Meet us where authentic Thai dishes are perfectly spiced and affordably priced
When Penny’s Noodles Shop opened its first restaurant in Chicago, regional Thai food wasn’t well known in the city. Today, Thai food is a regular favorite for diners and it’s Penny’s Noodles that led the way.
With locations in Chicago and Oak Park and with Penny herself still intimately involved in the kitchen, you can count on affordable and delicious dishes when you visit Penny’s.
Start with the Chilled Steamed Broccoli served cold with a spicy dijon-soy dressing for dipping. Then delight in the simmering Tom Kha Kai traditional soup with chunks of fresh chicken and mushrooms in a coconut milk broth with green onions.
Then it's on to the main event! We love the Sliced Beef Chicken or Tofu with steamed rice vermicelli noodles in a sweet-garlic soy sauce and topped with green onions, cilantro, ground peanuts, and a healthy handful of bean sprouts.
Penny’s Oak Park is open Monday through Friday from 2pm to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8pm.
Appetizers and soups start at about $6 at Penny’s Noodle Shop. Most of the fresh noodles, curries, and Thai specials at Penny’s are about $11.
Penny’s Noodle Shop is named for Penny, a pioneer in bringing regional Thai food to the Chicagoland area. Penny moved to Chicago from Bangkok in 1977 with a dream of attending college and returning home to Thailand.
Along with her schoolbooks, Penny brought with her the skills her mother passed onto her in the kitchen. She used those cooking skills in restaurants around the city before opening her own noodle shop.
The rest is history! Luckily for all of us who love her affordable and well-spiced plates of fresh Thai food, Penny didn’t return to Thailand. Instead, she built a mini-restaurant empire right here in Chicagoland.
Penny’s Oak Park is located at 1130 Chicago Avenue. It’s just over a half-mile walk from both the Harlem/Lake Stop on the CTA Green Line Train and the Oak Park Stop on the Union Pacific West Railway.
There is also parking available in the village parking lot next door to the noodle shop.
