Thaiku

04/07/2008 Posted by shimbl

Best underground jazz scene in Seattle! Wow! What a surprise. I went there after a movie on a Thursday night and was treated to some of the best jazz I've ever heard! Mark Seals, Jeff Johnson and Tadd Britton were performing that night. It was absolutely the best I've heard since I moved to Seattle from New York City. We were too late to order food, but we decided to get a cocktail and we ordered a drink that had lotus root in it. It was delicious! We stayed until the music stopped at around 11:30. I went there a couple other times and there were other people playing that were also very good players. My understanding is that they have live jazz there twice a week and have done so for years. It's like an underground secret or something. that makes it even cooler! The place is the best, most unique club in all of Ballard and Seattle as far as I'm concerned. It has it all. It's friendly. It's busy. It's relaxed and it's in the heart of old Ballard. Anyone who is visiting town for the first time should go there on a Thursday night and catch the live jazz. There's NO COVER CHARGE! But there is a one drink minimum for the psychadelic drinks. I would have ordered TWO! FIVE STARS FOR THE GREAT LIVE JAZZ!! And FIVE STARS FOR THE ATMOSPHERE!! I think people who go to the trouble of writing a bad review of such a cool place MUST work at a rival restaurant in the area. While other places all around it are empty, The Thaiku is always packed. I guess that speaks for the quality of the service and the menu, but it's the extras that make the club enticing enough to motivate me to get up and be a part of the scene. Damn, this place is COOL!

Pros: The live jazz, the drinks, the service, the atmosphere, the location

Cons: not enough parking

12/14/2007 Posted by kenwa

The menu, service, drinks, atmosphere, prices, and bar are all good. They also have a small parking lot.

08/30/2007 Posted by rayaphd

And quite possibly our favorite restaurant, considering we eat out at Thaiku more than anywhere else! Must try: Fresh rolls, pad see iew, kraplau, tom yum

05/18/2007 Posted by lauraliz

As a new resident of Ballard, I would love to love Thaiku. Sadly, my first (and last) Thaiku experience was a big disappointment. From the ambiance to the food to the drinks, everything was bad. First, the ambiance: this place was loud! We went on a crowded night after a big event in Ballard, so it makes sense that the restaurant was full. Still, it was louder than it should have been. Second, the food: nothing was good. We started with vegetarian salad rolls. The veggies in the rolls were fresh, but the tofu was rubbery and overdone. The peanut dipping sauce that we subbed for the hoisin sauce was separated and lacked flavor. For entrees, we ordered numbers 21 and 23 (I can't remember the names, but these are their numbers on the menu). The first dish was veggies with a soy-based sauce over crunchy chow mein noodles. The flavor was just ok; the dish overall was weird. The second dish was rice noodles with a red sauce that had a strong, smoky/sweet flavor. This was just weird too. After a while, the flavor started to grow on me, but not enough so that I'd go back and try it again - it just became less weird. Finally, the cocktails: Thaiku's menu provides warnings about the potency of the yohimbe drinks - they say that the aphrodisiacal yohimbe can cause hallucinations. We were lured in by the hype and each ordered the Yohito. They were bitter and disgusting. One of my friends finished hers, but the other two remained untouched after a few sips. Our server noticed that we weren't drinking ours and sympathetically asked if we didn't like them - she clearly gets this response often. She offered to add more soda to make them more palatable. The best thing that I can say about this place is that they have a big bowl of candy by the door. I have no idea why there seem to be so many Thaiku fans. I can only guess that we ordered the wrong things. Either way, there are so many good places in Ballard that I won't spend another evening trying to like Thaiku.

Pros: Attentive service, candy bowl

Cons: Food, ambiance, cocktails

04/30/2007 Posted by seattle_snob

There's a strict one-per-customer limit on the Yohito, a mojito made with the African herb yohimbe, rumored to be an aphrodisiac, stimulant and mild hallucinogen

04/01/2007 Posted by stevelingling

I took my parents here to try Thai food. Never again. Service was bad. Floor was dirty. Out of 6 dishes only 2 were average. Others were quite mediocre. I won't be going back with so many other Thai choices out there.

Pros: location

Cons: everything else

03/07/2007 Posted by aaron76

Ok so I normally play it safe with Thai food but every time I push my limits I am greatly satisfied. With a great atmosphere, great food, and interesting bar menu Thaiku is definitely one of the best overall experiences for dinning in Ballard. This spot can get crowded on the weekends but other wise your table is waiting.

01/17/2007 Posted by cloew

Highly recommend Thaiku for a cocktail and appetizer. The bar has a really nice feel, cool crowd, excellent cocktails and a good bar menu. Personally, I dont care to dine here. I find the entrees mediocre and service in the dining area just ok.

Pros: Cocktails

Cons: Parking

10/25/2006 Posted by binman69

i got attitude from a server the last time i was in here becuase she really just wanted to leave and go home since it was late. i like the atmosphere, bar, and also the music acts that play in the bar area...everything works...especially the price...very reasonable...or cheap for the good food you get. i like this place and try to get here often. their special drinks are VERY strong!

10/10/2006 Posted by alicianoele

Our party of nine descended upon Thaiku last Saturday night for my birthday dinner. As we had no reservation, we immediately headed to the restaurants Fu Kun Wu bar to enjoy some cocktails. I opted for the oolong-tini, a unique and delicate martini made with vodka and oolong tea. Frankly, I thought it was pretty darn good! Several in our group dared to drink Fu Kun Wus infamous Yohimbe cocktailsconcoctions featuring an herb known for is aphrodisiac and mildly hallucinogenic properties. Personally, I think the Yohimbe hype is just thathypeas nobody in our group proved to become overly amorous or delusional. We ended up waiting an eternity in the bar, which in and of itself is understandable due our groups large size. However, since it took a good 1 ½ hours for the bar server to attend to us, we werent able to order any appetizers while waiting. Once at the table, the service didnt improve much, although the food was quite good. Spring rolls and fried won tons filled with crab and cream cheese were both tasty. My favorite appetizer was a beautiful spread of deep green leaves with various toppings including toasted coconut, peanuts, chopped onion, lime, and sauces. Chosen ingredients were rolled inside the leaves and eaten taco-style. I was particularly thrilled with my entrée, my all-time favorite Thai dishKao Soy. Kao Soy is an amazingly delicious (and hard to find) Northern Thai dish featuring egg noodles in a coconut curry sauce with pickled mustard greensyour choice of chicken or tofu at Thaiku. Its fantastic, and on this night was relished not only by me but by several other members of the table. Unfortunately, the wonderful flavors were paired with eternal waits for service in a near-empty restauranta damper on what would otherwise have been a lovely dining experience.

Pros: Excellent food, Kao Soy on the menu, great cocktails

Cons: Inattentive service