Thai Essence
1534 Win Hentschel Blvd, West Lafayette, IN, 47906
Thai Essence Menu
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Address :
1534 Win Hentschel Blvd
West Lafayette, IN, 47906 - Phone (765) 269-9380
- Website https://www.thaiessence.net/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
- Mon : 11:00 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
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Steven B.
Simply the best Thai place in either Lafayettes. Go there and try it.
(5)Gail A.
I couldn't wait to try this place when it opened. The other Thai food I have had in Indiana has been a terrible. Headed over for lunch one day, and WOW. First lunch - I had the Pad See Ew. Fresh veggies, spot on flavors, great heat. I went back 3 days later. Cannot remember the name of the dish, but it was fantastic as well. Great beef - perfect seasoning. The peanut sauce is plate licking good, and the spring rolls are delicious. By far the best Thai food in the area. A wee bit pricey, but worth it for the wonderful food, friendly service and nice atmosphere.
(4)Jon L.
Probably the best Thai food in the Lafayette/West Lafayette area, but with the latest price increases the value per $ is dropping. $40 for three carryout dishes, really? Won't be going back unless it is a special occasion or for a lunch special.
(3)Jenna T.
Very good! I spent a few weeks in Thailand and outside of there, this has been the best Thai food I have had. If you get the chance, the owner does a special 6-7 course Valentine's Day menu. At $50/person it is a little expensive, but the food was fantastic, presentation lovely, and an overall great experience!
(5)Nathan D.
Amazing place! By far one of my favorite places in Lafayette! Try the Pad Ga Prow you will be hooked! I can't say enough about the quality of the food and the staff.
(5)Chris S.
I think this place is very good. Don't leave without trying their ice creams. They are awesome. The main courses we got were also very good. I will go back again.
(4)Tiffany P.
I'm giving back the extra star because their taro ice cream is DELICIOUS, and they've improved their pad thai. They do still need to work on their service, but they are definitely the best Thai restaurant in the area. Hopefully they realize that they need to improve their customer service in order to keep being the best Thai place in the area though.
(4)Manon O.
Excellent small town Thai food - it is fairly authentic, consistent, and at times amazing. The food is always tasty. Our family dined there for a special nine course Mothers Day meal that was delicious and beautiful.
(5)B G.
Being from out of town, I've only been here once, but if my experience is the norm for this place, I would love to come back if I'm back in West Lafayette again. They have amazing fruit smoothies and my food was fantastic. I ordered the moo ping, which is grilled pork on a stick (street vendor style) with rice. Table condiments included the ever popular asian chili sauce which adds a great kick to any dish. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience: food, service, and atmosphere. That was a top notch lunch.
(4)Kelly L.
I reserved my 5-star rating for Thai Essence, my favorite restaurant in Lafayette. I enjoyed the owner's other Thai restaurant, Basil Thai, near the Purdue campus. When Thai Essence opened, I was not disappointed. The food is the same excellent dishes as Basil Thai, but the atmosphere at Thai Essence rocks. The Pra Ram is my favorite dish at both places--your favorite meat on a bed of brocolli and cabbage, topped with a thick, scrumptious peanut sauce. I only wish it were downtown instead of on the edge of West Lafayette!
(5)Sho K.
Overall, decent food with good presentation. Atmosphere is okay, just make sure to go when it's not too busy. Waiters are not the most attentive. Strangely enough, there were students outside conducting a survey for the restaurant during my first visit. I marked 'not likely to recommend' on the last page. Price versus taste: definitely not worth it.
(2)Kristen B.
Food was good. Dessert was even better. Service was odd. I didn't care how meals for one table we brought out 5 minutes apart from each other without so much of an apology or reason. I guess I was turned off by the service a bit. Presentation was beautiful. I guess the place's timing was just a bit off the time I went.
(3)priss l.
This place is relatively new, located right behind Purdue research park. The atmosphere was very good, clean and quite. People working there were very friendly. They also have take-outs, pretty convenient if you decide that you don't want to cook or eat ramen noodles. The food there was pretty good, considering West Lafayette is not known for its diversity. The only thing I would complain about (very minor) is that their food isn't spicy enough. For example, pat see ew and pat kee mao are supposed to be spicy, but I don't think they give you the option of getting them hot. I guess you could always add some chilli pepper if you're into spicy food like me.
(4)Julie T.
Atmosphere is nice. I've been here a few times and have tried the red curry, pad see ew, and pad thai. It's not bad although, flavor seems like something is missing. Mango slush drink is amazing though! Although they are owned by the same people, I still prefer Basil Thai in Chauncey- menu is different but have some overlapping items. It's definitely not a place I crave.
(2)Michelle S.
The restaurant looked very nice and classy. We were seated and our orders were taken right away. Our food arrived quickly, however......the food was terrible! I ordered Pad See Ew and when she placed the plate in front of me and stated "Pad See Ew", I thought it didn't look quite right but started to eat it anyway. I thought "why is there so much pepper on this dish!?" I couldn't eat it and she took it back to the kitchen - she returned with the same plate and stated to just mix the dish together as there is only a bit of pepper. I tried again and couldn't eat it. I sent it back and decided not to order anything. She came back and stated "Your dish was switched with someone else's!" I received Pad Kee Mow which is a VERY SPICY dish! I finally received my original order, which of course tasted better than the bowl of spice, however it was not great. I didn't even receive a discount considering what happened. At our table we also had Pad Thai - which was way too sweet. Would not recommend this place.
(1)S R.
When I lived in the area I used to patron Thai Essence quite frequently. I loved their green curry and their fried tofu! They can make many dishes vegetarian friendly, which was always a bonus when I was in a veggie mood. Or if you wanted something extra spicy they would accommodate and make it SPICY! It was great. One thing that I noticed was the decrease in portion sizes over the years. My husband and I would typically order take out and bring it home. A number of years ago they would fill the curry take-out container so much that we would have leftovers for another meal or so. The last year (that we lived there) we would sometimes bring the food home only to find the container only 1/2 full. Never stopped us from going to Thai Essence though because the food was good. Just a personal gripe because I knew what we used to get. The other thing I wanted to mention was the fact that Thai Essence was always great with groups. On a number of occasions I went with a very large number of people. The restaurant was always great with large groups. I loved the fact that they would bring out large bowls of (I think endless!) rice for everyone to share. A few times we had gift exchanges and loud/lively conversations and the workers were also pleasant. I give them an A+ for service.
(4)Kim F.
Very good and quick! A little on the expensive side for lunch but good size portion.
(5)Nithin K.
Pros: location, decor, service, food quality, gluten/dairy- free options Cons: price Summary: Recommend! Details: I felt relaxed as soon as I entered this restaurant. Something about the ambience made me feel at ease. Although the restaurant is not in a busy city center, it just helps build on the serene mood they're shooting for. They have a gluten free menu and are mostly flexible with dairy free items which is always a plus for those who can't do gluten or dairy. The restaurant was very clean and the service was very great. I was a bit disappointed to hear that the dinner entrees did not include rice as a side. You have to order them separately. Not saying that it's required, but if they're charging me between 10-15$ per item, a small side of rice would've been nice. We ordered the red curry with chicken and pad ga prow with pork. Both items tasted really good, so I'd give full points for the food quality. We also go the mango mousse dessert which is supposed to be gluten and dairy free. See pictures for the items above. Besides the price point, the other item that was a let down was the glass (which was in fact plastic) that we got our dessert in. It was poor quality and the stem had cracks in it. See pictures.
(4)Jennifer L.
Living only a few miles south of Thai Essence, my husband and I have suddenly found ourselves as regulars here. Being huge fans of Thai food, we've also been to Basil Thai (sister restaurant to Thai Essence). Both are pretty good, but I personally prefer Thai Essence due to its atmosphere. My husband and I always order the Tom Kha Gai (coconut chicken soup) to start. We love the soup due to its sour notes. The coconut gives the soup a creamy texture without it being sweet. Alongside the chicken, there are some onions, mushrooms, and a pinch of cilantro and scallions. 5 stars in our opinion! My husband always either order the Pad Thai or the Pad See Ew (Thai stir fried noodles). The Pad Thai is really great; however, personally I do feel that it's too sweet sometimes. The Pad See Ew is another favorite. We love the fat noodles. Stir fry it with some broccolis and beef and it's to die for! As for me, I've tried a variety of different items on the menu. The curries are great and so is the pineapple fried rice. Just be wary of the spicy-ness. I'm a huge fan of eating spicy food, but I do feel that the green curry and the spicy basil fried rice can get a bit too spicy sometimes! Overall, Thai Essence is a great place to get your Thai fix - our favorite to go to in West Lafayette. Although we have had better elsewhere, this place won't disappoint!
(4)Allen Z.
Ordered the Pad Thai. Tasted funny..like the chef thew in a cup of sea water and sweat. Portion size was more suited for a Vic Sec model than a normal person, for $10, I'd rather go to the buffet down the road than to have a coffee plate loosely dotted with over-sweetened noodles. Slightly dissapointed as I was expecting a good meal!
(3)Paul N.
