Ban Thai Restaurant
340 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD, 21201
Ban Thai Restaurant Menu
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Appetizers
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Soups
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Seafood
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Desserts
Healthy Meal suggestions for Ban Thai Restaurant
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Appetizers
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Soups
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Seafood
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Desserts
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Address :
340 N Charles St
Baltimore, MD, 21201 - Phone (410) 727-7971
- Website https://www.banthai.us/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Kimberly M.
The only reasons some people have given this place high ratings is because they haven't had "Good Thai Food"! Do not waste money eating here!
(1)Nina U.
I'm not sure how this place gets strong reviews but maybe they cater mostly to the lunch crowd? Well anyway, Banthai has it's strong points. - large seating area for big groups - they don't rush you out - servings are huge and meant to share - SPICY PAPAYA SALAD is delicious! - 66. PAD SEE-EW $12.50, Chicken or beef Thai stir-fried noodles and broccoli. Has the wok singed flavor. yum!! - MANGO STICKY RICE is the best!! I would go just for dessert - CRISPY SPRING ROLLS are good- nothing outstanding but I enjoyed them Not so strong points. - why is the place so empty?? - sometimes you have to waive them down to get the check - the food is salty (but really tasty) - don't order the TOM YUM KAI soup. it's super boring and the chicken pieces are too big - some of their other dishes are boring- try them out and find the good stuff!
(4)Allie P.
I went for lunch on Superbowl Sunday, so it wasn't packed at all. Completely empty. Presumably the wait staff should be even more attentive to make up for the lack of guests in tips, or just because there's nothing else to do, but that was not the case. In an empty restaurant, I found myself trying to get my waiters attention. Exhausting. I ordered the spring rolls, beef and chicken meal and chicken fried rice. Everything tasted good, but a little too hot, both in terms of temperature and taste. A little pricey, but there are specials at certain times.
(3)Kristin R.
Very yummy, but it look 40 minutes to get our food! I think that's a bit unacceptable since the restaurant wasn't crowded at all. I'll definitely go back though, and hopefully it will be faster.
(4)Nicole J.
BanThai is my favorite place to get chicken pad thai. My family and I have been coming there for over 20 years, Also the regular waitress that usually takes care of us is truly a delight. We don't get to go as often as we used too, but whenever we are in downtown Baltimore, I usually vote for Banthai.
(5)Lily Y.
we ordered take out at lunch. it was good. we got drunken noodle with beef and veggie, and yellow curry. the drunken noodles are a but thinner in width than normal and it's a but oily. the yellow curry was great. prices are pricey compared to the pint of food they give.
(3)Jozef G.
We stumbled into this place and it was empty. The prices are high for Thai food and the food was mediocre at best. The pad Thai was dry and at 12.50 we expected larger portions. The Penang curry was the worst I've ever had. It was more like a stir fry with curry sauce. At 14.50 I expected better. The drunken noodles were quite delicious but a tad oily. Overall te service was great with friendly people but I probably will not return.
(3)Nathan A.
The food is always nice and hot! Friendly wait staff. Thai tea is good! They have the best fried rice. I love the fried coconut ice cream!! That's a must try:)
(4)A. C.
(4/1/2015) We stopped by for a kind of late, weekday dinner. Place has been around forever, but looks like they recently changed hands, chefs, menus, decor, etc. It always looks so dead whenever we walk by, it's unfortunate for them that the bar is in the front window and the diners in the back. We were the only table in there at 8:45 pm on a Wednesday, but there were 2 people waiting for take-out. Place is "family-run", so service is not polished or professional, but we found them to be mostly attentive and so very nice. The menu hits the Thai standards, but looks like they added many things that make it more pan-Asian and less strictly Thai oriented (I suspect that the new people working here are not indigenous Thai, likely Chinese, but they could be ethnic Chinese from Thailand). We didn't go for the new stuff (I don't really want sushi when I've walked into a Thai place). My watermark for Thai restaurants is the Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles). These were wide flat rice noodles (ho fun), I got pork (you can get other meats), with basil, red peppers, onion, on a bed of iceberg lettuce: slightly sweet, soy-flavored, def had some heat, decent specimen. The other benchmark is the Pad Thai. These were medium rice noodles (banh pho), probably soaked too long as they were mostly broken during the stir fry process into 1-2 inch pieces and were a touch mushy. Plating was awkward to eat (accompaniments in separate piles rather than mixed in), not as successful, but not terrible. We did start with the Yum Nuer (grilled slices of beef in a salad with grape tomatoes, carrot, iceberg, red onion, cilantro, cucumber), aggressively dressed with a good amount of lime juice, fish sauce, soy -- just as it should be, a great savory, pungent starter to kickstart the endorphins from the heat. Thai Curried Fish Cakes were lightly deep-fried coins of the chewy Asian style cakes (known for a "springiness" rather than crunch), there were plenty of them, very tasty, some heat. We thought the prices were fine for downtown, it's the going rate. Service was very nice, like being served by a quiet cousin. Food overall was satisfying and tasty. We'd def come back and recommend if you're jonesing for Thai and in the area.
(4)Angie K.
Walking around the area and our group wanted Thai. It was weird that we were the only group for about an hour but eventually other customers came in. I had the pad see ew and it was decent. My friend said her cashew chicken was ok, not exceptional. Each item came with a little salad and some rice which was nice. Service was pretty good and attentive. Prices werent too bad. Not sure if I'd return. Everything was just too mediocre.
(3)Katy P.
Dismal downward trend for Ban Thai. Walked in to get my carry out and there was literally not a soul in the dining room. I should have just turned around. The server came out 2 minutes later with my food. She was sweet but the good ends there. I'm pretty sure the prices were higher than listed on the website by I didn't go back to look. I definitely did a double take at the total. $32 for one entree and two apps was surprising to say the least. Acceptable if it were delicious like it was in the old days. But the summer roll was mostly lettuce, the papaya salad wasn't fresh and was soggy, and the beef in the drunken noodles was awful. And they didn't use the huge fresh noodles I love. They were just skinny regular pasta. Very sad. Probably the last time we go. :(
(1)Dodikins D.
I like chive dumplings in general, so even though the ones here are overly greasy, I still like getting some from their stand at the Sunday morning farmers market under the freeway. Thumbs up also for having Thai tea and mango sticky rice. As to the actual restaurant, it's usually quiet when we swing by; yesterday might have been the only time I saw other people come in after us. I asked to substitute noodles for the rice that came with the duck red curry. My husband kept assuring me that this was a totally Thai thing, but the waitress seemed confused, though after a fashion she agreed. At one point, the waitress struck up a conversation entirely in Thai with my husband. Personally, I found this kind of rude; wouldn't you under any other social circumstance where people speak in a language that some in their group don't understand? It's not like she didn't speak English, since I spoke to her earlier. I know you're happy to see your own people, but, you know, kind of lame for service industry.
(2)Kim Y.
My first time here. Late lunch. 100% empty but it's 3pm on Thursday. I wanted Thai food so needed to try a new spot. I sat down and the lady (not very pleasant) got me water and a free salad. Nice. I ordered a veggie Dumpling (skillet cooked) and it came out DEAD FROZEN in the center. She grabbed the plate when I told her and said she would replace it. Waiting an extra 5 mins... You get two dumplings and they are POTENT in cilantro toppings. I hate cilantro so it was not something I would order again. On top, they were NOT veg dumplings. They were boy full of chives. The lunch dish I got was the beef udon. I went for a Japanese dish b/c the Thai appetizer was a let down. The broth was 3/5 and not too hot which was disappointing because I like piping hot food, especially if served to me at a restaurant where I am the only patron. The beef udon was NOT udon. It was like a strange Pad Thai Beef/Teriyaki/Yakisoba mix. I would maybe come again and hope this was just a bad day for the front and back of house.... Or maybe not.
(2)Christopher h.
I usually go to Stang and came here not expecting much. I was blown away! The curries were amazing! The fried tofu appetizer is simply awesome- I don't even like tofu- total stand out item.' This place is worth a try if you haven't been before.
(5)Monica F.
The place my friends wanted to order from didn't serve lunch, so I walked to this place and picked up a nice meal: some tom yum soup, some chicken satay, as well as pad see ew and one other dish I didn't taste. The soup was tangy and perfectly seasoned and the noodles were also nice, perfectly cooked and chewy, although the tofu was perhaps a bit dry. I didn't think the chicken was anything special, a bit dry as well, but I really liked the dipping sauces, one cool and one spicy. It was a good lunch.
(3)Scarlett H.
If you're looking for authentic Thai food, this is not the place to go--there are much better Thai food places in Baltimore. But if you want good Asian food for an ok price, it's not a bad place to eat. Everytime I have been here, it's been mostly empty. The complimentary salad is standard ginger sesame flavored (nothing special), and I've had the ginger tilapia and the basil duck here. I think it's really hit and miss here. I love love love the basil duck, but the portion is small and the meat is really thin on the bones, so if I really want to walk out with a full tummy, I need to shell out the money for the large size. The ginger tilapia is really too gingery/garlicky (which I never thought possible) but it took away from the flavor of the fish itself. Appetizers wise, the spring rolls are a fine bet, the chicken satay is fine, the shrimp cake is really just deep fried dough--totally not what a shrimp cake should be like. Service has been fine everytime I go--they are attentive and efficient, and always willing to split checks for us. I go when I'm too lazy to go far for good Thai food, and it's been fine so far. Nothing special, nothing terrible.
(3)Kevin H.
Came by here on a snow day around 6 pm and the place was empty. It's along charles street and can be categorized as a combo restaurant with both thai and japanese dishes on the menu. Pineapple fried rice (~$15) - the presentation is interesting with the fried rice served in a hollowed out pineapple. Plenty of rice, shrimp, pineapple, sausage, and I think bbq pork mixed together. However, it was not better than fried rice I've had in other places that were a quarter of the cost here. It really should be priced at less than $7. Overall, I'd say the food is decent but its prices are on par with Stang of Siam without the quality.
(3)Lawrence L.
I really like this place because it seems to have authentic Thai food and some other great Asian dishes. They do add the heat on some dishes but they are so flavorful! I love this place and the staff has been wonderful!
(5)Stephen G.
Went here for lunch during the workday. The place was empty so we didn't know what to expect but we're surprised by good food and service. We both ordered drunken noodles with chicken. The big pieces of iceberg lettuce was not welcome; however overall a good dish. Just the right amount of spice. They also gave a standard Thai salad before the meal that had really good dressing.
(4)Victor P.
Popped in for a late lunch around 3PM, place was empty. I wish I could give it a better review, but the shrimp pad Thai didn't have much shrimp in it and the beef udon was confusingly presented in the menu -- our son thought it would be served in soup, but it was on a shallow platter. We were also charged full price for a non-alcoholic piña colada. I protested and they took a couple of dollars off, but it still came to $6, not what I'd call good value. I did like my coconut juice. Oh well.
(2)Robin B.
I picked up chicken sauteed with hot chili and basil leaves and spring rolls for lunch. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered takeout again for dinner. Tonight, I had drunken noodles with sweet sticky rice for dessert. Both entrees were spicy, but flavorful.
(4)Gunnar V.
Three stars seems about right for this place. For the record, I eat lunch here about every time I get jury duty. If you live in Baltimore, you know how often that is. It's decent, especially when you are getting a lunch special. I have only ever ordered chicken basil, which is my go-to Thai stanard. I got to try the pad thai last time I went as well. Decent, on both accounts. I've had better... and worse. Not too spicy on the basil chicken, which is sometime the case elsewhere. On the negative side, (1) they don't have lunch specials on weekends, so you'll have to fork out $14+ for an entree. Maybe that's why (2) the place was empty at noon on a Saturday. By empty, I mean us and the waiter. Through the whole meal. I suppose it could also be because (3) it does not smell good in there when the dining room is not full of food. Kind of a musty, stuffy smell. It was 72 that day... how about opening the door and getting some fresh air?
(3)Everett S.
Arrived around 12:45 pm to grab lunch. Waited approximately 5 minutes at the bar and received no service. Went to the hostess stand and checked the time in my phone. 12 minutes later a couple entered and stood behind me. Within 2 minutes a waitress walked past me and greeted the couple waiting arms length behind me without saying a word or even acknowledging me. All in all, there about 20 minutes and never acknowledged. Worse, they seat the couple waiting in line behind me. I left and I will never return. Completely unprofessional and unacceptable. Maybe, they hate gingers?
