Oh, Thai Kitchen. They're a bit of a disorganized mess and stuck in the 90s, y'know? They're cash only which automatically means there's a 99.9% chance I'm not eating there. Who still carries cash? The one time I thought it was worth my effort to visit an ATM and order Thai Kitchen, they completely forgot my order. I waited for an hour in the restaurant for my food because they forgot I was there. When my order finally came is was just ok. Nothing to write home about. So, I haven't been back. The Spice is much better and I'm willing to pay more for it. read more

This was my first Thai food experience. A very nice portion of Pad Thai with shrimp & onions. The dish had the right amount of spice in it. I would definitely recommend going to Thai Kitchen. They have a variety of dishes & great service. read more

Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai with shrimp - Thai Near Me - Ames, Iowa

There are two Thai restaurants in Ames; Thai Kitchen and The Spice (more upscale, thus more expensive). Being located in Campustown, Thai Kitchen's patron is mostly college kids due to its inexpensive price. Simple decor, GREAT food, and friendly owners. They have a huge menu and the way they prepare their menu is very helpful for a first timer. It has photos and descriptions to help you pick your dish. If it's your first time there, I suggest you grap the menu book and step aside to "study it". Otherwise you can view it online here http://www.thaikitchenames.com/menu My personal favorite is the 3-Flavored Fish (under Chef's Special in their menu) which is tilapia fillet in sweet, sout, and spicy sauce, garnished with bell pepper, basil, and cilantro. Delicious! Massamun Curry and Green Curry are also good, top it off with two favorite noodle dishes: Pad See Eil (if you like sweet) and Pad Key Mao for a slightly spicy zing for your taste buds. Both are pan fried flat rice noodle with brown sauce. For a light lunch, you should really try their salad which is interestingly enough is called "Yum'. It IS very yummy. According to their menu, the description is "Choice of meat (my favorite is BBQ beef), sliced and tossed with lime dressing, chillies, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemongrass. Granished with lettuce, scallions, and mint leaf or sweet basil." I simply called it "Heaven". They do not take credit cash or check, be prepared to have cash. read more

This is my favorite Thai food in Ames, hands down! The place itself is a little bit divey looking, but what it lack in ambiance it makes up for with the food. It is tucked into campustown, but in a nice enough location where parking isn't a nightmare. Bring coins for the meters! It is cash only, but there are accessible atms around the area. After working a few years in higher ed, I have conversed with a few international students who tell me this is the most authentic Thai cuisine in Ames. I always get the Veggie Pad Thai, but there are many good options for veggies! read more

This is a nice little place. There's are tons of options on their menu and none of it is terribly pricey. Vegetarians and meat eaters alike have so many different things to choose from. The food comes out quick and seems pretty authentic. One of the downsides is that this place is cash only and doesn't happen to have an ATM there, but at least there are some nearby. read more

The Thai Kitchen is a tasty treat. This friendly, locally-owned place hits the major points: Delicious food, reasonable costs, plenty of variety, and generous portions. Their vegetarian choices are wonderful. The only negative: The décor is a little grubby. The place could use a scrub and lick of paint. One of the places for best value and taste buds in Ames, but don't bring your credit card, Thai Kitchen only takes cash.. read more

This place is sooo good! I never thought I would find awesome thai food in Ames! I ordered the nam tok beef and it tasted super legit. I also had the tom yum with chicken and it was the best tom yum ever! Even better than the stuff I grew up eating in Bangkok. My husband ordered the chicken phad thai which was yummy too. I highly reccomend this place! read more

Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Ames, Iowa

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Thai Kitchen still reigns supreme in Thai cuisine in the Ames area. We stopped in last night before a movie. I was pleased to see that the "word is out" about this hole-in-the wall food purveyor of greatness. A lot of people eating in here. The Thai classics were done exactly as I recalled from previous visits. My brother had the Pad Thai which is always a smart choice here. I had a bowl of spicy noodle soup, which while delivering on the spice and noodles, and ample amounts of seafood I will probably pass on in future visits for one of my favorite Thai specialties like the Massaman Curry or Pad Kra Pow. Only beef I had was that the "Siamese Crab Delight" which from the menu boasted crabmeat, scallions and shredded limeleaf wrapped in rice paper and deep fried" in actuality only contains a deep fried pocket of cream cheese. read more

