Manao Thai Street Eats

Best Thai in all of Seattle. Flavor-​packed, authentic cuisine and friendly staff. I’ve made my way through a large portion of the menu and have loved it all.

Great thai food — some of the best I’ve had in Washington state! The prices are reasonable, the food is amazing, and the staff is always super friendly and inviting. Highly recommend!

Was a bit skeptical at first because we came around 6 and not too many people are inside, but we decided to go inside. Turns out that it’s the best decision ever! The Kao Man Gai is perfect: not too oily, not too mushy. We also ordered Basil Crispy Pork Belly, and the pork belly is really crispy as stated in the name.
Definitely will go back again!

This place is very local and convenient to where I live. I ordered the Pad Khee Mao to go, and they said it would be ready in ten minutes. I walked there, which took me about ten minutes and it was already ready to go! I was sure that I would have to wait and that ten minutes really meant 15. The meal cost me $ 10, and was a pretty hefty amount of food. The spork which they provided was a little flimsy, but that was easy to replace since I ordered it to go :) I am always craving Thai, so I am glad to know that this place is just a hop and a skip away from my apartment. I will say though, that when I called to order, they didn’t ask me how spicy I wanted it. I usually like to do 3stars of spiciness out of 4stars. The food wasn’t spicy, but it was flavorful, and they did provide some spicy sauce in my to-​go bag. I’ll be back!

While the food we had was perfectly edible, it was fairly expensive for what it was — our neighborhood Thai restaurant has better food for lower prices (and you don’t have to serve yourself as you do here).
If you want fast-​food Thai with drinks or beer, in this neighborhood, Manao Thai is just fine. We had Phad Thai and Phad Se Iew, and both were pretty greasy. If you have the time to sit down and eat Thai, I’d go elsewhere — why pay restaurant prices for cafeteria-​style food? You can do better.

Came here last night for Thai food, my dining partner had been here before and really enjoys the food. After finding my favorite Thai restaurant in the world this last year, it’s hard to find other Thai food that compares. This place was ok, I really liked the concept of the restaurant: walk in and pay at the counter, grab a number, sit down with condiments, water, and utensils already at the table. We ordered spring rolls, chicken pad Thai, and zesty chicken with brown rice. The portions were good, enough for two to share each dish. The spring rolls were very hot and crispy, filled with tender vegetables. Pretty standard and served alongside a sweet and sour Thai sauce. The pad Thai was alright, it had that sweet and sour profile but the flavors were a bit off, I couldn’t discern fish sauce or tamarind and the dish overall was pretty blonde. It was also very light on bean sprouts or peanuts. I did like how the noodles were al dente, not overcooked and mushy. The zesty chicken was good, but the flavors I felt were not Thai, almost tasted like it had cumin on it, with tons of lime zest. The sauce was a bit thick and a little overwhelming. The brown rice was very good, tender and nutty. Overall I would probably go back if I was in the neighborhood and try some other dishes. Quick and hot!

Walking down Pine St and saw the sign, I forgot that I’ve been meaning to try this place out, so I stopped in my tracks and thought I would do some take out for dinner later. Nice looking interior, clean, modern, tidy and very inviting. I like that you go up to the counter to order then you can sit whereever.
Nice selection of items to choose from, so it was tough to decide. I went with a Papaya Salad Set and tried my gateway dish of Pad See Ew w/​beef. Papaya Salad was very tasty, fresh, plenty of flavors and comes with a little glob of sticky rice to soak up the goodies on the bottom of the box. Pad See Ew was ok, but it did have big pieces of the wide rice noodles and good amount of meat & veg. Wasn’t as flavorful as I thought it would be as it looked more visually delicious.
Everything seemed to be made to order, doing take-​out took about 10 or so minutes to make. I didnt mind waiting as I got a chance to look at the menu longer for my next visit. They packed my to-​go order with a side of hot sauce and dried chilis, so that was a nice touch.
Staff was very nice & friendly which made me want to come back and try other items. Nothing like giving off the Thai food aroma while riding the bus!

What’s there not to say about how good this Thai place? Big portions and everything I ordered so far are all delicious. I love Thai tea and they give you the biggest mug ever! Biggest by far in comparison to many Thai places (I have yet to discover).
I do have an International taste bud but for some odd reason, I always have to have Thai food as my first choice when I want to go eat out. Serious! This place has so many foods to offer and are authentic that no one can resist. Price is right! Big portions and perfect for groups.
I’m not sure what their hours are but it’s worth trying.

