Usually for me it's not a meal if it doesn't have meat. Well Araya's at the Univ. District changed that. I went there for their lunch buffet. Everything I tasted was super delicious, from the salads, to the egg rolls, to the curries, to the noodle dish and the sweet black sticky rice with coconut cream. I was in flavor heaven. Service was excellent. I can't wait to go back. read more

My fiancé and I had the lunch buffet awhile ago, and it was pretty good. As vegetarians, we liked not having to worry about fish sauce, etc. We got takeout last weekend and tried their regular menu...and were disappointed. My pad see ew was weirdly sweet, not savory and garlicky like I was expecting. He got the orange tofu because the description sounded delicious. He said the sauce was ok, but the veggies had obviously been steamed separately and left out for too long. They were cold and partially raw. His dish also had the odd addition of pineapple - not part of the description. Oh, and there were huge slices of orange (peel included) tossed in with the veggies - not appetizing. The most disappointing item was the Thai tofu appetizer, which is described as coming with crushed peanuts. We opened the box and saw 6 sad pieces of tofu with some mediocre sauce...again, not good and not worth the price at all. And no peanuts in sight. It was pretty obvious that they just use the same tofu chunks that they use in all their other dishes. Overall, it was a below average and overpriced dinner. We *might* be back for the lunch buffet one day, but we won't be ordering dinner again. read more

Araya's Place - Sad appetizer. - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My relatives who don't really eat veg actually loved this place. They kept saying how fresh and tasty it was! Really good lunch buffet - love that they have kimchi and tom kah soup on there! Iced tea with coconut milk is great too - easy to get stuffed here! I kind of miss the cozy feeling of the other location, but this end of the U-District now is really building up and still not too difficult to park during lunch rush hour. read more

I have been to the buffet many times and it's amazing! Vegans and non-vegans alike will love it! Great atmosphere and service as well!

Atmosphere was lovely, but overall a bit too pricey for my taste. $10 for a curry. And you have to pay extra on top of that for rice!! The Panang curry was tasty, but the pieces of bok choy were waaaay to huge. They basically just took a whole bok choy, cut it in quarters and plopped it in there. Similarly, the broccoli florets were much too large to eat in a single bite. Trying to cut that stuff with a fork resulted in curry splashing all over the place. A good curry should be served ready to eat without any chopping. If the vegetables and tofu were cut into smaller, bite sized chunks, I'd give this place 4 stars. read more

First time coming in. Super bad experience waiter was terrible. she seated us and I asked if we could be seated in the corner where there was shade and With an attitude she said whatever you want. Then when she served us water she did it in a badly manner, she spilled water on the table and didn't even bother to clean it up. She went and help other customers when a better attitude. So when she came back I asked her if she could clean it up because is clearly wasn't out fault. She went and barely wiped it clean there was still water and 2 pieces of ice still there. Horrible service!!!!! read more

Every time I have visited this location I have received the best service. The food always comes out quickly and is very delicious. I frequently stop in for Thai iced coffee with coconut milk--yum! read more

Love the food...The buffet is a great selection... I usually don't eat vegan but wow everything was amazing...

Aryas is the best thai food I've ever had. The food is fresh, flavorful and affordable. They are great at making your food very spicy if that's what you wish. Get the tofu satay , it's amazing. A great vegan option to have. read more

Food - very good Ambiance - very good Location - great I was at his place yesterday and it seemed much better than the Bellevue location (which closed) , food and location made the trip to Seattle worthwhile However the waiter lacked curtsy - he was not just helpful, seemed very impatient and annoyed at any questions regarding the Menu. I plan to go to this again again for the choice of vegan entrees they offer. Hope the management will notice this and provide the feedback to the staff. I hope I can continue to visit the place and the next visit WILL NOT be my last visit read more

We came for the buffet on Mother's day. The trays were mostly empty and were not refilled for some time. The rice was not cooked through. All of this was OK until I went to pay at the cashier. I did not put down a tip as we did not have a waiter and we served ourselves. Right after I did this, the woman said that tip was not included in the bill. I felt pressured into tipping for no service. After I paid, she was rude and mouthed wow. Who demands a tip from a customer for buffet? read more

Awesome vegetarian Buffett. High quality and well balanced ingredients. Great value!

