Sabai

Best Thai food in Richmond, but can get crazy busy.

Just created this account in order to express my opinion on the bartender with the tattoos; He is a great guy, he is a smart guy, he still lives with his mother…1 of the last 3 things I said are true.
Great food, our waitress was great and the atmosphere was top notch. However, the bartender needs to find the tallest structure around and jump off of it.

I have since returned to Sabai and had quite unique and great experiences. The staff is fun (and fast) and the bar offers equally exciting choices and fun party atmosphere. This is definitely the place to be … It’s a little crowded at Sabai, but the design is also what makes it interesting, you get used to standing where there is room, and you can sit at the wall-​ledge and get a drink while you wait for your table — they are very accommodating.
I have had the papaya salad with anchovies and it was out of this world — #1 on my list at Sabai. The curries and entrees were also very good and Sabai uses all fresh ingredients and does not skip on the Thai spices (YES they use the lime leaf!). Once I had the whole fish and I mus say this was not my favorite — I love whole fish but I would say that this did not have anything special, no magical Thai spices or flavor that stood out. All in all this is the best Thai in the area if you want a nice meal in a hip atmosphere and especially if you want to bring guests …

I am writing a review after my second visit to Sabai with friends. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could. Most recently I was there on a double date on a Saturday night. They do not take reservations and when we arrived at 630 pm, they told us it’d be a 45 min wait. We found two seats at the bar and then opted for some of their specialty cocktails.
The boys got draft beers with several trendy options to choose from. I also noticed that they had a pretty decent whiskey selection. My friend and I got girlie cocktails instead. She likes super sweet drinks and I prefer not so sweet. She got some kind of colada and I got the Soi Cowboy. She loved her fruity drink with homemade whip cream. I LOVED the cocktail I chose. It came served in a plastic bag in a martini glass. It is my understanding that drinks are served in plastic bags in Thailand with street food. It was spicy and complex and I really liked it. The bartenders were all edgy hipsters to match the trendy vibe. Don’t expect them to try to charm you as a customer, but they delivered with attentive service and excellent drinks.
We waited and waited and then waited some more. It took about an hour and a half to get a table. It is a small place and tables weren’t getting up, but after grossly underestimating the wait time were there apologies or samples of apps to serve to the hangry customers? No. Nothing. Nada.
When we got to dinner we all enjoyed our meals but it wasn’t the best Thai in town. I got the Tom Yum Goong, while my bf got the Pad Thai with chicken. My friend got the Pad Thai also and her bf opted for one of the curries. He said his tasted like coconut in an overwhelming way, but I didn’t try it to be sure. Mine was hot temperature and spice-​wise. Like I said, good but not amazing. Thai Diner Too in Carytown has better Pad Thai than Sabai, end of story. It wasn’t bad here though. All in all a good meal but I don’t think I’ll be headed back on a weekend night for dinner.

This is a great Thai restaurant… provided you go on a weekday evening. Weekends cause this place to suffer in both service and food. Being new to the Richmond area, I was glad to find a good Thai restaurant, and Sabai offers a very good menu selection in a trendy setting. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, but never more than a block or two walk. I suggest parking in the Children’s Museum parking lot across the street. Plenty of reviewers have already described the interior, so I won’t bore you, but it’s a place you’re apt to see all kinds walk in the door, so it’s a great people-​watching place, albeit a loud one, with tables closely spaced. The staff, for the most part is very friendly and do a good job at educating diners on the menu selections. The drinks are very well made; you definitely taste the booze, but they’re on the expensive side at $ 10-​$ 11 per. I’ve been here several times, and have had the Pad See Ew 3 times. Once on a weekday night and twice on a weekend, and while it was outstanding on the weekday night, both weekend occasions were less than spectacular, with overcooked noodles and rubbery seafood. They offer some good appetizers, and I’d recommend the pork belly and the spring rolls, but steer clear of the calamari as you have to go through a lot of heavy, oily batter to get to the squid. Another reviewer also mentioned the awkward practice of the extra spice being brought in a knotted baggy. I found this weird, as well. I dunno… maybe it’s a Thai thing I’m unaware of, or maybe it’s just an affectation at this place; someone help me out.
You should definitely give Sabai a visit. Definitely go on a weekday night and go early. And definitely don’t take the two-​topper near the entrance, which is where we were seated on the last visit, and where you’re treated to a nice, cold winter blast every time the door opens and those waiting to be seated congregate near your table and ogle your meal.

