Tik's Thai Express LLC — Restaurant in Fairborn

I was almost immediately disappointed by the menu as they didn't have a lot of the typical Thai staples and classics in most restaurants, especially those sponsored by the Thai government. It was evident that it is definitely catering more to non-Thai and mid-Western tastes and I doubt the owner is Thai.

We ordered tod mun pla (fish cakes, not pictured), chicken pad Thai, and larb gai (ground meat salad, chicken is the only option here).

-Tod mun pla: Can't complain too much. They were smaller than I'm used to and not quite as flavorful, but overall not bad. Very expensive for what they were though.

-Pad Thai: Typical authentic pad Thai sauces don't contain soy sauce and this tasted way more like a soy sauce stir-fried noodle than pad Thai. I'd struggle to really call it pad Thai as the flavors just are not pad Thai. I don't know if any tamarind was used, but there was no real tang to it. Pad Thai should be sweet, sour, and salty but this just had a salty soy sauce flavor. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't pad Thai.

-Larb gai: Not really too much to complain about here concerning flavor. It was pretty standard larb and they used toasted rice powder like it's supposed to have. I do wish they would have used fresh chilis instead of dry and shallots instead of red onions. What I will complain about is the price and amount of meat. $18 for larb is outrageous, especially when the amount of meat was so small. I wouldn't normally pay more than $10 for larb and it normally is loaded with your ground meat of choice. My family is from Isaan region where we mostly eat sticky rice by hand with larb. Larb is a traditional Isaan dish and most Isaan cuisine is eaten by hand with sticky rice, so the fact that they don't serve sticky rice as an option was really disappointing. The only sticky rice is for the mango sticky rice dessert. You also typically eat it with lettuce or cabbage, similar to lettuce wraps. They had it in the dish, but it was all chopped up and mixed in with the meat so you really couldn't use it to grab or fill it with any meat.

Overall, very disappointing for me but my non-Thai spouse didn't mind it. It's really expensive (around $15 average for entrees) for...

I really hate that I am leaving this review, because Tik's is a place I frequent, but I had such a disappointing experience today. Every time I go, no matter the day or time, the portions are hearty, and the dishes are beautiful. They look just like the menu picture. I was excited to bring first-time guests! We order the Thai Boat, Mama's Tom Yum, and the Kao Soi.

Thai Boat-- hardly had any toppings, very flat and one-dimensional. Still tasted fine.

Kao Soi (zero spice)-- the bowl was so empty, and you could hardly see the broth. The waiter agreed he thought there was more broth woth the dish and brought more out-- still barely got past the bottom of the bowl. Also, the spice was about a 3 and my friend was unable to finish the dish.

Mama's T (zero spice)-- this is my favorite dish from Tik's, so I'm very familiar with it (but not the name lol). I pointed to the picture with the Musles and shrimp, and asked the server the name-- she said the Seafood Soup. I didn't recall that being the name, but trusted her to know-- It was the wrong dish. After going back and forth, I thought it was straightened out. My friend joked that they were going to dump the seafood soup over noodles. Well, it wasn't a joke, because the waiter admitted that is what was done. It tasted nothing like Mama's Tom Yum, the noodles were wrong, the serving bowl was wrong, and there was no appeasement. I was just told that different chef's cook different ways, and other excuses. I wouldn't tell others not to go, because even though the dishes were not what we ordered, they were good and a new guest wouldn't know. However, as a frequent diner, it was very...

This restaurant has always been a favorite of mine, but I had a disappointing experience during my recent visit due to an employee named Ethan.

When we arrived at 8:27 PM, Ethan informed us quite abruptly that we had only three minutes to order because they would be closing in half an hour. While I understand the need to communicate closing times, his delivery was far from friendly. When we requested chopsticks, he tossed them to us with an audible sigh, which felt unprofessional.

It seemed he had a sense of entitlement while helping the other servers, and I couldn't help but notice his dismissive attitude. To top it off, he turned off the lights while we were still eating and chatting with another employee, which felt quite rude.

We ended up discussing our frustrations about Ethan with the other staff members, making it clear that his behavior was out of place in an otherwise welcoming environment.

I want to emphasize that all the other staff members here are fantastic and contribute to the restaurant's warm atmosphere, which reflects the beautiful Thai culture. Unfortunately, Ethan's actions overshadowed that.

Ethan, if you're reading this, I hope you take this feedback to heart. Your behavior not only affects your colleagues but also the overall experience for customers. If you're unhappy in your role, perhaps it’s time to consider a different path. Please remember that everyone deserves a pleasant...