Golden Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Phoenix

I'm going to be honest - I am conflicted about writing this review. The food here is simply too good for human consumption. Selfishly, I have reservations in sharing how delicious and mouth-watering I think Golden Thai's entrees are, but since I haven't been to 75th Ave for Thai since the pandemic began (and therefore, I sadly cannot speak of their currently offered pick-up experience) I have decided it is time for me to share this Phoenix treasure with you. But be warned, once you've tried Golden Thai, you may be forced to think about it and it's delicious aromas every day untl you die. Also full disclosure, I am a vegetarian and have only sampled a few of their main dishes, and none of the meats, but what I have tried proved to be incredible -- this food literally blew me away, and I have not stopped thinking about it since; I even went there on my birthday. My all-time favorite at this place is their tofu. I'm not sure exactly how it's done (trust me, I've tried at home), but it is exquisite with its crispy skin, and savory, creamy center. The bean sprouts and the add-on spicy peanut sauce are also a favorite which can be added to any dish. Aside from the food, the service is not to be matched. Every time I've ventured into this establishment, there has been one lone sever, the same person with the same smiling face and good attitude every time. On a busy night (before COVID) you might be mistaken to think this restaurant is short-staffed with only one server and a dining room full of patrons. This is not the case; this server is fully capable of serving any of your requests, all with a delightful demeanor. This place and its employee(s) could not be more highly recommended by myself, I just request that you tip VERY well (even on pickup) and act kindly towards anyone who is allowing you to taste this delicacy of the desert for the first time, the second time, or the six...

I was really excited to try this place because of the high reviews. And was so disappointed! The service was good our waitress was friendly and checked on us just the right amount. That's the only part of this experience that was above par though. First disappointment was that I couldn't order from the full menu. We went for lunch and because of that we could only order lunch menu items which didn't include any appetizers (though each lunch order does come with a potsticker). Normally I like to try a few different dishes to get a better idea of the food and if I'll be returning. We ordered pineapple fried rice which tasted like it was burnt. Then we tried the pad se ew which flavor profile was blander then I prefer and the noodles were over cooked and on the mushy side. Last we ordered red curry which was ok but certainly not what I was hoping for since this place had such high reviews.

Overall I was far from impressed. And will probably not be returning which is sad cause was really hoping for a good go...

3 stars is generous but that’s because I’d give it 2.5. The pad Thai was like eating noodles in just apple cider vinegar (a primary ingredient to pad Thai sauce). The upside to this dish is that unlike several other Thai restaurants these days the meat wasn’t old or chewy, portion size for 11$ was what I would expect for a lunch size portion. The reason this gets any stars at all is for their Tom yum fried rice, which I was told would be sour similar to their soup which it was not. The rice was not jasmine, but the rice was cooked perfect flavorful and great mixture of veggies. I highly recommend the Tom yum fried rice. The service was very nice and attentive. The Thai tea was not sweet really just tea with milk which for some can be a plus since Thai tea is known to be sweet. No...