Ban Thai
2186 3rd St, White Bear Lake, MN, 55110
Ban Thai Menu
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Address :
2186 3rd St
White Bear Lake, MN, 55110 - Phone (651) 407-8424
- Website https://www.banthaionline.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
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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 : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Dave F.
Closer to 2.5 stars... I live in Shoreview and have been looking for a decent Thai food restaurant in the northern 'burbs, as Uptown is a haul from here. After eating at Ban Thai, the search continues. My first app was fresh spring rolls with shrimp, and while not bad, I've had better; the wrapper was tough and there was too much lettuce and cilantro. The lettuce was bitter, and the dipping sauce didn't help. This "peanut" sauce looked interesting- rather than the clear stuff with chopped peanuts floating on top, it was a mustard color and appeared to have many different ingredients, but it was disappointingly plain and lacked any sweetness that you'd normally expect. Pass. The chicken satay was dry and boring, seasoned only with a dusting of yellow curry powder- which is pretty blah on its own. I suspect that they are baked since there were no grill marks and the color was really light. The satay's dipping sauce (the thicker peanut butter type) was another letdown: instead of being a sweet, savory peanut buttery concoction, it was surprisingly bland. It lacked any peanut butter flavor and wasn't satisfying at all. This sauce at other places is usually so good, I'd slather it on cardboard and munch away. At this point I didn't have high hopes for the entrée, but it was actually a big improvement. I had the massamun curry beef, a beef stew with potatoes and (normally) peanuts. Oddly there were no peanuts, but the heat level and flavor were good. The beef was cut really small, yet was less tender than some other restaurants. Overall it was much better than the apps, but not enough to bring me back.
(3)G M.
My Daughter and I got there right at 4:30 when they opened on a Tuesday evening.... The sweetest little girl opened up and unlocked the front door for us... she was also our waitress....she was very nice upbeat professional young lady (she would skip back to kitchen) what a joy she was!! She recommended a green curry dish to me and boy was I not disappointed!! I have been searching for that flavor for a long time!! It was to die for!! My daughter loved her Pad Thai also and said it was way above average!! She is turning into a Thai connoisseur at a pretty young age. The owner also came out and talked to us and was very pleasant!! I am glad I didn't pay attention to all of the negative reviews and tried this place!! I wonder if some people know what authentic Thai is even supposed to be or taste like?? Maybe we got lucky? I am I sure glad that we did!! It is a long drive for me but I will make a point to be back!! It is also in a pretty cool area and we enjoyed that very much also!! Thai it you will like it!!
(5)Kedar D.
Ban Thai has some of the best Thai food I've had in the Twin Cities area. The dishes here have the taste and look of home-cooked Thai food with fresh, colorful ingredients and simple preparation. Prices are reasonable and portion sizes are good. I appreciate that they have mock duck and mock chicken as options, which is rare outside of Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants. Be careful of the spice level---anything more than "2 peppers" on their scale will scald your mouth. The service is super-friendly and attentive; the cook even went out of her way to make a new, vegan batch of green curry paste especially for my dish, because the existing batch had fish sauce already mixed into it. NOTE: you have to request for them to leave out the fish/oyster/shrimp sauce, but they're very accommodating about this. All in all, it's a great restaurant, but I wish they were in Minneapolis or St. Paul, rather than remote White Bear Lake.
(4)Tommy_n_Loretta C.
This place keeps getting better and better as I make my way through the menu trying new things. My sons enjoy their food as well especially their fried rice and eggrolls. I agree the service is slow sometimes because of limited staff. They are hiring a part time cook so that should help. However the food is well worth the wait. My husband and I have visited Thailand and had lots of hot, spicy foods. This place can really pack the heat so be careful if you are not sure what spice level to order. We have had our socks knocked off a few time times trying level 4 and 5 spice.
(4)Kalena F.
The food was decent and the sauce was very flavorful but this was one of the worst take out experiences I've ever had. We called in our order and they said 20-30min. I arrived 40min later and was told to wait because they were very busy. In the restaurant only 3 of the 12+ tables had customers. I wouldn't exactly call that busy. A little over an hour after the order was placed we received our food. You could tell it was rushed even after all that waiting because the veggies in all 3 dishes were still crunchy and not fully cooked! I would not recommend this place and will never return myself. I was also a little shocked that there was no discount, coupon or an appetizer offered for the trouble. I'm in customer service and this is completely unacceptable in my book.
(2)DJ A.
