This is a fantastic restaurant whose authenticity can be attributed to recipes that come directly come from Nancy's family. She's been running this restaurant for over 20 years and it truly is a culinary find in Ballard. http://www.thaisiamrestaurant.com/ The staff pack the place with collection of Thai art which add to the homey feel every time I have a meal. And what a great meal it is. To add to the great food, Nancy/staff/friends will often throw open their restaurant doors for the needy-- at least twice a year. I've been recruited (happily) by family members to help "stir the pot" during Thanksgiving when the homeless are invited in to feast on a buffet of Thai cuisine. I don't know where to start for suggested dishes because the food here is all good. Massamun curry is spiced just-right, and the chicken satay is cooked excellent as well. Try out the sauteed beef with mushrooms/onions/oyster sauce-- love it. Ditto for the sauteed shrimp and squid with bamboo shoots. You can choose mild, hot, hotter or chicken-solar-flare. It's really up to your tolerance level. The times I've been here? Well the booths and tables are always packed. Glad I stopped by to elbow my way in. read more

I'm very surprised to see this restaurant rated about the same as Thaiku. Tonight we ordered take out: Thai Siam Sweet Basil, Thai Siam Yellow Curry, Satay, and Tom Kah Gai. The soup was very tasty. But the peanut sauce for the satay was a little too close to just plain peanut butter, the curry was bland and boring, and the sweet basil dish - though flavorful - was watery and unattractive. If it were cheaper, I'd probably use it as a fall back for nights I'm too lazy to go elsewhere, since it's close. But I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. read more

I've been coming to Thai Siam since i was a little girl, almost 20 years. They have a phad prig king dish. Green beans with a curry peanut sauce and it is AMAZING. WARNING. They do NOT fck around with their spices. I'm very tolerant of spicy food, but even their 4 star has me sweating. Good service and decently fast. Will keep coming here as long as they are open!! read more

I've been coming to Thai Siam my whole life, and I will continue to go there! The food is amazing, I have never ever ordered something I haven't liked. The staff are all really nice and patient. I always get 3/4 stars on the spicy scale and it is HOT! I always go with people who don't like spicy food, and they order 0/4, which they enjoy. I love the yellow curry with tofu and the phad se-ew, I recommend them both! The actual restaurant itself is really cute on the inside. It's kind of small and gets really crowded around dinner time so I like to go for lunch when there's less people. The tables and plates are all really clean, and they have the best crushed ice in their water! If you're in Ballard and you want to try some really good Thai food, this is the place to go! Parking is a little limited, but there's some parking on the streets. read more

I picked this place because I am gluten-intolerant and I read reviews on Yelp that said this was a great place to go. I struggle with eating out to restaurants with my dietary restrictions because many places are uneducated or tough to deal with when requesting gluten free substitutions (and I hate to be the bothersome diner when out with friends and family) I ate here with a group for a friends birthday. This is a great place to eat; cool atmosphere, the food is made to order (which made gluten free ordering easy, I simply mentioned it at the start and all of our food was made with gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce) all of the food was delicious and the prices were fair. The highlight of our experience was the complimentary warm rice pudding we were served for my friends birthday, presented with a lit candle (they also took the initiative to send a gluten free dessert and four spoons for us!) I gave Thai Siam a 4/5 for two reasons: - We sat in a booth in the front corner of the restaurant and once we were served our food, we spent a lot of time between the table being cleared, being served dessert and getting the check waiting for someone, ANYONE to approach the area we were sitting. We thought we had been forgotten a few times. - For those of you who also eat gluten-free: they're wonton wrappers for crab rangoon and spring rolls are made with wheat; this is something I find quite commonly in restaurants despite the fact that wonton wrappers are made VERY easily with rice flour... I hope someone catches onto this soon, because I LOVE crab rangoon... read more

I didn't go to any other Thai restaurants in Seattle, so I don't know how to compare it to what's in the area, but I enjoyed it. The atmosphere was very nice and the food was good too. Oh yeah, I don't know if this is because I'm not from the area, but the spicy was really spicy!!! read more

