Thai Kitchen

I've gone here 3 times in the past year and each time I swear will be my last, but as I can't get my favorite Thai dish at The Spice I wanted to try Thai Kitchen once more. We ordered & paid online, they still forgot part of our order. It was an extra side of rice so it wasn't a huge deal, but we paid for something and didn't get it. The reason for one star is that I ordered mild, and my curry was inedibly spicy. So very disappointing when all I can taste is spice and nothing else. Will not be returning. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

So 2 summers ago I lived in China, and apparently on a Monday night in Ames, all the Chinese restaurants are closed. So I hobbled to the Thai Kitchen! It was very good! I tried the Pad See Eil per recommendation from a friend and I got chicken with it. All for about $8! The menu is big so there was so much I wanted to try. We got spring rolls as an appetizer to share and they were just okay but overall I was happy with my dinner. Wish I would have noticed the bubble tea and hot tea menu sooner. I'll be back to try something else! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Overall, great atmosphere and friendly employees. The consistency of the red curry was a bit watery, but had great flavor and a nice spice level. <br><br>Crab rangoons had an oddly satisfying crunchy texture and an abundant filing with a lot of imitation crab and great flavor.<br><br>The beef pad thai was very dry and the noodles were undercooked. It was a one-note dish because there was no sour or sweet element to the dish and that's what you expect from Thai cuisine. The tofu was dry and when asked for a wedge of lime, I was told they only carry packets of lemon juice.<br><br>For all of the dishes, they were quite smaller in portion for how much you're paying and compared to the Thai restaurants in Des Moines. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Thai Kitchen is a highly recommended restaurant in Ames. It's located in the busiest Iowa State downtown area. The location is easy to find, and the restaurant is a good place to try some thai food. There are 3 main reasons that I recommend Thai Kitchen.<br>Thai kitchen has a lot of good food selections and gives the people in Ames a taste of traditional thai food. Before you even step into the restaurant, you can smell the delicious food they make. Pad Thai is my favorite dish with crystal rice noodles, fresh green onions, crispy fried tofu, golden minced peanut, and your own choice of meat, pork, chicken, or beef. When I first put a chunk of noodles into my mouth, the different exotic spices were dancing on my tongue. My favorite meat is the chicken, it's so juicy that you will not believe that it's chicken. There are 3 kinds of curry in Thai Kitchen, red, green, and yellow. They all have different flavors and one of them will absolutely satisfy your appetite. There are also appetizers, stir-fries, soups, desserts, and drinks to choose from. You will find yourself wanting everything when you first take a glance at the menu.<br>Thai kitchen serves food really fast. You only need to wait for an average of 5 to 10 minutes if less than 10 people are in the restaurant. If there are more people in the restaurant, the waiting time will still be shorter than most of the sit-down restaurants in Ames. One time I was there, I ordered Pad Thai, at the time I came back from self-service tea at the counter, I got my food on the table. The food was good and fresh as always. I was shocked by their efficiency. <br>Thai kitchen is cheap and cost-effective compared to other thai food in Ames. Thai kitchen is much cheaper compared to the thai restaurant on Main Street Ames. A dish is usually around 8 dollars at Thai Kitchen. Tips is also not required at Thai Kitchen because water is self-serviced. But feel free to leave tips for the amazing employees. 10 dollars would solidly buy you a dish and a soft drink, and a dish is always enough for a person. Compared to most of the other exotic food in Ames, you pay the least and get the most at Thai Kitchen.<br>Thai kitchen is an amazing restaurant with good food, nice service, and low price. Everyone who likes to try thai food should go try it out. Also if you study or work at Iowa State University, it's a good place to grab a quick lunch at a good price. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Ordered the yellow curry with chicken, chive dumplings, and Thai iced coffee. The curry was delicious but a bit spicy, the dumplings were good, and the coffee was heaven.

