When chef Thai Dang opened Crying Tiger in Chicago’s River North in October 2025, he gave the city something it had been quietly craving: a polished, ambitious dining room devoted not just to Thai cooking but to the wider sweep of Southeast Asian flavor. Dang, a James Beard Award finalist best known for the celebrated HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen in Pilsen, teamed with managing partner Amarit Dulyapaibul and the Lettuce Entertain You group to build a menu that moves fluidly between Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Chinese traditions while keeping the four pillars of the region’s cooking, sweet, sour, salty, and spicy, in constant conversation. The result is a menu where a humble green papaya salad and a 45-day dry-aged ribeye feel like they belong on the same page. Below is our guide to how the menu is organized, the dishes worth building a meal around, and the practical details you need before you go.
Menu Overview
Crying Tiger’s menu is built for sharing, organized into a handful of clearly defined sections that walk you from lighter, snackable plates toward larger centerpiece dishes. The structure moves through Warm and Chilled starters, into Stir Fry, Rice & Noodles, then Curries, and finally a short, splurge-worthy list of Signatures, rounded out by a tidy selection of Sides. The pricing range is wide by design: snacks and noodle plates start in the mid-teens, while the marquee proteins and whole-fish presentations climb toward three figures. It is a menu that rewards a group, letting you graze across regions and textures rather than committing to a single entree. The kitchen leans on premium ingredients, Maine lobster, wagyu, dry-aged ribeye, branzino, and threads traditional Southeast Asian preparations through nearly every plate.
Menu Categories & Highlights
Warm Starters
This is where the kitchen shows off its range. Standouts include the Prawn Toast Youtiao with Herb Nam Jim, a shellfish-forward riff on the Chinese fried-dough cruller, and the Chargrilled Sugarcane Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves. The Grilled Wagyu Beef Nam Tok arrives with shaved red onion and mint, and the Crispy H.K. Pork Belly with Garlic Herb Nuoc Cham is an early favorite among reviewers.
- Prawn Toast Youtiao with Herb Nam Jim — $21
- Shiitake and Vegetable Spring Roll — $16
- Chargrilled Sugarcane Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves — $18
- Red Curry Shrimp & Pork Dumplings with Crispy Shallots and Thai Basil — $18
- Grilled Wagyu Beef Nam Tok with Shaved Red Onion & Mint — $24
- Coconut-Marinated Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce — $21
- Crispy H.K. Pork Belly with Garlic Herb Nuoc Cham — $24
Chilled Plates
The cold section is bright and acid-driven, ideal for opening a meal. The Green Papaya Som Tum Salad, with golden tomatoes, bird’s eye chilies, and roasted peanuts, is a textbook example of the menu’s sweet-sour-spicy balance, while the Goi Ca Tuna Tartare arrives dramatically in a young coconut.
- Bird’s Eye Chili and Hamachi Crudo — $22
- Goi Ca Tuna Tartare in Young Coconut — $24
- Cabbage and Shredded Chicken Goi Ga Salad with Ginger Nuoc Cham — $18
- Green Papaya Som Tum Salad with Golden Tomatoes, Bird’s Eye Chilies, Roasted Peanuts — $16
Stir Fry, Rice & Noodles
This is the heart of the menu for many diners. The Crispy Rice Basil Chicken Ka Prao comes crowned with a fried egg, the Shaking Beef Bò Lúc Léc nods to Dang’s Vietnamese background, and the showstopper here is the Clay Pot Lobster Pad Thai, built around half a Maine lobster with tamarind and peanuts.
- Crispy Rice Basil Chicken Ka Prao with Fried Egg — $22
- Burmese Dried Chili and Cumin Lamb — $26
- Shaking Beef Bò Lúc Léc with Arugula and Thai Basil — $27
- Lap Cheong and Shrimp H.K. Fried Rice with Basil and Garlic — $24
- Rolled Rice Noodles with Roasted Maitake and Chinese Broccoli — $21
- Garlic Chive Glass Noodles Woon Sen with Shiitake — $15
- Clay Pot Lobster Pad Thai (Half Maine Lobster, Tamarind, Peanuts) — $44
Curries
The curry list spans the region, from a coconut-rich Tom Kha Kai to the northern Thai Khao Soi built on wagyu short rib. The Crispy Confit Duck and Roasted Peanut Panang has been singled out repeatedly in early press as a must-order.
