Located right next to the Tampa Theater in downtown, this is a nice surprise that had been recommended to me by another resident in the Element. Clean restaurant in the seating area, and a very friendly staff. I had the Green Curry with beef and my girl had the Sweet and Sour Chicken. Very good taste and fresh vegetables may for a full belly. I will definitely be coming back here again! The only drawback for you thirsty folks, is either the soda machine was broken or they don't have one so when we ordered soft drinks, they came out in in the can with a glass of ice. Great food and a really great value as well!!!!
(4)
Susan M.
What a pleasant surprise to find Si-Am while I was wondering downtown! It's near the Tampa Theater, kind of out of the downtown lunchtime grid which makes it less crowded. It's quiet and kind of dim inside which is great for relaxing after a hectic morning at work. The servers are pleasant. Of course I had to have the Green Curry Chicken, that is my favorite Thai food and my test of all Thai restaurants.....this tells me if I want to come back and try something else on the menu. It was really good, tasty, the coconut flavor was just right, not overpowering. And they served the rice in a heart shape! Such a cute touch. I will definitely go back again.
(3)
Kylie K.
Si-Am is a classy restaurant in downtown that serves run-of-the-mill Thai food. The restaurant is dim, has a black ceiling, and has red tablecloths. Near the entrance is a remodeled long-tail boat that now houses small fish (I couldn't tell the type of fish). The booth seats are decorated with artificial plants--a rogue leaf may poke the back of your head while you're seated. When I went to the restaurant in a party of five, because the tables are designed for parties of two or four, they sat me at the end of a four-person table, which meant cramped legroom for me and two other people. Also, because the restaurant was generally classy, I was surprised when they gave me a severely chipped spoon, which grazed my mouth before I noticed the chip. The food--the restaurant serves everyone a clear soup and a fried spring roll before they serve the order. The soup and roll weren't anything special, but the restaurant is nice to give everyone a free roll when in most Thai restaurants you have to order a roll as an appetizer. I ordered beef basil my first visit and beef drunken noodles my second. After my first visit, I was willing to give the restaurant four stars. The beef basil was well cooked and savory. However, the drunken noodles--a staple of most Thai restaurants--was less than satisfactory. The beef was overcooked and was hard to chew. The noodles were hard and were the thin kind, not the broad rice noodles that are usually served with drunken noodles (pad kee mao). Also, the restaurant had cooked the dish with vegetables that weren't fresh. Overall, Si-Am is the place to visit in downtown if you're looking for a classy place to dine but not looking to be wow-ed by the food. I hope to return to give a third dish a go.
(3)
Roshni S.
I've only dined in at the restaurant once but order take out all the time due to the convenience. If you check in and dine at the restaurant you can get 15% off an entree. Their Tom Kha soup is by far the best in town! We usually order the veggie basil fried rice plus egg extra spicy and it's delicious and very flavorful. The drunken noodles are also good. I haven't ventured out more than a few dishes but everything is always good. Make sure you are specific with your spice level and they always do it right :) Today they were basically closed and let me still place a take out order, which I consider great service. Overall, it's tasty food and I'll continue to order from there.
(5)
Johanna M.
The food here is AMAZINGLY good! I am a Thai foodie and have done Thai Thani, ploy Thai and just about every other Thai place in Tampa Brandon area and this place has the best food bar none. The flavors explode in your mouth and are real comfort food that come from a husband and wife team. I will be back - many times!! They skimp on nothing when it comes to their dishes. Visually pleasing as well. The service is fantastic. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet with Asian music wafting through the air. The only thing I could possibly say that is mildly under 5 stars is that this restaurant is right next to a bar, and the building is a little musty so you get that mild bar like odor when you walk in. But this really just adds to the experience and reminds you that you are in an historic area. So glad I was introduced to this place!
(5)
Peter Q.
Quiet. Fast friendly service. Owner/ manager carefully assuring customer service. Wife/ owner is from Thailand and is head cook. Food was tasty and appealing. Prices were reasonable. Decor a bit dated but still pleasant. Great selection on menu of seafood, noodles and salads plus specialties. I will return here whenever I want to have Thai food
(5)
J O.
Excellent food, nice affordable selection of traditional Thai dishes, I'm in and out for lunch in less than 20 minutes! Try this one, if you like Asian food, super friendly and fast staff, a very welcoming experience downtown Tampa. Oh, and did I say their Panang Curry is so good!!??
(5)
Cynthia H.
