Thai Cafe
329 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM, 87501
Thai Cafe Menu
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Address :
329 W San Francisco St
Santa Fe, NM, 87501 - Phone (505) 982-3886
- Website https://www.thaicafesantafenm.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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A G.
I am giving them 5 stars. I can't say that they are the best in the world, but they are the best in Santa Fe, for sure. If I could eat there everyday, I would. I love their food. I should say that I always order the same take-out. Pad Thai with tofu, green papaya salad and mango/sticky rice dessert. We always order extra so there are left-overs. If I could convince my husband, we would eat their take-out twice a week. Right now we order about 3-5 times a month. Highly recommend.
(5)David Q.
Went last night for dinner. While sitting at our table, watched the gentleman who wraps the place settings in their napkins proceed to pick both nostrils with his fingers continuously while going right back to touching utensils, and then sneeze directly all over all of it twice. We left, needless to say, but not after I told manager about what we just saw who refused to apologize. Do.Not.Eat.There. Absolutely disgusting and still cannot believe manager wouldn't even apologize and didn't seem to think this was a health code violation. Never again, as now I wonder what else is dirty in that place.
(1)Chanisa N.
good service and very delicious! The chef is Thaii so u can rely on the taste!!
(5)Jen G.
I love Thai food and this place is very good about getting the food to the level of spiciness that you want! I don't like my food too spicy but others in my party requested spicy to the extreme and got what they wanted.
(4)Kelsey R.
Quaint and cozy place with nice and courteous staff. I had the Thai sweet and sour with tofu and my friend had the ginger noodle dish with chicken. Both were very flavorful and unique tastes that really hit the spot. Portions could be a bit bigger, but overall I would definitely recommend.
(4)Mark M.
I am visiting here from Los Angeles and I frequently eat in Thai Town and many other Thai establishments throughout the Los Angeles area. All I have to say is WTF? I ordered a $130 worth of food and the portions were so small it could barley feed four people.I ordered theThai chicken Satay and they were sugar cubed sized pieces of chicken that wouldn't feed a hamster and two of the four pieces of satay that I ordered were burnt. They must have had a sell on broccoli because all of the meat dishes had more broccoli and filler vegetables than than meat. I don't mind paying good cash for a nice meal but I hate getting ripped off with small portions that all taste the same and are Tiny in size. I am tired of getting ripped off from restaurants that think they can survive from taking advantage of visiting customers. Please don't give this place your business if you are visiting and if you are in the mood for Thai food. And to you locals, you deserve better if this is what they are serving you. Don't pay good money for this BS.
(1)Kimmy V.
Not a bad find on a Sunday evening, when everything else is closed. The atomosphere is warm and inviting. There's a huge piano in the restaurant, I believe they have a piano night on one of the days out of the week. Onto the food, its not any mind blowing Thai food; however, its good. I orrdered #64 based on one of the recommendations of the reviewer; however, once it again, the food was okay... The noodles were a little underdone. I also ordered a cup of their Tom Yum Soup. Onto the staff, they are friendly. However, knowing that its probably just a language barrier, one of their staff members has a hearing impairement, and has a Tag on him that says "DEAF waiter" or something along those lines; which I thought was a little offensive and probably should rephrase as "hearing impared ...."
(3)Sam A.
I've only been here a couple of times and the food is great, but I have a couple issues as of tonight's visit... I ordered 3 orders of spicy curry. One shrimp, one beef, and one chicken with brown rice. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I paid the same price for each entree, and yet the curry portions were about half of what I USED to get from the same restaurant. PLUS... I was only given two orders of the rice that went with my curry instead of the usual 3... Now granted, when I walked in to retrieve my order after the Thai Cafe staff told me that it would be 15 minutes to get my take out, and that magically turned into 45 minutes, well that wasn't a high point of my order. And then, when another customer came up and was visably pissed off, and the wait staff di absolutely nothing to make her happy, well that's a warning bell... Something is wrong, and I want my missing rice... Preferrably delivered.
(2)Carl P.
