Thai Spice — Restaurant in Irvine

Thai Spice has such a small menu that it's easy to grab exactly what you want and sometimes there's beauty in simplicity.

I was craving pad see ewe and didn't feel like driving all the way down to Garden Grove to hit up my favorite restaurant so I decided to give Thai Spice a try. I actually live closer to the Irvine Marketplace location but saw such bad reviews that it turned me off to it and made me want to drive to this location.

Thankfully, parking is not as chaotic as the marketplace so it wasn't difficult to find. Despite the restaurant looking empty, it's actually relatively busy especially considering we went on a Sunday at 8pm. You order at the counter and take a seat at the few tables they have downstairs. They have additional seating upstairs for those who dine in but I am not sure if they drop it off to your table or if you pick it up at the window.

Pad See Ewe with Beef -- $9.95 -- very dry and the beef was so-so. I didn’t like that the noodles were cut up into smaller pieces either.

Egg Fried Rice with Shrimp -- $10.95 -- honestly could have made this myself. Consisted of white rice with soy sauce, egg, peas, and several pieces of shrimp.

Overall, I would have probably done better by learning how to make these items on my own as they did not feel like an especially good value to me. I don’t think I’d plan to return here unless their quality of food improves in the...

Lots of mixed reviews, but don't knock it 'til you try it :)!

Hungry and not wanting to leave the house, I decided to order delivery. Random fact: This is the 2nd time in my life where I've ordered food for delivery (other than pizza). For my food, I ordered their Pad Thai w/ Beef. I've been on a Pad Thai binge since I'm addicted to the flavor and the noodles. The dish normally has a tangy flavor to it which I like, and I also love the thin noodles that are used.

How was it?

Pad Tai w/ Beef: A warm delivery! So I suppose you can say I ate it while it was fresh. Opted for no bean sprouts or green onions because I don't like them with this dish. The thin noodles and flavor were just what I was looking for and expected. The beef, though there wasn't much, was pretty good. The noodles weren't long strands, they seemed to be cut shorter. I didn't mind this as it made it much easier to eat, and I was definitely not in the mood to twirl my noodles like spaghetti. I requested a medium spice level and it was perfect!

The food arrived in a timely manner, no complaints there.

I can't speak for the service as I didn't interact with anyone at the restaurant, but maybe next time I'll dine in...

I am very, very disappointed in my experience with this restaurant and will never EVER eat there again! The Pad Thai is not great and the portions are small for their regular price.

My order was incorrect. I ordered Pad Thai and received Tofu. These things happen, I do understand BUT after returning to have the order taken care of, giving me the proper order I paid for, they wanted the mistaken order so they could throw the food away.

I was not offered a free soda, nothing for the trouble of having to go back and forth to correct the error. All I was offered was an apology and a demand for the mistake they made so they can just throw it away.

This is wasteful and during covid-19 to take the old dish and trash it, I WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN and with all the Thai places in Irvine, I can't imagine why you would want to either!

If you think $9.99 a plate is inexpensive for a plate, you will think again when you see the portion and taste IF you get the right order in the...