LATE REVIEW: Sunday, November 12th I booked the loft to host a surprise birthday dinner for my sister's 22nd birthday. When I saw the pictures of the restaurant online, it did not feature the loft but because the dining room was updated, spacious and nice, I assumed that the loft would be too. The space required a non-refundable $25 booking fee, so I went in on Saturday November 11th to pay the deposit and also look at the space to get an idea for what type of decorations I could bring. When I saw the space, it was not what I expected. The loft is narrow, outdated with old carpet and they have drapes that are covering storage areas that are unsightly. This wasn't going to be a great space to host a birthday dinner party of 22 people. When I arrived on Sunday, I asked if I would be able to be seated downstairs for the event, and they informed me that I could- though there would be other guest seated around us. I was OK with that! I was grateful for their flexibility. We began setting up the balloons and getting things ready for the surprise party. The food was OK. There were a few things I enjoyed. I hadn't dined here before her party, so it could've been that I just didn't know what to order. However, the service was good. The staff did a good job of paying attention to our party. The check could not be split for the party, so everyone pitched in cash and I counted out near $500 give or take for all of our meals, beverages and tips. Hosting in the dining room was the best idea! Though they said others would be seated around us, they provided us with a secluded section of the restaurant and we had such a large turn out, we really needed the space. The dining room was beautiful and conveniently around the corner from the bar and restrooms. They also provided us with these large black curtains held up by a stand to give our party some privacy, truly going the extra mile to make sure we had a wonderful experience. Sawatdee truly helped us make a beautiful memory with our family. read more

This place has been a staple of downtown Saint Paul ever since that I can remember. A very solid lunch spot if you are in a bind as they have a buffet option for around $15. It also looked that they were doing happy hours & specials during evening times. Went there on a Thursday afternoon and we were seated promptly, there was plenty of seating area available (this would have been inconceivable before the pandemic). Our server was nice and was quick to bring our drinks. The buffet was ok, nothing that blew me over. Wish, they had a little more food options and some oomph to the food but figure maybe because of the buffet the spice/flavor of the food was mid. They had the peanut and the chili oil etc. sauces available which made the food pop out for me. Planning on going there again over the next couple of weeks and this time will order off the menu vs doing the buffet and will be sure to update the review :) read more

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Ordered today through DoorDash and was a little disappointed. The wonton soup only had two wontons and the rest was full of large chunks of cabbage :( The flavor is really good and I like that there are veggies and chicken, but only two wontons isn't what I was hoping for. Also ordered the glass noodle salad which only had three small pieces of shrimp like it was cut up to make it seem like more. I wonder if my experience would have been better dining in. read more

I appreciate that they have a parking lot and the Thai iced tea was delicious. I also enjoyed that they have crushed peanuts and chili oil on the table. My pad Thai was average- a little too soupy for me. I wish they had a lunch special. The ambiance is read more

We stopped here for dinner before a show at the History Theater. It's only a short walk from there. I had a reservation but there were plenty of seating options. It's almost like two store fronts merged into one restaurant. We had a nice table in the back and turned down the offer to sit at the window to stay cozy and warm in the back. For dinner, we shared the basics, pot stickers, edamame and fried rice. Everything was served piping hot and was flavorful. The pot stickers had a nice crisp to them. The fried rice came with cooked tomatoes and fresh raw cucumbers. We couldn't finish the huge portion of rice so I'll have lunch on another day. Staff was awesome. Fresh roses on the tables were a nice touch. Great stop. read more

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This place used to be our go to spot for Thai food; my husband loved their pad thai. Last weekend we ordered multiple servings of pad thai and we were so excited to eat it. Unfortunately it was dry, the noodles were not cooked enough and there was hardly any sauce. It was super disappointing. read more

The food is reliably good. We always order the chicken satay and curried fried rice. Because we love the flavor of both of these, we naively purchased two of their small cookbooks. What a disappointment. We cook at home, all of the time, consider ourselves to be adventurous and pretty good, but we also count on accurate recipes. the cookbooks we purchased are a bust, and none of the recipes are at all close to being accurate renditions of what we are served, in the restaurant. That said, we won't be going back anytime soon. read more

Food is always good! Service is always good. Downtown location! Park in the garage or the lot behind. Limited street parking.

