Oh the talented Aoy! As a young girl I would travel to Marquette often to for figure skating lessons or competitions with my father who was retired from the US Navy. My dad had spent a number of years over seas and his love for Asian food was no secret, his love for Kimchee even less of a secret. My father would call ahead and they would make a big(HUGE) jar and we would take it home and eat it with every meal. I now live in Vermont and I think about the Rice Paddy often. The flavorful stir-frys and those crispy wontons, but the kimchee, til this very day is the best I have ever had and am now convinced will ever have. Sadly, Aoy doesn't really make it anymore, but luckily she had a secret stash and was able to give me a bit. I was immediately take back to the memories of me and my dad feasting on this stinky, but delicious treat. She still remember my father and our visits. Aoy is really special and her cooking comes from her heart. She is thoughtful and considerate and I encourage you to let her cooking into your life. Marquette Michigan is SO LUCKY to have Aoy and her talent, this place is an absolute gem. read more

Rice Paddy - Not on the menu anymore but if plan ahead Aoy just might help you out with some Kimchee. - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

You guys I'm a pad Thai convert now. I stick by what I said about the pad see ew, though. I'm not sure if my palate changed or if I finally just saw through my own bullshit and decided it was time to try it again and admit I was wrong. read more

The last reviewer is right on target. The owner makes this otherwise hole-in-the-wall, take-out restaurant a very special place. Oy called me "new boyfriend" on my first-time visit. She was very busy but still had time to joke with the customers waiting for their orders. She has a very good sense of humor and combined with her thick Thai accent, she puts a smile on everyone's face. I ordered the "world's best" Pad Thai, according to an article on the wall, as Oy suggested (see photo). It was my first Pad Thai, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was quite good. She even rushed my order because she wanted me to catch up with the rest of my family that were eating at the pasty place up the street. Worth the visit just to meet Oy...soon to be world famous! read more

Rice Paddy - The Rice Paddy - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

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My friends and I were on our way to a ski resort, and strolled in here after reading the rave reviews on yelp. We ordered four different dishes (pad Thai, pad see ew, Thai fried rice, and green curry). We were disappointed by the food (note: all 4 of us are from east Asian descent) but thoroughly impressed by the service. Aoy, the thai owner and cook is super friendly and I can see why the locals love coming to eat her food (as well as the Olympic athletes who visit Marquette like Apollo Ohno). She ended up giving us six dessert sesame balls for free, which were not only delicious but completely undeserved. Even though the food was mediocre (but appropriately priced), we left as happy customers due to the excellent service. There is practically no seating available, and because the food is made to order, I highly recommend calling in beforehand to order. They also only accept cash. I recommend ordering #16, the thai green curry! read more

Rice Paddy - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

Lovely couple that run the business, and amazing home cooked Thai cuisine on top of it!

fuck yeah we open!!!!! fuck yeah we open!!!!! fuck yeah we open!!!!! fuck yeah we open!!!!! fuck yeah we open!!!!! fuck yeah we open!!!!!

I know this place is a staple for the locals and they have been operating for years, but the food is most definitely Americanized cuisine for the simplier pallette. It's what I concider "Asian Lite" and unfortunately it's not what I was expecting, so just buyer beware, but at least the food was cheap. This place, however, still has a certain charm and I has a special place in my memory now for the swearing owner who ain't got time for your dumb questions on the phone, she's busy ya'll, make up your mind! My sister and I joyfully stood and listened to owner taking orders on the phone and we had a good bout of entertainment. Just for that is the one reason I may come back and just order fried appetizers and listen to her phone calls. Cheap food and witty service. read more

Amazing food... would absolutely eat here weekly. Wish we had one here in Fort Wayne. Marquette is lucky to have it. read more

We walked in at 8:30 pm on a Thursday night and walked out 10 minutes later with fresh, hot Pad Thai, Ginger Orange Chicken and 2 egg rolls. Dean could not have been more forthright and funny and his wife Naung who was doing the cooking could not have been more efficient! All in it was $15! The egg rolls were so good we biked back the next day for 3 more! Try the almond chicken one. Perfectly crisp, non greasy and packed with wonderful veggies. Dean and his son came up with a hot sauce that is sublime. It's strictly a take out place but they have it down to a science. Next time we are in the area we vow to try their curries. read more