I'm from the west coast and there are many great Thai places where I live. This didn't really hold up. First of all the menu is quite small, with only a few curries for example. The space is clean and bright and the staff seemed pretty friendly. I had carry out, it was red curry. That's about the sum of it. It seemed to not be very flavorful, something was missing. Just... unremarkable. I fundamentally question the wisdom of eggplant in a curry. The one piece in mine was a gross soggy blob and I sent it to its grave with prejudice.
(3)Team B.
We stopped here for lunch on a recommendation from a local. We ordered a mango slushie and a diet coke for drinks. The slushie was a bit sweet and started a little too cold to drink with a straw (we kept making straw core samples rather than being able to draw in the surrounding slush), but we still enjoyed it. Our waitress dropped off an unbidden refill of our diet coke, which was quite welcome. We had a tofu green curry and veggie Tom Yum soup for our lunch. Heather liked the soup, though I didn't care for the odd aftertaste. We both agreed that the green curry was a winner. There's plenty on the menu for vegetarians, so we're looking forward to trying other dishes if we have the opportunity to return.
(4)Diane K.
Great! Ordered Ginger Pad Khing with Tofu Take-out. DEE-Licious!
(4)Elissa M.
We went for lunch. The food is fantastic. The service was excellent. It's a little pricey but the quality of the food does not disappoint. My husband and I shared an appetizer of Kanom Jeeb..5 small dumplings with a flavorful soy sauce blend. My husbands entree was a Tofu Pad kee Mow with extra heat. The portion size was decent and the heat a flavorful slow burn. I had the Moo Ping as my entree and the pork was phenomenal. This was by far the most satisfying dining experience they I have had since moving to Indiana.
(5)Mike Y.
great food n great desert... Come from Washington. Try many thai food. This is one of great one I tried.
(5)Melissa K.
Thai Essence is the brother restaurant to Basil Thai (on Chauncy Hill). Both are very good, and come highly recommended. I personally prefer Thai Essence for the atmosphere and the menu. While both are similar in terms of food quality, Thai Essence has a much better atmosphere. You don't have to sit in a small crowded room and are more free to relax and chat after the meal. The Pad Thai is really good and they have lots of curry options if you are into curry.
(5)John W.
The food is excellent but the service is really lacking. It's 50/50 on whether you'll get good service or whether you'll get the snobby waiter that will throw silverware at the table you're sitting next too and give the thousand yard stare as we walks away. Also got attitude when I ordered take out...which is funny because I do that to avoid the attitude. Oh well, food is excellent so I'd still recommend it for people who enjoy Thai. Oh, almost forgot. The food doesn't come with rice. You have to pay for it separately 0_0
(2)Sam M.
We finally made it. This was our third try to eat here, the timing (ours and theirs ) hadn't meshed. We made it for lunch on a Thursday. It was busy and we had to wait a few minutes for a table. The staff was good at checking with us and keeping us updated. We ordered chicken spring rolls for an appetizer and my wife ordered Thai fried rice with chicken and I ordered the Pad Thai. The appetizer arrived quickly and was delicious. The main courses arrived soon after My wife didn't care for her rice so we switched which was fine as I thought it was great. She reluctantly gave me a bite of the Pad Thai and it was also really good, maybe not as spicy as I like, but that is good since my wife is a little wimpy about spice. Service was fast and friendly. Also I have to mention that the tea was great.
(4)Chunyu Q.
I often come here w my friends! Nice food and nice environment! The background music is always so relaxing! I strongly recommend the fried rice and curry duck here! Especially like the fried rice w pineapples and almond buts. Can't remember it's Thai name. But it's the last one listed among the fried rice entree on the menu!
(4)Yiyang Z.
We found here in yelp. After a long hesitation we ordered a Thai fried rice and a lad na mee . They are indeed tasty. The fried rice contains some scallion and onions and it's a little sweet. The seafood is very fresh but the noodles in it are bit of like instant noodles. Good Thai food overall!
(5)Faye Z.
I had heard good things about this restaurant, so I was excited to try it. I ordered the catfish, thinking it would be pieces of fish with vegetables in a curry. I was disappointed to be served a single mound of battered fish pieces, with no other ingredients aside from 3 broccoli florets for garnish. The taste was pretty good (coconuty and spicy), albeit on the salty side, but simply not a good meal to finish alone. Like I said, it literally is just pieces of battered fish...not exactly a balanced meal. I would come back to try the other items, and hope that this was just an isolated "miss".
(3)Mindy Y.
SERVICE: Had a little cute female server. Very nice. Kinda-looked at us odd cause we ordered a bottle of Cab. Think she never seen a little Asian girl drink so much :O ! FOOD: 4 stars! (1) Scallops: grilled perfectly! (2) Spring Rolls: very, very neat rolls. (3) Shrimp Cabbage Wraps: my favorite. Thai Essence makes it perfect! (4) Vegie Dish: I can't remember which one I got but it was rather sweet. Not my favourite. DRINKS: massive bottle of Cab from Napa, CA... lol came all this way to Indiana to drink Cali wine. lol... **OVERALL: Service is good! Food is good too! Get a bottle of Cab and some Shrimp Cabbage Wraps ... my favs! 4 stars overall!
(4)Molly R.
This is a great thai restaurant. When I lived in Chicago, we would eat thai food at least weekly, and this place holds up against some of my favorite Chicago thai spots (ATK, Cozy, Thai Classic). Before I went this week, my husband and I hadn't visited Thai Essence for quite a while, and I was glad to return. Decor is nice, neither overdone nor sparse, and service is great- friendly and attentive wait staff. I ordered the Basil Roll to start, basically an herb/tofu spring roll. This is a favorite dish of mine and I always like to compare to the ones I make at home. I especially enjoyed the dipping sauce it came with (not the usual satay-like sauce I'm used to). For our mains, we ordered the basil chicken and the catfish. The chicken dish was a stir fry with fresh veggies- onion and bell pepper mostly. Good quality meet and flavorful sauce. We loved the catfish- when I ordered it, I expected a whole fish, so I was a bit disappointed when little fried strips of fish covered in coconut-curry sauce arrived. But the texture and flavor were spot on- I would definitely recommend this. It comes with like three little blanched pieces of broccoli- more of a garnish than anything. My only gripe (and the sole reason I didn't give this review 5 stars) is that, as other yelpers have pointed out, you must order rice separately. I see rice as an essential part to these dishes, and so charging for it separately is basically forcing you to add $2 to the price of each dish (prices here are already a bit higher than I'm used to, especially for West Lafayette). I also wasn't sure how many sides of rice we needed to order- hard to tell without knowing how saucy the dishes will be and how big the rice portions are. We ordered two sides- in hindsight I think the two of us would have been fine sharing one side of rice. This is a real pet peeve of mine and stains an otherwise great dining experience. I hope Thai Essence will consider changing their policy on ordering rice as a side. I'd prefer they charge more per dish! Almost forgot dessert! They make several flavors of ice cream in house, so we ordered the ice cream sampler, which comes with a chef's selection (you can also choose from the list) of 5 flavors of ice cream. We tried lychee, melon, passion-fruit, ginger, and black sesame. All were great (black sesame was especially interesting) and the portion was more than two of us could finish. Fun to sample all of the flavors. I will definitely return- seems like a good place for groups- and we were sitting next to a family who's kids were having a ball.
(4)Amanda K.
