Honestly, I don't understand the hype around this place. I ordered the chicken with broccoli. The flavor was alright, but the "spice" was basically just extra chili flakes--if I'd known, I would have skipped it entirely. The restaurant was nearly empty, with only three other tables, and the service felt indifferent, almost like I was bothering them by being there. read more

This is a causal dining spot, when doing directions to it it shows it's slightly down the street around the corner, from its true location. I've attached a photo of what the outside looks like. They have happy hour with discounted drinks. The martini didn't come in a martini glass and came with ice. So their drinks aren't the typical, but it was still good. One of the male workers gave us many suggestions about where to go in the area. Suggestions I have would be get spoons with a longer handle for ramen, picture attached. It wasn't able to be left in the bowl because the spoon was so short it would sink inside. Also for the ramen there wasn't many noodles. In the dish was included ingredients that weren't stated in the menu, for the "classic ramen." For example, leaves and cilantro. read more

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Good food and the portions were really nice! I got the pad see ew and it was super tasty with beef. the thai espresso martini and lychee martinis were super tasty. you can tell the bartender PJ knows what he's doing. their normal thai iced teas are sooo delish and a good portion. 10/10 recommend this place!!! read more

Ambiance is pretty lame compared to most of the other places downtown. It was reasonably priced for a Thai place but they were fairly small portions. My mom's green curry had just one super tiny piece of eggplant, there wasn't a ton of the other veggies either. I enjoyed the drunken noodles but wished there were more veggies and tofu. Service was good tho! They were kind and very attentive, and food came out quick. A very solid Thai option with vegan options but I was kinda sad to be inside in a very plain restaurant when there are so many cool spots close by with outdoor seating. read more

Ordered online and they had my food ready in two minutes. Had pad see ew and just like the other comments mentioned, it was waaaaay too salty. Likely because of the sauce. If it was less salty, I would give this a higher rating. I was told other dishes were good, so maybe if you were to come, I would suggest ordering something other than pad see ew. read more

I gotta say, from the jump, this place has a super chill/welcoming vibe. I knew I was gonna be in for a treat, and I was not disappointed. Started off with a Mango Martini and my sister had the Lychee Strawberry Martini. Both were refreshingly fantastic! Next came the appetizers. We had the Shrimp Summer Rolls and Sweet Potato. They both tasted great with their accompanied sauces, but I really have to express how much I absolutely could not get enough of those deliciously crisp sweet potatoes. It was unexpectedly on another level of yum! I already know I'll be craving those! As for the Entree, we opted to split the Thai BBQ Pork plate. It was cooked to perfection; nice and juicy! The Zen Sauce hit taste buds nicely. Let's just say the plate was spotless when we were through. I absolutely recommend this place, if ever you're in Downtown Phoenix. It's somewhat on the outer rim of Downtown, so you won't be exactly in the thick of it, where the traffic can be annoying. Thanks, Zen Thai, for an amazing dining experience. Your servers are A+ and management is a hoot. read more

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First time at Zen Thai, stopped in for a quick meal while on a long walk downtown Phoenix. I was in the mood for Pad Thai and I ordered it with mild spice and no protein added. The seasoning was nice but I really wish more vegetables had been added. If more variety of vegetables were included in this dish the texture and flavor would really be improved. I would suggest more bean sprouts and basil leaves, pea pods would have provided s nice crunch and sweetness. As a long time vegetarian, I would not suggest carrot as it is overused in vegetarian dishes. Zen Thai is s smaller restaurant, you wait ti be seated and happily a booth was available. I always prefer a booth to a table. Super large menu will a rather overwhelming selection of entrees etc. I would go to Zen Thai if I find myself downtown Phoenix again and I hope that they will take a look at my suggestions. Many restaurants could benefit by tweaking their vegetarian offerings! read more

Zen Thai - Pad Thai Noodles - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Good food at a pretty good price. Ordered for carry out. Authentic flavor and quality portions. Will be back for more.

I was in the downtown area craving some Asian cuisine and this restaurant showed up as a recommended option for me. I was also planning on working a bit while at the restaurant, so the casual sit-down environment sold me since I didn't feel comfortable pulling out my laptop in either a loud or very-dimmed setting. It was coincidentally happy hour (3 - 5PM on weekdays) so that was my sign to get a $5 Lychee Martini with an order of Crab Rangoons (which was also $5). Both options are typically around $12 each so this happy hour deal is incredible to say the least! As for my entree, I decided to order the Combination Pad Se-iew with beef, chicken, and pork with a level 3 spice (spice levels range from 1 - 5). For folks not familiar with Thai spice, they do not play around lol! A level 3 spice here would be like a level 4 spice elsewhere, so I'm warning you now that you should downgrade by one level if you don't have the biggest tolerance to spice haha. I always recommend to friends to set a lower spice level and then if needed, they can give you chili peppers on the side to spice it up more. The protein was cooked well (not overcooked), and there was a perfect ratio of veggies, protein, and noodles! Overall, I really enjoyed this place and as the restaurant name implies, the environment puts you in a zen state of mind (or maybe it's just my mouth becoming numb from the spice lol!). read more

