I was near Sheridan and Irving Park this evening and decided to get some take-out from TAC Quick in the post-Andy era. Good restaurants can survive with a chef turnover. And TAC Quick is an excellent restaurant.

I ordered two specials that I had not had previously (I don't know if they were previously on a rotating list of specials): Brisket with Basil and Prik Khing with Crispy Pork Belly. Both were excellent, as fine as any take-out I have had from TAC, and had I not known that Andy had left I would not have guessed. He must have trained his staff well. The Prik Khing, a red Thai curry, had a lot of good heat and the pork was nicely crispy. The brisket was not as spicy hot, but very moist and flavorful.

So far, so good, TAC Quick.

Dinner Monday night at TAC Quick was pretty good, but in my opinion well below the level I had grown accustomed too. There were a couple of major train wrecks in fact. First, the sticky rice was actually wet and sticky, not at all how it should be served. The idea with sticky rice is to lightly squeeze a ball of it with your fingers and dip it in your sauce/food. But when you tried to pick up this rice with your fingers, it was too moist and just stuck to your hands. The Isaan sausage was also a big disappointment, very much (and surprisingly) lacking in flavor.

The nam tok preparation was particularly odd, featuring a garden's worth of mint, many spinach leaves and unripe tomatoes. A duck curry dish was decent, but I found the curry to be a little too much on the sweet side. However, I hadn't tried this dish at TAC before so I can't say if it's changed.

But don't let me leave you with the impression that everything was off. Crispy On Choy was generally on target, if perhaps slightly unbalanced towards sour. Pad Thai in Omelet was also close to its usual self, except that the omelet part itself might have been a tad overcooked (really minor issue though). Kra Phrao Kai Khai Yeow Ma (minced chicken, crispy fried basil, preserved egg) may have been the best of the bunch and pretty much as good as ever.

No longer a GNR (?) the last few posts were pretty old and not so favorable- thinking about going to satisfy my Thai craving-am I making a mistake?

Elfin wrote:No longer a GNR (?) the last few posts were pretty old and not so favorable- thinking about going to satisfy my Thai craving-am I making a mistake?

TAC Quick is still a GNR.

stevez wrote:

Elfin wrote:No longer a GNR (?) the last few posts were pretty old and not so favorable- thinking about going to satisfy my Thai craving-am I making a mistake?

TAC Quick is still a GNR.

TAC Quick will definitely still satisfy your cravings.

Tac Quick did not disappoint. We arrived Friday night about 30 minutes late for our reservation and they had saved our table. Not a big deal as there were plenty of empty tables. I thought it should have been more crowded on a Friday night -7:15-30 and it was never full during our time there-we left around 9:15. The food and service were really, really good. We brought two bottles of wine-a white and red- and a wine cooler was placed on the table right away. We ordered grilled squid, Nam Tok, Penang tofu, basil mussels and a seafood soup-forget the name but similar to Tom Kha but with seafood. All was delicious-the squid had the perfect chew and grilled flavor. The Nam Tok was tender, grilled and the bed of greens and mint was really nice-not the usual iceberg/romaine in lesser quality joints. The basil mussels were prepared well-not gritty and the soy/basil sauce was really nice. The Penang tofu had a lot of crisp peppers, onions and flavorful sauce and we ate every drop of sauce with rice. The soup was OK-it had a little too much greens that were underdone-a feat for soup so it had to be added later to a mother stock. We finished all but the soup. As it was a big B-day fete, I brought a Snickers Pie from Magnolia Bakery and the waitstaff brought extra plates and presented it complete with candle lit (I brought candles just in case). The whole bill including tax and tip was under $60-and everyone vowed to return with others. As the place was never full I wonder how it is doing. We will definately go back as it is an easy on/ easy off Red Line Sheridan stop.

Elfin wrote:Tac Quick did not disappoint. We arrived Friday night about 30 minutes late for our reservation and they had saved our table. Not a big deal as there were plenty of empty tables. I thought it should have been more crowded on a Friday night -7:15-30 and it was never full during our time there-we left around 9:15. The food and service were really, really good. We brought two bottles of wine-a white and red- and a wine cooler was placed on the table right away. We ordered grilled squid, Nam Tok, Penang tofu, basil mussels and a seafood soup-forget the name but similar to Tom Kha but with seafood. All was delicious-the squid had the perfect chew and grilled flavor. The Nam Tok was tender, grilled and the bed of greens and mint was really nice-not the usual iceberg/romaine in lesser quality joints. The basil mussels were prepared well-not gritty and the soy/basil sauce was really nice. The Penang tofu had a lot of crisp peppers, onions and flavorful sauce and we ate every drop of sauce with rice. The soup was OK-it had a little too much greens that were underdone-a feat for soup so it had to be added later to a mother stock. We finished all but the soup. As it was a big B-day fete, I brought a Snickers Pie from Magnolia Bakery and the waitstaff brought extra plates and presented it complete with candle lit (I brought candles just in case). The whole bill including tax and tip was under $60-and everyone vowed to return with others. As the place was never full I wonder how it is doing. We will definately go back as it is an easy on/ easy off Red Line Sheridan stop.

