Mai Thai

I just had lunch at Mai Thai Restaurant the other day, it was a great surprise. The food and service was great! I went with a couple of co-workers during our lunch break. I had the Pineapple Fried Rice, while the others had green curry and phad thai. Since I enjoy spicy food I was able to adjust the spiciness to my liking. They also provided hot sauce on the side just in case, which I would highly recommend the hot oil on any dish. I think me and my coworkers will become regulars here!

Pros: Great Food, Good Service, Ability to adjust spiciness.

Posted 06/15/09

I love the food here! Their Tom Kha Gai soup is awesome, as are their fried Tofu appetizer and their Pad Thai noodle dish. My boyfriend loves their "Tiger Cried Steak", as well as their Green Curry. You can have either white or brown rice, the latter at no extra charge like at some restaurants

Yes, the decor is a little odd but that is the case in most Thai restaurants I've ever been to. The main thing to me is excellent food and friendly service, both of which Mai Thai definitely has. Also, the prices are extremely fair for this quality of food.

Posted 01/18/09

I highly recommend this delightful restaurant. The decor inside is charming, the food fresh and delicious, and the hosts warm and caring. I've enjoyed Mai Thai for over ten years for lunches and dinners with friends and for parties for special occasions. It finally occurred to me to write a few words to let others know how special it is. Some of my favorite dishes there include: the soup Thom-Kah-Gai - the perfect blend of coconut, ginger, lemongrass & lime transport me to heaven every time; Pad Thai - simple, fresh and mild, with crumbled peanuts, makes it difficult for me to it anywhere else; Chicken with Peanut Sauce - delicious; very fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce. I have sampled many of their other dishes as we pass everything around when we go in groups and everything is delicious. They can adjust the amount of Thai "heat" for your tastes. Mary Le, the owner, is also a wine expert and can guide diners to special wine experiences. She has stories from vineyards and she genuinely cares about her patrons. I always feel peaceful, pampered and restored when I dine there and I love introducing my friends to Mai Thai's delights.

Posted 09/06/08

The food is horrible here. Seriously if you've ever eaten Thai food before you know what Thai food should taste like, and none of what was served was authentic. The quality of food is poor and the decor is so outdated - like from the 1980's. The service is friendly but this restaurant was empty on a Friday night when all of the other area restaurants were packed. That says it all.

Pros: none

Cons: hard to park, food is gross, decor is outdated

Posted 08/16/08

When I'm not eating Mexican food this is my next choice. I love this place, so small, so quaint, so perfect. Tucked in among all the hugh bldg's in the area, it's just the perfect little get away.

Posted 06/17/08

All I can say is wow! I pass this restaurant every day on my way to work but never thought to stop in to grab a bite to eat. My co workers and I wanted something different today and Mai Thai was thrown out as an option. We were a little concerned that it would take longer than or allotted hour for lunch, boy were we surprised! We were in and out in no time! Now about the motivation for going there; the food was phenomenal and the price was even better! We all had the lunch specials which from what we were told were customer favorites taken from the dinner menu. I can?t wait to go back but this time for dinner and some wine. There wine selection is extremely large for an oriental restaurant especially for one its size! Great find, I?m just sad I hadn?t stopped in sooner.

Pros: Quick service with Great food

Cons: Parking lot = Car pool

Posted 04/09/08

I don?t usually write reviews however I felt the need to write one for Mai Thai! The food and attention to detail is exceptional; there really is something for everyone there. If you don?t like the ingredients of a dish they will gladly omit it or try to in the case of naturally spicy dishes. I like curry but can?t eat spicy foods and since curry is naturally spicy the owner actually made a ?not too spicy? version for me and I loved it! Even though the restaurant was buzzing with people she made me feel as if my daughter and I were the only two people there! She even spent a few minutes with my daughter and helped her picked a lucky bamboo plant. They have made a customer for life.

Pros: Perfect for a casual lunch or romantic dinner

Cons: Parking and closed Sunday

Posted 03/21/08

The service was fabulous, the waitor was informative, and helpful. Our food was delivered so quickly you would think it was premade until you try it. I would suggest this to anyone, just be prepared, when they say hot, they are not joking

I plan to bring family and friends here when they visit.

