Always the superior Thai spot. It may not be as packed as Taste of Thai or Thai Basil, but it is where the Asian folks (and Thai natives) all go. Their Thai tea is far better than Thai Basil, as is their food. When I organized events with the Cornell Southeast Asia Program, Tamarind was my preferred catering as well. Best pad see ew in town, with the perfect noodle texture and rich flavor (from wok energy). Love the coconut sticky rice dessert (and the gifted ceramic dishes which come with). Also highly recommend the mango sticky rice. Non-spicy: Yellow curry, Pad See Ew, Pad Thai. Spicy: Green curry (had it with chicken, duck) My only concern is how understaffed it often is. Usually one staff member to manage the whole floor, and kitchen staff in the back. And once a phone order was missing a dish (probably due to the poor single person managing the whole floor as cashier, host, wait staff, etc). This often sets take-out orders back as well. Usually on slower days, it's fast (20 mins). On bad days...like Cornell graduation weekend, it will take an hour+. I think there was a huge group of over a dozen in the tiny restaurant, ordering lots of food & drink. Came in to pick up at the time projected & sadly had to hang out at the restaurant an extra 30 mins + because of the overwhelmed staff. Let's hope they tipped generously! I would love to dine in one day, if they ever set up a table outdoors. In the meantime, for takeout, ALWAYS call to check on your order, given how busy & behind on orders they often get. The food is still worth us coming back again and again! read more

Tamarind - takeout - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Placed a DoorDash order for lunch and it arrived hot and on time. The gyoza and sauce were good. The bulgogi was good but could use a little more beef and a few less onions. Overall, very tasty, would definitely try another dish here. read more

Tamarind - Gyoza (6) - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Stopped for dinner on Sunday night and the place was packed ( a good sign) Service was great Pacing was perfect and food was delicious The Thai Tea was fantastic and the fried tofu was crispy and light We will be back read more

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The food was amazing. Had the calamari as a starter. It was light and fresh. The outside of the restaurant might make you think twice, but inside it is clean, cheerful, very fast and efficient service. The ice tea with coconut milk was yummy. So worth trying read more

Tamarind still isn't advertising in-house dining but we arrived and asked, so they allowed it. They are still heavily understaffed so we ate in to-go containers, which she disclosed early on, so it was perfectly fine with us. Service was great, she was attentive and the aesthetic inside is actually very peaceful and nice for a quiet dinner with a friend. Food prices were typical and serving size was fine for the price. I'm giving this 4 stars because it's a local business and everything seems to be struggling a little, but it's a solid 3.5 stars with no wiggle room in terms of food. My drunken noodles were bland and a little too oily to my liking. The tofu on it was delicious though. My friend got eggplant and that was a tastier find that I'd recommend. Unfortunately I witnessed a very entitled and disgruntled customer interaction. The customer came to the door, which has become a fast-food takeout window (weird) and waited for service. My friend and I were clearly diners and he started asking us about where the server was within like one minute of waiting there. We said she was around. He began calling out and waited no more than 5 minutes for the staff member to come out. He delivered his negative feedback to her in front of us and she was embarrassed. The issue was that the customer was a little too angry but chose not to leave a tip on a to-go order and the employee asked him to leave one. He of course got even more angry and said service was awful and left. 1. A lot of drama. 2. Treat staff nicely and be understanding that many spots are understaffed. 3. We need to squash this increasing expectation of tipping on to go orders, it's dumb. read more

Tamarind - Eggplant with tofu comes with rice - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Yummy! This was the best Thai I've had in Ithaca so far! I went basic and got the pad Thai but I wasn't disappointed. It had a very nice flavor and everybody was very friendly. Prices were good and the place was clean inside. There is parking available and the outside is a bit unassuming of the interior. Overall thought it was pretty good I'd come back read more

