The food here was tremendous. Highly recommend the egg rolls and gang panang. Wife and I agreed they're the best egg rolls we've had in years. The chicken gang panang was exactly what I was looking for craving a coconut curry. The service was fine, brought our food out after making it fresh. Would work equally well as take out. Seemed a little pricey, $50 for 2 meals and egg rolls so not cheap but not crazy. Interior has lot going on, feels like dine in definitely isn't their focus but plenty of seating. Food was served in take out containers with lids available. read more

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I stopped for take out today and the owner is super friendly. Almost the entire menu is gluten free which is a huge win! The pineapple fried rice with chicken is so fresh and tasty. They use real pineapple. Parking is available out front. I will definitely be back to try out more gluten free items I can't normally enjoy read more

Ban Thai - Pineapple fried rice with chicken - Thai Near Me - White Bear Lake, Minnesota

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As good as always! So glad you're here and open! Food made to order so there is a bit of a wait, not long but the food is fresh and perfect. Having lived overseas this is the best Thai I've had in the continental US. read more

We moved from WBL & we're excited to eat at Ban Thai again, but this was disappointing. The Pad Thai seemed to be missing peanuts & egg, might have had tomato sauce. we couldn't eat it. The satay was good , but the egg rolls tasted like they had a wheat wrapper, we loved them in the past. Sharing this as feedback for management and to help others. We value supporting local, family-owned businesses& hope to have a better experience next time read more

I have been a customer for over 15 years and not one time have I been disappointed. I love thai food and Ban Thai is my go to. Owners are wonderful hardworking people. read more

This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants. The Gang Panang and Tom Ka Gai soup are my favorites that I get every time.

Favorite Thai we've had. The fried rice is incredibly authentic & we love taste of everything! Soooo yummy! Perfect for takeout and portions are so generous! read more

Stopped in with my girlfriend today. This is the real deal. Best Thai egg rolls and Curry in the state. I knew once the gentlemen took our order and claimed we were about to have the best egg rolls and curry we've ever had that our search for decent Thai in Minnesota was actually over and indeed it was. We will always be back when it's time for Thai and my friends who are into the authentic alchemy that is traditional Thai have been alerted. read more

Not a prime example of Thai food, and you can certainly find better in St. Paul if you drive out little further. This place is tucked on 3rd St in downtown White Bear Lake. Don't expect a parking lot, in this area you'll just park right on the street, but there should be plenty of spaces all around the area. I ordered 3 items: Chicken Pad Thai, Chicken Satay and a side of jasmine rice. Pad Thai: Frankly, this is the first Pad Thai I've ever eaten with cilantro in it. Pad Thai is a staple and usually the most approachable food item for first time visits at a Thai restaurant. Its supposed to be a blend of sour, sweet and salty. The dominant flavor in the Pad Thai was sour. You get the brightness of the lime, but the main sour component comes from the tamarind. I wish that it was more salty and sweet. I felt like the earthienss of the cilantro took away from the other flavor components and kept it relatively muted and one dimensional. Also, the Styrofoam takeout box was stained orange on the bottom. Not entirely sure why, but after seeing that, I didn't really want to finish it. Next time I'd skip on this and get something else. Chicken Satay: I got 5 plump skewered pieces of chicken that were surprisingly very juicy and flavorful. I enjoyed this the most. It comes with a peanut sauce, but unfortunately it was underwhelming. It was quite watery, compared to a thick peanut sauce that I'm accustomed to eating. Usually it is also accompanied with lightly picked cucumber in a sweet vinegar sauce, but here you'll just find sliced cucumbers and carrots that don't really do much for the satay. Side of "Jasmime Rice": What was packed in the little takeout box was not jasmine rice. It was parboiled white rice. I know because I got this stuff at home and didn't want to eat it so that's why I ordered jasmine rice. I was disappointed because I was served something else. Please do your customers a favor and serve what you say you're going to give them. read more

