My family LOVES this place. It's a little out of our way, so we don't get here as much as we would like, but it is our favorite Thai food in Chattanooga. I do, however, warn anyone who I recommend to, that they understand that this place takes the time to cook your food to order and to have at least 2 hours to eat here, especially to have dinner. If you've got the time, you'll love it too. read more

My wife and I ordered a few things from the menu to do a sampling, but were seriously disappointed. The lack of attractive presentation I can get past, but the flavors were just bland. Not the worst Thai food I've ever had, but pretty darn close. read more

If you are looking for a place with ambiance, don't come here. If you are looking for good take out, this Thai restaurant is your place (my husband loves the pad Thai and I'm a fan of their panang curry) and it's super affordable. The owners are very sweet people and listen attentively. read more

So Sawasdee isn't the fanciest Thai food joint...who cares? We always call ahead, and order the exact same menu items...every. single. time... and I don't even know the proper menu names for what we always get, but I order stirfry chicken with jasmine rice, #2 hot (and if you think you want to take a walk on the wild side and order it number three or number four hot - think again!) it's chicken with onions and cashews, and some sauce you wish you could imitate, but know you never will. My husband gets Pud Namoin Hoi, which is stir fry chicken, with carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms...once again #2 hot. The shrimp blankets are to die for! Call ahead, try it. It's always delish!! read more

Love this place! We live down the road, so we order takeout often. It's tiny, and kind of dark inside, but the food is so worth it. We have eaten inside a few times, but normally just pick it up. They are friendly and fast. Everything we have tried on the menu has been great, from the egg rolls to Pad Thai to the Thai Iced Tea. We love Thai food, and have eaten it all over the US and this is still one of our favorites! read more

Unless you want to drive to Atlanta for excellent Thai, you must eat here. I'd say it parallels in flavor and quality although the ambience suffers a little. Don't get me wrong, the place is clean, always. A little dated? Could use some candles, music? It's funny what someone wrote about the server being cautious. She always tries to talk me out of ordering the Larb, which is a ground meat with lime and spices and out of this world, but eventually, she lets me order it the way I want it, and we are all happy. The spring rolls are to die for. Order extra to take home. The flavors here are amazing if you want an authentic dish of Thai food with fresh ingredients and complexity of flavor. Quite possibly my favorite place in Chattanooga to eat. read more

My husband and I visited here on our first day at the Chanticleer Inn at the top of the mountain (a must stay, btw)! I love thai food and so does he. I ordered pad thai and he got a thai noodle bowl. Both dishes were as good as any. We got mango and sticky rice for dessert--the portion was small but it was quite good. The reason for the three stars? I'm all for hole-in-the-wall, but the atmosphere was dark and dingy, and the biggest problem--I am not making a jab at Asian food, I am not trying to be culturally insensitive, or make allusions to anything here--just being 100% honest when I say I could not get past the overwhelming smell of wet dog. I mean, completely, totally, hit you in the face when you walk in the door smell of dog. It smelled like an vet clinic. I really hoped I would get used to it after a while, but I did not. It spoilt the taste and smell of the food and I would honestly not go back. If they got rid of the dirty carpet and generally cleaned the place up and got rid of the dog smell, then I would probably return for the food. read more

I had a thoroughly enjoyable meal here while I was in town for business. I had Pad See Ew with shrimp. It was very tasty. It had more vegetables and shrimp - and therefore less noddles- than I've had other places. I like this style because I think it is healthier and more nutritious. I also tried raw spring rolls for the first time. So delicious! Very interesting spice which my waitress thought might be the Thai basil. Speaking of my waitress, she was so sweet and charming!! She was yet another highlight of my experience. If I'm ever back in town I will definitely eat here again. read more