(1)Marshall L.
Banthai used to be my favorite Thai place in Baltimore. Late last year, they closed down for a renovation that I was really excited about. As good as the food was, the decor was definitely lacking, so I thought everything was going to change for the better. Sadly, I was wrong. My standard, go-to order was pad thai with chicken and shrimp. This always came with a decent amount of chicken, plus five pieces of shrimp, and the portions were always big enough for lunch the next day. An important thing to note is that on the menu, the pad thai is listed as coming with shrimp, and that it costs $12.50. Adding chicken (used to) just cost an extra $2. As soon as they reopened, I ordered my standard, only to find out that I was being charged $17.50 when I showed up for carryout. When I got home, I discovered that I only got 2 pieces of shrimp instead of five. I chalked this up to some new staff and maybe that some wrinkles had to be ironed out after reopening. I waited about a month later, and my wife and I ordered the same thing. Unfortunately, we got the same dish for the same price. So what this means is that if you order the pad thai off the menu, you're only getting two pieces of shrimp, and if you want to add another protein, that's an extra $5 on top of that. After the second trip, I sent an email to the address listed on their website and received no response. I waited over a week, and followed up, explaining that I really would like to know why things changed so drastically and that I would appreciate a response to my email. No response again. It pains me to write this because I used to LOVE ordering from Banthai. After two bad experiences after the reopening, and no response after several emails, I won't be returning. They've jacked up their prices and are giving their customers less food for their money. On to find a replacement....
(1)Jana F.
Awesome Thai. Great service. Loved the tofu special curry, and the steamed dumpling appetizer.
(5)Steven C.
This is some of the worst Thai food I've had, and I love Thai food. The basal fried rice was very bland - absolutely no flavor.
(1)Jillian P.
Got a stir-fry here. It was all right. Price was all right. Service was all right. "Serviceable" would probably be the best way to describe it. I wasn't wowed, but it wasn't a questionable place.
(3)jen m.
Eh I've had better. The tom yum soup was delicious and warming on a snowy night. I got the veggie dumpling appetizer and there were only 2 in the order. I expected more for ~$6. My pad Thai was a good portion with sufficient tofu and veggies but the flavor was bland. It was helped by the chili sauce I added but I wished I had ordered more soup instead.
(3)Melissa D.
This place is consistently good. Their sushi is the freshest and best I've had in the Baltimore area. I've also had their curry, which is also good, but not the best I have had
(5)Stephen O.
I can not believe that this restaurant is still in business. My fiancée and I ordered from this place on a whim, wanting something special after a very eventful and successful day. We came across Ban Thai on grubhub.com They had rather good reviews as well. So, we decided to give them a shot. Not only did I return home to find items missing from our order, I found (after a trip to retrieve the missing items) that the meat in our PORK Pad Thai was actually CHICKEN! We notified the restaurant about the missing items and they did apologize and we were offered a free California roll or a free spicy tuna roll. When I arrived to pick up everything, I was then offered only a free soda. WTF?!? I told the guy that I had heard everything he told my fiancée on the phone and he looked at me like "HUH?" I got frustrated and just told him "get the food please so that I can just get back home." My fiancée called back after I returned home and the same guy lied to her saying first that I "didn't want anything." He consistently contradicted himself as she continued to make it know that she knew the whole story already. We told him that our experience was unsatisfactory and we were really angry about how we have been treated. We also informed him that we would review them on yelp and push all our area friends and family from visiting Ban Thai based on our experience, which we can only assume is typical. His response... "Whatever..." I can not believe that this behavior is acceptable. It really grinds my gears!... Did I mention the food? If not, its nothing to write home about. It is quite subpar. We spent over $52 for the both of us to eat and were treated like this... And, as I write this review, the mistreatment continues. After multiple trips, the wrong food and being lied to, we asked for further assistance from them and got nowhere. We then asked for a refund on the incorrect items and they said "NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. IF YOU WANT YOUR MONEY BACK, BRING ALL THE FOOD BACK OR CALL THE COPS." Bring the food back to get a refund? I get that in a way but, they act like they need it back to serve. Makes me question if they actually do re-serve items. A call to the local health department might be in order. Think I might just do that on Monday. THINK YOU WANT TO EAT AT/FROM BAN THAI? THINK AGAIN!
(1)Elaine B.
After 3 meals here, I'm getting a resounding meh. The food isn't bad, but it's not outstanding, and worse, it's inconsistent. We had larb all 3 times and it ranged from completely bland to mouth-killing spicy even though we ordered "medium" each time. The pad see ew was quite good, flavorful and well-cooked, but the pad thai we had last time was dry and uninspired. They do deliver, which is a bonus, but require a $50 minimum order, which seems excessive to me. All in all, an OK place, but there's better (and cheaper) Thai food around.
(3)Dan L.
Finding a good Thai place is always im
(4)Rowena F.
I've been coming here for 20 years! Anytime I'm in funk...I go here for some "home style Thai food" to cheer me up! Love their Crab wontons--no cream cheese here, just good ol' crab meat! Love their Soft shell crab and shrimp special in Spicy Thai Basil Sauce--that never fails! Yummo! They really don't scrimp on the Basil either...Love their Ka Prow...again...with the basil! What better to wash down this spicy, basily-yummy goodness? Thai-tea! When not in the mood for spicy, I go with the Special Fried Rice...love the sausage and pineapple combo they got going there...OMG I finish the whole platter each time--and it's a good size serving. Bottom line, I've tried a good dozen or other Thai restaurant in MD and around the US...Ban Thai's dishes just make me keep going back for more! Very homey feel with excellent service. Here's to 20 (and more) years!!
(5)Joe D.
Very new to the area, went with a group late at night, no complaints. Everyone really enjoyed their meals. I had pad thai (delicious and large), friends had sweet and sour chicken (actually looked really good), pineapple fried rice and pad see-ew. Great service, very low key. I would definitely go back again.
(4)Ola F.
I dropped into this place for a quick lunch on my way to a meeting. I had the drunken noodles. They were spicy but that's about it. At least it didn't come with eggs.
(2)Rachel J.
Wow!!!! This was my first time having Thai food and I ordered the Kao Pad Ta-Lay (crab, shrimp, and squid fried rice) and I tried my mom's Tom Kha Puck (vegetarian coconut-based soup) and it was AMAZING!!!! The spring rolls and egg custard were awesome too. I haven't been this impressed with a restaurant in a long time. The portions were so big, I brought home two more meals worth in a box from what was left. Sushi is available now too, along with a nice selection of house rolls. Will definitely try next time. Great service as well!
(5)Katie S.
Authentic tasty Thai food. The larb is fantastic and nice and spicy! It's the one thing I make sure I order every time I'm there. They also have great soups and curries. The wait staff is helpful and will offer recommendations if you can't decide what sounds best! My only complaint is that the water glasses are very small which is awful when you're eating spicy food!
(5)Lillia Sanura G.
Granted, it's been quite a while since hubs and I ate here (a few years, give or take), and things could've changed with the place between then and now. Also, we are no experts at Thai cuisine. However, the few times we have been to Banthai to eat in the past, we both recall as being very good in our humble opinions. I remember this being the first place I tried Thai tea, and finding a new refreshing love in the drink world... so creamy, sweet, and tasty. I also remember the beef laap being very good, and the curry dish I ordered being very yummy. They even kindly adjusted the spiciness of the dish upon request to make it milder for my heat sensitive tongue. I also recall the service being pretty nice and prompt. Tried to eat here again recently after a long hiatus, but found them closed on a Sunday evening. When we find ourselves in the Baltimore area again, we would love to stop in again for another try at their tasty Thai menu.
(4)Vishal S.
Great thai food. Got hooked to thai food from this restaurant only. I am a regular here and love the service. Very quick and fast.
(4)Erica M.
My boyfriend's family and I went to this place for dinner right after his graduation. I was hopeful from the "Zagat Rated" and "people love us on Yelp" stickers, and excited for some good Thai food. After I began my meal, all I could think was, what the hell did those other Yelpers eat? After reading the mixed reviews, I must sadly side with the poorer ones. My pad thai was dry and made me extra thirsty. The noodles were super chewy, like they had been cooked and left out, then microwaved because they had dried out. I ordered both shrimp and chicken with the pad thai, and both were scarce. As an American, the shrimp that was not de-veined grossed me out. On top of that, the shrimp were mushy, unseasoned, and cold. The chicken, room temperature, was probably the best part of the dish. The sprouts were so cold they tasted like they had just ben pulled out of the freezer. To top it all off, this pad thai was $12.50. Morbidly overpriced for how much I ate (and hell, for the whole dish), which was probably half a dozen bites. The thai tea was pretty good, but the tiny drink costs $2.75! Egad! Our server took forever to come around to us just to get our drink order. I felt like it took forever to get the food orders in, too, and same for the wait on the check. The orders got mixed up, and the server and another employee actually debated whether or not one of their dishes was made properly with one of our party (our guy was right, but even if he was wrong, isn't the customer always right?). They did offer to make it again, but we were hungry and didn't want to wait anymore. The tom kha gai soup wasn't forgettable, because I still remember the bad taste it left in my mouth. And I love coconut! The interior of the restaurant could REALLY use a Gordon Ramsey makeover, because chartreuse, turquoise, and bright red don't match. As a graphic designer, the decor of this place drove me up the wall. I give it two stars instead of one because my boyfriend raved about the drunken noodles. His mother got the same thing I did, though, and didn't like it either. What a shame. At least the graduate liked his graduation dinner?
(2)Victoria L.
It really cracks me up when asian places go "FREE SALAD!"... mostly because every Chinese, Thai, and Japanese place I've been to for lunch makes a big deal about giving me a little free salad. But, it was good salad, so I won't really complain. All in all this was probably the fastest sit-down lunch I've had in Baltimore. Sweet and Sour Chicken and ...something I don't remember the name of, but was noodles with beef in a spicy basil sauce... were both really good and arrived at the table within 7 minutes of ordering. Same thing with a pair of steamed veggie dumplings (which were surprisingly good, though they forgot to give us knives and plates, so watching us try to cut the sticky things with our forks musta been fun). Not the best I've had, but really not bad for a quickie lunch. Note that I didn't say a quickie AT lunch. Important distinction. :D
(4)Alicha M.
My boyfriends and I went to Baltimore a couple days ago. We had no idea where we gonna have dinner. My boyfriend really wanted to eat Thai food, so I searched on Google map, and then some Thai restaurants pop up. We decided to go to Bann Thai because it's not far from the hotel. My boyfriend had pork stir-fried with garlic sauce that was tasteless. I had beef stir-fried with ginger sauce that was tooo sweet. Herrible Food!!! The price is too expensive comparing with the portion. I won't come back again.
(1)Shane N.
This was the Thai place closest to me when I lived in downtown Baltimore. The food was always consistent and of a good quality. It tries to be a little bit more of an upscale place and the prices reflect that. The one thing I would recommend is the kao pad sapparod. It is a fried rice with shrimp, pork, sausage, and some pineapple for sweetness. It is excellent and the portion size makes the price seem a little more reasonable. The peanut sauce here seems a little bland and not as flavorful as I have had from other Thai places. They have a pretty big menu which generally scares me, but they seem to manage it well as the food I have ordered was consistently good. It is easily the best Thai place within walking distance of the Charles Towers.
(3)Todd M.
Outstanding Pad Thai, great service, but the booths hurt your butt after a while. I need some Thai Padding with my Pad Thai!
(4)Ben S.
I had food poisoning after eating there soup on a Friday night, I would never go back to this place(I was there 1.5 years ago) things might have changed.
(1)Iffat B.
Your standard thai restaurant. I had both the chicken pad thai and beef pad prik and they weren't anything special. One good thing about this place is that they have a happy hour with 1/2 off drinks and discounted appetizers.
(3)Thomas A.
pad thai was horrible( the shrimp was bad and the noodles was very old) I told them to take it back and ask for a discount they did not give it to me or offered me any discount to me.
(1)Hung T.
When i go to new Thai restaurants, I tend to judge them on the quality of their pad thai. So i went here on a random weekday for their lunch special. I got a small side salad and pad thai for $10 I think. The portions were decent. Pad thai was on the dry side tho. The flavor was none that i've ever had before. It was a really strong peanut sauce flavor. I got the shrimp pad thai which had 3 pieces of shrimp. Thats it. Pretty sad. Definitely not even close to the best pad thai i've ever had but whatev's, its baltimore, my food standards have to be dropped a few notches. Would I go here again? Probably if I was in the vicinity and had no other choices. This place is pretty overpriced, and if it wasn't for the lunch specials, I can't see myself even stepping inside. Sigh, just can't seem to get any good asian food around here.