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The best Thai food in the north suburbs! The service is great. The restaurant has a local vibe that makes you feel like your Mom was in the kitchen making my meal! read more

I own a vegan bakery a block away and always get my lunch or dinner here. There's isn't much time for me to cook or run to get vegan food near here. I call the owner/chef Mama Oh, because she cooks so many of my meals! I always have long conversations with her when I go pick up my food. She can basically make any dish vegan. Just ask. Never gives me any grief. Loves to accommodate. I love cilantro, so I always ask for extra and now she just automatically adds more when I forget to ask! I've had vegan pho, pad Thai, fried rice, curry, fat noodles, skinny noodles... A lot of things. I recently tried romein. I think it's ramen and lomein. I don't know, but it hit the spot right on. I usually request fried tofu in my dishes. They have mock duck too. Inside dining is clean and spacious. Food is great. Owner is super nice. Her daughter and husband work there too. I'm usually starving by the time I get my food so I haven't taken many photos. If you're in White Bear lake (and vegan!) and want Thai food , definitely stop here! read more

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Ban Thai is absolutely amazing. Fresh and authentic with super high-quality ingredients. As an added bonus, the owners are exceptionally wonderful. Truly care about providing excellent service. Dishes are cooked to order. Can't wait to go there again! read more

Atmosphere was OK, although your food is served in a takeout dish and you grab your own plastic silverware and pour your own water. I ordered the Pad See Lew, and it was awful, to my taste. Rather than sweet, which is what I've had other places, it was bitter and harsh tasting, with a thick coat of ground pepper across the top in the center of the dish. Really didn't work for me. And more expensive than other places, as well. Double downer. Oh well, lots of other places to try. read more

Just okay...unfortunately. I've been here 3 separate time, twice for take out and the most recent time to dine in. The food is only okay, there's a lot of spice but the curry was runny and watery where as the pork spring rolls had a really hard wrapping. This place produces A LOT of waste. Everything they serve you in, even when dining in, are all disposable. Not a single item you're utilizing is washable or reusable. That alone makes me want to give them 1 star. I don't consider myself a "tree hugger" but it's Incredibly wasteful. Needless to say, I won't be going back. read more

Very yummy Thai food! Service was excellent and fast. I will absolutely be eating here again.

Years and years ago, this was the best Thai food you could find in the Twin Cities. It isn't the same anymore. Food isn't that great anymore. Food is served in takeout dishes. The food isn't as good as it was before. I have tried it two times recently after a bad experience thinking, "Surely this must be a one off situation." On my return, I was sad to see my experience was real. Oh is a phenomenal chef. I think she just needs some help to bring the business back to the way it was. There is no atmosphere and the food is going downhill. I hate to write this review but I can no longer recommend this to my friends, it is somewhat embarrassing hearing their complaints. read more

Chicken was nice and tender. Sauce was a bit different than expected. Good! But different. Fast service! read more

Ban Thai - Chicken Pad Thai 2 Star - Thai Near Me - White Bear Lake, Minnesota

Over priced for salty food. Also as a restaurant giving out plastic food ware. Waited forever to get my food. All the while the owners were cussing and swearing back and forth about charges. Very disappointed and highly dissatisfied! Not coming back to here. Don't waste your time either. read more

Ban Thai - Chicken egg roll - Thai Near Me - White Bear Lake, Minnesota

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I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy eating a restaurant when the owner comes out and talks about their passion for food. It goes a long way with me,and I know what's good to eat. I finally settled on a nice yellow curry w sticky rice. It was what I expected but next time I might go to three peppers in the heat scale for more punch. Always great to have warm curry to bring you joy ! read more

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This place keeps getting better and better as I make my way through the menu trying new things. My sons enjoy their food as well especially their fried rice and eggrolls. I agree the service is slow sometimes because of limited staff. They are hiring a part time cook so that should help. However the food is well worth the wait. My husband and I have visited Thailand and had lots of hot, spicy foods. This place can really pack the heat so be careful if you are not sure what spice level to order. We have had our socks knocked off a few time times trying level 4 and 5 spice. read more

