Suwanasak
811 S Gammon Rd, Madison, WI, 53711
Suwanasak Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Madison for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
811 S Gammon Rd
Madison, WI, 53711 - Phone (608) 270-4440
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : No
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : No
Caters : No
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Chad L.
I love this place but they are very frustrating as well. The Hmong owners (not Thai actually) cook the BEST comfort food you'll ever taste...but only if they have it that day, and will take up to 40 minutes to do it even on a slow day, and then may say only half your items were available (it happened to me, with no concessions/discounts). They are very nice, the place is clean enough, but definitely just order take out. I may try scheduling a pickup 2 hours out. If they are punctual then, it's 5 stars all the way.
(4)E B.
I stopped by this little restaurant one day and I read the menu that was hanging in the window. That is when I noticed cockroach crawling out from behind it. Needless to say, I was so disgusted, I did not order any food. Truly gross :(
(1)Dylan K.
Well, my answer to Asian One has finally arrived! Ventured out to Suwanasak after reading a couple reviews. I got the Naam Ya with chicken--a dish made with a bit of coconut milk, lemongrass, garlic, lime leaves and a couple other things--in a bowl of vermicelli noodles. The dish? Awesome. Really. Absolutely delicious! Spice level was spot on, flavors were excellent, price was cheap ($5.59!). Definitely authentic. This dumpy little restaurant in an off-the-path strip mall has finally answered my prayers! No, it's not the best Thai I've ever had, but as far as the best in Madison? Unequivocally--yes. I will be back...again and again and again.
(4)Kristen W.
Ordered delivery, took about an hour which I was expecting. Asked for spring rolls without turkey, they had turkey in them. Smallest portion of peanut sauce. Ordered the #17 with shrimp, it came with chicken and didn't have any mung beans on top. Disappointing order.
(2)Junice N.
Really delicious food. I was weary when I walked in but was so happy with the curry that I ordered. It's a bit of a drive for me coming from the east side but I'll be back.
(5)CihanAudrey Y.
This review is based on a delivery order. I am visiting Madison for a business trip and this placed was recommend by a colleague. I ordered spring roles and Pad See Ew with shrimp. Spring roles were missing shrimp!!! I did not enjoy it at all. Pad See Ew was really delicious and I am quite impressive with it. However, do not order it with shrimp. There were only 6 pieces of tiny (the smallest shrimps I have ever seen) shrimps. Stick with beef or chicken.
(3)Alan B.
Really good home style Thai food for reasonable prices. Many of the dishes are fresher and more authentic than most Thai restaurants in Madison. Suwanasak seemed to have trouble keeping up with the crowds after the initial reviews, and many people were turned off by the waits. But we just visited and it's a great place now that the buzz has died down.
(5)Alper S.
The food is sooo good. Pad Se Ew was not slimy/greasy at all, the cilantro-marinated pork was amazing, and the spicy shrimp/pork dish was pleasantly spicy. The place was closed temporarily on a Sunday when we went, but suddenly opened while we waited. We were lucky to get our order in first before the call-ins, and it sounded just as if one wok was going, so nothing was parallelized. Many of the people waiting for their order had to wait twice the prescribed time for their food (40 min avg). Regardless, the food is sooo good. Good thai does exist in Madison. Once they figure out organizational problems, maybe hire another cook especially in busy times, they'll be completely set.
(4)David H.
I've eaten at many thai restaurants in Madison and this is by far my favorite. It is very reasonably priced, well spiced, and made fresh. Even most of their sauces are made from scratch. The downside is that service is a bit slow and it is definitely more of a take out sort of place. Definitely not the sort of place you'd want to take a first date to.
(5)Ri M.
