- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Amy's Thai Cuisine
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for Amy's Thai Cuisine
18 reviews in English
-
Review from Jeannie B.
Mechanicsburg, PA
4/8/2012
We stopped in here with a friend after checking Yelp for good eats in Carlisle late-ish on a Friday night (8:30/9 pm). What a great surprise! We ordered appetizer sampler plate, which was fantastic. Friend is vegetarian, so we modified some of the appetizers to be meatless, which was no problem at all. All 3 entrees were yummy. Peanut sauce on the satay was the best I've had since leaving New York. I still think Bangkok Wok and Pakha's are better overall, but Amy's is a solid backup. We will definitely be back.
-
Review from Bob S.
Montvale, NJ
5/17/2012
I ate here twice in May of 2012. I would go back again, if I come back to Carlisle. The food was fresh and tasty, and reasonably priced. Recommended.
-
Review from Nathan W.
Carlisle, PA
5/14/2012
If you like Thai and you like good service - stop in here! Try the smoked Chili Sauce - it is awesome!
-
Review from Dana R.
Gettysburg, PA
4/3/2012
This Thai place is one of the best I have eaten at in Carlisle, for it's authentic quality and atmosphere and convenient location. I look forward to coming back!
-
Review from Alexandra Mariska J.
Carlisle, PA
8/9/2007
The best Thai buffet and restaurant on the West Shore.
I always have lunch with out-of-town guests and old professors at Amy's Thai. The portions are great and you can get two meals out of a dinner entree. The lunch buffet is to die for, and I sheepishly admit to having practically rolled out of Amy's on more than one occasion.
The setting is quiet and you can have a degree of privacy in one of the rooms off of the main dining area. The ambience is beautiful, with Thai textile treasures, dolls, and crafts that are fascinating to look at and enjoy. -
Review from Amy G.
Hampden, PA
1/30/2008
I'm going to be the first dissenter - I hope I don't make too many enemies. So, here it goes . . .
I hate to be a snob, but it's not what I'd consider authentic. I really, really want to like this place which is why I keep returning. Unfortunately, every time I go I wish I had gone to Bangkok Wok in Mechanicsburg. I hereby swear that I am done trying to eat at Amy's (even if it shares my name).
I have eaten here several times and I have yet to be impressed. The food on the buffet has always been hit or miss. It is very "dumbed-down" for the American palate. I'd say that more than 50% of the items are goopy-sweet or just plain bland. Of course, this is the same downfall of many Chinese restaurants - I was just surprised to see it to this extent in a Thai restaurant.
For example, the pad Thai noodles have always been overcooked and the sauce just doesn't have the "punch" I look for with the combination of hot, sour, and sweet. They have too much sweet, not enough sour, and very little hot.
The soups on the buffet never seem to have quite the right balance of flavors - which is the pinnacle of Thai cooking - bringing together complementary and contrasting flavors into a perfect balance. Even their curries that are supposed to be hot are not that spicy. I can only assume that it is because the Carlisle crowd is more in favor of the sweeter and blander items. (I'm not surprised, once saw Kielbasa on a Chinese buffet in Carlisle in 1998).
Maybe I just go there at the wrong times, but the dishes on the buffet always seem to be lacking protein. Maybe the other diners simply snagged all of the chicken and shrimp before I made my way to the trough. It just seems to be too much of a coincidence.
The few times I've walked away content (but not satisfied) is when I ordered items off the menu (as opposed to the buffet) and asked for them to be prepared in the authentic Thai manner. The items have always been better and more in line with the expected character of the dish, but they still haven't been that spicy.
The ambiance is decent. Not upscale, but not too seedy. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall type of place. The service is only OK. I've never been thrilled, but they seem to do their best (usually).
The buffet seems to be the big draw, but I suggest that you avoid the less than stellar offerings and opt, instead, for some of the items on the menu. If you are a college student who wants to eat a lot for a decent price so that you can save your money for beer, then this is your place if you don't care about the food that much.
I also give them major kudos for not using MSG. -
Review from Kevin W.
Howard, OH
9/24/2011
I travel quite a bit and use Yelp to find good Thai restaurants in each area. Amy's is one of the best Thai meals I have had in a while. It was so good I had to go back the next night.
-
Review from Paul L.
San Francisco, CA
4/23/2008
I travel to Carlisle for business occassionally and I have been to Amy's Thai twice. I have come to the conclusion that the hype about this place is due to its location...not much else around. This place would probably survive in a town with a larger population (esp. international population), but it wouldn't thrive.
I didn't find the food too spicy. If anything, I would have enjoyed more spice and more flavor in general.
BTW, I have no complaints about the service. It was great on both occasions. -
Review from Dave H.
10/26/2007 11 photos
Doug and his wife (and chef) Amy opened Amy's in April 1998. They're friendly and put a lot of love into their business. Like any good wine, this restaurant has improved with age, and it shows!
