Baan Sawan Thai Bistro
2135 Devine St, Columbia, SC, 29205
Baan Sawan Thai Bistro Menu
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Address :
2135 Devine St
Columbia, SC, 29205 - Phone (803) 252-8992
- Website https://baansawan.blogspot.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : No
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Roel F.
How about I start by explaining my score (a whopping five stars)? When I joined Yelp I promised myself that only the very best restaurants would receive the top score. In the case of Baan Sawan, I doubted a long time between awarding the restaurant four or five stars, but eventually I decided upon the latter. Let me try to explain. There really is nothing bad I can say about Baan Sawan. The food is tasty and the price is right. I have to admit the portions are not very large, but they do not need to be at a restaurant like this. The wine and beer list is out of the ordinary and not overpriced. Service is friendly, professional and fast. The ambiance is pleasant and the surroundings are cozy. In short, Baan Sawan offers an exciting and tasty dining experience! However, there is something that bothers me about Baan Sawan, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. I get a distinct 'almost precisely right, but not quite'-feeling. Were it the tastes that were not quite pronounced enough? Was it the food that arrived a bit too quickly (because that too should be avoided in my opinion)? I plan to go back to Baan Sawan in the next couple of weeks to find out. In the mean while, I will rate this restaurant the maximum of five stars... even though it really should be four and a half.
(5)Blixa S.
A favorite every time I come to Columbia! I hope to be back soon! Three flavor Duck is a must! The owner knows his beer and wine so expect to find a nice selection of both!
(5)Jonathan Z.
A very small, nice, Thai place on Devine a few blocks from Five Points, Baan Sawan makes some very tasty Thai food. You can order your food on a spice level of 1-5 (5 hottest). Since heat is all relative to the person eating it, I will say that my heat tolerance is pretty high. I don't have much problem eating a few raw jalapenos for example. I had the Tom Yum soup, a nice broth with kaffir lime, lemongrass, chiles, and herbs with a little chicken in it. I took it as a 4 on the spice level which was pretty hot but I slurped down the whole bowl. For dinner, I had the Seafood Curry in broth also at the 4 spice level. It was very good, seafood was properly cooked, vegetables crisp, some basil leaves, and occasional little bits of pineapple for some sweetness. Very tasty with a couple of glasses of water on the side. My wife had the basil chicken as a 2 on the spice level and her food was very good too. Overall, a very pleasant find in Columbia, better than some of the Thai we ate in Atlanta. We look forward to our return here.
(4)Laurel B.
The food is very good by any standards, and the atmosphere is very nice. It's pricey for Asian food. But the quality of the ingredients is excellent. I tried the salad, soup, red curry, sashimi-grade salmon special, and pad thai, and it was all great. Service is slow (but very pleasant) so order your appetizers right away. (Slow means they are making it to order, so I'm not complaining even though I nearly perished of hunger.)
(4)Jaime N.
I stopped in a while back and got a fabulous peanut curry dish with chicken. I also was impressed with their unique selection of beers, and my server was knowledgeable enough to suggest one that went well with my meal. The renovated bungalow is as cute as a button. It is a little pricey for Thai food, and I would probably eat here once a week if it were a little less expensive.
(4)Grace M.
SLOW. But the food is pretty good. The restaurant is small and the hours are a bit odd, but the quality of food makes up for it. The portion sizes are decent too. I had the Tom yum soup and the pad Thai. Spicy is the way to go with everything! Their peanut chicken is okay, but isn't the best.
(4)Kamil B.
Exceptional Thai food! This is one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to. I was here on a business trip with 3 of my colleagues. Three of us ordered curry dishes and we are very impressed with the flavors. I had the Penang curry (spicy level 4 Southern Thai style) with the catfish. It was divine. My colleagues had the green curry and they loved it. One person in our group didn't get a curry dish and wasn't as impressed, so maybe curry is the way to go here. Also, try the Tom Kha soup with some Chang Beer. The go well together. Service is longer than normal and prices are slightly higher than your run of the mill Thai restaurant, but believe me it is worth it. If I ever come back to Columbia I know exactly where to go.
(5)Theodore D.
