4. Restaurants

Mai Thaiku

6705 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103
  • (206) 706-7807
  • Store is closed

Mai Thaiku Menu

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  • Chris O.

    After many years on hiatus, due to location/circumstance, I found myself back at (Mai) Thaiku. Having known this place in it's former location and having enjoyed many a fine meal there, I was expecting a great performance and I was not disappointed. The pork loin satay (Moo Yaang) was smoky, salty and tender. The spice on it was sublime. Sweet but savory and hints of citrus. The northern-style pork sausage (Sai Oua) appetizer was very refreshing. A hunk of meat that you expect to weigh you down but doesn't. Light and airy with a mix of zesty flavors. Perfect for the season. The Khao Soi is still my favorite of all Thai dishes. Period. And Thaiku was/is the first and best in our fair city. Velvety smooth with more flavor per spoonful than any other noodle soup you can get your hands on. Sour bits of pickled mustard green and what seems to be shaved chicken (thin and light). Crispy egg noodles on top and bits of red onion. I'm drooling as I type. Lastly, there was beef dish (Kua Gling) that wowed my taste buds. Sour, sweet, spicy in the way that means something and so satisfying. The place was packed but the service was wonderful. Never wanted for water and was left to enjoy our meal and company at our own pace. I'm happy to see this place continues to do well after years of slinging the best Thai I've been able to get my hands on without leaving the continent.

    (5)

  • Natasha R.

    Quality Thai food for sure. Definitely beats the Americanized spots you find on every corner. The menu was a bit hard to understand at first (I have a white girl mindset) but by reading the flavor/ingredient combos it's easy to find delicious dishes. I recommend their Pad See Ew, Sticky Rice, & Papaya Salad for sure (nice & spicy). We attempted family style both times I visited, but you may be better off ordering a couple dishes for yourself. Smaller plate portions & a bit on the pricey side, but it's worth it for for it's quality & flavor!

    (4)

  • James F.

    So... this review is only for the drinks, since I have yet eaten there (but the food looks fantastic) Amazeballs. Ulongtini and Radiant Flower. I want these in a venti cup with a straw. Best drinks ive had, maybe ever.

    (5)

  • Braden P.

    Fantastic. First app on menu and first house special were amazing. And reasonably priced: under $40 for two entres and two appetizers. Will come back!

    (5)

  • Shannon B.

    Um...is that an entree? "Yes. We prepare portions this size so there is none left over, as it isn't fresh the next day..." was the response to my mom's inquiry over a Pahd Thai served on a bread plate. Two small prawns atop a handful of sprouts and maybe three long noodles. We let it go, as this was our sole night out together before I flew back home to Boston, but I call B.S. on the server's explanation. My Ba Me Hang dish wasn't much larger - maybe a salad plate size. If you're expecting any dish on the menu to arrive on a plate bigger than a kid's frisbee, you're in for a sad surprise. To be fair, flavors of both dishes were fine, and the setting in a little bungalow in Phinney neighborhood was appealing (though the outdoor picnic benches didn't quite gel with the attractive and more atmospheric interior..reminded me of a casual fish and chips joint). What I think we have here is a perception problem. Having recently returned from Barcelona, I enjoyed several tapas bars, which served portions similar to what we went in thinking were entrees at this restaurant. Simply informing diners about the portions sizes, and encouraging them to order a handful of shareable plates would have removed any disappointment on our end. "Thaiku tapas"...that description would have been perfect.

    (2)

  • Kyra W.

    My friends and I tried out this place a couple of weeks ago - and I still think of the great meal we had. Wonderful flavors, cooked just right. Some confusion on how to eat one of the appetizers but overall a great time. Only reason this isn't a five-star review was that there was a bit of a wait, without a good spot to wait in and I think I'd like a little larger portion size. But really, I'm still talking about this dinner and recommending it to people. :)

    (4)

  • Pack C.

    I had pad see eaw and hot beef salad. Both of them are really good. The taste is very authentic. I can taste herbs and spices in each bite (mint, basil, toasted rice powder, and etc.) so, it's a pretty good experience overall. Will definitely come back again

    (4)

  • Erin E.

    1. Take-out Phad Thai was delicious. I got two stars which was not very spicy, and I'm a pansy when it comes to spiciness. 2. The ambiance was very clean and relaxing. Nice outdoor patio for a sunny day. 3. Downside was that it was a pretty small portion of Phad Thai (compared to other Thai restaurants). And when paying over $10 for it, this fatass would love to have some leftovers!

    (4)

  • Courtnee P.

    Dropped in here for lunch with a friend on a Sunday, one of the only places open. Thai Iced Tea is premixed with dairy milk so none for me (I need coconut). Two salads and one Thai iced tea later, left $30 poorer and still hungry. Expensive salads were perhaps 8 inches in diameter, mine was supposed to have fried trout but only seemed to have fried breading - never once tasted any fish. Overall flavor was great. Unlikely to return at such a lame value.

    (2)

  • Mikaela W.

    It's my second time eating here and I've been impressed both times. The pork belly and Chinese eggplant weren't my favorite dishes, but the larb, skewers, phad se ew, chicken salad, crying tiger, and everything else were delicious. Good service and delicious food will keep me coming back. The price will probably keep it to special occasions, because with a drink it was about $25/person with tax and tip. Worth it. Wish they had chop sticks! I'll get over it.

    (4)

  • Jason T.

    I'm a fan! After reading the Yelp reviews, we decided to give this place a shot! I never really noticed this place, it's right next to El Chupacabra and across from Red Mill in Phinney Ridge. We came by for a pretty early dinner, so we were the only ones in at the time. So service was definitely attentive and great! What really struck me was the ambiance, there is this rustic and authentic Thai vibe here. The layout was also very cozy with an open view of the kitchen and a friendly Thai staff. The restaurant decor is unique in the sense that you forget you're in Seattle for a second. It was very clean and hip, but in the most unpretentious way possible. I would say it's more on the upscale side for Thai food (Aka not your usual fast food, chicken phad thai, take-out joint. Nothing wrong with that, just figured I'd clarify), but it's definitely fair in terms of prices and the experience you get. I was very impressed by the attention to detail with everything and highly recommend coming here! Thai Iced Tea - So good! Not too sweet and simply on point! Definitely one of the better ones I've had. Khao Soi - Crunchy noodles with curry sauce. This was a great dish. Normally, we stick with the basics when it comes to Thai, but Mai Thaiku was different and we wanted to try something new. We didn't regret it! The noodles with the curry were really good and I'd recommend giving this dish a chance. Phad See Ew - We ordered this with pork. I guess we didn't venture too far from the norm with this, but it was still good. Nothing special, but a solid quality dish. We had a nice time and will definitely be coming back!

    (5)

  • Dan S.

    *Very popular and busy place but so worth the wait *Reminded me of a little Pok Pok in Portland, very different flavors and tastes than the typical Thai place but not in a "cute" way, seems genuine and expansive *Solid service and refreshingly good, can't wait to go back

    (5)

  • Shaveta K.

    I utterly enjoy seeing how novel steel plates/cups are the norm here ~ how it's done in India and probably SE Asia about the food... * Chicken skewers -- satisfying way to begin this E. hemisphere experience * Pad Se Ew is a must * Red Curry sub with Tofu & less red chili pepper ( it can be rather spicy) I did notice many menu items are new for me but, ask severs; they will break it down Mai Thaiku is willing to prepare dishes off the menu - this option is noted

    (5)

  • Alex L.

    This place is amazing! More authentic than anything else I have had in Seattle. Unlike most Thai restaurants, they do not overload their food with sugar. I loved the ambience and how small place is, it made for some very good service. It is my favorite Thai food restaurant in Seattle and my wife and I will definitely be returning!

    (5)

  • Jenny B.

    This is the best place in Seattle for Thai food. I got the pad-thai, and it was the most delicious and authentic that I've had anywhere in the city. Delicious, but a bit expensive for the portion size you get (minus one star), BUT plus one star for the most excellent customer service EVER. I drove to the location but had forgotten my wallet, they let me take my take-out home, have my chill Friday night and then come back later in the evening to pay my tab. I think that they sensed the fact that I had been having a terrible day, and they really brightened me up with their trust and love for their customers!! Please go to Mai Thaiku!!

    (5)

  • Jen M.

    Yay! I am so happy to have found this place!! Now I am a fan of Phad Thai, Pad see ew, panang curry, and all the other commonly found Thai dishes here in the US, but after visits to Thailand, I've realized how hard it is to find Thai places that haven't over-americanized (or ketchuped) their food choices / palate... but this place is LEGIT. Khao Soi: My first exposure to this dish was in the food court of a Thai mall or street vendors at various hill tribe marketplaces.. I've been known to go back for seconds and lets just say, I've been hooked ever since. Sometimes the craving is fierce, so I've found a good recipe to make it at home, but when I'm too tired/ lazy to cook - this place hits the spot! Just one other place in Seattle has Khao Soi that rivals Mai Thaiku's... the only thing I'd like more is if they used chicken drummets vs. chicken breast meat, but it is still so very good. I'd also recommend: save this sauce and put it on anything... well, almost anything. CRYING TIGER: Good portion size and the meat is so tender and flavorful - you don't even need the spicy dipping sauce it came with. SOM THAM: Green Papaya salad was really fresh, crisp and right on point for flavor. PAHD KRAPLAU KAI DOW: So simple: basil, rice, ground pork and chili with fried egg... but this is a Thai dish that I have rarely found on menus, nor replicated well in the states.. but Thaiku pulls it off perfect... and what doesn't taste even more awesome with fried egg on top? Not much I think. Phad see ew: ok I finally tried this and let's just say it kicked off a craving for more for days. Yum. GAENG HUNG LEI: This pork belly doe... dripping with fat, in a rich, savory curry sauce. I'm not sure how we managed to have left overs after our meal... but I couldn't bear to let this sauce go to waste either... so we kept it... and it even tastes awesome cold.. mmm... I want some now!!

    (5)

  • Jessica N.

