Purple Panda Chi Thai Bistro

We are truly disappointed. We were there with our service dog and were treated extremely disrespectfully. Instead of showing understanding or at least kindness, we were simply not served. This kind of treatment of people who rely on service animals is absolutely unacceptable. Accessibility and inclusion should be a given – unfortunately, they are not here at all. We will definitely not be returning and cannot recommend the place.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

⭐ 1 star
Discriminatory treatment toward my service dog and terrible customer service

I’m an American visitor who has dined at this restaurant several times, spending hundreds of dollars here over the past visits. Unfortunately, this time I was treated very poorly by a staff member who refused entry to me and my fully trained U.S.-registered service dog, who has served in war zones and is a tripod.

The employee falsely claimed that my dog needed to be “registered in B.C.” — which is not true under the BC Guide Dog and Service Dog Act, as visitors from outside the province are fully protected when they have valid service dog documentation from their home jurisdiction.

My dog has always been quiet, calm, and well-behaved. There was absolutely no reason for this kind of treatment, and it completely ruined our evening. It’s a real shame because we had previously enjoyed this restaurant and supported it many times. I will not be returning after such disrespect toward both myself and my service dog.

Service: 1

As lovely as the staff are, I need to warn people about the food here. It’s awful. Like if this was served in a food court it would still be the black sheep.

The food arrived in seconds. This is not an exaggeration. This means it is reheated and not made fresh.

The sauces are so bad they would not be carried by Costco in those 5 gallon jugs. These were far far worse. Gooey globs of sugar and toxic chemicals pretending to be oil.

The meat was impossible to chew. The shrimp was freezer burnt and watery.

I don’t think I’ve had worse food in my life.

And they tout their Thai kitchen staff. Let me tell you that this only brings more surprise that the food is so unbelievably terrible. Even frozen Thai dinners are better than this sloppy sludge they serve here.

The servers were lovely and the decor was cute. The food was mindblowingly dismal, and given we tried a variety of dishes that were all atrocious, suffice it to say we won’t return and would strongly caution anyone trying to avoid utterly revolting cuisine to do the same.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

I don’t usually leave reviews but this restaurant definitely deserves a five star! The staffs are so nice and welcoming and the food was so delicious that we finished every bit of each dish. The roti is the best I’ve ever had - super crispy and the thickness is just alright. It’s perfect for small family or group to gather and enjoy some delicious asian cuisine. Highly recommended!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

What an amazing experience at Purple Panda Whistler! We showed up just 15 minutes before closing, and instead of turning us away, the staff welcomed us so warmly. The server cheerfully explained that the kitchen was about to close, but we were more than welcome to sit down, order, and enjoy our meal while they cleaned up. That kind of hospitality is rare and so appreciated!

Service was outstanding — water was constantly refilled, and they even brought us extra tap water without us asking. And the food… absolutely incredible! The Honey Orange Chicken was bursting with flavor, the dumplings were perfect, and everything was freshly made and delicious. The rest of the menu looked just as tempting — we can’t wait to come back and try more.

Highly recommended — friendly, welcoming, and seriously tasty! 💜🐼

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The pad thai was a daily special and was very good as well as the curry

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Such lovely service and food! We got takeaway on a saturday evening and the duck noodles, dumplings and red curry were brilliant and the service was just so friendly and swift!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Since visiting Thailand ten years ago, I have searched for just-as-good mango and sticky rice everywhere I go. This is the first place that has actually made me feel like I was in Thailand again. Amazing. Would eat daily. Will be back tomorrow.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mango Sticky Rice

Horrible experience from start to finish. After dinner i was violated by one of the male servers who said he “just had to tell me” how great my chest looked while i was eating dinner leaning over and squished in the booth with my friends. I have never felt so disgusted and left the restaurant shaking. The manager didn’t seem to care at all and brushed it off completely when my friends went back to talk to him. Would never recommend this place to anyone, especially young girls.

Stayed at the Fairmont and needed a snack before a dinner meeting. Super friendly server helped me and I got grilled dumplings and Peking duck wraps. The dumplings were sooooo good; dipping sauce had a little kick to them which was a nice surprise! When it came time to pay, I actually left my wallet in my hotel room, felt so embarrassed and offered to leave my phone as collateral that I’d come back. Server told me not to sweat it and said she trusted me. Went and retrieved wallet, paid and left a generous tip for the hassle. Would definitely come back to this friendly and quality place!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I would never recommend Purple Panda. We booked a reservation for 14 people, only to be told we’d have to sit at two separate tables, which completely defeated the point of booking a large group in advance. On top of that, the experience went from disappointing to completely unacceptable when one of the older male servers made an inappropriate comment directed at my girlfriend about her chest while she was eating. This behavior is disgusting, unprofessional, and ruined what was supposed to be a fun night out with friends. Management should take this seriously, because no customer should ever feel uncomfortable or disrespected in a restaurant.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

Super delicious, light and fresh, and the banana parfait is one of the best desserts I've seen anywhere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We went for my friends birthday. She had a table booked for 14 and they tried to seat us at 2 different tables without telling us before hand. We asked and tried to get one big table and they declined so we squished 14 of us into a 10 seat table. Our server was awesome however, one of the other servers complimented my friend on how her breasts looked while she was eating. Not cool at all and absolutely disgusting. Should not have to go to a nice meal for a birthday and have to worry about that. Shoutout to our server who was absolutely amazing and I hope the server who commented on my friends rack I hope you get what’s coming to you. Manager didn’t seem to care at all which was the weirdest thing.

Atmosphere: 2

Service: 4

Horrible. As me and my girlfriend left one of the servers came up to us and said how good we looked and especially her breasts as she was leaning over eating. We spoke to the manager and he seemed careless. Disgusting behaviour to be spoken to like that especially for 2 young girls after their dinner.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

All the staff, especially our waiter Rich were welcoming and helpful. Food was fresh and extremely tasty. Will definitely be coming back next time we are in Whistler.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5