My friend and I had lunch at Siam Bistro. It was cool that we found an eatery that she hadn't visited, so we could both experience a new place together. She has a review, so if you're bored reading mine, go read hers instead. I frankly wanted to simply say in this review to read hers and skip writing one... haha! We walked in. The lobby was beautiful and cozy, showcasing the Thai culture with dragons and more. We were seated pretty quickly. This restaurant had a lunch menu. Yay, deals! I got the gang garee gai. It was yellow curry with chicken and potatoes, in coconut milk, with steamed jasmine rice. My friend got the beef kao soi, which was a curry soup with noodles. We got a constant stream of iced water. Thank goodness! We were both in dire need of cooling down being out and about on a hot summer day. It also came in handy while we were dining. Our food didn't take long to prepare. I was excited to chow down. The gang garee gai was yummy. I liked the curry flavour. The chicken was tender. There were a few potatoes that lightly thickened the curry. I loved the subtle coconut milk in the sauce. The jasmine rice was perfectly done. The downside was that the curry was salty. My friend agreed with my assessment, as her soup was also salty. At least the sodium levels were consistent here. She also made the comment that her dish was lacking vegetables, except for a thin slice of red pepper. I could tell that this meal threw my thirst level off the rails for the rest of my day. I had six drinks after this meal, without counting the iced water refills here. I downed two consecutive bubble teas that night, which I rarely do. The positive from the salt increase in my system: I was not bloated afterwards. The washrooms are downstairs. It is an older building, so it's not built for accessibility. The washroom was clean. It's street parking here. You can probably find a side street to park for free. The service was excellent. If the salt is toned down, I'd return to try more dishes off the menu. Otherwise, expect to be thirsty all day after eating here. (287) read more

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I had lunch at Siam Bistro with my friend who was visiting from out of town (she's a Yelper too, so you'll likely see her review also). Overall, I thought the food had good flavour, but it was too salty and didn't have enough vegetables. We ordered from the lunch menu and I got the Beef Kao Soi ($17.50). It came with a generous portion of beef. The beef was tender. The deep-fried noodles were tasty. The curry coconut milk broth was full of flavour, with the tiniest amount of spicy heat, but it was too salty for my tastes. Also the dish was lacking in vegetables. The only vegetables I got was that tiny sliver of red pepper in the picture I posted, and some green onions (which I consider more of a garnish). Maybe this dish doesn't traditionally come with vegetables? I don't know, but I did not feel virtuous eating just meat and noodles, lol. My friend got a chicken curry and she found her meal salty as well. Service was lovely. Very attentive but not intrusive. We drank a lot of iced water firstly because it was such a hot day out and secondly because the food was salty, and the servers refilled our waters regularly. The dining room is nicely decorated with traditional Thai items. The food itself I would give 3.5, but I'm rounding up for good service and nice ambiance. If they went easier on the salt, I would have enjoyed it much more because the seasoning and spices were great. Street parking only. read more

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Updating my rating. I have returned for lunch pre COVID and done take outs a couple of times and the quality has been there and consistent. read more

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Below average take out from the last several times we have tried them they used to be our favorite but I've gone downhill. They were late with our order had forgotten to make it and then rushed it at the end. The red Thai curry was weak and flavorless. The cashew chicken was slightly above average. Overall expensive for what you get. I would like to try somewhere else and I do not recommend at this time. read more

I came here based on a recommendation from a friend, unfortunately, this is just an overpriced place with good but boring food. Yes, they have a lunch special, but if you are a vegetarian you already lost the option to enjoy the complimentary soap that comes with that special (no discount or compensation for the fact that you are getting less for the same price). The food itself is ok, but nothing that I didnt eat in other Thai places, for less money. Usually, when you pay premium you expect much better food or a better experience or something to justify the price. Except for the guy that kept filling our water glasses, the service was slow, the food was not exciting at all and I would prefer going to a cheap Thai fast food getting the same quality for less with a better service. I would not come here again. read more

