AViANNA

After driving by this place dozens of times and reading about it on FB I figured I’d give them a try. The first time I tried the sampler with steamed dumplings, chicken spring rolls, Thai wings and lemon iced tea to go. Everything was just ok. No really great flavor or anything special. I thought the lemon iced tea on the menu would be fresh made tea but it’s a bottle of Snapple. I tried them again today. I had pad lo mein with beef, a duck roll and fried dumplings, again I got my order to go. I wanted the mango and coconut sticky rice but was told they didn’t have any desert. The lo mein was again just ok, no good seasoning or anything special and the beef, cut up steak, was kind of tough and tasted boiled with no flavor. The fried dumplings were extremely hard like someone put them in the fryer and forgot about them. I’ve given them two tries and I’m pretty sure I won’t be eating here again.

The quality of this Asian restaurant surpasses expectations of its location. I don’t know Philly and its ‘burbs that well, but driving down Baltimore ave I saw a whole lot of eh. By the Power of Unilocal did I stumble upon their lunch special, exclusive to only THURS & FRI, which for $ 10.95 includes a soup, app, and entrée. Obviously you’re picking from a limited menu, but between the three courses you can try a good mix. I would recommend actively designating your spice preference or you won’t see a single chili.
My first two courses were great other than the lack of spice. Steamed shicken (shrimp/​chicken) dumplings with a tangy dipping sauce and and a Tom Kha soup readied the palate for an even greater entrée — Chicken Pad Kra Pow. All the flavors came to town, but I was served up a plate with spoiled meat. I could taste it and smell it. After already having tolerated my waiter’s lecture about Thai spice being different than Indian spice — because I’m brown and only eat CTM all day — it took some finesse to convince him the truth. He eventually convinced me that I should try their Orange Chicken instead of getting the same despite the PKP being delicious.
Deep fried chicken fingers in a light orange glaze with a side of steamed broccoli. The glaze did not do anything to the oil-​soaked batter and you guessed it… bad meat. 2.5 courses and a bite in, I had enough. Check please.
I’ll admit, the experience of poor, «restaurant-​is-​right» service and lack of quality control spoiled what I’ll write off as a one-​off experience in an otherwise gorgeous BYOB, pan-​Asian diamond in the rough.

Reasonable prices. I got fried rice which was OK. Could try once

Very good food and excellent customer service. We’ve ordered from this place several times. There was 1 time when they didn’t get our order right but they were very quick and willing to correct it. They offered us a credit for a free meal at our next order. It actually was about a month before we ordered again but when I called and gave them our name they gave us the credit with no problem.

Found this little Lansdowne gem via Unilocal and we were so glad I did… excellent food, reasonably priced and served quickly! Very clean and comfortable. We had steamed dumplings, spring rolls, wonton soup and Pad Thai followed by fried bananas with coconut ice cream. Everything was fabulous and this place is on our list!

I had the 3 course lunch special $ 10.95 great price good good. Remember the parking is directly across the street it’s unpacked so be careful. During our meal the owner checked on us several times. Each entrée portion was large enough to take some home to enjoy later. I also had the iced coffee it was absolutely delicious the presentation of the food was delightful.

Excellent excellent excellent
Great food fair prices
Beautiful ambiance
A hidden gem in a little town
Generous portions
Do not miss this place
Did I mention excellent customer service
Very attentive to their customers
And be sure to B y o b

I’ve received multiple encouragements to give this place another try — and I am sorry, but there has been no change in the several more attempts.
I have not, as previously stated, been to the restaurant itself — but their delivery has over multiple attempts failed to improve.
There are many others (not delivery Thai, I will admit) in the area that deliver every time.
For me, I will not be trying AViANNA again I’m not in the area enough these days to continue and would rather go with known home runs for Thai.

This place was such a nice find after the restaurant we’d had originally planned to go to was closed due to unforeseen events. The atmosphere is relaxing and very peaceful. The place is BYOB which gives this place a star just on that alone. If you ever stop by get the fried chicken dumplings for the appetizer and, my personal new favorite, the Pad Prew Wan. Our waiter was very friendly and she was so open with us about the menu options. This is definitely one of my new favorite places.

Delicious food and very friendly, attentive service. My only complaint is that there are only about 1 or 2 vegetarian/​vegan options.

The food is below average. Goodness! This was my third attempt. I eat a lot of Thai and I’m shocked. The staff is nice and the atmosphere beautiful. The food needs work.