The food was not very good. There was a lot of flavor, but it was runny and the ingredients were obviously frozen. We ate in and the food was served on all styrofoam/plastic products that had to be thrown away afterwards. What a complete waste. Service was bad, there was rarely someone up front to take our order or keep the serving station (for knives, forks, water) refilled. The worst part though, was that although they advertised that they were wheelchair accessible, they had not shoveled their wheelchair entrance in weeks and then when I checked out the wheelchair entrance inside there were boxes and garbage stacked in the narrow hallway so there was no way someone in a wheelchair could get through. That hallway was also the way to the bathroom, so if my dad, who is in a wheelchair, had wanted to use the bathroom, it would have been nearly impossible. Really disappointing all around. read more

I have to admit I am a big fan of White Bear lake but now there is another reason for me to be. This was a suggestion for lunch from a friend that lives in area so I figured it was going to be a pretty solid lead. It was spot on! Nothing much to write home about from the outside but the inside was very clean and spacious. the tables aren't packed in here, It has a nice open and relaxed feel. Could be the fact it was a late lunch and there was no one else there but It's open none the less. Now I have this theory about suburban ethic restaurants and that is they always dumb down the food and the flavor to appease the white ass suburbanites. Now I guess I never really get the feeling in White Bear Lake that this is a suburb, just a small town that has seen the city grow around it. Well the food met this match. When ordering my Thai Curry chicken dish I was ask how hot I wanted it. On a scale of 1-10, I want a 9 please. Scale was on a 4, I choose 3. With this came the warning that they "buy their chili peppers from other places and the chillies are much hotter than most restaurants"...This made me smile. We had an order of the Vegetarian Egg rolls, very good. Nice and crisp, not at all greasy and a very nice peanut sauce that was a little different than what I am used to but very fresh tasting. The Thai Curry Chicken came out quick (OK by this time we were not the only ones there) and was rocking good. The spice level made me smile once again. Sweat beads formed under my eyes (as they should) and yet my mouth didn't burn in a Buffalo Wild Wings like fashion. I consumed a lot of water and enjoyed the sweat! The rice that came with it was nice and fluffy, not sticky and gooey like at some places. I think those are all good things! Two big thumbs up for this place. Love good Thai food and keep those peppers coming from where ever it is you buy them! KT read more

Checked out Ban Thai at Marketfest last night. I tried the yellow curry as I was walking around the goings on. It was phenomenal and that's all I have to say. You gotta try it. read more

Saturday night my family of 4 went to Ban Thai to eat in. We ordered at the front desk. It was served in plastic to-go containers. When we asked for plates we were given LIDS to eat off of. All this would be a fervor if the food was good. The award winning egg rolls were horrible. The Pad Thai wasn't bad. The fried rice was ok. We paid $60 for two entrees and two appetizers. Lee Ann Chin would have been better. I don't know how they have stayed in business for this long. read more

Ban Thai - Thai Near Me - White Bear Lake, Minnesota

We understand these are difficult times for restaurants so we excused the limited service and serve yourself drinks and silverware (plastic). We eat a lot of Thai food and always order 2apps and 2 entrees so we have leftovers. We could barely eat anything we ordered (chicken satay, spring rolls, pad Thai and a chicken stir fry). The apps were passable. The pad thai looked like it had spaghetti sauce on it. I've never had it with a red sauce or much sauce really. The worst was that it tasted like a sickly sweet spaghetti sauce. The lime I squeezed liberally didn't help. The stir fry tasted like very old grease. The veggies were so overcooked they barely had any flavor and were limp. All for $50. I felt like asking for my tip, which I gave when prepaying. Without a doubt the worst Thai food anywhere. read more

This is a good restaurant with amazing pad Thai. Everyone should go here and keep this business rockin! The couple that owns it is so nice and fun. The chicken satay is delicious. read more

