I'm kindof struggling on where to begin with this review. This is actually the worst food I have eaten in several years! Not even touching the rude service, the horrible 70's porno decorations, or the fact that it took 45 minutes for the food to arrive... The food was disgusting. The first warning was the Tom Kah Gai. It was concentrate coconut with a few pieces of slimy (undercooked?) chicken and raw onion. No lemongrass, no spices. Literally nothing else but that. What was slightly alarming was that it was sickly sweet. Tom Kah Gai can be sweet, but more of in a palate cleansing kindof way. There is supposed to be a complex tone of flavors...this was a giant bowl o' laxative. The panang curry was the biggest disaster though. So a curry is a curry right? You know that simmering, kindof a stew where the delicious curry has flavored the food. Not at Bahn Thai. It was literally served on a sizzling fajita hot plate, with a chunky peanut sauce glumped on top. The chicken had previously been deep friend. I love Thai food. heck I even spent a month in the country living in both Chiang Mai and Bangkok. This doesn't deserve to call itself Thai. If this is Thai, than a Big Mac is a sirloin steak. You could not pay me to eat here again. Gainesville has so many better options, please spare yourself and eat elsewhere.
(1)
Ping N.
Horrible. We ordered 2 standard Thai dishes for take out. One was yellow chicken curry and the other was pork pad prik king. What we got resembled chicken and pork soup. The curry was awful. It was basically a soup with no curry taste. The pad prik King was supposed to be a dry stir fry but it also came in the form of a soup. They were both an affront to real Thai food.
(1)
Thomas S.
Awesome if you are looking to do a cleanse. Unfortunately I don't have the money or the heart to try Bahn Thai again, so I am only writing based on one experience. I ordered chicken Pad Thai for takeout. One positive was the sheer quantity of Pad Thai as well as the confusing addition of white rice on the side. Pretty much a downhill slope from there. The pad thai was bland with a faint aftertaste of burnt kitchenware. Less than thirty minutes after the meal I was rushing to the bathroom to relieve the sins of 2014. Again, this was my one and only experience. Gainesville could use some more options for good Thai food, so I sincerely hope the owners can make some positive changes.
(2)
Gina L.
I have ordered take out and dined in quite a few times, my experience has always been great and worth the wait. The Gang Kua is delicious!
(5)
Mike W.
Bahn Thai has moved from its old location on 13th Street up to a location on University Avenue that was recently the home of Bella Donna Pizza--a business I am rather sad to see leave and surprised they didn't make it. The space is small and oddly on three different levels where you must step up about three steps to reach each. Plus, the entry passage is odd: all this kind of worked for a late-night pizza parlor, but for what is trying to be a casual yet nice dine-in restaurant, not so much. They've really tried to remodel and make it work but it's clear the space works against them, plus, there's not enough seating if it gets busy. I fear they'll find at peak hours they have to turn people away and that this just was not a good choice of space, even if the location itself was smart. The menu is the same, in fact, the menus themselves appear to have been trucked up from the old restaurant. Nothing has changed, so if you liked the old one, you may well like this one. I ordered the red chicken curry, which they now serve in a regular size and for a cheaper price, also a smaller size. I elected to get the smaller one but a mistake was made in the kitchen and the larger came out, which they billed the same as the smaller one, but if this was the "larger" serving, it honestly still was pretty meager. I'd also requested tea and it took forever (and speaking with my waiter, another waitress, and the owner when she came around to see how things were) to get it. The curry itself . . . was just ok. I cook a lot of Thai and Lao food at home, and honestly I could do better than this at home. I could not say the same about the red chicken curry at Royal Orchid in Ocala: they make a great red curry and I'm always trying to get mine at home to match up, but I'm not there yet. The one at Bahn Thai however had too many bamboo shoots and no other vegetables in it, ample chicken, and a weak, pale, tan-colored sauce in color and taste both closer to green curry. I don't like giving local, independent, places two stars. I may have high expectations for Thai, since I do cook a lot of it myself, but then, I had no problem giving humble little Thai Phoon in Crystal River a rave review because it deserves it. Thai Phoon has a few issues and is in a strip mall in a town that has fallen somewhat on hard times, but they deserve their four stars for the quality of food they offer and their effort to maintain that quality--I've been there at least five times and never once disappointed. Bahn Thai needs to step things up if they want to earn that type of repute. I hope they can: I would love to have a good Thai place here. But I cannot honestly rate them higher per this experience.
