Rachawadee Thai Cafe — Restaurant in Mount Vernon

This is a must-stop place for me when I'm traveling into or through the Skagit area. When possible I arrange my travel specifically to be able to visit or take-out from Rachawadee. It is my favorite Thai food restaurant.

I'm not a gourmand so I can't give you that kind of detailed description. What I can say is that the firs time I visited what struck me was a richness and depth of flavor that I hadn't had at any other SE Asian restaurant I had visited. That has continued through subsequent visits.

Some comments re the heat/spiciness. To reiterate what other have posted, dial back your spiciness ratings. In most Thai restaurants I can handle the 5-star with no problem. A few times I have found myself in a SE Asian restaurant that operates to a different scale. Rachawadee is one of those places. Fortunately, with the warnings, I didn't order 5* on my initial visit. The restaurant recommended 2, I said give me 3, and we compromised at 2.5. My subsequent visits have been at 3, and I'm ready to move up on my next visit.

With that being said, I come back to my prior comment about the richness and depth of flavor. If your palate can handle the heat, you will find that the heat is backed up with a mix of other flavors. That is, the food isn't hot just for the sake of being hot. The peppers that add the heat bring in other flavors that add to the depth and richness of the flavors. Or course, if your mouth can't handle the heat then those elements won't come through, because all you will be aware of is that your mouth is on fire.

And do not interpret that to mean that the lower star ratings are not flavorful. They are still wonderful. DW cannot handle spicy food at all, so we get 0* for her (which is about 1* any place else). And their 0* still shines out among the 1* at...

By far the best Thai within driving distance of Bellingham, probably best I've ever had. It's a busy, hopping hole-in-the-wall gem. It is worth the drive...we crave their food. The staff are kind & fun, you see them make it right in front of you. It is very small & always busy (because it is sooo good.) There is bar seating, facing their workspace (which might make for a fun casual date, if you don't mind eating fairly quickly while watching them work, & then moving on to do other things so other people can have a space to eat), a narrow walking space behind the bar, and a table or two in the back. We don't mind if there is barely any space to wait. The food makes up for all of it. (And I actually really like the feel of the place, like some of the best hole-in-the wall places I've been to in Asia, where the people who run it are so likeable you want to be there.) We usually get it to go, though have had fun eating at the bar, too. Their Phad Thai is dubbed the best Phad Thai by my spouse & kids (I agree), who tries that dish everywhere they can. I love their Panang curry, and everything else I've gotten there. They do sell tubs of panang, green, red, etc. curry paste if you cook Thai at home. My tub of panang curry paste has lasted a long time & contributed to a lot of tasty meals...but none of them as good as their food, of course! I order 2 star heat when I get Thai, and sometimes have to sprinkle/dump extra spice on from a spice rack. At On Rice, I usually add a little extra spice from the rack. I've never had to sprinkle extra spice on the food here. It is always full of flavor &...

Took my dad out with me and I have to admit that we're spice addicts. Our motto is cook with heat and then add more at the table.

Have to say, this place brought it.

I'd previously read reviews about their spiciness meter being a bit warmer than most (another reviewer compared Rachawadee's 1 to any other place's 4) so I was doubtfully cautious and ordered a 1, figuring I'd be mildly disappointed at the hype and go back for chili oil.

Nope.

Nope nope nope.

I ordered tofu pad thai, at 1 and boy was I grateful thai coffee comes with condensed milk because my mouth was on /fire/. I've had habaneros with less heat. Despite that, it was flavourful, had plenty of egg, veggies and noodles along with a generous portion of tofu (about 12, 1" cubes.) Portions are large too; I ate about two cups of food and still walked away with a large takeaway carton full up.

The coconut prawns were the perfect crispy brown and weren't oily and everything was prompt, fresh and delicious! (Yay sweet plum sauce!)

I can't wait to go back; I want to try the massaman curry next.

One thing to note: If you're hard of hearing, or even just getting on in years, bring someone with acute aural perception. All the chrome and brick combined with the woks and music can make for a difficult...