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Thai Heaven
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Queen Anne
352 Roy St
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 285-1596
352 Roy St
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 285-1596
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
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"Absolute best Thai food on the Hill. Come to think of it, the best I've had in Seattle. If you've ever been disappointed by bland,…" read more »
26 reviews for Thai Heaven
Huh, maybe I'm easy to please? We eat here all the time. Sometimes we go in but mostly we call and go pick it up. They are ALWAYS super nice and friendly to us and lately they're beginning to know us by name when we call :)
I haven't had anything but the phad thai here so I can't speak for anything else, but it's always good to me. A note, if you can't handle spice, I suggest one star. Two stars sometimes is too hot for me there.
I always go back because I get very friendly service at Thai Heaven.
What is the fuss about?
Had take out here last week.
Green curry with eggplant tofu - spicy
Phad thai with tofu - spicy
Fresh rolls with tofu w/ peanut sauce
This place is good. They actually make stuff spicy. Curry was delicious. I have no idea why its getting such bad reviews. It looks like a mafia house or something from the outside but inside, it has a real home-y feel which I think is really nice. Not pretencious, not trying to be anything but good thai home cooking. Both times, the lady cooks took my order along with a really nice waiter.
I always judge thai based on their green curry and phad thai and both passed the test for me. Moderately priced, much better than Racha up the street, which is just atmosphere. Peanut sauce was nice and light, not too heavy.
Even took a picky friend there the other day and she orders Spicy Calamari and she ate it all! She barely eats as is. I was impressed.
Thai Heaven? Try Thai Hell, because this is where immoral food is served up on your plate to die. I mean, I enjoy fish sauce and peanut butter, but when your food more resembles a singular ingredient than a tasty dish, well. Everything was just substandard, it just felt, tasted, looked like something I'd painfully attempt by myself at home. There's so many thai restaurants in Seattle, it's amazing this place can't hire some better cooks.
Not going into the ugly interior decor, we did have to wait a little bit more than 10 minutes after having our plates cleared. This on a night when we were asked if we were seeing the ballet and where I imagine many people come when time is an issue. We just wanted to get out and forget that horrible meal. The waiting made it worse. Give us our money back Thai Heaven!
I don't know where the bad reviews are coming from; maybe they're just the kind of folks that find bad in everything. Thai Heaven has the friendliest staff and amazing food. The menu is huge and offers a wide range of Thai dishes.
I've been a few times and have left more impressed each time. My last time I was there, it was packed! And there was a wait, which to me says they're doing something right.
My favorite dish is the Evil Jungle Prince. Don't let the name throw you, it is an excellent balance of meat, bamboo shoots, peppers, onions, and spices. The portion is generous, but it is so good you'll quickly notice that one order won't suffice your appetite for Evil Jungle Prince.
All of my friends and family that I've taken have agreed that it's some of the best Thai food they have ever had and we will continue to go out of the way to eat at Thai Heaven when in Seattle.
Went here because it was convenient to McCaw Hall before the show. But then suffered from MSG overload; back of the neck tightness and pain, and sleepiness in the middle of Warren Miller's extreme ski show. About as Americanized Thai as you can get.
My girlfriend and I went here on a Thursday evening, the weather was really awful and the power went out right after we ordered, we figured we'd have to find someplace else to eat but they broke out the flashlights and candles and didn't even seem to be slowed down by the darkness, the food was perfect, as was the service, we will come back again.
Ok. so this place isn't horrible, but it's certainly not good for the Thai food we have in Seattle. Portions are TINY and PRICEY.(the worst combination for a cheapskate asian guy).
You never say never but I'll say never. I'll never come here again. There's just no reason to.
Pretty good for a Thai place, but I feel like it's a bit pricey for what you get.
Got lettuce wraps and damn - they had some really gross lettuce and did bring a fresh plate.
The one thing I'll add is that they'll throw a shot of rum to your Thai Iced Tea -- not bad!
