Lotus on The Beach — Restaurant in Seattle

As a white person, I definitely understand that Thai food is not something I will ever be a full expert in, however, I do make Thai food at home and I do consider myself to be an advanced cook that understands the mechanics of a wok. With that being understood, I just want to express that I definitely feel like this experience was a waste of my money. Story: I picked up my friend from the West Seattle ferry and just survived the worst traffic I've ever seen on i-90, we were both starving, decided to go get some Thai food, we googled some options, and decided on this restaurant. Parking was a nightmare, as a partially disabled person, I definitely usually utilize handicap parking, which there was none that I could find, except for a block away at another restaurant. We walked over to the restaurant, noticed how lovely the scenery was and it definitely left my friend and I with high hopes for the quality of the food. The service was decent, but definitely lacked genuity. They will do a great job of serving you, but it does seems very performative and robotic. The food was not great, in my opinion. It was edible, it didn't taste terrible, but Pad Thai is a basic dish that's really hard to screw up. I ordered Pad Thai beef, a small side of peanut sauce, and a Thai iced tea. There was something off with every single item I ordered. The beef was overcooked and chewy, nor was the beef properly seared, the noodles were not properly caramelized or charred, and there was something off with the sauce, it just didn't taste like good Pad Thai. When you use a wok and you stir fry noodles like this, they should have some caramelization, they should have a little bit of char, or at the very least that light brown coloring. The meat was overcooked but it wasn't charred, it's almost as if it was steamed, which means that the wok wasn't at the right temperature, nor was the dish likely prepared in proper order. There was way too much bean sprouts and shredded cabbage on the side of the dish and the peanut sauce tasted off. The thai tea had a weird Smokey flavor to it, which tells me that they oversteeped the tea with water that was too hot. Like it almost tasted burnt. I normally get all of these food items at Thai restaurants for under $30. I paid over $37 in total. I'm not a rich person, I usually do all my home cooking because I can't afford to eat out, but I also like great food, so I pride myself on being knowledgeable and credible with food preparation. When I do go out to eat, I really enjoy having food that tastes great. I want a meal that's worth my money. This meal left me feeling cheated. So unfortunately, I can't recommend going here. It looks like a beautiful restaurant, the service is decent, but for what you're paying for and what you're getting, it's just not worth it. There's are way better Thai restaurants in Seattle. Maybe it was an off day, who knows, but I have no desire to go back. I would like to add that my friend felt the same, she ordered Pad Thai as well, but with chicken. Her chicken was overcooked and dry. We both ordered 1 star in spice, it tasted like 3 stars in spice. We both regretted choosing...

My wife and I had an early dinner on Saturday April 5, our first sunny-and-warm enough day for a walk on Alki Beach. We had an idea later to get the food to-go and eat at a picnic table. The location is world-class! Lotus OTB has beach-facing outdoor seating which also faces the busy street.

The table service at Lotus OTB is good though. so it may be worth dining in. They don't serve coffee, except a hazelnut coffee drink. We plan to return and try more menu items. Maybe by then they will offer drip coffee.

That said, I judged the food to be good and yet inauspicious. The lemongrass rockfish was overcooked for my taste. The limey seasoning was wonderful though. We got some more and poured it over the steamed rice that came with the fish.

We expect restaurant vegetables to be undercooked, but the green beans that came with the fish were crunchy and chewy. If we had them at home, at least we would have de-stringed them. Nobody can eat those strings and it is better to trim the ends. But for the price range, about $18-$20.00, no complaints.

The ube drink in coconut milk was tasty. It was something different to try, always an appealing feature of dining out.

The pad see ew had plenty of beef and the portion was generous enough to have leftovers. One star of spiciness was enough for us, although I probably would have enjoyed level two or three. We asked for chili sauce on the side, but it never arrived. We agreed that the pad see ew was unremarkable, as we recalled many other Thai meals around Seattle.

Next time we'll try the pork belly for sure and maybe the Vietnamese steak and egg. Also, I think we'll share the Tom Kah soup, because when it's good, it's reason enough to keep coming back. Like most diners, we do that with several favorite restaurants.

We can walk from home to Alki Beach, where we love to dine at Natalie's and at Cactus. Lotus on the Beach has its distinct character and we hope to add it to our list of...

What a stellar addition to Alki. My friend and I were on the wait list for another nearby restaurant and decided to see if Lotus on the Beach was open. It turned out to be their official opening day.

The old Pegasus space has been transformed into a welcoming, light, airy, and spotlessly clean gathering place.

We were seated quickly and both of us ordered their Panang Curry, hers was with chicken and mine with tofu. Both dishes included a generous helping of lightly cooked fresh veggies. The richly flavored sauce was scrumptious and medium heat level was exactly right. It arrived with a generous side of perfectly cooked Jasmine rice. There was plenty left over for lunch tomorrow.

We also ordered their Fresh Rolls, which were crispy, flavorful, and delicious.

At $33 each, including a 20% tip, their prices are very reasonable for the quality.

The one downside was that the noise level from the bar was very intense. We initially were seated close to the bar and after a few minutes we asked to move as far away from it as possible. Moving to a different table helped but the loud conversations coming from the bar still took over the entire restaurant. A sound absorbing screen would be an excellent addition, placed at the dividing line between the bar and restaurant.

A second one in a different location might also be helpful since there's absolutely nothing in that space to absorb sound.

As major fans of Buddha Ruksa, Lotus on the Beach is a real contender for exceptional Thai food here in West Seattle. Highly recommended. We'll...