    Probably the best Thai I've had in the states. Not like other Americanized thai spots, this place is authentic and DELISH! My favorite is the pad Thai, and I typically don't even eat pad Thai. Can't wait to go back for more!

    (5)

  • Steven K.

    Good phad Thai the place wasnt busy when I came so the service was very fast. Fresh ingredients. Tasted great. Would come again.

    (4)

  • Tik Y.

    This place is amazing! I had the pork belly entree. The waitress warned that it would be fatty. My eyes and smile widened and gleefully said yes, I'll take it. It did not disappoint. The dish came out with tons of flavor, and the fat is what you would expect from eating pork belly. Apparently some people are shocked with the amount of fat in the pork belly. ummm then maybe get a salad next time!

    (5)

  • Elana L.

    These ladies know how to cook! If you want traditional Thai food in town, this is your place. Pickled crab legs in papaya salad...YES PLEASE!!! It is the closest thing to REAL Thai food I've found. Can't wait to return.

    (5)

  • Peter C.

    Mai Thaiku has a vewwy Vewwwy S P E C I A L C H O prace in my heart! Every time I come in this Dimry Rit Rittle Restaurant I feel like I'm in Thailand!!! It is Truely a WondaPho Feeling A) Because When I close my eyes and eat the Food I pretend like I am in the Streets of Thai Land, B) I save Hundreds of Dollars a Year on My Vacations By not going Anywhere a Year and Prentend to do so By Getting Phat, C) I am no Expert but I like to Refer to this place as Authenico Thai Street Food Straight from Bangkok! Prawn Pad Thai- When it comes to this dish I am very Picky Some Might even Call me a Master Pad Thai Judger of Awesomeness. There are currently Tree I mean 3 places that are in mY Chautime List for EggStreamly Good Pad Thai and this is one of them. (Along with Buddha Ruska and May Restaurant See Pics On my profile for Details) This Pad Thai Has that Street Wok flavor, Perfect execution on the Tamarind Sauce (BTW phuck CatChup in my Pad Thai I hate that) Bean Sprouts and Veggies are super fresh, Noodles are Silky Smooth because they are made from Imperial Thai Silk hand cut, and the Prawns are perfectly cooked each time. If you like Pad Thai you need to try this See My Pics for Details. (Warning this is in no way an Ad for Mai Thaiku) Khao Soi- Khao Soy is a dish I like to call TWO FACE, the Villian from BATMAN. Reason being is because you have the Ugly Face which I will refer to as the Fried Noodles. You first set your eyes on because they are on top, not too Pretty and it's the first thing you see kinda like Two Face's Ugly Face is the first thing you notice. Then you have the Normal Face or what I refer to as the Egg Noodles. Noodles come To get her with the the Moly Moon Cream Based Sauce, Spices, and Veggies. The Combo is a total win! To be honest I have had a problem ever since I first tasted this dish. It's Deciding if Pestle Rock's Khao Soi is Better or Mai Thaiku. The reason why I also nicknamed this dish Two Face is because since he is so good at making Decisions with his coin Determining Heads or Tails he could easily help my Dilemma. Either way this dish is Amazing come here and Get Sum. Thai Ice Tea - Very Good Goes So well with Thai Food!!! In Fact goes well with anything... even Cereal. Thai Ice Tea "There Great"-Tony The Tiger Approved

    (5)

  • Megan D.

    Visited on Thursday night with my family. Very friendly staff. Delicious drinks. The food was outstanding! I haven't had such good papaya salad in years. Definitely recommend that. I love their decor and the servings were just the right size. I wish we had a Thai restaurant like this in San Diego.... Yum! You must go here!

    (5)

  • Opal D.

    It was packed when we arrived on a cold evening. There was a 20 minute wait for a table and the restaurant layout does not have adequate space for waiting customers. The menu is large and the food was good with large portions. The service was below average, we needed to initiate getting boxes and the cheque. There is free street parking in the area and I did not have trouble finding a spot only 2 blocks away at prime dinner time on a Friday night. I would come back if I'm in the area for a casual weeknight dinner but would avoid coming on Friday evenings in the future.

    (4)

  • Deborah J.

    I have been meaning to go here ever since I found out it was the same owners as the original Thaiku that I was very fond of. The service was fantastic, the place was small but we had no problem getting a table on a Saturday night, although it did pick up after we got there. The menu was quite different from the old from what I could remember. We tried the Phad Thai and Kua Gling, the beef dish was full of flavor but on the smaller side. Phad Thai felt like it was on the smaller side but it ended up being enough when we ordered a side of rice. I didn't notice it at the time we ordered that they didn't ask how many stars we wanted for spice for either dish. It didn't end up being an issue for us, the beef dish was naturally spicy and the phad thai came with a bunch of spice on the side so it all worked out, but if you aren't a spicy fan you might want to make it a point to say something since they didn't ask (not sure if that is customary) I will be back to try other deliciousness soon!

    (4)

  • Sarah D.

    Everything I've eaten here is insanely delicious. It seems to be very authentic. The outdoor seating is nice in the summer.

    (5)

  • Nath A.

    SHORT VERSION: Tasty Isaan food Stuff your face with hot khao soi Skip the pad Thai here LONG VERSION: If you're just looking for a generic neighborhood Thai joint, Mai Thaiku is not it. Yes, they've got pad Thai and pad see ew, but the prices are a couple of bucks higher than the Seattle average ($12ish/entree), and you can get that stuff anywhere. Thaiku's menu is heavily geared towards Northern and Northeastern (Isaan) food. These cuisines were pretty much invisible in the US just a few years ago, but now we're almost spoiled for choice, with this place, Pestle Rock, Som Tam, and ZapVerr, not to mention closely related Laotian restaurants like Viengthong and Savatdee. The menu opens with 'gahp glam' (small-plate bar food) and various grilled meats on sticks, presumably intended to go with the mysterious herbal cocktails they make at the little bar by the entrance. About half the menu is devoted to spicy salads that go with sticky rice (including several versions of the popular papaya salad). There's also a small selection of curries and soups. All this stuff is served family style, though one dish per person is about right, portion-wise, particularly if accompanied by an order of rice. If you'd rather not share (I sympathize), you'll probably want to order from the section labeled 'ahaan jahn diow' (one-plate meals). I went with the khao soi, a rich soup with both soft and crispy egg noodles, pickled greens, and chicken, in a coconut-based yellow-curry-like sauce. This was a competent version of the dish, though the crispy noodles tasted just a bit stale, and the sauce got a little cloying towards the end. I also snuck bites of the jackfruit curry and a chicken skewer, both of which were good.

    (4)

  • Jess A.

    The service here is great! I've had a few 'non-traditional' items on the menu and would stick to the items I had when I was in Thailand going forward. But I'm kinda a Thai-snob. Definitely would go back.

    (4)

  • Whitney B.

    With every passing month, my proclivity to whore myself out at the nearest restaurant is quickly dying. Gone are the days I readily stuff my hole with hot garbage and endure the following day with many regrets. Now I selectively participate in food orgies. Mai Thaiku is a solid Thai restaurant with options for indoor or patio dining. It's also the right atmosphere to bring friends or dates. How do you know if someone's been to Thailand without prompting the question? Take them to a Thai restaurant and they'll be galloping in on their retarded, high horse ready to harangue your plebeian ass about how the food in Seattle is incomparable. Find solace in the fact that the food here is quite good with flavors that are common to Thai dishes: sour, vinegary, and spicy. I thought the three dishes I had here were diverse and good enough to break the monotony of each dish. Khao Soi, egg noodles with coconut milk curry, is among the most memorable because it is super dense and rich. Let's just say there's a delicate, fine art in swallowing thick and creamy fluids. The Nahm Dook Neuam, lime-spiced beef paired with green cabbage and scallions, is by far my favorite and an excellent appetizer. Their Pad Thai fell short on flavor and temperature. It wasn't a favorite of mine because I personally prefer Pad Thai to not be dry and sticky with shame. I like them wet with anticipation.

    (4)

  • Kathy V.

    The food was alright. The pork in the pad see ew was dry and the phad thai noodles was mushy. The grilled skewers were good though. Also no one came up to us after giving us our meal. I wanted extra spice, but had no one to ask. It also took 15-20 min after they took our plates away for our check. We had to finally find someone to request it. Most likely won't come back for the food. I do like the outside seating though.

    (3)

  • Steve F.

    Holy cow! This may be one of the top couple Thai places in Seattle, along with Budda Rhuksa and I am not sure what else, maybe Thai Tom and Pestle Rock. The food was so good and creative. They had the traditional favorites, but also some dishes particular to Northern Thailand that you don't see at your run of the mill Thai joint. The spices were perfect and the ingredients were quality and fresh. I love this place.

    (5)

  • Wally T.

    Here is my Haiku for Mai Thaiku: Delicious and Fresh Unique, exotic, spicy My bald head is wet

    (5)

  • Andrew P.

    My favorite thai restaurant, hands down. Lucky for me, I only live a few blocks away. The curry will blow you away.

    (5)

  • Tanya A.

    This is by far the best Thai food I have ever eaten. Everything is authentic, fresh, and delicious. This is the type of place where you can close your eyes, point to something random on the menu, and enjoy every single bite of it when it arrives, no matter what it is. It's that good. Don't get the same old pahd Thai when you come here. Be adventurous. You will not be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Cara N.

    Price is too high for the food quality and quantity, you can get the same or better food and service around university area for half the price.

    (2)

  • Pi C.

