Thai Bistro — Restaurant in Houston

Restaurant Review: First Impressions Matter

I recently dined at here for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. The sweet-and-sour chicken was particularly delicious

However, I encountered a situation that left me with mixed feelings about my experience. When ordering, I inquired whether the rice options—white or fried rice—were included with the meal. The waiter assured me that the rice was complimentary, and opting for fried rice would not affect the price of my dish. Based on this clarification, I chose the fried rice.

Upon receiving the bill, I noticed a charge for an $8 kids fried rice. I promptly raised this issue with the staff member who brought the bill, and she indicated she would consult the manager. When the manager approached my table, her demeanor suggested annoyance rather than a willingness to assist. Rather than engaging in a constructive conversation, she asked if I had a question, which I clarified I did not; I simply wanted to explain the misunderstanding. Unfortunately, she seemed indifferent to my concerns and did not offer any apology or acknowledgment of any wrongdoings on their part.

While I understand that mistakes can happen and I hold no ill will toward the waiter—who I clearly just made an honest mistake, —the manager's lack of empathy was disheartening. In my experience working within the restaurant industry, I have always gone out of my way to correct any mistake me or my staff has caused. Effective customer service can significantly enhance a dining experience. A simple acknowledgment of the misunderstanding and a resolution—such as removing the charge for the extra rice—would have demonstrated care for the customer’s experience.

In conclusion, while I thoroughly enjoyed the food, the service aspect fell short of expectations. I hope my feedback contributes to improving customer interactions...

Nice location and atmosphere, clean; very friendly...

BUT...

(Ordered online for take out - nice website too.)

BUT...

By the looks of all the dried chilies on top of my Pad Thai, they really tried to honor my request for "Thai hot." Once I added all the extra red hot sauce I requested extra packets of when picking it up, it was decently spicy... barely.

The lime wedge in my food's container looked like it had already been used (like when the wedge looks pulpy and protrudes after squeezing it. There was maybe two drops of juice in it. My wife's was slightly less questionable. I'm pretending they squeezed it on the noodles for me before I picked it up, so that I won't have nightmares...) The lime wedge was oddly hot too...

All in all, the noodles were ok, but not great. It seems like all the Pad Thai noodles in Houston lately get slightly mushy and break into short pieces of noodles, regardless of who cooks them or at what restaurant.

Points for including crushed peanuts and (cough) lime with the noodles. It's amazing the Thai restaurants these days where they don't know that people want/expect (or should!) these condiments with Pad Thai.

The chicken satay and pan-fried pork dumpling appetizers were mediocre, at best. Peanut sauce seemed pretty good.

I can't even get spicy hot food at Thai Gourmet either any more (new chef a couple years ago for one thing). And Nit Noi is long gone. Remember Paddy Thai, anyone??

SOMEONE SAVE THAI AND SPICY FOOD IN...

So I will not be returning here. I’ve eaten here two other times and had pleasant experiences. Today I placed a takeout order for calamari and pad Thai. I got home and in the process of eating my pad Thai discovered a long black hair in my food. I knew it wasn’t mine because I’m Black (thus a different hair texture) and more importantly I have braids that are light brown/blonde. I immediately called the restaurant and told them. The lady didn’t apologize and instead awkwardly offered to make another one. I then had to drive back to the restaurant. When I got there it was a different lady and all she asked me was “oh no one told you to bring the original food back with you?” Now I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but to me this was a big mistake on their end. Finding a long hair strand in your food is disgusting and it makes you question the entire sanitation of this place. Instead of them to apologize, you’re questioning me as if I made up the story. Who would waste their time driving back out after a long work week just so they could get some additional $12 chicken pad Thai? Like seriously do better. They honestly need to work on their customer service and for that reason, I mostly certainly will not be returning. It was just so off...