This places' demand is insanely busy on weekends. Do NOT order take out from this place on the weekends. You can't get through the phone line and they don't take orders by phone...so I went in person. Made my order at 7:20pm and finally got out at 8:26pm. I ordered, tofu pad Thai without bean sprouts and a chicken pad Thai without bean sprout and no peanuts on top. When the order was ready I had mentioned that it took an hour she didn't believe me and checked the receipt and realized yes it was. Her response was don't order on a weekend especial with a special order....?! I didn't feel too amazing especially when my 'special order' was no peanuts, no bean sprouts.... I was disappointed with the response as I had already patiently waited that whole time. A walk in couple that arrived while we waited had already been seated, ate their meal, paid and left!! I was incredibly surprised! Other people that came in mentioned how they weren't able to get on the line to even tell the company they were running late. All they said was we are really busy. Good quality food but can't handle the high volume service appropriately. read more

So good. I can tell this place is authentic because everyone working here is Thai. The green mango salad is the best I've had in Ottawa. Pad Thai is a very big portion and on the sweeter side. Green curry is spicy and tasty. The chicken inside was thin pieces instead big chunks so it was very flavory, the bow doesn't look big but the portion is actually pretty good. The eggplant and tender bamboo shoot were also very yummy. We also had a hot and spicy soup with coconut milk (forgot the name) and was pretty good as well. The shrimps in all the dishes were large and tender, I ended up eating a dozen of shrimps, making me very full lol. I would definitely come again! read more

Siam Bistro - Green mango salad - Thai Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Food was excellent the service was not good. I had booked for 20 people and she called the day before tell us that more then 15 she didn't take reservation, but she would this time. We got there today, I was late due to a meeting and but the rest of the crew was there.... she not pleasant with any of us... Due to her attitude and being short with her customer we wont return ... the food was not that good to be mistreated read more

This was an interesting experience... We went here for an office lunch, at the recommendation of others who have been here. The weather is getting cooler, and soup and warm food are definitely on the horizon if not already on the agenda! It's hard getting our little group organized to attend an event, but we did finally manage to pin down a date and a local favourite for the venue. First of all, you definitely DO need a reservation! This place is tiny but it was fully packed! They know how to handle the lunch crowd and they are quick with the service. We were seated at a table for 7 although we were 8 (which they knew before we got there). The slight mistake was easily remedied. They offer a special lunch menu, which has a good variety, and it's not overly pricy, in the range of about $10 each. A couple of the dishes are splcy, most offer rice as a side dish, and one of them offered egg noodles, which was what I ordered. This one was not noted as spicy, but it was pleasantly spiced (more than I usually eat). It was nice. And the bonus was that each dish came with a bowl of broth beforehand, which definitely was spicy! Tasty, though. The amazing thing was that we arrived at noon, and had finished our mains by 12:30! Talk about speedy!! read more

Really lovely Thai place that felt authentic and cozy. The waitress was wearing the ethnic outfit and it was very lovely to be served with so much culture. Now as for the food, almost everyone in our group agreed that the food was tasty and satisfying. I ordered the khao soi, which is easily my favourite thai dish and so i became a bit picky about it. But i have to say this khao soi was yummy . The coconut soup was a light yellow colour and had heat and sweetness and flavour. I would have liked it a bit more if the noodles were a bit more al dente, but overall it was good. Still I would come back to this place next time I am in Ottawa :) read more

Siam Bistro - Khao soi - Thai Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Add this to my "places within walking distance of my house that I had planned to go to a while ago but never got around to" or PWWDOMHTHIPTGTWNGAT list. ( I know the acronym is a mouthful but as a government employee I couldn't resist). Acronyms aside, I can't believe I had taken this long to go here as it is one of the best Thai places I have been to, not just in Ottawa but anywhere. Siam Bistro is a small restaurant near Wellington & Holland. The interior is really beautiful with all sorts of great art work, and the entry way (although can be a bit cramped) has all sorts of neat info. The service was very good, although there were only 2 people working for the entire place and one was doing Maitre D work so they were very frantic and sometimes could be a bit hard to flag down, but they were very friendly and helpful. Now to the food, wow, it is absolutely amazing. I had a pad kee maow (noodles, beef, vegetables, egg, & chili) and it was absolutely amazing, the flavours were perfectly balanced and it was really amazing, and the portion sizes are quite large. My friend had a curry that he really liked, although they charged $2 extra for rice (which is a star off in my books). Be warned, if you are sensitive to spicy food, anything with one star of spiciness on the menu is not for you, my one star dish was quite spicy. The prices are very good for the quality of the food, I was expecting to pay a lot more for food of that quality. One last word of warning is that reservations are a very good idea. I arrived at 8 PM on a Wednesday and it was nearly full, Thursday-Sunday will be nigh on impossible to get a table without a reservation. read more

