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    Orchids Cafe

    4.2 (32 reviews)
    ModerateThai

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    Orchids everywhere
    Dave D.

    There are some restaurants and businesses that mystically pull you back over and over again. Orchids is one of those places. The food? The pleasant setting? The before 6pm specials? As I have considered the allure of this Thai restaurant that also claims to specialize in "Continental Cuisine" all of these come to mind. Orchids is located in a plaza whose exterior reminds one of the fact that it is an old building that was never retrofitted for the 1990's much less the 21st century. However Orchids sits in the middle like a blooming flower rising from the squalor. As you enter this small dining room the quiet resonance of Thai music soothes your angst while the presence of beautiful orchids removes any thoughts of the larger plaza or the world outside. A large white board displays the daily special and your menu offers many classic Thai options plus a few items that one can associate with Franco-American (No, not the canned ravioli but dinner choices that hint at the classic but were designed with American palates in mind. So no worries about overly French sauces.) Cuisine. My first recommendation GO THAI! The Tarragon Chicken I chose on our last visit was well ... Not very good. Neither was the Cream of Carrot soup which my taste buds anxiously searched for the taste of carrot rather than thickener. However, my dining partners made the Thai choice and were very happy. That has been our previous experience the Thai was simply and deliciously prepared. But ... and here is why I struggle to understand why we return. The service is so so slow and as evident on our last visit but affirmed from past visits the servers cannot give any insight into the food that is being served. If you have any other plans for your evening forget them because you will never make it there on time. Just remember keep breathing in the scent of those beautiful orchids, the soothing music of Siam, and the flavors of the meal ... No need to rush outside to that old plaza and the highways of the world. Don't worry you won't be rushed. A final note ... If it is very cold outside it will be cold inside so be prepared. I am guessing those orchids have some insulation because their flowers remain beautiful. Giving 3 stars because even with slow service that can't give insight about the menu and cold winds blowing in from winter streets the food (Thai) is good, the pre-6pm special is a good deal, and the music with those orchids chases the ugly world away for awhile (A long while ...).

    Menu
    Wilson C.

    Decided to try this place out. Not far from hamilton mall and stockton college. For apps ordered lrb chicken and somtum salad. Both were fresh and light, but needed a little extra thai herbs. Entrees were chicken green curry, nice spice and taste, and the panang curry w half rack lamb. The lamb was delicious. Tender and cooked medium rare as i asked. Will definitely be back for this dish. For dessert we tried the coconut and coffee ice cream. It was homemade and perfect after this spicy meal. I could of ate 12 scoops of this. Overall food was 3.5/5. Place is small and you can hear everyones conversation. Drafty door was chilly. Cant remember our server name, but she was a young blonde woman. She was really helpful and would come back thanks to her.

    Thai Tea...mix mix!
    Diane C.

    Best Thai food in town. Be prepared to wait very long though. :)

    Masaman curry

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    17 years ago

    The best Thai restaurant in South jersey. If it was in NYC it would be the second best, since Sripaprahi will always be my number one.

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    15 years ago

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    15 years ago

    This place is delicious! It is small and cozy with great service and food to match.

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    11 years ago

    Great food, great pricing, Generous Portions and delicious desert and a great homely ambiance. Would give higher than 5 if possible.

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    15 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    16 years ago

    Food was pretty good to just ok. Price and value are amazing. 10$ for three courses. Service is also good.

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    10 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    11 years ago

    This is my go-to restaurant for curry. Light yet packed with flavor. Quite and calm atmosphere. Always leave happy and satisfied.

