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Buddha Ruksa

4.0 (1.3k reviews)
ModerateThai
Closed • 4:00 pm - 9:30 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

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BUDDHA RUKSA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Buddha Ruksa

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Crispy Garlic Chicken & Phad Kee Mao
Katherine G.

This place is super popular and busy, and I guess there is usually always a wait. I came to get takeout and tried to place an order over the phone a few times but they never picked up. When I ordered in person, I ended up having to wait an additional 40 minutes before getting my food. I got the crispy garlic chicken and pad kee mao with pork. Their signature crispy garlic chicken was delicious - so flavorful with the spicy sweet savory sauce. Some pieces were a little more dry than others, but I loved all the basil on top. The pad kee mao was good but nothing special, I think it could use more char. If you're preparing to dine in be ready to wait, otherwise hope you can get a phone order in!

Thai Fried Rice
Roy H.

Very nice local authentic Thai spot. I ordered a fried rice, spice level three and it was really good. The food came out super quick. Everyone in the establishment was super nice, very friendly service that felt family owned and operated. Would def recommend for solo dining and large parties as well.

Thai iced tea
Tom E.

The "bags of gold" appetizer is a winner - perfectly crispy pastry wrapped around shrimp-mushroom-water chestnut filling and tied with a strand to resemble sacks of gold. The crispy garlic chicken is so good everyone calls it "Crack chicken." It's addictive! Perfect crunch and spicy flavor, drenched in a rich black sauce, and adorned with basil. Every table was full; service was great, attentive, and polite. Overall, a great meal.

Jenny L.

Don't sleep on the crispy garlic chicken. Possibly one of my favorite dishes here. It was also decent size portion! Prawn salad was way too salty. Skip it. Crab Rangoon appetizer is hard to mess up. Was decent, but overpriced. Pad kee mao is delicious. Skip the massaman curry - way too watery and only had chicken and two slivers of red pepper and some basil. I'm used to this dish being thick and hearty with peanuts, potatoes, onions, etc. This lacked flavor. Blood orange margarita was more sugar than anything else. Skip it. Overall, I would come back for the noodles and garlic chicken. I also want to try the crispy duck next time!

Panang short rib
Cindy L.

Food is soo good here! Food comes super fast too. Ordered crispy garlic chicken, panang short rib and phad kee mao. The short rib falls off the bones and the crispy garlic chicken is flavorful and super crispy.

Crispy Garlic Chicken
Marino H.

Consistently one of the best Thai restaurants in town - I'm typically a curry person but the crispy garlic chicken is *so* good here that it always pulls me in! This is a place I take people to.

Jeremiah M.

Came here with a few of my friends after helping them with an event, and we came hungry! They've been praising this popular restaurant a lot, so I was excited to see what Buddha Ruksa had to offer. We were seated pretty quickly, and we ordered dishes to share family-style. I can't remember the exact name of each dish, but we got a fried rice, chicken dish, soup, and pad see ew. Everything was good, pad see ew being the best (but that might just be the fact that it's one of my favourite Thai dishes to order). The chicken dish was probably my least liked item we ordered, I've had better from other places.

Crispy Garlic Chicken
Tarrin D.

Everything was delicious. The lychee martini put me on my ass after a couple of sips but it is a must!

Austin G.

Visiting good friends in Seattle, they recommended this spot for quality Thai food. We picked up takeout and brought it to their house for dinner. To feed four, it cost over $100 with tip. I hear the food is better at the restaurant. Half of us enjoyed our takeout and the other half didn't. I personally enjoyed the green chicken curry.

Green Curry
Sally N.

I got hyped by my friend about this restaurant. When I arrived, I had to wait in line for almost 45' to get in, super busy! The service is quick and efficient! For the food, I notice the sour taste is very outshining. For all the food that we ordered, curry and chicken are probably the most stable. The trout fish lacks for fish sauce and savory taste, I mostly only notice sour taste and ginger! For the beef salad, really sour as well, it took away the balance and savory that Thai food usually known for!

Vince U.

If you're looking for a hidden gem in West Seattle, Buddha Ruksa absolutely delivers. This small, unassuming Thai spot is the kind of place you might walk past without realizing how good it is, but don't make that mistake. Just be prepared that if you go on a Friday or Saturday night, there's likely going to be a wait. They don't take reservations, so it's first come, first served. That said, it's 100% worth it. Even with a line out the door and every seat filled, the service made us feel like we were the only table. Everything was quick, friendly, and super efficient without ever feeling rushed. The ambiance is casual and authentic. Nothing flashy, just a comfortable spot focused on great food. We started with the Bags of Gold appetizer, and this is a must-order. These perfectly crafted little pouches are packed with flavor. Stuffed with shrimp, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and water chestnuts, then paired with an incredible sweet garlic chili sauce. Honestly, I'd go back just for these. For mains, we tried the Swimming Rama with chicken, and the peanut sauce completely stole the show. Rich, flavorful, and something you'll wish you could use at home daily. It really brings the whole dish together. We also had the garlic chicken with broccoli. It might sound simple, but they nailed it. The garlic flavor really pops without being overpowering, making it anything but boring. We'll definitely be back since there are still so many dishes on the menu we want to try. Just next time, we might plan ahead for that line or bring a snack while we wait.