I thought this place was pretty damned tasty...I ordered #64, spicy (medium) flat pasta with veggies. Granted, I said "no tofu, just veggies" and they included tofu anyway, but it was delicious. The soup with curry, coconut milk and tofu is awesome also. Fast, friendly service...will definitely come back!
(4)Katia A.
The spring rolls fell apart as soon as I picked them up. My partner's Tom yum soup had a tiny metal piece of something in it. I think that's enough to say that we won't be coming back ever again. I'll be posting pictures if I can figure that out.
(1)M B.
Great delicious Thai food with generous portions and excellent service. I will return!
(4)Patrick S.
Thai Cafe, what can I say. You are the best Thai food in Santa Fe. That being said, you are also only one out four Thai food serving restaurants in town. Your place is cute and old adobe, but with nice flashy colors inside. Your food is good but your prices are inching up towards (the ridiculous) Moodoo prices. You could also add a little more curry to the curry, just saying its a bit shallow. Overall... I like you Thai Cafe.
(3)Holly B.
Fast and friendly service. I had the papaya salad which was fresh and the spring rolls which were warm, crisp and tasty with a sweet and hot sauce. The coconut ice cream which was homemade topped off a fine Sunday meal. The decor of the joint is simple but clean. Great for families, couples and dining alone. Highly recommended. The only downside is the entrance can be a little cluttered but if you are here looking for good simple Thai or vegetarian options in Santa Fe, look no further.
(4)Nina L.
This one star rating is for the waitress that served us. Food was awful!!!!! Ordered the chicken green curry and at first sight was turned off by it...it had broccoli and no green bell peppers! Ordered the sticky rice and it was wet! Sticky rice is meant to be eaten with your hands! It was so wet that there was no way you could eat it with your hands. I could have just saved my $30 and ate somewhere else.
(1)Carolyn M.
We started out thinking we'd dine in for dinner, but the strangely quiet dining room (no music, few chatting diners) scared us off with our little ones. And the ambience certainly doesn't offer a ton of incentive to stay. But the take out was solid - the Thai hot papaya salad delivered and the mussaman curry is great. Not a lot of room for special requests, which was a little challenging with tots, but we made it work.
(3)Kristi W.
Please, save yourself and don't eat here. We made the mistake last time we were in Santa Fe of eating here and sadly...made the same mistake again. The food was barely mediocre. Not only was the food disappointing, but they only had one waitress who knew nothing about the food. Granted she had way too many customers to take care of, but she moved at a snails pace...lieterally. She couldn't have walked any slower. She was apathetic seemed to have no customer service training. They were also unwilling to make adjustments to the food to accommodate one of our guests diet restrictions. I would give this place a 0 if I could.
(1)Clare M.
The food is good, but every time I go the servings are smaller and smaller and the prices stay the same. To top it off, the service gets slower and slooower and slooooooowwwerrrr and sssslllloooooowwwwweeeeerrrrrrrr. They had my credit card so long I'm assuming they were buying stuff on Amazon with their free wi-fi. That's the only explanation for taking 10 minutes to run a credit card when there are 4 people working the floor and 3 tables. I start singing Fugazi every time we sit down..."I am a patient boy. I wait , I wait, I wait, I wait. My time is water down the drain!"
(2)Bronwyn W.
Chicken satay was yum - the peanut sauce was warm so it really brought out the peanut flavor. beef salad was great as was chicken pad thai. all standard stuff that was really great. The thai iced tea was outstanding. I'm usually not a fan of the iced tea but this place does it right. Service was friendly and fast, everything was clean. So me and my equally caucasian boyfriend decide we are going to order the beef salad "thai hot" because we like hot. The waitress asked us several times if we were sure we wanted our food this spicy. Several Times. Then she made sure that if we didn't like it, it wouldn't be her fault. She gave us fair warning. Stuff was so hot it made eating our pad thai uncomfortable. We'll be back for more, just dialed down on the chili pepper.
(4)Sherry C.
The "thai spicy" is super spicy, my friend could not finish her dish. Lunch set has a very reasonable price. Mar.16th
(4)Bethany B.
