Arun Sampanthavivat
Arun’s Thai Restaurant
4156 N. Kedzie Ave.
773-539-1909
Thai food as art
Although Arun’s Thai Restaurant is located in a nondescript northwest side neighborhood, it is decidedly a destination spot for many discerning diners. “There was a great article in the New York Times, and now people even fly in from New York just to eat here,” says Arun Sampanthavivat.
The owner/executive chef grew up in Trang, Thailand, and after graduating from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, studied further in Germany and Japan. In 1977 he began studying political science at the University of Chicago, and in 1985, when some Hyde Park friends backed out on opening a Thai restaurant, decided to go it alone. First setting up on Irving Park, he moved to his present, larger location in 1988. Arun was the designer, along with his brother, Anawat, who created the Thai paintings. The restaurant offers exclusively the prix fixe Chef’s Design Menu.
“People come here because I dare take a chance,” Arun says. “We maintain a very traditional cooking style, but it’s also experimental. I focus on food as art, and I believe food is part of the culture. The way we balance the flavors, it’s almost like you’re playing in an orchestra. We’ve gotten so many fine reviews and awards, I feel I’m always under a watchful eye, riding on a tiger’s back. But it doesn’t matter, because that’s the way I operate anyway.”