We visit Grand Rapids a few times every month for work, and at times we stay in town to grab some grub. Surprise, surprise we were craving Thai food so I whipped out my phone and looked up the nearest restaurant. We ordered springrolls, which were pretty good. The veggies inside were fresh and crisp, which is always a huge plus. For our entrees I strayed from my usual path of curries because I felt like pad thai, and my husband went for the pad cashew. Every now and then he gets a veggie kick and wants something with a ton of veggies in it, rather than a pad see ewe (with just broccoli) or kow pad. Both were actually pretty good, but nothing to write home about. The pad thai seemed a little sweet for my taste, while at the other time the pad cashew was lacking something. Perhaps it was lacking the sweetness that was instead on my plate, or some savory-ness - either way, I could not quite put my finger on it but something semed 'off'. I was a little sad to be honest, because I was very hungry and had high hopes because of the ratings on Yelp. We might be back, eventhough the restaurant was small and kinda dingy (and we have experienced much better Thai food elsewhere). We are just in the GR area too often, which means it is inevitable for us to not be craving thai food one time or another. I do not really like leaving reviews after just one visit (unless it stood out one way or the other), but am willing to try this place again and hopefully edit my review into the four star range. Who knows. So many people cannot possibly be wrong? A cute sidenote about this place is that the kitchen is open, so if you sit nearby you can watch the little old lady prepare your meal! read more

I was very impressed with the cuisine at Thai Express. Their name does not do them justice. I had the Gang Dang with tofu for lunch. The coconut sauce had an undescribably delicate taste. Thats about all I can say. I'll be bringing the family next time. read more

Wonderful green curry! This is the *ONLY* restaurant in "Bland Rapids" that has ever been able to go BEYOND my heat tolerance (I asked for heat level 50. It was really good, but I needed a few glasses of water for that one! Now I ask for heat level 40 and it's perfect.) Very small dining area. I believe that most of their business is take out. read more

Pros: - authentic - delicious - lots of freebies: appetizer (egg roll) , dessert (cheese cake or ice cream) -very nice staff. attentive to your special requests - nice ambiance (they moved to a new location!) - inexpensive - big servings Cons: (I'm honestly having a difficult time coming up with any) - read more

This place is great. Only downfall is it's not open after 8pm on weekdays and not at all on Sunday; Those are usually the times I crave Thai. Their Pad Thai is some of the best I've had and I've sampled a lot of Thai places. It's so good that I have a hard time ordering anything else, though the other dishes I've had have been great as well. The ladies that run this place are very friendly and usually know my order just from my number showing up on caller ID. I've never had poor service whether I dine in or carry out. Food is always ready in 15 minutes or less. read more

Excellent food and service. I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai spice 5 level and it was perfect! I love that you can add veggies with no extra charge. Our waitress even custom made a green bean chicken in creamy red sauce...it was delicious and they brought out extra rice. We got a perfectly cooked egg roll with our meals and complimentary dessert. You can't beat that! Will come again. read more

My experience with Thai Express was great. After a crazy day and then don't feel like cooking, this is just the thing! I ordered Pad Thai w/ chicken and it was delicious. The noodles were done to perfection, the spicing was perfect. It came with an egg vegetable roll, unexpectedly, with an unusual dipping sauce. They were crispy, even when picked up and brought home. read more

Friendly people and good food. Clean bathrooms. They do little things here to go the extra mile. It kind of seperates them from some of the other thai places in the area. Very good experience here all around. The family and i will be back. read more

Love doing take out or eating in. Super friendly family runs the place and they're really nice to my kids & me; even remember our favorite meals. One of my sons loves the curry pad Thai, daughter & wife like the peanut Thai, and my son and I who both appreciate heat enjoy their pad ped or red curry at a spice level 6 out of 10 which is just right for us. Nice they offer dessert options that come with meal when eating in; cheese cake, ice cream sandwich, or brownie (if I remember right). Highly recommend! read more