I don't like it when I have to give less than five stars to a place that I know it has potential but they haven't realized how to make it work and this the case for this small restaurant. It is a family owned business which I know it has good cooks, most of the time two ladies. However, I suspect sometimes they live young people in charge of the kitchen and that's when things start to fall apart. They don't cook the food with love and care so that makes this place either a big hit or a big miss. I have been there many times, either to pick up or dine in so I have experienced both. Besides, most of the time you place an order over the phone they rush you, I know there is a language barrier but at least they could listen and not keep saying "anything else?"after each word you say. I love their green curry with chicken, it comes with Thai eggplant, ginger, basil, coconut milk and my favorite butternut squash, it screams comfort food and it really makes my tummy happy and not to say sweaty! You have to specify how spicy you want it but even I always ask for mild it still has a kick, I don't mind, but I just wanted you to be aware of that. Also, their crispy egg rolls and crab Rangoon are good, specially the latter, they keep their crunchiness for a long time which impress me and the cream cheese filling has a nice delicate flavor with a hint of chives. My hubby gets their chili fried fish (it's a whole one) with a sweet and spicy sauce and it is yummy, it has complex but interesting flavors with herbs like mint.
(3)Hayley D.
Spectacular Thai cuisine! Would have given it 5 stars, but the wait is always between 30-45 minutes for food every time I've gone.
(4)Carly H.
Although the atmosphere was underwhelming, the food was absolutely incredible. Everything was so fresh and flavorful! I highly recommend the papaya salad, which has amazing flavors and textures: so good! I also enjoyed the Pha Kai Curry. Others in my party had the Pha Thai and Stir Fried Tilapia, both of which I sampled. The tilapia melted in my mouth, I've never had anything like it. Really great, authentic, family-owned business that is absolutely worth checking out.
(5)Erin C.
The food is spot on, a solid 4 stars if not more. I asked for "a little bit spicy" and was wiping my running nose after the first bite. Every dish was full-flavored and the ingredients authentic and fresh. Had I just stuck to take-out as reviewers recommended, I might have rated this a four. Unfortunately, we decided to eat in. The scenery was stark - fluorescent lights, a loudly humming drink cooler, and a sticky floor. The woman behind the register actually looked surprised when we said we planned on eating here. Someone hacked a loogie in the back - not exactly what you want to hear while you're ordering. The Thai iced tea and iced coffee were mostly sugar water, and we were not offered regular water. Our food took 30 min even though we were the only customers there and it seemed like we were outnumbered by the staff 2:1. We had to ask for an extra plate because we were only given one. Nothing terribly wrong with any of this, but a place that doesn't seem too concerned with their customers' dining experiences might not be concerned about other parts of the business. The staff seemed like nice people, it's probably more to do with management oversight. TLDR; They probably know their food is so good people are willing to put up with lackluster service, and they're right.
(3)Alice L.
if you're looking for americanized food and service, you definitely should go elsewhere. the owners of this place used to own a restaurant in thailand and have brought their cooking here to the states. coming from a southeast asian background, i can vouch that their food is more homestyle cooking that restaurant, but that's a good thing in my opinion. i rarely go out for thai food in this city because i can make it in my own house, but when i don't feel like cooking, this is definitely our go-to place. i get that they're in america and they should provide the service that we are accustomed to, but to be honest, i like that it's not so american and resembles more of what you would find in thailand. the lao style papaya salad and fried fish are awesome, by the way!
(4)Richard S.
I ordered the Phad Waan from here and it was really good. My girlfriend as always got papaya salad thai style with 3 peppers and downed that. Good place to go for a quick meal
(4)Veena V.
I would give a 4 star for the food and a 2 for the ambience. It's perfect for carry out. The food feels like a home cooked Thai food. The flavors were good. I ordered red curry which looked appetizing and tasted excellent. Will do a carry out again.
(4)Daniel S.
I absolutely love Suwanasak, and order pick-up from them at least twice a week. Their curries are very delicious and rich in flavor, as are their Pad Thai dishes. They make spring rolls exactly how I like them. The fried rice was alright, but would probably not order that again.
(5)K V.
I don't get over to the East side enough to declare this the best Thai food in Madison, but it is definitely the best on the West side. Don't go if you're expecting spotless tables and smooth service (but it's still very friendly service, and certainly not bad service). The last time we were there, when the curries came out mixed up vs what we ordered we were told "oh... sorry... my mom got confused when she was making these..." (we told the guy it was uncool to throw mom under the bus. Everyone still liked their curries!) The Thai iced tea is made fresh from hot brewed tea (I love it... a friend didn't care for his... its pretty strong, almost like coffee). I usually get the fish curry, and if you tell them "I want it spicy" they make it spicy. I think there are 2 tables for 4, and 2 tables for 2. But they never seem to be that busy so eating in (lunch) has not been a problem.
