Sawasdee Thai Restaurant

Thai restaurant · Riley Park-Kensington

1

Closed

Highlights

Sawasdee Thai on Main Street boasts a vibrant atmosphere and a stellar lineup of Thai dishes, making it a must-visit for food lovers in Vancouver.

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4250 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3P9, Canada Get directions

Closed (Opens at 5:00 PM)

$$$$$$$$

Ss W

Google
Finding truly authentic Thai food in Vancouver can be a challenge, and while this spot on Main Street is above average, it still leans a bit fusion. We walked in on a weekday and found the place packed—ended up waiting over an hour. Highly recommend making a reservation if you plan to dine in. The Thai curry was decent but a bit on the salty side for my taste. We also tried the grilled beef since it was highly recommended in reviews, but unfortunately, it was overcooked and felt more like a Western-style dish than a true Thai or Asian offering. We were really craving mango sticky rice, but the staff mentioned it’s only available in the summer. Instead, we opted for the black rice pudding, which was a nice alternative.

Sakura Weng

Google
Food is good, however there’s 2 hours dine in restriction in the restaurant. When we were still talking and eating, the server came to us and let us know our 2 hours dine in time was almost done. I looked at the time we still have 15 mins left and the servers were really rush and give us to go container to pack our food that we haven’t finished! And they cleaned our table when we were still packing our food, this makes us uncomfortable and feel like the server want to kick us out! Totally understand the restaurant has hour limit restrictions but this is not the way you treat your customers like this!!!

Andy Chiang

Google
This a really busy Thai spot on Main Street. Not really sure why there’s always so many people, even on weekdays during the middle of the day, but they are busy! They make very good Thai food, their pad Thai is one of the best in the city. Just be ready for the wait, as well, because it’s always busy, they’re moving at a very fast pace.

Gina Ma

Google
I recently visited Sawasdee and had a very disappointing experience. We arrived and were placed on the waitlist at 6:00 pm but weren’t seated until 7:21 pm. Already frustrated by the long wait and feeling extremely peckish, things only got worse from there. After placing our order, we waited over an hour with no food in sight. At around 8:10 pm, we asked our waiter if our food was on its way and were told the kitchen was busy but that it would be coming soon. Then, at 8:15 pm, the waiter returned and admitted they had forgotten to put in our order, asking us to repeat it and promising to prioritize it. Even then, our food didn’t arrive until 8:23 pm—over two hours after we’d arrived. As compensation, the kitchen offered a single bowl of plain steamed rice, which felt inadequate given the long delay and oversight. When we asked to exchange it for coconut rice, the staff’s response was less than welcoming, especially after realizing we had taken one scoop of the plain rice to taste it. This reaction gave us the impression that our request was an inconvenience. The compensation felt minimal and insincere, leaving a sour taste for me and my companions. While the food was decent, the extensive delays, lack of communication, and dismissive response to our concerns made the experience frustrating.

Bank Apisit Suparan

Google
Here’s a revised and longer review that incorporates your feedback: Sawasdee Thai Restaurant on Main Street offers a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, and while some dishes were excellent, others left room for improvement. We started with the Stuffed Chicken Wings, which were tasty but the portion size was disappointingly small for the price. For the main dishes, the Pad Thai was flavorful but could have used a bit more seasoning to really bring out the classic sweet, tangy, and savory profile. The Pad Pak (mixed vegetables stir-fry) was fresh and well-cooked, adding a nice balance to the meal. The Tom Kha Soup was a highlight for us—creamy, aromatic, and perfectly balanced with its combination of coconut milk, lemongrass, and lime. The Grilled Pork was another standout, tender and flavorful with just the right amount of char, making it one of the most enjoyable dishes of the night. For sides, the Coconut Rice had a nice texture but was too sweet for our liking, which overshadowed the flavors of the main dishes. Service-wise, the staff was warm, friendly, and attentive, ensuring our water glasses were always filled and checking in to make sure we were satisfied. The ambiance was pleasant, with a cozy and authentic vibe that made the experience enjoyable overall. While there were some minor critiques, Sawasdee Thai Restaurant still offers a good dining experience, especially with standout dishes like the Tom Kha Soup and Grilled Pork. A few adjustments to flavor profiles and portion sizes could take the experience from good to great. Does this capture everything you’d like to include?

