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Lights out, delicious food. This is what I've been missing for years, seeking authenticity and spice that would make a jalapeño blush. From what we were told, this is food coming straight from home recipes. I was not expecting it in downtown Phoenix, but my goodness, what a gem. The locals have my envy.
Really tasty Thai food! We had the Super Summer rolls and the Spicy Eggplant with tofu with medium spice. All was delicious! It's a small space, but it's really cozy inside with a nice atmosphere. We really appreciate the vegan and vegetarian options!
4 stars (really 3+ rounded up). Want to know the real scoop? Read on... **Communication: Wanted to make a reservation, called six times over two days, left voicemails, even texted. No response, ever. We went anyway for a birthday dinner and fortunately found only 2-3 other tables occupied, no reservation needed. Found street parking nearby, but you'll need to feed the meter for a couple hours even on weekends. Score: 2 out of 10 (additional reason for this score in the UPDATE below) **Atmosphere: Comfortable and relaxed inside, a bit dark and cold, some fun and slightly kitschy Thai décor. Booths are cozy, and the couch-style seating looked inviting. Check out my posted photos to get a feel for it. Score: 7 out of 10 **Food & Drinks: We shared three appetizers (Super Summer Rolls, potstickers, and crispy veggie rolls), all fresh, flavorful, and nicely plated. Accompanying sauces were very good. Unfortunately, they were all pricey, approaching the price of entrees. Appetizer Score: 8 out of 10. - Drinks were a letdown. We tried four different drinks from their $10 special list, and none impressed, they weren't good: the Long Island Thai Iced Tea was strong but harsh tasting, no curated flavor; the Thai Tea Espresso Martini was the best of the bunch but still not great, bland; the Lychee and Green Apple martinis were both overly sweet and syrupy. Drink Score: 2 out of 10. - Entrée taste redeemed the night. Red curry with chicken was rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced, a little spicy, yum. Pad Thai was balanced and satisfying with good bouncy, slightly chewy noodles. Pad Se-iew was excellent, smoky, savory, and our favorite dish. None were large portions, they were adequate size. Fortunately we had three appetizers ($35) or the three entrees ($17.50 each) wouldn't have been enough for four people to share. Score: 8 out of 10. **Service: Friendly and attentive. The second gentleman seemed like an owner, knowledgeable and engaged. The host was pleasant but couldn't explain why no one answers the phone for reservations, takeout, general info, nothing. Service Score: 8 out of 10. **Value: $140 before tip that included four not-good drinks, three apps, and three entrées: fair for the food quality and decent service, not for the cocktails and communication. With tip and parking, around $175 - $185 for four people who took no food home and left none on the table. **Overall: - Communication = poor - Atmosphere = pretty good - Drinks = not good - Apps = good - Entrées = very good - Service = very good in restaurant, worse with owner response and sharing their number is listed incorrectly online **Final: 3.25 stars, rounded up to 4 to give the benefit of the doubt. Great entrées, good food choices, friendly service, and okay ambiance, but skip the cocktails and don't bother calling their posted number ahead. Photos posted! ------UPDATE-------- The owner claims she "never received communication from me." My review history speaks for itself, thorough, fair, and honest. I called the search engine listed number (480-420-8424) three times and texted it. After reading her response, I researched further and found the number is incorrect, something the restaurant clearly knows. I even kindly called to advise it is listed incorrectly online, and their reply was, "we only use Google." What? That's not how you thank someone trying to help improve your business and correct your contact information. The wrong number appears multiple times in search listings (see attached photo). Rather than acknowledge or fix it, they deflected. More poor communication from Zen Thai. Should update rating to 3 stars to reflect the true "level of service."
Pad see ew portions were great, and they came out quickly after ordering. The medium spice was a true medium and perfect for me. We were also there during happy hour where they have cocktails for 6.50! I tried the Long Island Thai tea, which as warned was very strong. I should have asked for lighter alcohol and more Thai tea to dilute it. But overall very convenient location to the convention center and arena downtown, and authentic Thai food. We also liked sitting on the couches which were comfortable.
