Phi Chay Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Saint Paul

My wife and I have been coming here every few weeks or so over the last year and the food has generally speaking been really fantastic but the service has gotten increasingly worse every time and tonight was the absolute worst experience by far and completely inexcusable. We decided to bring the kids with us tonight for the first time (5 of us in all) around 8:15 and there were roughly 7 tables filled at that time. The host/server at the front as we entered told us it would be about 20 minutes before we could get any food which was completely fine with us but it appears now that was more than anything an attempt to get us to leave as the food was brought out rather quickly actually after we promptly ordered keeping in mind they close at 9:00. As usual food overall was great and that’s why we continue to come back and tell people it’s one of our favorite spots but we do generally leave with a feeling of frustration due to the poor service but the food was great so it was still worth it to come back. This time the server never brought the sodas we ordered throughout the entirety of the meal and never returned to check on us or provide us with new waters even after bringing the forgotten sodas to his attention. All of our waters at the table had been sitting empty and by this time we were the only people still there so it was rather surprising he paid no attention to our needs and especially frustrating since we had younger (well behaved) children with us. Server came back finally without the waters and an air of disregard after we’d been waiting only to remind us that the staff needed to leave and this was at precisely 9:00 and as we were already visibly wrapping things up after giving up on the remote chance that any beverage order would be fulfilled. There’s an incredible amount of energy amongst the staff here it seems put into looking at their watches, counting minutes and making patrons feel bad for being there if it’s within an hour of closing time and for me it was just the final straw having experienced this kind of behavior on a few occasions here. The check came with the sodas on there and also with gratuity already included which just added insult to injury. If a lot more energy was put into quality of service amongst the wait staff here, this place would be absolutely dynamite! I hate leaving reviews and I know to some this might seem petty but we always go in with very reasonable expectations for quality of service as patrons and always consider the closing time, hurry along if it’s close to closing time and make sure to be easy customer’s and clean up after ourselves (stack dishes, wipe tables etc…). This has just happened too many times here now and today I left feeling very disappointed and angry especially after really looking forward to this dinner out...

Some of the better Thai I've had in the Twin Cities in quite some time. Unfortunately a lot of the metro's Thai mainstays have gotten SO hit-or-miss it's difficult to want to even go out anymore :( But on the recommendation of someone that lives in this neighborhood, I thought I'd check it out. Overall, the three of us dining were satisfied with the quality of our food. BUT. The peanut curry that was ordered mild was definitely not mild. The cream cheese wontons seemed to be the kind where they're fried and then refrigerated, to be flash fried again when filling an order. I could be wrong, but they weren't piping hot upon arrival, despite how fast they came out of the back. Yep, I cook for a living, can you tell? The biggest fail - despite still being edible and tasting allright, was the Goy See Mee. Did not look anything like the photo on the website. I thought I'd try something different, and I guess I just don't see the point of putting the fried egg noodles on the bottom. I'm sure they were crispy when plated, but by the time it got to my table most of the crispy noodles had absorbed the sauce, so the whole thing was like soft noodles. Edible, but not the thing I was expecting. That being said, I'll be giving this place another try to check out my standard go-tos for Thai. Also, fair warningS: Even tho there were only like three other tables full on a Weds night, it was LOUD. Lots of reflective surfaces here. So if you're spectrally inclined and/or just prefer a QUIET dining environment, BE WARNED. Also, I was a little shocked to see the price difference between the restaurant and the doordash menus. $10 markup on every entree, it...

First visit today 08/22/2023 for lunch and it was great! There was only one server and we were the 6th table (x2). Flavors were true Thai, delicious, and affordable!!!!!! The dining room was medium-sized, well-kept, and inviting. The restroom was clean and there was a refreshing scent. Definitely, a repeat, must-visit spot! Going back for sure to try other dishes. I'll update!!

Boat Noodle (7/10): Savory, seasoned well, and not overly salty. Hardly sweet at all and preferred- what boat noodles should taste like. I added only lime, chili powder, and chili oil for a hint of heat. The beef slices were very tender and the meatballs had a good bite- not overly cooked nor too soft. PREFER spice aromatics to be more prevalent-it was mild).

Grilled Mussel Appetizer (7/10): Well-baked small mussels with sticky sweet fish sauce drizzled on top with/ green onions. Very tasty, sweet & salty. PREFER more sauce because as it sat, the sauce got thick and began to dry/harden. Great that there were like slices to drizzle- made the dish even better with a tang.

Crispy Tossed Salad (4/5) Fresh vegetables with the star being the dressing. It tasted like a honey mustard, poppy, sweet fish sauce flavor. Loved it! The crispy factor was the crispy wonton strips. Would have loved cucumbers!

Pork Belly Pad Kra Pao (2/5): Very good taste but on the sweeter side and the pork belly had more fat-to-meat ratio. This made it just fatty in flavor and the bite was not great (as if not...