(4)Chy L.
Wow what a find! The week earlier I had been to Ha Long Bay and was severely disappointed. So glad we have this place on the west side. The papaya salad ($5) was the BEST I've had in Madison thus far. They really turned a simple dish into something extravagant. It came Asian cucumbers, slices of tiny lime, and crunchy chunks of tomato in a light, refreshing, sweet and sour chili sauce. The green curry ($8) had the right amount of consistency, not too watery but not thick like stew. It had pleasant cuts and portions of Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and my choice of fried tofu. The flavors were really in tuned with what an authentic Thai curry should taste like. Cilantro in the curry also gave it a nice boost of flavor. I'd definitely recommend this hole in the wall for your Thai fix! They accept credit cards and have carry outs as well.
(4)Ka L.
This place is located beyond West Towne, on the far west side. It's located in a small strip mall and looks a little shady. There are only two or three tables in this tiny store and looks like it's family run! I arrived there around 8pm, and it seemed like the place was quiet. However, there were a few call ins for pick up while we were waiting. I would say call ahead if you are in a hurry and just come by to pick up. The lady was apologetic for the long wait (20 minutes or so), and even gave me a box of jellies!!! That was very nice of her. I got pad see ew. The most flavorful pad see ew I've ever had! I couldn't stop eating it. I also tried my friend's dishes - thai fried rice and pad thai. Thai fried rice was this amazing tasty chewy rice. I would love to visit this place again if it wasn't so far west, or if they did delivery. I would definitely visit again if I'm at West Towne on a Monday, when Siagon noodles is closed.
(4)Michelle F.
I ordered rangoons and Pad Thai for delivery through grub hub. My order arrived in about half the predicted time--score! The rangoons were a bit too cream cheesy for my taste, but the Pad Thai was mmm-mmm good. The only thing is that I'd probably order the spiciest rather than medium-spicy, since I'm a chili head. Overall, two thumbs up: the feel-good restaurant of the year.
(4)Shruti W.
I've been here twice now, and I'd say it's a solid 4 stars. I definitely would not eat there, and I've made it a point to call ahead to order before going. So far that's worked pretty well, I had no wait the first time and a 20min wait the second time. I highly recommend ordering before 6pm to avoid the dinner rush if possible. Now onto the food! I was blown away by the quality and amount of food you get here! I honestly did not expect to find Thai food this good anywhere in Madison. The food is really well flavored and the veggies and meat are fresh. I loved the green curry and the spring rolls. The pad see ew was good as well, a little heavy on the mustard green but still tasty. Best of all, none of the food is all that greasy, and the curries come with rice included! Definitely check this place out, just don't plan to eat there!
(4)Erik S.
Good food, Great prices, crazy long wait and nothing for ambiance. I tried eating in last night and there really wasn't anyone serving us, and we were basically treated the same as a pickup delivery, just with a different place to eat. This is the kind of place where you order for take out, come home and watch a movie over good food. I'll order from here again for sure, but I probably won't be eating in in the future.
(4)Ashley H.
There are a fair number of Thai restaurants in Madison, but many of them feel a little formulaic--for example, at Sa Bai Thong I always know exactly what I will get in my dish. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. At Suwanasak, you really get more of the impression of "home cooking" where the cook adds a little bit of this and that to make the dish. When we ordered, the food was made from scratch so that spicy pepper smells filled the air (and made us cough a little) and the curry had tons of freshly chopped herbs and veggies in it. The restaurant is very sparse and not much seating (which is fine with me) and the prices are lower than most other Thai places. If you like Thai food, I recommend you try it and support this business as this family is just starting their new business.
(4)Steve L.
