Smiling Banana Leaf is my favorite Thai food place in Pittsburgh. Located in Highland Park, it was me and my roommates' go-to Sunday Night Football dinner spot. Quality and consistency is the name of the game at Smiling Banana Leaf. Their long list of options, including every curry color in the rainbow, will have something for everyone. Their pumpkin curry is a unique and delicious option. No, not the basic pumpkin spice we've become accustomed to, but a curry with Thai pumpkin in it. It's very good. If you're a curry fan, and want to try something new, try the pumpkin curry. The koy soy noodle is my second favorite. Sometimes you wanna do noodles, sometimes you wanna do rice, chyafeel? If you're looking for something to do in the pandemic, head over to Highland Park, get some pumpkin curry at Smiling Banana leaf, and go for a stroll around the reservoir right up the street in the park. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Koy Soy (Yellow Curry Noodle) with tofu - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

They like to charge more than the prices advertised and refuse to honor the advertised price. Besides their practice of false advertising, their food is merely ok. Inconsistent quality. Spice level is definitely toned down (their 10 is a respectable Thai restaurant's 4) and chicken is over cooked. Ok in a pinch if you like paying more than the sticker price. read more

I got the Pad Kee Mao with Tofu and it was super yummy!! I got spice level 5 (out of 10) and the chili oil covered the noodles so deliciously and was not overpowering. Definitely having it again read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pad Kee Mao with Tofu - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I had smiling banana leaf for the first time this weekend and it was AWESOME. I've never had wonton soup where you can select the spice level, so that was so cool. I went with a 3/10 spice level and it was perfect. I liked that the soup was broth, wontons, carrots, and other vegetables rather than just broth and wontons. It was so much that I ended up eating the soup as my meal and a couple bites of the pad see ew but then ate the pad see yew for a meal the next day. The portions are huge! I did the veggie pad see ew which had an awesome share of different veggies. I got this to go, but can't wait to dine in. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Wonton Soup & Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I live within walking distance of this restaurant, so they've been a reliable source of takeout, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. I've tried a variety of dishes (pad thai, pad kee mao, khao soi, and pad see ew) , and they've all been consistently good with flavoring and portion size. The only issue I have is how they cook their meat. I don't order the chicken because the texture is overcooked and rubbery. I usually order the pork, overcooked still but a more tolerable texture. For appetizers, again, I stay away from the satay because of the rubbery texture. The rangoons and fried dumplings are great though! Definitely try the Thai Iced Coffee if you need a caffeine boost. Staff are always kind and hospitable. I love have such a great restaurant in the neighborhood. Save room for dessert...the ice cream place next door is amazing and convenient for an after meal, sweet treat. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pork Pad Kee Mao with Fried Dumplings - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Anytime we're in the city and craving Thai then we stop over. At certain times, it really tough to get in so we either wait if not too bad or get takeout. Here are some of our favorite things on the menu. We love the DUMPLINGS (both kind are delicious). Sometimes I like to get the TOM YUM soup for something different. I love lemongrass. It smells amazing and tastes equally good. PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE is the best entree. The pineapple and sweetness really made it. My mom and I are obsessed with PAD THAI. We've tried it at most places in town. They have one of the best. Sooooo good! Mmmmm When we go there I also love their Thai ice tea and have tried it most places. If you like Thai, go check it out. read more

Always top notch food! I stopped in for a late lunch and ordered dumplings which were wonderful! I believe they are take out only. They do have a few tables outside to seat your self. Normally if you order during peak times expect an hour wait for pick up. It's so worth it! I've had so many of there dishes you won't go wrong ordering anything from here. It's all amazing! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Dumplings (Choice of Steamed or Fried) - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Favorite place for Thai in the Burgh! My go-to takeout orders are always pad Thai and pad see-yew. But you can't go wrong with a delicious meal! read more

Wow! Love this spot! Best Thai place in town.had to get it twice during my stay! Highly recommend the pad se we and the chicken soup noodle (red and green!) both were yummy! It a take away restaurant with a couple of tables outside. read more

