Nicky's is easily in the top 5 of best Thai I've had in my lifetime. Flavors and ingredients always slap, portions are plentiful, and as busy as tgey get, the service is fast. My friend and I dined there on July 4th. I got the Pad See Ew - noodles were soft yet springy, and the spicy / smoky / garlicky flavor of the dish is like nothing you get anywhere else. I am also not usually a dessert person, but this visit, I made an exception. The mango coconut ice cream with the sticky rice was a very special treat, particularly on this hot and muggy day. I don't even normally love mango, but yesterday I did. Just perfect, can't ask for more. Five stars. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Mango ice cream with black sticky rice - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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The best Thai food I ever had. Made sure to come back on my return to Pittsburgh. Food is a bit pricey but the flavor is really good. Green curry with tofu. 100% hit the spot!! read more

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Seated via Phone Call (Dinner option only). Food allergy: Nuts Food & Drink: - Mixed Drink(s): 4 / 5 "If I was a cow, I would tell all the other cows that this flower is toxic, so that I could keep it to myself." - My favorite distraction Presentation is everything when it comes to the drinks ordered at Nicky's and I absolutely love it. Not only do they look great, they taste great. It's always great to find a location that takes pride in their mixed drink selection. The only flag I have is if you order the Honey Bee Martini be prepared to feel like a bee is stinging you every time you take a sip. I enjoy spice, but even this had enough kick to make me savor it periodically. Disclaimer: Taste the flower at your own risk. Remember the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat". - Food: 4 / 5 Appetizer - When you think American cuisine, what do you picture? A hamburger? Hot dogs? An American Flag on the back of a Ford F-150 with a bald eagle in the driver seat? Even though all those can be true, I think of Crab Rangoon. Even as a non-crab person, I do enjoy popping one of these bad boys into my mouth after dipping it in the provided sauce. Nicky's uses a homemade pineapple sauce that adds just a slight tang on this small delight. Entrée - Bread wasn't the greatest creation of mankind. Actually, it was spice because that allowed Thai food to flourish. It has always been of my opinion that if you know how to use spices, then you can make any dish pop. We had the Pad Phet and Basil. Both dishes were absolutely flavorful and made each bite as enjoyable as the last. If you get a box, make sure to get two and a paper bag for reinforcement because if you have sauce left, you are going to want to pour that over your leftovers. Dessert - The sticky rice mango is definitely an interesting dish, but it had something in it that tasted like half and half and ruined any flavor that the mangoes held. The ice cream saved that sweet taste, but the sticky rice that lay below reminded me of a Rice Krispie treat that you found in a corner of your kitchen that was there for months and a friend dared you to take a bite. Disclaimer: You cannot eat the banana leaf...don't ask how we know. - Service: 4.25 / 5 When dining with someone who has a food allergy, you always worry about cross-contamination. Luckily, at Nicky's, even without disclosure, we had no issues at the end of the night. However, as the restaurant gets busy, the service definitely becomes slower, but if you have a great companion you honestly don't notice it. Nicky's also does a great job of not rushing you out the door as soon as the dessert has been finished and it seems each server helps the other servers if it becomes really busy, which isn't a bad system. It's worth noting there are standard charges including a pre-calculated tip, which is fairly common for restaurants of this style. - Vibe: 5 / 5 Nicky's is the exact reason why I started doing food reviews. By that, I mean I wanted to find interesting restaurants where you could sit down with other people, have a great conversation, enjoy some good food and just relax in the unique ambiance. - Overall: 4.25 / 5 My momma always said, "Thai food is a great indicator for a vibe check" and for my own personal add-on, "Great Thai food is how memories are made". If you are ever on the fence about certain people in your life, take them to Nicky's. By the end of the meal, you'll know where they stand. Recommend? Why is this even a question? Of course! read more

