Sisters Bring Authentic Food To Wheeling With Thai Buri

WHEELING, IL — If you're looking for authentic Thai food, look no further than Thai Buri in Wheeling. Owned by Chicagoland restaurant veteran Katie Klusirinut Olsen, along with her sisters, Tik and Sara, the many recipes on the menu come directly from Thailand.

"My sisters just moved here from Thailand. It will be wonderful to be together again and work together to make a successful Thai restaurant," Olsen told Patch.

Olsen has been serving Thai food in the Chicago area for many years, starting with the former I Am Siam in Buffalo Grove. She is currently also the owner of Sukko Thai in Palatine.

Thai Buri opened earlier this month at 1041 E. Lake Cook Road at a former Subway location. Olsen had the property completely rebuilt, along with a connecting store, to create a 45-seat restaurant serving much of the great food once found on the menu at I Am Siam.

"We were looking for an area in the Buffalo Grove, Wheeling area," Olsen said. "We had I Am Siam on Dundee Road, just east of Buffalo Grove Road. We had tremendous success there."

Olsen said the recipes were very successful at I Am Siam for many years. She's hoping to duplicate the success with customers who she said "come to visit like old friends." Thai Buri is not just a good meal, according to Olsen, it's a dining experience, perfect for family and friends.

Speaking of family, Olsen said the experience of working with her sisters makes Thai Buri an extra special place. She said the sisters make business decisions together, which they believe benefits both them and the customers.

Some highlights of the menu, which can be found here, include pad thai, pad see eiw (noodle dish), chicken egg rolls and mee krob (crispy noodles). While many of the items on the menu are creations made long ago by the sisters and have been featured at Olsen's other restaurants, the sisters are not afraid to mix things up to ensure the food at Thai Buri continues to evolve.

"We have a big menu, but we can special order any dishes that our customers would like to try or duplicate something they had at another Thai restaurant," Olsen said. "We had one customer who loved a special dish at a Thai restaurant in Las Vegas. It is not on the menu, but we can make it for him."

Olsen said reviews of Thai Buri so far have been "amazing." She said it's been enjoyable to reconnect with old customers from the I Am Siam days.

Learn more about Thai Buri at the restaurant's Facebook page or call the restaurant directly at 224-676-0157.