Rice Paddy - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

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Lived in the UP for 4 years and had the pleasure of eating at the Rice Paddy several times a month. Without a doubt, the best Thai food I've ever had. Fresh ingredients, amazing flavor with perfect heat, and generous portions. I am proud to be a boyfriend of Aoy's! read more

Best Thai food I've been able to find in Michigan! Homecooked taste from an awesome lady- Aoy is half the reason to stop by! I was a Michigan Tech student and every time I'd make the long haul, I'd forgo the dreaded fast food stops and hold out for the Rice Paddy to stock up on a weeks worth of Thai cuisine for $20. Just remember this place only takes cash and its a busy takeout spot- I usually call ahead 30-40min before I would get there to place an order. Aoy's pork pad thai(thai spicy!) is always my go-to, all of hercurries are good, the coconut chicken soup is a perfect blend of spicy and sweet, and the steamed combination wanton may be the best dumpling I've ever had(sometimes they can't make them and the cream cheese wantons make a good backup). I will always be Aoy's boyfriend ad make a point to stop here on my travels! read more

Rice Paddy - Cream Cheese wantons - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

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The best Thai food in Michigan, probably in the Midwest. Go here soon, I heard she is planning on retiring in the next year or so. I would make the trip anytime if I were really craving her cooking. Cream cheese wontons, exotic green thai(the coconut milk makes it) and curry fried rice are my personal favorites. She also uses extra money to return to her homeland in Thailand every year with necessities for the school children such as clothing, shoes, school supplies and food. If that's not reason enough to try it, I don't know what is. read more

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Awesome little spot right next to the dome, the woman there was extremely nice and pleasant. The food was some of the best thai ive ever had, very very good job!!! If we ever come back well definitely be stopping here!!! read more

Rice Paddy - Pad thai with chicken - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

The most awesome, authentic, reasonable, yummiest thai food ever. Kudos to the lady chef. My favorite has to be green curry and curry fried rice and yes, coconut chicken soup. read more

Rice Paddy - were so impressed by the lady,thai chef & great social worker;had to get one pic clicked!most awesome & authentic thai food ever - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

Rice paddy is hands down my favorite restaurant in Mqt! I highly recommend the orange chicken as well as the pad thai :)

You can definitely tell the food here is crafted with care. Very authentic dishes!! The owner is always in there, greeting you with a smile at the door. The building is very small and run down, and there is a bar around the wall if you do chose to dine in, although I don't think most do. read more

Rice Paddy - Chicken Pad Thai, and cream cheese wontons! - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

Who is eating food from this restaurant and having a good experience ? I LOVE egg rolls, fried rice, stir fry... Our meal was inedible. Greasy, tasteless, yeuch. Too bad because everyone working there was so nice. read more

Great food, great staff. They always take care of you when you go there. Definitely recommend anyone looking for this type of food to go try it read more

This is a tough one because I really want to love Rice Paddy but our one experience was mediocre. First, the place is tiny and while there is some modest seating including a charming rustic outdoor patio, there's not much to it. Luckily, there's a great dive bar across the street called the Wooden Nicole that'll gladly accommodate you while you wait and let you eat in there as well. Second, it's cash only which is inconvenient. But, the food. Our ordering experience was weird. We ordered from a nice guy who didn't help us much in navigating the modest menu. He also didn't have any understanding of food allergies. My girlfriend is allergic to tree bits and he suggested that the fryer they use for almond items was fine to share with other fried foods because there was "only slivers of almonds" in the things they fry. Yeah, not how that works. He was utterly befuddled and offered no accommodation to suggest other menu items or figure out how to make it work. If you don't understand basic tenets of food allergies, don't work in the business. Later, I learned the owner gets it, but clearly hasn't passed that on to her staff. Annoying and unsafe. So, we wound up ordering stir fry orange chicken and chicken with spicy plum sauce and I got a veggie spring roll with almonds slivers. We waited at the Nickel and enjoyed the bar a lot while sipping some cheap beers. When I went to pick up our food (there was about a 30 minute wait) the man was gone and I chatted with the owner who was a delightful woman. However, she asked about the allergies and then proceeded to tell me that we ordered items that she didn't think were that great. She recommended that if we come back we should order the Pad Thai, Green Curry, or Curry with Butternut Squash - ironically items all that we had previously debated. So, I'll pass that suggestion along to Yelpers. So, the thing here is, she was standing there when we ordered and no one made any suggestions until we picked up our food?? Weird. Also, why are you offering and serving food you don't think is great? Or can you at least put some stars on the menu by your featured items? Just kinda weird. That said, we were tired and hungry and not thinking straight, so this is in us. We've eaten enough Thai food in enough places to know that we were making bad decisions lol. So, it is what it. Our food was just ok. Not great. The plum was better than the orange for sure. But neither sucked and that was a win. However, the handmade spring roll with almond was great! A giant, hand wrapped contraption with a thick, chewy doughy batter and stuffed with cabbage, vermicelli, veggies, and slivered almonds served with duck sauce. It was the best thing I had. Obviously, my girlfriend didn't indulge. All in all, if I'm ever in Marquette again I would go back and try again. I liked the place, I liked the owner, I respect that its the UP's only Thai joint, and I loved taking my carryout to a wonderful dive bar. Just bummed at how this first go-round went down. read more