Great food, lovely service, very authentic. I'm sorry, but I have completely forgotten what I ordered, but I do remember that it was a huge serving, I love it, and took the left overs home. The friend I was with very much enjoyed his meal as well! Try anything on the menu, I guarantee you will love it! read more

This is our favourite Thai restaurant in the whole city. We discovered it this time last year through friends and have gone 5 or 6 times since. We recommend the mango salad. It's really spicy and tangy and full of plump shrimp. We also get the Tom ka gai soup, and it's flavours are subtle and rich. The pad Thai is delicious and complex. We also highly recommend the chicken pa nang (red curry). The service is typically good, even when they're busy. They also provide take away. read more

This place was good but not REALLY good. The room is really warm and cozy. I love the golden painted ceiling and the simple decor. The servers are all in traditional Thai dress. Their beer prices were good $5 domestic (I had Blanche de Chambly) and the imports were $6 so my mum had Leffe Brune. We were eight people and the room was hopping busy with servers scurrying around. We started with two orders of spring rolls; one shrimp, one vegetarian. Both the same price ($8) for 5 rolls so I expected the vegetarian ones to be fab. Not so much. The shrimp ones were very meaty. We ordered 6 other dishes. The beef salad and Swimming Rama (sp?) were my favourites. I found the noodles in the Pad Thai a bit soft. We had a beef dish with snow peas (don't know what it was called as I let everyone else pick the dishes) but the beef was very dry, kind of like jerky. Not the greatest texture unless you're in the mood for dry chewy beef I guess. The service was a bit odd. I asked if they could cut the spring rolls in half as we'd all be trying some of each kind. Apparently they don't do that (?). They brought out a bowl of rice that we passed around and then it got cold sitting on our plates as we waited for the next dish to come out. They never asked if we wanted another drink either. All in, tax and tip it was $22 per head each with a beer so not super expensive. I think I'd go to the Siam Kitchen next time though. read more

This is my favorite Thai restaurant in Ottawa! I went there with Deirdre K, Jim D, and Vanessa D. We tried the Pad Tai, Laab salad (spicy ground chicken on lettuce), mango salad, curry chicken dish and a side of white rice. All of the dishes were delicious! My favorite was the Pad Tai, the noodles were cooked perfectly (not too hard, no too soft) and the seasoning was wonderful. This place is a MUST-TRY! read more

Good food, nice clean atmosphere. The yellow chicken curry I'd give a 3/5, but the noodle curry with beef from the lunch menu was a solid 4.5/5 - this was a special dish! read more

Siam Bistro - The yellow chicken curry from the lunch menu - Thai Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I absolutely adored this place. From the perfect decor and intimate dining space to the perfect Pad Thai and lovely staff, this place gets it right on all levels. My sister and I decided to pop in here when we had a Thai craving, and read Vanessa D's review. We showed up at 5 p.m. on the dot, and thankfully the place was empty. It filled up in a matter of minutes though! This place clearly has a good reputation. While we were seated we had a chance to check out the beautiful artwork (most of which is for sale) and admire the decor (gold ceilings are my favourite!). The place almost looks like two long community tables, but they're actually separate (though I'm sure they can be pushed together for bigger parties). As I said, the place filled up fast, even so early, so be sure to make reservations here is you're more than a group of two. In terms of food, I was very pleasantly surprised. My sister and I split the shrimp Pad Thai, green curry with eggplant, and two orders of spring rolls, one veggie and the other shrimp. I adored it all. The Pad Thai was definitely my favourite, as I find it's a hard dish for me to adore, but this one I loved! It had the perfect balance of tanginess and the veggies and shrimp were all cooked perfectly. I can't wait to come back here again! It would be a lovely spot for a special occasion or date night. read more

Another place i had in my own backyard that I waited years before trying. Just by chance we walked into this place for a bite to eat, and I was incredibly surprised. The inside of the restaurant was a lot nicer than I was expecting, and felt very intimate. The meal was tasty, and rather large (had enough for leftovers the next day). If you're going for lunch during the week, it's probably wise to book reservations. read more

My favourite Thai restaurant in Ottawa, and the best Thai food I've had anywhere. Be prepared to spend about $25 per person. Every dish I've tried has been wonderful. Seating is limited, so I'd recommend making a reservation. read more