Best Thai food in this entire area. For me, so far in the entire Mid West. The closest "Good Eats" I have come across Thai wise have been in Washington DC. (Good Eats - That is a joke for those of you that share my joy of Alton Brown's scientific like take of food on the Food Network. He should approve, right? *wink*) I lost my duchess with new yelp rules this year, but still have the top number of check in's. Also, sometimes college friends from THAT side of the Lafayette/West Lafayette area will CARRY OUT for me so I can't check in that far away. Kudos to one being a Yelper (Eric K) too busy on his PhD to join my yelp addiction, but he certainly has been a Thai Essence provider to my cravings so many times! I thank you for my deliveries and my transfers to beef and tofu since eventually you must change up the the same delicious dish! I tasted his Red Curry Beef once, well that day he got the chicken one... Haha. I would just eat both if I could! I love this place. In Lafayette/West Lafayette there is no Thai restaurant to compete (not even their own lower quality branch). This is the main branch and the same owners have a store on Purdue's campus called Basil Thai located on Chauncey Hill. I have eaten there a few times (friends peer pressure, the extra 30 minutes of being open, the fact they are a little closer of a drive, or even a lunch break from class when I was a grad student). That is their underdog. Let me compare: First, my top "go to" dishes are Red Curry (Gang Dang as they name it at Thai Essence - No no, not "Gang Bang" you comedian friends and readers!) I have a huge humor but this dish is so unbelievable near sacred to me, I could possibly ask for it on my very own death bed! We cannot corrupt the name and the honor of such a delicious dish!). My second "go to" favorite is Pad Thai. Common and unoriginal to those of us that love Thai, but theirs is tops! The noodles, sauce, sprouts, peanuts, just everything about it.... soooo delicious. I crave that too. These two dishes (Thai and Sushi are my loves) but Thai I have grown to be mildly picky about and I believe the quality, flavor, and taste of this place makes me always comparing. I will go somewhere and order red curry, then be disappointed since how do you not "compare" to your favorite version of a dish? By all means try this restaurant if you like Thai. I can't find one better!! The food is served fast, hot, and is made to order whether dining in or carrying out. The first thing I notice as a difference is the Chicken. You will get white meat chicken in your dishes at Thai Essence. At Basil Thai and other competitors you get a mix of chicken meat, dark meat, leg meat, you know.... just the "rest" of the chicken scraped into moderate dishes. I ventured past Chicken Red Curry and on to beef, and now tofu... WOW! The flavor absorbs right in to such a healthy difference source of protein and is so yummy. I CRAVE Thai Essence Red Curry (Chicken, Beef, Tofu - they also have pork and shrimp too maybe). The Green Curry is delicious too. I am updating a short 5 star review from 2012 and making a 2013 elite detailed review! Clearly STILL a top favorite of mine forever and always. When I leave this area someday, I have no idea where I will find Thai food that melts my mouth like this! Service: kind, fast, authentic. Quality: always hot and fresh, quality parts of fresh vegetables and high quality of your proteins/meats. Ambiance: Casual, however if you choose to dress up a little the interior decor is very beautiful. Its a small place, but plenty of room to serve all. The dining experience is generally less than an hour easily. You aren't rushed. They are just fast and fresh. Tips: 1) At lunch rice is included. At dinner the side of white rice costs $1 or $2. So if you like to dip white rice in your soup it cost a couple bucks for a heaping portion. 2) You can pick how spicy you want it. Over the years, I have noticed they are generally consistent with heat levels, but then if they change it up, they stay consistent. Pad Thai is not spicy if you are fearful of Thai or spices. If you like Italian and dislike spicy, go here and order Pad Thai. Delicious noodle dish with I like to describe the sauce as peanut buttery flavored. 3) Hours are generally 11-2 and 5-9, and closed on Sundays. I seen to notice a pattern that many Asian Fusion category restaurants are closed Sundays everywhere. Day off for all though. They deserve it. They will always happily let you carry out or call in an order and carry out at 2 or 9 pm, however, they won't SEAT you much past 1:30 or 8:30. Never rude, just will offer carry out. Like, "I am sorry we close at 2 and the kitchen is closing and servers are leaving, but our chef will absolutely be happy to make you an order if you would like carry out." That, in my opinion, is a very polite was for a small non chain to handle those arriving just before close.
(5)Brooke S.
honestly not that great. the pad Thai smelled like wet dog, and my husband and I could not spend another second around it. yes the place is decorated nicely and has good staff. however the wet dog/pet kennel pad Thai we had smelled questionable, and we will not be returning. I've been around the block many times, and know bad pad Thai when I taste it.
(1)Katja V.
By far the best Thai food in Tippecanoe county! I haven't tried anything with meat but my meat-loving friends have assured me that it's always tender and juicy. I always order everything vegetarian with tofu, and have had several waiters warn me about fish sauce in dishes that I wasn't aware of and take it out/substitute a different sauce free of charge. The atmosphere is pleasant although some tables are definitely awkwardly placed. The servers are always polite and helpful, and some really go above and beyond. Everyone is knowledgeable about the menu. I took one star off for the prices. The portions are large, but it doesn't always seem like you're getting quite enough for what you're paying. However, this restaurant is definitely worth the price.
(4)Aniruddha K.
Excellent thai food. It gets quite busy around dinner time. I've tried their Thai curries and the yellow and red curries are delicious. Another favorite is the pad ki Mao. They also carry mango with sticky rice (seasonal), which is delicious. Dinner portions are quite large.
(5)Deirdre G.
I absolutely love this place. The food is a feast for all five senses and reasonably priced.
(5)Kaleigh S.
I had some of the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant here. I sent back a dish because it just didn't taste or smell very good to me. (This is something that I very rarely do, and I was quite polite about it and simply asked for a different dish that I've had before and enjoyed a lot. I've also had the same dish at other restaurants and liked it, so it wasn't simply a matter of unfamiliarity). I watched from a distance as the server told the owner what happened and he appeared to get very angry. Then, the owner took my plate from the server, brought it back to my table, set it down in front of me, and in a very condescending tone told me they don't do replacements because "this isn't Applebee's." I should have left right then but I was so hungry and shocked that I just asked for the additional dish that I ordered as a replacement even though I was going to have to pay for both. Thankfully, our server discreetly took the first dish off the bill. Needless to say, I won't be back.
(1)Ashley A.
Yummy
(4)Liliana P.
Bad bad service. Last time We asked a spicy dish and received a non spicy food, the reason they gave us was they didn't have no control on the spices they received. Also we asked a pineapple rice and received a regular rice without pineapples, when asked for the pineapple rice they pick up our plate and literally throw cold pineapple pieces on the same rice, at the end we didn't eat. Non recommended at all
(1)Jett Y.
Love this restaurant. I give 4 stars because I think it's a little expensive. Food is great tho.
(4)Juan A.
Very good Thai food.... I had the crab cream cheese rolls and the green curry. The rolls were very good and the sauce complemented them very good. The curry wasn't bad at all; the chicken was tender and the food had the perfect amount of spices. The service was good and the price was reasonably.
(4)Don S.
I ate here after reading some iffy reviews. The food was great And the staff didn't mind making changes to the dishes for me. Service was great. Price was good but not fast food good. About $20
(5)Jay S.
This place is definitely one of the best restaurants the Greater Lafayette area has to offer. Delicious food, blazing fast service and friendly staff.
(5)Scott D.
There's a lot to like about Thai Essence. The decor is nicely themed and not overdone. The service was quick and friendly, even during a lunch rush. The menu seems reasonably authentic. Sadly, the one thing that I was least impressed with was the food. We had the beef salad (yum nuer) and a pad thai. Yum nuer is supposed to be SPICEY. This version was positively bland. I understand toning things down for an American palate, but this had no trace of heat. The chicken in the pad thai was tough and over cooked. Possibly luck of the draw, but we were disappointed.
(3)Gordon C.
Always a winner with us! Duck dishes are wonderful and the catfish is a world class dish! Service is always well done, with close attention to your needs. We've been back several times.
(4)Mel S.
My husband and I had some trouble finding good ethnic food in West Lafayette, especially on the North side. Thai Essence is excellent. The food is fresh and we have never had to wait a long time for either dine-in or takeout. When they say something is mild, it really is mild, and you can add sauces to spice it up. Our recommendations are the Pad Thai Tofu, Pra Ram, and Pad Ga-Prow. The only downside is that they are closed on Sundays (as are many places in this area). We once tried Basil Thai upon discovering this, and thought everything was just a little less fresh and more sloppily prepared at Basil Thai.
(5)Jay D.
Simply great Thai food in a nice setting. Been there few times and will definitely come back!
(5)Adam W.
My wife and I went to Thai Essence on a Saturday at 6:40. We were seated immediately and thought the decor and ambience were very nice. The waitstaff was also friendly and quick. We ordered the Tod Mun Gai as an appetizer. It was interesting and I liked it more than she did. It reminded me of a big chicken nugget patty but with shrimp mixed in. The food itself was just so-so, but the sweet cucumber salad added a much needed flavor boost when poured on top. For her meal my wife ordered Pad See Ew, which is a chicken and noodle dish. She enjoyed it and I thought the black bean sauce was similar to a lot of thai sauces I have had. The noodles were large and soft. Overall she really liked it and I thought it was ok. There was enough leftovers for her to have lunch the next day. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed my meal. It was the house special (pad ped bla dook) catfish. Small strips of fish are veeeery lightly battered and fried then tossed in a red curry sauce and drizzled with coconut milk. Outstanding! It came with slightly cold broccoli, but I didnt mind since the entree was so good. You must order a side of rice with this, though. after the rice this is a $17 dish and worth every penny. The serving is enough for a full meal, but you can't get a lunch out of it afterwards. We have been to Thai Essence once before and we will back many more times.
(5)Kristen H.
Best thai food around! Everything we have ordered from here has been delicious. I personally love the mango fried rice.
(5)FioNa L.
Always order pad see ew! But it's not that much! You may Oder another appetizer..And the price is little bit high!
(3)Sue S.
Thai Essence provides consistently excellent dishes in a pleasant atmosphere. Haven't had better catfish in red curry sauce topped with coconut milk anywhere. Find it hard to name a Thai restaurant in Chicago, Indianapolis, DC, or Philly that I would rate higher.
(4)Erik N.
People, please stop rating this place so highly, it is not good! Ive ate here a few times, each time thinking 'maybe last time I ordered the wrong thing.' Well there shouldnt be a 'wrong thing' on their menu as it isnt particularly large. The worst experience here was got the nicest choices on the menu with my girlfriend. I dont recall what they were outside of one was duck based and the other was scallops. Overpriced and overcooked. The next time, I got my more traditional favorite of thai red curry dish, it was bland and lacked the right flavors. Service here is never great either. Id have given it 1 star but it is difficult being an ethnic restaurant in a small town and I really do want them to get better as I miss thai food so mcuh.
(2)Kristen H.
