Thai Tom

I don't understand why everyone loves this place so much. The food is okay and taste like almost every other Thai restaurant on the Ave. It is also... more

This place may be a hole in the wall, but it's the best Thai food I've ever had. The service is fast, the... more

This place may be a hole in the wall, but it's the best Thai food I've ever had. The service is fast, the food is cheap and you can watch it being ... more

I love this place, The food has never disappointed me. I love being able to sit at the counter and just watch the Cook juggle all those pans. He's a machine. Pros: Price, Amazing food Cons: Small dining location, always packed. more

I've come to like Thai food quite a lot since I moved to Seattle and I've tried many different restaurants. My favorite Thai dish is Swimming Rama, and Thai Tom quite simply bIows the competition right out of the water. (Use of capital i in previous sentence to circumvent censor). The peanut sauce had an excellent texture and flavor- dark, rich, and with just the right amount of spice, and the rice was flavorful and well balanced by the chicken and spinach. I'm almost afraid that eating there will make it hard to eat my favorite Thai food anywhere else- it was that good. The environment is very busy and fast-paced because as fast as the staff works they just can't seem to keep up with the amount of people that want to eat there. There is a wait to get into the restaurant and then another wait to order, another wait to get your food. But it's worth it. If you need your food right away you can go to a fast food restaurant, and if you want a different type of service head somewhere a little less popular for it's size. But the price is cheap and the food is to die for, so you'll find that many people find it worth the while to get a taste. Pros: Awesome, spectacular food, cool show as you watch your food cook Cons: Long wait, service can be slow more

As a starving student living in the trenches of the U-District, I know that good food does not have to come at a high cost. So when I?m craving Thai food, there?s only one place that comes to mind: Thai Tom?s. more

Remember the episode of the Soup Knotzi (real spelling ommitted by City Search) on Seinfeld? Perfect analogy!!! Everyone was scared to tick off the soup knotzi but there was a line out the door because the soup was so good. The same applies to Thai Tom. The place is small, cramped, and filled with thai-roma... not to mention the majority of the time there is a line outside the door because of its popularity. You go here for the food, period. If you're looking for great service go elsewhere, but if you want great Thai, it's worth the sacrifice. I docked 2 points because of the crappy service and the fact that they only accept cash but this place cannot be missed. I'm curious as to why people were complaining about them giving a side of rice with the Pad Thai and the fact that they give you chopsticks? Don't mind them and check it out!!! Pros: Thai Tom has the best Thai food in Washington hands down. Cons: The service is horrible, there's rarely seating available, but it's still worth the sacrifice! more

AWESOME CHEAP PAD THAI, be careful of spiciness! Great customer service, and they leave pitchers of water right on hand to put out the fire! more

Fantastic food. Quick preparation. Sit at the bar so you can see your food being prepared. Sit at the bar because you'll never get a table. Pros: Great food Cons: Little seating, cash only more

When I walk into a restraunt to get some food, there are just a few things that I want: first, I want good food; second, I want service that shows me that I am important to their business, and that they value me as a customer. Thai Tom offers these things, and many more. The vary first time I walked into this small, but welcoming restraunt located on ""The Ave"" in Seattle's University District, I was a little taken by suprise at how small and intimate the setting was. At fisrt sight you will notice that you are not only going to be ordering food, and talking to your friend, but you are going to bear witness to a great show. The food is made not in the back where you wonder what's happening with your order, but right in front of you, so close that if you are lucky enough to get a seat at the end of the bar, you may just feel the heat from the flames that cook your food. Wether at a table, or sitting at the bar, you will most likely rub shoulders with the person next to you, and sometimes conversation may just erupt with the people around. I have had numerous conversations with people next to me, and I believe that the whole experience is what makes Thai Tom not just a place for great thai food, but also a place for a great time. Pros: great food, good service, atmosphere, Cons: long wait, small restraunt, limited seating more

Hey aren't you all tired of brain dead Seattlelites about service when there are a lot of restaurants all over the world that are not service oriented. The thai food is terrific and did you look at Thai Tom duh!!! how are they supposed to serve you whinny people. It is a great hole in the wall restaurant and the food is flaming and I love there peanut suce and chicken curry!!!!!!!! more

People who go to Thai Tom for the service don't get the point - it's not about service, it's about food! And is the food good! By far this is the best Thai in Seattle and I've ate at all the citysearch top 10 and others. Yes, you have to wait to eat. Yes, the servers don't wait on your every command (and yes, you should still tip them). The fire isn't the reason to go, although it's fun to watch. The food is. The Penang Curry is the best I've ever had (but it's better if you get it with a couple stars) as is the Peanut Sauce and Phad Thai. There are different restaurants for different attitude and I hate when people want absolutely everything in one place. This place has good cheap thai, why whine about it's charismatic littleness? Pros: Great food, Great food and GREAT FOOD! Cons: You'll always wait unless you get there when they open more

Thai Tom is not an authentic Thai restaurant for the following reasons: Pros: Phad Thai, big flames. Cons: Freezing in winter, long lines, inauthentic. more

I went to Thai Tom's and was very disappointed. The food was good, but the service was horrible because we were basically ignored by the waitress and it took us forever to get our food. When I finally got my food, I was happy. Their phad see yew was pretty good. Pros: Decent thai Cons: poor service, long wait more

Very good Thai food. Watch how hot you get it, though, because they are not afraid to put some kick in it. We tried 4 stars and probably 3 would have been plenty. The space is small and cramped, so not the best place for a quiet date. They are quick, the food is good and it is very inexpensive. No beer or wine to be had. Pros: Good food, quick and cheap Cons: Crowded small space, no booze more

I've eaten a lot of Thai food, in Thailand and across the country. Thai Tom is so good that at one point, my boyfriend brought me a to-go box of it when he visited me in Pennsylvania. The best dish, IMHO, is Swimming Rama. I get it with fried tofu. The food in Thailand didn't have so much peanut sauce as we have here, and I think it's their loss! Pros: Tasty, tasty, tasty! Cons: long wait - but it's worth it! more

Do not go the food was bad! A long wait that wasn't worth it and the service was very poor!! I agree with the other reviews on the INCOMPETENT STAFF. more

The food here is not good. It is relatively cheap and they'll even give you a scoop of rice on the side of your Phad thai order to make sure your full. I guess if you're looking for quantity NOT quality then this is the place for you. Laughable service by incompetent staff. Food is not good they just give you a little more. Pros: Free scoop of rice with your Phad Thai Cons: Service, food more

Reading over a few of the previous reviews I was really surprised to hear about how many people were dissatisfied with the service. To me, the point is that you don't go to Thai Tom for the service--you go there for the AMAZING food. I have lived in the Seattle area for just over 5 years now and have yet to taste a better swimming rama. The rice has the perfect sticky consistency, the spinach tastes fresh and healthy, the tofu is fried to a tasty, golden brown and then there's the peanut sauce--where do I begin? It is simply delicious, nothing like that store-bought, reheated goop they serve you in so many other places. Vegetable stir-fry and phad thai there are also great. As for the service? I could really care less. Pros: Swimming Rama, Garlic Pepper with fried Tofu Cons: Sometimes the service more

We went in around 8:50 PM and were told that restaurant is closed. Signboard clearly says that restaurant is open till 9PM. Waitresses were extremely rude. We requested ""to-go"" in case they are not willing to have us seated but they flatly refused. I do not recommend anyone who is just expecting some basic courtesy from the staff. more