Rice Paddy - Amazing handmade giant spring roll with almond on left. Mediocre plum chicken on right. - Thai Near Me - Marquette, Michigan

Please, please bring back the Aoy style egg rolls and sauce. They were the best and we miss them. The filling, the size, the crispness.

This place was packed and had an hour wait which would seem to be a good sign. The almond right Rolls were pretty good but greasy and the green curry we had is still giving me nightmares. Hot and sour soup was good. Take the curry off the menu and you might have a decent spot. Didn't try anything else read more

Rice Paddy was my favorite place in Marquette while a student more than a decade ago. Marquette has a surprisingly good food scene considering it's so remote. And Rice Paddy is the best. This past weekend I was back in town for a wedding and to visit some family. Naturally I had to visit Aoy for a meal. Twice in fact. Haha. The food is as amazing as I remembered. Maybe better. I've tried pretty much everything at some point. On this trip I had Panang Curry, Pad Thai, Pad See-eiw, curry fried rice, coconut chicken soup, and shrimp egg rolls. It's freshly prepared and legit recipes. Very high quality and expertly prepared. Aoy has been serving Marquette for something like 30 years now. Ask any NMU alumni and they'll share a story about Aoy and her restaurant. And the prices are criminally low. I don't think she's ever raised her prices. Make sure you leave a nice tip. All that money gets sent back to Thailand and is used to help poor students (I'm remembering from 10 years ago, but she would happily share those details if you asked). Thanks for all the wonderful meals Aoy and the trip down memory lane this weekend. 5 Stars and my absolute favorite Thai restaurant in the country (very well traveled reviewer). read more

We weaved through construction to find this place, & when we finally get there they tell us if we didn't call it in already it would be a 45 minute wait. Their food is amazing but a to-go place with a 45 minute wait??? Never heard of such a thing. read more

Wow, this was amazing! Excellent egg rolls and pad Thai. Prices are great. This is cash only. We ordered ahead for pick up with a hour wait which was worth it. read more

Call in your order and expect a long wait for your take-out. But is so worth it! Can't beat the prices and the flavor is incredible! Plus, Aoy takes all of her tips and helps out with a school in Thailand every year. read more

I come up to marquette for work once in a blue moon. I've seen this place on my yelp radar a few times but didn't have cash till today so I decided to go try. The Owner is super funny and awesome! When I asked for spicy it was legit spicy bc that's what I enjoy eating. I ordered the Pad Thai and 2 egg rolls. It was super delicious! Best I've ever had and she asked if I'd like to try her curry and of course I said yes! DELICIOUS is all I can say! Definitely recommend! read more

I am visiting from California and this is always on my list of must dos. I always get the chicken pad Thai and it never disappoints.

A definite MUST in Marquette. The food is delicious, the servings are generous, and nowhere else can you get service like Aoy's. She is a treasure to behold, and even after moving to Boston for 9 years then mov my back, she remembered me and the dish I was going to order. Best Thai food HANDS DOWN. Do yourself a favor and try the Drunken Noodle. read more

Rice Paddy was recommended to us by a friend. So glad we went. The food was amazing and so was the experience. Aoy is a delight. And a fantastic cook. We had pad Thai, curry with squash and orange chicken. I don't think that you could order anything wrong off this menu. Go. Now. read more

Mediocre greasy thai food. The pad-thai tastes like brown sugar. Not sure what the hype is about. I suppose, if I were super hungover and needed some grease in my belly, it would be okay. The whole shtick here feels forced and disingenuous. read more

