasonably small. Upon seeing all this, I walked out. Such a shame.

The best Thai food that I've had in a while

I don’t think I will be back. The food is just okay, but it fell below my expectations, especially after seeing the Instagram advertisement. For the price we paid, my friends and I felt that the value didn’t match. The portion sizes were smaller than expected. We were the first customers of the day, and the Thai tea tasted way too strong; we suspect it might have been from the previous day. They have a lot of room for improvement.

Nice tomyum and comfort ambient. Garlic fried rice is so nice. Great experience. Thanks

Excellent spot for Thai food. Very authentic flavours. Try the crab papaya salad, pad thai, and grilled squid! Mango sticky rice is a must.

Great food and service …authentic Thai

food was good but the service speed was way too slow. it took 10-15 min for the waiters to take our order then 45 min for the food to come out 🤔 then 20 min to get the check. i probably won’t come back bc i don’t have 1 hr to wait for service 🥲

Amazing food and service, the hostess was incredible in making everything seamless. My favorite Thai restaurant in the city.

Tasty papaya salad. Noodles and fried rice were okay! A decent thai restaurant in downtown area..

Neat place, kind of a funky hole in the wall with a tasty and different menu than most generic American thai restaurants

This is a newer Thai restaurant and the flavors are really authentic! I had the Hat Yai fried chicken, Papaya salad, waterfall beef. All of them were delicious. I highly recommend this place.

Paid 50 for all you can eat. No desert included, some missing menu items, like circular rice cake and spam, had to pay 4 extra dollars for the “special broths” the bowls for the broth are super small compared to all the other hotpot’s I’ve been to they’re like 2 inches tall there were times my food was just in a shallow puddle. The workers are very nice, however I feel the menu is over priced was let down by the menu change.

really expensive for the selection of food. $30 (pre tax tip) only allows you pork or chicken and the only other tier for beef and pork belly is $39. non meat selections mostly veggies, some tofu items, and prepackaged noodles which were okay but not near what other places offer. would not recommend

Ordered delivery, seems much better than the typical thai restaurant! I think for first time you may want to pick a conservative spice level and increase after that

Very bland food. It has no seasoning. Even with soy sauce the food is plain. I've been to thailand and food is much tastier there

As a Thai, this place is copied and pasted from Thailand!!!! Authentic and superb food plus services. No need to go back home for food for a while.

Very attentive, amazing food!!! Highly recommend

The atmosphere is great, good music, great vibe, felt good walking in.(Monday 6:30pm total of 14 guests) The service was really off. From when I walked, I had three people greet me and prepare a spot for me. Sat down got to ordering. Seemed easy enough. Kind of an intense server, but that might of just been his personality. Didn’t get the appetizer I ordered. An it was still on the final bill. The sauce station was half gone and what was there was at the end of the batch. When I went to pay the bill the total he told me at the register was different than what my bill said. When you’re dealing with money you gotta be more professional. I still left a 20% this is more for the company to understand if you don’t change up your tactics you’ll be closed sooner than later.

Oh my god, amazing.

I ended up needing to leave because my food never arrived after 45 minutes. The dining room was almost empty and I was excited to try a new place.

Waiter just said “okay” when I told him I was leaving 🤷‍♂️

This cozy Thai spot offers a variety of unique and modern Thai dishes — during my visit, I tried the Poseidon Dinner, which featured a rich curry flavor and a generous portion of seafood. The restaurant had an intimate interior vibe and the service was very friendly as well. Definitely one of the best Thai food spots in River North!

Finally a good Thai place in Chicago!

The best Thai food I ever had, food and service was out of the world.

One of the best mango sticky rice I’ve had in the US. Other foods are also authentic and really good.

I had an excellent meal here! The menu has lots of options and the food was delicious.

Fish tofu is not even fish tofu.

Worst experience ever. Waited hour and half for COLD dish. Not coming back

Finally a good authentic Thai place in chicago 🙌🏾 I was losing hope since so many other places are very mid at best. Som tam (Thai spicy level) was phenomenal and the flavors were distinct. I absolutely can’t wait to come back and bring more people here!

