Thai Gourmet — Restaurant in Independence

More than a few people have mentioned their hesitancy to try Thai Gourmet due to it being located in a strip mall. What makes this funny is that not only is this area a white collar business district where doctors and lawyers eat lunch, but nearly everything else is this strip mall is a restaurant of some sort as well. Gone are the days when people should be afraid to eat in a strip mall as there are many high-class restaurants that hide in joints that don't look too fancy. Thai Gourmet is not exact of that high-class strip mall category but it certainly isn't a dive. The interior and ambiance are nice enough that you can take a date there and not be embarrassed or feel like you've gone too authentic.

As far as our actual dining experience.... upon walking in for the first time, I began to think twice about our choice of dining when we looked upon a ghost town. It was a prime dining hour on a weekend and not a single soul was in sight. This is generally not a good sign. However, I've had this same experience at Bac (one of my favorite restaurants in the Cleveland area) so we didn't abandon our plan.

Our server was an elderly white man who was not extremely attentive or friendly considering we were his only table to worry about. He had a strike against him as a white male in a Thai restaurant already but he otherwise may have made up for that in personality - however, he never even made the attempt.

As far as the food is concerned, my wife and I ordered the Thai Potstickers ($7) as an appetizers and then shared our main dishes which were the Green Curry with chicken ($12) and something called Governor Chicken ($12). The Potstickers themselves were slightly odd in flavor, however, the cucumbers and sauce they were served in were delightful and I would have actually preferred it as a cucumber salad minus the potstickers. The Green Curry had very good flavor and just the right amount of heat - however, I have two minor complaints: the curry was too watery, and they used regular garden peas rather than a more Asian option like sugar peas. Normal American peas make me think of a Mormon mom's casserole, not a Thai Green Curry. The Governor Chicken was okay but tasted much like the sweet entrees you'd find at a Chinese buffet - a little too sugary and certainly not homemade.

Overall, I was moderately satisfied with our meal but probably won't make this a regular choice for dining out as it was slightly too expensive for the quality of food we got and the service was...

I traveled from NJ to visit friends and came to Thai Gourmet as I heard great things about it. I was not disappointed! Even though the name of the restaurant says "Thai," the menu also includes many favorite Chinese-American dishes. Our group ordered Thai Spring Rolls and Crab Rangoon to start. Both were freshly fried; the crab rangoon had a very crab-forward filling (which can be lacking in many Chinese restaurants)... ooey gooey and very delicious. A great way to start a meal! I ordered the Thai Green Curry with beef. The beef slices were tender; the curry sauce was spot on. Great depth of flavor, with enough heat to be present but not set your mouth on fire, and the coconut milk to balance the heat. Others in our party got the Pineapple Fried Rice and Green Pepper Steak. Those dishes were just as well crafted and prepared as my Curry dish. As great as the food was, the two biggest takeaways are value and customer service. Portions were very generous, and the prices were very affordable. I most likely would have had to pay double the prices in NJ/NYC that we did at Thai Gourmet. The quality of the food could rival any Thai spot in central NJ or the Lower East Side of NYC. The ambiance is not pretentious at all, and the staff makes you feel like family from the moment you walk in. If you live or work in Independence, OH and are a fan of Thai food, consider yourselves lucky that Thai Gourmet is in...

I visited Thai Gourmet in Independence, Ohio last week and it was delicious! The restaurant is small, but cozy. I arrived early around 4:30 pm so I was the only person dining in the restaurant, I was waited on quite quickly even though there seemed to be only one server at the time. I will say that there was a steady flow of food picker-upers coming in.

I ordered the Thai Spring Rolls which were served in a cute boat dish with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The rolls were very hot and crispy. They were quite good, I was able to take a few home for lunch the next day. Additionally, I ordered the Avocado Thai Entre with beef; it was delicious! The sauce had a pleasant taste and smell of coconut milk which perfectly balanced the spice in the dish. It was served with white rice which came in a separate dish.

Overall I would recommend Thai Gourmet. It is reasonably priced and has a great menu selection. My only criticism would be the portion size of the entre...I ate the whole thing and didn't have leftovers like I usually have from Thai and Chinese restaurants. Maybe it was just...