I love this place, its fun, funky, trendy, without any attitude or snootiness! Bartenders were nice, friendly, fast even when it was packed! Server was great at suggesting things and she was really attentive. Really really loved this place! Oh yah the food was great!

The food here is pretty good and I heard the drinks are even better though I’ve yet to indulge. They have a wide selection of noodle and rice dishes that are of typical Thai fare; you have your pad thai, your pad see ew, various stir-​fries and fried rice. They even have whole fish and a selection of curries.
They have a really nice egg noodle and curry soup, similar to ramen, that is quite good. All of the dishes are fairly fixed price, most of the dishes and their protein variations (chicken, pork, beef, tofu) will run you between $ 10 – 12.50 — so just a TAD on a pricey side for stir-​fry but the portions are pretty good. There is a $ 4 up-​charge for seafood which is not listed in the menu. Surprisingly, they don’t have daily/​weekly specials for something new to try (at least no server has ever informed us of any).
What gets me about this place is that you can count on it being crowded most of the time… BUT not every table is even eating! I’ve had to wait 30 – 40 minutes upon arrival for a table to clear because people are… well, just sitting there! They aren’t eating desert. They aren’t ordering drinks. Most are just nursing a cup of water and chatting. One table of four was even just sitting for 30 minutes staring at their phones! This isn’t entirely the restaurant’s fault… I would hope people would be more considerate and self-​aware and get up when there are people waiting to be seated. Alas. I get hanging around 10 or so minutes after your meal to wrap up with friends or to clear the bill, but c’mon, if you want to socialize after your meal, go to a bar and let other people sit down. If there’s no one around or it’s late, by all means, hang around. But please be considerate — especially around dinner time! The restaurant needs to monitor this and politely encourage people to leave 20, 30 minutes after they have paid their bill to make room for other guests in an already limited seating area.

Specialty drinks were cool. I suggest the Mai Thai. Had the calamari and some rolls (spring rolls) and the rolls were the best I ever had…
Pad Thai was good and the Pad Su We was real good, had to spice it up though.
Can’t wait to go back and try something else.

Cool atmosphere, great food, big portions, robust interesting drinks.
If you think that the bartender is a jerk, then you don’t understand cojones. And the proprietor sports dashing hats. Step out of your comfort zone and into an exotic realm. Cheers–

I really want to make this a one-​star review, but they haven’t been open too long, so perhaps I’m just hopeful?
The set up is… Neat. It’s tiki-​meets-​industrial-​meets kitschy wood paneling and weird signs. There’s a table that includes swings. Whatever. I sat at the bar and wasn’t asked if I wanted a thing for about 10 minutes. It wasn’t crowded.
The menu offers pretty standard Thai fare. The bartender took my order and it took another 10 minutes to get my beer.
The food began to arrive about 25 minutes later. I ordered the larb and the green papaya salad. And a side of sticky rice. The larb came out, as well as a dish I hadn’t ordered. It took them a bit to figure out what happened, and when the bartender figured out he had hit the wrong button, he blamed it on the screen having placed the buttons right next to each other.
Anyway. The food. The larb was edible, save for a few unpleasant woody pieces that found their way in. The green papaya salad, once it arrived, was overdressed and appeared to have been sitting for quite some time. I was starving, so tried my best to eat it. Couldn’t do it.
This is where the customer service took an astonishing turn: I told the bartender that I simply couldn’t eat the salad and his response was,“Can’t handle it?” with s big smirk on his face. I replied, «it’s inedible.» He then took the plate and held it up to his face, taking a big whiff. «Nah, it’s fine,» he said. Then he took away the plate and still charged me for it. He also disappeared, so I kindly informed the female bartender that it needed to be removed from our bill, and she was able to do that for us.
I think the male bartender might be one of the owners, and perhaps thus feels entitled to belittle and brush off customer complaints. I don’t know. I’m just bewildered at having had such a disappointing food experience here in Richmond.