    Verdict: This is the best place in the greater Seattle area to get northeastern Thai food. Better than what you're going to get from some popular restaurants in Thailand (I'm native Thai and live there for the first quarter of century of my life). Am I overselling it? No... Read on. I heard about this place from a few friends who are regular of the original Thaiku in Ballard. When they closed that place down, we were devastated. Even though our friends were complaining about the portion of the food that noticeably shrunk at this new place, we undeniably gotta try this new place out (fun fact: Mai in Thai means new). We sort of know that the place is good for northeastern ('Isarn' in Thai) food so we followed our regular procedure: ordering our Northeaster Trinity: Crying Tiger, Som Tahm (any version of your choice) and Tom Zap, accompanying by a few kratib (bamboo enclosure) of sticky rice. Wow - the food is just a perfection. They use real (as in not substituting) and fresh spices and herbs. Authenticity is 100% - you know that when you see Som Tham Lao and Som Tham Nua with fermented fish sauce. If you haven't tried that sauce (or not a big fan of regular fish sauce), I highly recommend you go with Som Tham Thai. My personal opinion is that they execute Isarn food much better than another restaurant with that particular name in Kirkland (review to come for that place). The story about Crying Tiger is that, in Thailand, the beef is generally so tough. When someone grill the beef, it's so chewy that even a tiger cries as it tries to eat. Luckily beef is one of several things this country is good at producing. That's why I said the food tops some of good restaurants in Thailand. Another rare item is Gang Hung Lay (north-style curry). It's a brownish curry made with pork belly. Very, very authentic as well. Another recommendation. The decor is fun. You see a manually pedaled three-wheeler (not the popular motorized tuk-tuk) in front of the place. There's an artwork on the restroom door with Thai words saying 'don't be loud' (like you can help it). Also, the window looking out of the restroom has a word 'ant' in Thai painted on it at the in-your-face position while a man is doing his #1 business. Are they implying something? I'll have to come back to try Khao Soi (curry noodle - another difficult-to-make northern dish) and their whiskey cocktail. They have Maekong, a cheap and horrible Thai whiskey. Will see how they get creative about taming that river beast into a crafted glass of cocktail. Ballard is a difficult neighborhood to get around but this place makes it worth it (or we may also have to go to Hiroki to get some cake as well). One thing I can't crack is the meaning of the restaurant name. We're guessing it means 'my Thai' (has to pronounce 'Thai Goo') or 'Thai creek' ('Thai Ku'). Neither makes total sense. If anyone has the answer, please let me know.

    (5)

  • Charlene I.

    I am a huge fan of Thai food and this place right here is on point!! One thing that I always look for and try out is the Som Tam aka. papaya salad! I usually judge a restaurant off that dish alone...hahaha...any ways...I was pleased to see that they had 5 different variations including my favorite - lao style (very fishy). That shit was BOMB! Another dish I enjoyed was the Larb Gai (ground meat + lime, fish sauce, roasted rice powder, onions primarily). A simple dish with very few ingredients, but so bomb. The Crying Tiger was marinated well, flavorful and cooked perfectly. Perfect with the Som Tam & sticky rice. The restaurant reminded me a lot of Pok Pok in Portland (+NYC) which is probably the most famous thai restaurant in the country (ironically owned and ran by a white man lol). With that being said, I deem this place the best Thai restaurant in Seattle! Come see for yourself, my G!

    (5)

  • Isabelle C.

    I've been meaning to write this review for a while now. Don't come expecting the old Thaiku. Come expecting delicious Thai food. Seriously, the food is awesome. We had the prawn ceviche, which I absolutely loved. Bold flavor with a good kick of spice. My boyfriend ordered some beef app (can't remember the name) that was perfectly cooked. Pad Thai was good (pretty difficult to mess that dish up). The aphrodisiac cocktail was tasty (don't know if that's what got us frisky later on, but if it was, I want one every day ;) ). Only complaint is it was a bit pricy (two apps, two cocktails and an entree came to $70) but Greenwood is the next Ballard and unfortunately, there isn't much we can do to stop it. Go for good food and fun people watching on the patio.

    (4)

  • Blair S.

    Wow, just wow. Super impressed. Many "non-standard" Thai dishes. Cant go wrong. We tried 5 dishes for 4 people, and I couldn't help but get protective over everything. You know that feeling...where you start to mentally ration for other parties at your table, desperately hoping they understand you mean business when they peep stink-eye you are tossing their way.

    (5)

  • Jeff P.

    Appetizers were good, had pork and chicken satay skewers. The main dish, didn't blow me away. The portions are small. I've had better service at McDonald's.

    (2)

  • Christine N.

    Different than your typical pad Thai and tum yum soup. complex bold flavors. not so heavy. spicy. Served on metal plates which I thought was cool. I'm sure there's a reason. legit Thai folks running and cooking in this place. Favorites are the beef salad with the Sticky rice. I get this every time and the pork belly curry. Not a huge pork belly fanatic because I grew up eating this crap before it became all freakin hipster. The curry is flavorful with a great mouth feel and not too greasy. There is a special noodle curry dish that was interesting Khao something. Because of the rich flavors, I recommend getting a few or four dishes to share. If you are by yourself, do the same and then take the rest home for lunch the next day or dinner. The drinks?? umm so yes they are strong and I think you're limited to one of their yohimbe drinks. One is all you need. maybe even half. apparently, it gets you all Randy. Check it out for yourself.

    (4)

  • Eva C.

    This place has authentic Thai food, which is hard to find. My favorite dish is the Khao Soi, but they have many other taste-y dishes as well. Every dish I have tried is full of flavor and spices. The Khao Soi is in a yummy curry sauce and it come with deep fried crunchy egg noodles on top, with chicken and pickled veggies. So good! The creamy curry sauce with the pickled veggies is quite a flavor packed combo. The crunchy texture from the fried egg noodles is great compliment to the dish. The restaurant is a decent size with outdoor seating for when it's nice out. It has a full bar with many exotic cocktails. Of course they also have Thai Iced Tea! A must with dinner! The service is great. They are very tentative and helpful with suggesting dishes. Side note: you can order off the menu and they will do their best to accommodate your order. So if it's not listed and you're craving it, they will make it! (obviously within reason) There is only street parking, which I've never had an issue finding. You may park a block or two away, but walking is good for you!

    (5)

  • Mojdeh S.

    How I heard of this place: Two of our good friends have made this their go-to restaurant of the year. A short distance from their home, they have sampled nearly everything on its menu and kept detailed notes of each dish. They talk about it every time we see them, so this was our way of getting them off our backs to try the place out. But now we know why they kept pestering us about it. Type of cuisine: "Our new menu emphasizes traditional food found every day in street markets across Thailand. But, not to worry. We have kept many of your favorites dishes. And if you don't see your particular, old favorite on the new menu, just ask, and we will accommodate." Ambiance: Tucked away, nestled among the courtyard trees, Thaiku's lit sign welcomes patrons through its hidden doorway. Inside, the mini bar to our right is decked out in Halloween ware, but we are rushed past by our hostess, and escorted to our seats in the middle of the L-shaped restaurant dining space. Tastefully decorated with old apple crates filled with ornamental decor, a mini gas fireplace, and mostly barren walls, the tile-front kitchen is open to view and interaction with the evening's cooking staff. Dim-lit, calming, yet bustling with the sounds of happy diners, Thaiku is a true Thai oasis in Phinney Ridge. What I ordered: The five of us dining at Thaiku this evening were not spared from any of our friends favorite dishes! To start, the Gai Satay ($2/skewer): yellow curry and coconut milk marinated chicken with peanut sauce and cucumber salad, Sua Rong Hai/"Crying Tiger" ($8): grilled marinated flank steak with spicy dipping sauce, Nohm Dok Neua ($11): grilled flank steak, shallots, mint, green onion, cilantro, roasted rice powder, chili flake, lime dressing, and Mieng Kahm ($10): fresh ginger, lime, chili, red onion, peanuts and toasted coconut to wrap in bai cha plu leaves; and one Palm ($3.50) beverage, with its sweet and refreshing tambre. We were given the option of choosing our own meals, with eager persuasion, which included the Kua Gling ($12): beef in a sauce of galangal, lemongrass, chili and shallot, with fresh cucumber, green beans, jasmine rice, and Khao Soi ($12): fresh and crispy fried egg noodles in yellow curry, coconut milk with chicken, pickled mustard greens. For them, Pahd See Iew ($11): fresh wide rice noodles wok fried in sweet soy with gai lan and sliced pork, and Pahd Thai ($12): rice noodles wok fried in tamarind sauce, with prawns, bean sprouts, garlic chive, peanuts, tofu. For dessert, while one enjoyed every last bite and we were granted mere samples of each flavor, we were not given a choice in ordering the trio of house-made coconut ice creams: spicy ginger, thai tea, and coconut. What I loved: Of the appetizers, though granted only one taste, it was the Sua Rong Hai/"Crying Tiger" that best captured texture, flavor and intrigue. Of the main entrees, I would regularly order the Kua Gling, followed by the Pahd See Iew for the sweeter-tastebud callings and the Pahd Thai for an all-around tasty and filling dish. Between the three ice creams, the thai tea was the lightest in flavor, including the usual sweetness found in the beverage form, the coconut my favorite, and the spicy ginger an exciting jolt right at the end of a bite. Why I loved it: Reminiscent of a quick and easy dining establishment one might only find in a Thailand market, the space is clean, welcoming, and quirky in all the right ways. Cost: Low to average ($9 - $14 per entree)

    (5)

  • Ian R.

    I had to do a double take when I saw the current Yelp star level for Mai Thaiku...3.5 stars? From reading the previous reviews, it seems some people found that the move to Greenwood from Ballard resulted in a downgrade. So my rating is based on an 'absolute value' view of the current Greenwood location, not a view that's relative to the old location. Let me start off by making a very bold statement in the scope of Thai food in Seattle - I feel Thaiku has the best Pad Thai in Seattle, hands down. Rather than using the typical ketchup-like base for the sauce, Thaiku's Pad Thai has a dryer, less saucy mixup. What it lacks in sauce, it makes up for with the additions of sweet and fiery spices, unique noodles (thinner and wavier than the typical flat rice sticks used elsewhere), and plenty of meat. Aside from the Pad Thai, their Gaeng Hung Lei (pork belly) is hearty, well spiced, and very filling. From the appetizer section, definitely try the Larb, which has a ground pork or ground chicken version. The Larb is crunchy, spicy, and tangy, all of which is what Larb should taste like. Now onto the drinks, and this is where Thaiku further sets itself apart from the rest. The Yohito is a mixture of Yohimbe and rum, and what else do you need to know?! And no, I don't know the drink well because I'm interested in greater libido...................................... The whiskey variant is the Yohimbe Manhattan, another great drink. But I always go for their mezcal selection (if you've read any of my other reviews, you can see that I'm definitely not opposed to this spirit). Lastly, the servers are great, and I've had the fortune of forming a great rapport with many of them. They're friendly, jolly, and take care of you well. This place is, as the saying goes, as good as it gets.