Reviewed on Yelp

This was an honest surprise to me. At first, we weren't sure if we had the right address, so they should get a window sign or something. <br>When you walk in you place your order at the counter. The menu is pretty extensive but ridiculously fair priced.<br>I ordered the pad thai with no tofu or onions and spring rolls. I then figured out you go get your silverware and water from the other side of the counter and then seat yourself. They give you a number and bring it out to you.<br>I really enjoyed the crispy spring rolls. I was skeptical of my pad thai because it doesn't look like typical pad thai. It had almost an orange color which concerned me. It was actually really good. I didn't really like the chicken but I'd try it with beef next time as it seemed more fitting. I thought I took a picture of it but apparently I didn't. Sorry about that. <br>I left very full and only spent $10. I would definitely go back and recommend it to anyone. Don't forget to bring change to feed the meter! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I have really been digging thai kitchen more and more.  Years ago, I found their food to be greasy and more fast food like. <br><br>The food now is very good.  Its not knock your socks off thai food but it is good.  It seems busier after undergoing a building renovation and yet it still maintains its dive like feel. <br><br>The menu is huge.  I mean pages huge.  They will make your food spicier but I have yet to have them serve me "thai hot" when I explain that I prefer spicy.  I wish for more heat but they do have nice condiments at the condiment bar that help.  Most will find that not a problem.  If you are used to 5 stars burning your face off, I do not find that to be true here. This means you will have to make polite conversation with your dinner partner as you will not be sweating or releasing hot food endorphins.  <br><br>The thai ice tea is good here and you can get it with or without jellies (not boba like bubble tea tapioca but jellies). I order it every time. <br><br>The crab rangoon is better here than many places. <br><br>There is no alcohol so if that matters to you, you should know.  I don't mind but if you must drink a singha with your thai, don't plan on it here. <br><br>Casual and quaint in a come as you are way, this is good. <br><br>Oh, often the meal comes as it is cooked so a meal followed by an appetizer and then maybe the other meal and your drinks. Having worked in restaurants, I find this irritating but if I can let it go and enjoy I find it is not a big deal and maybe even adds to the feel of the place. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

One of my favorite places to eat in Ames. Tasty Thai food in a cheap price! The location is very convenient as well, closer to the campus.

Reviewed on Yelp

Pad Thai was disgusting served cold only thing decent was the Thai tea but the boba was undercooked

Reviewed on Yelp

Great food and great people.  I get the pork trio every time and it hits the spot every time

Reviewed on Yelp

Up in Ames and craving Thai. This was the location in campus area. Heavy traffic due to the location. I read through some reviews and went ahead and took a chance. <br>My friends were really excited that we stopped. <br>You walk in and you place an order at the walk up counter. Then they gave us a number. We walk down around the side of the counter and got our extras needed for our meal. Then we went to sit outside. <br>I got the Pad Thai and my friends got the  Thai Fried Rice; fried rice with either chicken, pork or beef and vegetables, egg, tomatoes and thai seasoning and a chicken stir fry meal. <br><br>I got to try them all and I just wasnt as impressed as I was hoping considering the price of the meal. I thought the helping sizes would be bigger and more flavor to the meals. <br>The menu has enough variety for any meal needs. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I have really been digging thai kitchen more and more.  Years ago, I found their food to be greasy and more fast food like. <br><br>The food now is very good.  Its not knock your socks off thai food but it is good.  It seems busier after undergoing a building renovation and yet it still maintains its dive like feel. <br><br>The menu is huge.  I mean pages huge.  They will make your food spicier but I have yet to have them serve me "thai hot" when I explain that I prefer spicy.  I wish for more heat but they fo have nice condiments at the condiment bar that help.  Most will find that not a problem.  If you are used to 5 stars burning your face off, I do not find that to be true here. This means you will have to make polite conversation with your dinner partner as you will not be sweating or releasing hot food endorphins.  <br><br>The thai ice tea is good here and you can get it with or without jellies (not boba like bubble tea tapioca but jellies). I order it every time. <br><br>The crab rangoon is better here than many places. <br><br>There is no alcohol so if that matters to you, you should know.  I don't mind but if you must drink a singha with your thai, don't plan on it here. <br><br>Casual and quaint in a cone as you are way, this is good. <br><br>Oh, often the meal comes as it is cooked so a meal followed by an appetizer and then maybe the other meal and your drinks. Having worked in restaurants, I find this irritating but if I can let it go and enjoy I find it is not a big deal and maybe even adds to the feel if the place. <br><br>Try it! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great food, shabby restaurant. Love going there for comfort. I ordered curry, on point. Price is definitely worth what you get. Super yum.

Reviewed on Yelp

Delicious, fresh, and pretty authentic from what we encountered during our honeymoon in Thailand. The green curry instantly teleports me back every time.

Reviewed on Yelp

Just went here for the first time, mainly for the bubble tea and lettuce me just say this once.. NUUUUTTTTT my boyfriend and I both had the coconut bubble tea and it was impeccable. The little coconut shards in the drink made me us think that they motherfuckin killed that coconut ass tree before makin this dank ass draaankkkyy I didn't try the food so I hav no knowledge into what I have to say about it Pero like, my boyfriend said it's bomb dot com?? Apparently they cater to vegans? I'll be back for that. Aye ok More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Most times they are catering to vegans, however Caroline was a game changer. She went through and gave us the ins and outs to the kitchen and pointed out what could and couldn't be made vegan on the menu. Her friendly demeanor, didn't feel forced nor rushed! We are very appreciative for all her help and service :) More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great good, fantastic service, and very accommodating to menu item changes. It is definitely a place I'll go to again. The only flaw I can find is that I was hoping their red curry would have been a little more spicy!