How have I never left a review of Sawatdee before? This has been a downtown favorite of mine for many years. When I worked just a few blocks away, this was always a popular spot for happy hour, with several appetizer selections for $5-7 and a couple bucks off of select adult beverages. My absolute favorite apps are jalapeño cream cheese wontons and chicken satay. The peanut sauce is just amazing. For dinner dishes, I can never pass up the tropical fried rice (pineapple). This is always a fave of mine at any Thai restaurant. I also enjoy the Pad Thai here as well. Biggest reason for knocking a star off is the spice level is wildly inconsistent here. I can get a 3 star one day that is milder than a 2 star another day and other days where a 3 star would be a 5 star other places. I have gotten used to just getting a mild 1 or 2 star and asking for the side of spice jars if I need it. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Chicken satay and jalapeño cream cheese wontons - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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We wanted Thai for dinner and a friend recommended this place. It's not fancy but it is very good. We started with Supenn's Fresh spring rolls. Big, light, delicious. For the entree, I had Sawatdee mussels. Big green mussels and vegetables in a nice curry sauce. It also came with rice that I mixed with the curry & vegetables. Loved it! A note to the wise: reservations are required. Without, you may or may not be able to be sat. read more

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Amazing service! Really good food. Laid back atmosphere. I had the virgin mango mule, spring rolls, silver thread noodle soup, and pineapple curry. All so good, but by far my favorite was the curry. read more

I don't know why this place has such bad reviews. We are staying local and this was one of the few places open on Memorial Day. We enjoyed our food and drinks. Waiter was very nice as well. Don't plan on ever coming back to St. Paul but would dine here again. read more

I have been to the St Paul Sawatdee many times but wanted to update my review. Still some of the best Thai food around! The food here is amazing....from the appetizers (the appetizer platter is a great deal and allows you to try a few different things. The Sue's egg rolls are amazing (but greasy...but SO tasty)! I almost always get their Thai Fried rice with chicken and my husband gets the Cashew Chicken. Yes...we should try new things, but sometimes you just love something so much it's hard to make a change. My family have tried the curries and soups and several of the other items and I have never seen someone not rave about what they ate. Watch the spice here. If you tell them a higher spice level it is going to be HOT!! We stay at a medium because we've gotten cocky in the past and regretted it ;) The drinks are VERY tasty and they are not weak...I'll just say that. They have an excellent Happy Hour that is every day from 4-6pm and has a lot of great deals on appetizers and drinks!! Definitely check that out even on the weekend! The restaurant is located downtown but there is metered parking on the street nearby and also a couple of parking ramps/lots that you could utilize. The restaurant itself is looking a little rundown here and there, but is clean so it doesn't detract from how wonderful the food and service is so it isn't a problem. It's clean and comfortable with both tables and some half booths / tables as well. Great place, wonderful food and terrific service! read more

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This used to be a good place but when they moved to Robert Street they lost something. Not worth the prices they charge.

I made a rather large delivery order as it should last for a few days. I ordered #20 Laab Esan with pork, #11 Cream Cheese Wonton, #5 Chicken Satay, #4 Sue Egg Rolls, #24 Red Curry w beef, and various sauces I'm saving the laab and curry for later. Everything was quite scrumptious. The satay was a little dry, but it's hard to expect different when it's delivery. It tasted great still with plenty of the peanut sauce -- I ordered extra. Only 2.5/5 on this. It's probably 5/5if you're dining in. The cream cheese wontons were stuffed really full with warm soft cream cheese, delightful with the sweet chili sauce. 5/5 The egg rolls were just HUGE - surprisingly excellent texture after delivery: still hot and crisp. I had to eat mine with knife and fork it was so large. Also used the sweet chili sauce. 4.5/5 on the egg roll. Price including delivery and tip was $60! This effectively 4 good-sized meals. I will be ordering from Sawatdee again! Sawatdee kha! read more

Very impressed. Good portions and generous with the protein. Would recommend for anyone into Thai

I work on the edge of southern downtown Saint Paul with no good food options. Our building is by industrial companies so there were no food options whatsoever. But this day, I didn't bring lunch so I had to order take out and pickup my food. I have so much love for this place. The staff are great and courteous. I put in an online order at noon and it was ready by 1pm. My food was still hot and fresh and they provided me extra chili peppers if I needed them. The cream cheese wontons were crispy and crunchy which I loved. The pad Thai had the perfect amount of spice but I added the chili oil for even more spice. Sawatdee has always been one of my favorite Thai places and I will continue to go back. read more

