The food and drinks were great! The server was excellent. The vibes were fun. Honestly this was a peak Thai food experience and I would make this my go to spot for Thai in Ballard. read more

See all

The restaurant space is nicer than most other Thai restaurants I've been to. I like the booth seating. Another Thai restaurant with the same owner is next door, but we chose to eat at Pestle Rock. Secret Savory is also a few businesses down and has comparable prices - each entree is basically $20+. You won't find the usual curry or noodle dishes here. I tried the gai yaang (half order) because I wanted to fill up on protein, but not have leftovers. It came with a decent amount of chicken, though there's bones throughout. The Gai Phad King Stir-Fry was too liquid-y - not my kind of dish, even though it seemed similar to some Chinese dishes I've had before. The celery was on the crispier side. The ginger was noticeable in it, so that was good. Overall, the dish didn't seem to be worth the cost for the size unless wood ear mushrooms are overly pricey or something. I don't think Chinese restaurants charge this much for dishes with similar ingredients and portions. read more

Pestle Rock - Gai Phad King Stir-Fry - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

kind servers but food was a total disappointment. I ordered seafood rice dish, portion was tiny, flavor was good when you werent chewing a full piece of garlic, and multiple large pieces of ginger. I think they ran out of the seafood supplies and didn't care to restock before serving the dish. It ruined the whole experience as most bites were inedible and it was 4 bites total and then barely sauce. I'm so disappointed for 26$ it's upsetting enough to leave this review. read more

The owner is SUPER sweet and he kept checking in on us and made great recommendations. It felt very personal and I really enjoyed my experience. The food was absolutely delicious! I believe we got the Mee Ka Ti Noodles and Kao Soi Noodles. If you like Pad Thai, I would recommend the Mee Ka Ti Noodles. I personally thought it was so so good. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice and this is my go-to place for Thai food! It is very unique and a fusion of cuisines. One of my favorites restaurants near Seattle! read more

Pestle Rock - Mee Ka Ti Noodle - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Not your typical Thai restaurant!! Very unique isan style place in Ballard neighborhood. The place has a very laidback, low key vibe. My friend and I walked in on a Saturday night for dinner and were able to get a table right away. I ordered Gai Phad King which was a soupy stir fry with chicken, mushroom and it also came with rice. It was more like a stew - very comforting with a solid kick of ginger. Overall I liked it and I will come back to try more dishes from the menu. One thing to note: But it's not very vegetarian friendly. The menu is pretty limited if you're looking for meatless options but the service is great and staff is extremely sweet! read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Their Khao-Soi absolutely amazing. They have perfected this recipe to the T. This is one of our regular places again. read more

Compared to other Thai restaurants, this one was definitely different. Most Thai restaurants you can choose from what kind of protein you want with your dish and your spice level. This one you couldn't. Also the names of each dish was in Thai, so you had to read the English description for everything. The service was fine, we were seated fast, no wait and they answered any questions we had. The place was clean and well decorated, a little dark but it was still lit enough to see everything. Parking can be a little difficult and you might have to walk a few blocks to get to the restaurant. It's good for what they gave us, but nothing I would crave or anything memorable. The servings were also pretty small for the prices. If you're in the area, good place to go for some authentic Thai food but I wouldn't drive out of my way again. read more

See all

This is one of the most interesting Thai restaurants I've ever been to. I felt the need to try every special and yet the regular menu also looked stellar we picked a few dishes and were full to the brim. We will be back when we visit Ballard again. read more

See all

Pestle rock is not your typical Thai restaurant, so don't expect pad Thai or red curry here! They do isan Thai cuisine so it's totally unique from other places around. I couldn't find an option to make a reservation on their website so we decided to try walk-in on a Saturday. We were seated immediately, they were around 75% full at that time. I noticed their menu has limited vegetarian options, I ordered the Guay tom yum. It was warm, comforting and delicious. The portion was huge and I had leftovers for next day. The dishes are reasonably priced and most of their dishes are priced between 20-25$. read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Delicious and authentic Thai food! Loved trying Northern Thailand dishes and our favorites were the peek gai tod (chicken wings) and mee ka ti (thin rice noodles). The service was excellent, and the food took about 10 minutes to come. I love the atmosphere and the authenticity to every dish. If you love Thai food and trying new things, I highly recommend! read more

See all

I checked out this restaurant with my family and we all loved the food here. The owner Pete explained that it was an Isan Thai Cuisine which is the Northeastern region of Thailand, so they don't serve the typical Thai dishes like Pad Thai or Pad See Ew. He also mentioned how all the dishes were his Mother's recipes and that she was the main chef/cook. All the dishes we tried were so good! If you love spicy food, then this is the place to be. Service was top notch because everyone was so friendly, but the food is definitely a must-try! read more