Reviewed on Yelp

Had hoped for more, being the highest rated Thai Food in Ames.  We had a late lunch so maybe the timing affected the food.  Service was good, very fast.  Portions were large.  Dumplings were very good.  Flavors in the Red Curry were good however my wife's noodle dish was bland.  The meat in both dishes (chicken and duck) we ordered was sparse and almost rubbery, hard to chew.  I'd say this is more of a $$ price range.  2 meals, 1 app, 1 drink $34 and change. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I tried them again and I'm upset I wasted money on my birthday. Multiple people said the food improved under new ownership and was good again. It isn't awful, but it hasn't returned to it's former glory.<br>I ordered the spicy chicken as spicy as it gets, and it tasted like they merely overpowered it with jalapenos. <br>It's pretty inside and they're finally set up to accept credit cards. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This was my first Thai food experience. A very nice portion of Pad Thai with shrimp &amp; onions. The dish had the right amount of spice in it. I would definitely recommend going to Thai Kitchen. They have a variety of dishes &amp; great service. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Great place to come and eat some authentic Thai food. My favorite food is the glass noodle soup. The curry is also delicious but the portions might be a little small, which it matches the prices. Overall, great place in Ames.

Reviewed on Yelp

This is easily my favorite restaurant in Ames. It's fast, cheap, and delicious. All the curries are excellent and they have the best garlic chicken I've ever tasted.

Reviewed on Yelp

From my experience, Thai Kitchen accepts card now, so it makes it easier than before. Their food prices and portions are decent. Their food is very good, nothing really to complain about. We always come here for a quick, cheap, and great tasting thai food alternative. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

You can get the original taste of Thai food here!!! <br>And I love Bubble tea <br>I don't know why people still talking about cash<br>I just want to confirm they are accept debit and credit card include Apple Pay

Reviewed on Yelp

This place is sooo good! I never thought I would find awesome thai food in Ames! I ordered the nam tok beef and it tasted super legit. I also had the tom yum with chicken and it was the best tom yum ever!  Even better than the stuff I grew up eating in Bangkok. My husband ordered the chicken phad thai which was yummy too. I highly reccomend this place! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Fast service. The food is too salty to my taste but the flavor is well blended overall.

Reviewed on Yelp

Great vegetarian green curry. Sadly zero atmosphere so I usually do take out. A little over priced as well.

Reviewed on Yelp

Pretty run of the mill, but they are willing to take special requests if you want to change part of an entrée. Great sticky rice, too!

Reviewed on Yelp

Oh, Thai Kitchen. They're a bit  of a disorganized mess and stuck in the 90s, y'know? They're cash only which automatically means there's a 99. 9% chance I'm not eating there. Who still carries cash?<br><br>The one time I thought it was worth my effort to visit an ATM and order Thai Kitchen, they completely forgot my order. I waited for an hour in the restaurant for my food because they forgot I was there. When my order finally came is was just ok. Nothing to write home about.<br><br>So, I haven't been back. The Spice is much better and I'm willing to pay more for it. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

The food wasn't meet my expectation as a Thai food fan, also pay before serve also make me not comfortable for this kind dine-in restaurant, that makes me feel eat at fast food both, and how can I tip them when place the order, even not meet their food and service yet!

Reviewed on Yelp

Wow, great.  Had the drunken noodles spicy 2.  Perfect level of spice sweating and feeling good.  Will definitely be back when I am In town next.