I've heard really good things about the authenticity of the food at Ban Thai, but I've got to be honest and tell you I've been there twice and left unimpressed. The first time I went with my wife, who got the Pad Thai, and thought it tasted like the chicken was reheated. I got a soup, and found it decent, but nothing to shout about. Today I went there with several co-workers on our bi-weekly "international food lunch." The waitress/owner was slow, aggressive and rude, telling us she was "very upset" that a few of our group couldn't attend, and that our reservation would be less than we called ahead for. Overall the food was adequate, but nothing to write home about. I asked for my food "spicy," and it really didn't have any hotness at all. I was very disappointed.
(2)Bernice C.
This is a place that you either rave about or you don't like it. We've been there a few times and just couldn't get into the flavor of the food. The ambience is cold and not very friendly. Sorry, but this is not on our hit parade.
(1)Brian S.
Nothing but the best everytime! I signed up for Yelp just to write this review. We eat at Ban Thai a couple of time a month and on special occasions. Ban Thai is the best Thai in the Twin Cities. I dont know why they are #2 on YELP in White Bear Lake. We usually get 306 Thai Hot with Chicken, it is enough to share or lunch the next day. We ate there for my birthday, had a wonderful dinner and great conversation with Bob and Oh the owners. They had us tried the chicken wings and we loved them! Way better than any bar buffalo wings. The wings are made with a dry rub and a sweet dipping sauce that is to die for! If you live in the north east suburbs of the twin cities, what are you waiting for! Eat at Ban Thai. If you dont live in the area it is worth the drive not to mention Downtown White Bear Lake is super cute.
(5)Carolyn E.
Tasty authentic Thai food prepared with fresh ingredients. Interesting yet attentive service. I'm definitely coming back.
(5)Dan P.
Tried this place again. The food was terrible. Service once again was rude.
(1)LAURA Y.
Who cares what the decor is like at this restaurant? I have yet to see any asian restaurant decorated tastefully. The food is worth waiting for here. It's very fresh. It's not freezer-to-oven-to-table fare. The prices are fair. If people are looking for a bargain price then go somewhere else where the food is mediocre. The owners work very hard at pleasing people and I feel appreciated as a customer. The reviewer from Minneapolis that complained of the location being in little ol' White Bear Lake? Get over it. Minneapolis doesn't get to have all the great restaurants located there.
(5)Jennell E.
Excellent authentic thai food! It's sort of a quirky place though, all the times I have been, there is one server for the whole restaurant (about 10-15 tables) and she will bring out a dish when it's ready regardless if the other people at your table have food or not. Luckily we were sharing the two dishes we ordered because they came out 5 minutes apart. I notice she did that with other tables as well. I concur with other reviewer, I love spice but don't think I could enjoy anything over two peppers! I think it's a little pricey, but I was spoiled living in Chicago with a crazy selection of cheap and delicious thai food places. We paid $35 (including tip) for two entrees, one app, and water!
(4)Corey P.
I am really surprised at the one star reviews of Ban Thai. We have been eating there since they opened a couple of years ago and have never had a bad meal. We usually do take-out, this is a typical thai restaurant, not much decoration, very plain. But the food is to die for! If you ask for Thai Hot, you really get Thai Hot, like your ears are on fire hot! Same goes for mild, if you don't like hot, ask for mild and you will be fine. The Pad Thai, Larb, and especially the Thai omlette, yum! The one lady who serves you as called out in another review, she is the owner, she and her husband run the restaurant and their cute daughter can sometimes be spotted at a table in the back coloring or chatting with her dolls. She is adorable! And come on, a Thai restaurant in White Bear Lake, Minnesota? That's as good as it gets!
(5)Jim F.
The #318 with the #319 yellow curry sauce is absolutely amazing! Small town diner type Thai restaurant. Been here twice and will come back many more times. My wife had the Pad Thai (#505) and really enjoyed it. NOTE: This is authentic Thai, so when they say hot, it's Thai hot, not Minnesota hot. I normally like things very hot and 2/4 was perfect.
(5)Leah N.
We have tried to eater three times and they are literally never open! The last visit we checked their online schedule giving them the benefit of the doubt. When we got there, closed! We probably will not try again.
(2)Anna G.
I love supporting locally owned non-chain restaurants especially in a suburb where there are a lot of chain restaurants. I love the chicken curry over a bed of spinach and the pineapple fried rice. This restaurant also makes their dishes spicy. It is difficult to find a place that will put caution in the wind and actually make their dishes HOT! I add heat to almost everything I eat and a 2 on the Ban Thai scale is almost too spicy so be warned and stay on the lower side of the heat scale.
(5)Bob B.
