BR, my experience about 3 months ago mirrors your perfectly. Kind of old and tired. Food was ok ("good") but unfortunately I did not have a Groupon. Much better choices in Chicago.

I was fortunate to befriend Arun in the mid 80's when I returned from a few years in Singapore and he was serving phenomenal food at cheap prices on Irving Park. We ate there weekly. I tried to keep up as he ventured onward, but lost interest when it became a chore to get a table. Sad to see these latest reviews because I wish him all the best - at one time he served, possibly, the most authentic Thai in town.

Maybe he's busy with the thingie on Pulaski?

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Terrific review, BR. I've always wondered about Arun's. I can see how this would have been an eye opening experience 10-15 years ago. Looking forward to Arun's new venture. It seems the time for him to direct his energies towards a new project has come.

Thanks all for the compliments. I only wish I had better things to report regarding Arun's. My first visit to Arun's must have been 20+ years ago and I thought it was fantastic. I'm sad that Chicago can no longer boast about a terrific, high end Thai restaurant. I suppose the fact that Arun's was offering a Groupon gave me the first clue that the evening would not be as memorable as I hoped it would be.

Maybe in like 75 more years, it will be our equivilant of Tujagues or Antoines from NOLA. I mean by then won't it be cute that they're still serving the one bite salad, lobster and fillet, etc.--your menu, if memory serves me, is about the same as my first Arun's experiement about 20 years ago. Then, we can marvel at how a red wine poached pear epitomized elegance in fine dining, showing how they could bridge the gap between storefront ethnic and high falutin'. Man, ReneG is gonna love/discover this many years from now.

My workplace is right near the place on Pulaski that Arun is supposedly heading up (as far as the cafe/restaurant that I once heard talked about), and not far from Arun's on Kedzie. They've been working on the joint on Pulaski for so long! Seems as if though it'll never be completed.

My company actually rented some parking to Arun's at one point and they gave us several certificates as 4 tops as a gift, so I was very eager and compelled to go. I dined there last February and had a pretty good meal, great as far as food goes.

I do not recognize half of what BR posted, though, so it's safe to say things have changed a little as far as food. I do remember awkward service, but I also remember almost excellent food. Sorry to hear that Arun's has kind of slipped. At one point people talked about this place like it was one of the best restaurants in the city. It's unfortunate that we no longer have those unique bragging rights.

It seems as if once one place establishes critical acclaim, we lose another once-was-classic. Perhaps Chicago can only sustain so many higher end places (thai food tasting menu concept is rather high end in and of itself...).

the latest on arun's closing from crain's chicago business:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... restaurant

World-renowned Thai restaurant Arun’s reopens quietly

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/re ... story.html

An article in the New York Times today noted that the restauranteur behind Nora Thai in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which features food from southern Thailand "recently became a partner in Arun's". Anyone have any recent intel on/dining experiences at Arun's?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/dini ... ctionfront

I did notice a large billboard touting his prix fixe dinner on the west side of I-294 just south of ORD (when travelling Northbound). Was surprised at that, but maybe less so now....