I had no idea this place existed until my friend suggested we try here for lunch. We got there early and were the only people in the place, so we got fast service and a good amount of attention. I ordered the chicken pad thai, as I haven't been to many Thai restaurants and I wasn't feeling particularly adventurous. It was pretty tasty, though honestly, I liked the shrimp pad thai I made at home better. Price wasn't too bad, at under $10/person, and as I said, the service was quite good.
(3)Janice M.
This place is located across the street from where I used to work. My fellow workers and I decided to try this restaurant out one day during lunch after it had been opened for a week or so. The restaurant was well-decorated. The place was dead, perhaps due to the lack of advertisement. We were seated for a very long time until the server came to take our orders. The food came after all, and it was terrible. Tasted like heated up store bought sauce poured on top of cooked meat and veggies. Not to mention the over-powering MSG. What a disappointment on food! In addition, the service was also unacceptable. Our glasses were empty unless we asked for refills, several times. This is a Thai restaurant, waitresses should be on top of this! In addition, it took us forever to get our bills. by forever, i meant FOREVER. I had to walk up to the waitress while she was chit-chatting with her fellow workers to ask for our bill. Our 1-hr lunch easily turned into 1.5 hrs. After talking to other Thai students on campus, I realized that this restaurant is owned by the same owner of Basil Thai. I guess different cook doesn't mean better food. Their standard of terrible Thai food remains.
(1)Michael L.
We contacted the owner over our previous server issues and he dealt with them. My wife had fried Thai rice on the house this time and I had chicken pad Thai. Very good. I also had the ice cream sampler. Very good food.
(5)Trevor F.
I have gotten take out from this a couple times now and this place is pretty good, I got the Kung Hom Pa it was alright but I'd rather have dumplins or prongs cakes, the people here didn't even know what a prong was? seriously.... For my Entree I got the usual Pad Thai Chicken and added some shrimp it was good but nothing really to it, it wasn't spicy not the normal I expect from thai food but it works, I'll still go back again.
(3)Mihaela V.
Maybe if we lived in a place with lots more Thai food choices, this would get only 4 out of 5 stars... But in this area, this is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is consistently good and fresh, almost any dish can be made vegetarian, and the servers are very friendly. I hesitate to tell you what my favorites are there, because we tend to eat late, and by the time we arrive, our favorite is almost always gone! OK, the sweet basil rolls are to die for. I like the tofu satay, it comes with a peanut sauce that must be licked off the plate! Among entrees, there are several dishes I love: most of the noodle dishes, the ginger, and the cashew stir fry. I don't think they have a vegetarian massaman curry, I wish they did. Among deserts, I love the ginger ice cream, but the sticky rice & mango has to be the best.
(5)Cam H.
Consistently the best Thai food around Lafayette.
(4)Nina R.
Thai Essance is where it's at! I can't say enough good things about their food! I love the yellow curry, the pineapple curry fried rice, the pad thai, and all of their appetizers! Oh, and can't forget about their soups! So good! The atmosphere is great and so is the service! I even enjoy carrying out from there as well. I do wish that they offered bubble tea like their sister restaurant, Thai Basil. This place is a gem of West Lafayette.
(4)Melissa L.
Service: SLOW SLOW SLOW. They took a really long time to do everything. After giving us menus, they did not return for ten minutes. After ordering appetizers, they did not come back for another ten or so minutes to take orders for entrees. The appetizer took forever to come. They didn't really seem to appreciate our business, which didn't make sense since there were ten of us for lunch. Food: We ordered the mussels, some crepe-thing (Khanom Buang) and some steamed dumplings. The crepe thing was very good; it came with a pickled cucumber and vinegar dip. Very thin and crispy crepe that was flavorful. The dumplings were ok, they reminded me of an enclosed shumai. The mussels were awful. They were overcooked, leaving a very strong fishy flavor. The dipping sauce - lime and ginger and garlic - was nice and strong, but was it that way to hide the poor quality of the mussels? Ordered yellow curry, pad ga-prow, mango fried rice, pineapple fried rice, seafood noodle, sweet and sour chicken, and a couple other things. Everything was good, but not great. The pad ga-prow should have minced meat but they just served pieces of chicken. Fried rice was ok, but not awesome. I avoided the seafood noodle after seeing there were mussels on that too. We also ordered a Riesling, which was strangely not sweet. It tasted like a regular white wine. Mango slush and Thai iced tea were good, though. Overall, although the food was ok, the service was off-putting and slow. Even though it is one of the few Thai places in West Lafayette, they should not act like this.
(3)Yiner Z.
They make good Thai food. However, price printed on their menu is not the real price they charge you, which is always 1-2$ higher. If you ask them, they'll say, oh, we recently changed our price. "Recently"...being a year. And, on top of that, they raise the price by 1-2$ for dinner. So once, I was charged almost 20$ including tax for a noodle dish for a carry out for dinner. That was shocking. Besides, the owner and the waitresses can be really rude on the phone when you have a carry out order. I couldn't pick up my order before 2pm one day for my car battery died in the cold. They called me and I explained the reason and promised that I will definitely get there. The waitress told her boss, and the boss called me and left a message on my phone, saying in a very rude and threatening tone, "you know, we have your phone number and everything, if you don't come here right now, we'll never take order from you, you'll be banned from our store." Again...shocking experience. I did pick up the order around 2pm that day. But I promised myself to never go back. They are now banned on my list.
(2)Michael V.
The best Thai you can find in the area, though not as nearly as good as what you can find in Indy. It's fresh and decent, though a bit pricey for the non-lunch items. The service is quite quick and an ideal place for lunch. My favorite is the Pad Prikk and Yum Nueh (warning, the beef salad is very acidic). The noodles in some dishes tend to be really soft and possibly a bit old during the lunch rush.
(3)Xopher D.
With the dearth of Thai places in Lafayette, I'm very happy that this restaurant is here. I've come with my family about half a dozen times since moving to Indiana last year and have always left happy. Hands down, my favorite is the spicy catfish. My kids love the pad see ew. Curries are good, pad thai is fine (I'm not crazy about pad thai in general, but the wife's a fan), appetizers are deliciously varied. And they take your spiciness requests seriously. Sometimes the service might be slow, but it's always friendly -- and this even with two rather messy young 'uns. (Have you seen how thoroughly a two-year-old can disperse a plate of fried rice?) Stay around, Thai Essence & Basil Thai; we'd be lost without you!
(4)Cindy L.
not as good as basil thai and charge too much. its so far from campus
(4)Andrew H.
Thai Essence provides excellent Thai. Consistent quality and very competent staff keep me coming back. Wish they would make more of their basil rolls. Seems that every time I attempt to order them, they are out. Pad Ma Kuer is my favorite. Mango-Cashew Nut Fried Rice with shrimp is excellent and very plentiful.
(4)Tonnie M.
We don't really have great Thai choices around here but if your craving it Thai Essence is good. WAY over priced-3 kids + 2 adults= $76 (no desserts and only 3 drinks). My husband got coffee it was instant and weak, the food is good (not $76 good), we enjoyed the Basil Spring Rolls and the service was good.
(2)Chris S.
I think this place is very good. Don't leave without trying their ice creams. They are awesome. The main courses we got were also very good. I will go back again.
(4)Julie T.
Atmosphere is nice. I've been here a few times and have tried the red curry, pad see ew, and pad thai. It's not bad although, flavor seems like something is missing. Mango slush drink is amazing though! Although they are owned by the same people, I still prefer Basil Thai in Chauncey- menu is different but have some overlapping items. It's definitely not a place I crave.
(2)Michelle S.
The restaurant looked very nice and classy. We were seated and our orders were taken right away. Our food arrived quickly, however......the food was terrible! I ordered Pad See Ew and when she placed the plate in front of me and stated "Pad See Ew", I thought it didn't look quite right but started to eat it anyway. I thought "why is there so much pepper on this dish!?" I couldn't eat it and she took it back to the kitchen - she returned with the same plate and stated to just mix the dish together as there is only a bit of pepper. I tried again and couldn't eat it. I sent it back and decided not to order anything. She came back and stated "Your dish was switched with someone else's!" I received Pad Kee Mow which is a VERY SPICY dish! I finally received my original order, which of course tasted better than the bowl of spice, however it was not great. I didn't even receive a discount considering what happened. At our table we also had Pad Thai - which was way too sweet. Would not recommend this place.
(1)priss l.
This place is relatively new, located right behind Purdue research park. The atmosphere was very good, clean and quite. People working there were very friendly. They also have take-outs, pretty convenient if you decide that you don't want to cook or eat ramen noodles. The food there was pretty good, considering West Lafayette is not known for its diversity. The only thing I would complain about (very minor) is that their food isn't spicy enough. For example, pat see ew and pat kee mao are supposed to be spicy, but I don't think they give you the option of getting them hot. I guess you could always add some chilli pepper if you're into spicy food like me.
(4)Tiffany P.
I'm giving back the extra star because their taro ice cream is DELICIOUS, and they've improved their pad thai. They do still need to work on their service, but they are definitely the best Thai restaurant in the area. Hopefully they realize that they need to improve their customer service in order to keep being the best Thai place in the area though.
(4)Manon O.
Excellent small town Thai food - it is fairly authentic, consistent, and at times amazing. The food is always tasty. Our family dined there for a special nine course Mothers Day meal that was delicious and beautiful.