I liked it. Food was great. I ordered the 3 pepper level as I am a chili head. It was as warm as I had expected. There seem to be a lot of one star ratings on here. I do wonder how much of that is simply MN "Anything other than ketchup or Gravy" is a scary thing? As you travel throughout the country and also around the world. You do notice, whats great in one place. Is not so great in another. I rate this place four stars. Only drawback is how cold the place was. Kind of wish I had brought my sweater.
(4)Claire C.
Oh, Ban Thai..... I have had such a love hate relationship with this place over the years. I love it, because simply put, the food is amazing. I've hated it for their slow service, long wait times and random hours, ie. Some days they are closed because they are too busy with take out orders. I do understand that this is a small, family owned, authentic restaurant and that the owner cooks each dish to order. That is why the food is so amazing. It's also probably why it sometimes takes forever sometimes for dine in and for take out. Obviously, the fact that the food is so good, overrides the other "issues" that this place has, because I keep going back. I would LOVE to see this place get more help, hire more employees and see it run more like a real restaurant. But I wouldn't change a thing about the food/recipes. It is honestly the best Thai food I have ever had, and I have eaten at MANY in many different parts of the country. I had it tonight, my usual... 310 with Chicken and cream cheese wontons as an appetizer. It was so amazing, and the perfect amount of spice, just as I ordered. I've also had a few of the curry dishes and the pad Thai and everything we've ever had here has been dynamite. So so so good. Basically, if you have a little (or sometimes a lot) of patience, it's totally worth it, and you won't be disappointed.
(4)Tony B.
Outstanding. Love it! I always get the Gang Pa-Nang. Its the best. I also always get it as hot as they can make it....level 10+ ...and i'll be honest, it is quite spicy. There are few places i've EVER been to that can be "too" spicy...this one gets close.
(5)Floyd M.
I had the yellow curry at their stand front of the restaurant, during market fest. It was delicious! The flavors and balance of the dish were spot on. I will definitely be trying some food off their full menu.
(4)Ann Marie F.
2 stars for service. Over 30 minutes to get jasmine tea. The Gang Panang chicken (319) was fabulous! 1 chile spice was perfect. Good veggie-chicken ratio. Lovely date got Pineapple Fried Rice (503) with shrimp. Good flavor, but nothing too unique. So, food overall earns 3 stars. We will be back!
(3)Joe L.
Curry very good but a bit salty. Overall very accommodating. Very good appetizers but my wife's entree came with a mysterious fishy jelly sauce on top
(3)Mark H.
Ordered at 6pm, was told 30 min for take out. Drove 15 minutes there got there around 6:40. Was told 10-15 more minutes. Sat in car and waited 20 more minutes until receiving a call that the cook had quit and they wouldn't be able to make my food. This is after 1 full hour since I placed my order. I wasn't even offered a free entree for the next time or even an apology. Will never go back.
(1)G B.
Been here twice and will never eat here again. The first time, the food was delicious. The second time, the food swam in a lake of oil on my plate. I tried to mix the rice and veggies, but could not get rid of the oily taste. The owner said, they have a new cook and he got carried away with the oil. Normally they messure everything carefully. He made a new dish for me and it was ok. If I wandet a bowl of oil, I would have ordert one! This grossed me out.
(2)Mrs O.
Having seen the sign on the door that Ban Thai is award winning I made a mental note of it and promised myself to stop in. We came in for lunch early Sunday afternoon in June 2015 after shopping at a DIY store. One couple other than us had a table. The surroundings are simple giving the impression of being family owned. Our waitress was a polite young lady possibly a 'tween-ager', also, a server/busser provided our ice water and left a full carafe at our table before returning to chopping vegetables at another dining table. I ordered Fried Rice with Large Shrimp, my dining partner ordered 4-Spring Rolls and Yellow Curry with Chicken. Passing the time with conversation I felt an insect crawling up my right ankle. Turned out to be a wood tick. How unfortunate I thought and quickly removed it and crushed it under my shoe and swept it away with the sole of my shoe. Ninety seconds later, wood tick #2 is crawling on my other ankle and I notice my husband is swatting away a tiny flying insect that lands on his arm with two more landing on his other arm. This makes me wonder if this place is functioning with a wide open door back in the kitchen or if the previous clientele who sat at our table had slept in a ditch. After dealing with the flies and ticks our eyes settled on the four bottles on the table (Hoisin Sauce, ... etc...) which all four were in bad need of a good wiping down and lids tightened. (I wouldn't handle the bottles in the state they were in.) We found ourselves wanting to avoid having to drink from our plastic cups of water having had to deal with bugs and staring at the goopy condiments in front of us. When our food arrived my husband told the server we had no knives at our table - only a fork and spoon each. We were presented with one knife. The Spring Rolls were average; the Yellow Curry with Chicken was average; my Fried Rice with Large Shrimp was acceptable but I was disappointed that all the fried shrimp had tails or were TAILS ONLY in my dish. Rather than complaining to the little girl who asked us if everything was ok we opted to leave half-way through our "dining experience", pay our $40 and go across the street to the Washington Square Grill. You know, when we first at down I thought the sound of our waiter chopping vegetables between dealing with customer was charming. Now it begs the question if food should be prepared out in the public dining area without a hairnet, sneeze guard, CLEAN HANDS after having wiped down a table with a filthy rag (no sink to wash available). If that's the standard of cleanliness in the front it makes one wonder what is going on back in the kitchen? Gross.