I had almost given up on finding good Thai in Santa Fe, but this place is the bomb! You walk in to a cozy, colorful dining room with little details everywhere. Our server was a doll and very knowledgeable about the menu. We kept it simple, Thai iced coffee, fried veggie rolls, and Pad Thai. I like to judge a place by some classics to see if I want to go deeper into the menu on later visits. All three choices were some of the best I had ever had. The coffee had the perfect balance of strength and sweetness. The rolls were crisp without being too greasy, and the sweet sauce they were served with...I wanted to drink it. Then came the Pad Thai. Lots of crunchy bean sprouts, carrots, and peanuts on the sides to be mixed in as you wish. The noodles weren't drowned in sauce but had this perfect tangy smoky taste that you don't find many places. We are definitely going back...the fried banana egg roll dessert is a-callin' my name :)
(5)J T.
Our waitress was great. She was friendly and helpful. However the service was slow and at one point the piano-player had to come over and ask us if we needed anything because another waitress ignored us. Food was mediocre. The fried veggie egg roll appetizer was nice but the entrees (pad thai with shrimp and spicy flat noodles) were overly sweet. The portions were good-sized, but we expected better for the price. The shrimp beyond over-cooked. Think beef. Our desserts (banana egg roll and black sticky rice with coconut milk) were tasty but the presentation was nothing special. Overall the restaurant had a nice feel but you can get better in Santa Fe.
(2)Vin R.
Not bad, pot stickers were good, 0pineapple fried rice was a disappointment they used what appeared to be canned pineapple. Sad...
(3)Michelle S.
The prices were ridiculous and the portion sizes were minimal. If Im going to pay $30 for a take out lunch for 2 I want to be awed! My husbands meal was gross, the beef looked like a combo of flank & ground beef mixed into something that tasted horrible. I never thought Id have bad Thai but not only is the atmosphere inside cheap and tacky the food isn't cheap but tastes like it. What a bummer
(1)Samuel C.
Best Thai food in Santa Fe. My advice is to keep the heat level down to medium, because the hot is super hot. I have no idea how someone would ever be able to eat the thai spicy. I had a chicken stir fry that was pretty darned good. Place is downtown, so convenient.
(3)Mel D.
The food was just ok. We've eaten at this restaurant half a dozen times over the last few years. It is always something to look forward to when we visit Santa Fe. But I think it's slowly going downhill. The service was not great. Our server was friendly, but we sat in a nearly empty restaurant for nearly 20 minutes. Then she came over to take drink orders, no water. Had to ask for it. When other customers did come in, she seemed very attentive to them, but she never came back to our table. When she brought out our meals, there was no rice with mine, even though she asked me what kind I wanted. I asked for it and when she brought out a little bowl it was covered in the sides and bottom with rice and seemed to be somewhat dirty. The green curry was spicy but meh. The chicken pad Thai was good. The fresh spring rolls were good but fell apart. The Tom ka soup was thin and watery. I think we will be looking elsewhere for our Thai fix when we visit SF.
(2)Leahi M.
This place had great food! I ordered through Dashing Delivery because I rarely get out anymore so as far as ambiance, I'm not as experienced...I do know, however, it is close to everything downtown and you can walk your dinner off if you'd like by taking a stroll around the plaza. I really enjoy their curries, I wish I had asked for something spicier, but that was my bad for not thinking. I definitely love their food and would eventually like to come in and sit down for a tasty meal. It's great to veer away from the normal New Mexican food every once in a while and this place offers the perfect solution for that.
(4)Ray S.
Just ate at Thai Cafe on Saturday night. We arrived early followed by several parties. It appears they only had one server who was quickly overwhelmed. She did get a little help from an older guy who didn't appear to have assigned tables and served our beers, so perhaps was the bartender. An older Oriental gentleman seated a couple of parties and bussed one table but didn't seem to do much else up front. It follows that the service was incredibly slow and even then we had to pour our own beers at the table. Just basic wait staff service, right? Took eons to get requested glasses of water. We had to stop eating until food was cold before we got water. Yelp reviews helped us choose to eat there since we were visiting Santa Fe. The food was average at best. Plenty hot, but tended to overcome the food flavors. Coconut ice cream, besides being very slow coming, was very icy, not creamy at all. Would better be called coconut ice. Reading other reviews this may have been an unusually bad night, but I won't know since I won't return.
