Thai Cafe — Restaurant in Miami Lakes

Thai Café on Main Street isn’t just a restaurant—it’s a time machine. Nearly 30 years I’ve been coming here, and every visit feels like stepping into a memory I don’t want to let go of. This was the place of my first date. The kind of date where nerves get tangled in chopsticks, where the curry seemed hotter than the situation really was, and where I was supposed to be at my college assistant job but instead disappeared for three hours. When I finally rolled back in, it was a miracle I wasn’t fired. Maybe fate, maybe just good Thai karma.

To add to the drama, my car’s brakes didn’t work that night. I had to drive using the handbrake like I was auditioning for some low-budget Miami remake of Fast & Furious. And yet, somehow, we survived. Survived the car, survived the date, survived youth itself. Thai Café has been the backdrop to it all.

The food here? Legendary. The rolls are enormous—defying physics, wrapped tight, fried crisp, and still managing to taste light enough to trick you into ordering more. The satay hits with that peanut sauce that coats your soul as much as your tongue. The curries? They’ll ruin you for chain-restaurant Thai forever. And then there’s the Thai tea, sweet, orange, and perfect—the kind of drink you sip slowly, wishing it lasted just a little longer.

The view of Main Street out the window gives the whole place a postcard charm. Miami Lakes was built to be a suburban dream—quaint, walkable, a planned utopia that somehow managed to age gracefully. Sitting here with a plate of curry, you’re watching that dream still live.

The owner has known my family for decades. You walk in and it’s not just “another restaurant.” It’s continuity. It’s history. It’s community. That’s rare in Miami, where restaurants often vanish faster than a summer thunderstorm. But Thai Café remains, steady, enduring, and beloved.

So here’s the gospel: try the rolls. Try the satay. Try the curry. Say hi to the owner. Because this isn’t just food—it’s legend. And legends, if you’re lucky, stay with you...

Genuinely shocked that this place has 4.3 stars. Let me start off and say the service was as good as it good be they were SEVERLY understaffed and had one woman running around doing everything (shout out to who I presume to be the owner [bald, older gentleman] who didn't help her at all while she was dealing with sit down customers, walk-ins, calls, and take-out.

Now to the food. It was all terrible. Terrible showing of what Thai food actually is. Even if you are looking for "faster" Thai food then go to Thai Express. Ordered the jumping squid (that wasn't edible we returned it and still paid full price even though we each took one bite to try and both didn't like it) then the tigers eye was the same variation of the jumping squid just with beef and tasted...mediocre at best. Beef wasn't fresh and didn't have a good flavor profile. The gyoza were basic they had a bad oil taste. We tried conch sushi and I won't comment on that because even thoguh we didn't like it, it was out first time trying it. Cannot tell if it was the food itself or the lack of quality in the restaurant. Now onto the final entrees. I ordered a beef and broccoli dish and my boyfriend ordered a beef noodle dish. We were starving and we didn't even finish the meal. During this time we saw customers walk out due to a lack of service (which is NO FAULT to the woman working she was CONSTANTLY moving and doing the best that she could which was better than a majority of workers) and to top it all off me and my boyfriend have had the runs since dinner TWO NIGHTS AGO!!!

Overall terrible food, shotty service, gave the runs. Will never go back. Obviously there are other reviews that rate it highly so just be aware that while there may be good experiences there are such bad experiences that it may not even be...

I wish I had photos of the two entrées my fiancé and I ordered. First of all, I was shocked that there wasn't a classic beef pho in a Thai restaurant. Go figure, right? I ordered the beef soup, which tasted very sweet, and the beef tasted of freezer burn. Overall, my soup was very distasteful. My fiancé ordered the Thai green curry, which was extremely laughable. It was like someone just opened a can of coconut milk and coconut cream with a pinky nail of green chili paste. His vegetables weren't stewed either. the jasmine tea was very weak in taste. It was a sad dining experience. The red flag for me was when I didn't see a classic pho soup dish - that should've been my cue to leave. This restaurant is an insult to Thai and Asian cuisine, do better or shut down. Will not be visiting again. I advise you all not to even bother with this place, 'The green papaya' would've been a better restaurant choice. Me and my fiancé left within 5 minutes of trying to even eat any of this food, we ended up clearing our pallettes out with 107 Taste across the street, maybe these people can learn a thing or two from across the street. We usually don't complain, but Jesus, the food is awful, I wouldn't even wish this on my worst enemy. I don't understand how a 4.2 star rated restaurant could feel like a 3 star one or how it even has a 4.2 to begin with - if you have absolutely zero taste or a palate then this is the PLACE for you. Again, sad dining experience, but I wouldn't give them the credit to even claim it as an experience - more like a...