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Came in out of the rain into a packed restaurant. Service was prompt with water for our party of four. Food was really good, especially the tofu toast app. Ambiance was nice, well decorated in Thailand motif, but loud. Friend said Pumpkin curry was excellent. Pra Mah Chicken was plentiful. $$$ read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen 10/10! - We got the steamed dumplings & the fresh spring rolls we ate all - For the main course we got the Garprow Crispy Pork Belly Lad Kao, which had eggs on top, pork belly, peppers, & rice - Also got the Kao Soy noodle curry which was too spicy for me - food & service was great I wish this place was located by me! read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Kao Soy (noodle Curry) - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Ambiance alone was uplifting and vibrant. The flavors were amazing from side salad, appetizer rolls, and mango chicken salad & chicken curry. (I won't lie, could be better, chicken was dry but I'm sure it was marinated for too long.) service was excellent, I was pleased -- yet the 20% tip charge that's automatic gave me the ick. I'll be back for better chicken. The peanut salad, maybe next time. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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I was starting to give up on the Pittsburgh food scene till this place was recommended to me. I went in for lunch and sat at a bar. The aesthetic is very pleasing and I only wish I got to sit outside but all the seats were taken. It took a while to get greeted and the service was for sure slow due to the rush but the food made up for it. I got the mango juice which had a unique flavor that I really liked. It blended well with the meal. The broccoli shrimp medium spicy was perfect. It went really well with the rice. The meal looked and tasted great. Thank you Nicky's Thai for restoring a little bit of faith in the PGH food scene. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Broccoli shrimp - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Food was excellent, service was kind and attentive. The ambiance is the classic carved wood and Thai artifacts.

Solid Thai food, the best Thai I've had downtown. Friendly service. Only thing holding back the 5 star is the heavy scent of incense that made me slightly nauseous. read more

I was working in downtown Pittsburgh for 5 weeks, and Nicky's was my saving grace! The food was consistently excellent, with friendly service from the bartender. I tried a variety of dishes, including the Tofu with Mango Green Curry, Mango Chili Tofu, and Pad Cha Squid. Everything I ate was excellent, and the portions were large. Now that I've left Pittsburgh, I really miss eating here! read more

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I have previously had great meals here but on a recent trip I was somewhat disappointed. The food just was not exciting at all, very bland (and it was Thai!!) we even got great spices and seasonings and still felt it was underwhelming. Our service was great and the restaurant itself is comfortable yet chic but I was disappointed with the food. Parking is also always a nightmare at this location so not worth it in my opinion. I think the north hills location may actually be better! read more

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They have adorable seating outside that makes you feel like you're very private, not on the street. -- when it's nice out! Otherwise, it's indoor seating. The service was decent, but a little slow when it's busy. We ordered the pad thai with chicken on a 3/5 spice level. We also ordered the red curry with chicken on a 3/5. Both dishes were good and gave generous portions. Two of us shared them and had leftovers. I would argue that there wasn't enough rice for the curry but I'm sure I could have asked for more. I like spice but not for it to overpower the flavors and I think 3 was nice but I'd be intrigued by a 4 next time. The sauce in the curry was flavorful, had loads of vegetables in it as well. The pad Thai had everything you'd expect. They do include a 20% "service charge" which is the tip so that's an interesting strategy. I wasn't upset about it tonight but if I had really bad service or something, I might have been upset about that. I also got the Thai iced tea to try and it was delicious. A milky iced sweet tea in reality. Tonight there wasn't a wait, which not sure if it was the weather or time of year. They did say they take reservations so it must be a phone call kind, not online. Good to know if you have a show and are on a tight timeframe. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai, Red Curry - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The pad Thai was amazing!!! The crab Rangoon and fried egg roll were also amazing! Generous portions. You can split one entree with 2 people. The island paradise drink was good too. read more

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I used to love Nicky's Thai Kitchen! And so when I went back to try it, I was incredibly disappointed. I think this place (the whole franchise) is a terrible establishment. They really milk every cent from you: if you don't buy food, you have to pay $10; if you split a dish, there's an upcharge; you must spend a minimum of $10; and a 22% gratuity is automatically added, regardless of party size. That being said, the service was actually terrible. I had 3 different waiters because none of them wanted to work, and the food came out at least 30 minutes late. The food is average, with smaller portions, and it is incredibly expensive. There's definitely better thai in the city! The one thing that they have going for them is the ambiance. It is a pretty vibe. read more

Came by for lunch which I think was great value, especially for downtown! No wait for a table of 2, the lunch is an entree with a soup or salad. The salad is nice and fresh, but the pineapple dressing is quite sweet. The soup of the day, chicken and rice, was really delicious and flavorful with a strong garlic flavor, definitely recommend! The spicy noodles (essentially drunken noodles) was amazing, great flavor and portion and if you like spice, level 3 is perfect! It has a ton of delicious sauce too, almost too much but loved the flavor. It's a little odd that even for a party of 2 for lunch, tip is already included in the bill, but the price was so good for the portion and quality that it's totally worth it to me! Great spot to stop by! read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Spicy Noodle - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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still might be taste wise my favorite thai place in the city. the spice is KICKIN, and the salad is also surprisingly great read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great location in the downtown area designated as the Cultural District. We were here on a weeknight early evening, and the place was packed! Got a table outside along the wall, but in the walkway so people were constantly passing very close to us as we dined. Service was good and they did not ignore us. The Tom Yum soup and Tom Kha Soup were both good and really a ton of vegetables in each. Pad Phet (spicy) with chicken was excellent The Panang curry with pork was requested to be Thai spicy (extra hot) and that kinda fell flat for me. Overall a good meal for both of us. read more