Have been here several times and have always been pleased. At lunch, your order will come with a free egg roll with little dipping sauce and a small bowl of chicken rice soup, both tasty. Food is predictably good and the decor is attractive and relaxing; great vibe from staff and owner Steve, whose wife Chinda is in the kitchen preparing the goodies. My favorite so far: the panang curry with shrimp. I look forward to many more pleasant visits to this restaurant, which is centrally located on Tampa's Franklin Street, right next to the Tampa Theater.
(4)
Savitre S.
As far as the Tampa game in Thai food goes, I have really enjoyed this place. I have been here a few times now and have ordered a variety of their menu options, as well as tasting from other people's dishes- and I have been happy with it all. Their Panang- actually tastes like Panang- which is a surprising rarity as some restaurants will use a different curry paste to make their Panang. But Panang is Panang! Anyway- I'm quite fond of downtown Tampa, and this is an easy stroll from the various places one may work in downtown Tampa if looking for a quick lunch break. It's also right next to the Tampa Theatre- which is one of my favorite places and where Justin and I went for our first date. I do wish they were a little busier here but I am also glad it's quiet enough to hold an intimate conversation over dinner. I look forward to my return!
(5)
Dylan G.
I had been wanting to try this restaurant for a while and tonight we got the chance to do so. From the start to finish we had a great experience. The service was very good. The chicken spring rolls was some of the best I've had. We had the drunken noodle and prawn panang curry which were both very tasty. To end it off we tried the Thai donuts which was awesome. I recommend this place if you are feeling Thai.
(5)
Cameron G.
Although I've found an exception or two, Tampa's Thai food is mediocre, and Si-Am carries on the tradition. I got a spicy tofu and vegetables dish; it was alright. It was spicy but not spicy enough (even though I ordered Thai Hot), and it was pretty good but not great. It came with a bowl of soup, which was salty but otherwise fine, and a small spring roll that was pretty good. If you're walking around in downtown and want Thai food, this is the place to go. It's not great, but it'll do the trick. I'll probably be back.
(3)
Shane R.
Delicious & great lunch value. Includes a spring roll and vegetable soup. Make sure to have enough time as it can get busy and a little backed up during the work day.
(4)
Cari E.
Oh Si-Am, thank you for coming to downtown. I love places that are open for dinner downtown. I can ride my beautiful bike to them. This makes me very happy. I got take out from Si-Am last weekend. It was pouring down rain and I was looking forward to a night spent in sweat pants spent with my family. Si-Am is good. We started with the Siam Sampler. Everything on it was just short of great. The combo includes 2 Spring Rolls, 2 Thai Spring Rolls, 2 Crab Rangoons, 2 Steamed dumplings, and Calamari. I couldn't tell which one was the spring roll and which one was the thai spring roll but both had a light and crispy outside with a warm and crunchy inside. The crab ragoons were pretty standard but good. I don't like a lot of cream cheese in my ragoons but I know that I'm the odd man out on that opinion most of the time. Their ragoons are very cheesy. The calamari was really really good even though by the time we got it home it lost a bit of it's crunchiness. The dumpling was a shumai dumpling which happens to be one of my favorites. I'm still partial to TC Choys shumai but this is better than I've had at other Thai places. The sampler came with a sweet chili sauce that was different than the super thick kind found in thai restaurants. This sauce was much lighter put packed just as much sweet and slightly spicy flavor. My mom and I shared the Woon Sen Soup and Garlic and Black Pepper Chicken. My dad got the pork fried rice. My brother got the pad thai. The soup was delicious! I hadn't had soup like this anywhere before. The soup has sliver thread noodles with ground pork, mushrooms and green onions floating in a lovely broth. It's a light soup that is surprisingly flavorful. The Garlic and Black Pepper Chicken was above average. This is my favorite Thai dish but when it's not done right it can be very bland. The chicken and mixed veggies were all covered in garlic sauce that wasn't overwhelmingly garlicy (though I wouldn't recommend a make out session after eating it). My brother really enjoyed the pad thai. Shockingly, I don't really like pad thai so I didn't try it. The fried rice the pretty average. They give you a lot of meat but it's really big so you'll most likely need a knife. My problem was Si-Am is simple. I love spicy food but at most Thai places all I can handle is medium. Si-Am is the exception. I had to put Sriracha on my entree to make it spicy enough for me. Well, let's be honest. I love Sriracha so I would have put it on there anyways. The flavor of the food is on point but if you're a heat lover let them know that you aren't a sissy American and want them to turn up the heat! If I can get them to let loose the thai red pepper then I would definitely move them up to 4 stars.
