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Categories: Thai, Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mt. AdamsMon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
One of the better Asian places in town if you want good food and a cool atmosphere. Some great specialty rolls and traditional dishes.
Great outdoor seating area as well.
i know i wrote about teak not that long ago, but i wrote about eating sushi outside that time. so this time i'm going to write about eating thai food inside. so it's different... i guess...
book club was meeting up for dinner at teak so liberal foodie and i decided to meet early for drinks and to catch up. we sat at a table in the bar area where we enjoyed $2.50 kirin ichibans (happy hour is from 5-7... you get $2.50 drafts and well drinks and half off appetizers in the bar area only).
we also enjoyed listening to a bunch of middle aged white dudes sitting at the bar bitch about obama. it was hilarious. overheard: "i hope he really fucks up in his first year. i mean we are already in a trillion dollars of debt. so let's spend more! fucking liberals. fucking big government. if it gets any worse, i'm moving to canada." yes, my friend, if you hate liberals and big government, then canada is definitely the place for you. readers, i could not make this shit up if i tried.
our group of seven got seated right away at 6:30 when we had made our reservation and our server was great. super friendly, patient, and did not mind at all that we were indecisive or slow. we started off with pork shu mai that beth f. treated us to as a celebration of her new job as the director of development at artworks. yay beth, yay artworks, and yay shu mai!
liberal foodie and avani also ordered a sushi roll, i forget what, which they thoroughly enjoyed if their devouring of it within five seconds of its arrival on the table is any indication. "how is the roll, you guys?" i asked. "mmmmmffff mmmmfff," they chomped.
soon enough the main dishes started rolling in. of course we could not decide on just one thing so several of us decided to share. teak's thai food is just good. it's flavorful, all the veggies and meats are fresh, and they are not afraid to spice it up. if you order it a 10, you get a 10. i love that since i get really sick of restaurants that take one look at me and decide for me that i can't handle spicy. jerks!
the atmosphere is casual and slightly dated, but also thai-ish feeling. it's funny. emma was like "this place is so funny, it's like all family friendly. i just wouldn't expect this in mt. adams." this was a compliment since she had brought henry with her and she felt totally comfortable nursing him at the table. it was true. there were little kids everywhere. however, there is enough space in the restaurant that you don't feel like the kid yelling and throwing pad thai across the room is going to interfere with your meal.
the one thing that kind of sucks about teak is the parking. they have one tiny lot (like maybe 6-8 spots) across the street from the restaurant, but otherwise you are stuck hunting for a spot in the wilds of mt. adams. that isn't fun for anyone but what can you do.
overall, teak is a basic and reliably delicious thai option with good service and reasonable prices (all entrees pictured were $11-16). they have a wait sometimes, but not (it seems) during the week. and they take reservations and can accommodate big, indecisive groups. there is nothing especially innovative or exciting on the menu... you'll find everything here at every other thai place in town. but teak knows what it is and doesn't try to do anything it's not, and it does a pretty damn good job of it.
Ask anyone in Cincinnati where to get good Sushi and Thai and Teak will surely be mentioned. After dining here on three separate occasions, I cannot figure out why this place is so highly recommended. Both the sushi and thai food are sub par when compared to other area restaurants (Dancing Wasabi, Wild Ginger, Ruthai's Thai Kitchen, Green Papaya) specializing in the same fare. The outdoor seating and multi level terrace is the highlight of the restaurant. The Thai food is somewhat bland for someone seeking extremely hot dishes, the sushi is standard with some specialty rolls, but quite expensive ($9-$16) for what you are getting. Having a full bar is nice, but $5 a beer and $8 a mixed drink is not nice to anyone looking for a recession buster deal. Service is standard with no flair. Expect a standard restaurant experience overall without the value or the stories to write home about.
One problem you will face is the difficulty of using the restroom here as it is located on the first level behind the bar. Be careful not to drink too much as you will have an issue with navigating the multi levels and stairs to hit the bathroom. There is a nightly happy hour that is available only in the bar area which seats about 20 patrons.