(2)
Michele L.
I had the mamasan curry with chicken as take-out and it was great! The dishes take 20 minutes to prepare so I called ahead. Looking forward to eating there on my next trip.
(5)
Kristina M.
We use to frequent the while it was located on 13th ("the old Bahn Thai"). While the service can improve (and it has, with the addition of two or so new waiters, but still can), the food tastes great! We've been to this new location 3 or 4 times now, and only twice have we gone during an hour-long lunch break. They now have a "anything 12.95 on the menu has a medium version for 9.. something" - which is awesome for lunch that won't put you in a coma the rest of the day at work. We've had the panang curry several times with different proteins, the masaman curry, the red curry, and the dish that includes "bean thread noodles" in its name - that was a very unique dish. Very creative, and very tasty. Oh, and super cool and convenient. They employ the use of The Square to expedite check-outs. Totally recommend.
(4)
Jessica S.
Whomp-Whomp. This place was a washout. Pretty bummed. I ordered the Red Curry Chicken and Pad Thai. Both dishes had little to no flavor, at all. Luckily, a bottle of sriracha was waiting for me in the fridge (yay, for condiments!). While I had delivery from this place I would definitely be inclined to not experience this food again.
(1)
Libby T.
Dreadful. I can generally suck up bad lighting and decor for great Thai food. Noodle dish was not good, seitan was not cooked correctly.
(2)
Dmachop C.
Pretty average stuff. I feel that the restaurant is under staffed; just 2 of em handling a crowd. Menu is worn out and feels like once good restaurant kinda feel. A big minus for the ambience. Pad thai is okay and not that spicy for medium level . If you could go for better, go ahead searching for others but try once if you're really desperate for Thai.
(3)
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Address :1023 W University Ave
Gainesville, FL, 32607
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
James O.
I'm kindof struggling on where to begin with this review. This is actually the worst food I have eaten in several years! Not even touching the rude service, the horrible 70's porno decorations, or the fact that it took 45 minutes for the food to arrive... The food was disgusting. The first warning was the Tom Kah Gai. It was concentrate coconut with a few pieces of slimy (undercooked?) chicken and raw onion. No lemongrass, no spices. Literally nothing else but that. What was slightly alarming was that it was sickly sweet. Tom Kah Gai can be sweet, but more of in a palate cleansing kindof way. There is supposed to be a complex tone of flavors...this was a giant bowl o' laxative. The panang curry was the biggest disaster though. So a curry is a curry right? You know that simmering, kindof a stew where the delicious curry has flavored the food. Not at Bahn Thai. It was literally served on a sizzling fajita hot plate, with a chunky peanut sauce glumped on top. The chicken had previously been deep friend. I love Thai food. heck I even spent a month in the country living in both Chiang Mai and Bangkok. This doesn't deserve to call itself Thai. If this is Thai, than a Big Mac is a sirloin steak. You could not pay me to eat here again. Gainesville has so many better options, please spare yourself and eat elsewhere.
(1)Ping N.
Horrible. We ordered 2 standard Thai dishes for take out. One was yellow chicken curry and the other was pork pad prik king. What we got resembled chicken and pork soup. The curry was awful. It was basically a soup with no curry taste. The pad prik King was supposed to be a dry stir fry but it also came in the form of a soup. They were both an affront to real Thai food.
(1)Thomas S.
Awesome if you are looking to do a cleanse. Unfortunately I don't have the money or the heart to try Bahn Thai again, so I am only writing based on one experience. I ordered chicken Pad Thai for takeout. One positive was the sheer quantity of Pad Thai as well as the confusing addition of white rice on the side. Pretty much a downhill slope from there. The pad thai was bland with a faint aftertaste of burnt kitchenware. Less than thirty minutes after the meal I was rushing to the bathroom to relieve the sins of 2014. Again, this was my one and only experience. Gainesville could use some more options for good Thai food, so I sincerely hope the owners can make some positive changes.
