Thai Dee Restaurant — Restaurant in San Antonio

Ah, Thai Dee...this place was the family go-to restaurant 10 years ago. Unfortunately we moved too far away to visit regularly any more. However, we found time one weekend and made the drive down on a Friday night. The restaurant was full, but we were the only ones in line. I thought we'd probably have to wait 20 or 30 min max for a table, boy was I wrong. The staff seemed short handed and the food was coming out at a snail pace. They were making dishes for the tables, but seemed to be focusing in on Uber Eats and DoorDash orders, those were flowing pretty regularly. Our 30 min wait turned into 45 min, and all along the staff assured us that a table would open any minute. It didn't, at least for another 20 minutes.

Finally we got seated and a new waiting game started. It was 15 minutes till someone took our order, which of course by then we placed drinks and the food at the same time. Drinks came fast and they were the stars of the night. The jasmine tea was fantastic and the only reason they got 3 stars instead of 2 on this review. Appetizers came in 8 min after the order, so not tracking too bad. Apps were good, but didn't knock out socks off. At this point, the wait gets worse.

Our main dishes didn't come for 35 min after placing the order. In fact, we got our food 15 minutes after the restaurant had officially closed. They weren't shooing everyone out the door, since the place was still about half full, but the end of night cleanup process was giving the hint to hurry up. When they brought the food they apologized for the delay and said one of the dishes had been prepared wrong and that's why it took so long. So, our one plate was fresh, but the other had evidently been sitting under a heat lamp for 15 min or so. The food was just meh. It wasn't seasoned well and was just kind of bland.

The poor restaurant is in need of some love. They did 3/4 of a remodel 15 years ago, and other than shuffling tables around it's just the same. Tiles are missing from the roof, dust is an inch thick on vents, and the curtains at the door have taken a beating. They've invested in hardware to accept Uber and other delivery orders, but they've used none of the profits for upkeep. They could really invest in different materials for the walls or ceilings, the endless wood makes it very loud when the restaurant is busy.

Sorry Thai Dee, but it'll be a long time before we give you a shot again. Maybe in another...

I really like Thai Dee's. The staff is courteous, swift, efficient, and willing to help with any food questions a person may have. The food is good (except for a few things I have tried). I think the portions could be a little smaller and the small soups they bring out while waiting for the main meal are delicious. Wait time can be a bit of an issue around the weekday lunch hours (12:30pm-1:30pm) because it is a small area and parking can be a major pain in the but, sometime parking on the street is the only option. I have tried...Panang Curry, extreme spice but delicious. It did seem a little too heavy on the spice/heat level but I was able to handle it with the rice as a side. Pad Woon Sen and Pad Thai, both are good and safe for those who do not want any spice. Cashew Chicken, This is by far my favorite dish. It have just the right amount of flavor and the touch of pineapple is not overpowering. I was hesitant at first to try this but I am so glad I did. It makes it hard to try anything else there since. Green Curry Noodles, I did not really care for this Chef Special. This was spicier than the Panang Curry and a HUGE portion. No rice came with this dish and just to finish the chicken I had to order a side of rice to help. Be sides the spice, its flavor was severely diminished with the spice. What flavor I could taste it didn't help that the noodles were slimy and left me feeling like it was a cereal bowl left in milk to long and lost its crunch. It is supposed to be on crunchy noodles so I was not expecting to get a bowl of soup… I had pictured the sauce in a bowl and the noodle on the side so as to keep the crunch. Whats the point in saying in the description it has "Crunchy Noodles" if by the time you get it there is no more crunch. So far this is the only thing I have ever been very disappointed in. Ginger Chicken, I think this dish would be 5 stars if a little less ginger was put in. When I usually cook with ginger I like the hints of the flavor rather than full on and burning the mouth. But I still enjoyed this dish but not...

If I could give zero stars, I would.. what’s with all the hype ?

This is definitely not authentic Thai food. This restaurant is catered more to “American” (Caucasian) people who have not really ate true authentic flavorful Thai food. My family are Laotian and as you know, we are neighbors to Thailand and our foods are very similar.

First off.. the food is overpriced already and they wanted to charge us $1.00 for peanut sauce. We ordered 2 plates of egg rolls, can we get some complimentary peanut sauce ? You are already charging $13 a plate, why are we charging extra for sides of dipping sauce ? Other places are free!

This is not a fancy restaurant or setting by any means. It is a hole in the wall place and we had high hopes as most hole in the wall dining establishments are greater than they appear.

Their papaya salad is horrible. Their papaya salad is Caucasian friendly. Not true authentic papaya salad. They skimped on the papaya and filled it with lettuce instead. It was just a lettuce salad with little pieces of papaya with just some vinegar sauce. If you have ever ate true papaya salad, you know the sauce used is not vinegar sauce ! Sticky rice is $3 per little tiny baskets. See attached picture for size comparison.

This restaurant is taking advantage of the customers who believe they are eating “authentic” Thai food. And also we noticed we were the only Asian family in the restaurant and we were not checked on or catered to like the “other” (caucasian) guests. Bad Pad Thai, Bad fried fish, very dry and hard. Pad kee mao was a good flavor but the noodles were not wide and thick like how they’re supposed to be. Will not be returning, what’s up with all the 5 stars ???? You guys don’t know what authentic Thai food is. $90 for a sad meal. We were left...