Bangkok Cafe — Restaurant in Tucson

There's Thai Food in Tucson and there is Terrific Thai in Tucson at Bangkok Café! Always searching for authentic Pad Thai and this menu item features the traditional Tamarind sauce so don't be surprised when your noodles have a tint of Tamarind color and full of perfectly stir fried (not gummy) noodles. Best Crab Puff ever (mini triangle turnovers). Hand made creamy crab (yes you can taste it), cream cheese filling and crispy light wraps. Most other restaurants buy commercial and deep fry...not here...and they come 8 (2 large bites per piece) to an order. Yellow Curry was smooth with Chicken, Potatoes and Onions in a creamy mildly spiced curry sauce. Could have spiced it up but enjoyed the mild flavor. We enjoyed authentic Thai Tea. You can have it with or without 1/2-1/2.... Our delightful waiter Tony (has been a long standing part of this restaurant) and stayed when new owners took over 7 years ago did his very best to ensure we had a satisfying first experience. Came back for takeout a week later and tried the Tom Ka Gai- the coconut based soup with Chicken. Generous sized pieces of chicken were tender, nice slices of mushrooms, onions and the authentic and traditional flavors of Galanga, Thai Chili (could have had it spiced 1-5 scale) and lime leaves were infused and balanced into the soup broth. You didn't have to eat around them. We added some Jasmine Rice and it added abit of thickness to the soup. Full of flavor. Bob manages front of the house, Tony service and Mrs. Bob is in the kitchen! There's a genuine feeling these owners want to ensure you have an authentic and enjoyable experience. If you are there during busy hours, be prepared to be patient, it will be worth the wait as each dish is prepared fresh to your customized taste. Go around 5-5:30 when they reopen supper to beat the crowd. You may find their prices abit more than other local places but you are supporting a family owned and managed business and you'll be treated to a wonderful meal. You enjoy the true flavors of authentic Thai cuisine, custom cooked to order. Will be back to try their Lunch Specials. Portions are generous. From a small size soup we served 3 persons as a soup...

Good food but TERRIBLE service and lousy atmosphere made the dinner frustrating and not enjoyable. I would order take out from here again if I lived close by, but not eat in the restaurant again.

Six of us arrived on a cold (for Tucson) winter day mid-week. The atmosphere inside is "meh:" very bright lights, needs paint, tacky print outs with the specials taped to the walls, and it was freezing inside. We all kept our jackets on.

When we arrived there were 2 tables already occupied, a table of 2 and a table of 6. There were probably 15 tables empty. After we were seated, it took about 10 minutes before anyone came over to acknowledge us, bring us water and take our order, much too long for a pretty empty place. We finally ordered 6 main courses and an appetizer. We finished the appetizer, but the waiter didn't clear the table when he brought the main courses. I had to clear the table to make room.

The food was good. The curry was tasty and the stir fries looked good. The spring roll appetizer was big and delicious.

After dinner, we sat there forever, dirty plates all around, waiting for the bill. We waited about 10 minutes for the bill after we were done, and finally it arrived. We quickly put out cash and credit cards, and then the frustrating wait began. We were done, freezing cold and wanted to go. The credit cards and cash sat at the end of our table for a good 20 minutes when I finally had to walk them to the host in front. Another 10 minutes passed before they were returned to us to sign. By then, we were freezing cold and boiling mad and just wanted to leave.

The food was good, but there was nothing appealing about eating there. I will...

I’ve heard close friends speak well of Bangkok Café, but I had yet to try it out. So today I made the tiresome drive from the east side to have some good, spicy Thai cuisine. When I saw the sign, I also saw the Santorini Greek Cafe — which nearly derailed my plans, because damn, Santorini is really good, and I’m always up for mediterranean cuisine. Nonetheless, I kept with the plan, and I’m glad I did. GREAT PLACE.

I arrived around 1pm. Very mellow ambiance. Someone’s playlist was coughing up “adult contemporary” by artists such as Simply Red and Hall & Oates — I heard both “I Can’t Go For That” and “Sunrise” during my meal (Sunrise heavily borrows from and sample’s the Hall & Oates hit). A few other late diners were having a leisurely lunch — the “cognoscintillated” I presumed, as the server conversed with them as if they were regulars.

After pondering the menu, I settled on a Tom Kha soup with chicken. I told the gentleman to make it as hot as he wanted — he replied with a question of scale, from one to five; I said four. The soup was perfect, steaming hot, spicy, delicious; I left satiated...