In Seattle there seems to be a Thai restaurant on every corner. It's hit or miss if it's going to be good. Unfortunately, this one was a big miss for me. We ordered take out and we ordered the fresh rolls, phad thai and phad see ew (sp). The fresh rolls were very good, but the sauce was just like peanut butter. I ordered the phad thai 2 stars and it tasted like red chili sauce, it was overpowering and too hot to eat. That other dish didn't have hardly any vegetables. A bummer of a meal.... I won't be coming back unless all of my other favorite Thai restaurants seize to exist.... read more

Best Thai food around! I highly recommend their Tom yum soup and heavenly chicken dish! Everything is is good which is why I ate here a handful of times before I even tried their pad Thai (which is my typical go-to dish at a Thai spot). The pad Thai was great of course but I suggest trying things off their house specials section on the menu - you WON'T be disappointed! read more

Great neighborhood Thai place. When they mean hot- they mean it! Love the staff, consistently good. read more

I work close by (within walking distance) and I always come here! They always greet me by name! This is hands down one of the best thai restaurants in Seattle. Its so flavorful and mouth watering. The decor comes straight from Thailand. I also adore that they have an annual buffet that benefits local charities. They really care about the community. read more

Last night I brought my kids for the first time to Thai Siam, they all loved the food. My son really liked Top Of The World dish, my daughter had the veggie fried rice and she said it was the best she ever tried. Everything on the menu is delicious. I would highly recommend Thai Siam. read more

I'm Indonesian, I can do spicy. 5 star is usually not a problem for me. The waiter warned me, "We make it really spicy here. Are you sure?" I stopped to think 8 seconds, "Hmm..my stomach is completely empty, this can hurt me bad, or it can be an exhilarating experience of pain and tastiness all at once." ----- "Hit me up with 5" My mouth was burning, I was sweating like mad, and my stomach did hurt a little later on that evening. But I loved it. Take their word for it: they can do 'spicy'. Other than that, the food was also good. Staff was attentive and very nice and personable. read more

Nope. This place use to be awesome and now they totally are not - we haven't been in there for quite a while since their service took a massive nosedive (which they played on takeout orders) but now their takeout orders are pretty lackluster as well. The panaang I got today had tough beef (which there was also very little of - like 5 pieces) hardly any veggies and half crusty and burned brown rice. I estimate they used about 3 dollars worth of ingredients so they definitely made a nice profit. Normally when I get curry I make it last two meals, but definitely not this time. We've been burned by them too many times and I think I'm done with this place. I hope the management reads this review because they just lost a valued customer and I'll tell all my friends to also avoid this place. read more

I really want to go to Thai Siam all the time but they need to pay attention to details. One, the pre-cooked chicken needs to be stored better. It usually comes out bland and not moist among the veggies. The cheap cut of beef make it really chewy (or maybe they didn't cook it right). The noodle in Pad See Ew is ALWAYS over cooked and felled apart - doesn't resemble noodle at all when it reaches the table. The only thing I like there is the Tom Yum soup. And the location - near my house. read more

I love this place. Looks awful from the outside but is actually wonderful. Slightly inattentive waitstaff but not worth docking points. They've got their own parking lot and are in a convenient spot, plus everything I've gotten there has been GREAT. Watch out though, they're totally serious about their spice system. 3 is INSANELY HOT. Their 3 is most place's 5. Not complaining, though. They tried to warn me. ;) read more

Thai food which 95% of the time is done right here. My only complaint is that the spice/ heat level is the most intense I have experienced. The difference between 2 and 3 stars will get you in trouble fast if you " think" you can handle it. A pedestrian dish like phad thai is excellent and always a good entree option. My mouth drools when I think about ordering out or dining in there. Laid back ambience and nice decor. Never had a bad experience with them even when busy. It's good food done well. read more

