Lemongrass — Restaurant in Portland

I'm almost wondering if this restaurant has changed ownership & cooks, as the experience we had today is absolutely contradictory to the 4-5 star reviews. 🚫⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If a half star was an option, that is how we would rate it. 🔪⭐️ I don't usually leave reviews, but I'm compelled to give other unwitting diners fair warning.

Waiting room was cluttered with personal effects (a gym bag, a pair of men's shoes, piles of crayon sketches, etc.); the dining area overall lacks cleanliness (cobwebs with dark dust 🕸, and ant bait traps on the floor & windowsills marked 6/19 with scores of sugar ant corpses ☠️🐜). Somehow, we were willing to overlook these what should have been flaming beacons 🚨to just leave and pick another venue, but the positive reviews seemed so genuine. 😏

They were out of fresh garden rolls but somehow were able to make fried spring rolls that had thick, breaded-like wrapping -- gross. 😝 The mussels were chewy from being overcooked. The yellow curry my husband ordered 'mild' which the waitress said is "zero stars...out of 10" came with a 3mm deep layer of pure chili OIL floating on top 🔥🔥🔥 😭. My Thai noodles with chicken were the opposite: no flavor at all 😒, which I would have loved more than the single lime slice I was served...but they never checked on us once the food was served to see if it was okay, or if anything else was needed.

All of that, and from being seated to leaving within 5 minutes of finally receiving our entrees (because they were not worth eating), 90 minutes had elapsed -- excruciatingly slow service when we were the third table there. Do yourself a favor and pick somewhere else. Anywhere else. Heck, you'd be happier with Applebees down the road, or even just Voodoo Donuts for...

Nice homey style restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. The decor reminds me of walking into your grandparents' home to have a nice meal with them. Needless to say, when I went for lunch, the couple fell a tad short on my expectations. I applaud the duo for running the kitchen and the dinning room(s) at the same time, but the wait time was where they fell. About 10 minutes from the point where I sat down and had my order placed (in a not so busy lunch service) and another 15 minutes to have my food served. In my opinion, that was too long to be waiting for a lunch-break. Now the food. Considering I didn't get to see how they presented the dish (because at this point, I had to take it to go) the food just seemed decent at best. On the menu, there are a few options to go with, but I wished they had an option for "spiciness of the dish" to know what you're getting into. I am sure I am missing out on the aspects of this place, but to me it fell short at this time. My short list:

Pros: Cozy and warm (nice date spot), nice variety of dishes, easy entertainment at table with crayons and butcher paper mat sheet, decent food, nice staff.

Cons: Long wait for lunch service (maybe have one extra person staffed to help run the dinning room). Not entirely impressed with the food for the price.

**Tip: if you know what you want, call ahead for the lunch service to get your order in and going - expect it out about...

Born and raised east of Mt Hood, but lived and worked in Portland for years. Have tried many Thai restaurants in Portland, this one is, by far, my favorite. I love the green papaya salad, chicken basil vegetable stir fry, chicken coconut soup, and fresh rolls with peanut sauce. Got a job in Indianapolis, tried about eight Thai places in Indianapolis, most were good or okay, but none measured up to Lemongrass Thai in SE Portland. Recently took a two week vacation to Koh Lanta island in Thailand, took some classes at Time for Lime cooking school. I had a blast at Time for Lime, and it is for a good cause, it supports an animal welfare organization. The food I tried at various Koh Lanta restaurants and street stands recommended by my Lonely Planet guide book was usually very good, but to be honest, not as good as this place in SE Portland. Shelley in the kitchen is very friendly, and knows what she's doing. The waiter (I see in other reviews he's called Dave) is down to earth, matter of fact,...