(1)robbie s.
We read some of the reviews and don't know what folks were thinking. We loved our meal and service. The green papaya salad was tasty and spicy (medium plus). The soups the same (Tom yum gai and Tom ka gai)... spicy but couldn't stop eating. Pad Thai, curry, pad mee and Thai noodle soup all good. We would gladly recommend this to anyone needing a good Thai fix in Santa Fe.
(5)Rex C.
Great thai food. I got pineapple fried rice and my got pad thai. The spice and flavor was amazing. We are from houston and eat great thai in Houston all the time. So i was skeptical at first but this place delivered 100%. Great place to eat in sante fe
(5)Krisann Q.
After being assured the soups were vegetarian-based, I was served my veggie broth with a chunk of chicken. I'm sure I'm not the only vegetarian that's tired of spending money on cross-contaminated food.
(1)Gabriel P.
I would love it if I could give less than one star. There is nothing good about this place. Food is terrible. Wait staff barely cares. And if you lucky enough to go when the creepy guy plays horrible piano you have the perfect trifecta of uncomfortable situation. I really hope they close and let someone else take a chance at the location.
(1)Will V.
Ok food. Terrible service. I'm from the east coast. And there are so many great Thai food places there. I've also been to Thailand. So in comparison, this place is mediocre. It satisfies my thai cravings, but isn't anything special if you're used to east coast thai. My real complaint is that the service is terrible. We usually phone in a takeout order, and last time I waited at the counter for 20 minutes and wasn't acknowledged! I usually have to call several times in order for anyone to pick up the phone, and they often get my order wrong. The ambiance inside is weird... But not bad. I'll keep coming. It's better than thai vegan.. That place is godawful.
(3)Nikki C.
We were vacationing and got carry-out here -- thought it was some of the best Thai food we've had in years! Loved the red curry. We are from Des Moines, which has numerous decent Thai restaurants, but this one is much better than any of those.
(5)Patron X.
Showed up at the posted time for opening, was informed that they were running behind but assured that they'd be open in 5 minutes. Embarrassed that I made my party wait for over 30 minutes before I gave up. Stuff happens, but being assertive or even just honest with your customers goes a long way.
(1)Christiana C.
This is the most interesting Thai I have ever had. Everything tasted off. We went there for lunch special and the spring rolls weren't fried long enough, so they were completely mushy inside. My pad Thai was undercooked but my husbands curry was okay. The lemon grass soup they give to you comes in a tea cup, and I did not care for it at all. It was in fact an insult to soup. And in fact, this is the WORST Tom Kai Gai I have ever had. It didn't have any of the traditional herbs, or the seasoning that goes on top. There is no good Thai in Santa Fe!
(2)R. G.
I didn't know what mussaman curry could be until I had Thai Cafe's. The flavor is impossibly delicate and rich. It might literally be a dream. The pad kee mow is also one of my favorite things to eat, anywhere.
(5)Maria H.
The food takes a long time and it's not worth the wait. Definitely one of the worse thai restaurants I've been to.
(1)Maysie S.
Had an amazing pan-ang and mussam curry. Nice environment, and decor. Authentic and flavorful.
(5)Ashley B.
I love this restaurant. The pad thai is the most authentic you can find in Santa Fe. Their panang is delicious over their coconut rice. I eat there at least once a week.
(5)Tamaki I.
I personally think this is the best Thai in Santa Fe. Over Dara Thai, over any other place that claims they serve Thai food. Obviously, I'd rather eat my Thai in Los Angeles or any other city that has a large Thai community, but this works for the Fe. I'm a big fan of their Tom Yum Goong, Massaman Curry with Jasmine rice and Thai Iced Tea. I think their Pad Thai is average, not mind blowing at all. Always friendly, good, and quick service. The best parking spaces are a little past the store on Guadalupe - they share a lot with Il Vicino and Yoberri's.
(4)claire g.