T.H. A.L

Google
Service was great and helpful 😊 Foods was good in some items. However, the soup was too sour, tasted like drink vinegar instead of tom yum flavour 😷 But in general, we still enjoyed it.

Frank

Google
If Vancouver only had space for one restaurant, this would be my hill to die on. If I could only eat at one place for the rest of my life, you'd find me here every single day. If I were asked to name the best thing about Vancouver's food scene, this gem would be my answer without hesitation. If someone were to ask me what restaurant is worth traveling across the city for, I'd give them this address before they could even finish their question. Asking me to recommend dishes here is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child - everything you see on the menu is freaking delicious!

richard chiang

Google
I saw everyone ordered the steak, so I did too. The volume to price ratio is excellent. However,it’s a lil bit dry. Everything else were so tasted though. It’s well worth it.

Andrea M.

Yelp
Haven't been here in a while because it's always busy and booked up! The quality of food is still delicious and amazing. My personal favourite is always the Pad Thai because they make it so well. We ordered the Shrimp Pad Thai, duck curry, Sawasdee fried rice, meat platter, tofu and beans, dumplings, and the Thai Milk Tea. We went at a later dinner time so it wasn't as loud and that we could hear each other talk. Ambiance was very warm and homey feeling. Staff were very nice and service was quick!

Neha A.

Yelp
The service was very attentive and friendly. We ordered the following: Tom Kha - I'm not even a soup person but loved sharing the soup. The got the small size but the portion was still big enough for two people. Pad thai- this is usually my go to dish at any thai restaurant and it did not disappoint. I got the tamarind sauce and it wasn't too sweet. With level 3 spice it had just enough kick to make the dish come alive. Cashew nut stir fry - surprisingly delicious. I wish the veggies were more soft and less crunchy but I loved the taste Green curry - this was a bit of a disappointment as the dish was a little bland for me. I'd love to come back and try the red curry or panang.

Kex Z.

Yelp
Traveled to Vancouver, I heard lots of good things about this restaurant so decided to give it a try. The server is super nice and friendly. However the restaurant is super busy. Got there at 6, and had to wait half hour since the restaurant is relatively small. To be honest, food itself is average (having high expectation makes it feel worse). I ordered pad see ew with beef, but the beef came super overcooked. The curry is alright. The only food I would want to order again, is the meat platter, especially pork. Super tender and flavorful.

nattinee p.

Yelp
Very tasty Thai food in Vancouver! I would say it's the best one so far. The only thing we don't like is it's very crowded and noisy in the restaurant.

Kyoko W.

Yelp
Great start with Tom Kha goong and Coconut salad, and satays, then green curry with coconut rice. Food was delicious and the service was excellent. This is our go-to place for Thai foods.

Queenie L.

Yelp
I came as a big group and I'm glad we came shortly after opening because it soon became packed! The dishes were delicious and I would definitely come back to try their other items on the menu! I tried the Thai green curry and drunken noodles as well as the Thai iced tea on their lunch menu. My favourite was the Thai iced tea, I love a sweet treat and this definitely hit the spot. It was fragrant and sweet and made perfectly. I liked the toppings in the drunken noodles and noodle texture. I liked the green curry a lot and I found it so fragrant and flavourful. Everything was solid but nothing particularity stood out to me as extra delicious My biggest takeaway from this was the Thai mint candy! It tastes so good, if u know where I can buy them please let me now!!!

Natasha P.

Yelp
Wanted to try some authentic Thai food after visiting Thailand and this lived up to it! They do accept reservations over the phone and there is quite a bit of seating. They are knowledgeable about dietary preferences and restrictions offering vegan and gluten free options. I did find the veggie spring rolls a little oily and the eggplant chicken lacking a bit of flavour. It could have just been an off day but will definitely be back again soon!

Nina S.

Yelp
Definitely my favorite it's Thai place in Vancouver especially now since Sala Thai has closed which was easier to get to for me. But Sawasdee is special with flavors that is authentic and rich! Great service and no nonsense flavor explosion makes for great gathering with friends to try many dishes Value 4/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Service 4/5 Quality 5/5 18/20

Kate M.

