Thai Villa

05/12/2008 Posted by darlla

Coming from someone who is somewhat picky about Thai food, I'm ranking Thai Villa as pretty good for this area. No it doesn't compare to New York Thai, but I've had some pretty terrible Thai in the Triangle. Until I found Thai Villa, Sushi Thai in Raleigh was my top pick but it unfortunately has suffered low sanitation ratings so I had to find another place. This restaurant is very small, and is tucked away in a very old and rundown looking strip mall off Buck Jones. Had a friend not told me about it I wouldn't have known it existed. Since it is so small, it gets filled up fast at lunch time. Since they typically only have two people running the entire front of the restaurant, seating, waiting the tables and getting people checked out, the service can suffer. It can take more than an hour to eat here. The restaurant isn't much to look at and the booths are uncomfortable, but the shrimp and pineapple red curry is close to what I used to eat in NYC. It has just the right amount of heat, and a good amount of shrimp and vegetables. I've had dishes here that I didn't care for as much, tofu that was chewy and dry on the outside and some dishes use canned vegetables. But I've been able to find a few dishes that I like enough to order time and time again.

05/11/2008 Posted by NCLisa

If you are interested in a "southernized" version of an ethnic restaurant, then this is a perfect example. I give a place 3 tries before I decide not to go back, and all 3 tries were not good. There is nothing authentic about this thai food, it is a very watered down version of what is available in San Francisco or New Yorks authentic thai restaurants. Even the Thai iced tea was more like sweet tea with a little cream thrown in. We won't be back.

Cons: Not authentic Thai Food

04/15/2008 Posted by mindcrime

I don't understand the most recent couple of reviews I've seen here at CitySearch for Thai Villa. I've never had a bad meal at this restaurant, the prices are very reasonable and in line with similar restaurants in the area and the service is usually adequate. I'll allow that the service can slip a little on occasion but in my experience this usually only happens when they are extremely busy (eg, an unexpected large group shows up at the same time as another large group). In this regard they are simply victims of their own success... Thai Villa is very popular and can get a little hectic in the day-time during the "lunch rush." If you go for lunch, I'd suggest going a little early or a little late to beat the rush. The restaurant isn't very large physically, so it's nice to go when the crowd size is down a little anyway. All in all, I'd rate Thai Villa as the best Thai in the Triangle, unless there's some gem of a Thai place hidden away somewhere that I haven't heard of and tried yet.

Pros: Delicious Food

Cons: Average Service

02/22/2008 Posted by cibomatto76

My recommendation to you is to avoid this restaurant. It was a horrible experience , and pretty pricy for what they had to offer. I ordered The vegetarian red curry, the tofu tasted like it's been recycled over the years, and the grapes were browning. My husband ordered the chicken pad thai which smelled like roadkill. We also ordered veggie rolls stuffed with lettuce and basil that had a hint of soap.

01/31/2008 Posted by morena35

This resturant was highly recommended by one of my co-workers and I was absolutely disappointed. It was my first experience with Thai food and my last experience with Thai Villa. The decor is very out dated and the seats are very uncomfortable. The service was extremely slow and the food was not good at all and you can image what the ambience was like...There wasn't one. I should of turned around when I saw how empty it was during lunch crowd. It was a total waste of time and $$$$...Trust me don't even waste your time.

12/29/2007 Posted by ravikiran123

I went to this place with my wife as my friend had recommended it in the past. It was pretty bad. I think this is an unpredictable place as someone mentioned in an earlier review. We are not planning to visit this place anytime soon.

Pros: Food not up to mark, ambience so-so

Cons: Staff attentive

11/25/2007 Posted by pizzalover37

You will feel like you've been after a trip to this authentic Thai rest. Historically, this restaurant has been underappreciated in part because of its dated appearance and the lack of any abc permits. However, Thai Villa is successful because of its food which is consistently superior. Try the Gaeng Jae (extra spicy) and the Fresh Rolls along with a warm cup of green tea. Also, the staff is very attentive.

Pros: Food

Cons: No abc permits

09/12/2007 Posted by carpmiller

I've eaten at a lot of Thai restaurants, and this one is my favorite by far. The curry dishes and tofu pad thai are always tasty. They make awesome Thai iced tea too!

07/21/2007 Posted by willdaddy

I can't believe this place has a 4.5 star rating. I've eaten here about four times over the past five years. I have had a couple good meals here, but after having had excellent traditional Thai food in California (and other places in the triangle) I've had to reevaluate my opinion. The food is very so-so, not bad, but not especially good either. The decor feels very cheap (it always boggles my mind why some restaurants don't ever improve upon their appearance). The wait staff were very attentive, but when the food is clearly lacking that doesn't help much. Opinions may vary, but I feel there are MUCH better options for the same/similar price. If you would like to try Thai in the triangle, I can heartily recommend The King and I in Cary as well as Sawasdee in Raleigh. The atmosphere at both of these restaurants is much more inviting and pleasant, and the food is step above Thai Villa. I would give it a 2.5 star rating if you could do half stars.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive

Cons: food was not especially good, atmosphere was poor

03/08/2007 Posted by tontate

I feel like I have the responsibility of sticking up for one of my favorite area restaurants after reading that las review. For starters, I first tried this restaurant about 5 years ago I think. The first thing I ever ordered was red curry tofu and after trying a lot of other menu items I have kindof rested on this one. All the noodle dishes are the most flavorful I've ever had. All of the curries are full of authentic thai flavors. All of the appetizers are wonderful. This is a great place to eat with first time thai diners or vegetarian friends. They will substitute tofu into any dish. There are a lot of thai and hybrid thai/other style places in the area whose ingredients just don't taste authentic--their spices are flat and galangal, sweet basil, lemongrass, and kaffir lime don't come through-- The chef at Thai Villa has perfected the art of spicing these dishes. Don't be worried when you don't see a lot of people-- they have slow nights because of their location (on the back side of the shopping center at the intersection of Buck Jones Road and Walnut Street)-- on the other hand there are other nights when you can go and the entire dining room is full. I eat at this restaurant once a week. Visit this restaurant and enjoy the magical flavors of thai cuisine.

Pros: great food, friendly staff, very quick service

Cons: none (maybe hard to locate if you haven't been to this shopping center)