(5)Jenna T.
Very good! I spent a few weeks in Thailand and outside of there, this has been the best Thai food I have had. If you get the chance, the owner does a special 6-7 course Valentine's Day menu. At $50/person it is a little expensive, but the food was fantastic, presentation lovely, and an overall great experience!
(5)Nathan D.
Amazing place! By far one of my favorite places in Lafayette! Try the Pad Ga Prow you will be hooked! I can't say enough about the quality of the food and the staff.
(5)Marie E.
Food is decent (OK, but nothing special), but the prices are crazy high. Also, their portions are too small. I got the dinner size of their catfish special, and it would have qualified for a smallish version of a lunch special. Come on, the ingredients aren't that expensive. I hate to pay over $15 for a portion the size of a bagel that doesn't come with rice! Give me a break. My recommendation is to go to the Asia market (on Yeager St.) and to make your own Thai curries, etc.
(1)Jessica W.
Service was fast and friendly! We ordered wine, and the waitress took the time to polish our wine glasses before pouring the wine. Red curry was really, really yummy! As someone who had never tried Thai food before, I was nervous. But it was delicious! Definitely will be going back again.
(5)Tabitha W.
Normally, I am not a huge Thai-fan, but I am trying out being vegan and they seemed to have a very vegan-friendly menu. I had emailed ahead of time to confirm this and they had responded and said they could accomodate and to just let my server know my dietary restrictions. This was met with a bit of confusion as I broached the topic with the server as she didn't seem to be aware of the differences between vegetarianism and veganism. After the initial confusion, I think things went well. I had Fried Tofu as an appetizer. I found it a bit bland, but it came with a flavorful sauce. I really had to cover the tofu with the sauce, so a larger serving of the sauce might have been more useful. It wasn't really proportional to the tofu serving. I had Pra Ram for an entree. This came with a peanut sauce, and I wasn't a big fan of it at first, but it grew on me after a while. The Mango Mousse dessert was really good, the highlight of my meal. I thought the ambience of the restaurant was nice, and it was cutely decorated.
(3)Gail A.
I couldn't wait to try this place when it opened. The other Thai food I have had in Indiana has been a terrible. Headed over for lunch one day, and WOW. First lunch - I had the Pad See Ew. Fresh veggies, spot on flavors, great heat. I went back 3 days later. Cannot remember the name of the dish, but it was fantastic as well. Great beef - perfect seasoning. The peanut sauce is plate licking good, and the spring rolls are delicious. By far the best Thai food in the area. A wee bit pricey, but worth it for the wonderful food, friendly service and nice atmosphere.
(4)Jon L.
Probably the best Thai food in the Lafayette/West Lafayette area, but with the latest price increases the value per $ is dropping. $40 for three carryout dishes, really? Won't be going back unless it is a special occasion or for a lunch special.
(3)Steven B.
Simply the best Thai place in either Lafayettes. Go there and try it.
(5)B G.
Being from out of town, I've only been here once, but if my experience is the norm for this place, I would love to come back if I'm back in West Lafayette again. They have amazing fruit smoothies and my food was fantastic. I ordered the moo ping, which is grilled pork on a stick (street vendor style) with rice. Table condiments included the ever popular asian chili sauce which adds a great kick to any dish. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience: food, service, and atmosphere. That was a top notch lunch.
(4)Kelly L.
I reserved my 5-star rating for Thai Essence, my favorite restaurant in Lafayette. I enjoyed the owner's other Thai restaurant, Basil Thai, near the Purdue campus. When Thai Essence opened, I was not disappointed. The food is the same excellent dishes as Basil Thai, but the atmosphere at Thai Essence rocks. The Pra Ram is my favorite dish at both places--your favorite meat on a bed of brocolli and cabbage, topped with a thick, scrumptious peanut sauce. I only wish it were downtown instead of on the edge of West Lafayette!
(5)Sho K.
Overall, decent food with good presentation. Atmosphere is okay, just make sure to go when it's not too busy. Waiters are not the most attentive. Strangely enough, there were students outside conducting a survey for the restaurant during my first visit. I marked 'not likely to recommend' on the last page. Price versus taste: definitely not worth it.
(2)Kristen B.
Food was good. Dessert was even better. Service was odd. I didn't care how meals for one table we brought out 5 minutes apart from each other without so much of an apology or reason. I guess I was turned off by the service a bit. Presentation was beautiful. I guess the place's timing was just a bit off the time I went.
(3)Mark L.
The place was clean and the service was good. I had the Pad Thai and it was mediocre at best. The noodles were cooked well but sauce was more of a peanutty goo. Not very impressed! I was hoping for better as I enjoy a good pad Thai!
(3)Tanaya W.
Best Thai food in town. The pad kee now, red curry and pineapple fried rice are my all time favorites! You will never go wrong with these!
(5)Shruti G.
We showed up at the place without ever having heard much about it and with zero expectation and we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered the red curry and the thai fried rice and both were excellent. The service was insanely fast and the ambience was pretty nice for an inexpensive Lafayette restaurant. The winner for me however was the Thai iced tea. The idea of milk in iced tea didn't sound great to me but every single sip of that amazing drink was savored and cherished. The food was good but I am already looking forward to the iced tea next time I head there.
(4)Scott D.
There's a lot to like about Thai Essence. The decor is nicely themed and not overdone. The service was quick and friendly, even during a lunch rush. The menu seems reasonably authentic. Sadly, the one thing that I was least impressed with was the food. We had the beef salad (yum nuer) and a pad thai. Yum nuer is supposed to be SPICEY. This version was positively bland. I understand toning things down for an American palate, but this had no trace of heat. The chicken in the pad thai was tough and over cooked. Possibly luck of the draw, but we were disappointed.
(3)Melissa L.
Service: SLOW SLOW SLOW. They took a really long time to do everything. After giving us menus, they did not return for ten minutes. After ordering appetizers, they did not come back for another ten or so minutes to take orders for entrees. The appetizer took forever to come. They didn't really seem to appreciate our business, which didn't make sense since there were ten of us for lunch. Food: We ordered the mussels, some crepe-thing (Khanom Buang) and some steamed dumplings. The crepe thing was very good; it came with a pickled cucumber and vinegar dip. Very thin and crispy crepe that was flavorful. The dumplings were ok, they reminded me of an enclosed shumai. The mussels were awful. They were overcooked, leaving a very strong fishy flavor. The dipping sauce - lime and ginger and garlic - was nice and strong, but was it that way to hide the poor quality of the mussels? Ordered yellow curry, pad ga-prow, mango fried rice, pineapple fried rice, seafood noodle, sweet and sour chicken, and a couple other things. Everything was good, but not great. The pad ga-prow should have minced meat but they just served pieces of chicken. Fried rice was ok, but not awesome. I avoided the seafood noodle after seeing there were mussels on that too. We also ordered a Riesling, which was strangely not sweet. It tasted like a regular white wine. Mango slush and Thai iced tea were good, though. Overall, although the food was ok, the service was off-putting and slow. Even though it is one of the few Thai places in West Lafayette, they should not act like this.
(3)Erik N.
People, please stop rating this place so highly, it is not good! Ive ate here a few times, each time thinking 'maybe last time I ordered the wrong thing.' Well there shouldnt be a 'wrong thing' on their menu as it isnt particularly large. The worst experience here was got the nicest choices on the menu with my girlfriend. I dont recall what they were outside of one was duck based and the other was scallops. Overpriced and overcooked. The next time, I got my more traditional favorite of thai red curry dish, it was bland and lacked the right flavors. Service here is never great either. Id have given it 1 star but it is difficult being an ethnic restaurant in a small town and I really do want them to get better as I miss thai food so mcuh.
(2)Kristen H.
I had no idea this place existed until my friend suggested we try here for lunch. We got there early and were the only people in the place, so we got fast service and a good amount of attention. I ordered the chicken pad thai, as I haven't been to many Thai restaurants and I wasn't feeling particularly adventurous. It was pretty tasty, though honestly, I liked the shrimp pad thai I made at home better. Price wasn't too bad, at under $10/person, and as I said, the service was quite good.
(3)Michael V.
The best Thai you can find in the area, though not as nearly as good as what you can find in Indy. It's fresh and decent, though a bit pricey for the non-lunch items. The service is quite quick and an ideal place for lunch. My favorite is the Pad Prikk and Yum Nueh (warning, the beef salad is very acidic). The noodles in some dishes tend to be really soft and possibly a bit old during the lunch rush.
(3)Janice M.
This place is located across the street from where I used to work. My fellow workers and I decided to try this restaurant out one day during lunch after it had been opened for a week or so. The restaurant was well-decorated. The place was dead, perhaps due to the lack of advertisement. We were seated for a very long time until the server came to take our orders. The food came after all, and it was terrible. Tasted like heated up store bought sauce poured on top of cooked meat and veggies. Not to mention the over-powering MSG. What a disappointment on food! In addition, the service was also unacceptable. Our glasses were empty unless we asked for refills, several times. This is a Thai restaurant, waitresses should be on top of this! In addition, it took us forever to get our bills. by forever, i meant FOREVER. I had to walk up to the waitress while she was chit-chatting with her fellow workers to ask for our bill. Our 1-hr lunch easily turned into 1.5 hrs. After talking to other Thai students on campus, I realized that this restaurant is owned by the same owner of Basil Thai. I guess different cook doesn't mean better food. Their standard of terrible Thai food remains.