Amazing food, boozy cocktails, vacation-​like atmosphere, kind and patient waitstaff, but douche bartender (yes … the one with the sugar skull tattoo on his chest who looks like Jax from ‘Vanderpump Rules’) sets another tone. Talking back to customers, bullying other bartenders and bragging about how he’s one of the managers is a common occurrence if you’re seated at the bar. I’ve heard from numerous people (and experienced… many times) his behavior & ballooned ego. Opt for a table.

I don’t write reviews often, but I had to for this place. My girlfriend and I went today for the first time. And let me just say, wow.
First, the atmosphere was great. Completely open to broad st. Cool industrial look.
The food, amazing! Probably the best Thai food in all of Richmond. I got the pad Thai and it was perfect.
The best part though, was our server Devin. Very friendly and helpful. Knew the menu back and forth and helped us make a choice since it was our first time.
I will most definitely be coming back. Great experience!

This new hot spot is quite… interesting (In a good way!). Speaking for the ambiance, it had more of a tropical/​Caribbean feel which is quite the contrary to the Thai style food they serve. I actually had flashbacks of my honeymoon in Jamaica as we were vibing to the Caribbean music lol… anyway, the waitress was pretty helpful in explaining the menu (it’s pretty much in Thai with vague descriptions) and we all ordered different dishes to try.
I tried the chicken fried rice dish (actual entrée name escapes me) that was described as served in a half pineapple. WELL LET ME TELL YOU, not only was there a heaping amount of fried rice on the half pineapple, but there was also another mountain of rice on the side of the pineapple. Our table of four was literally in awe at the portion sizes of these entrees. So unless you have been trained to eat 5 lbs of food in one sitting… expect to have lunch and maybe even dinner the next day! Now I will say my husband was able to get through his drunken noodles dish, as that seemed to be the only normal sized entrée at the table.
Although we didn’t try the drinks (other than local beer on tap), every drink that passed the table looked SO delish, even so that I would like to go back just to make use of the lovely outdoor patio and sip on a colorful cocktail :)

The newest Thai place in downtown RVA! I haven’t really had outstanding Thai food in Richmond so this place was a welcoming addition.
We came on a Saturday night and the place was very full on the patio and inside. Luckily, a table just opened up for us and our wait time was very short. Like Lauri T. mentioned, the décor and vibe is like a Tiki/​tropical island kind of atmosphere going on here and I like it. It’s also cool that the windows open up completely and you’re only feet away from the hustle and bustle of broad st.
The names of the menu items here are mostly in Thai but thankfully it goes into detail exactly what is in your dish. I wish I could have asked where the chefs came from or how the idea of this place came about. I got the Pad Prik Moo Bah– Crispy pork belly with bell peppers, onions, snow peas and bamboo shoots. This dish was really delicious! There was no starch (noodles/​rice) but there were plenty of veggies and pork belly. The pork was phenomenal; it was sweet and salty and really tender. I could have eaten a whole plate of just that but then I would have had a food coma.
My gf got the drunken fried rice with tofu and she said it was «yummm!». Also, we tried to order a Thai Iced tea which our waitresses informed us that that was not a drink they make so I am questioning if this is Thai fusion restaurant of some sort or maybe Thai iced tea is not an authentic Thai drink?
SN: you can park at the children’s museum across the street and walk over. That’s the best place to park because there’s plenty of spots and you don’t have to deal with street parking.