See all

Got to try the Ba Mee Hang Mutoon and the Guay Tiow Ta Krai, and both were superb! The freshness of the ingredients really came through and the spice level was perfect. read more

Pestle Rock - Ba Mee Hang Mutoon - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

What a homey, delicious, and authentic tasty IG Thai spot we have here in Ballard. Pete the owner has to be the most dedicated, friendly, and loving owner I've met. The place is underwhelming from the outside but when you step inside you and transported to a grandmothers home, a true Thai experience. The menu is large with lots of things you can't get elsewhere. The ingredients are fresh, and the spices are undeniably great! I highly recommend this spot and would come back! read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

So happy to find another great Thai place in Ballard! This place stands out because it's very focused on regional Thai food, from the Isan Peninsula. You should NOT get your typical Pad Thai or Pad See Ew because they have so many better items to try. We had no trouble getting a table for three and our food came out quickly. I got the Guay Tiow Lod, which was a soupy mixture of rice rolls and fried tofu. It was awesome, I loved the texture of the rice rolls and I had no idea this was a part of Thai cuisine. My table got two desserts and shared them - I thought the Roti Sai Nom was fine but the Khao Neaw Sang Ya Ka blew me away. The custard was sweet and savory and it was overall just a yummy experience. read more

See all

Great spot for Isan Thai food! They have unique Thai dishes and prices are reasonable. We got the Thai pork jerky, Ka Nom Teen Nam Prik, and Gang Gae. Everything tasted great! The Thai pork jerky was flavorful and paired well with the Thai Sriracha sauce, the coconut curry in the noodles was balanced and fresh with the vegetables, and the lamb in the massaman curry was flavorful and tender. I really enjoyed all of the dishes we tried, and had some leftovers! I'd recommend dining at Pestle Rock, and I look forward to coming back to try other dishes. read more

See all

Came here after being recommended a handful of times by friends and was definitely not disappointed. This is a extremely cute, local and authentic feeling Thai restaurant and their dishes are not your typical cheap Thai takeout menu. We really enjoyed their fried chicken wings, but honestly everything there looked great and you can expect to find some dishes you've never heard of. The service was really fast and it was cute to see some of the staff eating the same dishes at the back of the restaurant since we came during a slow period read more

Caught up with a friend fellow Yelper Marie B yesterday and we decided to meet at Pestle Rock one of my favorites in my neighborhood. my friend had the Kao Soi always a solid choice. I couldn't decide between two favorites so I got both knowing I could bring home leftovers. The Trout Tod Yum is a dish I had a few years ago when I visited with another and always cone back to it. it's refreshing like a fish salad with all the fresh veggies and herbs. Khao Klook Ka Pe is a newer dish to me that I had for the first time a few months ago. love how interactive and colorful this dish is you pour the caramelized pork on top of the rest of the ingredients mix it up and enjoy! Never disappointed with any dish I try here I know I really need to try more items on the special board. next time!!! Staff is always so friendly and the space is so cheerful with all the lights and plants. Will be back soon!! read more

See all

Very good. Not your typical Thai menu. Favorite Thai food in Seattle. Guay Tiow Tom Yum (sweet/sour noodle soup) is my favorite dish.

This Thai spot has been on my list for one reason only: the fact that they have Khao Kluk Kapi on their menu. It is a simple dish that is not commonly found in Thai restaurants, and this has been the only restaurant that I can find in the greater Seattle area that serves it. Service was prompt and my order came out very quick. I could smell the aroma of the shrimp paste fried rice immediately, which was a good sign. I ended up inhaling the whole dish that I didn't realize how full I was until I stood up and couldn't breathe. The only concerns I had were that there was a little bit too much carrot than I would have liked and the portions were a bit small for the pork, Thai chili, and dried shrimp. I did ask for extra chili, and they provided it to me on the side. On a side note, I also ordered the Thai martini. It was delicious, but I could not taste any of the chili in it. read more

See all

I struggle with how to rate Pestle Rock. I have had phenomenal dishes and some very mediocre dishes. I brought out-of-town guests to eat here with mixed opinions. Maybe 3.5 overall? I'll round up to 4 because service was good, the ingredients are good, and the restaurant is well maintained and decorated. The Food (from the last time I ate here): Khao Mok Gai (chicken) - 5 Stars Khao Mok Gae (leg of lamb) - 5 Stars Menu: Long simmered in 9 spices, fresh turmeric, bay leaf and curry powder, served with saffron rice, pickles, fried shallots, soup, and house-made mint sauce. These dishes are the same preparation but with different protein. Slow cooked, superbly seasoned, flavor-infused, these two dishes are to die for. The lamb soaks flavor better than chicken. If you like lamb, order the lamb instead. I'm not a big rice eater, and I loved the rice. The soup, the mint-sauce are all top-notch. They have a count-down of how many orders are left from 5 of each. If you see this available, order it! Talay Pad Cha, $22 - 2 Stars Menu: Seafood (Scallop, Prawns, Wild Caught Fish) stir-fried with fresh chilies, krachai root, peppercorn, lemongrass, and basil I like all the ingredients, but somehow the dish felt bland, even though it's supposed to be a spicy dish. Somehow the seasonings didn't spread(?), and the dish overall tasted watery and bland. So odd. I will not order this again. read more

