Aroy Thai — Restaurant in Mobile

Unfortunately, our experience here was very disappointing. We ordered two different types of Pad Thai — the traditional Pad Thai and the Lemongrass Pad Thai. While the Lemongrass Pad Thai was actually quite good, the traditional Pad Thai was extremely poor. It tasted nothing like authentic Pad Thai and instead resembled a teriyaki-style noodle dish with the wrong balance of flavors and sauce. We’ve had Pad Thai many times at Thai restaurants all across the country, and this version was unlike any we’ve ever been served — in all the wrong ways.

When we mentioned this to our server, he was absolutely wonderful. He handled the situation with professionalism and kindness, immediately showing concern and trying to make things right. He was polite, attentive, and genuinely seemed to care that we were unhappy with the dish. We can’t say enough good things about him — he was the highlight of our visit.

Unfortunately, what followed with the chef completely changed the tone of our experience. The chef came out to our table and rather than listening or showing any understanding, he argued with us about how the dish was made “correctly.” He insisted there was nothing wrong and continued debating with us about our personal taste and expectations. It was uncomfortable and unnecessary. We weren’t being rude — we were simply explaining that the dish didn’t taste authentic or enjoyable. Instead of trying to resolve the issue or offer a solution, he became defensive and dismissive.

To make things worse, he offered us peanut sauce as if that would somehow fix the issue, which completely missed the point of our concern. The entire interaction felt confrontational and unprofessional. It’s one thing for food to not meet expectations, but it’s another to be argued with by the chef when expressing an honest and polite concern.

Overall, our server was outstanding and deserves recognition for his great attitude and customer service, but the behavior of the chef left a very negative impression. We left feeling frustrated and disrespected, which is unfortunate because this situation could have been handled with a simple apology or...

If we rated Aroy Thai after our first visit (about a year and a half ago), five stars wouldn't feel like enough. Our food was SO incredibly delicious, definitely one of the best meals I've ever had, regardless of category. The two of us shared orders of summer rolls, Panang curry and Wu Sen (glass noodles with vegetables including lots of mushrooms). The flavors were so mind-blowing good, we didn't even mind that the Panang was more like soup than the normal plate-and-fork type dish. And there was so much quantity we had some left to set aside and delight in again, later when our stomachs weren't so full. Unfortunately, I can't give more than 3 stars because of how INCONSISTENT they've been in our several trips since the first one. Some of their dishes we tried only once because they weren't good, but who knows, they might have been WAY better on a different day. That certainly has been case with those 3 items we ordered that first day. Sometimes they're almost as good as then, but other times they don't look or taste freshly-made, and there's mostly just the cheapest component, like the broth of the Panang and the noodles of the Wu Sen. One time it had only two tiny shriveled mushroom slices. Sometimes the Panang isn't spicy at all, other times it's a total nose-runner. The quantity varies wildly too. Sometimes there's MUCH smaller portions, but the price isn't any lower, and their menu isn't exactly cheap. I would suggest the management to make sure the cooks are on the same page about what customers can expect from each menu item. It doesn't have to be a clone copy each time, but it shouldn't be like totally different dishes, with lunch portions sometimes sold at...

The restaurant is located in a less-than-charming neighborhood, right next to a house that’s quite literally crumbling — it has huge gaps in its walls. The restaurant's parking lot has clearly seen better days. The sign on the door says “restroom for customers only,” which also says a bit about the area. The building itself, though, looks decent.

As I entered, I lightly bumped into the doorframe — the spring on the door is unusually strong, and the entrance is quite narrow.

“You need to leave that in your car,” said a bald man with a dazzling smile, pointing to my metal tumbler with a straw. I always bring it along to pour ice water into — I’m not a fan of putting my mouth on random glasses.

We then had a conversation where the man said he didn’t know what was in the cup. It had a sip of water left, which I finished in one go. To demonstrate the cup was now empty and harmless, I turned it upside down. A single drop of water accidentally landed on the floor.

“Now you can’t eat here. Because you’ve been disruptive.”

I’m still not entirely sure what exactly I disrupted, but this was by far the strangest experience I’ve had in the hospitality world.

To dine here, you apparently need to tolerate the staff’s attitude, comply with every rule — written or unwritten — ask no questions, and just go along with everything. Personally, I found that a bit much.

I'm now eating at a different Thai place. I was going to give Aroy Thai just one star, but I’m giving them two — because the food I’m enjoying now (not from them) is delicious, and I’m drinking water from my favorite tumbler. So at least...