It's had been a long couple of weeks and Rai Lay was not packed so I was able to have a nice quiet cocktail before they get packed. Rai lay's food and drinks never disappoint. The restaurant staff is nice and attentive. They always have good music playing at a volume where you are not yelling across the table. They are moderately priced but worth every penny. I have a margarita, the bang bang shrimp, and the broccoli lover with beef. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I got a little pan scorch on my rice but they quick brought me fresh rice. I understand since I cook a lot but it was replaced. I also left my food but called and they held it at the front for me, the leftovers were even better! read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Broccoli lover with beef - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Cozy atmosphere in a semi-small dining space that holds in the fantastic smells flowing from the kitchen. Vibrant spices support expansive flavors across the menu. Although a plain chicken and rice dish felt like there was something left on the table, Thai beef was delicious, brought to life from tasty chili oil. read more

Lunch dash. The restaurant was big and open with lots of seats. I purposely came for lunch. Their lunch menu is vast with most entreè about $3 cheaper than dinner. I prefer smaller portions but these seem to be regular sized. Typically Im a Fried rice or Pad Thai girl but today I tried the Drunken Noods and Spicy Wonton. They both were just OK. Im not sure what I was expecting. The noods were stick together and dry, the veggies huge and over all flavor lacking. Im not going to give a poor review on food that I've not had before. It wouldn't be fair. I have been to other locations and typically ordered the same thing. Not sure why I was trying to be fancy this time. The staff was sweet. Pretty chill and up beat. I can't rave about the food but the location is great. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Drunken Noodles - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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We were turned away after arriving at 2:30 PM and were told the restaurant was no longer accepting dine-in guests. The restaurant closes at 3:00 PM, so this was surprising. Having worked in the restaurant industry myself, I've always understood closing time to mean the last time guests can be seated, not that service ends 30 minutes beforehand unless clearly communicated. It was disappointing because we had specifically planned to dine here and were looking forward to the experience. Instead, we took our business elsewhere and ended up eating at Margaritas across the street. Unfortunately, this left us with the impression that customer service and hospitality were not priorities. A clearer policy and better communication would go a long way in preventing situations like this. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - The restaurant that took us in and accepted our patronage. - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Food is good not great, a little pricier than it needs to be for sure. Almost $20 for a small meal after taxes. Could pay attention to the smaller details better. Every takeout order never has utensils or napkins which is odd. Decent ambience. It's not bad for every now and then visit to a sit down restaurant. Just could definitely be better than it is with some more attention to detail and cuisine. read more

I ordered the drunken noodles with chicken & a side of spring rolls, for pick up. This was my first time coming to this location & it was packed out on a Saturday night. Good sign lol My order was incorrect when I got home (they gave me drunken noodles with steak, I ordered chicken) but I'm not even mad honestly. The Drunken Noodles with steak is really good. The steak pieces are pretty big & cooked perfectly. Tender & seasoned well. The spring rolls are great too. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Drunken Noodles with Steak X Spring Rolls - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

It was just OK. The spring rolls were fresh and tasty. The pad Thai was very tomato heavy. Pad that doesn't usually contain tomato sauce. The server was friendly and understood our concerns re the food - it seemed like the complaint was one they'd heard before. The tom yum soup was a bit bland. The pineapple fried rice was the star of the evening! read more

Food was good service on point, it was just ok not having a wow factor that spot where better than most but have had better, will come to see if it was me or Rai Lay read more

A nice and clean spot in a little plaza. I ordered the fried chicken wings, red curry, and q spicy chicken dish. Tiffany was very helpful and attentive with me and I would recommend asking for her service if you go. The red curry was one of my favorites here. The drinks from the bar are great as well if you want a little bit of alcohol in your life. read more

Order: edamame, crispy scallion chicken, and Rai Lay Deluxe roll It's conveniently located off of I-485 and surrounded by lots of other shops and restaurants. You can find a variety of Asian cuisines here: Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese. I think their menu and flavors would be more alluring if they zoned in on 1 or 2 specific Asian flavors. The edamame was good. Just a few bruised ones included in our appetizer. The Crispy Scallion Chicken was cooked in a sweet and spice sauce with scallions, onions and red bell peppers. From the name I expected the chicken to be extra crispy and the flavors to be bursting with an oniony aroma. The sauce wasn't spicy, I would describe it as more of sweet and extra tangy. The sauce overpowered the plate in both portion and in flavor. The chicken wasn't as crispy as it could have been because it was drenched in sauce. The Rai Lay Deluxe roll had shrimp tempura with avocado and cucumber topped with imitation crab, eel sauce, white sauce and tempura flakes. The roll was okay. I probably wouldn't order it again. Overall the dining experience was pleasant. I look forward to returning to explore the rest of the menu. read more

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Food was delicious. Staff was really thoughtful. It was darker inside the I'd like but they had plenty of TVs for sports.

