Thai King

I didn’t want to pick any stars, more like thumbs down ¡
Few months back the food went from ok to bad, and today, bad to worse, i will never come back. I’m going home to enjoy a box of Ramen noodles instead!

1^st time I’ve been here since the new owners. I suspect the new owners are one in the same as the Chinese Restaurant next door. The Thai food I picked up and ate was so Chinese, not Thai.
The Pad See Ew is supposed to be a thick sweet brown sauce with whatever spice you want. There was nothing sweet about it. It totally tastes like soy sauce. And the Thai fried rice I got, was Chinese fried rice, no question about it. Again, the soy taste. The meat chewed weird, like it was boiled.
I will not be visiting this restaurant again, ever. If you want Chinese food, eat here.

Walked in at 7:45 tonight, hours are open until 9pm. The gentlemen behind the counter asked how he could help and we explained that we would like to sit and eat. He said that they really don’t want people to dine after 8pm so that they can clean? Never have heard that from a Reastaraunt when I worked in a Restaraunts you could walk in a min before we close and get seated. Never go here again.

Sunny is a master at cooking Thai. I cannot think of going anywhere else! The food is excellent from the Pad Thai to the Crab Rangoon. Great service, very good prices, but the food is TOP NOTCH!

As for food, I’d give them 4 or 5 stars.
As for creepy/​greedy/​ethical, it leads to me to give stars.
My MIL dropped $ 60, and istead of telling her, the man behind the counter snatched it up as she turned back to get it and walked to the back, claiming he «never saw the money».
I guess alot of people would do the same, but he’s not a civilian. He was stealing from people in HIS OWN SHOP.
That’s shady.

Great food the first 2 times I went but was unable to order food the last 2 times I called because they didn’t answer the phone. Good food, bad customer service

this place has a new owner and the food is awesome. I’ve been back three times. I eat here and then I don’t like other Thai places. Not fancy, quick eats or carry out, very small dining room. I like going to small mom n pop type places and this is one. I’ve been to other thai restaurants in the area after several visits and they don’t add up to the food here. Don’t expect fancy, more of a carryout place, but I dine in and enjoy.
p. s., forgot to add that if you order hot, it’s REALLY HOT! be careful. I made a mistake my second visit to say make mine HOT. bad idea. they take hot serious here!

Hands down the best crab Rangoon in metro Detroit. I recently moved back to the area and they have made some awesome changes to the food. Whoever is back there cooking, I give you a thumbs up. I always order the pad Thai with chicken and I am never disappointed.

Unlike people who give reviews even though they’ve never tried the food I have and it’s really good. Cheap, fast and great service! Plus the hot and sour soup that comes with the dine in lunch is really good. Will be back soon!

Went there for lunch today at 11:05. Doors locked sign says open. No one heard me trying to get in. Can’t make money if you don’t unlock the door. 1 star for that.

I saw this place has great reviews and I tried to order delivery but every time I called it said the number was not in-​service :(

Stopped by today and ordered the Thai basil fried rice. Medium spice level. It was really good. Starting to make this place my go to. Was taken over by new management as of Dec 2013. Things are looking good.

Great food and fantastic service!!! New owner (John) is amazing. We came in for a quick meal and were pleasantly surprised at how well we were treated and how much food we got for the money. Def worth a trip!!!

As soon as King James has moved out, food has been terrible at best. King James was a Thai native and was the original cook here. I mean, he WAS the restaurant. For reasons unknown, he moved out. The management (which is btw, owned by an Arabic man, who also owns the pawnshop next door), claims that King James moved back to Thailand. Who knows what the true reason are, but regardless, he was the restaurant. It may not as well be called Thai King anymore.

Every time I try to get food from here, they are closed. Their posted hours don’t seem to apply. Hopefully one day I will get to try the food.

Five stars for the service. Three for the food. I didn’t use atmosphere in the star rating because we did take out. However, I will talk about it.
The set up is pretty simple. You order and pay for your food. Then wait at a table to dine in or wait to carry out. My husband and I carried out. It was late at night and the time it took for our food to be made was very fast. There was a table of 2 in the dining room. The dining room looked a lot like a typical Subway restaurant dining room with the particle board booths. What I saw of the place looked clean.
The service impressed me. I’d give it 6 stars if I could. We ordered Pad Thai and crab ragoon. My husband and I both enjoy spicy dishes so we were excited to go to a place where the reviews warned that they took spice seriously. The woman who took our order explained the spice levels. Warned us that their mild was pretty spicy. We explained that we normally order extra spicy at other restaurants. She helped us pick the spice level of medium. In the most polite way possible, refused to let us go beyond that level. (I’m glad she did). While we waited for our order, the cook came out and verified that we for sure wanted medium. After some convincing, he went back and made it for us. I was very impressed with the spice verification process. I know they were doing a cya but the way they handled it was polite and professional and made me feel cared for.
As for the food itself, it was fresh looking and tasting. The crab ragoon was pretty good. Less breading and more filling than your typical order elsewhere. The dipping sauce that went with it was pretty unique also. I’d order that again. The reason I gave three stars for the food was the Pad Thai. It was spicy. The exact level I expected and craved. However, I could not taste much else. It was not the Pad Thai flavor I am used to. This version tasted oily and spicy and that is it. The noodles were the only thing I could taste. I guess in summary, the sauce needed more flavor.
I’ll be back. Their menu had some pretty interesting items on it.

