Thai Home Kitchen — Restaurant in Corvallis

My experience at Thai Home Kitchen on a bustling Mother's Day evening left much to be desired in terms of service, despite the delicious fare. We arrived around 6 PM to a moderately busy setting, but the lack of a greeting or clear instructions on whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated created an uncomfortable first impression.

The service challenges continued as we waited to be noticed by the staff member busy with cashing out to-go orders before being seated. Afterward, it took nearly 30 minutes just to get water, requiring us to flag down the only staff member who seemed to be juggling multiple roles—from bussing tables to taking orders.

During the hour-long wait before our order was taken, we observed a steady stream of takeout orders—some comprising 2-3 bags—leaving the restaurant. The prioritization of these orders over seated guests was evident as several new arrivals chose to leave upon learning about the wait times. This scenario repeated itself multiple times, contributing to a rather frustrating dining experience.

On a positive note, the food itself was a highlight. The Drunken Noodles and Choo Chee Duck were both flavorful and offered at reasonable prices. However, the portion size of the duck left a bit to be desired.

In summary, while Thai Home Kitchen offers tasty dishes at good value, the service management drastically undermines the dining experience. The restaurant struggled to balance in-house dining with an overwhelming number of takeout orders, even at less than full capacity. I sincerely hope they can address these issues to improve the overall...

Not one to leave a review but after reading some mixed opinions I felt like I needed to go to bat for this place. Overall, wow, such a delicious (GLUTEN FREE!) meal and nice airy, peaceful space to eat.

FOOD: The GF Pad See Ew was spot on, so flavorful, and the wide rice noodles were cooked just right. I will definitely order this again! The Penang Curry was also delicious- spicy but not overpowering, rich, so satisfying. We splurged and also shared fried sweet potatoes, Thai iced tea, and the requisite mango sticky rice, which was a perfect blend of sweet and salty. Needless to say, we really enjoyed ourselves. All of their curries are marked gluten free, but the person who served us (the owner?) said she was able to make all of the dishes GF (within reason, as far as I know this is not a GF kitchen with separate fryers, etc. so Celiacs be mindful there).

AMBIANCE: It's not one of those restaurants where it's packed full of tables with background music on encouraging patrons to talk louder to hear each other over the din. I also liked the tall ceilings and simple decor. So "A" for ambiance!

SERVICE: We received such kind, friendly service and the server (owner?) was very receptive and attentive to GF concerns. The service was not fast per se but it wasn't unreasonable by any means considering the restaurant was 3/4 full. Also, it's new, so I'm sure things will continue...

Atmosphere/Ambiance: 3/5

At the time I went early evening 5-6 there were not many people there and plenty of seating. Open layout in a familiar space with a full bar unchanged from a prior business.

Service: 1/5

The waitress didn't seem familiar with the menu, orders were mixed up a bit.

Price: 1/5 - $23.56? ($21.18) - 20.01 - Crying Tiger (automatic 18% tip) An automatic 18% gratuity which I didn't see listed anywhere was generous given the poor service. In hindsight we were overcharged because the menu list price for the crying tiger + 18% should have only been $21.18 and it was $23.56, I paid for my partner's meal as well and she ordered the Evil Prince at a list price of $16.95 which was charged at $23 as well. We were bamboozled. I would wager everyone at the table was.

Food: 3/5

I had the Crying Tiger which was a fair portion of steak on a bed of lettuce with a light dressing complimented by a Thai sauce to either dip or drizzle and a side of rice.

The Steak was prepared with no prompt for doneness at a common medium-rare. It was flavorful on its own but much better with the Thai sauce which was quite tasty.

The bed of lettuce could have benefited from a bit more dressing.

The rice was dry and hard for the most part.

Verdict: 1/5 - Do...