I've been here multiple times and the food is always excellent. It's kind of a small joint so it's usually pretty cramped but service is fast so you get in, order, eat, get out. I've had about a dozen things off this menu and you just cannot go wrong. read more

I have visited this establishment several times and they've gotten my order wrong in several occasions. They refused to give me what I order, and they don't seem to care. Highly disappointed. read more

I've been here twice and ordered out 3 additional times. Service has always been a 5/5 for me and my bf. The food has been spot on. We have been getting the Thai beef appetizer, sushi, and the pineapple fried rice. The shrimp tempura roll is delicious. I forget what the name is of the other roll but there's a picture and it's also very good! We like sitting at the sushi bar because the sushi chefs are fun to chat with and they have great stories :) Overall, nice vibes, chill atmosphere, great food! read more

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Went here for lunch and I must say they did not disappoint. The service could have been slightly better but no major complaints the food was good and the lunch crowd came in fast. The location is nice and the inside is nice. read more

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It's hard to find a good restaurant in this area with such a wide variety of Asian foods. I had the shrimp mango curry. My wife had the beef pho. Both dishes were excellent. Service was great, and the atmosphere was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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The food at this Rai Lay location is not what I'm looking for when I want Thai food. I've tried several of their dishes and more times than not - it's severely lacking in flavor and authenticity. The duck curry has been the most tasty item I've had here. This one is going to be my main recommendation if you're looking to dine here. I also had the fried snapper recently and was not impressed. It's plain snapper coated in batter and fried with an accompanying sauce but again, not much flavor at all. The veggies that came with the dish were not flavorful and seemed to be poured from a frozen bag. I've also had cocktails here and I've been really underwhelmed- nothing special at all. The servers are nice and courteous and the ambiance of the restaurant itself is very chill and laid back. I think there's definitely room to improve by bringing some more authentic flavors into the kitchen here. read more

I ventured into Ray Lei for the first time today around 11:10 for lunch. I was immediately met with a server who was very nice. I went with water and the Tom Yum soup with shrimp ($7) to start. They put 4 skinned tomato chunks in there which I've never seen before but enjoyed quite a bit. Overall, the soup was lacking that flavor PUNCH that Tom Yum is supposed to deliver. I probably won't order this again at their price point but I did eat all of it. Good, but a little bland. For my lunch entree, I went with Pad Cha with chicken (3 out of 5 heat). This is where they made up for it. Extremely flavorful. I'll be coming back often just for this. When I want Thai, this is what I'm after most of the time. Next time, I'll ramp up the spice another level. Lastly, the Jasmine rice served with the Pad Cha was perfectly tender and toothsome. Some may not care about the rice quality but I do. $22.62 + $5 tip out the door. Good service. read more

Ordered chicken wings medium and they were just ok. Customer service was also ok. I didn't dine in but the ambiance was also just ok.

I had lunch here and really liked it. I ordered the fresh roll and Pad Prik Tofu with fried rice (spice level 4 out of 5). The food was tasty and the portion was just right. Service was quick and friendly, and the place has a nice vibe. I'd come back for sure. read more

It pains me to say this because it really was one of our favorite restaurants...... but there was a giant ROACH crawling across dining room when we were leaving. . I messaged the restaurant but I have not heard back. Absolutely disgusting read more

Food was fresh and tasted really good. They did give me a bunch of pineapple compared to the shrimp but it was still filling. Simple spot for good sushi! read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Bang - Bang Shrimp & Dynamite Roll - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I enjoyed a dinner with a friend here on Friday evening around 6:30. I had a lychee iced tea and my friend had a mock tail she asked them to make for her which she enjoyed. We ordered the shrimp mango curry, duck curry, yellowtail deluxe and snapper meal. All of our choices were very good, and I didn't think that the curry level one was spicy. It had good flavor, but it wasn't too much. You get to seat yourself when we walked in and there is nice atmosphere. There was also very good service read more

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The food and drinks were amazing and our waitress Tiffany was great and attentive! Will definitely return!