Well, the reviews are hit or miss. I give it 3 stars for a valiant effort, and acknowledge that they have been around for a LONG time. The challenge to being one of the first of a new cuisine to a city seems to be that over time, while you wait for the city's collective palate to catch up with the wonderful nuances of your cuisine, your restaurant dishes have been watered down to appeal to a wider audience. Places like Thai Heaven exist to help people tip toe into Thai food. While places like Racha, Buddha Ruhksa (in West Seattle) and others can entertain the more cultured Thai food palate.
That being said, I would rather eat at Racha in that 'hood. However, the asparagus in garlic sauce was delish, and their house-made coconut ice cream was a nice, rustic finish to our early dinner on a Sunday afternoon. It also helped that my boyfriend--though not fluent in Thai--knew one of the employees because he was asked to show him around their middle school when he first came from Thailand. They comped us our chicken satay and coconut ice cream for that one. Nice.
It's not hard to imagine that you've made it to Thailand given the ramshackle exterior painted in Pee-Wee's Big House colors, and blocked-lettered sign,and Cherry Red booths to boot. Damn does the menu have misspellings? I hope so, you know it's gonna be good.
It was a little homey in there, but the service was really sweet and things were simple. And no, it's not fancy. But after running to your car from Seattle Center, it's a really easy pick after seeing a show.
The 1-5 SPICY level is great since it puts you in charge! I've been to way too many "great" Thai places that over-spice things. I don't need to smell like that in the morning, thanks! Also, they serve brown rice, and their meet dishes were good, too.
I really liked the suggested fried app. that was not all overly oily, but really yummy. To Yelpers who are touchy about up-selling and suggestions, please stay at home and never try anything new. You have a voice; use it. Listen, then respond with YOUR desires. I mean...it's kinda like saying: I'll never buy X car since I saw their commercial again! Grow up, Bs!
I'm not sure I'd have a reason to come back unless I see a show at Seattle Center, but it was great nevertheless.
I loved all the fresh vegetables and...the host's suggestions were earnest and tasty!
Quick review: Tricky upselling and they don't comp rotten food. GO TO BAHN THAI DOWN THE STREET!!!
Don't know why we went back for a second time last night. We avoided the place cause it had a Bates Motel ambiance to it. I subconsciously held my breath walking past it.
The first visit wasn't entirely memorable, which is probably why we ventured back last night. Super bad idea.
We decided on some appetizers and drinks. I tried their rum in thai iced tea. Interesting...rum kinda went well with the tea but it was definitely bargain basement quality rum.
The upselling that upset me was when shortly after our appetizers arrived and my drink was still half full, the waiter came by to check on us. Being in the middle of a bite, I thought he was asking the standard "is everything good?" so I enthusiastically nodded "yeah yeah" before he finished the question. He then turned to my husband and asked if he wanted another Jameson's (which was also half full). After he walked away, I wondered if that's what he was asking me and took my affirmative response as "yes yes, bring me another drink!" He did. What a tricky way to get someone to order another $5 drink.
The food started off promising. We got fresh rolls, a shrimp appetizer, and a beef salad appetizer. They sure do love cabbage. The shrimp and beef dishes were both served with mounds of cabbage and the beef dish had ANOTHER half head of cabbage along side it for wrapping.
The beef was tasty. The sauce tasted like mongolian beef with some citrus though it was served way on the spicy side, as opposed to what we requested. The shrimp dish was also ok...similar seasonings as the beef dish but not as tasty. The fresh rolls were probably pre-assembled the day before since the shrimp was a little shrunken dry and the cucumber not crisp. And they love to use fish sauce in everything.
Unfortunately for my husband, he ate the last morsel of the shrimp dish with part of the tomato garnish. The tomato was rotten. He spat it out and we told the waiter. "Oh no...would you like to order dessert?" We declined and he continued "I can bring some ice cream with two spoons." Hey asshole, we just ate some rotten produce and said no to dessert. Give us our fucking check.
Three appetizers and three drinks for nearly $45. What the fuck. They charged $12.50 for two "shots" of Jamesons. I suppose they were using tablespoons or took my husband's "no" for a second drink as a "yes, please charge me for two but give me the one". What a ripoff.