I've been wanting to explore Bryant St. for a couple week now after driving through it. It's such a cute little street with lots to do, but I had never heard of it before! While my sister and I were originally looking for another restaurant that we couldn't find on Bryant St, we luckily ran into this gem! We didn't have reservations but they were able to seat us right away. It's a small restaurant so I'm sure if you went while it was busy this wouldn't be the case, but we can later on Friday night. Food: My sister and I split the Crab Rangoons and they were a great appetizer to start the meal! For my entree I had the Pad See Ew. It was loaded with vegetables and chicken, it was delicious! I also tried a bite of my sister's entree, the Chicken Pad Thai. I really enjoyed it but I'm not sure if I could eat a whole lot of it because of the strong peanut taste it had, but if you're into that you'd enjoy it! Service: Pretty straight to the point and friendly. Always had an eye on us to see if we needed anything which was great. Atmosphere: As I mentioned, it's a small restaurant so you can hear the neighboring tables. The setup of the restaurant is really cute. The lighting is dim which is nice for date night. If you're in the highland park area looking for Thai food, this is your one stop shop! read more

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I came here with a friend upon her suggestion and fell in love! The interior is unique and colorful, though it's small. The service is very attentive, welcoming and friendly. They refilled my water at least 3 times and responded very patiently to my questions. The food is solid! The smell of the authentic Thai is so alluring. The look of the food only adds to the temptation! It is evident that they put care into each dish. The lunch prices are a steal! (They go exclusively by dinner prices on weekends, just so you know.) I enjoyed the chicken satay as an appetizer and the see yew with chicken, spice level 7 out of 10 and I was super full and content. My friend enjoyed the curry noodles, koy soy! Would recommend! read more

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I had a lot of different thoughts eating both dishes we ordered- the Pad Thai and the red curry noodle, but none of those thoughts were extremely positive, while most of them were simply average. Pad Thai- 3.8/5 I thought this dish was sweet at times, bland at others, dry at times, wet at others. The inconsistency was complimented by different types of noodles, too. Did they just throw whatever into the dish? If I lived nearby and had a craving, I would happily enjoy but I've had many better Pad Thai dishes elsewhere. Red Curry Noodles- 3.4/5 This tasted like a chicken pot pie with noodles. Just not my cup of tea. It wasn't too sweet like other curries, which I actually respected. The flavor just wasn't there for me. I'd be willing to try one of their other ones. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Red Curry Noodle and Crab Rangoon - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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I ordered out from this spot in my neighborhood. Good tasty Thai food. I had spicy chicken with rice and veggies. Will come back and update this review when I've eaten again. read more

One of my favorite Thai food places in Pittsburgh. Everything I've ordered here so far has been so tasty. I've tried their curry, their pad see ew, pad Thai, and glass noodles. Pad Thai was average, everything else I really enjoy. This place is great for dinner, the atmosphere is pretty intimate and relaxing. The customer service is also great. Recently, I like ordering to go from this place since my boyfriend lives around here. And my food is usually ready within 20 minutes. Quick and delicious go to dinner for us! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pad see ew and glass noodles. Both are delicious!! - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Finally got the chance to try this place out! Arrived with a friend at 6:30 for dinner on a Tuesday; it was surprisingly busy even though it had been pouring rain earlier. We were given a wait quote of 10m, though one of the girls offered us an outside table soon after and said we could move inside if it started raining again, which was appreciated. It took a while, understandably, for us to be greeted/given water, but our server was sweet and very apologetic about it when she arrived. My friend ordered the red curry with tofu, spice level 1 and I ordered the spicy tom yum noodle soup, spice level 1. Thank goodness neither of us ordered appetizers, because these were such generous portion sizes (coming from someone who eats a lot). The lemongrass broth was absolutely delicious and had the perfect amount of spice to it. So soothing to have after a long day at work. My only gripe was that the chicken was a bit dry. My friend greatly enjoyed her dish as well and ended up having to get half of it boxed up. Our server did check on us a couple times (my friend never went thirsty!) and overall provided wonderful service. I can easily see myself becoming a regular here and will be recommending this place to many others! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Spicy tom yum noodle soup - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We've had mixed experiences lately: sometimes we get great food, sometimes it's disappointing. Tonight it was BOTH in one order. We had three entrees tonight. Two of them were good. The third, my Pad Thai, was almost only noodles. I ordered (and paid for) extra chicken but I found only four small pieces of chicken in the dish. I found one peanut, one sliver of onions, and three bean sprouts. Not much flavor, either. I wonder if the cook never finished prepping the dish before it was packaged? I'm going to start opening the food and checking it at the restaurant with future take-out orders? read more

Pretty decent Thai food. We always order here and sometimes it's excellent, but sometimes it misses the mark. It's great to have a Thai spot in the neighborhood and they have really good noodles and green curry. Their fried rice is more on the spicy side and a spicy level of 1 is still kinda spicy for those of you who don't like the spice. Decent place! read more

