08/22/08

Big Bad Surprise

by iixer0ii

I was wondering around downtown and saw the pad thai shack and thought hey I could go for some pad thai. So that's what I ordered. The thing cost me $10.00 and I feel they should of paid me that price for eating that box of grease. First the pad thai was mixed with a lot of veggies that made no sense. I've never had pad thai from a thai restaurant that included cabbage and radishes. The only vegetable it should of had but didn't was bean sprouts. The noodles was greasier than hell. The whole meal in general had no peanut flavoring what so ever aside from the crushed peanuts put on top.

On top of the over priced box of grease it messed my stomach up. Now I'm only speaking of the pad thai in this review so maybe their other dishes aren't as disappointing with horrid side effects.

• Pros: Quick
• Cons: Bad pad thai that makes you sick

06/17/08

Awful. Just.... awful.

by Rontu827

Don't eat here. Just don't. I have never even had bad thai food before. I even made some out of a box recipe myself that was better than this. I ordered the tofu pad thai. Paid too much for it. It was bland, bitter, and smelled kinda funny... It was just bad bad bad bad Thai food. Whatever you do, don't eat here.

• Pros: Pros? Um... the plastic take-out bags are pretty good quality.
• Cons: Food.

04/02/08

Overpriced, food and service akin to food cart, not restaurant on Rittenhouse Square

by cheribro

I want this place to be better than it is. So far, it's always been disappointing. They are always out of their signature dishes Basically, they serve only stir fried noodles and rice, adding enough spice to make it inedible, while leaving out all but token amounts of vegis, shrimp, or chicken. The staff know nothing of Thai food and act like they're running a food cart -- but charge 6x the price because the establishment is on Rittenhouse Sq. Go back to Penn and bring in a real Thai place!

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Everything else

03/03/08

Not worthy of serving Thai food

by semone1

As a Southeast Asian, a food enthusiast and a cook, I must say that I am very disappointed! I have never in my life had such horrible tasting Thai food. I ordered the Chicken satay platter which comes with a spring roll and some dumplings. You can tell that the spring roll wasn't made fresh and it was so salty and tasted nothing like a Thai spring roll. The dumplings were burnt, yes burnt and disgusting. The chicken satay was bland. For 12 dollars, it had no right to be so bad! I don't care if you are a take out or not! there is no excuse for such gross food, when you are charging people restaurant price! The idea of a Thai take-out is wonderful, but it would be awesome if the food was at least edible. Please make a well worth trip to Vientian Cafe (47th and Baltimore ave)! The food is amazing, the service is great and the price is reasonable.

• Pros: Peanut sauce
• Cons: You can't eat just peanut sauce!

11/28/07

Good tangy pad thai

by elizany

I just moved to Philly from NYC and typically pad thai isn't my thai dish of choice but this place is close to my office and I figured I'd give it a try. This is some of the best pad thai I've had. Tangy and sweet, lots of freshly cut veggies and ample tofu. Nice atmosphere (although I took it to go) and great staff.

• Pros: Fresh delicious food,friendly staff
• Cons: limited food selection

04/27/07

Excellent food, great service

by anwar12

I've been coming here for years, and have never been disappointed. I've seen a few negative reviews, and I hope that doesn't discourage new customers. Please keep in mind, the occasional grouch is often more likely to find the time to make a comment than someone who is quietly satisfied. As a result, many new, potential satisfied customers could be turned off before trying, and that would definitely be their loss.

You decide. If you're reading this, then you're obviously curious about the place. Don't listen to me, be your own judge!! I agree that the ingredients are always fresh, and everything is made to order, and delicious, but you should find out for yourself. Their prices are not high, so regardless of your budget, it's a pretty inexpensive test for you to see what you think. Just go!! You'll be glad you did, and if so, hopefully you'll find the time afterward to log in here and post your thoughts.

04/27/07

Enjoyed it

by draddy

Actually, I have been to Pad Thai Shack several times and liked my pad thai. I find the pad thai at some other restaurants overly sweet, whereas this one is tangy and peanutty. I did not find it bland at all.

04/25/07

Great Southeast Asia food! Not to be missed!

by pracha

I have been eating at the Pad Thai Shack (18th Street store) at least once a week since it opened and, frankly, am shocked by the negative reviews. The food here is more authentic and significantly fresher than food I have had at most Southeast Asian restaurants in Philadelphia. Moreover, the portions are large at a reasonable price (sometimes I make two meals out of one order). My favorite dish is probably the Thai Green Curry over noodles, which is spicy without being deadly so. The specials are also worthwhile. Soups are tasty and great on a winter or rainy day. Every dish is made to order, which sometimes results in a ten minute wait or so, but it's well worth it. There is limited seating, but the branch on 12th Street has more. Please do not be discouraged by the negative reviews here. Try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

• Pros: Great, fresh food.

09/16/06

Go elsewhere for pad thai...

by ellimac81

I don't consider myself to be a food snob, but this place has absolutely the worst pad thai I have ever tried. The food is very bland, and even though I generally do not like spicy food, my chicken pad thai was devoid of any flavor at all.

On the plus side, the staff is very nice, and the portions are quite generous.

Overall Suggestion: Skip it.

09/11/05

Worst. Thai food. ever!

by maria_chikita

The worst thai food experience of my life! I got the pad thai and it isn't suppose to taste like that. It was completely bland. I will never come here again. The only plus is the proprietor is super nice.

• Pros: Nice staff, good location
• Cons: Horrible food