Food 4/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 Sa Bai Thong presents itself as a a restaurant that, to me, feels like home. There's nothing overly fancy, no flashy lights or expensive decor. Just a simple, down-to-earth place to get some Thai food, and some pretty good food at that. For lack of a picture of what I personally ate, I'll post the pic I got of my friend's Guey Tuey Kee Mao, or what may be more described as "drunken noodles." It was pretty good and authentic - just the right balance of saltiness and sweetness in the sauce, and the chicken in it was done nicely. I personally ordered the Pad-Z-You (probably more towards pad see ew) with beef, and that was also quite good. Extremely straightforward dish that was executed well. Overall, this was a nice place for a casual dinner. The server was also quite friendly too. The food is definitely not "mind-blowing," but it certainly scratches the itch for good Thai food. read more

Sa Bai Thong - 35. Guey Teuy Kee Mao - Chicken - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I came here one evening with some friends. I ordered the pork Larb and they ordered spring rolls, duck curry, a shrimp soup, and pad Thai. My friend said that the curry was amazing and they definitely want to come again for that. My other friend didn't like the pad Thai that much and had to put a lot of sauce on it. They thought the soup and the spring rolls were decent and didn't have any complaints. Pork Larb is my favorite food and I really didn't enjoy the pork Larb here. It had carrots in it which I had never seen before and it was incredibly dry and sweet. They also didn't have sticky rice I could order unless it was the sticky rice for dessert with coconut milk in it which I didn't want. It also costed me extra for cucumber and lettuce which should automatically come with it (who eats Larb by itself???). As far as ambiance goes, it was kind of dark in there but the decor and atmosphere was okay. The service was very nice but they did forget some of our food at one point. I really like the server who brought our food though; she was charming and enjoyable to talk to. Overall, I see great potential with this place and really only wish the best. With some tweaking and recipe perfection, this could be a good, treasured spot in the area. read more

Sa Bai Thong - Outside - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Dinner here tonight was just ok. Not as good as previous visits. First they were out of 2 of my choices: crying tiger salad and som tum. My phed pra kow was just ok. 3 stars and hardly any spice. My companion's Penang curry was just ok as well. Appetizers crab rangoon and summer rolls were good. read more

Debbie is the best waitress and really holds this place together! I came with a large party including my grandparents who are regulars of Debbie here. The couple of times I have come here over the past few years they are usually quite busy and understaffed. This time there were multiple large parties as it was around Christmas time and so people were with their families. Debbie walked around the restaurant with a cart of takeout boxes, people's drinks, and their food. We all got our food in a reasonable time and she even turned me onto green Thai tea which was amazing! You are sure to have a great experience if you come in person. I think they often get overwhelmed from people being rude and impatient with takeout orders so just come in and as always be nice :). read more

Sa Bai Thong - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I have gotten take out from here multiple times and absolutely Love it!! I am from California and there are a million different Thai / places. I LOVE this place. I always get the vegetable curry and it's my comfort food. It's 10/10 and I crave it weekly . The workers are so friendly and you can tell they are doing this for a reason. Love love love!! read more

Food quantity of Fried Chicken poor flat and thin ..old Pad Thai noodles :( and mostly noodles. Egg rolls good .curry was sufficient portion Size..Beef dish small portion and chewy read more

Amazing thai food. Our kids love this place. The food is fantastic, thai iced teas are great, and Debbie is the best server. We are regulars here. read more

The food we had here was incredibly delicious. Our group ordered 4 entrees that we shared plus an appetizer and both types of thai tea. The hospitality was every bit as fantastic as the food. read more

My friend introduced me to this restaurant and it's my favorite Thai place so far in Madison! The restaurant was clean and inviting, the service was fast, and the Tom Kha was delicious! I'll definitely be coming here more in the winter read more

I recently ordered for takeout and upon arrival home found the spring rolls were burnt. They gave me a very hard time over the phone and finally agreed to my sending the below photo. They responded that they looked "maybe slightly more brown than usual." I only asked for this item to be refunded. She initially refused but ultimately said she would do it. And of course they never issued the refund. It's one thing to make a mistake but another to refuse to make it right. Will never return. read more