Yelp
My mother and I ordered Sawasdee for take out dinner and we were looking forward to what we ordered! We got chicken dumplings, the stuffed chicken wings (both said spicy on the menu), Thai green curry with beef, coconut rice, and Pad Thai with tamarind sauce. Overall our biggest feedback was everything with the exception of the green curry was quite sweet so the dishes taste all very similar in flavour. The chicken wings, while in theory I love the idea of a stuffed wing, we got pieces of small bone in ours as we were chewing which wasn't pleasant. The dumplings were absolutely stunning to look at but were much more sweet than spicy. We didn't get any hint of spice. The pad Thai was underwhelming as we've had better before. The best dish was the Thai green curry! It had a great spice factor and was super flavourful. We had the coconut rice as a base and again that was quite sweet. Overall I prob wouldn't order from this place again as I think there is better Thai food in Vancity!

Tiffany T.

Yelp
Hands down the best thai place in vancouver! Owned and run by an authentic thai family, great service and amazing ambiance. Our server nathan was so knowledgable and friendly, he gave us the best of the best! Anything you order here would be good. Great flavour and spice (you can do no spice as well). Not pictured but the pad thai and papaya salad was delicious as well. Must trys are the pad thai with tamarind and the meat platter!

Jonny M.

Yelp
Been twice to Sawasdee Thai Restaurant. It's a few doors down from Trafiq. It's been packed both visits. The dining area is huge so it's ideal for large groups. Service was friendly and they'll ask you for spice level, but mild and medium requests have both resulted in zero spice whatsoever. Seems they cater spiceness to their main clientele. The menu is split into appetizers, salads, soups, curries, meat (chicken, beef, pork and seafood), vegetables, noodle & rice and chef's suggestions. Trip #1 - 2x Thai iced tea ($4.95) - not too sweet. - Thai satay (#2) ($13.00 for 4) - chicken skewers were passable but pricey for what you get. - Pineapple fried rice (#61) ($17.00) - stingy with the pineapple but good flavour. - Pad see ew (#76) ($18.00) - plenty of broccoli. Noodles had a nice bite. - Coconut rice (#62B) ($4.50 regular) - Yellow curry (#18C) ($18.00) - curry was flavourful but no kick in the spice department. - Crying tiger beef (#63) ($19.00) - sauce was tasty but the grilled beef didn't wow us. - Kang pak with tofu (#68) ($18.00) Trip #2 - Thai satay (#2) ($13.00 for 4) - tried the pork this time around. Meat was dry. Wouldn't get this again. - 2x Coconut rice (#62B) ($4.50 regular) - Pad thai woon sen with soy sauce (#59A) ($16.50) - loved the bite from the thin bean noodles. Try this instead of the usual pad thai. - Pad eggplant (#55C) ($13.50) - eggplant tasty, sauce flavourful (but a touch salty). - Green curry (#18B) ($18.00) - endless amount of bamboo shoots. Green curry was adequate but standard fare. - Kang panang (#20A) ($18.00) - liked the slightly thicker sauce. Good flavour and paired excellently with the beef. Better than the green curry. Nothing out of the ordinary at Sawasdee. 3.5 stars.

Nina T.

Yelp
We ordered the Cho Muang, Tom Kha, Pad Thai (with tamarind sauce), Red Curry, and Crying Tiger Beef. While the Crying Tiger Beef was a bit too lean for my liking, the portion size and overall flavor were still good. The Cho Muang, Tom Kha, and Pad Thai were definitely my favourites - each dish had a unique and delicious taste that was beautifully presented. I've never had Cho Muang before and highly recommend you try it if you're ever in this restaurant. Overall, the service was top-notch and the restaurant's ambiance was warm and inviting.

Bev K.

Yelp
The restaurant was packed, but we were served in a timely manner. The portions are not that large and the prices are OK. It is essential to have reservations.

Kenneth W.

Yelp
Craved for their chicken stay and just had to come tonight. Good thing we booked a table because when we arrived at 7:30, it was a full house with guests for their tables. After pondering other dishes, we ended up 9rdering our favorites. The Tom ka soup was sooooo appetizing. As soon as it hits the back of my throat, the sensational tingle began. Good portion for a small, including the number of prawns. Satay chicken was a hit. Their thick peanut sauce adds a punch to the grilled Satay. Green curry with beef was good but a bit sweet tonight. It didn't have that same curry taste we love. The aromatic coconut rice was a nice complement. Pad Thai with tamarind was very good, and please, why would you order ketchup when you can have tamarind? It was also on the sweet side so by the time had both the sweet curry and the pad Thai, our mouths felt a bit too sweet. It was still a good meal and we enjoyed the atmos0here very much.

