Jasmine Rice Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Lexington

When I tell you this is the best Thai food I’ve had in Kentucky. I’m not joking. When her page says kukies in the kitchen, believe it.

My wife and I spent the whole day helping a relative move, so we build up an appetite and what better to soothe the empty stomach blues…? Thai..

Because of our timing, we had to enter this establishment 30 mins before close and we just made it.

We were greeted by kukie and her husband. We spent a few mins skimming over the menu and then placed our order.

As we waited, we chilled on the couch and chatted with kukie’s husband. This is when I took in the chill atmosphere and laidback esthetic. Very nice decorations and furniture.

In little to no time our order was ready. We gladly thanked them and headed home. We had a 35 min drive before we could dig in.

When we got home we were ready.

I ordered my usual at just about any Thai restaurant- the basil fried rice with chicken. Thai spicy of course. My wife ordered the garlic pad Thai with beef. Spicy as well. We also shared a nice serving of Tom yum soup.

Upon my first bite I was in heaven. Authentic Thai taste and flavor embraced me and set my tastebuds to amazing. I tried my wife’s meal and my tastebuds again were in shock. Then it was time for the soup which didn’t disappoint.

Everything was delicious and still warm after driving for 35 mins. Altogether this was a great experience and I am glad they took care of us after arriving close to close.

Overall if you want great food that doesn’t break the bank… visit Kukie and see what she’s cooking up. You’ll be glad you did. My true rating is...

Edit: This breaks my heart to post this edit but if I'm gonna be honest in my reviews, I have to post this edit. And those who have become regulars as I have, will most likely agree. If you want the 5 STAR food, make sure the owner is cooking. When she is cooking, WATCH OUT, IT'S AMAZING. IT'S 5 STAR QUALITY. But, as I found out on my 3 visit (I've been back 10 times since I've moved here to make sure it's not just bad luck), if the staff is cooking and the owner isn't in the kitchen, you're lucky if the food is 3 star, average quality. First, it's almost ALWAYS way too salty when she's not cooking. WAY OVER SALTED. Also, I know they're using her recipes, but they're not following the recipe to a T because they're not the same. They're close to the recipe but there's major differences in quality, taste and a couple of visits, the food was dry and burnt. So far, I've had the best experience with her cooking a total of 4 times. But most visits, she's not cooking (which honestly, no one would expect an owner to always be cooking) and the staff does not do her food justice, at all. Their level is almost always a 2 star quality and that's comparing the food to other Thai places in town, not to the owner's cooking. Compared to her cooking, it's 1 star at best.

We wanted to try a new Thai restaurant and HOLY SMOKES!!! THIS. PLACE. IS. AMAZING. The owner was cooking up a storm in the back and wow, the food showed passion of love for the food & culture. I recommend the...

I don’t think I’ve ever done a restaurant review in my life (and it’s unlikely to become a habit), and I get that I’m probably late to the party, but for all my Lexington and Nicholasville friends, last night I had arguably one of the best Asian meals of my life.

“Jasmine Rice” on Winchester Road absolutely KILLS IT. I was racing home from downtown to beat traffic but, since I was in the area, decided to give it a chance because I heard from a fraternity brother it was really good.

Well, for takeout I ordered Drunken Noodles (i.e., Pad Kee Mao; medium-hot with chicken) and Chicken Pad Thai thinking, if one of them is just average, chances are the other will surely be good enough to justify the gamble. Who can argue with two entrees for $21, right?

Well, the Drunken Noodles were so freaking good - captivating, actually - that I told myself a restaurant owner and cooking staff of that caliber deserve all the public praise they’ve earned. Today for lunch I knocked out the Pad Thai and it was hands down the best I’ve ever had. Period.

If you’re on the east side of Lexington for lunch or dinner, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to Kukie’s cooking. The storefront may not be flashy, but her customer service and quality of food are epic. You won’t be...