Delicious and great atmosphere. New location is an improvement. Some of the best Thai food around and it's all vegan. Definitely best vegan option around. The lunch buffet is an excellent deal. Highly recommend. read more

I always get take-out, but they prepare food very quickly and are good about getting you your food and getting you out as quickly as you could ever want. I always get Pad Thai and I think it's delicious every time. I love that I can be comfortable knowing that ALL ingredients used are vegan. read more

Araya's is amazing for vegans and vegetarians! There are so many options and they also provide vegan modifications. Friendly and fast service, our cute waitress was amazing! Thanks so much Araya's! read more

I love it here. Anytime people suggest going out to eat, I always throw Araya's out there. Vegan, but you'd only notice if you were seriously craving meat. The food is consistently fresh and well-balanced on the palate. Sometimes the service time is slow, but usually only because they have a huge wait because the place is amazing. Last few times I've gone, the service has been out-of-their-way great. Vegan/Gluten-free desserts and a great happy hour too. Ooh la la and the decor! This might be my favorite place in Seattle. read more

The worst service ever. The waiter throw menu on the plates while guide us to our seat. While ordering, the waiter didn't wait till us finish the order and seems hurry to leave. We feel really bad. We have been there very often,but never had experience like this before. That restaurant was almost half full. Only two waiter. The food is always good,but who wants to eat out if the service is not good? I am not sure I will go there anytime soon. read more

Very nice restaurant with nice ambience and great food for vegetarians craving thai food :) I got a green curry with avocado and tofu and my friend got the daily special love curry which has all ingredients. We both loved our dishes! Would definitely go back! read more

I would never come to this restaurant again, the food is terrible! And all of waiters are fking crappy their faces look like their moms died in yesterday OMFG!! read more

Tried this place for the first time last night and can't wait to go back! Happy to have leftovers for today. We had the pot stickers to start with and devoured them. The Mr. had the fried brussells sprouts which came with lots of broccoli and garlic (some would find it too much garlic possibly). I opted for the Cashew Delight with a side of brown rice. So good on all levels! And the service here...A++++. If you are looking for a new vegan place, wanting to try a vegan Thai place, or just want a new Thai go-to vegan or not...you won't be disappointed here. We can't wait to go back to try the buffet next. We were referred to this place because I'm vegan and looking for local places the Mr. and I can try together (he is not vegan) with something for us both. A double bonus...just down the street from this restaurant is a store I can't wait to go back and check out called Vegan Haven...closed when we were done eating...but it's all vegan stuff and supplies and the proceeds support a local pig sanctuary I didn't even know existed...Pigs Peace in Stanwood WA. read more

If you consider yourself to be a vegan and you absolutely cannot go a day without thai food, I say Araya's is your Mecca. If you're a brokeass college student, I recommend to stray away from the menu since the dishes (as delicious and fresh as they be, they are slightly out of budget). However, from 1-3pm, the buffet is open! The buffet displays a variety of authentic thai dishes including fried rice, panang curry, steamed vegetables, veggie rolls, pad thai, with an inclusion of pickled cabbages (an homage to Korean kimchi), spring salad, fresh oranges, watermelon, and some sort of blueberry compote pudding as a form of dessert. All of that for the price of approximately $10! Not to mention, the ladies who own the business are incredibly sweet and approachable. They're quick on their feet to steer clear of your finished dishes and refill your half-empty water glasses. Since the business as relocated, the interior is exceptionally clean and spacious. I prefer the new location over the former since the window displays do expose natural lighting, allowing for the interior to appear warm and inviting. Don't get me wrong, the last location was spacious as well with a huge parking lot, but the interior was dim in lighting and somewhat crammed in appearance. The thai food aroma was slightly overwhelming in the last location, but since the move, you enter Araya's with a big appetite and no unwelcoming funk to diminish your tastebuds. If you do insist on eating from the menu, may I recommend the pineapple fried rice or the pad see ew. Since Araya's is vegan, all meat is faux and just as delicious as regular meat! No funky faux-meat stank. read more

I went here recently and paid with a card. When the receipt came back the amount that was charged was $8 more than the bill. When asked about this, the server told us that she had already charged us for a 20% tip, but it didn't say on the menu or on the bill about this. The bill even had recommended tipping amounts on it for the increased price so you can tip on top of the unmentioned autogratutity. Nearly tipped 45%. I work in the restaraunt industry and this is totally unacceptable. Will not be coming back. read more

I took out Phad See-iew today. Eating it at my desk and to my surprise I didn't find a single piece of fried tofu in it.