I took out an order for my family tonight and had a very happy meal. Items I ordered were all my usual favorites: The Happy Boat - seafood - prawn and squid The Phad Thai with chicken - texture and taste are just right The Pad See Ew -thick rice noodle, with beef The Hot Beef is so tender and perfect - slow cooked in coconut sauce.......... Last but not the least - jasmine rice plus another leaf wrapped coconut rice on the side, even decorated with an orchid...... The family restaurant must have done something right to stay in business into their 26th years at the same location, offering delicious authentic Thai foods. Even the place is getting some wear and tear but they still offer the same attentive service, good authentic food with recipes of old and new specialty dishes that other Thai restaurants do not offer. And the owner is very community minded to offer an annual charity event to raise fund to give back to different charity organizations. This must have gained many loyal customers like myself to support them. Will patronize them more frequently......... read more

Decor= Thai dolls and toys in glass-encased shelves greet you at the entrance. Colorful tapestries and lanterns adorn the ceilings. Ambiance= relaxing jazz musics softly plays overhead. Food= warm, spicy Thai food awaits your palate. Thai Fresh Rolls were indeed fresh and ofset our hunger for nummy Thai food. The Shrimp Heart of the Fall with potatoes and squash was uber tasty with cooked-to-perfection vegetables and shrimp and the sauce, spice #2, perfectly dressed the meal. The Delux Vegetables with Shrimp, spice #2, had great shrimp but was drowned a gelatinous "oyster" sauce and accompanied by overcooked vegetables. Maybe we arrived too late for freshly cooked vegetables or it got overlooked by other dishes, but I was disappointed my cabbage and bean threads were soggy and the gelatinous sauce did not help this cause. I would definitely go back again, the menu was so appealing with a wide varieity of Thai dishes my partner and I never had seen before. I look forward to giving this place a second chance. read more

Not sure what all the hype is. We have never had a really good meal there. Tried it twice and decided to not bother with the 3 strikes and out rule. The food was very bland and greasy, and incredibly slow service. I can't think of a positive for this place. With so many other good Thai restaurants around I'm not sure how they stay in business. read more

I love this place!! The restaurant is clean and all employees are super friendly. The food is amazing and great service.

The Fresh Rolls are out of this world good! Best Thai I've had in Seattle.

Thai Siam is an unassuming place, and at first I thought it was just another Thai restaurant. I was wrong. Thai Siam is one of the best restaurants in Seattle and rivals far more posh and pricey places I've sampled in New York City and abroad. I've now eaten at Thai Siam at least twenty five times, and the service and the food are excellent - and they come at a fantastic price. There are two menus, one regular menu and a menu of specialties. No matter what dish you order, you are guaranteed a good and individual experience. Unlike some restaurants, each dish tastes fundamentally different from all the other dishes - and surprise - they all taste good. Ingredients are fresh and interesting vegetables and flavors are used. Some of my favorites - Coriander Beef, Autumn in my Heart (a squash-based curry-style dish), Khoi Sao Chiang Mai - are flavors I'd never encountered in a Thai restaurant before and could be considered fusion. They also do the fundamentals of Thai food very, very well - Pad See Ew, Pad Thai, Lard Nar - if you're aiming for a quick takeaway or an extended food experience, you'll be happy you came. They also take the spicy stars scale seriously here - 2 stars is enough for most tastes, 3 if you want it really hot, 4 might be painful. I have only tried one of the desserts - the warm Bread Pudding with what seemed like a Coconut flan beneath it, and it was very good. The interior of the restaurant is well decorated and the atmosphere is nice. The service is good, the staff are extremely friendly and courteous, and the price is simply unbeatable for food of this excellent quality. In my opinion this is better food than a restaurant like Tabla New York, costing far less and delivering just as rich an experience. Try it - you won't be disappointed. read more

The food was off the hook. The service was very good, also. My favorite dish was the Drunken Noodle (Wide Noodles, bamboo shoots, mushroom and green onions, and carrots). The flavor of the dish was excellent and I loved the big rice noodles. Another fav was Garlic Lover Beef (Beef special sauce, peppers , garlic). Excellent flavor. I also loved the decor of the restaurant. read more

Just, no bad comments apply. Simple Thai flavors & quality:)

