Seattle's Thai Food Nazi
Written: Jan 08 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: fast, good food
Cons: not the best sit-down place
|
|
|
| sleah's Full Review: Mae Phim Thai |
Mae Phim has efficiency down to a science when it comes to take-out: get in, order, get out. Located almost under the I-90 overpass just off of First Avenue, Mae Phim has quickly made a name for itself among the legions of Thai-food-lovers working in the Pioneer Square area.
Take-Out
The majority of people go there for take-out, rather than dining in. If you arrive during lunchtime, there is inevitably a line out the door waiting to order take-out; fortunately, it moves fairly quickly. Few words are exchanged with the people who take your order - just the name of the dish you want, the price, and your order number. Cashiers have been known to round down the price of your order rather than have to give you change and slow down the process. After you order your food, it can take anywhere from two to twenty minutes to pick it up, although it’s usually around ten.
Dining In
There are tables for dining in, but almost as an afterthought – it feels a bit like you’re eating in the hallway, with lots of people milling around waiting for their take-out number to be called. Nonetheless, arrive anytime between 11:30am and 1:30pm on weekdays, and you’ll be lucky to find an empty table. When you do eat in, the service is good, if not overly solicitous, and the food always arrives quickly.
Prices
Overall, the prices are good – most things cost around $5 or $6, and the portions are consistently large.
The Food
The food is very good, although some friends have complained that they use a little too much sauce in their Chicken Pad Thai; I love their version of that dish, myself. I've not yet found anything that didn't taste good at Mae Phim, although I haven't tried everything yet.
Summary
There is another Thai restaurant just a few blocks away, Cilantro’s, which is much more of a sit-down, white-tablecloth kind of place. It’s also very good, but their take-out process is nowhere near as efficient as Mae Phim’s, and the prices a little more expensive. I usually alternate between the two, depending on whether I’m in the mood for a fast and cheap lunch, or a long and leisurely one. But when it comes to take-out Thai food, Mae Phem is definitely one of the best!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sleah
|
|
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 34 members
About Me:
When I'm not building the New Economy, I'm reading, watching DVD's, or shooting hoops.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.