Might be the best Thai food in Santa Fe but the food was pretty bad. Fresh spring rolls were a sloppy mess, curry with extra vegetables was almost all broth with minimal tiny pieces of onion and potato and a few broccoli and that's it. Salad vegs we're totally wilted and veg pad thai was pathetic. Browning vegetables and a weird soy sauce - not a pad thai sauce. Maybe if you live in Santa Fe might you bear this place for a thai fix but skip it if you're visiting, too many other good restaurants in this town.
(1)Joshua N.
Excellent and well worth the additional $ over faster food Thai. Quality flavors, meats, vegetables. The top spice level quite impressive and a wonderful experience.
(5)Heather B.
Years ago, this place was really good. Recently I have tried it twice and I will not go there again. Egg rolls were clearly straight out of the freezer. Food was too spicy and NOT in a good way. I ordered spice, and apparently all I got was spice. We tried to order a bottle of wine, and they were out of most things on their wine menu. They finally offered a decent wine "by the glass' white from an already open bottle and my guess is that the bottle had been sitting open in the refrigerator for 3 months. An otherwise good wine tasted like vinegar. Plus the parking near the front door is "employee only." Seems a bit uninviting to keep the best parking for employees and have your guests walk a block to get to your establishment!
(1)Owen S.
Average Thai food. Nothing amazing and service was acceptable. I wish I give more details but nothing was great or awful... Just okay
(3)Lauren E.
My favorite thai in Santa Fe. I love the pad thai, pineapple fried rice, and tom kha goong. They are always friendly. I also love that they have a frequent diner punch card. Great for takeout!
(4)Norm R.
My friend and I found this cozy restaurant after a long walk exploring the heart of Santa Fe. The atmosphere is relaxed and the food options are typical of a good Thai restaurant. It took a while for the food we ordered to arrive, but it was worth the wait. Everything we ordered was good and optimally seasoned. The fish was tender, the vegetables fresh, the level of heat just to our liking. The shrimps in the Thai fried rice we ordered lacked flavor, though, but that was the only miss in our otherwise scrumptious dinner.
(4)Altaf R.
my friend suggested this place to try when I asked about the things he did in Santa Fe 3 years ago. He says its the best Thai he ever had. So I had to try. The restaurants were seriously understaffed. It took time to even ask for order. They have different definition of spiciness which they stated in the menu. So to be safe I ordered mild spicy Pad Ped Ga Prow with white rice. But whoa, it was seriously spicy. yeap, they forgot my choice. Thai Iced Tea was good. I felt I should better go out and use my time to take photos in the remaining sunlight of the day. so I scrapped the dessert.
(3)Caro M.
Simply hideous. I'm probably spoilt by having many excellent Thai options available in my So Cal neighborhood. Green curry? Watery & flavorless. Green tea? Tepid. Pad See Ew - clammy, slimy noodles - someone else's left overs? If you know Thai food - do not go here. If you're keen to try some, do not go here. In fact, even if you're starving....
(1)Joe L.
Thai Cafe...what happened? You used to be so delicious and inexpensive. But the last few times I went there, the portions had become too small, and the food had become way too expensive. The food used to be so flavorful and hugely portioned, but not any more. What the hell happened? This all started a few years ago when they got some crazy diplomat from thailand to come in and tell them that their food was delicious, which it was! But then guess what happened? They let it go to their heads and suddenly the prices went up, the portions got small, and the quality took a dive...what the hell. Anyways, aside from the general price hike, the food is still pretty tasty and talk about hot! If you don't like spice then don't even walk in the door. Just keep on going down the street towards the plaza, theres plenty of other restaurants. But if you're like me, then you like spice, and Thai Cafe brings it hard. Just go in and see if you can handle the medium, it's got some heat but it works well with most of the flavors in their currys. Then try their hot and try not to send the plate back, it just kicks you in the throat and you probably wont be able to taste much other than pain. However there is still a good bunch of flavors that come out and are accentuated by the heat, buy you really need to work to taste them. Then it goes one step further. For those that have truly lost their sense of taste, you can take it one more notch to what they call "Thai hot". How to describe "Thai hot"...I once asked the waitress if their "Thai hot" was some kind of joke. If they just made it unbearably spicy in order to screw with americans. She told me, "no" and that it was "middle of the road, for Thai people". She may have been screwing with me, or maybe all Thai People are mutants that subsist on a diet of fire and suffering. Put another way, they will give you a warning if you order the hot curry on their menu, if you order "Thai hot" they will actively try to talk you out of it. If you can finish a "Thai hot" bowl in a reasonable amount of time without giving up or consuming an ungodly amount of water, or having it chase the rest of the food out the backdoor of your body. Then you dear reader are a freak, because i'm convinced you could use "Thai hot" curry as a paint solvent. All in all, this place is only worth going to if you feel like testing your mettle against the various levels of spice, otherwise head down Cerillos to Dhara Thai and enjoy the way their food tastes.