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They are offering take out and dine in. Everyone was wearing masks. We had great service at Sawatdee. They offer a happy hour menu which was very affordable ($4 per dish). The vegetarian pot stickers were our favorite. We also ordered the pad Thai and Pineapple red curry with chicken. It came with a very generous amount of chicken. The flavors of both dishes were phenomenal. Three of us ate well for under $60. Well worth it. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Three ate for under $60. - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

An excellent lunch. My wife had the buffet & I had a fantastic tofu stir fry with a wide range of vegetables. I loved that it came piping hot. The waitress was a sweetheart. Be careful with the construction. read more

We were seated right away, despite not having a reservation. The food was excellent and the service matched it. We'll keep this on the go-to list for St. Paul. read more

Delightful little thai restaurant. The spring rolls were fresh and delicious. Also had the The vegetable dish with tofu. Very flavorful. A hidden gem read more

Hands-down, my favorite place for Thai cuisine...from spring rolls to Pad Thai to sticky rice. It's all fantastic here. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Inside the restaurant. - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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I have had food from the Minneapolis location and it was good. So I tried the Saint Paul location today. I DoorDash the food- so no comments on the ambiance. I ordered the seafood pho + chicken, chicken broccoli fried rice, and their Thai papaya salad. The pho was an interesting one. The broth was flavorful and had a good spice. I didn't have to add anything additional to the broth (only a little more fish sauce cause I love my fish sauce). Now, the noodles... umm, it is NOT my thing. The traditional noodles are usually thin and the noodles served was more of like noodles for stir fry... I should've realized it when I opened it up and only tried to eat a little of the noodles before pouring everything in. If it was the real pho noodle I'd give it a 3.5/5, but because the noodles ruining the good broth with its thickness and bland noodle taste, it took over the broth. I'll give it a 1/5 with the thick noodles. The fried rice was good- a little gooey for my liking. I'd rate it 1.5/5. The papaya salad was good. I'd say a 2/5. It has good taste. I usually only eat Lao papaya salad so it is a preference thing. read more

I had high expectations for this place as I've heard a lot about it. Overall, Sawatdee is just okay. They are a little overpriced (like most Thai restaurants in the area) but I assumed they would be since they are in downtown St. Paul. Their veggie egg rolls and pot stickers were tasty and crispy though, so that saved them. Pad Thai is too sweet and not enough flavor. I've had better pad Thai for less, and much more flavor. We came during a weekday lunch and there wasn't a lunch special, so that was disappointing as well. I would only come here again if I was really craving Thai food and it was the only option near me and I didn't feel like driving. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Veggie egg rolls, veggie pot stickers, shrimp pad Thai - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Great food. Fresh! I ordered spring rolls- fat and flavorful... coconut shrimp to die for!!! ...Yum Yai Thai Salad healthy and yummy! All their sauces are great. Thanks! read more

Very delicious! Love their spice level! Their flavoring is on point with all dishes we got. Good ambiance -- not too crazy busy so it had a good atmosphere. Would come back! read more

The Thai iced coffee is fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had. Sue's eggrolls are also wonderful. The Pad Thai was soupy and bland with medium spice. All three dishes were that way. Maybe it's their style. I have eaten Pad Thai all over the United States. I've never had it this way. The meat seemed slightly undercooked. I ordered a bowl of rice just to compensate for the amount of liquid in the dish. I would go back for the coffee and the eggrolls. The service was meh. The decor is interesting but needs a good scrubbing. Pay attention to the tip rate in the mobile credit card machine when they bring it to your table. Check it with your phone calculator. I think their tip rate includes taxes for some reason. I don't tip on tax. Be well. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Check - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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The negatives: the atmosphere leaves much to be desired and the staff was unfriendly. The place was empty and they tried to talk me out of staying and ordering food, but I just arrived after traveling and needed something to eat. They said I couldn't have a table, but I could eat outside or at the bar. The reason they gave was that they were expecting a large party. I was there for about 30 mins total and no large party ever arrived. The positives: the food came out fast and was tasty. If they cleaned up the restaurant and improved the service this could be an awesome little spot. read more

I still think this Sawatdee has the best Pad Thai n the Twin Cities. It is very flavorful+saucy. Other dishes on the menu are quite tasty too. Service is decent Cute tiny bar if you want drinks only. The restaurant is small and quaint. Parking is a little difficult. read more