(3)
Daniel H.
The place was dead on the Tuesday night that I went. There was one other couple in here besides us. We had chicken satay and spring rolls. Both were average. I don't feel that it was indicative of quality Thai food.
(3)
Joseph D.
We used to live less than half a mile from Jasmine Thai on West Shore. Since moving close to downtown, we hadn't even gone out for Thai. Tonight, though, we found this gem right next to the Tampa Theatre, and we have a new Thai place. Tried the Tom Yum (tomatoey) and Woon Sen (glass noodle) soups. The Tom Yum was tasty and zingy, but could have been spicier.for my taste. The other was marvelous, the pork tender and the broth rich. Since it was it first visit, I had a house special, the spicy duck. Thin slices of duck with the skin still a little crispy stood among a jumble of unlicensed vegetables, ALl in a garlic and black.pepper sauce. Since I hadn't specified, it was probably mild or medium; I think it'll be "Thai hot" for me in the future. Our other entree was eggplant with basil stir fry (with tofu), a delightfully sweet and savory dish. I look forward to trying more mainstream dishes such as pad Thai and the green curry on future visits. Note that, since it's downtown Tampa, lunch is crazy but dinner is nearly empty (at least before 8pm).
(4)
Melissa V.
This place isn't any better than any Thai place downtown, well maybe a little better than most but that's still saying a lot. Just had some craving for Thai food but wanted to try a different spot and found this but sadly it didn't turn out like I expected. Higher ratings than my liking for this restaurant but I don't blame others. It's okay. People there were really nice and it was a short stop but definitely will be my last stop there. Not too happy with these "authentic" Thai restaurants. Almost disappointed with the lack of authencity but everyone is entitled to eat and cook as they please so I leave it at this.
(2)
Elizabeth D.
The restaurant was empty when we walked in, but a couple other parties joined afterwards. They need to work on the smell- it's a little like a wet rag. But all of the food was delicious. We started with the basil rolls and fried tofu. For entrees we had the king shrimp in chili sauce, beef with cashews, and the fried tilapia daily special with Penang curry. Everything was super yummy and I will definitely return the next time I want Thai downtown.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes
Casey C.
Located right next to the Tampa Theater in downtown, this is a nice surprise that had been recommended to me by another resident in the Element. Clean restaurant in the seating area, and a very friendly staff. I had the Green Curry with beef and my girl had the Sweet and Sour Chicken. Very good taste and fresh vegetables may for a full belly. I will definitely be coming back here again! The only drawback for you thirsty folks, is either the soda machine was broken or they don't have one so when we ordered soft drinks, they came out in in the can with a glass of ice. Great food and a really great value as well!!!!
(4)Susan M.
What a pleasant surprise to find Si-Am while I was wondering downtown! It's near the Tampa Theater, kind of out of the downtown lunchtime grid which makes it less crowded. It's quiet and kind of dim inside which is great for relaxing after a hectic morning at work. The servers are pleasant. Of course I had to have the Green Curry Chicken, that is my favorite Thai food and my test of all Thai restaurants.....this tells me if I want to come back and try something else on the menu. It was really good, tasty, the coconut flavor was just right, not overpowering. And they served the rice in a heart shape! Such a cute touch. I will definitely go back again.
(3)Kylie K.
Si-Am is a classy restaurant in downtown that serves run-of-the-mill Thai food. The restaurant is dim, has a black ceiling, and has red tablecloths. Near the entrance is a remodeled long-tail boat that now houses small fish (I couldn't tell the type of fish). The booth seats are decorated with artificial plants--a rogue leaf may poke the back of your head while you're seated. When I went to the restaurant in a party of five, because the tables are designed for parties of two or four, they sat me at the end of a four-person table, which meant cramped legroom for me and two other people. Also, because the restaurant was generally classy, I was surprised when they gave me a severely chipped spoon, which grazed my mouth before I noticed the chip. The food--the restaurant serves everyone a clear soup and a fried spring roll before they serve the order. The soup and roll weren't anything special, but the restaurant is nice to give everyone a free roll when in most Thai restaurants you have to order a roll as an appetizer. I ordered beef basil my first visit and beef drunken noodles my second. After my first visit, I was willing to give the restaurant four stars. The beef basil was well cooked and savory. However, the drunken noodles--a staple of most Thai restaurants--was less than satisfactory. The beef was overcooked and was hard to chew. The noodles were hard and were the thin kind, not the broad rice noodles that are usually served with drunken noodles (pad kee mao). Also, the restaurant had cooked the dish with vegetables that weren't fresh. Overall, Si-Am is the place to visit in downtown if you're looking for a classy place to dine but not looking to be wow-ed by the food. I hope to return to give a third dish a go.