See all

Always a tasty selection with great service! I've enjoyed eating here every time I'm swinging thru Ballard! read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

We ordered 3 items and they all tasted the same, over seasoned with fish sauce and lemongrass and sugar. Very disappointed as our taste buds exploded with false umami and sweet. Ingredients did seem fresh. Just over seasoned and too strong. Not very good despite all the good reviews that brought us here. read more

A really cute restaurant located in a very convenient area with a lot of parking near by. Everything on their menu is very affordable and there are so many different things to choose from. I would highly recommend bringing a few friends and share food to be able to try more things from their menu. We got sat down very quickly one we came in and the food came out fast. I was a very big fan of their deep fried rice salad. read more

See all

Seattle has many excellent Thai restaurants, but this is one of the best. We managed to find parking in Ballard(!) right in front of this restaurant, so we decided to try it. The seafood specials were delicious! Great food, friendly staff. Highly recommended. read more

I don't even know what to say except it was a party in my mouth. Flavors, textures, smells, everything was on point and at the pinnacle of ability. Eat here!!! read more

THE BIG: Located in Ballard, beautiful Thai restaurant with christmas lights adorning the roof and a spacious interior. Street parking available. THE BLACK AND WHITE: I came here with the wife and a couple of friends to grab a bite to eat before hitting the town. We were in the mood for thai and stumbled upon Pestle Rock because it was close to the bars. The menu is big but not too big, just enough to give a glance and order in 15 mins. I got the Ba Mee hang Muutoon. It reminded me of beef chow fun but thai inspired and with pork belly. The other dishes we got were the Khao Soi, Mee Ka Ti, and the Khao Ka Prau Gai Khai-Dao (aka fried rice). THE FINAL BAMBOO: Overall, the Ba Mee hang Muutoon set me back ~$16. Great thai flavors and I'll be back when I'm in Seattle next! read more

See all

Really loved visiting Pestle Rock on a Sunday night. I don't know the names of everything we ordered but it was all delicious. The only thing I wouldn't order again was the lychee strawberry mojito. It tastes really artificial. I really liked how high quality the ingredients were and they listed where the meats came from. I will definitely be back. read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Sadly can't say that I can recommend this place anymore. It's been a couple years since I've been here and after a recent visit I can't say that this place is as good as I remember it to be. My go to guay tiow tom yum noodle soup did not come with its best part, the fried pork belly topping. Don't know if they just forgot it that night or what the deal was. Noodles were also on the mushy side. Kao soi's broth was on the watery side. Opted to try their fried pork ribs appetizer and this was maybe the biggest upset of the night. $12 for about 6 small pieces of soggy and cold "fried" ribs. Maybe they were just having a bad night but their usual hits were big misses for us. read more

Amazing spot serving incredible Thai food! You can find all of your traditional Thai food here like khao soi, Kao Phan Phu, and Ba Mee Hang Muutoon! It's a small spot, but they turn tables fairly quickly. Highly recommend coming with a few friends and sharing dishes family style. I love the khao soi! Flavors were out of this world and I could tell the noodles were very fresh! My husband had the ba mee hang muutoon and the meat and noodles were done very well too. I would love it if they had more meat next time. Overall great place to try! read more

Pestle Rock - Khao Kao Soi - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

After being a bit underwhelmed by Sen Noodle, I had higher hopes for neighboring Pestle Rock seeing as how they're a couple doors away from each other with the same owner. I suppose the idea is to lock down the Thai competition? It may need some work. Came here on a slow Monday evening and looking to try something new I scanned the special menu for something interesting. Now the name escapes me of what special I had, but it was sliced pork loin with a sauce and Chinese style broccoli. Firstly, the pork loin was ok, but had hardly any flavor, even with the sauce. The cut of the meat was pretty small, I was disappointed. There was plenty of broccoli though which was seemed hard and undercooked. What really kind of took me back was the extra $3 for a side of rice. Is this how it is now? It was already $17 or $18 by itself, I feel like this is the first place I've seen this, and you have to do it if you want to be filled up as well as get the sauce from the dish. Service was alright, nothing special. Overall pretty lackluster here. Sen Noodle is the better of the two, but the real Thai spot in this area is a place "that shouldn't be a secret" less than a block away. Take that hint and you won't be disappointed. read more