The food is pretty authentic tasting and the prices are decent but not cheap. About $9 an entree. The hours are weird.... they close at 8:30 not 9:30 according to yelp, and they don't open till noon and they're closed on Mondays. I literally tried coming here 4 times before actually being able to try it out. I got smart and called before hand to make sure they were open. I got the shrimp for my dish and it was overcooked and dry. But the spices and flavors were nice as well as the curry. I'd pass on the custard dessert though. Not bad but not great either. I don't care for self serve cash only joints which seem to overly plague this college town. 4 stars in comparison to other Ames restaurants... 3 stars if this was in a big city local. read more

Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Very nice, simple, and homely place. Whenever I go over there for lunch or dinner, I always feel like I'm eating at home there. The food there are great, it's a good alternative to my mother's awesome cooking, which is saying a lot since I am very critical of a lot of Asian food places. Lard Na is by far my favorite dish there, along with their green curry dish and their curry fried rice and their tom yum soup is very tasty as well. You'll have to be willing to try their dishes to fully appreciate the place and not just stick to something you think is "safe" or think you "know". Word of advice, they don't open on Monday, and they can get VERY crowded during the typical lunch & dinner hour, and they only accept cash, so be prepare when you go there. read more

This is one of my favorite spots to eat in Ames. The food is delicious and you can't beat the prices. I usually opt for the red curry chicken. They also have the best spring rolls in town hands down. The owners are very nice and always recognize my husband and I when we come in. The only drawback to this place is that they are cash only, but there is an ATM just down the block - so if you forget you're not out of luck! read more

One of decent Asian restaurants in Ames. PROS 1. The taste. is really great 2. Price is reasonable, even I'd say it's cheap with comparison of its food quality. CONS 1. Cash only - you have to be sure bring cash. 2. Parking lot is really small, 1-2 out 5 times of your visits, you might need to park your cars somewhere else. The CONS above made me to mark here as 4 stars, but their minus points are completely covered with its strong PROS, taste and price. Cash only might make you little bit annoyed, but you need really little cash- less than 10 bucks for a person. And you can see a large public parking right next to the restaurant's private parking, and it will cost you 25 cents per hour. I think it's fair enough for a good food. read more

Thai Kitchen is one of my favorite places in Ames. The food is pretty good. I visited there about two or three times a week. My favorites are: Thai Tea, Chive Dumpling, Tasty Seafood, Salmon Fried Rice, Pork Chop, and more. The owners are pretty nice too. read more

My family was really disappointed with this restaurant. We read all the rave reviews and though we'd give it a try. We walked in and I was immediately turned off by the smell and the CASH ONLY policy. I was raised on a family-owned hog farm and I know what "good" pork and "bad" pork smells like. The place reeked of "bad" pork, which has an odor similar to hog feces, but we decided to keep going and just not order pork dishes. The woman who took our order looked like she was about ready to have a nervous breakdown and left 3 times to mill about while we were trying to order our 4 meals. We then took our seats, the restaurant was kind of dingy, and waited for our food. The food came out quickly, but I again was immediately turned off. I ordered cashew chicken, which had 3 cashews and my chicken was gray in color. Needless to say, I did not eat it. My children both had noodle dishes, which they said were tasty, but lacked in the veggie department. My husband had a vegetarian curry dish, which he said was tolerable. Maybe it was just a bad day, since most of the reviews are spectacular for this place, but we will not be going back. read more

Pad Thai was disgusting served cold only thing decent was the Thai tea but the boba was undercooked

I still prefer Thai Kitchen to any of the Thai restaurants I've been to (so far) in Omaha. Sigh... It's so delicious, especially their soups. read more