Tamarind - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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So sad right now. The Panang Curry was my favorite meal in Ithaca. We would save up just to eat it as its so expensive and now with new management its barely even edible. Oily sauce, watery veggies and rice, ZERO flavor. Used to be the best in town, now its by far the worst Thai in town, and probably the worst ive ever had. Ive never left a bad review on any of these apps before. I want to cry. Bring back the old recipes or Chefs! And ftr this is the second time we've gotten bad meals in a row. I didnt want to say anything at first but this was bad. read more

Craving Thai food that actually tastes like Thai food? Sick of those sad, orange imposters they call Pad Thai at the Cornell dining halls? Then you might want to give Tamarind a shot. It's definitely a step up from what the dining hall slings your way. So, I decided to test the waters and ordered Pad Thai from Tamarind. Here's the scoop: it was...meh. The noodles were a bit on the hard side, like they missed the memo on what "al dente" means. Not exactly the noodle nirvana I was hoping for but heyyy, still better than dining hall Pad Thai! Now, let me drop some wisdom: Taste of Thai is the real MVP. The quality? On another level (though sweet). And for all you Cornellians, it's also closer, which means less walking and more eating. Bottom line: as long as Taste of Thai is around, there's really no reason to make the trek to Tamarind. Stick with the best and leave the mediocre noodles behind! read more

Everything was excellent. Janet D. Service, food, ambiance. I look forward to dining there again soon. read more

I used to be a huge fan of this place like 10-15 years ago when I lived in the area. I tried it again today and it is significantly worse. The Thai spicy noodles had some spice, but very little actual flavor. The Panang curry had a bit more flavor, but it too was disappointing. Also, the curry has broken or curtled or something and the consistency was very off-putting. Service was friendly enough, but they are to-go only so there isn't really much service to be had. read more

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We were passed by Ithaca around dinner time and stop by this restaurant. When I went inside the hostess/waitress was busy. She ignored me, didn't say please wait or the place is packed. I was waiting for 15 mins, other server said I had to wait. After 20 mins she asked me if I want to dine in or take out? The food was okay nothing special. The fried rice greasy with few rice and lots of onion, the pork larb was bland and the noodle warm. The restaurant ambiance was nice. After I ate with super slow service the waitress finally smile and asked if it's okay to get 20% tips? After ignored the customer and now asked for 20% gratuity because there's graduation!! If she wanted 20% tips she needs to ask her owner to gave her better salary not from customers!! read more

Tamarind - Onion fried rice - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

if you want little meat and mostly oil go here, authentic and thai food worth the money is definitely found elsewhere. Just overall the experience/food was not worth how pricey everything is (bland, texture seemed almost a little old) and i'd advise elsewhere. The thai iced tea was good tho i will give them that read more

Tamarind - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Found out after ordering there is a new owner--food and service were not as good as before. Won't be returning.

I have been going regularly to Tamarind for 15 years. The food had been excellent. In the past six months to a year food quality has suffered. This makes me sad! I recently ordered fried rice with chicken. The rice was not well mixed, had clumps and also lacked flavor. I requested a #3 spice but my food had no spice. Food quality has become inconsistent. When Tamarind gets busy, these delays and mistakes tend to increase. Tamarind is definitely understaffed when it gets busy. I will miss Tamarind & staff but hoping that food consistency will improve and I may return. read more

This place used to be a lot better. I got Thai spicy noodle with duck, spice level 4 and it was really bland. The noodles were clumped together and it was dry and barely spicy. This is one of their signature dishes and they can't even get it right. 3 stars is being generous but I'm averaging based on other dining experiences that were much better. read more

Excellent Tom Kha (chicken) soup and Choo-Chee curry salmon, presented on fun plates, and friendly, timely service

We stopped in for dinner while in town for the day and enjoyed our meal. The staff was very friendly and accommodating--we had a baby and a young child with us, they got us a high chair that worked for us. I always worry our kids will be too loud but I did not feel out of place. Our food was quick and delicious, we all finished everything. We would definitely return for Thai food in the area. read more

Best Thai food I have ever had. After mentioning the cleanliness issue in July 2024, the restaurant has taken action to address it within 2 weeks. Thanks for taking your customers' advice to heart! read more

