Satay

Walking into the place I had hopes of a delicious meal. The outdoor seating and ambience inside was nice. After ordering a to-​go order at the counter, he stated 15mins, I took a seat. Little did I know that I wouldn’t receive my food until 50mins later… Absolutely dumbfounded! They stated it was because of a large party but then they shouldn’t have told me 15mins. I watched people come in and try to order but after waiting a while to try to do so they left. I had hoped that once I got home that the food would be out of the world=it was mediocre at best. Actually the WORST Tom Kha Gai I have ever had-​it was thick/​chunky. Not criticizing but the kitchen help were all spanish speaking and I kept hearing the one waitress ask «are you sure this is pollo, not puerco?» If I wouldn’t have already paid I would have left when I heard that. Besides all the bad behaviors witnessed. Guy up front took orders, handles money then went back and used his fingers to handle food=yuck!
I will not go back, which is sad because I have heard others having good experiences.

Pros:
–nice lit patio with seating areas
–beautiful interior, quiet atmosphere
–Laksa Noodle soup with chicken was pretty good. I liked the portion size and the fried wonton chips it came with
Cons:
–the price per entrée is a low of $ 10.50, high of $ 20+. The Pad Thai was okay; but for $ 11.50, I was not blown away, nor was the portion size sufficient. Not worth it.
–I would stay away from ordering the fried Bangkok egg rolls (egg rolls). They are small and hardly filled with anything– just strips of veggies.
–we came with a Groupon, but couldn’t use it because it was New Years. That’s my fault for not reading the fine print. Still, I was disappointed to have to pay $ 32 for two dishes and a few bites from the appetizer.

Nice atmosphere and friendly service. Chef’s special shrimp and scallops for $ 20 contained a total of 6 shrimp and 3 scallops. It was listed as ginger dish but I barely tasted any ginger and it was overly as salty, had to drink ALOT of water with my meal.
I’m happy to try another dish on the menu but wasn’t impressed for my first visit.

By far the VERY best Tom Kha soup I have had in Austin. Perfect balance and depth of flavors. I then ordered the Pad Thai with chicken. Again, delicious peanut sauce, perfect noodle texture, and I really liked the fact that the bean sprouts and cabbage was served to the side of the noodles. I will definitely return, often.

Their curries and phở are the best we had in Austin. So filling yet so light and yummy.
We loved and frequented this place in the first decade of 2000s. But sometime around 2013 the flavors went downhill. Now they have changed. We have been here about 4 times in last 2 months and every single time we decided to come back sooner.

I was disappointed in everything I ordered. The portions were tiny compared to what you’d expect from Thai cuisine but the prices did not reflect this shift in size. I have no problem with smaller portions — I actually love that idea– but at least list that somewhere or adjust your pricing to match. Tom Yum soup with tofu was bland and the tofu was overcooked or burned. It was hard to tell because I really could not take more than one bite. I ordered the soup, a spring roll appetizer (decent), a stir fry dish and a noodle dish in order to sample the menu and was super disappointed. Noodles were clumped together and would not separate. Sauce was bland. Stir fry was spicy but lacked any other flavor. It didn’t really look appetizing either. I would not order here again.

So good. I cannot believe how I have missed it. Totally getting on my regular rotation AGAIN. Good old standbys today and next trip I plan to go beyond! LOVE AUSTIN ORIGINALS! Very nice server, professional and attentive.