**Cash Only** Come in. Walk to the counter and place your order. When it is busy - grab a menu and figure out what you want before it is your turn so that people behind you don't give you the stank eye. Don't know what to get? The California Roll equivalent for the un-daring is Pad Thai or Fried Rice. Top it off with Thai Ice Tea or Thai Coffee. And get some Fried Tofu as an appetizer while you are at it. My usual is Tum Yum Kai Hot Pot. Smells like feet but so damn delicious! read more

Best place in Ames for Thai food. The parking isn't the best and neither is the decor but the food comes out reasonably fast. Also, they only take CASH. read more

Had hoped for more, being the highest rated Thai Food in Ames. We had a late lunch so maybe the timing affected the food. Service was good, very fast. Portions were large. Dumplings were very good. Flavors in the Red Curry were good however my wife's noodle dish was bland. The meat in both dishes (chicken and duck) we ordered was sparse and almost rubbery, hard to chew. I'd say this is more of a $$ price range. 2 meals, 1 app, 1 drink $34 and change. read more

This was my second time coming here after attempting to eat at CHC. Both times CHC was closed due to various reasons. This time they were closed for a month! So to Thai Kitchen it is! You order up front and they bring it out to you. You also get your own water and utensils. The portion for the curry dishes are on the small side. My yellow curry fried rice dish was quite large and had plenty of kick to it. It was very tasty too so I ate it quite fast and the slow build up of the internal heat caught up to me at the end! Overall, it's a nice little restaurant in the Ames community that I will go to every once in a while. read more

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Food was delicious, all 5 of us were very happy with our meal. The value was good for the amount of food you got. The reason we didn't give them 5 stars and we almost left was because it was so dirty. read more

Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Ames, Iowa

This is my favorite place to eat in Ames. I love the food and service. I eat here at least once a week. I get the Pad Kee Mao Thai spicy. It's not as spicy as it was in Thailand, but it's close. It is authentic Thai. The only complaints I have to add is the serving size is variable, cash only, and the parking. I usually get more for lunch than dinner. Overall, great people and food. I prefer it over The Spice just due to price. read more

The food is good and the price is more than reasonable. My fav are creamcheese crab for appetizers (code A5), tom yum koong/tom yum kai soup and red curry for entrees. It would be nicer if the tom yums were spcier (or maybe it's just me). Anyway, 5-star for the menu. read more

Thai Kitchen - Crab and creamchese - Thai Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Great food, shabby restaurant. Love going there for comfort. I ordered curry, on point. Price is definitely worth what you get. Super yum.

Thai kitchen its amazing!!! great food and the place is GREAT LOOKING your plate looks so good to eat it and taste it better!!!! i been there about two times and im definetly going back. THIS PLACE IS GREAT read more

I really, really want to like this place. Went last week. The food is okay. but..... The place is so DIRTY LOOKING!!! The walls had dried rice on them in the booth we sat, the dishes are sometimes not washed correctly, the tables not properly cleaned, etc, etc. If they cleaned the place, gave it a new paint job, then it would definitely get 4 stars or more. Their cash only policy is also pretty dumb and outdated. And...its dirty! =( read more

Delicious, fresh, and pretty authentic from what we encountered during our honeymoon in Thailand. The green curry instantly teleports me back every time. read more

We had a few very good dishes. Nothing I'd rave about... this is mainly a collage joint with that type of pricing and quality.

I can't believe how good this food is and I've had a lot of Thai food. I always get the noodles because it's hard to make noodles this good. Drunken noodles all the way. We've also gotten the cashew nut entree and the green chicken curry and all were amazing. read more

I came to Ames on a business trip and looked up some restaurants in the area. I decided on Thai Kitchen as I am a big fan of Thai. It was good. I wouldn't say the best I had but definitely good. The place is CASH ONLY, do remember that as they have no ATM or a way to pay if you don't have cash. The price is very reasonable at about $8 a dish. I was with a colleague of mine and we decided to order the Appetizer Platter as well. I was not a big fan of the fried chicken they serve, it appears like they mince the chicken and mix it with glass noodles, then bread it before frying...not good. Also the Tofu triangles were spongy and inedible. Other than that, everything else was good. I got the Pad See Ew (Spelled Phud-Zee-et over there) and my colleague got the yellow curry which he claims was delicious. All in all, a great Thai place if you are in Ames...but a mediocre one if you are in a big city. read more