I've ordered takeout from Sawatdee St. Paul a few times, but held off on my review until I dined in person for the full experience. My husband and I went in for lunch on a Sunday at 1:00 pm. We were the only people there, which is always a little concerning during a major meal time. The service was quick and nice (we didn't have any other tables to compete with, I suppose). We ordered an appetizer of Chicken Satay which was tasty. After ordering it, it was on our table in less than 3 minutes, making me think it was likely pre-cooked. The flavor was fine and it came with 6 nice sized skewers. We decided to split an entree and got the Green Curry with chicken. It can be made on a spice level anywhere from 0-5. We chose 1, because I am a spice-wimp. Glad we did, because it was hot! The broth was good, definitely had the brightness of a green curry and the sweetness of the coconut came through. However, I was unimpressed with the veggies that came in the curry. They were diced square carrots and peas, along with some very undercooked green and red bell peppers. The vegetables reminded me of the ones I used to get in grade school cafeteria lunch and were definitely just frozen from a bag. Again, the meal came out in under 5 minutes, so I can't say Sawatdee takes freshness as a top priority. But, the flavor was okay considering. This place is close to our house and we are able to get it delivered, so we will likely continue giving them business. However there are better Thai places around St. Paul if you're looking for something fresh and authentic. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Chicken Satay - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

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Just ordered from here. Found a metal piece in our pad Thai. Assuming it's from when the cook is cleaning the wok. Definitely not cool. Pretty bland flavor. Disappointed in the wonton soup and pho as well. Beef in pho is over cooked and taste old. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Pad Thai Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Go here for the Thai food. I had their pho and it wasn't great. There was no flavor even though the color of the broth was red. However the Thai food is good. I love their lemon grass salad. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Pho - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

I really wish I could give them a better rating. They are very efficient and always have good service but their food isn't very good. I ordered the pad see yew, pad Thai, & red curry. I got it all three with chicken. The pad see yew and the pad Thai really don't have much flavor. The red curry was decent and probably the better of the three. I order the highest level of spice for all of them, level 5, and it wasn't really spicy for me at all. I've ordered from them multiple times hoping I just had a bad day of no flavor but unfortunately it's been consistently lack luster of flavor. I do think the staff and the service there are very helpful. I enjoy the ambiance there as well and I really wish I could give them a better rating food wise. read more

Stopped in here the other night for a light meal. Ordered some won ton soup which cleared out the cold that was lurking; some calamari and sticky rice. Calamari was nice and light with a really subtle batter. Not the best calamari I've ever had, but good. Service is always excellent and the fact that it was a nice night to sit outside made it even better. Love this location. read more

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My laab was not chopped up how it's supposed to be and was kinda plain. In the picture you can see it's big chunks of beef like in a stir fry. The spice was there how I wanted though. I also ordered the beef jerky, it was not cooked all the way. The middle was still pink and it was very soft. The flavor was there, I put in the oven to cook more and it tasted good. Would not order again. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Beef Laab Esan - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

Ordered Beef Panang Curry. The sauce was great. Barely got any beef, and there wasn't a red pepper to be found. How can you screw that up?So essentially a little beef, some green beans, and a great sauce. Worth $19 - not even close. Eggrolls really good. GrubHub delivered on time. However, I will not order from these folks again. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Panang Beef with green beans and missing red peppers. Sawatadee St. Paul. - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota

During the pandemic this place delivered. Always delicious, consistent great Thai! Service had always been very good and Sue's Egg rolls are the very best in town, hands down! read more

We planned on going to Tin Whiskers brewery next door to Sawatdee, we wanted to get a bite to eat first. We chose to dine al fresco and it was a nice evening in downtown St. Paul. Our server was very friendly and had personality plus, she made the whole experience. I got the salmon filet and it was mediocre. My husband had the Pad Thai, he liked his meal. All in all, the food and atmosphere was OK, our server was great. read more

This is a rating for Sawatdee Door Dash. One of the best meals I've ordered through Door Dash! Their Pad Thai had just enough sauce and toppings and had a great flavor. Their veggie spring roles and pot stickers were hand made and creative - filled with veggies like corn and red pepper unlike the typical carrot/cabbage mix. They prepared the meal fast and it was still hot when it got to me. Will definitely order again! read more

I will never order takeout from here again. I've been burned every time. I feel they do a better job of actually following the order you want when you dine in. The Pad Thai I just ordered was super runny and had no spice even I requested a 5 spice level. I had thought it was my fault before when ordered take out from them, when I order a level 3 spice. Now I know it's just not worth doing take out from here. read more

Sawatdee Saint Paul - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - St Paul, Minnesota