Hi thank you THAI EXPRESS for being you. Question for you... When did you see this review? Could it have been in your off season when you saw this? Next I would like to know if you DID sell this desert I was saying was given to me instead of what I really order? If I made the mistake I do apologize. But who ever owns this place knows about when this happened. Moving forward as a business... Do you not feel the need to "WOO" me? I wrote a review that was not pleasing for a place that has the same name as yours. (if not yours) You just posted and I quote "you think I have the wrong place." You didn't invite me to come see the service you offer. Isn't money still money? If having that same name as a business that didn't have good reviews wouldn't you want to show people your business is different and/or better? Or Change the name? I think even the way you handle this by just commenting not reaching out, is not enough to get me to try your place IF I did post to the wrong place. I found THAI EXPRESS on YELP. Just know as the customer I'm remembering the name THAI EXPRESS with that experience. I live like 2 miles away from this place and Asian food is my favorite. I'm the type you should want to "WOO". Why cause I could eat it everyday and to me it's worth me spending my money on. I will make sure this information is for the right place by driving over to double check location. I'll take a photo also so I may reassure you I meant what I said for where I checked in at. Please be ready because I will be updating the review... Thank you again for being you! I hope you are right and this was my mistake on wrong business... ...but IF not... VERY UNPROFESSIONAL business owner read more

This is as good, if not better than many authentic Thai restaurants in the LA / Hollywood area. Curry pad thai is a pretty unique menu item and was very good. Also had the chicken sweet basil rice dish which was tasty but there were a lot of vegetables compared to the amount of chicken. Overall service was very friendly and quick. Portion size was decent. Taste was fantastic. I would say a tad bit pricey (approx. $9 per dinner entree). You get a choice between an ice cream sandwich or a small cube of cheesecake for dessert as well as fortune cookies. Note: you can choose how spicy you want each dish on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the spiciest. We ordered both dishes at "6" and it was pretty darn spicy, and we can handle spice. I'd definitely come back if I'm ever in Grand Rapids. read more

More authentic fare than other Thai restaurants. Great food, friendly service, reasonable prices! Details on my GR Food Blog: https://justagrainofsalt.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/thai-express-maybe-the-most-authentic-thai-fare-in-town/ read more

I LOVE Thai Express. They are quick, give large portions, and the food is amazing every time. I like their fried rice dishes. Best of all- friendly great service. read more

We found this place on a whim. In search of something on the fresh side while traveling can be difficult. Stumbled upon a yelp review and decided to try it out. So glad we did. The fresh springrolls were expertly crafted and the sweet and sour dipping sauce was so flavorful. It was so pale in color, I didnt think much of it. As soon as I dipped the spring roll in it, BAM! flavor explosion. The waitress (who I can assume was the owner) was wonderful and attentive. The meal finishes off with Wedding mints, a fortune cookie, and a mini cheesecake bite. A great, fresh, tasty alternative to other Thai places. read more

Thai Express is a nice option for lunch if you work nearby. The service is always fast whenever I go here. I've had the curry pad Thai, which is drier (less saucy) than I like, and the drunken noodles, which were very good, flavorful but not overly salty. You get a salad, spring roll and dessert (cheesecake bite or ice cream) when you dine in. This is not the best Thai food in the greater Grand Rapids area, but it makes for a good lunch, especially if you want to change it up a bit. I come here about once a month. read more

went here because its close and i saw it had a lot of high reviews. I'm kinda upset that I've lived about 2 blocks away for 6 years and haven't gone here before. this was my first time having thai food and i can't wait to go back! i got tons of food for my 8$ i almost couldn't finish it! read more

Thai Express - Thai Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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First impressions were a little shaky, the service seemed slow and we were served the wrong drinks. At this restaurant you can choose your meal's spice level on a scale of 1-10. I chose a 4 because I am a wimp who still likes a little kick, my boyfriend chose 9. The food that was served was incredibly delicious and we both enjoyed our meals. But I quickly realized that even a 4/10 was still incredibly spicy to me. The waitress noticed and asked if I wanted her to make a new, cooler dish. I told her not to go to the trouble so she brought me some rice to mix in with the spicy noodles. This helped but was still a bit too much for me. After a while she came back with a to-go box (which I needed anyways) but when she opened it the box was already filled with noodles! She had made me a new dish without the spice to mix with my original plate. At first I thought that was super nice but was a little scared we would be charged for an extra meal. When the bill and ice cream sandwich came we were very happy to find that no extra charges were made and this wonderful waitress made sure that I had a wonderful food experience. Also, they did not charge us for the mixed up drink orders, even after fixing the mistake. Thai Express is the best! read more