They clearly stated that the delivery will be 90 minutes so it gives me time to plan. And they deliver on time as promised. The food was still hot and crispy. I ordered Kai Qua Noodle, Pad Thai, and Duck Salad. All taste great. For home delivery, I don't see the need to provide plastic spoons and forks. I'll write in a reminder that I don't need any next time. read more

Tamarind - Kai Qua Noodle, Pad Thai seafood, Duck Salad. I already ate some. The portion was a little larger than this. - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

This place is fantastic! Their crispy duck salad is to die for and worth the drive from Rochester! You cannot find anything like this on any menu within a 100 mile radius! It's so crunchy and has that perfect blend of sweet and savory. Their sticky rice with peanut sauce is also amazing. I wish they'd offer dine-in service again sometime, but for now the takeout option is fine. read more

1 Star because there's no option to give negative 5 stars. The seating area is very limited and the staff is incapable of handling how busy it gets. My friend and I went on a Monday night because we were craving Thai and he recommended this place. We came in around 630pm and the restaurant was in full swing -- all the seating was taken so the waitress kept assuring us that we'll be seated in 5 minutes. Shorter Asian lady (probably the manager? Definitely not the owner though) gave us glasses and kept pouring our waters as we awkwardly stood at the by the register. The people in front of us were waiting too and the waitress had to thread the needle to get around us to the tables. She then asked us for our order so that it can be ready once she clears the tables. An hour and some change later (745ish) we're still standing their in the height of the craziness and though tables were clearing up and we were getting ready to be seated, in walks in a family of 5 and the Asian lady spouts at the waitress "Seat the family there" and points to the two tables that just opened up. The waitress told the Asian lady "but they've been waiting here for an hour!" (Actually more than that) and gestured at us and the Asian lady just repeated to seat the family instead. Really unfair -- I guess they wanted to make more profit but the Asian lady dismissed us. We weren't going to wait another hour so we left. I was so angry I accidentally took the water glass with me because it was still in my hand when we were walking out. Whoops. They'll get it back whenever they decide to seat me. read more

Tamarind - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I ordered takeout here my first night in Ithaca. It was pretty average and the massaman curry was something that came out of some premade paste. Flavor profile was lacking and the rice was undercooked. Service was slow and the food was expensive. It was through this restaurant that I learned that I too can make Thai curry! read more

Stopped in to eat at Tamarind this past week and I was pleasantly surprised. It came highly recommended by an Ithaca Local and Tamarind did not disappoint! Great food, really good service, and the food was fresh and delicious. If you're nearby don't miss out! read more

Delicious food, friendly server. Thai spicy noddle is very delicious and level 3 is not that spicy. We ordered papaya salad, green curry, coconut soup, mango sticky read more

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Great food, some of the best beef pad se ew I've had. Also very nice people. Come here if you are in Ithaca

I ordered the Panang Curry with Chicken tonight. The restaurant is pick-up only, and they were super friendly when I went in to grab it. The total was about $16 including tax. The reason for the two-stars is because of the portion size. The rice container was the expected size but the curry didn't have much to it. There were probably less than ten small pieces of chicken, a few vegetables, and mostly the curry sauce. I just finished eating and I'm still hungry, haha. Probably not worth the $16. read more

In college, Tamarind was always my go-to (above Taste of Thai/ taste of Thai express). Tamarinds food was also portioned better, and tasted better to me. I honestly can't recall a time where I was disappointed. Though I did order a few different things, my go to was always green curry, spice level 3 or 4 (depending on my mood) w/ shrimp, rice, and two Thai iced teas. That's what I ordered this time around when I was in Ithaca and it was great. Nothing spectacular or life changing but as tasty and consistent as ever. I probably won't get this again when I visit because there's plenty of Thai food in NYC but if I found myself living in Ithaca agin, I would def. order from tamarind over the other Thai food options. read more

Tamarind - Green curry w/ shrimp - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

