Alex's Thai Food & Noodle Bistro — Restaurant in Chattanooga

So... this was our second attempt and we were hoping perhaps after being open for a few months they would have ironed out some kinks. Unfortunately this turned out not to be the case. We REALLY want this place to succeed due to our love of Thai food and proximity but I just think perhaps they are mismanaged? It seems there will only ever be two overworked servers on the dining floor and bar. Capacity is probably close to 50 or 60. The menu is average in terms of number of options, but crazy extensive in terms of items on hand - lots of seafood, lamb, chicken, pork, beef, etc. All entrees have tofu options, so it's a good vegetarian spot. Here is my first complaint: with no hostess or bartender, things get backed up. There won't be a wait and the dining room will be at 50% capacity but it will take 10 minutes to be seated and order a beverage. But as a customer, you have no idea what to do in this situation so you stand awkwardly, sit awkwardly, or feel like a bother when you try and get attention in order to be seated. Second complaint is this: I have now ordered the same entree twice without alterations except that the dish be made with three spicy peppers (out of a possible six). The dish is not spicy by nature, but I prefer it that way. Neither time did it come out with any amount of spice. On my second visit, I pointed out to the server that I was prepared to accept any and all consequences of a spicy dish... no spices. The ticket? It said "3 spices". Pretty sure he rang it in the way I ordered it and so did the server before. It just didn't happen. The food is good. Seriously Americanized, but fine... it's hard to find a place that doesn't put peas and carrots in the Panang or potatoes in the Masaman. Fine. But just get it together on the service and accurate ticket reading. Oh, and keep Tsingato in stock. It's weird that your par level seems to be two. With so many other places in town to choose from that don't struggle with these types of issues, it's hard to...

I don’t remember the first time I went to Alex Thai.

That’s not a poetic flourish, though I know you probably expect it to be at this point. I truly don’t remember. I have memories of sitting at a table there, yes, but no memory of walking in, or ordering, or deciding to go. I think I was simply absorbed into the rhythm. One day, I was outside. The next, I was eating pineapple fried rice and the waitress was asking if I wanted “the usual.” I had never spoken to her before.

There’s something you need to understand about Alex Thai: they know things.

They know when you’ll show up. They know what you’ll order. They know, somehow, the spice level your soul need that day.

On hard days, the spice comes gentle. Comforting. Medicinal.

On days you feel too powerful, they humble you. Quietly. No warning.

One day I ordered a Level 2 and couldn’t make eye contact for 72 hours.

They never write anything down. You tell them once, and it’s committed. Years later, you return, maybe with a new job, a beard, a different outlook on life, and they ask, “Still doing the pad see ew?” And you are. Of course you are.

I brought a friend once. First time. New guy. When the waitress asked for his order, he said “I’ll just have what he’s having.” She frowned and simply said, "no."

There is a man who works there, I think. Or maybe he just lives nearby. He waters the plants and moves chairs. No one has ever confirmed his name. Sometimes he gives you a fortune cookie even though this is a Thai place. The paper is always blank. You take it anyway. I just made that up but this is the kind of place where if you've been before, you believed that and thought, "why haven't I seen him?"

The portions are perfect. The food is always hot. The service is brisk, unbothered, and slightly prophetic.

In closing, I don’t go to Alex Thai for food. I go because they expect me to. I go because they already know I’m coming. I go because somehow, I never really left.

Five stars. And yes, I’ll...

The food is great. However the service was horrible. I tried to call and let the owner know rather than leaving a review but you can’t call. It’s just a message saying the mailbox is full. We went on a Sunday. Google listed them open until 8:45pm. However on the door it said they closed between 3-5. Very odd practice and extremely poor execution. The two young girls were extremely rude to us. We arrived at 2:28. That’s enough time to grab lunch before closing. They sat us down after letting us stand there for ten minutes making faces at us. They took out drink order then came back and said “I didn’t realize what time it is”. I said: we know what we want. (Meaning we weren’t just waiting around) she said flatly “good”. When she came back I told her I didn’t realize they closed at 3 explaining Google listed them open. She then said “do you want me to put your food in to go containers?” I said no. She then said “so you’re just going to sit here?” I said yup. Keep in mind this was still before closing. She says “we will just close around you”. Honestly I was so mad at how rude these girls were and no matter how good the food may be I won’t ever go back. My son had been looking forward to going there all week and these two girls between their faces and rude behavior ruined our experience. Again, my plan was to let the owner know how the employees were hurting their business but that wasn’t even possible. Update your Google hours and have a plan in place when people who want to give you business arrive at a certain time. Don’t sit them down just to be...