Pato Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Flagstaff

One of my favorite spots in Flagstaff! I was spending the weekend in town with my parents, and we decided to stop by Pato Thai Cuisine to satisfy a growing craving for Thai food and to find a solid, nourishing vegetarian meal. And Pato absolutely delivered on both of those wants -- I had their mixed vegetable lunch special with steamed tofu, and it was absolutely delicious. It was really simple -- just a medley of fresh vegetables that included broccoli, carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, zucchini, and green beans with firm tofu, all sauteed in a simple, light sauce -- but it was still incredible. The meal was light and refreshing, and when paired with a bowl of brown rice, incredibly nutritionally balanced.

My parents opted for bolder flavors, with my dad selecting the panang curry and my mom trying out the spicy scallop chef's special. Both of their dishes were a bit too salty for their tastes, especially my mom's spicy scallops; she finished her entire bowl of rice and half of mine, as well as three glasses of water to try to balance out the sodium. The panang curry was also on the saltier side, but a lot easier for my dad to manage. Over-the-top salt aside, though, both of them had great things to say about their dishes -- my dad loved the overall spice of the panang curry and each component was delicious. The scallops were perfectly cooked, with a delightfully flaky texture, and paired wonderfully with the fresh veggies and, had the sauce been a bit less salty, would have soaked up its riched flavor beautifully.

Aside from the food, Pato's atmosphere and service were both incredible! It was definitely quite busy when we visited on Saturday afternoon -- tables were cleared and then new customers were seated nearly immediately the entire time we were there. But the staff remained level-headed and friendly, and they were incredibly helpful and attentive to each of their guests' needs. Our server was also really accommodating of my dietary restrictions and willing to answer my myriad questions, despite how busy they were. With its great food and service, I'll definitely be swinging by Pato again if I find myself in Flagstaff...

We ordered TEMPURA vegetables from Pato Thai.

The first image is what they "served" us. That is not Tempura. That is panko crusted vegetables void of any egg wash or anything to actually adhere the panko. Tempura as pictured in the second photo is light fluffy and light to golden brown. That is true Tempura. Not vegetables that are so soaked in oil that you can not even eat them.

So I called back to pato thai to express my disappointment in what was given to us. The young woman who answered must have been afraid of conflict said she couldn't hear me then immediately hands me off to a male server or someone they never gave a title. Who then proceeds to tell me that Every Guest enjoys their "Tempura" and that the batter doesn't naturally stay on the veggies.. Ok I've had true Tempura and sure some times the batter is loose but this again is panko not Tempura. Huge difference between the two. Either way he wanted to continue telling me I shouldn't be upset with what was in front of me without even seeing what was served. I'm sorry but fellow humans would you have accepted what is shown in the first image as "perfectly serve able food" of restaurant quality? I mean the onion rings are obviously from Sysco and dont even match what is being presented. This restaurant calls them selves a true food location but can't even make their dishes true to name. I'm sorry but I am disappointed and frankly could not stand being treated the way I was. It was not offensive but it was not professional either. You listen to the complaint. You offer a solution. You ensure the solution is satisfying. That's it. You dont defend when it's clearly a mistake. Also if the guest offers to bring it back to show you the error dont dismiss them. That is rude. Anyway fellow eaters of eats do with this info what you will.

In addition to the above message. I went to eat my DOUBLE Thai hot Spicy Fried rice.. No heat what so ever. Please talk to your cook. They are...

So I’ve been a regular here for over a year… The food is fresh & great! Truly, it is… Earlier today, I noticed something, while dining here with friends, that felt shady & disappointing… (for context: I worked in hospitality/ bars/ restaurants for a decade, so I know how it all operates, just fyi)

We were a group of 5. There were 2 couples + me. We told them, before ordering, that it would be 3 separate checks. Sometimes it’s a standard practice at a restaurant, to add an automatic percentage of gratuity on a table of “this certain number of people or more”. I get that. But then, when they ran our 3 different cards, after adding their automatic 15% they were still asking us to sign & tip MORE. It felt kinda slimy, how it was barely mentioned in smaller fine print “added gratuity” under the tax section on the receipt & then they bring you another receipt to milk a bigger tip out of you. My friends didn’t notice on their bills (til I pointed it out to them) how the service already tipped themselves.

We all looked at it like, wow that’s kinda gross & pushy! The service is bare minimum too… also, it would’ve been common courtesy to TELL US “just so you’re aware, our policy is an included this-much-percent on tables of this-many-people or more” instead of, just just sneak it in there & play dumb to get a second tip. If you think I’m making this up, look at my attached photos. I’ve just never experienced that at a dining place, where they include their own tip AND then ALSO bring you a receipt with a blank by the “tip” section, pretending like they didn’t already get one. That’s such a turn off & makes me not want to ever come back. It’s the not the dollar amount. It’s the principle of the issue. It was...