South Pacific Bistro — Restaurant in Chehalis

The number of positive reviews is mind-boggling.

The Ice tea was bitter, old, and starting to turn sour.

The Soup was awful, neither of us cold even finish it. All we could taste is vinegar.

It took 47 minutes to get our food.

I had the "Ocean Delight" and my dining companion had the Pad Thai.

The Ocean Delight was actually ok - but not great - flavor wise, But the scallops tasted off (I only ate one, and didn't eat the rest of them because I was afraid they were going to make me sick). The fried rice that came with it was awful though. It was dry, and flavorless.

My dining companion's Pad Thai was inedible. The noodles were so overcooked they were practically mush. What was most puzzling however, was that there were also hard clumps of undercooked noodles in the same dish! The bean sprouts were also overcooked, and mixed into the dish instead of being fresh and separate, as is traditional with Pad Thai. Lastly, the whole thing just tasted like vinegar and heat. My dining companion couldn't even finish it it was so bad, they only ate a couple of bites, and I ate one, to try it.

As stated in the beginning of this review, the number of positive reviews is quite a mystery.

My dining companion and I are going to assume they used to be much better, but suffered a staff change or something similar, because this restaurant is not deserving of even the 1 star I'm required to give it in order to leave this review.

Reading through other reviews, you can see that most of the positive ones are from a year or more ago, supporting my assumption that they've had some sort of staff change or something. Also, several of the positive reviews actually say that the food is BAD, but the staff is nice (to be fair, they were), which makes one think they are leaving positive reviews just for that reason.

Also of note is that MANY of the past reviews echo the exact same complaints that I have specifically about the soup, the fried rice, and the pad thai.

Don't...

July 2023 - It's been a while since I was at South Pacific Bistro, and appears to be the same staff as last time I was here, so I don't know what has changed, but it's changed. I couldn't help but notice that the quantity of food on the plates varied for each person in the restaurant, not just at our table. I also noted that silverware and glasses being uses are getting very stained to the point of questioning whether or not they are clean in the beginning. Does make me wonder the last time the health department performed an inspection. The quality/flavor of the food was very poor compared to previous visits. And the overall service, unless you are friends of the employees or a group of six or more, do not plan on staff caring if you are ready to order, need a refill, have a question, or anything. You do not exist to them. This used to be a favorite spot for some good food, but with this being the new food and service style, I will not go again, nor will I recommend to anyone ever again.

South Pacific Bistro, blink and you've missed it, and missed out on some good food.

They are located just a couple minutes off of I-5 (maybe 0.5 miles, so easy if you're traveling) and looks almost like a house on the side street with a bunch of windows. But once inside it's what you'd expect for a small diner if you will. About the only thing you won't find here that you might elsewhere is a soda dispenser. If you want pop, you'll be served 12oz cans.

This was my third visit, and I ordered the General Tso Chicken with fried rice. Overall the food was great as always, though I think the chicken and sauce could have been a bit spicier, the prices were fair, and service was good.

If you're in the area, looking for a good hot meal, or traveling and want something close to the freeway, it's worth stopping in if you're in the mood for Chinese food and don't want to feel like you just pulled...

Came in at 2pm to a empty restaurant and greeted by a very nice woman, our seating was to our choice. Hot tea was served and it had much more bold and fragrant flavor than other Asian restaurants in Lewis county. Very large variety of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai food choices. Our party consisted of three people and we selected the family meal for three which came with: Pot Stickers and spring rolls. Pot Stickers were great with the ginger and soy dipping sauce. The spring rolls weren't all that great in my opinion. Fried rice was nicely made with light soy flavor. Mongolian Beef was tender and flavorful. Chicken lo mein was light and freshly prepared. Sweet and sour chicken was crispy, hot and fried to perfection, and the sauce was not gloopy and not too sweet, which is the way we prefer it. The hot and sour soup was fresh and delicious as well as the egg flower soup which included water chestnut and vermicelli noodles a very nice contrast in consistency. Service was delightful and not intrusive. Attentive and polite The only negatives were the watermelon bubble tea, it tasted very artificial and chalky for a milk tea based bubble tea. Also soda was only available in 12 ounce cans, which is okay but not my favorite way of getting soda from a restaurant.

We will be returning again to try the multitude of other Asian dishes on the menu. Owners seem very passionate about...