Visited this delicious spot while in town for a conference! The only reason I have 4 and not 5 stars is only related to being a gluten free folk- if you are not gluten free, consider this restaurant 5/5 stars! I thought the ambiance of the place was super cute (even though I took my food to go), I thought the portion size of my curry was great, and it was extremely delicious. Service was also very kind. The only reason I have docked a star is because there was some back and forth about whether my dish was gluten free among the staff, so, I took a risk by eating it (even though they ultimately all agreed it was GF, it made me nervous). I would suggest a simple edit on the menu, because they said a lot of their stuff is naturally GF! It would make it easier for us, and more accessible in general for those with dietary needs :)
Literally best pad kee mao I've ever had in my entire life. I will forever be comparing Thai food to this place! It was small but very comfy and decorated cute. The staff were so great with my allergies and helped me feel safe eating Thai food (which is really very hard with peanut, sesame, and coconut allergies.)
We stayed in a nearby hotel and decided to give this a try. Did not disappoint! Pad Thai has decent portion and great taste. Vegetable delight (stir fried veggies) were also decent with a flavorful soy based sauce, but I wish portions could be bigger.
The tom yum soup is my favorite. Whenever I want something warm and comforting this is my place. It always feels warm and inviting in the restaurant and the servers are all soooo nice. The food has so much flavor and it is super good.
I'm a fan for sure. And a regular! Zen Thai offers delicious Thai cuisine at reasonable prices right on the light rail line. I'm always greeted and seated promptly and the service is very efficient. I love the fried shrimp rolls and today I had a bowl of noodle soup that exceeded my expectations and put many of the local ramen places to shame. I love the decor! Authenticity, great food served fast and hot: downtown delivers again.
Tasty food conveniently located within a few blocks of the convention center. Thats a good combination worth trying.
This placed whipped us up yummy Thai food for dinner. I ate here with my mom and sister after seeing a show nearby. We were quickly greeted, seated, and menus were given to us to look over. We ordered three entrees and one dessert. We ordered: One order of drunken noodles One order of combo fried rice One won ton soup One mango with sticky fried rice The food was all served hot. The drunken noodles were cooked perfectly and had so much flavor, they were our favorite. We also really enjoyed the mango sticky rice, it was sooooooo good. All three servers were friendly and attentive. Will be back!
I was meeting a friend who was visiting from out of town and she was staying downtown. We decided to go for a walk and found the Zen Thai Cafe! It was an early afternoon and there wasn't a crowd there which was good. We ordered Thai coffee to drink and Thai wing apps which were so good and crispy and for our entrees we ordered drunken noodles. We also ordered dessert the Fried Banana with Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream and it didn't disappoint it was sooo good. The Zen Thai Cafe was cute and cozy and I will definitely return when I'm in need of my Thai fix!
Before going to watch the Dodgers play the Diamondbacks, we stopped by Zen Thai and I'm really glad we did. It's such a cute little spot. The decor is super adorable, but honestly, the food is what really stood out. We ordered the Tom Kha, Pad Thai, and combination fried rice, and everything was so good. The Pad Thai had amazing flavor. We got everything at a medium spice level, which was perfect for me. I also loved that they let you choose from mild all the way up to extra Thai hot...my fiancé loves super spicy food, so that was a big plus since not every place offers that. We ate everything between the two of us. That's how good it was. The service was also great. He kept checking in on us without being over the top, which I appreciated. read more
1 month ago
I ordered the Larb Salad and Beef Stew Soup Noodles. The menu says the Larb Salad is made with ground meat and roasted rice, with a choice of chicken or pork. When my salad arrived, I didn't see any roasted rice, so I asked the server. He had to go back to the kitchen to ask the chef and eventually brought me a small dish of powder, saying it was roasted rice powder. If that's what is actually served, the menu should clearly say "roasted rice powder" rather than "roasted rice." The Beef Stew Soup Noodles also had very little broth. I mentioned this to another waitress, who said she would ask the kitchen to bring me more broth. She never came back with it and didn't follow up until she brought the check. Then I noticed I had been overcharged. The Larb Salad was listed on the menu at $14.95, but I was charged $17.95. When I questioned the waiter, he said it was because I chose chicken and that chicken was the main protein. But I did not add extra chicken--I simply chose chicken as my protein, exactly as the menu allowed. I asked to speak with the manager, and eventually the charge was corrected. However, the waiter brought me the new receipt without any apology or acknowledgment of the mistake. Overall, I was disappointed with the lack of attention to detail and customer service. My advice: Read the menu carefully, and most importantly, check your receipt before you pay. read more