Ellen C.

Yelp
The food was really good! I'd say it's one of the best thai place in town. The portion is fair. We ordered the beef steak, the duck curry and pad thai. The beef steak was underwhelming but the rest was delicious!

Sandra M.

Yelp
My friend suggested to go to Sawasdee Thai Restaurant to celebrate our birthdays as our birthday falls on the same date. This is the best Thai food I have ever tried. Every dish has a unique and delicious flavor. We started with refreshing tea that was constantly refilled. There was no time for pictures of food as we savored every bite. The restaurant is clean and tidy. The staff are polite and repectful. The price is right. I will be back many times to eat at Sawasdee Thai Restaurant. Thank you for the wonderful food experience.

Quoc H.

Yelp
Came at opening for early dinner and it was pretty empty. More people arrived later but we ordered to go. Food was made in about 15min. 8/10 Crying Tiger- meat was pretty tough but flavor was bomb! 8/10 Green beans- sauce was kinda water. Was hoping it would be thicker. Still was a good dish

Emmika E.

Yelp
Popped in for a late lunch for my birthday today and was immediately seated by their warm and welcoming team. The food was delicious, and they even accommodated my request for a glass of Riesling (normally only sold as a bottle). Thanks for filling my quick Vancouver trip with some delicious food (and kindness!)

Audrey T.

Yelp
An awesome spot for Thai food in Vancouver! Highly recommend the crying tiger beef ($18). The beef is cooked to perfection and is so tender. The herb vinaigrette goes perfectly with the marinated grilled beef. Pad Thai with tamarind sauce ($16) was amazing. Came with huge prawns and packed with flavor. The yellow curry with chicken ($17) was also good with rice.

Evelyn W.

Yelp
Pad Thai with Tamarind sauce There were two types of sauces, we chose the traditional tamarind over tomato. The overall taste is still sweet which I just can't resist! . Hor Mok Gai Ma Praw Onn The rich red curry packed in coconut tastes slightly spicy, not sweet very. The texture is thicker than the normal curry and the entire coconut is full of meat. HOWEVER the chicken stripes was pre-fried and marinated, they were too dry and salty. . Crying Tiger Beef The portion is conscientious for 19 dollars. I like the sweet and sour sauce on the side but the beef texture was too lean. . Green Curry with Fish My first time to eat curry with fish. Absolutely delicious! The green curry is sweet and creamy, with a lot of shredded bamboo shoots inside . Thai Iced Tea Not powdered Thai milk tea, slightly on the sweet side of a throw - I also ordered rice and coconut rice, I love the fragrance of coconut! It is recommended to reserve your table a few days in advance, it is difficult to get a seat in the walk in unless it is just opened. Sawasdee Thai 4250 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Julie B.

Yelp
Hands down the Best Thai food in the city. Is even go so far as saying outside of Thailand and we have been to Thailand. So many amazing dishes and the flavors are so intense. We can't get enough of this place. We had crispy wonton to start (no picture cause we were starved) then we had the purple dumplings, super tasty and a must try. Lots of main dishes, crying Tiger beef, pad Thai, yellow Currey with chicken and potatoes, prawn with cashew not, Sawadee House rice with Prawn. So good. The flavors are amazing and we went with medium spicy and had extra hot sauce on the side. We could have gone spicier. If you are looking for excellence quality Thai food than look no further.

Andrew S.

Yelp
Haven't been here for a couple of years. The food is still really good. We got red curry chicken, pad priew wan moo ( pork with Thai sweet & sour sauce ) and tofu tord (Deep Fried tofu). The curry was silky, smooth, good blend of flavors and a lot of bamboo shoots. If bamboo shoots comes in small bags, then it was like a small bag full. The pork with Thai sweet and sour sauce was good. Pork was sautéed with bell peppers, pineapple, cucumber, onion and tomatoes. it wasn't too sweet and had a hint of sourness which we liked as you're not overwhelmed with either flavor. We would come again if we're in the neighborhood.

Matt B.