Sa Bai Thong - Burnt spring rolls - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place never disappoints. I used to frequent this restaurant when I lived in Madison and I miss the food! Our family had Christmas Eve dinner here and as usual, the food was great and the staff were amazing. We arrived right when they opened and the phone rang non-stop for the entire hour we were there. Many customers arrived to pick up their food, too, so it was extremely busy. There seemed to be one person managing it all. She was terrific and handled it all like a pro. Beautiful decor added to the pleasant experience. read more

Can't really go wrong here, especially getting the soups during the Wisconsin winter! I got the Tom Ka - came out nice and hot, with generous portions of veggies. The flavoring was spot on with a nice amount of coconut milk for that creaminess and the chicken pieces were cut into nice bite-able portions. Also ordered the Thai-Iced tea which was delicious and not overly sweet! I've been to both locations and each are consistent in taste and service! If you're craving Thai, this is a good spot to satisfy it! read more

Sa Bai Thong - Tom Ka soup with Thai ice tea - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

From the moment we walked in, no one to greet us. Then the server was very inattentive and too busy talking to one of the guests to give us the menus that we resorted to looking at the menu through online through the Google app. The food after that was horrendous. The jungle curry smelled disgusting. It smelled like morning breath, I kid you not. It smelled like someone was already eating it before us. The salad also smelled disgusting as if someone had been either spitting or eating it before me. And lastly I was given a used spoon which really just horrified me. I've never had such a disgusting experience in my life. Stay away from this one, eat somewhere else. read more

Went here last night (Wednesday). Arrived and was one of a handful of tables (I think there were 2 other tables at that point). We sat down, and waited a fairly long time (15+ minutes) to get someone to come by and ask for our drink order. Once we got our drink order, and some appetizers, we were asked about our entrees. It seemed like the wait staff was in a hurry. We ordered, and the food was very good! Truly enjoyed the dumplings, the chicken satay, and the toong thong as appetizers. I ordered the Khao Pad, and it was huge! Overall good, but not great. The portions make up for some of that, though. I'd eat here again when next in the area. read more

Sa Bai Thong - Window, empty tables - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Sa Bai Thong has been our go-to Thai place on the west side for half almost ten years because they are consistently excellent. Appetizer stand-outs: They make a good egg roll, but their toong thong is probably the best appetizer on their menu -- it's like a Thai version of a samosa only without the chickpea. I love their filling in their potstickers, but Mrs. T less so, so to each their own. Entries? Good pad thai, pad see ew (Pad-Z-You on their menu), and fried rice; Their mus-mun curry is consistently good as well. The best dish on their menu, though? Their Ka-Ree curry. The potato just falls apart in your mouth. One warning about ordering delivery: The definition of "mild" may vary. We've never been served overly spicy "mild" dishes in person but we have yet to get a mild dish delivered that wasn't accidentally a medium. read more

OK, so I'm a bit picky about Thai food but Sa-Bai Thong is consistently great. Try their Shrimp Purse which explodes with flavor of shrimp, chicken and cilantro. My go-to Tom Yum soup was perfect. Chicken Pa-Naeng was creamy and delicious (I should have asked for medium and not mild). Order an extra dish for leftovers! Curbside pickup makes grab and go a breeze. Thanks for the west side Odana Road location. Comfort food as winter starts rolling in. read more

Giving zero stars. The person at the reception is so rude and unprofessional. We went 2 times before to this location. We went 2 times before 8 am. One time we went at 7.30 PM and one time around 7.35 PM.Because their service is very poor and food comes always late to the table( almost after one hour). Today the person at reception rudely said I know you guys you always come late and our kitchen closes at 8.30 PM.We said we never came late before. She did not greet us or take us to the table. Before that, she said you come always late. We were shocked. They say they are open till 9 PM but they start driving away guests at 8 am. Very bad customer service. We asked them to provide the owner's phone number.The lady at the front desk keeps ruining the business with her attitude and with poor customer service. She ruined our weekend mood. After calling a different person she also supports this rude lady. Avoid the OdanaRoadd location, have had a better experience with the University Avenue location. Sai Bai Thong Odana Location Owner better you watch this review!!!. read more

Feel like giving zero stars. The person at the reception is so rude and unprofessional. They say they are open till 9 PM but they start driving away guests at 8-15 itself. The moment we entered, she snapped at us and made us feel unwelcome. She kept repeating (every 2 mins) we should order early as they close at 9. She even said that if we wanted to eat here we should have come early ( hello, we came 45 mins before your promised closing time). At one point, we gave up and left as we thought they did not want to serve us. We were disappointed as the food is usually good ( we have only done take out before). It is a strictly take out place, however, they want to show themselves as fine dining. Avoid the Odana road location, have had better experience with the University Avenue location. read more