Pros: quick seating, great servie, great food

Cons: small parking lot

Posted 05/23/07

We visit mai thai frequently, and we love the WHOLE experience! The wait staff is attentive, and they will always accomodate our needs. The appetizers are wonderful; my favorite being the cold spring rolls and thai toast. The tasty yum yum soup, beef salad, the flavorful green curry, spicy shrimp, pineaple fried rice...its all sooo good!
We love to sit on the patio when its nice outside. Also, the coco fried rice with fresh mango and thai coffee are perfect for dessert

Pros: Food, Service, the romantic atmosphere

Cons: closed sundays

Posted 05/21/07

I've dined at Mai Thai on numerous occasions with friends, including lunch yesterday. The dishes are spiced wonderfully and the staff is very accomodating in adjusting the spices to taste. The service is consistantly attentive and we love it because it's a locally owned family-ran restaurant. I love the green curry with steamed rice and with dinner I highly recommend their selection of plum wines!

Pros: Always delicious food

Cons: Small but very warm restaurant

Posted 04/09/07

The food really isnt that great here. Service is okay. The atmosphere is not that great either.

Cons: Parking, Food, Service isnt that great

Posted 04/05/07

This is a great place for lunch that offers a variety of specials. The curry and egg rolls are excellent. Prices are just right for thai food. Easy to get to loaction. Very quiet and quaint inside...a good date place, or even with a group of small friends. The staff is friendly and welcoming. Parking can get sort of crazy during peak lunch and dinner hours.

Posted 03/11/07

We went to this restaurant on Valentines Day. The food was wonderful!

Even with all that was going on the owner herself seated us and spent a few moments answering some questions we had.

Because of our dietary requirements (and I?m picky) we asked that some of the items be cooked differently than the ?traditional? way. As the waiter went to ask the owner (all I was thinking was? oh boy here it comes) and to our surprise she said ?sure, no problem.? Without even thinking about it!

Anyone who has allergies or can?t eat certain things knows that most of the time the response isn?t quite as friendly... LOL!!!

Posted 02/26/07

this place definitely seperates itself from all the trendy thai restaurants in town: it's quaint, cozy, laid-back, with a personalized touch and a feel of actually dining in a mom-n-pop thai place. the food is more-than-decent, with satisfactory quality, and good sized portions. definitely a place for a pleasant thai dining experience.*

Pros: quaint, ambience

Cons: parking

Posted 11/22/06

We got the Yellow curry, Duck curry, and a whole fried red snapper. Outstanding is an understatement for how good it was!! The sauce that came with the red snapper was awesome! I was so full after eating that I could hardly walk to my car lol. The portions were HUGE. More than enough for the 3 of us. I've found my new favorite restaurant.

Pros: Get the fish!! It's Spicylicious!

Posted 11/06/06

I've been to many Thai food places, but none of them has left me as satisfied as Mai Thai. Not only is the inside atmosphere soothing with its soft exotic music and suttle colored furniture, but its service is wonderful as well. The menu here will leave you speechless! There are so many pages full of wonderful dishes, so it can be pretty hard to even know where to begin. However, my all time favorite pick is Pad Thai. Mai Thai seems to find the true genuine flavor of what this noodle dish is suppose to taste like. The best thing I love about this place is that it is very health oriented. It's very hard to find healthy food in any asian restaurants, let alone any restaurant in general. Mai Thai has a wide selection of healthy dishes that packs in a whirl wind of flavor... and that's what keeps me coming back! I would recommend this restaurant to everyone! Don't let the outside of their pink walls decieve you, because you would be very suprise to see what this little restaurant has to offer!

Posted 09/30/06

Highly recommended- service was good and the cuisine was excellent. The chicken Phad King Prow was outstanding, as was the appetizer assortment. My companions had the Phad Thai and soup (the name escapes me) and were enthusiastic about the meal also.

Posted 06/17/06

We had Pad Thai here the other day. Good value and I liked the flavor, but the noodles seemed a little dried out. With so many other options in town, I can't say I'll be back soon. Just OK.

Posted 06/09/06

I've been eating Thai food since I was 11 years old (I'm 31 now) thanks to my parents who are pretty adventurous... and I have to say that Mai Thai's food is actually as good (if not better) than the best Thai food I've ever had. I ordered my Tom Kah Gai and Green Curry Chicken to be 4 spicy (on a scale of 1-5) and I had a serious sweat happening. It was SO flavorful and everything about it was perfect. They used all white-meat chicken and there were no weird foreign items. The soup was amazing!!!

Pros: Amazing Thai Food, Amazing Thai Food, Great wine selection

Posted 04/02/06

I just returned from a very good quality meal here with my girlfriend. We started with cold springrolls served with peanut sauce. We also had the fried spring rolls, which were delicious -- really hot and fresh, with a light crispy rice paper crust outside.

For our main meal we both had a bowl of the Tom Kah Gai soup. This is a chicken, coconut, lemon grass and mushroom soup. I wish it had a bit more lemon grass for a little more kick, but otherwise it was great.

