Thai Diner

Pitts Photography

Wanting to try something new we ventured out of our regular comfort zone of offerings around the Lawrence area. Unfortunately the last 18 months has been excruciating for the culinary industry and we have lost so many wonderful restaurants. We popped in this evening and tried our best to keep our expectations low. The atmosphere while attractive and peaceful was horribly lit with cool temperature LED bulbs that make it nearly impossible to read the miniscule font on the simple one page paper printed menu. In fact I had to use my flashlight on my phone just so I could see it. These cool temperature low wattage LED bulbs should never ever be utilized in a dining space they are so unwelcoming cold and dark. We eat with our eyes first the lighting should be warm bright and inviting. The music definitely didn't seem to fit the atmosphere of the space. I definitely did not appreciate the strange modern dance music that seemed oddly out of place. To say I was disappointed that they didn't have my very favorite Thai dish, Khao soi on the menu would be a little bit of an understatement but I settled on Mama's crispy chicken. The dish was presented beautifully and had an excellent flavor. The only negative thing I can say about the dish was that the chicken most certainly must have been prepare ahead of time and reheated to order with the remaining fresh ingredients and sauce. More chewy than crispy and certainly dry all the way through I couldn't help but think to myself this dish would be exquisite had this been prepared to order in its entirety. My wife's dish a combination of stir fry cashew and chicken was very much the same. Well prepared lovely presentation horribly overcooked dry chicken. The starters we ordered steamed shrimp dumplings and crab rangoon were nice the dumplings were presented beautifully and had an excellent flavor. The crab rangoon however came out barely much more above room temperature and were served with an obviously refrigerated saucethat was still cold. Dipping the crab rangoon into this cold sauce was less than appealing. Typically crab rangoon is served piping hot so much so that the cream cheese inside is nearly molten lava hot. The service seemed inexperienced at best, we were never actually greeted sitting at the table she simply appeared with water, neglected to actually take a drink order and only followed up with us one time. An opportunity to upsell drinks or dessert was never taken advantage of. Overall the experience was lackluster not that any one thing with glaringly bad but nothing about the place seemed to really stand out and catch our interest. I can tolerate mediocre service and even a weird atmosphere if the food is exquisite, I will even tolerate mediocre food if the atmosphere is fantastic and the service is outstanding. Sadly this place didn't fit the bill in any of these facets. Mediocre at best and it's sad to say this because I know with a little bit more effort this place could probably be something very special. You have the tools and you have the ingredients it's execution is where you are lacking. Best of luck.

xander servis

Amazing Thai food!!! Following the initial COVID lockdown, thai diner had a change in management and their service was rough at the time. In recent months, however, they have fully bounced back to their fast service and delectable food. Also, their bathroom is the cleanest i've ever been in and it smells absolutely AMAZING in there.

Nikhila Gunda

I love the food taste here!! Absoulety the best!! But recently items have become so expensive and quantity has been reduced drastically. I hope they do better in the future! This is $15 😳😏

Vidya N

I just love Thai Diner.. So much so that I have got addicted to the food..! It is a nice little place with a good vibe, the waitress is a good lady always having a welcoming smile. They accommodate all the specifications in food according to my requirements. And the food.. I have started feeling hungry even while writing about the food..! must try basil fried rice!! Love the peanut sauce here!