Yumme, casual Thai restaurant. Relaxing atmosphere, great beer prices (as Luisa D mentioned) and attentive service. I went around 8 on a Saturday night and had no problem getting a table. We tried some of the dishes from the Chef's selection menu and were really satisfied. Especially with the pineapple curry, that came served in a pineapple! read more

Yum! My husband and I really enjoyed this little place! We had their basic Pad Thai and a green curry with pinapple, tomatoe and shrimp. I also had their Tom Yum Goong soup. The soup was overpriced for the portion size... it was good, but not the best. The curry however, was delightful and they do no skimp on the shrimp! There were tons of shrimp in everything! The prices are a bit more that I would have liked to pay (but still on par with everything else in the neighbourhood). The pad thai was also really nice, fresh and not oily. It wasn't ammmmazing or anything, but it was good. We ordered our food to go, but the restaurant's dining area looked cozy and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. read more

Sampled a handful of dishes from Siam Bistro a few days ago and I can't say I was impressed with any of them. My fiancee loves the green curry with vegetables which is the only reason we decided to try a larger spread but I do not think I would return. The Hot and Sour soup was easily the worst I've ever tried and was over powered with fish sauce. It did not have a pronounced flavour and I poured it out after several bites. Spring rolls tasted like pre frozen and were quite greasy. I don't know if they were home made but there was nothing special about them. Their pad thai is simply insulting. None of the fresh flavours or textures you would get in a proper pad thai. The only highlight is the red/green currys but nothing you couldn't make at home. I was expecting a lot more because there were plenty of people waiting for take out but this place was a major let down. read more

Love this place, it's a regular fav. All the curries are great, the soups are small but tasty, the Mango salad is good portions and to die for. The Spice rating is from 2-4 star I think. 2 Star: Very Spicy. Be careful with spice! Love the fragrant sticky rice as well, it's a little more than steamed rice but well worth the upgrade! read more

I have been a patron of Siam for at least 15 years. I have always had a great meal and have had many of them.

Best thai in the city, giving them 5* for that. Friendly and cooperative as well. Prices are good. There are 2 niggles - while the interior decor is decent, there is a strange humid smell when you first enter. 2nd, service can get a bit frenetic when they are busy, and takeout orders are often not 100% ready at the time promised - best to arrive 15 mins later. read more

This is hands down one if not the best Thai food place in Ottawa. It is small and cozy on the inside, not much seating which makes the atmosphere that much better. Started off the meal with the pork satay, cooked perfectly and the peanut sauce delicious. I ordered the Gang Garee Gai, light chicken curry with potatoes and coconut milk. It was so filling, nice light yellow curry with a hint of spice. We also enjoyed Neua Ta-Krai marinated beef with fried lemongrass it was fabulous. You also can't go wrong with the Pad Thai an favourite in our household. I recommend this restaurant for a nice get together or date night, not so much for young children. read more

This is a cute little Thai restaurant in the hintonburg area. The interior is nice but a little small so I would call for a reservation if you're planning a big group. We got the meat skewers (4) and the pad thai. My cousin and I shared the plates. They were enough for the both of us so having said that the pad Thai portion was decent. The prices were not bad either. The staff was really nice in recommending sharing the dishes as she knew what we wanted for portion sizes (so they're not just trying to sell more than we can eat). She even offered to have our skewers mixed and matched with the different protein types. Friendly staff and wonderful restaurant. I definitely want to come back. One of the most flavorful pad thai I've had. read more

I moved to Ottawa and I'm in search of a Thai restaurant. I've tried many places thus far and this place is probably the best however my search continues. I greeted the owner at the door and said sawadee ka and she looked at me like I had 10 heads so I'm not sure these people are actually Thai. That being said the food was the closest to an authentic Thai experience I've had in the city, it had great flavor however it was very oily you could see your food sitting in puddles of oily bubbles and thats not authentic thai. The service was great the food came out really fast. If you'd like Thai I think you should definitely try this place read more

This is a very good Thai restaurant but you should never order takeout here as they bump takeout orders in favour of people who are sitting down. We put in an order at 5:30 and were told it would be ready at 6:30. I showed up at 6:30, paid my bill and was told they just had one dish to finish. I don't get my food until 7:15., almost TWO HOURS after we put our order in. When I got my food home only one dish was still hot and the rest had cooled while it sat waiting. My advice: go sit down for a delicious meal and avoid the hassle and runaround of takeout. read more