This place is conveniently close to me which makes it that much more disappointing.
The items listed as vegetarian should not be, as they contain oyster sauce and/​or fish sauce. Oysters and fish aren’t vegetables. This is simply irresponsible, and I fear for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
I’ve eaten here twice. The first time egg was in my dish but not listed in the menu. I was upset as I do not eat eggs – again a consideration for those with dietary restrictions or food allergies.
My favorite Thai dish is pad woon sen, which isn’t available on Avianna’s menu. «Pad angel hair» was the closest, though it has wheat noodles instead of rice noodles, and bell peppers. It was okay. Nothing special.
My dining companion got the fried rice, and was unhappy, but the only thing he could say about it was that «the corn is kind of weird.»
Soda is canned.
Mediocre to poor/​inattentive wait staff. Mediocre food. The front door makes the cold outside air continually blast inside during the winter, and it rarely fully shut despite loudly slamming.

This place is the best! Fresh, delicious food, reasonable prices, BYOB. Very close to the Lansdowne train station (5 minute walk), with plenty of parking and a super spacious interior. Great atmosphere with dimmed lights and stylish décor, but quiet enough for conversation. Excellent service, and the mango sticky rice is to die for! Can’t recommend highly enough.
This review was written reluctantly as I really enjoy this place and fear an influx of hungry Philadelphians, but happiness is only real when shared, right?

We had the best experience here!
I needed a place to have a big family lunch following my daughter’s christening. I called at the last minute and they happily took my reservation.
They had a nice long table set up for our large group. The restaurant is beautiful! Very nice décor and very welcoming.
I believe our host/​server was one of the owners. She was very nice and attentive. Took time to explain the menu and went over popular items. There were 15 of us total. Everyone in our party loved their food! I could not have picked a better place.
Some menu highlights:
— wonton soup with chicken and vegetables-​refreshing and delicious
— orange chicken
— fried dumplings
— Thai wings
— fried catfish
Delicious! We will be back

The Phở dishes were pretty good, but they seem to have issues with delivery orders placed through the Eat-​24 service,
The two orders of Phở arrived exactly as expected, but not the 2 orders «Phad Thai,» which is meant to made with Tofu instead of Shrimp/​Chicken. They instead sent one order of «Pad Thai» made with the Chicken/​Shrimp which doesnt work for either of the two people who were supposed to have eaten the Phad Thai. I called but they were half an hour from closing and said they could not correct their mistake, so I asked for a refund to my card for the two items which were missing/​seriously wrong. I was told that their cashier was not in so I’d have to come in to the restaurant and get a cash refund. I instead opted to contact the Eat-​24 service and have the items removed from my order and refunded.
I am still giving three stars instead of less becauseI more or less believe that this was just an unfortunate series of circumstances and not an accurate representation of the business as a whole.

Asian fusion means Thai. Excellent in every way: taste, presentation, atmosphere. Waitress speaks great English. The servers are deferential.
Park across the street, behind Dunking Donuts or in the Rite Aid.
This is my new favorite Landsdowne restaurant I liked the Gang Masuman better than the Pad Thai.

I finally stopped in for a date night with the BF… and I’m glad we did! I love Thai/​Vietnamese food and enjoy it often… and I must say that the food here is just awesome. I’ve been here several times now and am convinced that they have the best Phở I’ve ever had. Perfectly seasoned broth and so comforting on a cold day. The Thai chicken wings are amazing, and spring rolls so tasty. I’ve also had the chargrilled salmon w/​tamarind garlic pepper sauce and the chicken pad ka prow which are both very good. BF had the tilapia which he enjoyed very much. The only con I have was that the tamarind sauce was a bit salty, but that didn’t ruin my meal.
Finally…dessert: Fried banana and coconut ice cream is everything!
Can’t wait to go back and try something different like the fried calamari or crispy duck. Good thing I live so close by.

AviAnna came recommended by a fellow YE who thankfully turned me onto a place which I will be frequenting to satisfy cravings for one of my favorite cuisines– Asian Fusion. I can’t wait to bring a few friends here. It’s close to the neighborhood where I grew up in an area that is now bouncing back from the bad economy.
*** Note: BYOB (big smiles here).
There is parking across Baltimore Pike in a lot for use of Arianna Patrons or you can use cheap metered on-​street parking on the same side. It’s close to the police station so if you don’t use the lot, bring a couple of quarters. 25 cents/​hr. Try that in Philly!
Arriving as they were opening and dining solo, I was happy to be welcomed as if I was bringing in a $ 200 check. The wait staff were warm, welcoming and helpful. I started with a traditional Thai Iced Tea which was delightful. Before ordering I took a walk around this beautifully decorated space that when I was a kid occupied a doughnut factory– Virginia Donuts. Try as I might I could find no evidence of its blue collar past. Tasteful in its Asian décor, it is pleasant and pretty. There are two jade Buddhas here which are absolutely enchanting.
Menu: — Thai Iced Tea– The best I’ve ever had.
— Duck roll– Duck deep fried in rice paper with scallions and hoison sauce– Perfection
— Seafood Hotpot which was Hot and sour soup with lemongrass, exotic spices, mussels, calamari, scallops, shrimp, salmon, and vegetables. A 5 star meal with 5 star service in 5 star surroundings!
I met Joy the owner and mentioned to her about the neighborhood revitalization and how restaurants have been a big part of it. Just then I noticed the banquet facilities in back which were very nice. The previous night they had served 70 people. The great food will bring in both diners and banquet patrons. Trust me when I say AviAnna is a nice part of Lansdowne’s future and will be here for years to come.