I regularly order delivery from TAC as it typically is 30 minutes between order and buzzer. When I do dine in with friends, it's usually on a weekend night and if not at capacity, they are typically around 75% full by the time we leave. They don't do anything when it comes to promoting themselves, and I have been surprised by the number of people who swear restaurant X is the best Thai in this city and don't know about TAC Quick (or Rainbow Cuisine for that matter). I wish them the best of luck, but they seem to have been at the same pace for a few years now.

TAC Quick is uprooting after more than a decade at Sheridan and Dakin, replacing another longstanding Lakeview eatery. TAC Quick, 3930 N. Sheridan Road, will replace the shuttered Fornello Trattoria at 1011 W. Irving Park Road, in the coming weeks.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016092 ... evelopment

That's even closer to my house! That almost makes up for losing In-On-Thai...

They're only moving around the corner - all of 479 feet away, according to Google Maps.

So I haven't been to TAC Quick in years and there aren't too many recent comments. Is this still good, any reason to go over ATK since the menus overlap considerably?

Everything is still firing on all cylinders.

I occasionally give TAC Quick a visit (haven't been to newest location though) and haven't been nearly as enamored with it as I used to be. It's not that anything is bad, but I have found that execution is somewhat spotty . . . just one person's opinion.

A recent TAC lunch, more due to proximity than choosing over Aroy, IMMM or Rainbow, seemed to suggest TAC should have a solid place in my Thai rotation. New space on Irving was airy, comfortable, open to the street with patio seating and a full bar. My lunch companion seemed particularly enamored with his pair of caffeine laden Thai Iced Coffees.

Service friendly, efficient and informed with laab, pork neck and crispy ong choy as good if not better than remembered from LTH dinners of old. Sticky rice and prik nam pla available for the asking.


Tac Quick
1011 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, IL 60613
773-327-5253

G Wiv wrote:Service friendly, efficient and informed with laab, pork neck and crispy ong choy as good if not better than remembered from LTH dinners of old.

Third lunch meeting in five weeks at TAC, same lunch companion, same server, same seats. First there, walked in, put my laptop down and went to the restroom. When I came back we had water, extra napkins, prik nam pla and were setup with forks & spoons, what I had asked for in the past. Thai iced coffee for my associate, water for me. 30-minutes of conversation, server all smiles, no rush. I should note it was 11:30am and they were not busy, but still . . .

Lunch was terrific, highlight Kra Phrao Kai Yeow Ma. Minced chicken, crispy basil and preserved duck egg. My loss missing out on a few years of TAC, they deserve a serious spot in my Thai rotation.



TAC Quick, Count me a Fan!

Another lunch meeting at TAC Quick, delicious abundant reasonably priced lunch. As good if not better than ever, food, service, really digging TAC!




TAC Quick, Count me a Fan!

Way too long since I've been here. My fault entirely. Today's lunch rectified that and damn, good as it ever was. Not one other table though so could use some LTH love.

Jazzfood wrote:Way too long since I've been here. My fault entirely. Today's lunch rectified that and damn, good as it ever was. Not one other table though so could use some LTH love.

I always wonder about their lunch business. If I'm working from home, I might order delivery from there and my food is typically at my door in less than 30 minutes. Either way, this place is a gem.

Jazzfood wrote:Way too long since I've been here. My fault entirely. Today's lunch rectified that and damn, good as it ever was. Not one other table though so could use some LTH love.

Yes, it was a great lunch. Crispy Ong Choi was on point, though not quite as crispy as I remember.

TAC Quick Crispy Ong Choi

Another terrific early lunch at TAC, was there for well over two hours, only 4 others, a single and table of 3, not counting our three, the entire time. I have no clue if TAC is busy at night, but I wish they got some lunch bleed-over from the skinless runthoughthegarden dogs served next door.

TAC is rock steady, as good if not better, probably better, than ever.

We had a great meal at TAC Quick tonight. We were in the neighborhood and stopped by for dinner. In particular, the Khao Soi and Gai Kaprow (ordered with fried egg instead of preserved egg) were outstanding. Also, we ordered chicken satay for our 4 year-old. Chicken satay is something I almost never order at restaurants--I find it to be dry and uninspiring. But TAC Quick's was terrific--nice juicy chicken and the sauce had a lot of complexity. We hadn't eaten there in a while but will definitely be back soon.

Can't believe it's been over 2 years since the last post on TAC Quick! We having been getting takeout from them about once a month during the pandemic. We have a lot of favorite Thai places but TAC is so consistently good--they never seem to have an off night. Also, they are great in how they package elements of dishes for take out. They do not always have crispy on choy available but they did have it last night. The on choy is packaged in a vented package and the sauce with shrimp/ground pork is in a separate container. We especially love their gai kaprow (you have to specifically order it Thai style) with a fried egg on top, khao soi, thai jerky, yum woon sen talay, prikking crispy pork. Added plus is that my daughter loves their pad see ew with a side of a hot dog from Byron's next door (with ketchup ).