I'll start by saying that I'm a fan from way back. I've been eating at this restaurant since it was Thai Food At Chattanooga and housed in a building that has since been bulldozed and become a widened lane on 4th Street. Back then, TFAC was by far the best Thai food in town, and everyone knew it and appreciated it even if the restaurant itself looked a little unimpressive from the outside. Since moving to St. Elmo and changing their name to Sawasdee, the women who run this restaurant have pretty much perfected everything about the place. It is still the best Thai food in town, but is now also a gorgeous place and experience in itself. Sawasdee is especially popular among all of my friends for offering excellent vegetarian choices (they make some mean tofu!) and also bringing the spiciness to a seemingly-authentic level if requested. I've traveled around the country a bit - north, south, and east (not so much west yet, but anyway) and Sawasdee is the best I've found. One of my favorite restaurants. For starters - I highly suggest the Pad Phrig King, Pad See Ew, and Masaman Curry. My only complaint is that they're often "out of" this or that menu item... To go there specifically wanting a very common dish and be told they can't fix it is pretty unnerving. read more

This place is incredible. Maybe the best thai I have ever had. Don't let the modest appearance deter you. Absolute must try.

My wife and I ordered the shrimp wrapped in egg roll wrappers and fried. This was served with a sauce I guessed to be made of duck sauce, pepper, and maybe a rice wine vinegar? I am unsure. My wife loved it. The shrimp here are large and they have a good flavor. Next we ordered Tom Yum Goong and Tom Kha Gai. I preferred the Tom Yum Goong and my wife preferred the Tom Kha Gai. I noticed the nice strong flavors of lime and lemongrass in the soup, but there were other flavors present as well. More of a pleasing choral sound than a duo with backup, though the lime and lemongrass is prominently featured. Our table was a see through sheet of glass or plastic over pictures of fish made out of metal, maybe salmon who had their mouths slightly open. To my back was a laminated newspaper article about elephants who enjoyed painting. Some of them paint with up and down motions and others paint "wild and crazy". There was a bright lamp above us. The restaurant is painted in earthy tones of green and beige to brown. I did noticed the menu covers which were covered in cushy cloth tapestry. There is a nice atmosphere to this place, and an artistic attention to detail not observed in many other restaurants. Our food arrived. I ordered the famed and "off the menu" Massaman curry with beef and only one chile (or the way it naturally comes). All of the hoopla is deserved. This dish is the best dish I have ever tasted in or out of a restaurant. It is impossible to describe what this curry tastes like, but most of all it just tastes expensive. Perfectly balanced flavors in the curry, velvety smooth avocado that goes better than you would guess with curry, a sprinkling of roasted peanuts, and grilled onions as well. I tasted tamarind a little, lemongrass more, lime some, coconut milk some, and I am unsure of the rest. I have not come close to cooking anything like this before. This is my favorite dish I could order anywhere, not just Chattanooga. My wife ordered the Panang curry with shrimp. It was very sweet and slightly hotter than my Massaman curry. Almost to me it tasted like thai barbecue because of the sweetness. She liked it, and agreed that sometimes she would rather get mine, but not all of the time. We got tap water to drink. The portions were generous. We both ordered white rice to go with our meal. My Massaman Curry with Beef was 10.75. I am somewhat puzzled by how you could get that dish to taste that way for that price, in other words I did not begrudge Sawasdee for the 75 cents I spent on rice. This place is a great value. A huge value in my estimation. The service was good. I do want to come back. I have eaten at other restaurants that remind me of this place namely Sweet Basil and Old Saigon. I could get in the mood to eat either of those places as well sometimes, but Sawasdee is my favorite by a long shot. In the hour or so that we were there New Years Eve there were maybe 9 or 10 tables of people. This place isn't a secret, but it is a lesser known thai restaurant that more people should try. I have serious doubts as to how anyone could not appreciate or at least respect Sawasdee's curry dishes. Go try this place. You owe it to yourself to form your own opinion. This is one of the best, least pretentious places to eat in Chattanooga. The quality level here is astronomical. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Chattanooga. We usually get it takeout, and we always get the same dishes. My dish is stirfry chicken with cashews, and I ask for it to be made number two hot. My husband gets Pud Namoin Hoi (also number two hot) and my daughter gets plain fried rice with crunchy noodles and a delicious sauce that comes with it. Sometimes we also get the shrimp blankets which are to die for! Our dishes are extremely spicy, we get them both with jasmine rice, and we marvel at how consistent the perfection of the food is. We highly recommend! read more

This place had terrible customer service! It was rude, impatient, and unapologetic. She still had the audacity to add a 20% tip without asking. The food was just okay. We are never coming back! read more

