amazing food!! this spot is run by such lovely people & everything on the menu is good! i love the curry puffs & C5 panang curry. their daily specials are also so yummy. be patient - they make everything as fast as possible, and good food (this food!!) is worth the wait! read more

One word defines Sala Thai Restaurant: great. The vibe is great. I am slowly working my way through their menu. I became good friends with the staff, who are all awesome and super courteous. We will be back ASAP. read more

Had the Green Curry and it is hot!! My sinuses were cleared out by the pepper but it was so good. Carrot, zucchini, green beans, and bamboo shoots with a large serving of rice and chicken made this dish wonderful. The tofu, tomato, and chicken in a chicken broth soup preceded the meal with crab rangoons (4 large handmade come on the appetizer menu). Hot Jasmine tea and water with an ever pleasant orange slice rounded out the meal. Had leftovers! Update: They no longer accept Credit or Debit cards. Only cash or check. read more

I went with a friend who recommended this place. First tip: cash only! The lunch menu is pretty concise: appetizers, noodles, and curry. We started off with vegetarian pot stickers. There were 6 in the order compared to 4 pork ones. They were bite sized pot stickers and filling with the main entree. I ended up getting the chicken pad thai. It was saucier than I expected which I really like because most pad thai's seem dry. It was just the right amount of food for lunch. It's a great place for smaller groups and for 2-3 people. Next time I am trying a curry dish for sure. read more

If this place is #4 of the best Thai restaurants, I cannot imagine that 3,2 and 1 could possibly be better. Due to COVID we had a takeout of the Sunday special and an order of potstickers. The food was fresh, flavorful, served hot and plentiful! We have had Thai food all over the U.S. and this ranks up there with some of the best. Also, they are not afraid to bring the heat if you want it. Not only is the food delicious, but it is also nice and spicy if requested. We highly recommend trying this place. We will make this a stop the next time we come through Madison. read more

This restaurant came highly recommended from a few friends of mine. Clearly, due to my 3 star review, I wasn't impressed. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly didn't deserve a higher mark. Menu seemed substantial, the wine list could use some work (I get it, people probably don't come for the wine, but if you are going to offer, you might as well do it right). Upon seeing the sign located on a pole right at the point of entry that read "cash or check only", my husband and I needed to quickly rethink our choices, as we, like most people these days, don't carry a ton of cash on us. We decided to split and appetizer and split pad thai (one of our favorite dishes). The appetizer was all deep fried (not expecting this and this was not part of the description). The pad thai was alright, nothing special. The server didn't ask us if we wanted a certain star/level of spice - there was zero kick to this dish, something that I very much look forward to when eating Thai inspired dishes. Again, just okay. Probably won't visit again, but I'm not sad we experienced dinner in this location. read more

Ate here last night. DEEE-licious. The Thai fish patties (Tod Mun) are delectable. This is the only place in Madison that serves them, as far as I know. The Pad Wun Sen was Hella hot, and so good. And I only ordered it 3 out of 5 stars spicy! Yow. A Singha beer goes well with all that hot. And a BIG glass of water. :) I think that the service has improved vastly since this place first opened- I'd take some of the older reviews about that with a grain of salt. read more

Efficient, right sized portion, and fairly priced. Mine was very spicy but my husband (chicken pad tah) and best friend (pineapple fried rice) loved theirs. read more

Seeing that this is the closest Thai food restaurant to my house we decided to finally give it a go. The service is really nice and there is a great atmosphere but the food doesn't quite stack up to the other amazing Thai restaurants in Madison. We ordered the standard chicken dinner pad Thai but there wasn't much meat in it. We were underwhelmed. The other downside is the cash or check only payment options. Fortunately I carry an emergency 20 in my wallet or I would have been in trouble. Overall review- MEH read more

I went here a little bit ago with my boyfriend. I got pad thai, and I don't recall what he got. He loved everything but I was less than impressed. I thought the pad thai was average, and there are definitely other places I'd rather go for my Thai fix. I would be willing to give other things on the menu a try, though. It's a ton of food and really reasonably priced. We got 2 entres and an order of pot stickers and we're out the door for ~$25. The restaurant itself is really cute, and the older lady that waits all the tables is gracious, nice, and pretty funny. They also only take cash! And no atm, so come prepared. read more