After hearing many good things about this place from friends, co-workers, newspaper reviewers, and random strangers, I decided to give it a shot. My first attempt to sample their Thai offerings failed in grand fashion. I arrived to the tiny establishment at around 6:30pm on a Tuesday night, and inquired about the wait for a to-go order. I was told it would be "fifty minutes or an hour." For a to-go order? Yikes! Methoughtnot, so I ran across the street for some La Bamba instead. Still jonesing for Thai some nights later, I decided to call to place an order. A younger sounding girl answered the phone, although I couldn't understand a word she said. The act of placing my order was comical - I'd ask a question, and she would respond with "yes" or "ok." She obviously had no idea what I was asking or saying. One example went like this: Me: "What time will this be ready for pick-up?" Her: "Yes" Me: "I'm sorry; no, when can I pick this up?" Her: "Ok." Me: "Will it be ready in 20 minutes or 30 minutes or 40 minutes?" Her: "mmm hmm" Me: "Can you tell me when it will be ready?" Her: "Ok." Anyway... you get the point. I eventually ordered the chicken Pad Thai, medium spice, and decided to give them about 20 minutes to prepare it. Upon my arrival, I found the dining area to be packed, and a young gentleman working behind the counter. I told him I had a pick-up order, and he said it would be about 10 more minutes. While I was waiting, he offered me a complimentary egg roll, which was absolutely divine - it was bursting with flavor and was perfectly cooked. I will order a pallet of these next time. Well before the quoted 10-minute wait was over, my food was ready. I paid $6.75 for the meal, wished everyone well, and headed for home. When I arrived back to my pad (pun intended), I cracked-open the styrofoam container and was pleased to find several additional items, including: cucumber slices, crushed peanuts, a side of spiced oil, and several lime wedges. Nicely played, Suwanasak. I dug in, and the Pad Thai was excellent. It was a little more mild than I would've preferred, but for a first effort, it was excellent. The noodles were perfectly cooked, the chicken was plentiful and of high quality, the veggies were fresh and crisp, and the egg was perfectly cooked. Fantastic. No signs of grease, to boot. So long as they have someone working the phone that can answer basic questions, I'll be back again in no time. Suwanasak = WIN Food = 4.5 stars Service = 4 stars Value = 4 stars MISC = 1.5 stars (phone skills need improvement) Try it. I'm told the green curry is amazing... that'll be my next order!
(4)Mint C.
I'm went there for dinner on a Tuesday around 7 pm and the place was completely empty. The atmosphere was on the scary side. My friend and I ordered "ka-na-moo-krob" (stir fried thai kale with pork) and chicken larb (spicy salad). It took them half and hour to cook. Food turned out to be pretty good though. Its flavor similar to street food in Thailand. Would definitely go back for take out. Maybe call to order in advance might be a good idea as well.
(3)Armani B.
I ordered delivery from Suwanasak on a Friday at noon. Delivery took about an hour which was fine, I suppose. I ordered Fried Rice with chicken and Green Curry with chicken. The Fried Rice was over-seasoned and the chicken a bit tough. I received Green Curry with BEEF and NO side of white rice as stated on the menu. So essentially I only got half of one of my orders (unless I want to eat super spicy curry as a soup) which I find unacceptable. The curry was actually quite good (minus the overcooked beef), but I only had a few bites due to the missing rice. Not somewhere I will be ordering from again.
(1)Rowan C.
Spicy done right! After reading through all the Yelp reviews I was excited to finally try Sawanasak. There are just a couple tables, but room for my friend and I to sit comfortably. We ordered the spring rolls, pad ka-pow and a lard-fish dish. While waiting for our meals a little dish arrived from our friendly waitress for us to try. Love the extra little tastes! Food was delivered quickly and we were in for a treat. I have to say both dishes were spicy as we had requested, but they were just so delicious. You could taste all the flavors and combined with some heat was unbelievable. When food tastes that good you don't care if it has that kick to it. You just want to keep eating it! The fish dish had fresh mint leaves in it and was amazing what a light and fluffy feel it had to it. Very tasty and lots of ingredients. The chicken dish also had many layered flavors and heat. We left full, happy and excited to have found a new jewel for our stomachs! I brought home the left overs and they were devoured by my whole family. Wow, it was even good 4 hours later. YUMMY!
(5)Katy B.