Thai Express is the best thing to happen to my neighborhood in years. Where else can you get a delicious Thai meal for $5, cooked fresh and served quickly? Nowhere else in Grand Rapids, at least. The atmosphere is nothing special, but the staff is friendly and efficient, and at these great prices I am not going to complain. I usually get my food to go, but you can also dine in if you like. read more

I was in town for work and my boss and I needed a quick place for lunch. Yelp directed us here- if this is a 5 star Thai restaurant in Grand Rapids, I'm sticking to Chicago. This was the equivalent of Panda Express for Thai food. It was fine. Not terrible, but certainly not good. But it's cheap- seemed like most people were there for lunch from the office. Service was fast. Food is cheap. That's about all I can say. read more

Perhaps the best Thai food in the greater Grand Rapids area. The atmosphere is very casual but the food is first rate. The restaurant is a hot spot for weekday lunches especially for Steelcase office people at HQ right down the street. Restaurant is closed Sundays and has free WiFi. read more

Bad order experience, ordered through Yelp, delivered by GrubHub. GrubHub couldn't find the order that Yelp promised was on its way. Customer service hung up on me. Food finally arrived 45 min late, Stone cold. Soup was flavorless, Ginger shrimp sticky sweet. Won't order again. read more

The very best Thai food there is. I've been going here for years and never had a bad meal and very good prices. A lot of good and very nice owners read more

Unfortunately we did not like the food. We felt this was more of an Americanized version of Thai food. If you ask for spice they pretty much add chili's to up the heat. We threw away the pad Thai and the Penang was just ok. Not sure why the top ratings. To be fair we are from out of town from a larger City and have access to good Thai food. read more

The highlights - Delicious, crispy spring roll that comes complimentary with your meal; nice sweet and sour sauce that came with it. Tom Kha soup was pretty good, too, and the food was hot and fresh. Spicy, sour, nutty pad thai that was totally delicious and spiced according to our order - a 7 out of 10. The tofu was cooked well and tasty. The lows - Chicken was a little dry and sketchy, sort of like they cooked it ahead of time and then threw it in the dishes. I did not care for the Lard Nar whatsoever; I meant to order Pad See-Ew and was confused. Woops! I assume that I don't like Lard Nar, because judging from Google, it was pretty representative of the dish. read more

I did not feel this was authentic thai food, I have never had tiger cry steak what was cooked in broth. Did not like the yellow curry either and it was brown anyway. Very disappointed. read more

Okay don't let the appearance or neighborhood fool you. If you like Thai food go to this place. Some of the best Thai food I've had. I have successfully eaten my way through the entire menu. It was all good, never had a meal I din't like. read more

I really like this place. I wish I was here more often. The Tom Ka was wonderful, as were the fresh spring rolls. The service was great and everything was spotless and pleasant. Im from out of town but hope to be back soon!!! read more

I love Thai food is this little mom & pop, no frills place, was awesome! I'm visiting the area and found them through Yelp, with very good reviews. ...now I know why! The Sweetened Iced Thai coffee was just right! (And I don't use sweeteners in my beverages!) Free refills too! My appetizer was Fried Tofu. The accompanying chili sauce added sweetness but no (real) heat. The sweet sauce for the spring roll was light and not overly sweet. My entree was Pad Phet. Oh Gosh! It was awesome! I was stuffed; took leftovers. My meal ended with a small cube of cheesecake (other option was ice cream). The bill came with a standard fortune cookie and a small dish of butter mints! Definitely the place to visit if in the area and wanting Thai food. Meal incl the spring roll, entree and sweet/dessert at end. ...for $8.95! A true bargain! Oh yes, free wi-fi; ask for the password. The ladies working there were friendly and welcoming. Came back next day for lunch. Had the Peanut Curry, it was great! read more