Yummy Thai food and great takeout procedure during COVID. I liked that the food was flavorful and not overly sweet and oily. The noodle dishes especially were not heavy and loaded with sugar. Spice level was moderate - I like a little heat and was happy with a 7. Our Thai go-to options - pad see ew and panang curry - were well done and tasted fresh. read more

I hadn't been to a Thai restaurant before I stopped into the Smiling Banana Leaf with a couple of friends, but I'd heard great things about it and was excited to try it out. It's a small, casual restaurant with lots of food options. It's definitely a better spot for date night or dinner with one or two friends than a big gathering. We split crab rangoon for an app, and it was very good. I had Thai fried rice with chicken with a spice level of 0 (our of 10). It was very good fried rice, and chicken was higher quality than what you usually find in fried rice. The serving was huge, so you'll definitely have enough to share or take home. Overall a good experience. read more

Delicious food, and they were very accommodating of our dietary restrictions on UberEats. They went out of their way to inform us of a substitution. Thank you! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Takeout with a note explaining why they substituted a curry (that couldn't be made vegan) with noodles that were vegan - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Best Thai in Pittsburgh hands down! The food never disappoints. I've only ever gotten take out from here but it's my go to. The food is always made quick, the portion sizes are great and it's cheap! My go-to is the red curry, I get it every time. My boyfriend swears by their crab Rangoon and we love their tofu paradise. Craving Thai? Order from here, you won't be disappointed! read more

My go-to Thai spot. I'm so happy this place is in our neighborhood. The food is amazing. We always get the pad see ew, koy soy, Tom ka, and sometimes switch it up with the glass noodles, cashew stir fry, or ginger stir fry. The food has never disappointed us. I love that they make it spicy for us, we always get #9 for all of our food. It's not too spicy but we love the extra kick. Most importantly, the service has always been superb. They are quick, to the point and respect your time. All in all, I recommend Smiling Banana Leaf to all my friends, co workers and when my family comes to visit we bring them here and they always love it. read more

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I love the small, cozy interior. The decor is modern with authentic accents. A quaint little place tucked away that serves amazing foods. My favorite item on the menu is the mango salad. The aroma and flavor from mango, cilantro and onion is a joy to behold. Refreshing and enjoyable to eat year round. read more

We ordered crab Rangoons, dumplings, green curry noodles (spice 6), Koy soy noodles (spice 6), panang curry (spice 1). Gotta say, this is probably the best Thai place in Lawrenceville/Bloomfield area and one of best in Pittsburgh. Spice levels were fantastic. We were sweating bullets eating the level 6. The noodles and curry were amazing. Very favorable, lots of spices. The Rangoons and dumplings were out of this world. I haven't had amazing Rangoons or dumplings in god only knows how long. Highly recommend - check this place out if you like Thai food!! read more

Have been wanting to try a new Thai restaurant in Pittsburgh and decided to give this a try. Came here on a Saturday was seated right away. The place was busy but not crowded. In addition they had outside seating which I appreciated. Ordered the mango salad to start with. This was my favorite dish and I would highly recommend it. I really enjoyed the salad dressing in addition to the mangos. Great mix and very refreshing. I got the massaman curry spicy level 3. I thought it was good but nothing to rave about. The flavor of the curry was a bit bland and the rice that came with it was dry. The service was great and everyone was very friendly. If I'm back in this neighborhood I would probably stop by again but I wouldn't go out of my way to dine here. read more

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I passed by this place with my family and it smelled amazing, so I had to try it. It lived up to my expectations! Probably the best Thai food I've had in Pittsburgh so far. It's everything you want in drunken noodles. I got a spicy level 5 and I probably could have gone a little higher to a 6 or 7. The noodles were soft, just chewy enough, the chicken was tender, and the flavors were strong and delicious. I ordered through GrubHub and my order was ready on time. I will be back! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pad Kee Mao - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Dependably delicious Thai food that's obviously prepared by knowledgeable and loving hands. I hope the owners value the phenomenal asset that is the kitchen staff, who regularly put out great food. (The front-end staff isn't always the friendliest--the sole drawback here.) Currently, it's only take-out, with no dine-in option. read more

I got the dumplings and the green curry with tofu. The curry was great, fresh veggies and a large helping. Now, I'm a lover of hot things, and i put hot sauce on nearly everything. But Thai heat is different, and I'm a pro at choosing the levels. I chose a 3 this evening bc I didn't want to sweat. Man, it was still pretty hot! Not complaining though! Just a forewarning Also I ordered online for takeout and they were able to accommodate my order earlier than the given pick up time which was great. The dumplings were the only thing lack luster. Taste wise, they were flavorful, but they were small and cold when i picked them up (earlier than said time, mind you). For the money ($7) I didn't think they were really worth it. Will still return for the curry and prompt service! read more