(3)Rose B.
I'm new to Baltimore and was sad to leave all my favorite Thai places in Detroit. Luckily we stumbled upon Banthai which totally blows the local competition out of the water. Banthai has incredible drinks, appetizers and entrees. My favorite part is the hot vinegars and peppers they give you, that way you can make it as spicy as you want it. Hooray for Ban Thai!
(4)Winnie K.
Worst food I've ever had. Don't ever get the broccoli beef rice noodles. The noodles were stuck together, and there was a strange smell... You know when you have food that's been sitting in the fridge too long, and the whole fridge smells like crap? Yeah, that's what the noodles smelled like, as though it sat in the fridge all this time absorbing all the smells. I usually love broccoli beef, but the beef was not tender, and the broccoli was overcooked and soggy. The seemingly soy-sauce based sauce was bland and neither Chinese nor Thai flavored. Perhaps it was a mistake to order such a dish at a THAI restaurant, but if you're gonna put it on the menu, you better expect to make it better than the average home cooked food. Also, their menu does not have eggplant. Dude, eggplant and basil with garlic sauce is like a match made in heaven! What in the world is this place. Note that I lived in Berkeley, CA for five years, where there was delicious Thai food practically every five blocks. When there's no local competition, the food is just bound to be sub par. I'm sorry Baltimore, but your restaurants continue to disappoint me.
(1)Ronnie K.
Not impressed. I ordered sushi delivery and the portions were small, especially for the price and it wasn't very good.
(2)Marc M.
We came to this spot for two reasons: One, we were waiting to see a jazz concert at An Die Musik, just up the street and two, they offered us a 10% voucher if we ate at one of the places on the voucher [Banthai]. The food was not so hot. Admittedly, we only had appetizers: a combo appetizer plate with fried tofu, fried chicken w/crab, fried broccoli, vegi spring rolls, and then my wife ordered satay. The satay was ok - but the other stuff was really sub par. Very greasy. While it was only appetizers, a restaurant should do any food item well. No so sure I'd recommend it.
(2)Lady B.
Pros: Spring rolls were excellent. Service was fast and friendly. Cons: We ordered a spicy shrimp dish and it was awful. The shrimp were very, very small and there were only 8 of them. The rest of the plate was green beans and a couple of snow peas. Way over priced for 8 tiny shrimp and a few green beans.
(1)Maligaya R.
Ban Thai, one of the most underrated Thai Restaurants in Charm City. Now, Ban Thai has been serving Baltimore City since 1993. That should tell you a lot about their quality of food and great service. I've been working in downtown Baltimore for years and I've seen many restaurants come and go regardless of how high their ratings are. Use common sense a place that has been here since the early 90's must be doing something right especially if it's a more exotic, ethnic restaurant. It is because they are doing business right all the way around. Good Thai Panang curry dishes, garlic and chili infused seafood menus including a whole crispy fried fish with ground hot chili and garlic sauce that is exquisite in spices and blends of flavors. Very satisfying appetizers like the YUM PED YANG, a Seasoned duck platter with lemon grass, onion, hot chili, and lemon juice and the SA-TAY made of Pork, beef, or chicken on a skewer served with peanut sauce or if you are indecisive try them all with an order of ASSORTED APPETIZERS for two, Thai special chicken, 2 Spring rolls, 4 Crispy wonton, 3 Crab puff, and 6 Fried broccoli served with sweet and sour sauce. End a spicy flavorful meal with some sweet sticky rice and mango dessert or a sweet bean ice cream for a not so ordinary dinner finale. Don't go another weekend without trying this place out. I truly believe that folks that want to be a bit adventurous with dinning should hit this spot.. I've been to Thailand and know very well that authenticity when it comes to Thai Restaurants is a must, Banthai meaning Thai House serves it's food just like the locals do in Thailand.
(4)Aom K.
I'm Thai and this place is rigid. In town for a visit and decide to give it a try. When I lived here, I heard not quite good comments from people so I was hesitating to come in. But I am telling you that if you want hot Thai food, here is the place. Mythai down the street used to be good but the chef left and this time the food is just so-so.
(4)Mary W.
I've been here numerous times with my Dad, who happens to work across the street & we both love it :) The people/servers are really nice & the restaurant has a very calming atmosphere. Plus, the Thai decorations are tasteful & not too over the top. I really dislike it when Thai restaurants try to be Westernized or go way overboard with all the decorations (too much gold & crap everywhere) The papaya salad here is pretty good (it was the 1st thing that my dad mentioned about this place b/c we're very particular about our papaya salad). I remember for lunch once, somehow my dish ended up being a lot spicier than my Dad's even though his had more chili peppers next to the item on the menu. . .not really sure what happened here. But, it was tasty nonetheless. This is a great place for a casual lunch, good place to have a conversation over your meal b/c it is generally pretty quiet/low key. I've never been here for dinner or on the weekends, so I'm not really sure how busy it gets, but it is close to the Mt. Vernon area, so I imagine it can get pretty busy! All in all, great Thai place, especially for Baltimore.
(4)Mike B.
Nice sweet spot! Menu is complete with something for everyone. Just a tad on the pricey side for Baltimore but, meal proportions were fair and well worth it. All dishes were well prepared with the right balance of spices along with a small and light salad. Gracious service set with modest interior decorating will not disappoint you.
(4)Brittany C.
I really enjoyed this cute little place. I had a restaurant.com certificate for here and and decided to give it a try, and I'm really glad that I did. I had the Drunken noodles dish, which was very excellent and the portion was HUGE. It was nicely flavored and had the perfect level of spicy. The only issue here, and it's kind of a big one, is the price. This would definitely be a 4-star place if the prices were better. Even with the restaurant.com gift certificate, it wasn't a cheap meal. The entrees ranged from $13-20, which to me is very over priced for this type of food in this whole in the wall place. I also got the shrimp and pork dumplings which were good, but were small and $7 for about 5 tiny nuggets of tastiness. My boyfriend got the pad ped, which was in the $15 range and was well flavored, but was not really reflective of the price. I would just stick to the noodle dishes here if you're going for dinner. They're cheaper, bigger, and tastier.
(3)Jasmine W.
The sweet and sour chicken is so good the meal was quick and honestly its the best I've had in a while
(4)Aman B.
I have been here over a half dozen times... Pros: food has always been consistently good and fresh. The service is also good. Cons: It is very very pricey for an average looking restaurant on the inside. Also even though the food is quite good there is never much of a rush, so if you want lively atmosphere you might want to check out some other spots. I would really give it 3.5 stars because the food is good. I usually get take out when I am desperate for decent quick Thai food. It is a shame it is so pricey. For one main dish plus extra rice I pay $16+ easily.
(3)amanda d.
The waitress was nice and the order was speedy. Other than that, this place was pretty disappointing. It was too expensive for the small portion size and way too expensive for the taste. My pad thai was mushy and super salty. And there were no crushed peanuts.
(2)Aquarius W.
Horrible food !! Extremely expensive for some crappy food!! I will never go there again ! This restaurant should be BANNED !!
(1)Mickey W.
Very awesome food! I recommend the Rice Noodle w Chicken. Plus the Thai chicks that wait on u r pretty nice. I give it a go!
(5)Nick F.
Decent food but nothing spectacular. The ambience is dark and wood-panelled. I started off with the fish cakes that were good. The lunch special of basil and pork was cheap and above average tasting.
(3)Faisal M.
Ok People. Real food with real flavour. You can taste the meat and the ingredients. The beef larb was outstanding. Tom Kai soup and beef with oyster sauce perfect. Vegetables were crisp, chicken was tender and the beef tasted like beef - not overcooked tenderized crap that you get elsewhere. This place is fresh and top notch for Thai. I would rate this among other top Thai restaurants in San Francisco...and this place is in Baltimore!
(4)Charlotte B.
The menu touted one of their specialties as being masuman curry, but the version I had was sadly disappointing. The chicken had little bits of gristle or bone in some pieces, and there were about five (5) peanuts in the entire dish. If I had to eat here again I would bring supplementary peanuts from home.
(1)G D.
I have been here a zillion times and have always loved eating here. The environment is great and the food is simply delicious. The service is good. This is a favorite among my colleagues and very good for big groups and parties. The only downside is it is located in the downtown and you need to find a good parking spot nearby. Finding parking is not a problem in the evening but its quite difficult during the daytime.
(4)Munchin' M.
I lived in the neighborhood years ago and stopped by recently for some curry. It was the best curry with a nice balance of spicy, sweet, and curry. It was just the right punch. I haven't tried anything else, but highly recommend the curry.
(4)Kimberly M.
The only reasons some people have given this place high ratings is because they haven't had "Good Thai Food"! Do not waste money eating here!
(1)Nina U.
I'm not sure how this place gets strong reviews but maybe they cater mostly to the lunch crowd? Well anyway, Banthai has it's strong points. - large seating area for big groups - they don't rush you out - servings are huge and meant to share - SPICY PAPAYA SALAD is delicious! - 66. PAD SEE-EW $12.50, Chicken or beef Thai stir-fried noodles and broccoli. Has the wok singed flavor. yum!! - MANGO STICKY RICE is the best!! I would go just for dessert - CRISPY SPRING ROLLS are good- nothing outstanding but I enjoyed them Not so strong points. - why is the place so empty?? - sometimes you have to waive them down to get the check - the food is salty (but really tasty) - don't order the TOM YUM KAI soup. it's super boring and the chicken pieces are too big - some of their other dishes are boring- try them out and find the good stuff!
(4)Lady B.
Pros: Spring rolls were excellent. Service was fast and friendly. Cons: We ordered a spicy shrimp dish and it was awful. The shrimp were very, very small and there were only 8 of them. The rest of the plate was green beans and a couple of snow peas. Way over priced for 8 tiny shrimp and a few green beans.
(1)Allie P.
I went for lunch on Superbowl Sunday, so it wasn't packed at all. Completely empty. Presumably the wait staff should be even more attentive to make up for the lack of guests in tips, or just because there's nothing else to do, but that was not the case. In an empty restaurant, I found myself trying to get my waiters attention. Exhausting. I ordered the spring rolls, beef and chicken meal and chicken fried rice. Everything tasted good, but a little too hot, both in terms of temperature and taste. A little pricey, but there are specials at certain times.
(3)Kristin R.
Very yummy, but it look 40 minutes to get our food! I think that's a bit unacceptable since the restaurant wasn't crowded at all. I'll definitely go back though, and hopefully it will be faster.
(4)Rowena F.
I've been coming here for 20 years! Anytime I'm in funk...I go here for some "home style Thai food" to cheer me up! Love their Crab wontons--no cream cheese here, just good ol' crab meat! Love their Soft shell crab and shrimp special in Spicy Thai Basil Sauce--that never fails! Yummo! They really don't scrimp on the Basil either...Love their Ka Prow...again...with the basil! What better to wash down this spicy, basily-yummy goodness? Thai-tea! When not in the mood for spicy, I go with the Special Fried Rice...love the sausage and pineapple combo they got going there...OMG I finish the whole platter each time--and it's a good size serving. Bottom line, I've tried a good dozen or other Thai restaurant in MD and around the US...Ban Thai's dishes just make me keep going back for more! Very homey feel with excellent service. Here's to 20 (and more) years!!
(5)Joe D.
Very new to the area, went with a group late at night, no complaints. Everyone really enjoyed their meals. I had pad thai (delicious and large), friends had sweet and sour chicken (actually looked really good), pineapple fried rice and pad see-ew. Great service, very low key. I would definitely go back again.
(4)Ola F.
I dropped into this place for a quick lunch on my way to a meeting. I had the drunken noodles. They were spicy but that's about it. At least it didn't come with eggs.
(2)Rachel J.
Wow!!!! This was my first time having Thai food and I ordered the Kao Pad Ta-Lay (crab, shrimp, and squid fried rice) and I tried my mom's Tom Kha Puck (vegetarian coconut-based soup) and it was AMAZING!!!! The spring rolls and egg custard were awesome too. I haven't been this impressed with a restaurant in a long time. The portions were so big, I brought home two more meals worth in a box from what was left. Sushi is available now too, along with a nice selection of house rolls. Will definitely try next time. Great service as well!