3 hours ago
2 months ago
Lights out, delicious food. This is what I've been missing for years, seeking authenticity and spice that would make a jalapeño blush. From what we were told, this is food coming straight from home recipes. I was not expecting it in downtown Phoenix, but my goodness, what a gem. The locals have my envy. read more
Really tasty Thai food! We had the Super Summer rolls and the Spicy Eggplant with tofu with medium spice. All was delicious! It's a small space, but it's really cozy inside with a nice atmosphere. We really appreciate the vegan and vegetarian options! read more
4 stars (really 3+ rounded up). Want to know the real scoop? Read on... **Communication: Wanted to make a reservation, called six times over two days, left voicemails, even texted. No response, ever. We went anyway for a birthday dinner and fortunately found only 2-3 other tables occupied, no reservation needed. Found street parking nearby, but you'll need to feed the meter for a couple hours even on weekends. Score: 2 out of 10 (additional reason for this score in the UPDATE below) **Atmosphere: Comfortable and relaxed inside, a bit dark and cold, some fun and slightly kitschy Thai décor. Booths are cozy, and the couch-style seating looked inviting. Check out my posted photos to get a feel for it. Score: 7 out of 10 **Food & Drinks: We shared three appetizers (Super Summer Rolls, potstickers, and crispy veggie rolls), all fresh, flavorful, and nicely plated. Accompanying sauces were very good. Unfortunately, they were all pricey, approaching the price of entrees. Appetizer Score: 8 out of 10. - Drinks were a letdown. We tried four different drinks from their $10 special list, and none impressed, they weren't good: the Long Island Thai Iced Tea was strong but harsh tasting, no curated flavor; the Thai Tea Espresso Martini was the best of the bunch but still not great, bland; the Lychee and Green Apple martinis were both overly sweet and syrupy. Drink Score: 2 out of 10. - Entrée taste redeemed the night. Red curry with chicken was rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced, a little spicy, yum. Pad Thai was balanced and satisfying with good bouncy, slightly chewy noodles. Pad Se-iew was excellent, smoky, savory, and our favorite dish. None were large portions, they were adequate size. Fortunately we had three appetizers ($35) or the three entrees ($17.50 each) wouldn't have been enough for four people to share. Score: 8 out of 10. **Service: Friendly and attentive. The second gentleman seemed like an owner, knowledgeable and engaged. The host was pleasant but couldn't explain why no one answers the phone for reservations, takeout, general info, nothing. Service Score: 8 out of 10. **Value: $140 before tip that included four not-good drinks, three apps, and three entrées: fair for the food quality and decent service, not for the cocktails and communication. With tip and parking, around $175 - $185 for four people who took no food home and left none on the table. **Overall: - Communication = poor - Atmosphere = pretty good - Drinks = not good - Apps = good - Entrées = very good - Service = very good in restaurant, worse with owner response and sharing their number is listed incorrectly online **Final: 3.25 stars, rounded up to 4 to give the benefit of the doubt. Great entrées, good food choices, friendly service, and okay ambiance, but skip the cocktails and don't bother calling their posted number ahead. Photos posted! ------UPDATE-------- The owner claims she "never received communication from me." My review history speaks for itself, thorough, fair, and honest. I called the search engine listed number (480-420-8424) three times and texted it. After reading her response, I researched further and found the number is incorrect, something the restaurant clearly knows. I even kindly called to advise it is listed incorrectly online, and their reply was, "we only use Google." What? That's not how you thank someone trying to help improve your business and correct your contact information. The wrong number appears multiple times in search listings (see attached photo). Rather than acknowledge or fix it, they deflected. More poor communication from Zen Thai. Should update rating to 3 stars to reflect the true "level of service." read more
Pad see ew portions were great, and they came out quickly after ordering. The medium spice was a true medium and perfect for me. We were also there during happy hour where they have cocktails for 6.50! I tried the Long Island Thai tea, which as warned was very strong. I should have asked for lighter alcohol and more Thai tea to dilute it. But overall very convenient location to the convention center and arena downtown, and authentic Thai food. We also liked sitting on the couches which were comfortable. read more