Bianca M.

This place is always packed and the food is great! 4 stars because I ordered the half chicken and it was ice cold in the middle.

Website

High quality food (you pay for it) but they do not answer the phone so to make reservations or to order by phone is nearly impossible, even when calling in middle of day. Their website says the only way to make a reservation or order pick up is by phone. They should change that. For this, 1 star. There are lots of great thai food in seattle, pick a spot with good customer service. Unfortunate.

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Reviews are generally positive. People love the crispy garlic chicken, varied flavorful menu, and inviting ambiance. Most praise the friendly attentive staff, though some report mixed service quality.

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2 years ago

Best Thai Food Ever. Short rib fried rice bomb. Drinks strong, gave me a headache. Fried chicken good.

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Amazing food; attentive, friendly service; nice interior and ambiance. A true local gem.

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2 years ago

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8 years ago

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3 years ago

Probably the best pad Thai I've ever had and the service is so great. Really sweet attentive people!

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

Come for the Crack Chicken, stay for the curry, overstay for the bananas. They are almost always busy, but get you in and out pretty fast.

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3 years ago

The crispy garlic chicken was fantastic! We also really enjoyed the cocktail selection and the overall ambiance.

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Best Crack Chicken in Seattle!!! Staff was friendly. Looks nice inside. Seating can be a little tight during certain hours.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Great food, nice ambiance, excellent service! One of my regulars. Their curries are exceptional.

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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Page 5 of 32

Ask the Community - Buddha Ruksa

Do you use fresh rice noodles?

Does anyone know which items are safe for those w gluten sensitivities? I'm hoping the crispy chicken uses cornstarch 😃?

yes!

Did their phone number change or do they no longer take takeout orders?

When The two phone lines are busy taking orders. it just goes directly to full mailbox. Keep trying until the lines become available.… 

What am I missing about this place, food is awful?

Taste buds, probably.

When are the Lunch specials? What days and what time? Menu

Monday thru friday

You have delivery?

No. I don't think they deliver.

View All 7 Questions

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Noi Thai Cuisine

Noi Thai Cuisine

4.0(1.5k reviews)
3.4 mi•Downtown
•$$
Vegetarian friendly
Women-owned & operated

We came here for lunch, I had seen the reviews on Yelp and wanted to try it out…read more Food: We tried the vegetarian drunken noodles and vegetarian coconut curry. The noodles were absolutely delicious, packed with flavor. They do spicy on a scale through five, we opted for four out of five for the noodles, I thought we could've gone even one spice level higher. For the curry, we did three out of five, and definitely could've done a spice level higher. The spice scale is definitely catered toward people who like less spicy food, so rest assured three or four is still fairly mild in spice. The quantity of the curry was actually quite small, however, the presentation was beautiful. It was also delicious in taste. Ambience: The restaurant is very ethnic and beautifully decorated. It is a great date spot. It's very clean, and food came out quickly. Service: Our server was incredibly professional and very polite. He gave great suggestions. I really appreciated that he went out of his way and got the spice jars for us to adjust the spice level of our food. Something else that I always give credit for is that they pack up any leftover food that you have. Phenomenal service.

you really can't beat this location. It's central to everything and in walking distance to pike…read moreplace market. It took a while for us to get sat. We didn't have a reservation, but there were a lot of open tables outside. We waited, and they finally sat us at one of those open tables, The food was pretty tasty. I had pad see ew. My friend had a vegetarian dish . The food was just okay to me, I've had better pad see ew before. I'm not sure how authentic it is, but it is very conveniently located. The waitstaff was friendly.

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E-Jae Pak Mor - Kao Sou Chiang mai with fried chicken.

E-Jae Pak Mor

4.7(345 reviews)
3.3 mi•Chinatown, Chinatown International District
•$$
Locally owned & operated
Women-owned & operated

TLDR: AMAZING service and DELICIOUS food to match. Plus, quick even though it was quite busy on a…read moreTuesday night. Small number of tables and space so even 4 people group was pushing it. The owner ( I assume ) was very kind and gave us the table he was doing paperwork on. There were extra tables and chairs in the restaurant also to make your own set up if necessary. Su Kho Thai Noodle soup: long glass noodles + fish balls + ground peanuts and pork. Looks spicy but was not, in my opinion. So many flavors and textures going on + a hefty portion. It can only be described as not only a meal, but an experience. Kao Mung Gai Hainanese Chicken: SAUCES WERE EXQUISITE. I would buy them if they jarred them. One was a spicy sauce and the other was an oil based ginger/garlic sauce and wow...drooling just thinking about it. Chicken was moist and came with a good amount of veges to round out the dish. Was blown away by this place ! A 10/10 must try if you're in Seattle. Two meals + a drink = ~$60 w tip. Pretty reasonable for quality, portions and city prices.

