Pochana Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

NEVER COMING BACK

This is the third time this happened for my pickup order. I usually come here to pickup lunch during my work break. This is the third and last time where they forgot to put part of the order in my bag. This time, it seemed really personal. First of all it was raining and I didn't have an umbrella. I go back to my office, open up the bags and see that they are missing one item. I literally have to go back into the rain and walk 2 blocks getting wet, getting the item, walking back to my office getting wet again.

This time was different because literally no one apologized, the lady literally handed me the item with no bag, and I commented that this is the third time this happened, no apologies, but she looked at me as if I committed a crime. I've had other places forget something sometimes, they usually give me money back or an extra item to compensate for my troubles. Not here, I guess. I guess it's my fault I didn't sit there and open every single box to make sure every item I paid for is in there.

Another thing I noticed, and I am not accusing anyone of anything. But, whenever I come here to order, first of all there is no hello and not even a smile from customer service. They seem like they are burdened to take my order and give a stand offish vibe. I've noticed while I wait for my food, most of the customers sitting there to eat are white. Don't know if it's a coincidence or not but I've noticed that they treat them WAYYY nicer. Asking if the food is okay, smiling, laughing and even joking. Funny thing is, after they are done joking with them, they turn around to walk towards me they give me a quick look and stop smiling. I've just noticed that not even once have they even given me a smile or said hello. They literally just grab the machine and wait for me to say my order. I'm not saying anything, but me being brown, and getting treated differently in this establishment, I do notice these things, and I don't know what else to say. I am literally writing what I observed.

Anyways, I used to come here all the time for lunch, I WILL NEVER COME BACK AND SPEND MY MONEY HERE AGAIN. CONSIDER CHANGING YOUR STAFF IF YOU'RE THE BOSS...

Pochana Thai Kitchen on 30th Ave. in Astoria needs some lessons in customer service and basic courtesy. I was treated so poorly earlier this evening that regret having spent my hard-earned money on their stale cooked yesterday food. I arrived at the restaurant at around 9:40 p.m., with the expectation of having a pleasant evening. It was my understanding that the restaurant closes at 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays. However, as soon as I was seated the staff kept persistently rushing me and my guest to take our orders. They then became increasingly pushy claiming the "kitchen was closing in 10 minutes." After serving our entrees, not even halfway through with my food, they shoved the bill in my face, (right in front of my plate), and anxiously hovered over until I stopped in the middle of my meal to take out my wallet, handle money, and pay the (not cheap) bill. I got quite upset and expressed my displeasure with the staff, who did not say anything but just stared at me like a nitwit. I instructed them to just wrap my half-eaten meal to-go as I did not appreciate being treated like this. I go to a restaurant to dine, relax, and have a pleasant evening. I would have been better off spending my hard-earned money elsewhere or just staying home. It is POOR TASTE to treat customers like this. If they were closing, they should have told me that from the outset or not let new customers in. In any case, they need lessons in basic hospitality: first you wait for your remaining customers to finish eating, THEN you close your restaurant. By their demeanor they evidently think very little of their customers and this neighborhood. That will go a long way in paying your rent! So be it, I will do them the favor and NEVER dine at Pochana Thai Kitchen again. They just lost a customer. If you want to pay a hefty bill to be rushed out, harassed, and treated like an animal then this is the place for you. If you want to enjoy your experience and be treated with some basic dignity and respect, then you may wish to consider another...

I absolutely love coming here. This is my favorite go-to spot for Thai, and I don't think that'll change anytime soon. The waitresses have been nice at every visit, and that's appreciated even when it's super busy.

The owners shop for fresh ingredients everyday & you can just TASTE that and the love that goes into every dish. The prices are fair & affordable, the amount given is filling & sufficient.

Let me start off by saying that the squid legs are SO GOOD. They give you a good hefty amount that can easily be shared & those legs are crispy, just how I like 'em. 😌👌🏻 the dipping sauce that comes with it is a tad spicy, so if you can handle spicy so for it. Dip, dip, dip away. I personally can't handle spicy, so I ask for the sweet sauce on the side.

The tofu fries were different, crunchy on the outside, very airy & fluffy on the inside. Good for soaking up sauces. The scallion pancake is another one that's fried to perfection. It's chewier than most scallion pancakes I've had at other places, and I'm not mad at it. I liked it a lot. The spring rolls have a good amount of veggies in them & aren't just fried wonton wrapper. They also don't have that pool of oil at one end like others do. Last but definitely not least, the thai dumplings. They were pretty big. Although it only brings 4 of them, I counted them as eight. They were hefty dumplings, they can definitely be shared between two people if you're ordering more than 1 appetizer.

So far I've only had the pad thai, pad see ew, and fried rice. AAAALLLL OF IT WAS DELICIOUS. ALL. OF. IT. The pad thai doesn't have an overwhelming taste of peanut, and the pad see ew doesn't have chunks of un-sauced noodle stuck to each other. The chicken, beef, shrimp, and tofu options are all equally delicious and all taste fresh and not like frozen abominations.

Try 'em out. I promise they're worth the wait if you just so happen to enter when there are no...