(2)Therese F.
Not very authentic, which their menus boasts. Had the Pad Se Wu which was just sweet with no flavor or spice & Pad Khing which also wasn't very flavorful. Have been to Bangkok... This wasn't close.
(1)Harry E.
Really didn't enjoy the food here. The shrimp used in the pad thai noodles didn't seem that fresh and the sticky rice tasted like Japanese short grain rice, not traditional glutinous rice. The satay chicken tasted like it came from McDonald's. As a result, I didn't consider the food here as authentic Thai food.
(2)Hoya S.
Fantastic! The request for spicy is honored with truly spicy and delicious dishes. Yellow curry and red curry were fantastic, as was the Chile pad. Coconut rice also great. Well be back again for sure.
(5)Selena M.
I'm a student (at nearby St. John's) so where I choose to spend my money on the rare occasion I eat out means a lot. And 9/10 times I choose to go here. The service isn't great, but it isn't horror inducing, and the more you go the more gracious the servers become. They appreciate regulars and by now every waitress there remembers my order. The food always comes out in a timely manner and drinks are replenished when needed. The food is hands down the best Thai I've had in my life. It is well portioned and the flavor is complex and deep. They arent shy about spices and dont americanize the dishes like so many other places. I've had several of their appetizers, which are always up to par and my boyfriend always enjoys the curry. I get the pad Thai, always, and though the hotness level is inconsistent its always SO GOOD. The price is a *bit* more expensive than your run of the mill Thai place but this is a tourist town and the food certainly warrants the price. Plus, if you're just in town for a visit it's within walking distance of most hotels and centrally located in the Plaza area.
(5)Annie S.
I ate here when we first moved to town and they have consistently good thai food. I've ordered the shrimp pad thai (mild) and it's always been tasty. The service can be slow so that's why I'm knocking a point. I don't know why there are so many negative reviews on the restaurant, maybe I've gone on their "on" days. Obviously you are not going to get the same quality if you go to Thailand (been there 2x, amazing country) but this will do for Santa Fe!
(4)Crystal C.
Authentic Thai food, well done. Good service. Fair price, fast service. I recommend!
(4)Mike M.
Couldn't get a table at Santa Fe good eatin' local food joints so we stumbled into Thai Cafe to get some grub. We've eaten Thai MANY times; we know good Thai. You, Thai Cafe, are not good Thai. Let's start with the positives: --We were seated promptly --The waitress was polite --No one became violently ill later on. That covers the good points. How about the basics. Steamed rice perhaps. One would expect to see some steam coming from the bowl when we remove the top. Well, maybe that's a bit optimistic. A few degrees above room temperature? Nope. Probably several degrees below room temperature. Not sure how long this had been sitting around. Pad See Ew. A noodle dish we're quite familiar with and fond of. Limp, stale, cold. The wife said "This looks like something that was left over from an earlier order that they brought back out for 'take two'." My initial reaction was the same as yours, "Sure....maybe it ain't great but that's a bit too much hyperbole. " But having looked it over and tasted it I pondered for a few seconds and agreed that she may be right. Tom Yum soup. By the numbers. Passable. Green Curry. Way too sweet. No curry depth. Someone got carried away with sugar or whatever it is they sweeten it with. Quite a bit left on the plates and it didn't occur to us to ask for a doggie bag. I'm sure any self-respecting dog would have turned his nose up at it. Oh well. When in Santa Fe, go local. Which we managed the next day, to our delight.
