Thai House Bistro — Restaurant in Lexington

The first time we came here was very good. It wasn't that busy and we had a chicken pinapple fried rice dish and sizzling hot plate of duck.

Tonight though was a different experience. Tonight was my son's birthday.

We were seated and given drinks quickly. Menus and orders taken happened with good pacing despite the bustling atmosphere. But then we were forgotten. Multiple tables came and went. We anticipated our main order to take a while so we ordered 2 quick appetizers: Cheese Rolls and Chicken Satay [1 each]

After not seeing anyone for almost 40 minutes, we recieved our appetizers which were hot and fresh. Both were good, but 40 minutes for appetizers without being checked on was a gross oversight. By the time we got the main dishes it was past the 1 hour mark. Our party was 5.

Main dishes were Duck w pinapple fried rice, Chili paste duck, Pad Kee Mao and 2 seasame chickens. They were brought out in a rush with two servers frantically placing things down in a way that suggests they realized we had been slowly rotting away unserved and unchecked on. None of the plates seemed fresh off the burners. Instead it seemed like that had sat for maybe 8-12 minutes. Warm, but cooling.

My Chili paste duck tasted very good and the duck was tender. Occasionally the brocolli had a cold spot, suggesting the dish was rushed in part. Even so, I would recommend it to anyone who likes a mild heat and variety of vegetables with fresh basil.

My husband's Pinapple fried rice tasted like old rice with pinapple placed on top which was disappointing when compared to the first time he tried it and couldn't eat enough. His duck seemed dried out like it either cooked too fast or left too long. It also didn't have any of the flavor used in the fried rice which made it seem more like an afterthought rather than the meat of the dish.

My son's Pad Kee Mao will be a mystery as he is nonverbal but considering the enthusiam he expressed I imagine it was good. I am grateful for that since it was his birthday.

The other kids choose not to finish their sesame chicken. One of them cited parts of the breading being overly cruchy and other parts really soft. Otherwise they both say the flavors where excellent.

Honestly, what stung to the most was that we were forced to pay 20.00s in gratuity when the actual service leading up to main dishes was lacking. Then when sharing feedback on tonight for both the good and the bad, the waitress wanted to place blame on the busy atmosphere and three hard working cooks. That is why I am making this review.

I know they can do better and I hope this is the exception and...

Great, authentic Thai food, but watch out for spice level!

We are so happy to have an authentic Thai restaurant in Lexington. There is a lot of barbecue here. And a lot of “American” food, so we welcome an authentic Asian restaurant. We eat here every time we come to Lexington, which is quite a bit, since we have a lake place here.

First, the good. We love the variety on the menu. And we love that we can find traditional Thai dishes, such as larb and papaya salad. They also have the regular pad Thai that is served in all Thai places, but their menu seems to be more expensive.

My one complaint is the spice level. When we ask for “medium”, we really get what I would consider to be “hot”. So just be aware when ordering that they tend to skew a little spicier than most places. We had a Thai au pair live with us for over two years, so we know what Thai spicy is, and we are often fine with much spicier food. In fact, some menus have mild, medium, hot spicy, and Thai spicy as options. So we know that we can get much spicier than what we have ordered, but we do consider this “medium” to be skewing a little hot.

The photo attached is the medium papaya salad, and as you can see, it has quite a bit of chili.

The only other complaint is that I only had two shrimp in my papaya salad. So in future, it would be nice if they did not skip...

I have been twice and I believe that I have ordered the Panang Curry both times. Admittingly, I can't remember exactly what I tried my first visit, but I remember it being fantastic, which matches up with my most recent visit. The Panang Curry base has an extremely balanced base, being rich with a hint of spice. Personally, I don't like the bell peppers it comes with, so I meticulously fish them out but it's other contents include green pea pods, pineapple chunks, broccoli, and more that I currently cannot recall. I sampled the springs rolls, but in all honesty they tasted like they are, being bland lettuce and carrots wrapped in rice paper. Despite this very dispassionate appetizer, I must recommend anyone visit based on the dish I tried alone. The restaurant also features a semi-common theme amongst Thai places where you can order things as they are or with increased spices for more heat. My only other negative would be that it appeared that only one hostess/waitress was available. Therefore, it took a while to get a check and pay when all was enjoyed and done. I understand that not everyone wants to work in the service industry in this economy, so it is barely even a negative mark. The interior is a unique wooden accented space with booths, tables, and small swivel chair, two...