We decided try Tamarind for lunch today as we've heard a lot of good things about them. Most of or order was good, but one item was incorrect. Their Kai Qua says it comes with chicken and squid but when you order online you have to pick a protein and there is no chicken and squid option. So, we picked chicken since it already comes with chicken and squid thinking this was an extra protein. Well we picked up the order and it only had chicken in it. We called to ask if the item could be remade to have chicken and squid as stated on their menu and were told that we picked chicken, so we only get chicken which to me means there's no way to actually order the dish as specified on their menu. We asked why then their menu was worded the way that it is and were told that they don't have control over the menu as it's not theirs. When I asked what she meant since their website links directly to this online ordering site I was told that they don't have a website (they totally do) and that these third-party sites like the one they directly link you to aren't their responsibility. When I asked to speak to a manager I was given a long talk about buying shoes or t-shirts and how you don't complain to the brand if there's an issue with the product you bought from a store which is true, however it has literally nothing to do with this situation as the online ordering site is someone they're in business with to act as their online storefront. All in all, while some of our food was good the experience isn't worth it. I'd advise anyone that will listen to steer clear of this place unless you'd like an incorrect explanation of e-commerce with your incorrect order. read more

I've been here for a couple of times. While everything I've tried is very tasty, their quality of food and costumer service depends on how busy they are. On my most recent visit I got the Tom Yum spicy and sour soup with chicken. For a cold and rainy day it was perfect. This soup contains a very rich broth with lemon grass, tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken and onions floating on the broth. Although it was very fulfilling, I would definitely recommend to order it with some eggrolls just for more substance (I was hungry again like 1/2 hr after). Cons - Restaurant is very small - they are often very busy during lunch/dinner hours read more

Tamarind - Tom Yum Spicy and Sour Soup - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Terrible customer service. They bluntly lie to your face. will never go to this restaurant again. Their delivery service is always late and they keep lying about the delivery time. read more

Food was delicious and simple - we had the papaya salad, pad see ew, and pineapple fried rice and enjoyed it all! Definitely would also recommend the desserts - the mango sticky rice and taro dish were really great. The service was quick and lovely! Would definitely come back again. read more

Food isn't bad but my review is about the inability to correct their own mistakes. The problem that I had with customer service recently was unnecessary and revealed something downright gross. I come here all the time and have been coming for a while but recently the quality of diligence and care towards customer orders has been failing. I bought food today and when calling for my order my partner requested a chicken curry and a chicken fried rice, seemingly easy enough I assumed there would be no problem as I have not had one before. After paying my partner brought our dinner back to the car and had realized they had given me Pad Thai (am ALLERGIC to peanuts). While I didn't make them aware of this I shouldn't have had to..?? When brought to their attention that they had made a mistake with our order and we would like to replace the incorrect dish with the right one we were told that it was too spicy too "RESELL" yes, you read that correct folks, resell!!! In the middle of a pandemic no less. (Disgusting) And I would not be able to get the correct dish without paying more I told them that is fine I will take my business elsewhere and never be back and honestly seeing how I've spent hundreds of dollars here since I've moved to Ithaca I think this is just downright ridiculous. This incident could have been handled one million times better. It's sad because I might even miss eating here if I wasn't afraid of being sold contaminated food that has been returned by other customers. read more

Tamarind - Incorrect charge for pad Thai.. - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Best Thai Food in ithaca hands down - amazing people, love infused food, my go to soup when I'm HALT ... (hungry angry lonely or tired) Tom kha ! Delicious coconut based soup with veggies and amazing flavor . I highly recommend checking them out read more

We have ordered the same dishes for years and this was so disappointing. The red curry was so spicy we couldn't eat it and I had asked for mild. The pad see ew with beef smelt like it was burnt and it was gross. Both dishes were not good and we drove 30 minutes to pick it up for a dinner date. Too bad this place has gone downhill. read more

