Thai-Esan Restaurant — Restaurant in Spring Lake

love it! Great service, great food, great atmosphere. Try the lunch buffet!

This was my favorite place for years. I would come to the lunch buffet several times a year and if I ordered take out thai food this place was my go to. Over the years I have liked the place less and less. Not because of the food quality, but because of little things that would happen. Once the male owner talked to me about people who he had told may never return to the restuarant, including one person who he felt binged and purged at his restaurant buffet. He claimed he told her he could not afford to have her return. I wasnt a fan of that conversation. I felt like he wanted me to engage in making fun of this customer with him and every thing about the conversation made me uncomfortable. Another time I went to eat with my kids and wanted to get the appetizer sampler and select chicken tenders twice, and spring rolls as the third item. The waitress returned and said I had to choose three different things. It really didnt make any sense to me, as almost all of the appetizers I was suggested to try instead cost very similar prices. I didnt understand why selecting one item that is 7.95, a different item that was 7.95, and a third item that was 7.50 is any different than selecting two of the same items that are 7.95 and a third item that was 7.50. I couldnt understand why it was a big deal to choose 3 separate items, vs 2 and 1, so I questioned that. While I questioned I could hear the female owner yelling from the kitchen about my choices. I could not make out her words, but it was not a happy tone. That day I chose to leave without ordering and decided I would not return. Despite that choice a strong craving for my favorite thai food lead me back a few more times. The last time I ordered from Thai-Esan everyone was friendly. However, I ended up waiting about 30 minutes after I had arrived for my food. Now mind you I had been told it would take about 40 minutes and so I WAITED 40 minutes before getting there. That means it took about 70 minutes to make my food? The staff was a bit apologetic, but not really. It was more of "well good food takes a while to make and we want to get it right". That's fine, but it would have been nice to know an accurate estimate. I honestly wouldn't have chosen to order there and I'm sure that is why I was not given the accurate estimate. Sometimes in life you have the time to wait an hour for good food that you love and other times you do not. This was not the first time I've been told an inaccurate wait time at this restaurant (although other times were only 10-20minutes off, so not nearly as inconvenient). I truly appreciated the good meals here and maybe one day it will be worth it to go back. I honestly hope the owners read this and make some adjustments, because the food really is excellent! The reviews regarding the spice level are true, select at least one level lower than you normally would or your mouth will be on fire. I love spice and the medium is too much for me...

My boyfriend and I have regularly eaten at Thai-Esan to curb our thai cravings. We were dazzled by the flavor and authenticity of the food. However, each visit has made us less inclined to go back. Although it is novel that one of the owners is the primary chef, it also means that wait times for food are at least an hour, even on nights that don't seem busy. There have been several pick up orders where we arrived during the estimated time, and have had to wait an additional 30-45 mins. Usually the wait times don't deter us since we know we have to wait. My most recent visit with my parents was the determining factor in my decision to not return to this restaurant. We were the only table in the restaurant at the time, and our waitress was very bubbly. She was friendly, but would visit our table and serve us our food without a mask on. In the beginning, she would attempt to put her mask on as she walked over to our table, but by the end of our visit it seemed she gave up on trying altogether. Next, my mom ordered shrimp pad thai, and requested the spice level to be 1 or mild. My mom is unable to eat spicy food and has allergic reactions to spice which causes her throat to swell up. The pad thai we received was nowhere near a 1, and was incredibly spicy compared to the other mild dishes we received. When we told this to the waitress, she reiterated that it was the lowest level of spice and that they were far too busy to make another dish, but they could add coconut milk to cut the heat. This really upset my table as my mom could not physically eat this meal, and adding coconut milk was not going to solve the issue. The last issue of this visit was our beef pad see-ew. My boyfriend and I regularly order this dish and we know exactly how it tastes at this restaurant, and at other thai restaurants. It was the last dish to arrive at our table, long after the others, and it did not taste right, at all. My first thought when I ate the beef was that it tasted dirty. The noodles and sauce were fine, but the meat had a very acrid taste and smell that was not normally present in the dish. My boyfriend confirmed that the meat tasted as if it was tainted. No one in my party ate the dish afterwards. Thankfully our drunken noodles and bulgogi were edible. When we told our waitress about our dishes she responded that she was sorry, but that as a restaurant they were "crazy busy and 17 orders were just put in". I'm sorry but I don't care how many orders have just been put in, and I understand that restaurants get busy, especially with one cook, but that is not a response I expect an employee to give to a customer who has had a negative experience at their restaurant. At the register we mentioned to the owner that our beef pad see-ew did not taste right, and his response was "huh, I just ate that, and mine was fine". Again, another off putting comment that disregarded our experience. At least our pad thai was reimbursed. Ultimately we won't be back, but we enjoyed the limited positive...

Let me start by saying, this place serves the absolute best tasting Thai food I have ever had in eastern NC. I live in Goldsboro and I drive an hour just to eat here. I have enjoyed 3 different Thai places in Goldsboro and in comparison the best of the 3 deserves MAYBE a 4 star rating. Thai-Esan most definitely deserves the 5 star rating. In fact I would say 6!

If your hungry, come to Thai-Esan. The portions are not going to leave you hanging. Usually with large portions you sacrifice quality... Not at Thai-Esan. This place packs the freshness in everything they make.

The Pad Kee Mao is one of my favorites. The noodles are perfectly cooked and loaded with flavor. Definitely a dish you want to try.

Now... I know this is a Thai restaurant... But I want to point out something on the menu that is worth trying.

Beef Bulgogi- Though originally a Korean dish, I have to say this restaurant nails it. In my opinion better than any other Korean restaurants I have been to. The beef is so tender and the flavor is absorbed into the meat. The portion is generous, but it is so good it is hard to have leftovers. In fact you could walk out of the restaurant overflowing with food saying your never going to eat that much again and if you were offered another plate of their bulgogi, I assure you, that without a second thought, you will be piling more into your mouth. Yes.... it's that good.

Nothing goes better with these dishes than a side of fresh Kimchi. They have the freshest tasting Kimchi I have ever had. The intense tang and spice creates explosions of flavor in your mouth. If you never had Kimchi, your missing out.

So there you have it. If you want a true taste of Asian cuisine here in Eastern NC, Thai-Esan needs be your destination. They are family owned and very engaged with their customers. And that alone makes the experience unforgettable.

*Don't forget...