My wife and I used a Groupon coupon to eat here, and we ordered a bowl of Tom Yum Tofu, the Mus-​Man red curry, and the Bataan Delight. These were some of the cheaper items on the menu, and only drinking water the total came to $ 33 with tax (our Groupon coupon covered $ 30 of that). After a $ 5 tip that wasn’t really earned (the waiter only once offered to refill my water, and it was as I was filling out the tip, haha), I spent almost $ 20 on this meal, and I really don’t feel like it was even close to worth it.
I was a bit concerned when we drove up to the restaurant, as the strip center it’s in is pretty run down, and the Satay sign isn’t fairing much better. Once you enter the courtyard, things start looking up, as it’s nicely decorated, as is the inside of the restaurant. Still, the environment definitely didn’t seem to justify the fairly high prices (compared to other Thai restaurants in town), so I figured the food must be really good. Wrong.
Our Tom Yum Tofu came out in a ‘bowl’ that was barely larger than the ‘cup’ size in most Thai restaurants. The soup was quite bland compared to what I’m used to (this is one of my favorite things to order at Thai restaurants, including in Thailand, so I’ve probably tried over 50 versions of this soup), and towards the bottom of the bowl it was almost all spices and mostly undrinkable once the tofu and veggies were gone. Not off to a very good start.
When they brought our two entrees out, the waiter (a young white guy who didn’t seem like he was really that into his job) put two plates of plane white jasmine rice on the table, whereas I had been expecting the lovely sticky rice that most Thai restaurants serve. I know we Americans aren’t too picky about our types of rice, but having lived in Asia for a long time, I do have an affinity for good rice and I was very unimpressed with the rice they were serving. It tasted and felt like the cheap varieties of jasmine rice you get at the grocery store.
I will admit that the Mus-​Man was the one redeeming thing about our meal, and was honestly one of the better curries I’ve eaten before. I could almost raise my review to 3 stars for this guy, but the Bataan Delight that accompanied it tasted very watered
down and the vegetables didn’t seem fresh at all. Overall it was just the most lackluster Thai meal I’ve had in Austin, if not anywhere. And it didn’t help that the plates and bowls looked quite old and well used. Nothing about this place seemed to justify the high prices in the menu.
I appreciate the restaurant’s willingness to pair up with Groupon to bring in new customers, and I feel bad leaving a 2-​star review after taking advantage of the Groupon discount, but I feel like this restaurant could be doing a LOT more in terms of serving good food, especially given all the other great Thai options in town.

Don’t ever order the satay. It was 7.50 for just three measley pieces of meat that didn’t even taste that good. In comparison, back in my home country of Malaysia, that price could probably fetch about 50 pieces of much more savory fare. Of course, eating out is cheaper back there: but generally only about a third cheaper, not 20 times.
The laksa noodle soup, on the other hand, was pretty delicious and the saving grace of this review — at about 11 bucks a bowl. The broth was thick and flavorful and there was some crackers in the soup that made a delicious addition.
Décor was cute and service was okay. But I felt cheated enough by the satay to believe that this restaurant only warrants 3 stars.

Not going back. Food was ok. Price for two with no drinks came up to 29 plus tips. Overpriced. Even I had a groupon.

I really hate writing bad reviews but this place truly is awful. I ordered Singapore noodles, beef mas-​man, fried spring rolls and some shrimp crackers. All of it was bland horrible looking and greasy. And for nearly $ 50 for a takeout for two pretty hideously priced too. I love Thai food so this was a huge disappointment. Perhaps they were having a bad night but with so many other Thai options in Austin I doubt we’ll be back.

I decided to try this restaurant on a whim.
I had the Basil Shrimp and Squid. It has basil… shrimp…and squid:) but also a mix of vegetables in a really good sauce. Not too spicy. Unfortunately, you expect to have at least two or three servings from a Chinese meal, but this is a really good serving for one or a small serving for two. The vegetables were cooked nicely, but the dish didn’t have many shrimp and I had to look for the squid to make sure that it was in there. The restaurant is in need of an update, but you may not be looking for a trendy restaurant when you go there.
All in all… I would order this again. It is a little pricey, but I would order it again.

Sweet, tired place — my friend S and I went to this restaurant for a long lunch, and we enjoyed the relaxing room and music. It was peaceful.

Worst service ever! Sat at our table for 20 minutes and no on spoke to us. So frustrated I left the restaurant and with to Suzie across the street.