(5)Brittany C.
I really enjoyed this cute little place. I had a restaurant.com certificate for here and and decided to give it a try, and I'm really glad that I did. I had the Drunken noodles dish, which was very excellent and the portion was HUGE. It was nicely flavored and had the perfect level of spicy. The only issue here, and it's kind of a big one, is the price. This would definitely be a 4-star place if the prices were better. Even with the restaurant.com gift certificate, it wasn't a cheap meal. The entrees ranged from $13-20, which to me is very over priced for this type of food in this whole in the wall place. I also got the shrimp and pork dumplings which were good, but were small and $7 for about 5 tiny nuggets of tastiness. My boyfriend got the pad ped, which was in the $15 range and was well flavored, but was not really reflective of the price. I would just stick to the noodle dishes here if you're going for dinner. They're cheaper, bigger, and tastier.
(3)G D.
I have been here a zillion times and have always loved eating here. The environment is great and the food is simply delicious. The service is good. This is a favorite among my colleagues and very good for big groups and parties. The only downside is it is located in the downtown and you need to find a good parking spot nearby. Finding parking is not a problem in the evening but its quite difficult during the daytime.
(4)Munchin' M.
I lived in the neighborhood years ago and stopped by recently for some curry. It was the best curry with a nice balance of spicy, sweet, and curry. It was just the right punch. I haven't tried anything else, but highly recommend the curry.
(4)Mickey W.
Very awesome food! I recommend the Rice Noodle w Chicken. Plus the Thai chicks that wait on u r pretty nice. I give it a go!
(5)Nick F.
Decent food but nothing spectacular. The ambience is dark and wood-panelled. I started off with the fish cakes that were good. The lunch special of basil and pork was cheap and above average tasting.
(3)Faisal M.
Ok People. Real food with real flavour. You can taste the meat and the ingredients. The beef larb was outstanding. Tom Kai soup and beef with oyster sauce perfect. Vegetables were crisp, chicken was tender and the beef tasted like beef - not overcooked tenderized crap that you get elsewhere. This place is fresh and top notch for Thai. I would rate this among other top Thai restaurants in San Francisco...and this place is in Baltimore!
(4)Jasmine W.
The sweet and sour chicken is so good the meal was quick and honestly its the best I've had in a while
(4)Katie S.
Authentic tasty Thai food. The larb is fantastic and nice and spicy! It's the one thing I make sure I order every time I'm there. They also have great soups and curries. The wait staff is helpful and will offer recommendations if you can't decide what sounds best! My only complaint is that the water glasses are very small which is awful when you're eating spicy food!
(5)Lillia Sanura G.
Granted, it's been quite a while since hubs and I ate here (a few years, give or take), and things could've changed with the place between then and now. Also, we are no experts at Thai cuisine. However, the few times we have been to Banthai to eat in the past, we both recall as being very good in our humble opinions. I remember this being the first place I tried Thai tea, and finding a new refreshing love in the drink world... so creamy, sweet, and tasty. I also remember the beef laap being very good, and the curry dish I ordered being very yummy. They even kindly adjusted the spiciness of the dish upon request to make it milder for my heat sensitive tongue. I also recall the service being pretty nice and prompt. Tried to eat here again recently after a long hiatus, but found them closed on a Sunday evening. When we find ourselves in the Baltimore area again, we would love to stop in again for another try at their tasty Thai menu.
(4)Vishal S.
Great thai food. Got hooked to thai food from this restaurant only. I am a regular here and love the service. Very quick and fast.
(4)Erica M.
My boyfriend's family and I went to this place for dinner right after his graduation. I was hopeful from the "Zagat Rated" and "people love us on Yelp" stickers, and excited for some good Thai food. After I began my meal, all I could think was, what the hell did those other Yelpers eat? After reading the mixed reviews, I must sadly side with the poorer ones. My pad thai was dry and made me extra thirsty. The noodles were super chewy, like they had been cooked and left out, then microwaved because they had dried out. I ordered both shrimp and chicken with the pad thai, and both were scarce. As an American, the shrimp that was not de-veined grossed me out. On top of that, the shrimp were mushy, unseasoned, and cold. The chicken, room temperature, was probably the best part of the dish. The sprouts were so cold they tasted like they had just ben pulled out of the freezer. To top it all off, this pad thai was $12.50. Morbidly overpriced for how much I ate (and hell, for the whole dish), which was probably half a dozen bites. The thai tea was pretty good, but the tiny drink costs $2.75! Egad! Our server took forever to come around to us just to get our drink order. I felt like it took forever to get the food orders in, too, and same for the wait on the check. The orders got mixed up, and the server and another employee actually debated whether or not one of their dishes was made properly with one of our party (our guy was right, but even if he was wrong, isn't the customer always right?). They did offer to make it again, but we were hungry and didn't want to wait anymore. The tom kha gai soup wasn't forgettable, because I still remember the bad taste it left in my mouth. And I love coconut! The interior of the restaurant could REALLY use a Gordon Ramsey makeover, because chartreuse, turquoise, and bright red don't match. As a graphic designer, the decor of this place drove me up the wall. I give it two stars instead of one because my boyfriend raved about the drunken noodles. His mother got the same thing I did, though, and didn't like it either. What a shame. At least the graduate liked his graduation dinner?
(2)Ben S.
I had food poisoning after eating there soup on a Friday night, I would never go back to this place(I was there 1.5 years ago) things might have changed.
(1)Thomas A.
pad thai was horrible( the shrimp was bad and the noodles was very old) I told them to take it back and ask for a discount they did not give it to me or offered me any discount to me.
(1)Alicha M.
My boyfriends and I went to Baltimore a couple days ago. We had no idea where we gonna have dinner. My boyfriend really wanted to eat Thai food, so I searched on Google map, and then some Thai restaurants pop up. We decided to go to Bann Thai because it's not far from the hotel. My boyfriend had pork stir-fried with garlic sauce that was tasteless. I had beef stir-fried with ginger sauce that was tooo sweet. Herrible Food!!! The price is too expensive comparing with the portion. I won't come back again.
(1)Hung T.
When i go to new Thai restaurants, I tend to judge them on the quality of their pad thai. So i went here on a random weekday for their lunch special. I got a small side salad and pad thai for $10 I think. The portions were decent. Pad thai was on the dry side tho. The flavor was none that i've ever had before. It was a really strong peanut sauce flavor. I got the shrimp pad thai which had 3 pieces of shrimp. Thats it. Pretty sad. Definitely not even close to the best pad thai i've ever had but whatev's, its baltimore, my food standards have to be dropped a few notches. Would I go here again? Probably if I was in the vicinity and had no other choices. This place is pretty overpriced, and if it wasn't for the lunch specials, I can't see myself even stepping inside. Sigh, just can't seem to get any good asian food around here.
(3)Rose B.
I'm new to Baltimore and was sad to leave all my favorite Thai places in Detroit. Luckily we stumbled upon Banthai which totally blows the local competition out of the water. Banthai has incredible drinks, appetizers and entrees. My favorite part is the hot vinegars and peppers they give you, that way you can make it as spicy as you want it. Hooray for Ban Thai!
(4)Winnie K.
Worst food I've ever had. Don't ever get the broccoli beef rice noodles. The noodles were stuck together, and there was a strange smell... You know when you have food that's been sitting in the fridge too long, and the whole fridge smells like crap? Yeah, that's what the noodles smelled like, as though it sat in the fridge all this time absorbing all the smells. I usually love broccoli beef, but the beef was not tender, and the broccoli was overcooked and soggy. The seemingly soy-sauce based sauce was bland and neither Chinese nor Thai flavored. Perhaps it was a mistake to order such a dish at a THAI restaurant, but if you're gonna put it on the menu, you better expect to make it better than the average home cooked food. Also, their menu does not have eggplant. Dude, eggplant and basil with garlic sauce is like a match made in heaven! What in the world is this place. Note that I lived in Berkeley, CA for five years, where there was delicious Thai food practically every five blocks. When there's no local competition, the food is just bound to be sub par. I'm sorry Baltimore, but your restaurants continue to disappoint me.
(1)Ronnie K.
Not impressed. I ordered sushi delivery and the portions were small, especially for the price and it wasn't very good.
(2)Victoria L.
It really cracks me up when asian places go "FREE SALAD!"... mostly because every Chinese, Thai, and Japanese place I've been to for lunch makes a big deal about giving me a little free salad. But, it was good salad, so I won't really complain. All in all this was probably the fastest sit-down lunch I've had in Baltimore. Sweet and Sour Chicken and ...something I don't remember the name of, but was noodles with beef in a spicy basil sauce... were both really good and arrived at the table within 7 minutes of ordering. Same thing with a pair of steamed veggie dumplings (which were surprisingly good, though they forgot to give us knives and plates, so watching us try to cut the sticky things with our forks musta been fun). Not the best I've had, but really not bad for a quickie lunch. Note that I didn't say a quickie AT lunch. Important distinction. :D
(4)Charlotte B.
The menu touted one of their specialties as being masuman curry, but the version I had was sadly disappointing. The chicken had little bits of gristle or bone in some pieces, and there were about five (5) peanuts in the entire dish. If I had to eat here again I would bring supplementary peanuts from home.
(1)Maligaya R.
Ban Thai, one of the most underrated Thai Restaurants in Charm City. Now, Ban Thai has been serving Baltimore City since 1993. That should tell you a lot about their quality of food and great service. I've been working in downtown Baltimore for years and I've seen many restaurants come and go regardless of how high their ratings are. Use common sense a place that has been here since the early 90's must be doing something right especially if it's a more exotic, ethnic restaurant. It is because they are doing business right all the way around. Good Thai Panang curry dishes, garlic and chili infused seafood menus including a whole crispy fried fish with ground hot chili and garlic sauce that is exquisite in spices and blends of flavors. Very satisfying appetizers like the YUM PED YANG, a Seasoned duck platter with lemon grass, onion, hot chili, and lemon juice and the SA-TAY made of Pork, beef, or chicken on a skewer served with peanut sauce or if you are indecisive try them all with an order of ASSORTED APPETIZERS for two, Thai special chicken, 2 Spring rolls, 4 Crispy wonton, 3 Crab puff, and 6 Fried broccoli served with sweet and sour sauce. End a spicy flavorful meal with some sweet sticky rice and mango dessert or a sweet bean ice cream for a not so ordinary dinner finale. Don't go another weekend without trying this place out. I truly believe that folks that want to be a bit adventurous with dinning should hit this spot.. I've been to Thailand and know very well that authenticity when it comes to Thai Restaurants is a must, Banthai meaning Thai House serves it's food just like the locals do in Thailand.
(4)Aom K.
I'm Thai and this place is rigid. In town for a visit and decide to give it a try. When I lived here, I heard not quite good comments from people so I was hesitating to come in. But I am telling you that if you want hot Thai food, here is the place. Mythai down the street used to be good but the chef left and this time the food is just so-so.
(4)Mary W.
I've been here numerous times with my Dad, who happens to work across the street & we both love it :) The people/servers are really nice & the restaurant has a very calming atmosphere. Plus, the Thai decorations are tasteful & not too over the top. I really dislike it when Thai restaurants try to be Westernized or go way overboard with all the decorations (too much gold & crap everywhere) The papaya salad here is pretty good (it was the 1st thing that my dad mentioned about this place b/c we're very particular about our papaya salad). I remember for lunch once, somehow my dish ended up being a lot spicier than my Dad's even though his had more chili peppers next to the item on the menu. . .not really sure what happened here. But, it was tasty nonetheless. This is a great place for a casual lunch, good place to have a conversation over your meal b/c it is generally pretty quiet/low key. I've never been here for dinner or on the weekends, so I'm not really sure how busy it gets, but it is close to the Mt. Vernon area, so I imagine it can get pretty busy! All in all, great Thai place, especially for Baltimore.
(4)Mike B.
Nice sweet spot! Menu is complete with something for everyone. Just a tad on the pricey side for Baltimore but, meal proportions were fair and well worth it. All dishes were well prepared with the right balance of spices along with a small and light salad. Gracious service set with modest interior decorating will not disappoint you.
(4)Shane N.
