Taste of Thai Express

I’m addicted to one of their winter specials, the fried mushrooms. Such golden. Much crispy. Wow.
I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the rest of the menu, but I was disappointed by the blandness of the shrimp drunken noodles I ordered. Maybe next time, I’ll specify that I want things extra-​spicy.
I’d have to get sick of the fried mushrooms first to do that, though, so that probably won’t be for a long time.

I have been a loyal customer for years. My concern is that over time — the consistency levels drop off. One dish that my daughter loves (pad thai) tastes different over time — sometimes really great, sometimes dry. I’ve also had missing items in my orders. I had a later-​night order that I placed on-​line. It wasn’t until after 10 pm that night that I noticed that a side order of jasmine rice was missing. I called tonight to just ask for a credit. It’s not a huge deal — I mean, it’s 1.25 or so– not sure. But to receive a comment on the phone that I have to call for credit the day I notice the error — is a sloppy customer service error. For a buck or so –the restaurant shouldn’t waste time telling the consumer they should call the day of for a credit — since it was their error in the first place. For a popular spot, with local ownership I admire — errors will happen. When you make them, put the onus on the restaurant and not the customer.

If you really want thai, go to Taste of Thai. The only plus to this place is that it has more seating than the real Taste of Thai. The food is slightly less good, takes just as long, and costs the same amount.
However they deliver, which gives them a one up. So I have definitely taken advantage of that.

In a town with lots of Thai choices, TOT Express fell short for me. Although for a group dinner of five people, the service was exceptional (thank you!), the food was average.
It’s not bad, I just tasted my Pad See Ew to be overly salty. We ordered «fresh rolls» with shrimp to start. The waitress offered to cut the 3 fresh rolls into six pieces for us which was nice for each of us to get a bite! My veggie/​tofu Pad See Ew was decent. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy, but the noodles seemed overly salted and salt was the predominant flavor. Ask for a spice rack so you can mix and match some delicious goodies, but when it’s overly salted… it’s hard to shake that without diluting the dish (which you can’t really do!).
All in all, I don’t think this is a bad choice and keep in mind with this review, I’m only judging them for their one dish — so some of the other things could be far better (i.e. I’ve heard their fried rice is phenomenal!).

I had only had taste of Thai express twice before tonight. The first time was four years ago when I ordered some pad Thai to my dorm room. The pad Thai was SO syrupy and sweet. I vowed to never get pad thai from there again. The second time I went was a year later — I had Thai fried rice. After they served it to me with tomatoes in it which is arguably the least Thai thing ever j basically wrote this place off. But I was really craving pad Thai tonight and I didn’t want to leave my bed so I took the plunge and ordered some from here. I also got some Thai spring rolls. The pad Thai was a major improvement. Still a little sweet for my taste but no where near what it used to be. I even enjoyed it! I did have a chicken bone in it which wasn’t really a pleasant thing to bite into but at least I know the chicken is real? The Thai spring rolls were fine, but their sweet chili sauce is aggressively vinegary. I can usually douse my food in sweet chili sauce but this was overwhelming with even just a little drop. Overall I would order in again — it is definitely the best pad thai that you can get delivered to your door around here.

This was some of the best thai food we’ve ever had. They were able to quickly accommodate our party of 9, and everything we ordered was superb. The chicken satay was incredibly tender, and the dipping sauces were delicious. The spring rolls were crisp and light. And the chive dumplings were wonderful, too. We tried the massamam curry, the green curry, the pad thai, and a few other noodle dishes (I’ve forgotten their names, sorry!). Every dish was excellent. Our waitress was attentive and lovely, and the prices were very reasonable.

Yummy food! Their pad se ew is especially delicious! Also give their mango sticky rice dessert a try for a sugar fix. They also deliver via GrubHub which is convenient.

I love Taste of Thai Express. Not only is the food always delicious and the service great, but they are generous members of the Ithaca Community, donating to many causes in the area.