This is one of the worst Thai food I have had in a long time. We ordered Thai fried rice, curry fried rice, green curry and pad see ew and none of us were able to eat their food. Had to throw it all. read more

For the first 18 years of my life, I lived no further than 20 miles away from Rice Paddy. Of course it wasn't until two weeks before I moved away from Marquette when I discovered the wonderful, unforgetableness that is Rice Paddy. Aoy is the most amazing person in the world. Unfortunately, being the most amazing person in the world requires giving practically any profit you make to a charity in Thailand. Aoy's demonstration of philanthropy at its finest comes with a cost: sometimes Rice Paddy is closed for weeks at a time. That's right, weeks. It always happens to be during a week that I'm home as well. Oh, and it's closed on Saturdays which is always weird and inconvenient. But that's okay because once you are assured it's open and you arrive, Aoy will greet you by either "boyfriend" or "girlfriend," take your order, and complete it in record time. Don't plan on dining in; this is take-out only. While you're waiting you can look at all the pictures of Aoy on the wall with random celebrities (my favorite is the creepy picture of her and Apolo Ohno) who have ventured in at one time or another. Everything you order will be great and will cost you next to nothing - 12 cream cheese wontons for $3.50, a monstrous pile of Thai fried rice for $5.25. The experience of going to Rice Paddy is one you will never, ever forget. If I ever get married, Aoy is catering my wedding (though I probably should just marry her). read more

This seems to be too big of a project for one little old lady. She doesn't keep anything separate so what you're eating is basically the same thing as what the person before you had. Not great for people with allergies or dietary restriction. Her charm is what seems to keep people going in but it gets old pretty quick. I like a bit of professionalism in my eating. She doesn't actually cook thai food, just bastardised recipes that were once thai but are now way too american to come close to the real thing. Save your cash, go to the thai house on third instead. read more

I LOVE the Rice Paddy! It was Marquette's first, original, real Thai restaurant. Aoy is great..everyone is "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" and she treats you like a long lost relative. Aoy is not only a great cook but a compassionate person, she takes a trip home every year using her tips to buy supplies for children in her village. Be sure to tip her big time!!! She likes to make things spicy so be sure to tell her how much you can handle. I highly recommend the Rice Paddy, not much atmosphere but the food is awesome and made with love by Aoy. You go girlfriend!!! read more

Very good food. We arrived when they opened and it was about a 20 minute wait. We each ordered cream cheese wontons, egg roll, and soup. I had the coconut soup, my friend had egg drop. We both really enjoyed our food. If you are able, choose between the wontons and the egg roll. Eating both will lead to guilt and extreme fullness. The cream cheese goodness was worth it though. A very friendly place and worth a stop in if you are in the area, or for a special trip. Depending on your orders, the prices are reasonable and affordable. read more

I love Rice Paddy, and it's one of the things I miss about living in Marquette. I was a huge fan of the coconut chicken soup and of course the cream cheese wontons, or Aoytons as we always called them. I've probably ingested an obscene amount of those in my time up there. The wait can be ridiculously long, but you can always just call ahead or walk around downtown until your food is ready. read more

Broke? Hungry? Go to rice paddy. For $5, you can get a fabulous lunch with enough left over for a mid-day snack! Great pad thai here (again, huge portion). I'm also a big fan Stop reading reviews. Just go there. spend $5. Each your heart out. Oh, and it's cash only here. read more

Bring cash and enjoy simply the best Thai food. Aoy puts her heart into every dish. All made to order and how you want it. The Pad Thai was perfect. Kimchi, orange chicken. It's all "perfect" says everyone who returns again and again for the special take out. There is a small place inside to eat in too! read more

Aoy really is something else. She looked at me and my friends with a knowing smile and told us we wouldn't forget her, and that we'd be back. I sure haven't forgotten her or her cooking, which is delicious. The eggroll I had was so good that all other eggrolls I have had before or since just seem...unappetizing/disappointing. My friends and I bought many different items and shared, and everything was good (which is certainly hard to do!) Also, after eating her cooking, we all felt a sense of well-being and perfect nourishment. That's only happened a handful of times in my life. I haven't been able to make it back just yet (it is a looong drive from Indy!) But I don't think I'll forget her or the amazing food that comes out of her kitchen. read more

Cons: wait was 30- 40 minutes. no indoor seating cash only Pros: Food tasted very yummy. I now know how to order here. Never go here when you are really hungry to wait for another 30 minutes. Right amount of food for very affordable price and delicious too read more