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So, after my first experience here I have to say it was a positive one! I parked right in front of the door, went in and ordered. It is quiet, a not too bright or dark, and service was prompt. My food was delicious! I ordered it extra spicy and as you can see there were no leftovers. I was starving when I got there and full and happy when I left! I highly recommend you try this place with your friends, there is something here for everyone and I can't wait to try everything on the menu! read more

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The cons are universal: cash only. That typically is a deal breaker when I am seeking something gratifying to my insatiable desire for great food. I never carry cash. But today I happened to have a few 20s at hand because I failed to stop and deposit them yesterday. So that meant I was in luck this evening. I believe I was once told by the owner of Thai Basil that this place was among Madison's top 3 Thai venues according to something on their wall last time I stopped for a Thai fix. This week I'm finding myself driving passed Sala Thai repeatedly, so today shall be my day to explore. I've ordered several items, one dish I've never explored, and the others are standards I always order. The pros are abundant. As for the establishment itself, I have to say I like the decor. But the fact that the building is not air conditioned at least suggests it is authentic to Thailand's humid climate. Thankfully today the humidity isn't an issue or I would be miserable. Parking isn't an issue for myself since I was the only person when I arrived, but because Fair Oaks is a pretty busy road, it's probably terrible when this place is bustling. Three tables have arrived during my time sitting and awaiting my order, so I'm enjoying seeing the dishes as they are being delivered by the lady that took my order. Smells wonderful. Upon getting home to feast I'm overwhelmed in flashbacks of las time I enjoyed sticky rice. 1992 when I knew some Laotian families and they frequently offered me some really authentic food from their culture, but the most memorable was that sticky rice! This is a great indication of what followed. The chicken Pad Thai is worlds different than anything I've experienced since moving to Madison in 2000. The taste is similar, but missing cilantro, and is a teensy bit dry. As for flavor components this too has a sour element that I've not experienced since the Thai foods I loved in Seattle in the 90s. This is certainly a nice element I'd forgotten. The heavy handed tamarind might be off putting for many. The other entree Pad Wun sen (? Or something like that) was visually the same as Pad Thai, but perhaps the inclusion of also shrimp was enough for a different name. It was absolutely much spicier as well. Scorching hot by comparison, and some different veggies, same glass noodles, so I don't really know the difference. But it was delicious. The Tom Kha soup (coconut lime chicken soup) is divine, I only wish I could've experienced it when it was still steaming hot. Quartered fresh button mushrooms were the only fungi in this recipe, and no tomatoes. Thankfully it appeared to me that lemon grass stalks were removed, same with the chunks of galangal and ginger root, which, while being great flavor enhancers, are horrible when bitten into unexpectedly. Again cilantro seems to be missing, but the scent and overall flavor was evident. The Satay Chicken is hands down the best ever. Very moist and tender, the peanut sauce is garlicky in a way I can't recall ever detecting before. I think my new favorite Thai restaurant has been discovered. read more

If you ask me, Sala Thai is underrated. There are several popular Thai restaurants in this neighborhood, and if one of the others is packed, I suggest you head here. The food is just about as good as anywhere else, the atmosphere is great, service is good and there likely won't be a wait. Great for take-out too. Don't forget to bring cash, they don't take credit cards! read more

This is, hands down, the best Thai/Lao food in Madison for the price, and probably tied with Lao Lang Xaang for best in class, period. I'm not sure where others are getting their spring rolls, but Sala Thai's are consistently delicious and packed full of goodness, whether the veg or shrimp are ordered. The Thai curry puffs, fried shrimp and fried egg rolls are some of the best I have ever had, anywhere. The tom kha soup is delicate, flavorful and spicy, and chock-full of button mushrooms dotting the surface. Curry dishes do not disappoint, and range from light and delicate to hot and spicy. There is almost invariably enough for another meal to take home. Staff are often no-nonsense, but if you go there enough, they are quick to welcome you back time and again. The owner's father recently passed away and the restaurant was closed for a time as she traveled across the globe to attend to her family's affairs. We're so glad that you're back, Sala Thai! read more