Zen Thai - Combination Pad Se-iew (Beef, Chicken, and Pork) - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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My hubby and I had dinner here during a recent stay in downtown Phoenix. Due to this being about the hottest part of the summer, things were pretty quiet. We ordered the summer rolls as an appetizer which included 4 pcs, so plenty for the two of us. I had a Thai mule that was delicious. For entrees, I chose Pad See Ew with tofu as I'd seen it mentioned in so many reviews. My hubby had yellow curry with tofu. Both dishes were delicious with a nice level of heat at medium. Also, very reasonably priced at $14. The service was excellent. She explained the different options and was attentive to our needs. read more

Zen Thai - Pad Se Ew with tofu This is the basic dish with egg and quite a bit of broccoli, much of it is hidden. - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Conveniently located just blocks from the convention center, Zen Thai is a great option for a flavorful meal with attentive service. We arrived at 5:30 on a Friday night and there was plenty of seating. By the time we left an hour later, the place had filled up. We got got the Yum Gai Salad. The chicken was a little dry (this caused it to lose a star) but the tangy lime dressing was delicious. Our main course we the crab fried rice. It was okay but more salty than anything else (yet another star lost). When I put some of the Yum Gai dressing on the rice, the acid brought out the flavors. Maybe they should add a couple of lime wedges to the rice in case others want to add a little tang. Makes a huge difference. Lots of other people were ordering noodles or curries. Maybe we will try that next time. read more

Zen Thai - Yum Gai Salad - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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I've been here a hand full of time and the food is always great. I usually see the same people (servers and cooks) but the last couple times I've seen younger servers which is no problem but they are not as attentive. A young man greeted us and sat us. We waited around for about 10-15 mins before he even brought water to us. During that time, it was him and another young lady that were serving that day and they both were behind the bar on their phones. He looked up a few times and saw that we were trying to get his attention but I'm assuming he needed to finish what he was doing on his phone. When he made his way to us, we knew that we wanted to drink and order then the service was so fast and the food was quite fast besides having to ask him for a to go box a few time. One of the cooks went outside to smoke, and himself and our server kept yelling things at each other back and forth. I thought that was also a bit unprofessional. Now to the good part... the food! We ordered crab rangoons which were amazing, calamari which was really fishy and burnt. Shrimp fried rice which had a different but good taste to it (more on the sweeter side) and the sake, YUM!!! The establishment itself is a small, cute and cozy place that is aesthetically pleasing. I will always return until the food is no longer good. Everything else is fixable! read more

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We noticed great reviews so we decided to give a try and it was well worth it! The decoration seem outdated and kitch but their service was on point. For appetizer we ordered the Sweet Potato, and we devoured them. For an entree we ordered the Yellow Curry with beef medium spice, and it was out of this world. And we finished with a bowl of Tom Kah and it was delicious. I did notice that the bathroom was a little disorganized but they were only two waiters so I totally understand they oversee that part of the restaurant. read more

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Great portion size! I really enjoyed my lychee martini, very sweet. The pad Thai and crab wontons were delicious! Pretty good service. read more

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Great lunch deals at this place and only a 5 min walk from the convention center. This is one to try if you like good quality thai food. Among my favorites are the Pad See Ew and the Kao Soi Noodle Soup. Both are quite delicious in my humble opinion. The service is friendly and efficient. Comfortable place for comfort food. I hit this place multiple times when I visit Phoenix. read more

Zen Thai - Pad See Ew. This is really good. I 86'd the carrots for my order. I hate cooked carrots. - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Okay, we stumbled upon this place out of desperation because there weren't any other places nearby where we could get dinner for such a large group, but zen Thai accommodated us last minute. Our server might have also been the manager or owner of the restaurant? We found his blunt and direct comments funny, but I could see how others might take his comments as being rude. On to the food: holy moly. It was SO SO GOOD! Their pad see ew, yellow curry, and fried rice were incredible. I seriously still think about their food from time to time. Everyone at our table enjoyed their meals. If I'm ever back in the area, I'll make sure to stop by to get my Thai fix! read more