We finished with the fried bananas and home-made coconut ice cream. This alone was worth coming back for.

The service was not intrusive, but not I didn't feel ignored either.

One of the best surprises was that the entire bill, including everything above, plus wine and a generous tip, was about forty dollars. We'll definitely go back.

Pros: Good value

Cons: Soup needed more kick

Posted 12/18/05

I went to the place with high expectation after seeing its high rating and getting recommendations from not-Thai friends. Well, I'm Thai and I know those dishes, though tasted okay, aren't really authentic and too westernized. Many items were cooked/prepared so far off from what it's supposed to look like or made of. Still, the food is easily pleasurable but again, they're not really authentic Thai food.

Pros: easy to find, value, friendly service

Cons: not authentic

Posted 12/17/05

The food is absolutely amazing. I was not a tofu eater but their Fried Tofu is incredible. I also love their "Tom Kha Gai" (chicken, lime, coconut) soup. This is one of Houston's unknown little gems, in my opinion.

Pros: Good value, great food

Posted 12/14/05

If you like feeling as though your table is the only one in the entire restaurant, then you definitly need to eat here. The service is outstanding and the food is amazing! By far the best Tom Yum Goong I've had in several years. I also appreciate how careful they are in presentation whether you're dining in or carrying out. The fried spring rolls and Pad Thai are a must for those new to Thai Cuisine. As long as I'm in Houston, I will be a regular patron!

Pros: Inexpensive, Quiet, Extensive Menu

Cons: Closed from 2:30-5:00

Posted 09/19/05

We picked Mai Thai at a whim and were extremely impressed. The prices are completely reasonable, the portions are huge, the staff are friendly and very appreciative of your business and the food was totally delicious. And the food isn't heavy, friend Asian-American food--it's fresh and light (unless you eat the whole dinner portion like we did). We got takeout for dinner, but I can see Mai Thai being a very conveneint and inexpensive lunch location for anyone working near the Shepherd/Richmond junction.

Pros: friendly, inexpensive, convenient

Posted 09/03/05

This is by far one of the best thai restaurants I've been to. I enjoyed their green curry, seafood delight, and their great selection of wine at a reasonable price. The manager is always around if you need help. Don't forget to try the thai tea and homemade coconut ice cream!

Pros: great food, great service

Posted 08/20/05

This a great place to eat for a great price. The portions are large and very tasty. The give a high level of attention to each customer. Rare value!

Posted 07/18/05

This place has amazing food - just try the Tom Kha Gai (lemongrass, coconut chicken soup) and the fried tofu if you don't believe me. The meat and vegetable dishes are also excellent. From what I can tell this is a family run business which cares about its patrons and food. I cannot say enough good things about Mai Thai.

Pros: great food, fast service, good value

Posted 06/06/05

almost everything ive tried at this place tastes great, but the thing that i like the best about mai thai is that the food is so good for you

Pros: health concious chef, good service, authentic food

Cons: small parking lot

Posted 05/05/05

OMG i had no idea what a tasteful surprice was awaiting for me as i walked nervous into mai tai. Outside looks looks like a dumpy restorant, nevertheless i was shoked once i got inside. The restorant is classy and clean. aweosome for a date. Prices are modest the food defenetly the best i've had when it comes to thai food.

Pros: amvience, price, flavor

Cons: , dificult comunication

Posted 07/27/04

Best Thai in Houston, but, as with a lot of Thai restaurants in our experience, it's kind of unimaginative--they serve the same dishes you find elsewhere, but it's just better here. We've always had good service, they're very friendly and prompt, and we've never had to complain about anything. They serve a few beers but nothing else (very poor bar). Romantic interior, parking never a problem, good location. It always seems to be empty and it can't be because of taste or atmosphere. Are we missing something?

Pros: good food, good staff, romantic setting

Cons: , few guests, no "specials"

Posted 04/01/04

The restaurant was pleasantly romantic:) It should be a must stop if youre on a date. The shrimp is excellent!!

The only thing is that we had to park across the street next to Taco Cabana, but that was ok...it was worth it.

Pros: candle - lit tables, Inexpensive, quiet

Cons: Limited parking

Posted 08/04/03

Great Food!!! Try the Seafood Delight & Thom Yum Goong!!! You must have some Thai Tea ...

Pros: Food, Service

Posted 07/02/03

I have eaten at many of the Houston Metro area Thai restaurants! This by far was the best experience I have had at any of them. The Food was GREAT and not to mention the friendly staff.

Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere

Posted 07/01/03