While the lunch I had at Sala Thai wasn't BAD, it certainly wasn't good. I have to say that my ginger chicken over rice didn't taste very ginger-y at all, and had sort of a fast-food chinese food type gravy. I was totally underwhelmed. The decor was nice though. read more

My husband and I have been talking about going to Sala Thai for quite a while now and tonight we finally did. The decor is quirky, adorable and not too noisy. The service was an oonsy bit slow (hence the 4 stars rather than 5), but charming & lovely all at the same time so it balanced out. The food was seriously kick-ass, all around flavorful & perfectly done. We started by sharing the pork pot stickers and a spring roll. The pot stickers were crunchy, but not at all greasy, filled with delicious pork and just the right amount of spices. The spring roll was fresh, clean and crisp with a myriad of textures/flavors. We enjoyed both very much. For entrees, I had the Panang Peek Gai and my husband had Panang with beef. Both were right on point and we fully plan on ordering them again - hopefully very, very soon. The Panang Peek Gai consists of a spicy peanut sauce served over chicken wings stuffed with pork & glass noodle which have been fried to perfection. I LOVED it! So fantastic! My husband's Panang with beef was decadent, just the right amount of heat blended with sweet notes and richness. The beef was tender and every flavor melded together perfectly with after hints of Thai basil. Our server was charming and she was always available for whatever we needed. Great job, Sala Thai! We will be back very soon!!! read more

My wife and I enjoyed our lunch with out the kids today here. It was amazing! Everything from the egg rolls to the soup to the peanut chicken and cashew chicken. Plenty of food. So much I have lunch for tomorrow. Very nice quite place will be back for sure. Thank you read more

Quite a few people have posted their glowing reviews of this particular restaurant, and I can't help but wonder if I'm on a bad acid trip or these people have never been outside of their special box. I've got permanent, major wang for Pad See Ew, and Sala Thai's version definitely puts the ewwwwwww in it. That was some seriously sour, overcooked, squishy noodles. I also ordered two veggie spring rolls and was surprised to find that they resembled a wet paper towel wrapped around a bunch of lettuce. So why would anyone purposely put wet paper towels and lettuce in their mouth?? Well, I like to live dangerously, and I'll try anything once. It turns out the sauce is pretty good, but no amount of good tasting sauce can save lettuce wrapped in wet paper towels. We also tried two other dishes, a curry type deal that I can't really remember, and some thai fried rice. The thai fried rice was an abomination. In fact, Bandung has much better thai fried rice, and other thai dishes and at the same cost as Sala Thai. Finally, yes, these people are friggin' slowwwwww, and you know, it would be ok if the food was worth it, but sour, overcooked food and wet paper towel spring rolls is not. read more

1. Strange Hours: 5pm-9pm on several days of the week. Huh? 2. Spotty service: I placed an order to-go and waited near the counter. So why did the other waitress (there were only 2 of them) have to ask me about my order? I told her and she promptly headed to the floor to serve some other seated customers, doing nothing with the info I shared with her. She did the same for another guy who was just picking up an order placed over the phone, asking for his name and doing nothing, all after seeing the other waitress attend to him. Odd. 3. The wait: Pad Thai should not take 25 minutes to prepare. Also, if I order it WITHOUT peanuts - a common allergen - please don't tell me you put peanuts on it by mistake and ask it was okay. I specified no peanuts firstly (ok, ok, I'm not allergic, I just hate the taste) so what was the point of asking? That added another 10 minutes for the new dish. 4. The food: I had the sticky rice and sweet mango which was a very pleasant surprise. The pad thai lacked "umami". It just wasn't tasty. The noodles were overcooked in a sauce that had obviously dried down too much. The sauce had an odd, sour and tacky tamarind taste that did not coat the mouth the way delicious food does. There was no oral satisfaction. After every bite was chewed and slid down my throat, it was as though the next bite was my first. My mouth did not seem to recognize that I just ate something. Really weird. 5. Ambiance: I liked how this place looked and would gladly dine here again if I could be guaranteed a yummy dish. read more

