Bangkok Grill Springville — Restaurant in Springville

I'll preface this with the fact that I take my Thai food very seriously because I lived in and fell in love with Thailand for two years from 2014 to 2016. I make my own authentic Thai food at home and speak the language fairly fluently. I'm always on the search for the most authentic Thai food. This company took over from long standing Springville Thai company called Mekong Cafe 2. Me and my mom loved going here since way back in 2013 and their replacement is decent. Mekong was pretty standard fair but they improved year to year and made better and better food. On top of that they were always happy to see me and converse in Thai with me the moment I said สวัสดีครับ. Bangkok Grill has kept all the same furnishings other than adding some cushions to the wooden benches. The food was good, where I got ส้มตำ Som Tam (papaya salad) and Nam Thok น้ำตก (beef waterfall salad) with a side of sticky rice. I was disappointed that these dishes were not prepared with fresh Thai peppers and instead relied in dried peppers and chili oil for heat. The flavor that fresh peppers provide cannot be understated, but I was willing to forgive because all the other flavors and ingredients were present, including roasted rice on the Nam Thok which is frequently missing in most American Thai restaurants. All these Isan dishes which are some of my favorites were done well, I wish they had more Isan dishes to offer but what they have is standard fare compared to other Thai food places. The part where the disappointment came in was where I encouraged my mom to get ผัดกระเพรา Pad Grapow, which is supposed to be a basil and meat stir fry, traditionally prepared by mincing the meat and served with fresh peppers, was not what we expected. Instead she was served a basic chicken and mixed vegetables stir fry. No basil was to be found and instead there were large amounts of bell pepper, carrot, and broccoli. It's disappointing when a classic staple dish like this, which is comfort food for many Thais, is transformed into something any Asian restaurant can put out, not just Thai restaurants. The ต้มขา Tom Ka soup was good, albeit to gingery for my mom but I thought it was nice. The wontons lacked in filling because they're simply folded in half instead of quad folding it which helps to distribute the filling. Overall I'll go again since it's the closest one to me and I want to try more of their stir fry to further test their dishes. So far I can recommend their "salads" which should really be renamed their Isan section, but I can't recommend...

Daring? More like Boring. Ha gottem. Food wasn’t spicy for a spicy fella like me. One of our pad thais took a cold minute to get to the table. Granted we were a big group, so I’ll forgive that… once. Atmosphere was chill and really made you feeeeeeel like you were in Bangkok. As long as Bangkok has creamy, barren, banana walls and numbered tables. We need some more atmosphere. A little music. Some better lighting. Fluorescent likes make me feel like I’m visiting nana in the ICU. Maybe a fountain or a koi pond if I’m reaaaally feeling fancy.

Honestly, the food was dope, it just needs to live up to the spicyness that it claims to be. I want to be hurt. Please.

The...

I've been coming to Bangkok Grill for over a decade. You know how you have a baseline restaurant for a type of food? Well Bangkok Grill is my baseline for Thai Food. It's definitely the best in Utah County, the best Thai food in Orem and Springville. Personally, I love supporting family run, mom & pop businesses WAY more than the big chains. If you love Thai food, Chhay and his family will take good care of you.

My favorite dishes are the Green and Panang curries, Moo todd chicken with green curry on the side to dip it in, Pad Thai (ask for a little extra spice and lime, thank me later), and my favorite is their Tom Ka Gai or Coconut/Galangal soup. ...