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We were waiting on a tow truck for my car and decided to stop in here for dinner while we wait. We were the last customers and we were treated like royalty in comparison to some places when you're the last people of the night. Server was very friendly and prompt. We were surprised when she brought us out a spring roll to start which was hot, fresh, and crispy. Our entrees were out in less than 10 minutes, and you can choose your spice level from 1-10 which is helpful. Both entrees were exactly what we wanted in terms of spice. Came with a little cheesecake for dessert. I would go again and again. read more

Best Thai food in GR, hands down. Super homespun atmosphere that feels low-key and inviting. This is a true mom-and-pop shop. With your entree they give you a soup, spring roll (veg available), main course and dessert. Humble joint with simple but humbling food and people. Being in Kentwood, bikeability is non-existent. You couldn't pay me to ride down Kalamazoo Ave at dinner time -- might as well just throw myself in front of the traffic and get it over with. If you're gonna bike here from the north, take the sidewalk once you get on Kzoo. read more

The waitress with the blonde hair really didn't seem to care much at all about my friend and I. She would say the bare minimum and not reply or even look at you to give a sign of acknowledgment that I said thank you. And when I called through the phone as soon as I said thank you she just hung up, I mean really? not even a see you then or goodbye. Definitely the rudest waitress I've ever encountered. But as far as the food, it was very good, tasted fresh and was served very quickly. The prices here are very reasonable and come in decent portions. read more

This is the best place for Thai food. Not only is their food very good& worth the price. Reasonable. They're new location,in line with other stores behind were they used to be ,is bigger & decor more pleasing. The murals on walks are beautiful & I was told they were hand done by some artist. Everything I've had so far is great& I love the spring rolls. The staff is always friendly & helpful with any questions about a dish or the spiciness available. read more

Great food, friendly atmosphere. Convenient for takeout, and we love sharing "our find" with friends who come to town. I was a participant in 2010 for their spicy food contes -- truly a memorable experience and a great example of how well the owners treat the patrons. read more

I love Thai Express! The people are so nice and know me by name. They definitely appreciate their repeat customers. My favorite dishes are their Pad Thai, Curry Pad Thai, and Peanut Curry. My favorite app is the Fresh Spring Rolls (sometimes just have this for lunch. Their lunches are priced very well and you get a lot of food. read more

I LOVE this place! It is literally the best Thai food in Greater Grand Rapids! It is a MUST try. I have been to honestly probably 75% of the thai restaurants because when I discovered Thai food 4 years ago I got addicted. Thai Express still outranks them all, and I mean, by a landslide. The ladies who work there are SO nice! I have continuously gone there through the years, introduced my friends and family and not one person has ever said one negative thing about the place. You get a compliamentary spring roll with your meal and it is honestly the BEST spring roll I can find anywhere. I have actually had them cater my brothers grad party, just the spring rolls! We had other assorted food, but we just HAD to get the spring rolls from Thai Express. If you like thai, you will be more than pleasantly surprised. Try this place, you won't regret it. read more

The service is earnest and happy. The food is fantastic - portions and prices are right. I love the peanut curry, red, curry, hot and sour coconut soup with shrimp, and the fantastic spring rolls served with entrees. Cheesecake dessert included for dining in! Love this place. read more

Tried this place for the first time the food was really good I forgot the name of the dish I had but I will definitely be revisiting here again. The people who work here are also very friendly. read more

Thai Express - Thai Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Food was AMAZING and the service was even greater. Don't be deceived by the buildings location it's best restaurant I've been to in a long time. I just wish that I lived closer to it read more

Thai Express is amazing. Drunken Noodles, Curry Noodles, and the Thai style Jerkey are our go to. Prices are on par with what you will pay at most other Thai places. I would highly recommend going and trying Thai Express. read more

My thanks to the owner for replying to my comment. Delivery issues aside, I still would only give your food one star. I've eaten at several quality Thai restaurants in the Chicago area and this dish does not even taste like Pad Thai. It was extremely bland with a sour/dirty taste and no discernable peanut flavor. The texture was mushy and the sauce similar to paste. The included cucumber salad was just two bits of cucumber floating in a sauce. I can't imagine any of the customers raving about this place have eaten Thai food outside of Grand Rapids. I updated my review to 2 stars because the fried spring rolls were pretty decent. Thanks for your offer for a free meal but I respectfully decline. read more