Restaurant Review – Jin Thai

I absolutely love Asian food. This week took me to a new spot (well, new to me!): Jin Thai. Jin Thai is located at 5458 N Broadway, in the heart of Edgewater. I loved the space immediately. The dark wood furniture, industrial light fixtures, and brightly colored cushions simultaneously feel upscale and cozy. The restaurant is small, but has large, gorgeous windows, offering most tables a view outside. One look at the menu and my mouth was already watering. I knew I had to start with an order of Crab Rangoons: fried wontons stuffed with crab, celery, and cream cheese. These were fantastic! The breading was perfect, not too thick, and the creamy filling was piping hot. I loved the sweet and sour dipping sauce that came with them too. We also ordered the Angel Wings to share. I had never heard of anything like this! The order came with two giant fried chicken wings stuffed with glass noodles, cabbage, carrots, and chicken. These were marvelous! Noodles inside chicken wings seems weird, but trust me, it’s amazing. I absolutely love curry, so I already had my entree picked out. I chose the Green Curry: green curry in coconut milk with green beans, bamboo shoots, and eggplants; served over jasmine rice. I chose beef for my protein. The curry was super flavorful and wonderfully spicy. The portion was perfect, not too big, but not too small. My friend ordered the Kao Soy: curry bahmee noodles with chicken or tofu and coconut milk. We had heard this was Jin Thai’s signature dish. It is ramen noodles in a bowl of curry topped with crunchy fried noodles and cilantro. You can order the dish as spicy as you like it; my friend chose the “medium” spice level. She ordered hers with tofu as well. The curry sauce was hearty and tasty, the tofu was firm and there was a generous amount. All of the flavors blended so nicely together! It was the perfect dish for a chilly winter day in Chicago. I can’t wait to go back and try more things!

Jin Thai is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 11 am to 9:30 pm, closed on Tuesdays, and Fridays-Saturdays from 11 am to 10 pm. They are BYOB and charge a $2 corking fee. Reservations are accepted for 6 people or more. Find more information on their website.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO