Khao San — Restaurant in Portland

Spiciness: 5/5 (Perfect for my little white-boi stomach. Mild enough that I could handle it, while still being spicy enough to preserve the authenticity of the flavors.

Authenticity: 6/5 (More details below, but this place is THE ONLY Thai place I’ve found in the US that actually reminded me of eating a meal in Thailand!!)

Menu: 5/5 (Very unique with substantial variety - this is NOT your standard Americanized Thai Restaurant - although they do serve a few standard options)

Value: 5/5 Perfect. $10 for a Dish that could have probably been split by two people.

Service/Convenience: 5/5 Fast and amazing - 1pm on a Saturday and I had my food in less than 10 minutes. Street parking is available. It’s right next to a few of the popular brew-houses so its a nice location to walk around afterwards.

Overall: 11/10, A+, Golden Star, etc. etc. Going down as one of my favorite restaurants in the US now.

————— Some more detailed notes because I feel like it. Plus I’m sitting here with nothing else to do but reflect on how amazing my meal just was: —————

Authenticity: I’ve been to Thailand more than a few times, and this was the first time I tasted something outside SE Asia that ACTUALLY REMINDED ME OF EATING A MEAL IN SE ASIA! I think it was one of the spices in the dish I had. No other Thai restaurant in the states has ever had that same taste. Only this glorious establishment and a few places I ate in Bangkok and Chiang Rai.

Further notes on spiciness if you’re worried about it or want something truly spicy: They serve plenty of non-spicy dishes, and could probably make any spicy dish less so upon request. For my dish, I didn’t ask for them to change anything, and it was certainly a step up from what’s considered “Hot” in America. Extra spice, the good stuff with solid spice chunks in it, is provided if you want to kick it up to (near) true Thai level.

More on the menu: There are so many great dishes here that you won’t find anywhere else except for Thailand! If you’re unsure, the waitress was extremely talented at helping people choose a fitting dish. I specifically heard her help to the couple behind me and they ended up loving their order - they just couldn’t handle one of their hot sauces.

I have all of Portland to explore, and I will, but I’ll also be coming back to this restaurant just to explore the rest...

Decor at this place is amazing, vibrant colors, ambient lighting, its beautiful and unique, tuk tuk in the middle of the restaurant was the show stopper. Read good things about this place and I was excited to try it out, sadly I was disappointed. Drinks: Whiskey Mug: Husband ordered a whiskey mug (don't remember the name) his drink basically was red bull with may or may not be a little whiskey in it. Mojito: Me and friend ordered Mojito, which was excellent :) Moscow Mule: Friend of ours ordered Moscow Mule and was not happy with it. Appetizers: Fresh spring bites: Very good, but there were 4 small bites for $6, that is pricey for the portion like everyone mentioned but I had to try it. Fried calamari: It was good, mainly due to the sweet and sour sauce it was served with, it really picked up the otherwise average fried calamari. Crab Noodles: It was good but nothing impressive I have definitely had better and more flavorful noodles. Shrimp fried rice and Chicken fried rice: Both were very bland and barely had any flavor, very disappointed.

Overall, we probably ordered everything wrong and didn't really get to experience what this place has to offer, but I based on what I have tried, I am not sure if I want to give it...

Food and ambiance were good but the service was terrible. The first server was nice but got our order wrong at first and we had to wait to wait our food. Which wasn't really a problem at all for me. When the server went on break, no one ever came to check on us at all and we never got our side of brown rice we ordered. I had my toddler with me and when I asked the server for a box and the check to he seemed unwilling to help me at all. He also seemed very stoned. He told me I needed to literally walk two feet to the bar to get my check (which I was trying to chase my child around who was getting fussy and felt like he could have helped me out and got it for me instead not wanting to interact at all.... When I got my bill, they just ran my card and didn't show me the bill itself and then I selected the receipt to be printed option and never received it. And now that I'm sitting here at home, I'm realizing that by the looks of the total, they charged me for a side of brown rice I never got.

So long story short, ambiance was nice, the service needs work here. Hope you guys can make improvements based on my review and do...