Thai Villa NC Restaurant — Restaurant in Cary

Thai Villa has been on my 'to try' list for a long time. I finally decided to go for lunch. I was a little nervous as I arrived and there were only a few cars in the lot. Could this be a sign?? There 2 or 3 tables of guests when I walked in so the restaurant was largely empty. It's not a large restaurant and the ambience is homely. I was there so here goes..

I was greeted and shown to a table. Prices for lunch were reasonable better than some other local Thai restaurants. The dinner prices are good as well. Nearly the same as lunch prices at other Thai restaurants.

I ordered Spring Rolls and Chicken Pad See Eww. I don't know how long it took to get my order but it was reasonable. Not so quick that it seemed prepared already but not so slow that I started looking at my watch. The food was hot and seemed very fresh.

Spring Rolls: order contained 4 rolls and sweet and sour sauce. I probably should've asked if I could buy just 2. The rolls were hot and crispy. They had cabbage and mushroom inside. They were tasty. The sweet and sour sauce was standard. The order was large for one person but I ate them all anyway.

Pad See Eww: first thing I saw was wok hay. Wok hay is a very good sign. Some Thai restaurants do not have it even though that caramelization is important to flavor. Great overall flavor however there were some charred bits that detracted from the taste at times. The soy sauce didn't seem to be the sweet sauce I'm used to however it was good. The only thing missing was onion. Onion is not included in the dish but I often add it for additional flavor. The addition of onion is the only thing I would change.

The servers were attentive. My cup was always filled. As I left everyone told me bye. It was a nice touch.

While eating lunch I learned they have a lot of takeout orders. People weren't eating in however they were certainly calling in orders.

I will be back to Thai Villa. You should...

I love Thai Villa! My partner and I ordered the Tom Kha soup as an appetizer, which was the perfect blend of rich, sweet coconut milk, tangy lemon, and savory spices with hearty pieces of chicken as well as mushrooms. I do wish that the mushrooms were a little more cooked, they seemed to have just been dropped in at the end since they were rubbery and did not seem to have been cooked through. We ordered the lemonade, which was also a bit disappointing as it was powdered lemonade. The entrees were AMAZING!!! I ordered the green curry with chicken and my partner ordered the Pad Thai. That Pad Thai, I can say with confidence, was the BEST PAD THAI I’ve ever tried. It wasn’t soaked with greasy or overly sweet sticky sauce, the noodles were soft and chewy, and they weren’t stingy with the chicken! It also had fried tofu included with our choice of protein, and the peanuts on top were the cherry on top. My green curry was light but flavorful, and had a refreshing taste also with a good amount of chicken and a hearty side of white rice. It was satisfying and delicious. For dessert we had the mango sticky rice- which was also the BEST I’ve ever had. A juicy ripe mango with perfectly sweetened sticky rice. The rice was just right, not hardened from being left out for too long (as has happened to me in other restaurants) or soaked in an extremely oversweetened syrup made of coconut milk and white sugar. The sweetness was perfect and didn’t overpower the soft, chewy texture of the rice. 10/10!!!! Despite the lemonade and Tom Kha mushrooms, I still give this place 5 stars for how delicious the food was, the great service, and also- THE PRICES ARE REASONABLE!!! Many of the appetizers were between $6-8 dollars, and the entrees were all reasonably priced. Much better value for your money than going to a crazily expensive restaurant with tiny portions. I will definitely be...

To be fair, we did take out so my view of service is just interacting with the woman at the counter.

I liked the decor in that it was a small space, on the darker side, as I believe a restaurant should be and with a cozy feel.

In terms of food we had Panang Curry, Green Curry and Vegetable Fried Rice. The Panang Curry was good. The Green Curry had tofu that tasted old or rustic or spoiled, inedible at any rate. Vegetable Fried RIce was boring and flavorless. And as with many Chinese restaurants which use celery as a filler ingredient, but not usually Thai, Thai Villa chose to use cabbage to "fill out" the Panang Curry and Fried Rice. Both dishes had far more cabbage than any other item in the dish. Bamboo shoots were the filler in the Green Curry. I don't think I have ever seen that done at any other Thai restaurant I have eaten at.

I think it goes without saying that every restaurant is up against the patron's prior experience at comparable restaurants and Thai Villa stands no chance up against Yum Yum Thai off I40 Exit 287 in Cary just up the road.

Now, I may visit Thai Villa again as there are other items on the menu I am interested in trying and one visit might not be fair to base a review on. I'll update this review if things turn out differently...