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    Zen Thai

    4.3 (391 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 8:30 pm

    Zen Thai Photos

    Business Info

    ZEN THAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Zen Thai

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    Reviews With Photos

    Drunken Rice
    Barrett N.

    Lights out, delicious food. This is what I've been missing for years, seeking authenticity and spice that would make a jalapeño blush. From what we were told, this is food coming straight from home recipes. I was not expecting it in downtown Phoenix, but my goodness, what a gem. The locals have my envy.

    Spicy eggplant with tofu  Vegan vegetarian
    Lori A.

    Really tasty Thai food! We had the Super Summer rolls and the Spicy Eggplant with tofu with medium spice. All was delicious! It's a small space, but it's really cozy inside with a nice atmosphere. We really appreciate the vegan and vegetarian options!

    Large menu
    Steve A.

    4 stars (really 3+ rounded up). Want to know the real scoop? Read on... **Communication: Wanted to make a reservation, called six times over two days, left voicemails, even texted. No response, ever. We went anyway for a birthday dinner and fortunately found only 2-3 other tables occupied, no reservation needed. Found street parking nearby, but you'll need to feed the meter for a couple hours even on weekends. Score: 2 out of 10 (additional reason for this score in the UPDATE below) **Atmosphere: Comfortable and relaxed inside, a bit dark and cold, some fun and slightly kitschy Thai décor. Booths are cozy, and the couch-style seating looked inviting. Check out my posted photos to get a feel for it. Score: 7 out of 10 **Food & Drinks: We shared three appetizers (Super Summer Rolls, potstickers, and crispy veggie rolls), all fresh, flavorful, and nicely plated. Accompanying sauces were very good. Unfortunately, they were all pricey, approaching the price of entrees. Appetizer Score: 8 out of 10. - Drinks were a letdown. We tried four different drinks from their $10 special list, and none impressed, they weren't good: the Long Island Thai Iced Tea was strong but harsh tasting, no curated flavor; the Thai Tea Espresso Martini was the best of the bunch but still not great, bland; the Lychee and Green Apple martinis were both overly sweet and syrupy. Drink Score: 2 out of 10. - Entrée taste redeemed the night. Red curry with chicken was rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced, a little spicy, yum. Pad Thai was balanced and satisfying with good bouncy, slightly chewy noodles. Pad Se-iew was excellent, smoky, savory, and our favorite dish. None were large portions, they were adequate size. Fortunately we had three appetizers ($35) or the three entrees ($17.50 each) wouldn't have been enough for four people to share. Score: 8 out of 10. **Service: Friendly and attentive. The second gentleman seemed like an owner, knowledgeable and engaged. The host was pleasant but couldn't explain why no one answers the phone for reservations, takeout, general info, nothing. Service Score: 8 out of 10. **Value: $140 before tip that included four not-good drinks, three apps, and three entrées: fair for the food quality and decent service, not for the cocktails and communication. With tip and parking, around $175 - $185 for four people who took no food home and left none on the table. **Overall: - Communication = poor - Atmosphere = pretty good - Drinks = not good - Apps = good - Entrées = very good - Service = very good in restaurant, worse with owner response and sharing their number is listed incorrectly online **Final: 3.25 stars, rounded up to 4 to give the benefit of the doubt. Great entrées, good food choices, friendly service, and okay ambiance, but skip the cocktails and don't bother calling their posted number ahead. Photos posted! ------UPDATE-------- The owner claims she "never received communication from me." My review history speaks for itself, thorough, fair, and honest. I called the search engine listed number (480-420-8424) three times and texted it. After reading her response, I researched further and found the number is incorrect, something the restaurant clearly knows. I even kindly called to advise it is listed incorrectly online, and their reply was, "we only use Google." What? That's not how you thank someone trying to help improve your business and correct your contact information. The wrong number appears multiple times in search listings (see attached photo). Rather than acknowledge or fix it, they deflected. More poor communication from Zen Thai. Should update rating to 3 stars to reflect the true "level of service."

    Long Island Thai tea
    Jamie W.