(1)Bill W.
Checked out Ban Thai at Marketfest last night. I tried the yellow curry as I was walking around the goings on. It was phenomenal and that's all I have to say. You gotta try it.
(5)Rick T.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy eating a restaurant when the owner comes out and talks about their passion for food. It goes a long way with me,and I know what's good to eat. I finally settled on a nice yellow curry w sticky rice. It was what I expected but next time I might go to three peppers in the heat scale for more punch. Always great to have warm curry to bring you joy !
(4)Erin T.
Best thai food ever! Must have the red curry I think it's the 319....crave it!!!! It's not the best dine in experience but take out a must!!!
(5)Tina M.
There aren't many options for Asian cuisine in White Bear Lake so we were excited to learn about Ban Thai. The downtown location is convenient and the online reviews were good, so we gave it a try. Big mistake. We ordered the pad thai and spring rolls to pick up on a Friday evening. They told us to come get it in 20-30 minutes. We arrived after 45 minutes to find that our two dishes were still not ready. The owner said they were "backed up" in the kitchen. He told us numerous times that we'd only have to wait 5 more minutes. Nearly 35 minutes after arriving we finally left with our food. No apology. No offer to throw in some extra wontons. We were upset but too hungry to complain. We also hoped that if the food was great, we would be happy we waited. Unfortunately, the food was just OK, and that's being generous. I'd avoid this place.
(1)Nathan D.
Had dinner here with a couple of coworkers while traveling from out of town. Service was a little slow, but the staff was very friendly. They actually have a large number of dishes on their menu, so there's lots to try. I had the pineapple curry and it was amazing. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone that likes Thai food.
(4)Shelby M.
I typically have my go to thai places that nothing can come close to. I ordered take out. The chicken pad thai was great! It was a decent size portion to share for two. The egg rolls were very peppery but I was great! Spri
(4)E. C.
For decent Asian food in downtown White Bear, consider coming here for take out. The food is ok and the staff is funny but I think the restaurant itself is a bit darker and dated than I prefer. The curries are where its at here and they are saucy which is good to go with rice. The bad being that they never seem to give enough rice. The pad thai is ok and I have had better at some other places but it does scratch an itch. Be careful on the heat level when ordering though as the heat builds quick!
(2)Tammy H.
Ok, do the service can be off, but we need to remember this is a FAMILY run business. They have very little outside help. The food is AMAZING. I keep trying different things and they are all good Have a glass of wine and relax
(4)Andrew T.
Their authentic Thai food is quite good. A nice change of pace from the typical Americanized Asian food places in the area. If you are in to spicy food this is the place to be. I am a spicy food lover and I get only a 2 out of 4 on their heat scale and it is nice and spicy. I've been here a couple times and so far I've had a soup with mushrooms onions and shrimp with a lot of Thai style spices, an entree with beef, stir-fried onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and basil with a delicious sauce. Ive also had a curry beef dish, the spring rolls with shrimp, and the coconut milk chicken soup with mushrooms onions and thai spices. Each dish is served with a nice fresh portion of white rice. The prices are pretty fair considering their food has unique flavor. Their idea of spicy isn't just sprinkling some McCormick's on top. Every dish has a concoction of real spices and herbs. Straight up delicious and authentic! Ohh btw, I just love the thai music. If my next experience is as good as my last few I will up the rating to five stars. Stop in this place for something new... Spice up your life!
(4)Milo G.
The wife noticed that there was a Pho sign in the window and we thought we'd give it a try. Well the rule of thumb not to order non-native dishes from an ethnic restaurant definitely stands here. I think the broth was beef, not chicken, and the beef wasn't sliced thin nor was it rare, plus the accompanying plate only had limes and sprouts, no fresh basil or chilies. It tasted fine, but it wasn't Pho. We also ordered a Tom Yum which was quite delicious. And if you order your food "hot," expect a truly respectable amount of heat, more than suburban "hot" but still less than big-city "hot." We also ordered chicken eggrolls which were unlike any eggroll I've had, somewhere between Chinese and Thai. And while not my favorite eggroll ever, it was definitely tasty and worth a try. All in all it was good enough that we'd consider going back some day.
