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    Dalaya

    4.6 (121 reviews)
    Open 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Dalaya Photos

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    DALAYA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Romantic

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    Recommended Reviews - Dalaya

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    Nicole B.

    Absolute gem in Sylva! The food at Dalaya was absolutely incredible--every dish was packed with authentic, vibrant flavors. To top it off, the James Beard-nominated chef was incredibly friendly and actually took the time to come over and talk with us. Fantastic food and amazing hospitality. We will definitely be back!

    Dining room
    Mary C.

    I was on a business trip and tried these place because of the yelp reviews. Immediately when I drove up on a Tuesday night the parking lot and dinning room was completely filled. Great sign! It's a really small dinning room but very comfortable and well lit. It was chilly outside and it was also really cold inside. The service was good. My drink and food arrived relatively quickly. I loved the coconut broth and noodles. The flavor was delicious and so authentic. I didn't realize the chicken was in drum stick. I'd prefer just cut up chicken but it was good. I was completely surprised by this place given its rural location and yet the Thai flavors were incredible and similar to what you would find in a big city.

    Kiao Khoong Todd crispy gulf shrimp wrapped with marinated ground pork served with sweet chili
    ashley t.

    Everything was amazing! We visited from out of town and HIGHLY recommend checking it out. If you haven't had Thai food before this is your sign! The chef is a James Beard Finalist and it shows with the incredible presentation and unique flavors.

    Waiter said they were spicy....they are very hot!
    Michael R.

    What a great little find you don't expect this level of Thai in the backwoods of NC. Very non traditional but was excellent. Best curry dish I have eaten, wait staff very friendly didn't get a 5 star cause our waiter said the wings were spicy...so hot and I like hot that we couldn't eat them....really should say spicy hot level 10...the place has indoor and outdoor seating so cute. Well decorated. Love to go back and try other dishes so unique...don't go looking for pad Thai

    Ami A.

    Delicious home style Thai food from the Chiang Mai region (my favorite part of northern Thailand!) The dishes are filled with flavor. We had wings as a starter which were unique and tasty! We had chicken curry with potatoes and cashews and a pork loin with pickled veggies and soft boiled eggs. Everything was delicious! The location along the river is beautiful too!

    Thai tea

    This is great spot for a date night. The food is awesome and service was fast. I love that all their meats are locally sourced.

    Streetview
    John H.

    Outstanding flavors! We came on Fri night around 5:30 and didn't have any issues getting seated and opted to sit outside along the creek. They had a good selection of beers and great options for appetizers. We started with the Thai Pineapple Salad ($15) and it was excellent with a little kick to it. My bride went with the Gaeng Masaman w/chicken ($19) and enjoyed it. I ordered the Khanom Jiin Naam Yaa Plaa ($20) and it was awesome! Service from Austin was spot on explaining the menu and providing prompt attention.

    Gaeng Masaman
    Mike S.

    We had been coming to Sylva for a number of years but have never been to Dalaya but this go around we finally made it. I thought we were going to eat in but I was told by the ladies that we were just doing pick up, damn. I looked over the menu and had to go with the Khao Soi. Chiang Mai Coconut Curry Soup, Dark Meat Chicken on the bone, and Egg Noodles... Sign me up. We also had to try an appetizer and we went with the Tum Kanoon. I wasn't big on the Jack Fruit but it did come in Spicy Curry Paste it had Pork Belly and I love my Pork Belly. Our food would be ready in 25 minutes so we went and picked up everything. Once home I got into it. My Khao Soi looked great and had so much curry soup which everyone knows you can never have too much of. The meat on the chicken legs just fell off the bone and the curry brought so much flavor it also had a nice kick. I did come with Chili Oil too which I of course added for more spice and flavor. The only thing this dish was missing were my Egg Noodles. This is why you don't do take out for your first time somewhere. The Tum Kanoon was just alright for me. The Jack Fruit was much better then I thought it was be and had a lot of flavor. The issue I had was the Pork Belly was pretty much just Fried Pork Rinds and since they were boxed up were a little soggy. Again, gotta eat in at your first time at a new restaurant. I would for sure come back thought since again my biggest issues would have never been an issue if we ate there and that Khao Soi was so good plus there is more to try.

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    2 years ago

    A must try restaurant. One of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The flavors are phenomenal.

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    3 years ago

    Always incredible hand crafted meals. A real treat in a rural setting. Friendly staff who is always helpful in suggesting what's new

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    This place serves wonderful fresh food. Try it once and you will be a regular. Great service. Very simple place

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    4 years ago

    I love this place! Amazing quality ingredients and delicious recipes. Very authentic Thai, something I didn't expect in Sylva NC

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Awesome food - great location along the river, friendly staff and owner. Sat outside and enjoyed everything.

