Mai Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Austin

A lesson in good self-care with Amazing servers + Delicious Thai food! As a 30+ year-old Nice Guy, I’ve treated women to dinner dates, but hadn’t felt what it’s like to be treated to a date! Part of my recovery from Nice Guy Syndrome is to start putting myself first and to take better care of myself. I did both at Mai Thai 😎. Located in the heart of downtown Austin, near Austin convention center and 6th Street night life, Mai Thai is a hidden gem! I originally found Mai Thai while searching for good Austin Thai food online for a dinner date. And they do reservations, which is a nice touch! This time around, even though I returned solo, I decided to make an online reservation for one to really enjoy the experience 😎. After driving downtown, I parked in a garage and walked over to the restaurant, which sits nicely upon a flight on stairs, tucked back on the side of San Jacinto St. Most people would miss it if they didn’t know it was there. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by the hostess and felt good to be back 😎. It was a wonderful vibe for a Friday night. People from multiple cultures dinning together, talking, laughing, and enjoy the evening. I ordered the vermicelli with tofu, fried rice with tofu, and vegetarian egg rolls (I’m a vegetarian, if you can’t tell 🤣). To drink, I asked for a Thai tea and a smooth glass of pinot noir. My food was cooked fresh with quality ingredients, the most important being love. The egg rolls arrived first as the appetizer, creating the feeling of a 3-course meal. I enjoyed them with my Thai tea that was just the right amount of sweet. Then my vermicelli and fried rice arrived. It was so much food for one person lol 😂! Yet I loved caring for myself. The presentation of the each entree was on point, each plate was decorated with a colorful violet flower. I enjoyed my vermicelli and rice, while sipping slowly on my glass of wine, and it was a really beautiful moment to share with everyone in the restaurant. My wonderful server was curious and asked me why I was there by myself. With excitement in my eyes, I shared with her that I was putting myself first, and it touched her. With a caring heart, she and the rest of the staff treated me to a free bowl of green tea ice cream, completing all 3 courses 💜. She even included two chocolate dessert sticks that she dipped into the ice cream with a personal hand touch. I felt very moved by their generosity and am very grateful for their service & kindness. Love is truly the answer to most of the questions on our hearts. The night wrapped up beautifully. Groups of people exited a few a time. And finally it was my turn to say goodnight. I can’t wait to be back! Thank you to everyone at Mai Thai, I appreciate you all! P.S. The leftovers...

Let me start with I use to like this place - I thought it was a pretty solid Thai restaurant located in downtown Austin. But after today, I will no longer be dining at Mai Thai's.

We had a group of 9 people - so I called to make reservations. A woman picked up and took our reservations, along with my name and phone number. One of the big reasons why we went was that they took reservations during lunch hour --- well unfortunately it didn't work out for us.

We arrive 10 minutes early to be told by the host "oh sorry, I didn't check to see if we had any reservations and didn't see yours - give me 10 minutes" We didn't think it was a big deal except that the restaurant was understandably packed. 10 minutes turned into 15, then 45 minutes later we were sat. I requested that our food order was put in as rush since they missed our reservation; again, the host said no problem.

The waitress was horrible - when I explained to her what happened she unapologetically looked at me and said "Well, we don't take reservations, so not sure why you're saying you have reservations. It's lunch hour and there's a convention across the street." Except that someone took my reservation yesterday - had they explained they couldn't take any when I called, we would be more understanding and probably would've gone elsewhere.

So after 5 minutes of arguing with me, the host finally came up and said that we did have a reservation, and that he already told the kitchen to cook our orders first. The waitress at this point yelled at him asking if this was his fault and then finally took our orders. Then she proceeded to slam down our drinks and our meals and was just terrible the rest of our meal. Oh and they decided to include tip in our check, otherwise she would've barely gotten any from me because of her terrible attitude and lack of service.

Overall, 1 star for horrible customer of service - there's better places to go downtown Austin where you won't' be yelled at for making...

The two-star rating is because of the service. The food was really good.

A colleague and I stopped in for lunch today. The restaurant was busy, but not crowded, which is typical for Austin lunch. My friend and I ordered a basic beverage and an entree each: water and Pad Thai, iced tea and Pad Ka Prow. After we ordered, we were asked if we wanted the free salad. It was a bit awkward, but we agreed... I mean sure, it's free. About halfway through our salads, the entrees arrived. It was rushed, but it's lunch and people are usually in a hurry. Our entrees were great: appropriately spicy and flavorful. Our server kept our glasses full and all was well. After we finished our entree and paid, my colleague and I were talking as we finished our beverages when the waiter came up and said, "We have an 8-top coming in. Can you guys leave?"

After a moment of astonishment, I counted the open tables. There were plenty that would accommodate a party of 8. I figured there were at least two other seating arrangements. So, I was very confused and quite insulted by this remark.

The server must have been antsy to get the automatic gratuity from the table of 8 or something. Unfortunately for him, it also killed the experience. If I could take back the 25% tip I left, I would. Asking someone to leave when there is plenty of seating is highly inappropriate. This makes me second guess my choice of restaurants--especially when there are plenty in the area around Third and San Jacinto.

This server should be retrained in customer service and tactfully asking someone to give-up a table. When you're super-busy I can understand this request; however, when it's moderately busy I find it off-putting.

Poor form, Server. You're not a good ambassador for your restaurant. It appears you're only courteous until someone pays, then it's "get...