Ate here last night with a friend. I hadn't done any research prior to our visit, and she had only skimmed the Yelp reviews, so we hadn't anticipated that it would be quite as much of a take-out only kind of atmosphere. But we sat anyway, and the service was pretty friendly. I can only assume that this place is owned and operated by a family? The girl who brought us our food was a teenager wearing ear buds, there was an older woman who had been sitting behind the counter who did not seem to speak English, and a younger man whose English was middling (there were definitely some moments of confusion, and I teach ESL haha) who took our orders. There was also an older man who kept coming in and out of the restaurant. ANYWAY, the important part is the food, and the food was really, really good. My friend got spring rolls which were filled with beef, cabbage, and other shredded veggies. Super crispy and flavorful. I ordered the green curry with chicken, which had Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and pumpkin...and it was off. the. chain. It had a good heat: a nice, slow burn that kept me eating...I almost finished it, and it was a huge portion! And only $8.50. My friend got the Tom Yum soup, which was filled with shrimp (with the heads and tails still on, which I thought was pretty legit), chicken, and mushrooms. The broth had a nice fishy sour thing going on. So, I'd highly recommend this place, but more so for take-out.
(4)Tom Q.
Excellent, authentic Thai food. The best I've ever had? Nope. The best in Madison? Probably! I ended up ordering several of my faves: sweet & sour pork ribs, Lao style papaya salad, pad thai, chicken larb . The pad thai was probably the best I've had in Madison; not too sweet or greasy. I found the papaya salad a little to heavy on the shrimp paste, but good nonetheless. Ribs were tasty, but were a little too chewy. O-em-geeeee that chicken larb was hands down the best version I've had. It was light, seasoned wells and chock-full of super fresh herbs. Whether you call ahead, dine in or take it to go, the orders seem to take quite a while to prepare. But, honestly, I don't mind if I know I'm getting some tasty eats. Did I mention that my order was less than 25 bucks?! AMAZING.
(4)Sandra P.
Terrible. Please save yourself the heartache and skip this place. I was craving thai food, my favorite cuisine, and after reading about this restaurant decided to give it a shot. The delivery guy arrived early, that was the only good thing about this place! The food was terrible, disgusting and not at all what I expected. I ordered the fresh spring rolls with shrimp, and pad see ew noodles. The spring rolls came with NO shrimp (instead they had shrimp crackers ... That's right, shrimp crackers inside the rolls). What kind of a restaurant puts shrimp crackers to substitute using actual shrimp?! It didn't even come with the peanut sauce pictured on the menu! That appetizer was a complete wash, so I decided it didn't matter and I would skip right to the pad see ew. The dish was dis-gus-ting!! I wouldn't feed it to my dog. It was not spicey at all, the noodles were over-cooked. The sauce was not at all like I would expect it to be. I eat thai food all the time and have never experienced this flavor. I threw away $20 and am still hungry. Never again ordering from this place.
(1)Bob S.
This small place, off Gammon Rd behind Woodman's, has two new fans (My S.U. and me). It's only been open for three months so you better get over there and make sure they're successful because this place is pretty sweet. We'd heard about it, stopped in for lunch and...... Not fancy, no giant menu but someone knows how to make a perfect Phad Thai. Not too sticky or sweet but light and flavorful. A cilantro-marinated pork dish, served with lemon grass and whole black and white pepper corns (still on the stick) was exceptional. They don't have every Thai dish you've ever wanted (Yen Ta Fo, please?) but this stuff is fresh and made with care. No complaining about Thai food in Madison unless you've checked this place out. Seriously.
(4)Dan S.
Let me first just say that my stepmom is Thai and has her own Thai restaurant in Bangkok that is doing very well. I like to think I know how Thai food should taste. Suwanasak reminds me of Thai food that a family in Thailand would have. I went there with my girlfriend and we ate at their sparse, 5 table restaurant. You don't go there for the atmosphere; you go there for the food. It took a while once we ordered (there were a lot of people coming in to pick up their take out orders in the duration), but it's worth the wait. We noshed on a few fresh spring rolls that tided us over which were good. Nothing fancy or huge, and included a couple of sauces. My girlfriend's yellow curry, something she normally doesn't care for, was delicious, and my Pad See Yew was incredibly tasty. The staff was very friendly and most didn't speak English. Typically a good sign. I'd highly recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Thai food and are not in a hurry. I can't speak for take out orders, but I know you'll probably need to allow for a lot of time for that as well.