I’ve gotten take out here a bunch of times – I always pick up and wait there. The food is good and not super over priced. I always get the same thing seafood pad see ew and seafood tom yum soup. Once in awhile I’ll venture out to a seafood drunken noodle or seafood pad thai. I know, I’m a wild one! The portions are fair for the price.
I did eat in once and the service was super meh. So I just stick to take out. I’ve come here repeatedly and would recommend this place to others.

We stopped in for dinner tonight and really enjoyed both the food and the service. We had fresh tools and two different entrees. The staff was very helpful in guiding us through the menu and knew the details of the recipes.
One star dropped because the staff was quite slow after we got our food. Checking on us, asking about dinner, and bringing the check were slow. Not necessarily bad but we did want to move on to some errands (to be fair, we had not indicated that we were on a schedule) so it would have been nice if they were watching more.

Taste of Thai used to be favorite Thai food in Ithaca. The quality of the food is still good but the flavor has severely diminished over the years. Decent Pad Thai and Green Curry. It’s not as authentic as it used to be. Pleasant service and still hits the spot when craving Thai. But I am not impressed by this place anymore.

I have been here twice with my friend. Both times I ordered the Chicken pad see ew, so I guess that tells you how I feel about the dish. Chicken pad see ew is a broad noodle dish with their Thai broccoli, soy sauce and yellow bean paste. This is my go-​to dish aside from pad thai when I try a new Thai restaurant. Since the noodles are broader, it is easier to make the dish very greasy (more oil makes it easer to sauté). However, this dish was not only not greasy, it was well seasoned and the Thai broccoli gave it a delicious texture.
At my second visit, I also split an order of fresh spring rolls (I love these things!) with my friend. To be honest, I was underwhelmed. The order was 3 shrimp rolls which were stuffed very well, BUT they were a bit dry and it just did not seem fresh. The rolls were sitting on a bed of wilted lettuce which made it a bit unappealing. The dipping sauce on the side (peanut, oyster and spicy) was definitely a saving grace. The spring rolls tasted okay but could have used a bit more Thai basil and some mint. Keep in mind, we were eating at 9pm, about an hour before they closed on a Sunday (not that this should be an excuse but just giving some context).
Service at Taste of Thai Express is very good. Staff are polite, attentive and respond quickly without being too intrusive. Décor is simple but warm — very nice place to eat for a first date or a family dinner. Things are very affordable and service is quick. Overall, a nice experience and a great place for someone who is trying Thai for the first time in Ithaca.

Very few places can capture the real taste of authentic Thai food. This restaurant successfully brings a bit of Thailand to you.
It appears this place has a loyal following. Families, students, and couples come to this place. I found the service fast and friendly. Many of the wait staff study at Cornell or Ithaca college. So they deserve an extra applause for their hard work at school and here.
The food tastes absolutely delicious! The flavors come together to create a symphony of culinary delight.
Convenient to downtown, this place offers a wonderful menu of Thai food. The prices look decent. They offer gluten free if you ask.
Some of the items include:
Fried calamari
Pad Thai
Pad see ew
Assorted vegetables — which you can add chicken, shrimp or tofu to.
Fried banana for dessert
The décor looks simple and comfortable. When visiting Ithaca, come to Taste of Thai. It opens until 10 pm.
I highly recommend this place.

The good:
— Terrific server — we were a group of nine with a variety of dietary sensitivities/​preferences & he answered our questions with patience & skill. Kept our waters filled, was right on top of our requests.
— Awesome tea menu for the table.
— Tofu or mock chicken (seitan) available in any dish! they will make nearly everything vegan or vegetarian at request.
— Inside seating area was bright and open, good ambiance. Outdoor seating available too!
— Good environment for kids, indoors or out; it’s casual.
The not-​so-​good:
— We sat for 10 minutes before receiving menus or service.
— The food was okay, but not great, which was a bummer. May try again with a different dish.

The best food, service and price in town! The restaurant is always clean and staff is friendly not to mention the food unbelievable. Whenever my family comes to town they always want to go here.

Spring specialties: crab fried rice and mango sticky rice. Fried rice is made with real crab. And mangos are in season now. Really delicious!
We ordered spring rolls, crab fried rice, drunken noodles, and mango sticky rice all for $ 40. Really affordable and great service.

Order was delivery — ordered at 6:23pm and arrived 7:50pm. Even during very busy hours, this is just not acceptable. Imagine sitting in a restaurant for more than an hour waiting for your food. I am not sure how the system works, but orders should be filled sequentially. But for some reason, when you order delivery this seems to not be the case.
Food:
1) Fresh spring rolls — came torn with insides spilled out all over the container. Spring roll wrappers are a bit sticky so while picking them up they can rip, this is understandable. But they came ripped. So they were pre-​made and in the process of packing them, got ripped. You wouldn’t serve ripped spring rolls in the restaurant, you shouldn’t serve them for delivery. The hoisin/​hot sauce container was only ¹⁄₃ full. There was 1 shrimp per roll (3 rolls total), the shrimp had been split into two. The shrimp tasted gummy and muddy, it felt like potentially frozen shrimp. No flavor at all.
2) Spicy Rad Nah — noodles and broth came separately which is good so the noodles don’t get soggy. However, the noodles were swimming in grease and stale. They were hard. Additionally, the broth had very little chicken in it. Only 4 or 5 pieces. I understand to accommodate many different tastes, the meat is generally cooked separately then added to the broth, but this meant that the chicken and the noodles had none of the flavor of the broth. Everything played separately, no harmony to the dish.
3) Fresh lime soda — this was the only good thing in the order. Tangy and sweet, not too much ice.
I am never ordering from Taste of Thai Express again.

AMAZING Food and Customer Service. I order take-​out from Taste of Thai all the time and it always hits the spot. They only messed up on a take-​out order once (I’m vegetarian, but they added meat) and they handled it even better than I could have imagined. After letting them know about this mistake, they sincerely apologized, offered to send the (corrected) order again or refund the money, and were nothing short of professional and caring. They care a lot about their customers, and it shows through both their food and their service.
Favorite Items: Rama Noodle, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Pad Thai
Pro Tips: I absolutely LOVE cooking with Peanut Sauce, and it’s impossible to find anything tasty in the supermarket (I’ve tried all the brands). If you ask, Taste of Thai will sell you JUST peanut sauce, and it’s actually cheaper than buying a bottle of peanut sauce in the store. It stores well and is really great for cooking.

Pretty good Thai food in Ithaca, despite being slightly out of the way and with a very casual ambiance. Good value and a go-​to.
The vermicelli salad is unique and worth trying.

Summary: Taste of Thai Express is an eat-​in or take out Thai restaurant.
Price: My soda, soup, and fried rice entrée were about $ 15 I think. It was a lot of food and served nicely for leftovers, too!
Taste: I’ve had Thai before, but don’t know enough about the cuisine as a whole to judge on the authenticity of it. I can say though that my Tom Yum soup with Shrimp was very good, as was my Spicy Fried Rice with Chicken. The Lime Soda was good, but not quite as good as some of the sparkling limeades I’ve had in the general region. The spice in the fried rice was nice and not overwhelming (I got a 3 out of 5 spice level), and the addition of the baby corn and assorted vegetables were quite tasty.
Atmosphere: We came here for a going away party with a party of 8 and they were very accommodating. The waiters and waitresses were very nice and tentative. We were actually the only ones there for a large duration of the meal, so I can’t judge on how it would be with a packed house.
Overall: I enjoyed it here! We chose to eat here as some of the other party members recommended it, and it was a good choice. I would come back again and try some of the other items as the menu has a lot of interesting and tasty looking options. Maybe not a 5 as I wasn’t blown away, but a solid 4, and I’d recommend it.

My favorite Thai place in Ithaca, the food is just excellent! Dining in is ok, not much of an atmosphere, but service is good. I suggest the lunch take out, excellent price and just great food