Absolute best Thai food I have ever had! Everything always tastes so fresh and amazing no matter what I have tried! They have a lot of gluten free options as well. The staff is always so friendly too! read more

We live nearby and we eat here often. Their soft shell crab is awesome. Nice selections and assortments. They have a nice chocolate soufflé - order in advance. Everything is always fresh. BYOB. read more

Ordered carryout for first time. Food was pretty good, albeit sweet. Then I found that there was a dead bug in my soup. Can't be certain but it looks like a roach. Safe to say I will never eat here again. read more

Thai Essence - A bug in noodle soup - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

Reservations required. So if you show up and it's full they don't even put you on a waitlist. Theh just send you away. They also don't pick up the phone so you can't call ahead. read more

I was definitely concerned about some of the low reviews here, but I was in the mood for Pad Thai and wasn't in the mood for a long drive (not that the further, better reviewed places had been working out for me anyway...) So, Sunday evening, our little family of 2.5 headed out here for some basic Thai food (in the form of Massaman curry and Chicken pad thai). We parked in the back, and were seated immediately (as the restaurant wasn't that busy and only had 3 other customers). The waitresses were very nice and accommodating (i.e., I spilled my Thai iced tea and broke the glass it came in and not only did they rush to move us to another table, but they also replaced my Thai iced tea...) but the food was also very good. Perhaps not the BEST pad thai I ever had, but definitely well seasoned w/ good flavors and the correct texture. Hubby's massaman curry was also quite good and flavorful, although not very spicy - which I prefer, but understand that others may want a bit more of a kick to their meals. The curry puff appetizer was well seasoned, and also not spicy, although the cucumber dipping sauce was mostly cucumber and very little sauce. The sticky rice ($2 off the kids/side menu) was cute and correctly made, although we ordered it as an after-thought so there was some confusion in the kitchen when we asked about it. The prices were also quite reasonable. $10-13 for entrees (although the portion size isn't going to be putting anyone into a food coma), and ~$5 for the appetizers. Overall, our meal came out to $32, for two, for dinner, which I think is really pretty good. I know where I will go next time to get my Thai fix. I've heard that the chocolate souffle is very good, and will look forward to trying it next time. The Thai Iced Tea was bland and tasted watered down to me... maybe I just like it stronger? Anywho, I was very happy to have found this place just around the corner, and hopefully the food will be consistently good the next time we come here. read more

Always a good thai place to bring my family. The chocolate shouffle is to die for. The staff is very nice and very helpful with choices

Frankly, I'm baffled by these reviews. This place is not great, not good, not even "meh". The ambiance? I'll give it a star for pleasant decor. The "kids menu" is a poor choice, as it tends to lure couples with kids. Stick to TGI Fridays with that nonsense, leave the babies at home for a Thai restaurant that charges 20 bucks a plate. Food was forgettable, at best. For what we were charged, I was expecting Wow. I got "Blarg." Pass on this one. Stick to Orchid Thai a mere half mile away from Essence. read more

I've tried Thai in many different parts of the country. Nothing beats Thai Essence, everything is good here, cannot go wrong with anything you order here. Pad see ew is awesome, so are all of their curries, pad Thai is the best I've ever had, mango sticky rice, chocolate soufflé...their spring rolls are great, lunch specials are the best! All of it is awesome!!!! read more

So, I've always wanted to try this place but I was always skeptical. Go! This place was top notch! It's a BYOB, very quiet atmosphere and everything is fresh and home cooked. I've drove past this place daily and never gave it the time of day. But, one night my family and I went and we were not disappointed. I'll definitely go back! read more

We have both eaten in and had take out in the past always with good results. Thai Essence was one of the few restaurants open tonight on Christmas Day so we stopped in. Hubby and I decided on two dishes from the dinner specials. Hubby had the Sizzling Salmon, with minced shrimp, scallops, shallots and garlic over sautéed spinach. My dinner was similar, delicious pan fried jumbo shrimp topped with garlic, shallots and pineapple also over a bed of sautéed spinach. Both dinners were delicious, well prepared and presented and very fresh. The restaurant is also lovely. Nicely decorated and clean and comfortable. The service has always been excellent. Very attentive. Great food, great service, nice atmosphere. Highly recommended read more