Ordered take out from here. Have been wanting to try SBL for a while but was unable to dine in due to Covid. I had the green curry tofu, pad kee mao with tofu, and thai iced tea! The green curry was delicious and had a nice flavor and consistency. The pad kee mao was fine but nothing extraordinary. Thai tea was on the sweeter end. Overall, a nice place to satisfy that Thai food craving. Will be back to try more items and hopefully dine in one day! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Green curry tofu - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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There are several excellent Thai restaurants in Pittsburgh, but Smiling Banana Leaf is new to me, and I am impressed. Their kitchen is fast and their food is authentic and delicious. Their spice level runs a couple points hotter than most other Thai places, so consider backing down a little when you order. Inside is rather cozy and loud, but outside is definitely my first choice on a nice day. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. The prices are extremely reasonable, and there are lots of vegetarian options. The Smiling Banana is a winner! read more

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Cute little place. Delicious food and huge portion sizes! Pro tip: call in your order instead of ordering online. It's cheaper. They have a 1-10 scale for spiciness and the 5 was making my nose run. I got the pumpkin curry and there was a generous amount of squash and chicken in it. The flavoring was sweet and yummy. The spice level gave it a little kick. The Massaman Curry had a very strong peanut flavor and came with white rice. You could honestly do one curry for two people. read more

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We love this place but haven't been since the shut down. We got their lunch special on Friday and it was great! The website is easy to order and pay and the pickup process was easy. The lunch specials were nice too. Sometimes getting takeout noodles culminates in a solid block of congealed noddle by the time you get home, BUT that was not the case with my pad kee mao. It was delish. My husband got panang curry which is his stand by and we went with spicy level 8, which definitely had enough spice to notice but not to challenge. Could have gone higher and been happy. I also got the green mango salad and it was soooo good and a huge serving. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pad Kee Mao Noodle Lunch and green mango salad. - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Having always heard great things about Smiling Banana Leaf, finally decided to give it a try for takeout and was not disappointed! I tried the Pad Kee Mao and the green curry with fried tofu and I was a fan of the Kee Mao noodles. They also have thai iced tea here! It was good but definitely on the sweeter side. Overall, I will probably stick to Noodlehead for the quality of the food and price, but it was worth giving this place a try! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - a sign on the side of a building - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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My wife and I have been making our way to different Thai restaurants in the Burgh and we were very impressed with The Smiling Banana Leaf. First of all it is on one of our favorite streets in the city because of Park Bruges. Smiling Banana gives us another reason to visit Bryant Street. Parking was easy here. We found street parking just a street over. Walking in you can see that they have outside seating for the warmer months. That helps because the inside is small but it isn't as small as we were thinking. I did call ahead for reservations for two at 130pm on a Saturday afternoon. They sat us next to a window at a two seater. It is small in there but we didn't think it was too small even if it was full we wouldn't feel that cramped. We were hungry so we ordered some Spring Rolls right away. We received rolls probably with in three or four minutes of when we placed the order. Carrie asked for them to whip up a special hot sauce paste for her and they did. The rolls were ok. We felt they tasted a little plain and we didn't taste hardly in shrimp in it. The nut sauce and the hot paste they made helped it a lot. It was a good roll but we have tasted better. Next we ordered our main dish. Carrie got the Pad Kee Mao with TOFU and I ordered the Pad See Ew with chicken. Our food came out probably a little over ten minutes after we ordered. It looked, smelled, and tasted great. We both loved our meals. For the price we feel we received more food than the other Thai restaurants that we have been to and they gave us a lot of meat (Chicken and Tofu). We couldn't finish our food and it made great left overs later on for us. Spice wise I asked for a 6 and my wife asked for a 7. We both probably could have bumped it up a few ticks but still it was really good. So this is now one of our favorite Thai restaurants in the Burgh. I think it's the best for the price and the amount of food you get but it is right up there in food quality as well. The Spring Rolls were a little disappointing but we will be back. This is a 4.5 stars for me. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Everyone raves about this place, so I was excited to finally try it out. I checked out the website and was pleased to see that I could make a reservation since I heard how small the place is. When we arrived, we were seated right away. I ordered a Thai Iced Tea, and the garlic stir fry with vegetables. I also ordered green curry noodles to go for my fiancé. My friend ordered a noodle soup with chicken. My tea came out quickly and it was delicious! Not too sweet, just now I like it. The waitress then brought out our entrees and as soon as she set it down, I could tell this wasn't the correct order. We both had the exact same noodle dish with tofu (which neither of us ordered). We had the plates in front of us for about 5 minutes... we weren't able to flag anyone down. Once we were able to find our waitress, we told her these were the wrong entrees. She took them to the kitchen and brought out our correct entrees a few minutes later. My garlic stir fry was okay. Definitely a great garlic flavor, but the dish was mainly cabbage and onions.. with hardly any other vegetables. It was kind of disappointing and I wouldn't order that dish again. Lastly after they brought our checks, the waitress never brought over my to-go order. After we paid, we waited and waited and never brought the order over. When we were leaving, I went up to the front and asked the waitress about my order. She looked around until she found it sitting on the desk where the register is. Overall, I felt like service was just okay. The place is tiny and it was not even filled up, so there weren't many customers in the restaurant. The food was just okay also. I may try it again in the future, but I'm in no rush to do so. read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - The best part of my dinner... Thai Iced Tea - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Delicious thai food in a cute, quaint location! Our server was hilarious and walked us through the whole menu. She gave us background information on the owners and the chef and told us the #1 rule is: don't ask the cook for her curry recipes. That being said, the curries were amazing. The green papaya salad was phenomenal and the desert was the perfect finish. We both really like spicy food and ordered a 6/10 for everything. We possibly could have gone a little spicier, but a 6 provided a little heat with every bite. Street parking available near the restaurant. We'll definitely be back! read more

