Monkey King Thai - Pennant Hills — Restaurant in Sydney

I’m really disappointed by the experience my partner and I had at this restaurant last night, especially considering how often we've dined here. My partner has been a loyal customer for over a year, and I've also had great experiences in the past — which is why we kept coming back. Unfortunately, our recent visit on Wednesday the 28th May (around 5:10–5:30 PM) completely changed my perception of this place.

When we walked in, the restaurant was nearly empty with only two other customers. No staff member acknowledged us or offered to seat us, so we made our way to a table to wait for service. Before we could even sit down, a staff member shouted across the restaurant, "You can’t sit there!! It's booked!!"

We had no issue with the table being reserved — but the way it was handled was unnecessarily rude and aggressive. A more respectful approach would have been to simply walk over and let us know in a calm, polite tone that the table was booked, and offer us another option. Instead, we were met with shouting from across the room, which was completely uncalled for given the quiet setting.

When I asked where we could sit, she continued shouting from a distance instead of coming over, replying with a loud "Pardon!!" and eventually saying "Let me check!" before directing us to a table.

The tone and attitude made us feel completely unwelcome. It ruined what should have been a nice dinner out, and we ultimately chose to leave because I refuse to be treated like that — especially at a place we’ve supported so frequently.

Very...

Edit :My second visit here wasn’t as good. Service was slow to give us any attention at the beginning of the meal. Couldn’t get wine glasses or order our food. Staff just seemed to be in disarray. Food was still good but then at the end of the meal, after the lack of attention at the beginning, they wanted to usher us out fast at the end. My advice to Monkey King, is don’t get complacent with your early success. I’m not sure I will be back for a third time.

First visit : Very nice. Good food at a good price. Dropped a star for atmosphere due to the multiple screaming babies in the restaurant at time of my visit who were flinging food everywhere. But no reflection on the restaurant I guess. One other thing, surely there’s better decor ideas than advertising their other outlets around Sydney in huge lettering across the whole restaurant? I don’t know why but that was a little off putting for me. Other than that it was great and I...

If you want to try this restaurant, just get takeaway. The food is good, but the service is so terrible that it completely ruins the dining experience.

From the moment you walk in, the staff don’t acknowledge you. When you leave, they won’t even say goodbye, even if they clearly see you. You have to find your own table, and the menu is hidden behind the counter. Dine-in prices are higher than takeaway, but the service isn’t worth the extra cost. You have to place your order at the counter, and even if you say “thank you” first, the staff won’t respond.

When they bring the food, they just drop it off without a word—no explanation of what’s what. To make things worse, the main dishes come out before the entrées, which makes no sense.

I won’t be coming back. The service was so bad that it felt like a complete waste of time and money. The ratings for this place seem suspiciously high—I wouldn’t be surprised if they were...