Araya's used to be my favorite Thai restaurant in Seattle. I especially like to support vegan/vegetarian restaurants. It's really disappointing to have to write this review. Unfortunately I had a terrible experience there last week. They brought us the wrong food, but it took 20 minutes to get a server's attention to help us. When we explained that they messed up one of the orders they didn't apologize or try to fix it. The server said, "oh, okay" and walked away. They didn't apologize, try to fix the order AND they still charged us for the wrong food. A server came and offered to take our plates and box up our extra food in the kitchen for us. When we got home, we realized they had given us someone else's leftover food. Pretty gross! It was nearly a $70 meal and we lost more than half the food because they messed up the boxing up process. The next day I tried email and calling to speak to a manager and got no response whatsoever. What a disappointment to lose your favorite Thai restaurant!! read more

Great Thai place and food is just amazing . All vegetarian food and it just tasted so good

The staff were very nice and helpful. However, I am not vegan and while I liked my food I found flavors missing from the food. But it would be a must go I would say if you are vegetarian/vegan and gluten free!! read more

This is probably my favorite current Seattle restaurant (RIP St Dames). The servers are super nice, there is plenty of room, the space is open and not claustrophobic, and the food is delicious. I have meat eating friends who prefer Araya's over other options. I like the fresh rolls, and the tom kha soup. I've never had a bad curry. read more

I've been a fan of arayas for over 10 years and now I'm lucky enough to only work a block away from them at their new location. With a lot of competition I think they are one of the best restaurants in the university district! read more

I have been to this place, the old location as well as the new, repeatedly, since my daughter introduced me to this place. Each time, I always enjoyed their buffet and their food. Clean, served well, always filling up the dishes, and the place is also neat. I will come again and again. worth the money. read more

Clean and quiet. Food is excellent and has a nice variety of vegan and vegetarian options.

this is a good thai place with plenty of vegan options, love the idea of a lunch buffet, you can try everything and go back for as much as you want for the price of a single dish at any other thai place! read more

Sorry to say that the food I ordered to go today was not acceptable. I ordered Thai Fried Rice and it was so sweet I could not eat it. Asked for white rice and was given brown. The papaya salad was supposed to be 1 star but it was so spicy I could not eat it either. Maybe the person who took the order was new or maybe the kitchen staff was tired. Either way it was a waste of $26.00 read more

Finally got to try dinner here and it's even better than the buffet. Had the avocado curry, red curry and the fried tofu appetizer. All three were very bomb. I'm not a vegetarian but if you were to put any of these three dishes next to any meat-based Thai dish found around the city, I would choose the Araya dishes. I didn't miss the meat. Shows the quality of the food. Officially my favorite Thai spot in the city now. read more

I would give it 6 stars if I could, this place is so good that i went there two times in one day. This is the best Thai food that I have ever had. I also appreciate that there was plenty of street parking available. read more

this place is a true delight! they have some of the best thai food i've ever eaten, and i lived in thailand. plus it's all VEGAN!!! i'm so thrilled to be able to order anything i want on the menu. the portions are generous, too. the beautiful interior is spacious and comfortable, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. your meat eating friends won't even object to eating vegan because it's all so yummy. i can hardly wait to try the lunch buffet! read more

I've been a regular for many years and have always loved their food. But I find their food tad sweeter and oily/sticky.

I have been the Araya's at Madison multiple times and also the one in Bellevue (now closed) and I have to say this is the worst out of the three locations. We ordered the pot stickers, panang curry and thai ice teas. The lady who took our order didn't bother asking us the options we want and we had to remind her that we want coconut milk in the thai ice teas, and for the panang curry, she just gave us regular tofu by default without asking. The pot stickers were served lukewarm and the skin was not even slightly crispy. The panang curry has a random assortment of veggie that were probably steamed and just put on the plate with the sauce. The four little piece of tofu in the curry is completely tasteless and lukewarm, and they cut the veggies in such big pieces that I almost had to ask for a knife. But by that time, we just want to finish the meal asap and get the heck out because we were so disappointed. I would highly recommend going to Araya's at Madison instead. read more

A good vegan buffet at a good price. We were satisfied! Friendly staff and peacefull atmosphere

I love this Thai place! Their lunch buffet is always delicious. Thanks for educating about vegan and vegetarian eating!

Amazing food! These folks were a huge help, preparing food for a rather large crew of people to be delivered at 8:30pm on a Monday night (they don't deliver, but trycaviar.com came to the rescue). Can't speak highly enough of the quality of the food, or of their prompt preparation. Wish I lived closer! read more