The pad Thai was ok. Just ok, as were the spring rolls and egg rolls. The fried rice was very good. My gripe is the entries are $12-15 and it is essentially self service. You order and pay at the register. You get your own drinks out of the cooler. You get your own disposable utensils and napkins and water. The food is brought out on carry out containers. They were out of all beer and wine There are a lot of better choices. Better food, better service for what they charge read more

Amazing Thai! Best in WBL! If you can get your order in while they are open, you're in business! Order right now! read more

Ban Thai has some of the best Thai food I've had in the Twin Cities area. The dishes here have the taste and look of home-cooked Thai food with fresh, colorful ingredients and simple preparation. Prices are reasonable and portion sizes are good. I appreciate that they have mock duck and mock chicken as options, which is rare outside of Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants. Be careful of the spice level---anything more than "2 peppers" on their scale will scald your mouth. The service is super-friendly and attentive; the cook even went out of her way to make a new, vegan batch of green curry paste especially for my dish, because the existing batch had fish sauce already mixed into it. NOTE: you have to request for them to leave out the fish/oyster/shrimp sauce, but they're very accommodating about this. All in all, it's a great restaurant, but I wish they were in Minneapolis or St. Paul, rather than remote White Bear Lake. read more

Ban Thai never disappoints my cravings. The only downside is the wait for your food. There is usually only one chef [the owner] and one waiter [the owner's husband]. It is usually a good idea to order an appetizer, just to hold you over, because absolutely everything is made-to-order. I tried a new dish this last time I was there, as was left amazed. A hefty portion of rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, pork, and a delicious coconut curry sauce left me thinking about it all night. I can't remember the name of the dish, but since the waiter usually goes by the number listed in the menu anyways, it was #512 ! The pad thai is also excellent, as well as their masaman curry and green curry. It's always nice to support a family-owned restaurant like this, but even better when the food is fantastic! Enjoy! read more

I've heard really good things about the authenticity of the food at Ban Thai, but I've got to be honest and tell you I've been there twice and left unimpressed. The first time I went with my wife, who got the Pad Thai, and thought it tasted like the chicken was reheated. I got a soup, and found it decent, but nothing to shout about. Today I went there with several co-workers on our bi-weekly "international food lunch." The waitress/owner was slow, aggressive and rude, telling us she was "very upset" that a few of our group couldn't attend, and that our reservation would be less than we called ahead for. Overall the food was adequate, but nothing to write home about. I asked for my food "spicy," and it really didn't have any hotness at all. I was very disappointed. read more

Closer to 2.5 stars... I live in Shoreview and have been looking for a decent Thai food restaurant in the northern 'burbs, as Uptown is a haul from here. After eating at Ban Thai, the search continues. My first app was fresh spring rolls with shrimp, and while not bad, I've had better; the wrapper was tough and there was too much lettuce and cilantro. The lettuce was bitter, and the dipping sauce didn't help. This "peanut" sauce looked interesting- rather than the clear stuff with chopped peanuts floating on top, it was a mustard color and appeared to have many different ingredients, but it was disappointingly plain and lacked any sweetness that you'd normally expect. Pass. The chicken satay was dry and boring, seasoned only with a dusting of yellow curry powder- which is pretty blah on its own. I suspect that they are baked since there were no grill marks and the color was really light. The satay's dipping sauce (the thicker peanut butter type) was another letdown: instead of being a sweet, savory peanut buttery concoction, it was surprisingly bland. It lacked any peanut butter flavor and wasn't satisfying at all. This sauce at other places is usually so good, I'd slather it on cardboard and munch away. At this point I didn't have high hopes for the entrée, but it was actually a big improvement. I had the massamun curry beef, a beef stew with potatoes and (normally) peanuts. Oddly there were no peanuts, but the heat level and flavor were good. The beef was cut really small, yet was less tender than some other restaurants. Overall it was much better than the apps, but not enough to bring me back. read more

