Thai Pavilion 2 in Skokie

Last Sunday, April 1, a new Thai restaurant opened in Skokie, on Church Street a block east of Skokie Boulevard. We went there for lunch today. Everything we had was very good. They offer lunch specials for $6.95 seven days a week. The specials include the soup of the day (a somewhat bland vegetable soup) and appetizer of the day (decent vegetable egg rolls, served with sweet chili sauce) along with a choice of 14 entrees. What's even better is that, based on the ample portion sizes, I'm pretty sure these are the dinner-size portions normally selling for $7.95-8.95 on the menu, so even without the soup or appetizer, the price is lower than it would be in the evening.

The shrimp pad thai was excellent, and so was the chicken panang. We also had the tom kha gai (coconut soup with chicken), which was as good as any we've had in a while, and mango with sticky rice for dessert. And they serve a nice, strong Thai iced tea to drink. When we asked how hot the soup and panang were, we were told we could have them mild, medium, or hot; we ordered them medium and that's how they came. Service was good too.

If the name sounds familiar to visitors to DeKalb, it's the same family; the woman who owns Thai Pavilion in DeKalb is the sister of the man who owns Thai Pavilion 2 in Skokie. He is the (current or former, I'm not sure) owner of Bangkok Star on Fullerton. They have a fourth-generation Thai chef.

I know some people here seek out more unusual dishes commonly found only in Thailand, and I don't know whether or not those might be available at Thai Pavilion 2; you would have to ask, and possibly arrange in advance. I'm just guessing here. After all, they just received their printed carry-out menus yesterday, so they are very new and just getting started at this location. All in all, it was a very good experience, and they are a welcome addition to the near northern suburbs.

Thai Pavilion 2
4654 Church Street
Skokie IL 60076
847-677-1068

I really, really have to scratch this itch. Tom Kha (Kai) isn't as you've labled it in other posts; chicken coconut milk soup. If you're as serious as you appear to be in the tightening of databases both LTH and Chowhound you should know that tom kha is actually "boiled galangal" soup(galangal...and lemongrass and makrut being the predominant flavors). The coconut milk is the common signifier, I suppose...but, that's not what this soup translates as. The chicken is merely, gai/kai.

I know what the dish is. I know that it's a soup (tom) that's a combination of broth, chicken (gai, if it's tom kha gai; many places offer it with a choice of ingredients, such as tom kha koong with shrimp, etc), galangal (kha) with slices often left in the soup and easy to remove, lemongrass usually in the form of "sticks" which are easy to remove, although this particular version instead had thin slices that were softer than usual, coconut, mushrooms, sliced cabbage, chilis, and other ingredients. IMHO, a really good version strikes an amazing blend among all these flavors, without any one flavor predominating.

I swear, sometimes I get the impression that people here get more pleasure in picking apart the words that other people use than they do from food.

FWIW, on the carry-out menu at Thai Pavilion 2, this is how it is listed:

TOM KHA (COCONUT SOUP) (SM) 4.95 (LG) 7.95

Fresh chicken breast simmered in coconut milk, spiced with galangal, mushroom, and lime juice.

Hopefully this won't get pulled:

My intent was a gentle ribbing. I believe you yourself have opined on and undertaken a consolidation of posts on various topics on various forums.

My point is that "boiled galangal soup" is more interesting and accurate than "coconut milk soup." Same way that pad thai isn't a peanut sauce dish(as it is often referred to in so many words---and unfortunately, occasionally-prepared---...I'm not saying you have ever written so), and same way that satay isnt Thai...it's Malaysian or Indonesian.

If the menu reads coconut milk soup then so be it.

Just stopped into Thai Pavilion today, and I think it surpasses Ruby of Siam, our previous go-to Thai.

Hubby had the Pad Thai with beef, while I had Green Curry with tofu. I thought the starter vegetable soup was very nice - a little hot sauce might have livened it up, but I ate all of mine and finished half my husband's as well. (He ate my pot stickers, so it was a fair trade.) He said the Pad Thai was outstanding - it reminded him of the homemade version he had years ago from a native Thai co-worker.

