Waldo Thai — Restaurant in Kansas City

We had the pleasure of attending the 2022 Holiday Pop Up! It was incredible!

We sampled several of the drinks and all of the entrées that were offered.

The appetizer, Ricotta & Candied Tomato Chili Jam, was a great balance of creamy, sweet, and spicy.

The Kabocha Salad was good and refreshing but could have used a little more dressing.

The Roasted Lemongrass Chicken Thigh was absolutely incredible - moist and delicious chicken and the pork sausage stuffing it was paired with was fantastic. That sauce was to die for!

The Sticky Pork Belly was perfect - if anyone knows how to make pork belly it’s Waldo Thai. Loved the spicy cranberry namjim it was served with. It was really, really, spicy but so good!!!

The Crispy Shallot Coated Shrimp was perfectly cooked - the shrimp was large, succulent, and delicious. It was served on top of a green bean casserole for a fun Thai holiday fusion.

The Braised Beef Short Ribs were nothing short of divine -perfectly tender with that all-day cooked flavor that ribs require. They were paired with an excellent sweet potato.

We also sampled six of the special cocktails that were offered including the Holiday Whobee Whatee, Holy Spirits, and Nutcracker Fashioned. And then for dessert we had the Grandma Kisses, Bah Rumbug, and Yule Shoot Yer Eye Out.

Chef Pam Liberda stopped by the table and chatted for a few minutes about the menu.

All of the staff were decked out in festive and fun Christmas suits, holiday sweaters, and reindeer costumes and there was a Hallmark Christmas movie on TV. They nailed the homey and fun Christmas vibe.

Overall the holiday pop up was absolutely amazing - we’re looking forward to returning to Waldo Thai hungry (and...

I don’t understand how this restaurant could’ve gone downhill so quickly. Waldo Thai used to be such a unique and mind blowing flavor experience with a service and dining experience that matched the food’s caliber. With the recent change in ownership, everything I just mentioned has plummeted. The staff aren’t very friendly and don’t give good service at all, the restaurant itself has started to look rundown with most of the tables being horribly wobbly, the drinks flat out suck and the food’s quality and flavor has become awful. I think the most insulting part about all of these changes is that they had the audacity to keep Waldo Thai’s original (high) prices. My husband and I got two appetizers, three main courses and each had a cocktail and we paid $175. We were seated in the sun when we arrived at a table that was embarrassingly wobbly. We asked to be moved and were met with frustration and attitude from our server. She did move us, but the next table was equally wobbly. The menu has been reduced down to about 35% of the original offerings. None of the Lao options are available anymore. None of the dishes taste even close to the way they did before. The complex flavor profiles have disappeared. The extra spicy dishes that we loved are gone. I’m honestly baffled by the experience we had last night. We will not be returning again. It’s a shame that one of Kansas City’s best restaurants has been ruined. The new owners should have to make a new Google listing for their restaurant with new reviews. Any positive reviews are definitely from before the ownership changed. It’s not fair to the people making reservations based on the old reviews who then come in and have a...

Last night our food had no flavor and the seafood in my Poh Taek was chewy and overcooked so I politely asked to order something else. The server did not ask what was wrong with the food and did not return to take my new order. I flagged down a different server, who also did not ask why I sent back the food and also expressed no apology or concern. How do they know the chef didn't mix up the salt with the sugar in the kitchen? My companion did not eat his Gai Tord Phad Khing but neither server noticed this. His food tasted like plain American chicken, although there was a small amount of sauce that had flavor. He also liked his cocktail, which had a beautiful blood orange garnish but I don't recall the name of the drink.

I did not ask either server to take the item off my bill but one of them did this without mentioning it. They seemed most intent on just turning our table for the next set of customers.

Waldo Thai food looks beautiful and has fresh ingredients but it just tastes like American food with a high price tag (Poh Taek $33/Gai Tord $28) Even the rice has no flavor. Compare it to the long-grain rice served with meals at Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine (also in Waldo). It is simply-prepared rice that's delicious.

Skip Waldo Thai--go to Lemongrass Thai in downtown OP; have the Kha Soi (under "native dishes" on the menu). Order extra noodles to take home with the leftovers. Lemongrass Thai...