Thai Essence - Crystal Shrimp Pineapple topped with garlic, shallots & pineapple over sautéed spinach - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

We ordered pad thai which had a weird smell to it and was not edible. The drunken noodles were ok. The chicken gra pao also had a funky smell to it. The eggplant in basil was ok. read more

I visited this place for a weekday lunch on 4/5/19. I had the Gra Pao with shrimp and a broccoli soup as an appetizer. Food tasted OK initially. Well, a few hours later - I had stomach cramps and vomited out my lunch. I spent the next two days recovering from this lunch... read more

Allow me to preface this review with a helpful tip for the parents of NJ, who have obviously lost touch with the concept of common courtesy... Everyone in the restaurant who sits between the kitchen and the sidewalk is paying for their meal. NOT everyone wants to hear your screaming brat. If you can't afford a babysitter, get a better job or stay home. Oh, and that's a nice flowered diaper bag hanging from your shoulder... bro. Now then. We were lured into Thai Essence by their seemingly interesting "Thai fusion" menu for what was supposed to be a celebratory dinner. By the end of the appetizers, we knew there was some serious hurt and disappointment in our future. Appetizers were the Rare Tuna Spring Rolls and the Satay (gai/chicken). Neither of these will knock your socks off on paper, so we weren't expecting heaven on a plate. But for what Thai Essence charges, we were expecting more than tasteless chicken skewers with a peanut sauce that was in a jar of Peter Pan 60 seconds earlier. Rare Tuna becomes eerily pink tuna somewhere between the kitchen and the table. I wonder if the deep frying has anything to do with that.. hmm. Next up on our little Thai smorgasbord of mediocrity were the entrees: Red Snapper with Thai Red Chili Sauce and Jungle Curry. My date and I actually ended up switching plates because her "Thai Red Chili Sauce" was so sweet you could have caramelized it with a brulee torch. Served with a side of non-sticky sticky rice half the size of a baseball, the Jungle Curry was also not worth the 45 minutes we had to wait for it. The waiter asked if we wanted to take home what was left of our entrees. I slapped him. He went away. Dessert was a combo of cold, pre-refrigerated creme brulee and caramelized bananas with ginger ice cream. I know it's hard to imagine screwing that up, but I don't lie when it comes to ice cream. All in all, I dare say we've already found the best Thai in Nutley, and will not be returning to Thai Essence under anything less than the threat of gun violence. In fact, pull the trigger! read more

This place fails to disappoint!! Our go to's are pad see ew (amazing!!), pad Thai, fried rice, dim sim and chicken dumplings. They are all amazing! The spring rolls were fine. Nothing spectacular. The basil wraps were great! But our go to dishes are always a consistent favorite! Highly recommend. Never eaten there in person. Only takeout. Order early on the weekends. They get busy. read more

Not bad. Typical decor, fish tank in the front is nice. Great looking fish, very big boy looks like he's well fed. His name is mike. Great food too, no complaints about the service either. Not busy, very empty. read more

I ordered pad thai for pickup and everything was delicious and homemade . I would order again. Great to know it close to us

The restaurant has nice decor and friendly service. The lunch special grilled beef is seasoned and cooked to perfection. I would have preferred a larger portion of the sticky rice and in a bowl. Overall the amount was satisfying and the seafood in the essence rice was large. read more

Thai Essence - grilled beef lunch special. With option of carrot soup - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

I don't know why this place doesn't have one of the best reviews, every time I come here- their food is always made fresh! And its very tasty and delicious! The staff- very friendly and always smiling :) the ambiance, atmosphere and design inside the restaurant makes you feel as though, you are somewhere in Thailand or any Asian country.. Really one of the best Thai Restaurants in Northern Jersey.. I've tried a couple ones and there is always something about Thai Essence that makes us wana keep comin back! Highly recommend you try this spot with an open mind. read more

Very nice Thai selection. Very nice staff. The lunch special is large but the prices did not match what was posted online. But it was worth the $1 more. They have parking in the rear which is great because there is no parking ever on Franklin. read more

Thai Essence - Pad See Ew lunch special. Came with broccoli soup. - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

The chocolate souffle here is ridiculously, deliciously classic French decadence. Something so good and so hard to make sounds like it'd cost $15+, but here it's $6.50. Chocolate lovers need to do themselves a favor and come here, even if just for dessert. You'll never touch 'Molten Lava Cake' again. read more