(1)Lindsay N.
Not bad but will try other places in town to compare. Wasn't totally impressed with the service but the food was good. Small portions and a little too quiet for my taste.
(3)Nik D.
I went with a large group of people to Thai Cafe when I was visiting Santa Fe. I don't intend to skewer this restaurant like satay. Overall, I think this place is decent. I think it could easily be great with a little more care taken to the food and making the experience more authentic. I'm no expert on Thai cuisine, though I have lived there for over a year and taken a few cooking classes. My pad see ooh was a little dry and lackluster. The panang curry chicken was spicy but in need of more subtle flavor. Our papaya salad was pretty mild. I thought their prices seemed a little high (and I'm coming from San Francisco). Either the prices should come down a bit or the quality should go up. And channeling the douchbaggery of Sean Parker, I suggest they drop the fortune cookies that come with the bill. Not only do fortune cookies have nothing to do with Thai food, they also associate the experience with bad Chinese takeout.
(3)Dawn M.
Free Wifi! Lunch specials! Hot/Cold Sake! Plum wine! This place is awesome! The only thing keeping me from giving this place 5 stars is the soup. It was fair at best. My friend got the Tom Ka Gai, which was tasty, but not awesome. I got the Tum Yum Gai which tasted rancid and disgusting. Maybe someone dropped a bottle of vinegar in it by accident, but I was not in love with it. I didn't even really eat it. The curry here is excellent. Green or red, I'll take it. Nice vegetable selection. Yummy tofu! We ordered Thai hot, but the food did not come out so much. She asked us a couple of times if we were sure we wanted it Thai hot and seemed skeptical of our decision, so maybe she turned down the heat to try to protect us. Either way, the food was still yummy. The staff is very nice. We came in right before closing and stayed for several rounds of drinks after dinner and did not feel at all rushed. (There was another couple who came in after us and who were not in any hurry to leave, so that may have added to our comfort level). Wish soups, meals, and many drinks, our tab still came to around $50. Perfect night, yummy food, great service. And I love free wifi! **They also are apparently the first Thai restaurant in New Mexico to receive the prestigious Thai Select designation from the Thailand Ministry of Commerce. ~ I don't really know what that means, but I like the place and it's on their menu, so I just thought I'd share.
(4)Jolene M.
I LOVE Thai Cafe! I've never been to Thailand, so I can't comment on its authenticity, but I can comment on its deliciousness! I'm never afraid to try a new dish there because I always end up enjoying it. You can get virtually any dish mild, medium or hot, so don't worry about being overwhelmed by the spices. Although that's an option as well. The staff is friendly, the service is fast and the prices are reasonable. My niece and I go there twice a month. They also have a frequent diner card. Buy 12 entrees and get one free.
(5)Barry S.
Saturday night, not crowded seated quickly, prompt service. So far so good. Steamed pot stickers, Shrimp Pad Thai and sweet & sour pork. All good. Happy. Bonus - free wi-fi.
(3)Rebel Y.
The finest pad thai in town. Fresh, with a full range of tastes & textures, noodles & vinegar & peanut & lime, just the way it should be. Of course pad thai comes with options: tofu, or seafood, or chicken or other meat. The amount of heat is controlled by you and how many ground chiles you choose to sprinkle on. Another delicious item that I've ordered off their "specials" board twice: shrimp & scallops in a garlic/basil sauce. It includes an abundance of fresh basil leaves -- yummy contrast to the seafood! My friends like their many noodle dishes and curries, which I have yet to try. I'm a Santa Fe dweller & love my food hot & spicy -- but for the shrimp & scallop dish, Thai Cafe's version of "medium" is so hot that my tongue is both numb and burning by the time I leave. Fortunately the servers keep your water glass filled, and there's a frozen yogurt place, Yoberri, a few doors down. For dessert, something really special is the mango sliced paper-thin & served on top of a bed of sweet coconut rice. What a delicious and aromatic treat! When we don't order beer or wine, 2 can enjoy a mind-blowingly flavorful, luxurious dinner for under $35. Ambience is dignified, yet casual, and I've seen families with kids dining there most times I've gone. Parking is on the street or in the little lot behind Il Vecino. Their location is super convenient to the Lensic, and they're efficient enough that you can make dinner plans for 1 hour before the show.