Meh- for a place that is supposedly owned by the people who make the curry for the Corner Store on Willy Street (best curry i've had in the US), I was horribly disappointed. We showed up at 8:30pm, which is a little late since they close at 9 but still seemed okay, I think, and even though there was only one other group in the restaurant, they told us it would be a 15 minute wait. We stood our ground, pointing out the 15+ empty tables in the restaurant, and they finally grudgingly sat us. From there, everything moved very slowly......we had some spring rolls that were about 95% lettuce (supposed to have shrimp in them?) and my massaman curry was pretty bland- just a bunch of beef in some sauce, without the usual potatoes, nuts, and a few vegetables. All in all, the atmosphere is nice with a lot of decorations straight from Thailand, but for good food and service, go anywhere else. read more

Let me start my review off by referring to someone else's post from 2010: "Quite a few people have posted their glowing reviews of this particular restaurant, and I can't help but wonder if I'm on a bad acid trip or these people have never been outside of their special box." I absolutely love this restaurant, and I am part Thai and have been to Thailand several times to visit my family, so perhaps you are the one inside a 'special box' because this restaurant is as authentic as Thai-Isaan gets. Ever since my mother passed in 2012, I have been looking for a Thai place that could cook genuine Thai-Isaan food. Sala Thai has been the only place I have found in Madison that makes their dishes almost like my Mom's. The food is superb and I would recommend it for anyone wanting to try Thai (and Isaan) for the first time. My only two complaints (which is why I have given it 4 out of 5 stars) is that they do not take debit or credit and that the wait for drink and food orders can take a long time. However, they stay pretty busy so the latter is understandable. read more

PROS: Seems authentic, reasonable prices CONS: Didn't like my dish, cash-only, super slow service I'm a big fan of Thai curries and noodles. One of my favorite noodle dishes is the Pad See Ew (a stir-fried rice noodle dish with sweet soy sauce, eggs, and vegetables), which I have ordered at countless Thai restaurants across the nation. The Pad See Ew at Sala Thai was not up to par --- In fact, it was below average. The same dish is so much better/tastier at Monsoon Siam and/or Ha Long Bay. The service was also incredibly slow, even though when we arrived everyone else in the restaurant had already gotten their food but it still took ages to order and receive our dishes. Despite hearing great things about Sala Thai, I left disappointed. read more

So I tried to order some carry out from Sala Thai. They had the phone off the hook because I tried to call repeatedly for 20 minutes. That was yesterday. Today I called and the phone just rang. No one answered. Then I drove over to the restaurant and the OPEN sign was on. There were people inside. I tried to go in but the door was locked. There were people inside but the door was actually locked. I got back into my vehicle and tried calling again. This time the phone was again busy. I understand the idea of having plenty of business but locking the door and taking the phone off the hook are completely unacceptable. I went to the China Wok on Fordem Avenue and got some good Chinese carry out for $9.... read more

I've been to this place many times. I am surprised it doesn't have a higher rating, but I suspect it might be because it isn't particularly fancy. Yet, if you want some classic Thai food, this is my favorite place in town. Sala is a cozy house they have turned into a restaurant. The family who owns it is super nice and they use all their own vegetables from their own garden. If they run out, or don't have enough, they supplement by buying from the Farmer's Market in town. This care to quality shows in the food. My husband and I have never had a bad experience. If we order take out they are always very fast. The food is always fresh tasting, spiced appropriately the way you prefer. In a lot of ways, I think Sala is a hidden gem. It's affordable, friendly, fast and delicious with fresh flavor and good standards. read more

Sala Thai is great. I've eaten here many times since moving to Madison, and I've always been happy with the food. On Saturday, I ordered the Yellow Chicken Curry. It was fantastic. It was a generous portion, and they didn't skimp on the chicken. It also had just the right amount of spice. Really fantastic dish, and I can't wait to order it again. In the past I've had ordered the Pad Thai and a few of their stir fry dishes, and they have always been top-notch. Their eggrolls are also very good. They also have a decent selection of bottled beer and wine. The restaurant space is nice and cozy, and can get crowded on a Saturday night. Service is always friendly, and while the food doesn't always come out super-quick, it's worth the wait. They are unfortunately cash-only, so plan accordingly. It is somewhat unforgivable in 2014 to both not accept credit cards AND not have an ATM available in your restaurant. This alone prevents me from giving Sala Thai a full 5-star rating. Otherwise this is really a perfect little Thai restaurant with fantastic food. read more