See all

My new favorite Thai spot?! Everything about this place was so good. Really attentive and friendly service, great portions, fair price, spice level is accurate (when the menu says its spicy--it actually is!). What I found particularly exciting was their focus on the Isan region of Thailand. It allowed me to try dishes that are not typically found at other Thai spots which was awesome, introducing new spices and flavor profiles to my palette. I need to come back to try the rest of the menu! read more

See all

I came here with my significant other for a quick bite to share and we both thought it was flavorful, simple, filling enough for us. We were super hungry so this was the perfect amount of food to share! The service was quick and kind. They were a little curt, but we both didn't mind that since it was clear they were busy and had other people to attend to. I think the place is really cute and homey. It was dimly lit and really pleasant to be in. I feel like both times I've been here, I've always enjoyed it and would recommend people to try if they're in the area and enjoy Thai food. read more

See all

The food was really delicious but the portions were a bit smaller than other Thai restaurants. The drinks are also tasty, I got the strawberry basil martini and I could have had a few more! Service was friendly and quick. The restaurant itself was cute and cozy, I felt comfortable! Overall, I'd come back to try more of their menu as a lot of it sounded good. read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place jumped the shark. It's heyday was 2022-2024, but the place is nosediving and fast. They dropped the portion sizes, raised the prices, and have stopped caring about ambiance. I'm talking sticky floors, families of flies in your food to the point where you need to move the table. It's a bummer because there is definitely an authentic feel to the place; the food doesn't feel Americanized, but these days, I don't feel quite Americanized either. Maybe it's me. read more

Visited my friend in Ballard and had to stop in at Pestle Rock to get some of my faves - Nam tok and ba mee hang muutoon. Ordered online for takeaway but didn't have a profile setup so even though it said I had a confirmed order it seemed to not register so I ordered at the bar. Got the food no spicy so baby could also have it. Food was ready in less than 10 mins, exactly to order (no spice! such is my life right now...) - even without the spice it was so so good. Well packaged with chopsticks. Wished I had a bigger stomach or larger group to get more faves ha. read more

Pestle Rock - Takeaway: Ba Mee Hang Muutoon (back) and nam tok (front) - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Pestle Rock was bustling on a busy Sunday night, and we had to wait for over an hour to get a table for four. Since we got our table 30 minutes before the kitchen closed, my party quickly looked through the menu and ordered the kao soi chiang mai, crab fried rice, ba mee hang mutton, and the yum larb isan. I started with a Thai iced tea, which was surprisingly good--rich in flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. The kao soi chiang mai stole the show with its thick and flavorful soup, despite the chicken being slightly overcooked. The crab fried rice was simple but satisfying, generously packed with crab meat. I really liked the flavorful peanut sauce that coated the thick noodles in the ba mee hang mutton. The meat was also notably quite tender. The yum larb isan which was essentially a minced pork salad was pretty good and refreshing. There were a good amount of onions in the dish but they were not harsh and did not make your mouth smell. Despite the long wait for a table, Pestle Rock has quickly risen to one of my favorite thai restaurants in the city and I will definitely be back. read more

See all

My favorite Thai place for northern Thai cuisine. I've been coming here for 10 years and the quality has always been amazing, food consistently good, service is friendly. read more

See all

My experience at Pestle Rock can mainly be described as yummy yummy food in my tummy! To be honest, this review is really about one dish - the Kao Soi with chicken (curry with rice noodles). The flavor of the creamy curry with coconut and fried noodles on top gave it a really nice, homey touch. I couldn't stop slurping the curry and it was hard to stop myself from licking the plate afterwards. We also tried the Me Ka Ti noodles, which was still good, but if I were to note anything about it, I think the vermicelli style noodles were a bit too thin/ delicate for the bolder flavors of dish. Besides the tasty Thai food, the staff was friendly and the atmosphere and the twinkling, colorful lights on the ceiling made for a nice experience. I'd definitely come back (4 out of 5 stars all around)! read more

Pestle Rock - Kao Soi - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Amazing drinks and food. The drinks were yummy and strong, I loved the mojito. The food was so flavorful. The pork curry was sweet and thick and creamy. The Kao soi was savory and rich. I loved the crispy noodles on top and pickled vegetables on the side, everything just paired together very well. The steak appetizer was also a win- very tender and the house sauce was tangy. I wished things could be spicier but our server told us they don't adjust. They do give you some additional dried peppers, chili oil, and pickled peppers on the side if you ask though. The pickled peppers were super spicy so be careful if you do add them on! read more

See all

Really good Thai restaurant located in Ballard!! Their food and drinks are really good and something new to try if you don't wanna stick to your pad Thai orders read more

Pestle Rock - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington