I've heard great things about Long Grain, and as a lover of Thai food and someone who has spent a lot of time in Thailand, I was really excited to try it with the local ingredients of my home. Starting with the food, the Vietnamese salad was fresh and delicious. The rice cakes, however were quite bland. The sauce that came with them was good, however it was hard to soak it up with the thick, dense cakes. The Pad Kemao was incredibly salty, and I tend of over salt stuff. The noodles had a little char and you could taste the wok hei, which was the most authentic flavor from the night. There weren't as many noodles as we would have expected. As a Kimchi lover, I splurged and got two sides knowing I wouldn't want to share. I didn't realize my splurge would cost more than the entree, at $8 a side. The kimchi was just okay, it tasted like it could have used a little more time fermenting, but that's understandable at a busy restaurant. We would have tried the dessert, but when our server asked us if we were interested in it with our bill already printed and in hand, I realized she was ready to get rid of us. Which brings me to the service. We had a reservation for 7:15 to sit at the bar. Never seeing the restaurant before, upon arrival I was okay with this because the dining room was pretty claustrophobic. We had a little bit of a wait, and when we were seated we were offered a table instead. As a restaurant worker for more than half of my life, and seeing the wait at the door of solo diners, I knew this meant they needed our seats. At first I considered giving up our seats, but then remembering that I don't feel like sitting ass cheek to ass cheek with the table next to me, and that I made this reservation, I declined. Next we waited a good 10 minutes at the bar without being spoken to. In this time we noticed that our seats at the far end of the bar also acted as the take out counter with people signing their slips on top of us. When we noticed a secluded 2 top getting cleared, still without drinks, we found a server to apologize for being indecisive, but could we take that table. She checked the reservations and mentioned as long as we finished by 8:45 we could have it. Classy. It was now 7:45, still without a drink, and we told her we could finish by then and that we already knew everything we wanted and could order it all at once. She never stopped by to see how things were or to get us more drinks until she came with our bill at the end. We left with plenty of time to spare for their next reservation. This all being said, I live off of tips, and I know what good service is. Good service is my job. We did not experience good service at Long Grain, which resulted in a very rare tip from me under 25% and my first ever yelp review. If I return, it'll only be for take out. read more

Loved it, the local ingredients they used in the dishes were great. It's a great place to mix it up while in camden or maine. Everything was great. read more

Food was good, but not good enough for the painfully long wait! Seriously, took 70 minutes to be served our lunch entree. Asian street food is suppose to be fast. I really don't understand all the praise from other yelpers ... service was terrible and food was decent at best. read more

I don't know what the food is like here. I hear it's great! Too bad I will never know. I made a reservation for two. Went in at the time we agreed to. Waited 30 minutes. A table for two is open. But alas, we are told that the open table is not for us, but rather it is to be pushed together with a four-top currently occupied by people eating their entrees to make a table for six. We could have finished our meals by the time this table of six was to arrive. Why bother making reservations if they are meaningless? One of the waitresses was a blank wall of condescension. This place thinks it is SOOOOOO great and they are delighted to tell you to get lost. Rude, nasty service. read more

We went to Long Grain for dinner last night and it was hands down one of the best Thai dinners we have ever had. This is not your typical Thai restaurant. On par with Boda Thai in Portland (but much more reasonably priced), Long Grain has unusual items. The braised beef curry was unbelievable! Service was outstanding and quick. Our waitress was knowledgeable and friendly. It was my birthday and when the thai desserts offered didn't spark our interest, our waitress called a couple of other local places and relayed their offerings (the irony of course is that we should have just stayed there because the dessert we ended up with was not great!). Ambiance is intimate and funky. Highly recommend!! read more

I walked in early on a recent July weekday evening in a party of 4. It took at least 15 minutes before I was able to stop a server to inquire about a table. She seemed bothered and eventually came back, telling us that they only accepted reservations and they had a spot for us two hours later. When I mentioned that it would have been nice if someone had acknowledged us sooner and let us know, she said that they were too busy. This was ridiculous for 2 reasons: this place is TINY and there is no excuse for not taking a few seconds to greet customers AND the fact that she had stopped, hugged, and chatted with a woman who arrived well after us (a friend?) then continued to ignore us. I had to know what the hype was about so I ordered take out a few nights later. It was fine. Not exceptional and not worth the attitude of staff!!!! read more

Absolutely delicious, but come early or make a reservation. The tiny dining area fills up fast!