Nice place. Inexpensive wine list was nice. They gave our child a sippy cup, which was sweet. I love that my yellow curry was spicy, but not too spicy. Excellent complex flavor. The crab rangoons were the best my husband ever had, he said. They don't take credit cards, but that didn't bother us. The only negative was that the walls could use a scrub down. But overall a great experience read more

The service wasn't good. Slow and sticky. The place doesn't have any parking so you gotta park on the street, then there's no ac and just a bunch of fans blowing air around, not cold and the windy kept blowing our napkins around. The food was too salty and sour. Couldn't even eat it, had to had a lot of rice. And not all dishes come with rice either. The food was the type you can make at home, nothing special about it. The odd part was that they only take cash and not everyone have cash now and days. But honestly, the food is less than average. Don't waste your time going. Choose something better read more

On a frigid cold Friday night we bundled up and dragged our pouting toddler who would rather stay at home and play to this wonderful restaurant. First impressions: the lighting was low and romantic there were all sorts of art and sculptures on the wall and plenty to look at. Normally my kid would love this but she was in a sour mood and said "I don't like it!" (With a lot of attitude). There was street parking and the restroom was clean. We ordered mango juice, curry puffs and sticky rice to get started. Kiddo's mood was quickly escalating to a full blown tantrum that was suddenly diffused by the cute container the sticky rice was served in. I would've taken a picture but I was too busy shoveling the rice down her throat and seeing a total 180deg transformation with each bite. The curry puffs..... sigh! One order comes with 4 pieces (generous portions), the filling was reminiscent of a samosa. We loved it! It came with a dipping sauce. I loved that the sauces were not watered down and had so much great flavor. For our main course we got the Raad Na noodles and vegetarian Tofu Pad Prik (red curry based) we ordered the vegetables spicy. The noodles were so flavorful and the sauce had a little sweet finish to it. The red curry was pretty spicy no need to add any hot sauce to it. I'm glad we tried something other than our standard curry and fried rice. We can't wait to come back and try other things off the menu. Price: very reasonable whole dinner was under $30 One thing to note: they take CASH ONLY. read more

I love this place. My biggest complaint is that the hours are limited! The Tom Kha Tofu is amazing. Rich, but not heavy, perfectly spicy, and wonderfully complex, not to mention generously portioned even as takeout. Other places seem to give me just a pint when I get takeout as opposed to a full portion. I'm not sure why. My other dish of choice is the green curry with tofu. Lots of well cooked veggies and nicely textured fried tofu swimming in slightly sweet coconut curry that marries a soothing texture with nose-tingling spice? Yes please. Service can be a bit slow, but I seem to find myself there at either really dead times (not a lot of kitchen staff to expedite food prep) or times when they're absolutely slammed. It is especially worth noting that even during the very busy times, the food has never been less than tasty. The veggies might not be as elegantly sliced, but that's all secondary. It tastes just as good, and I appreciate that they take a few extra minutes to make sure the food meets standards. Nice atmosphere, delicious food. Limited hours and sometimes slow service bring it down a star, but it's still one of my favorite restaurants in Madison. read more

Had another excellent meal tonight. I had the cucumber salad with spicy dressing. Sweet and tangy and a bit hot. I also had N3 which was a bean thread noodle dish which came with chicken and shrimp. It was excellent. Spicy but not too hot. Plenty of carrots and a yummy brown sauce. Very reasonably priced. Be sure to try this neighborhood gem. read more

The Tom yum soup was fantastic. Great Vietnamese spring rolls and peanut sauce. The crab Rangoons were much better than at most Chinese restaurants. The pad kaprow with mushrooms was very good but a little too spicy, it was hard to taste the Basil. read more

The best food here and when you say spicy they give you the heat and I love it and lady who runs it is amazing