Oh so good!
This place is an absolute hidden gem. Please do yourself a favor and give it a try. You would never expect an experience like this by just passing by on the outside.
First things first. Where do you park? That was my biggest confusion when I decided to go there for the first time. I had no idea. There was a sign in front of the restaurant that said parking across the street, but all I saw was an abandoned looking fenced in lot with some cars in it. Well, that’s where you park. I was scared to park there because the signs on the entrance made it seem like I would be towed. I later learned that the restaurant rents this lot out. Yep! This is where you park! It is completely ok and safe to park there.
I got inside and was greeted right away by one of the friendliest smiles ever. My waitress Schennel was awesome! I have been there several times and lucky for me she was always working. She made me feel comfortable, like I was at home, and made sure I knew everything about every item on the menu. She gave me some great recommendations and I enjoyed every one of them
So I have been here several times and am combining all of my visits into one. I will be uploading a bunch of pictures too.
Appetizers:
Butter Garlic Sautéed Shrimp = WOW! These came out cooked perfectly and in a wonderful presentation. Each bite had me wanting more. One of my favorites so far!
Fried Calamari = Was actually better than other places. It was fried perfectly. Not too greasy and not too much breading. Moist and tasty. I had her add extra spice in my dipping sauce.
Thai Chili Wings = Perfect amount of crisp and loaded with flavor.
Yum Nua Salad = Thinly sliced grilled beef tossed with scallions, onions, Thai herbs and a spicy lime dressing. I had her make it extra spicy. It was good!
Tom Kha Soup = OMGOODNESS! I love this soup! Coconut milk was bangin’! Had some mushrooms, onions, chicken and greens. It was so good!
Entrée:
Pad Kee Mao Gai = Spicy wide noodles sautéed with chicken, fresh Thai basil and a chili garlic soy sauce. I had her add some shrimp in there too. So much flavor!
Gang Musamun = Chicken simmered in a light yellow curry combined with coconut milk, potatoes, carrots and onions. I added shrimp to this too. The veggies were crisp and the meats were perfect.
Dessert = Fried Banana and Coconut Ice Cream. The bananas melted in my mouth. So good!
Check this place out and tell all your friends about it. It is BYOB. There is plenty of room. That atmosphere is wonderful and the food is amazing. This is now a weekly stop for me. I can’t get enough! I have been to many Thai style restaurants and this is now on the top of my list. 5 stars!

So what does AviAnna mean you ask? It is the name of a young girl related to the owners here. It also means you now have a new place to try delectable Asian Fusion cuisine! Note that they are a BYOB.
The lovely wife and I showed up mid-​afternoon today. Metered parking is easy on E. Baltimore Ave at $.25/​Hour. The open lot directly across the street is also available and it’s free.
Be prepared to be surprised when you step through the entrance. This is a beautifully decorated contemporary Asian space. The daughter of the owners gave us the tour of the front dining room, huge back dining room and enormous banquet facility in the very back. Check out the excellent pictures on the well-​designed web site.
The wife and I decided to each have a soup and entrée and share a desert. My soup was Kiew Nam which is their version of wonton soup with chicken. I have never had wonton soup like this in my relatively long life. It was bursting with fresh vegetables and chicken and delicious. Check out my pic. The wife enjoyed the Thai staple Tom Yum. She pronounced it excellent with the just the right amount of kaffir lime. Both were $ 8.95.
My entrée was Pad Angel Hair with beef ($ 10.95). It was stir fried with a very light thin soy sauce and the noodle texture was perfect. The wife enjoyed another Thai staple; Larb Gai minced chicken salad ($ 10.95). Once again the portion was very large and the wife declared it sumptuous and incredibly fresh tasting.
Desert was Mango & Coconut Sticky Rice ($ 5) and was the perfect way to end our meal.
Throughout or meal our service was excellent. It was also our pleasure to meet the delightful owners. It’s certain we will be back!