I purchased a Groupon many moons ago, Satay has been around since 1987 and I really wanted to see what they were all about and how they’ve achieved staying around in ever expanding Central Austin for so long. Happy to say I was pleasantly surprised with Satay. I like setting expectations, and after reading reviews from strangers and trusted Unilocalers alike I was setting my outlook pretty low.
But here’s what I learned that I think contributed to my better than average experience. The dinner menu is a touch on the pricey side, but lunch is incredibly competitive. They feature thirteen dishes for $ 7.95 and a curry of the day for $ 8.95. The owner/​chef, Dr. Foo, is concerned with healthy food, she also seeks wild caught seafood, which I hope that those standards cross over to other ingredients. Many of the sauces used in the restaurant are also the all natural sauces you can purchase at places like Whole Foods under the same name that Dr. Foo has created. I’m not sure if that contributes to why I like my curries from other places more though. In general, I think their non-​broth noodle dishes are not their strength. The spice level meter here is skewed pretty high, so order your food less spicy than you’d prefer if heat is a concern for you. I partook in a few other things, but the Thai Beef Salad I ordered satisfied my craving well. The greens were in decent condition, the flank beef was tender enough and probably 3−4oz, the other vegetables were fresher than the greens, and the dressing was pungent and tasty. I’ve heard good things about their Southeast Asian soups, and I have my heart set on the Laska Noodle Soup next.
The food is closer to a 3 star, but the server I had that day was super friendly and all smiles, and the impulse dessert choice of the vegan Thai Silk Pie I had was delicious. That pie alone pushed it to 4 star. I seldom want a recipe for something sweet, but this one I’d love to get my hands on. It’s a polished recipe, the pie accomplishes all it sets out to do, the flavor is gentle but present and the texture of the pie and crust is excellent. I’m glad I got it with the fruit, it played off of it more than I would have expected.
Satay is an institution in Austin and I think I’ll give their soups a try on the next dreary day near Anderson Lane. I also don’t think I’ll be resisting that pie as often as I should.

Say this on restaurant redemption and had to try it.
Of course we ate family style and ordered 6 dishes to share and try. Was a little concerned about the look of some of the food. Because was not what I was used to seeing on a Thai menu.
I have to say most of the fold was good. Some… Not so much. My favorite the duck curry and dwi beef noodles.
My son ordered the duck curry and I could not believe the curry flavor. The Duck to me tasted a bit frozen or old. Could not tell. But hey… They curry soup made me forget about the texture/​flavor of the duck slices.
The flavor of the duck curry was ahhhh maaaaayyyyy zing!
I wake up in the morning craving this soup. So sad, I know. But it is really yummy and in a lot of ways makes me think comfort food.
Now, the dwi beef noodles are hands down addicting. I could eat those for breakfast, lunch AND dinner any day of the week.
If you love drunken noodles… Try the dwi. I am telling you… You will want to slap your mama… A few times. Lol (sorry mom! jk no mom was hurt in the review)
The ONLY reason I did not give 5 stars was the duck. I am still on the fence about that darn duck. Sorry.
Now… I must go back and have some more before I go insane without it.
Go try it. Let me know what cha thought!

The whole meal — wow. YOU HAVE TO TRY THE CHOCOLATE THAI PIE! Caps, underlined, bold and italic. It’s crazy — it tastes like chocolate cheesecake but it’s VEGAN. I didn’t believe them, so the owner came out and told me some of what was in it (her husband came up with a secret recipe to accommodate 1) her love of cheesecake 2) her lactose intolerance. He’s planning on marketing and selling the pants off that pie — I hope he does). I’m still amazed and will probably wind up buying two of the pies for Thanksgiving.
The rest of the meal was perfect — some of the most authentic, perfectly prepared, flavorful Thai I have ever eaten. Our server was attentive; the food was served quickly.
The FOOD! The duck curry was superb, and the (vegan!) sweet potato /​sweet corn pancakes were delicious. The recipe is what the owner’s mother used to make for her in Thailand. I also found out that all the ingredients in them were organic and locally sourced (I’m looking at you, corn).
Speaking of the owner (Foo), she came to our table and is one of the most gracious, warm and welcoming people you’d ever meet. Her passion for Thai food, cooking, and cooking lessons (!!) shone through in the dishes we ate as well as the presentation.
My parents were so impressed, my mom booked Foo for a cooking lesson.

