Wilaiwan's Kitchen — Restaurant in Montpelier

This is a restaurant that’s run like a food truck.

Their menu consists of three items. This menu changes weekly (sometimes during the week if they happen to run out of an item). There’s usually a curry/soup, a noodle or rice dish. All of their dishes contain meat: seafood (fish sauce), chicken, pork and beef. Rarely, there’s a dish with tofu and vegetables (but this dish always contain fish sauce). They will sometimes substitute tofu for an animal protein, but this will not necessarily make that dish vegetarian (and they are very upfront about this).

So if you are vegan or vegetarian, this is definitely not the place for you.

They only take credit cards or personal checks (no cash). I’m fine with this credit card only policy, as a matter of fact I prefer it.

They take phone orders and, as a result, often run out of items soon after opening. Once they sell out, they shut it down for the day. Also, being a family run business, they shut down for breaks throughout the year, so be sure to check their social media before taking a drive.

People wait outside for take out, so there’s always a crowd on the sidewalk. They have three small tables inside, but it’s rare to see these tables occupied.

People can bring their own bowls to be filled, or take the restaurant’s bowls and return them. I’ve gotten take away a few times, but it’s best served fresh as the greens will wither in a closed container.

The owner’s brother paints pictures which he hangs on the wall to sell. They’re affordable and tend to be minimalist still life’s of things like pizza slices, toast, sausages, eggs, tacos, roosters, and such.

The service tends to be hectic but pleasant.

The food ranges from good to excellent / 30-70% respectively. I usually get the Green Curry as it’s tasty and only contains fish sauce (no other meat). Unfortunately, this dish doesn’t make its way on the menu all that often. It would be nice if they offered vegetarian dishes from time to time, but that’s not their focus.

The food is typically served spicy (hot). Spicy is the default. I happen to like spicy food, but if you don’t like spicy food let them know when you order. Consider yourself forewarned.

Overall, this is a top food option for the area (even if it’s basically run as a food cart). I’d give a fifth star if they offered a weekly...

I don’t think I’ve had a breakfast this spicy in my whole life but it was absolutely worth it. There was a line within 3 minutes of them opening on a Tuesday morning. This was hands down the best food I’ve eaten in Vermont. For some reason in this state I’ve had a hard time finding food with this much umami, this much heart. I don’t eat dairy and it seems a lot of VT restaurants unfortunately rely heavily on dairy products for their yum factor. Most other places I’ve found in VT are ok or pretty decent, but nothing outstanding. Wilaiwan’s Kitchen is outstanding. Eating the dishes here I found myself saying ‘finally! (something this good).’ I’ll definitely be coming back for more whenever I...

I'm from NYC, travel to Thailand and SE Asia every year and can verify that this is upper tier Thai food, far better than you would get in most large cities in America. SriPraPhai in Queens, NY is undoubtedly one of the best Thai restaurants in the world, including Thailand and Wilaiwan's is somewhat similar to it. You can just tell by the photos - your average mom and pop Thai restaurant doesn't have that many layers, textures, depth in the curries etc. I travel all over the country for work and it's not surprising that small towns have some of the best Asian restaurants. Believe it or not, the best Asian restaurants are in tiny towns all over the South from South Carolina...