We needed to have an early dinner before going on a sailing trip. We picked Long Grain based on the Yelp reviews which were really helpful. This is another restaurant with no signage. Its only sign is an 8x11 paper with" Long Grain" printed on it taped on to the window, but when you enter you walk into a restaurant with an eclectic feel to it. Very hip and yet maintains a rustic feel to it. We were their first customers that evening and we're glad we came early since they usually require reservations. We started with the Pemquid mussels in spicy coconut lemongrass soup. Wow that was good. We had a variety of entrees - Pad Thai, Multi-grain fried rice with pork, Pad Seaw noodles with chicken, Main Crab Fried Rice and Beef Curry with rice. All the entrees we ordered were soo good - full of rich flavors and spices. They make you go "wow!" with each serving. We ended our diner with desserts (thai iced tea ice cream and sticky rice) which were just spectacular! We are definitely fans and plan to come back one more time before our vacation at Mid-coast Maine is over. Wow! read more

This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants. Definitely the best thai street food ! the crab fried rice is amazing and I've never had a bad item on the menu. Always friendly and delicious! read more

Good was delicious. Dumplings, and fried bok choy were the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The dining area is small. We sat at the bar.

I am not a foodie, and rarely consider a restaurant worth leaving a review for. But Long Grain was incredible! The ambiance was sweet, as it is such a small physical space. The food was amazing. I wish I could remember what I had- something that was Thai street food. It was soooo good. I talked about for the rest of our Camden vacation. Absolutely recommended. read more

The most fresh cuisine I've ever had! The chicken fried rice and Basil Chicken are to die for.

Delicious spicy basil fried rice with local farm raised egg. Too bad they were out of the crab fried rice. Also solid red Penang curry. Pork dumpling a bit weak on a relative basis--fresh pork but not insufficient flavor. read more

Food was delicious and it was obvious that ingredients were high quality. Unique flavor profiles were done simply and right. Restaurant is quite small and eclectic. Would recommend making a dinner reservation as we did, many people were also picking up takeout. read more

We read the many reviews prior to booking a table and they were all spot on!! While we were here in mid February we followed the advice and made a reservation. The food was awesome. We had the spring rolls to start with a hot sake and Japanese beer. My wife had the kao soi and she couldn't stop eating. I had the spicy Thai minced chicken with added greens and a free range chicken egg and if I was home I would have licked the bowl. If you are ever in Camden and have time for only meal, eat here!!!! read more

Great food, but the consistently rude service detracts from the quality of the place.

solid asian street food. an unexpected find in camden. dont miss the pork buns and spicy noodles.

Simply the best. Greens in your noodle dish? Pad Thai that actually tastes unique and yummy? Vegetarian options? Yes on all.

The food is great. Delicious and totally worth the wait. Last weekend we were very lucky on a cold winter night to get in without reservation. So why the 3 stars? Because I ordered tofu and got and ate chicken. When I brought it to the waitress' attention she went back and reordered. She said something about ordering "pork" and I wasn't clear if she thought I ordered pork or she reordered pork. I clarified tofu again. I haven't eaten pork or chicken for 16 years and it was my birthday. But hey, she didn't know that. She brought out some spring rolls "as an apology" and the reorder came out pretty quickly. For good customer service they should have at least removed the dish from the bill and actually said sorry. read more

Amazing. Best Asian food I've had in 7 states. Homemade wide rice noodles that are crispy and gooey. The basil wide rice noodle dish is perfect. I have celiac disease and I was fine eating there. Can't wait to go again read more

deeply nourishing, dynamic, and satisfying food. I ordered the Vietnamese beef brisket noodle soup special and it was fantastic--exciting flavors, extremely generous portion of melt in your mouth brisket, complex, balanced and flavorful broth, shaved veggies, a pile of herb microgreens on top--I was in heaven! would have posted a picture but I couldn't wait to devour it when it arrived. excellent value, super fast, friendly service, would eat here all the time if I was a local. read more

Fantastic food and lively atmosphere. We haven't had noodles this good since we spent a year in Yunnan, China.

I called to make a reservation and was told that they had nothing available for that evening. We decided to reserve the next evening at 6:30, and were told that we had that reservation. the following evening at 5:47 I received a phone call from the Long Grain asking if we were going to be there for our 5:30 reservation, I said that we made a 6:30 reservation. After a minute or two of argument and telling us that she had nothing at 6:30 for us, she promptly said " sorry you not except apology", and hung up on me. The food may have been good, but we will never know because of the horrible and rude service! read more

Wow! One of the highlights of my recent summer trip. Food is amazing, make a reservation in summer. Make sure to ask for a side of their homemade hot sauce, I bought 3 jars to bring home. DO NOT MISS trying any of the homemade rice noodle dishes. read more

We have dined here twice in the last 2 years and thoroughly enjoyed the experience both times. If we were local, I'm sure it would be a staple. Great staff, unpretentious yet highly creative food. Panang beef was thick, slightly creamy and loaded with heat; meat was failing apart. Best Panang I've ever had! read more