Great service! I placed a pick-up order that included lo mein with chicken, but it was mistakenly prepared with just noodles. After I called to let them know about the mix-up, the manager personally drove to our home and delivered the correct order soon after. read more

This is our go to place to eat. Usually make it once every week. Sushi is the best around and the service is always top notch. I have had other dishes on the menu and would order any of them again. read more

Food was terrible. Lo mein was dry beyond belief and the chicken in it tasted old. Sushi roll tasted like previously frozen tuna. Sushi soy wasn't even provided. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

First time here with a friend for lunch. We sat near the window that's hot. Together with spicy food, we were sweating. Only when I asked to turn the ceiling fans on, the ventilation was better. We chose simply green curry beef with rice & vietnamese beef Pho with an order to spring rolls. Since the foods were spicy together with the hot food, hot place, I didn't taste anything. Just lunch. Can't say they were good but just ok. When we left, I felt inside was so much cooler. So, during daytime, sit inside but not near the window or they might call outside. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Green curry Beef - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Great sushi. Fresh and the time was taken for the presentation to be great as well. And we got this to go!

Getting down to the point is what I will do, but I will add in my experience, which was not the best, I must say... We went in today to try the sushi and have dinner before we headed to see a movie with our teenage children. We arrived at 5:30 p.m., giving us ample time since we were 10 minutes from the theater. The restaurant has a nice aesthetic, and I loved the vibe of the place. Tiffany was our waitress, and she was pretty attentive for the most part. I liked that she made sure to point out my drink had no refills. Clarity is something I will always appreciate. We placed an order for appetizers and our main course. The appetizers we ordered were the Golden Dragon, shrimp summer rolls, and the Thai-phoon sushi. For our main course, we ordered two lobster tail entrees, General Tso's Chicken, with vegetable fried rice for my husband and Tonkotsu (Ramen Noodle) for my son The drinks were served promptly and without any problems. The appetizers were also served promptly and were of excellent quality. The peanut sauce served with the summer rolls was particularly delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed both sushi options that we selected. All of this was done by 6 p.m. Our movie started at 6:45 and it gives us a 15-minute cushion just in case with previews.. Well, at 6:25 p.m., I asked Tiffany about our food as I was seeing others who had entered after us getting their entrees. She said she would check, and when she returned, she told us that they had a big catering order but that she understood that people dining in should be attended to, which I totally agree with. I even stated to her that I've had lobster tails at other places, and it doesn't take this long to cook. Now, at 6:31 p.m., our food arrived, but my husband's food did not come out. We were in such a hurry that I didn't even take a picture. So let me point something out. When a description says "Lobster tail: A 6 OZ Lobster Tail with special Cajun Old Bay Garlic Butter Seasoning or just Garlic Butter on the side with corn , potato, and white rice ," it should actually mean the tail, not bits and pieces. So besides waiting for our food too long, we also got what looked like pieces of meat on a lettuce leaf accompanied by white rice , corn on the cob, the garlic butter sauce, and instead of potatoes, we had broccoli Not only did the lobster not live up to what I'd call a great portion of such a delicacy, but it wasn't the presentation it should be for this type of seafood. My husband's entrée arrived at 6:37 p.m., leaving him very little time to eat before the movie began. Unfortunately, the movie started at 6:45 p.m., and with the added time for previews, it would be 7:00 p.m. by the time we were able to leave the restaurant finally at 6:54 p.m., the traffic in Charlotte was quite heavy, and we arrived at the theater at 7:12 p.m., missing a portion of the movie's beginning. To be candid, I am slightly let down by how the situation was managed, and I believe there are some minor aspects that need to be addressed, particularly concerning the presentation and taste of the lobster dish. read more

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It was a super rainy and windy day during Hurricane Ian. I was super hungry and stumbled upon this jewel tucked away in "Mountain Island". Boy was I lucky! Not only were most places closed due to the anticipation of the hurricane but also because it was after 6p. Upon walking in, Tiffany greeted me with a smile (behind her mask) and told me I could pick where I wanted to sit. Immediately she took my drink order and gave me a menu to look over. Upon returning with drink, I was ready to order and in true foodie fashion I had to try a little bit of everything! For appetizer I chose the Thai Popcorn Chicken and Mango Tango sushi roll. Then for food, I went with the Kao Soy and Mongolian Beef minus the onions in both. The food came out reasonably fast and the service from all the staff members working was beyond superb! I HIGHLY recommend this location and will definitely be a repeat "offender" whenever I'm in the area! read more

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Signed up for yelp just so I could post this. Called in a mobile order. When I went in to pick it up I told them it was 'Peters' they told me it's not ready yet. They didn't even look at the food already bagged up. Waited 10 minutes (30 minutes after I called it in at this point) and asked the young woman if she could check on it. She ignored me. Waited another 5 minutes and asked her again to check. Asked me what I ordered and I told her. It had been on the counter the whole time. Her response, 'well this says 'my wife's name Peters' Peters was on the ticket. When I asked to talk to a manager she told me 'he's not here' and smirked at me. You can't tell me they always have the same sex that ordered it pick it up. Somebody needs to lose their job. read more

Since moving to this side of town we have made Rai Lay one of our regular spots for dinner. Everything about Rai Lay has been wonderful. The restaurant itself is clean and feels welcoming and comfortable. The service is excellent, each person is kind and on top of things. The bar is nice and they make some fun, tasty cocktails. The sushi menu and regular menu are superb, both my husband and I have been trying different things and so far we have liked every single thing we have tried. We will continue to come back again and again! read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We were finally able to stop in and eat after years of trying. The restaurant closes from 3pm-5:30pm which is typically when we head out to eat most days. The menu was much nicer than we anticipated. The sushi rolls were well put together and they had a lot of soup options to choose from. We had an issue with the wrong food coming out but they apologized and fixed it right away. There is a nice patio attachment that we loved. They just need an additional ac unit as it got a little warm. If we are able to catch them open again we'll definitely stop back in. read more

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Table was sticky, was not wiped off. Service was AWFUL. Took 15 mins just to get waters. Food came out cold. Won't be back.

Food is Good but a little pricey for the portions. We got take out. We got general Taos and Veggie Drunken Noodles and subbed the white rice for fried rice. WE PAID $3 to sub to get a little chopped onion in the rice and a very small portion that was quiet ridiculous amount to sub for a rice put in pan with oil and a little chopped onion. Please see picture attached. We live very close and will be back again hopefully not to keep getting added cost for such small changes. Also bought $35 worth of food and do NOT GET ANY SAUCES FOR FREE, she was sure to back up the transaction to charge us .30cents for a 2oz portion of shrimp sauce. A little over the top if you ask me. Your a new establishment and shouldn't be nickel and dimming people to much competition out there. read more

Rai Lay Asian Bistro - We Subbed white rice to fried rice for $3. LITTLE PORTION with a little egg and onion and oil. This should NOT be an up charge!!!!! - Thai Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I stop here at least once a week. This place has the BEST green curry in Charlotte. The staff are extremely friendly and always provide great service. Some of my favorite items include the Thai green curry, shrimp mango curry, bang bang shrimp, Thai chili wings and the Tom kha soup. You cannot go wrong here!! read more

YESSSSSS! I think I've found my Thai restaurant! We were seated right away and after a chance to study the menu we decided on spring rolls, tom kha (veg) soup, pineapple fried rice, massaman curry and the spicy eggplant entree. The spring rolls came out piping hot and absolutely crispy and flavorful. The tom kha soup transported me back to Bangkok! It was the perfect balance of creamy and citrus. The massaman curry was a very generous portion and filled with potatoes, carrots and chicken. The spicy eggplant entree was a bit disappointing. I asked for it with vegetable, but it felt more like a vegetable stir-fry. Wish it had more eggplant. The service was great, lots of parking in the plaza. read more

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We have ate here before and it went well. The service was slow but the food was good. However we went again and it was a nightmare. So horrible that I left. No one greeted us. No one came to take out drink order. We sat there patiently for 20 minutes without anyone coming to our table for drinks order. I got a water and my husband got a Coke. We sat ANOTHER 20 minutes and no one had returned to take our order. We went to leave. My husband took 2 sips out of his drink. We explained why we were leaving due to no one assisting us for 40 minutes. The girl still made us pay $4 FOR A DRINK!!! Will never return!!! read more

If you're looking for food with authentic flavor this place is NOT IT!!! I tried the beef pho and the chicken pad Thai and both were so bland. The servers were nice but it doesn't make up for the lack of flavor. If you love Thai or Vietnamese food of any kind, look elsewhere. read more