The best neighborhood thai place. Their phad-thai and phas-ews? are average but I love their appetizers and small dishes. Foods to try: 1. Angel wings( chicken stuffed with meat, cabbage and other veggies as well as thin noodles). Dip it into their sweet sauce and you will be satisfied. 2. Top of the world beef (grilled beef served with salad) if you are trying to watch your diet but bored of dull flavors, this plate your revive your love for food without making you feel guilty. Keep in mind that they are pretty busy most of the time and you'll need to expect +40minute wait if you are orderig take out during dinner time. thai siam seemed to have earned love from community members as they have cool events to give back to the community. So far, I have seen them organizing fund raising events (all they earned on that night went to children's hospital), and inviting people who can't afford a thanksgiving dinner to join them for free turkey dinner. Way to go! read more

We got take out from here to take on a picnic to Golden Gardens. Although the place was packed, it only took 25 minutes to get our food! The service was great and everything was too order. We got the fresh rolls, Pad Thai, Ma sa man curry and the Dressing Rama. Surprisingly the Pad Thai was my least favorite, the others were phenomenal. I highly recommend this place and can't wait for it to be a returning customer! read more

Seattle has such great Thai food. I mean, really. After living in the Bay Area for the last few years I had forgotten just how good it is, but Thai Siam was good enough to remind me. We got the Chicken Salad and Pad Thai with peanut sauce on the side. Fantastic. I'm not usually a huge fan of Pad Thai but it's my husband's favorite thing ever so we always get it. THIS one though, was really, really, great. The sauce (requested medium) was sweet and just a little bit spicy with great seasoning. My chicken salad was a bit basic with iceberg lettuce and a kind of sweet creamy dressing, but it was essentially what I was in the mood for and a really good portion size. Also got a pot of the chrysanthemum tea which was incredibly fragrant. Almost TOO fragrant, but I strangely enjoyed it. Would get something different next tine but the fresh herbs in a tea pot with two little cups was a really nice addition to the meal. Dinner entrees are in the double digits, so if you're looking for a cheap night out this isn't really the place. However, if you're ready to spend $35-40 on dinner, the food here is worth it. read more

Thai Siam was able to handle our party of 7 so off to lunch we went. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I ordered one of the specials, a dish of duck with lychee. Although ordered 2 stars for heat it didn't come through at all and the amount of duck in the dish was disappointing. The Wife had a tofu rama with peanut sauce that she found tasty but not much spinach so it just looked like a brown sauce over rice noodles. I did enjoy the shrimp fried rice . These days any free parking in the Ballard area is a plus and that was the main reason for us going that day and if I needed Thai for a group with parking, Thai Siam is perfectly OK. It probably won't knock my socks off but it is a good option. read more

Yum! This place was fantastic. I think I was equally impressed with the friendly service as I was the food. They were all incredibly friendly. And fast. I had the salad rolls which were great. The red curry with chicken which was good, a little small on portion size compared to the other dishes though, and the Pad Thai with chicken. Amazing! And for the price point you can't beat it. Will definately be going back! Excited to try more things! read more

If you like tofu as your meat, this is the place to go. They just cook tofu right and the food is delicious. I would recommend the prik khing. Cheers read more

Been going since I was a kid. Food is hella good, can't go wrong with the phad thai, phad see ew, top of the world, and chef speciality spicy noodles. read more

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I've eaten at Thai restaurants since the early 80's in places like San Francisco, LA, Seattle, Portland, NY City, and many more, and this really is as good as it gets! I live on the West Sound but when I get that chance to, I love to eat at Thai Siam. I hold Thai Siam in Ballard and Sawatdy on Bainbridge Island in the same esteem. read more

I had lunch here with my cousin on a Tuesday, March 5, 2013. I thought the place was closed because there were zero cars in the parking lot and it was quiet when we walked through the door. Then everyone showed up ten minutes later. The prices are great for the amount of food you get. They are known for having really spicy food so I decided to hold bak on my curry order and went with only 2 stars, but I could have gotten 3 easily. Great flavors and speedy service, you can't beat the lunch prices especially when the servings are so big and you can take home the rest:) This place has not been updated or renovated in years, I am sure. It could use some heavy duty cleaning...but the wait staff was super nice and friendly. You'll be happy you tried this place out:) read more