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I got a spicy noodle lunch special and a tomato yum soup. The spicy noodle portion is huge! It can definitely feed at least two and it comes with a starter soup or salad. I got the soup and it was a very homey soup, most likely a combo of different scraps from other dishes making for a flavorful broth. The spicy noodle itself is very flavorful and has an undertone of Thai basil. It was a nicely done drunken noodle variation. The tom yum soup was okay. It was most likely made with vinegar rather than tamarind or anything. It was also overfilled with veggies and chicken and barely had soup. I thought I was eating a salad at one point. I came during a huge lunch rush so I did have to wait a bit to get in and just sat at the bar. It was okay, but everything was a bit sticky. Overall, decent Thai food. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Spicy Noodle - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The food was good for someone who hasn't tried a Thai food. This could be a nice base for you to understand how Thai food tastes, however, for someone who loves Thai food you will notice the lack of marination in the meat and savory. The crispy duck curry was served with no crisp into it (it's part of their special menu) the sauce was savory tho. The crying tiger beef or they have it as tiger cry beef it has a good sauce but the meat itself lacks of marination. The service was phenomenal! She serves a group of more than 9 people with a breeze. Our server also initiated a Sake Bomb shot and everyone was on board. It was so fun! And we are happy we had that kind of vibes that brought to the table. Ambiance, you know they really spent time to make sure the place is well situated. Every corner is an embodiment of Thai arts and culture. It was nice to see. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Crispy Duck Curry - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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We ordered pick up. Portions were huge and really good for leftovers. Even though we said for Phad see ew medium spicy it still came out pretty spicy. The pumpkin custard with black rice dessert was really sweet. I could only take 2 bites. Steam dumplings were very meaty and good. Teriyaki chicken - the chicken pieces were pretty big. It's more on 3.5 stars but 4 because of the portion size. read more

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Food was 4/5 very good Service was 1/5 Bad Saw our waitress twice during meal. Once to order and once after we were finished eating and told her we were done. She never came around to see how our meal was or refill our drinks. After I told her we were done she never came back. Ten minutes later had to flag down someone else to get boxes and check. The surcharge on check for mandatory gratuity is BOGUS!! This woman deserved zero as a gratuity not their mandatory 20%. I have eaten there several times. I will not go back. read more

Food was delicious and portions gave me leftovers for lunch the next day. Definitely need to come back asap!! One of my favorite spots downtown read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - pad Thai Style Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My fav Thai restaurant in Pittsburgh in the heart of the Cultural District downtown. I always opt to dine outside in their oasis on the sidewalk. It is so very well done with umbrellas over every table and greenery surrounding you on all sides with hanging lights throughout, such that you are in your own world sheltered from the ongoing traffic. The service is always impeccable which is great because they do tack on automatically a 20 percent service fee, no matter your party size. This is not revealed aloud until they bring you the bill. But, since you will get service, food, and atmosphere well worth at least 20 percent, let it be. The menu options are lengthy. I have always been pleased with presentation, quality, and quantity and always have plenty to take home. Spice levels are 1 to 5. Level 2 I found too mild, three was perfect for my taste. The servers will help you decide. It can be pricey but so worth it. I will definitely return. read more

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I'm torn... the food was better than most Thai places - but the 20% MANDATORY tip (which they call a service fee) just sucks. The food - we had spring rolls, steamed dumplings, sen mee pad see eaw, and a pumpkin special that was good, but essentially just a green curry. The sen mee pad see eaw was STELLAR as were the steamed dumplings. The service was fine without being too overbearing, and the overall prices were ok. The decor and ambience were nice: a mishmosh of North Indian and Thai art. I like to tip about 15-20% - sometimes more, and rarely less if there's some weird issue that's unresolved. MANDATORY TIPS ARE FEES, NOT TIPS. I resent being told exactly how much I must tip and I avoid those restaurants. But since were were invited to dine here by another couple, we were saddled with a 20% surcharge. read more

Delicious food, poor service, overpriced mandatory tip, even just a party of two. Portions are generous and they have decent quality to go boxes read more

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All our meals were great, highly recommended. My favorite was the shrimp coconut curry.