This was the Thai place closest to me when I lived in downtown Baltimore. The food was always consistent and of a good quality. It tries to be a little bit more of an upscale place and the prices reflect that. The one thing I would recommend is the kao pad sapparod. It is a fried rice with shrimp, pork, sausage, and some pineapple for sweetness. It is excellent and the portion size makes the price seem a little more reasonable. The peanut sauce here seems a little bland and not as flavorful as I have had from other Thai places. They have a pretty big menu which generally scares me, but they seem to manage it well as the food I have ordered was consistently good. It is easily the best Thai place within walking distance of the Charles Towers.
(3)Todd M.
Outstanding Pad Thai, great service, but the booths hurt your butt after a while. I need some Thai Padding with my Pad Thai!
(4)Iffat B.
Your standard thai restaurant. I had both the chicken pad thai and beef pad prik and they weren't anything special. One good thing about this place is that they have a happy hour with 1/2 off drinks and discounted appetizers.
(3)Marc M.
We came to this spot for two reasons: One, we were waiting to see a jazz concert at An Die Musik, just up the street and two, they offered us a 10% voucher if we ate at one of the places on the voucher [Banthai]. The food was not so hot. Admittedly, we only had appetizers: a combo appetizer plate with fried tofu, fried chicken w/crab, fried broccoli, vegi spring rolls, and then my wife ordered satay. The satay was ok - but the other stuff was really sub par. Very greasy. While it was only appetizers, a restaurant should do any food item well. No so sure I'd recommend it.
(2)amanda d.
The waitress was nice and the order was speedy. Other than that, this place was pretty disappointing. It was too expensive for the small portion size and way too expensive for the taste. My pad thai was mushy and super salty. And there were no crushed peanuts.
(2)Aquarius W.
Horrible food !! Extremely expensive for some crappy food!! I will never go there again ! This restaurant should be BANNED !!
(1)Aman B.
I have been here over a half dozen times... Pros: food has always been consistently good and fresh. The service is also good. Cons: It is very very pricey for an average looking restaurant on the inside. Also even though the food is quite good there is never much of a rush, so if you want lively atmosphere you might want to check out some other spots. I would really give it 3.5 stars because the food is good. I usually get take out when I am desperate for decent quick Thai food. It is a shame it is so pricey. For one main dish plus extra rice I pay $16+ easily.
(3)Kim Y.
My first time here. Late lunch. 100% empty but it's 3pm on Thursday. I wanted Thai food so needed to try a new spot. I sat down and the lady (not very pleasant) got me water and a free salad. Nice. I ordered a veggie Dumpling (skillet cooked) and it came out DEAD FROZEN in the center. She grabbed the plate when I told her and said she would replace it. Waiting an extra 5 mins... You get two dumplings and they are POTENT in cilantro toppings. I hate cilantro so it was not something I would order again. On top, they were NOT veg dumplings. They were boy full of chives. The lunch dish I got was the beef udon. I went for a Japanese dish b/c the Thai appetizer was a let down. The broth was 3/5 and not too hot which was disappointing because I like piping hot food, especially if served to me at a restaurant where I am the only patron. The beef udon was NOT udon. It was like a strange Pad Thai Beef/Teriyaki/Yakisoba mix. I would maybe come again and hope this was just a bad day for the front and back of house.... Or maybe not.
(2)Christopher h.
I usually go to Stang and came here not expecting much. I was blown away! The curries were amazing! The fried tofu appetizer is simply awesome- I don't even like tofu- total stand out item.' This place is worth a try if you haven't been before.
(5)Monica F.
The place my friends wanted to order from didn't serve lunch, so I walked to this place and picked up a nice meal: some tom yum soup, some chicken satay, as well as pad see ew and one other dish I didn't taste. The soup was tangy and perfectly seasoned and the noodles were also nice, perfectly cooked and chewy, although the tofu was perhaps a bit dry. I didn't think the chicken was anything special, a bit dry as well, but I really liked the dipping sauces, one cool and one spicy. It was a good lunch.
(3)Victor P.
Popped in for a late lunch around 3PM, place was empty. I wish I could give it a better review, but the shrimp pad Thai didn't have much shrimp in it and the beef udon was confusingly presented in the menu -- our son thought it would be served in soup, but it was on a shallow platter. We were also charged full price for a non-alcoholic piña colada. I protested and they took a couple of dollars off, but it still came to $6, not what I'd call good value. I did like my coconut juice. Oh well.
(2)Robin B.
I picked up chicken sauteed with hot chili and basil leaves and spring rolls for lunch. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered takeout again for dinner. Tonight, I had drunken noodles with sweet sticky rice for dessert. Both entrees were spicy, but flavorful.
(4)Nicole J.
BanThai is my favorite place to get chicken pad thai. My family and I have been coming there for over 20 years, Also the regular waitress that usually takes care of us is truly a delight. We don't get to go as often as we used too, but whenever we are in downtown Baltimore, I usually vote for Banthai.
(5)Lily Y.
we ordered take out at lunch. it was good. we got drunken noodle with beef and veggie, and yellow curry. the drunken noodles are a but thinner in width than normal and it's a but oily. the yellow curry was great. prices are pricey compared to the pint of food they give.
(3)A. C.
(4/1/2015) We stopped by for a kind of late, weekday dinner. Place has been around forever, but looks like they recently changed hands, chefs, menus, decor, etc. It always looks so dead whenever we walk by, it's unfortunate for them that the bar is in the front window and the diners in the back. We were the only table in there at 8:45 pm on a Wednesday, but there were 2 people waiting for take-out. Place is "family-run", so service is not polished or professional, but we found them to be mostly attentive and so very nice. The menu hits the Thai standards, but looks like they added many things that make it more pan-Asian and less strictly Thai oriented (I suspect that the new people working here are not indigenous Thai, likely Chinese, but they could be ethnic Chinese from Thailand). We didn't go for the new stuff (I don't really want sushi when I've walked into a Thai place). My watermark for Thai restaurants is the Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles). These were wide flat rice noodles (ho fun), I got pork (you can get other meats), with basil, red peppers, onion, on a bed of iceberg lettuce: slightly sweet, soy-flavored, def had some heat, decent specimen. The other benchmark is the Pad Thai. These were medium rice noodles (banh pho), probably soaked too long as they were mostly broken during the stir fry process into 1-2 inch pieces and were a touch mushy. Plating was awkward to eat (accompaniments in separate piles rather than mixed in), not as successful, but not terrible. We did start with the Yum Nuer (grilled slices of beef in a salad with grape tomatoes, carrot, iceberg, red onion, cilantro, cucumber), aggressively dressed with a good amount of lime juice, fish sauce, soy -- just as it should be, a great savory, pungent starter to kickstart the endorphins from the heat. Thai Curried Fish Cakes were lightly deep-fried coins of the chewy Asian style cakes (known for a "springiness" rather than crunch), there were plenty of them, very tasty, some heat. We thought the prices were fine for downtown, it's the going rate. Service was very nice, like being served by a quiet cousin. Food overall was satisfying and tasty. We'd def come back and recommend if you're jonesing for Thai and in the area.
(4)Angie K.
Walking around the area and our group wanted Thai. It was weird that we were the only group for about an hour but eventually other customers came in. I had the pad see ew and it was decent. My friend said her cashew chicken was ok, not exceptional. Each item came with a little salad and some rice which was nice. Service was pretty good and attentive. Prices werent too bad. Not sure if I'd return. Everything was just too mediocre.
(3)Katy P.
Dismal downward trend for Ban Thai. Walked in to get my carry out and there was literally not a soul in the dining room. I should have just turned around. The server came out 2 minutes later with my food. She was sweet but the good ends there. I'm pretty sure the prices were higher than listed on the website by I didn't go back to look. I definitely did a double take at the total. $32 for one entree and two apps was surprising to say the least. Acceptable if it were delicious like it was in the old days. But the summer roll was mostly lettuce, the papaya salad wasn't fresh and was soggy, and the beef in the drunken noodles was awful. And they didn't use the huge fresh noodles I love. They were just skinny regular pasta. Very sad. Probably the last time we go. :(
(1)Dodikins D.
I like chive dumplings in general, so even though the ones here are overly greasy, I still like getting some from their stand at the Sunday morning farmers market under the freeway. Thumbs up also for having Thai tea and mango sticky rice. As to the actual restaurant, it's usually quiet when we swing by; yesterday might have been the only time I saw other people come in after us. I asked to substitute noodles for the rice that came with the duck red curry. My husband kept assuring me that this was a totally Thai thing, but the waitress seemed confused, though after a fashion she agreed. At one point, the waitress struck up a conversation entirely in Thai with my husband. Personally, I found this kind of rude; wouldn't you under any other social circumstance where people speak in a language that some in their group don't understand? It's not like she didn't speak English, since I spoke to her earlier. I know you're happy to see your own people, but, you know, kind of lame for service industry.
(2)Scarlett H.
If you're looking for authentic Thai food, this is not the place to go--there are much better Thai food places in Baltimore. But if you want good Asian food for an ok price, it's not a bad place to eat. Everytime I have been here, it's been mostly empty. The complimentary salad is standard ginger sesame flavored (nothing special), and I've had the ginger tilapia and the basil duck here. I think it's really hit and miss here. I love love love the basil duck, but the portion is small and the meat is really thin on the bones, so if I really want to walk out with a full tummy, I need to shell out the money for the large size. The ginger tilapia is really too gingery/garlicky (which I never thought possible) but it took away from the flavor of the fish itself. Appetizers wise, the spring rolls are a fine bet, the chicken satay is fine, the shrimp cake is really just deep fried dough--totally not what a shrimp cake should be like. Service has been fine everytime I go--they are attentive and efficient, and always willing to split checks for us. I go when I'm too lazy to go far for good Thai food, and it's been fine so far. Nothing special, nothing terrible.
(3)Kevin H.
Came by here on a snow day around 6 pm and the place was empty. It's along charles street and can be categorized as a combo restaurant with both thai and japanese dishes on the menu. Pineapple fried rice (~$15) - the presentation is interesting with the fried rice served in a hollowed out pineapple. Plenty of rice, shrimp, pineapple, sausage, and I think bbq pork mixed together. However, it was not better than fried rice I've had in other places that were a quarter of the cost here. It really should be priced at less than $7. Overall, I'd say the food is decent but its prices are on par with Stang of Siam without the quality.
(3)Lawrence L.
I really like this place because it seems to have authentic Thai food and some other great Asian dishes. They do add the heat on some dishes but they are so flavorful! I love this place and the staff has been wonderful!
(5)Stephen G.
Went here for lunch during the workday. The place was empty so we didn't know what to expect but we're surprised by good food and service. We both ordered drunken noodles with chicken. The big pieces of iceberg lettuce was not welcome; however overall a good dish. Just the right amount of spice. They also gave a standard Thai salad before the meal that had really good dressing.
(4)Gunnar V.
Three stars seems about right for this place. For the record, I eat lunch here about every time I get jury duty. If you live in Baltimore, you know how often that is. It's decent, especially when you are getting a lunch special. I have only ever ordered chicken basil, which is my go-to Thai stanard. I got to try the pad thai last time I went as well. Decent, on both accounts. I've had better... and worse. Not too spicy on the basil chicken, which is sometime the case elsewhere. On the negative side, (1) they don't have lunch specials on weekends, so you'll have to fork out $14+ for an entree. Maybe that's why (2) the place was empty at noon on a Saturday. By empty, I mean us and the waiter. Through the whole meal. I suppose it could also be because (3) it does not smell good in there when the dining room is not full of food. Kind of a musty, stuffy smell. It was 72 that day... how about opening the door and getting some fresh air?
(3)Everett S.
Arrived around 12:45 pm to grab lunch. Waited approximately 5 minutes at the bar and received no service. Went to the hostess stand and checked the time in my phone. 12 minutes later a couple entered and stood behind me. Within 2 minutes a waitress walked past me and greeted the couple waiting arms length behind me without saying a word or even acknowledging me. All in all, there about 20 minutes and never acknowledged. Worse, they seat the couple waiting in line behind me. I left and I will never return. Completely unprofessional and unacceptable. Maybe, they hate gingers?
(1)jen m.
Eh I've had better. The tom yum soup was delicious and warming on a snowy night. I got the veggie dumpling appetizer and there were only 2 in the order. I expected more for ~$6. My pad Thai was a good portion with sufficient tofu and veggies but the flavor was bland. It was helped by the chili sauce I added but I wished I had ordered more soup instead.
(3)Melissa D.
This place is consistently good. Their sushi is the freshest and best I've had in the Baltimore area. I've also had their curry, which is also good, but not the best I have had
(5)Marshall L.
