Thai Spice Cafe

Such a disappointment. The only thing that was acceptable was the Tom Yum. Not much variety to choose from for their express lunch. The food just didn’t taste good enough to justify the cost. I’d walk a little further for better quality.

Consistent quality, great Thom Kha (Tuesday/​Thursday). Friendly service.
I’ve been coming here for lunch at least once a week since 2011 and still love it.

Under $ 10 for a big lunch downtown and quick to boot. The flavors were pretty good, but not amazing. Overall I was satisfied, but all the food is pretty spicy so be prepared. The tiny water glasses was another small negative. (so only 4 instead of 5 stars)

Five stars because I get the same thing every time and they already know it the moment I walk into the place. Pad Thai with tofu. It’s relatively cheap and filling.
Today, that hot oil is SPICY!!! Tommy Chong would ask, «Kinda gets you by the boo-​boo, don’t it?» In which I would say yes. Yes it does.

Vegetarian Review: While the food is not the greatest by any means, it’s good for your quick fix of Thai to satisfy a craving. I would give this place 3 stars, but the pad thai is worth a fourth star!
If you’re vegetarian and are interested in the lunch special, you’re in luck! They usually have 1 vegetarian soup and a vegetarian curry. Just ask. I tried it once and it wasn’t my thing — but other patrons love it!
Keep in mind a minimum charge of $ 5 is required on credit cards. My order of a small pad thai with tofu comes out just below that, so I always carry cash with me. Oh and ask for a side of peanut sauce. You won’t regret it!

Great place to stop for a quick fix of curry.
The express lunch is the way to go. For eight bucks, you get soup or salad, choice of rice, and two entrees.
I had a chicken coconut milk soup, brown rice, yellow curry with chicken, and seasoned ground beef with green beans (pad kra pao). Everything was delicious… don’t let the cafeteria-​style fool you. Water and hot sauce can be found at the end of the line. Other entrees include chicken wings, red curry, green curry with tofu, and vegetable dishes.
The only thing I don’t like is the limited seating in this tiny place. If you can’t find a table, try to find one just outside the restaurant or by the adjoining businesses. Your food is automatically given to you in a styrofoam to-​go box, so be prepared to walk if you need to.

I order Thai Spice’s Chicken Pad Thai all the time for lunch. They also have a buffet-​style lunch special that is priced reasonably. The employees are always really friendly. You can call your orders in from the office and pick them up ten minutes later. The restaurant always does a big lunch business and the dining area is often full.

This is my go to spot for lunch. Great lunch specials only down side is they run out of food quick which is a good sign because the food is delicious.

On my regular lunch rotation. Good value lunch special. Fish on Wednesday.

It’s aight… The quality of the food is not like your Thai Spice restaurants. But given that it’s in the underground mall downtown, they have a lunch special of $ 6.95 for a soup/​salad, rice/​friedrice, and 2 sides!

If you want something different this might do it, but it is nowhere near the top as far as Thai food goes in Houston… This might kill a crave or two you may have, but you’ll have to go somewhere else to eat something remotely nice…

I have never gotten the cafeteria line stuff here, but I can totally vouch for the Pad Thai. My coworkers and I skip to the front of the line and order Pad Thai off the menu. I prefer my Pad Thai with chicken, but beef is also good. They cook it to order in the back, and they serve it to you in a to-​go box. There is no better feeling than opening the box and seeing the steam just come out and that the box is completely filled.
I have some coworkers who seriously won’t eat anything besides your typical burgers, fries, and bbq, but they love going to Thai Spice for some Pad Thai. It really is pretty good.
The Pad Thai takes maybe 5 – 10 minutes and the seating is a bit limited, but it’s completely worth it!
TIP — The in-​house hot sauce goes great with everything!
TL;DR — Skip the cafeteria food that’s been sitting under those heat lamps and order off the menu. The wait is worth it.

Wedged in the corner of a Houston tunnel convenient store and behind the McDonalds, Thai Spice Café is not a bad lunch destination downtown. Their lunch special is $ 6.95 for a salad or soup, rice and 2 entrees. It is buffet style, so you have your pick of a bunch of entrees. I had the tofu curry which was not bad. I would not come here from home if i was craving thai food, but it will do for a downtown lunch spot.

Thai food sounded really good for lunch today. I was craving that salty, basil-​flavored goodness from a good plate of authentic Pad Kee Mao. I remembered there was one Thai place in the downtown tunnels that I gave a chance to quell my craving — Thai Spice. Let’s just say it missed the mark… by a mile.
First of all, their Pad Kee Mao wasn’t remotely spicy even though they labeled the dish as such — a huge disappointment. Also, their noodles were not made with flat rice noodles, but instead, spaghetti noodles that didn’t have the consistency of decent Pad Kee Mao. Lastly, the ingredients that included carrots for some odd reason and CANNED, not fresh, sliced mushrooms were burnt in some places, leaving an unpleasant taste on the palate.
The bottom line is I won’t be coming back here for my Thai fix.

I just randomly found this place, and I am impressed. Located under Two Shell plaza, this place serves up generous portions for reasonable prices. And most importantly, the food tastes great!
I ordered from the regular menu and not the quick lunch options. The Pad Ka Praw was fantastic, and the portion was huge. I have a healthy appetite and I couldn’t finish all of this with the rice. I asked for it spicy, and they certainly delivered.
I’ll have to try other things when I go back, and believe me: I will be back.

In a nutshell: if you have time and extra $ 3 to spare, and want tastier Thai fare in downtown, head over to Bangkok Room.
I go to Thai Spice usually for 2 things: high speed and low price (relatively speaking). Other than that, the food is mediocre at best. The curry entrees taste watered down and the meats are result of mass production. The pad thai is frankly, quite tasteless and is only OK if you have it with some sides.
On a brighter note, the serving is usually generous (but *psst* China Ocean 5 minutes away serves more generously for less of your dime!)

This is probably my favorite non-​American place to eat in the tunnels. You get a soup or salad and 2 entrees for $ 5.95. I’ve only had the yellow chicken curry, fried tofu and eggplant something, and pad thai, and all were edible. Can’t say they were phenomenal, but you can’t expect great quality from a buffet line. The pad thai is clearly a customer favorite, as it’s always the first to run out. They also give you more rice than is needed. (Thank you! Gotta have my rice.) When given the option between a soup or salad, get the salad with peanut sauce. Their sweet and spicy peanut sauce is hands down THE BEST I’ve ever had! I tried recreating it myself and failed miserably. Thai Spice, please let me in on your secret and tell me how you do it!
As with all pseudo buffet lines where they scoop your food for you, they are kind of stingy with the portions. On every occasion, the guy in charge of the salad ends up picking one or two leafs of lettuce from my to-​go box to put back into the mix. Seriously unnecessary.
All in all, Thai Spice offers a nice break from the sandwich hubbub you find in the tunnels.