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Category: Thai
8917 Lake City WayIf you looking for great food and entertainment join us for live Jazz every Saturday night! The music plays from 7-9 pm!
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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You MUST get the green bean wok. It is the best thing I have ever tasted. Seriously. Everything that we have tried here has been top notch. The Thai Iced Tea is the best in Seattle, hands down. The service is fabulous and staff is incredible, remembering your name after the first visit! I'm totally impressed and will be back here again. And again. And again.
I must admit, to my chagrin, that when I first spotted this place I said, "No way that place is any good." I mean, it's on Lake City Way! It's so far north and surrounded by what exactly? A car dealership and a bar that just has to be a bookie joint because no one ever is there. Where will I find good Thai food in our new 'hood????
So I stand totally corrected. This is some darn good Thai food. I can't speak to whether it's "authentic" or not, but it tastes good and, in the end, that's what we all care about, isn't it?
We got takeout: pad thai, curry rice, green beans, spring-rolled shrimp (?), and a green curry. Everything was nicely spiced, flavorful, and, dare I say it? delightful. I ate with true delight, chagrin and all. No catsup in the pad - I know people get all crazy about that. They use tamarind. Curry rice was delicious but weird: I think they put a succotash mix in with limas, corn, green beans, and then add raisins, cashews and pineapple. What the what? It worked. Green beans, as others have mentioned, were friggin' awesome - nice texture AND flavor. Go Grandma. The shrimp were good and satisfied my craving for spring rolls - which they don't have! Whaaaa? Dipping sauce rocks. Green curry was quite good - lots of chicken and bamboo shoots, and the eggplant was nicely done. Whew. I need a Thai iced tea next time. Love that stuff.
And! I am totally jealous of my husband's experience when he went to pick the food up. He sat with Golf, the owner, who proceeded to tell him that the green beans are his grandmother's recipe, and no catsup, and this and that and the next thing. Ha. That's supposed to happen to me, so I can accurately Yelp it!
It should be more of a 2.5 star review really....
I went here last night and got what I always get at Thai restaurants: a Thai iced coffee, tom yum soup, and phad thai. My coffee was good, but I've honestly had better. My phad thai with tofu was burnt and too salty in my opinion. My soup was nice and spicy, but it was plain, there wasn't much in it except for maybe 2 mushrooms cut into four pieces each and some chicken.
Given the reviews for this place I was disappointed. On the other hand, the service was friendly and the decor was pleasant enough. it was nice that we were able to park right in front, however the parking spots are tiiiiiny.
The service here was definitely good but nothing THAT spectacular. My bf and I probably should've ordered the green bean wok or their other signature dishes but we usually don't splurge on appetizers when we eat out.
I ordered the Phayathai Noodles which had the peanut sauce over wide noodles with spinach and bean sprouts. It was like a swimming rama but with wide noodles instead of rice. Except the peanut sauce pretty much drowned everything out, the chicken was good but I probably would've wanted some rice with my order because it was so salty.
My bf got the pad thai which was pretty decent. I liked his order more than mine. Although he probably could've eaten it with rice as well. We ate about half of our portions because they were pretty generous so we have our lunch ready for tomorrow.
On a completely random note about the restaurant, I really loved the fish tank!!! There were so many beautiful and colorful fish swimming side with a hermit crab too. It was so amusing to me but yeah I liked the restaurant atmosphere but the food wasn't as great as I expected.
I have driven by this place many times, as I live close-by, and never stopped in because it just doesn't look that appealing from the outside. However after reading reviews it looked like it might be a pretty good place for Thai food. BINGO!!!! What a treat!!!! Very nicely decorated inside, that was a pleasant surprise, and the food is excellent. I got Green Bean Wok (Oh my God!), Red Curry w/ Chicken, and Crab Delight. A very nice surprise to find a place so good, close to home. And, they deliver!
I always order delivery. Comes w/in 20 mins generally. They have the most amazing food. I would recommend the pannag curry & thai iced tea! It's the best thai place I have ever had--and I am very addicted to thai.
We have ordered take out several times and it has always been good. We recommend the yellow curry and pha Thai.
I went to Phayathai because of the positive Yelp reviews. I only eat what my Yelp tells me to eat these days, but my socks are still on regarding this spot. Maybe I entered with too high of expectations, but based on the reviews, i thought I had finally discovered a Thai restaurant that was innovative, FRESH, flavorful, and reasonable. My dining partner and I ordered the fried crab appetizer, the Tom yum soup, and a red curry. The crab appetizer had been mentioned several times in the reviews as being 'OMG, SO GOOD', but I feel like I had eaten similar dishes at chinese lunch buffets. Seriously. I mean, it was good - crab and cream cheese fried in a wonton never fails, but it was largely forgettable. The soup was nice, but it could have been a little more flavorful, and it was def not at the level 4 spiciness we requested. The chicken wasnt too soggy/mushy, though - which is often a problem with soups, I have found. The curry was very nicely flavored and spicy, and they gave plenty of rice with our dishes. It was probably the best dish of the night. Phayathai offered SOLID thai food at reasonable prices, but I dont think I would drive out of my way again to eat here. Still, i dont regret the dining experience.
Absolutely AMAZING food. I went with my boyfriend's family for his mother's birthday, and we were greeted so warmly by all of the employees, and sat at a lovely table with roses on it. Definitely A+ for atmosphere. But when the food came, I died. Then, I came back to life again and feasted on tangy green beans, special family recipe fried rice, yellow curry, sweet and sour veggies, and much much more. So delicious. I will most certainly be going back there.
When I was in Seattle for business, I checked out Phayathai because of their great reviews on here, and I was not disappointed. I had Massaman curry with beef and sticky rice (they have sticky rice! the one that comes in a basket--yay!), and also enjoyed their thai iced coffee and had the pancake for dessert.
Everything tasted really delicious, though I wanted my potatoes to be less al dente. The service was exceptional--they attended to me, but not too often. Great atmosphere -- for family, first dates, and friends.
Good Thai food, great service in a really pleasant atmosphere. The food is on par with most of the better Thai places around town. There are lots of choices under $10.
We ate here on a Friday night and it was really slow, I guess because of the location, but if you are anywhere near and in the mood for Thai, you should stop in.
Nestled in an apartment community next to a law farm, it's hard to imagine much from Phayathai. However, it's the best Thai option I've tried in Seattle, mainly due to the freshness of the ingredients and the skillfulness of preparation. Vegetables are fresh and crisp, the chicken is tender, and spiciness is true to form. Ambiance isn't much (wood paneling and dull blue carpeting suggest the location may have been intended for another purpose), but service is excellent. Overall, a very nice experience.
I was pretty hesitant about this place because there are so many thai restaurants in Seattle and most of them are pretty mediocre. Plus, Phayathai is located in a weird spot--off of lake city way, but not in the business district of lake city or near any of the maple leaf joints. It's pretty easy to just drive right on by it. Anyway, we ordered takeout on one of the days when it was like 182 deg out, but still wanted some more heat!! We couldn't find an online menu so we just kind of went with the standards- chicken garlic basil stir fry and chicken panang curry. When we went to pick it up, they gave us a glass of water to drink while we waited for them to fetch the order. I'm a water addict so I was pretty happy with this. Both dishes were great--excellent spice(we ordered 5 star) and flavor.
Not Authentic.....the chicken for the Panang was not tender at all. The tom ga gai soup was terrible tasting....tasted like week old soup...Parking is hard to find in the area. Not good at all.
I've driven by this place every day for two years and never noticed it, so I guess it classifies as a hidden gem. It's much bigger than it appears and is nicely decorated inside. The owners are friendly and attentive (perhaps easy to do on a slow Wednesday?) My green curry was rich and flavorful, one of the better ones I've had. My wife's noodles seemed more homemade than we'd find at other Seattle Thai places, but were a bit bland for my tastes. We'll go definitely go back.
To anyone who thinks this is real, authentic Thai food...you sir/madame, are mistaken. This place is NOT good or better than any of the other mediocre Thai restaurants in Seattle. The problem, I believe, is that nobody reviewing this place has actually had REALLY tasty, authentic Thai food. Wake up people!
They are getting TWO stars for their friendly service and pleasant atmosphere.
Sorry, Seattle, your Thai restaurants SUCK! Basta.
One of the best Thai restaurants in Seattle.
From the outside, it looks questionable, but don't judge a book by its cover. Great food. Good prices. The atmosphere isn't bad. Great service. And they deliver!
Having introduced Phayathai to a friend of mine and read his review [ http://www.yelp.com/bi... ] - I'm the mentioned transhumanist - I couldn't help but to join Yelp and add my own OMFGWTFBBQ 5 star rating to the mix.
Phayathai is hands down my favorite Thai food in Seattle (or really on the planet given my lack of travels). Having not ever actually been to Thailand I can't actually comment as to if the style is authentic or not but I can comment that the style is delicious.
The owner came from Tom Thai in the University District and brings their excellent food to a more relaxed (and dare I say fancy) environment. The waitstaff is friendly, and the enviroment is perfect for bringing a bunch of friends to for gorging on Thai food.
When ordering get the Crab Delight appetizer. This is not optional - trust me, without it you will forever regret the opportunity you had to place orgasmic deep fat fried bits of pastry-wrapped crab in your mouth, and enjoy it's fatty wonderfulness.
This place not only has authentic delicious Thai food, my Thai wife says she can't make what they do. It is her favorite place for now. Try the green bean or crab delight appetizers. Their Spicey Noodle dish (Pad Kee Mao-ish) is great as is the Pad Thai. So far everything I have tried is delicious and everyone I have taken there loves it. It has never been crowded so far so no waiting for us impatient Seattlites.
It's hard to imagine a worse location for a restaurant. It's under a semi-sketchy condo building with this weird covered parking. However, the food and service are great. The Tom Ka is incredibly delicious, and I have only had great curries (green, masaman, and yellow, all good). It's definitely a family run place, and if you come towards the end of the evening there might be kids running around helping out (in a cute, not annoying way). I love this restaurant.
My search for a new Thai place is over!!!
After sampling Thai joints all over the Seattle metro area, we finally made it to Payathai last weekend. The positive yelp reviews peaked our interest but Lake City Way is a long drive from our Eastside home and jobs.
I'm glad we made the trip.
The restaurant is tucked away on Lake City Way under (I believe) an apartment building. We weren't sure what to expect when we drove up but found ourselves in a very welcoming dining area.
The food was fantastic. The noodles were silken. The curries were bright and just the right amount of spicy. The green bean and spinach appetizers were delicious. The service was attentive but never rushed.
We'll be back next weekend to discover more favorites on the menu.
PS: To everyone on the Eastside that fondly remembers how good Thin Pan was a few years ago (before the sale), take a drive to Phayathai. You'll find some familiar faces and old favorites on the menu.
- Greeting: Polite, friendly (is it me or family owned restaurant has warmer feeling than a chain restaurant?)
- Wait time: I got table right away on a snowy night, don't know about other times.
- Price: Pretty much everything is under $10.
- Ambience: Hole in a wall type of place, cozy atmosphere, love the thai decoration interior, dim lighting. Right under apartment complex. Not the best location for restaurant in Lake City Way.
- Food: I ordered pineapple curry, tom kha soup, golden fried tofu. They are all very tasty, leaving me yearning for more. =D Gotta try their tom kha soup, so creamy, I say it's better than other tom yum soup I had.
- Payment: Takes Visa/Master/Cash.
- Parking: small private lot holds about 6 cars. There are street parking along the road.
Phayathai has awesome food, great service, and fair prices. And I happen to think the food is QUITE authentic- they are a Thai family who also was affiliated with Thai Tom in University. Also, they were the first place I found in Seattle that scoffed when I checked to be sure there would not be ketchip in the pad thai. They would have been offended by the question, but they're too friendly. What more could you ask for? Oh, you want ambiance? Done. Free, fast delivery? No problem. Free, close parking? Of course. Special Thai massage? Eww, what kind of a freak are you? This is a restaurant, be respectful, man...
My favorite thai food place in Seattle. Everything I've ever had here has been delicious, fresh...wonderful. The seafood salad is the best I've ever had...highly recommended. The location in the bottom of a apt building leaves much to be desired but given what they have to work with, they do a great job making it feel welcoming and heck, maybe even a little romantic.
Service is great, never busy. They bring you water while you wait for pick up orders....good people. Good food. Go there and support them.
I love Phayatahi. They have great food, great service, and the younger guy who works there is hilarious. He turned us on to Chang beer (Thai beer) -- such a clean and delicious flavor. We usually go in and order take-out, and he talks to us while we wait. One day he was telling us about how we HAVE to get over to Thailand but "no bring women -- guy only" because there were "many beautiful young ladies." The guy is a riot.
The food is great. Decently priced, good portions, and tastes wonderful. I'm a rama noodle type of guy with chicken or tofu -- both are great. Good Phad Thai as well. I've never heard any complaints about the food there with anyone I've gone with. The parking is a little difficult but it's worth it. If I want Thai food, I go to Phayathai.
