Rice Fine Thai Cuisine - Belgrade — Restaurant in Belgrade

Our review is mixed... It's hard to figure out how many stars to give. It's Saturday night, the food was pretty good but we struggled with everything else about our experience. We came in and we were the only people dining in which was fine, and the waitress did come over and take our drink order about 10 minutes after we sat down. We both had hot tea but none of the bags in the selection were anything you'd expect at a Thai restaurant. Earl Grey or Chamomile we're out choices. What about green tea? Oolong tea? We started to order online from the QR code on the table when she finally came back and took our order. After that, we waited... And waited, and waited... For almost an hour. I counted 17 take out orders came and went while we waited for our dinner. She forgot we ordered spring rolls and we had to ask for those after we'd already gotten our main meal. Each of our entrees came 15 minutes apart. That made it a little awkward. The food could have been hotter, but the flavors were good. The portions were decent... Nothing crazy. We never saw our waitress again after the food came. No refill on the hot water, no check in, nothing. She was too busy dealing with the take out orders. It was a little uncomfortable being at a table and completely surrounded by people standing around waiting for their takeout orders. It also meant the door was constantly opening and I had to keep my coat on to stay warm. There's not much anyone could do about that, but I think if the takeout orders are going to be so frequent, they need to organize the room a little differently so that people can sit down to the side and not be standing around the whole restaurant with their coats and purses swinging over our table. Would we come back? Probably not, but I imagine getting it to-go is probably a good idea. It might be useful to make the to-go menue a limited menue with just the most popular items so that they can fill orders faster. Just an idea. For the price, the food was good but I wouldn't dine in if you're looking for really...

I have been waiting for this for a long time. Rice Thai Cuisine has been a favorite go-to when running errands in Bozeman for years. The Belgrade location just opened a little over a week ago and i have been there three times already. My standard go-to dish at Rice is the Pad Kraw Prow (forgive my spelling). I have had this dish at a couple of west coast cities and the flavors feel soulless compared Rice's take on the dish. There is something a little different... the sauce is a little lighter, brighter and the basil comes forward. the heat leaves a little loving hug in my chest for several hours afterwards.

The menu and the lunch specials are, at the time of this review, the same as in the two Bozeman locations--and I don't believe there are plans to change this. The location is a re-working of the old Pickle Barrel Belgrade location... and the remodel was extensive... it is hard to believe it is the same location The room is bright and cheery but not fancy. The bath room is a clean, modern single-user unisex room--but I have never had to wait (this is also the case in one of the Bozeman locations).

Seating is limited, and Belgrade has been waiting for this restaurant for a long time; as news gets out, the lunch hour has become increasingly busy and I have seen people walk away after waiting for a seat. For now, you might avoid this by coming a little early or a little...

So much better than I expected.

We've ordered take out from Rice on more than one occasion now and the taste and quality of the dishes are always consistent. Pad Thai is our go to at any Thai restaurant and we haven't found anything in the area that comes close to Rice. The spice level is always perfect and never overwhelming. Chicken is usually our protein of choice for this dish and it has never been dry or overcooked. I am also a huge fan of Massamun Curry and I absolutely love what is served up here. The curry is always made with the ideal balance of creaminess and saltiness - I highly recommend this dish. Another favorite has to be the Som Tum (also known as papaya salad). For dessert, we're always going for the Mango Sticky Rice. It's both refreshing and sweet - what more do you need?

Though we haven't actually dined in yet, the limited interactions we've had with the staff so far have been pleasant. Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to enjoy our food and the restaurant's atmosphere soon.

The only downside - Rice leans more on the pricey end when it comes to dining options. We've easily spent upwards of $75 on a meal on one or two occasions so I wouldn't recommend it for the budget-savvy eater. However, the portion sizes, taste, and quality of the food help alleviate the price tag when you're looking to...