Toy’s Cafe

Did they close? I went there today for lunch and there was a «For Lease» sign on the window and they were not open though everything was still there and setup.
Please tell me this is not the case!

Not quite ready to call it my favorite Thai place in Dallas as I’ve only been once. Toy’s is fantastic… not only is the food good, service was quick and friendly. I had the basil duck and it was pretty good, typically I go with curry or spicy noodles but I was feeling fancy. Fiancée went with the Pad Thai. I thought that could have been a bit saucier and a touch more flavorful, but the tofu was outstanding and overall it was an excellent dish. I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet. Best Thai iced tea I’ve had hands-​down. I’m beyond excited to try so much more at this place

I have been going to this restaurant for at least 10 years. Today the Yellow Curry Veggie dish was stirfried in butter, w little or no curry. The tofu was so old it tasted spoiled. Then when I was paying I saw the buslady open a drawer, and out came hundreds of little roaches, the skinny, small kind (not the big Texan ones). The lady didn’t even flinch, telling me this was normal. I have seen this alot in Asia, but not much in Dallas. Sad as it is, I won’t be going back.
Good eggrolls, though.

The best Thai food in Dallas. Run… don’t walk… to Toy’s café.
‘Ive eaten there for years and it is just terrific. The eggplant in spicy sauce is amazing! My favorite dish.

I grab take-​out from Toys almost weekly. It’s around the corner form my place, and looks like a typical storefront Thai restaurant but soooo much better than appearances would have you believe.
My favorite items are the Pad See Ew (chicken), with a little basil added. OMG it’s delish! I should never eat the entire huge order by myself but I usually do! The big fat wide noodles are perfectly soft and coated in a flavorful brown sauce tossed with several ingrediants I can never remember!
I also love the Tom Kha (Coconut soup) with tofu. You gotta be on the look-​out for little pieces of wood (not sure what kind) and lemongrass which are meant to add flavor. The tofu gets nice and seared on the outside by the hot broth and perfectly textured on the inside. The broth is incredibly addicting!
I’ve tried the corn patties and spring rolls, as well– equally decent.
I prefer take-​out to eating-​in because the space is uninspiring. The prices are a bit higher than a few other places but the food is much better! All things considered… Toy’s is probably my favorite Thai!

Um, their lunch specials. Stop it.
Toy is so lovely. I walked in, told her I wanted to place a to-​go order. She handed me the menu with a smile. After browsing the lunch specials, I ordered the (Yellow) Curry Flat Noodles with chicken and made it spicy, level 2. It came with the soup of the day, Egg Drop and an egg roll with their signature sauce. Cost me $ 9 and was out in 5.
I will now unbutton my pants.
Good day.

My family and I have been going to this restaurant for years. Hands down it’s the best Thai food in Dallas.
Everything exudes freshness. Try the Calamari and Crab Noodles.

We just went to Toy’s Café on a whim last night for the first time. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, and we felt brave going in. It also didn’t look like much on the inside, to be frank about it, but the two Thai women running the place seemed friendly and the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant was an interesting design choice, so I felt better.
Now let me say that I lived in Thailand for a year, and had a full-​time maid/​cook who lived at my apartment during that period, so I ate home-​cooked Thai food (and restaurant and street food) pretty much 7 days a week there. In the intervening years since I have been back in America, however, I’ve pretty much given up on getting Thai food that was authentic. Everything here, even the «good» restaurants, dumb their food down, make it bland (compared to real Thai food) and just generally Americanize it for their audience here. Given that we are IN America, it’s hard to blame the owners of restaurants for doing it.
However! Toy’s Café blew me away! Their food is so fricking good, I was in disbelief. It was *exactly* the way it tasted in Thailand. It reminded me with each bite how much I loved that food and that country, to the point where I was a bit worried that other Americans who are used to Americanized Thai food might be put off a bit by how this tastes.
For starters, we had Tom Kha Gai (chicken in coconut milk soup, kinda). Aside from having zucchini and squash in it, which I don’t remember being in Thai soup, it was delicious – spicy and creamy, fragrant and savory at the same time. Loved it.
Next my wife got the Pineapple Fried Rice, with Chicken. It was also delicious and tasted completely like it was made in Thailand. For those of you who haven’t had real Thai fried rice, it is quite different from Chinese fried rice. Thai fried rice has a smoky, grilled flavor to it. I don’t know why or how it gets that flavor, but it makes Chinese rice seem like recycled leftovers, which is what it is.
I got the Panang Beef (a certain type of reddish curry with sweet coconut milk in it). It too was awesome. Thick and creamy, with a variety of firm but not crunchy veggies (more veggies than in Thailand, but ok whatever). Foolishly, not knowing how authentic the restaurant was when I ordered, I had ordered it «Thai hot» which at most places is an off-​menu codeword for «6 stars». The waitress confirmed that I was sure, and I was. I’m a guy who loves spicy food and can eat and enjoy pretty much anything anyone throws at me spice-​wise. This dish practically did me in though. Wow, it was freaking hot. I could barely finish it but I loved every bite. Next time I’ll order it a little less spicy – or not. :-)
I didn’t give it 5 stars because it is a bit of a hole in the wall and seemed a bit pricey given the atmosphere. My beef was also a bit tough in the Panang. But overall, I loved it. I’m done trying new Thai places now that I’ve moved to Dallas. This is the one. I can hardly wait to try many of their other dishes that I’ve missed from my time in Thailand. Enjoy.

