I was introduced to this place last year and was blown away by the flavor and the freshness of what they put into their food. The other day I overheard someone on the street describing it as their favorite Thai restaurant in all of Seattle, and that about sums it up.
shannan
We had panang beef, pad see ew, and pad Thai sub bean thread noodles. No vegetable in the panang or pad see ew but plenty of good quality meat. The panang was interesting-a deeper more umami taste than other Thai places. There was a cloying taste of sugar in the pad Thai but maybe it's my pregnancy palate. The portion sizes were about 1/2 to 2/3 what you typically find for the same price/quality (around 20 dollars an entree). I believe they mitigate this by serving on smaller serving plates (size of a small dinner plate) and the plate you're given to dish your food onto is a ridiculous saucer size. I wasn't blown away by any of the dishes. I've found a couple other places that have more unique dishes for similar cost/taste. Seattle restaurants don't really have a lot of stand outs in any class of cuisine and this place is par for the course. I would go here again if I was in Phinney (and I could find parking -impossible on a Friday night) and had a hankering for Thai, but likely would go to my old faithful standby on 45th for their Bangkok chicken alone, very reasonable prices, and extra friendly staff.
David Wykes
Our first few meals at Thaiku were great and the takeout was very good. However, recent dinners there have been poor, so much so that it makes me wonder if there has been a change in the kitchen or management. The Tom Ka soup I had this evening had so much finely chopped lemon grass in it that I spent the majority of the meal picking it out. When I pointed out my side dish piled with bits of lemongrass the waitress just said “Yes! Lots of flavor!” The special was very bland and the cocktail was far too boozy and overpowering. Such a shame, this used to be a great little spot, but will not be going back.
Bryce Villatoro
The worst dine in experience I ever had!!! Staff was extremely disrespectful and unhelpful. Practically ignored me and my girlfriend the whole time as we watched other customers that came after us receive their food. While I was there they made me feel like a lesser person and when I addressed the manager , they did nothing to compensate. Would never recommend. Worst is customer service in greenwood. Literally had to walk up to the chef to return my food (first time that ever happen) because no one would service our table within a reasonable time. The restaurant was not busy until we had already been waiting for thirty minutes, and they still messed up our order :// one star across the broad
Kalyn Warnock
We ordered crying tiger beef, Tom yum with prawns, some type of egg noodles with pork and a yellow curry. None of it was recognizable to me as actual Thai food. It tasted cloyingly of sugar, in fact the crying tiger beef tasted of maple syrup. I was excited to try this because of all the positive reviews but I left very upset. If you like authentic Thai food, I would stay away from this restaurant.
V. R.
I adore this restaurant. Their food and drinks are always delicious, great atmosphere and good portion sizes, plus friendly staff. Whether I’m ordering takeout or dining in, I’m always satisfied. My favorite Thai restaurant in Seattle.
Matt Perrone
Thaiku is a Thai restaurant on Phinney Ridge next to El Chupacabra. It used to be on Ballard Ave and was a noodle house in Fremont before that. This location can be tough to park at, especially on weekends since street parking is difficult in this area. They have some tables outside open during nice weather and over a dozen tables inside. The service is great, the staff are super friendly. Their menu isn't massive like most other Thai food restaurants, and you can order directly from their website if you plan on picking it up. For takeout orders, the portion sizes are very small, making the price per size pretty bad. The panang curry was just a little over 1 cup with no vegetables in it, so it was actually more of a soup. The pad see ew had no vegetables in it and was only filled about 1/3 of the container, which was already a smaller container than almost all other Thai food restaurants in the area. The taste was fantastic, but the price should be half of that for the little food you get. Looking at pictures, it seems like you may get larger portions when dining in, which we might try in the future. We won't order takeout again, though, unless the portions change. Other than that, it's a solid place and would get 5 stars easily if not for overpriced/underportioned food.
Meera
Food tasted horrible, semi undercooked and lukewarm warm.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Olivia Zimmerman
Amazing restaurant! Everything we’ve gotten from here has been so delicious, with unique flavors and dishes I haven’t seen elsewhere. Really fun cocktails as well. Love the vibe, cozy indoor seating and a great patio.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brianna P
I loved thaiku! It was just a bummer that it took forever to sit down (there were empty tables) and also to order/get our food. Maybe they were short staffed. We loved our tom yum soup, the egg noodles, and the pork belly. I definitely want to come back!
After going to Thaiku my first time I tried the Khao Soi which was ok. I also tried the Pahd Kraplau Kai Dow which was incredible (my fave main dish there) and I tried the crying tiger which was good. On a subsequent visit I tried the NAHM DOK NEUA which is my fave appetizer dish there. Service excellent. Food quality is the best Thai food you are gonna find in Seattle. I will return. You may need to park in residential blocks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angela Bultemeier
Great food and excellent service; particularly sensitive to food allergies.
Dietary restrictions: Very accommodating to food sensitivities.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Khao Soi
Winorisms
Great foot but watch out for the yohimbe cocktails. I had a racing heart rate, insomnia, and anxiety starting about 3 hours after consuming the yohito cocktail that lasted about 4 hours. I’ve since learned that these are documented side effects of yohimbe. I’d never heard of it before coming to this restaurant and I would not have ordered it if I’d known about its potentially dangerous side effects. I don’t have high blood pressure or heart disease, but I would be worried for someone who does based on the wild and unpleasant experience I had. I think it would be wise for the restaurant to put a warning on the menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mango and Sticky Rice, Panang Curry
Del Brummet
Bra - just go
Jonathan Mathews
FANTASTIC THAI RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE . FRIENDLY SERVICE AND STAFF . GREAT MENU AND PRESENTATION . BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERE AND NICE OUTDOOR SEATING . SHAREABLE DISHES . NICE BAR
I was introduced to this place last year and was blown away by the flavor and the freshness of what they put into their food. The other day I overheard someone on the street describing it as their favorite Thai restaurant in all of Seattle, and that about sums it up.