I constantly brag (to anyone who will listen) that Pittsburgh's Thai food is top tier and Nicky's Thai Kitchen is one of my favorites. My go to is the Massaman Curry. Homemade creamy peanut sauce with potatoes and mixed veggies is everything you'll ever need. (Make it spicy) The atmosphere is also very homey, warm, and welcoming. Also nice talking to the staff (when it's not super busy) and that goes to show how popular it really is. I've been to all the Nicky's Thai Kitchen locations and love that all offer the same quality of taste which is hard to do I think. I LOVE it here. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Massaman Curry - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Really great flavor when you come to Nicky's for Thai food. I always forget to snap pics because I am so excited to just dig in. I ordered the broccoli with shrimp and made sure it was spicy because why not and it delivered. So delicious and not too salty. I also inhaled the glass noodles with chicken and really wish I had a pic to show you. Huge portions - definitely big enough to share. The outdoor tables on the street are so cute and set up great for people watching and relaxing in the nice weather. They did such a great job making this the go to spot for Thai food in Pittsburgh. I will always return when I'm in town! read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Broccoli with Shrimp - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The food was okay. I didn't like the imposed tip for dine in. The point of tip is gratuity. If you're going to impose tip, then why not just mark up your menu prices by 20% instead of "imposing a tip". Also I had the peanut chicken salad. It was SALTY! So salty I was thirsty all night long. And I couldn't even finish the whole salad because it was just that salty. So I wouldn't recommend that dish to anyone. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Grilled Chicken Peanut Salad - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1/16/25 Ate List: Chicken Pad Thai (spice 2) - Score 8.9 W/ Salad - 6.5 First thing's first. Service was amazing. So quick. Was seated immediately. Was less than 10 minutes from ordering to the meal being in front of me. LOVED THAT. Salad came very quickly. Overall was good, had some citrus and onion in it. Liked it. The Chicken Pad Thai was phenomenal. Will absolutely come back for it. Noodles were delicious and very light. Spice level was good at 2, feel like spice level 3 would be manageable. And the portion was perfect. Cleaned my plate. So so good. Restaurant's ambiance is nice too. Feels busy but in a way that isn't off putting. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Salad - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Awesome atmosphere with low lighting and relevant art. Were greeted at the door and offered indoor or outdoor seating options. Once seated, immediately served water and acknowledged by the wait staff. Friendly, warm, welcoming, and provided good guidance. Thoughtful recommendations. We wanted to ensure we could both eat within our dietary boundaries and wait staff helped us get there. Started with a blue cucumber and Pinot Grigio ~ lovely and refreshing. Ordered the chefs special vegan duck and the tofu eggplant. Cooked to perfection! Staff checked in regularly. Everyone friendly and suitable for all clients. Just the right amount of attentive. Was full but wanted to try the Mango Sticky Rice - very nicely done. So happy we ate here!! read more