    (5)

  • Ali D.

    I will admit, the intent was not to dine here with my friends one evening but to go to El Chupacabra next door. But when we noticed this cute, little Thai restaurant next door with a spacious outdoor seating area complete with Bamboo and smells of authentic Thai food wafting from inside, we just had to change plans! We each ordered Pahd See Iew and a Thai iced tea while sitting on the patio. Compared to other Pahd See Iews, I would say this one tasted the most authentic, fresh and wasn't greasy, which I appreciated. The portion was on the smaller side though - I was starving so was able to finish my plate and be completely stuffed but I prefer Thai food that has big enough portions for leftovers. I overall really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. What I'm deducting stars from, however, is how overpriced I found it to be. For a smaller portion of Pahd See Iew and a Thai iced tea, it cost me $18 with tip. Yikes!

    (3)

  • Patti S.

    Ate with some friends, sat outside, great place and really good food. I asked for something they did not have on the menu and they made it just the way I expected, yummmmy! Everyone loved their dishes, we will be back. You should check it out if you haven't already.

    (5)

  • Amber M.

    My boyfriend and I went here on a Wednesday night during their Happy Hour. I believe it was $2 off appetizers and $1 entrees. We chose this place because of another Yelp reviewer's suggestion. SERVICE: To start off the service was fantastic! We were greeted immediately when we walked in the door and sat down quickly. She informed us of the Happy Hour specials shortly after seating us, brought water, plates & silverware shortly after. Two different individuals checked on us while at the restaurant and we had a chance to speak to one woman a bit longer at the end of our service. Turns out, she is the guru behind the food and even makes the ice cream homemade! She was so pleasant and we both enjoyed the conversation. FOOD: To start we ordered the Nahm Dok Neua (Grilled Flank Steak) as an appetizer under the 'Gahp Glam' section of the menu. The flavor of the steak was absolutely delicious! The only thing I personally didn't like was the texture with the toasted rice powder. However, my boyfriend said that was BY FAR his favorite thing because he loves cilantro and lime. Plus the steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned. For main courses I ordered the Gaeng Hung Lei (Pork Belly Curry) which is listed under the Khow Gaeng section of the menu and my boyfriend ordered the Ba Me Hang (Chicken Pad Thai) under the Ahaan Jahn Diow section of the menu. My pork belly was A-MAZING! The flavors, the sticky rice - everything, so well seasoned and perfectly cooked! The curry also had a wonderful flavor. My boyfriend said the Ba Me Hang was really good. I tried a bite and it was definitely flavorful! The only thing I wished, both he and I agreed, was wishing there was some 'heat' to the dish. But overall, everything was AMAZING! OVERALL REVIEW: My boyfriend and I agreed we will definitely be returning here! The flavors were so good and everything was cooked to perfection! I plan to get something totally different next time I go so I can have a variety of choices at this location. I recommend going here if you want a satisfying meal with some good flavors!

    (4)

  • Sue P.

    Yummy somtum pla-la and gung che nam pla....they are my fav. The ambience is great feel like living in the old rural Thai village

    (5)

  • Olga M.

    I LOVE THE FOOD but hate the service. Been here twice, once about a year ago, and the second time a few weeks ago for happy hour. Our experience last time was great. This time, not so much due to the server. We ordered one of everything that was on the HH menu and supplemented with a Pad Thai and Kao Soi. All of that came to about $77 which was fair for the quality of food we received. Let me iterate that I love the food, it's my alternative to Pok Pok, it's great Isan Thai food, but the two women who seated and served us were so surly that it made me not want to return. Ever. It was 90+ degrees outside that day and with no AC so we told our waitress we wanted to sit outside as it was even hotter in the restaurant. She had our menus in her arms and as soon as she heard that we wanted to sit on the patio she handed us the menus (more like dumped them off) and pointed to the door and gestured to us to find our own seats. Really? Why even bother greeting us at the door. Every time she approached our table she had a sour face, like she was really unhappy or something. I told myself to ignore her but between the dark cloud of melancholy that hung over our server and her lack of checking up on us (we had to get our own utensils at one point), I think I'll be driving the additional few miles to the other Isan Thai place in Ballard (Pestle Rock) rather than returning here.

    (3)

  • Latifa S.

    Meh Meh Meh......yea!! This really isn't that bad. But it isn't good either. My friends loveeee this place and kept telling me to go because they know my love for northern thai cuisine. So I went. Dish 1: Yum woosen aka Yum Talay Its my absolute fav thai dish ever. I've had it so many times on the streets of Bangkok on my frequent travels there. I've also tried recreating at home many times. So when I got here, I had pretty high hope. It was just FLATTTTT!! I asked for 5 star thai spicy and literally got a one star American spiced dish. It was flat, tasteless and just Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Dish 2: Grilled baby squid with chilli garlic sauce. Not bad. The sauce was quite strong but you really need it to avoid the aweful fishy taste of the squid. Don't get me wrong. I love squid but they need to spice them better. Dish 3: Pad thai : this was a hit! But I hate pad thai. But I like this version. Hmmmmmm Dish 4: Basil stir-fry with chicken and fried egg. It was a ok once again. I had high hope!! Really high but the hope plane never reached that 35,000 mile. Ya know what I mean?? Speaking of best yum woosen- aka yum talay salad? The best one I had so far was this little tiny boat like place in Alki. Had it last year after one of those summer Alki bonfire parties....Can't remmeber the darn name but If I can remember the name: I'd go back tomorrow!

    (2)

  • Brittney B.

    It saddens me to write this review. Back when Thaiku was in Ballard, it was a place I often frequented and brought my friends. I'd impress them with Thaiku's unique menu and crazy drug imitating cocktails. I can say that this was a favorite and I was genuinely very upset when they picked up shop and closed their doors. Imagine my delight when a friend texted me "Britt!! Really important news! Thaiku is back open". I couldn't believe it! It really did seem too good to be true. And in reality, it was. This time around, I skipped out on the cocktails because I have a job, people! I can only imagine what their yohimbe-packed drink would do to me if I had work the next day. I went with the classic pad thai because it's an easy go to. I was a little surprised it was priced at $12 because I don't remember it being that expensive but I went with it anyways. My friend and I ordered the same dish but with different levels of spice. When our meal came, not only was it very small (one of the best parts of Thai food is the generous portion that allows you to double it up as lunch the next day, amIright??) but there was a pile of chili flakes on the side of my plate. Naively, my friend and I mixed the flakes into our dish assuming that they were measured to our requested spice level and I can assure you, THEY WERE NOT. It was a flake catastrophe. My friend got a flake in her eye ball and I ruined my small portion of pad thai with spiciness I couldn't handle. I don't want to be a stickler and maybe it was an off night but we were both disappointed with the experience. If I'm being honest, I'm assuming we'll both come back if we're hankering for a unique cocktail but I'm not sure I will order food from Thaiku again.

    (3)

  • Marie B.

    I remember fondly the original Thaiku in Ballard, and just kept driving by Mai Thaiku for years with its relocation to Phinney Ridge. We briefly looked at the El Chupacabra posted menu, but definitely stayed on course and continued on to Mai Thaiku. When it comes to Thai - sometimes we're just flat out lazy and eat at our usual Shoreline spot that always has the monthly coupon we get in the mail. Until this evening! Clearly we arrived during the latter end of dinner rush ~ 8-8:30pm since most of the tables both inside and outside were full. Thankfully, no issue getting seated without a reservation. Their menu was so enticing beyond the usual and on the level of Little Uncle or Pestle Rock. Very pleasant and efficient wait staff and bartender. Strategically placed fans so it was comfortable and the ability to see the open kitchen....very busy kitchen staff as most of the tables were 2 to 6 tops. I ordered the Pla Neung Manao (Market Price, $24) with Jasmine rice ($2 each). The entrée was a delicately steamed whole white fish in a spicy garlic-lime broth topped with sliced garlic, lime, and cilantro to the side. Husband ordered the Pahd Kanom Jeen ($11) which were vermicelli noodles sautéed in sweet soy and Chinese sausage, green onion, cabbage, and pickled mustard greens topped with pork rinds. He also decided to order a Mekong Mule ($8) which was refreshing iced cocktail with lime and ginger beer. Me - I decided to drink copious amounts of iced water served in tin cups. I just kept anticipating our meal as other fragrant meals were being delivered to other tables. Plus this was a great place to people watch. I have only been floored by whole fish on the bone: Chilean sea bass at Monsoon (which I don't eat anymore since it's overfished), the grilled tuna collar at Issian, and now the Pla Neung Manao at Mai Thaiku. Absolutely delicious! I saved the fish head to savor for last with the last of the broth on the jasmine rice. Clearly I ate 75% of the fish as it reminded me of countless steamed fish with rice family meals growing up. Of the two entrees - this one was the five star winner! Amazing meal with presentation and flavors that are guaranteed to make you sit up and take notice. I was originally in a meh-mood going out for a late dinner, but once I was served this dish that awoke all the senses and palate. Clearly I am not going to bypass this restaurant next time I have a craving for Thai food.

    (5)

  • Drew K.

    BEST THAI FOOD IN SEATTLE - PERIOD How this place has 4/5 stars is beyond me, Yelp needs to change their platform so this restaurant can get the 10 stars it deserves!!!! Calling Seattle home for most of my life, I've had Thai food probably once or more per week. This literally blew every restaurant I've been to out of the water, it was like eating Thai food for the first time. I've never been to Thailand so I can speak to its authenticity, but I can speak to the depth of their flavor spectrum being something I've never experienced with Thai food before. I can't rave enough about the food, but it's rare to find a restaurant that also matches impeccable service and a beautiful ambiance. Their servers are extremely helpful, prompt, and very warm and welcoming. I think their decorations make you feel like they put thought and care into the whole experience of the customer. So thank you Thaiku, you have prevented me from ever searching for 'Thai' in Seattle ever again on Yelp! You're the only one I'll ever need!

