thailand restaurant
Looks can be deceiving. Especially at the dully-named-but-tasty Thailand Restaurant on S. Dale Mabry, SOG and just a couple of blocks from the base.From the outside, the restaurant looks semi-abandoned with paint badly peeling (could this be the original coat of paint from when the place first opened in 1979?) and with letters missing from the sign on the restaurant’s exterior. Inside, though, Thailand Restaurant is clean and surprisingly better decorated than many mid-priced Thai restaurants and the polar opposite of how the place looks outside.
We first tried Thailand Restaurant a few months ago, were pleasantly surprised by the food and service, and have been back several times since. On our most recent visit last Friday evening, we ordered the chicken satay, which are grilled chicken strips served with a peanut dipping sauce and freshly sliced cucumber, as our appetizer. For our main course, I ordered the panang curry with pork and Traci ordered the hot & spicy chicken. We asked for both dishes “Thai hot”, which elicited a warning from our server, until we explained we love spicy food and that I grew up in New Orleans.
The satay was good, but not outstanding. My panang curry was tasty and Traci’s hot & spicy chicken was a mix between being painfully and enjoyably spicy in a good way. On a previous visit, I enjoyed the pad thai with chicken. The Thai coconut soup was good too. We also tried the chicken curry puffs on a previous visit. They were interesting, but I wouldn’t try them again. Overall, the food at Thai Restaurant has been good, the service is friendly and prompt and the atmosphere is pleasant.
The only other Thai restaurants in Tampa I’ve tried are Royal Palace Thai on SOHO and Thai Thani at Channelside. I enjoyed Royal Palace, but Thailand Restaurant is more convenient for us. Thai Thani seemed overpriced with mediocre food and service, which I guess is to be expected at Channelside. Thai Sweet Basil on Northdale sounds like a winner. For those of you in St. Pete, a good choice for lunch is 9 Bangkok Thai Restaurant on Central Ave. The place doesn’t look like much on the outside, but has good lunch deals. Ratchada Thai Restaurant on First Ave N. is also pretty good.
I do have to ding Thailand Restaurant for a whopping 14 critical violations on its inspection last fall. These violations were all corrected on a follow-up visit. Good thing I don’t check these beforehand.
So what’s your favorite Thai restaurant in Tampa Bay?
Bottom-line: Ignore the bland name and the ramshackle exterior. The nearly 30 year old Thailand Restaurant turns out very good Thai food at reasonable prices in a surprisingly nice environment.
Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: October 2006 violations – Critical (14), Non-Critical (4).
Tags: food, restaurant, review, sog
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April 17th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Best Thai, hands down, is Thai Ruby on Amberly Drive in North Tampa. Simply outstanding.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
who knew this dump had decent food? maybe the landlord wont let them spruce up the outside.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I used to live within walking distance from Thai Ruby – it’s the only thing I miss about living there.
Close to Thai Ruby is Jasmine Thai on N. Dale Mabry between Bearss and Fletcher (there’s another one in Brandon, but I swear it’s never been up to par).
April 17th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Thanks for the heads up on Thai Ruby.
Has anyone been to Thai Sweet Basil? Times and CL both talked it up last year.
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/30/Weekend/Thai_restaurant_has_s.shtml
April 17th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
dreaming, given they’ve been there so long, they might even own the place.
I’d ask them next time why the place looks so bad on the outside but wouldn’t want to offend them
April 17th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Thai Island on Davis Islands deserves mentioning as one of the best in the area. I think everything they serve there is made fresh daily, the sauces, the veggies, everything. It’s real good. No lunch special menu, so go for dinner and enjoy the island.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Thanks for another straight forward review Matt! I lived right around the corner for over 10 years and found the service and food to be great. Yeah it is rough on the outside, but hey McDs looks nice on the outside.
April 18th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Ha! I was actually craving Thai food on Sunday. Unfortunately Thailand restaurant is closed on Sunday and Royal Palace Thai is on vacation. Oh well. Maybe next time. Royal Palace is my current favorite in the Soho area.
-Kevin
April 18th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
yeah, Thai Island on Davis Islands is awesome too. It’s a completely different atmosphere from Thai Ruby and Royal Palace Thai (more casual), but it’s yummy nonetheless.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I love Thailand Restaurant. However, my hands down favorite Thai food is the Thai temple on Palm River Road. Every Sunday from 10:00 to 2:00 they have the freshest Thai food made by the temple goers. It is a fund raiser for the temple. It is cheap, with lots of food, and lots of things that you will never find on a restaurant’s menu. Very traditional Thai food.
April 18th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Thailand is good if you need a cheap fix, but I don’t care for their Tom Kha. Since Tom Kha is how I judge any Thai restaurant, Thailand ends up near the bottom of my list. Actually, Thai Thani’s Tom Kha isn’t much better.
My new favorite is Thai Corner, in downtown between the Tampa Theatre and The Hub. Most entrees run $8.95 (there may be a lunch menu but I’ve only ever been for dinner) and everything is excellent, tasty and spicy and entirely delicious. And the Tom Kha is second to none.
April 18th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
The Thai temple on Palm River Road I think was also recently written up by Chris Sherman at the Times. I was wondering if it was really as good as he made it sound so thanks for the feedbck. Sounds like it’s definitely worth checking out one weekend, thx-
April 20th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
This restaurant’s food has been reliably delicious for years. Favorite: the Nahm Sahd “salad.” Have tried this everywhere, and no one else makes it as good.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Thai Sweet Basil is my recent favorite-everything is so fresh and clean tasting. So far I’ve tried the TSB salad-excellent and unique to me. The yellow curry with chicken is also excellent. I’m a wimp-I ordered everything “mild” but everything was still flavorful with a touch of heat. One of the best desserts I’ve had lately is here too-Fried Bananas with Coconut Ice Cream!
April 11th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Thai Sweet Basil is one of the best restaurants in Tampa, bar none. It is delicious and not too pricey. Go. It’s worth the drive.
Try the Crab Rangoon, definitely not what you will expect.