Reviewed on Yelp

This is place renovated recently the only thing they changed is the Ambience the menu and the people still sucks big time. They took 45 minutes to make a simple veggie dish then they messed it up by adding chicken. Then add to it the lady at the Counter was unapologetic and blamed it on me for not being clear. Not only that they made the dish with rice when I asked for noodles. If you dont understand the orders and you dont know how to deal with customers then you should not be behind the Counter. So yeah never again ordering from them. and for every1 else still interested check your order twice before picking up and leaving, they might blame you for messing it up. Ohh yeah if you ordered chicken they will add 5 pieces so feel obliged More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Amazing Thai food. Loved the beef soup. Loved the seafood curry. And loved the spicy fish dish. Only complaint is they didn't have dumplings. Said they were all sold out :( I love dumplings so this was disappointing. <br><br>The staff was friendly. The restaurant is well kept and the food was absolutely amazing. Very flavorful and full of seasoning and flavor. I need to come back here if and when I'm in Ames. <br><br>Make sure to note parking signs before parking. There is a small lot in front of the restaurant if you're lucky to get a spot there. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This was my second time coming here after attempting to eat at CHC.  Both times CHC was closed due to various reasons.  This time they were closed for a month!  So to Thai Kitchen it is! You order up front and they bring it out to you.  You also get your own water and utensils. The portion for the curry dishes are on the small side.  My yellow curry fried rice dish was quite large and had plenty of kick to it. It was very tasty too so I ate it quite fast and the slow build up of the internal heat caught up to me at the end! Overall, it's a nice little restaurant in the Ames community that I will go to every once in a while. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Maybe it was that we got takeaway rather than dining in. The pad thai was a solid 4" by 4" block of noodles with a few large chunks of essentially unseasoned chicken. No peanuts or spices to be seen, just a chunk of rubbery flavorless noodles. The lard na also suffered from the same 'ball of noodles' problem, although the sauce had a nice flavor (which is the only reason this place gets two stars instead of one). Apparently this place used to be really good but is now under new management and has gone seriously downhill. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I ordered the pad Thai noodles. The taste, although not offensive to the taste buds, was completely uninspired. I've tasted much better Thai food. The man who brought my food out, I felt, had a poor disposition and I thought was disrespectful. The atmosphere as well as music was very poor. Would not eat here again. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

The curries tasted good but their veggie spring rolls were stale. Overall I have tasted much better. <br>Panang curry 3/5<br>Spring roll 0/5<br>Red curry 3/5

Reviewed on Yelp

The food is good and the price is more than reasonable. My fav are creamcheese crab for appetizers (code A5), tom yum koong/tom yum kai soup and red curry for entrees. It would be nicer if the tom yums were spcier (or maybe it's just me). Anyway, 5-star for the menu. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We picked this place on the fly. My friend had the pineapple fried rice and I had the pad see eil with chicken. I added carrots to it as well. If you want to pay using a credit or debit card you have to order $10 minimum so I also ordered a thai iced tea. The food was okay but not stellar. My friend did not like his rice and pretty much picked around and ate out all the pineapples. If that's a good indication of how good it was then there you go! My pad see eil was okay but I've had way better. The reason I gave this place 2 stars was because WE SAW A ROACH IN THE DINING AREA OF THE RESTAURANT! While I understand most restaurants have a bug problem, I do not expect to see them while I'm eating my food! I immediately stopped eating and we left. We both finished maybe half, if that, of our food. I will never go back here. I'd say the best thing about the restaurant was the friendly staff and thai iced tea. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I previously was pleased with this restaurant my first visit, however my second time dining here will be my last. I remembered the portions being decent during my first visit. Feeling hungry this time, I decided to order a $10 sweet and sour chicken dish. <br><br>After a lengthy wait, our food came out. Not only was the white rice lukewarm, but to my dismay, there were just 5 miniature pieces of chicken on my plate. I thought this must be a mistake, so I mentioned it to the older woman who brought us our food. She was extremely grumpy and mumbled something at us before scurrying off to the kitchen. <br><br>My guess is that she did not understand what I was saying, so she brought out the other woman working at the register. She came over and insisted that they count the pieces of chicken for each meal and it is always that many. I did not want to argue, so I went ahead and finished the meal. It did not even put a dent in my appetite. I can tell you this dish looks nothing like the one on the menu, which has at least three times the amount of meat.<br><br>Bottom line is, I will not be returning. Being on a college student budget, spending $10 on a $1 portion of processed chicken is not my idea of good Asian dining! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Food was delicious, all 5 of us were very happy with our meal. The value was good for the amount of food you got. The reason we didn't give them 5 stars and we almost left was because it was so dirty.

Reviewed on Yelp

This place is definitely a hole in the wall but it has some really good Thai food. Really hard to get parking as there are like two spaces. They only accept cash. Hands down the best Thai food in Ames. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Best Thai in Ames. Cash only and the lines can get crazy, but worth it!

Reviewed on Yelp

This is my favorite place to eat in Ames. I love the food and service. I eat here at least once a week. I get the Pad Kee Mao Thai spicy. It's not as spicy as it was in Thailand, but it's close. It is authentic Thai.<br><br>The only complaints I have to add is the serving size is variable, cash only, and the parking. I usually get more for lunch than dinner. <br><br>Overall, great people and food. I prefer it over The Spice just due to price. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I lived in Ames about four years. Thai kitchen is one of my favorite Thai restaurant around this area. I always ordered N4 with beef, sticky rice with mango and Thai tea! This place is full of college years memories More...

Reviewed on Yelp