    (5)

  • Anthony B.

    I seriously don't understand how anyone who has eaten here could give it less than 4 stars. This place is phenomenal authentic Thai Food. Everyone I have taken here who has traveled through SE Asia can vouch for this. I loved this place even more when they didn't serve Pahd Thai. Not that Pahd Thai can't be good but it's the f*ck*ng Chicken Tikka Masala of Thai food. Yes it's good but TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. Even just try Pahd See Iew. It is so good! Rant Over. I love this place. Ever since the first time I came here I was hooked. The decor cannot get any more spot on. It is absolutely perfect. Totally "traditional" meaning this seems like a restaurant straight out of Chaing Mai. They also have fun things like fried crickets and other interesting tastes at the bar. Here is all I have to say about their service. Taken right from the website: "We have kept many of your favorites dishes. And if you don't see your particular, old favorite on the new menu, just ask, and we will accommodate." Yellow curry is my favorite of the thai curries. That being said Thaiku doesn't serve the curry dishes you are used to. So go for the Khao Soi. It is so damn transcendent. Fresh yellow curry, noodles two ways, pickled veggies, and chicken. Traditionally the chicken is on the bone but I'll let it slide.(PS they wont ask "How many stars" because they know how hot it should be, and you don't) The crying tiger is a very flavorful and spicy appetizer when you need to up your daily protein content. The cocktails are very inventive and tasty. But the quality of preparation varies between the bartenders. They use some really cool house made tinctures (One comes with a health warning!) and Mekong Thai "Rum". Get in here. Get out of your comfort zone. Try something new. Thank me later.

    (5)

  • CJ P.

    We've been here as a regular now since the food always great and the service is outstanding!!! You will feel that you're in Thailand. Love the music they played.(old thai country music and oldies thai jazz and blue) For some reasons I think Yelp got it wrong about their business hours though. They never closed at 3pm to 4pm. I'm glad that we don't have to feel bad as we sat down and order food about 2.30pm and worrying that they will be closed for their break from 3pm to 4pm. So their business hours for weekends will be from 12pm to 10pm and for weekdays(mon through thu) will be from 4pm to 10pm. On friday I wasn't sure about the time of opening so you might give them a call. We each had Papaya Salad Amazing Amazing Amazing!!! The taste was just right The sweetness from palm sugar, the salty from fish sauce and the sour from fresh lime were great combination. If I have a chance to go back there again tomorrow I will!!! We also had Nam Tok Nuaer, Grilled pork skewer and Khao soi.... Well done and they did a great job. We're so glad that We're having real authentic Thai here in Seattle without asking. Thank you so very much for your great job.

    (5)

  • Deana B.

    I can't stop talking about this place to people! If you love awesome food, you will love this place. I haven't found a dish that is bad. The only downfall is that I don't live next to it, to eat here every night!

    (5)

  • Tama K.

    Break out of the Thai-American mold. Pros- outdoor space. Interesting and less "anglo-ed" dishes. Salads and green papaya options. Love the indoor street kitchen look. And cups and plates. Mieng Kahm is just plain fun to eat- wrap your fave flavors in an edible leaf and pop in our mouth. Go for it. Cons- skewers. These should be easy and likable. They were not. sauce good. Ingredient not good enough. Shredded fried trout topping for a salad was confusing. Fish? Breadcrumbs? Heavy? Light? Sort of like chittlings put through a shredder. Interesting but not enough to make it good. Have had the interesting drinks in the past. Go for this, too. Refreshing and different. Come on. Break out of the Thai-American mold.

    (4)

  • Rajah G.

    One of our favorite Thai restaurants in Seattle. Great service and food! Was really busy on a Monday at 830 but I think it was because of a TV show they were featured in. Nice spicy dishes. Nice range of dishes, preparations, and tastes!

    (5)

  • Monique L.

    The food here is not bad, to be fair. I wanted to leave them a 1 star because of the obnoxiously priced plates. They would get a 4 stars if the price is 30% less, and a 5 stars if 50% less. But like most 1 and 2 stars reviews stated, portion was small. You'd feel like you've been ripped off by Thai pirates (no, maybe like Thai pickpockets). The pork belly dish was full of fat (Gross!! The fat/meat ratio is 70% fat 30% meat but should be the other way around. Make me feel like puking) and costs like $12. Flavor was good though. The Penn Cove mussels curry was served in a hot pot style burner that's supposed to come with either coal or solidfuel at bottom - bottom was squeaky clean and looks to have never been used! They might as well use the regular bowl because that's the way the thing was used, like a bowl. All these moronic moves on top of the gouging prices. No thanks! Walk across the street to Stumbling Goat and get much better drinks and pork belly appetizer ($11) that can scream/teach Mai Thaiku a lesson about how to cook pork belly correctly.

    (2)

  • Rebecca W.

    If your looking for the old thaiku of Ballard, I'm sorry. That's gone. Went here for dinner tonight and got my small portioned pahd see iew and left hungry. I almost considered going next door to get a burrito after dinner, cause I was so hungry. At least I would of got my money's worth. 11$ for that small of a portion. Meh. Maybe if I went to the restaurant not hungry, I would of been satisfied. We went, we ate, we paid, we left. Just so my review isn't all meh here, My husband got the pahd kanom jeen, which he enjoyed but there was hardly any meat in the dish and it was also a small portion as well. We're not going back

    (2)

  • Jason A.

    Outstanding. Some rare dishes on here hard to find in Seattle. Lovely decor. See pics.

    (5)

  • John F.

    Amazingly subtle flavors. The mango salad was incredible.

    (5)

  • Cam A.

    pros: "holy shit" good. all menu items ordered were solid. interior decor was very warm and aesthetically reminding of thailand. cons: menu is a bit confusing if you aren't comfortable with thai terms, restaurant is small and not good for large parties--if you have a bunch of people, definitely call ahead to see if they can take care of you. yisssssssssssssssssss. overall, my party split 4 menu items and they were all tasty tasty tasy tasty gooooood. i don't agree that this place is pricey based on the quality of food they serve. perhaps their menu is pricey based on the neighborhood and space they occupy, but the food is ridiculously good for the price. SOM THAM THAI: the shredded papaya had a strong crispness to the bite and the sliced cherry tomatoes were fresh, not squishy. definitely not enough for a full meal, but a nice addition of freshness to cut through the heavy curries. GAENG HUNG LEI: i want to fill a bathtub full of Thaiku's Gaeng Hung Lei and do naughty things to myself. fatty pork belly in 5-spice curry, with no shame around the size of pork cuts wrapped in dripping fat. maybe it's the cold weather, but i love how knockout strong and savory this dish was. KHAO SOI: i've honestly only tried khao soi a handful of times, and never during my time in thailand, but this shit... is the shit. if you actually take a few moments to taste the khao soi curry, it's amazing how complex the flavor profile is. very happy. BA ME HANG: i don't know if seattle just has too many sub par thai restaurants, but even this simple stir fried noodle dish is a step above. the noodles were springy, the vegetables retained a good amount of original texture and the chicken still had crisp bits of char.

    (5)

  • Chris B.

    Love this place. First visit ambience was great, food is authentic and they have beer Lao. The real king of beer directly from Laos. Pricy but definitely worth the visit the taste is authentic and spicy!! Team in kitchen was making chilli paste while we were watching. Ordered papaya salad with fermented fish sauce, a dish with okra, watercress and shiitake mushrooms, and cashew nuts. My wife ordered green bean and shrimp and chicken. All very nice Food could have been a bit warmer but that's it.

    (5)

  • Janet A.

    Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The dish that I had was salty and the noodles were overlooked. I was also disappointed with the portion size. I definitely will not go back to Thaiku.

    (2)

  • Liz T.

    Outstanding and unique food! A great place for foodies. We ordered five dishes and every one was outstanding, as were the drinks. We'll be back!

    (5)

  • Missy D.

    I just left this place and I'm in the car driving away. I am compelled to immediately write a rave review because it was AMAZING For any gluten free people out there: ask your server there are so many options! My boyfriend had a noodle curry dish, and I had the (gf eek) pad Thai, they were so good that we are already planning our next trip back. We were lucky to have O (spelling will be iffy on O's name) and she was the best! She taught us about Thai traditions and street food while we enjoyed great food in the little bar nook. I HIGHLY recommend leaving your neighborhood to check out this restaurant in phinney ridge. Thanks for perfect dining experience O!

    (5)

  • K R.

    I REALLY like this place. Cute location, great service, and my favorite Thai food in the area. This is our go-to takeout restaurant and they are always super fast.

    (5)

  • Doc V.

    I think I found my favorite Thai restaurant in Seattle!!! Thanks to my boyfriend's friend, we came here to dine in one sunny Seattle summer evening. We actually came here a couple of years ago but I haven't had the chance to write a review. We ate outside because it was such a nice day, which I highly recommend on any nice day! Yes, it's true that their dishes are served in small portions. (I like to think of them served as tapas-style) But, what a great way to venture in trying new dishes and eating more of the items on the menu, right? I have never seen most of the items they have on their menu served in other Thai restaurants which made me so delighted, particularly when I finally got a taste of them. All I have to say is that everything I've tried has made me want to do a little dance number because the spices are spectacularly woven into the dishes while highlighting even the most minute spices. I was even happier when I tried their papaya salad. Oh my...it blew my mind. It was sooooo good!!! You have to order your own though, especially if you're a papaya salad lover...because, mind you, the portions are small...and I never really like to share my papaya anyway. Okay, so, I'm stingy that way. But, I'm also VERY appreciative of flavorful and authentic dishes such as the ones served at this place. Boyfriend and I have come here to dine a few times and I've taken family here when they came to visit. They all were super impressed by this place, too. The last time they were here, we ordered quite a few dishes (I can't recall how many, but..) the waitress asked if we were Thai and we told her that we were not. She said she would have guessed it based on the food we ordered. Our response to her was that we just simply appreciated wonderful and tasty food to which she had a big smile. I will always come back to this place because their food is genuinely authentic (believe me when I say you will not find these dishes in other Thai restaurants). The only drawback about this place is that parking is not convenient. But, patience, my dear, for the food and experience will be worth the headache of finding a decent parking.

