One of my more enjoyable life goals is to eat Thai food in all 50 states: 43 down, only 7 more to go! Shown below are the states in which I've had the pleasure of eating the official food of Heaven along with a pagoda rating system. I've been working on this project for several years, so some of the restaurants I've listed may no longer be in business. After 14 years in the Great State of Washington, I'm moving to Indiana where my goal will be to eat in every Thai restaurant in that sweetest of all states in the USA.
If you have a great Thai restaurant to recommend, please e-mail me.
= The food and
ambience were not acceptable. I will not eat at this restaurant again.
= The food and ambience were tolerable. I will eat at this restaurant again if
I have absolutely no other Thai, Indian or Middle Eastern food options.
= The food and ambience were good. I would travel up to 50 miles to eat at this
restaurant.
= The food and ambience were excellent. I would travel across state lines to
eat at this restaurant!
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Alabama
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Kentucky
1977 Brownsboro Rd Louisville, KY 40206 |
North Dakota 1450 25th St S Fargo, ND 58103-8105 (701) 235-5795 Beautiful restaurant, not-so-great food. But . . . when you're one of only two Thai restaurants in the entire state, I'll cut you some slack!
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Alaska
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Louisiana
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Ohio 3283 Refugee Rd, Columbus, OH Map (614) 231-7767 While the ambience is not great, the food was delicious and the lunch special was a real deal! |
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Arizona
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Maine
The yellow curry was average; the tom kha was outstanding!
Average food, very attentive service (brought me extra peanut sauce when I ran out!). The summer rolls lacked mint and were bland and unfulfilling. The massaman curry was adequate.
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Oklahoma
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Arkansas
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Maryland
5810 Robert Oliver Pl Columbia, MD Map (410) 992-9553 When most of the customers are Thai you know you've found a great Thai restaurant! Excellent food and great service!
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Oregon
I have eaten at every Thai Orchid location; all are excellent. For all Greater Portland area locations click here.
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California
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Massachusetts
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Pennsylvania
656 W Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 14 West Ave Wayne, PA Map (610) 341-8162 Overpriced food that was bland and uninspiring. My wallet was outraged, my taste buds stupefied.
141 W
High St Carlisle, PA 17013 (717) 249-2007 Delightful family-run restaurant with delicious food an a daily lunch buffet. Don't miss it!
125 Gateway Dr # 111, Mechanicsburg, PA -
(717) 795-7292
Great food, but a little more expensive than I thought it should have been.
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Colorado 1575 Folsom Street, Boulder, CO Map (303) 447-9718 Limited selection, but very tasty food, pleasant surroundings, large servings at a reasonable price. |
Michigan
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Rhode Island
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Connecticut
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Minnesota
(952) 888-7177 Could have been a 3 pagoda restaurant if they hadn't made the food so hot. Somebody in the kitchen didn't fully appreciate the meaning of the term, "mild."
2627 E Franklin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55406 After reading online that this was Minneapolis' best Thai restaurant I was looking forward to culinary greatness. Unfortunately, I opted for the buffet which was average. I saw that most of the other customers ordered off the menu and their plates looked much better than anything the buffet had to offer. |
South Carolina
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Delaware 200 Water St Wilmington, DE Map (302) 655-5140 One of several food stalls in a refurbished, riverfront warehouse. Fantastic food, generous servings and low prices. It's worth driving out of your way to eat here! |
Mississippi
116 N Commerce Street, Natchez, MS Offers a
pretty good lunch buffet.
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South Dakota I was unable to find ANY Thai restaurants in the entire state of South Dakota. I brought in Thai food from Montana and ate it in my hotel room in Custer, South Dakota. So, yes, technically I have eaten Thai food in South Dakota.
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DC |
Missouri
4130 Pennsylvania, Kansas
City, MO High class location and setting. Average service. Huge servings, but flavors were neither robust nor clearly defined. Expensive and overrated. |
Tennessee
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Florida
2117 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803
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Montana
2916 1st Ave North Billings, MT 59101 Fantastic Tom Kha; average yellow, red, and green curry. Pretty good Pad Thai. Delightful waitresses. Large servings of lunch specials.
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Texas
Only the somewhat uncoordinated and rundown ambience and
decor prevent this place from receiving my coveted 4 Pagoda Award.
This place has the best Thai food I've eaten outside of Thailand. Find
some excuse to go to Houston so you can enjoy this outstanding restaurant! |
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Georgia
4880 Lawrenceville Highway Suite 14-15, Tucker, GA (770) 491-9948 Since this place was voted Atlanta's best Thai restaurant, I had great expectations. While it is not a bad restaurant, it is not one of the great ones. Serving sizes are a bit smaller than most Thai restaurants. The Tom Kha was mostly broth; it had fewer mushrooms and other "chunks" than the soup typically has. The Pad Thai was adequate but not memorable. |
Nebraska 245 N 13th St Lincoln, NE Map (402) 477-0811 Attractive downtown location, but inattentive service and uninspired cooking. 610 N 27th St Lincoln, NE Map (402) 475-0558 Excellent food, lousy decor. Adequate service, outstanding value on the lunch specials! I just ate there again (4/17/09) and was very disappointed. Had the Masaman Curry. It was watery and lifeless. |
Utah
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Hawaii
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Nevada
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Vermont
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Idaho
Elegant restaurant with pretty good food!
