Thai Table — Restaurant in Gastonia

First thing I will say, is the food at this place is absolutely amazing!!! Here are the bad and good things my sister and I experienced...

The bad: my sister used a Groupon for this restaurant, valued $40. While ordering our food, we were told that because it was Wednesday, kids eat free. I normally would order just one plate for my oldest daughter and feed my other daughter from it, but because I was told the kids meals were free, I bought two for both my girls. Come to find out, the kids meals were not free due to using a Groupon. The only things that the Groupon excluded were drinks and alcoholic beverages. The major incident that we had was with our vegetarian orders. My sister's order came out perfectly fine, but as I began to eat my food, I noticed that there was chicken in my meal, when I specifically told the waitress that I was a vegetarian. When I received my plate the second time, it was vegetarian, except for the fact that it had one slice of sausage sitting on top of the meal itself. I almost felt like the cooks in the back where taunting me for returning my plate that was filled with meat when I clearly stated that I didn't eat meat. If someone had a severe food allergy to tree nuts/peanuts or shellfish, I really wonder how well the kitchen would prepare their meals to ensure the customers safety, if something as simple as meat is overlooked.

The good: the food at this restaurant is absolutely amazing, even though there was a hiccup in the meal preparation. Our waitress was so delightful! she always had a smile on her face, was very warm and welcoming, was very sweet to my little ones, and not once was upset about my food having to be returned. The decoration inside of the restaurant is very pretty as well. It's definitely a pleasant place to take your loved ones. Even with the confusion on the Groupon, our waitress was still very nice and was patient in explaining the issue, which she apologized for. We definitely couldn't blame the waitress for the mix-up because she didn't know that we were using a Groupon for the meal when we were first ordering. Just wished that the Groupon specified things better before purchasing.

To be honest, I wanted to give the restaurant a four-star rating, but because I do have family members that have severe food allergies, and thinking about the meal preparation, I...

Lets start with first impressions. The interior is very nice and authentic looking. It was however very dimly lit! It was so dimly lit I had a bit of a hard time reading the menu. Speaking of the menu, my menu had smatterings of food that had been compressed between the laminated pages. Yummy!!

We were quickly seated and immediately asked what we wanted to drink...keep in mind we just sat down and didn't have a chance to open the menu to even see what they offered. Fast service, but misses the mark because they were so fast that you couldn't look at a menu before making a decision. Over all I felt rushed.

The menu, if you are lucky enough to get one without something smooshed on it, is big and has a lot to offer.

I'm sure they have some great items on the menu, but my choice was not one of them.

I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai. When it got to my table it looked and smelled authentic. But the taste...the taste was very odd. There was this odd sweetness to it that stuck in your mouth. The odd sweetness to it actually reminded me of ketchup...very gross! Plus the onions in it were not cooked enough and still crunchy, not stir fry crunchy but more like this has seen no heat on it crunchy. Not appealing at all. There was no char or smokiness from the high heat cooking associated with a good Pad Thai. All in all it was horrible and just plain old weird to the taste.

I only had 3 small bites and sent it back. They did offer to replace it with something else, but by the time that happened my husband was almost done with his meal. By the time I would have had something else delivered to the table he would have been done. Which is also kind of the kiss of death for a dining experience. Over all a miserable experience and will not go back.

Perhaps they are really great but you only get one first impression and mine was a...

This is my favorite restaurant in Charlotte!! Everytime I eat takeout from here I'm left feeling happy, comforted and satisfied. The people who work here are wonderful and kind. The food is simply the best Thai food I've had in all of Charlotte and Gastonia. My regular order is chicken satay, steamed dumplings, vegetable+tofu panang curry Thai hot, and mango with sticky rice. They get everything perfect every single time. Most Thai restaurants I've been to have a very weak and disappointing "Thai hot" spice level. Kitchen Mae Kong has never missed the mark. If you enjoy spicy food, this place does it right.

My husband, who's never enjoyed Thai food in the past and who has a milder palette, is also now a regular at Kitchen Mae Kong with me.

The mango sticky rice is a perfect way to end a spicy meal. Their mango is always one of the best fresh mangoes I've had in America. (Growing up eating big juicy mangoes in India, I have high standards for my fresh tropical fruit). If their mangoes for the day are not sweet enough or up to par with their standards, they're always sure to let me know they would rather not serve subpar ingredients. I really appreciate their honesty and adherence to offering excellent product and service.

If you're looking for a nice place to eat tasty food made with the best fresh ingredients, please give these nice...