This is my favourite thai restaurant in town. I am thai and i can guarantee that their food are very authentic thai cuisine. The food presentation may not be the best but the flavour of their food are amazing. Food ingredients are very fresh, and they cook everything fresh. I really love this place. it reminds me of home. read more

My husband and some friends of ours went to dinner here on a weekday. Though the food we got was great, we were very disappointed that they were out of half the food on their menu! Literally, they had no appetizers or soups available. Come to find out that they only make so many portions of every dish daily. Once they're gone, they're gone! Next time we'll go for lunch and hope that we can try more! read more

I saw place Yelper reviews and had to drop in to try it myself. I had the cashew tofu which was pretty ok. It was a bit spicy for me although good but my coworker seemed to enjoy her dish. I plan to go back a try other dishes when I'm in town. read more

Pad woon sen with shrimp, 4/5 spicy and i was sweating! It was great. Places in Chicago do not even make it this spicy. We have had Thai food in numerous states and we still rave about this place. Excellent food! read more

I'm confused about some other reviews because we drive out of the way to get great Thai food here. Yes, the atmosphere is a little quirky, but we feel like we get more authentic Thai here than anyplace else in town. It's also affordable. When we want Thai, this is where we go. I recommend the pad Thai (of course), Penang curry, and my husband gets a spicy cashew chicken. The menu can be hard to decipher, as the dishes don't have names, just descriptions, but the server (yes, just one) is great in helping you get what you want. read more

This was my second time here. We came here last year on our way through town traveling. The food is fresh and "homemade". A much better alternative to the fast food/ food service restaurants around. Sure the service is earnest and the owners cautious about your choices, and I've had much better Thai, but hey this is Chattanooga, TN. I didn't expect much. read more

amazingly authentic! I love this place, defiantly worth a try. Server (owner?) can be somewhat militant sometimes, but the food is worth it.

My family has been coming here for years. Our favorite Thai food in town and the owner is wonderful. The masaman with tofu is my favorite.

I was staying at Lookout Mountain, GA (at a B&B I'll write good things about) and wanted to go to a brewpub in Chattanooga, but after a day's drive, that was too far. I came across this place that was not all that well lit up but Thai sounded good. There was a diverse crowd there, understated decor (except for a few annoying signs) and pleasant furniture. The food was reasonable, spicy and had tofu options (and surprising plus) albeit fried. Singha beer as well. It was a pleasant alternative to a much longer drive. read more

Never again! Chattanooga has some great Thai places, but this is not one of them. I created this Yelp account solely because of how awful this place was. We just stopped in for lunch and not only was the service absolutely terrible - you can get better service at the McDonalds - but the food was nearly inedible. We all had different entrees and they were all equally bad. I really cannot stress enough how bad it tasted. Will be sticking with Thai Esan in East Ridge - easily worth the drive from downtown during lunch - or Thai Smile in the future. read more

poor service ... food was not that good and it was expensive ... my plate had hair on it.

I have been eating at Sawasdee Thai Restaurant each week for at least 3 years. The food is outstanding ... my favorite is Pad Se Ewe. The owner and waitresses make you feel special and their service is exceptional. read more

Our order of deep fried tofu came out overcooked, several pieces were burned and you could tell by the flavor that the oil was too hot. The cook brought it to our table herself wearing dirty sweatpants, so that totally ruined any dining experience we expected to have. We ordered the Nua Nom Tok. We are no strangers to eating Asian food in a non-American style and we are very accepting of different flavor profiles. This had the aroma of feces. It was nothing less than disgusting. Our server was sitting about 12 feet away watching a you tube video on how to sew something. It was loud and we could hear the instructions, so you know, it just added to the great atmosphere. Before we could get her attention to let her know our meal wasn't what we were expecting, she literally lifted one ass cheek off of her chair and let a loud fart rip. I immediately asked for our check. We had barely eaten anything and she asked what was wrong. We let them know that it wasn't what we were expecting and that it had been prepared and served differently, and much better in the past by them. All we got was an apology. No offer of a refund, no offer to prepare us something different, really they couldn't care less. And that was fine, because after being served food that smelled like feces and being farted on by our server we were ready to leave. read more

