Name: Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining
Address: 6580 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL, 60626
Telephone: (312) 626-7710
Price range: $$$

Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining

Iconic/NotableRogers Park · Cambodian Community-sourced, unverified

📍 6580 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626

Khmai takes its name from Khmer, the Cambodian language, paired with “Mai,” meaning mother — a direct tribute from chef Mona Sang to her own mother, Sarom Sang, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide.

$$$

One of only two Cambodian restaurants in Chicago — a reservations-only tasting menu, a Wed-Fri happy hour, and a walk-in-friendly casual sister restaurant sharing the same space.

What started as a catering operation and a run of pop-up dinners became a permanent restaurant in 2022 on Howard Street, then relocated to a bigger home on Sheridan Road in June 2024, closed again in August when construction dust from a new Starbucks next door seeped into the kitchen and food storage, and reopened in September 2024 after a deep clean — a genuinely resilient small business story on top of an already-remarkable one. This is one of only two Cambodian restaurants in Chicago, and it runs as proper fine dining: reservations-only dinner service, a changing menu built around traditional Khmer dishes like prahok, lemongrass beef skewers (sach ko ja kak), and a Khmer chicken red curry (kari sach moan), plus a seven-course tasting journey through Cambodia's Ratanakiri Province available Thursday through Sunday by reservation. A casual sister concept, Kaun Khmai — “Children of Cambodia” — shares the space and welcomes walk-ins for à la carte and brunch service, a smart way to make this cuisine accessible beyond the tasting-menu crowd.

There's a real happy hour too: Wednesday through Friday, 4 to 6 p.m. At 4.8 stars across 326 OpenTable reviews, with sub-scores for food, service, and value all in the high 4s, the reception matches the ambition. Brunch runs Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.; dinner the same days, 5 to 9 p.m. Between the happy hour, the walk-in-friendly sister restaurant, and a founder's story this specific and this personal, Khmai is one of the more genuinely singular restaurants in this entire database.

Hours

Brunch Wed-Sun 12:00 PM-3:00 PM; Dinner Wed-Sun 5:00 PM-9:00 PM

📅 Reserve on OpenTable 🥡 Takeout unconfirmed 📞 (312) 626-7710

Amenities & accessibility

📅Reservations accepted

❔Takeout: unverified

❔Wheelchair access: unverified

Location

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Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining

Khmai takes its name from Khmer, the Cambodian language, paired with “Mai,” meaning mother — a direct tribute from chef Mona Sang to her own mother, Sarom Sang, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide.

Specials at Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining