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We popped in here on a trip to Philly...I was craving Thai something fierce and all of a sudden this place popped up in front of us. It was crowded on a rainy Saturday night, a good sign, but there was no wait for a table - even better!
We started with the spring rolls (great) and then split vegetable green curry and shrimp pad thai. I wish I had read the reviews first! This place was SUPER SPICY! In Pittsburgh I usually order 9 or 10 and they refuse to make it hot enough. However, we ordered 6 on their scale of 7 and could hardly make it through the food! I know - that's my problem, not theirs! Though the burning overpowered my experience (they were quick to refill our water glasses, though I guess water doesn't help anyway) I can say that it was tasty and well-made, with good ingredients. Portions are on the smaller side, which is not to say that it's not a good value or that you'll be hungry afterwards, but that you can get an appetizer too and not have to worry about lugging leftovers around.
The bathrooms are also funny, considering that I am 5'4" and could hit my head on the ceiling of the ladies' room standing on my tippy toes! That's not a negative, though - this is a humble, cozy and welcoming place. I'd go back next time I'm hungry on South St. - and order a 5.
Discovered this place when we went out for dinner at Pad Thai, where we had eaten many times before and it was closed for the night. We had that Thai food "Jones" and just did not feel like walking all the way back up to Aqua. Checked my handy dandy Yelp app on the iPhone and decided to check out Tamarind. Boy, were we impressed.
Really nice authentic Thai vibe, BYOB - which is a nice extra plus, and really fine food. Definitely the best Thai I have had so far in Philly. The food seems very authentic, service is excellent, prices reasonable. One of the dishes they have, which I have not seen anywhere else, is a noodle-less Pad Thai. I love Pad Thai but am trying to watch my carbs, so it is great to get all the Pad Thai flavors but without the noodles.
We have now eaten here a few times and have not had a bad dish yet. Another plus: it is not that far from the Ritz Theatres at 2nd and Walnut so it makes a great before or after movie meal spot!
Finally a place with good Thai food. Having lived in Philly for two years now I thought I had tried all the this town had to offer in the way of Thai food and had been left feeling disappointed. That is until I tried the eats at Tamarind. We kicked the meal off with an ap of spring rolls which were excellent. I was really happy to find a none fried version (although that was available as well) and even happier that is was brimming with fresh veggies. The dipping sauce was all sorts of delicious and didn't over power the dishes flavor.
Next up was Tom Yum. This is a soup I CRAVE in the winter and can be hard to find as a vegetarian (technically pescetarian) but Tamarind had it and it completely hit the spot. There was a nice balance between the salty and sweet with a touch of heat that is the dign of truly good Thai food.
To round things out I had a lemongrass and shrimp dish that was exceptionally spiced and incredibly fresh. Considering the reasonable price it had plenty of shrimp and was large enough to fill me up without going over board.
I would highly recommend Tamarind for anyone else needing a fresh Thai fix.
This is the most delicious Thai restaurant in the city, hands down. The food is always so fresh and flavorful. The portions are huge. The appetizers are fancy lookin. The sticky rice is....actually sticky! There are tons of vegetarian options (hoorah!)
The wait staff are so so friendly.
And to top it off, it's really affordable.
Tamarind is by far the best Thai place in the city. I've eaten at other Thai restaurant only to come back to this one.
We've frequented this place so many times I think we've tried almost everything on the menu. Some of our favorite appetizers are the spring rolls, shrimp in pastry shells and crispy angel. For the main entrees, we love their red curry. The duck chu chee is also amazing, although sometimes the duck can be a bit dry. If you're in the mood for noodles, the pad woonsen is a must.
If you love spicy food like I do, you can spicify your food. They have a scale from 1 - 7, representing the number of spoonfuls of peppers they put in your food. Beware, they are really really spicy.
Best of all, this place is BYOB. You can get a great meal without spending a lot of money.
Tamarind is easily the best Thai food in Philadelphia. I've been to Thailand recently, and this place compares rather favorably. Obviously every country has regional differences and everybody will say "no one cooks like my mother," but this is very much like the food I got in Bangkok.
First off, their food is very spicy, like it should be. They have a hotness scale of 1-7 which really is very hot. I eat extremely spicy food and sometimes a 4-5 here is too much for me. They have quite a variety of meat, noodles, rices, soups, and vegetarian options. Everything I've tried has been excellent, but I highly recommend the Drunken Noodles, and the Basil Beef/Pork. This place is so good it converted a friend's girlfriend who was terrified to try anything remotely foreign. One bite, and she's a dedicated patron to Tamarind!
* Pros: Good quantity, reasonable price, accurate heat scale.
* Cons: Small interior, so make reservations or come early.
I had one of those meals where I wanted to switch plates with my friend when she wasn't looking. But I'm sure she would have noticed. Her Isan-Style Pork Tenderioin was juicy and had a kick, but my Radma (noodles, vegies, & shrimp) was incredibly lackluster and kinda mushy. I really wanted to get a couple of appetizers as my meal, but apparently there is a $10 minimum per person... blah.
Went on a week night and we were seated right away. Service is fine, decor is ok. Nothing fancy.
I'm new to Thai food - but inexperienced as I am I am a fan of Tamarind... which now ranks as one of my go-to BYOBs.
Up sides:
Food was great. I got the Shrimp Tom Yum soup to start - shrimp perfectly cooked and tasty overall. My girlfriend got the Fried taro (I think... could SWEAR she said "firecracker" when she ordered) - which was tasty but needed to be cut smaller in my opinion - it was way too hard to steal off her plate and eat before she noticed.
I went to the vegetarian menu for my entrée as I wasn't in the mood for seafood and that seemed to be their thing... going with the Vegetable Pad Woonsen Very tasty - I highly recommend ordering it with the egg. But I wish I had ordered it without the tofu - which was served kind of mushy. Just took away from the taste and didn't compliment the texture of the dish in my opinion... and the vegetables were more than enough to go with to call the dish a meal.
Service was fast and courteous - and very understanding when I couldn't understand him.
Which brings me to the only downside - this place has a lot of seats in a very small place - it got LOUD in there. I think it'd be fun for a group - but quiet dinner for two will leave you with a lot of "what did you say?"
Honestly, though, the food is worth the noise - and even if it wasn't I'd still go back for a glass of the iced chi - amazing stuff.
Just A-OK as a 3 implies. I'd come back only out of convenience because I live nearby but not because the food is spectacular. Hmm... this is the third Thai restaurant I've tried in Philly and unfortunately, it's just not like home!
The good: BYOB. Decor is cute. Staff is very friendly and attentive. Also, dishes were decent priced at around $10-15 per entree and $3-8 for appetizers. They have spiciness levels from 1 - 7. Stick with around 2 or 3 if you're scared and ask them to bring you extra chile.
The OK: The Pad Thai was not bad. It had everything Pad Thai should have but something seemed missing. The noodles also tasted a little undercooked. The mussels were decent but I don't think worth the price (it came out to a dollar/mussel).
The bad: One of my things to judge a Thai restaurant is to get Panang Curry because it's my favorite. First off, it was very watery and needed some thickness to it. The curry sauce itself was salty and I could really taste the fish sauce for some reason (I don't even know if they add fish sauce usually). I got this with beef and felt that the beef should've been thicker. Also, the carrots just didn't give it the right taste I was looking for. Maybe it was the size of everything. Big veggies and small meat equals a no no!
Also, they seem to be pretty busy on a Saturday night so you may want to call in and make reservations just in case. Overall, I saw some really good entrees come out for other people so I wouldn't mind coming back and giving it another try.
Sure, there's another Thai joint just a short walk from this one, but why go anywhere else? Dollface and I tried Tamarind for the first time last spring and since then it's become a favorite and the only Thai restaurant we go to.
The food is swell with a capital S. The appetizers are killer diller (no, not Phyllis Diller). I can vouch for the greatness of the spring rolls, the amazing dish known as Som Tom, which is thinly sliced cabbage and carrots upon which chopped peanuts in their own little dressing are applied on top, and one other spicy little number the name of which escapes me now. The chicken Tom Khah soup is also exceptional, with big chunks of chicken and plump, luscious mushrooms filling every bite of coconut milk-based goodness.
The main dishes are just as excellent. I have never had better Phad Thai, period. The Pad Woonsen with its piles of glass noodles is a close second favorite on the menu. The curry dishes I've had are super, and their take on cashew chicken is a tremendous taste to behold. Dollface always really enjoys the Salmon Cha-Cha-Cha special. Last time we went in, I had a dish which came with sticky rice served in its own little container that was beyond compare.
The food can be spiced up any way you like, from none at all to a "7" on the heat meter. Be warned, though: I'm a spicy freak and going over a "3" here can be seriously painful. Be prepared for the full-on eyes watering, nose running experience when you venture at 3 or above. But the good thing is, the heat doesn't take away from the flavors of the dishes, but instead complements them like it should.
The staff is always very friendly, and the manager/owner will bend over backwards for you to get your order the way you like it. If they can do a variation of something on the menu for you, they will happily without complaint. The only quibble I have with Tamarind is that when the manager isn't there and the dining room is being waited on by the rest of the staff, service can get a bit slower at times. I don't know why this is, as they usually have two girls busting their asses when he isn't there, but they don't seem to be as efficient. Yet that's a minor point and does not take anything out of my overall score.
I suggest eating in. You can get takeout, but the food seems to taste more delicious having it there, and the portions you get dining in seem a little larger as well, but that just might be my imagination. Even at its most packed, Tamarind always has a spot to sit down and eat. The clientele ranges from those older, BYOB wine freaks to younger BYOB wine freaks and everyone in between. Last time we were there, there was a drunken group of three gals talking about as loudly as possible. The only reason I didn't complain was that one of 'em walked by on her way to the pisser and complimented my Beatles t-shirt. God bless her.
So yeah. Tamarind all the way up near Front Street. One of the best dining experiences in the city.
Overall, Tamarind has decent food but just needed something to push the flavors to another level.
I went here on Sunday, 28-Dec-08 for lunch. The place was dead and my friend and I were the only people there. The decor is ok and it has a nice airy feel to the dining room with high ceilings. The server was attentive and friendly but he had a thick accent that was difficult to understand at some times.
The tom kha was pretty good with well balanced, yet bold flavors that I expect from this soup. The Isan grilled chicken reminded me of summer time grilling with the delicious smell and juiciness of the chicken but as far as calling it a Thai take on grilled chicken, the flavors weren't there. The rad nah that my friend had was just OK as well. It could have used more spicy heat.
I can't understand why so many places has ho-hum Thai food. Thai food should be bold, intense, and memorable. Of all the Thai food I have eaten over the years, there are only 2 places that I feel do Thai right and both are in Ithaca NY of all places. I wish some place in Philly would nail Thai food because it seems like there are plenty of people that would enjoy an exceptional Thai restaurant.
Pretty phenomenal Thai food and shockingly cheap. Every time I go, it looks packed but they somehow manage to find a table for my party. Even despite the busy room, the service was prompt and very helpful in making suggestions. BYO, too.
I recommend any of the soups & appetizers. They had these spicy salmon & carrot spring roll-type things as a special one time, and if you see them, get them. As for entrees, I have had the shrimp pad thai but I'm not going to presume to write a review off of that; it would seem like a cop-out to review a Thai restaurant based just on that.
The best Thai food in the South Street area. The food at this restaurant is way better than both Pad Thai and Aqua, other area Thai/ Malaysian eateries. They have reasonable prices and they will make your food anywhere from mild to Thai hot. Perfect blend of spices and flavor.
Thai BYOB. We have called to make a reservation before and were seated very quickly, but it seems like even if you didn't make a reservation you would have no trouble being seated. Reasonably priced, good food. I prefer the food here much more than Pad Thai down the street on 2nd (plus, once again, BYOB). I am not good with a lot of heat, so I always ask for the food to be mild, and it always comes out with just enough spice. If you enjoy Thai food, definitely check this place out.
I really like Tamarind. Its not that its anything really special- but I have been here many many times and the food is always consistent. I usually get the panang curry, but the Thai salads are also really good and fresh. My boyfriend loves the duck at this place. I'm not sure of the name of the dish but it comes with kiwis and fresh veggies. Its definitely the best Thai restaurant in the area. Also- they deliver- a good alternative to all the fatty Chinese places along south street.
I haven't eaten at too many thai places in philly. In matter of fact, I have no idea where to get good Thai food in philly. The few places I have tried have been subpar, but this place is definitely the worst I have tried. I was thinking of giving them one star, but I wanna reserve one star reviews for places you should never even step foot into even if you were lost and starving and the next place may be miles down the road. I mean how could i give them 1 star. At least their service was kinda attentive. It's not like they told me to get lost or were talking bad things about customers in thai.
Firstly, it should be noted I am thai. I can cook more than half the menu in my home at this very moment so I know thai food. This place is definitely not authentic. The food is kind of bland and too sweet. Not many flavors going on.
Me and my buddy tried some pretty standard fare. We had the green curry, tod mun (fish cakes), their sausage appetizer, and yum ped (duck salad). The green curry had all these weird flavors and vegetables that I wouldn't want in my curry. Thai green curry is simple; beef, eggplant, maybe bamboo shoots and top it off with kaffir lime leaves. The salad was decent but wasnt spicy enough for me, even though I spoke to them in thai and asked them to make it spicy. Maybe it wasn't spicy enough because my friend was a white dude but still I told them that he could eat spicy food. The fish cakes and sausage were good but it's really hard to mess those up.
I've heard good things about siam lotus on spring garden. My roommate says he likes it and our opinions of tamarind are about the same so I wouldn't mind giving it a try the next time I don't feel like cooking and want thai food.
I went to Tamarind for my birthday a few months ago. They easily accommodated a group of 17. We made reservations, and they were ready for us when we arrived. The food was great and pretty inexpensive. The menus is extensive. Food is rated on a spicy scale, which is great! I love spicy food and ordered a 4 - which was perfect, definitely spicy. I wouldn't want a 6 or 7! We brought beer and wine, which was quickly put on ice. They were really great and attentive. The food also came pretty quickly. I definitely recommend this place! :)
I had a big group of 15 here last night, and they accommodated us very well. They quickly got our… Read more »
Cute menus, nice atmosphere, great loaction.
The Chicken Tom Gah soup didn't impress the pants off me; couldn't taste the galangal or lemongrass at all.
I split a Yum Woodsen salad with a friend, but instead of shrimp we asked for beef instead, and it was fabulous. Fresh veggies, delicious beef, and excellent dressing.
For entrees, we split the Tamarind Spicy Noodles with chicken (not very spicy, but I was happy that way), which was delicious. We also split the Pad Kee Mao, which was also very flavorful and tasty, though I personally could have used a touch more basil (I loves me some Thai basil!).
I didn't order the Som Tom because the menu says it's made with cabbage instead of green papaya... and that ain't how I rolllll, yo.
I originally was gonna rate it a 3 (mostly because I was disappointed with the attempted cabbage fake-out and the meh tom kha gai), but I had a change of heart... everything else was yummy.
Rock on.
Grab that bottle of Sauvigon Blanc or Reisling and get to Tamarind.
The thing I love most about the Philly dining scene are the BYOB restaurants that dot the city's food landscape. These restaurants offer you the best chance to have a great bottle of wine with your meal without the crazy markup. Tamarind, offers delightfully delicious Thai food to cozy up to your choice of crisp white wine.
Tamarind offers two authentic styles of Thai cooking Bangkok and Isan style. Isan is a style of cooking that is focused on chilies and sticky rice with the meal and comes from the North Eastern part of the country. The menu is filled with stars, superstars and some misses.
One miss was the Crispy Angel ($2.95) appetizer, which claims to be chicken and shredded carrot wrapped in a wonton and deep fried. Served with Sweet Chili Sauce. It's basically crispy won tons with a dipping sauce. The filling for the wrappers was MIA. I recommend sticking with the Chicken or Beef Sate ($4.95) delish meat on a stick with a tangy peanut sauce or Steamed Veggie Dumplings ($4) that come with a wonderful spicy dipping sauce.