Man this has been the worst and absolutely most terrible service AND restaurant experience in Chicago we’ve ever experienced so far. And I truly hope no one can beat this experience.

First we made a reservation at 8:45pm on 5/24/24 when we walked in we were never asked for name just asked to wait for the staff to clean a table for us. This is not a bad thing but this just shows that they are not doing good in their seating and reservation rotation.

Two, we got sat promptly after the table was dried and was given a menu that we have a rough idea of what we want. We waited a good 7-10 minutes before being acknowledged that “someone will be over with you” by another server. Took our server a bit to come over after that. He seems nervous and my boyfriend pointed out that this could be his first day. Sure, I don’t mind but an earlier acknowledge that someone will be over sooner would be nice we all been there once this is a lesson to learn.

He was clearly still not comfortable with his knowledge of the menu so clearly wasn’t trained well. We ordered the ultimate menu that we wanted and have to point to him that certain items and drinks were INCLUDED because he seemed confused. Have to asked for soft drinks that is included. Server did not take initiative to do so.

Third, took us roughly about 15-20 minutes to get his attention or for him to walked over so we can order more meats. At this point both of our water, tea, and coke was low and was never offered more and need to be asked. Also he never stay long enough for me to finish asking for what I wanted and what else our table needed. I got one thing and when he came back I have to asked for another which take more time away from him tending to other table and doing other stuff.

Fourth, we ordered an appetizer that was included in the Ultimate package that never comes and we needed to remind him. Please noted that the appetizer supposed to come cooked. We ordered the fried chicken gyoza. As you can see it came frozen and needs to be cooked. I am pretty sure by the health standards even at a Shabu place. You cannot and shouldn’t served a FROZEN food items even when you are at a cook for yourself restaurant.

Five, someone pot was burning and another waitress come over to our table and everyone else to check and she leaned really closed to the pot to smell it to make sure it wasn’t us. I don’t know about you but I don’t think that’s much of a sanitary practice.

Six, at this point I have to hold the menu up to grab the server attention. It was a mildly busy night but my boyfriend pointed out another thing that other table was getting more attentive service than us. If the word “neglected” was an experience this would probably be my first ever being neglected when needed help. He send another coworker to help us. I kindly asked for the dessert and the bill. The bill came out wrong. The unlimited drink that was included was charged to the bill so we asked for it to be taken off. The staff apologized and confirmed that it was the waiter was day. So overalls, an unpleasant and horrible experience for a place that you’re supposed to be cooking yourself.

A few things we noticed:
There was three staff member working the floors. Two was a waiter and one is a food runner/ busser but all three looked overworked, overwhelmed, and to be both bussing and waiting that was a first red flag in a Friday night.

Seems like knowledge of the menu and training was lacking.

The quality of the foods and quantity had gone down BAD. If you have visited here before I highly recommended looking at a new hot pot place.

Lastly, the 18% services charges that was added to the bill automatically which is to help and complied with the IL wage increases which is GREAT but if you’re going to do that at least make sure that you’re staff are not neglecting their customers and comfortable with their food knowledge before putting them on the floor by themselves. We were seated close to the door and have heard multiple customers who left complained about the service and were unsatisfied like us.

opened last week 🎉: SUPER authentic & now my favorite in Chicago.

I swear , Chicago has almost zero authentic Thai restaurants. Every Thai person I meet (you know who you are!) doesn't eat out because they get disappointed.

I've been on the longest journey trying to find the best authentic Thai restaurant in Chicago and I might've found mine!

HIGHLIGHTS
✔️ 100% Thai chef, owner, & waiters.
Please say hi to Eicq and welcome him to Chicago! He just moved here 5 months ago and the day we met him was the first day he was on the job!

