Green Pagoda — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

I have been to Green Pagoda three times now and I have to give it a mixed review. The food is mostly very good, but the service is odd with a dash of bad thrown in. I'll start with the service: I won't give all the examples of weirdness, as that would make this review too long, but just a few examples are: the second time I was there, I ordered the green curry chicken. When the dish was brought to the table, it was beautiful, but it was obviously a red curry sauce, not green. So I asked the waiter, "Is this the green curry? It looks like red curry." He insisted it was the green curry, and that is how it looks. Now, I should add here that Thai cuisine is one of my very favorite cuisines, and I know a red curry sauce from a green curry sauce, even though my vision isn't what it used to be. So I said, oh, that's interesting, as it really looks red. The waiter again insisted that it was the green curry. So I ate it, and it was delicious, by the way, but it definitely tasted like red curry sauce. Fast forward to today, I went back and I once again ordered the green curry chicken. Well! This time it came out with a green curry sauce, so now I know that the previous time, I had been right: I was given red curry when I ordered green curry. I understand that mistakes happen and, if the waiter had just said something like "Oh, you know what, I think you're right--that's the red curry, do you want me to take it back?", I would have certainly said no, that's okay, I'm fine with the red instead. But what I don't like--especially in light of the other, similar examples I'm going to give here--is that the server insisted it was green curry when, come to find out today, no, it had indeed been the red curry, just as I thought at the time. A second example of weirdness was today, when the person who seated us gave us the wrong menus--the dinner menus instead of the lunch menus. We arrived when they opened, at noon, so it was definitely lunch. When I somehow managed to get his attention (not easy) and he seemingly reluctantly came over to our table, and I pointed out that we were given the dinner menus and not the lunch menus, he argued with me and said "No, those are the menus.", and he walked off. Now, this was the third time I've been there and I know those are not the lunch menus! So then, when I finally got our server's attention, I told her, we have the wrong menus, could we get the lunch menus, please? Her response was: "Well, it's the same thing, it's just the dinner is more expensive and bigger portions." I asked her again: could we please have the lunch menus? Finally, we got the right menus. This same server also described what Thai tea was to my friend, who had never had it before and had asked her what it is, and she (the server) did not describe what Thai tea is accurately at all, so I therefore added info she had left out about it, at which point the server argued with me about that, too. It was all decidedly WEIRD--there was just a very weirdly, totally unnecessary adversarial vibe in there today and every time I've gone, it seems that they get something wrong, yet they insist that it is right. So odd.

As for the food, I think it is mostly very good--the green curry and the red curry sauces are both excellent. The vegetable dumpling appetizer, which my friend ordered the first time I was there, and kindly offered me one to try, are delectable, with a lovely sesame-soy dipping sauce. The vegetables in the main dishes I've had are consistently fresh and the meat is a good quality. However, the Phad Thai sauce is terribly sweet, so I would not recommend getting that dish there unless you like an extremely sweet sauce.

I would go to Green Pagoda again if one of my friends ever wanted to go there, as the food is, as I said, mostly good. However, I wouldn't be the one suggesting myself that we go there, as I can't get past the experiences I've had with the service, as detailed in the examples (those are just a few of the examples)...

Was hoping for a much better experience.

This is the first time I have ever written a bad review all because of the way the situation was handled.

My mother and I went to try this place for lunch after seeing pictures of someone else’s experience posted online. We arrived, ordered Thai teas, miso soup, Salmon Salad lunch salad, and a Mexican roll to share between the two of us. “A light lunch” Staff was friendly until we got our food and ended up having to send our meal back.

I have never had a bad salad dressing. The salmon salad had a dressing that tasted like the way the nail salon smells?? How idk, but inedible. The salmon way raw, which they took the same piece and recooked but still tasted fishy/ old. The sushi roll had tempura shrimp that was the consistently of beef jerky and also fishy/ old tasting.

We called our waiter over to give feedback/ explain our experience, complimenting the restaurant decor and presentation of the food (that was inedible) mentioning that we eat out very often & have loved Mangosteen (their other restaurant) they only took $10 off of our meal. We left all the food sitting on the table.

So $40 for Thai Teas and Miso soup that was the only thing edible.

Very...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at this amazing local sushi restaurant, and I have to say it was an unforgettable experience. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm and friendly service that made me feel right at home. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu and able to make excellent recommendations.

Now, let's talk about the food. Wow. The sushi was some of the best I've ever had. The fish was fresh and expertly prepared, with each piece melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The rolls were beautifully presented and bursting with flavor. I highly recommend the stuffed trout or the risotto!!

But it's not just the food that makes this place so special - it's the service. The staff were attentive without being overbearing, making sure our drinks were always full and checking in on us regularly to make sure we were happy with our meal. They went above and beyond to make sure we had a great dining experience.

Overall, I can't recommend this sushi restaurant enough. If you're looking for amazing food and top-notch service, this is the place to be. I'll...