This place is great. Its BYOB (don't worry if you forgot to bring a bottle, there is a liquor store across the street) and my wife and I can have two appetizer, two entrees and the bill stays under $50. Not many places like that in the Nutley area. The Thai food is classic. I recommend the Hot Saute with beef or the Pad Ki Mao with Chicken. Also, their crab cake appetizer is amazing. Also, be sure to ask for a side of the Thai chilli sauce if you like spice. You will thank me later. read more

Awesome food can be found every time I come here. Everyone that I bring here for the first time leaves with a satisfied stomach!!! read more

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Great, quality food! Great place to dine in or take out. BYOB and the staff is very nice. I always get the grilled chicken with vegetables and the sticky rice is my favorite. The tom yum soup is really good too! If you enjoy spicy food, you will love Thai essence! read more

Definitely one of the best Thai places that I've ever been to! The pad thai is very flavorful, and doesn't have an overwhelming peanut flavor like some other Pad Thai dishes I've had. I'm also a fan of the Thai iced tea. The waitresses are very attentive and polite. I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys Thai food!! read more

I came here with hubby and my 2 kids. They were nice and sat us at a seat in the center and got us a high chair. We ordered pad Thai and a curry. Everything was good but at the end of our meal I bit into a piece of metal similar to the type from a Brillo pad and was about an inch long and curled up. I got grossed out and couldn't finish. I brought it up to our server and she said she would comp a dish. Frankly I don't think I should pay for anything but it felt odd since we ate nearly the entire meal. I won't go back since it made me nauseous to think about. read more

I totally recommend this little restaurant since it has great authentic taste and a fantastic service. The place is clean and simple. The food is amazing, I have ordered the pad Thai, the tom ka gai soup and the appetizers are perfect when having a girls night out! Perfect taste!!! And they have Thai tea!!!! But the best is the chocolate soufflé they have for dessert, you might wanna order ahead so it's ready on time. read more

My coworkers and I have been going to Thai Essence for lunch for the last few years and food has always been great. However, today we went and my coworker found a fruit fly in her salad. We brought it up to the attention of the waitress and she apologized and said she would inform the kitchen staff. We decided to stay and continue with our lunch. When the food came out, my coworker again found a fruit fly but this time in her shrimp! It only left us to believe that the kitchen is full of these bugs. I will never eat there again. So gross!!!! The health department should be called. Not to mention othe bathroom was gross read more

Thai Essence - Fly in my Shrimp - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

Went there with a few friends staff very friendly and they love to please the costumer food was fenomenal and my Thai ice tea really good to top the experience the chocolate soufflé out of this world ! Great dinning experience !! read more

Thai Essence - Duck in honey sauce !! - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

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Delivered off DoorDash. DoorDash delivery man was wonderful and fast! Also caught a glimpse of him from my window wearing a mask, which was a big plus due to the ongoing pandemic. Now, about the takeout order... had a taste of everything a few minutes after delivery. Nothing I was over the moon about. The spring rolls were standard veggie spring rolls. A bit pricey for 5 tiny spring rolls, but the skin was flakey and crispy and not oily. I ordered all lunch specials to come with soup or salad. One salad was missing. The red curry had the most flavor and spice, but also indicated to make medium spice. It also seemed to be the largest dish, in a container on its own with rice on the side. The honey duck and pad king beef were the least impressive. Both lacked flavor and texture and the portions were small. The pad Thai and pad see ewe were decent portions and tasted yummy! Both not spicy at all and more sweet. I requested chili paste/hot sauce on the side for the order and the order was missing this. Would get the curry and noodle dishes again. Soup was what tasted like mushroom and salad was small, but nice to have romaine lettuce versus iceberg as other restaurants. I usually love the ginger dressing on Thai salads, but this dressing was more sweet and creamy and didn't have as much of a ginger taste. The rice was cooked perfectly! read more