First of all, let’s start with the interior. How cool is that? I call it: chandelier chic with a tiki vibe. Because it’s like you’re at the beach… but a chic beach. I am a HUGE fan of open air restaurants and the fact that the windows can open up all the way just does something to my spirit.
I started off with the watermelon grown sno cone. So good! And it came in the cutest little tiki cup. My friend and I had the best time sitting on the patio enjoying our dinner. I ordered the fried rice with shrimp and scallops. She had sweet and sour chicken with broccoli. Neither one of us had any complaints about the food. In fact, I was surprised by how flavorful my rice was! The scallops were perfectly cooked and the shrimp were big and juicy. Our waiter was one of the best and most memorable I’ve ever had in Richmond. I was overall
. This restaurant makes me really proud to live here.
Go for the décor and drinks. Stay for the food.

Positives:
Food is really good and large portions. LOVED the moo dang entrée and chicken satay app.
Drinks are very delicious, but, tasty. Like you’re on vacation!
Layout is cool
Negatives:
No air conditioning. I repeat. No air conditioning. No air flow either since windows are only on one side of the restaurant. It’s unbearable to eat in there. Please get this corrected asap!
Parking is hit or miss

LOVED this place. We came here with some friends a couple of weeks ago to kick off my birthday weekend. No reservation, so we sat at the bar a while to wait for our table. No problem with that though as there was a great drink selection. I had the mai tai. It was great but I was definitely confused at first by the color – it’s blue green with a snow cone ball! Haven’t ever seen a mai tai like this before, but it was fun and delicious. I have to say that as others have mentioned, the male bartender can be a little intense, but we had no real issues with him.
We had a nice leisurely dinner once we got seated, and our waitress was awesome. She gave some great recommendations and everything we had was delicious. I had the red pork BBQ and one of my friends had a soup… I can’t remember what it was called, but it was spectacular. Those were definitely the two best dishes. I also had a pork appetizer with a spicy sauce that was great, and my friend’s papaya salad was very good. Other dishes on the table were good but those in particular deserve mention.
I love the interior, and the fact that the front windows open up all the way across. I’ve never been to Thailand, but it reminded me of being in Hawaii and the breezy Pacific vibe. We had a great time and will definitely be back.

Great Thai Food, Amazing Drinks, with a chill atmosphere. The restaurant feels like a oasis getaway in the middle of the city.
Both times that I’ve been the wait staff were both helpful and kind!!! The bar staff was helpful navigating their drink menu and the waitor was great with his recommendations.
The Drinks were phenomenal, original and strong with a nice island flavor.
Highly recommended taking a little vacation from your busy day here.

Wow really enjoyed our visit! Loved the street inspired décor. Food was great. Try something different from the usual Thai (although I’m sure that is good too). We tried the duck wings appetizers, fried rice with fried chicken, the chicken with egg noodles in a curry sauce/​soup, and a pork belly dish sauteed with onions. Preferred in that order. The first 2 dishes especially good. We also had a couple of drinks. I didn’t pick a girly cold drink but wish I did.
The reason not for a 5 was the price tag is definitely not «street food» price. Also be prepared for butt sweat in the summer, aka now. The place only has 6 four tops and about 5 two seaters so there may be a wait.

Attended the opening night with some friends, and I must say it was wonderful! We sat at the bar and only had drinks so my review is strictly on the drinks, atmosphere and customer service. Starting with my favorite part of any restaurant — Drinks! The drinks although some would consider a bit pricey ($ 8-​$ 12) were worth every dime, the amount of love the bartenders (Hi Jason «Brandon»!) put into each drink they prepared was amazing in itself. Drinks are strong, and sizable — you will not be disappointed. The restaurant itself is small but well appointed and decorated beautifully there is even a lounge area to sit down and have some cocktails. I asked one of the bartenders about the champagne room I had read so much about, and he said they were still working on that — not certain as to where they would put it, but excited to check it out when it is done. The customer service was great; opening night, you can’t expect too much one-​on-​one cuddle time as the staff is simply trying to get adjusted to things, so we understood. With that said the bartenders never stood still they were very personable and made sure that everyone was taken care of. We have found a new spot in an otherwise dry section of Broad Street and will definitely become regulars.
*Side note: I created this Unilocal page while at the restaurant last night as I didn’t see they had one. Hopefully I got all of the information correctly — please feel free to correct if not.