(1)Michael L.
We contacted the owner over our previous server issues and he dealt with them. My wife had fried Thai rice on the house this time and I had chicken pad Thai. Very good. I also had the ice cream sampler. Very good food.
(5)Mihaela V.
Maybe if we lived in a place with lots more Thai food choices, this would get only 4 out of 5 stars... But in this area, this is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is consistently good and fresh, almost any dish can be made vegetarian, and the servers are very friendly. I hesitate to tell you what my favorites are there, because we tend to eat late, and by the time we arrive, our favorite is almost always gone! OK, the sweet basil rolls are to die for. I like the tofu satay, it comes with a peanut sauce that must be licked off the plate! Among entrees, there are several dishes I love: most of the noodle dishes, the ginger, and the cashew stir fry. I don't think they have a vegetarian massaman curry, I wish they did. Among deserts, I love the ginger ice cream, but the sticky rice & mango has to be the best.
(5)Cam H.
Consistently the best Thai food around Lafayette.
(4)Nina R.
Thai Essance is where it's at! I can't say enough good things about their food! I love the yellow curry, the pineapple curry fried rice, the pad thai, and all of their appetizers! Oh, and can't forget about their soups! So good! The atmosphere is great and so is the service! I even enjoy carrying out from there as well. I do wish that they offered bubble tea like their sister restaurant, Thai Basil. This place is a gem of West Lafayette.
(4)Xopher D.
With the dearth of Thai places in Lafayette, I'm very happy that this restaurant is here. I've come with my family about half a dozen times since moving to Indiana last year and have always left happy. Hands down, my favorite is the spicy catfish. My kids love the pad see ew. Curries are good, pad thai is fine (I'm not crazy about pad thai in general, but the wife's a fan), appetizers are deliciously varied. And they take your spiciness requests seriously. Sometimes the service might be slow, but it's always friendly -- and this even with two rather messy young 'uns. (Have you seen how thoroughly a two-year-old can disperse a plate of fried rice?) Stay around, Thai Essence & Basil Thai; we'd be lost without you!
(4)Cindy L.
not as good as basil thai and charge too much. its so far from campus
(4)Trevor F.
I have gotten take out from this a couple times now and this place is pretty good, I got the Kung Hom Pa it was alright but I'd rather have dumplins or prongs cakes, the people here didn't even know what a prong was? seriously.... For my Entree I got the usual Pad Thai Chicken and added some shrimp it was good but nothing really to it, it wasn't spicy not the normal I expect from thai food but it works, I'll still go back again.
(3)Andrew H.
Thai Essence provides excellent Thai. Consistent quality and very competent staff keep me coming back. Wish they would make more of their basil rolls. Seems that every time I attempt to order them, they are out. Pad Ma Kuer is my favorite. Mango-Cashew Nut Fried Rice with shrimp is excellent and very plentiful.
(4)Tonnie M.
We don't really have great Thai choices around here but if your craving it Thai Essence is good. WAY over priced-3 kids + 2 adults= $76 (no desserts and only 3 drinks). My husband got coffee it was instant and weak, the food is good (not $76 good), we enjoyed the Basil Spring Rolls and the service was good.
(2)Yiner Z.
They make good Thai food. However, price printed on their menu is not the real price they charge you, which is always 1-2$ higher. If you ask them, they'll say, oh, we recently changed our price. "Recently"...being a year. And, on top of that, they raise the price by 1-2$ for dinner. So once, I was charged almost 20$ including tax for a noodle dish for a carry out for dinner. That was shocking. Besides, the owner and the waitresses can be really rude on the phone when you have a carry out order. I couldn't pick up my order before 2pm one day for my car battery died in the cold. They called me and I explained the reason and promised that I will definitely get there. The waitress told her boss, and the boss called me and left a message on my phone, saying in a very rude and threatening tone, "you know, we have your phone number and everything, if you don't come here right now, we'll never take order from you, you'll be banned from our store." Again...shocking experience. I did pick up the order around 2pm that day. But I promised myself to never go back. They are now banned on my list.
(2)Marie E.
Food is decent (OK, but nothing special), but the prices are crazy high. Also, their portions are too small. I got the dinner size of their catfish special, and it would have qualified for a smallish version of a lunch special. Come on, the ingredients aren't that expensive. I hate to pay over $15 for a portion the size of a bagel that doesn't come with rice! Give me a break. My recommendation is to go to the Asia market (on Yeager St.) and to make your own Thai curries, etc.
(1)Liliana P.
Bad bad service. Last time We asked a spicy dish and received a non spicy food, the reason they gave us was they didn't have no control on the spices they received. Also we asked a pineapple rice and received a regular rice without pineapples, when asked for the pineapple rice they pick up our plate and literally throw cold pineapple pieces on the same rice, at the end we didn't eat. Non recommended at all
(1)Jett Y.
Love this restaurant. I give 4 stars because I think it's a little expensive. Food is great tho.
(4)Juan A.
Very good Thai food.... I had the crab cream cheese rolls and the green curry. The rolls were very good and the sauce complemented them very good. The curry wasn't bad at all; the chicken was tender and the food had the perfect amount of spices. The service was good and the price was reasonably.
(4)Don S.
I ate here after reading some iffy reviews. The food was great And the staff didn't mind making changes to the dishes for me. Service was great. Price was good but not fast food good. About $20
(5)Team B.
We stopped here for lunch on a recommendation from a local. We ordered a mango slushie and a diet coke for drinks. The slushie was a bit sweet and started a little too cold to drink with a straw (we kept making straw core samples rather than being able to draw in the surrounding slush), but we still enjoyed it. Our waitress dropped off an unbidden refill of our diet coke, which was quite welcome. We had a tofu green curry and veggie Tom Yum soup for our lunch. Heather liked the soup, though I didn't care for the odd aftertaste. We both agreed that the green curry was a winner. There's plenty on the menu for vegetarians, so we're looking forward to trying other dishes if we have the opportunity to return.
(4)Diane K.
Great! Ordered Ginger Pad Khing with Tofu Take-out. DEE-Licious!
(4)Elissa M.
We went for lunch. The food is fantastic. The service was excellent. It's a little pricey but the quality of the food does not disappoint. My husband and I shared an appetizer of Kanom Jeeb..5 small dumplings with a flavorful soy sauce blend. My husbands entree was a Tofu Pad kee Mow with extra heat. The portion size was decent and the heat a flavorful slow burn. I had the Moo Ping as my entree and the pork was phenomenal. This was by far the most satisfying dining experience they I have had since moving to Indiana.
(5)Mike Y.
great food n great desert... Come from Washington. Try many thai food. This is one of great one I tried.
(5)Melissa K.
Thai Essence is the brother restaurant to Basil Thai (on Chauncy Hill). Both are very good, and come highly recommended. I personally prefer Thai Essence for the atmosphere and the menu. While both are similar in terms of food quality, Thai Essence has a much better atmosphere. You don't have to sit in a small crowded room and are more free to relax and chat after the meal. The Pad Thai is really good and they have lots of curry options if you are into curry.
(5)Shruti G.
We showed up at the place without ever having heard much about it and with zero expectation and we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered the red curry and the thai fried rice and both were excellent. The service was insanely fast and the ambience was pretty nice for an inexpensive Lafayette restaurant. The winner for me however was the Thai iced tea. The idea of milk in iced tea didn't sound great to me but every single sip of that amazing drink was savored and cherished. The food was good but I am already looking forward to the iced tea next time I head there.
(4)Mark L.
The place was clean and the service was good. I had the Pad Thai and it was mediocre at best. The noodles were cooked well but sauce was more of a peanutty goo. Not very impressed! I was hoping for better as I enjoy a good pad Thai!
(3)Tanaya W.
Best Thai food in town. The pad kee now, red curry and pineapple fried rice are my all time favorites! You will never go wrong with these!
(5)Jay S.
This place is definitely one of the best restaurants the Greater Lafayette area has to offer. Delicious food, blazing fast service and friendly staff.
(5)Nithin K.
Pros: location, decor, service, food quality, gluten/dairy- free options Cons: price Summary: Recommend! Details: I felt relaxed as soon as I entered this restaurant. Something about the ambience made me feel at ease. Although the restaurant is not in a busy city center, it just helps build on the serene mood they're shooting for. They have a gluten free menu and are mostly flexible with dairy free items which is always a plus for those who can't do gluten or dairy. The restaurant was very clean and the service was very great. I was a bit disappointed to hear that the dinner entrees did not include rice as a side. You have to order them separately. Not saying that it's required, but if they're charging me between 10-15$ per item, a small side of rice would've been nice. We ordered the red curry with chicken and pad ga prow with pork. Both items tasted really good, so I'd give full points for the food quality. We also go the mango mousse dessert which is supposed to be gluten and dairy free. See pictures for the items above. Besides the price point, the other item that was a let down was the glass (which was in fact plastic) that we got our dessert in. It was poor quality and the stem had cracks in it. See pictures.
