We really enjoyed the atmosphere at Kalaya, especially the open kitchen, and the staff were attentive and kind throughout our visit. The food, however, can be quite spicy, and it seems they don’t adjust spice levels since we were never asked about our preference,so that’s something to keep in mind. That said, we liked the dishes we chose. The dumplings were much smaller than expected, but they were absolutely delicious.
We also tried three alcoholic drinks; the whiskey sour (Dao) stood out as a favorite. In addition, the team generously offered us a nonalcoholic drink on the house when my husband became uncomfortable with the spice level, which we really appreciated,it was refreshing and very tasty. Thai tea tiramisu was not something that I would order again
Overall, we enjoyed the experience and the quality of the food, though it did feel a bit overpriced considering the portion sizes and overall value.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jake La Fronz
excellent for the second time
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christopher Pierce
Delicious dumplings, the barramundi, squid, and steak dishes were delicious. Need to come back and have the Tom Yum next.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Klein
While not an area we normally dine in, my wife found this spot as a sister restaurant we dined at years ago. Since we were looking for an over the top place for my cousin's birthday, we decided to make the extra effort to drive into the city and are we glad we did. The ambiance, intricate details in food prep and presentation were fantastic, but the flavors even outdid the beauty. The only let down was they did not have Italian still and sparkling water. I highly recommend Kalaya, if you want a great dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lailah Shorter
Took forever to be seated and then they didn't course out our meal at all :( Simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming My favorite dish was the side of cabbage
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Neena
The food was excellent! It was so flavorful and fresh! Our server Ryan was amazing and so accommodating of my dietary restrictions. He was so knowledgeable of the dishes and helped me make swaps if needed. Highly recommend this place and will definitely be going back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mike Coughlan
Got the tasting menu which had an abundance of food and choices. Staff was great walking us through the choices and description catering to my food allergy. Everything was great from the dumplings to the curry to the branzino! Celebrity Chef/owner came by multiple times to check on us, take a picture and autograph a cookbook.
Great over all experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason Davis
Taste of Kalaya absolutely blew me away — hands down the best meal of my life! The flavors were vibrant, fresh, and perfectly balanced. The curry chicken was out of this world — rich, aromatic, and bursting with depth in every bite. I’m still thinking about it long after the last spoonful. This is the kind of food that makes you stop mid-bite just to savor the moment. A true culinary gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
poursuivant1
Kalaya has been on our must try list for years and we finally got to see what the accolades were all about….and they were all deserved! Friendly but correct service, imaginative drinks and amazing food were all on full display that evening. The four of us went for the tasting menu, Taste of Kalaya, which had us stuffed at the end of the meal. I don’t want to sound like a cliche, but everything we were served was absolutely delicious…even the cabbage. I don’t know whether we’d get the full tasting menu experience again, but we’ll certainly be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Olenick
If you want some of the best Thai food in Philadelphia, maybe even the country, go to Kalaya. But be warned…this isn’t your average casual dining spot. This is hogwarts’ defense against the dark arts class, if it served thai curry.
The chef is a culinary Severus Snape. She glides around the dining room in a flowing black cloak, eyes sharp enough to cut a lemongrass stalk in half. The food is phenomenal, perfectly balanced curries, rice with the texture of a dream, spices that seem brewed by alchemy. But there are rules. Oh, there are rules. Don’t mix sauces unless you want a cold glare that makes you question your life choices. Don’t ask for substitutions unless you have a death eater to vouch for you.
The staff moves with the precision (and mild terror) of Hogwarts house-elves, efficient, polite, and clearly devoted to maintaining the chef’s exacting standards. It’s part theater and part dictatorship.
Bottom line…the food will change your life, but you may leave feeling like you just passed an O.W.L. exam you didn’t study for. Four stars for the cuisine, one star for the fear, and a reluctant “yes” for the overall experience.
Incredible food, service, and atmosphere. Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wafi taufiq
Expensive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Justin Yee
Kalaya for lunch was an unforgettable dining experience. Every dish was thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented. It’s one of those rare spots where everything just hit—food, drinks, and atmosphere. Chef Noz even made an appearance about midway through our meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael McDonald
I have worked in restaurants for years, this place is fantastic. I sat up at the bar and mingled with other guests while Carissa took excellent care of myself, along with the other guests— great job! The food was scrumptious, I had a rib curry dish that was to die for. Thank you for a wonderful experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Stier
Wow.. this was insane. The spice, the flavor, just the food I’ve never had before. This place was a well oiled machine! The bartender made me very aware of how spicy some dishes could be and I wanted that experience. I did the Taste of Kalaya - Shaw Muang (chic dumpling), Gui Chai (crispy rice cakes), Moo Waan (pork belly).. the Moo Waan was INSANE. I would eat this everyday if possible. The Laab Ped Salad (extremely spicy duck salad, beware!) Lastly my entrees were the Yellow Curry Chicken & the Beef Tenderloin stir fry. The Thai Tea was a perfect refresher for my burning mouth. The Thai Tiramisu was fun and weird. 10/10 experience, I’d love to go back and slightly adjust my spice to a lower level!