(3)kyle t.
I have to admit I am a big fan of White Bear lake but now there is another reason for me to be. This was a suggestion for lunch from a friend that lives in area so I figured it was going to be a pretty solid lead. It was spot on! Nothing much to write home about from the outside but the inside was very clean and spacious. the tables aren't packed in here, It has a nice open and relaxed feel. Could be the fact it was a late lunch and there was no one else there but It's open none the less. Now I have this theory about suburban ethic restaurants and that is they always dumb down the food and the flavor to appease the white ass suburbanites. Now I guess I never really get the feeling in White Bear Lake that this is a suburb, just a small town that has seen the city grow around it. Well the food met this match. When ordering my Thai Curry chicken dish I was ask how hot I wanted it. On a scale of 1-10, I want a 9 please. Scale was on a 4, I choose 3. With this came the warning that they "buy their chili peppers from other places and the chillies are much hotter than most restaurants"...This made me smile. We had an order of the Vegetarian Egg rolls, very good. Nice and crisp, not at all greasy and a very nice peanut sauce that was a little different than what I am used to but very fresh tasting. The Thai Curry Chicken came out quick (OK by this time we were not the only ones there) and was rocking good. The spice level made me smile once again. Sweat beads formed under my eyes (as they should) and yet my mouth didn't burn in a Buffalo Wild Wings like fashion. I consumed a lot of water and enjoyed the sweat! The rice that came with it was nice and fluffy, not sticky and gooey like at some places. I think those are all good things! Two big thumbs up for this place. Love good Thai food and keep those peppers coming from where ever it is you buy them! KT
(4)Alex C.
I have to admit that I didn't expect very much from a Thai place in White Bear....not the most diverse place around. I never expect much from a place that advertises that the were named "best Thai" from a publication that I've never heard of. I also never expected something truly spicy in a northern suburb! I was absolutely shocked! Their green curry and pad thai are awesome. Decent prices, $10-$14 depending on protein. I had a salad that had an awesome peanut sauce on it too. I was warned that on a 1 to 4 heat scale to go no more than 1.5. I smirked and thought about saying give me a three and am happy that the waiter warned me that my life would be at risk. At 1.5, this was the perfect spice level. My wife thought this was a bit too spicy but I loved heat. The pad thai was light on the eggs but had fantastic flavor. The curry was perfectly sweet and spicy. The one knock I had was that the waiter said they gave me a double portion of rice when I picked up the order but after I got home, I realized this meant one kind of small container. This left me scratching my head and wondering whether they just skimp on rice or if the waiter got it wrong. In any case, I would take this place over Sawatee and look forward to coming back here.
(3)Mike C.
First time here, ordered the chicken cooked in oyster sauce heat level 3 of 5. Flavor was good, nothing spectacular nothing memorable. Heat was just right, broke into a small sweat while eating it. Service was "dead turtle slow", one waiter, and entrees came out one at a time. Swear they planted the vegetable seeds for my entree just after we ordered. There were 3 tables of people, one with 8 ladies, one with a couple, and we had 4. It literally took 20 minutes just to order then took another half hour just to get the food. Come here on a Friday or anyday you have nothing else to do for the remainder of the day, cause you if you got places to be you ain't make'n it! Been to a few restaurants around White Bear Lake and this is simply not the place for Asian food. Basically, this is an acceptable selection if you absolutely have no other option, but I wouldn't make the trip if you aren't local.
(2)Jennifer K.
Love downtown White Bear Lake-we were hoping for an outdoor table at Washington Square-no luck-but this unassuming place was across the street with no wait. We just ordered appetizers-spring rolls and egg rolls-but they were very good. We ended up getting some chicken satay too-which wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad. We would come again. BTW-my husband said it was the best Thai coffee he'd ever had. Not as sweet as some others, and very strong.
(3)A Soleil B.
Ban Thai never disappoints my cravings. The only downside is the wait for your food. There is usually only one chef [the owner] and one waiter [the owner's husband]. It is usually a good idea to order an appetizer, just to hold you over, because absolutely everything is made-to-order. I tried a new dish this last time I was there, as was left amazed. A hefty portion of rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, pork, and a delicious coconut curry sauce left me thinking about it all night. I can't remember the name of the dish, but since the waiter usually goes by the number listed in the menu anyways, it was #512 ! The pad thai is also excellent, as well as their masaman curry and green curry. It's always nice to support a family-owned restaurant like this, but even better when the food is fantastic! Enjoy!
(4)