Thai Restaurants

What is usually referred to as Thai cuisine evolved in the Central regions of Thailand. Rice, fish, and vegetables, flavored with garlic, black pepper, and fish sauce, along with fresh fruit, comprised the basic diet of Sukhothai, a Thai empire founded in 1238 (the name Sukhothai means Dawn of Happiness). For 120 years, Sukhothai was the capital of a Thai kingdom that was considerably larger than Thailand is now. A total of eight kings ruled Sukhothai before 1365 when it was degraded into a vassal state of Ayutthaya. With new politics came new food — the almost essential chili pepper was introduced, as was coriander, lime and tomato — perhaps making their way from South America to Thailand via the Portuguese. Other influences came from India, Japan, Persia, and China.

Despite mixed reviews for each of Davis' Thai restaurants, the Thai food found in Davis is consistently very good, unlike other genres of food to be had. Each of the restaurants below offers a dish or amenity uniquely good (such as free refills on Thai Iced Tea, excellent Pad Thai, or friendly and quick service) and each has a drawback (long lines, slow service, starchy food).

Chopsticks are not typically used for most dishes in Thailand, so don't be surprised to when you get a funny look upon requesting them. However, in Thailand, it is perfectly fine to use chopsticks for dishes with long noodles. For example, Pad Thai has long and thin rice noodle which is somewhat suitable to be eaten with chopsticks. In contrast, Pad See Ew uses thick and fat noodle ("Chow Fun" in Chinese) and could be eaten with a fork or a spoon in combination. The Thais prefer to use spoon with rice as their rice is flakier and softer than the Japanese counterpart.

2k Thai Food
Pricing: Unknown (9/person); Pad Thai is $7.25; Lunch specials, including rice, upwards of $5.95;
Spiciness: Adjustable.
Quality: Very good.
Service: Very good.
Refills: Unknown
Misc: Interesting art displayed, remodeled interior. Has delivery options but not free unless it is an order over $40.

KetMoRee
Pricing: High (~14/Entree); Pad Thai starts at $11.
Spiciness:
Quality:
Service:
Refills:
Misc: The remodeled and moved successor to 2K Thai Food

Sophia's Thai Kitchen
Pricing: (9/person); Pad Thai is $8.95
Spiciness:
Quality: Debatable.
Service: Super slow, but fun environment.
Refills: Yes on Thai Iced Tea
Misc: Free refills on Thai iced tea; outdoor heated and covered patio; long wait is typical, but you can hang out at the bar.

Thai Bistro
Pricing: Moderate (~10/person); Pad Thai $7.95; Lunch specials are especially a good deal; salad, rice (unless ordering a noodle item), starting at $5.95 to $6.95
Spiciness: Adjustable
Quality: Very Good.
Service: Moderate.
Refills: Unknown
Misc: Voted Thai Bistro as "Best Thai food in Davis" in 2004. Towards the classy end of the scale. Outdoor seating, and duck dishes are always available.

Thai Dynamite
Pricing:
Spiciness:
Quality:
Service:
Refills:
Misc:

Thai Nakorn
Pricing: Lower (9/person); Pad Thai is $6.95
Spiciness:
Quality:Very Good
Service:Very Good
Refills: Unknown
Misc: Menu available on DavisWiki, close to movie theater

Thai Recipes
Pricing: Moderate (~11/person); Pad Thai is $8.95
Spiciness: Adjustable
Quality: Considered by some to be the best
Service:
Refills: Yes on fountain drinks; no on Thai Iced Tea
Misc: Very vegetarian-friendly

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NOTE: I created this page, not so much to be a list of Thai restaurants (which is available on the Restaurants page), but more of a meta-analysis of the thai restaurants in Davis, similar to Chinese Food. Which ones give refills, which have menu items that the others don't, which ones use coconut milk, etc. This comment can be deleted once the page is fleshed out. — ArlenAbraham

Anybody else think we should delete this page? The stuff here can easliy be integrated into the other pages. And on top of that, it seems kind of redundant... -AbbyLawson

yeah, i guess we can delete it. i was hoping that people would add stuff, sortof like chinese food. - ArlenAbraham

I don't see that there is any reason to delete it. Given time, this page could develop into something really useful and interesting. I say, let it be. —ss

Comments:

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2006-09-16 11:36:42   Can we not list the price for Pad Thai, please? I understand its popular and all, but there is more to experiencing Thai food than just eating Pad Thai... This would be like having a page on American food and notating the price of a hamburger. —PaulAmnuaypayoat

• I think that including the price of Pad Thai is a good indicator of how the pricing for the rest of the menu will follow. I would say that having the price of a hamburger is a good idea, too, since it would set a metric regarding how the restaurant prices their food, and can be used as a standard for comparison to like restaurants. —JoePomidor
  

• I agree. I'm curious as to what the price of Thai hamburgers are. ;)
  

2007-06-30 21:33:51   I love Thai food and in all truth, I really do like all of 5 of the Thai restaurants in town. But, if I must choose... 2k Thai Food loses some points for the trying-too-hard atmosphere. I like the way that Thai Recipes always asks if you want your tofu fried or soft. Thai Nakorn has some dishes that lean more towards Chinese, so if you're not sure what you want (or if you have a mixed party that can't make up its mind), it's a good choice. Sophia's Thai Kitchen has that close-to-Campus advantage, so it's probably my favorite for lunch. But for dinner, I'm leaning toward Thai Bistro. Hard to say why, other than the generic: quality ingredients that taste good. Try the sweet and sour chicken with mango. (Here's a hint: it's not that deep batter fried stuff with gloppy pink sauce). And they do get extra points for the nice outdoor patio where you can bring your dog. So, that's my preference for now, with the right to change my mind in the future! —CovertProfessor