(4)Jennifer L.
Living only a few miles south of Thai Essence, my husband and I have suddenly found ourselves as regulars here. Being huge fans of Thai food, we've also been to Basil Thai (sister restaurant to Thai Essence). Both are pretty good, but I personally prefer Thai Essence due to its atmosphere. My husband and I always order the Tom Kha Gai (coconut chicken soup) to start. We love the soup due to its sour notes. The coconut gives the soup a creamy texture without it being sweet. Alongside the chicken, there are some onions, mushrooms, and a pinch of cilantro and scallions. 5 stars in our opinion! My husband always either order the Pad Thai or the Pad See Ew (Thai stir fried noodles). The Pad Thai is really great; however, personally I do feel that it's too sweet sometimes. The Pad See Ew is another favorite. We love the fat noodles. Stir fry it with some broccolis and beef and it's to die for! As for me, I've tried a variety of different items on the menu. The curries are great and so is the pineapple fried rice. Just be wary of the spicy-ness. I'm a huge fan of eating spicy food, but I do feel that the green curry and the spicy basil fried rice can get a bit too spicy sometimes! Overall, Thai Essence is a great place to get your Thai fix - our favorite to go to in West Lafayette. Although we have had better elsewhere, this place won't disappoint!
(4)Allen Z.
Ordered the Pad Thai. Tasted funny..like the chef thew in a cup of sea water and sweat. Portion size was more suited for a Vic Sec model than a normal person, for $10, I'd rather go to the buffet down the road than to have a coffee plate loosely dotted with over-sweetened noodles. Slightly dissapointed as I was expecting a good meal!
(3)Paul N.
I'm from the west coast and there are many great Thai places where I live. This didn't really hold up. First of all the menu is quite small, with only a few curries for example. The space is clean and bright and the staff seemed pretty friendly. I had carry out, it was red curry. That's about the sum of it. It seemed to not be very flavorful, something was missing. Just... unremarkable. I fundamentally question the wisdom of eggplant in a curry. The one piece in mine was a gross soggy blob and I sent it to its grave with prejudice.
(3)Sam M.
We finally made it. This was our third try to eat here, the timing (ours and theirs ) hadn't meshed. We made it for lunch on a Thursday. It was busy and we had to wait a few minutes for a table. The staff was good at checking with us and keeping us updated. We ordered chicken spring rolls for an appetizer and my wife ordered Thai fried rice with chicken and I ordered the Pad Thai. The appetizer arrived quickly and was delicious. The main courses arrived soon after My wife didn't care for her rice so we switched which was fine as I thought it was great. She reluctantly gave me a bite of the Pad Thai and it was also really good, maybe not as spicy as I like, but that is good since my wife is a little wimpy about spice. Service was fast and friendly. Also I have to mention that the tea was great.
(4)Chunyu Q.
I often come here w my friends! Nice food and nice environment! The background music is always so relaxing! I strongly recommend the fried rice and curry duck here! Especially like the fried rice w pineapples and almond buts. Can't remember it's Thai name. But it's the last one listed among the fried rice entree on the menu!
(4)Yiyang Z.
We found here in yelp. After a long hesitation we ordered a Thai fried rice and a lad na mee . They are indeed tasty. The fried rice contains some scallion and onions and it's a little sweet. The seafood is very fresh but the noodles in it are bit of like instant noodles. Good Thai food overall!
(5)Faye Z.
I had heard good things about this restaurant, so I was excited to try it. I ordered the catfish, thinking it would be pieces of fish with vegetables in a curry. I was disappointed to be served a single mound of battered fish pieces, with no other ingredients aside from 3 broccoli florets for garnish. The taste was pretty good (coconuty and spicy), albeit on the salty side, but simply not a good meal to finish alone. Like I said, it literally is just pieces of battered fish...not exactly a balanced meal. I would come back to try the other items, and hope that this was just an isolated "miss".
(3)John W.
The food is excellent but the service is really lacking. It's 50/50 on whether you'll get good service or whether you'll get the snobby waiter that will throw silverware at the table you're sitting next too and give the thousand yard stare as we walks away. Also got attitude when I ordered take out...which is funny because I do that to avoid the attitude. Oh well, food is excellent so I'd still recommend it for people who enjoy Thai. Oh, almost forgot. The food doesn't come with rice. You have to pay for it separately 0_0
(2)Mindy Y.
SERVICE: Had a little cute female server. Very nice. Kinda-looked at us odd cause we ordered a bottle of Cab. Think she never seen a little Asian girl drink so much :O ! FOOD: 4 stars! (1) Scallops: grilled perfectly! (2) Spring Rolls: very, very neat rolls. (3) Shrimp Cabbage Wraps: my favorite. Thai Essence makes it perfect! (4) Vegie Dish: I can't remember which one I got but it was rather sweet. Not my favourite. DRINKS: massive bottle of Cab from Napa, CA... lol came all this way to Indiana to drink Cali wine. lol... **OVERALL: Service is good! Food is good too! Get a bottle of Cab and some Shrimp Cabbage Wraps ... my favs! 4 stars overall!
(4)Molly R.
This is a great thai restaurant. When I lived in Chicago, we would eat thai food at least weekly, and this place holds up against some of my favorite Chicago thai spots (ATK, Cozy, Thai Classic). Before I went this week, my husband and I hadn't visited Thai Essence for quite a while, and I was glad to return. Decor is nice, neither overdone nor sparse, and service is great- friendly and attentive wait staff. I ordered the Basil Roll to start, basically an herb/tofu spring roll. This is a favorite dish of mine and I always like to compare to the ones I make at home. I especially enjoyed the dipping sauce it came with (not the usual satay-like sauce I'm used to). For our mains, we ordered the basil chicken and the catfish. The chicken dish was a stir fry with fresh veggies- onion and bell pepper mostly. Good quality meet and flavorful sauce. We loved the catfish- when I ordered it, I expected a whole fish, so I was a bit disappointed when little fried strips of fish covered in coconut-curry sauce arrived. But the texture and flavor were spot on- I would definitely recommend this. It comes with like three little blanched pieces of broccoli- more of a garnish than anything. My only gripe (and the sole reason I didn't give this review 5 stars) is that, as other yelpers have pointed out, you must order rice separately. I see rice as an essential part to these dishes, and so charging for it separately is basically forcing you to add $2 to the price of each dish (prices here are already a bit higher than I'm used to, especially for West Lafayette). I also wasn't sure how many sides of rice we needed to order- hard to tell without knowing how saucy the dishes will be and how big the rice portions are. We ordered two sides- in hindsight I think the two of us would have been fine sharing one side of rice. This is a real pet peeve of mine and stains an otherwise great dining experience. I hope Thai Essence will consider changing their policy on ordering rice as a side. I'd prefer they charge more per dish! Almost forgot dessert! They make several flavors of ice cream in house, so we ordered the ice cream sampler, which comes with a chef's selection (you can also choose from the list) of 5 flavors of ice cream. We tried lychee, melon, passion-fruit, ginger, and black sesame. All were great (black sesame was especially interesting) and the portion was more than two of us could finish. Fun to sample all of the flavors. I will definitely return- seems like a good place for groups- and we were sitting next to a family who's kids were having a ball.
(4)Amanda K.