Ugh.
I ordered the Gang Gai and 2 spring rolls. Both were bland! Other then the mass amounts of curry (even though I asked for mild) the Gang Gai had no flavor. Eating the mushy spring rolls or trying to dip them into the flavorless plum sauce was also a disappointment. This was my first time here and the girl on the phone failed to mention there was a combo that consisted of what I ordered that was 4 dollars cheaper. Never again will I waste $ 12 dollars at this place. Thai King needs to call up Pudthai & Sushi in Rochester and take lessons on how to make good Gang Gai!

This place is hot. And I mean it. As a person who regularly orders hot at thai places, I thought I was dialing it down a notch with medium+, but boy was I wrong. I couldn’t sleep that night it was so spicy. But that’s not to say the spice overwhelms the flavor, on the contrary, it adds to it. The dishes here are very savory, and the sauces are quite thick, which to me is a sign of quality. And they do not offer cheap gimmicks like free eggroll or free soup with the order, because usually, free things aren’t worth it. The money you pay covers the quality ingredients and the skill that goes into making it, as it should be. I’ll definitely be coming back.

Made the special trip to 15 and Mound to see our old friend James (formerly making people sweat at Pi’s Thai) and I’m glad we did. He is just a joy and we got a wonderful welcome when we walked in.
It seems their intention is to be carry-​out only. There’s room for about 10 or 12 people to eat comfortably, but 1) they only have carry-​out menus, 2) you order and pick up your food at the counter (i.e., no waiter service), and 3) there are no plates. I had to use an additional carry out container to mix my rice and vegetable curry.
My Vegetable Curry with fried tofu though? Outstanding! The thing I love about James’ Vegetable Curry (R6) is that it’s not just a bunch of water chestnuts and bamboo with the occasional green pepper and carrot bit thrown in. He adds some sort of squash (maybe even pumpkin) and cauliflower, and I don’t believe there was a single water chestnut. Also, the fried tofu was excellent; way better than what he was working with at Pi’s. I hated that tofu.
To any newcomers, James likes it hot. That’s one of many reasons why he’s so legendary. My suggestion is to take your normal spice request down at least ½ a grade. For example, I’m typically a medium/​medium-​plus girl, but I barely handle anything over mild-​plus when James is cooking. Consider yourself warned. Don’t try to be a hero. No one will think less of you for ordering mild.
My only beef would be that someone was obviously smoking in the back while we were eating, and that just sucked. I mean, it didn’t bother me as much before the smoking ban, but now that I’m so used to not having to smell smoke while I’m eating… it was a bummer for sure.

Update March 2015: This place is now owned by the family that used to own Sunny Thai in Madison Heights. The old Sunny Thai menu is still available here (including their awesome angry eggplant, phuket fish, and other dishes, though they are not on the menu!). They’ve remodeled again and brought their own authentic Lao/​Thai menu back. I’m happy to recommend this restaurant once again :)
Update: June 2012: King James was back, and now he’s gone :(He cooked here from opening day to some time in 2012, then he left for Thailand. If you were here only for James’ cooking, then you will probably be disappointed. The spirit is gone.
James was the legendary chef of Pi’s Thai in Hazel Park for 10 years, until late in 2010 when he parted ways with the owner. Fast forward a few months and here we are; he got a business partner and opened up Thai King.
To see the effect that James had on Pi’s, read the reviews. When he was there they had consistent 4– and 5-​star reviews; when he left, they tanked.
Regardless, James is the happiest restaurateur I’ve ever encountered. He is so proud of his clean new restaurant with all his new equipment – and his passion and joy come through in his food. You walk in and the sense of pride is palpable.
The food at Thai King is truly authentic, mom’s-kitchen-style, Sunday-​dinner stuff. James makes it the way they make it at Thai gatherings, yet understands that American diners have certain standard expectations of Thai restaurants and makes sure that the menu is still familiar. You will find all your favorites here, including Pad Thai and Gaeng Gai, but venture off the menu a bit into some of his specialties, and you will find tastes you’ve probably never encountered before.
I can’t review Thai King without mentioning the legendary Tom Yum (hot and sour soup.) This is, I’ll boldly state, the best Tom Yum in Metro Detroit. Hands down. It is absolutely exploding with all kinds of bright and punchy flavors; spicy, sweet, sour, just the right bite of citrus and pepper. It’s truly an incredible concoction.
I tried one of the house specialties – the Pad Bai Kra Pow (holy basil curry) and it was sublime; James takes a great deal of pride in choosing and buying his own ingredients from local grocers and it comes through in this dish. He was even telling me excitedly about the pepper his brother in Thailand was going to send him – stuff he says you can only get in the jungle. True or not, it shows that James is a true enthusiast.
The menu encourages exploration, and I fully intend to go back and explore. In the meantime, I’m thrilled that the new best Thai restaurant in town is open, and it’s very close to my house. Time to get fat (ter).