The owner's family used to sell delicious foods at the Thai temple in Fremont, CA. I was happy to see that the family set up shop in Seattle. Everything we ordered was very tasty and fresh. My favorites were the papaya salad (perfect balance of sweet and salty) and crab fried rice. I will definitely come again!
I've gone to all the restaurants that have tried to make a go of this odd building, and this is by far the best! In fact, I work in the Queen Ann area where there have to be at least 7 Thai restaurants, and this place is better than them all. You'll love the man who runs the place, what a warm soul. And the food is really good. The green bean dish that I forget the name of? Superb, and I don't like green beans! I brought many people here, and all have become fans.
HAI GUYZ REMEMBER ME?????
I haven't been too adventurous with my eating lately so I haven't been trying new places which explains my long absence from Yelp. Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you but not only am I here to review something, I am here to review, in particular, Phayathai which is good because that's the Yelp page where I clicked 'Write a Review'. I'm kinda rusty but, so far, I think I'm doing it right. Let's hold hands, look deep into each others' eyes, and read the remaining paragraphs of this review together, just like we used to do. Before the war. And your hip replacement surgery. And... oh, yeah, right.
My Transhumanist friend has been pestering me about this place, which is, by far, his favorite, for some time now but it's 'far away' (actually, it's not) and I already have a favorite Thai restaurant. So why in the hell would I drive all the way to Lake City to eat at a Thai joint that's on the bottom floor of some apartment building that didn't look fashionable in the 70s and sure as hell doesn't look fashionable now?! But, this past Sunday, he offered to drive so I said, 'Now, yer talkin'!' Laziness is nature's greatest trump card. Well, that and tornadoes. And bees. And the sun exploding.
ANYWAYS, Phayathai has what I call typical Seattle Thai decor: cool, muted colors, lots of right angles, a bubbling fountain, a tiny figurine that looks like an upright puppy with a massive bleached dong: all of the things I come to expect and enjoy in a Seattle Thai restaurant. We arrived at an odd time (6/4, if you must know) so we were pretty much the only people there except for a steady stream of friends of the people who work at and/or own the place. It was kind of like eating in a showroom Nirvana version of some family's home kitchen. In fact, now that I've been there twice, I can safely say this: I've only seen Asians there. And that means something... doesn't it?
The people who work there are hilarious. My friend, who ordered his food at one star (out of five), was made fun of by the owner who came by to make sure that his food was spicy enough for him. Today, when I picked up some carry-out I had ordered at 'as spicy as you can make it', they claimed my meal was ten stars. It's almost as if they remember me from my first visit where I also commented that the food could be spicier (you could probably spray my mouth with unadulterated capsiacin and I'd just ask for more (please note that that isn't true so don't try it (seriously, don't try it! (by the way, this is a lot of parenthetical interrupts (wait, haven't I done this joke on Yelp already?))))).
So, what about the food? Let me tell you about the food: I'm an idiot. Here I am, going to a new Thai restaurant and what do I do? Order something I've never had before in my life. Now, you may think this is a good thing and applaud me for being adventurous (as you rightly applaud everything that I do). The problem with this is that I have nothing to compare it to. Now, it just so happens that the food that I did order was greate.eIeee (what the hell just happened?) started with golden tofu with a peanut and plum sauce and followed that up with pad goy see me which has quickly become my favorite new thing to say to my cats (other than 'GET OFF ME PLEASE GET OFF OF MEEEEE'). The dish comes with very thin noodles, which I usually don't care for, but they were good and the taste was great. Absolutely dug the napa cabbage. Give me more napa cabbage, dammit! NAPA CABBAGE! BURY ME IN NAPA CABBAGE (okay, not really (I seriously don't want to be buried in napa cabbage (what, this dumb joke again? (sorry)))).
Today, I decided to go back and get my favorite Thai dish: pad see ew. It's for this that this place gets one of my rare and coveted five star Yelp ratings (it's actually ten stars (get it? see what I did there? I just did what comedians refer to as a 'callback' (except I'm not funny (seriously, STOP WITH THE PARENTHESES (ok sorry!!!!))))). It's frickin' delicious, let me tell you. It's rich, dark, and spicy with bold flavors that don't dick around when it comes to pretty much doing very ribald things with your tongue. It's the best I've ever had. I just wish they had some fake beef like Jhanjay's 'mushroom cake'. Even with their delicious, deep-fried tofu, Phayathai has thoroughly 'pwned my azz' as the kids these days like to say.