How you like Manaooooo? I dooooo like Manao!
Here’s what you need to know: the pad thai is cooked pretty plain so that YOU can customize how you want it to taste. I believe they don’t do «spicy» ratings and they just provide you with some sauces + little sauce cups to fix your plate to your palette. Also, extra thumbs up because this pad thai doesn’t have that ketchupy taste!
Last time I got a box of pad thai to go, I was pretty surprised by the amount of noodles they gave me. My box was filled to the top and they gave me some tofu when I only ordered chicken. Double score? It doesn’t help to smile at the kitchen workers behind the cash register when you’re placing your order :) Anyways, the fish sauce to the left of the cash register is pretty tasty and make sure to load up on some chili sauce too to spice up your plate.
I’m also pretty impressed with how crispy their crispy pork belly with basil is! It’s so good, but I wouldn’t have an entire order to myself. My boyf is obsessed with pork belly and he knows where to find good pork belly. Crispy pork belly with rice on the side and an order of noodles is the perf meal for two!

Delicious!
Came to this place after it was highly recommended by my cousin.
Located in/​near Capitol Hill area, this place has a few bar seats and 8 tables for dining patrons.
We ordered Thai hot wings, phad kee mao, larb, and basil fried rice. Also a Thai iced tea to finish off the meal. We sat down and within a few minutes we received our larb, followed by our other dishes back to back. Talk about amazing service! Never had such a low turnaround time on food after ordering. All the food was delicious. Make sure to eat all the onions and stuff that come with the hot wings. If you like pad see ew, then phad kee mao is a tastier version at least in my opinion. The basil fried rice had a slight smokey flavor that paired well with the wings.
Would definitely come back here for the great and friendly service and the delicious food that comes out quick.

Wow, from the reviews I thought this place might have a decent Seafood Pad Thai, it was lackluster with no peanut sauce or very few peanuts there were no bean sprouts and it just looks like a big glob of noodles! I gave three star because the crab puffs used real crab

A great Thai restaurant on the hill that you won’t be disappointed with.
+Service is always friendly and fast.
+Food is always delicious.
+Restaurant clean and casual.
+Outdoor seating.
+Large menu with options for everyone.
Try it, you’ll like it!

I have been posting so many 5 star reviews lately, but Manao was not about to let me buck the trend!
I’ve eaten take out from Manao many times, whether from Postmates or friends grabbing to-​go and it is always delicious. I got really hooked on their crispy rolls, but the fried tofu, crispy thai wings and fresh rolls are great options for a starter. The menu says there are 2 fresh rolls, but they cut them in half so it is more than enough to share with one person if you are starving, or as a group app where each friend gets a nibble. The wings come with a large order, so perfect for sharing. I’ve never seen the sauce that comes with the fresh roll anywhere else. Friends seem to like it!
My favorite dishes to order here are anything pork belly. They make it as crisp and crunchy as bacon and it is amazing. You cannot go wrong ordering it. The sauces and veggies accompanying (Chinese broccoli or basil and green beans) are tender crisp and are also great vehicles for the savory, dark sauce. Try a new kind of rice! Their brown rice is really dark and tender, not the short grain brown rice I make at home. Yellow rice is delicious as well.
Last night I finally dined in and had a pear sake along with phad grapau w/​fried egg (ORDER THIS! It is made with chicken and basil, and isn’t spicy so even newbies to Thai food or spice sensitive people will enjoy) and when they say the egg is fried it is DEEP FRIED. YUM; sliced chicken breast (maybe it was fish?) in a great sauce, fresh rolls, thai wings, a spicy beef soup… Everything was fresh and beautiful. I left very full and happy. No food was left over, if that gives you some idea.
Service is great, décor is minimal, modern and pretty.

A nice new edition to Cap Hill!
This place has a different vibe than most other Thai places. In other words, there is a hipster feel to it. The thai iced tea comes in these large glass jugs. The drink was good though.
Here, when you come in, you order and pay first and then sit down. The staff member will give you a block with a number on it and you put the block on the corner of your table so that the server will be able to see it and bring you yo food.
The setup is one of those open kitchen arrangements, which seems to be a thing these days. I don’t know why.
One thing that I should mention: the service is INSANELY FAST! The last couple of times I came here and ordered 3 dishes — they all came out in 5 minutes. Mindboggling.
Here’s what I had:
1) Crispy Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli = nicely flavored but I honestly prefer Cantonese-​style roasted pork more. The pork belly dish here has less fat on it, so the taste may be a little bit more on the drier side. Most people seem to like it though.
2) Pad Kee Mao = very good! Not too oily but plenty of flavor. And also, unlike most other Thai places, Manao does not do the spiciness level system with your dishes. That is why your table will have chilli pepper flakes if your spicy self needs some spiciness in your food.
3) Curry (pork but I forgot which kind of curry) = super unique! We got the «wild rice» option, which is like a mix between brown rice (yuck) and purple rice that you see in Korean and Taiwanese food. Definitely your typical Thai curry with a slight twist.
On a final note, lime green seems to be the theme here.