(4)Bill E.
Thai beef salad - A, tom ka - A.
(4)Jake M.
Had I not had an allergic reaction to the cheap "fish paste" (that is what the waitress called it but I suspect shrimp paste), this would still would have been below average Thai food that was outrageously over-priced with the added benefit of very poor service. When we ordered, I immediately informed the waitress we had allergies to gluten and dairy. I often eat Thai food because the noodles are made of rice and generally have little trouble as long as I avoid soy sauce (the use of conventional soy sauce usually being a sign of cheap American Thai anyway). The great reviews along with the large print "We don't use MSG" on the menu seduced me into thinking the restaurant was conscious of not using artificial ingredients. After discussing the gluten problem, the waitress came back from the kitchen saying, "No problem, they can replace the soy with fish paste." I should have had the sense to leave then. The soups (Tom Ka Gai and the non-coconut version) were quite good though not spicy enough. The chicken satay was adequate. But then the three noodle dishes and the stir fry were revolting. Greasy and overly fishy. While this fish paste business was likely the cause of the fishy smell and taste, the greasiness and generally unimpressive ingredients seem to be just the regular fare. The waitress forgot every drink and needed to be reminded several times for some aspect of each course. She stared into space in a vacant way despite the restaurant not being at all busy, To add insult to injury (literally as I am even a day later still short of breath from my reaction to the "fish paste"), paying well over $100 for 4 quite small noodle dishes and three bowls of soup was infuriating. Avoid this restaurant.
(1)Brandi E.
The Thai Cafe was the most memorable meal I had while in Santa Fe. The food was above average for Thai food but not amazing. I got Pad Thai which I think is usually a good plate to use for comparison. The inside is very funky. The walls are brightly colored and adorned with art. It is definitely more interesting and engaging than the average restaurant in terms of decor. The reason this place was great however was the warmth of the owner and that's what really sets the place apart. I was traveling alone and she came over and struck up a conversation after asking how my food was. She shared her story. How she came to the country and how she ended up in Santa Fe running a restaurant. She was genuinely interested in me and my story as well. What otherwise could have been a boring meal of looking at the internet on my phone ended up being a great experience. She seemed to genuinely be interested in her customers and was hosting a Halloween party for regulars. The place really warmed my heart and filled my stomach.
(5)Kat H.
If I could, I would give this place a 3.5 stars, so I gave 4, thinking that 3 was too few. Having grown up in a major East Coast city with a large Thai population, I was spoiled. This is definitely the best Thai restaurant in Santa Fe, simply because Dara Thai puts sweet and sour sauce in their Pad Thai (phat thai/phad thai), which is horrid and I have never encountered anywhere else. My husband and I love spicy food, but be careful of ordering anything "hot" there, it becomes to spicy to taste. That said, they have more "authentic" thai food than any other place around. They put actual ingredients, such as radishes (which are often left out in other places) in their dishes, even though it may not be what the typical American knows. Their Mussaman Curry is lovely, but be careful about the spice! The same can be said of their Pad Kee Mow, which is delicious at the "medium" spice level. Their Tom Ka Gai is always a hit with as, as are their fresh rolls. Plus, they started a punch-card program where you get a punch for each entree and get a free entree after 13? (I can't remember exactly) punches. The portion sizes are not too big or too small, we always eat there expecting to have leftovers for lunch the next day. The service is nice, although there always does seem to be a slight mistake whenever we make a phone order.
(4)Stephen Y.
If you know Thai food, this place is not even average. Everything was so sweet that it made me nauseous! The fresh spring rolls, forget ordering this because it is nothing but rice noodles and rice paper with very little of anything else. Four miniature pieces for $4.95? Give me a break and tasteless to boot! After tasting the Pad Thai, I canceled my other dishes. I am not saying that some of you may actually enjoy the food but rather if you know what good Thai food taste like, this place is not for you! Definitely not worth the money!
(2)