    (5)

  • Heather H.

    I have had better Thai from the frozen food section of the grocery store. No stars!!! It was also the worst service I have ever received and on top of that it was expensive compared to the average Thai restaurant. My boyfriend and I decided to finally check out the new location, when they were in Ballard Thai Ku was one of my favorite restaurants. We sat down and ordered our drinks my boyfriend's came and mine never showed up. I had to ask 3 different times for my drink and it still didn't arrive until after we were almost done with our appetizer. Then my boyfriend's food showed up and 7 minutes later I still hadn't received my meal. Luckily we always share otherwise I would have just been a spectator while he ate or his food would have been freezing by the time mine came. At this point I'm starting to fume so I asked my server where my food is. She wasn't apologetic and even seemed confused? It took at least another 5 minutes for my food to appear. They did take 10% off my bill but that really isn't very much considering how bad the experience was. I will never be back. This place is a shell of what it once was and the decor is sterile compared to the style it use to have. The food was rubbery and tasteless and obviously the employees need serious training.

    (1)

  • Adam '.

    The current 3.5 star rating of this place, and pretty much every knock on the new location, is 100% the result of corny white people. The new Thaiku is easily one of the top-5 places to eat Thai in the city. I enjoyed the old location, and while the pahd kraplau kai dow is sadly not as great as it was, the new location is all-in-all a step up. Don't get your brooks brothers panties all in a bunch because it's different than the old place, act like an adult and accept the reality that things change and the whole world isn't homogenized garbage. The menu here represents a total change of pace in a city full of Pad Thai. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on the standard American Thai formula, but it's been done very, very well at dozens of places in Seattle. Mai Thaiku brings something entirely new to the table, and executes it very well. Standouts are the Yum Pla Fu, a green mango salad topped with almost ethereal wisps of shredded fried trout. Gaeng Hung Lei is pork belly in a Northern Thai 5-spice curry, a thick and fragrant curry which is extraordinary and quite a different flavor profile than you see in most local examples of thai curries. Hell, the whole menu is bonkers good. If you take one look at it and don't immediately suffer an inability to choose just five things, then I'm embarrassed for you. Go back to the Bellevue Square food court.

    (5)

  • SweetP G.

    I can't say enough good things about Thaiku. The food is incredible (and unique to most Thai in this area) and the service is wonderful. I take out of towners or even out of 'hooders here all the time and everyone always raves. Go!

    (5)

  • Atta F.

    Overall the food was very delicious. Portions were smaller which made it feel like I was in Thailand. Excited to see a different type of thai food available in Seattle.

    (4)

  • Grace A.

    We went in to find out what "herbal elixirs" were... okay, and because I really wanted papaya salad, and couldn't wait for the male to take me tomorrow. Oh well! I don't like metal cups, and both our water and our thai iced teas came in them. Also, they seemed a bit small for a $3 thai iced tea, and, though it was very dericious, it had a LOT of ice in it. We got the mieng kahm, which is a snacktivity type appetizer that my sister and I were stoked to see since we normally have a hard time finding it. It is essentially some sort of big awesome leaf you wrap little bits of ginger, red onion, toasted coconut, chilies, peanut, lime, and some sort of crackalicious addictive sauce in. They did not disappoint. It was delicious, for $10. I would have been stoked had it been $8 but I think $10 was probably fair. We also got a side of sticky rice (we asked for brown, and I think that was the only brown rice they had, or maybe just lost in translation?) which was very good, even if the container was confusing. Plus we got the papaya salad which, while on the small side, was f'ing amazeballs. Super flavorful and tasty, with the right amount of kick. Unfortunately, they left the dried shrimp in even though we told them my sister was vegetarian so no shrimp, and she didn't notice because they're very small. So before she noticed she ate a couple and she's been, ah, in the bathroom a lot since then. I would say that warranted the minus star, that and the cups, though I like the location and was cutely decorated with attentive staff--- the prices were on the edge of too much for the small portions, and what if she had been allergic to shrimp? Pretty dangerous. But I'd go back and just be really, really clear. Our waitress wasn't super top English star number one, after all. Might have been our bad.

    (4)

  • Heather B.

    I spent three years living in Phuket, Thailand and have never tasted food so authentic outside of Thailand! It's even better than some of the Thai in Thailand! Light, flavorful and delicious. If you are looking for a ton of curries and thick sauces, this is not the place for you! If you are adventureous and like to try authentic cuisine definitely give this place a try. Try the MIENG KAHM with fresh ginger, lime, chili, red onion, peanuts and toasted coconut to wrap in bai cha plu leaf. (very tasty appetizer!) LARB GAI minced chicken with shallot, green onion, cilantro, mint, roasted Thai chili, toasted rice powder, lime... SOO GOOD!! GAI SATAY yellow curry and coconut milk marinated chicken with peanut sauce and cucumber salad (you haven't ever tasted peanut sauce this good:) GOONG PAO Gulf prawns grilled and served with nahm jim talay (chile, lime, garlic, fish sauce) - the real deal! SOM TAHM THAI shredded green papaya, green beans, tomato, garlic, Thai chili, peanuts and dried shrimp (one of my favorite salads in Thailand) PAHD KRAPLAU KAI DOW ground pork (I order ground chicken) in Holy basil and Thai chili, topped with a fried egg - (this one is tasty for sure, but not quite as good as my "lunch place" I frequented in Thailand:) PAHD SEE IEW fresh wide rice noodles wok fried in sweet soy with gai lan and sliced pork (I order with chicken. this one is also really tasty, but my lunch place back in Phuket still wins;) PAHD THAI rice noodles wok fried in tamarind sauce, with prawns, bean sprouts, garlic chive, peanuts, tofu (best Pahd thai outside of Thailand!) Sticky rice is a purple rice and super delicious. I hope you enjoy it!!

    (5)

  • Austin K.

    I was able to go to Thailand this summer. The flavors at Mai Thaiku are the real deal. They also have a menu that seems legit and doesn't follow the usual Seattle Thai canon. I loved the old Thaiku in Ballard and Mai Thaiku revives the magic. Service is great and the outdoor seating is nice in the summer.

    (5)

  • Kristen W.

    My boyfriend and I stopped in here on a whim a few months ago and it's quickly become one of our favorite places to eat. If you're expecting the typical Penang curry and Pad Thai fare you find on every block in Seattle, you might be disappointed if you're not comfortable branching out and trying new things. That being said, this is the most authentic Thai food I've had here. Particular favorites of mine are the Sohm Tahm Thai and the Pla Muk Yaang. Spicy factor here is not on the star scale but rather by how many chili peppers in each dish- I usually order 3 stars at other restaurants, here one pepper is at the upper range of my tolerability. Good service and stellar ambiance make this restaurant stand out. A must try if you're in the neighborhood.

    (4)

  • Matt S.

    My wife and I were excited to try a new thai place and had the order to go. We were extremely shocked at how minuscule the portion sizes were. In the takeaway boxes the food was barely touching the sides and can't have been more than an inch high. The boxes were small too. Basically, if you are hungry for more than a snack at best, I wouldn't recommend going here. I don't write reviews and I don't ask for refunds but I felt I had to do both in this case.

    (1)

  • V V.

    I miss having Thaiku in Ballard! That being said, the new location is great. We were lucky enough to get a seat outside on their patio at 7:30 on a Friday night! We ordered our first round of drinks and I didn't care for mine (radiant flower). However, the people sitting next to us at our picnic style table ordered the Yohito and it looked good so we commented and they actually let us try it- pretty cool, will def be ordering that next time. As for the food, we ordered our old favorite - the Mieng Kahm and it was fresh and delicious as well as Ba Me Hang, made to our exact spicy desire and Som Tahm Lao which was a green papaya salad with fish sauce. I miss the Fu Kon Wu and wish they were able to create a space like that at their new location. I will definitely visit again.

    (4)

  • Anne B.

    I think they should have just opened up under a different name. It is very disappointing to think that Mai Thaiku is ANYTHING like Thaiku! :( The menu is very small and limited, they do not even have Red Curry on the menu. Some of the items that were still on the menu are about 1/3 the size for the same price, if not more expensive. I did not like the water cups; they were small and metal. So, the servers could not even see when you needed more water. It was not super busy when we got there; however, the service was lacking the whole time. IF I had gone in there thinking it was a new Thai place, I might have given it 3 stars, but not a place I would return regardless. So sad, as Thaiku was my FAVORITE Thai place in Seattle.

    (1)

  • Kevin G.

    Great authentic food and very friendly staff! We eat a lot of Thai food all over Seattle and this is some of the best we've had. The chicken satay and pork skewers were very good. The flank steak appetizer was excellent and the pork ribs in lime broth had a fantastic zesty flavor. This was our first time here and we'll definitely be back.

    (4)

  • Suzanna E.

    Super yummy authentic Thai food. Everything I had was delicious. Loved theKHAO SOI the best but also had SAI OUA, KUA GLING, and SOM TAHM THAI all were delicious! I will definitely go back!

    (4)

  • Steve S.

    I've never been to the old restaurant. I found the dishes we ordered to be far more authentic than is the norm, with fresh ingredients, properly cooked noodles, and other telltale signs of authentic Asian cooking. We got take away so I can't speak to the decor and our order took a while, but we enjoyed every dish tremendously. We will be regulars here as we live nearby. Haters are just going to hate, but compared to the other Thai places I've been in Seattle this was much better. If you just care about how much your food costs than eat at McDonald's. if you want catsup in your phad Thai, go somewhere else.

    (5)

  • Paul K.

    This place is really good. Went with 4 others (3 that live in Seattle) and shared 5 dishes in total. Everyone was really good quality. I thought the value was suiting as well. Yes, you're not in northern Thailand, but it's probably as close as you're going to get.

