Thai Tom

08/28/09

Worth the wait? Maybe

by Brian Carter at Citysearch

I've been to Thai Tom twice, and it's great but when I ask myself how much I'd like it if it weren't for the long wait, I think it would be just slightly above average. People tend to follow the herd, whatever's popular, and if you inconvenience yourself to wait, you have to justify that to yourself if you don't want to feel like an idiot, so I think people over-estimate how good the food actually is.

• Pros: Unique, popular, good food
• Cons: 20+ minute wait

08/07/09

old favorite but sorry can't give you five stars

by hungrypanda at Citysearch

As an UW alumnus I've eaten at Thai Tom many times. For a student it was cheap and delicious food. I loved sitting at the counter wrapped around the cooking area and watching the cooks send up huge flames. Most of the times the food was fine. You go in, get seated, and get out within 30 minutes.

For those people/reviewers that said the wait is long...did you not see the restaurant only has enough seating for 20 something people?? It's not their fault you have to wait for a long time. They can't exactly kick out their seated customers to accommodate you. Unlike most restaurants at Thai Tom you can SEE exactly how many people are seated and estimate how long it would take.

Since college i've eaten Thai food at a few other countries including Thailand. The food at Thai Tom is not the BEST thai food. Any street vendor in Thailand will serve up a better tasting meal. Thai Tom tend to over spice and cook their food.

As for the service, I have to agree with most people that it sucks.There is really no excuse for it.

Recommendations:

-call in for take out

-ask for 2 stars (out of 5) or less (otherwise your food will be too spicy and kills other flavors)

• Pros: cheap food. good cooking show.
• Cons: cramped seating area and over cooked food

08/04/09

I got lucky, it seems.

by VeganFiend at Citysearch

Okay, I guess it was my lucky day when I went because: A. I didn't see one g**dam* crockroach. However I am vegan, and a crockroach wouldn't keep me from some fine vegan Thai food, since good, really good vegan food in restaurants if hard to come by.

B. I did not get the True Religion Jeans Server or the Pony Tail Stink-Eye Server. How many servers can this small place have. I only saw one, and she was awesome, smiled alot, helped me when I spilled ice water all over myself after someone buttknocked my table.

C. I only waited about 8 minutes. In retrospect, I would've easily waited 16 minutes. The heavy wooden WOODEN! menus were pretty awesome.

So, the food came in about 3.3456 minutes, since they took my order before I even was seated. I had Tofu in Green Curry. F*cking delicious. really delicious. Huge portion. I ate every last bit and if I wasn't with my friend I would've ordered another and sat there contentedly for half hour nibbling on it. Still no ro*ches ('case you didn't know, citysearch doesn't let you say r*aches. Though there was some questionable food substance in a white industrial bucket three inches from my knees. In fact, I want to go again right now.

• Pros: Inexpensive, delicious, upbeat, crazy music!

07/27/09

Horrible Service, Cockroachs in bathroom, food is average

by gizmo99 at Citysearch

This is the morning after Thai Tom and our stomaches are in pain.....

First off, I never really write reviews but I feel compelled this time around...

Waiter:

There is this tall long pony-tail m0f0 that works there. Never have I ever wanted to physically h i t a waiter. Jesus Christ, this guy makes service at your typical Chinese Restaurant seem 5 star. He can't really speak english, he rolls your eyes at you when he doesnt understsand. All the other waiters and staff are okay.. it's just this m0f0.. When you visit, you will know whom I am talking about.... no one paying for food deserves to be treated this way... he needs a good a$$ wh00ping

They really need to fire him...

Food:

The food has gotten worst over the few years I've visited this place. It seems like they empty out entire bottles of Soya and Fish sauce in every dish. Even when we said 1-star, our tongues were buring (and I can take heat!).

CrockRoaches:

Go into the bathroom and you shall find them...

• Pros: Relatively cheap thai food
• Cons: Long hair tall waiter, dirty (crockroach), strong tasting

04/19/09

Oh my god !

by wertsf23 at Citysearch

Before I write this review, I read all the reviews that people posted in the past. I slowly realized that there is a famous waiter at this restaurant who I met today.

When I first looked at him, I thought he was a good looking guy and I was expecting a great customer service from him. You know what? I was totally wrong. Yes, I was wrong at all.

I called him to order my dish, and he yelled at me,

"I KNOW !! ". How a waiter can say this in front of people? But I didn't say anything because I really wanted to try their food since so many people visit here.

To be really honest, the food was just average and I don't understand why people visit this tiny and dirty restaurant to eat that kind of foods. I don't get it.