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Food was delicious! Had depth of flavor in everything. The sauces in both the yellow curry noodle and pad pheet are good enough alone to have with just plain rice. The decor is beautiful, colorful and eclectic. Staff is friendly and helpful. Would definitely be back again when in the neighborhood. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Pad Phet (spicy) chicken - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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I have eaten at this location a lot. It's very convenient to my work downtown or if you're going to a show in the Cultural District. It has a good reputation as a reliably good Thai restaurant with a nicely decorated interior and a beautiful outdoor space on Penn Avenue if the weather is right. Today for the first time in an unseasonably cold spring, the weather was spot-on for outdoor dining, or just leaving the office for lunch, and perhaps Nicky's just didn't anticipate what a packed house they were going to get for lunch. We walked down with a group of six from work, with four choosing to sit indoors and two of us opting for outdoors, which was probably the only number of party there was space for outdoors when we arrived around 12:15 PM. We ordered one Thai coffee and one Thai iced tea. Our server had excellent recommendations when asked, as my colleague is from out of town and hadn't been here before. When I mentioned I was vegetarian, he also made a point of telling me that the dish I had chosen had a shrimp base that isn't mentioned on the menu. I could have found that out by scanning the QR code for the vegan-specific menu, but I really appreciated him calling it out as I know I have ordered and eaten that cashew dish before and never had it mentioned. Instead I went with the basil bowl with rice. We both got salads which came relatively quickly and were different and fresh with chopped nuts and pineapple. After that, however, it took very long to receive our entrées. We were served probably around 1:35, with a meeting to get back to by 2. We both ate and really enjoyed our entrées, but at that point felt a bit rushed and had to pack up half of our food to go so we wouldn't be late. I can't say the service wasn't good because I really appreciated the knowledge, recommendations and speed of everything else, such as taking our orders and bringing us boxes and settling our checks. It just felt like the kitchen was not adequately staffed or prepared for a full restaurant on Tuesday afternoon. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Basil entree with rice - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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We stopped by on a Sunday evening for dinner and it was very busy, perhaps due to the Sunday night football game. It seemed like most of the (alcoholic) beverages/cocktails came with an ice cube that is lit up and constantly changing in color, which was a fun touch. After seeing how large the portion sizes were for some of the noodle-based plates, our group considered sharing a few plates together. However, this restaurant enforces a $10 split plate charge, and so we all opted to order our own meal. I ordered the pad see ew with shrimp - I thought the sauce was too sweet and was lacking the savory notes, and the shrimp had little to no seasoning, as if they just tossed the shrimp in without taking any time to marinate it. Also, the spice level ranges from 1-5, and at 2, it's still very mild. Our service was friendly. FYI - there is an automatic service charge added to all bills here, which they do not announce when they hand you the bill (20% for parties of 9 or fewer; 25% for parties of 10 or more). read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - pad see ew with shrimp - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Love this place! The service is always prompt for how busy they are from the time they open at 5pm. Every dish I've tried has been flavorful, and you get to choose your spice level. The drinks are delicious, I recommend the mango juice or the green tea if you need a drink to cool off on a hot day. The portions are always large, so there's always leftovers to take home. The inside of the dining room is small, cramped, and dark, but you can opt to sit outside on the sidewalk. read more

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I came here with a large group from work one evening. I was able to call ahead to make a reservation, and I highly recommend doing this. I was worried it was going to be so crowded since we noticed a line outside the door the night before! The staff were very welcoming and attentive and were accommodating to our needs. The restaurant is BYOB but also has a full bar that you can order from. We ordered spring rolls and egg rolls to share, which were tasty. We all ordered a dish each, which I will say is not necessary if you are sharing with a large group. The portions are very generous - it is family style portions for sure! I was able to try the pineapple fried rice, spicy Thai basil fried rice, beef pad see ew, and the kao soy. All of the dishes were absolutely delicious! The icing on top of the delicious meal was that the Thai spicy level (1-5) was actually spicy! I got the spicy level 5, and usually at other spots I am underwhelmed, but this place had me sweating! I will certainly be back here if I ever come back to Pittsburgh. Great experience! read more

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I was visiting the city during a marathon, gradation, and a baseball game. This place was BUSY but they happily sat us at the bar and service was very attentive still! My BF and I got the large order of Tom Kha soup which was refreshing and comforting, as predicted, as . He got the shrimp red chili and oh my god. So rich and savory, tons of depth of flavor. Would get that every time if we lived near by! read more

High-quality, large-portioned Thai food in a busy setting downtown. We arrived right when they opened and people were already waiting at the door. In the hour we were there the entire place filled up and got loud, so I'd definitely recommend an earlier dinner if possible. The pad see ew had delightfully chewy noodles and spice level 2 was perfect for this dish. It was a ton of food, but it should be for the $$$. I'd definitely recommend the sticky rice mango for dessert. The mango was perfectly ripe and it was a wonderful way to finish off the meal. read more

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Servers were nice, and the chicken pad Thai flavors were great. Got the spicy in 4 and which was spicy and I liked it! Wish I got a bit more broccoli and eggs in it though haha. read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Nicky's Thai Kitchen on Penn is one of two locations in the Pittsburgh area. I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time because the waitlist can get very long, very fast. The best way to make a reservation is to call (make sure you call the right location). We went to Nicky's for dinner around opening time on a Friday night. The space is elegant and has a regal Thai feel to it. There are large statues throughout the interior. The service was terrific. Our waiter was very attentive but not overly attentive to the point where it felt like they were hovering. The food was some of the best Thai food I have had ever (and I've been to Thailand). The spicy levels were spot on and the quality was amazing. One of my favorite things about my experience was the portion size. Not only was the food delicious, there was a lot of it! We actually had to get to-go boxes (which is rare for me). The cocktails were delicious and so was their presentation. This place is on the pricer end but it's well worth it for a date night, celebration, or something of the sort! I'll definitely return! read more

Nicky's Thai Kitchen - Phad Thai - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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