    Pad see ew portions were great, and they came out quickly after ordering. The medium spice was a true medium and perfect for me. We were also there during happy hour where they have cocktails for 6.50! I tried the Long Island Thai tea, which as warned was very strong. I should have asked for lighter alcohol and more Thai tea to dilute it. But overall very convenient location to the convention center and arena downtown, and authentic Thai food. We also liked sitting on the couches which were comfortable.

    Ameena A.

    Visited this delicious spot while in town for a conference! The only reason I have 4 and not 5 stars is only related to being a gluten free folk- if you are not gluten free, consider this restaurant 5/5 stars! I thought the ambiance of the place was super cute (even though I took my food to go), I thought the portion size of my curry was great, and it was extremely delicious. Service was also very kind. The only reason I have docked a star is because there was some back and forth about whether my dish was gluten free among the staff, so, I took a risk by eating it (even though they ultimately all agreed it was GF, it made me nervous). I would suggest a simple edit on the menu, because they said a lot of their stuff is naturally GF! It would make it easier for us, and more accessible in general for those with dietary needs :)

    Pad kee mao
    Kelie E.

    Literally best pad kee mao I've ever had in my entire life. I will forever be comparing Thai food to this place! It was small but very comfy and decorated cute. The staff were so great with my allergies and helped me feel safe eating Thai food (which is really very hard with peanut, sesame, and coconut allergies.)

    Jie G.

    We stayed in a nearby hotel and decided to give this a try. Did not disappoint! Pad Thai has decent portion and great taste. Vegetable delight (stir fried veggies) were also decent with a flavorful soy based sauce, but I wish portions could be bigger.

    Chicken drunken noodles
    Petra V.

    The tom yum soup is my favorite. Whenever I want something warm and comforting this is my place. It always feels warm and inviting in the restaurant and the servers are all soooo nice. The food has so much flavor and it is super good.

    Noodle bowl
    Jaleebi S.

    I'm a fan for sure. And a regular! Zen Thai offers delicious Thai cuisine at reasonable prices right on the light rail line. I'm always greeted and seated promptly and the service is very efficient. I love the fried shrimp rolls and today I had a bowl of noodle soup that exceeded my expectations and put many of the local ramen places to shame. I love the decor! Authenticity, great food served fast and hot: downtown delivers again.

    Joe K.

    Tasty food conveniently located within a few blocks of the convention center. Thats a good combination worth trying.

    Drunken noodles
    Christa M.

    This placed whipped us up yummy Thai food for dinner. I ate here with my mom and sister after seeing a show nearby. We were quickly greeted, seated, and menus were given to us to look over. We ordered three entrees and one dessert. We ordered: One order of drunken noodles One order of combo fried rice One won ton soup One mango with sticky fried rice The food was all served hot. The drunken noodles were cooked perfectly and had so much flavor, they were our favorite. We also really enjoyed the mango sticky rice, it was sooooooo good. All three servers were friendly and attentive. Will be back!

    Latrice J.

    I was meeting a friend who was visiting from out of town and she was staying downtown. We decided to go for a walk and found the Zen Thai Cafe! It was an early afternoon and there wasn't a crowd there which was good. We ordered Thai coffee to drink and Thai wing apps which were so good and crispy and for our entrees we ordered drunken noodles. We also ordered dessert the Fried Banana with Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream and it didn't disappoint it was sooo good. The Zen Thai Cafe was cute and cozy and I will definitely return when I'm in need of my Thai fix!

    blanca g.

    I did a google review stating I had a bad experience here. Zen Thai responded asking me to show proof the Hawaiian Fried rice is supposed to have chicken AND shrimps as I complained I only got chicken. Here you go.

    Green tea

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    3 years ago

    Excellent food and excellent service. The 3 spicy was not that spicy. Will need to go with a 4 or 5 next time.

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    2 years ago

    Amazing Thai food! Loved the Thom Ka soup, massaman & gangpanang curry. Service was great too!

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    Page 5 of 10

    Zen Thai Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Zen Thai

    Are there gluten-free options other than curry?

    Yes I've had pad Thai and pad see iew here before both gluten free. I just specify when I order.

