Tong Phoon

Some people will criticize me for reviewing the restaurant based on just one visit, but I know Thai food very well.
I went with two friends for lunch. One got red curry with chicken, one got Pad Thai with fried tofu, and I got green curry with chicken. We all shared, so I got to taste everything (except the Pad Thai). The two of us who got curries got brown rice instead of white rice, and we were NOT charged extra for that. My companions got coconut soup, and I got an appetizer the name of which I’ve forgotten.
First, let me say that the restaurant looks a little like a diner, but it is very clean and the chairs are comfortable. Impressively, the men’s rest room was spanking clean.
I’ve never been to Thailand, but I suspect that the curried sauces there are fairly thin. I think that most Americans probably prefer the sauces to be thicker with more fat in them, which makes them more flavorful, and I’m certainly in that group. The curried sauces at Tong Phoon are on the thin side and didn’t seem to have as much flavor as the sauces that I get at my favorite Thai restaurant, which is Thai Taste in Swansea. The green curry was a little too hot, and the red curry was too sweet and didn’t have a strong enough taste of red peppers. The vegetables were julienned in strips that were a little too long and made them awkward to eat. The flat plates that they use for lunch aren’t the right shape for scraping up the sauce; plates that have more rounded bottoms would be better.
The coconut soup was delicious. For dessert we had coconut ice cream (which, amazingly, cost only $ 2 per serving). The coconut ice cream was very frosty, like iced milk. Even so, it was tasty. (But again, high-​fat ice cream is what I prefer.)
I also had the Thai iced tea, which was perfectly good.
My friend who had the Pad Thai said that it was good but that she had had other versions of the dish that she preferred. She described it as too sweet and said that the eggs seemed to be missing. She said that the flavors were not balanced the way she likes them, with too much of a spice she couldn’t identify. But she loved the fried tofu that came on it.
My friend who got the red curry was definitely disappointed, but she is harder to please than I and my other friend are. I introduced this particular friend to red curry, and she is always disappointed if it isn’t extremely rich.
At one point we all laughed about how critical we are, saying that we should be restaurant reviewers. The fact is that the food was all extraordinarily fresh, and the flavors were good if not fabulous. I’m not conceited enough to think that my tastes constitute some kind of gold standard. With very reasonable prices (no extra charge for brown rice, a low price for dessert, and a reasonable BYOB policy), it would be unreasonable of me to give this restaurant less than four stars. One more thing: The service was excellent.
In a direct comparison between the lunch dishes at this restaurant and the lunch dishes at Thai Taste in Swansea, where I ate just a few days before, Thai Taste comes out on top. The lunch price at Thai Taste is 50 cents less with white rice, and 50 cents more with brown rice — but you get more rice, the food portions are more generous, the sauces are richer, and the flavors are better. That’s why Thai Taste gets a full five stars.

My go to take out spot, and the time I went for lunch to eat in was fabulous too.
AND they have BYOB for dinner!
Super friendly staff, quick service and great atmosphere.

Went here today as I discovered my usual Thai place was closed due to it being Super Bowl Sunday! I started with the Thai iced tea which was good but too much ice. The tom yum soup was good. Broth was tasty. I ordered the pad Thai with shrimp and chicken. Noodles were thinner than the usual pad Thai I usually get. I was a bit surprised when I tasted it as it was very sweet and kind of slimy. Only ok. I have had much better. Service was pretty good.

Quick lunch on my way through Bristol. Tasty, fresh and a welcome change from other restaurants in the area. Recommended for anyone with a craving for Thai food. Had nice green curry lunch special.

I was impressed with both the food and the people who run Tong Phoon. I came here with my brother and sister-​in-​law while visiting RI. It is a small, clean and nicely decorated Thai restaurant that is actually run by Thai people!
I had the Crispy Pad Thai with chicken and it was delicious. The noodles were crispy but still flavorful and the chicken was moist and tender.
Prices here are very reasonable. In fact so much so that I did not realize we had paid for a dish we had not ordered. Luckily the staff also noticed and ran to the parking lot to ask us to come back inside so they could issue us a credit. Now that is how to win my loyalty!

Went here on a whim and really enjoyed it. Great pad thai. Can’t wait to go back for more!

Really good food, not expensive, excellent service. Nice!

