1 Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Shawnee

I’ve lived in Shawnee since 2016 and somehow I’ve never stopped by this place despite knowing it was here. After a neighbor and her friend were raving about the stir fry, we knew we had to try it too. Everything was amazing!

I’ll start with the appetizers: If you’re a fan of the still-closed (as of 7/2024) Shawnee Pho then you’ll love the “Fresh Rolls” here at Saya Thai (comparable to SP’s Spring Rolls). Get extra sauce and load up!

Moving on to the main course, I went for the Garlic Stir Fry with a Spicy Level 1 because I love spicy food but not so spicy I can’t taste my food. They have a scale of 5 for theirs, and my neighbor recommended a 2.5 so my husband went for a 3 with his Crying Tiger — which is a 12oz steak. I don’t think I could handle the continuous building of spice from his, but it was absolutely fantastic! Mine was moreso flavoring than spicy, so I’ll be doing at least a 2 next time.

Desert: We don’t normally make it a habit, especially when we’re so full we have leftovers, but this place was too amazing not to. We went for the fried bananas and ice cream. I wish there was more chocolate and caramel but only because I don’t like coconut so I skipped the ice cream. The bananas are so gooey but the texture doesn’t get weird. So worth the price!

As for the service and the atmosphere, everything was great. The service was perfect and the staff was very kind. I also really loved how the place was set up and decorated. Very simple and great lighting. I’ll definitely be back before I leave for Denver this weekend, and again...

Since my review was "mysteriously" flagged and removed from Yelp, I'll post it here for what it's worth.

I was thrilled when I found out that a Thai restaurant opened in Shawnee. though the level of service was exceptional, I found the food disappointing.

The curry (we tried the red, green, and paneer), while bold, and flavorful, was way too sweet (on par with your typical serving of sweet iced tea before ice is added).

The pad Thai might have been good if it weren't for way too much fish sauce (levels that made it smell and taste rancid). Two of us took one bite, and threw the rest in the trash.

The chicken satay and peanut sauce was tasty, but the chicken was not trimmed, and one of my family members bit into something hard like a tendon, or cartilage.

The drinks were way too small for the price. I could understand this with specialty teas, but my son ordered a simple unsweetened tea which came out in a small Styrofoam cup.

Overall, I would say the food was about a 2/5, but the service was exceptional. The young people working the front of the house were very polite, and helpful. I would have bumped the stars up for service, but when i order carryout, it's all about the food.

I really don't understand the five star reviews, and why they were posted before the restaurant actually opened. Maybe there was a special soft launch for friends and family who are much more inclined to want to see them succeed? Maybe they were on their "A game" at that time? Maybe I just came at a bad...

I visited this restaurant today for the first time and the food and experience was so good that it deserved a review, so here is our review:

I ordered a “broccoli stir fry” and I selected shrimp as my protein with brown rice. I requested a #2 of 5 levels of spice. For my drink I ordered “iced thai tea”. Everything was absolutely delicious.

My partner ordered “green curry” with chicken and white rice. She requested a level #1 of 5 spice level. For the drink she ordered an “iced thai coffee”.

For the appetizer, we split an order of “shrimp rolls”

The restaurant was very clean and pleasant. The 2 servers that attended to us were extremely friendly and helpful. They had a very sharp and clean appearance with their attire and the service was absolutely wonderful. The food was very hot and fresh tasting and looked like it belonged in Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen meaning it was neatly presented on the plates. We were there at 4:30pm on Tuesday, but the food was very promptly delivered to the table.

I would highly recommend this...