Very disappointed... the Shrimp were only half the length of the wrap so the end was just fried dough for more than half - not worth $10! The fried rice was very strangely seasoned with an overwhelming amount of lemongrass as was the Tom Kha soup. My husband's sticky rice tasted like plain very old hard rice not traditional sticky rice. Ended up being a $100 dinner that the chickens ate most of. read more

I liked it. Food was great. I ordered the 3 pepper level as I am a chili head. It was as warm as I had expected. There seem to be a lot of one star ratings on here. I do wonder how much of that is simply MN "Anything other than ketchup or Gravy" is a scary thing? As you travel throughout the country and also around the world. You do notice, whats great in one place. Is not so great in another. I rate this place four stars. Only drawback is how cold the place was. Kind of wish I had brought my sweater. read more

Been here twice and will never eat here again. The first time, the food was delicious. The second time, the food swam in a lake of oil on my plate. I tried to mix the rice and veggies, but could not get rid of the oily taste. The owner said, they have a new cook and he got carried away with the oil. Normally they messure everything carefully. He made a new dish for me and it was ok. If I wandet a bowl of oil, I would have ordert one! This grossed me out. read more

Ok, do the service can be off, but we need to remember this is a FAMILY run business. They have very little outside help. The food is AMAZING. I keep trying different things and they are all good Have a glass of wine and relax read more

Love downtown White Bear Lake-we were hoping for an outdoor table at Washington Square-no luck-but this unassuming place was across the street with no wait. We just ordered appetizers-spring rolls and egg rolls-but they were very good. We ended up getting some chicken satay too-which wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad. We would come again. BTW-my husband said it was the best Thai coffee he'd ever had. Not as sweet as some others, and very strong. read more

I have to admit that I didn't expect very much from a Thai place in White Bear....not the most diverse place around. I never expect much from a place that advertises that the were named "best Thai" from a publication that I've never heard of. I also never expected something truly spicy in a northern suburb! I was absolutely shocked! Their green curry and pad thai are awesome. Decent prices, $10-$14 depending on protein. I had a salad that had an awesome peanut sauce on it too. I was warned that on a 1 to 4 heat scale to go no more than 1.5. I smirked and thought about saying give me a three and am happy that the waiter warned me that my life would be at risk. At 1.5, this was the perfect spice level. My wife thought this was a bit too spicy but I loved heat. The pad thai was light on the eggs but had fantastic flavor. The curry was perfectly sweet and spicy. The one knock I had was that the waiter said they gave me a double portion of rice when I picked up the order but after I got home, I realized this meant one kind of small container. This left me scratching my head and wondering whether they just skimp on rice or if the waiter got it wrong. In any case, I would take this place over Sawatee and look forward to coming back here. read more

The wife noticed that there was a Pho sign in the window and we thought we'd give it a try. Well the rule of thumb not to order non-native dishes from an ethnic restaurant definitely stands here. I think the broth was beef, not chicken, and the beef wasn't sliced thin nor was it rare, plus the accompanying plate only had limes and sprouts, no fresh basil or chilies. It tasted fine, but it wasn't Pho. We also ordered a Tom Yum which was quite delicious. And if you order your food "hot," expect a truly respectable amount of heat, more than suburban "hot" but still less than big-city "hot." We also ordered chicken eggrolls which were unlike any eggroll I've had, somewhere between Chinese and Thai. And while not my favorite eggroll ever, it was definitely tasty and worth a try. All in all it was good enough that we'd consider going back some day. read more

I love supporting locally owned non-chain restaurants especially in a suburb where there are a lot of chain restaurants. I love the chicken curry over a bed of spinach and the pineapple fried rice. This restaurant also makes their dishes spicy. It is difficult to find a place that will put caution in the wind and actually make their dishes HOT! I add heat to almost everything I eat and a 2 on the Ban Thai scale is almost too spicy so be warned and stay on the lower side of the heat scale. read more