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The first opportunity I had to enjoy this place while I was in college and it has become one of my go to spots for thai food! Its tucked away in Highland Park and is small place with indoor/outdoor seating. Theres always an abundance of street parking outside the restaurant. Also highly recommend their take out which is just as good. Every time I come here, I usually order the same thing and it has always been so consistent! My favorite dish here is the pineapple fried rice and the pad kee moa. Everything on the menu can be made spicy on a scale of 0-10. You can also always ask side of hot sauce and chili pepper oil to add extra if needed. Highly recommend coming here when they first open for the day because the dishes taste so fresh and are very quickly prepared. The best meal I've had at this restaurant was opening time on a Saturday morning! The menu is very reasonably priced and there are so many options for vegetarians/vegans. This is a BYOB place and so if you bring any drinks/bottles of wine, you will have to sit inside instead of outdoors. The place is also pretty small, so be prepared for a wait on a busy weeknight. If you have a large group, would recommend calling ahead! read more

Smiling Banana Leaf - Pineapple Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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The food was really good but never have I ever experienced such bad customer service. The manager/owner/or some lady who seems in charge was extremely rude because I was ten minutes late to my reservation. I completely understand the issue of being late and I apologies; however, the lady was not nice. The waitress was nice, but she was not very attentive. The food took a long time to come out and items were forgotten. When we got our check, the owner threw the check at us, told us she wouldn't split it, and already added gratuity for our table of 5. I don't mind restaurants that have these policies, but (1) I don't think this restaurant had the policy and I just think the lady was being rude (2) they should be up front with the policy if the policy exists. The food isn't worth poor service and I can get better food elsewhere. Plus, the restaurant is tiny and crowded. read more

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I've only been here once so far but I will definitely be back! I ordered from Smiling Banana Leaf on a cold day last week when I was really craving some hot, spicy curry. I usually go with Pad Thai or with Red Curry at Thai restaurants but branched out and tried the Pineapple curry and I'm so glad that I did! I ordered for delivery and they did a great job with sending the food out promptly and it was still piping hot when it arrived. The flavor of the curry was DELICIOUS. The spicy of the base with the contrast of sweet pineapples was perfect. It came with rice and together, this just made the most amazing meal. The portion size was great and the spice level was perfect - I ordered a 5/10 and it was the perfect balance (in my opinion) of spiciness, but with good flavor. There's a lot of Thai food in town but this is now at the top of my list and I definitely recommend giving it a try! read more

Delicious Thai food!! I had the green curry noodles and Tom yum soup. We shared chicken satay ( the peanut sauce was creamy luscious) and the fresh shrimp rolls! Everything was fresh and so full of flavor. The curry was awesome with lots of vegetables and I love the noodles in the curry, not always easy to find!! The flavor profile of the Tom yum soup was the best I ever had. The broth was rich and luxurious. I had spice level 8 which was perfect! Can't wait to visit Pittsburgh again to come back! read more

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