I don't understand the negative reviews for Sawasdee. Maybe it depends on what you order or when you go? I've certainly been to other places like that - but if that's the case, we got really lucky. I've eaten at numerous Thai restaurants, and Sawasdee's chicken massaman curry was probably the best Thai dish I've ever had. The peanuts, onions, and avocado were perfect together. Will be back again and again. read more

Always an awesome meal at one of our favorite restaurants. The Pad Thai is really good along with the fresh spring rolls, shrimp blankets and Thai tea. read more

Sawasdee ReReview The time-worn room reeked of old cooking oil. The single server, aside from the owner, was overwhelmed by the number of guests. We were repeatedly interrogated by the owner re: our capacity for hot/sour/spicy and essentially had to defend our selections. During and after ordering we were told that three of our selections were not available. Another table had a fourth dish declared MIA. This on an early Saturday evening. Service itself consisted of dealing dishes and napkins like cards from the head of the table without identifying dishes. Items were passed over peoples' heads across table. Food was unattractively plopped on plates without garnish or care for presentation. Fresh flavors were absent, with no evidence of any cilantro, chilies or lemon grass. Flavors were bland, muddled and muddy with no distinct senses of sweet/sour/spicy/salty/tart. The "green" curry was horribly over-salted and had no distinct flavor. Meats were consistently tough as if they had been previously cooked and merely reheated in a sauce. Irregular chunks of meat -clumps of chicken in the Larb- ( and huge chunks of veggies in the bland Spring Rolls) indicated poor knife skills and lack of attention/concern for detail. Portions were barely adequate for the price. A case can be made that Sawasdee represents "home style" cooking. Certainly it is not professional/restaurant quality. But "home style" cooks range from the sublime to the execrable-think of the variation in cooking skills in your extended family. Sawasdee is not a good representation of the qualities that make Thai cuisine so delicious and intriguing. It is mediocre at best. Ambiance: Poor Service: Poor Food: Fair Value: Poor ssmynkint 9-Apr, 2012 read more

I've been here twice and have yet to be disappointed in the food. If you're wanting service like those upscale restaurants or you are a needy person, this is not your place. However, if you just need somewhere you can walk in, order food and a drink, eat, and get out, then give this place a chance. The Thai tea is incredible anr the woman there tries to give you a heads up about certain dishes which may be a bit... odd in accordance to what is normal, but this is her way of keeping customers from returning food because of its 'lack of personal preference taste'. All in all, a great place with great prices, so stop by St. Elmo when you get the chance! read more

I ordered two dishes with my girlfriend, the Shrimp Pad See Iew and the Chicken Massaman Curry (not listed on the menu) and both dishes were very tasty and about $9.50 per dish. The Pad See Iew had a good amount of shrimp and the curry was loaded with chicken. The chef also added avacado to the curry which I thought was odd but it was actually a great addition to the dish. The Pad See Iew had a fiery taste, accentuated with the use of high heat in Asian cooking, and the Massaman curry had a nice spicy flavor to it. To finish off our dinner, our waitress suggested the sticky rice mango. The rice wasn't overly sweet and had a great subtle flavors with the combined mango which I highly recommend. I almost went with their homemade coconut ice cream, but our waitress insisted on the sticky rice mango. If I lived in Chattanooga I would definitely come back to try the other dishes. read more

This is my go-to Thai place in Chattanooga. The only dish I ever get is the Pad Thai, and in addition to being delicious, this is the only Thai restaurant in town that will actually make the food as spicy as I request. I can't comment on any other dishes since I haven't ordered anything else, but the pad thai here is on par with the enormous amounts of pad thai I ate when I was in Thailand. read more

I have been eating at Sawasdee's since it opened, and even before, when it was downtown. It is authentic Thai Food prepared to order. Yes, at times the service might be slow, but not too slow. It has an authentic Thai atmosphere and is owned and managed by two Thai women who are wonderful people. My family eats there once a week. We have eaten at the other four Thai restaurants in our area and find this one the best all around. And it's probably the least expensive. We've never been disappointed and take our guests from out of town to eat here. Everyone has enjoyed their experience. The negative reviews herein are totally foreign to my hundreds of visits to Sawasdee's. I've always come away satisfied with the excellent dining experience. read more