We've been there about 15 times and always enjoy it. I give it 4 stars for the taste, quality, speed & portion sizes read more

I do not understand the reviews for this place. I decided to have dinner after seeing all the reviews, there were over 100 and all of them were 4 or 5 stars, there was only 1 review that was bad, I figured that 1 review could not be right. Turns out, it was the ONLY review that was accurate. The food was terrible, the peanut sauce could only be described as a Peanut Butter flavored Jello-Shot! That was exactly what it felt like when I had to chew through it and even then I had to swallow down about 3 glasses of water to get rid of it... The Tom Kah was okay, nothing more. That's the only positive for their food. There were three of us dining that evening and we tried several dishes. One thing that I did absolutely enjoy about this place was the service. It was fantastic and I almost hate leaving this review after such great service, but it just cannot make up for the awful food. I wont eat here again and I would never recommend it to anyone. read more

Don't mind any haters. I have to say hands down. They make the best Thai food in Seattle by far! The spiciness is ON POINT! The flavors are amazing. Good consistency on taste and flavor This is what Phad Thai should look and taste like. I love the decorations and place settings. One thing I WOULD change would be a bigger restaurant.. more roomy between tables. Besides that I really like the positive greetings and great service all waiters/waitresses/hostess/host provide. My aunt and I on one occasion tried about 8 different entrees just to have a taste of different things. Everything I tasted was great. Panang Chicken; Tom kha soup, phad se-ew; phad thai; thai basil ; etc... DONT FORGET TO TRY THEIR BOMB DESSERTS! Clean bathrooms. Good service. Great food. Yummy yummy. Even the candy at the end of the meal is tasty. I love it here! :) read more

I am something of a stingy jerk when it comes to Thai food. I couldn't tell you whether something is authentic or completely Americanized, but I do know what tastes good. Most Thai restaurants avoid using a lot of spice, probably because they're afraid of losing heat-hating customers. Thai Siam on the other hand is all about burning your mouth off if that's what you want. They give you ample warning if you decide to venture into 3 or 4 star land, and If you're used to the mild 5 stars of other Thai restaurants it can really take you by surprise. Their other recipes are solid. They have a huge menu and everything I've tried there has always hit the spot. It can get pretty busy if you go during dinner time, but the staff is always pretty nice and attentive. This is my favorite Thai spot in Seattle, and I've tried a lot of what Seattle has to offer in the way of Thai food. read more

I've been going to Thai Siam for years and years and it has never once disappointed me. The service is efficient and friendly and the food is always delicious. Best Thai food I've ever had; always interesting and always flavorful. Whenever I go there I think, "if I had to eat only one type of food for the rest of my life it would be Thai food". They also serve unlimited heaps of fluffy white rice with the food to soak up all the great sauces and currys, and to help tone down the spiciness. The interior decor is a little bit kitschy but I've long gotten over it. read more

Reggie C. Jr. says: "I really love the Sweet Lychee Paradise drink with real lychees and lemon and lime. It usually comes with mint too but they were out, which was okay too. The shrimp and tofu in the pad thai were cooked well. If you like lychees and well done tofu, go here." Reggie C. Sr. agrees. Thai is hard to do bad, but this place excels in making everything virtually perfect. Our favorite dishes include the hearty Special Hot Beef, the sweet but not too sweet Chicken Delight, the Top of the World Beef, and any of the noodle dishes and soups. The service is friendly, and for takeout, your food is ready when they say it will be, so no cold food or extra waiting. Kids love this place. The 5 stars are for the food, consistency, service, and value. The one suggestion is to add a shrimp fresh roll to the menu. read more

I have been to this place more than once, and the food it always quick and of high quality. It seriously only takes 20-30 minutes or so from start to finish. And the prices are really well set - making this place okay for impulse visits. They have a banana dessert that is really enjoyable too - that I always find myself ordering. Aaron read more