Noodles Party

-Grubbing in Chicago
A Thai Style Noodle Party in Albany Park

The holiday season is around the corner and with the year winding down it’s time to start thinking about the best new restaurants of 2025 plus the best pop-ups etc. This week we visit a spot that would qualify for both. When I first learned of ‘Noodle Party’ as I’ve come to call it, I knew it warranted an immediate visit (as do most places that Mike Sula features in The Chicago Reader). According to Mike he was tipped off by a local about this interesting pop-up taking place in Albany Park and upon further review he uncovered one of the coolest setups I’ve come across in a Chicago food operation. 

Locals Favorite in Albany Park

Noodle Party is hosted by a lady named Pramereothai “Aomjai” Phumpardit, aka Mae (or “mother”). Mae grew up in Bangkok where she began helping out at her mother’s noodle shop at a very young age. According to Mike’s story she was running it herself at the age of 11 while her mother would go sell snacks at a factory. The name ‘Noodle Party’ comes from the storefront where Mae and her husband and their team set up shop every Tues. and Wed. at 4205 W. Lawrence. When you step inside you’re transported to what feels like a noodle shop in Bangkok. Each week the menu features a different Thai noodle dish as well as a few supplemental dishes. The only thing is you have to have the link to her page on Facebook where she announces the menu each week, completely in Thai. Luckily for those of us who can’t speak Thai, the Facebook translation button translates it into English. Even if you don’t have Facebook you can go to her page and see these posts by clicking HERE. 

Behind the Scenes with Mae at Noodles Party

I attended my first Noodle Party the day after learning of it thru Mike Sula’s story. I think they may have strategically planned to feature her most popular offering the week the article came out as Boat Noodles were on the menu that week (Note: they’re also on the menu this week for 10/28 and 10/29). Boat Noodles are basically the unofficial dish of Bangkok dating back to the 12th century when this dish got its name due to it being served from boats on the canals. Eating Boat Noodles along the canal in Bangkok is one of those food experiences that stick with you. Mae and her team want to help trigger those memories to her fellow Thai people residing in Chicago and they've shown up in droves. 

Boat Noodles 

Diners can customize their bowls by choosing what type of noodles you want and there's often the option of getting them with or without broth. In the case of the Boat Noodles they're offered with pork or beef. I had plans to try a couple of different bowls thinking the very reasonable $10 price-tag would result in a smaller serving of noodles as is the case in Bangkok where customers often go thru multiple bowls of noodles mixed into a rich and dark and savory broth made with beef and or pork bones plus cubes of Mini Coagulated Pork Blood, which is how it gets its cloudy color. That said one bowl ended up being a complete meal when paired with a refreshing bowl of Thai Style Shaved Ice. 

Thai Style Shaved Ice

I was the only non Thai person on my initial visit but with each visit after that it’s gotten a bit more diverse as word starts to spread. I think I’ve been five times now as the timing works out really well for me as I usually work a little later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Noodle Party goes from 11a-11p. So I’ve been heading over around 8:30/9p when most places around town are closing for the day.  

Bouncy Pork Noodle Soup at Noodles Party

As good as the boat noodles are my favorite to date has been the bouncy pork noodle soup made with Thai style pork meatballs. Mae and her team make these on site and there’s a big difference in their homemade version and the ones that come frozen that most places use. The frozen ones always seem to be way too compact which they’re supposed to be to an extent, hence the bouncy pork name, but they’re so packed they can be hard to put a fork thru let alone chew. The Thai style meatballs at Noodle Party have just enough bounce to give a little pushback when sliced. They work great with thin rice noodles in a soup broth that can be enhanced to your liking with condiments at each and every table. The meatballs are also awesome when covered in a spicy green curry and served with a plate of white rice. They do a fair amount of takeout too but it’s $5 extra per dish.

Meatballs in Green Curry

I really love how each and every week there’s a new treasure to uncover here. On one visit the special was Kuay Jab, or Peppery Noodle Soup, a streetside dish made with wide rice noodles and pork organs that makes for a sweet and a unique flavor. Every now and then they’ll do Khao Soi in addition to whatever is being featured that week and it’s tough to pass on that when they do. They make a textbook version utilizing a braised chicken leg with meat that easily falls off the bone into a rich and creamy coconut curry based broth with a wonderful balance of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet. It’s a contender for the best rendition in the city for sure. As previously noted this is a Tuesday and Wednesday operation but they’ve started to do Fridays and Saturdays too - with a completely different menu at that. Simply put this is the “find of the year” in that without Mike’s story many of us wouldn’t have a clue that there was such a high quality operation operating right under our noses. 

Khao Soi

Noodles Party
4205 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630 
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