I’m just not wild about Toy’s, even though it seems on the edge of being perfect. The food is prepared well, and of good quality, and the beautiful buxom Thai Toy is your waitress and runs the show. $ 11 lunch with maybe five cubes of tofu but more eggplant in a green coconut curry sauce was satisfying just enough, but didn’t quit match the dumpy factor.

I’m very impressed. I’m going to try and visit tonight now that I’m thinking of Thai that’s close to us. So why the 5-​stars? While they had a different variation of my fav. Thai soup… Tom Khai Gai, it wasn’t bad at all. In fact I’m not sure if whether what I’ve been eating all along is not the original version or if Toy’s is the original. I say this because upon entering the restaurant you’ll notice the kitchen set in the middle with a Thai lady that reminds me of my aunties hard at work in India when in the kitchen. It’s fresh, made on the spot, in front of you, the sound of sizzling spices, and the fact that its also great to watch brings a certain level of authenticity that most Thai restaurants don’t share with its customers. Toy’s does this and they do it well. First thing that came to mind was… AUTHENTIC. It was confirmed once I got home to try out the soup. It’s the real deal and it tastes very good. Now another reason I believe that it comes closer to the real deal than others is the lady that works the wok has a skewed version of what ‘hot’ is. When we say we want a spicy NUMBER TWO… as in TWO STARS or TWO PEPPERS to represent the degree of spicy on a scale of 1 – 5 she apparently makes it at the level that she’d imagine a two to be. Similar to that of my elders who are originally from India and enjoy HOT spices, the Thai and Indian share the common love and need for heat and spice. The difference is their idea of number two spicy is number 5 spicy for us. So basically… all I’m saying is be careful with what you ask for when at Toy’s. Ask for spicy but be as descriptive. Maybe stick with the number one.
Regardless, go there and enjoy the dishes. I believe they serve dishes that most other Thai restaurants don’t serve. That’s another reason to go. Explore, experience, and enjoy.

Having gone 32 years of my life without really venturing into Thai food, I have been pleased with discovering Toy’s this past year. With that said, the GF and I love going there to grab some quick Pad See ew and mow (spelling could be off as well as pronunciation). Both are delicious dishes and we haven’t really tried others as of yet.
The 3 stars are not for service (which is 5 because we always get it to and they are sweet to us still) and also not for food quality. I sort of reserve the 3 stars for price, which seems a bit high for a hole in the wall, and just for it being new in my rotation of neighborhood joints.
I really look forward top trying new dishes here and will be looking at the other Unilocalers suggestions!

BEST THAI FOOD IN DALLAS. I could just end the review here.
We had an amazing meal, it’s just fantastic. We started with the Corn Patties — just a perfect starting place for food. My friend had the panang fried rice meal at spicy level 2. We planned on sharing and i wanted him to get a 3 on the level of spiciness, but dear goodness! the 2 was incredibly spicy, i don’t even know who would ever get the most spicy at 5. Whoever it is, they’re a brave soul.
Anyway, I got the Padd Thai noodles which is fantastic as well, just sweet and good noodles cooked to perfection.
as every other review said, just a cute, hole in the wall, family owned restaurant.

This is a quaint little place indeed. Family run, hole in the wall and very easy to miss.
I had the Tom Kha soup with tofu and pineapple fried rice. Though the soup was a little too salted, it still was really good as was the rice. A warm friendly welcome followed by quick service to go with really tasty food at pretty cheap prices, a definite 5 star!

A good friend was in town and was craving Thai food so we decided to check this place out.
There were four of us and we started with the tom ka gai (coconut chicken soup). It was the perfect amount to share and there were a ton of vegetables, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. and chicken in there. The flavor was pretty good too.
For my meal I had the peanut sauce with shrimp. It was absolutely disgusting. A thick, heavy, concentrated paste on top of overcooked shrimp and broccoli with brown rice.
In the end I decided to also get coconut ice cream. It was yummy with little bits of coconut jelly inside-​huge serving too!
Toy’s seems like a family friendly place – there was a family there who seemed to be regulars and they were really taken care of. Our service was good, but we were definitely not the priority customers.
Overall the place is nothing special, I won’t go back.