✔️authentic ingredients, spices & herbs . Exactly how it tastes in Thailand, even the thai tea (less sweet), and mango sticky rice

✔️ 🌶️Thai spicy available! The owner made the Pad Cha for me, at 70% spicy 😂 SO GOOD and the papaya salad at 100% Thai spicy. Absolutely perfect. Crying like I did in Krabi 😂

note; EICQ orders his 200%-300% spicy , so if you're Thai this is an option!
If you can't eat spicy, you should get 30-50%

✔️ Absolutely PHENOMENAL grilled items. Im already craving the Moo Ping & grilled Steak. Seriously charcoal grilled to perfection with super tender meats + amazing flavor 🤤

✔️ Super cute Thai dishes & cups, traditional & so pretty! With big portions

✔️ Amazing seafood , especially if you love it the Pad Cha Cha Cha had tender octopus, scallop, mussels, shrimp, fish, and 2x mushrooms + all the peppercorns, chilli's, and basil I could dream of

✔️ They have DURIAN Or MANGO STICKY RICE YESSS

What we got:
Nam tok $12.99 Grill beef +$4
Tom Tard big app with Som Tum papaya salad $45.99
Side sticky rice $3 x2
Moo ping grilled pork $12.99
Pad Cha Cha Cha $28.99
Mango Sticky Rice $9.99
Thai iced tea less sweet $6 x2
Chang beer $5.95

Everything was perfect, definitely get the appetizer plate and papaya salad with your entrees!

I highly recommend Muan Jai Chicago for anyone seeking exceptional Thai cuisine in downtown Chicago. Our recent visit was nothing short of spectacular. We indulged in a variety of dishes, including Hat-Yai Fried Chicken Kai Tod Hat-Yai (x2), Tom Yum Po-Taek, Northern Thai Sausage, Laos Papaya Salad, Ginger Rice and Sliced Beef Salad. Each dish was a delightful burst of flavors, perfectly balanced and impeccably presented.

The Hat-Yai Fried Chicken was crispy and flavorful, a true standout. The Tom Yum Po-Taek was rich and aromatic, with just the right amount of spice. The Northern Thai Sausage was savory and well-seasoned, while the Laos Papaya Salad was refreshing and tangy, providing a perfect contrast. The Sliced Beef Salad was tender and flavorful, completing our meal with finesse.

The atmosphere at Muan Jai is warm and inviting, with a modern yet cozy decor that makes you feel right at home. The service was way beyond exceptional, the staff were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, which enhanced our dining experience.

If I only lived closer, Muan Jai Chicago would undoubtedly be a regular spot for us. Whether you're a local or just visiting, this restaurant is a must-visit for Thai food enthusiasts. Five stars all around!!

I have to write this review to make things somewhat right.

Very sneaky about overcharging. They will be glad to tack on an extra 18% “service charge” on to your bill without telling you until you’ve paid and printed the receipt. Ended up paying over $40 extra for nothing. Complete rip off. Will NEVER come here again.

Authentic Thai food, very flavorful with 4 different types of papaya salads, which is my favorite! Their matcha tea had a distinct flavor like I've never tried before. Definitely 5 stars!

Tried the beef Pad See Ewe here and it was good and served on a hot grill plate. Nice presentation. It was mild, but they provided some spice that spiced it up nicely. It just opened 2 days ago so everyone in the restaurant said hello.

Portions are tapas style--small plates. Flavors are mediocre, on the sweeter side. If you're looking for a quick place to satisfy Thai street food craving in the downtown area, this place will do.

📸
Crab Papaya Salad
Chicken Larb
Fried Pork
Thai Tea Latte

I love love love here especially that they have some counter space for a small or solo customers like myself! I enjoyed some good cut of pork, shrimp & veggies!! I also made my good kombu broth with some kimchi, garlic & cilantro from sauce corner!!