8:45 on a Friday night in June and the doors were already closed to arriving patrons. I should have expected that since it seems to happen repeatedly. 3 times so far this year. I didn't inquire whether they had just filled up and wouldn't have time for a subsequent seating, which would be a reasonable excuse, I suppose. Anyhow, great food--really really good-- or else I wouldn't bother anymore. Lesson learned: if you're thinking about it, call ahead.
(3)Tai B.
Baan Swan is fine dining style Thai food. It's a cute little restaurant, maybe 15 tables, and you are greeted and seated immediately. Because it's fine dining it's more pricey than typical Thai food. This isn't a problem for me except that two elements were a miss for me. The Chicken Basil is really really basic. I've had better basil chicken at less fancier places. Also the have 5 levels of spicy, but if you like spicy you have to go really high in number. I ordered my basil as a 3 (significantly hot) and I think it's more of a mild. To be fair I think Baan Swan specializes in curry. They have 5 different types each served 2 ways (so I guess 10 types). But I didn't order the curry. My colleagues did and enjoyed it. The service the night I went was incredibly slow. It took probably 20 mins for my colleagues soup to come out as an appetizer, 40 minutes from when we ordered til when dinner came out. Fine dining or not, this is unacceptable.
(3)Brandy B.
This place has been on my radar since I started yelping - I'm always eager to try non-chain local joints. We arrived on Tuesday around 7:10, there were only 3 spots available in front of the restaurant (1 was taken, 1 was handicapped designated) and maybe a combined 10 or so, along the side (for parallel parking) and around the back of the building... which were ALL taken. We opted to park down the hill to the right of the restaurant in spots that were labeled SHARKYS etc and hoped we'd have a car to come back to. We were able to get a table squished off into the corner without a wait, the restaurant was loud and crowded - I didn't get the cozy intimate feel I was hoping for (there was a larger group on the other side of the restaurant that seemed to be having a good time so I'll attribute the loudness to that). I ordered the calamari appetizer and shrimp pad Thai. We ordered at 7:20ish, my appetizer took maybe 10 or 15 mins to hit the table (not bad considering it was crowded in my opinion for a Tuesday and there were only 2 servers). The calamari was good - I was hungry - it was fresh, crispy, tender and the batter had a nice black pepper flavor that went well with the sweet plum sauce. The entrees didn't arrive until 8:15 and by then I was bored, and my app and drink had started to settle in my belly so I wasn't as hungry or excited to eat. This was my first time trying Pad Thai, it had a vinegary taste that I didn't like much, so I picked out a few shrimp and ate a couple bites of the noodles - trying to like it more with each bite, I ended up taking more than half of it to-go. Hopefully someone at home will enjoy it more. Our server was polite, I didn't think we got as much attention as I'd like or expect from a "fine dining" establishment (didn't get a refill, didn't check in with us to keep us updated on the progress of the food, didn't check to see if we were enjoying everything once we got it). Glad I tried it, but don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
(3)Dorothy K.
Love this place. The first time I ate here years ago I was disappointed by the high prices relative to other Thai restaurants where I had eaten. This is a completely different sort of place I would describe as casual fine dining. Eclectic artwork, innovative beer and wine list, charming proprietor, and most of all, incredibly tasty food. Personal favorites include the green curry, the wild boar BbQ, and the warm rice pudding.
(5)J F.
Great find in Columbia! Server at bar was awesome and let us sample many things. Went way beyond he call of duty. I had curried tofu and it was best I had ever had. Friend had curried Boar ribs and it was amazing. Don't be fooled thinking this small off the beaten path is not worth it or authentic. It was fantastic. This might be one of the best restaurants in town. Service was unreal!!
(5)Nancy Z.
Excellent service, really personable. Vegetarian friendly. Had the Gewürztraminer wine (Delish), and the panang curry (ordered a 2 in the spicy level and it felt like 3-4).
(5)Amy K.
Delicious. Definitely a place that my husband and I need to visit more often. Fresh, local ingredients, pleasant atmosphere, friendly staff...what more cold you want.
(5)Emily E.