We really enjoyed the atmosphere at Kalaya, especially the open kitchen, and the staff were attentive and kind throughout our visit. The food, however, can be quite spicy, and it seems they don’t adjust spice levels since we were never asked about our preference,so that’s something to keep in mind. That said, we liked the dishes we chose. The dumplings were much smaller than expected, but they were absolutely delicious.
We also tried three alcoholic drinks; the whiskey sour (Dao) stood out as a favorite. In addition, the team generously offered us a nonalcoholic drink on the house when my husband became uncomfortable with the spice level, which we really appreciated,it was refreshing and very tasty. Thai tea tiramisu was not something that I would order again
Overall, we enjoyed the experience and the quality of the food, though it did feel a bit overpriced considering the portion sizes and overall value.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
excellent for the second time
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious dumplings, the barramundi, squid, and steak dishes were delicious. Need to come back and have the Tom Yum next.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While not an area we normally dine in, my wife found this spot as a sister restaurant we dined at years ago. Since we were looking for an over the top place for my cousin's birthday, we decided to make the extra effort to drive into the city and are we glad we did. The ambiance, intricate details in food prep and presentation were fantastic, but the flavors even outdid the beauty. The only let down was they did not have Italian still and sparkling water. I highly recommend Kalaya, if you want a great dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Took forever to be seated and then they didn't course out our meal at all :(
Simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming
My favorite dish was the side of cabbage
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
The food was excellent! It was so flavorful and fresh! Our server Ryan was amazing and so accommodating of my dietary restrictions. He was so knowledgeable of the dishes and helped me make swaps if needed. Highly recommend this place and will definitely be going back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Got the tasting menu which had an abundance of food and choices. Staff was great walking us through the choices and description catering to my food allergy.
Everything was great from the dumplings to the curry to the branzino!
Celebrity Chef/owner came by multiple times to check on us, take a picture and autograph a cookbook.
Great over all experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taste of Kalaya absolutely blew me away — hands down the best meal of my life! The flavors were vibrant, fresh, and perfectly balanced. The curry chicken was out of this world — rich, aromatic, and bursting with depth in every bite. I’m still thinking about it long after the last spoonful. This is the kind of food that makes you stop mid-bite just to savor the moment. A true culinary gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kalaya has been on our must try list for years and we finally got to see what the accolades were all about….and they were all deserved!
Friendly but correct service, imaginative drinks and amazing food were all on full display that evening. The four of us went for the tasting menu, Taste of Kalaya, which had us stuffed at the end of the meal. I don’t want to sound like a cliche, but everything we were served was absolutely delicious…even the cabbage. I don’t know whether we’d get the full tasting menu experience again, but we’ll certainly be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you want some of the best Thai food in Philadelphia, maybe even the country, go to Kalaya. But be warned…this isn’t your average casual dining spot. This is hogwarts’ defense against the dark arts class, if it served thai curry.
The chef is a culinary Severus Snape. She glides around the dining room in a flowing black cloak, eyes sharp enough to cut a lemongrass stalk in half. The food is phenomenal, perfectly balanced curries, rice with the texture of a dream, spices that seem brewed by alchemy. But there are rules. Oh, there are rules. Don’t mix sauces unless you want a cold glare that makes you question your life choices. Don’t ask for substitutions unless you have a death eater to vouch for you.
The staff moves with the precision (and mild terror) of Hogwarts house-elves, efficient, polite, and clearly devoted to maintaining the chef’s exacting standards. It’s part theater and part dictatorship.
Bottom line…the food will change your life, but you may leave feeling like you just passed an O.W.L. exam you didn’t study for. Four stars for the cuisine, one star for the fear, and a reluctant “yes” for the overall experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Incredible food, service, and atmosphere. Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Expensive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kalaya for lunch was an unforgettable dining experience. Every dish was thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented. It’s one of those rare spots where everything just hit—food, drinks, and atmosphere. Chef Noz even made an appearance about midway through our meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have worked in restaurants for years, this place is fantastic. I sat up at the bar and mingled with other guests while Carissa took excellent care of myself, along with the other guests— great job! The food was scrumptious, I had a rib curry dish that was to die for. Thank you for a wonderful experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow.. this was insane. The spice, the flavor, just the food I’ve never had before. This place was a well oiled machine! The bartender made me very aware of how spicy some dishes could be and I wanted that experience. I did the Taste of Kalaya - Shaw Muang (chic dumpling), Gui Chai (crispy rice cakes), Moo Waan (pork belly).. the Moo Waan was INSANE. I would eat this everyday if possible. The Laab Ped Salad (extremely spicy duck salad, beware!) Lastly my entrees were the Yellow Curry Chicken & the Beef Tenderloin stir fry. The Thai Tea was a perfect refresher for my burning mouth. The Thai Tiramisu was fun and weird. 10/10 experience, I’d love to go back and slightly adjust my spice to a lower level!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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