Jaidee Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Altoona

We have become regulars at Jaidee. The staff is amazing and always accommodating to any of our requests. And the food is phenomenal. Always made to order and customizable. You choose your spice level from 1-3 and if 3 isn’t spicy enough, you just ask for the spice tray, and they’ll bring it out to you so you can add as you wish. Spice level 3 is usually perfect though for a spice lover like myself. We have made our way through about half of the menu. Most entrees are $10, but may be a little more depending on your protein selection. Their house specials are a little higher in price, but I believe everything on the menu is under $20. And you get what you pay for in both quality and quantity.

Personal recommendations:

Appetizers- Spring rolls are basic, but always delish. Steamed dumplings are our go to. There is something about them that sets them apart from other dumplings we’ve had elsewhere. Pork buns are so good. I’ve never had them elsewhere to compare, but these were a party in my mouth. Crispy milk makes a fab dessert. It’s so hard to describe. But soo good.

Soups- Tom Yum and Tom Kha have always been on point. They got me through a rough winter of sinus infections.

House Specials - Spicy Basil Chicken Wings have been my recent discovery on the menu. Crispy whole wings over a portion of their Spicy Basil entree. Two of my favorite things combined. Duck Curry - Jaidee was the first time I ever had duck and they didn’t steer me wrong.

The fried rice dishes are delicious- but probably my least favorite item on the menu. I also don’t eat rice anymore, but if one of their fried rice dishes were in front of me, I’d devour it still.

Noodles- Your Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles are always good staples. But if you’re wanting something special, get the Souper Bowl or Khao Soi. The Souper Bowl has this pork that will just melt in your mouth. And the Khao Soi is just a perfect combination of a noodle dish and curry. Right now, they have a special of Salmon Khao Soi. If it’s still available, you must get it. The salmon is cooked to perfection. Crispy, but not dry. And seasoned nicely. And you usually get 3 pieces on top of the already delicious Khao Soi dish.

Curries- Yes to all of them. I’ve had them all. Multiple times. They’re all delicious. The Panang Curry is probably my favorite right now.

Entrees- Like the curries, I’ve never had a bad one. I love the Spicy Green Bean. The Kaffir Lime Leaves add this nice unique flavor it the dish. Spicy Basil and the Eggplant entree are my other go-to favorites.

Desserts - Like I said above, we’ve gotten the crispy milk appetizer as a dessert. If you’re not doing that, then definitely get the fire ice cream. The ice cream is on fire. What more can you ask for? Also, the mango sticky rice is phenom.

Drinks- You can’t go wrong with any of their teas. Thai iced tea is a go to. Their hot teas are all excellent quality as well. Even their unsweetened tea is good.

In summary - go, eat, enjoy. They do get busy, so reservations are...

I love this place. My whole family does too! I’ve worked/managed two Thai restaurants in Philadelphia that are owned by a James Beard award winning chef. I will be going back without a doubt to Jai Dee. I have to give it 3/5 stars bc of several reasons. First being the staff. They tend to argue a lot. Like almost every time we have ever been there. In the dining room! Second, they tend to say the wrong things to customers about certain things. For instance, it is fine to say the kitchen is closed between 3-4, but to suggest that you need to leave during that time is just weird. If you don’t want customers during dinner prep then you should close the kitchen at 2:00 and reopen at 5. This avoids the awkwardness of staff telling people that they aren’t open btwn 3-4:00. You just simply turn the sign on the door to closed. And put a sign or two to catch people’s attention. When customers come in, just gently thank them for coming and tell them (only after 2:00) that the kitchen will reopen for dinner at 5:00. Next, every single time we have ever been there no one will clear a single plate. Ever. My husband and I hate this. After many years in the food industry I know this isn’t normal. Also, working and managing two Thai restaurants I have no idea how this has become normal for this place. We have to put our dishes on other tables every time or ask them to take them. Also, with having different cooks/chefs in a kitchen I know that it is difficult to gauge Thai spice. The customer thinks one thing and the person cooking thinks another. This also may differ by the dish and what part of Thailand the cook is from. But maybe only order a #2 if you like spicy then ask for extra spice on the side. I drove over 50 miles to bring my husband the same pad Thai #3 heat that we always get and he had a hard time eating it. After eating Thai almost every day for about 3 years he likes the heat. But this was a true #3. Whereas every other time it has been a #1 at best. Also, Thai food can easily be eaten family style. When we order a table of food and ask for two bowls, two spoons, etc. they normally only bring one set. And we aren’t ordering one entree for two adults. I’m saying at least one entree per adult and many appetizers. Also, the restrooms need a lot more attention. I was going to just call the restaurant and tell them my gripes, but as I looked at the reviews it seems that no one comments or even cares about any reviews. So, this is written with a caring heart from a former manager from an award winning chef’s Thai restaurant;) Also, can I please not listen to Maroon 5 while enjoying papaya salad? But please go and enjoy. It is very good. And it is easy to overlook these things to get...

This was only a one-time trip for us as we were just passing through and, inexplicably, I was craving Thai. Hubby made a joke about, with our luck, it would be owned by Jamaicans (a euphemism for non-Thais making Thai food). All we knew is the very pleasant young lady at the till was of Somali descent, which we later used to justify our experience.

After asking for what I believe are called garden rolls there and fresh rolls in the Seattle area (they're clear rice wrapper with lettuce and other items - so cold - which are most commonly dipped in peanut sauce) and lunch specials, and being told that neither nor salads were available, I had to sit down and re-peruse the take-out menu. (And due to COVID-19, there is only take out. Luckily, there is socially distant seating available while waiting. Oh, and the bathrooms aren't open, either, so if you'rea traveler who's hoping to get both food and be able to relieve oneself, be prepared to go to Dollar Store down the street, which the young lady sympathetically recommended.) Sadly, while on the menu, mango and sticky rice are not available, so we chalked it up to cold foods in general not being available due to the virus.

Finally, when I'd figured it out, I cut in line in front of two people who had come in, but behind the man who had come in after me and who seemed to be ordering for his entire office.

The young lady suggested two stars for me. Most places, that's about my heat limit, but is not uncomfortably hot. So I got hubby three stars. And hence the comment - if someone who routinely eats food from a country where the food is blistering hot, it's probably best to go a star below the recommendation. So, it was somewhat understandable that mine was hot, but the three star was way, way too hot for hubby. And he incredulously said, "And she asked me if I needed hot sauce!" And he normally gets three stars other places and does fine. He also made some comment about fire trucks.

If the pad see ew (hubby's) and the eggplant dish weren't so hot, the food was otherwise well prepared. The spring rolls (like thinner egg rolls) were tasty and had a nice sauce. But were a bit greasy. (Yes, yes, anything deep fried will be greasy. But ways of cooking and draining can mitigate it a bit.) The Thai iced tea was overly sweet, but perhaps to counter the excessive heat.

I really wanted to mirror the other high ratings for this place, but due to the several factors we outlined above, cannot at this time. If we ever go this way again post pandemic, we will probably give it another...