I waited a while to write this review but I really feel that it needs to be done. I am a huge Thai food fan and I wish there were some real options in the area. This place cooks up totally Americanized Thai food. Every single thing we ordered tasted WAY to sweet. Even the things that were not supposed to have some sweetness. The small amount of fresh vegetables that you did get were overdone and drenched overly salty and overly sweet sauce. The service was awful. It seems that it is a family run business which would make you think that the service would be awesome. The kids need to not be waiting tables. Our server was never around and didn’t bother to ask about the food.

I agree with Susan W. Very disappointed. As the only customer at 2 pm for lunch I waited 20 minutes for under cooked chicken satay-​granted a large portion but I only ate one piece. Shrimp pad Thai was also under cooked though generous and large. Worse the noodles were sickenly sweet and vegetables absent. I’m glad someone else mentioned the bad smell; I almost cancelled and walked out. I should have and will never return. Sorry to post this. The Thai restaurant in Barrington is so much better.

Wife went here on our date night. Wow food is super affordable and super delicious. What we had.
Cheese rolls awesome
Sweet and sour soup super awesome
Pork pai thai amazing
Drunken beef noodle out of this world!
Now add the fact that it’s BYOB and this is one of RI little eating secrets. Went to this place based on the reviews I saw on Unilocal.Keep them recommendations coming!

Top fight Thai in a sunny spot near Bristol’s quaint waterfront (great people watching)
The stir fried green bean appetizer (with garlic and crushed peanuts) was perfectly cooked and the chicken pad Thai was as good as I have eaten, with just the right kick. Great service, despite a busy take out business.

Great place for Thai food in the east bay. Crispy pad Thai and drunken noodles is great.
Also you can’t beat BYOB for 2 dollars a person. Great service also

We anticipated a very good meal as so many reviewers have given Tong Phoon 5 stars and we were not disappointed. The restaurant is very clean and bright and the staff is welcoming and attentive. We had the cheese pockets as this was something new for us and they were great. My wife had the chicken pad Thai and I had the calamari Pad Thai. Both dishes were excellent and the portion size was just right for one person. Another plus is the restaurant has a parking lot that it shares with the restaurant next to it. It is a small lot however we were able to get a parking space. We look forward to soon returning.

Started with the corn rangoon which was a pleasant change from the typical crab. We then tried the drunken noodle (spicy but delicious) and the yellow chicken curry.
Both were better than we have been able to find in the area, the portions were generous and it’s BYOB.
We also tried the orange cake which is made in house and it was tasty.
The only downside would be that this place closes at 9 on the weekends.

Best Thai food I have experience in RI so far.
Super fresh and tasty. Tastes like they make more items from scratch than other places in the area. Prices are great and they are BYOB with a flat and very low corkage charge. Service was quick and pleasant. Great spot not far from the end of the bike path if you need to refuel.

I’d like to start this review with announcing this: I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to one of my very favorite dishes, pad thai. So, this 5-​star review does not come easily.
My best friend came to visit me last weekend, and I wanted to do something nice with her being that I don’t see her too often. We both share a love for pad thai that, unfortunately, my husband and I don’t share. So I thought, «why not try the new thai restaurant down the street?»
So, we trekked our way in the snow the half-​mile or so walk to Tong Phoon. Our fingers and toes froze in the freezing weather, but oh my goodness was it worth it!
Tong Phoon was surprisingly empty despite it being dinner time on a Friday. We were seated immediately. We didn’t even look at the menu; pad thai is the only dish we ever order from thai restaurants; it’s our absolute favorite, so we ordered right away.
I ordered the veggie pad thai, and she ordered the chicken. Our food came out about ten minutes later. Immediately after looking at my plate, I knew I was going to enjoy my meal. I took my first bite and just wanted to cry. It was that good! It was the sort of pad thai with peanuts and eggs cooked directly in the meal (which is the only way it should be done, in my opinion). The veggies in my dish were wicked fresh. So freaking delicious.
Like, I didn’t even regret it afterwards. I almost always regret eating asian food later in the night. My tummy usually gets very frustrated with me, but not this time.
In comparison to Sawa, this place is seriously doing some awesome things. Although I wouldn’t say the décor or service is as welcoming as Sawa’s, the food is just so much better. (That being said, my service was still very good at Tong Phoon). The reviews on Unilocal leave Sawa sounding like the best place to get pad thai in Bristol, but their meal tastes more Chinese to me than Thai. The prices are very decent at Sawa; I believe their dinner price is $ 1.50 less than Tong Phoon, but if you want the best meal option available, trust me and order from Tong Phoon. Sawa is a 1 minute walk from my front door, and I’d still rather journey through the cold just to have Tong Phoon.
My one little piece of constructive criticism would be that my friend had absolutely no veggies in her dish. Usually the meat pad thai will also have carrots, broccoli, and other veggies. She still seemed very satisfied by her meal.
Bottom line: try Tong Phoon. Both your heart and tummy will thank you for it.