Finally made it to Toy’s today after experiencing major Thai food jonesin’ earlier in the day.
Yes, it’s in a dump of a location and yes it is not pretty inside. That much is true.
What I learned from Mai’s is don’t judge a book by its cover.
I was the only person in there and was greeted promptly and with courtesy. This service continued throughout my entire meal.
I stuck to the easy stuff: Tom Yum soup and Pad Kee Mow.
Soup was hot, had some flavor, could have done without so much vegetables… but all in all a tasty beginning.
Pad Kee Mow, for being a simple dish, can be a trainwreck in most Thai places I’ve been.
It came in a pretty bowl but I immediately thought… for $ 9.95, all I get is this? Well, looks can be deceiving because I had a hard time finishing it. Serves me right for complaining about portion without fact.
Served piping hot, I was satisfied with the dish. The tofu was a bit tough… a sign of sitting around for a while after being prepped earlier. Had just the right amount of sauce but I wish it had a bit more flavor. I have to notch it up to the location. It’s not exactly a hotbed for Asian food. All other Asian-​ish restaurants in the neighborhood are just as watered down in taste to suit all palates.
Would I go back to Toy’s? Sure, it’s nearby and a few hours later I’m not ill.
Sad that I judge restaurants like that but it’s true… you know it!
Toy’s provided a solid meal. For an area starved for good Thai food, it will do the trick.

So I gave Toy’s another chance and it still didn’t impress. Valerie S. and I returned with my BF and her brother for an early dinner and we were about the only people here for a good 45 minutes.
We shared the egg rolls ($ 4.95) and they were crispy and fresh. I got the tofu curry noodles and asked for extra vegetables, Val got the pad kee maow again, Richard being a big boy got the tom kha gai soup in a cup and an order of the chicken peanut with veggies and Patrick S. got the tom yum soup with chicken and veggies.
Val and I got charged a dollar each for asking for extra veggies (boo) and Toy’s committed one of the worst crimes ever: WATERED DOWN SRIRACHA. That alone lost a star.
Moving on, the coconut soup was good but they added veggies like squash and zucchini which I’m not used to and it was a little weird. My noodles had a very strong curry taste, almost overpowering so I drowned it out with sriracha. Val liked her noodles and Pat said his soup was alright. Richard’s peanut chicken dish came out red which was a surprise to all of us but the taste was pretty good. It came with brown rice but it worked for this dish because the peanut sauce is so thick. Our total bill was about $ 61.
I’m sorry Toy’s but there is better Thai in this area and cheaper too.

I came up here for the UYE lunch with Flor, Katie, and Melody and they were great company.
I had the lunch special that comes with soup and entrée with brown rice and egg roll.
The Tom Yum Soup reminded me of a watered down Korean Kim Chi Stew with it’s slight spiciness and assortment of veggies including cabbage.
I had the Baby Top Corn with chicken. It was really healthy like with all the veggies that it came with and maybe a little heavy on the julienne carrots. The stir fry sauce that it was cooked in was really light and flavor was a little bland, but very edible. I don’t normally eat brown rice (I should), but it was ok.
The tiny egg roll was pretty good with the peanut dipping sauce.
Overall, it was pretty decent. Hopefully I can be a bit more adventurous and order something spicy on my next visit.

I came here with fellow Unilocalers for UYE lunch. The company was great and the conversation cozy and relaxing. We are a fun bunch after all.
Nevertheless, I can not give Toy’s any more or less than 3 stars cos my pad see ew (Thai flat noodles dish) was pretty good & tasty. Except I paid for shrimp and got like 3 to 4 shrimps and alot of chicken at the bottom that I am not supposed to be eating on Friday during Lent anyway.
Melody’s pad thai though was the Thai version of spaghettiOs? really awful & totally unacceptable.
and I have to give props to Katie C. she can take some heat… the yellow curry dish she ordered & I took a tiny taste of started tasting like venom in my mouth after the first taste.
Everyone got ample portions though.
In the end, I think Melody was better off sans friends cos the thai iced tea is about the only memorable thing about this place.
Although, they did all enjoy the soup but I dont do south east asian soups.
My salad was a typical Thai restaurant salad with the peanut sauce based dressing.
The atmosphere is nice & laid back and the service is more than decent.
But as far as their offerings, they really need to step up their game.
I was hoping for more.

Hmmm… this seems to be another one of those places where I just didn’t have the experience it seems other Unilocalers did. I went here recently for dinner and was fairly disappointed.
There was no warm staff. We were the only ones in there, aside from the lady who took our order and then we never really saw again except to drop off our food and check. It was kind of unsettling how quiet and empty it was.
We ordered pad thai chicken and pad kee mow beef. The pad thai was eerily similar to the kind you get at Lovers Egg Roll, only not as good. The pad kee mow noodles were suuuuper slimy and were lacking in flavor. There were some green peppers, but that was about the only veggies in this dish. There may have been one tomato, I forget. Anyway, the PKM wasn’t BAD by any means, but it’s the least good rendition I’ve ever had.
Also, it was on the higher end of thai food prices for the ambience of the place (ie not that nice). I’d be willing to give it another try because of the other reviews, but if not for that I probably wouldn’t go back.

Great Thai Restaurant! My favorite item on the menu is the crab noodles. So YUMMY. Like others have said be careful on how spicy you get it. You can order 1 – 5 on the spiciness level. I ordered 4 one time and could barely eat it and I love spicy food. So don’t go over a 3 :)
It is a hole in the wall place but don’t let that throw you off. It is not in a scary strip center as one other Unilocaler suggested. It’s perfectly safe.