Chon Tong Thai Kitchen and Dessert — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I don’t know what else I can say except OMG! This is by far the best Thai food I have ever had. It is as authentic as it comes and just absolutely incredible. You have to try the spicy chicken wings. They were AMAZING! I got the Pad Kee Mao (drunken noodles) and it was by far the best I have ever had. My husband got the Pad Kra Pao which was equally amazing. I had such a hankering for Tom Yum Soup (not on the menu) and the cook was kind enough to make it for me. All I can say is holy yum yums! It was absolutely incredible and absolutely hit the spot. The Thai iced tea was also perfectly sweet, milky, and flavorful as it should be. To cap off our dinner, my husband and I both wanted Mango Sticky Rice which was also not on the menu. One of the owners (who was waiting tables) went to speak to the kitchen who miraculously found 2 beautifully ripe mangoes and was kind enough to make it for us. I have no words to describe how ethereal it was. The mango was soft like butter but sweet and flavorful. The rice had a hint of sweetness and overall, the whole dish was absolutely perfect. Never did I think I’d have to come to Philly to find the most perfect Thai food. I almost regret going because I will never find anything in NJ (where I live) that will compare with Chon Tong Thai Kitchen. You are doing yourself a disservice if you do not go here for your Thai food. I don’t know what...

I really wanted to like this place better. It seems new and seems mom/pop. However, the shortcomings really can't be overlooked.

For one, the wait. When we got there, the one other table already had their food. So I truly do not know why it took so long for us to get menus and subsequently food. There was a game show playing on the TV so from how many episodes we watched, it took at least 30 minutes to get even the appetizer after ordering. I also wish they hadn't waited until bringing food to bring water. The phone rang a few times but no one was at the front for most of the time so I'm sure they missed a few potential takeout orders.

The food itself left a lot to be desired. The appetizer, moo tod nam phra (fried pork belly with tamarind sauce) was the best of the three things we got and to their credit had a decent amount of meat. The yen ta fo ta lay (the pink soup with seafood & noodles) was not a dish we were familiar with and probably not one I would get again. There was a decent amount of seafood but the flavoring was quite thin, as were the noodles (not sure if the noodles are supposed to be so thin but they really did a disservice to the soup). Finally, the pad ka na was a fairly traditional dish and the flavoring was pretty good but the portion of vegetables and meat was quite disproportionate to the...

We recently dined here and ordered Pad Thai, Papaya Salad, and a spicy soup (Tom Zap). Overall, the food was okay, but since we are Thai, we came in with a certain level of expectation about the flavors and authenticity. The Pad Thai was a little too sweet for our taste, which made it feel slightly off from what we’re used to. The Papaya Salad, on the other hand, was quite good—fresh, tangy, and nicely balanced, which we really enjoyed.

As for the soup, we were expecting Tom Zap, which usually has a distinctive roasted rice flavor that gives it a unique texture and aroma. Instead, the soup we received tasted more like a Tom Yum, so it felt like we may have gotten the wrong dish. That was a little disappointing since we were looking forward to that specific flavor profile.

One highlight of our experience, however, was the service. Our waitress was wonderful—very friendly, attentive, and welcoming, which made the dining experience more enjoyable despite our mixed feelings about the food.

Overall, while there were some enjoyable aspects to the meal, a few details didn’t quite meet our expectations. We’re not entirely sure if we’ll return, but we do appreciate the warm service and the effort put...