This used to be an outstanding restaurant! I ate there again in July, 2009, and was horrified! The food was not good at all! Bring back the old cook!! |
New Hampshire
Had the Garden Ramayana: Broccolli, Tofu, Peanut Sauce and Rice. Would have been good if they hadn't skimped on the peanut sauce. Overpriced! |
Virginia
I enjoyed the Pad Thai. It tasted like dishes I've eaten in Thailand. Those who prefer "Americanized" Pad Thai might be disappointed. |
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Illinois
Outstanding buffet on Saturdays and Sundays. Don't miss it!! |
New Jersey
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Washington
See Below |
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Indiana See Below |
New Mexico
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West Virginia
329 N
York St Wheeling, WV 26003 (304) 232-2888 Yes, this is technically a Chinese restaurant, but I had the Thai Chili Chicken (with tofu) and it was outstanding. Some of the best tofu I've ever had.
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Iowa 8801 University Ave Clive, IA Map (515) 225-8111
2410 Chamberlain St. (Campustown)
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New York
84 William
Street, New York, NY 10009 Phone: 212-809-8038 - Fax: 212-809-8039 |
Wisconsin
Slow service, tasteless decor, adequate food.
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Kansas
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North Carolina
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Wyoming 135 N Cache Dr, Jackson, WY Map (307) 733-0022 The ambience and service were terrible. The food was bland and unattractively presented.
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The Great State of Washington (1992-2006) |
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College Place
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Seattle
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Spokane
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Federal Way
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Kennewick
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Wenatchee
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Lynnwood
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Vancouver
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Walla Walla
311 S 9th Ave Walla Walla, WA 99362 Temporarily Closed (July, 2009) I lived in Walla Walla for 14 years during which time I had to drive an hour to eat Thai food. Less than a year after I moved away a great Thai restaurant opened in my old home town. Three pagoda food in a two pagoda setting earns this good restaurant a solid 2.5 pagodas.
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Yakima
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| Thai Restaurants in the Great State of Indiana (2006-????) | ||
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Avon
7508 Beechwood Centre Rd Avon IN 46123 (317) 272-1115 Without a doubt, the worst Thai restaurant I have encountered. Great name, terrible food. (I had the Pad Thai lunch special. You shouldn't.) |
Indianapolis
5135 S Emerson Ave Indianapolis, IN 46237 (317) 780-9088 I don't trust restaurants that attempt to provide two cuisines. Like "a house divided" a restaurant offering two cuisines cannot stand.
I enjoyed a delightful masaman curry. Tried the Pad Thai on 08/13/07 and thought is was outstanding! Best Pad Thai in Indiana!
The best summer rolls in the state are found at this outstanding restaurant. Don't miss the outstanding buffet each Thursday evening; it's vegetarian the first Thursday of the month.
This is the only place in the USA I have found vegetarian larb that was a spectacular dining treat! Still, the menu is limited, and the ambience is uninspired. The food, though, is usually quite good.
Just one trip was all this place warranted. I had Pad Thai and found it to be uninspired and boring in both presentation and flavor.
8145 Bash Street
Indianapolis, IN 46250
Indy's newest Thai Restaurant is well worth a visit as soon as possible! The value, quantity and taste of their lunch specials is the best in Indiana! Attentive wait staff, interesting menu, classy decor. Update: I've upgraded Thai Orchid to the coveted 4 Pagoda Rating! This truly is the best Thai Restaurant in Indiana, and one of the best in the USA!!
11021 Allisonville Rd Fishers, IN 47304 Had the Pad Thai and thought it was terrible. It was too sweet. My wife says she liked it, though.
222 W 86th St Indianapolis, IN 46260 (317) 844-9451 Not Indy's best Thai restaurant, but certainly not bad.
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Jeffersonville
1411 E 10th St, Jeffersonville, IN47130 (812) 282-0198 An outstanding dining experience! Each dish was delicious. |
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Bloomington
221 East Kirkwood Suite 3, Bloomington, Indiana 47408 Enjoyed a very tasty Kha Prao with tofu. Large servings, fast, friendly service, and very tasty food! Unusually good rice.
430 E 4th St Bloomington IN 47408 (812) 331-1233 Don't miss their daily lunch buffet (outstanding quantity; quality not so good, though.)
3316 West Third Street, Bloomington, IN (812) 333-2234 Appealing decor, standard menu, average food.
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Kokomo
3710 S Lafountain St Kokomo, IN 46902 (765) 452-5599 I had the Pad Thai for lunch. The noodles were undercooked, the flavors monochromatic. |
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Chesterton
425 Sandcreek Dr. Chesterton, IN 46304 (219)921-0092 A delightful place with friendly, attentive service and a menu that includes some dishes I don't often see. (As of September, 2008, this restaurant has gone out of business.) |
Lafayette
135 S Chauncey Ave # 2C, West Lafayette, IN 47906 Kind of a hole-in-the-wall place, but the food was not bad at all.
3618 State Road 38 E Lafayette, IN 47905 (765) 449-8898 Although the wait staff is some of the friendliest I've ever met, nobody in this restaurant is Thai. I had the Pad Thai and was deeply disappointed.