(4)Mike A.
I tried this place out at the recommendation of a coworker who used to live in Thailand. He said it was the closest he's gotten to the food there, from a restaurant in Madison. The place is in a ratty little strip mall, and they have 3 tables, a counter with a register, and the kitchen right behind the counter with nothing but a curtain separating whoever's working the register from the whole family working back in the kitchen. There were people eating in while I picked up my takeout order, but to me it's mostly a takeout counter. That said, the food really is a couple orders of magnitude better than any other Thai place I've been to in Madison, and in plenty of other cities too. It's also way cheaper than other thai places. A typical curry is at least a quart and maybe 7 bucks. They do delivery through straight2yourdoor which tacks on a $3.99 delivery charge, but the food is so cheap that it still ends up worth it. I don't care about their ratty little building with food this good, but they could work a little on their quality control. I've ended up with things like bay leaves and the hard, white part of the bottom of a green onion in my food. Nothing major, especially at this price, and the food still tastes great. Definitely recommended.
(4)Catrina S.
I was in town for business and checked out the reviews on yelp to find this place. I even went out of my way as another 3 star Thai place was closer. Decor: I knew this place was going to be a dive. I did not rate it based on the atmosphere or service. Price: Very cheap. I ordered the pad thai, a diet coke, and some spring rolls and it came to about $12. Food: Not very good. I normally order a curry dish when I go to Thai restaurants but I saw on yelp that the pad thai here was so good that I decided to try it instead. It was very bland and extremely greasy. It was probably the worst pad thai I have ever had. The spring rolls were ok but nothing special. I would not go back and I only ended up eating a few bites and a couple of the spring rolls.
(2)Sherry L.
It's what I'd imagine my grandma's cooking would be like...if my grandma were Thai, lived in Madison, and owned a restaurant.
(4)Crystal S.
A true Thai hole in the wall place, located in a strip mall by several other ethnic groceries. They're very affordable (most dishes are $6-10), as well as tasty. I love their pad thai, their Thai fried rice with shrimp and vegetables, and make sure to get their egg rolls. You get three in an order, and they're delicious. It's primarily a takeout place, so there are just a few tables in a family-owned restaurant. But stop in!
(4)Mary K.
I been here 3 different times. I am from Thailand and the food is great cooked by Thai people. The chicken egg rolls, pad thai and phad ka pao (all with chicken) is seasoned how my mom would make it. I agree to pick up your food and eat at home or work, if on break. I don't agree with the other reviews being over an hour to wait for food. Each time I called in my food was ready in 20 minutes to pick up. I also asked for an extra egg on some dishes and extra bamboo shoots-no problem and no extra charge. I would recommend take-out and I will be back once or twice a week! I hope this review is helpful!!!
(5)Kate T.