You’ll be jealous if your friend orders the Phad Thai and you get something else! Or at least I was– the crispy basil chicken was a real treat with a very strong sweet sauce, and if it weren’t for the side of rice to balance it out I might not have been able to finish it. Our group of 3 sat outside with our dogs after a hot afternoon walk, taking in the fresh air in this quieter section of Cap Hill. Street parking is easier here than the joints closer to Broadway. Manao gets a solid 4 for the huge variety of Thai entrees under $ 13 and appetizers on their menu; I find their yellow curries perfectly light and their sweet sauces a bit overly heavy. I dug that the Phad Thai wasn’t bright orange and more of a natural light brown sauce. They do have iced Thai tea and bottled beer.

Ambience. A
Service. A
Food. A
Price. A
This is my cap hill Thai place to go. Cool small place, nice lighting and clean! Service is always friendly and quick.
My favorites. They have Chinese broccoli. Love the crispy pork belly with gai Lon! I’ve heard in past pork belly could be over fried. I requested not to over fry and came out perfect bites of pork morsels!
The beef pad see eww was nice. I added extra fish sauce and chili sauce for added flavor and heat.
Total. $ 22. So worth it!

Manao is probably the best Thai food I’ve had on Capitol Hill. You come in, grab a seat, order at the counter, and get your food very promptly. As a group of six, we were on the larger side for space (we were lucky to nab two side-​by-​side tables as soon as we got here), and I definitely wouldn’t come with any more people than that.
We ordered a good variety of dishes amongst ourselves, and everything I tasted was very solid. I had the green curry fried rice with chicken. It was spicy, flavourful, and even came with a fried egg. It was also a large portion that I ended up not being able to finish. Oh well. The two friends sitting nearest to me ordered pineapple fried rice and pad thai, and both those dishes were quite tasty as well.
Manao is very vegetarian friendly (all dishes can be made with tofu as the protein), so this is a great spot to visit if you have any vegetarians in your group. As a meat eater myself, I still have plenty of incentive to come back in the future!

Surprisingly authentic
There were only a couple dishes I could eat on the anti inflammation diet I’m on right now. The gluten free options were the Phad Thai and the curries. I thought the Phad Thai was really authentic and tasty. They have you put on your own spice, which I don’t like bc I can’t get it right. The first time I put way too much chili oil on bc the restaurant was dark and I couldn’t see anything. I could barely eat it. The second time I got almost right. I really appreciate how they don’t put ketchup in their Phad Thai bc I detest that.
I also tried the Panang curry that was okay and I got it with tamarind rice that was amazing. The portions are big so two dishes among 3 people was fine.
The servers are friendly and nice. I came back twice in one week!

Oh good! Another restaurant in the bottom of a soulless condo building! Just kidding, this place has cute signs out front and I finally tried it for an early dinner on my way up the hill. I’ll be back.
I got:
Garlic green beans
Spicy cashew with shrimp — up charge for shrimp as I don’t eat chicken
Total was $ 21
The menu is on a board when you walk in and it can be a little intimidating and you’re ordering at the counter from a board. But grab a full menu and see the pictures bc some stuff comes with meat but you wouldn’t know that from the board.
My spicey cashew dish could have been spicier to earn the name. And the rice seemed superfluous/​way too much of it for such a stir fry.
Green bean app was delicious but a little oily/​not the most healthy.
Delicious flavored. I’ll for sure be back. Hopefully for lunch

Oh the Chillis and lime!
Manao is all thing Cap hill and cool. I walked by this place few weeks ago and I was excited to try. It’s bright, clean, crisp with menus written on the board. It’s like all the cool spots in Portland! You come in, you order, get your food and eat!
So far I’ve tried,
Larb salad
Pad kee mao
Som tom
Pork belly with crispy basil
Khao Man Gai!!!
And their 24 oz Thai ice coffee in a mason jar!!! yumm! All the dishes are around $ 10– $ 12.
Larb gai — I’m a sucker for thai salads. Almost all the thai salads and I eat them quite often. I got it with chicken! This one needed more spice! They don’t do stars level but they have spices. The day I went though, they didn’t have thai chillis. Either that or I didn’t see it! But to be fair, I was doing a take out.
Som tom aka papaya salad came with sticky rice. Very blend tasting. Either that or I’m used to a lot more flavors (fish sauce, lime juice extra)
Pad kee mao was probably the biggest portion I’ve received from this place. Nice and burnt! Everything else is pretty small. Tasty but small!
Pork belly with crispy basil– this is what I had today and probably my favorite dish from here! I’m glad I tried it. Pork was on the crispier side but that basil and all. It’s so tastyyy! I’ve been here several times now for both food and their giant ice coffee/​thai tea. But pork belly definitely will be my repeat order next time!
And Khao Man Gai? One of my fav chicken dishes ever? And they have it? Of course I liked it. That’s just a given. Overall, it’s a cute spot, new, shiny and tasty. I still have to try other items on their menu but given their easy location and parking, I’ll have no trouble returning – multiple times! :)