There is a problem at Long Grain and it's apparent within seconds of walking in. The vibe is off, way off. The lack of warmth and regard is striking and abrupt. The shorter dark haired woman at the cashier is...well, a giant in the in-hospitality business. Bless her heart as they say down south, she's got go. Front of house is vital and some are good at it, some are not. The blonde waitstaff was better but still not quite right. It's just in everything, a feeling that you're somehow not worthy of their regard. The dining space is poorly utilized resulting in not enough seating and a lot of wasted open space. The stream of patrons being turned away was remarkable to watch, this while four tables are empty for nearly thirty minutes or more. The marketplace section was quite well-stocked, impressive choices, somebody knows what to stock. The Pad Thai I ordered was pretty good, I would have rated it three and a half stars, solid. But just what the hell is going on here at Long Grain? If I was the owner I would close the restaurant for a week, redesign the entrance door to enter straight into the marketplace and thereby nearly double usable floorspace for patrons. I would fire the FOH staff or reassign them to kitchen staff and hire a bright intelligent friendly cool staff to greet the public. Let them dress in their own clothes but you not tired jeans and brown sweaters. read more

Who would think you could find amazing creative Thai food in Camden Maine? Long Grain is a treasure, but don't expect the usual Pad Thai. The restaurant builds its delicious offerings on local organic vegetables, meat and fish. Prepare your palate to be surprised and delighted. read more

Take it from a local, this is the best place in town, hands down. The food is FANTASTIC and the value is outstanding because it's not very expensive to boot! Everything on the menu is fantastic....I think I'll eat there tonight! read more

Pad Thai to die for! I just heard that they are moving and opening a market as well. This is great news for this foodie!

portions are on the smaller side for the price you pay, but food is delicious. must make a reservation if you're trying to get in on a busy night, otherwise takeout is great too. love the pad thai, spicy basil rice, and spicy market soup. was not impressed by the ramen. vibe of restaurant is great, service is good, food is awesome. great gem in camden maine. read more

Outstanding but you do absolutely need a reservation as it's tiny and very popular with locals and visitors alike. Might be the best Asian food in New England. The owners are Thai originally but with a real sensibility for other South Asian flavors. House made noodles are chewy (the way they should be) and there are loads of locally sourced ingredients from chicken, duck, rabbit to greens, farm eggs, locally caught mackerel and squid. I could go every day and not get tired. read more

A tiny restaurant with huge flavor. If you like great Thai food you'll need to make a reservation for this one, but it will be worth it. The service was as great as it was freindly. read more

Have since gone back to Long Grain, and as long as you have a RESERVATION, it is so. flipping. good. I dream about it from New York and miss it all year long. read more

The crab fired rice was so good! Really all the food would keep me coming back when I am in the area. Wife and I went at 2 on a random day in the spring, thus crowds not a problem. Considering we were the only ones in the dining section, we didn't get much attention from the waitress (that was my only complaint). Instead I got to hear her flirting/socializing with the 3 people at the small bar. Was it enough to ruin our meal, no, but it was enough to lower this ranking one star. read more

This place is a gem! Some of the best Thai food we've eaten. Lucked into a table for 2 without a res at lunch by walking in right when they opened. Had the Thai beef salad, mussels with lemongrass coconut curry & another tasty noodle bowl. All were unique, fresh, and perfectly spiced. Go here! read more

This place is an excellent choice for fresh and flavorful food. Highly recommend the fresh spring rolls, the mussels, the tofu with local greens and the khao soi. The mussels here are out of this world - we were all slurping up the broth even after we had finished eating the mussels from the dish. It also has a nice beer list featuring many Hitachino beers from Japan. read more

We found fabulous food with great vegetarian options. The space is small and sweet with great service. I highly recommend reservations as we got there at 4:30 when they opened and sat at the bar because the tables were all reserved! Can't wait to go back! Some of the best Thai food we have ever had. read more

Excellent in every way. Reliable, tasty, unusual cuisine for the area. You won't be disappointed eating anything on the menu. I love this place and eat here once per week. read more

we are fortunate to live right here in the mid coast so a trip to Long Grain is literally a 15 minute drive! If you are a lover of authentic, fresh and creative dishes on an Asian theme you would be-- more than-- remiss to omit Long Grain from your choice of eateries! Homemade fat noodles and tofu are my favorite with fresh basil intertwined with greens, just cooked, so bright green in color... with lots of flavor. My husband tells me the pad thai he ordered was bursting with flavor, fresh and crisp...the best he has ever had. Our host happened to hear we were celebrating our anniversary and we were comped the amazing coconut flan on black rice for a fitting ending to another spectacular vegetarian meal at Long Grain! read more

Great food and great service. We eat a lot of Thai food and this was exceptional. The place is packed and you definitely need a reservation. The place was fairly small and unfortunately those without reservations had to be turned away. Definitely worth visiting while you're in Camden. read more