1534 Win Hentschel Blvd, West Lafayette - (765) 269-9380 Elegant restaurant with pretty good food. Servings were too small and too expensive for me, though.
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Crown Point
5124 Pine Island Ct # M Crown Point, IN 46307 (219)769-6322 Would have been awarded 3 pagodas had the service been better. The food, however, was actually quite good. Enjoyed some satisfactory Tom Kha and an outstanding dish of Pad See-Ew. |
Mishawaka
302 E Russ Ave Mishawaka IN 46545 (574) 259-0735 Surly service, gummy tasteless rice, and food that lacks the multidimensional flavors great Thai food typically has. |
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Evansville
6240 E Virginia St Evansville, IN 47715 (812) 477-8424 Evansville only has one Thai restaurant, but it's a good one! I enjoyed the pad prik khing. |
Muncie
2401 N Tillotson Ave Muncie, IN 47304 (765) 289-8989 Fast, efficient service. Average food. The strangest summer rolls I've ever had anywhere! Odd wrapper, unusual filling. |
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Fort Branch
RR 1, Fort Branch, IN 47648 (812) 753-3878 What's a good Thai restaurant doing in a town of 2000 people out in the sticks of Indiana? Stop by and find out! The cook grows all of her own peppers, spices, basil, etc. Food was great, the chef is friendly, the ambiance is like eating on the street in Bangkok.
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South Bend
A year ago I rated this place only 2 pagodas. I have eaten there twice in the last month and have had to raise the rating to 3.5 pagodas. Great service, classy ambience, and outstanding food! This place is worth visiting! June 2, 2009 Update: Today I ordered the green curry with tofu. It came with both chicken and tofu in it. I was told they make all of their curries ahead of time with chicken in them. They charged me $1 extra to have tofu added to the chicken I had to pick out. So, unlike most Thai restaurants that make almost anything on the menuwith tofu, this place doesn't fully offer that option. I've taken away 1/2 a pagoda.
1835 S Bend Ave South Bend IN 46637 (574) 271-8845 I ate there for the lunch buffet. The food was adequate; the cook and wait staff delightful. Not only will you get some Thai dishes, you'll also be able to sample a dish or two from the Philippines or Laos. |
Ft. Wayne
4634 Coldwater Rd Fort Wayne IN 46825 (260) 471-2929 The proprietors of this fine restaurant have created the perfect blend of classy setting, outstanding food and great service. For several years this restaurant held the coveted 4-pagoda rating. After a recent and disappointing visit, I have downgraded them to 3 pagodas.
5820 Challenger Pkwy Fort Wayne, IN 46818 (260) 497-9429 Adequate, but not outstanding, food. |
Terre Haute
1295 South 3rd Street, Terre Haute, IN 47802 The Tom Kha was flat, its flavors monochromatic. The stir fry with Thai Basil was acceptable, but not outstanding. On my second visit I had Pad Thai. It was terrible! Friendly service, reasonable prices for lunch specials. Worth at least one visit. |
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Indian Restaurants in the Great State of Indiana |
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Bloomington, IN Map
Bombay House 416 E 4th St
Shanti Indian Cuisine 221 E Kirkwood Ave # G |
Indianapolis, IN (317) 634-6060 207 North Delaware Street (Downtown) (317) 253-6060 830 Broad Ripple Avenue One of Indy's better Indian restaurants (both locations). The lost 1/2 a Taj Mahal because instead of Saag Paneer they scrimped and had Saag Aloo . . . Otherwise, the food was quite good.
(317) 299-2127 4225 Lafayette Road A rarity amongst Indian restaurants: This place serves many south Indian dishes and everything is vegetarian. Great food and a location and setting that makes you think you're back in India!
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Carmel, IN Map
12510 N Meridian St The best Indian restaurants in Indiana: Tasty food, great variety, clean and upscale setting, all for a reasonable price. Amber is the "gold standard" by which I judge all other Indian restaurants in this state.
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Chesterton, IN
Map
Taj Indian Bistro(219) 921-1900 418 Roberts Road Limited selection at the lunch buffet. Very ordinary, uninspired variety and flavors. And, they have the audacity to charge $10.95 for this all-to-ordinary dining experience. |
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Evansville, IN Map
4614 Vogel Rd
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Lafayette, IN Taj
Mahal Fine Indian Cuisine (765) 448-6862 140 Frontage Drive, Lafayette For a period of time this place was very good. Something happened a year ago and the food is not that good and the buffet selection is limited. (765) 746-2345 111 South River Road, West Lafayette
Khana Khazana Indian Grill(765) 743-1223 108 Northwestern Avenue This very average but over-priced place gets an extra 1/2 Taj Mahal rating because they did have some unusual items in the buffet. Apart from that, the food was your basic Indian food, not bad, but not exquisite. |
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