Coming here with a great expectation after being recommended by my supervisor on campus and reading some reviews from some elites, I am afraid to say that this place doesn't leave some good impression with me. We were welcomed by the waitresses. Very nice and warm. There were a family who came only two minutes before us and a couple only five minutes after us. So, we were the second customers. However, we were the last customer served. I understood that they received many take-outs too, but waiting for 40 minutes for two kinds of orders was a little bit too much. Right before we sat, we noticed a notification glued on the wall: No credit card/debit card. Only Cash and Check. Good to remember, for any future visits. We were then seated by the window. I appreciated the effort of the owner to make this place as Thai as possible with all the Thai decorations. Good job on the decoration. The place is also clean. Next, the service. We were served by one of the waitresses- which I guess was the owner (maybe?) because she is the oldest and looks very authoritative compared to other staff. She is a very nice and funny lady. She is very "touchy" to my husband :) which I suppose because we look Asian! and we are:) She greeted us and asked my husband right away: Are you Thai? and touched my husband's shoulder. A very friendly gesture viewing it from the Asian's perspective (I only hope she doesn't do this to others hehehe) We ordered chicken egg rolls and Thai tea for starter. Ehm, unfortunately, it wasn't too yummy. It was cheaper though: We got four pieces for only 3 bucks. I know other place has better egg rolls. The Thai tea was not great either. Just so so. My husband ordered some curry chicken fried rice. I ordered some seafood curry. Both of us agreed that this dining experience was not impressive at all. We may be back to try what other Yelpers have suggested: to try their chicken yellow curry. We know for sure we are not going to try their Seafood curry and the fried rice. We want to give it another try- but not in the near future! read more

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I like that this place is in my neighborhood. It was fun watching them convert the space from an old empty nothingness to somewhere nice to meet up with friends for lunch or dinner. I have to admit though that I am an utter wimp when it comes to spicy food. I grew up with mac and cheese and have very little tolerance for spicy heat in foods. It sucks at times. Anyways, I usually get the crab rangoon to start and it is very tasty, light and crisp. For an entree I usually get the chicken curry because I love it so. I'm no afienado about Thai food and can not comment on its authenacity , I just know that I like it a lot. There hours can be somewhat spotty. I don't remember when it was exactly, but I recall stopping by to get lunch and they were closed and it seemed a very odd time and day to be closed. read more

Went to this place after searching for a thai eatout in Madison Service & Ambience - 5 Food - 3 Something was missing or different.. Maybe its the ingredients they use .. It just didnt feel great.. the panang curry was extremely thick .. The Pad see ew was not good.. the fried rice had an interesting flavor.. .. The rice was very sticky though with the red paste.. read more

My wife loves curry dishes and we've tried almost every spot in town and have decided this is amoungst our favorites. Cash only. Very good. read more

Cash or check only joint. I read reviews and came prepared. The service was a tad slow and we were the first ones there. The waitress did the best she could considering she was waiting on everyone solo. I ordered crab rangoons and the green curry. The crab rangoons were normal but not anything out of the ordinary. The green curry was delicious! Spicy and savory. I drank a few glasses of water to combat the spice but it was so worth it. I would definitely go back for the curry alone. It was a nice portion as well. I am a fan! read more

My favorite Thai restaurant to date. The food is authentic, delicious and the services is so warm and familial. What stood out to me about this restaurant is their amazing service and attitude towards my brother who has autism. He's kind of loud and a very picky eater and I think the waiters and workers saw how hard my parents were trying to make sure he behaved. They always treated him so well and without fail always gave him a plate a free crab rangoons and other small sample plates to see if there would be anything he liked. Great place and great people. read more

They complete takeout orders before people sitting in the restaurant. Waited over an hour before food came out. Very slow kitchen and no sense of prioritizing orders. And then they force you to pay the 18% included tip. read more

GO HERE FOR THAI FOOD IN MADISON! I've traveled around the world and had Thai food throughout Asia and the UK (yes the UK has great Thai food) and Sala Thai (in my opinion) is the most authentic Thai food restaurant Madison has to offer. Yes...it's a dive. It's small and seating is limited, but if can ignore the size of this restaurant, then you will be extremely pleased with the food they have to offer. read more