Came in before dinner and quickly got some really tasty Thai food, what more could you want? Oh ya, great service? Really nailed it. Super friendly and attentive, and helped me navigate the menu to find what I was looking for. Nice and chill space with ample seating too. I ordered the red curry with chicken medium spicy and it was exactly what I was hoping for. Nicely spiced with a healthy portion size and a bit of rice to balance it out. Would definitely come back to try some other options. read more

Zen Thai - Red curry with Chicken - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Beautiful decor and welcoming staff . Great menu choices and they even have Thai Iced Coffee perfect way to cool down in the heat! If you are in the area need to stop by and enjoy the atmosphere , food and service! read more

Zen Thai - Unique decor - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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So my wife lives good Thai food. Not ok, or mediocre Thai food, but good Thai food after working in the Fremont area of Seattle for years in Tech. Zen Thai is the first place that she has said is as good as what she had in the Fremont area of Seattle since we have been here in the Phoenix area for a little over a year. We have tried 15+ Thai restaurants that were "Ok", but this place does Drunken noodles the right way. Thin and not in a clump, she was very pleased with her meal. Additional beer selections would have been nice, but that is the only thing I could ask for. Give this place a try if you want good Thai food, and I will say when you order 3 Stars, it is a strong 3 stars. Bit of a drive for us, but we will definitely be back. read more

Quaint. Great for date night! The staff were amazing! As authentic as it could be, the food was prepared to order. Full bar There is metered and street parking nearby. Accessible entrance. read more

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Yellow curry was very tasty. Ordered medium spice. Should have gone with hot. Servers were very attentive.

Zen Thai was a cool little spot in downtown Phoenix. I got to sit anywhere I wanted. Happy hour had a wide selection of alcoholic beverages for $6 and a few appetizers. After a few minutes of looking at the menu the server came up and said "what can I get you", no hello or hi so I said "hello how are you?" He was very nice after that. The Panang curry was delicious, not too spicy. The potstickers were delicious. I'd come back! read more

Zen Thai - Panang curry with shrimp and potstickers - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

(From February, 2022) Someone at the hotel I lodged in mentioned this Thai place so had to get here and see for myself. After taking the transit here, I walked in to the sounds of soothing ambiance music and was seated immediately. After ordering some tea, the summer rolls were my first course. Going with the tofu option, the texture of the rolls combined with the peanut sauce gave a nice touch to the dish. Plus the roll itself had some mint and basil to give that freshness that makes Thai food special. Main course was the Pad Se-iew, one of my favorite thai dishes. Ordered with tofu, the texture of the noodles and the seasonings were just right with the balance of spices. Not to mention the portion was quite generous in my opinion and the prices are favorable. Location is in downtown and has outdoor seating. This is definitely a Thai food lovers dream with the interior and tasty dishes. You're in zen mode after eating here! read more

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In town for work, and had a chance to dine here for dinner. Order veggie crispy rolls, pineapple fried rice and fried banana coconut with ice cream. It was delicious and service was wonderful. Everything was fresh. Took my dessert to go. Yum. read more

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Visiting in town and looking for somewhere close by and good to eat. Found this place and decided to try it! So glad we chose this place! Food was freshly cooked and so delicious! Friendly service. Really enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. Will definitely be back if we are ever back in town, keeping it on my list. read more

This was my second time here and I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to try something new and I wish I would of ordered the pad see iew like last time. The drunken noodles were lacking flavor. I had them with a medium spice level and in my opinion it wasn't spicy at all. On a positive note, I came with a group of 8 during lunch time and we were sat/served very quickly. read more

Zen Thai - Pad Se Ew lunch special added shrimp - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Delicious Food & Amazing Service Zen Thai Cafe offers an exceptional dining experience. The restaurant has a relaxing vibe, warm ambiance and delicious Thai cuisine. The staff are friendly and the service is spot on. On this visit we shared Pineapple Rice, Pad Thai with Shrimp, Yellow Curry with Chicken (level two spice), Potstickers, Crab Puffs, and the Thai Wings. Everything was fresh, full of flavor, and served hot. The Pad Thai, was some of the best I've had and the Thai wings are a must have, crunchy, meaty, and tasty. To finish our meal we shared the fried bananas and coconut ice cream, light, refreshing, the perfect ending to our dinner. If you're looking for delicious Thai Food, amazing service, read more

It's so cute! The food is so good and they have amazing lunch specials for $10.95. I had pad Thai with Chicken. It was so good and filled with fresh ingredients. It was hot and a great size portion! Parking is a little odd but definitely worth walking and seeing the views. read more

