Calling all Chicagoans! If you haven’t been to Arun’s yet, this is your opportunity! For a limited time you can get a 12-Course Contemporary Thai Dinner for Two at Arun’s for up to 48% off! I have been there twice in my lifetime and the food is amazing. This is what I think of as a special occasion restaurant, but it will definitely make a statement to your loved one or business guest! The last time I went, they made little Nemo characters out of carrots and lovely flowers out of cucumbers and radishes to compliment the food. Limit 1 per person, but you can buy another as a gift.
- $99 for a 12-course chef-designed dinner for two, valid weekdays ($190 value)
- $119 for a 12-course chef-designed dinner for two, valid any day ($190 value)
Even in his early days of crafting culinary masterpieces, Chef Arun Sampanthavivat spoke as if his life was a perpetual swan song. In 1998, the New York Times began its article “The Great Chefs Go to Him To Be Dazzled” with the words, “To hear him talk, you might think he’s a man with regrets.” Later on, Sampanthavivat described his numerous four-star reviews as “a blessing and a curse . . . I have to live up to every word they say.” Wolfgang Puck added another potentially bad omen by calling Arun’s “probably the best Thai restaurant in the country.” Cursed or not, it still earns acclaim nearly 15 years later, most recently from Chicago magazine, which characterizes the eponymous eatery as “a treasure” whose “tiniest elements amaze.”
At his Albany Park mainstay, Chef Arun builds elegant arabesques, filling his tasting menus with spiced pork lar atop grilled sweet pepper, and sea scallops drizzled in kabocha chili sauce. This attention to detail and workmanlike approach extends to the dining room, which is decorated with Thai artwork curated by Arun himself. Even the website’s gentle piano music was composed by the tireless chef, further showing that, in the culinary world, he’s the closest thing we have to a genuine auteur.

Alli is a Chicago based wife and mother of two children. She has turned money-saving into a game and enjoys searching out the best deals to help you save money! Alli shares her insight, tips and up-to-the-minute deals for local and national retailers and brands. Her hope is that you will play the game and learn to save money at the same time!