Orchid Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Albuquerque

My family and I have been going to this restaurant for years now. We hadn’t been by since the pandemic had started because we always enjoyed eating inside due to the very relaxed and intimate setting inside the restaurant. We had heard that dining was open again so we decided to eat there last night and I must say that this restaurant has completely gone downhill since our last visit. To our surprise the inside of the restaurant was completely gutted and remodeled. The restaurant is now a very cold and sterile environment compared to what it once was. Not to mention the prices on the menu reflected their remodels. The beef and broccoli plate that I normally get used to be very fairly priced and now is nearly $18. Literally almost doubled in price. Don’t even get me started on the portion sizes now. I remember when you could get a plate at this restaurant and have enough for lunch the next day. My plate last night didn’t even have enough food to fill me up and was much more blan than I remembered. Another disliked addition of mine was the fact that you have to order at the front counter when entering the restaurant before you sit. This feature totally takes away from the intimate setting it once was. It felt like laziness on the restaurants part. Lastly, the cherry on top of the cake were the very detached and emotionless servers we had. None of them had any personality or a good serving skills. I had to practically beg for a refill on my soda. All in all, the food was okay, extremely overpriced, and the restaurant itself took a turn for the worst. Orchid always used to be a treat for my family and I but I must say we will most likely not be back. Our cute Thai hole in the wall restaurant is now a typical commercialized restaurant that just isn’t the...

This is the first time I have been there since COVID. I don’t mind the order at the counter now but the food was not nearly as good as it used to be. Very bland. Everything I ordered was bland. They do give large portions but I would rather have tasty Thai food. My $15 tofu Pud Thai became $20 when asked to add on chicken. I had my 7 year old nephew with me and he only wants noodles so I ordered (or tried to order) just a plain plate of noodles and a coke. They finally understood that is was just some noodles. The noodles came cold and dry and not even any kind of sauce offerred. They forgot the coke in the original order and maybe instead of just giving him a coke which costs all of 10 cents, they made a deal about it and put a new ticket on my table for the coke. The Gaeng Woon Sen broth was very bland. I had to add sriracha just to get flavor. We also ordered the PuPu tray for 3 and that is exactly what you get - 3 pieces of each thing. The fried chicken was overcooked and the shrimp was refrigerator cold. My pud thai, soup, pupu platter, tea, and side of noodles was over $60. Thai Cuisine II across the street is much better, less expensive, and will not have a hard time with any changes if you need them. Thai Orchid was one of my favorites but I will have to look elsewhere. Maybe they were having a bad day but I just don’t think so. They also ask for a tip before you get you food. Not a big fan of...

Bare bones place, only us two and two other women... a group of men left right after we arrived.

We were told to grab me us and sit down. We didn't realize we had to get up and go to their counter to order until the other 2 ladies did so. 🤔

We asked about adding ginger to their cashew chicken and were told there would be a $2.50 upcharge. $2.50 to add a tsp of ginger to a dish that costs $14.50 - $15.50???

I go to restaurants for the service, not the food per se. And I am fine paying extra for something I add on, but the $2.50 upcharge, and to be honest, the server's disdainful attitude bothered me.

So we left. Long review for a place we didn't even eat at, lol.

But the owners should take note: customers want customer service....

Cause if I want to order and carry my own food back to my table, I'll go to a fast food place, not a sit-down restaurant.

BTW, Ginger costs $.99 to $2.49 A POUND. Throwing in a tsp of ginger (because really, do you need any more in a single serving?)

P.S. Read my review of Thai Cuisine II across the street and just to the north of Orchid Thai....great service, good food, good serving size for lower prices, and flexibility ("we can add or...