- Grilled Prawn & Chinese Eggplant Green Curry — $28
- Crispy Confit Duck and Roasted Peanut Panang — $32
- Wagyu Short Rib Khao Soi with Crispy Noodles — $28
- Turmeric Roasted Chicken & Young Coconut Tom Kha Kai — $26
Sides
Keep the table balanced with rice and greens. The Grilled Sticky Rice is a natural partner for the smokier grilled dishes.
- Jasmine Rice — $4
- Grilled Sticky Rice — $5
- Baby Broccoli — $8
- Grilled Roti — $6
- Crispy Eggplant Banh Xeo — $9
Featured / Signature Dishes
The Signatures section is where Crying Tiger makes its biggest statement, and where the kitchen’s premium sourcing is most visible. These are the centerpiece plates designed to anchor a celebratory table.
- Crying Tiger 45 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye with Grilled Sticky Rice ($125, serves 2–4) — The namesake showpiece, a nod to the classic Thai “crying tiger” grilled beef tradition, scaled up to a dry-aged ribeye meant for the table.
- Ca Nuong Whole Grilled Mediterranean Branzino with Lemongrass Nuoc Cham ($58) — A whole-fish presentation that bridges Dang’s Vietnamese roots and Thai aromatics.
- Roasted Black Cod in Charred Scallion Tom Yum Broth ($51) — Silky cod set in a smoky, sour-spicy tom yum.
- Chili Crisp Barbecue Chicken Gai Yang with Grilled Roti ($38) — Thai-style grilled chicken with a chili-crisp lacquer.
Prices
The menu spans an unusually broad price range, reflecting its mix of street-food-inspired snacks and luxury proteins. Lighter plates and noodle dishes start around $15–$24, curries land in the high $20s to low $30s, and the signature seafood and beef dishes climb from the $50s to $125 for the shared dry-aged ribeye. The table below summarizes a representative sampling. Please note that menus and prices may change over time; confirm current pricing directly with the restaurant before you visit.
| Dish | Section | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic Chive Glass Noodles Woon Sen with Shiitake | Stir Fry, Rice & Noodles | $15 |
| Green Papaya Som Tum Salad | Chilled | $16 |
| Grilled Wagyu Beef Nam Tok | Warm | $24 |
| Turmeric Roasted Chicken Tom Kha Kai | Curries | $26 |
| Crispy Confit Duck and Roasted Peanut Panang | Curries | $32 |
| Clay Pot Lobster Pad Thai | Stir Fry, Rice & Noodles | $44 |
| Roasted Black Cod in Tom Yum Broth | Signatures | $51 |
| Whole Grilled Branzino | Signatures | $58 |
| 45 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye (serves 2–4) | Signatures | $125 |
Restaurant Information
Crying Tiger sits in the heart of River North, a short walk from the Loop, in a space praised by Robb Report as one of the most beautiful new restaurants in America for 2025, evoking the vibrant energy of a Southeast Asian night market.
- Address: 51 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60654
- Phone: (312) 736-0183
- Hours: Sunday–Thursday, 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM; Friday–Saturday, 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Reservations: Recommended, and available through OpenTable; weeknights tend to be easier to book.
Popular Customer Favorites
Early diners and local press have gravitated toward a consistent shortlist of dishes that capture what makes the menu special.
- Crispy H.K. Pork Belly with Garlic Herb Nuoc Cham — repeatedly cited for its crackling texture and bright dipping sauce.
- Prawn Toast Youtiao — a crowd-pleasing opener and a frequent first order.
- Crispy Confit Duck Panang — the curry that critics keep recommending.
- Clay Pot Lobster Pad Thai — the splurge noodle dish people come back for.
- Green Papaya Som Tum Salad — a sharp, refreshing counterpoint to the richer plates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of cuisine does Crying Tiger serve?
Crying Tiger is a Southeast Asian restaurant that draws primarily on Thai cooking while also weaving in Vietnamese, Burmese, and Chinese influences. Chef Thai Dang frames the menu around the balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors.
Who is the chef behind Crying Tiger?
The restaurant is led by James Beard Award finalist Thai Dang, who, with his wife Danielle, also runs the acclaimed HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen in Pilsen. Crying Tiger is a collaboration with managing partner Amarit Dulyapaibul and the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group.
Do I need a reservation?
Reservations are strongly recommended, as tables can be difficult to secure during peak times. Weeknights generally offer better availability and a more relaxed pace.
Is Crying Tiger good for groups?
Yes. The menu is built around shareable plates that span lighter snacks to large-format signatures like the 45-day dry-aged ribeye, which is designed to serve two to four people, making it well suited to a group.
Looking for more? Browse more menus, explore our food guides, or see the full Restaurant Menus collection.
Last updated: June 2026.