Sa Bai Thong is a solid Thai restaurant. It has a huge menu, so there are quite a few options to choose from. They have your standard favorites, such as Pad Thai and Pad See Ew (which they hilariously spell Pad-Z-You), and a few more dishes that are more unique and probably harder to find elsewhere. Overall, the food was pretty good; I was boring and opted for the Pad Thai, which had plenty of flavor. I asked for it to be a level 3 spice (dubbed as "Adventurous" on the menu), and it definitely had a kick, but wasn't overwhelming. I'd imagine that a level 4 would actually be quite hot. I also ordered an appetizer of the Toong Thong, which were really delicious. I think the potato stuffed inside was my favorite aspect of it. I think where Sa Bai Thong really disappointed for me was the service aspect. Service was friendly enough, but we waited extremely long for our food. There was quite a gap in between when we put in our order and the appetizer even. Dishes also came out in a seemingly random order, as not all the appetizers came out together. Overall, Sa Bai Thong seems to have some decent food, but it can be a frustrating experience with the speed of service. I do think though that it does a good enough job of hitting those Thai food cravings that pop up every now and then! read more

Gotten take out here a couple times but recently dined in for the first time and this place is so cute. The service was amazing and really quick. All time best menu items are the chicken egg roll, the number 42 (I get mine spice level 2 of 4) and the cucumber salad. Also got the pad Thai which was good but the 42 was way better. Had some left overs that reheated great and will definitely be back! read more

Sa Bai Thong - 42. Pa-Naeng Curry - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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MMMM yum this place is wonderful! I have been craving Thai for some time now. With covid and many Thai options in the area only offering carry out, I haven't had a chance to indulge in quite a while. I live a bit too far to get carry out, so I really prefer dining in. Last night was my first Thai since early 2020 and boy oh boy it didn't disappoint. Service was great. The atmosphere here is aesthetically pleasing and decorated very well. The restaurant was kept spotlessly clean - and I did notice when a guest left they immediately sanitized (I could smell the disinfectant) the table, so that was great to see. The menu is large and offers all the favorites. Pad Thai, many noodle dishes, many curries, whatever your heart desires. I went with the Pa-Naeng. It was super flavorful and I basically inhaled it. We also started with chicken satay (which comes with a super tasty peanut sauce). I can't wait to come back. Definitely recommend. read more

It was fun to dine in for the first time here. I had always gotten carry-out when I worked near here but it had been a while. My gaeng kua (#45) was pretty tasty. They did not skimp on the chicken and all the veggies and pineapple tasted fresh. I swore I was going to save some for leftovers but ended up devouring the whole entree! Four stars for food. Giving three stars as service was a little slow. It took a while to get waters and then we were expected to place our drink and food orders at the same time. It seemed a bit like they were trying to get us out of there, which may make sense during COVID, but there were plenty of open tables and the restaurant had not closed yet. May be a better takeout option, but I was happy to have an evening out. read more

This curry was delicious! I loved ordering online - it was so easy and right away there was an option to add extra meat (could have added 2 different kinds of meat or more even and specify each kind), tofu, vegetables (even specific options - I could add any vegetable I wanted or just click even the general extra vegetable mix option). I could also choose the spicey-ness level. So appreciate that! It was perfect! Definitely recommend this place. read more

Sa Bai Thong - 44B. Squash Curry with tofu Add eggplant - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Fantastic food and very wide selection. Love their Summer Rolls! We had a very attentive server and a great overall experience.