Teak is good to try for the outdoor patio, but will leave you wanting more on a quality of food scale. I highly recommend Dancing Wasabi for elite sushi (and half price nights) and Ruthai's Thai Kitchen for the best Thai.
"Eek! Methinks not." ...says it all. Went here for the first time for sushi tonight and ick, I had a spicy tuna roll and the "honey bee" roll. The spicy tuna roll was a teeny, tiny tuna roll that had "hot sauce" over top..ick. Spicy tuna is usually a fave of mine...but these were awful. Then the "honey bee" roll had this super sweet "honey-wasabi" sauce on it...(which was very clearly stated in the description..yes)..but it was WAY too sweet. I will not be coming here for sushi again...I'd much rather wait in line at "Dancing Wasabi" ANY day.
We went to the place on a recommendation. The service sucked, and i thought the food was just ok. The red curry may have been good, but it was too spicy for me (my bf likes it hot!). I got the pad thai at a spice level of 3, and it wasn't good. Don't get it. The veggie sushi was good, and I would recommend it.
I wasn't overall impressed by the place. The coolest thing about it was all the outdoor seating. It was a nice evening, and at least we got to enjoy that.
The outside decor of this restaurant is interesting and they try to pull off authentic Asian/Thai. The inside decor follows the same trend and has some great, interesting features.
The food is again somewhat par for the course of Thai restaurants in Cincinnati. It is good, but I wouldn't write home to mom about it. The Pad Thai - an especially easy Thai dish in my opinion - was only OK. It was a little sweet and less spicy. I want my Thai food to kick back, and Teak's food did not.
The parking situation, it should be mentioned, is abysmal in Mt. Adams. I think you could probably do better in Cincinnati, but I just haven't found where.
Great food. Hip decor. You will not be disappointed. I grabbed a patio seat outdoors and this is the way to go on warm days. The parking is a problem, but it is always a problem with the Mt. Adams area. We had a really good server, but when it gets busy at Teak, it gets really busy, so go there with a good mood and be patient.
I've been here a few times now for the Thai food. The Pad Thai and the Spicy Fried Noodle is VERY SWEET. I wanted something spicy but the sugar overpowered the spiciness.
I wouldn't recommend the stir-fry noodles but their Panang Curry and Shrimp and Pineapple friend rice is not bad.
Also, their prices are a bit high for Thai food but its not too expensive.
If you have a craving for Thai food, and you live in the Mt. Adams/ Eden Park / Walnut Hills area, you'll probably visit Teak. The parking situation isn't great but you can usually find street parking on a weekday, or parking at the monastery on weekends. They take carryout-out orders and usually turn them around in 15 minutes or less.
For me, Teak has been kind of hit or miss. I've visited in the summer with friends and had great food, nice ambience on the outdoor patio, and decent service. Had a bad experience a few months later with my fiance on a Friday night and haven't been back since.
The pad thai and the curries are both good, but the appetizers and sushi are mostly so-so. What really puts me off about Teak is the decor. There is a certain charm about the alleyway walking in, and the location in Mt. Adams. Overall though, the place looks well past its prime, and the flies swarming my table the last two times I visited gave me the feeling that this place may be a prime candidate for Kitchen Nightmares.
This was my first Thai food experience, and I was apprehensive...but I absolutely loved it. I have tried many different places since, and still remember my experience here. The waiter service was great, and the food was amazing. Parking was hell though, like most places in Cinc.
I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to Thai food, so I won't bother assessing authenticity. My stop was just a quick one to satisfy an empty stomach before going to a play, so we sat at the bar, drank plum wine (way too sweet for my taste, but could be appealing if you like sugary drinks), and ordered a couple of appetizers from the affable bartender.
