05/11/09

Great vegetarian Thai food

by IndianFoodLover75

Very good food is the first comment I want to make. I did find a dish or two being a little too sugary but no complaints on that. Most Thai places have food that smells of fish sauce and as a vegetarian it used to make me nauseous. No such thing here at Araya and I can enjoy the awesome Thai curries without any such thing to hold me back. Their fake meat is also very delicious. The service was excellent and food arrived in a short time. I expect to be regular at this place and I will take any visitors to this place.

• Pros: Totally veg, Vegan options,
• Cons: Little cramped, a little too sugary

01/06/09

Okay vegan food

by SJM1

Good place if you are hungry. It is actually more Asian fusion than Thai though. My only complaint is that every dish was very salty.

08/28/08

Food is good. Service and charges not so good.

by scissors36

I went with family, we had a group of ten and like the reviewer before me we were charged 18 percent gratuity. We had an 8 year old that was charged full price. The food is good but the gratuity charge for bringing us water once is ridiculous. This is a buffet! I like the food but won't go back if they are going to add there own gratuity in.

• Pros: Good vegan food
• Cons: Service is OK. They charge kids full price and add gratuity

06/11/08

Sweet with the right amount of service

by jujubean2

I went on a Monday night. Luckily for me there was a big party that was over right when I got there so the buffet was still open. For the price of a buffet plate and the price of getting more than one item off the menu for the same price, I opted for the buffet.

The buffet had salad, Thai desert, noodles and plenty of sauces to flavor up the meal. I just wish there were freshly ground peanuts, and mint/ basil leaves.

I also ordered a Thai iced tea which was made with coconut milk instead of cream.

The food is bit generic, but then again my mother is Thai and I was raised in a Thai household. I added some hot pepper which was available and it spiced up perfectly. Some food was a bit too sweet and I veered away. Nothing was overly salty.

The waitresses were very kind to me. I spoke to them in Thai and they were very perky and checked in on me a few times. It started to get very busy when I was leaving.

I didn't feel like I was eating too much salt or grease. Being a fish eating vegetarian, I was delighted to know I was eating vegan at a restaurant that actually HAD choices.

I had an omnivore guest joining me for dinner. At the end of the meal they were convinced vegan food isn't all about badly cooked tofu.

• Pros: Not greasy, cheap eats, Vegan option
• Cons: Some items are too sweet

Known as the only vegan Thai restaurant in the state, this small U-District spot keeps everyone happy.

by Contributor

In Short
Religious about vegetables, this University District Thai restaurant is popular for Buddhists, vegans and others who like it fresh and pure--steadfast omnivores might not even miss their normal beef or chicken. Fresh herbs and spicy oils flavor traditional favorites like pad thai and pineapple fried rice, while unusual treats such as Drunken Mushrooms (portobellos with rice noodles) keep things interesting for regulars.

09/04/07

No Customer Service, really

by ramt

I want to comment about the service only. The food is pretty decent and for a vegetarian/vegan is dependable and consistent.

I have been to Araya's at least 6 times since I moved to the Seattle area in early 2007. I love the food, and always thought the service needed improvement.

This past weekend, the service was particularly bad. We were a group of 6 adults and 2 kids. We had the buffet and essentially there was no service, which usually means only serving water during a buffet. The fact that they couldn't re-serve water for an hour to a group of 8 ppl shows their commitment to consumers.

And finally, in paying for the buffet, they charged me for $9 for the 2 kids who hardly had one spring roll each. Fine, policy et al, I am willing to buy it. And on top of this, they add an 18% gratuity for the group! WHAT? For a buffet, and NO SERVICE? And on top of this, Ms. Araya's son is purely rude! Is is this customer service? Do you really care about your customers?

I think Araya's is at a stage where they are taking customers for granted and charging as they please. I am going to stay away from them.

• Pros: Consistenly decent food, great spring rolls
• Cons: No service, essentially, maybe bad at times

08/09/07

awesome buffet for really cheap

by lkim87

I went to araya's for the first time today. The lunch buffet is more than what i expected for the price paid. The food was delicious and they had a variety of stuff to choose from (phad thai, curries, assorted vegetable dishes, etc.). They even had a red bean dessert (yum).

• Pros: cheap buffet (11:30-3:30pm)
• Cons: none at the moment

06/09/07

Great Lunch Buffet!!

by tigrrrl

So Delicious!! I love to go for the lunch buffet because it's such a bargain! The food is seasoned rather mild to accomodate all tastes - you can spice it up with the seasoning placed in a large bowl. So tasty and fresh vegetables, the spring rolls are the best anywhere. I have taken my carnivore friends and unadventurous eaters and all love it. The family staff is very friendly and try to make you feel at home. I have met the owner and she is an artist with food.

• Pros: Delicious and Fresh Vegan Menu
• Cons: Parking can be tight on a weekend afternoon

05/04/07

worst customer service I think I've ever seen...

by cjohansondong

A friend and I met to try this place out since from the sound of all the reviews they have amazing food... upon arrival we were given water and menus then somehow we were completely forgotten about. Although we were sitting near where the hub of all the employees seemed to be we were not approached ONCE about taking our order. My friend and I were talking for awhile, just catching up, until we realized that no one had come by the table. We had definetly put our menus down and were looking around for some service... still NOTHING. When we realized it had been over half and hour we decided it wasn't even worth it to try to beg a server to take our order - so we left and walked to Thai Tom where we didn't have to wait at all!

Too bad - the food is supposed to be so good! I would still like to try it maybe someday... if they learn how to provide a bit of customer service.

• Cons: BAD SERVICE! not that great of prices

04/24/07

Truly exceptional thai

by marji314

Both service and food were very prompt, and the wait-staff was sociable and friendly. The menu is extensive, and the food was fantastic! Even for a city full of good thai restaurants, the flavor at Araya was exceptional. The spiciness was slightly underdone: one must convince the servers that you DO like heat.