(2)Gina L.
I have ordered take out and dined in quite a few times, my experience has always been great and worth the wait. The Gang Kua is delicious!
(5)Mike W.
Bahn Thai has moved from its old location on 13th Street up to a location on University Avenue that was recently the home of Bella Donna Pizza--a business I am rather sad to see leave and surprised they didn't make it. The space is small and oddly on three different levels where you must step up about three steps to reach each. Plus, the entry passage is odd: all this kind of worked for a late-night pizza parlor, but for what is trying to be a casual yet nice dine-in restaurant, not so much. They've really tried to remodel and make it work but it's clear the space works against them, plus, there's not enough seating if it gets busy. I fear they'll find at peak hours they have to turn people away and that this just was not a good choice of space, even if the location itself was smart. The menu is the same, in fact, the menus themselves appear to have been trucked up from the old restaurant. Nothing has changed, so if you liked the old one, you may well like this one. I ordered the red chicken curry, which they now serve in a regular size and for a cheaper price, also a smaller size. I elected to get the smaller one but a mistake was made in the kitchen and the larger came out, which they billed the same as the smaller one, but if this was the "larger" serving, it honestly still was pretty meager. I'd also requested tea and it took forever (and speaking with my waiter, another waitress, and the owner when she came around to see how things were) to get it. The curry itself . . . was just ok. I cook a lot of Thai and Lao food at home, and honestly I could do better than this at home. I could not say the same about the red chicken curry at Royal Orchid in Ocala: they make a great red curry and I'm always trying to get mine at home to match up, but I'm not there yet. The one at Bahn Thai however had too many bamboo shoots and no other vegetables in it, ample chicken, and a weak, pale, tan-colored sauce in color and taste both closer to green curry. I don't like giving local, independent, places two stars. I may have high expectations for Thai, since I do cook a lot of it myself, but then, I had no problem giving humble little Thai Phoon in Crystal River a rave review because it deserves it. Thai Phoon has a few issues and is in a strip mall in a town that has fallen somewhat on hard times, but they deserve their four stars for the quality of food they offer and their effort to maintain that quality--I've been there at least five times and never once disappointed. Bahn Thai needs to step things up if they want to earn that type of repute. I hope they can: I would love to have a good Thai place here. But I cannot honestly rate them higher per this experience.
(2)Michele L.
I had the mamasan curry with chicken as take-out and it was great! The dishes take 20 minutes to prepare so I called ahead. Looking forward to eating there on my next trip.
(5)Kristina M.
We use to frequent the while it was located on 13th ("the old Bahn Thai"). While the service can improve (and it has, with the addition of two or so new waiters, but still can), the food tastes great! We've been to this new location 3 or 4 times now, and only twice have we gone during an hour-long lunch break. They now have a "anything 12.95 on the menu has a medium version for 9.. something" - which is awesome for lunch that won't put you in a coma the rest of the day at work. We've had the panang curry several times with different proteins, the masaman curry, the red curry, and the dish that includes "bean thread noodles" in its name - that was a very unique dish. Very creative, and very tasty. Oh, and super cool and convenient. They employ the use of The Square to expedite check-outs. Totally recommend.
(4)Jessica S.
Whomp-Whomp. This place was a washout. Pretty bummed. I ordered the Red Curry Chicken and Pad Thai. Both dishes had little to no flavor, at all. Luckily, a bottle of sriracha was waiting for me in the fridge (yay, for condiments!). While I had delivery from this place I would definitely be inclined to not experience this food again.
(1)Libby T.
Dreadful. I can generally suck up bad lighting and decor for great Thai food. Noodle dish was not good, seitan was not cooked correctly.
(2)Dmachop C.
Pretty average stuff. I feel that the restaurant is under staffed; just 2 of em handling a crowd. Menu is worn out and feels like once good restaurant kinda feel. A big minus for the ambience. Pad thai is okay and not that spicy for medium level . If you could go for better, go ahead searching for others but try once if you're really desperate for Thai.
(3)