The chicken satay was a little tough and not very spicy without either of its accompanying sauces. The cucumber salsa (definitely not what it was called, but I forget the preferred nomenclature now) lacked pep, but I do enjoy cucumbers so I did enjoy this topping. The peanut sauce worked well and seemed to be what it was supposed to be.
I wouldn't say Teak is a destination restaurant, but, as it did for me, it's a place to satisfy an urge, be it for Thai cuisine or a quick bite in Mt Adams. They do offer carry out and accept call in orders, which makes it very convenient for my roommate's girlfriend to help him go broke.
When I lived here for a summer, my wife and I checked this place out. I'll be honest, the food was pretty much what you would expect from any Thai place. We had the pad thai (as most people do) and a stir fry of sorts. While they weren't anything spectacular, what really stood out was the service. Our server was SUPER friendly and was a real good sport about interacting with us (and even giving us directions).
I think most places in Mt. Adams are more about the ambience, and less about the food. If you want really good Thai, and don't care about ambience, go elsewhere. If you want a nice balance of the two, check this place out. The service alone would make me consider coming back.
I have an opportunity to travel quite a bit and this restaurant has the best Pad Thai I have had yet.
When I was living in the Cinci area (2003 - 2004) I frequented this place and although I didn't sample every single thing on the menu I was not disappointed with their food in any way.
Parking is a challenge, but the alley access is rather fun and unique with excellent decor, atmosphere and a variety of places to sit and enjoy your meal. Very good service to go along with the great food.
If I had more time in the city and could sample more of the menu I may have given them five stars.
Kevin S is right. This is one pretty good Thai places in Cincy. Love Mt. Adams.
They have some outdoor sitting too. Fun! =D
The food was not bad, but the service was below par. Had the pad thai, which is generally the intro dish I have at a thai place the first time I go. It was incredibly sweet, to the point it was cloying. The heat was alright, but the sweetness of the dish was too much. Had several appetizers that were good. There are better thai places in Cincinnati.
Teak is a good place to go to get your spice fix. I have had spotty service when it's busy, so I now avoid lunch time at Teak. I have not tried the sushi, and generally i won't eat sushi at a place that isn't known for their sushi. I have had the Chicken fried rice, and found it very bland, except for the heat, which is not complex or delicate, as you can find quite a lot of in Asia, but it's pure dry heat. I ordered a 9 and was happy enough with the heat level, it just lacked any kind of actual flavor. The dining room is nice but too small for the lunch crowd, as you can wait quite a while for a table. My servers were usually friendly, however last time i was there he was slow and paid no attention to us. I'm still not sure about teak, but i will give it one more go and see if i am more impressed.
Just a quick couple of notes (most of the other reviews are pretty accurate):
1. The Sashimi Appetizer is a great deal and solid sushi
2. Do not order ANY sushi "spicy" (like, for ex: a "spicy tuny roll"). They do not use a mustard-based sauce (or wasabi-based) to spice-it-up. Instead, the ruin the sushi by using Sriracha sauce (the Thai red-pepper sauce usually on the table at Thai restaurants). It kills the fish flavor, and all you'll taste is the pepper sauce.
For the sashimi, I would have gone with 4 stars, but the spicy rolls take it down a notch. Cute neighborhood, though (Mt. Adams or something like that -- I'm an out-of-towner).
One of the best Thai restaurants and sushi bars in Cincinnati. If you go during lunch make reservations and be prepared for slow service. The restaurant is packed during the lunch rush. Be aware that some dishes start at a "3" spice level. If you order the same dish as someone else and their spice level is higher than yours, you may notice your dish is hotter than you would probably like. Since the restaurant is in Mt. Adams, you can park in the lot by the Monastery for free, in the garage on St. Gregory St. for $2, or park on the street.
I don't really understand the hype. It's as if anything in mount adams automatically is awesome because of the location.
It's good thai, but average good. Nothing special, nothing unique, and nothing spectacular for sure.
If you want really good thai... go to Green Papaya in Hyde Park. Phenomenal and they have fantastic sushi too. Go for lunch and order their box lunches... you get to try numerous things for a measly $8.