Visited this delicious spot while in town for a conference! The only reason I have 4 and not 5 stars is only related to being a gluten free folk- if you are not gluten free, consider this restaurant 5/5 stars! I thought the ambiance of the place was super cute (even though I took my food to go), I thought the portion size of my curry was great, and it was extremely delicious. Service was also very kind. The only reason I have docked a star is because there was some back and forth about whether my dish was gluten free among the staff, so, I took a risk by eating it (even though they ultimately all agreed it was GF, it made me nervous). I would suggest a simple edit on the menu, because they said a lot of their stuff is naturally GF! It would make it easier for us, and more accessible in general for those with dietary needs :) read more
Literally best pad kee mao I've ever had in my entire life. I will forever be comparing Thai food to this place! It was small but very comfy and decorated cute. The staff were so great with my allergies and helped me feel safe eating Thai food (which is really very hard with peanut, sesame, and coconut allergies.) read more
We stayed in a nearby hotel and decided to give this a try. Did not disappoint! Pad Thai has decent portion and great taste. Vegetable delight (stir fried veggies) were also decent with a flavorful soy based sauce, but I wish portions could be bigger. read more
The tom yum soup is my favorite. Whenever I want something warm and comforting this is my place. It always feels warm and inviting in the restaurant and the servers are all soooo nice. The food has so much flavor and it is super good. read more
10 months ago
I'm a fan for sure. And a regular! Zen Thai offers delicious Thai cuisine at reasonable prices right on the light rail line. I'm always greeted and seated promptly and the service is very efficient. I love the fried shrimp rolls and today I had a bowl of noodle soup that exceeded my expectations and put many of the local ramen places to shame. I love the decor! Authenticity, great food served fast and hot: downtown delivers again. read more
5 months ago
2 years ago
This placed whipped us up yummy Thai food for dinner. I ate here with my mom and sister after seeing a show nearby. We were quickly greeted, seated, and menus were given to us to look over. We ordered three entrees and one dessert. We ordered: One order of drunken noodles One order of combo fried rice One won ton soup One mango with sticky fried rice The food was all served hot. The drunken noodles were cooked perfectly and had so much flavor, they were our favorite. We also really enjoyed the mango sticky rice, it was sooooooo good. All three servers were friendly and attentive. Will be back! read more
2 months ago
2 years ago
I was meeting a friend who was visiting from out of town and she was staying downtown. We decided to go for a walk and found the Zen Thai Cafe! It was an early afternoon and there wasn't a crowd there which was good. We ordered Thai coffee to drink and Thai wing apps which were so good and crispy and for our entrees we ordered drunken noodles. We also ordered dessert the Fried Banana with Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream and it didn't disappoint it was sooo good. The Zen Thai Cafe was cute and cozy and I will definitely return when I'm in need of my Thai fix! read more
9 months ago
We came here for lunch at 11:40 am on a Monday and they are definitely the spot for lunch. The sweet potato was really good with this peanut dipping sauce. The food came out quickly and the servers were kind. The decor is very Thai themed with the red and black influence. I love it. My drunken noodle wasn't too heavy, very flavorful and hit the spot. I will definitely be back for dinner read more
8 months ago
6 months ago
I did a google review stating I had a bad experience here. Zen Thai responded asking me to show proof the Hawaiian Fried rice is supposed to have chicken AND shrimps as I complained I only got chicken. Here you go. read more
4 months ago
Stopped in here on a work trip. I'm always skeptical of Thai places because they never seem to live up to the hype. This place did Thai right. The pad Thai was decent but the red curry carried! I came towards the end of the night and they were still very friendly and it is a little cool ambience! read more
4 months ago
Excellent service and nice lunch portions on the lunch menu. Customize your spice level. They had quite possibly the coldest water I have ever been served over tiny pellets of ice. Excellent reasonably priced lunch stop. read more
10 months ago
Ordered red curry, basil with beef and a tom ka soup. All of it was great! Our server was sweet and we were sat and served quick, even during lunch hour. read more
11 months ago
3.5 stars. We came here as a group of 7 and got seated quickly. The restaurant has a nice ambiance with some Thai/Buddha accents. Service is slow so you have to be prepared for a wait. We were here for lunch but they have some interesting cocktails. One of our friends tried the coffee martini and liked it. We ordered the massaman curry, red curry, pad thai, drunken noodles and the shrimp tempura. The dishes were all good flavor wise. On a heat scale, they were not at all spicy. My brother and I love spicy food. We ordered their Thai hot level, which is one step below their hottest (double Thai hot) level. The Thai hot was about 7/10. We could have easily managed the double hot. Among our friends, the ones who ordered medium spice felt that they would have managed the higher levels of spice. So, keep that in mind when you order food here. The food is much milder than other Thai restaurants. Pricing wise, they are on par with the area. We were there on a weekend so we paid a little more. Their weekday lunch prices are cheaper. read more