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I give this place three and a half stars after dining here for a large family celebration. When we first arrived it seemed a bit disorganized. It seemed as though the staff was suddenly overwhelmed because they were rearranging seating by taking away tables from our party to sit another party even though we were still waiting for more guests. Good thing it's BYOB because we were able to get ourselves some drinks (from down the street) while waiting a very long time to be waited on. In the meantime we were handed menus but not told whether we can order anything, are being given a choice of three entrees or have family style entrees like in some large party situations. After some time we finally learned that we could order any entrée. I got the pad see ew with shrimp which was so delicious even my toddler loved it. A family member treated us to the chocolate soufflé which was surprisingly good for a Thai place. I would love to come back and try this place for dinner and see if service is better as part of a smaller party. read more

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Whatever you do - do NOT order delivery from this restaurant. 1st time they came, our order was completely wrong. After giving us a refund, they came a 2nd time & the driver jerked us around on the phone for 10 minutes - saying that he couldn't find our place. When we got frustrated and asked the restaurant to cancel the order, they said they wouldn't - because the driver "tried to deliver it." HAAAA!!!!:) So essentially they were happy to charge us for food we didn't receive, because the driver gave it his all lol Fortunately Seamless refunded us 50% of the tab. So Yay Seamless!! read more

I am left in a bit of bewildered state after reading these horrible reviews about Thai Essence. The usual Thai food fan would not appreciate such a place due to the mix of French influence within the menu, and the lack of an intense spice, as this is what the usual American that prefers Thai tend to go for. . Stand out dishes include the Steamed Mussels appetizer which comes prepared in a ginger lemon grass broth, topped with fresh basil, fresh cut chili peppers, (not the chili paste junk). The rack of Lamb is phenomenal, the scent of rosemary coming from this dish as it arrives on the table is just insane. The decor is trendy, and the staff is warm. Bring a bottle of your favorite wine that you prefer to have with Thai, and enjoy Thai food with a hint of French flavor. read more

We ate dinner here. What a nice place. Service was very good. Food was very tasty. Certainly we'll come back here again. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Fairly decent place to get Thai takeout . Been coming here for years. Customer service is fairly attentive pad Thai and pad see ew are pretty good.chicken with basil was nice too. Overall better alternative to Chinese food on days in my opinion.quanity could be little more but overall good. Spice level can be adjusted on requested . read more

I went here on a date with my girlfriend. We came in a bit late and seemed to be the last customers. We ordered the crab pancake as an appetizer. It was quite good, but was a bit overpriced. For our entrees, I ordered the pad thai with beef and my girlfriend ordered the masala curry. The pad thai was delicious. Also, I tried a bit of my girlfriend's curry and it was also very good, not too rich and not too watery. The only issue that she had with it was that there was very little rice to go with it. Then for dessert, we got the chocolate souffle, which was absolutely amazing. The consistency and the amount of sweetness were perfect. The service was decently fast and very respectful. Overall, a great experience. read more

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Good Thai spot in the center of Nutley. The food has always been good whenever I've went and the staff is really friendly. I've never had to wait for a table and the price point is very accommodating. It's a BYOB and theirs parking In the rear of the restaurant. No complaints from me, 5 Stars. read more

Thai Essence - Drunken Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

Everything from the crab rice, the salmon and snapper was delicious!!! I will be back. Funny thing was I went to the gym across the street and needed to eat and I googled Thai food and this restaurant came up. I'm sooo glad I discovered this place. read more

The Pad Thai noodles and drunken noodles were both good. Quantity is good for the amount paid. Noodles are bit dry but if you specify more sauce turns out well. read more

Pad Thai is great. Curries are great. Prices are reasonable. Friendly service. Hypnotizing fish tank.

Before I tried Thai Essence I remember a fellow Yelper describing their food as PF Chang-style Thai. I read between the lines and took this to mean not authentic. As in calling a privately owned "authentic" Italian restaurant the Macaroni Grill. You get the idea. Anyway, I decided to give Thai Essence a chance because, like I sometimes do, I judged the book by it's cover and said "Ohh...it looks so cute on the inside!" one day whilst peering in the windows on my way to get a cupcake at the Petite Cafe (they share an entranceway). Hmph. Don't be fooled by appearances, folks. I should have heeded Yelp's advice and stayed away from this place. While the food was edible it certainly wasn't what anyone with standards would call "good." The authenticity was definitely questionable...I don't particularly like feeling as if the sauce I'm dipping my spring roll into was potentially shipped to the restaurant in a frozen vacuum-sealed package. read more