Only one thing I would like to request must be the preperation of wood ear mushroom. Their one is a rehydrated poorer quality dried wood ear mushroom, must be prepped with soaking & rinsing them but I guess they didn't get enough rinsing & changing the water multiple times as I usually prep, so my broth became super bitter unfortunately quickly after I put just one serving of wood ear mushroom from a turn table. Hopefully next time I see the better fresh wood ear mushroom or well rinsed ones.

Other than thet, I will definitely come back with my friends & coworkers!!

Restaurant is an all you can eat. Choice of basic, mid level and high end. I had the basic that included chicken, fish and pork. Plenty enough for me. You get started with broth of vegetable or soy mix. You use the broth to cook your choice of protein, noodles and vegetables. I like the selection of mushrooms and different textures of noodles/tofu. I love the experience.

This is my new go-to Thai spot. The family used to run a second Friends Sushi location here but were just recently able to convert the location to a Thai restaurant and serve food that they grew up eating--food that they wanted to tell more stories with.

Their menu has the classic dishes (but better and more authentic)--papaya salad, pad see ew, larb, tom yum--along with unique dishes if you want something bold or something different. The som tum papaya salad, my favorite, was so flavorful with just the right amount of spice. The soft shell crab curry was full of umami and offered a nice balance to the other bright and spicy dishes. The hatyai chicken was crispy and came with a delicious sweet sour sauce--something you couldn't go wrong with. The pad see ew came on a sizzling plate and was sweet, salty, chewy, hot (and you could customize it to your liking too with a little bit of tableside sugar, soy, fish sauce, and/or chili flakes).

I like Friends Sushi, Friends Station, and Friends Ramen, but I think MuanJai is my favorite of them all. It's a place you'll want to go to when it's gray and gloomy, or when you miss your mom's cooking, or when you just want good, inexpensive food. I know I'll definitely be back.

I was excited to visit because I remember enjoying Friends Ramen. Overall I am disappointed.

1. Service when we came in was slow even though the space was only a quarter full. We sat without ordering for a bit. The drinks took a long time to get to us.
2. The broths took a while to heat up which further delayed eating.
3. Both my and my wife’s pots started leaking. Broth leaked all over the stovetop, through the table, and on to my wife’s legs. The electrical components under the table were dripping with water. That did not seem safe. The staff took a while to understand the problem and did not do much to help us move to another table. We had to move our bowls and proteins ourselves. We were not offered replacements for the protein that was already added to the leaking pots.
4. Broths were thin and lacked flavor. I jazzed mine up with chili oil and chopped peppers from the fixings station
5. The surimi on the conveyor belt was definitely still frozen.
6. They only had one of the two dessert options available and that was still frozen
7. They don’t offer separate tongs for cooking so we used the same disposable chopsticks for cooking and eating. I found this strange as every other hotpot or grill your own experience I’ve had emphasized the use of different utensils for raw and cooked foods.
8. There’s an automatic 18% service charge. There is an inconspicuous sign that says that there’s a service charge but didn’t state the amount which makes me suspect it’s subject to change.

For the price and experience I definitely recommend going to Happy Lamb instead

After 3 months living in Chicago I can say that this is one of the best hidden gems. The staff are top notch and food quality is very good. I knkw the staff by name at this poitny and Ko the manager is usually in the front greeting while running a tight ship, while the rest of the staff including Jane and Kevin are running on multiple fronts while always keeping a smile on their face. They know the menu well and are always on top of things

We love it here great service clean and so fun

I recently visited Friendly Station State in Chicago and had a wonderful experience. This cozy small hotpot place offers a unique dining experience with all veggie items running on a conveyor belt, making it easy to grab the food you want. For meat eaters, there are three delicious options to choose from. It was a fun and interactive experience cooking with my family and enjoying the meal together. Don't miss out on trying the moochie - it's definitely a must-try dish! Overall, I highly recommend Friendly Station State for a memorable dining experience.

Dirt cheap, must go, and staff is always friendly

Great food but place stinks of sewage!

All you can eat. And the line is constantly refilled with meats and veggies. Multiple types of broth. Refill on broth as well. Staff is always friendly.