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    Lom Wong - BA BUEY KHLAK TI - pork Belly curry

    Lom Wong

    4.4(526 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$$

    **July 2026: Thursday Night**…read more We wanted to end our trip on a high note so we decided to try Lom Wong, a 2025 James Beard Award winner! The fact that the restaurant was very close to our Airbnb, and did not require a reservation also felt like a sign to make the visit. The spot is definitely trendy, and parking was tricky. Uber/Lyft would be my recommendation, but there is a paid parking garage down a couple of streets. We didn't need a reservation since we had a small party, but I would recommend if if you're coming with a party of four or more. We sat at the bar and ordered four dishes from different categories, which was a great way to sample the menu; though honestly I think we probably could have gotten away with just 3 dishes for a party of 2. We tried Yam Mamuang Boran (old-style green mango salad), Boo Pad Pong Garee (crab curry with ginger), Tom Yum Haeng Sen Yai (dry tom yum with wide noodles), and Naem Khao Tot (crispy rice salad with fermented pork sausage). The noodles and salad were definitely my favorite though everything was seasoned really well and incredibly flavorful. What I loved most was how thoughtfully prepared everything felt. The restaurant has a really sincere, home-style feel, and you can tell the food is rooted in tradition while still feeling special and elevated. It was the perfect final meal for our trip, and I'd definitely come back again.

    Lom Wong absolutely nails the atmosphere. Walking in genuinely feels like you've been transported…read moreto Thailand, and the service reflects that same warmth with incredible Thai hospitality. The biggest disappointment was the Arai Kodai menu option, where the kitchen selects the dishes for you. Unfortunately, the selections felt pretty average. We were served Tom Kha Gai (a creamy coconut soup), Kaeng Phet Charindia (a red curry), Papaya Salad, and Scallop Crudo. While everything was well-executed, none of the dishes felt particularly unique or showcased why Lom Wong has such a great reputation. Honestly, it's the kind of meal I could find at a good neighborhood Thai restaurant. The other downside was the pacing. Being to Thailand many many times, this is nothing we have experienced. We had barely received our drinks and taken a single sip, when immediately every dish hit the table all at once. Instead of feeling like a curated dining experience, it felt rushed and a bit stressful trying to juggle multiple dishes plus our drink: Karaoke king (which would have been good if I had a second to enjoy it) Overall, it was still a nice meal and great atmosphere on par with other Thai restaurants. My advice: skip the chef's selection and order à la carte. Just be prepared for the food to come out quickly and all at once.

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    Lom Wong - Bar area

    Bar area

    Lom Wong - YAM MAMUANG BORAN - green mango salad

    YAM MAMUANG BORAN - green mango salad

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    Thai Basil - Crispy Spring Rolls (6)

    Thai Basil

    4.1(666 reviews)
    7.7 mi
    $$

    I came here for lunch with my coworkers. It was my first time trying Thai Basil, but they all had…read moregood things to say about it. I expected the restaurant to be busy during lunch time, but I certainly did not expect how small it is. It felt crammed inside, but no big deal. Parking was also tricky. It's pretty limited, so I had to park a bit further away. In terms of food and service, Thai Basil did a great job. Our server was very patient while we figured out what to order. I went for the Chicken Pad Thai and stuck with water as my drink. I was pleasantly surprised when the food started coming out because I expected it to take longer. I'd say it took about 15 minutes, even during lunch rush. My Chicken Pad Thai was delicious. The serving size was good and it came with a spring roll on the side. The price isn't bad at all either. It was basically $16 after tax for my lunch. I'd definitely come here again on my own.

    Had high hopes for this place, but my first experience was very disappointing. I had just landed…read morefrom Los Angeles and was too tired to go far, so I chose this restaurant because Yelp showed it was open late. Parking was easy, but unfortunately the service was the worst part of the visit. I sat down to look at the menu and place a to-go order, only to be told to move to another seat. A simple order of pad thai and spring rolls took exactly 42 minutes. After several follow-ups, no one told me the food was ready until I walked up to the counter myself. Overall, a frustrating experience, and I would not recommend it with other Thai restaurant options nearby.

    Photos
    Thai Basil
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    Eggplant (Pad Ma Kua)

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    Chow Mein

    Zen Thai - thai - Updated September 2026

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