What is the best neighborhood in Chicago to open a Thai Restaurant?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the best neighborhood in Chicago to open a Thai Restaurant is Andersonville, with 60% average survivability. 0 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed the 70% two-year survival threshold.

How much more revenue can a Thai Restaurant make in the best vs. average Chicago neighborhood?

In Andersonville, the best possible Thai Restaurant location in Chicago offers approximately 7.3% more expected revenue than the average location. The worst-performing neighborhoods could yield approximately 16.5% less than average.

What is the city-wide average survivability for Thai Restaurant in Chicago?

The city-wide average survivability for Thai Restaurant across Chicago is 56% for surviving more than 2 years. Top neighborhoods like Andersonville substantially outperform this average, reaching 60%.

What are the worst neighborhoods for Thai Restaurant in Chicago?

The most challenging neighborhoods in Chicago for Thai Restaurant include Pilsen with 47% average survival chance, Irving Woods, and Downtown. StreetSpring's Survivability Scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool.

What should I consider when opening a Thai Restaurant in Chicago?

A high Revenue Capture Score is the clearest signal that a location can sustain a profitable business. StreetSpring computes Revenue Capture Score by projecting the business's market share based on competitor quality and quantity, mobility patterns, and forecasted consumer spending for the specific business type.

Survivability Rankings for Thai Restaurant in Chicago

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Chicago to open a Thai Restaurant, from Andersonville (60% survival) to Pilsen (4...

April 24, 2026•17 min read

By Bobby Koons | Last reviewed: April 27, 2026 | New data weekly | Methodology

Quick Summary

#1 Neighborhood: Andersonville — 60% average survivability for Thai Restaurant

Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 0 of 86 analyzed

City-wide average: 56% for Thai Restaurants

Most challenging area: Pilsen at 47%

Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~7.3% more expected revenue in Andersonville

Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →

Summary
10 Best Neighborhoods
Where Would a Thai Restaurant Make the Most Money?
What Should I Consider?
Where Should I Start?
FAQ: Best Neighborhoods
FAQ: Can a Thai Restaurant Succeed in Lower-Ranked Areas?
FAQ: How Often Are Rankings Updated?
FAQ: Is a Thai Restaurant a Good Tenant?
Landlord Survivability Data
Best Neighborhoods for Any Business

Summary

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis shows the best neighborhood in and around Chicago to open a Thai Restaurant is Andersonville with 60% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 65% and the most challenging locations in Andersonville at 42%. The worst neighborhoods include Pilsen with 47% average chance. Our data shows that roughly 15% of top-performing locations sit in neighborhoods ranked below the city median.

Where in Chicago Should You Open a Thai Restaurant?

**Comparable neighborhoods nationally:** Andersonville resembles **North Central (Los Angeles)** and **Feasterville (Philadelphia)** most closely — all three carry low destination density, high high-earner share, and few anchor tenants. Operators evaluating Andersonville for Thai Restaurants can read those peer neighborhoods as parallel signal.

**What goes wrong for Thai Restaurants in Chicago.** 86 tracked neighborhoods, scores spanning **47% to 60%** (average 56%). **Andersonville** leads at 60% (no existing competitors in our index); **Pilsen** anchors the bottom at 47%. The 13-point spread is the dominant failure mode: choosing the wrong Chicago neighborhood costs more upside than any operational tweak can recover.

Andersonville ranks #1 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Chicago for Thai Restaurant survivability with a score of 60% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:

Reading the gap between #1 and #10

Rank	Neighborhood	Best Locations	Average Locations	Challenging Locations
1	Andersonville	62.0% – 66.0%	58.5% – 61.5%	41.0% – 45.0%
2	Budlong Woods	62.0% – 66.0%	58.4% – 61.4%	39.0% – 43.0%
3	Main-Chicago	62.0% – 66.0%	58.4% – 61.4%	53.0% – 57.0%
4	Rogers Park	62.0% – 66.0%	58.4% – 61.4%	42.0% – 46.0%
5	Printers Row	80.0% – 84.0%	58.3% – 61.3%	52.0% – 56.0%
6	Kennedy Park	62.0% – 66.0%	58.1% – 61.1%	49.0% – 53.0%
7	River North	62.0% – 66.0%	57.9% – 60.9%	53.0% – 57.0%
8	Near North	62.0% – 66.0%	57.7% – 60.7%	35.0% – 39.0%
9	Hyde Park	80.0% – 84.0%	57.5% – 60.5%	40.0% – 44.0%
10	River West	62.0% – 66.0%	57.5% – 60.5%	48.0% – 52.0%

The data signals behind these scores

Even neighborhoods with modest average scores can harbor exceptional individual locations. Market dynamics shift frequently; validate these insights with real-time data from StreetSpring.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each neighborhood. See our full methodology →

Try StreetSpring to see if this location is still the best and see if there are locations to rent in this area right now.

Where Thai Restaurants Earn the Most in Chicago

In Andersonville, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~7.3% more than the average location in or around Chicago.

On the other hand, in Pilsen, the worst possible location could result in making ~16.5% less than the average location in the city.

Location is the single strongest predictor of whether a business thrives or fails. Opening a Thai Restaurant in Chicago requires careful location choice. Across 86 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new Thai Restaurant is 56% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. Two businesses on the same block can have very different survivability scores depending on their category.

The Most Important Factors for a Thai Restaurant in Chicago

Location quality is the dominant factor in survival outcomes. A high Survivability Score isn't a nice-to-have — it's the floor every candidate address must clear. A high Revenue Capture Score is the clearest signal that a location can sustain a profitable business. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors. The analysis behind these rankings spans millions of data points across competition, spending, and mobility. Strategic clustering can actually boost performance by creating destination zones. StreetSpring's predictions leverage proprietary datasets covering competition, spending, and mobility.

Area to check	What can go wrong	How to de-risk it
Outdoor seating / sidewalk use	Signing assuming you can add patio seating, then learning the city requires a separate sidewalk-cafe permit with long lead times.	Check the city's sidewalk-cafe permit process up front. Confirm landlord allows outdoor build-out in the lease language.
Competitor density	Counting only direct competitors and missing adjacent-category overlap (e.g. coffee shop near a bakery).	Map all businesses serving overlapping customer needs within a 5-min walk. Use StreetSpring's competitor view as a starting point.
CAM + hidden costs	Stated rent looks great, then CAM fees, signage charges, and after-hours utilities add 15-30%.	Get the full operating expense breakdown for the past 2 years. Ask which costs are landlord-capped vs. uncapped.

This can be summarized as:

Revenue Capture Score = Projected Market Share × Forecasted Spend on Specific Business

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. New competitor openings and closures happen weekly — the live tool ensures you see the latest picture.

Which Chicago Block Is Right for a Thai Restaurant?

The strongest survivability scores belong to Andersonville, Budlong Woods, and Main-Chicago, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be Pilsen, Irving Woods, and Downtown. Remember that a neighborhood average smooths over wide variation — your exact block could significantly outperform. Static rankings provide a useful baseline, but the live tool captures changes that have occurred since publication.

Related Articles:

Which Chicago Neighborhoods Are Strongest for Thai Restaurants?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for a Thai Restaurant in Chicago is Andersonville with 60% average survivability, followed by Budlong Woods and Main-Chicago. 0 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.

Our live tool reflects the latest competitive landscape — these static rankings may already be slightly out of date.

Do Lower-Ranked Chicago Neighborhoods Still Work for Thai Restaurants?

Yes — neighborhood averages mask significant block-by-block variation. Even in neighborhoods ranked outside the top 10, individual storefronts with strong foot traffic, low direct competition, and favorable lease terms can outperform the area average. These averages are directional, not definitive; the best decision comes from analyzing your specific storefront. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.

How Fresh Is Our Chicago Thai Restaurant Ranking Data?

