I first visited Osha Thai for my friend's 30th birthday, and I immediately fell in love with the…read morerestaurant. Two of my friends had spoken so highly of it, and after experiencing it for myself, I completely understood why. The food, drinks, atmosphere, and service were absolutely phenomenal.
My friend and I came back about three weeks later for happy hour, and in between that birthday dinner and today, she has actually returned 3-4 more times because she lives only about seven minutes away. She has even taken the time to leave multiple positive reviews about Osha Thai because of how much she genuinely enjoys the restaurant. Needless to say, we are both familiar with and supportive of the restaurant.
Unfortunately, today's experience missed the mark.
As soon as we walked in, the energy just did not feel welcoming. We were really excited to come in for happy hour and sat at the bar from 5-7 PM. The restaurant was extremely slow when we arrived--in fact, we were the only guests there--yet it still took quite a while for the bartender to come over so we could even place our order.
My friend was especially looking forward to the mussels, so she ordered those, while I ordered a sushi roll and we each ordered a drink. Unfortunately, she never received her mussels. The bartender, Tony, was not attentive throughout our visit, and we eventually had to get someone else's attention just to ask for our check.
When we asked for the check, I made sure to mention that my friend had never received her mussels. The manager, Nick, came over, looked at the tab, and apologized. We explained the situation to him as well, but Tony was still nowhere to be found and never came over to acknowledge what happened or apologize.
Nick did offer us a 15% discount card for a future visit, which we appreciated, but honestly, that wasn't really the point. It was about the principle and the overall experience. My friend and I have both worked in the restaurant industry for years, so we completely understand that mistakes happen. We're not expecting perfection. What matters is how those situations are handled, and unfortunately, we left feeling somewhat dismissed rather than valued.
Despite everything, we still left a 20% tip because we understand the industry and don't believe one bad experience should define someone's livelihood.
I'm sharing this because we genuinely love Osha Thai. My friend has supported this restaurant multiple times, has returned several times, and has posted multiple positive reviews about her experiences. That's why today was especially disappointing. We know Osha Thai is capable of providing the exceptional food, drinks, service, and hospitality that we experienced during the birthday dinner.
Hopefully, today was simply an off day. We would love to return and have the experience that made us love Osha Thai in the first place.