Rod Dee Thai Cuisine

Food is mediocre, not bad but never something that I’m thinking about later or wanting to tell a friend about. They get by because they’re cheap (ish) and fast and have large portions. Some folks only really care about cheap and fast and large portions, to each their own.
I prefer things like taste and flavor which are lacking here.
Also, last time I tried to order I called at 9:50pm, their website, and menu, and everything else says they close at 10:30pm. They told me the kitchen was closed and there was no way they’d take my order/​they close at 10 etc. Lady was rude too. Not going back if they don’t have their hours of operations straight and are rude about it on top of mediocre food.

This is the best thai restaurant I have ever been to, which is tragic because I don’t live in Boston. I have been searching for years for spicy basil eggplant that matched that of a now-​closed restaurant in my hometown, but was never able to find a dish that wasn’t a bland pile of slimy vegetables. Rod Dee’s is perfect – spicy and flavorful, with fresh, firm veggies.
Also: People who complain about this place being cash only clearly have no idea how much credit card fees burden small businesses! Be a responsible adult and carry some cash on you. Small businesses will thank you.

I don’t know anything about Thai food so I can’t comment on whether this place makes authentic Thai food but I can attest to the fact that their food is freaking delicious. Whenever I get one of those random «Thai» cravings, the first place that comes to my mind is Rod Dee. I usually go with their pad thai but I also love their Indonesian fried rice as well. I’ve also tried their chicken wings and they were surprisingly very delicious as well.
Overall, if you are having one of those late night cravings, call this place up and try their food. You won’t be disappointed!

Food here is consistently great (and at the Washington Sq location too for that matter). It’s worth warning however that language barriers/​order accuracy is constantly an issue. I get what I intended to order about half the time. Thankfully what I get in place of what I want is almost always just as good. Definitely an annoyance, though one that I personally can tolerate.

Came quite often when my friend lived in Brookline. When I first came I was unsure of Thai food. But I fell in love with the Chicken and pineapple curry! It was the only thing I would get! Restaurant was cash only, which sometimes was a hassle. But the food was always ready fast, and it was hot and so delicious!

I loved it! I got crispy chicken on egg fried rice and a strawberry smoothie. It was all good, I will definitely be coming back.

I had ordered hot and sour soup (vegetarian); plus some chicken green curry with steamed rice. I felt that staff service wasn’t very good, as most staff members didn’t speak English fluently. Presentation of the food wasn’t very appetising either. But, the food was tasty. It wasn’t not the best chicken curry I have had, but it was good.

The food is fine but I suggest that you need to check your receipt carefully. They charged me extra money but refunded it to me without any explanation when I asked for the receipt. When I check the receipt, I found they still charged the drinks with more money. I didn’t argue it with them again but I had a very bad expression about it.

With locations in Brookline (2), Boston, and Cambridge, Rod Dee has been a Thai cuisine staple for many years with take-​out and eat-​in options. CASH ONLY. They serve a perfectly satisfying Pad Thai but instead try the Pad See You (with pork). The thicker noodles are rich with the pork and greens. Add the side of hot sauce for the ideal balance. Curries are pretty good, little meat in the small size. The «house sautees» are average. Kai Himmapan is Rod Dee’s version of a pseudo «General Tso’s» chicken, breaded in a mildly spicy chili sauce with rice, pineapples, cashews, and a few tomatoes.
Recommend trying Rod Dee’s entrees and special dishes. Yum Wun Sen is a complex dish with bean thread (consistently of glass noodles), shrimp, squid, and ground pork. This dish is spicy with chili paste, red onion, scallions, and lemon juice. The shrimp and pork were cooked well, however, the squid was hard to chew and lacked flavor. The portions of protein are generous for the price. Pik King also provides a generous portion of pork with spicy string beans and rice. Taste was slightly sweet and spice was not overwhelming.

2 stars for a highly disappointing pad thai experience. There wasn’t enough flavor for my liking. The sauce is not very good and not well distributed throughout the dish either. I would recommend to order the indonesian fried rice instead.

