Thai Tanium Restaurant — Restaurant in Gaithersburg

Go at your own risk. This restaurant had amazing reviews, so my experience may have been a one-off.

Firstly, when we got there, there were no other customers in the restaurant but we decided to get seated anyway. I've realized over time that empty restaurants usually mean something is wrong 🤷🏾‍♀️ but i went along to give it the benefit of the doubt.

We ordered these steamed dumplings (kanom jeep) and the chicken satay 1st, but they had a weird taste. I'm not a picky eater, so I didn't say anything until my coworker mentioned that the dumplings were very hard and dense, which was very weird because we both eat a lot of thai food and this sui mai dumpling was unlike any we had ever had! It tasted stale and overly stuffed, almost hard. The satay was also served with bread?

Despite this we both ordered the crispy duck option because we thought it was going to be the best thing on the menu. When the dish arrived we both were unable to finish our dish because of the weird taste. I don't know if any of you have ever experienced this before with chicken But I know that whenever I cook chicken and refrigerate it it doesn't taste the same the next day. it has a specific taste which is what I got from eating the duck at this restaurant. I also thought that it was a bit stale and not very flavourful. When I mentioned this to my coworker, they agreed that they had the same experience and we both stopped eating our food and only ate the carrots off the plate. We both came to the conclusion that the crispy duck was probably frozen and they had rewarmed them for us because it wasn't even crispy. I brought the duck home just in case somebody else in my household would enjoyed more than me and everyone who tasted it said it tasted very weird.

I didn't bother to inform the server or the waiter just because I didn't want to deal with go sending the food back and waiting for it to come back.

Even though the food was really weird and I would never go back there the...

THIS WAS my go to for Thai food, but not anymore. I usually order food to go or for delivery via apps. I get my usual spicy eggplant dish with beef, seafood, tofu, shrimp, sometimes double seafood or various combinations depending on my mood.

My last and final order with this place I ordered my usual and it only came with beef and no seafood. I noticed the order was off immediately by the size of the container. I opened it and dug around for the seafood and it did not come with any.

I took a picture and called them up immediately and was told the manager would have to call me back. I waited and the same person who answered my original call told me they can’t do anything about it unless I want to place another order.

I told him I’d be happy to drive back and have them add the seafood in it and pay for it since the app refunded me the seafood add on option.

He said sorry unless you want to place another order they can’t help me.

I told him if I was in the restaurant dinning in they would immediately fix it. I’m not asking them to drive it out to me or make me a new one and I am not asking for anything free since I’m happy to pay for the add on again after the $5 refund.

He said again sorry can’t help unless I place another order.

I told him that’s like me ordering a car with specific options and it was delivered without said options and I’d have to buy another car with those options after being refunded the option price.

Absolutely ludicrous! I will never be a customer of this place ever...

I visited Thai Tanium recently and truly enjoyed the food — it was flavorful, fresh, and thoughtfully prepared. The staff seemed attentive, and the atmosphere had potential for a great dining experience.

However, what was meant to be an enjoyable meal turned into something deeply uncomfortable. On multiple occasions during my visit, I was called “fat” by a young child — maybe around 6 years old — who appeared to be the child of one of the restaurant’s staff members. This wasn’t a one-time slip; it was repeated, loud, and completely unprovoked. The worst part? It happened in front of adults who didn’t correct the behavior or step in to make it right.

I understand children can be unpredictable, but when they’re part of a family-owned business and present in the dining area, there needs to be accountability. Words matter — especially when they come from those connected to the people running the establishment.

As someone who came to enjoy a meal, not to be body-shamed, this experience left me feeling embarrassed and unwelcome. I truly hope Thai Tanium takes this feedback seriously and fosters a more respectful and inclusive environment for all guests — regardless of their size.

The food deserves 5 stars. But the experience? It needs work. Words hurt, and I hope no other guest has to leave feeling like I did.

— A customer who believes kindness should be on...