Hot-n-Spicy — Restaurant in Madison

My favorite Pad Thai in Wisconsin comes from a small place in Milwaukee. I dont want to drive all the way there every time I want Pad Thai, so I've been looking for a place in Madison that I like almost as much. I searched Google and Yelp for "best Pad Thai". Amongst all of the popular, mainstream places I've already tried I spotted Hot-n-Spicy. It was a couple miles from my house and closed early, but was still open at the time I searched. Seemed like it was meant to be.

It's tucked away in back of a decidedly nonglamorous Asian grocer. The restaurant is even less glamorous-- a cluttered kitchen partitioned off but visible, a few well worn tables. It's probably very clean but looks dirty. Certain people might be put off, but I know these type of places often have the very best food.

I placed my usual order-- Pad Thai with chicken, medium spice-- and asked if there was anything else I NEEDED to try. They said, their egg rolls are better than anywhere else. So I ordered them as well.

The egg rolls are small, and definitely some of the best I've had. They remind me of homemade egg rolls from Asian friends of my childhood. I've very glad I got them.

The Pad Thai. Well. I dont like my food super hot, but I can tolerate more spice than most (white and/or American) people. I'm not entering any hot wing or hot pepper challenges, but I use lots of hot sauce, and it's rare that anything on an American restaurant menu is too hot for me. Everywhere I get Pad Thai, I ask for medium spice, which sometimes is still too mild (Sa-Bai Thong for example), other times it's just the perfect amount of bite. This time. Well. It took me two glasses of milk to get through the whole bowl. It wasnt curled up in a ball on the floor, Tom Haverford "This is how you eaaatttt ittt!!!!" hot, but it was hot enough where the spice eclipsed the flavor, which is too hot for me. I get that the name is Hot-n-Spicy, but I still thought medium would be medium.

Also, there was very little chicken in my bowl. If I try it again, I'm going to ask for mild, and for...

First off, I'm giving Hot N Spicy a 5 for atmosphere, because in the US it's quite quirky for this spot to just be carved out of where the chains would have put a deli case. Sitting and eating my lunch while others shop is some of the best scenery. Now on to food and service.

I can't vouch for the authenticity of the pad thai, because I've only ever visited China, but it's really good. The noodles are appropriately cooked (not under- or overcooked). The flavors are excellent and most importantly you can dial the spice up or down. I've eaten at a hundred other restaurants where the spice was either on fire or non-existent. If you order a 1 it's actually not as spicy as a 2 or even a 3. I know, because I've ordered all three spice levels searching for the one I prefer. Spoiler alert, it's a level 2. I'm a wuss. Don't judge. LOL

Finally the staff is friendly and always checks in while people are eating. Given the location that's a lot more than expected. When I first visited I ordered the level 3 spicy and the woman checked in with me to make sure I was enjoying it. I assured her it was delicious, but the spiciness was beating me up a little bit, but that it was all my fault.

Anyway, I highly recommend Hot N Spicy especially for a...

customer service was friendly and kind. But, food was just alright. I asked for double veggie on two orders and paid an extra $4 and they did not deliver on that at all. In fact it looked like they had removed veggies. Curry came with just fried tofu, green beans, and carrots. Pad thai had some broccoli pieces and carrots. I was pretty upset about that. I also asked for spicy on Pad Thai and unfortunately was not. Maybe Eat Street check boxes and comment section did not transfer to them properly? Also, I couldn't really taste the coconut milk in the curry and wasn't as creamy as some other restaurants I've been to, but the curry was indeed spicy. I don't mean to be mean with this review, just want to be honest. Order was on time and the portions were good. Order was correct.

Also - please mark your restaurant location more visibly. I was frustrated when trying to locate it. I never thought to look in the back of an Asian...