Yelp
This most recent experience was more ho-hum: still fresh and reasonably tasty, but bland, not even the slightest bit spicy, and lacking flavour depth compared to previous experiences. We got the red curry with tofu (vegan), pad pak (mixed veggies with garlic sauce) and the pad see iw (made vegan by omitting the egg). The curry was decent, but there was zero spiciness at all in here. The other two dishes were solid enough, but less flavourful than in times past. My 4-star review is more like a weighted average of past experiences and this current experience (which is more like a 3). Let's hope this was a one-off experience and that their main chef was away.

Carlos P.

Yelp
Long standing Thai restaurant in the community. Their curry is creamy and flavourful and their Tom Yum soup is a must order, it's hard to find Tom yum that is so bold with flavour and acidity. Pad see ew has been good too but might be on the slight saltier side. Service always has been great. Their hours is tough though as they only open for 4 hours daily now.

Timothy H.

Yelp
WOW. Great Thai food! Exceptional customer service as well. They were able to seat up pretty quickly and the waitresses were quick on their feet. Highly recommend the crying tiger!! Meat was so tender and savory

Sylvia Y.

Yelp
Happy to be back in the food crawling (dine out) scene as Vancouver reopens phase by phase. Strong cravings for a killer pad Thai brought me out to Sawasdee. I typically go to the OG place across from Scotia theaters in downtown when my Thai food craving hits, we were a larger party today so the venture out was not ideal at this time, so Main Street it is! Sawasdee is located in the heart of buzz worthy Main Street, since it's the summer season / covid season, restaurants' patios have taken up a good portion of the already limited street parking available. Note: 80% of side street parking is reserved for residents only with permit. Be prepared to park further away & be ready for a light walk to your destination! Obviously my go to here was pad Thai - cause I'm basic. We did order this with the added cost option for tamarind sauce for authenticity & it was also recommended. The dish tasted good in terms of freshness, it also had a bit of the street-food flare (taste) to it, which we appreciated. The tamarind sauce was too overwhelming for our liking, the tangy-ness made the dish less ooomph. In short, this was good, it just didn't hit the spot. Other dishes ordered were: The papaya salad - lack a wee bit of umami-ness to it, but still super refreshing pre-meal. Red curry with shrimp (extra dollar I believe) - flavourful & rich, but does not come with rice. Highly recommend ordering the coconut rice on the side as this is a heavier dish alone. Tiger beef - recommended by our server, solid 3 piece of steak, cooked medium-well, served with a lime-y / peppery(?) sauce on the side. The meat was well seasoned and enjoyable alone without a light drizzle of the sauce. Personally thought the sauce didn't fuse well with the meat. Stuffed chicken wings - to our surprise, boneless! This is supposed to be veggie stuffed, though deep fried, it just tasted like guilt-free fried chicken. Would order this one again! Pad Thai woon sen - the underdog of the night. We ordered with the intent of ordering one more dish just in case there's not enough food. The description noted glass noodles, which someone thought it's the thicker potato noodle sheets used in some drunken noodle dishes. We were a little disappointed that it's just a fried vermicelli type plate. Surprisingly, the vermicelli was so flavourful, it took in all the aromatics of the wok, this was a fan fav. We had a wonderful dinner at Sawasdee, the staff was incredibly attentive + friendly. Pricing also on the friendlier / economical side. All dishes ordered tasted good, not all hit the spot to satisfy my cravings, nonetheless this is a place I'd come back to on occasion. The place at 7:30pm on a Friday night was packed, highly recommend making reservations ahead of time.

Sonali G.

Yelp
*Review for takeout during Covid Sawasdee has been a favorite for my family. We have tried many Thai restaurants in Vancouver over the years but have found Sawasdee to be the most authentic. Many other Thai restaurants in Vancouver either skimp on key ingredients like vegetables or tofu or they replace traditional flavors like Tamarind with ketchup or tomato sauce. Any time we are in the mood for Thai food, we find ourselves at Sawasdee. They don't open until 5pm and their phone line is often busy so they can be a bit difficult to get a hold of but if you keep calling, you'll eventually get through to them. We called to place a take out order for NYE dinner around 5:30pm and were told it would be ready for pickup by 7:15. Given it was NYE, it actually took a bit longer and wasn't ready for pickup until closer to 7:30pm. Although it took longer than we hoped (2 hours), the food was delicious as usual. Well worth the wait! I could tell our food had just been cooked fresh because it was nice and hot when I picked it up. Our takeout boxes were packed tight and securely and when we opened them, everything looked and smelled amazing. It tasted even better! The red curry had tons of vegetables and tofu and the green curry had lots of bamboo shoots and tofu and was perfectly spiced. I love how Sawasdee cooks their tofu, it was so soft. The pad kee mao noodle was also tasty and the sauce had plenty of flavor. I especially liked the baby corn and mushroom in this dish.

