Rice Bistro

For some reason, I went into Rice Bistro being a skeptic. Recently I've been spoiled by several really good Thai restaurants in Lincoln Square and Uptown, so I was hesitant to reach out and try a new place. Luckily, my boyfriend and I had some errands to run in the Southport area and we saw that Rice Bistro was offering a yelp deal ($10 for $15) and had some really decent reviews. All reservations aside, we bought the deal and ventured in.

Upon walking in, Rice Bistro is... odd. They appear to be extremely proud of their vividly painted blue and white wall that makes up a backdrop for the restaurant. We had the pleasure of being seated against this wall, and upon sitting down you immediately notice that the entire restaurant is crooked. I felt like I was stooping forward the entire meal, which didn't quite jive with my hungover state. All these observations aside, the waitress promptly greeted us and inquired if we had a groupon or yelp deal before taking our order. She placed menus in front of us and went to get us waters as we decided what to indulge in.

For starters we went with the Gyoza, which is a pan fried dumpling filled with pork and vegetables and served with a spicy soy vinegar. I could take or leave this appetizer, to be completely honest. It didn't really wow me or leave me with any lasting impression, and I thought the meat was a bit flavorless and the dumplings a bit too doughy for my liking. We both decided to get the acclaimed Crispy Pork Basil  which consists of fried crispy pork belly, Thai chili, garlic, bell peppers, carrot and basil. With all of those amazing (and albeit safe) ingredients, I knew that we would be in for a treat. We sat around for probably 15 minutes or so until our entrees arrived, which were placed with the appetizer. Normally Thai restaurants are incredibly speedy with their delivery of the entrees which points to the fact that many of the items are pre-made in large batches. We could hear (and smell) our dish being created in the kitchen which made up for any ill feelings from the long wait. As for the dish, it is as amazing as all the other reviews make it out to be. You get a HUGE portion of thinly chopped and lightly crisped pork belly with just the right amount of sauce. The pork is incredibly flavorful and savory, and it doesn't taste like the cheap fatty cuts that many other restaurants are known to use. A reasonably sized portion of sticky rice is included, and this does well to soak up the chili sauce. All around a solid dish that any pork enthusiast would enjoy.

I'm not for sure if I'll be back anytime in the near future, but if I'm craving Thai while around the Southport neighborhood I'll be sure to stop in.

Love this place for takeout.  They have a great deal for $4 Pad Thai during lunch and it is delicious!  Usually eat there during the summer since they have a nice outdoor patio (the dining room is a bit small for my liking).  Definitely one of my favorite takeout places in Lakeview.

I thought that that food was plenty flavorful and there is a good selection of things to choose from.  However I wouldn't say i was had a flavor explosion from anything.  I did find the service to be a little lacking, as I hate to say it always seems like something is off when u ask for special treatment at Thai places.  For example, I ordered a soup and a salad as my main entree and asked they be brought out with my dinner dates entree after our satay app. Sure enough my soup comes out in 2 minutes, then the app, then my salad and finally my dates entree.  It's not a major issue I know but its just a little annoying when the server says they understand what you want then you realize they didn't listen to you at all.

Also this place is SUPER small so don't think ur gonna have a private conversation without everyone else hearing it.