This place has been on my to-do list for well over a year now, and tonight was the magical evening I got to cross it off. My thoughts: lovely converted house with a intimate atmosphere. Not that much seating, so do be aware if you're coming in a time crunch. Staff was great in describing the specials, being very hospitable, and making us feel like welcome guests. The menu seemed to have the typical Thai fare, along with some really interesting sounding desserts I wish I would have been able to try. Also seemed to have an extensive wine/drink menu, but I wasn't feeling the alcohol bug tonight for some reason, so I didn't try any of that. Their specials surprised me. Pulled pork in a Thai restaurant? Never would have thought to pair that with curry, but my friend ordered that and loved it. I also love that they clearly outline their spice levels. I ordered a 2 (medium) and it wasn't quite hot enough for me, so maybe I'll go with 3 next time and get the juices flowing. The red curry had a wonderful flavor but the rice for some reason tasted like flowers to me, and not in a good way. I left the rice on the plate, which saddened me because that's normally one of my favorite parts of the meal, but hopefully next time it won't have that taste. The presentation of the food is well thought out, and artistic, however for my money, I must say this place is a little too expensive for what you get. It's tasty and really can't complain at all about the substance, but I get more bang for my buck at Thailand restaurant because of their bigger portions and cheaper prices.
(3)Erin T.
Sheesh all the high reviews and fancy blogs I was expecting amazing and all I got was higher priced Thai food that tastes like I cooked it because the meat was grissly and steamed so kinda bland. And it was cut in a plain way like I could've done myself. I guess the wine list was nice but overall won't be back :(
(3)Crystal C.
I am seriously missing my Laos mama and her awesome cooking so I have been searching for a place that can even touch her cooking. This is not it though. This is more of a Thai fusion, which means American enough to make palatable to the non-adventurous while still offering a few things that can be labelled "Thai," the chicken-coconut soup is indeed wonderful and usage of kefir lime, but for the price, I would have preferred something more authentic.
(3)Gary G.
This was our last visit to Baan Sawan. We use to love this place. The food use to be excellent and was probably the best Thai food in Columbia. Not anymore. Now the place is nearly empty on a Saturday night and the food is NOT good. I had spicy noodles that were so greasy that it was nasty. My friend had yellow curry, that was worse. What happened here? The last few times we have come here it has been poor to bad. We have come back to Baan Sawan hoping they would fix their problems, but they apparently are on the way out. Sad...
(1)Linda O.
Enchanting and intimate dining experience with a diverse menu, excellent service, and delicious cuisine. I loved the wide selection of vegan and healthful options. If you are one that avoids eating out because of the impact on your health or wasteline, this place will be a breath of fresh air. It was indeed a bit pricy, so you may want to reserve this restaurant for a special occasion. I was truly satisfied with my dining experience here.
(5)Mali C.
Very delicious. It pains me to give this place anything but 5 stars. I love Thai food. I love that it was a converted house. Being half Thai I feel like it is my specialty. The boars cheek mussamun was sooo tender, succulent perfection but a little sweet for my taste. The panang was great also a little sweet and lacking lime leaf. The Tom kha soup creamy awesomeness. That all being said the service was absurdly slow. A person in my group was allergic to shellfish. The waiter was not helpful in coming up with alternatives. I know Thai dishes get cooked with fish sauce often or oyster sauce sometimes but there are easy alternatives (especially if this is a made to order restaurant). I was sorely disappointed. I really loved everything but the lack of accommodation and the extremely slow service time. All in all. Food was amazing, our server was nice but my companions who had to sit at another table had a server who was rude, unaccomodating and practically yelled at them. I won't be retuning because of that.
(3)Luna Z.
We ordered Yum salad, 3 flavored duck, and seafood curry. Yum salad is delicious, flavorful, worth 4.5 stars. I don't like coconut milk in the curry too much, so i ordered northern styled curry. It is good, but not impressive. About the 3 flavored duck, the duck is crispy, but the flavor is actually quite simple, it's kinda boring to finish the whole dish. The overall experience is a little bit disappointing, I'm not very motivated to come back again.
(3)Dee A.