Sandra W.

Yelp
Best papaya I ever had and not too salty! The pad Thai and pineapple Thai fried rice in town! Been searching forever! Super yum... we loved it.

Ana Z.

Yelp
Amazing food, good service and portions are very reasonable. Prices are alright, on the pricier side for Thai food for sure but given the quality of their dishes the prices are reasonable. Place is always busy and often there are lineups

Kay F.

Yelp
We got take out from Sawasdee Thai as we had walked by here a few times and had always wanted to try it. We ended up getting the pad see ew (beef) and pad kee mao noodle (beef) and they had good flavour but it was a bit lacking in vegetables. The taste overall was pretty good but R thought it was a bit Westernized. Overall an okay place for Thai food in Vancouver!

David B.

Yelp
Amazing Thai food! Great portions for the price. The place always has great customer service.

Natalia L.

Yelp
Food was good, service was good. But there is an insane amount of fruit flies that it's unavoidable to get some in your food while eating. A couple people at our table didn't finish our food because of it being shared with the flies.

Nomad T.

Yelp
A friend brought me here recently. This place has been around for decades and when you try the food, you'll understand why. I've never tasted so much flavor in a fried rice dish, it's almost surreal how good it was. The fried stuffed wonton app w dipping sauce (not sure what it was, just that it was awesome sauce) was also out of this world. Make a reservation. This place stays booked.

Allison K.

Yelp
Out of all the Thai restaurants I've tried so far, this place is top three on my list. A HUGE plus for me is ... service is amazingly on the ball. The restaurant ambience is warm and welcoming. The food is well prepared using fresh ingredients. A little pricey for the portion size, but good solid food.

Priscilla Y.

Yelp
Perfect place for a large group, I returned for a friend's birthday and we ordered WAY too much after reading through their huge menu. For 8, we ended up getting two orders of spring rolls, two orders of the purple flower dumpling, papaya salad, tom yum soup, pad thai, pad kee mao with noodle, sweet and sour tofu, pork green curry, red duck curry and a ginger shrimp stir fry. This was WAY too much food as it is quite heavy and oily as most thai food is. I must say that the pad thai remains one of my favourites being perfectly cooked this time (noodles were not stuck together, not too sweet and plump shrimp). The flower dumplings were quite oily both on the inside and outside but they were very yummy! The rest of the dishes were all as good as I remember and had plenty of onions and bamboo shoots strewn throughout. Overall, a great thai place for a good price but be prepared to be stuffed!

Michael P.

Yelp
Walked in and got a table for a group of 4 even without reservation. Furniture is 2star but this seems to be a general problem in NA in places like that. Food was great, service quick and price ok

Hoa H.

Yelp
First time here and I was not expecting much. The food definitely surprised me, everything we ordered was good. I also normally don't give 5 stars, but I just can't find much to complain here. The service was good, waitress was friendly and helpful. They also do reservation, so that was nice. Price was reasonable as well. Overall, i enjoyed my experience here.

Brianna G.

Yelp
BEST Thai restaurant I've ever had! The pad Thai and tiger beef are bomb! So tasty and the sauce that comes with the beef taste amazing! And the Thai milk tea is sooo good!! I would definitely recommend to anyone craving Thai food! Honestly the best I've tried in the city, hands down.

Brenden R.

Yelp
Service: The servers are excellent, so kind, willing to have conversation about the wonderful food they have and the options. It was a delight visiting with them. Food: wow! Wow wow! Each dish we had was layered with excellent flavors in each bite. It's came hot out of the kitchen quickly and presented so well. The Pad Thai with tamarind sauce and pankang curry was so so good! Coconut right was excellent on the side and went so well together! This is such a good Thai restaurant I am not sure if there is another one that beats it! Check them out! Warning: there most likely will be a wait but it is so worth it. So just be prepared to be a little hungrier and that much more satisfied after you dine.