We had panang beef, pad see ew, and pad Thai sub bean thread noodles. No vegetable in the panang or pad see ew but plenty of good quality meat. The panang was interesting-a deeper more umami taste than other Thai places. There was a cloying taste of sugar in the pad Thai but maybe it's my pregnancy palate. The portion sizes were about 1/2 to 2/3 what you typically find for the same price/quality (around 20 dollars an entree). I believe they mitigate this by serving on smaller serving plates (size of a small dinner plate) and the plate you're given to dish your food onto is a ridiculous saucer size. I wasn't blown away by any of the dishes. I've found a couple other places that have more unique dishes for similar cost/taste. Seattle restaurants don't really have a lot of stand outs in any class of cuisine and this place is par for the course. I would go here again if I was in Phinney (and I could find parking -impossible on a Friday night) and had a hankering for Thai, but likely would go to my old faithful standby on 45th for their Bangkok chicken alone, very reasonable prices, and extra friendly staff.
Our first few meals at Thaiku were great and the takeout was very good. However, recent dinners there have been poor, so much so that it makes me wonder if there has been a change in the kitchen or management. The Tom Ka soup I had this evening had so much finely chopped lemon grass in it that I spent the majority of the meal picking it out. When I pointed out my side dish piled with bits of lemongrass the waitress just said “Yes! Lots of flavor!” The special was very bland and the cocktail was far too boozy and overpowering. Such a shame, this used to be a great little spot, but will not be going back.
The worst dine in experience I ever had!!! Staff was extremely disrespectful and unhelpful. Practically ignored me and my girlfriend the whole time as we watched other customers that came after us receive their food. While I was there they made me feel like a lesser person and when I addressed the manager , they did nothing to compensate. Would never recommend. Worst is customer service in greenwood. Literally had to walk up to the chef to return my food (first time that ever happen) because no one would service our table within a reasonable time. The restaurant was not busy until we had already been waiting for thirty minutes, and they still messed up our order :// one star across the broad
We ordered crying tiger beef, Tom yum with prawns, some type of egg noodles with pork and a yellow curry. None of it was recognizable to me as actual Thai food. It tasted cloyingly of sugar, in fact the crying tiger beef tasted of maple syrup. I was excited to try this because of all the positive reviews but I left very upset. If you like authentic Thai food, I would stay away from this restaurant.
I adore this restaurant. Their food and drinks are always delicious, great atmosphere and good portion sizes, plus friendly staff. Whether I’m ordering takeout or dining in, I’m always satisfied. My favorite Thai restaurant in Seattle.
Thaiku is a Thai restaurant on Phinney Ridge next to El Chupacabra. It used to be on Ballard Ave and was a noodle house in Fremont before that. This location can be tough to park at, especially on weekends since street parking is difficult in this area. They have some tables outside open during nice weather and over a dozen tables inside. The service is great, the staff are super friendly. Their menu isn't massive like most other Thai food restaurants, and you can order directly from their website if you plan on picking it up. For takeout orders, the portion sizes are very small, making the price per size pretty bad. The panang curry was just a little over 1 cup with no vegetables in it, so it was actually more of a soup. The pad see ew had no vegetables in it and was only filled about 1/3 of the container, which was already a smaller container than almost all other Thai food restaurants in the area. The taste was fantastic, but the price should be half of that for the little food you get. Looking at pictures, it seems like you may get larger portions when dining in, which we might try in the future. We won't order takeout again, though, unless the portions change. Other than that, it's a solid place and would get 5 stars easily if not for overpriced/underportioned food.
Food tasted horrible, semi undercooked and lukewarm warm.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Amazing restaurant! Everything we’ve gotten from here has been so delicious, with unique flavors and dishes I haven’t seen elsewhere. Really fun cocktails as well. Love the vibe, cozy indoor seating and a great patio.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I loved thaiku! It was just a bummer that it took forever to sit down (there were empty tables) and also to order/get our food.
Maybe they were short staffed. We loved our tom yum soup, the egg noodles, and the pork belly. I definitely want to come back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Khao Soi
Restaurantji Recommends
After going to Thaiku my first time I tried the Khao Soi which was ok. I also tried the Pahd Kraplau Kai Dow which was incredible (my fave main dish there) and I tried the crying tiger which was good. On a subsequent visit I tried the NAHM DOK NEUA which is my fave appetizer dish there. Service excellent. Food quality is the best Thai food you are gonna find in Seattle. I will return. You may need to park in residential blocks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and excellent service; particularly sensitive to food allergies.
Dietary restrictions: Very accommodating to food sensitivities.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Khao Soi
Great foot but watch out for the yohimbe cocktails. I had a racing heart rate, insomnia, and anxiety starting about 3 hours after consuming the yohito cocktail that lasted about 4 hours. I’ve since learned that these are documented side effects of yohimbe. I’d never heard of it before coming to this restaurant and I would not have ordered it if I’d known about its potentially dangerous side effects. I don’t have high blood pressure or heart disease, but I would be worried for someone who does based on the wild and unpleasant experience I had. I think it would be wise for the restaurant to put a warning on the menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mango and Sticky Rice, Panang Curry
Bra - just go
FANTASTIC THAI RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE . FRIENDLY SERVICE AND STAFF . GREAT MENU AND PRESENTATION . BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERE AND NICE OUTDOOR SEATING . SHAREABLE DISHES . NICE BAR
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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