I asked a nearby table for their thoughts:
Guy at end of table: "It's the best place to eat in town!"
Me: "Best Thai place, or best place in general?"
Guy: "Best place PERIOD."
When I walked in, I was confused when a staffer who looked like a random diner asked to help me - the staff's dress was pretty casual. They have uniforms, but management isn't strict about enforcing dress code. The casualness of the place was charming, in its own way. Thankfully, the decor was less casual than the staff: Yanni was piped quietly through the speakers, orchids were on the tables (real?), and exotic-looking flower bulbs shined light from several corners. I could see a healthy amount of folks eating, surprising, considering the downpour of rain.
A buffet is available for lunch and dinner. It was quite popular with the diners and satisfyingly tasty. Doug highlighted their pad thai and the red curry dish. I couldn't resist and had the buffet, finding those to be my favorite choices, too! Since I drove such a distance, I asked Amy for a spicy dish to bring home. She cooked up pad ka prow (piquant basil stir-fry, with pork) and I requested it be cooked like it's done in Thailand (read: HOT). When she brought it out, it had a pleasant amount of heat to it and tasted great. THAT was worth the two hour drive. Speaking of the stir-fry, I can still feel the spices from it. In my stomach. Mmm.
Amy's gets an "A" for effort, considering they're a Thai restaurant in central Pennsylvania. Sure, I've had better Thai, but you're not going to get better in Carlisle, or even driving away some distance. Recommended!
(NOTE: I was here just a few hours ago. Yes, I was THAT stoked from my experience that I wrote about it.)Listed in: Insanely Spicy Food
-
Review from Dan R.
10/22/2007 8 photos
I've only been to 4 different places, two in camp hill, this one and one on paxton street, but its by far the best.
you can get (chicken) Tom Yum soup and lots of other goodies, pad thai, curry vegetables, stir fry, fried tofu, cookies, and more traditional foods. they have a selection of about 10 - 12 items available each day. the lunch buffet costs 8.50 per person.
there is ample parking in the back or you can park cheaply on the street. it's right next to the college, so it does have a lot of young people in there all the time. There are some pictures of the 'old country' and maybe you'll even see the boss herself cooking up something there.
it has a little neon sign in the window, and even though i worked in carlisle for a month and a half, i had trouble finding it the first time.
Amy's Thai Cuisine
141 West High Street
Carlisle Pa 17013
phone 717-249-2007Listed in: Harrisburg = Delecious!
-
Review from Christy P.
Bel Air, MD
8/21/2011
Oh my gosh so yummy! Bit of wait but can't beat the OWNER cooking your food !! It's like we were in her house! They make all their own food from scratch even the soups! Chicken satay awesome. So was the egg rolls and the banana eggroll dessert! And nice waitress too:)Carlisle is really cute town too!
-
Review from Nathan P.
Carlisle, PA
5/29/2010
The food is always just so-so. And the service is usually horrible.
It's primarily staffed by young people who don't seem to want to be bothered to help you. Or even smile.
The part that is bothersome is that I want to like this place. A Thai place in downtown Carlisle would be awesome. A Thai buffet would be awesome. But, I really can't recommend this place.
For my money, I drive up to Mechanicsburg and go to Bangkok Wok. -
Review from Joe S.
Harrisburg, PA
1/28/2010
A very nice dinner was had at Amy's about a month ago. We had the Som Tam for starters, which was very fresh and just spicy enough. For our dinner we shared the Masaman Curry and the Druken Noodles. The Masaman was a special for the evening and was good, I think I prefer the more spicy green though. I ordered the Druken noodles extra spicy and they came out perfect. We had a very nice relaxed dinner at Amy's.
We tried the lunch buffet since then and much prefered our dinner to the buffet. We will be back for dinner. -
Review from Becky H.
Carlisle, PA
5/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
The buffet can't be beat. Always something different, using fresh vegetables that change based on what's in season. I like the service -- very friendly, quick to refill drinks. AND, love that they are charitable, recently opening on a Sunday and donating profits to Japan.
-
Review from Jessica H.
Boston, MA
3/22/2011
Great pad Thai!
-
Review from Trevor D.
Vadnais Heights, MN
11/4/2010
I love thai food! So understandably I was very excited to see this restaurant but the food was not at all what I had hoped. It was all very hum drum and their basement like location does not make for nice atmosphere at all. I wish them luck in improving their food because I would like to see it turn around. I most certainly can't recommend this place. Lilly's Thai is a much better option for Carlisle. But in all honesty Issei is the best place to go even though its not straight Thai its a far better alternative for Asian food.
-
Review from todd s.
NY
9/20/2008
It wasn't bad. The food was blah.
-
Review from Brian R.
Harrisburg, PA
8/21/2008
Stopped in for the lunch buffet and enjoyed it, but I wouldn't give it 5 stars, probably 3.5. Nice little spot, but the quality and selection of the food doesn't compare in my humble opinion to other Thai places in the area. Glad to say there are plenty to choose from!