(3)Roshni S.
I've only dined in at the restaurant once but order take out all the time due to the convenience. If you check in and dine at the restaurant you can get 15% off an entree. Their Tom Kha soup is by far the best in town! We usually order the veggie basil fried rice plus egg extra spicy and it's delicious and very flavorful. The drunken noodles are also good. I haven't ventured out more than a few dishes but everything is always good. Make sure you are specific with your spice level and they always do it right :) Today they were basically closed and let me still place a take out order, which I consider great service. Overall, it's tasty food and I'll continue to order from there.
(5)Johanna M.
The food here is AMAZINGLY good! I am a Thai foodie and have done Thai Thani, ploy Thai and just about every other Thai place in Tampa Brandon area and this place has the best food bar none. The flavors explode in your mouth and are real comfort food that come from a husband and wife team. I will be back - many times!! They skimp on nothing when it comes to their dishes. Visually pleasing as well. The service is fantastic. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet with Asian music wafting through the air. The only thing I could possibly say that is mildly under 5 stars is that this restaurant is right next to a bar, and the building is a little musty so you get that mild bar like odor when you walk in. But this really just adds to the experience and reminds you that you are in an historic area. So glad I was introduced to this place!
(5)Peter Q.
Quiet. Fast friendly service. Owner/ manager carefully assuring customer service. Wife/ owner is from Thailand and is head cook. Food was tasty and appealing. Prices were reasonable. Decor a bit dated but still pleasant. Great selection on menu of seafood, noodles and salads plus specialties. I will return here whenever I want to have Thai food
(5)J O.
Excellent food, nice affordable selection of traditional Thai dishes, I'm in and out for lunch in less than 20 minutes! Try this one, if you like Asian food, super friendly and fast staff, a very welcoming experience downtown Tampa. Oh, and did I say their Panang Curry is so good!!??
(5)Cynthia H.
Have been here several times and have always been pleased. At lunch, your order will come with a free egg roll with little dipping sauce and a small bowl of chicken rice soup, both tasty. Food is predictably good and the decor is attractive and relaxing; great vibe from staff and owner Steve, whose wife Chinda is in the kitchen preparing the goodies. My favorite so far: the panang curry with shrimp. I look forward to many more pleasant visits to this restaurant, which is centrally located on Tampa's Franklin Street, right next to the Tampa Theater.
(4)Savitre S.
As far as the Tampa game in Thai food goes, I have really enjoyed this place. I have been here a few times now and have ordered a variety of their menu options, as well as tasting from other people's dishes- and I have been happy with it all. Their Panang- actually tastes like Panang- which is a surprising rarity as some restaurants will use a different curry paste to make their Panang. But Panang is Panang! Anyway- I'm quite fond of downtown Tampa, and this is an easy stroll from the various places one may work in downtown Tampa if looking for a quick lunch break. It's also right next to the Tampa Theatre- which is one of my favorite places and where Justin and I went for our first date. I do wish they were a little busier here but I am also glad it's quiet enough to hold an intimate conversation over dinner. I look forward to my return!
(5)Dylan G.
I had been wanting to try this restaurant for a while and tonight we got the chance to do so. From the start to finish we had a great experience. The service was very good. The chicken spring rolls was some of the best I've had. We had the drunken noodle and prawn panang curry which were both very tasty. To end it off we tried the Thai donuts which was awesome. I recommend this place if you are feeling Thai.
(5)Cameron G.
Although I've found an exception or two, Tampa's Thai food is mediocre, and Si-Am carries on the tradition. I got a spicy tofu and vegetables dish; it was alright. It was spicy but not spicy enough (even though I ordered Thai Hot), and it was pretty good but not great. It came with a bowl of soup, which was salty but otherwise fine, and a small spring roll that was pretty good. If you're walking around in downtown and want Thai food, this is the place to go. It's not great, but it'll do the trick. I'll probably be back.
(3)Shane R.
Delicious & great lunch value. Includes a spring roll and vegetable soup. Make sure to have enough time as it can get busy and a little backed up during the work day.
(4)Cari E.