Best part was that when giving us the bill, the waiter proudly told us the chef apologizes for the rotten tomato...and they didn't comp a cent.
Husband is still suffering the liquidy effects of the food poisoning.
My boyfriend and I use to frequent the place as we liked the food and lived in the area....until one time that we ate there, my boyfriend saw that when he was in the men's bathroom, a staff member from the kitchen didn't wash his hands after doing his business. My boyfriend asked him why he didn't wash his hands. The staff person replied 'what's your problem?' I was sitting at our table, heard the yelling and saw my boyfriend and this staff person arguing outside the bathrooms. The lady who manages the cashier area walked up to the staff member and slapped him hard across the face...twice...the owners apologized to us, offered to comp our meal...we left and of course never returned. If one person doesn't wash their hands, that's a good enough reason not to eat there ever again.
"Chest in my face". I blurted this out every time the server who filled my water glass would lean over me without warning and fill my water.
But that aside, not bad.
The service is great. The server who sat us was full of compliments "Oh Why did it take you so long to bring this pretty lady to my restaurant?" etc etc. "Why don't you start with the fresh spring rolls, they so tasty for you"
I ordered the ginger beef and Emily had the phad thai. My order was good, not great. Lots of veggies, not so much meat. The ginger taste was great and it came with a big pot of white rice.
The phad thai (with chicken) was different. I stole a few bites to test it out. It had the sprouts and tofu mixed in and was light on the peanut taste. How can it be light on peanut taste?? It's phad thai!!
Hmmmm, so would I go back? Well the conversation of the old people behind us was class. "I mean, who writes a check anymore, that is the stone age!" (They could have been born in the stone age, but anyway). On the bad side, they seemed to charge for refills on soda.
I would go back if I was in the area and needed some thai. But I'd probably search something better out. The city is full of good thai and I'm sure a quick walk or drive would find something that would make me hoot and holler in delight. :)
You can't mess up Phad Thai, right? That's what I thought, until Thai Heaven became my hell.
We went there on a Sunday night around 6:30 and the place was dead - there was only one other table there. This should have tipped us off to go elsewhere, but we had already walked 5+ blocks, wandering around looking for other Thai because my favorite Thai place was closed and we neeeeeeeded a Thai fix.
Their wait staff was pleasant enough and seated us promptly. We ordered the fresh spring rolls and they were decent enough to eat, although a little fishy. I took out the reddish/white fishy flavored meat (which had a rubber texture) from the roll, and it helped the flavor tremendously. The wrapping on the rolls was stale though, and it was tough to chew - gross.
I ordered my Phad Thai with three stars, and they got the heat right. What they didn't get right was the Phad Thai flavor - it was missing. I took a bite, tasted the delicious peanuty goodness for half a second, and then it magically disappeared. Strangest thing EVER. I don't know if the fish sauce or what had counteracted and taken over, but the dish lacked flavor. It was like eating water. If I were over 60 I would have freaked out, thinking I was lost my sense of taste.
My bf ordered the chicken Rama, and while my dish lacked flavor, his was overly sweetened. The peanut sauce was like eating runny peanut butter - WAY too sweet. Mixing some of his sauce with my dish helped, but really - having to mix your Thai food together to make it tolerable? That's something you do at home when you mess up a dinner - not when you are out to eat, paying for someone else to get it right.
To be fair - the chicken itself was good quality and the spinach in the Rama was fresh. They also refilled our waters constantly, which was great since that's all we were drinking. But having quality poultry and good service doesn't get you 3 * in my book... There are too many other quality establishments in Seattle, and I won't be visiting Thai Heaven again in this lifetime.
Today's lunch reminded me why I should always Yelp before I leave the house. We wanted to go to Tup Tim Thai (opens at FIVE on Saturdays- boring!), so we drove around til we saw another Thai restaurant that had people in it. Hello, Thai Heaven.
Friendly service, although we felt pressure to order an appetizer ("the spring rolls- so fresh- for 2 people!"). Spring rolls arrived but we were disappointed to find that he had meant the fried kind. He also returned to the table to inform us that we were eating them incorrectly, which I didn't know was possible.
