There is no ambience to speak of, but in the case of Pinto Thai Kitchen, “no ambiance” means understated charm.
The restaurant is very small and seems and generates a big “take out” business. It is definitely a family friendly restaurant with children’s artwork tacked to a wall
On a recent Wednesday night, all seven tables were occupied by 7:30 pm.
The food is above average at this small, family-run Evanston Asian spot. It is unfair to call this simply a Thai restaurant because it serves many delicious Chinese and Japanese dishes as well.
One of my favorite items on the menu is the Green Turtle Sushi Roll. My thirteen year old daughter loves the Pad See Eiw Chicken, which is a combination of wide rice noodles, scrambled egg, and broccoli that is stir fried in a sweet soy sauce.
Two Chinese dishes I can recommend are the Kung Bao Tofu, which had tufu sautéed with diced vegetables and peanuts in a sweet ginger sauce that was good but much less spicy then advertised, and the Asparagus shrimp and scallop dish, which had asparagus shrimp and scallops stir fried in a light oyster sauce.
Prices for most dishes were extremely reasonable, priced under $10. Gracious, alert service and no-corkage BYOB are some more reasons to give the cozy Pinto Thai Kitchen a try.
