Thai Isaan Kitchen — Restaurant in Vienna

I just left this place, having serious spicy Asian food craving after 3 weeks mainly in Tyrol and about 4 days in Vienna. I was very excited to have good Thai food, and came here in spite of their negative service reviews online. I am an avid Asian cook, including Thai, Laotian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. I showed up around 7:45, and only one table outside was filled up. I ordered my food, including a beer, and the man who took my order told me he would bring everything to me, which he did, within about 15 minutes. That was great. After about 45 minutes of sitting there after my meal, I tried to get someone’s attention to pay the bill. Finally a kind man let me know that it is a self service restaurant, where you get up and pay for your food, get your utensils, and seat yourself. He was surprised to find out I was given my utensils and beer, and said that is not normal, and that is a self service restaurant. So how was I supposed to know this? This was never relayed to me. During this entire “after dinner, bill seeking” process I found them to be aloof, quite rude, and a bit condescending. Why not just say “when you are done, please come to the register and pay your bill.” I’m not sure if I recommend this place. Perhaps….if you don’t cook Thai, and are very aware that is COMPLETELY SELF SERVICE (even if they bring you everything in the beginning), and that when you want to pay your bill is up to you. The food was decent, but I used every spice in their 4 dish spice wheel. That said, the Thai food I cook is so much better, and has more depth and complexity, and I’m much, much nicer. They need to realize that “a little bit of kindness goes a long way”. I will not return. Oh, and I immediately threw away my leftovers. My taste buds were tainted with a bitter experience. If they were even a little bit nice, I may have given this place...

So I just came from a 5 month stay in Thailand. I immediately went to this restaurant when I got to Vienna because I was missing Thailand so much.

I’ve gone here twice now. Here’s what I enjoyed:

Om gai - it’s an Isaan chicken soup that I’ve never tried before. It’s a bit herbaceous with tons of dill in there, but overall it’s well balanced and delicious. I was thoroughly impressed.

Yam nuea - spicy beef salad. I eat spicier food than almost anybody I’ve ever met so I wished it was a little spicier, but it is still a great tasting beef salad and I got some chilies from the tray to spice it up a bit more. This was good and refreshing especially on a warm day.

Pad gaprao beef (this can be spelled many ways so forgive me if it doesn’t match the menu) - this is a spicy stir fried beef. This tasted just like what I’ve had in Bangkok, except they used beef slices instead of ground beef. The beef slices actually offered a most upscale feel and they were cooked perfectly and were tender. This is a simple dish but a delicious one and generally a crowd pleaser. The portion of this one is also pretty large.

Tom ka gai - coconut lime soup with chicken. This is one of my favorite Thai dishes so I get picky about it. Even in Thailand I corrected some versions of it by adding ingredients to make it taste better. I didn’t have to fix this one though. It tasted very good and authentic.

All around I’m very happy with this place. The food is good and the staff is kind and...

A small Thai restaurant with Thai people working in the kitchen. Located in a less touristic part of the city, it is a place for an authentic Thai dining in a casual environment m. This is definitely not a high-end restaurant with refined Thai cuisine. You order at the counter and pay at the same counter when you leave.

We ordered Thai beef salad and Nam Tok Mu (pork). Nam Tok Mu was delicious as it tasted similar to what I would get in Thailand, but Thai Beef salad (Yum nua) wasn’t as authentic as I had expected. Maybe they made it milder for locals. In any case, you will not be hugely disappointed with the taste of their food as long as the kitchen is run by Thais. Their portions are generous, and the prices are really reasonable for the amount food you get.

I’d love to go back to this restaurant even alone as its ambience is less intimidating for a single person dining. That is right. I found their staff were very friendly, too. A Thai lady serving tried to talk to me in Thai language, which I thought was a great gesture. Too bad I could only communicate with her very little with my...