I ordered fried rice and asked for it to be very spicy- and for once, they went above and beyond. I ate one bite and barely managed to choke out the words, "oh fuck" before downing a glass of water. I mixed in some white rice to try and remedy the situation, and it didn't work. I was also uncomfortable with how the beef looked, so I had to avoid it.
My favorite part of lunch was when I realized the glowing review that I was reading under the glass of our table (and every table) was written in... 1991.
I go to Thai Heaven for 2 specific dishes:
Paradise Tofu
A broccoli dish with cashews
Both of those dishes are excellent and good when ordered together. They compliment each other very nicely.
Every soup I've had here has been excellent.
They also have an appetizer that is sort of like a deep fried wonton stuffed with chicken. The sauce they are served with is awesome. I used to like these very much. I don't know if my tastes have changed or if the quality has decreased. I no longer order them.
As Les mentions in his review, the service is odd. I thought it was because I was a girl. It isn't bad, just odd and kind of in your face. But, in a weird friendly way.
A friend of mine always gets the Salmon Curry which he loves. (ick as far as I am concerned.) I can never get him to get anything else!
If you are a vegetarian try the two dishes I mention above. Awesome. And they have quite a number of other vegetarian dishes as well.
Parking isn't too bad either as you can park in the across the street from them. Just make sure to tell them you parked there.
I'm sorry, i HATE giving bad reviews, but a gal pal and i went here when we saw Bahn was closed (perhaps it was a Sunday?), and i SWEAR they make their Phad Thai with ketchup! (opinion)
Honestly, NOT authentic thai cuisine (opinion). I may have to try it again before i jump to a 2-star conclusion, but i'm terrified to go back after my experience, and considering the AMAZING other choices you have in Queen Anne (Bahn, Phuket, Racha, Tup Tim Thai) within walking distance of this place.
Just my humble opinion.
UPDATE:
okay, so, like i said, i HATE giving bad reviews, so i decided to try this place again, this time with my honey, hoping that the last time was just a bad experience.
i am a dumbass.
the chicken tasted like feet. i can't even think about it without gagging. it was SO pricey (14 bucks for "feet" chicken and snap peas?! wtf?!) and tasted terrible. my stomach was making noises for two days afterwards. i wish oh wish i could say nice things because the staff is SO nice... but when you go to a restaurant and it has as its placemats a so-so review of the place from 1991, that's when you know you should perhaps rethink your decision in eating there.
It was about 15 minutes before they closed and I knew they wouldn't want to seat me so before they could say anything I blurted out, "I just want some Tom Kha! I will eat quickly. Please?" And looked up at them with big hungry puppy dog eyes...
The lady smiled and led us into the dining room, my soup was out in about 2 minutes, I took about 8 minutes to eat, another 2 minutes to pay my check and I was outta there with 3 minutes to spare. Satisfied with a belly full of delicious coconut milky soup, I walked down Roy St. declaring that I would be back at a more reasonable time!
Overall a great place!
Weirdest Thai place ever - if there were a Thai mafia, I would suspect this is their hangout. The food is pretty good in general - the Tom Yum soup is the best i've had, but the service is a little on the strange side. The owner spends a LOT of time working the dining room, checking on everyone - a little weirdly invasive.
Spring rolls are top notch, and the pad thai is mighty tasty! The best part? When I ask for 4 stars, they don't pull the whole "Oh, we better only put in 2 because he's white." They give you 4 wonderful, mouth burning stars!
Best Thai I've had to date. Way back in the early 90's I was taken to Thai Heaven. It was the first Thai restaurant I had ever gone too and it was phenominal. They have the best Tum Yum Gai soup I've ever had.
My second time there they rememebered me by face and I was greeted with a warm smile and a friendly hello. By my third time there they remembered me by name and what I ordered the last time I was in. Each time afterwards I was greeted by name with a smile and a warm hug from Eddie Meko, the owner and a friendly hello from all the other staff. I started bringing all my friends there and they would come back and bring their friends and we all would receive the same 5 star treatment.
