#thaitom

The Ave is home to four Thai restaurants: Thai 65, Thaiger Room, Somtam Thai, and Thai Tom. Now, having sampled all four of them, read our Top Thai Rankings to find where your meals can be best spent!

4       Thai 65

Type: Thai    Food: 3.0/5   Service: 2.8/5   Veg-Option: Yes    Cost: $8- $12

In the restaurant business competition is fierce. There are winners and there are losers...Thai 65 is decidedly a loser. As the only Thai restaurant on the Ave earning a ‘hard pass’ from our reviewers, we believe your time and money would be much better spent at any of the other three contenders--all of which are decided winners. Customarily our raters, order the ever-popular Pad Thai in order to keep reviews consistent across Thai restaurants, but this time we opted for the lunch buffet. Admittedly, buffets are are a risky endeavor. Quality is often traded for quantity, and that’s exactly what we found at Thai 65. That said, I am a firm believer that people (and restaurants) usually deserve a 2nd chance. Perhaps the buffet (even though it had Pad Thai) did not offer a fair assessment of Thai 65...but I won’t be back to double-check any time soon.

Website: http://thai65seattlewa.com/8502

3       Thaiger Room

Type: Thai    Food: 4.1/5   Service: 3.6/5   Veg-Option: Yes    Cost: $8- $13

If our restaurant reviews had a category devoted to wittiness the Thaiger Room would obliterate the competition, but alas, food is more than just a play on words. Nevertheless, the brilliant name is a sure seller when it comes to marketing. Who isn’t tempted to visit a restaurant called the Thaiger Room? We recommend that you give in to that temptation and treat yourself to a worthwhile meal (two-thumbs up for the pineapple prawn curry). If criticism is to be had, the price is a bit on the high side for most menu items and the Pad Thai sits a bit heavy in the stomach, but all in all, the Thaiger Room rises to the occasion with enjoyable food, online ordering, and that irresistible name.

Website: http://thaiger-room.com/

2        Somtam Thai

Type: Thai    Food: 4.0/5   Service: 3.4/5   Veg-Option: Yes    Cost: $6-$9 

But how can Somtam Thai be ranked #2 when it has lower food and service ratings,?? Well that’s because the Tour de Ave takes a holistic approach to our rankings in order to make sure that you not only get the best food and the best service, but also the best bang for your buck. Somtam Thai provides all three with satisfying food, acceptable service, and preservation of your pocketbook. Their Pad Thai is the cheapest on the Ave and tastes better than the Thaiger Room’s. Located a few doors down from Mr. Lu’s and Arepas Venezuelan Kitchen, the north end of the Ave continues to prove that it can compete with the primetime venues located in the busier and less sketchy south-side.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/somtamthaiseattle/

1         Thai Tom

Type: Thai    Food: 4.5/5   Service: 4.3/5   Veg-Option: Yes   Cost: $10-$14

All hail Thai Tom, King of the Thais. Okay, not actually. But Thailand does, in fact, have a king. Bhumibol Adulyadej is his name. He’s the longest serving current head-of-state in the world. Yes, that’s right, even edging out Queen Elizabeth by 6 years despite being one year her junior. If he could see the way Thai Tom is representing his nation's culinary craft, King Adulyadej would have much to be proud about.  The flare, the fun, and of course the food that Thai Tom brings to University Way surely makes it a Top 5 restaurant on the Tour de Ave thus far and perhaps even higher. 

Picture a very small, crowded version of Benihana (you know, the place where the chefs flip pans, juggle eggs, and make volcanoes out of your onions). The sole chef sends flames towering at the massive gas stove as he prepares every order all by himself. After each meal is served, he throws the dirty pan almost violently at a designated dish-catcher who then passes it to the one dishwasher who in turn provides a steady supply of kitchenware to the chef. It’s quite a show when you consider how few people are running the entire restaurant. Kudos to them; especially given that they continue to produce lines of customers (show up by 11:15am if you don’t want to wait) even when nationally recognized Benihana has since shut the doors of its only Seattle site. Thai Tom’s prices are above average, but remember, you’re paying for entertainment along with the meal. The Pad Thai easily surpassed that of Somtam Thai, Thaiger Room, and Thai 65, presenting patrons with a one-of-a-kind taste not found at the other restaurants. Even Thai Tom’s menus were unique, displaying their different dishes on wooden tablets with prices unmarked. The Pad Thai came in at $10.95 which means that every entree is $10.95, or $10.95 is the low end of the price spectrum. Though a bit harder on the wallet, the intersection of food, entertainment, and atmosphere make this experience well worth the dollar signs. 

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thai-Tom/116869645004757

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