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    Page 2 of 4

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    Watami Sushi And Noodles

    Watami Sushi And Noodles

    4.3
    (178 reviews)
    15.9 mi
    $$

    We came on a whim and discovered this gem 15 minutes away from Maggie Valley…read more Store is beautiful and clean. We came on a Thursday late afternoon/Early evening and got sat quickly. Waiter was spot on - tended to us quickly to get our drinks. He came and took our order and food came out fairly quickly. The vegetable tempura was great - not greasy and this one had broccoli and eggplant (I dont like eggplants but I am sure someone will.appreciate this). Fried rice - even though it was kids, it was fantastic. It was not oil soaked and the flavor was so clean. Even my picky husband said it taste so good! Rice was not mushy.. it was, excellent! The Chow Hor Fun? I wont lie... I disnt have high hopes as a restaurant in the Carolinas. Boy was I wrong! The noodles were al dente, beautiful mix of all the veggies and protein. Sauce was a little sweet for my taste, so I was able to request for some chilli sauce and was all good. Also, not greasy. I was happy. My husband got the tuna sushi nigiri, tuna roll, salmon nigiri and white tuna. It was really good! Everything was bright and did not smell fishy. Last note - portions are freakin HUGE! Like i ate a third and took the rest' and the container was full. My daighters "kids" fried rice was packed to the brim. Expect left overs, u less your a competitive eater. The price, value and quality, this was def a 5 star - our first and only in our vacation here. Highly recommend - speaking as a Chinese vacationing in the carolinas that was getting desperate for any semblance of chinese food

    We decided to try this restaurant on a mid Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was about half full…read moreof customers, and the sanitation rating was a 94.5%. We were allowed to sit anywhere, and we didn't wait long for a server. Wanting to try several dishes, we chose the pad thai, the ginger pepper beef, and the red curry with chicken. We also ordered some alcohol, my wife wanting to try a particular wine. A sample was brought, but it wasn't very good, it tasted as if the bottle was old, as if it had been opened multiple days ago. We commented on this to ourselves. My wife ordered a full glass of a different wine. Our server brought the entire bottle of that wine over to open it and pour it, in what I would describe as a purposeful but unnecessary gesture of showing that it was a fresh bottle. My wife made a comment about the type of corkscrew she tended to prefer while the server was pulling the cork, and the server's response came across as unnecessarily abrasive. Our food came out fast, and the portions were good sized. The pad thai was tasty, well made. The red curry was not very good, it had a very unusual vegetable blend and the sauce was very watery. The ginger pepper steak and its vegetables had a decent flavor but several of the meat pieces seemed to be partially made of what I can only describe as gooey gelatin, independent of the sauce the dish was cooked in. Very off-putting. All three dishes were decently warm when they hit the table but not piping hot, and as a result they were lukewarm or cold fairly quickly. Later on I observed our server helping another server clear a table and our server made a definitive and unmistakable head gesture towards our table. Overall she seemed very tense, only checking on us occasionally. Her lack of care was emphasized when she checked by our table and we told her we were done with a half-eaten red curry and she did not question whether there was anything wrong. Overall a negative experience, and we will not be returning.

    Photos
    Watami Sushi And Noodles
    Play Boy Roll and Tuna Sashimi
    Play Boy Roll and Tuna Sashimi
    Watami Sushi And Noodles

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    The Baht

    The Baht

    3.7
    (133 reviews)
    28.3 mi

    This is at good location next to creek, google map had lil difficulty to find the place. It has…read moremany tables to get seated and works with robot to pock dishes and bring dishes to serve. We ordered spring roll, tom yum soup, green cury and drunken noodles. Food was delicious

    First time dining in this Thai restaurant, and from Menu it seemed pretty $$ pricing wise. But we…read morewanted to relish the thai food after rain showers, so it seemed perfect choice to dine-in. We were welcomed and immediately seated. Nice reception. It's right around a corner curb and has all glass windows, bringing nature closer while dining in. Everything adds up to the pricing, but the authentic flavorful Thai food. We ordered typical appetizers - Chicken Satay and Spring Rolls. Spring Rolls were too oily, seemed deep re-fried. Chicken Satay came after entrees were served, and beyond surprise, they got us bite size pan seared chicken, which lacked flavors and seasonings. Worst satay we have ever had. All these years, all the thai places serve chicken satay on skewers and with tasty peanut sauce. To our dismay, this chicken satay was pan seared with no taste whatsoever. Our entrees were their specialty basil fried rice and red, green curry. They were ok. But chicken was like boiled chicken just thrown in precooked curries. Lacked the flavors again! Overall I would rate rating of 2 for food. Sharing pictures for reference, they don't do justice with the tasteless food. My 2cents, they should work on their food quality and then price the dishes appropriately.

    Photos
    View of dining room
    View of dining room
    SHRIIMP PAD THAI
 Sauteed with rice noodles, egg, scallion, bean sprouts and topped with ground peanuts.
    SHRIIMP PAD THAI Sauteed with rice noodles, egg, scallion, bean sprouts and topped with ground peanuts.
    JUNGLE CURRY FRIED RICE
 Long hot chili, string bean, bell pepper, Thai eggplant. Choice of Chicken, Pork, Beef, Tofu or mixed veggies.

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    JUNGLE CURRY FRIED RICE Long hot chili, string bean, bell pepper, Thai eggplant. Choice of Chicken, Pork, Beef, Tofu or mixed veggies.

    Dalaya - thai - Updated August 2026

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