Every person on staff does every job so there's no waiting for a bus person to bring you water or a napkin or fork. If there is a job that needs doing, whomever walks by takes care of it for you. Now that's service!
Eddie Meko the owner is a gem amongst restaurant owners. I moved to California many years ago and when I go back to Seattle each year I return to Thai Heaven and he still remembers me!
Don't let the little house and the decorum fool you. You don't have to be fancy to be fine food!
The only bad part about Thai Heaven is that it is still to date the best Thai Food I've had and it's ruined me for eating anywhere else. I compare everyone else to them and they just don't measure up.
Two Thumbs Up!
so I am the "Emily" in Kellan M's review and here is my side of the story!
very true we walked in and the adooorable little man says, "Why it take you so long to bring pretty lady here!" So A+ right off the bat for compliments.
He was very prompt and made suggestions about the menu.
I had the pad thai with chicken. It was sorta odd. The bean sprouts were already mixed in, it was very light on the crushed peanuts (my fave part of pad thai) and there were chunks of tofu -- I'm not a huge tofu fan and I like it when its crumbled into the dish versus huge blocks. The noodles were also an awkward length -- too short -- they weren't long enough to twirl on the fork so it was sort of a sloppy event.
AND the phrase Kellan kept saying was actually "Titties in my face" because he was getting side-swiped by man boobage every time his water was refilled.
The food was only so so -- the chicken satay we had for appetizer was probably the best part but the rest was just so so. Two stars for food and an additional one for service.
The same cute fella called me sexy at the end and when I picked up the tab (which included charges for refills!) he asked my dining partner, if there really were women like me left out there. aaaahwesome.
long story summarized: decent food, so so ambiance, but awesome customer service.
ps: its on the same block as three or four other asian food choices.. just saying..
Once again, not my favorite Thai place in QA - food is okay, the restaurant itself has a sort of weird feel - I agree with the Thai Mafia comment. I'd still recommend going down about 6 blocks to Phuket.
This place is great. 100% Mafia front but I'm ok with that because they know how to cook. Walking in the restaurant is an experience itself, ever notice the wall of C/D rate celebrity photos? And the men who run the place are hilarious, I think they were having a competition of who could ask me more times in 10 minutes if i'd like some ice water. I lost count of how many times i was asked. Food is really good. I forgot what its called but some sort of spicy cabbage salad with tofu and cashews i think. It was really good. I've had a few other dishes from there, all really good but I think you really get your moneys worth if you order take out. Dining in the portions run a good deal smaller. Expect lots of recomendations from the owners/employees and chatter every few minutes, fun dining experience. Oh and the tea was really good too.
Possibly the worst Thai food I have ever consumed. I ordered wide egg noodles with chicken and vegetables. Pretty standard for Thai food, you'd think a safe choice no matter where you go.... um no. The noodles tasted like a reheated version of last week's buffet after it had been fished out of the neighboring Thai place's dumpster.
Someone had apparently spent some time scraping all possibilities of flavor off of the chicken. The only thing safe to eat on the plate was the broccoli.
The staff was very, very sweet (maybe to try and save some chance of a gratuity because they know the food isn't going to help them?) but our waitress was constantly coming around checking our sodas, which were in tiny glasses filled with ice, probably the equivalent of a 1/3 of a can of coke. We each had three or four refills and were super pleased when the bill came and each of those samples of soda cost a nice $2. $8 on diet coke. great. I'm not a broke student or anything, who charges for refills?
Almost $30 per person later we left our full plates inside the Thai Heaven and stood gazing across the street at another Thai place, which smelled delicious. Too bad we were now starving and broke.
Worst Thai food ever. Period. Go to Phuket or Rice N Spice instead. Perhaps Tup Tim Thai if you happen to know the handful of dishes they can do well.
This place has a totally different feel than Phuket, which is my other favorite Thai in the neighborhood. Thai Heaven is just that; fast, homey, cheap, spicy, tasty, friendly (yes, as others have mentioned, maybe a little too friendly...). I liked the weird blue house, the crazy wallpaper in the bathroom and the fresh rolls immensely.