I had the pleasure of dinning here the first day it opened! I went in with low expectations (unfairly), because for the most part they knocked it out of the park!
At first, the atmosphere is kind of cold, you don’t really feel at home, but I guess in some way you can say it’s modern? The service was a little awkward, but I mean come on, it was the first night they were open. I would be super nervous too!
We ordered the Thai scallion pancakes, which came with an incredible peanut sauce. The pancake on its own was great to, it had a subtle and balanced scallion flavor; rich on its own. I ordered Pad See Ew, which I have never had before, but it came with the wide soy/​rice noodle (which) I love. Though there was no pronounced or startling flavor, I think the dish however had a complex flavor. Which I loved. My date had the Pad Thai, which was also great. Finally, I love how they present the food (hopefully that doesn’t change, because I think it’s beautiful).
Since that first day I have ordered take out (usually Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, or Drunken Noodles) and it has been my go to Thai place. Quick, well priced, and tasty taste taste.
I look forward to writing a new review in about 6 months to see how they have changed!

This place is a gem! Hidden away in little Bristol the thai here is unbelievable. I go to college in town at Roger Williams University, and used to frequent other thai restaurants in the area. I was so pleased to know one opened up right in town! The food amazing; Always fresh and full of flavor and perfectly portioned! My favorite is the Pancake or The wings, and the main dish the ginger calamari or their spicy and sweet Drunken Noodles. It’s a must try!

Having recently moved to Bristol from Newport, hubby and I have been looking for our new Thai place to replace our old standby, Bangkok City. We were pleased to see driving around one afternoon in November that Tong Phoon was soon opening. Tonight, we finally had the chance to try it. We were skeptical given the earlier negative reviews, but decided to take the chance anyway.
I am so glad we decided to ignore those bad reviews! We had a wonderful first visit to Tong Phoon. We ordered the spring rolls to start, I had the Pad See-​ew with chicken for my entrée, and hubby ordered the Drunken Noodle with chicken. We both ordered Thai iced tea for drinks.
The spring rolls, which arrived six per order, were filled with veggies and glass noodles. They were good, but we both prefer the spring rolls at Bangkok City more, which contain pork. The Thai iced tea was fantastic! It was strong, flavorful and sweet! My Pad See-​ew was great as well! It tasted as authentic and good as the pad see-​ew I used to get in Berkeley, CA where Thai restaurants are as common as pizzerias in NYC. Hubbie loved his Drunken noodle and noted that the spiciness was perfect.
We had to order dessert. Tong Phoon has a case of the most adorable looking desserts and they were literally calling my name. I ordered the Taro cake and hubbie had the Thai Iced Tea cupcake. Now, not everyone may appreciate the desserts as much as I did. For one, taro is not everyone’s cup of tea and the sweetness level was on the low side, which is typical for Asian desserts. But, having grown up eating Asian desserts for which taro is a common ingredient, I really enjoyed my cake. I also like my desserts less sweet because it means you can eat more and not feel as guilty! I had a bite of hubbie’s cupcake. I would order one for myself next time. I also couldn’t help ordering the hedgehog shaped pineapple pastries to take home. They come in a box 8 for $ 5. I’m looking forward to trying them tomorrow when I have room in my tummy!
Overall, our entire meal, with my box of hedgehog pastries, tax and tip cost $ 60.
Lastly, I wanted to comment on how clean the entire restaurant was, including the men and women’s bathrooms which were spotless.
Give this place a try! Hopefully, you will have as good an experience as we did.

Excellent, authentic Thai cuisine! Wonderful bakery items to have for dessert or to take home