    (4)

  • Rita W.

    first visit and hopefully not my last. very cute little building but very, very, very loud. we were literally shouting at each other at a table for 7. moi, being a north end burbie was scared at the thought of street parking, but ultimately it was not difficult to find a parking spot. fairly attentive service by a team of young scantily tee-shirt clad waitresses. water glasses were filled consistently. the food delivery was haphazard. appetizers and salads and entrees were delivered all at once, without ryhme or reason making the table overflow with plates. dishes were plopped down without regard to who ordered the plate and the game of musical plates ensued. my table mate received his bowl of stewed chicken after the rest of us received all our appetizers, soups, salalds and entrees. a request for sugar (refined) free was graciously accommodated. moo yang: grilled pork skewer. deliciously tender with a great dark soy sauce-ey/fish sauce-ey sauce. pla muk yaang: grilled squid on skewer. my favorite. tender, tender with a cilantro sauce. gai satay: chicken on skewer. as expected. status quo. som tham thai: green papaya salad. crisp, fresh with little dried shrimpies. gaeng hung lei: stewed pork belly ala isaan style. pla neung manao: steamed fish in a garlic line broth. beautifully presented in a complex broth. automatic gratuity of 18% was added to our party of 7. i love it that most thai restaurants will doggy-bag your left-overs in the kitchen rather than throwing take-out boxes at your table.

    (3)

  • Quinn D.

    Picked-up to-go order. Menu was unclear. I mistakenly ordered 2 soups: eggplant and 3 mushroom soup. Both were very sweet. My friend was looking forward to red or green curry; not on the menu. The soups were under their specialties section. 29.00 for 2 soups which were only filled up half-way. What a disappointment.

    (1)

  • H K.

    This is my favorite Thai restaurant in the Phinneywood neighborhood. If you're used to standard Thai food menus, you won't recognize much. But fear not! Order away--I've ordered a lot here and never been disappointed. There's a red curry with chicken and fried egg noodles that's amazing. The salads are really yummy--usually a sweet and sour and spicy party on a plate.

    (4)

  • Jonathan S.

    A HAIKU REVIEW Ambiance, food good! Authentic. Resorted to... pointing at menu.

    (3)

  • Jan T.

    I have been to many Thai restaurants. This restaurant has the best Thai dishes, which I ever had before. I love it and enjoy their wonderful service.

    (5)

  • Seanessy G.

    Excellent cocktails and great food - but crummy service! Socked that the girls wear low cut shirts and short-short outfits like a Thai version of Hooters. Good food still gives it three stars - chicken skewers and Pad Se Ew made my night excellent! Not to mention herb infused cocktails, yummy ( though pricey ) and I'm not one to enjoy cocktails!

    (3)

  • Susannah S.

    This is the best Thai good I have ever eaten. We literally had takeout from here two nights in a row--it was that good. Amazing spices, each dish tastes unique and excellent, and the spicy fruity salads are the best. Do not walk, run to this restaurant. Don't miss out!

    (5)

  • Steve P.

    I was very glad to see the return of Thaiku - and in my neighborhood! And in a place that has been a dead zone for years now, in spite of its potential. We waited a long time for a table, but we didn't mind because we took it to be a sign of excitement and support in the neighborhood. But I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. This is definitely not the old Thaiku. It's a much smaller space (nicely decorated), which is OK, but if you are coming for the famous cocktails you should know that the bar only seats five people. And while they have expanded the menu to include more "authentic"/unusual dishes (a good thing), they have sadly jumped on the small plates bandwagon - you now get tiny tapas-sized portions that cost as much or more than what you used to pay for full size portions at the old place (not a good thing). Even the supposedly "large" noodle dishes are still pretty dinky. The food was fine. I thought the phad thai was a little slimy, but everything else tasted good. But two of us split four dishes and paid $53 - with no drinks. And we were still hungry! They've only been open a week, so maybe they are still working out the bugs. I want them to succeed, but I'm going to wait a while to see what happens before I go back.

    (3)

  • Lynn T.

    I found the menu a tad hard to understand/pronounce but the expert advice from the staff (bartender in my case) is exactly what you want and the meal was perfection. pretty good leftover but unfortunately there's never any leftovers because you devour the whole dish. It's the perfect portion but you'll never have leftovers here..

    (5)

  • Derek L.

    this place is great. I understand the resentment of some people, because this is not your standard Seattle Thai. every extra penny you spend translates into better quality ingredients and expert preparation. giant prawns in my phad thai absolutely excellent. don't go in expecting generic Seattle Thai noodles with red sauce and bland curry. I'll deffinately go back and would recommend this place to anyone looking to broaden their knowledge of Thai cuisine.

    (5)

  • Jennifer K.

    Fantastic food and attentive staff. I'm glad they re-opened! The menu has changed somewhat but seems more authentic and still super tasty. People looking for the old Thaiku should know the space is quite different. They are no longer going to be able to have live bands or huge crowds. If you want those, there are still plenty of options down on Old Ballard Ave!

    (4)

  • Courtney B.

    Mai Thaiku's new location is a cute little house with several separate rooms. The bar is a petite 5-seater, and if you sit in a table in the back room you have a view of the open kitchen. The menu is good. Dishes are small -- tapas style portions with just enough for a table of 4 guests to have a couple bites each. We ordered the flank steak with chile, hot salad with eggplant and egg, a sweet noodle dish, and lemongrass chicken. I would especially recommend the eggplant dish. We went on a Sunday night, and there was about a 15 minute wait for a table. Not too bad. I'll be back -- although probably not on a day when I'm super hungry.

    (4)

  • Scott W.

    Mai Thaiku specializes in regional Thai cuisine, particularly dishes from the northeast, an area called Isaan. Isaan food is famous throughout Thailand; there are many Isaan speciality restaurants in Bangkok and across the country. Mai Thaiku doesn't serve all the usual dishes you'll find in most Thai restaurants, but based on our two visits so far, they do a fantastic job with the sometimes familiar, sometimes unusual plates they offer. Phad thai isn't an Isaan speciality, but Mai Thaiku serves up one of the best I've had. Larb chicken IS a traditional Isaan dish and they do a great job with it. Have it with the excellent purple sticky rice--in Isaan they eat balls of the rice with their hands, scooping up sauce and other bits before popping the whole thing in their mouths--but you'll get a fork and spoon. For me the highlight of our meal the other night was a green sauce served with the grilled chicken. It was superb! I wanted that sauce on the chicken, on the rice, on everything. The mango and sticky rice (a different kind of sticky rice) also was wonderful--as good as I've ever had in Thailand. Isaan food tends to be spicy, so folks who don't like chili might need to pass on Mai Thaiku. In addition to the great food, the design of Mai Thaiku--a mashup of the medicine shop décor from Thaiku in Ballard and an edgy, urban Thai graffiti vibe--is fun and whimsical. In case you're wondering, the silhouette with a big question mark in the back is captioned "Who wants to share?" Folks who don't know about Thai regional cuisine may be disappointed not to find massaman or panang or other curries on the menu. But there are lots of great places for those dishes--try Thai Siam on 15th NW if you haven't already. Mai Thaiku is a different kind of Thai food experience. And if the smallish plate of phad thai costs $12, you're paying for top quality and a memorable experience. For us, because everything is so delicious, it seems like good value. One suggestion: maybe it would be helpful if Mai Thaiku management made a little effort to explain about the food for all those people who don't know Isaan, and to warn folks who can't tolerate any chili. But that's a minor point. We're excited to have Mai Thaiku in the neighborhood and look forward to becoming regulars!

    (5)

  • lesley h.

    Really good thai in Phinney! Finally! The yellow curry noodles are awesome. (Kha soi?) we also ordered the beef appetizer with shallots and basil and toasted coconut. Really tasty!! We are coming back soon. The tiny metal plates are strange.

    (4)

  • Aaron G.

    Glad they're back! The menu has changed -- new small plates , Thai salads, and khao soi noodles! The crying tiger, phad thai, and phad see ew remain. They were still smoothing things out this first week but the food was excellent.

    (4)

  • Dan P.

    Better than average Thai place. Tasty mixed drinks, tender grilled beef appetizer, and say hello to April - very friendly wait staff who gets 5 stars!

    (4)

  • Jamie U.

    My husband and are long time Thaiku fans and we were so excited to see their new digs tonight. I almost want to cry because they are not the amazing Thaiku we remember and love. Just like the other reviews on here, everything is small, pricey, and disappointing. When you first walk in the door they have a tiny entryway and a little five stool bar. Next is the tiny dining room that I can't imagine their normal Friday/Saturday night crowd fitting. At the table you are served with tiny cups of water and plates. Let me add the new diner ware they chose are stainless steel camp ware. We're talking cups, plates, and soup bowls... Remember the soup bowls for later on in this review. They have replaced their old menu of family style dishes to a tapas style menu with higher prices. We tried to order our old favorites: phad thai, crying tiger, and we wanted tom yum or tom kha gai soup. Apparently those soups don't exist any more. What we got was a $12 phad thai dish that was barely an appetizer for my husband and me, when it usually left us with leftovers for lunch. Next was the $8 crying tiger. This dish is nothing like I remember. The crying tiger dish USE to be cuts of marinated steak cooked about medium rare. Served with shredded carrots and cabbage and a delicious sweet and spicy lime sauce. Tonight, we got a few little charred nibblets on a tiny plate with a very salt fish sauce. Lastly, was the only soup they had on the menu for $12. I don't remember the name, but it was like a tom yum soup base with three pork rib bones. For a $12 soup you would expect a big bowl enough to serve a table. No, what we got was a bowl that held about two small cups full. The pork bones were really hard to eat, especially in a soup. You know how I told you to remember the soup bowls? Metal soup bowls + hot soup = OUCH! Not a good idea guys. My husband ordered a thai iced tea that was also served in the same tiny water cup. After our $40 bill and hungry stomachs, we had a disappointing and sad realization. Thaiku is nothing more than a distant delicious memory that we won't be reliving. Excuse me while I grieve and make another dinner. :*(

    (1)

  • Kelsey T.