9 months ago
Zen Thai Restaurant delivered a truly satisfying meal. I ordered the Mild Veggie Pad See Ew to go and it was prepared perfectly. The noodles were soft, flavorful and well balanced making every bite enjoyable. The restaurant itself is very clean, with charming decor that creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. The staff were friendly, helpful and professional which made the experience even better. This is a great place for Thai food and excellent service. read more
10 months ago
flavor was great but the chicken was way over cooked to the point it was hard. The service wasn't they great either. I asked for fried rice without veggies. I received my rice which had veggies. I informed the server and she said oh the other service forgot to put it on the order and stared at me as I was suppose to be ok then asked do you want us to remake it..umm YES! read more
1 year ago
Everything, five star!!! We were greeted immediately and told to choose any seat. The server came over at 4:59 and said we could order HH to ensure we got it in before 5pm! It was a nice gesture! We ordered crab Rangoon, chicken potstickers, larb, and chicken pad Thai. It was all so flavorful and delicious! The larb was sooooo refreshing!!! The server was extremely attentive and we enjoyed everything! We will definitely be back! Best Thai I've had in a long time!' read more
11 months ago
Zen Thai is located in Downtown Phoenix, walking distance from the convention center. Ambiance is a dark club-like vibe with counter, tables, and booth seating. Excellent service. Food is palatable although our Ground Chicken Salad was bland and our Duck Pad See Ew was overly salty from the sauce and duck lacked flavor absent much roasted skin. The Thai Iced Teas and Coffees were a good deal at $5.95 each - very big. We were surprised when they asked us for the spice level on our Pad See Ew as we've never had a spicy version ever - original please. read more
4 months ago
5 months ago
Cute restaurant, Servers were friendly and service was quick. Thai Tea was pretty good. Shrimp Pad Thai was in need of some more shrimp but flavor was good. Pork Laab! Disappointed, skip that one. It was just sweet and sour - missing roasted rice powder, barely any herbs. Sticky Rice was robbery. $3.50 for a barely a fist size - didn't even fill up a sauce bowl. read more
Stopped here before a show at the crescent ballroom. We unintentionally stumble upon this place as the two other places we were thinking of had over an hour wait! We were sat right away and decided to order lychee martinis, chicken satay and spring rolls to start. The appetizers were good would recommend both! The lychee martini was super sweet. The yellow curry came with a lot of beef and had good flavor I was happy with the spice level as well. The star of the show was the khao soi I had never tried this before but it had amazing flavor and the crispy noodles with the soft noodles gave it a great texture. If we weren't going to the show after I would have taken leftovers lol All in all this place is great and I would definitely come back! read more
So we wanted to try another place downtown and this place delivered!!! The crispy shrimp roll was excellent but the biggest issue was this was delivered to the table and our food followed. I ordered the coconut as my drink and it was excellent. Ive never had coconut water right out of the coconut before. My curry was excellent I had it with seafood combo and medium heat. Over all one of the best ive had and the right amount of mixed seafood. The heat was missing until i got to the bottom of the curry. Orange chicken was excellent fried perfectly the orange sauce was just right on sweet and spicy. Service was excellent the waitress was friendly and outgoing the waiter appeared to just want to get our order which he did but never asked for our drink order. He was not very engaging. The owner took our drink orders and engaged us in conversation. The place has a mixture of traditional looking decorating and a living wall of green plants. We will be back, prices are reasonable and the food is excellent. read more
2 years ago
The spot is cozy. We went with 9 people and had a nice, large table. The service was excellent and so was the food. Tried almost all the dishes there were at the table and everything was good. My husband had the House Fried Rice and loved it, one daughter had the Pad Thai w shrimp and loved it. I had the Khao Soi w Chicken (medium hot, which was not really hot, just a little kick)- it was perfect. We will definitely be going back. Oh we had the fried sweet potato as appetizer and the Mango Sticky Rice for dessert and I highly recommend trying both. All around a super lunch! read more
3 years ago
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Ask the Community - Zen Thai
Are there gluten-free options other than curry?
Yes I've had pad Thai and pad see iew here before both gluten free. I just specify when I order.
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