The green curry was bright and with a spice level of medium, perfect for my taste buds. A little heat on the first bite, that built until by the time I was done, I had a little spicy party in my mouth. But not crazy-hot-fanning -my-mouth levels. The vegetables were done crisply, and they included green beans, green and red peppers, bamboo shoots, a few bits of potato, and onion (I believe). I thought the portion was extremely well-sized for lunch - I finished it but was pretty well stuffed. It would have been plenty satisfying for dinner too.

The total, including our two lunch meals and one Thai iced coffee, was $17 and change. We left a $4+ tip, so for two we topped out at just over $11/per person. What a deal! I think it is much nicer than the lunch buffet at Ruby of Siam. Since I eat mostly vegetarian/fish, most Asians buffets are inadequate. Plus this food was freshly prepared and served quickly.

Strongly recommended. The restaurant was about 1/3-filled, mostly with Asian customers, so there is room for YOU! Currently the place does not have a liquor license. I don't know if they are allowing BYOB, but it would be worth calling ahead if you're interested.

Just a note of caution that I tried to hit this place Wednesday night at 9 (they're supposedly open until 10) but they were doing some minor touch-up work with paint and the restaurant was extremely warm inside. Perhaps this was because all other customers had finished and left. I just grabbed a carry-out menu.
Maybe better to arrive early rather than late for dinner this week.

nsxtasy and Franabanana,

Thanks for your reviews. I've been wondering about this place since I see it when I ride the westbound 208 bus. I'm going to try and stop in for dinner some time soon or organize an office lunch outing.

My boyfriend and I went to college in DeKalb (late nineties-early oughts), so we were very familiar with Thai Pavilion. My boyfriend LOVED their Thai Iced Tea (I never really developed the taste for it) and was so excited that he wouldn't have to drive to DeKalb to get it, as he'd been tempted to do over the years.

We went with my mom; she got the mild green curry (with medium heat), I got my standby, Pad Se Ew with pork and my boyfriend got his standby, Pad Thai with chicken. My Pad Se Ew was okay. It had plenty of meat and broccoli, which was good, but it lacked the subtle flavors that I've gotten at Ruby of Siam and even at Pad Thai in Des Plaines. There was not nearly enough black pepper on top (if any) and there wasn't any on the tables to add.

I had some of the controversial Tom Kha- I like that it had mushrooms and tomatoes- I'm always a little disappointed that Ruby of Siam doesn't put that in. But again, I thought the overall flavor was a little off, a little too acidic, and sort of a sour, cheesy smell. Maybe too much fish sauce?

My boyfriend said that the Pad Thai had a weird coating on it and he could feel some kind of particle-y coating on them (and no, it wasn't the peanuts) and I could see that they were really unnatural orange color. It seemed like there was more sauce than what we've gotten at any of the other Thai places we've been to. Usually, there's not even enough sauce for there to be any liquid in the bottom, and you don't even know it's there- there's just a presence of flavor. He said the flavor was very bland, and what flavor was there just wasn't quite right.

He did get his Thai Iced Tea needs met, though, but I don't think we'll be going back there just for that.

I stopped by Thai Pavilion 2 last night with a friend. To start, we had pan-fried chive dumplings, which were a little doughy but tasty. I ordered spicy basil with beef, my friend ordered stir-fried bean thread noodles with tofu. Both dishes were very flavorful and full of crisp, fresh vegetables, but my spicy basil was not as spicy as I would have expected -- though, in all fairness to the staff, Skokie may not be the place to be serving truly zippy food.

I thought it was good but not a wow -- a place I'd dine if I were in the area again, but not a destination. My friend, however was over the moon and thought it would be worth the drive any time she craved Thai, and she is now planning all trips to and from the city to take her past Thai Pavilion. So I guess it's a matter of preferences and expectations. I will say that the veggies were among the freshest I've encountered in any restaurant of any ethnicity, and the service was the typically shy, sweet, charming, and efficient service one expects from young Thai women.

I'm glad I know about it, because I do have reason to visit Skokie regularly, but if I don't have a reason to go to Skokie, I'm happy with I Am Siam. (Still not exactly like being in Thailand -- but then, what is.)

So thanks for the recommendation.

Sign in window: Reopening soon under new management

I believe they have been closed a few weeks: they didn't answer the phone when I tried to call for carry out last month.

Too bad. The last time I had lunch there it was tasty.