StreetSpring recalculates survivability scores regularly using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Rankings are updated quarterly; the live tool always reflects the most current predictions for any address in Chicago.

Is a Thai Restaurant a Good Tenant for Chicago Landlords?

In Andersonville, StreetSpring forecasts a 58.5% – 61.5% average chance for a new Thai Restaurant to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.

Landlord Survivability Data for Thai Restaurant in Chicago

Should you rent your storefront to a Thai Restaurant? The answer depends heavily on your neighborhood. Andersonville offers the strongest outlook at 58.5% – 61.5% average survivability, followed by Budlong Woods at 58.4% – 61.4%, and Main-Chicago at 58.4% – 61.4%. See which business types are most likely to succeed at your property address right now.

StreetSpring generates location-specific predictions tailored to your exact site.

Top-Survivability Chicago Neighborhoods for Thai Restaurants

You can see the best neighborhoods in or around Chicago to open any type of business in our article Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Chicago.

Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Chicago are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View technical data for Chicago

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.

Visual Data

Dumbbell chart comparing best vs worst locations for businesses in chicago — Best vs worst neighborhood per business type — the gap shows how much location choice matters within a city.

Bubble chart of business subtypes in Chicago by survivability score and location density — Every business subtype in Chicago plotted by score vs location count — bubble size shows market depth. Find Thai Restaurant relative to its peers.

How we measure this: Some lots are zoned for limited business types only. We cross-reference the building's use designation against our subtype compatibility map.

**Chicago at a glance.** Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago))

**City-wide daytime/nighttime spread (Chicago):** Chicago's neighborhoods span the daytime-density range from sparse residential to dense commercial. Median daytime/resident ratio: **0.74**; top-quartile ratio: **2.07** across 150 tracked neighborhoods (LEHD LODES 2022). That's a primarily-residential profile — pick the right side of the ratio for your concept's demand-timing.

**Operating-cost context (Chicago):** Commercial electricity in Chicago runs about **6.7¢/kWh** (below the 24-metro median of 10.8¢), the state minimum wage is **$15.00/hr** (below the 15.00 median), combined sales tax averages **8.8%** (above the 7.7% median), and effective commercial property tax is **2.27%** (above the 0.96% median). On operating costs alone, Chicago sits in the **expensive** tier of US metros we track.

**How we benchmark:** BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release reports **50.0% 5-year survival** for Thai Restaurants nationally. StreetSpring's Chicago model — which incorporates competitive density, traffic patterns, and rent dynamics — produces an average **survivability score of 86%** for Thai Restaurants across the city.

Related:

Beyond the Numbers: Local Context

Beyond the general FAQ — data-anchored answers for this specific location.

Are there peer business categories with similar Chicago survivability to Thai Restaurants?

Chicago subtypes scoring within 2 points of Thai Restaurants's 86% average include American Restaurant, Pizza Restaurant, Brunch Restaurant. Survivability convergence at the metro level usually reflects shared local factors like saturation density or demographic fit.

Which US cities have the highest survivability for Thai Restaurants?

The three highest-scoring metros for Thai Restaurants are Portland, San Antonio, St. Louis (StreetSpring 2026 corpus). Chicago sits at #19 with a 86% average survivability score.

Is Chicago a strong economic environment for opening a Thai Restaurant?

ACS data puts Chicago's employment rate at ~94% and median household income at ~$103K. StreetSpring's Thai Restaurants model averages 86% across the metro, weighting both macro and site-specific factors.

Do Thai Restaurants need walkable locations in Chicago?

Median Chicago commute is ~35 minutes. Accessibility-driven foot-traffic variation contributes to the 59-100% survivability range Thai Restaurants see across the metro.

How does Chicago Thai Restaurant survivability compare to the national BLS baseline?

BLS data shows Thai Restaurants survive 5 years at a 50% rate nationally. In Chicago, StreetSpring's location-specific survivability score for this subtype averages 86% — above the national figure by 36 points.

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