Pam C.

Yelp
They open at 5pm every day. There was a line up when I arrived (4:55pm) and I was like wow lots of people want to have an early dinner on a weekend! Haha. I didn't actually know that Sawasdee is a popular Thai restaurant. They had lots of awards so I felt pretty safe to eat here. We got vegetarian food to share. The coconut rice is probably the best coconut rice I've had in a Thai restaurant. It was so good that we ordered a second bowl to share between 2 people. We also got eggplants. I really liked it because it was a bit salty and I just love eggplants in general. It wasn't warm enough, though. I ate most of it then had the rest to go since my friend isn't a fan of eggplants. One thing, the food was pre-prepared. The chicken curry and eggplants came in less than 5 minutes. Not sure if it was really fresh or not.

Stephy Y.

Yelp
I've noticed this place won a lot of awards but most are at least 5 years ago. So I'm not sure if anything has changed since then (owners, chefs, recipes) and it doesn't quite live up to the high star rating on Yelp. Food we had: - Flower dumplings (3/5): Not sure if it's the lighting or what but the colour of the dumplings didn't quite pop. It was a very dull purple. This was my first time having them so I have no benchmark to rate it against so it's just based on my taste and preference. The minced meat filling was nicely seasoned (good spice). The dumpling skin is kind of a glutinous rice flour texture but less stretchy. Despite having enough taste, it felt a bit dry. Felt like I need some kind of dipping sauce but that's probably not how it's supposed to be eaten. - Tom Kha Soup with prawns (1.5/5): The soup was overly sweet. I didn't get any spicy kick or rich coconut cream taste. The mushrooms that came with it tasted weird. It was either straight from the can or it's been sitting in the fridge for awhile. This receipe seriously needs some modification. - Pad Thai (3/5): Pad thai came in a generous portion. You have the option of tamarind sauce or tomato sauce base. I chose tamarind. The sourness of the tamarind help cut out the sweetness a bit which made this dish more edible. - Red curry with duck (2.5/5): The duck wasn't overcooked but the skin was burnt. The curry again was too sweet. -Thai Iced Tea (3/5): The best thing I've had that night. At first sip, it was too sweet. I let the ice melted a bit and my drink got a bit diluted and it was perfect. Service was great though. I noticed the servers constantly monitoring whether our glass of water was filled and offered to pack our soups and appetizers to make room for our mains.

Hong T.

Yelp
I'm from the states and was recommended to this place. After reading most reviews I decided to give it a try. I took my parents here on a Friday night which was a bad idea because parking was troublesome. So when we got there they asked if we made reservation. No we did not so they told us to wait approx 45 mins which wasn't too bad for a full house restaurant on a Friday night. We decided to wait and was seated in less than half an hour. We ordered: 1. Papaya salad: I came from SF. I must say I had better in the states. I thought the papaya salad was too bland. (But my parents loved it) 2. Pineapple chicken fried rice: a very simple yet popular Thai dish in all Thai cuisine. Again, it was flavorless. However, they do put chucks of meat. (But my parents love it) 3. Chicken curry in coconut: it was the worst curry I've ever had. The texture of the chicken was weird, the taste of the curry felt too floury as if it was bashed in chucks of flour mixed with water. (My parents didn't like it) 4. Eggplants: I normally don't like eggplants but I would order it just for my parent. Surprisingly I love the eggplant. It was soft and flavored. I couldn't even tell it was eggplants. The size was sliced into thin pieces which makes it more appetizing. (My dad likes it) Above all said, I would've given 3 stars instead I gave it a 4 because my parents are very very picky eaters and hardly give compliments. For them to say yes on three dishes it means a lot. Shout out for the great servers! Very attentive and friendly!

Terry S.

Yelp
This family run restaurant is in a word awesome. Been coming here for almost 35 years the food and service is always excellent. Dined here last Saturday and as usual had a fantastic dinning experience. Book early though as this joint fills up quickly.

Leah M.

Yelp
The food is always consistently good. I will say the portions seemed a lot smaller when I was there a couple weeks ago. Service is always fast and efficient

Karen S.

Yelp
Out of all the dishes we had, my favourites were definitely the Crying Tiger Beef (one of the Chef's Suggestions) and the Red Chicken Curry. For the beef, I really loved the herb vinaigrette it came with, and for the curry, it had a nice balance of spice, sweetness, and coconut. I would've preferred for it to be a bit spicier though!