Banthai used to be my favorite Thai place in Baltimore. Late last year, they closed down for a renovation that I was really excited about. As good as the food was, the decor was definitely lacking, so I thought everything was going to change for the better. Sadly, I was wrong. My standard, go-to order was pad thai with chicken and shrimp. This always came with a decent amount of chicken, plus five pieces of shrimp, and the portions were always big enough for lunch the next day. An important thing to note is that on the menu, the pad thai is listed as coming with shrimp, and that it costs $12.50. Adding chicken (used to) just cost an extra $2. As soon as they reopened, I ordered my standard, only to find out that I was being charged $17.50 when I showed up for carryout. When I got home, I discovered that I only got 2 pieces of shrimp instead of five. I chalked this up to some new staff and maybe that some wrinkles had to be ironed out after reopening. I waited about a month later, and my wife and I ordered the same thing. Unfortunately, we got the same dish for the same price. So what this means is that if you order the pad thai off the menu, you're only getting two pieces of shrimp, and if you want to add another protein, that's an extra $5 on top of that. After the second trip, I sent an email to the address listed on their website and received no response. I waited over a week, and followed up, explaining that I really would like to know why things changed so drastically and that I would appreciate a response to my email. No response again. It pains me to write this because I used to LOVE ordering from Banthai. After two bad experiences after the reopening, and no response after several emails, I won't be returning. They've jacked up their prices and are giving their customers less food for their money. On to find a replacement....
(1)Jana F.
Awesome Thai. Great service. Loved the tofu special curry, and the steamed dumpling appetizer.
(5)Jozef G.
We stumbled into this place and it was empty. The prices are high for Thai food and the food was mediocre at best. The pad Thai was dry and at 12.50 we expected larger portions. The Penang curry was the worst I've ever had. It was more like a stir fry with curry sauce. At 14.50 I expected better. The drunken noodles were quite delicious but a tad oily. Overall te service was great with friendly people but I probably will not return.
(3)Nathan A.
The food is always nice and hot! Friendly wait staff. Thai tea is good! They have the best fried rice. I love the fried coconut ice cream!! That's a must try:)
(4)Steven C.
This is some of the worst Thai food I've had, and I love Thai food. The basal fried rice was very bland - absolutely no flavor.
(1)Jillian P.
Got a stir-fry here. It was all right. Price was all right. Service was all right. "Serviceable" would probably be the best way to describe it. I wasn't wowed, but it wasn't a questionable place.
(3)Stephen O.
I can not believe that this restaurant is still in business. My fiancée and I ordered from this place on a whim, wanting something special after a very eventful and successful day. We came across Ban Thai on grubhub.com They had rather good reviews as well. So, we decided to give them a shot. Not only did I return home to find items missing from our order, I found (after a trip to retrieve the missing items) that the meat in our PORK Pad Thai was actually CHICKEN! We notified the restaurant about the missing items and they did apologize and we were offered a free California roll or a free spicy tuna roll. When I arrived to pick up everything, I was then offered only a free soda. WTF?!? I told the guy that I had heard everything he told my fiancée on the phone and he looked at me like "HUH?" I got frustrated and just told him "get the food please so that I can just get back home." My fiancée called back after I returned home and the same guy lied to her saying first that I "didn't want anything." He consistently contradicted himself as she continued to make it know that she knew the whole story already. We told him that our experience was unsatisfactory and we were really angry about how we have been treated. We also informed him that we would review them on yelp and push all our area friends and family from visiting Ban Thai based on our experience, which we can only assume is typical. His response... "Whatever..." I can not believe that this behavior is acceptable. It really grinds my gears!... Did I mention the food? If not, its nothing to write home about. It is quite subpar. We spent over $52 for the both of us to eat and were treated like this... And, as I write this review, the mistreatment continues. After multiple trips, the wrong food and being lied to, we asked for further assistance from them and got nowhere. We then asked for a refund on the incorrect items and they said "NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. IF YOU WANT YOUR MONEY BACK, BRING ALL THE FOOD BACK OR CALL THE COPS." Bring the food back to get a refund? I get that in a way but, they act like they need it back to serve. Makes me question if they actually do re-serve items. A call to the local health department might be in order. Think I might just do that on Monday. THINK YOU WANT TO EAT AT/FROM BAN THAI? THINK AGAIN!
(1)Elaine B.
After 3 meals here, I'm getting a resounding meh. The food isn't bad, but it's not outstanding, and worse, it's inconsistent. We had larb all 3 times and it ranged from completely bland to mouth-killing spicy even though we ordered "medium" each time. The pad see ew was quite good, flavorful and well-cooked, but the pad thai we had last time was dry and uninspired. They do deliver, which is a bonus, but require a $50 minimum order, which seems excessive to me. All in all, an OK place, but there's better (and cheaper) Thai food around.
(3)Dan L.
Finding a good Thai place is always im
(4)Lady B.
Pros: Spring rolls were excellent. Service was fast and friendly. Cons: We ordered a spicy shrimp dish and it was awful. The shrimp were very, very small and there were only 8 of them. The rest of the plate was green beans and a couple of snow peas. Way over priced for 8 tiny shrimp and a few green beans.
(1)Aman B.
I have been here over a half dozen times... Pros: food has always been consistently good and fresh. The service is also good. Cons: It is very very pricey for an average looking restaurant on the inside. Also even though the food is quite good there is never much of a rush, so if you want lively atmosphere you might want to check out some other spots. I would really give it 3.5 stars because the food is good. I usually get take out when I am desperate for decent quick Thai food. It is a shame it is so pricey. For one main dish plus extra rice I pay $16+ easily.
(3)Brittany C.
I really enjoyed this cute little place. I had a restaurant.com certificate for here and and decided to give it a try, and I'm really glad that I did. I had the Drunken noodles dish, which was very excellent and the portion was HUGE. It was nicely flavored and had the perfect level of spicy. The only issue here, and it's kind of a big one, is the price. This would definitely be a 4-star place if the prices were better. Even with the restaurant.com gift certificate, it wasn't a cheap meal. The entrees ranged from $13-20, which to me is very over priced for this type of food in this whole in the wall place. I also got the shrimp and pork dumplings which were good, but were small and $7 for about 5 tiny nuggets of tastiness. My boyfriend got the pad ped, which was in the $15 range and was well flavored, but was not really reflective of the price. I would just stick to the noodle dishes here if you're going for dinner. They're cheaper, bigger, and tastier.
(3)Munchin' M.
I lived in the neighborhood years ago and stopped by recently for some curry. It was the best curry with a nice balance of spicy, sweet, and curry. It was just the right punch. I haven't tried anything else, but highly recommend the curry.
(4)Mickey W.
Very awesome food! I recommend the Rice Noodle w Chicken. Plus the Thai chicks that wait on u r pretty nice. I give it a go!
(5)Kimberly M.
The only reasons some people have given this place high ratings is because they haven't had "Good Thai Food"! Do not waste money eating here!
(1)Nina U.
I'm not sure how this place gets strong reviews but maybe they cater mostly to the lunch crowd? Well anyway, Banthai has it's strong points. - large seating area for big groups - they don't rush you out - servings are huge and meant to share - SPICY PAPAYA SALAD is delicious! - 66. PAD SEE-EW $12.50, Chicken or beef Thai stir-fried noodles and broccoli. Has the wok singed flavor. yum!! - MANGO STICKY RICE is the best!! I would go just for dessert - CRISPY SPRING ROLLS are good- nothing outstanding but I enjoyed them Not so strong points. - why is the place so empty?? - sometimes you have to waive them down to get the check - the food is salty (but really tasty) - don't order the TOM YUM KAI soup. it's super boring and the chicken pieces are too big - some of their other dishes are boring- try them out and find the good stuff!
(4)Allie P.
I went for lunch on Superbowl Sunday, so it wasn't packed at all. Completely empty. Presumably the wait staff should be even more attentive to make up for the lack of guests in tips, or just because there's nothing else to do, but that was not the case. In an empty restaurant, I found myself trying to get my waiters attention. Exhausting. I ordered the spring rolls, beef and chicken meal and chicken fried rice. Everything tasted good, but a little too hot, both in terms of temperature and taste. A little pricey, but there are specials at certain times.
(3)Kristin R.
Very yummy, but it look 40 minutes to get our food! I think that's a bit unacceptable since the restaurant wasn't crowded at all. I'll definitely go back though, and hopefully it will be faster.
(4)Nicole J.
BanThai is my favorite place to get chicken pad thai. My family and I have been coming there for over 20 years, Also the regular waitress that usually takes care of us is truly a delight. We don't get to go as often as we used too, but whenever we are in downtown Baltimore, I usually vote for Banthai.
(5)Lily Y.
we ordered take out at lunch. it was good. we got drunken noodle with beef and veggie, and yellow curry. the drunken noodles are a but thinner in width than normal and it's a but oily. the yellow curry was great. prices are pricey compared to the pint of food they give.
(3)Ben S.
I had food poisoning after eating there soup on a Friday night, I would never go back to this place(I was there 1.5 years ago) things might have changed.
(1)Nick F.
Decent food but nothing spectacular. The ambience is dark and wood-panelled. I started off with the fish cakes that were good. The lunch special of basil and pork was cheap and above average tasting.
(3)amanda d.
The waitress was nice and the order was speedy. Other than that, this place was pretty disappointing. It was too expensive for the small portion size and way too expensive for the taste. My pad thai was mushy and super salty. And there were no crushed peanuts.
(2)Aquarius W.
Horrible food !! Extremely expensive for some crappy food!! I will never go there again ! This restaurant should be BANNED !!
(1)Dodikins D.
I like chive dumplings in general, so even though the ones here are overly greasy, I still like getting some from their stand at the Sunday morning farmers market under the freeway. Thumbs up also for having Thai tea and mango sticky rice. As to the actual restaurant, it's usually quiet when we swing by; yesterday might have been the only time I saw other people come in after us. I asked to substitute noodles for the rice that came with the duck red curry. My husband kept assuring me that this was a totally Thai thing, but the waitress seemed confused, though after a fashion she agreed. At one point, the waitress struck up a conversation entirely in Thai with my husband. Personally, I found this kind of rude; wouldn't you under any other social circumstance where people speak in a language that some in their group don't understand? It's not like she didn't speak English, since I spoke to her earlier. I know you're happy to see your own people, but, you know, kind of lame for service industry.
(2)Kim Y.
My first time here. Late lunch. 100% empty but it's 3pm on Thursday. I wanted Thai food so needed to try a new spot. I sat down and the lady (not very pleasant) got me water and a free salad. Nice. I ordered a veggie Dumpling (skillet cooked) and it came out DEAD FROZEN in the center. She grabbed the plate when I told her and said she would replace it. Waiting an extra 5 mins... You get two dumplings and they are POTENT in cilantro toppings. I hate cilantro so it was not something I would order again. On top, they were NOT veg dumplings. They were boy full of chives. The lunch dish I got was the beef udon. I went for a Japanese dish b/c the Thai appetizer was a let down. The broth was 3/5 and not too hot which was disappointing because I like piping hot food, especially if served to me at a restaurant where I am the only patron. The beef udon was NOT udon. It was like a strange Pad Thai Beef/Teriyaki/Yakisoba mix. I would maybe come again and hope this was just a bad day for the front and back of house.... Or maybe not.
(2)Christopher h.
I usually go to Stang and came here not expecting much. I was blown away! The curries were amazing! The fried tofu appetizer is simply awesome- I don't even like tofu- total stand out item.' This place is worth a try if you haven't been before.
(5)Monica F.
The place my friends wanted to order from didn't serve lunch, so I walked to this place and picked up a nice meal: some tom yum soup, some chicken satay, as well as pad see ew and one other dish I didn't taste. The soup was tangy and perfectly seasoned and the noodles were also nice, perfectly cooked and chewy, although the tofu was perhaps a bit dry. I didn't think the chicken was anything special, a bit dry as well, but I really liked the dipping sauces, one cool and one spicy. It was a good lunch.
(3)Scarlett H.