I love southeast Asian food - Thai, Laotian, Hmong, and Vietnamese in particular. So I really, really wanted this place to be good, but many of its flavors fell flat and I found some non-food items in my food, a cardinal sin in my book. I ordered three items for delivery at close to 2 p.m. a few days ago, since they were no longer accepting carry-out orders (though according to their hours they were open at that time). While this isn't exactly a rush time for lunch orders, it still took over an hour to get my food. The delivery fee for these three items was $4 plus 10% of the total (not including the driver's tip, yeesh), a bit steeper than I like to pay for delivery. I ordered medium-spicy chicken pad Thai, larb, and the Thai version of their green papaya salad. All parts of my order were delivered. Each of the items was disappointing. The pad Thai arrived stone-cold. The noodles were gluey and stuck to each other in clumps. The sauce was bland, the chicken was desiccated. There were a few anemic bean sprouts sprinkled throughout, but they didn't have the pleasant crunch that I like most about bean sprouts. A lime wedge helped a little, but it wasn't enough. About halfway through my meal, I found a short black hair. As someone with shoulder-length blonde hair, this put me off the pad Thai completely. I was looking forward to the larb, since I had never tried tripe before. While the tripe was chewy and flavorful, the other ingredients combined to make it so salty that it was almost inedible. If you order this, make sure to cut it with a lot of rice to minimize the saltiness. At least this didn't have any non-food items in it, which is more than I could say for the thing I was craving the most, the green papaya salad. I had high hopes for it, given that it seemed to be the highest-recommended green papaya salad in Madison. Well, maybe I got a bum batch, but this was a disaster. I ordered the Thai version instead of the Lao version because it's supposed to have much less of a fishy taste, something other reviewers had noted was a bit of a problem with the green papaya salad. I shudder to think of what the Lao version must taste like, because the Thai version was completely overwhelmed with either fish sauce or shrimp paste. There was also so much dressing that the salad looked more like a soup. I could hardly smell it without gagging, but I wanted it so much that I tried a few bites. That was a mistake. I bit into a shrimp tail shell on my first bite. While I know it's common practice to crush shrimp tail shells in with the dressing, most of the time those shells are *removed* once the dressing has been prepared because they aren't pleasant to chew. A few bites later, I nearly cracked my tooth on a small rock that had made its way into my salad. It was at this point that I gave up. God only knows what else might have been in there. The thing I love so much about southeast Asian food is its flavor complexity - on average, a dish will combine all five tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami), and that difficult balancing act is something I can't seem to accomplish myself, which is why I tend to order this type of cuisine instead of inevitably messing up that precarious balance while trying to cook it myself. Suwanasak's flavor profiles were so wildly unbalanced that the food was nearly inedible, and the added non-food items, including one that could lead to costly dental work, were the final nail in the coffin. I will be avoiding this place like the plague in the future.
(1)Rob V.
Food took 50 minutes from time of order for takeout. Got to listen to a BABY IN THE KITCHEN screaming its head off the entire time we were waiting. Got home to realize were were missing an item from our order. Called to see if they would refund as I didn't want to drive back only to realize that wasn't an option, and no apology was given. When I got there the second time they had just begun firing the order. Got home a second time to realize the crab rangoons that I went back for were ICE COLD. The food portions were really small as the crammed most of the styrofoam containers with plain white rice. Bad service and extremely unorganized kitchen. They have been there for quite a while and are still cooking and preparing food on folding tables.
(1)Samantha K.
Wow! Food was delicious, prices even better. Got my order within twenty minutes. One tip, though: never ask them to make something spicy unless you mean it. They'll take it as a challenge. My mouth and lips are on fire! (And I use Tabasco liberally!) Will be going back soon. :)
(5)Oscar Y.
OK, I waited after several meals here before writing this one, because the atmosphere, is, well, not what you go for. But tonight's seafood thingy, along with Sue's pork thingy - - I keep going back, and here's the 5* reason: fresh herbs, complex flavors, modest portions but each bite heavenly. No vast sauciness, no pretentiousness - - just great flavors - - a dense concentrate of the best that herbs and spices, with other great ingredients and fine attention to cooking detail can offer. As food goes, it's hard to get better than this.
(5)Audrey N.
Totally disappointed. Ordered take out Tom yum. Was asked if I wanted "spicy" which I did. That is definitely not what I received. Very bland, zero heat. I'll give them another chance and be more specific about how spicy I want it.
(2)Rachel B.
I always make an effort to try any new Thai restaurants in Madison, simply because I have yet to find one that's worthy of visiting again. Unfortunately, this place didn't break the run of bad luck. Our to go order took 45 minutes with only 4 other people waiting for food. I didn't even care I was just excited to try a new Thai place here in Madison. We ordered the Thai papaya salad (they offer Lao as well), pad thai and pad see ew. The papaya salad was by far the best dish. Simply and fresh, it was great in the 100 degree heat we had that day. Unfortunately i found some quarter sized random brown thing in the dish 1/2 way through that turned me off to it. The pad thai was incredibly bland. I didn't see any of the usual crushed peanuts, egg, or dried shrimp that is usually found in a killer pad thai. Not much tang and zero spice. That was pretty disappointing considering we asked if the food could be made spicy (knowing that Madison Thai restaurants tend to cater to the lowest of bland American palates) and were told that they make everything spiced to Thai levels. We were also told that they could put extra spicy sauce on the side so it wouldn't burn us. Really? My boyfriend said he could have served it to a baby it was so bland. Luckily the pad see ew had a little bit more flavor. Only minimal char on the noodles unfortunately - the char is usually my favorite part of a really good pad see ew. I'll keep searching and stick to making Thai at home or eating it in other cities.