I didn't give him tips since I received very very unpleasant service and one waitress loudly said

YOU SHOULD PAY US TIPS !!!

she was almost crying to get the tips!!

What does tips mean to them? I really want to ask.

I went to this restaurant on sunday and the guy who serve wore TRUE RELIGION JEAN. Yelling at customers to get the tips was really rude.

It was a nightmare.

Please do not go there. You will see this bad guy who wear the TRUE RELIGION JEAN today and tomorrow and day after tomorrow......

• Pros: none
• Cons: Dirty, Bad customer service

04/19/09

worst worst experience !!! Please do not go!!!

by asdf356 at Citysearch

They just do not know what customer service is.

They only expect the tips from their customers. Terrible terrible customer service that I have never experieced.

I don't know why people are waiting that long to eat at this restaurant. The food is not tasty at all. I feel so bad about this dining experience.

Just go any thai restaurants. I even smelled something weird and bad from the bottom of table. Not clean, bad attitude towards customers, and expect too much tips!!

PS. the waiter who served today wore true religion jean today and he was not kind at all. please do not think he is a good guy at the first impression. He is bad !!!!

• Pros: none!!
• Cons: terrible customer service

01/01/09

If you want authentic, go to thai tom on the ave..

by shaygoldstar at Citysearch

Thai Tom = best most authentic (adjective

1 of undisputed origin; genuine : the letter is now accepted as an authentic document | authentic 14th-century furniture. See note at genuine .

? made or done in the traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original)

Just wanted to review the dictionary is really my favorite book to refer to. This place doesn't need to advertise, have fancy seating, or even take plastic. There's a reason why there's always a line out the door and people patiently wait to be seated to eat their favorite thai food: it's worth it. What are the best tacos you've ever had in your life..if you know anything your answer would be a taco truck in la, or really anywhere. why? because it's made by people who know how it's supposed to be cooked and served. Honestly I enjoy 5 star restaurants and buy designer clothes yet I prefer to eat authentic food mostly. It's just logical. Anyone who complains about thai tom should reconsider their logic hands down.

• Pros: the best most authentic thai food in seattle
• Cons: you sometimes wait for a table yet it's completely worth it.

10/08/08

Fresh veggies + HOT entrees = my new favorite

by hks00 at Citysearch

After 4 years of dodging the line that spills out the door of this hole-in-the-wall, today I finally sucked it up and tried it out for the first time. I don't know what "bad service" people are complaining about. Look around! I've only seen restaurants this busy in Manhattan.

I got to sit at the counter and watch the cook work his magic. So entertaining! He talked to me several times and offered suggestions for my next visit (there will be many I'm sure). 4 stars was perfect for my spice lovin palate. love love loved it!

• Pros: Hot food, raggae music, hardworking friendly staff
• Cons: will probably make me fat because i'm going to eat there every day.

09/06/08

Worst dining experience in my life!

by muscler at Citysearch

Their service is notorious as you can find. The food is merely ordinary Thai, but the service is far beyond nightmare.

Tonight , we were seated and had been waiting for long to order our meal. The waitresses always look busy and ignore you. Somewhat they finally calculated precise and yelled for the tips at us,

" Next time, you take to go."

" This is not tip, this is shame."

How ridiculous can it be. I havent have that experience before in the US. Damn terrible!

• Pros: None of it.
• Cons: Service too bad.

09/02/08

Restaurant experience that is not to be missed

by joshcap at Citysearch

I've seen reviews on this for bad food and service. This is craziness. You have to go there for what it is. Its the semi-secret greasy spoon of Thai restaurants. Its small and dark, you always have to wait. The place already has more employees than the space can handle. Those that are there are running about breathlessly. And if you can't manage to grab one, its not because they aren't walking by every thirty seconds. Its an experience, a theater of cooking. The food is prepared at a stove that is in the center of the restaurant. About 4-5 dishes are going simultaneously. Ingredients fly into the pans, sauces come to the chef's hands as though he were using jedi powers. If the food tasted bad, the show would be well worth the price of admission. But as it is, the trip to Seattle must always include Thai Tom's. (we hail from Saint Paul, MN) For Thai, this tops the considerable experience we have with Asian food. Bravo! The Red Curry was very excellent tonight, and every meal I have tried there was tasty and quick, generally about 20% less than it costs elsewhere. I just can't say enough about it. I would tell people to ignore any rating under a four on this joint. I'd give it a 5 each of the 4 or 5 times I've been there.

• Pros: Watching food prep. Excellent food
• Cons: potential wait