I’ve been going to all the Rod Dee restaurants my entire life. I love their food. I have tried almost every item on the menu. My favorites are the udon pad thai, pad si ew, and Bangkok duck. They are super quick and have had consistent quality for decades.

Very rude young guy who works here. He was actually nasty to me several times, during ordering, paying, and upon asking him for an extra plate. I won’t be back.

This location of Rod Dee is more a takeout /​delivery location than a sit-​down experience. Seating is limited (just a few tables).
The food, however, is fantastic. When I first heard about Rod Dee, I was told that it was the Thai place waiters at other Thai places go when they want Thai food. With that kind of praise, I had to try it. I was not disappointed.
Personally, I’m fond of the rice dishes and specifically the Duck Pad Kra Pao. That dish is spicy roasted duck on a bed of rice. Whenever I order, the portion size is generous and the duck is cooked to perfection. The dish is spicy, but the spice doesn’t overwhelm the flavor.
Those who I’ve brought (or had order delivery) have been similarly impressed — I have not heard a bad word about.
It would be nice if this location had more seating (the Washington Square and Porter Square locations do). I realize that they are constrained by space. I hope a larger space in the neighborhood opens up!

The bottom line: This ‘5 star’ score goes for the food and the comfortable, familiar, family friendly atmosphere. We will be coming back.
The Pros: The food was very tasty. We had a duck dish, a chicken dish (both fried), tempura vegetables (very generous portion with a nice sauce), the house salad (refreshing and different) and a tofu based vegetable curry. We were only three people, and in retrospect that was enough food for 5 adults, most likely… The price is also very reasonable (=cheap). The staff was young, loud, very Thai and friendly. I can see how people may see these qualities as a ‘con’ but for us that was a ‘pro’.
Others have taken stars off for lack of waiter service and for the fact that they needed to clear their own tables. I would like to say two things about this fact. First, the staff were actually quite happy to bring food to our (and others’) table. Second, I think that for the price you pay taking care of your own dishes is really a very small task to ask for.
The Cons: The honest truth is we did have better Thai food elsewhere (in a place in a strip mall in Utah of all places). However I was convinced that ‘5 stars’ should refer to the top 20% (as ‘4 stars’ should mean 80% and down). If you use that rule, this place definitely fills the bill. We tried the sticky rice-​banana dessert and did not like it. The setting is very simple /​basic (= has a spruced up fast food feel to it).

I’ve gone back a few times. Mixed feelings still. Sometimes not bad, other times pretty bad. It’s a quick take out for sure and I prefer many of the other thai restaurants around, but you know what you are getting into when you come to any of the Rod Dees

We get a hankering for Thai food often and Rod Dee is conveniently close to us. Close enough to walk over, but admittedly we get lazy and it’s cold out, so we most recently got delivery (shame!)
Either way, I’ve been to this location and the Wash. Square location numerous times and there’s a reason I go there so often. Though I wouldn’t say food is always consistent, it’s quick and fulfills my craving sufficiently. Though an order of Pad Thai and Indonesian Fried Rice are staples, Pad See Ew, Tom Yum soup, and (one of the many) curry dishes have been tried and they’ve all been tasty. Pad Thai via delivery was too dry but maybe it’ll teach me a lesson to not be lazy and get my butt over there. And even though ordering delivery from Asian places is usually a headache, the man on the phone was friendly and communication was not a problem.
Other tidbits: Yes, cash only is annoying. The décor of this place is oddly VERY festive. They are on top of their holiday décor (Halloween included). And for some reason, their water from the cooler is remarkably cold and refreshing. A huge plus in my book because room temperature water is not refreshing and freaks me out.

