Bangkok Pavilion Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Overland Park

One of the Best and Closest-to-Authentic Thai Restaurants in the Midwest.

Bangkok Pavilion is off-the-beaten path and hidden behind a bank and nestled next to a Home Depot, on the Southwest corner of 97th St. and Metcalf—so be on the lookout. Thai food is my third most-favorite cuisine and I love trying new restaurants from authentic to new-fusion—it’s all good and it’s all fun. Bangkok Pavilion skews to the more authentic, so be prepared for real Thai food.

They have a fantastic, albeit somewhat small, lunch buffet served every day. Monday through Friday (11:00 am to 2:30 pm) costs $9 and Saturday and Sunday (11:am to 3:00 pm) costs $14. I went during the workday and it’s always a gamble because I run the risk of overeating and falling asleep under my desk. But it’s worth it! While their buffet could be considered small to the ubiquitous and typical Chinese buffet, they pack a punch of flavor with their offerings and you may find yourself eating the same thing in one sitting. Personally, I always start and end with the Chicken Grapow; a stir-fried minced chicken in a basil sauce with bamboo shoots, onions, bell peppers, and a good amount of spice. They have other meat-based and vegetarian options, two types of curries, fried sides (i.e., crab rangoons, pot stickers, and spring rolls), and a salad bar section. You can also order off the menu at lunch and dinner (no buffet at dinner).

Oh, and I almost forgot, they have a full bar—enough said. I love going there for lunch—it’s a bit of a drive from my office, but well worth it every time. They are good for solo-dining, with friends/family, and large groups. And with the buffet and bar, folks are sure to find...

I love a Spicy Thai Pad Krapow Gai (ผัดกะเพราไก่) translated as Spicy Stir Fry Thai Basil Chicken. My wife's friend recommended Bangkok Pavilion Thai Restaurant. This dish did not disappoint my craving. I ordered it 5-star spicy, which was deliciously spicy while not sacrificing flavor. The beauty of this dish is that the Thai basil takes all the heat and it enhances the flavor. The chef here capitalizes on that fact while keeping the chicken very tender. They are liberal with the spice and my mouth burned with the effects of the Thai chili, which I love!

My wife ordered the Laab (minced chicken) salad, but neglected to request a spice level. We assume they served it 1-star spicy as there was no heat to the dish. We requested a side of spice and our server graciously granted our request. My wife said this definitely helped enhance the flavors of her meal.

I also enjoyed the Tom kai Soup, which is a coconut milk soup with lemon grass and nice large slices of tender chicken. My wife ordered the Hurricane Soup, which is a hot & sour lemon grass soup with seafood. Both had a plentiful amount of meat or seafood, which was a delight! I could easily just eat a large bowl of either of these delicious soups for a meal.

In addition, we tried the Combo appetizer and Fresh Spring Rolls. We liked the shrimp in a blanket best from the combo platter.

We really enjoyed our dining experience and will choose to eat here again. I really want to try their other dishes, but I know the Spicy Thai Pad Krapow will call to me and will probably...

If you ever wonder why this place always has an empty parking lot, it's not just you. I recently went in to order chicken pad thai for carry out. I didn't check what they gave me, but when I picked up the order, I noticed it was pretty heavy. Lucky me! I thought. When I actually got home and tried eating this, I went for a few minutes and noticed I hadn't tasted a single piece of chicken. So I started digging and found basically nothing but onions. Eventually I was able to pull out about 3 ounces of stringy chicken from about 3 pounds of noodles. I had to wonder if they had overloaded the noodles to make up for the lack of chicken, and when I went back to complain, they basically confirmed my suspicions.

They refused to give me a refund, and told me that I don't know what to expect from Pad Thai. I guess I've just been spoiled by the myriad of other places that serve it, as well as my Thai ex, so I appreciate the education. They said they wanted me to pay half for a dish I had to return to their restaurant, and I told them if they weren't going to give me my money back, they could keep the food and the money and I'd simple write a review. They decided this was perfectly acceptable, so here we are.

I dunno about you, but I don't want to buy food from people who cut corners with their customers, because if they are cutting those kind of corners, I can only imagine the other stuff they're doing that I can't see.

Go to Lemongrass Thai. Slightly more expensive, way better flavors, and they...