I just have to get over the psychological lie that it's far away. Heck, I probably got to Phayathai faster than I do to Red Mill or Totem House and I go to those places often and don't care about the distance.
Now, I still love Jhanjay and will continue to go there. And no Thai restaurant in the universe can beat Sea-Thai's curries. But, man, Phayathai is a clear winner overall and is easily the best Mexican food in Seattle.
What? What do you mean? No, I did not. I did not! Pics or it didn't happen!
Oh. Dang. I did.
The food was amazing, especially the crying tiger. Staff was very friendly and I can't wait to go back.
i know, i know! everyone loves this place.
and the food is cooked amazingly well. prices are great. ive never had a wait. its always clean.
but i dont like their veggies! i eat thai food constantly because im a picky eater and its an easy way for me to get my vegetables. in thai, i will eat almost anything! but phayathai uses chinese broccoli, even uses friendly little broccoli pictographs in the takeout menu. but dont let them fool you!!! because chinese broccoli is bitter and leafy and overwhelmingly unsatisfying if you're expecting happy broccoli. i think there was also some tomato and bamboo shoots and other "okay" veggies.
im always excited to come here because it tastes and smells so good. and the owner is super nice! but i find myself picking at my plate and wishing for happier vegetables
Phayathai's "Best of Yelp!" mention is not by coincidence... My wife and I have been going there over a year (they have also been delivering to our door at the end of many exhausting weeks). Their menu is a kind to what we had in Thailand - that is to say very authentic. I would point out some of our favorites, but why? You will not go wrong... Also, the staff (including the owner) will go out of their way to make you feel at home.
This Thai restaurant is not to be missed, despite the throngs of Thai restaurants in Seattle. The owner, Golf, has created a beautiful interior, and the most authentic Thai food in Seattle. Word of mouth will keep this restaurant going, as it is in a bit of a tough location on Lake City Way (across from the Shanty Tavern at Lake City Way and 89th). Extremely reasonable prices, and beer and wine. My two friends and I agree that this is the best Thai in Seattle!
Awesome food! My group tried the spicy green beans, coconut prawns, pad thai tofu, rama noodles, massaman curry, coconut ice cream and the fried bread in sugar. Everything was delicious, but the green beans and the pad thai were to die for! The tofu was really well done, crispy and flavorful, just the way I like it. Our rama noodles were a little too peanut buttery for my tastes, and I probably wouldn't bother ordering it again, though that is mostly due to the fact that I will never be able to order anything but that amazing pad thai tofu! The place itself is in a weird location and parking is a little challenging, but the interior is really well-done, very classy. Prices were very reasonable and I liked their pictographic menu, even though it was a little cheesey. The service was great, my water glass was refilled constantly and I was very thirsty! I don't care if it's authentic or not, this place is DELICIOUS! And they deliver!
This is my favorite Thai restaurant in Seattle. The owners have taken great care to create a peaceful dining room with great smells and delicious food. I usually went to Fremont for good Thai food, but after discovering Phayathai that changed. The service is top rate---attentive and friendly. I'm looking forward to trying more of the varied and creative menu.
Mmm...pad thai...so good. It's helpful that I live in the apartment complex above the restaurant, but even if I didn't, I'd order it. The food was great! I can't comment to authenticity, but 4 starts of spicy was amazing and I'll be ordering from them again.
Best thai in seattle. seriously. the owner was there and was great about special requests (i am a vegan and can't eat wheat/gluten)....they whipped up some fresh spring rolls with tofu instead of crab and they were awesome!! The pad thai was excellent (no ketchup!!) and my boyfriend got some kind of beef/spinach/noodle dish with peanut sauce which he raved about (sorry, the name escapes me). Give 11 stars out of 10! p.s. went on friday night and wasn't crowded at all, great service, great food, nothing bad to say!
This is one of our absolute fave Thai restaurants. I lived in Thailand for a while, so I'm pretty picky! Golf and his very nice wife are wonderful people, very hospitable and will make food to your liking! The ambience is very nice, with top of the line decor and soft lighting. My favorite? Stirred veggies with tofu and peanut suce over brown rice, add cashews. Yum. Check it out - you'll love it. ~ Victory
The decor is very nice and serene, and quite different from most of the popular Thai restaurants across the US. The service is even better. The service staff is extremely polite. All of the dishes I have tried here have been great, and the chicken green curry here is definitely one of the best! A must try!
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Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Northgate
Category: Thai
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