Wilaiwan’s Kitchen

Fantastic Asian food at a fair price, in an unpretentious store front. Very friendly staff. Very odd paintings of star trek and bacon on the walls. Keep Vermont weird.

It really is some of the best food in Montpelier, but the hours are difficult and it’s sometimes hard to get vegetarian items.
The food is incredible.

I am a long time resident and from my perspective, Wilaiwans consistently makes the best food in Montpelier. While they are able to prepare some dishes on the milder side, the fare trends towards pretty spicy. A layered complex heat. Great stuff!

We stumped upon this hole in a wall place on our way back to NY. OMG! Best Thai in the US! We are world travelers and jaded New Yorkers but we were so surprised and excited about how amazing the two dishes tasted. The flavors were perfectly well balanced and just tasted damn good. Please open one in New York!

Exquisite! I am a Thai food lover, and this is hands down my favorite Thai food I’ve ever tasted. No exaggeration. I never would have expected to find these flavors in Montpelier. Please do your taste buds a favor and get over here. I love that they only have three dishes at a time… it means the ingredients are fresh and that more care has gone into it. Be aware that the food is very spicy (as it should be!), but they offer a mild option on one of their three dishes. I daydream about their green curry. Seriously.

I had wanted to try Wiliawan’s for quite some time as I had always heard good things, but just never found myself in Montpelier at lunchtime when they were open. My luck finally changed last Thursday whilst doing some last minute holiday shopping. I was able to stop in and finally try out their food and now I’m kicking myself for not stopping much sooner.
First off, the place is a small and the seating is incredibly limited, but you can actually see them prepare your food 10ft away, which for me is kind of cool. As for the menu, I have always been a fan of do a limited amount of things, but do them well. In that respect Wilaiwan’s has it nailed as they only offer three different main courses at any given time.
On my trip I chose the Khao Soy which was described as «savory red and yellow coconut curry over rice noodles with braised chicken topped with fresh cabbage, red onion, pickled mustard greens, cilantro and chili paste». Being a huge red curry fan, I couldn’t wait to see how theirs was and I was NOT dissapointed! It had a great level of spice and heat (yes it was hot), the ingredients were clearly very fresh, and the presentation was beautiful. I have never been to Thailand, but I have to think that their food is much closer to the ‘real deal’ than many of the other Thai places I have eaten at (which is quite a few).
I cannot wait to go back and try some of their other offerings!

After reading the spectacular reviews, I was excited to try this place out. My mother and I met there for lunch yesterday, and encountered a line that stretched out the door — usually a good sign. Our food was cooked quickly, and the folks at the counter were very friendly. But… the food was not particularly flavorful. It tasted hot, but not spicy. Everything tasted the same, and there was no pizzaz in any of the flavors. To top it off, both of us encountered severe intestinal difficulties last evening, and without getting too graphic, this food was clearly the source. Both of us regularly eat hot and spicy meals with no issue, so I’m wondering if something had gone bad or was contaminated somehow.
This would be a one star review but for the friendly service. Very disappointing.

I can’t even explain the happiness i feel even when I just think about getting wilaiwans for lunch. I would cancel plans to make time in my day to get this food. Quite possibly the best food in Vermont.

A unique find in Montpelier. Considered the best Thai food in Vermont, it lives up to it’s reputation. Our first visit, and we arrived promptly at 11:00am when they opened. The hours are 11am — 2pm, and only Monday — Friday. No phone. Walk-​ins only. I was concerned there would be a line, as I had heard there could be. We got lucky, as we were the first, but the tiny resraurant was busy within minutes. Inside, there are 4 small tables, each seating 2 — 4, and it is a cozy space. Each week, they offer only 3 dishes. This week, my wife & I had a chicken curry dish and a mint pork dish. Jasmine rice comes with each dish. The curry came in a bowl, and was both sweet & spicy. Very flavorful. The mint pork was chopped & diced, and the mint was strong, but did not overpower the juicy pork. Where the chicken in my dish was chopped, the pork was minced. Drinks are a la carte from a small fridge of soda cans and flavored waters. We had the free water. The spring rolls are the only apparent side dish at $ 2.50/plate. Our meal of 2 dishes was just under $ 20. Worth every penny!

The best Thai food my husband and I have had. The quality was great! Fresh ingredients, perfect spice level, good portion for the price. From the time you walk into this tiny place, you are treated like a local. I Love that you only have three choices, it made things a little easier. If we would have stayed in the area, we would have made this a repeat stop.

Menu changes weekly. Menu had 3 items, one was sold out at 1:10 PM. Maybe gourmet from reviews, but we passed do to all the limitations

This is by far the best Thai food I have eaten in Northern New England. My only regret is that I live an hour away. I had the #2 chicken curry and it was mind-​blowingly delicious. They do not skimp on the spice, which is how it should be.

THis is by far the best Thai food I’ve had in the United States. It sounds crazy saying this about a tiny place in Montpelier, Vermont. But I’m not kidding. More like street food you’d have in Thailand than the usual American Thai fare (crinkle cut carrots with peanut sauce.) Only three things on the menu and only open for lunch, but you should go way out of your way to eat here. I ended up going two days in a row on vacation this summer

Excellent food, very spicy. I wish they served coconut water, that would complete the authentic Thai experience for me.
Tiny place, only take checks and cash and their hours are very limited.
Despite all that, I can’t wait to go back!

This tiny restaurant delivers the best Thai food outside of Thailand. Every week it offers 3 different kinds of lunches (they are only open for lunch); typically a luscious kind of stir fry with beef, chicken or pork; a curry; and a soup like Tom Yum. The ingredients are always fresh and delicious, and the dishes are served with jasmine rice or rice noodles. The food tends to be on the spicy side, which makes them perfect for me. They are really nice people too. The line for lunch is almost always out the door and seating is very limited, so most people get their lunch to go. If you love great Thai, look no further. (BTW, I don’t understand Joe T’s review — the employees don’t do that. Whoever pressured him must have been other diners.)

Yeah, it’s hot, like real Thai food usually is, so if you don’t like spicy food, skip it. But if you do… pretty tasty stuff. I had a sliced beef and noodle dish (made with local beef, a nice bonus), which had a nice balance of flavors, although not the most interesting Thai dish I’ve ever had. Definitely satisfying and I’m looking forward to trying other dishes here.
Service was lightning fast, I got my food about 30 seconds after ordering.
It’s a tiny place with just four or five small tables, I got mine to go.
I think it’s only open a few hours at lunchtime, and it is quite small, so don’t expect to take up a table for a long, leisurely meal.
But if you want really good, fast lunch for around $ 10, this is tough to beat.

This place is not the best Thai place in Vermont. It’s probably the best Thai place in New England. I actually don’t think that I’ve been to a more authentic Asian restaurant anywhere in the U.S.
The menu consists of only three different items each week. It’s cash only. You order 1, 2 or 3 to dine in or go. It’s very spicy (you’ll hear continual sniffing if you’re dining in the small space they have) and it’s very delicious.
Highly recommended. Expect no frills, just a small menu of excellent Thai food.

Expect spice. Great spot for lunch, massaman curry is awesome and their coconut milk soups are the best

Great, fresh Thai food. Very good lunch place.

The best Thai in Montpelier and possibly even all of Vermont. Three dish menu that changes weekly.
It does not get any more authentic than this. Ingredients are fresh! Be warned, all dishes are very hot.
Get there before 11:30 to beat the lunch crowd.