Thai Lotus — Restaurant in Reno

In 10 years of visits, I’ve never had bad food from this restaurant. Spiciness levels were inconsistent in earlier visits but are now pretty spot on. Shrimp Rangoon’s, pad Thai, and peanut sauce are on point—and their Tom Kha soup is heaven (the lemongrass in the broth is perfect).

The main reason for a review today is not just the exceptional food, but the incredible staff here; they are kind, efficient, and promote a family atmosphere and show consideration beyond the norm. The last few years with the pandemic, I’ve only enjoyed their food to go or through a delivery service. Today was my first return to in person dining here since 2020–stopping for an impromptu lunch after an outing. I brought my parents (visiting from out of town who love Thai food) and my usually very mellow 2 year old, who apparently was ready for her nap sooner than usual and was a handful—happy and not fussy—but exuberant.

All our servers and anyone who came across our table, from the hostess to the servers, were kind, empathetic, and warm. They were excellent with putting me at ease when I tried to pickup a few garnish carrots dropped by the baby and insisted it wasn’t necessary, were kind with my daughter and engaged her, and didn’t blink once when asked for a cup of ice (it’s apparently her thing right now) or helping my parents box up a plethora of (extremely delicious) leftovers while I took the baby outside to walk to burn off her extra energy towards the end of the meal and so she wouldn’t be a bother to any other diners. The simple fact they bring out divided kids plates and plastic silverware for the kiddos automatically speaks to the family oriented and proactive values promoted by the owners and staff.

I have four kids, and my husband and I have traveled with them fairly extensively and visited many restaurants with some combination/number of littles in tow; I can say with no hesitation, Thai Lotus was one of the best experiences we’ve had as far as a restaurant not just being kind to kids/families, but being adaptable and able to anticipate things that make dining with kids easier and being empathetic. Any parent knows how stressful dining out with even the most well behaved kid can be—the staff here not only relieved the stress but made for an enjoyable experience with, once again, consistently...

Ok. Here is my review. Please forgive the overt bragging. Unlike most Americans, who have terrible taste in food, and would not know good Thai food if it bit them in the leg, I have actually traveled all over SE Asia 20+ times, and I've eaten Thai food all over the world, including inside Thailand itself. I live in the Dallas area, and we have two of the best Thai restaurants in the world. One of them is a Thai grocery store with a restaurant inside, with three tables. That's it. And nearly all of the patrons are Thai or Laotian, and the place is packed. Their food is absolutely authentic and tantalizing. Last week, my family and I were heading to Lake Tahoe, and we stopped for lunch in Reno. We were really in the mood for Thai food. We did a search and ended up at Thai Lotus. Thank god we did!! My wife, who is Asian, agreed with me that this was quite literally the best Thai food we had ever eaten. I am SO PROUD of the Thai food I eat weekly in the Dallas area, because it is so damned good, but, honestly, Thai Lotus in Reno was better than any of the Thai food I had in Thailand. It was authentic, and prepared to absolute perfection. I would give Thai Lotus ten stars if Google would let me. This place is THAT good. The decor is beautiful, it is sort of like an upscale restaurant without any pretensions. It is perfect for a business lunch or dinner, and the food is unbelievable. Also, the service was absolutely fabulous. Highly attentive, gracious, and sweet. I have never experienced service of that caliber in any ethnic restaurant, and 90% of my restaurant dining is at ethnic restaurants. You will never get better than this in Thailand, trust me. So, get your butt over there and see just how correct I really am. ...

Thai Lotus is the best Thai Restaurant I've eaten at across more than 10 states 🌎

Get the pumpkin curry. Just do it. I waited until my 5th visit. The pumpkins are some kind of small Asian pumpkin (like an acorn squash) that had me smiling like a jack-o'-lantern 🎃 because wow! What a treat!

And I'm not a vegetarian but the "Basil Eggplant" dish would make Jesus weep. It's so good. You get to pick a protein with this if you want.

Finally, for that meat lover, get the honey chicken 🍗🐔 It's a bowl full of chicken with a couple pieces of broccoli. No complaints. Manly-power-food right here y'all.

Also I can recommend orange chicken 🍊 🍗 for someone who isn't into strong Asian flavors. The orange chicken comes with some caramelized orange slices (EAT THEM!!) and a very light orange glaze with fresh broccoli 🥦

Reason 1 to eat here: Everything tastes fresh and rich. Example: the Thai curries aren't watery coconut milk, they are bursting with flavor--a tidal wave of complexity and craftsmanship rolling over your tongue and stuck in your mind for weeks.

Reason 2: Service. Example: I normally go to restaurants and ask staff what I should order. Normally I hear "what is popular," or have indecisive answers juggled about me with indifference. At Thai Lotus, the staff are passionate about the dishes. They will tell you what they like. Example 2: The food comes out fast, even when they are busy. On a night with few people, 5-10 minutes. On a busy night 15-20 minutes. This is food that would take me over an hour to prepare and mine would never taste as good.

My only complaint is they are closed on Sundays? Big bummer with me having the...