If you're looking for authentic Thai food, this is not the place to go--there are much better Thai food places in Baltimore. But if you want good Asian food for an ok price, it's not a bad place to eat. Everytime I have been here, it's been mostly empty. The complimentary salad is standard ginger sesame flavored (nothing special), and I've had the ginger tilapia and the basil duck here. I think it's really hit and miss here. I love love love the basil duck, but the portion is small and the meat is really thin on the bones, so if I really want to walk out with a full tummy, I need to shell out the money for the large size. The ginger tilapia is really too gingery/garlicky (which I never thought possible) but it took away from the flavor of the fish itself. Appetizers wise, the spring rolls are a fine bet, the chicken satay is fine, the shrimp cake is really just deep fried dough--totally not what a shrimp cake should be like. Service has been fine everytime I go--they are attentive and efficient, and always willing to split checks for us. I go when I'm too lazy to go far for good Thai food, and it's been fine so far. Nothing special, nothing terrible.
(3)Kevin H.
Came by here on a snow day around 6 pm and the place was empty. It's along charles street and can be categorized as a combo restaurant with both thai and japanese dishes on the menu. Pineapple fried rice (~$15) - the presentation is interesting with the fried rice served in a hollowed out pineapple. Plenty of rice, shrimp, pineapple, sausage, and I think bbq pork mixed together. However, it was not better than fried rice I've had in other places that were a quarter of the cost here. It really should be priced at less than $7. Overall, I'd say the food is decent but its prices are on par with Stang of Siam without the quality.
(3)Lawrence L.
I really like this place because it seems to have authentic Thai food and some other great Asian dishes. They do add the heat on some dishes but they are so flavorful! I love this place and the staff has been wonderful!
(5)Stephen G.
Went here for lunch during the workday. The place was empty so we didn't know what to expect but we're surprised by good food and service. We both ordered drunken noodles with chicken. The big pieces of iceberg lettuce was not welcome; however overall a good dish. Just the right amount of spice. They also gave a standard Thai salad before the meal that had really good dressing.
(4)Victor P.
Popped in for a late lunch around 3PM, place was empty. I wish I could give it a better review, but the shrimp pad Thai didn't have much shrimp in it and the beef udon was confusingly presented in the menu -- our son thought it would be served in soup, but it was on a shallow platter. We were also charged full price for a non-alcoholic piña colada. I protested and they took a couple of dollars off, but it still came to $6, not what I'd call good value. I did like my coconut juice. Oh well.
(2)Robin B.
I picked up chicken sauteed with hot chili and basil leaves and spring rolls for lunch. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered takeout again for dinner. Tonight, I had drunken noodles with sweet sticky rice for dessert. Both entrees were spicy, but flavorful.
(4)Gunnar V.
Three stars seems about right for this place. For the record, I eat lunch here about every time I get jury duty. If you live in Baltimore, you know how often that is. It's decent, especially when you are getting a lunch special. I have only ever ordered chicken basil, which is my go-to Thai stanard. I got to try the pad thai last time I went as well. Decent, on both accounts. I've had better... and worse. Not too spicy on the basil chicken, which is sometime the case elsewhere. On the negative side, (1) they don't have lunch specials on weekends, so you'll have to fork out $14+ for an entree. Maybe that's why (2) the place was empty at noon on a Saturday. By empty, I mean us and the waiter. Through the whole meal. I suppose it could also be because (3) it does not smell good in there when the dining room is not full of food. Kind of a musty, stuffy smell. It was 72 that day... how about opening the door and getting some fresh air?
(3)Everett S.
Arrived around 12:45 pm to grab lunch. Waited approximately 5 minutes at the bar and received no service. Went to the hostess stand and checked the time in my phone. 12 minutes later a couple entered and stood behind me. Within 2 minutes a waitress walked past me and greeted the couple waiting arms length behind me without saying a word or even acknowledging me. All in all, there about 20 minutes and never acknowledged. Worse, they seat the couple waiting in line behind me. I left and I will never return. Completely unprofessional and unacceptable. Maybe, they hate gingers?
(1)jen m.
Eh I've had better. The tom yum soup was delicious and warming on a snowy night. I got the veggie dumpling appetizer and there were only 2 in the order. I expected more for ~$6. My pad Thai was a good portion with sufficient tofu and veggies but the flavor was bland. It was helped by the chili sauce I added but I wished I had ordered more soup instead.
(3)Melissa D.
This place is consistently good. Their sushi is the freshest and best I've had in the Baltimore area. I've also had their curry, which is also good, but not the best I have had
(5)Marshall L.
Banthai used to be my favorite Thai place in Baltimore. Late last year, they closed down for a renovation that I was really excited about. As good as the food was, the decor was definitely lacking, so I thought everything was going to change for the better. Sadly, I was wrong. My standard, go-to order was pad thai with chicken and shrimp. This always came with a decent amount of chicken, plus five pieces of shrimp, and the portions were always big enough for lunch the next day. An important thing to note is that on the menu, the pad thai is listed as coming with shrimp, and that it costs $12.50. Adding chicken (used to) just cost an extra $2. As soon as they reopened, I ordered my standard, only to find out that I was being charged $17.50 when I showed up for carryout. When I got home, I discovered that I only got 2 pieces of shrimp instead of five. I chalked this up to some new staff and maybe that some wrinkles had to be ironed out after reopening. I waited about a month later, and my wife and I ordered the same thing. Unfortunately, we got the same dish for the same price. So what this means is that if you order the pad thai off the menu, you're only getting two pieces of shrimp, and if you want to add another protein, that's an extra $5 on top of that. After the second trip, I sent an email to the address listed on their website and received no response. I waited over a week, and followed up, explaining that I really would like to know why things changed so drastically and that I would appreciate a response to my email. No response again. It pains me to write this because I used to LOVE ordering from Banthai. After two bad experiences after the reopening, and no response after several emails, I won't be returning. They've jacked up their prices and are giving their customers less food for their money. On to find a replacement....
(1)Jana F.
Awesome Thai. Great service. Loved the tofu special curry, and the steamed dumpling appetizer.
(5)Jozef G.
We stumbled into this place and it was empty. The prices are high for Thai food and the food was mediocre at best. The pad Thai was dry and at 12.50 we expected larger portions. The Penang curry was the worst I've ever had. It was more like a stir fry with curry sauce. At 14.50 I expected better. The drunken noodles were quite delicious but a tad oily. Overall te service was great with friendly people but I probably will not return.
(3)Nathan A.
The food is always nice and hot! Friendly wait staff. Thai tea is good! They have the best fried rice. I love the fried coconut ice cream!! That's a must try:)
(4)Steven C.
This is some of the worst Thai food I've had, and I love Thai food. The basal fried rice was very bland - absolutely no flavor.
(1)Jillian P.
Got a stir-fry here. It was all right. Price was all right. Service was all right. "Serviceable" would probably be the best way to describe it. I wasn't wowed, but it wasn't a questionable place.
(3)Stephen O.
I can not believe that this restaurant is still in business. My fiancée and I ordered from this place on a whim, wanting something special after a very eventful and successful day. We came across Ban Thai on grubhub.com They had rather good reviews as well. So, we decided to give them a shot. Not only did I return home to find items missing from our order, I found (after a trip to retrieve the missing items) that the meat in our PORK Pad Thai was actually CHICKEN! We notified the restaurant about the missing items and they did apologize and we were offered a free California roll or a free spicy tuna roll. When I arrived to pick up everything, I was then offered only a free soda. WTF?!? I told the guy that I had heard everything he told my fiancée on the phone and he looked at me like "HUH?" I got frustrated and just told him "get the food please so that I can just get back home." My fiancée called back after I returned home and the same guy lied to her saying first that I "didn't want anything." He consistently contradicted himself as she continued to make it know that she knew the whole story already. We told him that our experience was unsatisfactory and we were really angry about how we have been treated. We also informed him that we would review them on yelp and push all our area friends and family from visiting Ban Thai based on our experience, which we can only assume is typical. His response... "Whatever..." I can not believe that this behavior is acceptable. It really grinds my gears!... Did I mention the food? If not, its nothing to write home about. It is quite subpar. We spent over $52 for the both of us to eat and were treated like this... And, as I write this review, the mistreatment continues. After multiple trips, the wrong food and being lied to, we asked for further assistance from them and got nowhere. We then asked for a refund on the incorrect items and they said "NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. IF YOU WANT YOUR MONEY BACK, BRING ALL THE FOOD BACK OR CALL THE COPS." Bring the food back to get a refund? I get that in a way but, they act like they need it back to serve. Makes me question if they actually do re-serve items. A call to the local health department might be in order. Think I might just do that on Monday. THINK YOU WANT TO EAT AT/FROM BAN THAI? THINK AGAIN!
(1)Elaine B.
After 3 meals here, I'm getting a resounding meh. The food isn't bad, but it's not outstanding, and worse, it's inconsistent. We had larb all 3 times and it ranged from completely bland to mouth-killing spicy even though we ordered "medium" each time. The pad see ew was quite good, flavorful and well-cooked, but the pad thai we had last time was dry and uninspired. They do deliver, which is a bonus, but require a $50 minimum order, which seems excessive to me. All in all, an OK place, but there's better (and cheaper) Thai food around.
(3)Rowena F.
I've been coming here for 20 years! Anytime I'm in funk...I go here for some "home style Thai food" to cheer me up! Love their Crab wontons--no cream cheese here, just good ol' crab meat! Love their Soft shell crab and shrimp special in Spicy Thai Basil Sauce--that never fails! Yummo! They really don't scrimp on the Basil either...Love their Ka Prow...again...with the basil! What better to wash down this spicy, basily-yummy goodness? Thai-tea! When not in the mood for spicy, I go with the Special Fried Rice...love the sausage and pineapple combo they got going there...OMG I finish the whole platter each time--and it's a good size serving. Bottom line, I've tried a good dozen or other Thai restaurant in MD and around the US...Ban Thai's dishes just make me keep going back for more! Very homey feel with excellent service. Here's to 20 (and more) years!!
(5)Dan L.
Finding a good Thai place is always im
(4)Joe D.
Very new to the area, went with a group late at night, no complaints. Everyone really enjoyed their meals. I had pad thai (delicious and large), friends had sweet and sour chicken (actually looked really good), pineapple fried rice and pad see-ew. Great service, very low key. I would definitely go back again.
(4)Ola F.
I dropped into this place for a quick lunch on my way to a meeting. I had the drunken noodles. They were spicy but that's about it. At least it didn't come with eggs.
(2)Rachel J.
Wow!!!! This was my first time having Thai food and I ordered the Kao Pad Ta-Lay (crab, shrimp, and squid fried rice) and I tried my mom's Tom Kha Puck (vegetarian coconut-based soup) and it was AMAZING!!!! The spring rolls and egg custard were awesome too. I haven't been this impressed with a restaurant in a long time. The portions were so big, I brought home two more meals worth in a box from what was left. Sushi is available now too, along with a nice selection of house rolls. Will definitely try next time. Great service as well!
(5)Lillia Sanura G.
Granted, it's been quite a while since hubs and I ate here (a few years, give or take), and things could've changed with the place between then and now. Also, we are no experts at Thai cuisine. However, the few times we have been to Banthai to eat in the past, we both recall as being very good in our humble opinions. I remember this being the first place I tried Thai tea, and finding a new refreshing love in the drink world... so creamy, sweet, and tasty. I also remember the beef laap being very good, and the curry dish I ordered being very yummy. They even kindly adjusted the spiciness of the dish upon request to make it milder for my heat sensitive tongue. I also recall the service being pretty nice and prompt. Tried to eat here again recently after a long hiatus, but found them closed on a Sunday evening. When we find ourselves in the Baltimore area again, we would love to stop in again for another try at their tasty Thai menu.
(4)Erica M.
My boyfriend's family and I went to this place for dinner right after his graduation. I was hopeful from the "Zagat Rated" and "people love us on Yelp" stickers, and excited for some good Thai food. After I began my meal, all I could think was, what the hell did those other Yelpers eat? After reading the mixed reviews, I must sadly side with the poorer ones. My pad thai was dry and made me extra thirsty. The noodles were super chewy, like they had been cooked and left out, then microwaved because they had dried out. I ordered both shrimp and chicken with the pad thai, and both were scarce. As an American, the shrimp that was not de-veined grossed me out. On top of that, the shrimp were mushy, unseasoned, and cold. The chicken, room temperature, was probably the best part of the dish. The sprouts were so cold they tasted like they had just ben pulled out of the freezer. To top it all off, this pad thai was $12.50. Morbidly overpriced for how much I ate (and hell, for the whole dish), which was probably half a dozen bites. The thai tea was pretty good, but the tiny drink costs $2.75! Egad! Our server took forever to come around to us just to get our drink order. I felt like it took forever to get the food orders in, too, and same for the wait on the check. The orders got mixed up, and the server and another employee actually debated whether or not one of their dishes was made properly with one of our party (our guy was right, but even if he was wrong, isn't the customer always right?). They did offer to make it again, but we were hungry and didn't want to wait anymore. The tom kha gai soup wasn't forgettable, because I still remember the bad taste it left in my mouth. And I love coconut! The interior of the restaurant could REALLY use a Gordon Ramsey makeover, because chartreuse, turquoise, and bright red don't match. As a graphic designer, the decor of this place drove me up the wall. I give it two stars instead of one because my boyfriend raved about the drunken noodles. His mother got the same thing I did, though, and didn't like it either. What a shame. At least the graduate liked his graduation dinner?