(2)Ed B.
The worst dining experience ever. We did place our to go order on Friday night, they told us it will take less than an hour(one hour!!!!!!!!!!) to get, fine. They called after 1 hour and 20 minutes(one hour and twenty minutes, no joke!!!!!!!) and told us that our order is ready. So I went there to pick it up and the guy is telling me that there was a mistake, the order will take 1 more HOUR, WTF?????? HE REFUND ME MONEY WITHOUT ASKING.... Bottom line it was the WORST dining experience in Madison. EAT ELSEWHERE and stay away from this place. PS City health inspectors should check that place also, I noticed many violations down there while ordering our "imaginary" food, people on the kitchen were wearing regular street cloth, some of the were wearing gloves some of them were not, so go figure...
(1)Steven W.
Green curry was awesome, chicken larb, egg rolls and pad thai were very good and the spring rolls were OK. Thai fried rice was a little disappointing. Definitely the best Thai I've had in Madison and I will be back. Ordered 6 items and it was ready in 25 minutes.
(4)Dale R.
Excellent mom and pop shop. Best Thai we've had in Madison at great prices. Very small no-frills space for eating in.
(5)Elizabeth G.
Better for take-out than for eat-in. Suwanasak doesn't offer much in the way of ambience (formica tables, metal chairs that scrape across the tile floor in spine-tingling manner, fluorescent lights that imbue your dining companions with a sickly green tinge). We came on a Friday night and placed our order at the counter. We were helped promptly by a friendly and cheerful young man who told us it would be 30 minutes before we got our food. Fine, that's not outside the realm of normal for a restaurant. Problem is, an hour went by before our entrees were in front of us. They also ran out of green curry paste for my chicken green curry, so they replaced it with red curry paste without asking me first, and ran out of shrimp for my friend's dish so replaced it with tofu (in this case they did consult her -- after we had already been waiting 45 minutes for our food). By now, you're probably thinking this sounds like a nightmare dining experience. Actually, the deliciousness of the food largely made up for it. (The man working the counter was extremely apologetic and nice, and we could see the staff in the kitchen absolutely working their butts off, but, well, it just seems like they need more capacity.) For appetizers we had spring rolls (standard) and a Thai green papaya salad (off-the-charts spicy... beware serious injury of your mucous membranes). For entrees, my hubby and friend had the Pha Thai (same as Pad Thai?) with tofu (originally with shrimp) and the Pha Thaley (mixed seafood in a savory sauce with ginger, lime, lemongrass, and basil). I had the chicken red curry (supposed to be green curry). I asked for it spicy and it tasted rather mild, but this might have been in comparison to the firebomb green papaya salad. In any case, after that salad I wasn't in the mood for any more heat so it worked out fine. Lots of vegetables, and the sauce was full of yummy coconut milk and not greasy. Short version: great food, but call in your order ahead of time and assume it will take longer than they tell you.
(3)Margaret R.
Very delicious, very authentic Thai food. The restaurant itself is modest, which I don't mind,but is not as clean as it might be. Food preparation is very slow--seems like there is one cook in the back, doing her best. I probably will take out in future to avoid a long wait. Dishes are always good, but often seem different from visit to visit. Still, in Madison this is by far the best Thai food I have found.
(4)F Y.
The food is a four, but in terms of timely -ness, whether being inside the restaurant or carry out- they are never on time! Takes forever and the English is very minimal and confusing. Many things are lost in translation but they definitely try and are friendly. Try it, you won't be disappointed!
(3)Jimmy K.
Third time trying this place. Each time I was a bit disappointed, but I kept trying because it's so close to my home. Last time they got my order wrong and I didn't really care too much, but today they got my order wrong and forgot some of my food. I am not driving back to get my food, I'm giving up on this place.
(2)