    This place was bummer-ville. We tried it and were excited for a new Thai place in the neighborhood, but were sorely disappointed. I do not recommend it for vegetarians-- most Thai places in Seattle seem pretty vegetarian aware, and ask questions like if fish sauce is OK or if you want your tofu fresh/fried. This did not happen and when I heard the girl behind me ask the "which dishes are vegetarian friendly" question, she got different answers than I did. Hmm? We also didn't get asked questions about any sort of spiciness, so when our waitress walked by right after we had ordered, we asked to make the food spicy. She then brought it out with a dish of crushed pepper flakes since it "was already done that way." Bye, wasted $40.

    (1)

  • Kai K.

    Everything was delicious! I haven't been that happy with food in a long time. It's true that the portions are smaller, but I found them to be a perfect size and the quality seemed better than when thaiku was in Ballard. The menu was intriguing with items like pickled fresh water crab, a salad with pummelo and they also had a few old favorites. We will continue to be regulars here and are so excited they reopened in a beautiful cozy space.

    (5)

  • KathleenB B.

    Not the old Thaiku.

    (2)

  • Adriana K.

    I was so very excited to hear that Thaiku had moved to Phinney under a new name - and the crowd of people there indicated we were not alone in this thought. However, the menu had downsized considerably, therefore, many of the dishes I had loved before were no longer there. I ordered the green papaya salad, hoping it would be similar to a salad I had loved at their other location. The wait was...long. And when my salad came, it was small. I had been expecting somewhat of a dinner sized salad (and if I recall, the price was similar to the main dishes) but this was more of a side salad. And I was hungry - and I realized I should have just asked. My small salad came out long in advance of the dishes of my two friends, so I sat awkwardly, hungrily, waiting for their mains to arrive. Quick misunderstanding that I was to have the salad as a main as I am sure its not frequent to to the size. Enough about the salad - it was good, the shrimp was tasty, and the spices were spot on as my recent trip to Thailand was still fresh on my mind. My Friend ordered a whole fried fish which he liked, but the three of us agreed it wasn't quite as tasty as it was in the other location - I think this requires another return trip :)

    (3)

  • Jason S.

    All these people are complaining about this place. It's amazing. Pad Thai awesome. Drinks are awesome.

    (5)

  • Rosa M.

    I usually review restaurants when I'm excited to praise their food, service and location, but unfortunately this time Mai Tahiku deserved low rating, and a review that hopefully will encourage some changes and improvements in their service. My friend and I were looking for outdoor sitting last night in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood, and this looked new cool place so we decided to try it out. We ordered two appetizers: GOONG CHE NAM PLA (the "prawn ceviche"), the NAHM DOK NEUA (flank steak) and two drinks: Yohito and Oolong Teani. I can't speak for my friend, but this was probably the worst "ceviche" I've ever had. It consisted of prawns that weren't cleaned well with a coat of spicy sauce and a slice of RAW garlic on top. We actually had to finish cleaning the prawns ourselves and remove the raw garlic (I wasn't about to start eating raw garlic, that's just not ok). After eating the first bite my first reaction was... "this isn't ... terrible", had a second bite and left the dish alone. Then on to the steak, it was mediocre at best, the meat was well cooked but lacked much kick or flavor. The Yohito is made with a West African drink that is not only supposedly aphrodisiac, it's supposed to be a type of medicine and they only serve one per person. I thought this sounded interesting... but it was mediocre at best. Finally I tried her Teani, which was probably the best flavor of the evening. The décor and ambience were nice, especially for outdoor seating at night. But the food needs work, that prawn ceviche was close to inedible, left a horrible taste in my mouth and the prawns weren't cleaned! I doubt I'll be back.

    (1)

  • Bailey W.

    My fiance and I went to dinner here with friends, we had been given great reviews from them, and seeing as they had been to Thailand we were excited. The food did not disappoint! Extremely authentic food, amazing flavor and a unique menu you won't find anywhere else. The cocktails were fun and fresh, and the appetizers we started with were a great promise for the meal to come. Definitely try the Crying Tiger and squid skewers. We will be going back for sure, the service is so much better than the place next door (that we will not name, but you all know who I'm talking about).

    (4)

  • Judy C.

    We went there today for lunch (it was Mother's day) so we actually thought why not? since most restaurants would be doing brunch. I am not familiar with their restaurant in the old Ballard location so I can not compare as I notice the reviews are on both ends of the spectrums. I was thrilled to walk in and readily be seated. There were a few other tables occupied so it was not busy in there today. We had 2 servers who took care of us. We read through the menu and picked out some fun treats to have. This is not your typical amercianized Thai Restaurant . It is a bit more expensive, but the dishes are also very unique and complex and have wonderfully fresh ingredients. We ordered: 1.SUA RONG HAI/"crying tiger"grilled marinated flank steak with spicy dipping sauce. Amazing dish...the steak was tender and juicy, melted in your mouth...the dipping sauce was out of this world good. ( We like spicy;) $8 2. GAI SATAY ~ yellow curry and coconut milk marinated chicken w/ peanut sauce & cucumber salad - $2 per skewer ~ we ordered 2 skewers These were good, they are not char broiled tho...but the chicken was tender, the curry and peanut sauce tasty. 3.YUM MA MUANG~shredded green mango, peanuts, coconut,shallots and grilled whole prawns $11 My honey was thrilled to have a green mango salad..it had been years and the flavors were wonderful, it was spicy and refreshing. 4.PAHD THAI~rice noodles wok fried in tamarind sauce,with prawns, bean sprouts, garlic chive, peanuts, tofu $12 This is not your typical Phad Thai...but I really liked it. They use tiny vermicelli noodles and the Tamarind sauce and entire mix was flavorful...we ate every morsel. 5. Thai Iced Tea - $3 , was good I had Hot Jasmine Tea $2? which had a beautiful bouquet and was perfect. Bill totaled $45 + tip. We usually spend this much for Thai, altho usually have bigger dishes...however we each split the above dishes and we left feeling comfortably full and our taste buds satisfied. Would we do this every week, probably not but definitely once a month trying different plates out. Of note - I saw complaints about the metals cups and plates...we actually liked them...they were fine and gave a different look to the environment. You felt like you might be on a traveling vacation. The have outdoor seating too which will be nice in the summertime, soon approaching. All in all, we are happy to have this restaurant in our neighborhood now. They offer a much "cleaner" version of Thai food that is tasty and satisfying and we will definitely go back. They offer a happy hour there...I would like to try it sometime.:)

    (4)

  • J R.

    What a gem! Perfect neighbourhood restaurant. Very" at home" feel to it, helpful servers.For appetizer we had Mieng Kahm ( fresh leaves, peanuts and some cut up veggies) a little overpriced at $10 but spectacular. The marinated flank steak was charred to perfection and it came with a wonderful side sauce. We also tried a noodle dish Khao Soi. The flavors were perfect, a little too oily for my taste but my husband loved it. Can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Camille N.

    It's true that this is not like the old Thaiku (other than the yummy cocktails). It's also true that the new location is unfortunately quite small (especially the bar). However, I really like the new location for a number of reasons. It's lovely inside and much more intimate than the old location. On our last visit we were lucky to be seated right next to the kitchen so we could watch the magic happen. The staff is SUPER friendly and the service has been great both times we've been to the new place. The menu is different and most of the dishes are on the small side but they are fresh and delicious. Just be careful not to order too many because they add up quickly and you can end up with a pretty substantial bill for not too much food!

    (4)

  • Carol D.

    Hmmm....well, it's pretty good, but menu is smaller, portions are smaller, joint is smaller. Still one of the more creative places for thai in Seattle, which has way too many mediocre Thai restaurants in my opinion. Well stocked bar, lots of great local spirits available.

    (4)

  • Staci S.

    I am so glad that Thaiku has been reincarnated in Phinney Ridge/Greenwood. We went on Friday and it was like reuniting with an old friend. The new setup is different from the old days, a smaller bar and smaller dining area, but the cocktails and food are still amazing. Because it's a smaller footprint in Phinney Ridge than Ballard, be prepared to wait (they aren't taking reservations). We were there Friday (2/22) and were lucky enough to get 2 of the 5 bar seats. Jake the bartender was very gracious, and made sure that everyone who was waiting for a table had the opportunity to buy a beverage to enjoy while they waited. The food comes in smaller portion sizes, but the presentation is fantastic. There are still many fan favorites on the menu plus a couple of newer items. Larb, pad thai, skewers, all delicious. And I can't remember it's name, but it's the last item on the right column and everyone should try it - the best dish I've had in a long time. They will also do their best to accommodate special requests or off-menu requests. Two thumbs up!

    (5)

  • bernard f.

    i love this place, I was a huge fan of the Ballard location, and it seems lots of the same people are working here, with the many of the same items. the portions are smaller, however.

    (4)

  • Wenzilla R.

    Overall the food was excellent and very authentic. I was disappointed though by the larb--it lacked spice and the pork wasn't great. The atmosphere was fantastic and I loved the metal plates and cups! The waiting staff wasn't that attentive, but maybe they are new and getting used to everything. The dishes are very tiny, so either plan to spend a lot or leave hungry.

    (3)

  • Tristita U.

    While the food was good, and I appreciate the emphasis on authentic Thai street food, some of the dishes were small for the price. We were sorry to see that one of our favorite appetizers, Mieng Kahm, had devolved from a large, lovely presentation on a teak tray at the restaurant's former incarnation to a small, jumbled presentation for about the same price at Mai Thaiku. The satay skewers (which you can order individually), while yummy, were actually about half a skewer's worth (or less) of meat. Oh, and I haven't even gotten to the crazy loudness of the place. I'm hoping they can figure out a way to reduce noise levels with some soft surfaces. We could barely even hear our waitress when she was taking our order and my husband and I had to either yell or lean across the table to hear each other. The noise, combined with the fact that we spent $50 for two adults (who were still a bit hungry when leaving) and two small kids who barely eat, makes me think we won't be heading back any time soon.

    (2)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :4:00 pm - 10:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Mai Thaiku

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