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    Kalaya - Gong Ob Woonsen (Shrimp & Glass Noodles w/Bacon & Chinese Celery)

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    4.4(609 reviews)
    45.5 miFishtown

    Came for a birthday celebration. One of the few nicer places on my short list of restaurants with…read morereservations available, so I decided to go for it. Service was excellent! Our staff were always looking out for us, and making suggestions and recommendations throughout our entire meal, and even helping us with some tips to better enjoy our meal (they saw me sweating in response to the Thai spice). Definitely made this a top-notch experience. Ambience here is great! Love places with *real* greenery indoors and a lot of natural light, like this place, and seats and tables were spread out sufficiently such that there was a nice background chatter without feel too infringed upon by other conversations. We ordered a good variety to share. The spare ribs and the glass noodles dishes were amazing! Everything came out as ready, but it was on a good cadence such that we were enjoying things as they were ready, hot and fresh. I'm no expert on legitimacy of flavors and dishes, but honestly this feels like the most legit stuff I've had in the Thai wheelhouse in a while. To boot, even though we said no to dessert because we had other plans, they came with a candle on a plate to still share birthday wishes. A nice touch! Definitely a fancy occasion kind of place in my books, but I'd definitely make a return trip on another occasion!

    KenScale: 8.25/10 Visit: April 2026…read more One restaurant in Philadelphia that I had wanted to visit for a long time was Kalaya, which was featured in the Chef's Table documentary on Netflix in 2024. I was moved by the personal story of the chef Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon in the show, and of course my wife Jun and I would never say no to some delicious Thai food. On our recent trip to Philly to celebrate our anniversary, Jun and I finally got to check out Kalaya (which is named for the chef's mother) on a rainy Sunday for lunch before driving back home. We were very pleased with the lunch at Kalaya, which in our mind really showcased the Thai spicy flavor well. The menu at Kalaya features Southern Thai dishes inspired by the chef's family history. The colorful display of the dishes stood out throughout our meal, but more importantly we also really liked the spicy flavor that felt genuine and soulful. The cute flower-shaped Shaw Muang dumplings with ground chicken were highly recommended by our server and the kick from the Thai chili set the right tone right away. We were also fond of the poached shrimp and cabbage salad with coconut cream (Yum Kalum Bplee) for the delightfully crispy texture. For the main dishes, we ordered one stir fry and one curry. If you have to order just one dish at Kalaya, I can't recommend the colossal crab stir fry with egg (Pu Pad Pong Karee) enough. Served with jasmine rice, this dish offered complex flavor of spicy, salty, sour and sweet that was quite unlike anything I had encountered in a while. As Jun and I were savoring this awesomeness, I wished that I could've eaten this every week. The goat and lamb curry (Gaeng Pae), served with pickled cucumbers and coconut turmeric rice, was also impressive, with rustic curry broth that suddenly hit my tongue with spice blend. Despite that powerful impact on my palate, I couldn't stop myself from enjoying the curry, especially with the coconut turmeric rice that neutralized the curry's spicy kick somewhat. We also shared a side dish of stir-fried local mushrooms (Hed Pad Kratiam) that was solid as well. We were running out of room in our stomach after cleaning up the savory dishes, so we settled with ordering a Thai iced coffee to go before hitting the road. Not surprisingly, Kalaya is a very popular restaurant in the Philly dining scene so getting a reservation in advance is essential. I was a bit nervous on our visit as we were running rather late (by around 30 minutes) from picking up our car from the parking lot, yet the restaurant was gracious enough to honor our reservation. The bright and lively dining space offered quite a fitting background to the character of the dishes. There is a full bar with Thai-inspired cocktails and concise wine list designed to complement the Thai spices well. Kalaya definitely lived up its hype as one of the most important restaurants in Philadelphia; Jun and I were glad to have visited and would be more than happy to come back for our next visit to the city.

    Photos
    Kalaya - Bar Area

    Bar Area

    Kalaya - Kanom jeeb nok (bird-shaped dumplings)

    Kanom jeeb nok (bird-shaped dumplings)

    Kalaya - Goong Ob Woonsen (Shrimp & Glass Noodles w/Bacon & Chinese Celery)

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    Goong Ob Woonsen (Shrimp & Glass Noodles w/Bacon & Chinese Celery)

    Orchids Cafe - thai - Updated May 2026

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