(2)Vishal S.
Great thai food. Got hooked to thai food from this restaurant only. I am a regular here and love the service. Very quick and fast.
(4)Katie S.
Authentic tasty Thai food. The larb is fantastic and nice and spicy! It's the one thing I make sure I order every time I'm there. They also have great soups and curries. The wait staff is helpful and will offer recommendations if you can't decide what sounds best! My only complaint is that the water glasses are very small which is awful when you're eating spicy food!
(5)Thomas A.
pad thai was horrible( the shrimp was bad and the noodles was very old) I told them to take it back and ask for a discount they did not give it to me or offered me any discount to me.
(1)Hung T.
When i go to new Thai restaurants, I tend to judge them on the quality of their pad thai. So i went here on a random weekday for their lunch special. I got a small side salad and pad thai for $10 I think. The portions were decent. Pad thai was on the dry side tho. The flavor was none that i've ever had before. It was a really strong peanut sauce flavor. I got the shrimp pad thai which had 3 pieces of shrimp. Thats it. Pretty sad. Definitely not even close to the best pad thai i've ever had but whatev's, its baltimore, my food standards have to be dropped a few notches. Would I go here again? Probably if I was in the vicinity and had no other choices. This place is pretty overpriced, and if it wasn't for the lunch specials, I can't see myself even stepping inside. Sigh, just can't seem to get any good asian food around here.
(3)Rose B.
I'm new to Baltimore and was sad to leave all my favorite Thai places in Detroit. Luckily we stumbled upon Banthai which totally blows the local competition out of the water. Banthai has incredible drinks, appetizers and entrees. My favorite part is the hot vinegars and peppers they give you, that way you can make it as spicy as you want it. Hooray for Ban Thai!
(4)Winnie K.
Worst food I've ever had. Don't ever get the broccoli beef rice noodles. The noodles were stuck together, and there was a strange smell... You know when you have food that's been sitting in the fridge too long, and the whole fridge smells like crap? Yeah, that's what the noodles smelled like, as though it sat in the fridge all this time absorbing all the smells. I usually love broccoli beef, but the beef was not tender, and the broccoli was overcooked and soggy. The seemingly soy-sauce based sauce was bland and neither Chinese nor Thai flavored. Perhaps it was a mistake to order such a dish at a THAI restaurant, but if you're gonna put it on the menu, you better expect to make it better than the average home cooked food. Also, their menu does not have eggplant. Dude, eggplant and basil with garlic sauce is like a match made in heaven! What in the world is this place. Note that I lived in Berkeley, CA for five years, where there was delicious Thai food practically every five blocks. When there's no local competition, the food is just bound to be sub par. I'm sorry Baltimore, but your restaurants continue to disappoint me.
(1)Ronnie K.
Not impressed. I ordered sushi delivery and the portions were small, especially for the price and it wasn't very good.
(2)Faisal M.
Ok People. Real food with real flavour. You can taste the meat and the ingredients. The beef larb was outstanding. Tom Kai soup and beef with oyster sauce perfect. Vegetables were crisp, chicken was tender and the beef tasted like beef - not overcooked tenderized crap that you get elsewhere. This place is fresh and top notch for Thai. I would rate this among other top Thai restaurants in San Francisco...and this place is in Baltimore!
(4)Jasmine W.
The sweet and sour chicken is so good the meal was quick and honestly its the best I've had in a while
(4)Maligaya R.
Ban Thai, one of the most underrated Thai Restaurants in Charm City. Now, Ban Thai has been serving Baltimore City since 1993. That should tell you a lot about their quality of food and great service. I've been working in downtown Baltimore for years and I've seen many restaurants come and go regardless of how high their ratings are. Use common sense a place that has been here since the early 90's must be doing something right especially if it's a more exotic, ethnic restaurant. It is because they are doing business right all the way around. Good Thai Panang curry dishes, garlic and chili infused seafood menus including a whole crispy fried fish with ground hot chili and garlic sauce that is exquisite in spices and blends of flavors. Very satisfying appetizers like the YUM PED YANG, a Seasoned duck platter with lemon grass, onion, hot chili, and lemon juice and the SA-TAY made of Pork, beef, or chicken on a skewer served with peanut sauce or if you are indecisive try them all with an order of ASSORTED APPETIZERS for two, Thai special chicken, 2 Spring rolls, 4 Crispy wonton, 3 Crab puff, and 6 Fried broccoli served with sweet and sour sauce. End a spicy flavorful meal with some sweet sticky rice and mango dessert or a sweet bean ice cream for a not so ordinary dinner finale. Don't go another weekend without trying this place out. I truly believe that folks that want to be a bit adventurous with dinning should hit this spot.. I've been to Thailand and know very well that authenticity when it comes to Thai Restaurants is a must, Banthai meaning Thai House serves it's food just like the locals do in Thailand.
(4)Aom K.
I'm Thai and this place is rigid. In town for a visit and decide to give it a try. When I lived here, I heard not quite good comments from people so I was hesitating to come in. But I am telling you that if you want hot Thai food, here is the place. Mythai down the street used to be good but the chef left and this time the food is just so-so.
(4)Mary W.
I've been here numerous times with my Dad, who happens to work across the street & we both love it :) The people/servers are really nice & the restaurant has a very calming atmosphere. Plus, the Thai decorations are tasteful & not too over the top. I really dislike it when Thai restaurants try to be Westernized or go way overboard with all the decorations (too much gold & crap everywhere) The papaya salad here is pretty good (it was the 1st thing that my dad mentioned about this place b/c we're very particular about our papaya salad). I remember for lunch once, somehow my dish ended up being a lot spicier than my Dad's even though his had more chili peppers next to the item on the menu. . .not really sure what happened here. But, it was tasty nonetheless. This is a great place for a casual lunch, good place to have a conversation over your meal b/c it is generally pretty quiet/low key. I've never been here for dinner or on the weekends, so I'm not really sure how busy it gets, but it is close to the Mt. Vernon area, so I imagine it can get pretty busy! All in all, great Thai place, especially for Baltimore.
(4)Shane N.
This was the Thai place closest to me when I lived in downtown Baltimore. The food was always consistent and of a good quality. It tries to be a little bit more of an upscale place and the prices reflect that. The one thing I would recommend is the kao pad sapparod. It is a fried rice with shrimp, pork, sausage, and some pineapple for sweetness. It is excellent and the portion size makes the price seem a little more reasonable. The peanut sauce here seems a little bland and not as flavorful as I have had from other Thai places. They have a pretty big menu which generally scares me, but they seem to manage it well as the food I have ordered was consistently good. It is easily the best Thai place within walking distance of the Charles Towers.
(3)Mike B.
Nice sweet spot! Menu is complete with something for everyone. Just a tad on the pricey side for Baltimore but, meal proportions were fair and well worth it. All dishes were well prepared with the right balance of spices along with a small and light salad. Gracious service set with modest interior decorating will not disappoint you.
(4)Todd M.
Outstanding Pad Thai, great service, but the booths hurt your butt after a while. I need some Thai Padding with my Pad Thai!
(4)Iffat B.
Your standard thai restaurant. I had both the chicken pad thai and beef pad prik and they weren't anything special. One good thing about this place is that they have a happy hour with 1/2 off drinks and discounted appetizers.
(3)Marc M.
We came to this spot for two reasons: One, we were waiting to see a jazz concert at An Die Musik, just up the street and two, they offered us a 10% voucher if we ate at one of the places on the voucher [Banthai]. The food was not so hot. Admittedly, we only had appetizers: a combo appetizer plate with fried tofu, fried chicken w/crab, fried broccoli, vegi spring rolls, and then my wife ordered satay. The satay was ok - but the other stuff was really sub par. Very greasy. While it was only appetizers, a restaurant should do any food item well. No so sure I'd recommend it.
(2)Alicha M.
My boyfriends and I went to Baltimore a couple days ago. We had no idea where we gonna have dinner. My boyfriend really wanted to eat Thai food, so I searched on Google map, and then some Thai restaurants pop up. We decided to go to Bann Thai because it's not far from the hotel. My boyfriend had pork stir-fried with garlic sauce that was tasteless. I had beef stir-fried with ginger sauce that was tooo sweet. Herrible Food!!! The price is too expensive comparing with the portion. I won't come back again.
(1)Charlotte B.
The menu touted one of their specialties as being masuman curry, but the version I had was sadly disappointing. The chicken had little bits of gristle or bone in some pieces, and there were about five (5) peanuts in the entire dish. If I had to eat here again I would bring supplementary peanuts from home.
(1)G D.
I have been here a zillion times and have always loved eating here. The environment is great and the food is simply delicious. The service is good. This is a favorite among my colleagues and very good for big groups and parties. The only downside is it is located in the downtown and you need to find a good parking spot nearby. Finding parking is not a problem in the evening but its quite difficult during the daytime.
(4)A. C.
(4/1/2015) We stopped by for a kind of late, weekday dinner. Place has been around forever, but looks like they recently changed hands, chefs, menus, decor, etc. It always looks so dead whenever we walk by, it's unfortunate for them that the bar is in the front window and the diners in the back. We were the only table in there at 8:45 pm on a Wednesday, but there were 2 people waiting for take-out. Place is "family-run", so service is not polished or professional, but we found them to be mostly attentive and so very nice. The menu hits the Thai standards, but looks like they added many things that make it more pan-Asian and less strictly Thai oriented (I suspect that the new people working here are not indigenous Thai, likely Chinese, but they could be ethnic Chinese from Thailand). We didn't go for the new stuff (I don't really want sushi when I've walked into a Thai place). My watermark for Thai restaurants is the Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles). These were wide flat rice noodles (ho fun), I got pork (you can get other meats), with basil, red peppers, onion, on a bed of iceberg lettuce: slightly sweet, soy-flavored, def had some heat, decent specimen. The other benchmark is the Pad Thai. These were medium rice noodles (banh pho), probably soaked too long as they were mostly broken during the stir fry process into 1-2 inch pieces and were a touch mushy. Plating was awkward to eat (accompaniments in separate piles rather than mixed in), not as successful, but not terrible. We did start with the Yum Nuer (grilled slices of beef in a salad with grape tomatoes, carrot, iceberg, red onion, cilantro, cucumber), aggressively dressed with a good amount of lime juice, fish sauce, soy -- just as it should be, a great savory, pungent starter to kickstart the endorphins from the heat. Thai Curried Fish Cakes were lightly deep-fried coins of the chewy Asian style cakes (known for a "springiness" rather than crunch), there were plenty of them, very tasty, some heat. We thought the prices were fine for downtown, it's the going rate. Service was very nice, like being served by a quiet cousin. Food overall was satisfying and tasty. We'd def come back and recommend if you're jonesing for Thai and in the area.
(4)Angie K.
Walking around the area and our group wanted Thai. It was weird that we were the only group for about an hour but eventually other customers came in. I had the pad see ew and it was decent. My friend said her cashew chicken was ok, not exceptional. Each item came with a little salad and some rice which was nice. Service was pretty good and attentive. Prices werent too bad. Not sure if I'd return. Everything was just too mediocre.
(3)Katy P.
Dismal downward trend for Ban Thai. Walked in to get my carry out and there was literally not a soul in the dining room. I should have just turned around. The server came out 2 minutes later with my food. She was sweet but the good ends there. I'm pretty sure the prices were higher than listed on the website by I didn't go back to look. I definitely did a double take at the total. $32 for one entree and two apps was surprising to say the least. Acceptable if it were delicious like it was in the old days. But the summer roll was mostly lettuce, the papaya salad wasn't fresh and was soggy, and the beef in the drunken noodles was awful. And they didn't use the huge fresh noodles I love. They were just skinny regular pasta. Very sad. Probably the last time we go. :(
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