Only negative is that it is a small place so sometimes it can be a wait, but a reservation helps them and helps you with wait times.

Update 3/7: Friend station really has changed from my original rate. The meats are no longer on the conveyor belt, there are now less options on the belt for veggies and food. Meats take too long to arrive, and small portions don't last long.

Various types of meat, and other food products. Has no time limit, their fruit station is nice too.

this quiet little shabu shabu restaurant is such a hidden gem. the food was tasty, the service was good and we definitely left feeling more than satisfied. the rotary is also definitely a novelty that adds to the experience. i will definitely be coming back!

I came here on 2/19 for a friend's birthday and the service was horrible!!! There were only two people working and I kinda felt bad but a lot of the issues just came down to time management.People were served before me,even though I ordered and arrived them.I ordered a drink and waited over an hour and never received it.After a hour and 30 minutes later she told me that she can not make drinks because they are short staffed.Which would have been ok if the would have told me that a hour and 30 minutes ago.I had to ask more than once for food and water.It also took her more than 45 minutes to bring hot tea.At 9:22pm I saw them bring another table drinks,the same drinks that she told me that they were not able to make.They also had a lot of posters that showed passed promotions.I asked for the xox daiquiri and she told me that they don't have it any more but you have it posted and displayed every where.I will not be back.

I chose this for my solo Valentine's Day spot that would prevent me from being surrounded by lovey dovey couples. It was the perfect choice. All of the staff were super friendly, attentive, and helpful.

The concept of a hot pot place where the add-ins like veggies and noodles are on a rotary was so smart. I truly dislike being forced to eat things I don't want just because it comes on a big platter with what I do want. Also, the convenience of getting it yourself when you're ready for it makes the experience even better. I loved that they had an area where I could get toppings like kimchi and garlic, along with my choosing of sauces, myself. Just delightful.

There's just a few things that could be different. One, when cooking beef, the broth can get scummy on top. Adding more broth doesn't help. I haven't experienced this at any other hot pot place or even when my friend does hot pot. Another would be how close the high top cooking stations are to one another. With everything I had, I was taking up the spots on either side of me as well. I don't know how that would work if it were busy. A guy sat two stations away from me and felt uncomfortably close. Lastly, my 2nd round of Wagyu beef had so much grizzle on it that most of it was inedible. I've NEVER experienced this with what is being claimed to be Wagyu beef at any type of restaurant before. It's a bit suspicious.

Overall, though, I had a fun time on my solo Vday dinner. I've already told a few people I want to go back there with them. I'm looking forward to returning often.

This place is so much fun and so delicious. I’ve been here 3 separate times and every time everyone I’ve been with also had a really great time.

Awesome space!

Tasty. Boiling. Fun. Best and first hot spot experience.

Rude restaurant, forced to include 18% tips into receipt. When bank statement comes out, other than the 18% tips, they even charge more( duplicate tip!). Never come here!

I went there before they updated their menu on their website. According to the website, it was all you can eat which included seafood. As soon as the restaurant opened, our family walked in and tried order seafood. Then, the server said that they will charge $5 per plate for seafood because they changed their menu. They should let customers know about this fact before walking into the restaurant, especially if their old menu is still on their official site. So, we decided to not to eat and restaurant decided to still collect my cc and charge full price although none of my family ate the food. Horrible manager and servers. Only Unpleasant restaurant experience in Chicago.

Quality of product from Napa cabbage all the way to beef is impeccable. The 4 variety of dipping sauces make all the difference.

Updated: definitely get the tomyum broth

bring back thai basil

They changed to a new format for AYCE hot pot recently, and the experience is much worse than it was with the previous method. You now need to order meat a la carte, which would be fine if the service wasn’t so slow. Took 30 minutes to get our bowls with broth, and waiters hardly came back to take our order after that. Waiters were very nice though!

The food itself was great as always (except that pork belly is an extra $5 now). With the new format though they either need to staff more waiters so that orders can be taken more frequently, or they need to revert back to the old format. Until then I’ll be eating elsewhere.

