Lassso directory listing
- Category
- Restaurants
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Hours
- Monday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
About
J.J. Thai Street Food is a *28-seat* Thai restaurant at 1715 W Chicago Ave in Chicago's West Town, built around the street-food stalls of Bangkok's *Chatuchak Market* — known locally as "JJ" — rather than a typical Americanized Thai menu. It's been open since *October 2015* and is heading into its 11th anniversary this fall.
The kitchen cooks to order in a small, cozy dining room, aiming for the same fast, warm, market-stall feel found in Bangkok. Staff describe the goal as *Thai hospitality* first: a warm welcome, food cooked right in front of guests, and a menu built for people who want real Thai street food rather than a watered-down version of it.
It draws a mix of West Town regulars, first-time visitors chasing a specific dish, and delivery customers from across the West Side who order through the restaurant's own site and Toast.
What to expect
The signature order is the *Basil Chicken with Rice* ($16) — stir-fried ground chicken with basil, garlic, soy sauce, and Thai chili peppers over jasmine rice, with a crispy fried egg available for $2 more. It's been the top seller since day one and the dish staff recommend to first-time visitors.
The E-Saan section covers *J.J. Tiger Cry* ($25), a charcoal-grilled ribeye with a traditional dipping sauce, and *Jina's Fried Chicken* ($18), a Thai southern-style marinated leg quarter. Appetizers and salads include chicken satay ($14), grilled squid ($25), and papaya salad ($14), alongside noodle soups, curries, and rotating monthly specials like crab meat fried rice ($25).
Beyond dine-in, the restaurant runs *take-out, delivery, and online ordering* through its own website and Toast, and staff note that online orders and delivery calls make up a steady share of business from West Side neighborhoods further from West Town.
Highlights
The kitchen holds itself to one standard regardless of rising food costs: *the recipes and quality stay the same* as they were on opening day, even as the menu has stayed focused rather than padded out with extras.
Reviews consistently single out the *taste and freshness* of the ingredients — organic chicken shows up in several dishes — and the restaurant currently holds a *4.5-star average across nearly 500 Google reviews*.
Pricing
Most entrees run *$14–$25*, putting J.J. Thai Street Food solidly in *$$* territory for Chicago Thai food. Appetizers start around $8, and desserts and beverages run $2–$10.
Good to know
J.J. Thai Street Food is *BYOB* and family-friendly, but the small 28-seat dining room fills up on *Friday and Saturday nights* — a reservation is strongly recommended for weekend visits.
The restaurant is closed *Tuesdays*, and last call runs *15 minutes* before closing. Parties of five or more are subject to a 20% gratuity, and the restaurant will split a maximum of *three cards* per table.
Take-out, delivery, and online ordering are all available directly through the restaurant's *website* and Toast, making it a solid option for West Side neighborhoods outside easy walking distance of West Town.
Hours
- Monday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Friday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Sunday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
