Thai Garden – Royal Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Lucerne

My recent dining experience was disappointing, particularly considering the restaurant's previous Michelin star recognition in 2023 and its current high rating by Gault & Millau. The cuisine was, at best, unremarkable, lacking any notable flavor profile. The "prawns with lemongrass" dish presented a significant textural issue due to the excessive and fibrous nature of the lemongrass, rendering it difficult to consume. Furthermore, the service exhibited a lack of attentiveness; we were required to request cutlery on two separate occasions, and during beverage service, water was inadvertently spilled onto our food. The dimly illuminated ambiance detracted from the dining experience, making it challenging to discern the presentation of the dishes, while visible dust accumulation on the furniture suggested a lapse in attention to detail. Ultimately, the overall experience did not justify the elevated price point. ——————————— Reply:

Thank you for your response. While I appreciate your effort to address my feedback, I must say that several of your explanations felt more like justifications than genuine acknowledgment of the issues I experienced.

To clarify: • The lighting was not simply dim — spotlights reflected off the plates in a way that was uncomfortable for the eyes. The small candles on our table also felt inconsistent with the overall style and detracted from the atmosphere. • The wine was brought already poured into glasses, without presenting the bottle or offering a tasting. This struck me as a significant lapse in service standards. • The rice was served from a shared bowl left in plain sight, which felt unhygienic and out of place in a restaurant of your caliber. Individual portions with discreet refills would have been far more appropriate. • We didn’t order dessert. The issue with the cutlery was that a knife was missing from the very start, not during dessert. • Finally, the staircase was visibly dusty — accentuated, ironically, by the very spotlights meant to enhance the setting. It gave a poor impression of cleanliness and attention to detail.

I was hoping for a more open and...

We visited the Thai Garden a few weeks back for the first time. We had heard positive feedback from colleagues over the years and were keen to experience the restaurant. Once you found the entrance (not a joke), you enter into a different world and feels like you have been beamed to Thailand. Our teenage kids referred to it though as a theme park restaurant... We had a friendly waitress and a nice table, but did notice that the restaurant was at least half empty on a Friday evening.

The menu card is quite extensive and you do notice that the prices are quite rich but since it is deemed to be the reference for Thai restaurants in Lucerne and area, we expected this to be the case. Unfortunately, we were totally underwhelmed with the quality of the food. In particular as you expect it to be delighting (based on the price you pay). Quite frankly, we have eaten much better at the local Thai food truck. This was true from the starters to the main dishes, we skipped desert (also because the servings are very large). We encourage the restaurant owners to bring the quality back to where it must have been in the past as for now there are much better options (on all price levels) for Thai...

A rather plain doorway, one which you would not look twice if you are looking to eat in a good restaurant literally opens into a paradise.

A reception area with a few tables at the entry level leads to a grand stairway which takes you to the main dining hall. At the top of these stairs you realize that this is PARADISE. 21 steps down and we were seated in a cozy nook of one of the loveliest Thai restaurants we have ever visited. The beauty of the artifacts and statues on display were enhanced with the dim lighting and our hostess for the evening BANGON appeared with a smile that lasted all evening.

She helped us with the vegetarian fare, ensured that the food was free from any egg, Fish stock or oyster sauce. The food was on the mark with the right flavors and the addition of asparagus in the soup and green curry was a new one for us.

All in all a lovely evening, a bit pricey but well worth every penny spent. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Lucerne who desires some spice on their meal.

PS. The only negative I found was that the place was a little warm, specially once you have had some drinks and partaken of a spicy hot soup...