We had so much fun with the conveyor and the hot pot. The food was delicious!

Unique option for casual dining in the river north/Gold Coast area. Our group lacked previous hot pot experience, and our first 15 minutes of dining were absolute pandemonium. Once we got the hang of it, our meal was fabulous.

Conveyor belt concept works perfectly. Restaurant was mostly full and the belt was well stocked, so grabbing items we wanted was always easy. Impressive meat quality and the dipping sauces are exceptional. Make sure to save room for the green tea ice cream after! Attentive service too. It’s a small restaurant, probably best for groups of four or less.

Definitely plan on returning as Friends Station is a bargain for the price.

Shabu shabu tipo buffet, los vegetales, hongos, tofu etc van por una banda y puedes tomar los que quieras, la carne la pides y te la llevan a la mesa. Buena opción en época de frio un buen caldo caliente!

Fun experience! Not many options you’d expect

Is a really cool restaurant, the them of this restaurant is great, and is cozy. Good price for all you can eat hot pot.

Fresh food and great service. The pink pelican is a hit.

I really loved “friends ramen” in the same building next door, so gladly went to this place, assuming it’s on the same level. Surprisingly, it’s not. Their broth just doesn’t taste good, their produce on a revolving belt seems stale, meet is tough, and it all lacks variety. I’ve seen much better all you can eat soup places for around the same price.
I definitely recommend skipping this place and going for their ramen next door.

This place was one of the best culinary experiences I have ever had. The hot pot itself was delicious, as were all of the additional sauces & accoutrements. But above all, the service was excellent! Very attentive but not overly so. Alex in particular was helpful, knowledgeable, and charming. Can’t wait to come back!!

The food was good, but the seafood and beef ribeye listed on the menu was not available. There was also no instant ramen (they had egg and rice noodle). I would recommend updating the menu and lowering the price. It is not worth $29 ($32.40 after tax) for all you can eat if it's mostly vegetables. Otherwise, the service was great and the green tea ice cream dessert at the end was a plus.

Cool spot to try once, but ultimately disappointing. When we visited around 8 pm on a weekend we saw less than half of the items on the menu and did not see any seafood. I’m guessing you’ll only be able to find most of the items during the busiest times of the day.

Came here with a group of friends all visiting from out of town. The wait staff, service, vibe, and food was amazing. It was fun interactive but also simple and delicious. Would definitely recommend for a first date or for friends looking for something fun and different to try. Loved it!

Fun experience and really enjoyed the food

This was a great place for a dinner date. I was fun to build our own dish and all the broth and food was really good. It can get spendy quick especially with drinks but it was well worth it. We'll definitely be back next time we're in Chicago.

My friends and I got diarrhea after eating at this place — the quality of meat, and fruits is bad. We also had much less variety of food than previous reviews.

Sushi and make you’re own style.

The vegan broth was amazing. I and my friend went there on the first day of restaurant opening and it was the best hot pot I have ever tried. They also didn’t charge anything because it was new year and their opening day ❤️

Never thought I'd be disappointed by hot pot but this place managed it. I was bored of the selections on the rotary 5 minutes in. If I wanted this little selection I might as well make hot pot at home. Minimal choices for broths, one soy and one vegetarian option, shocked at how boring the broths are. They gave me 60 minutes to eat but I left before the time was even up because of how little variety they had. There's only 4 protein options and vegetarian protein options. Only two leafy greens that weren't herbs for vegetables. So basically, outside of the herbs, there were 2-3 vegetable options and 4 meat options, and the beef cuts didn't have a single visible bit of marbling so they were extremely tough in the broth. The only carb option they had for noodles were extremely thick broad noodles. No idea how this place stays open. Novel concept, destroyed by uncultured operations.

Love it. Protein after gym….
All you can eat 29…

Delicious awesome food - have been twice and first time got horrible stomach pains - second time got horrible stomach pains and so did my gf :(

A little bit pricey but delicious!