Oh Si-Am, thank you for coming to downtown. I love places that are open for dinner downtown. I can ride my beautiful bike to them. This makes me very happy. I got take out from Si-Am last weekend. It was pouring down rain and I was looking forward to a night spent in sweat pants spent with my family. Si-Am is good. We started with the Siam Sampler. Everything on it was just short of great. The combo includes 2 Spring Rolls, 2 Thai Spring Rolls, 2 Crab Rangoons, 2 Steamed dumplings, and Calamari. I couldn't tell which one was the spring roll and which one was the thai spring roll but both had a light and crispy outside with a warm and crunchy inside. The crab ragoons were pretty standard but good. I don't like a lot of cream cheese in my ragoons but I know that I'm the odd man out on that opinion most of the time. Their ragoons are very cheesy. The calamari was really really good even though by the time we got it home it lost a bit of it's crunchiness. The dumpling was a shumai dumpling which happens to be one of my favorites. I'm still partial to TC Choys shumai but this is better than I've had at other Thai places. The sampler came with a sweet chili sauce that was different than the super thick kind found in thai restaurants. This sauce was much lighter put packed just as much sweet and slightly spicy flavor. My mom and I shared the Woon Sen Soup and Garlic and Black Pepper Chicken. My dad got the pork fried rice. My brother got the pad thai. The soup was delicious! I hadn't had soup like this anywhere before. The soup has sliver thread noodles with ground pork, mushrooms and green onions floating in a lovely broth. It's a light soup that is surprisingly flavorful. The Garlic and Black Pepper Chicken was above average. This is my favorite Thai dish but when it's not done right it can be very bland. The chicken and mixed veggies were all covered in garlic sauce that wasn't overwhelmingly garlicy (though I wouldn't recommend a make out session after eating it). My brother really enjoyed the pad thai. Shockingly, I don't really like pad thai so I didn't try it. The fried rice the pretty average. They give you a lot of meat but it's really big so you'll most likely need a knife. My problem was Si-Am is simple. I love spicy food but at most Thai places all I can handle is medium. Si-Am is the exception. I had to put Sriracha on my entree to make it spicy enough for me. Well, let's be honest. I love Sriracha so I would have put it on there anyways. The flavor of the food is on point but if you're a heat lover let them know that you aren't a sissy American and want them to turn up the heat! If I can get them to let loose the thai red pepper then I would definitely move them up to 4 stars.
(3)Daniel H.
The place was dead on the Tuesday night that I went. There was one other couple in here besides us. We had chicken satay and spring rolls. Both were average. I don't feel that it was indicative of quality Thai food.
(3)Joseph D.
We used to live less than half a mile from Jasmine Thai on West Shore. Since moving close to downtown, we hadn't even gone out for Thai. Tonight, though, we found this gem right next to the Tampa Theatre, and we have a new Thai place. Tried the Tom Yum (tomatoey) and Woon Sen (glass noodle) soups. The Tom Yum was tasty and zingy, but could have been spicier.for my taste. The other was marvelous, the pork tender and the broth rich. Since it was it first visit, I had a house special, the spicy duck. Thin slices of duck with the skin still a little crispy stood among a jumble of unlicensed vegetables, ALl in a garlic and black.pepper sauce. Since I hadn't specified, it was probably mild or medium; I think it'll be "Thai hot" for me in the future. Our other entree was eggplant with basil stir fry (with tofu), a delightfully sweet and savory dish. I look forward to trying more mainstream dishes such as pad Thai and the green curry on future visits. Note that, since it's downtown Tampa, lunch is crazy but dinner is nearly empty (at least before 8pm).
(4)Melissa V.
This place isn't any better than any Thai place downtown, well maybe a little better than most but that's still saying a lot. Just had some craving for Thai food but wanted to try a different spot and found this but sadly it didn't turn out like I expected. Higher ratings than my liking for this restaurant but I don't blame others. It's okay. People there were really nice and it was a short stop but definitely will be my last stop there. Not too happy with these "authentic" Thai restaurants. Almost disappointed with the lack of authencity but everyone is entitled to eat and cook as they please so I leave it at this.
(2)Elizabeth D.
The restaurant was empty when we walked in, but a couple other parties joined afterwards. They need to work on the smell- it's a little like a wet rag. But all of the food was delicious. We started with the basil rolls and fried tofu. For entrees we had the king shrimp in chili sauce, beef with cashews, and the fried tilapia daily special with Penang curry. Everything was super yummy and I will definitely return the next time I want Thai downtown.
(3)