I wasn't a fan. The…read morepak mor is almost like a big dumpling made out of a steamed rice noodle... filled with a bunch of thin vermicelli noodles. Noodles on noodles. That is what dominates the dish. Kind of a slippery, soft texture that I didn't like. Not well seasoned. Bean sprouts weren't the right compliment. Not much ground pork in terms of quantity or flavor. And I thought the fried pork belly was bad. The fatty bits were chewy, not melty. The meaty bits felt dry and old. The outer part didn't offer much in terms of crunch.

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Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen

Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen

4.2(175 reviews)
5.1 mi•Queen Anne

I haven't explored Queen Anne much since living in Seattle, so today felt like the perfect day to…read moredo so. Such a cute little area. They have an extensive menu here, so it would be rather Difficult to find something that you didn't like. I obviously had to get a thai iced tea. This one was excellent. No notes. It came out quickly, and it was the perfect sweetness level for me. kaley had the pad Thai. She said it was delicious and hit the spot. We were both ravenous, so there was not much sharing done. I had chiang mai curry noodle dish. This was excellent. The broth was flavorful and creamy. The egg noodles were good. Normally, I'm a then noodle gal, and these were a little thicker than I would've preferred, But they actually virtually well with the dish. I also enjoyed the pickled veggies at this dish came with. Big pickled veggie scale, so they could do no wrong with this addition. I would love to go back and get some of their appetizers and other dishes Because there were more than a few things that I wanted to try. The service was speedy, and the staff was attentive and friendly.

Isarn Thai has several locations in the Washington area, and I had high hopes for some decent Thai…read morecuisine. I'm going to cut to the chase - I was downright disappointed. I ordered the Lamb Massanam with Roti. It sounded delectable on the menu, and as a lamb enthusiast, I did not hesitate to order it. It was the worst lamb dish I've had in recent memory. At least in the Washington state area. It was practically inedible and way too overcooked. My friend also ordered the same dish, and we acknowledged each other in unison, shaking our heads in sheer disappointment. The broth was nice, and it was good pairing with the roti and white rice. But the lamb was a sheer and utter disaster. Way too overcooked and the meat tasted old. So sinewy and dry, and it had no resemblance of the lamb flavor. Maybe it was a bad batch, sure. But I left the restaurant feeling so dissatisfied and angry that I paid that much for a poorly executed dish. That lamb was not good at all. 2 stars, just because I feel like the other dishes probably met expectations. But wow, what a disappointment.

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Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen - Blue Lemongrass Cooler

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Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen

Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen

4.3(288 reviews)
8.4 mi•Ravenna
•$$

Wow just wow. I saw…read morethe picture on yelp of them being voted best in Washington and I have to agree. Staff are all friendly and check on you enough that you feel seen. The restaurant has a comfy home like vibe that is so welcoming. The highlights of the meal are split between the mini wings and the red curry. We will be back for both of these. The wings have a sauce that is on point. I would bottle that sauce in a heart beat. The curry was so full of flavor, I didn't want to stop. It didn't even need rice. I could drink the red curry sauce. We also had the fried chicken. It was crispy and flavorful. For sure if your craving Thai food make this a stop.

When we first arrived there was a wait list and a posted wait time of 20+ minutes. Luckily they…read moretexted us in only about five minutes, but unfortunately the host was preoccupied... so we waited near the entrance until they called my name. The host was very quiet and although I didn't hear him, luckily my daughter did. I asked for a five star curry with Salmon, but they informed me that they could only do three stars so ordered the three star curry, a side of spicy sauce and rice. My daughter ordered the Phad See Eiw with tofu. The server delivered the wrong noodle dish, I immediately said that it wasn't what we ordered; she ignored me, dropped it off and left for the next table where they informed her that she had swapped the dishes. The salmon was quite good, seared and crispy around the edges. The curry wasn't spicy at all, so I had to add the full side of spicy sauce. The spicy sauce made it spicy enough, but it was sour. I tried to explain this to the server; instead of hearing me out she immediately brought more spicy sauce. Finally I was able to get them to cook the curry with the spicy sauce making it less sour and the flavor was good. The rice was definitely insufficient for the amount of curry ordered, which I found strange given how cheap rice is. I tried my daughters noodles. They use a cheaper oil and added lots of sugar, making it a sub par dish. We also ordered a young coconut, but it wasn't that young and the meat was hard. At $12 for an item that costs $1.50 I was underwhelmed. Overall the dishes were hit and miss, and the service was sub par. Try it at your own risk.

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Blue Lemongrass Cooler

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Buddha Ruksa - thai - Updated October 2026

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