Bridget B.

Yelp
Have always been blown away by the drastic difference in goodness of this place offers as opposed to other Thai places I've tried in the lower mainland. The takeout always comes in just as fair portions as when you order in the restaurant which is nice because I've had a surprising amount of places try to give you less when plating in the takeout containers. The staff are always checking in on you and are very kind. Would recommend this place to anyone wanting Thai in Vancouver. The Tom Kha soup was definitely one of the best I've had and all the flavours were beautifully balanced. My family can all say the same for this place too.

Diana B.

Yelp
I wouldn't recommend this place to a single person. We ordered the pad thai with tamarind, tom yum with prawn and basil chicken. There is no authenticity in the food here whatsoever. The pad thai was greasy and bland. It was also flavourless and just a mound of noodles with barely any prawns. The tom yum was inedible... I actually choked on the soup due to the small bits of lemongrass and chilli flakes in there. While the soup had the same smell of tom yum, it was extremely sour. The basil chicken was not anywhere close to being authentic. Authentic basil chicken is made with ground chicken and holy thai, this was a Chinese version of the dish with chunks of chicken and large cut onions and peppers. Not sure where all the rave reviews came from but we were extremely disappointed for the poor quality of food when almost spending $50 on takeout for 3 items.

Kit Yee Y.

Yelp
Coming here for dinner I had high expectations, because its rating and reviews were high and good. I got here around 7pm. This restaurant was crowded and noisy. A lot of people were eating and talking at the same time. Normally asian restaurants are like that. It was more noisy than I expected. Indeed it was very noisy that I could not really hear what my friends said to me at our table. That was the only thing I did not like. However, all the food that we ordered were quite good! I loved their stuffed chicken wings that I bet most of the customers would order them if they ate at this restaurant. I also liked the Pad See Ew with chicken very much!! It was a dish of stir-fried fat rice noodles with chicken. Its sauce, spices and seasoning created such a wonderful dish that it looked like a Chinese dish of stir-fried rice noodles, but it tasted so much better than the Chinese one. The portion of each dish was reasonable and their pricing was average considering that they were located on Main Street in Vancouver. The customer service was above average. I bugged one of them to ask what other people ordered as one of the dishes was a fresh coconut with some cooked food inside. That dish looked amazing and attractive. The server explained to me what it was politely although he was busy, holding onto some dirty dishes on his hands and rushing to do something else. He did not get mad at me :) Overall, I had a good eating experience here excluding the noisy at the restaurant and parking on the street. I would highly recommend coming here for Thai food. *LIKE*

Clara Y.

Yelp
Sawasadee is probably the best place to get Thai food, I love it here! My gf and I brought 4 other guys with us to dinner as they've never been and they loved it. When I come here, I usually order certain things, but because we had guests, they chose some things too. We started with the tom yum soup with prawns, papaya salad and the spring rolls. For our mains, we had the duck curry, green curry with chicken, sawasadee fried rice with prawns, and pad sew eww with beef. I love tom yum soup, however it was too concentrated for my liking, but everyone else loved it. I prefer Urban Thai Bistros tom yum soup. Papaya salad was good, you can't really mess this dish up. I do prefer Vietnamese papaya salad. Our last appy was the spring rolls. These spring rolls were massive. I didnt like the spring rolls at all, but my gfs hubby did. The giant spring rolls were stuffed with A LOT of vermicelli and some mushrooms. I will not be ordering that again. We ordered two curries, green curry with chicken and the duck chicken. I originally wanted the red curry with deep fried chicken in a coconut, but they were sold out :( The green curry and duck curry was also very good. Their consistency is very liquidy unlike the red curry with deep friend chicken in a coconut, that curry is much thicker. For some reason, we were unable to find the pad thai, so we got the pad sew ew and the Sawasadee fries rice. I'm not a fried rice person, so I'm unable to tell you about it. Pad sew ew is always delicious here. Very savory and full of goodness!! The boys ordered A LOT of beers while my gf and I ordered thai ice tea. Overall, the service and food here is amazing! It's always busy here, so try to come right at 5 when they open or make reservations. We will be back and order things I usually order and I'll make another post!
Sawasdee Thai Restaurant on Postcard