Their menu is completely dependent on what's available on the rotary belt so we didn't get to have any baby cuttlefish or mussels during our 80 min AYCE even though they're listed on the menu. Some items also took a long time to come through but you can ask the servers to specifically bring them to you. The food was fresh and the servers were attentive with cleaning plates off the table to prevent overcrowding. The sauces were good but I wish they were a bit less sweet/have more savory options. Overall, it was an entertaining dinner but definitely could be better food wise.

YIKES! Leafy greens are not washed. Dirt and dead bugs are visible on the veggies. The appetizer of fried chicken wings sits on the belt at room temperature if people don’t eat them right away which poses a significant health hazard. The raw shrimp is not deveined so the feces remain in tact. Certain foods don’t come around the turntables very often. We had to ask for noodles after waiting 10 mins for them to show up for selection. If you look past all those elements of the restaurant, you can have a decent at best meal.

The only issue was the uncomfortable stools. Otherwise a fantastic option.

I like it! 🍲The food are fresh. There are all kinds of seafood🦑🦐🐟🍤🥟🦪fruit 🍉🍊and vegetables 🥦🌽🧅🥕🍠All kinds of wines🥃🍷🍺🍹🍾It a good value and a good place to date because it is clean and quiet. It also has sushi🍣next door.

Nice little spot for Sushi Lunch ...

All you can eat hot pot place! Definitely a great atmosphere!

Wonderfully fun rotary Shabu-shabu (personal Hotpot). I've seen better food prep and selections, however the experience was still well worth it, and we plan on coming back soon.

I love this spot. Out of all the hot pot places I’ve been to, they have the best sauce, it’s simple and similar to Thai and flavour just works with everything. Plus I love their set up, very practical.

Love their food. But it's a bit prizy.

Great service and a cool experience

The experience to do this is worth it. Excellent option variety and awesome personalized experience with having your own pot. I’d recommend bring friends and enjoying. Music is kpop and the atmosphere is great. Highly recommend for lunch for a quick bite.

Our server was super attentive and answered all our questions! All the food was delicious and fresh. Broth was tasty and the sauces they had on the side were so good. Honestly great value for how much you can eat.

Great food!

Amazing place for solo dining! Went here today with no expectations, left beyond satisfied. The price for all you can eat hotpot is reasonable and selection of meats, veggies and other stuff is amazing. Staff is super friendly and offered me sauce to make the shoyu broth spicier - absolutely loved it!

Was initially looking for the friends ramen restaurant but walked into this one by mistake. The cashier redirected us but we decided to take a chance as we have never seen a revolving shabu, and even had vegetarian options! It is very hard to find vegetarian friendly shabu spots that have more than a basic flavorless broth base but this one was delicious. It seemed like they only prepped the veggies as those were the only things on the conveyer belt at the time but we had no issue since we are vegetarian. We ordered side salads, rice, and eggs on the side with a couple of other veggies that were not out yet. Everything felt fresh and the waiter would check in on us often to refill our broth and take our used plates. This was especially exciting for my boyfriend who has been vegetarian his whole life and has never had the opportunity to eat anywhere with a conveyor belt. If you are vegetarian I would highly suggest you give this a try!

Deceitful practices by staff to get you to tip twice. They charge gratuity on top of your bill without telling you and hope that you tip on top of that.

Such a fun and delicious place! Don't hesitate if you love hot pot! Reserve your table today!! 🤩

Very unique setting coupled with excellent service. The array of food/plates coming by on the conveyor are fresh and keep coming:) a must try!

I’m a huge fan of hotpot but this place was not fulfilling. I had high expectations and it was a let down 😪 there was not a sauce bar for the ayce option, lack of meat options and the broth was so bland (both the veggie and soy sauce option) save your time and money and go to Happy Lamb or Qiao Lin.

Amazingly friendly staff, and great food. Lovely experience and well worth the price for all you can eat!

Friendly service, budget lunch.