Tonight's visit will be the fourth time I believe. Possibly the final. Each previous experience was very pleasing clearly or any future return would not have brought me this direction this day. The COVID thing limits options, but because my order was not called in advance I chose this place over another that I call my GO TO, I wanted to sit and have a beer while I waited. Giving only 2 stars is based upon the restaurant being just tolerable, not quite good nor outright unpleasant. Certainly nothing I have to tear to shreds and proclaim to everyone with outright revulsion. I've not had bad Thai in Madison, before COVID. But even my favorite (non Asian) place I used to eat weekly meals before this fiasco we all share, even it has become a place I may not be anxious to return every Thursday in the coming months. But that's another restaurant. Tonight I'm mourning a decidedly ill prepared version of my typically favorite flavors. So I opened my Pad Thai, it was tasty and spicy, but sparse in content and character. Something seemed lacking, and it became evident the dried shrimp was either too finely embed into the sauce or outright missing. And zero sprouts. 8o( Tom Ka soup was certainly bright and flavorful but the mushrooms were a at least a full day beyond being a (grey lined stems and muddled caps) a crisp bright clean white, as a simple button mushroom (which while nice isn't authentic) should be when playing a dominant role as a highly visible ingredient in this soup. The varicose lines in the stems brought mental images of the blemishes on my grandmothers ankles when I was young enough to not know what they actually were! So overall, this soup while tasty was a visual flop. The Satay Chicken was tough and dry, and the peanut butter dipping sauce was it's one saving grace. Essentially I opened up a steaming hot meal that may as well have been reheated leftovers. Will I return? read more

Got the lunch Drunken Noodles with tofu and a veggie egg roll. The portion size is relatively small compared to other places. The flat rice noodles didn't taste fresh, a bit stale and typically whereas the dish carries a deep savory, sweet and herby fragrance of the springy stir-fried noodles, the noodles were dry and clumped together. I don't like my drunken noodles swimming in sauce, but this order could have used more of it. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. We waited over 2 hours for our takeout. :( probably won't be back.

Delicious Thai food, their curries are so flavorful. Their noodles are tasty too, as is the chicken satay- they perfected the sauce and chicken is not dry like some other places I have tried in Madison. Also, comment on their service - they are so nice and friendly- makes you feel like you are welcomed, every time. read more

This place is tucked away a bit, but super close to the mall and right by the exit of the freeway. I was having some mad cravings for some Pad see ew so I yelped it and it came up! I met my friend here and we were immediately seated. The staff was really attentive and came to give us water and take our order almost immediately. What I found super funny, however, was their menu. For the common dishes like pad thai and spring rolls those were all on there, but the spelling of some of your other favorite dishes might be different. For instance, as I mentioned I was craving pad see ew, and I almost gave up on getting it because I couldn't find it on the menu. When I took one last look through the ingredients rather than the name I found my dish! It was labeled pad z you. So just a note. The food itself was good. Not great but good. What was great was their thai green tea. Usually thai tea is made with black tea but I'm a real sucker for green tea so it was a dream come true when I found this on the menu. I was basically in heaven when I took my first sip. It was amazing, creamy but kept the integrity of the green tea and not too sweet. A definite recommendation in my book. As a last plug, I wanted to highlight how accommodating and understanding the kitchen is. There was a party of maybe 6 that sat next to us and before we ordered they were placing their order and we overheard every little specific detail. Like talk about only veggies, just carrots on this one, can you get the peanuts on the side, but only for those two and this one extra cilantro. All for the same dish. Obviously what I wrote was pretty generic expectations, but the fact that the server smiled, got the entire order right (each dish has a specific ask) and the patrons looked happy with their order at the end, I feel like needs some kudos. Happy thai tea lovin! read more

I would go to war for the Guey Teuy Tom Ka noodle soup. It is absolutely delicious and my chosen spice level is always perfect. Not to mention that I have never waited more than 25-30 minutes for my pickup order to be ready (even when ordering more food for bigger groups), and the hosts are always very pleasant and helpful. BEST Thai food in Madison!!!! read more

Excellent service! We ordered online but apparently during middle of the day when they were closed. Instead of cancelling our order, they called us to inform us their online ordering site was left open in error, but they were going to fulfill our order. I had the jungle curry which was delicious and filled with veggies. Good place to go if you have Thai food craving! read more

My favorite Thai spot in Madison. Food is great, people are friendly, and deliveries during COVID have been great.