Best Thai food in this entire area. For me, so far in the entire Mid West. The closest "Good Eats" I have come across Thai wise have been in Washington DC. (Good Eats - That is a joke for those of you that share my joy of Alton Brown's scientific like take of food on the Food Network. He should approve, right? *wink*) I lost my duchess with new yelp rules this year, but still have the top number of check in's. Also, sometimes college friends from THAT side of the Lafayette/West Lafayette area will CARRY OUT for me so I can't check in that far away. Kudos to one being a Yelper (Eric K) too busy on his PhD to join my yelp addiction, but he certainly has been a Thai Essence provider to my cravings so many times! I thank you for my deliveries and my transfers to beef and tofu since eventually you must change up the the same delicious dish! I tasted his Red Curry Beef once, well that day he got the chicken one... Haha. I would just eat both if I could! I love this place. In Lafayette/West Lafayette there is no Thai restaurant to compete (not even their own lower quality branch). This is the main branch and the same owners have a store on Purdue's campus called Basil Thai located on Chauncey Hill. I have eaten there a few times (friends peer pressure, the extra 30 minutes of being open, the fact they are a little closer of a drive, or even a lunch break from class when I was a grad student). That is their underdog. Let me compare: First, my top "go to" dishes are Red Curry (Gang Dang as they name it at Thai Essence - No no, not "Gang Bang" you comedian friends and readers!) I have a huge humor but this dish is so unbelievable near sacred to me, I could possibly ask for it on my very own death bed! We cannot corrupt the name and the honor of such a delicious dish!). My second "go to" favorite is Pad Thai. Common and unoriginal to those of us that love Thai, but theirs is tops! The noodles, sauce, sprouts, peanuts, just everything about it.... soooo delicious. I crave that too. These two dishes (Thai and Sushi are my loves) but Thai I have grown to be mildly picky about and I believe the quality, flavor, and taste of this place makes me always comparing. I will go somewhere and order red curry, then be disappointed since how do you not "compare" to your favorite version of a dish? By all means try this restaurant if you like Thai. I can't find one better!! The food is served fast, hot, and is made to order whether dining in or carrying out. The first thing I notice as a difference is the Chicken. You will get white meat chicken in your dishes at Thai Essence. At Basil Thai and other competitors you get a mix of chicken meat, dark meat, leg meat, you know.... just the "rest" of the chicken scraped into moderate dishes. I ventured past Chicken Red Curry and on to beef, and now tofu... WOW! The flavor absorbs right in to such a healthy difference source of protein and is so yummy. I CRAVE Thai Essence Red Curry (Chicken, Beef, Tofu - they also have pork and shrimp too maybe). The Green Curry is delicious too. I am updating a short 5 star review from 2012 and making a 2013 elite detailed review! Clearly STILL a top favorite of mine forever and always. When I leave this area someday, I have no idea where I will find Thai food that melts my mouth like this! Service: kind, fast, authentic. Quality: always hot and fresh, quality parts of fresh vegetables and high quality of your proteins/meats. Ambiance: Casual, however if you choose to dress up a little the interior decor is very beautiful. Its a small place, but plenty of room to serve all. The dining experience is generally less than an hour easily. You aren't rushed. They are just fast and fresh. Tips: 1) At lunch rice is included. At dinner the side of white rice costs $1 or $2. So if you like to dip white rice in your soup it cost a couple bucks for a heaping portion. 2) You can pick how spicy you want it. Over the years, I have noticed they are generally consistent with heat levels, but then if they change it up, they stay consistent. Pad Thai is not spicy if you are fearful of Thai or spices. If you like Italian and dislike spicy, go here and order Pad Thai. Delicious noodle dish with I like to describe the sauce as peanut buttery flavored. 3) Hours are generally 11-2 and 5-9, and closed on Sundays. I seen to notice a pattern that many Asian Fusion category restaurants are closed Sundays everywhere. Day off for all though. They deserve it. They will always happily let you carry out or call in an order and carry out at 2 or 9 pm, however, they won't SEAT you much past 1:30 or 8:30. Never rude, just will offer carry out. Like, "I am sorry we close at 2 and the kitchen is closing and servers are leaving, but our chef will absolutely be happy to make you an order if you would like carry out." That, in my opinion, is a very polite was for a small non chain to handle those arriving just before close.
(5)Brooke S.
honestly not that great. the pad Thai smelled like wet dog, and my husband and I could not spend another second around it. yes the place is decorated nicely and has good staff. however the wet dog/pet kennel pad Thai we had smelled questionable, and we will not be returning. I've been around the block many times, and know bad pad Thai when I taste it.
(1)Jessica W.
Service was fast and friendly! We ordered wine, and the waitress took the time to polish our wine glasses before pouring the wine. Red curry was really, really yummy! As someone who had never tried Thai food before, I was nervous. But it was delicious! Definitely will be going back again.
(5)Tabitha W.
Normally, I am not a huge Thai-fan, but I am trying out being vegan and they seemed to have a very vegan-friendly menu. I had emailed ahead of time to confirm this and they had responded and said they could accomodate and to just let my server know my dietary restrictions. This was met with a bit of confusion as I broached the topic with the server as she didn't seem to be aware of the differences between vegetarianism and veganism. After the initial confusion, I think things went well. I had Fried Tofu as an appetizer. I found it a bit bland, but it came with a flavorful sauce. I really had to cover the tofu with the sauce, so a larger serving of the sauce might have been more useful. It wasn't really proportional to the tofu serving. I had Pra Ram for an entree. This came with a peanut sauce, and I wasn't a big fan of it at first, but it grew on me after a while. The Mango Mousse dessert was really good, the highlight of my meal. I thought the ambience of the restaurant was nice, and it was cutely decorated.
(3)Katja V.
By far the best Thai food in Tippecanoe county! I haven't tried anything with meat but my meat-loving friends have assured me that it's always tender and juicy. I always order everything vegetarian with tofu, and have had several waiters warn me about fish sauce in dishes that I wasn't aware of and take it out/substitute a different sauce free of charge. The atmosphere is pleasant although some tables are definitely awkwardly placed. The servers are always polite and helpful, and some really go above and beyond. Everyone is knowledgeable about the menu. I took one star off for the prices. The portions are large, but it doesn't always seem like you're getting quite enough for what you're paying. However, this restaurant is definitely worth the price.
(4)Aniruddha K.
Excellent thai food. It gets quite busy around dinner time. I've tried their Thai curries and the yellow and red curries are delicious. Another favorite is the pad ki Mao. They also carry mango with sticky rice (seasonal), which is delicious. Dinner portions are quite large.
(5)Deirdre G.
I absolutely love this place. The food is a feast for all five senses and reasonably priced.
(5)Kaleigh S.
I had some of the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant here. I sent back a dish because it just didn't taste or smell very good to me. (This is something that I very rarely do, and I was quite polite about it and simply asked for a different dish that I've had before and enjoyed a lot. I've also had the same dish at other restaurants and liked it, so it wasn't simply a matter of unfamiliarity). I watched from a distance as the server told the owner what happened and he appeared to get very angry. Then, the owner took my plate from the server, brought it back to my table, set it down in front of me, and in a very condescending tone told me they don't do replacements because "this isn't Applebee's." I should have left right then but I was so hungry and shocked that I just asked for the additional dish that I ordered as a replacement even though I was going to have to pay for both. Thankfully, our server discreetly took the first dish off the bill. Needless to say, I won't be back.
(1)Ashley A.
Yummy
(4)Gordon C.
Always a winner with us! Duck dishes are wonderful and the catfish is a world class dish! Service is always well done, with close attention to your needs. We've been back several times.
(4)Mel S.
My husband and I had some trouble finding good ethnic food in West Lafayette, especially on the North side. Thai Essence is excellent. The food is fresh and we have never had to wait a long time for either dine-in or takeout. When they say something is mild, it really is mild, and you can add sauces to spice it up. Our recommendations are the Pad Thai Tofu, Pra Ram, and Pad Ga-Prow. The only downside is that they are closed on Sundays (as are many places in this area). We once tried Basil Thai upon discovering this, and thought everything was just a little less fresh and more sloppily prepared at Basil Thai.
(5)Jay D.
Simply great Thai food in a nice setting. Been there few times and will definitely come back!
(5)Adam W.
My wife and I went to Thai Essence on a Saturday at 6:40. We were seated immediately and thought the decor and ambience were very nice. The waitstaff was also friendly and quick. We ordered the Tod Mun Gai as an appetizer. It was interesting and I liked it more than she did. It reminded me of a big chicken nugget patty but with shrimp mixed in. The food itself was just so-so, but the sweet cucumber salad added a much needed flavor boost when poured on top. For her meal my wife ordered Pad See Ew, which is a chicken and noodle dish. She enjoyed it and I thought the black bean sauce was similar to a lot of thai sauces I have had. The noodles were large and soft. Overall she really liked it and I thought it was ok. There was enough leftovers for her to have lunch the next day. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed my meal. It was the house special (pad ped bla dook) catfish. Small strips of fish are veeeery lightly battered and fried then tossed in a red curry sauce and drizzled with coconut milk. Outstanding! It came with slightly cold broccoli, but I didnt mind since the entree was so good. You must order a side of rice with this, though. after the rice this is a $17 dish and worth every penny. The serving is enough for a full meal, but you can't get a lunch out of it afterwards. We have been to Thai Essence once before and we will back many more times.
(5)Kristen H.
Best thai food around! Everything we have ordered from here has been delicious. I personally love the mango fried rice.
(5)FioNa L.
Always order pad see ew! But it's not that much! You may Oder another appetizer..And the price is little bit high!
(3)Sue S.
Thai Essence provides consistently excellent dishes in a pleasant atmosphere. Haven't had better catfish in red curry sauce topped with coconut milk anywhere. Find it hard to name a Thai restaurant in Chicago, Indianapolis, DC, or Philly that I would rate higher.
(4)S R.
When I lived in the area I used to patron Thai Essence quite frequently. I loved their green curry and their fried tofu! They can make many dishes vegetarian friendly, which was always a bonus when I was in a veggie mood. Or if you wanted something extra spicy they would accommodate and make it SPICY! It was great. One thing that I noticed was the decrease in portion sizes over the years. My husband and I would typically order take out and bring it home. A number of years ago they would fill the curry take-out container so much that we would have leftovers for another meal or so. The last year (that we lived there) we would sometimes bring the food home only to find the container only 1/2 full. Never stopped us from going to Thai Essence though because the food was good. Just a personal gripe because I knew what we used to get. The other thing I wanted to mention was the fact that Thai Essence was always great with groups. On a number of occasions I went with a very large number of people. The restaurant was always great with large groups. I loved the fact that they would bring out large bowls of (I think endless!) rice for everyone to share. A few times we had gift exchanges and loud/lively conversations and the workers were also pleasant. I give them an A+ for service.
(4)Kim F.
Very good and quick! A little on the expensive side for lunch but good size portion.
(5)