Probably one of the better Thai places in Cincinnati, a town that has lots of good Indian food but just a few decent Thai places. I always enjoyed my food, but found the service occasionally slapdash. You can't go wrong with the Thai dishes, but their attempts at Japanese, particularly sushi, are iffy at best. This is a nice if slightly past it's prime dining room too with a nice outdoor dining area. Parking will suck, because it's Mt. Adams.
Perhaps I should have stuck with a traditional Thai dish instead of trying the sushi, but I was not overly impressed with my meal. The service was excellent and the ambiance made for a relaxing date, but there are far better sushi bars in the area.
When I was a child my mother had a close Thai friend that would often come to our house to prepare traditional dishes. In fact, it would be twenty years before Thai restaurants in America would begin to match those transcendent meals I had as a kid. As an adult, I've had the added pleasure of having been cooked for by a Thai chef that had cooked for Thailand's Prime Minister and taught traditional Thai cooking in Thailand.
I bring this up because I was so incredibly disgusted by Teak Thai's pad thai that I couldn't eat it, and I am certain it was not my tastebuds. The noodles were so sweet my teeth ached and my throat burned. The first bite I took I couldn't swallow initially and I assumed it had been made wrong - I quite honestly debated spitting it back out for a second before I got my wits back and gulped the noodles down whole. I said something to the server (a charming and beautiful older woman) and she assured me, Teak Thai's pad thai was very sweet. She even sat down with us at our table (!) and explained to us how they made it: by boiling the noodles in a broth of rock sugar and cane molasses. She offered to replace the meal but I declined and instead decided to take it home and 'fix it.' I told her as much, and she asked what I was going to do. I told her I was going to fry it again with more fish sauce and lime to see if I couldn't balance out all that sugar. She then asked me if I had fish sauce and lime at home. I told her I had fish sauce, but I didn't think I had any lime. When we were set to leave she boxed up my meal she placed it in a paper sack, and when I got home I discovered she had included a whole lime. What a sweetheart.
I honestly can't say if such a sugary sweet pad thai is classic for the family that cooks at Teak Thai, but I can say it is not widely traditional in Thailand. The preparation for the noodles was done well and made with the right amount of meat, vegetables and egg, but that sugar... I just couldn't believe it. I am not exaggerating when I say it would have been considered pretty sweet even for a dessert.
We also ordered tom yum nam khon (I can't recall if it was called that on the menu, it might have been called something like tom yum with coconut milk), which was very tasty. The broth was rich and herbaceous, the chicken was tender. I would return just to have a bowl of this soup.
Additionally, we ordered what we call our "test sushi" of mackerel nigiri. In my experience if a restaurant can't get good sushi mackerel (which isn't even served fresh), then they won't have other good fish. Teak Thai's mackerel was on the lower end of acceptable. We didn't order any more and could very well be missing out, but as of now I prefer the sushi (and the price) from Ko-Sho downtown.
Service is what keeps Teak from getting four stars from me. The food is delicious and, if you come in the summer, they have a sweet little patio out back. However, I worked in the area one summer and every time I came in alone, I was virtually ignored. Seeing as how this happened more than one time, it put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I'd go to Lemon Grass before I'd go to Teak, unless I was in Mt. Adams.
Great sushi and pad thai for Cincinnati. Parking is a little difficult, but the service is good and its in a beautiful location in Mt. Adams.
Great Thai food their spicy Thai Basil with tofu is Awesome....
The portions are big and the rice is great so come hungry
Great place to eat on a summer night if you feel like outdoor dining
This is a great place to take a date. The food is yummy and the environment is cozy and romantic. I love the narrow stone staircase, the terraced courtyard, the lighting (natural and otherwise) and the overgrown fichuses.
Cincinnati, OH
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Clifton
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Mt. Adams
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Northside
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Hyde Park
Category: Japanese
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