We started with the spring rolls and tom kha goong. The spring rolls tasted really fresh. The soup was hot and tasty. Needed a bit more sour but still good and fiery. Next we got the pad woon sen (chicken with clear noodles and vegetables), goong pad prik (shrimp with chillies, pepper, pineapple), ook gai tood (thai fried chicken) with dipping sauce. Only the thai fried chicken was good. The pineapple shrimp had good ingredients but the sauce was too sweet. The pad woon sen barely had any noodles or chicken but was mostly onion. We asked for more noodles but was told they could not provide more. Here's how the conversation went after that: Siam: Other customers don't complain. Us: Well, we're complaining...so either spend 30 cents and give us more noodles or we'd like to send it back. Siam: You can't send it back. Us: Then we'll leave now and not pay. So they finally took it back and we ordered the tang tak noodles (fried noodles with chicken) which was actually good once we added some chilies to it. This place only has ice cream for dessert which is unfortunate for a thai place but the ice cream was fantastic! They have mango and coconut and I found some mango fibre which is a good sign and the coconut seemed to have pieces of young coconut in it. It was creamy and rich. Their main dishes seem to have gone downhill and I would say they are average now for Ottawa thai food. I used to love their food. The way they dealt with us when we were not happy with a dish was very unprofessional. "Other people like it" is not a useful comment. It was obvious they had run out of clear noodles. I would still go back just for the ice cream though! I asked if they made their own but they order it. Now I just have to find out where they get it. read more

Very good casual Thai. Nice for both dining out and take out. Always fresh. You need a reservation most of the time because the place is tiny! read more

My favourite Thai dishes in the city.. Green curry is my go-to! Outside doesn't look like anything special but the ambiance inside is quite nice. read more

Food was very good. Fresh ingredients well prepared. They tried to warn me about their spice levels but I love it really hot so I ordered the three star. Holy cow! That was very very spicy! Rip the tongue off ya! Even this chili lover (I can eat most hot peppers out of the jar and eat vindaloo sauce on its own on a spoon) would order a two star next time. I'm not sure who could even put the four star in their mouth! It would burn your flesh! read more

Hands down best Thai in the city. Use to be the only place to go but there are others almost as good now which is good because getting in here can be tough. It's small which makes it great but its popularity means you should really reserve a spot. One of the best dishes here is a crispy spicy tilapia. That said I have gone here for 2 decades now and it's their Gang Garee Gai (curry coconut chicken dish) it's fantastic. Flavour punches you in the mouth with sweet, savoury and spice. Absolutely a must if you like spicy Thai food or really just Thai food in general. read more

I could eat here everyday! If you like a basic stir fry, to the next level, i Highly recommend "K-Jaan ron" with beef. Delicious sauce, sweet, amazing. I have brought friends here and i have never had any complaints. Spring rolls are also good, almost mind blowing, especially the plum sauce. Good amount for the price. Presentation of food is great, exciting, colourful, and most importantly FRESH!! You're looking at 15$ a plate - but these portions are big. You'll have leftovers! The owners and servers work HARD there, they are fast, and no nonsense. Whatever theyre doing, keep doing it :) One of those little gems "in your neighbourhood". Small, clean. Cozy. Intimate. I would eat here every day if I could! read more

Best place for Thi food. Owner is always there to make sure every client is satisfied. Very tasty food. Spicy but awesome. Its our go to place when we crave for Asian food. This place is clean and the atmosphere is just amazing! read more

We celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary here with a trip to the City and a great meal here. The waitress was very friendly with a great sense of humour. The meal was excellent to the point that we ordered a second order to take home for another day. read more

Best Thai in Ottawa. Pad Thai, coconut milk soup with shrimp and mushrooms, seafood dishes, all phenomenal. Authentic flavours. Beware of asking for something spicy, they keep it real here. Cheap beer . No nonsense service. read more

Authentic Thai food at this place. I found the curry to be excellent. Pad Thai had a little too much sauce for my personal taste, but it was still well made. Will definitely be back read more

The veggie green curry was amazing. The eggplant was too sweet. Vegetarian options pretty decent. Problem was the horrible service. The server came and basically was very abrupt and rude. We got 2 dishes of the 3 we originally ordered and in over an hour they didn't come check up on us. We tried flagging the servers down, but to no avail. In the end, we were waterless for 45 mins and were still missing that last dish (which they cancelled after we finally got their attention). The restaurant was evidently understaffed and so if you ever go here, get take out. read more