SLA thai restaurant — Restaurant in Montclair

When my fiancée's Thai food craving hit, we decided to break from our usual routine and try SLA Thai for the first time. Ordering take out through DoorDash, we went with two noodle dishes and a classic dessert to get a proper taste of their offerings.

My fiancée chose the Pad Kemao, a flat noodle dish with shrimp and eggplant. While she found it satisfying with well-cooked shrimp and pleasant eggplant texture, it didn't quite reach the heights of her favorite version from Papa Thai in Bloomfield. The flavors were good but somewhat muted compared to what she's used to, decent but not remarkable enough to dethrone her go-to spot.

I opted for the Pad See Ew and was pleasantly surprised despite an initial strong fishy aroma when opening the container (likely from oyster or fish sauce). The first bite won me over with fresh, perfectly chewy noodles and that great balance of savory and slightly sweet flavors Thai food does so well. My only real complaint was the complete lack of spice, a real miss since DoorDash didn't offer spice level customization for this order. Next time I'll definitely call ahead to request some heat, because what's Thai food without a little kick?

For dessert we tried the Sweet Mango Sticky Rice, which my mango-loving fiancée was especially excited about. The coconut flavor in the rice was spot on, rich and aromatic. Although some of the rice was disappointingly dry and hard, like it had been sitting for a while. The saving grace was the perfectly ripe, sweet mango that she devoured happily. I found it a bit too sugary for my taste, but then again, I'm not the mango enthusiast in this relationship. It's a dessert that would satisfy anyone with a serious sweet tooth, assuming the rice comes out fresher next time.

Overall, SLA Thai delivered a solid takeout experience with some clear highlights (that Pad See Ew in particular) and a few areas for improvement. The noodle dishes showed good technique with fresh ingredients, though the inability to specify spice levels through DoorDash was frustrating.

While it didn't surpass our favorite Thai spot, it's definitely a place we'd order from again - though next time I'll be calling ahead to request spice adjustments and maybe crossing my fingers for better-executed sticky rice. For a first try, it was promising enough that we'd give them another shot when we're in the mood for...

i was craving pad thai after work and just when i thought everything was closed i happened to drive by SLA. i was worried they wouldn’t be taking orders so late, but they were happy to take my to go order 50 minutes before closing which was so nice of them. the woman working at the front (i really wish i got her name) was so kind and sweet. i got 2 orders of pad thai, 2 thai iced teas, and i asked her recommendation for dessert so she pointed me to the mango sticky rice. and WOW. they finished making my order so quickly in just 10 minutes. they remembered all the details for my vegan sister’s order. the pad thai was delicious and she even included chili flakes in case we liked it spicy (we do, and the pepper was really good). the sticky rice was sooo yummy i’ve never had it before so i was skeptical about eating rice for dessert but i’m so glad i listened to her because it was delicious. she brought my order out and said goodbye she was so sweet it really brightened my day. the restaurant is also very beautiful so i would like to dine in one day. all in all this place gets 5 stars for everything: quality, time, accuracy, ambience, and customer service. will definitely be...

Delicious, authentic and intimate Thai restaurant in the heart of Montclair. And get this, there's a parking lot, which is a rare treat in this town. If you're one of those people that thinks that Thai food tastes/smells fishy, you're definitely going to get hit with that right away as you walk in. To me, that says that it's legit but just wanted to give fair warning.

I got the Pad See Ew which is one of my favorite dishes and asked them to make it really spicy. Probably the best Pad See Ew I've had in a long time; it was tangy and sweet and spicy. The Chinese broccoli was crisp and fresh while the chicken was super tender and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. It wasn't overwhelmingly spicy like I was expecting and had the perfect amount of kick, in my opinion. If I was hungrier, I would have tried an appetizer but the dishes here are way too big for both appetizer and entree!

It's a little bit on the expensive side for Thai food ($17 for the noodle dish) but sometimes you've just gotta treat yo'self! Sla Thai is also BYOB like most of the restaurants in Montclair, so I highly recommend bringing a bottle of red wine to enjoy...