Zen Thai - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

So this place is an awesome choice for Thai food downtown. We ordered the tiger cry salad aka spicy beef salad, pad woo sen noodles with pork, and duck curry. I've had better spicy beef salads, the noodle dish was good but the star of the show was the duck curry. The curry was made with red curry as most duck curry dishes are and this was amazing, only issue was I had 2-3 small pieces of duck and for the price point $20 of the dish that was patently unreasonable. I know it's duck and I won't get a big pile of duck but I expect more than what I got. We also finished the meal with sticky rice and mango which was great. read more

Zen Thai - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Picked up Zen Thai to go for a work lunch. Paid in advanced and scheduled pick up. When I arrived, a little after the time for scheduled pick up, my food was ready but the Thai tea was not. No big deal, but had to wait nearly another 10 min for the Thai tea. Oh well. Friendly service. The food was good! I got the tofu pad see ew. All cooked well, with a spring roll since it was the lunch special. I'll be back! read more

Zen Thai - Thai tea - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Good is always great at a reasonable price. Staff is awesome!! Great place to chill and grab some quality food.

Really neat restaurant! It did take a bit to get seated, but service was very fast after that. The Broccoli Delight dish was very flavorful and meat was well cooked. read more

Zen Thai - Main restaurant area - Thai Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Amazing food and service today when I dropped in for lunch! I ordered the Thai BBQ chicken and Organics green tea. Both were excellent yet not as good as the service from staff today. This is an new favorite for me in phoenix, I'll be back!! read more

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I was told Zen Thai had a great lunch special, and that's a fact. Tried their Drunken Noodles and it was fantastic. They don't skimp on the chicken either. Best part? I walked out for under $12. I would post a pic, but I ate it too fast. Going back today to try the Chicken Satay. read more

Fresh, flavorful, colorful food- such a great spot, if you can find parking in downtown Phoenix! The Thai tea is yummy, but make sure to ask for light ice if you don't want 3/4 of your glass to be ice (though they do have good ice). My party ordered four dishes- the chicken larb, BBQ turmeric coconut chicken, coconut custard curry, and pad see ew with pork. Everything was lovely, but the standouts were most definitely the larb and BBQ chicken- I would love to order either or both dishes again! The interior was nicely decorated and clean from what I could tell- definitely lots of comfortable seating. Our servers were friendly and quick. All in all, a great experience that I'd be happy to repeat read more

Found this restaurant when staying at the Kimpton Hotel nearby. Had great reviews so we decided to order lunch. Called right at 11 am and we ordered two plates. Went to pick-up 15 minutes later and it was ready to go. The restaurant inside was so cute! Had these great black decorative couches and comfy chairs. There's a cute backdrop for photos (in my pics.). The food was really good. We got the Pad Thai and the Drunken Noodles with Tofu. Asked for Mild Spiciness and it was the perfect amount of heat. The Pad Thai was a really great portion and had the crunchy peanuts and onions on the sides. The Drunken Noodles were mine and I loved all the fresh veggies mixed in. Not very oily, it was the perfect amount of sauce/seasonings. Veggies were still crunchy and the tofu was crispy - yummy!! read more

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Hey Yelpers, Just a few things to note: Ambiance: it's kind of dark in here and the lighting could use some serious work. There are not enough tables to meet all the service needs that people have. It is not crowded but could use some rearranging of the dining area so the wait isn't so long and more people can sit. Service: we waited a while (15-20 mins) before we were seated and I actually had to go to the counter to remind them that we were waiting and a table had already been cleared. The waiter hurriedly answered that he was busy and would get to me soon. It did not take long to get our food and it was quite tasty. The service was delivered with a smile. Food: the food was tasty but one of my dishes was extremely salty so I had to send it back. Once I got the bill I noticed the dish was still on the receipt so I politely asked for it to be removed, which was promptly done. The dessert was to live for but not enough for the price. Pricing: omg Yelpers, the salty dish I ordered came with five wings for about $15!!!! I almost passed out, there was no way I was going to pay that much for five wings when I can get a pack for less than that at a store. Anyway, the food is pretty good minus the salt wings. Try it! read more

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We came at lunch time with no reservation and were seated immediately. The service was great and got us everything we needed. I loved my spicy pork ramen, for me the food was delicious and I would come back for it again. The ambiance played well into the theme of Thai food and I liked that it wasn't overwhelmingly busy. The food didn't take long and I'm ver satisfied with my first visit here. read more

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The food was amazing! We have paid the same amount for Italian food and it doesn't even compare to how good the Thai was here. We got the pad Thai and the pork belly drunken noodles. They also had an extensive cocktail menu that was also good read more

I used to work down the street from Zen, so lunch here was super common. I have moved on from that job but visit often. Today I ordered my Panang Curry and what used to be creamy and bursting with complex flavors was anything but. It was so bland. Not sure if they've changed recipes or books - but PLEASE go back to the way things were!!! read more