One of the best Thai restaurants in and around Boston. A takeout chain that is slowly expanding, the food is always consistently good when I’ve gone to the two Brookline and the Fenway locations. I have not been to other locations.
Like most of their locations, the inside is very basic and limited in seating and décor. Simple takeout, no waiting service. They will typically bring your dish to the table if you eat in, but you bus your own plates. Water cooler and free lemongrass tea!
Food is not the cheapest, but it is comparable to Brookline and Fenway prices. Less greasy than most places, but it is still Asian takeout food. Stick to the soups and curry to be on the «healthy» side. Portions are large and can easily be split by two people or saved for a second small meal.
Pad Thai is solid. All the curries tend to be on the sweet side. Chicken satay comes with 4 sticks and of course tasty peanut sauce. Sticky rice is way overpriced but a favorite of the GF. Rangoon is the typical square Thai offering. The fried rice is my favorite. The Indonesian fried rice comes with the delicious dark meat fried chicken that they are famous for. It also has the most perfectly fried egg with runny yolk. Dishes are marked spicy, but you can request with or without for most. Careful, they’re spiciest dishes are ridiculously spicy. I typically prefer hot peppers, but one time i had the spiciest dish I’ve ever had in a basil fried rice. I couldn’t stop sweating. Not sure if it was a particular shipment of peppers.
We come here multiple times a month. The only reason why it doesn’t have a higher rating is that one– they are cash only, and two– because of the incredibly rude and arrogant guy at the front counter. Too many occasions have i seen him disrespect patrons in his strong accent. Nevertheless, I highly recommend coming here to eat. I give the other locations 4 stars.

Just realized that although I reviewed the Wash Square Rod Dee years ago, I never got around to reviewing the Coolidge location. Pretty much all I said in my Wash Square review applies here as well though… as an unabashed Thai lover, I think Rod Dee does it well, quickly, and ridiculously cheaply, where I I can get a delicious entrée for $ 7 – 8 that will fill me up for dinner and usually leave me enough leftovers for lunch the next day. We do cook a lot in my apartment, but whenever I’m too lazy/​tired/​busy to cook, Rod Dee never fails to be at the top of my list (and I probably choose it like, 85% of the time).
I’ve never had a bad dish here, and I do try to mix it up (standard go-​tos include Star Noodle, pineapple and curry rice dish, Thai Iced Coffee, and Mango Smoothie). I believe they do use MSG though (?), if that’s a concern.
The updates to this location make it a lot more comfortable to dine in (and more akin to the Wash Square location), and the staffers are nice and efficient as always, but I still prefer taking my meal to go. Cash only, no table service.

Finally getting around to writing a review about this place.
First off — the eggplant tofu is like CRACK. I love it. It’s so spicy and it’s my absolute favorite dish here. I love that they offer brown rice, too.
I’ve tried most of the noodle dishes, with pad thai being my least favorite (I don’t really ever like pad thai though…). My boyfriend is obsessed with the spring rolls — he eats them AT LEAST 3 times a week. They are pretty good. Pretty much everything I’ve eaten here has been addicting on some level. So be prepared.
My only downside is that its cash only (1 star off — I NEVER carry cash these days)

This is the first good Thai place I tried when I moved to the Boston area, so when I came back for a friendly visit, I was elated when my friend suggested that we come here for lunch.
The four stars is more representative of all the times I’ve eaten here, whether it be take out or dine in. (A friend of mine lives a few doors down and this was definitely a «go-​to» spot for our girl’s night.)
I’ve had great noodle and rice dishes here. For my lunch, I got the crispy chicken with fried rice. It was very tasty, but the dish is very literal. Just rice and chicken. My vegetarian friend got the same, but instead of chicken she had tofu and veggies. In my ideal world, I would have liked to merge the dishes together to make super fried rice.
Next time, I will need to make sure I get something that has vegetables and meat. Although, the tofu looked mighty tasty too. The rice had so much flavor on its own, and anything that’s extra adds to it.
This is the remodeled location and is much bigger than the 3 table establishment that I first discovered about 3 years ago. Not much bigger than its sister location just down the street, it follows the cash only and kindly bust your own table rule.