While visiting Madison we thought to get some takeout. Sai-Bai had the option to order take out from the Yelp app so it seemed like a convenient choice. Reason for my rating: Thom Ka soup. Kinda sad it didn't have any lemon grass flavor. It tasted like coconut/ginger soup with a lot of mushrooms (Don't get me wrong, I really like mushrooms but it only had mushrooms, no other veg). read more

There was a big hype about this restaurant but it didn't quite deliver. I ordered the volcano chicken and it tasted more like sweet and sour chicken. The pad thai was a-ok because the shrimp tasted really fishy. Also, it was a bit tough to eat. Overall, the meal tasted more like a leftover meal. Service was great! read more

I stopped in today for lunch, I've never been here before but the Yelp reviews were promising. Wow. Excellent restaurant! They were busy, but we were seated immediately. Our server was helpful, friendly and funny! I ordered the Ka-Ree Curry with tofu, Lori had Lad Nar Kee Mao with chicken. Both were awesome! Salads came immediately, and they were yummy. Our meals came quickly and wow, they were awesome. Large portions, flavorful, fresh, and rich. The price was very reasonable. We'll be back. read more

We recently tried Sa-Bai Thong at their Odana location. We'd never tried Sa-Bai Thong before and we were blown away. The Odana location we visited is in a little strip mall. Once you go inside it's tastefully decorated with Asian decor and it has a beautiful view of the lake out back. There's actually a lot more tables than you would be expect judging from the outside. We were greeted and seated by a friendly hostess and then an even friendlier waitress took our order. We ordered the Shrimp Purse as an appetizer, the Tom Ka with chicken, and the Pad Ka-Ree. The Shrimp Purse were delicious. Spring roll skin wrapped around shrimp, chicken, carrot, and chest-nut and then fried. They were so good. Great flavors and texture. The Tom Ka was simply amazing. Chicken, mushrooms, and the coconut milk sauce. I practically licked the bowl clean. The Pad Ka-Ree was more soupy than we were expecting, but again the flavors were fresh and complex. Great decor, great service, and simply amazing food. We really enjoyed Sa-Bai Thong. read more

Missing on every level. Service: Was seated by the kitchen where we were feeling a cold draft coming through on occasions. Left alone for long periods of time. Right at the beginning after being seated and throughout. With water glasses siting empty for far too long. But the waitress was nice thou. A HUGE pet peeve happened too. Hate, Hate, Hate it when they don't bring all the entrees out at the same time. There was at least 5 minutes between each time we got our entrees. I got mine first. So was about 15 + minute till the last one came out. Bad timing on kitchens part. Luckily mine were cold items. I personally don't like to start eating till everyone has their food. I find it rude. Food: The Shrimp Purses were tiny and cute but nothing special. Tasted like bite size egg rolls. Papaya Salad was too sweet and vinegary with no hit of fish sauce or shrimp paste. Crying Tiger had tender beef stripes but no pizzaz. Pad Thai was ok. Not to saucy but once again missing something. The curry special was the best thing of the night. With huge tender chucks of chicken and a kicking good peanut curry sauce. Heat Level: They hit right on target here. Where most place miss the mark for me. I wanted super hot and I got it. WIN. (cough, cough wheres my water!) The food was forgettable,service was non existing and kitchen disorganized. Im going to say I will never be back to this location at least. read more

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One of the best Thai places I've found in Madison so far, we usually get red, green, pineapple, jungle or mango curry. Perfect creaminess, spice, amount of veggies, flavor - it's all great! The only negative is there's never enough rice in a takeout order and I can't see extra rice as an ordering option through grub hub, so we just call in. read more

Alas, this place seems to be getting worse and worse over the years. I tried it again last week because it was Monday and Saigon Noodles was closed. I just wanted soup. I ordered the Tom Yum. It comes with a little salad. It was fresh and good but the dressing was pure sugar. My daughter had the chicken satay. The peanut sauce barely resembled peanuts. It was also really, really sweet and had a few peanuts in it. My soup was sour-- not that nice sweet/sour mix that is typical with Tom Yum-- just sour. It was edible though so I ate it. To get in and out for under $20 was nice and the service was pretty good. Bottom line: if you are on the West Side of Madison on a Monday and want soup... lower your standards and eat here. Otherwise, go to Saigon Noodle or (if you really, really need Thai food) head to Ha Long Bay on Willie Street. read more

Sa Bai Thong - Tom Yum - Thai Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The food was delicious as usual. However is it clear they are understaffed. It seems like there is only one server and a couple helpers here and there. It took a while to be greeted once seated. Our appetizer came out before our drink orders, (water and ice tea) Drink order had to be repeated. During the visit we saw a table that was seated, who ultimately got up and left because they were tired of waiting. It can be frustrating as a guest to wait, but the food is delicious and worth the wait. I just wish there was a way to have more help and speed up the customer service aspect. (i am not sure which one this is being posted about, but it is reference to the one on Odana) read more