I'm not sure if I went to the same place as all these reviews. After reading about the peanut curry I decided to order some to go. First is the price. Are you kidding me? For a pretty small sized portion I ended up paying around 17 or 18 bucks. If it was the best curry I had ever had the price would be perfectly fine. But here's a secret. Get some coconut milk and add curry powder and creamy peanut butter to it and you'll have the same exact taste as the peanut curry. It was sickeningly sweet. I got it extra spicy and it was pretty mild. The chicken in it was good though. The servers were friendly but for what you're paying vs what you receive it really is not a good deal at all.
(2)Angie W.
I absolutely love this place. I love the small intimate feeling of the restaurant. I love the great service and attention. The food is superb. This is a great place to go on a date in Columbia. Thumbs up!
(5)K H.
Me and my wife went there just to see what everybody on here was talking about. I got to say this place is really good and the atmosphere is really nice and not too bad far as the place being expensive. I love it and would go again
(5)Swetha G.
I've been meaning to check out Baan Sawan for quite some time and am happy to say I finally got around to it last night. We had dinner at the place and as so many yelpers have already written - they offer fantastic food and great service. They definitely lived up to their online reputation. We started off with two crispy vegetable spring rolls. They serve the appetizer in a small bowl cut into two's and rested on a very sweet sauce. Something about the sauce blended in with the texture and seasoning of the rolls just worked and it was probably one of the best vegetable spring rolls I've had a Thai restaurant! We were off to an amazing start. My glass of Cataldi Madonna Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2011 was light and smooth and went well with all the food. I loved that they let me try a bit before ordering. My friend had a Thai beer and seemed to like it just as well. For our entrees we had a pad thai with tofu and a green curry with chicken and were happy with all the flavors. I particularly liked the curry options on the menu and the explanation of the heat levels (1 to 5 for most, except the green curry is only served from 3-5). 3 is hot, 4 is super hot, and 5 is extremely spicy with still somehow maintaining the food's sapidity. Our food was a three and it was perfect for me. They also gave a small cup of spice to amp up the heat if we were so inclined. We wrapped up our meal with a dish of chocolate mousse and savored the fluffy airy chocolate chef's concoction. To me Baan Sawan is bordering on a 5 rating. If I hadn't had dinner at Blue Elephant at Murrells Inlet, to me the best place for Thai food in SC, I might give Baan Sawan that perfect rating, but it falls slightly below the caliber of Blue Elephant, so it's getting a 4.75 score. It is a close second though. And lastly, I'm being redundant here, but echoing what others have said, the restaurant is a little hard to find, so drive slow if you're turning from Harden, and you'll see it on the left side of the road not shortly after. It's easy to miss, so just take your time. Devine has two lanes so people can pass you if they're in a rush. I think that covers it all. Bon appetite!
(4)Liz D.
Baan Sawan is lovely! I've been several times over the last several years, and it is always a great experience. The restaurant itself is small, located right between Five Points and the Devine St. shopping area. Inside, there is bar seating and about a dozen tables, so it's nice and cozy. It can get crowded later in the evening and on weekends, but tends to be a little more open during the week. Last time I went, we ordered the chicken satay as an appetizer. It was tasty and arrived fairly quickly. We also ordered a bottle of wine and three different curries within our group; everyone seemed to really like their food. I ordered the tofu mussamon curry, at a spice level of 3. I would have prefered more spice, so I would consider knocking it up to a 4 or 5 if you like a lot of spiciness. Still, it was delicious, tofu was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft inside, and it was plated beautifully. I also personally prefer the panang curry (simply a personal taste), but try to check out different things each time I go. The food is a tad pricy, but it's high quality and totally worth it. I've seen mentions that the service is slow on other reviews, and that can absolutely be the place when they are busy (it seems to be a small staff). Still, I completely enjoy my meal every time I go and always look forward to coming back, so I don't think it is prohibitively so!
(5)Jerry H.
Hip vibe and really easy to miss this set back location. The stars of the show was the fried tofu skewers and yes, it's the intro to Thai Food but I love Pad Thai, this spot got it right. Destination spot when in the Columbia area.
(4)Thomas V.
This is definitely a great Thai food spot. I've had some amazing stuff in California and DC and I can't imagine finding Thai that is much better, especially considering this is Columbia. They offer spice/hear levels 1-5. I would recommend the 2 as a minimum if you can handle any amount if heat. The coconut based curries should also add a point of heat for great flavor. I like moderate heat and I would recommend. "3" is great on about everything "4" on the coconut milk based stuff
(5)Stan F.
You will not find better Thai food in the Columbia area. Flavorful curry. Great service and personality. Can't wait to get back to Cola.
(5)Dorcas B.
Always delicious and exceptional. Whenever I'm in Columbia, this is a place I count on going to and enjoying the meal. Excellent food and great wine selection. You could easily drive right by and miss this small restaurant... but I urge you to find it- it is well worth repeat visits! Best recommendation? Even my parents- small town folks- make excuses to stop here whenever we're in town!
(5)Xinling X.
I think it's just okay. Prefer the Bangkok restaurant though. This one might be a little bit too fancy for me...Great place for dates though.
(3)Joan H.
The wait was so long it was painful--an hour and a half after we ordered. Menu selection somewhat small. By the time we got our food, all charm was moot. We were in the middle of eating dinner and were told if we wanted to order dessert, we had to do so then as the kitchen was closing--so rude. 7:30 on a Thursday is apparently not the time to go, but we won't be giving another time slot a chance.
(1)Mike T.
This was our first visit to Baan Sawan. Sam, Marshall, & Macey were great hosts. Sam has an extensive knowledge of wines & beers. Marshall knows "your perfect spice number" ( you will have to visit to understand what that means ). The trout was outstanding as well as the vegetable & spice pairings that complemented each other so well. The calamari was the best we ever had (& the most unusual). The desserts & French press coffee topped it all off. If you want something out of the ordinary & you like Thai.....you've got to try this quaint restaurant.
(5)Gary C.
Summary (for those that can't make it past the next paragraph) - Impossibly great Thai food, and quite possibly one of the best hidden gems in a city full of surprises. How it started - definitely easy to miss, Baan Sawan Thai Bistro has street signage that is barely legible, and from its outward appearances, looks like a completely renovated duplex... But, in not judging a book by its cover, once you enter in, has a pleasantly warm interior, with a decent amount of natural light set against hardwood flooring. The menu is helpful (great for Thai first-timers who have no idea what they're looking at, awesome for Thai experts looking to expand their taste horizons), and whimsical (wine menu posts descriptions in haiku, and food is decoded with a spice meter that helps you rationalize your selection). How it continued - my brother and I shared everything, family style: Appetizer - Calamari - lightly battered, impeccably tender, with a sauce providing a faint kick of spice and the light tang of sweetness... like a stiff jab to get your senses flowing in anticipation of the... Main Courses - Three Flavor Duck - listed as a regular menu item, this was intensely flavorful, juicy, with the right amount of heft.... just like a right cross combination, dizzying us just in time for the... Bison Sausage Noodle - sold as one of the specials of the day, featuring tender bison on a bed of mixed vegetables and flavorful gravy, this was the knockout punch we were waiting for... How it ended - by way of 3-round knockout, we declared Baan Sawan the heavyweight Thai champion (at least of the Southeast, and possibly of the U.S., besting even Las Vegas' Lotus of Siam)!
(5)Anita F.
If you are looking for imaginative flavor (and aren't afraid of some heat); a rather cool, fun atmosphere for adults (wouldn't consider taking a few kids - Mom won't appreciate the atmosphere and food); Great "date night" kinda place; with great desserts and an exquisite unusual beer & wine selection - this is it! A perfect place to sit back, take your time, experiment and spend a fun evening. Alex makes the food sing (w/ interesting presentation) and Sammy knows how to be refined yet not stuffy (great at suggesting the newest and most unusual from the bar). If you really aren't into trying new flavors, don't want to dress up a bit, looking for a quick bite with the kids, don't get into unusual wine &/or beer (either don't drink or are a Bud Light kinda person) - you may be somewhat disappointed ... Just sayin' ... ;-)
(5)Michael G.
The atmosphere is very comfortable. It has the feel of a place that only a few people know about. The food is really good (try the duck confit!), but it's a little pricier than it should be.
(4)Jen H.
decent thai food but not entirely authentic. it's not quite fusion either...the taste of several of the staple dishes are quite americanized with some dishes being less spicy and more sweet than they should. the waitstaff and servers are all very pleasant. the atmosphere is nice for a special occasion or date. parking is based on the street though there is a tiny lot infront of the restaurant. other restaurants in town offer better thai food but if you're looking more for thai food + atmosphere, baan sawan is your place. as for me, food is #1 so i gave this 3 stars.
(3)Trey G.
A friend of mine suggested we try Baan Sawan for dinner last night. I had never seen it (though, I spend little time on Devine Street, so I've missed much) but found it and was even happier to find they have their own parking! My friend had already arrived and had a table. The place is small, but well appointed. It was somewhat distracting to see an office door in the wall of the bar area. From my seat, you could see it constantly open and close. A bit distracting. A curtain or something else that made less noise and draws less attention would be a far better thing. The wine/beer menu surprised me - it wasn't, say, Barley's or Liberty Tap Room in scope of size - but what they did offer was excellent and very reasonably priced. I started with the spring roll with meat and my friend started with the veggie spring roll. Both tasted excellent and had clear, clean flavors. The sauce that was on the plate, however, needs work. It really did not compliment or enhance the flavor of the rolls and occasionally became a bit too bitter on the tongue. The beer helped. Staying away from the sauce - the roll was excellent. She had shrimp pad thai and and I had three flavored duck. A note During the ordering process the spice scale was explained. 1-3 are your typical mild/medium/hot - 4 and 5 are significantly hotter - and Holly (our excellent waitperson) said the chef doesn't eat above a four. Thinking that was serious business on the spice end, I opted for a 3 with a side of spice. Caveat: I'm one of *those* people who loves Phaal and all things spicy. The 3 wasn't even warm. The extra spice didn't help (think garlic/chili paste with something else in there - about a "medium" salsa heat). If you know you can handle heat and you like heat - I'd start with 4. Holly did warn us that the food would lose quality after 4. I disagree. For some people, yes, that is true. The palate gets lost with all the heat and you can't taste anything. For some of us others, though, the heat opens up everything and flavor profiles are enhanced. The duck, though mild, was incredibly good. The flavors were clean, bright, and paired well with the duck. The shrimp pad thai looked incredible. In some places you get three or four shrimp and a ton of veggies. In this case there were plenty of shrimp and I am told it was some of the best pad thai my friend has ever had. We opted to split the fried bananas for dessert. My friend and I agreed it was a bit too much dough and not enough banana, but not bad. On the whole, Baan Sawan is a rare jewel in Columbia - and I look forward to returning there.
(5)Tanya M.
Really small, but really good. Best Thai in Columbia!
(4)Jen M.
Best Thai in Columbia... The staff is outgoing. Impressed by the wine selection and quality of the food. The spice in my curry was spot on. Def. my favorite restaurant in the Five Points area.
(5)Betty R.
Tod mun (chicken/shrimp patties) were flavorful and crisp, and duck matzoh balls (the special app of the day) were frickin' fantastic - fluffy, spicy, and totally unique. Spicy noodles with shrimp were delicious, and a HUGE portion. The wine and beer program is awesome - lots of interesting finds, and Sam, the proprietor/bartender/philosopher, is more than happy to share them all with you. We sat at the bar and had a blast, winding up the evening watching Muppet clips on Sam's laptop. Thanks to a friend's suggestion, Baan Sawan will make me dread my next trip to Columbia a LOT less.
(5)Harpreet K.
First thing I see on the specials menu: Pulled Pork Penang. That is what I'm talkin' about!! Authentic? No. Legit? YES! Columbia, South CARO-LINE-AAA, is surprising in a lot of ways. First of all, they are about to elect a Sikh-Methodist woman governor - google Nikki Haley - and that about blows my shit (politics aside). Second, they have some of the best Thai food I've ever had in my overly indulgent life (and I spent three months in South East Asia with some munchies like you would not believe! It was like Brokedown Palace up in that piece, minus the going to jail and wanting to die part). Anyways, per usual, I digress. ENTER, BAAN SAWAN. Awesome ambiance, including a huge flowering pot of Jasmine near the entrance. With the sultry warm air and the sweet smell of Jasmine perfuming everything you're transported to a completely different place. The restaurant itself is on top of a hill, so I literally felt like I was entering a tree-house restaurant or something - fab.U.lous. Second, the wine and beer list is truly diverse and impressive. Pricey, but so worth it. My friend ordered a fancy french beer in a 780ml bottle, the thing cost him $18 bucks! I'm from San Francisco, so anytime something costs too much and looks and tastes gorgeous, SIGN ME UP! As for the food, wow - my gulf-caught shrimp and red curry was absolutely delicious - the freshness of the ingredients was immediately apparent, as was the chef's clear understanding of the nuances of a good curry. Purrr-fect! I ate the entire thing, no problem. I'm trying to be a little more "mindful" of what I eat these days, so I asked myself if I needed another bite and responded: "F*ck you Oprah voice, I'm eating this mutha-f*cker whole. STAND DOWN." ....Yeah, I'm gonna get that looked at.... bottom line, this ranks as the best meal I've had in 2010, and my favorite restaurant in Columbia!
(5)Josh S.
A hidden gem in 5 points. Best thai food in columbia for sure. I'd recommend the red curry. My only small complaint is that they give too much rice in proportion to how much curry is on the plate.
(5)Web F.
Good food, upscale, a little expensive but worth it.
(4)Gunnar P.
Great food and service. They have a great menu and the service is wonderful! Willing to give you recommendations and the bar has a great selection of wine and beer. I will be back frequently!
(5)Alice L.
This Thai restaurant is very pricey and I only feel ripped-off at the end of the dinner service. The food wasn't as good as I had expected. It was simply spicy - every dish. I couldn't taste anything and I kept drinking water the whole night. Most of the other customers ordered wine, but we skipped that. The restaurant is very tiny. I guess that makes it unique. The atmosphere is okay. I think if I had ordered items from their special menu, my dinner would have been nicer.
(2)Diana M.
Food was good but NOt worth the price and the extreme log wait.
(2)Charlie G.
Baan Sawan takes the delicious spiciness that is Thai food in general and adds equal parts fresh ingredients, excellent preparation and pleasant atmosphere. These are all welcome additions over your average Thai restaurant. Moving to a place one block away has been one of the finest decisions I've made in my life. A word of caution from a humbling experience though: the spice scale runs from 1 to 5 here. On my first visit I heard 1 to 10, ordered a 5 and have been able to infuse any object with hot, hot spice directly from my fingertips ever since. While this Midas like ability has its pluses in the kitchen, the pain of the acquisition and the rate at which I go through keyboards these days makes me say you're better off without it.
(5)Who W.
This is good Thai food for Columbia. Perhaps a bit pricey for Thai, and it tends to be spicier than normal 'south carolina spicy,' but in general it is good food. Also, they tend to be a bit outside of the US version of Thai, so expect to see some different stuff. One thing to note, they do not take reservations (although the page here says they do).
(4)Ind R.
Excellent memories of the red curry... Baan Sawan is nice enough for a special occasion, without feeling pretentious or stuffy. The food is phenomenal! Plenty of vegetarian options. Last I checked, they only serve dinner, no reservations, no take-out. Be prepared to wait on weekends. Great service the few times that I've been!
(5)Abraham L.
Baan Sawan is a godsend for lovers of spice. Every bite of their "hot" dishes bursts with the flavor of peppercorn, thai basil, and exotic chiles grown in the owner's garden. It's difficult to find genuinely spicy food in Columbia, and near impossible to find the sort of complex, nuanced, and imaginative spice combinations available here. That said, Baan Sawan suffers from a lack of consistency. Many of their dishes-- especially the non-"hot" selections-- are simply lackluster and do not merit their over-inflated price tag. Once you find a good dish, stick to it; you might find yourself disappointed if you engage in too much exploration of their menu. (My personal favorites are the Three Flavored Duck, Garlic & Pepper, and Tod Mun.)
(4)Aaron Z.
Authentic, clean food with local ingredients. The normal menu is good the weekly specials are unique and one of a kind.
(5)Milini M.
I use four categories when I am rating a restaurant: 1.) the restaurant's overall atmosphere; 2.) The quality of food; 3.) Service and 4.) Prices. With that preface, I rank Baan Sawan Thai Bistro relatively high in each category. The intimate bistro is accentuated with a clever touch. Walking inside, I was greeted by a garland doorway decorated with festive lights that led to a screened - in porch. Inside, the restaurant was quite small, but displayed interesting art and warm colors that lent itself to a calming atmosphere. Additionally, the waiters were neatly dressed and displayed great professionalism. Yet, the food was the main attraction for me! **Confession Alert** I like flashy and pretty things! Maybe it's the inner kid in me, but it's something about great presentation that makes me believe in magic. And, man, this food was pretty magical! My guest and I initially ordered the Satay, and I was astounded at how well - presented the dishes were! It was like the chef had re - invented himself into the culinary Pablo Picasso! The dishes combined the aromatic colors with just the right level of spiciness. And that was just the appetizers! Our main curry dishes were just as impressive. Warning: The prices are expensive. Yet, I do believe the bistro puts on a great show that justifies the steep prices. Of courses, I would not eat dinner here every night, but I would come in once in a while for a fancy date or to treat myself as an upscale gift. All in all, I would recommend this beautiful Thai restaurant, and I give it four stars!
(4)Roger F.
Just a great experience each time. Sammy--a co-owner and the usual bartender--is a delight, so try to sit at the bar if available. However, don't hesitate to grab a table if the bar is full. The food is consistently brilliant. Unless you have allergies, please let the kitchen do their thing. Please don't get a million modifiers. It just doesn't make sense to pay money for a chef's expertise, and then change his recipe all around when you order. The curries are my favorite, but Chef Alex nearly always has two or three very inventive and delicious specials. Pound for pound, the wine list is the best and most principled in town. It's a TEENCY bit pricy in terms of markup, but I chalk that up to the restaurant being tiny, and the family needing to make in margin what they can't make in volume. Anyway, you won't find ANYONE else in Columbia who puts more time or thought into their wine program. Yummy Thai comfort food and the city's best wine list--I think that'll keep me coming back.
(4)Kelly B.
I ordered the pad basil with tofu to go and I absolutely enjoyed it until I found a shrimp in my food. This was so upsetting considering I do not eat shrimp. I had to throw out the rest of my food which was more than 2/3. It ended up being such a waste of money because I was already too far away and couldn't turn back to make them aware. I suggest they be more careful not to mix foods like that considering people may even have food allergies. I don't eat shrimp for religious reasons and I couldn't have been more disappointed. For that reason, I would never eat here again or recommend it to anyone.
(2)Becca D.
My parents took me here to celebrate after an awards ceremony at USC, since I wouldn't normally be able to afford this kind of meal. I've eaten a whole lot of Thai food in my 22 years, and this is the best, without a doubt. I ordered a spicy green curry. My parents ordered a bone-in fish, and they absolutely agreed with me. They say it's even better than Basil, which is their favorite Thai restaurant in Charleston. Baan Sawan also has an excellent beer and wine list. You can tell that the people who run the restaurant really care about the quality of their food, and they curate their menus accordingly. The restaurant is tiny and surprisingly well-hidden, considering its location just outside of 5 Points. However, the inside is well-lit and nicely decorated. It isn't cramped or stuffy, as the tiny scale of the building might suggest. It would be a perfect place to take a date or anyone that you're looking to impress.
(5)Kiki W.
This is hands down the best Thai food in Columbia, SC! And wherever we go we tend to include Thai food in our dining repertoire, so we've sampled quite a few. Unfortunately the prices are a little high, so we didn't want to come here too often. Only for special occasions. We love the fragrant iced tea, panang curry that can get REAL hot/spicy but still creamy and sweet, excellent pad thai, of course, and oh, my absolute favorite is the Yum Salad, that I cannot find anywhere else!! It's spicy and very flavorful and you'll keep licking the plate and wishing more!
(5)