Superstars on the menu include the Pad Kee Mao Noodles (aka: Drunken Noodles) with Chicken ($9.95) or Shrimp ($13.95). This staple thai dish is served hot and spicy with fresh bursting flavors. The Chicken Penang curry ($9.95) is one of the better Penangs I've had with an assortment of fresh vegetables included. Outside of the curries an all-star can be found with the Roasted Duck ($14.95) that's a half roasted duck with crispy skin coating a juicy duck a top fresh stir-fried vegetables and ginger.
A star was the Pad Thai that offered many shrimp and was a tasty treat at just ($9.95).
The restaurant is also Veggie friendly with more than 12 vegetarian dishes to choose from.
We went Tamarind for dinner on a Saturday Night!! i really enjoy the atmosphere and was a really nice dinning environment. The place was packed but not very noisy though, which is really good. The service is pretty good. Everyone is really polite!! There were millions of choices in the menu!! So i do like it a lot.
However, my boyfriend and I are quite disappointed with the food. First, we don't think it is very authentic Thai food at all....We had the Tom Yum Shrimp. I think the soup is tasteless to me, they just add a little spices and spicy oil into a tasteless broth base. But the the shrimps are really good though. The soup is totally not thai at all. (( I once tried a original Tom Yum Soup in Thailand.)) For the main course, I had the Ginger Curry. I think it is pretty good curry. The sauce is think and rich. I like it. However, the chicken is just a little bit too dry. Yet, I like it combine with fresh beans. My boyfriend had a Duck with 5 spices and kiwi. It was very very salty. The duck meat didn't taste very fresh to us. It was kind of mushy. We can only taste it is very sweet and salty at the very same time. We cannot taste the cilantro sauce at all. I thought they might serve some traditional thai dessert...but all the items are soooo westerns........
oh well...i think this place is okay. The price is reasonable. The food is great but definitely not authentic at all. Not Thai Traditional.
Finally a Thai place that actually serves up spicy Thai food that kicks your ass a little bit. My suggestion is to not go when you're already 1/2 in the bag and order a dish that's really spicy, because here they actually add some heat. Luckily it's BYOB so you can bring your own beer to cool off the burning.
Some great Thai food, and you can't beat the price! I have never gotten Panang curry for less than $10 at dinner, and here it was a very reasonable $8.95. Not only was it affordable, it was quite delicious! Definitely recommended if you find yourself on South Street and need some Thai!
Lovely little Thai joint with a great selection for vegetarians. As a BYOB with very modest prices for very good food, this is a fabulous and cozy little date spot. They'll really make your curry extra extra spicy if you ask, which is great if you're like me and like to be tortured by your food.
average thai restaurant. if anyone knows of any better ones please do share bc I am a big fan of thai food. ive been to thailand, and cant seem to find a place in philly that serves authentic (or close to) thai food.
i have been here twice, and the first time I enjoyed my entree, but the second time it was a disappointment. The first time I went I had the green curry - good flavor, and the right amount of spice, but everything else ive tasted has been overall subpar:
Appetizers-
-spring rolls-
-isan style pork sausage- ok
-tom yum soup- lacks flavor, broth is thin and just not right
-chicken satay- the chicken was slightly overcooked but the sauce was pretty good
Entrees
-snapper falling in love- did not fall in love w this dish, lacked seasoning
-fish w/ garlic and sweet chili sauce (i thnk we had the snapper)- the fish was cooked right, but the taste was off.
Drinks
thai iced tea- good!
I love the area the restaurant is in, and the service is really good, but I cannot get myself to go for a third time after my second experience. If you do go, do try the curry, it was what I think is the best tasting dish on the menu (it is pretty good!)
i went a couple years ago but it was very delicious and they give you a lot of food. it was small and intimate but everyone was friendly and attentive to us.
i like this place. it's really cute on south street and really good thai food (not as great as lemon grass though). i love their squid. so good.
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: South Street District
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Spring Garden
Category: Thai
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Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Thai