Our lunch specials were all very undercooked and under seasoned. My kiddo couldn’t even eat her food, and they didn’t check in about it at all when they picked up a full plate of food from our table. I had the DWI and the sauce reminded me of the $ 0.80 ramen I can get at Whole Foods and the broccoli and tomato were all raw. To top it all off it was $ 50 for lunch. What?!? Taking this place off our list, which is a shame. They used to be really good.
To address the comments left. It was nearly impossible to flag *anyone* down to ask for dishes to be re-​done. We had also been there for nearly an hour and were already running late. We didn’t have time to wait for our dishes to be remade.

This is one of those places where I ask myself if I want to give them 3 stars, and feel kind of guilty. Or, if they really merited the 4. There’s still no 3.5 option, so I’m going to round up.
I was a little scared to come here at first. I saw that they had been on Restaurant Rescue, and the other Unilocal reviews were bleak. I had a
gift card, so I went ahead and took a chance on it. The weather was nice, so we sat outside by a bubbling fountain. The patio paired with cold Thai beer was divine, but waiting to see our server took longer than I’d prefer. I was viciously thirsty, and each minute without water got painful. I eventually got up and asked the bartender for water.
We ordered a red curry shrimp appetizer that had a really interesting presentation. The shrimps in a curry sauce were each under their own ceramic lid on a ceramic plate. They were perfect, large spoonfuls, and something I’d consider ordering again. My partner had the gang-​dang (red curry) and I had the seafood laksa. Prices are a little steep, and I wonder if they factor in the Groupons and
deals into their original price. I’d heard good things about their chu chee, but at almost $ 20 for a plate, I decided to pass. My soup was just under $ 15, and our appetizer was about $ 10.
As far as taste goes, I’d say it was fair to good. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t Sway either. I felt like the tables could do with some chili sauce or other condiments to amp up the flavor. I don’t want to call it bland, because it really wasn’t, but it wasn’t as flavorful as it could have been.
Why did I decide to round up to 4 stars in the end? Well, that goes for the server becoming attentive after we got over the hurdle of seeing her for the first time, and also the amazing feeling of cold beer, good food, and a patio on a warm, sunny day. Hopefully they kick up the spice in their food, and maybe work a little on the service. Then maybe I can consider them a 4.5.

As far as service, they were very nice and accommodating, though not very attentive. They allowed us to use our lunch Groupon for dinner if we spent a minimum of $ 30, which was nice. They were also closed from 2:30 — 5:00 for dine in but still allowed us and two other couples to come dine in at that time, which I thought was very nice. My water glass went a long time without getting refilled and nobody ever checked back to see if our food was ok. The server was very nice, though, and I did think they were super customer service friendly to allow us so many exceptions.
Really, the two star review comes down to the prices, which are not in line with the quantity or quality of food. We ordered the $ 17 duck curry and there were just a handful of thin duck pieces in a smallish bowl of curry. The chicken satay appetizer was a few TINY chunks of chicken on 3 skewers for $ 7.50. The shrimp and squid stir fry we ordered was about $ 14 and had 4 medium-​sized shrimp on it and about the same number of rubbery, super fishy pieces of squid. Even the rice portions were small. There was nothing memorable about the food and the portions were so small that we didn’t have any leftovers for the $ 40 we spent eating here.
Overall, I don’t feel you get good value for your money and I wouldn’t eat here again.