After visiting the Farmers Market, we decided to have our lunch here... there's plenty of parking spot around the establishment... we walked it and it was busy... almost all the tables were occupied... I told them how many folks and the one guy told us in a slow voice 'it'll be long time'... so we were debating if we wanted to stay here or not and as we were in discussion, the same guy came back and said, 'it'll be about ten minutes', so we stayed. We ordered Spring Rolls, Fresh Rolls, & Fried Squid to start off. For main course, we went with Panang, Pad Thai, Thai Spicy Noodles, Spicy Eggplant, and Pad Prik Khing (Green Beans). As for spicy level, we went with 3 and for protein, we mixed it up between chicken, pork and beef. Fresh Roll - despite a shrimp ready to jump out of the broken wrapper, it was your standard fare... the dipping sauces were excellent. Spring Rolls - standard, nothing special to write about. Fried Squid - it was little 'fishy', but crunch and excellent with the dipping sauce. Panang - this curry was good, the curry broth was smooth and bold, it was excellent over the jasmine rice. I would recommend this again. Pad Thai - the taste was good, however the noodle was little dry and the chicken was over dried... Thai Spicy Noodles - we got this with beef and this was the best dish of all the main course... if you are sensitive to fish sauce or fish smell, be warned, you can smell the fish sauce few feet away from the dish... the noodles though were bit over cooked and mushy... Spicy Eggplant - the eggplant and the sauce was good, the pork was too dried. Pad Prik Khing (Green Beans) - the green beans needed to be cooked longer... I felt like they threw the green beans at the last before they plated to send it out. I would avoid pork or chicken for protein, go with the beef as it was tender and juicy... all the other dishes we had with pork and chicken, I was disappointed. There is extra $1 charge for additional rice and service is hit or miss... if they are busy, don't expect too much... there is a gratuity of 18% for party of 6 or more. They are closed from 3 to 5 Mon to Fri. read more

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Tamarind used to be our go-to for Thai food in Ithaca but that all changed this evening. My partner's curry had a piece of a plastic bag in her dish, and the pad Thai my children were sharing had a legit piece of metal (!) in it. This is just unacceptable. They rightfully refunded my money but now I have to wait to see if my children ate anymore metal that I didn't catch and hope that we don't end up at the hospital tonight, which is just completely unnecessary. The health department needs to look into this place.. beware of ordering from here. read more

Tamarind - Plastic and metal found in our food on 12/29/2021 - Thai Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Friend ordered veggie red curry for me, this is the most delicious Thai food that I ever had !!! So tasty, mixed with many different kinds of herbs, all the ingredients perfect balance and compliment with each other ; simply blow me away when just the first bite !!! It was such a satisfaction and forgot to take a picture !!! read more

Best Thai food in Ithaca. Everything I've had here has been amazing. I've only ever ordered take out but since they've been getting situated to be a sit down restaurant now post Covid, I'm excited to actually go sit down and eat there. The girl that runs the front is always adorable and super sweet. I love this place. read more

The food was good but that's where the 2 stars go. I have never experienced such attitude before from takeout. I ordered the food on the phone and was early so when I walked up to a narrow door to pay first, ready to be waiting. When I got there, the door was blocked and two credit card receipts were taped on the table. Thinking it's probably someone who picked up, signed and left, I didn't think too much of it. The lady took my $62+ cash payment. Since I was early, I went back to the car to wait. Later when I walked back up to the narrow entrance, one of the same receipts was still at the table where the entrance door was blocked so I told her "you should probably take this", and her response was, "Nobody cares, only people who don't want to tip cares." As I'm ready to leave, I see the other signed credit card receipt on the floor. I guess they don't care about people's privacy. They should be upfront with their mandatory takeout gratuity instead of taping two sample receipts with tips and signed credit slip on the table. Their tactic to guilt trip people into takeout tipping is terrible. I was so upset with her nasty comment that I'm not going back again. read more

This is my top favorite/first choice Thai food in Ithaca. If you're craving Thai, this will hit the spot. I always call in for pickup- no seating indoors here- but they have a big parking lot and easy to find off the main road. Pad Thai, spring rolls, and pineapple fried rice are my personal favorites. Really good portion sizes too! You'll likely have leftovers, or feel very full and satisfied if you eat it all at once. read more