We got to try dinner here tonight and I must say, it was better than ok. I ordered the chicken panang curry and although the portion was a little small for my taste, the flavors were wonderful. I asked for a medium spicy level and I think I got mild, nearly bland. But the coconut milk was nice and creamy, the chicken was cooked right, and the jasmine rice was awesome. I didn't love the $1 for a regular size can of soda, and the fact they used a small plastic cooler to hold the ice for cups... also their "parking lot" is more like two spaces and if they are full you better have some quarters for the street. If they upped their portions a bit I'd probably give this place 5 stars. read more

I dig Thai Kitchen quite a bit. While I am originally from CA and have a soft spot for the Thai food over there, this place is my favorite in Ames. The noodles and the rice dishes are fantastic. I usually go for the Panang or the Red Curry, but I would shy away from those at this restaurant. Each time I have ordered one of the curries, they have been watered down a bit. Overall, this is my standard fast food Thai place. You have to hit up the spicy noodle dishes. Grab a Thai Iced Tea, your noodles and have a beer ready for the game. You won't be disappointed. read more

Most times they are catering to vegans, however Caroline was a game changer. She went through and gave us the ins and outs to the kitchen and pointed out what could and couldn't be made vegan on the menu. Her friendly demeanor, didn't feel forced nor rushed! We are very appreciative for all her help and service :) read more

(Great food great price. Ames needs more authentic places like this. ) old review. Previously 5 star. Under the new management, I can't go back to this place and I haven't since trying it 2-3 more times. Iv been to this place many many times for lunch over the years and have tried a lot of items on the menu. Over time, my favorite item became the green curry and I typically ordered that. Since the new management/Cheif, the food is horrible. Twice I have not been able to finish my plate and decided to leave. Couldn't handle the green curry. Somehow they have the same items on the menu but nothing tastes the same. It once was my favors lunch spot but now you can't pay me to eat there. read more

Ridiculously good Thai food! The prices are also amazing! You get a lot of food for very cheap...and it's all great! My favorite dish is probably the massamun curry, but I'm also a fan of their other curry dishes, pad thai, thai braised chicken and the chicken Rama platter (chicken smothered in peanut sauce on a bed of spinach with rice). Another recommendation: get a glass of the Thai iced tea. It's an incredibly sweet, creamy drink that cuts the spice of the meals perfectly. The service is excellent and lightning fast. The owners are adorable. It's cash only, by the way, so make sure you have enough (less than $10/dish). read more

Great good, fantastic service, and very accommodating to menu item changes. It is definitely a place I'll go to again. The only flaw I can find is that I was hoping their red curry would have been a little more spicy! read more

I've gone here 3 times in the past year and each time I swear will be my last, but as I can't get my favorite Thai dish at The Spice I wanted to try Thai Kitchen once more. We ordered & paid online, they still forgot part of our order. It was an extra side of rice so it wasn't a huge deal, but we paid for something and didn't get it. The reason for one star is that I ordered mild, and my curry was inedibly spicy. So very disappointing when all I can taste is spice and nothing else. Will not be returning. read more

If you've had "REAL" Thai food, you will be disappointed in Thai Kitchen. I've been to Thai Kitchen twice, once for seafood curry and tofu pad thai. It was alright. I think they make the food more Westernized to fit the crowd...In other words, the food lacks some of its traditional Thai flavors. The staff is very nice and service is really quick. The place feels very homey and you will always find a lot of young college students hanging out there. I would go again because of the affordability and quick service. read more

Great food new owners but same menu and the food is always great and tastes amazing. The veggies in any dish are crisp and fresh.

This place is a cozy "Ma & Pa" place with a warm feel. The food is outstanding! Been here several time and are never disappointed! I highly recommend the Thai tea to go with your meal. Super creamy and delicious! I can't say I have a favorite dish, however their egg noodles and beef are outstanding! I do hope they someday accept credit/debit cards. I think their business would sky-rocket! read more