Thai Express

Not only did I receive terrible customer service, I was forced to wait 30 minutes for 2 dishes to go. When I received the Sweet Chili Chicken with brown rice, it was a slapped together and disgusting. After my experience, I would recommend this restaurant to anyone

BEST FOOD EVER MADE! Been going here for many many years. Favorite restaurant period

Good service. Good flavor re pad thai. Included peanuts, but no citrus wedge… perhaps that’s just a Cali thing? Anyhow if the opportunity arises, will eat there again to try another dish.

I’ve never once been disappointed in anything I have eaten here. The food is always fresh and plentiful. The flavors are fantastic and you cannot beat the price!
They started taking credit cards!

It was good, it just wasn’t what I expected based on its great rating and the reveries. I’ve been wanting to come here for a while for the chicken pad Thai. I LOVE me so chicken pad Thai! But unfortunately, I didn’t have much chicken in my dish so that was a bit disappointing. But it was a huge portion, so many noodles, and had great flavors! They’ll make it as spicy as you’d like («1−10 or higher»).
Also, pass on the Thai chicken spring rolls, very underwhelming. They were more roll than filling and they were about the size of my finger (not exaggerating, I should have taken a picture but I was too hungry!)
Overall, not a bad spot if you’re really craving some pad Thai, but I wouldn’t make this a destination spot or go out of your way for it.

Hidden gem. Best pad Thai I’ve had in Cincinnati! I’ve been coming here for almost 4 years now and don’t go anywhere else. It’s mainly for carry-​out only, there are two tables you can sit and eat at but most people sit there to wait for their food. For the longest time they only accepted cash but they now accept major credit cards too!

This place was overrated to me… we had pad Thai with chicken and green curry with beef. Pad Thai was really not that great like many people commented. I only had two bites and I didn’t want it anymore. Pretty disappointed. Green curry was slightly better. Their portion was on the small side and wait time was overly long…

Cheap and delicious! Only negative is that they told me they don’t have crispy pad thai. I think I’ve ordered it there before but with no website to reference I have no idea.
Either way, great place!

We did takeout from Thai Express as an office today. Here, I can’t really comment on the location as a co-​worker picked up the food but I can say I sincerely enjoyed the meal. The food doesn’t do much for you visually but the taste is really solid. What it lacks in presentation it more than makes up for in quality and flavor.
Today, I tried their Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken adding two Thai Spring Rolls as a side. The lunch portion was just enough for a lunch meal (don’t expect leftovers) but at the price of $ 7 for the main dish and another $ 1 for the rolls, I considered it a steal for the quality.
The spring rolls were especially flavorful and tasty. The heat scale here (1 – 10) is more on the light side so feel free to go a step ahead of where you would normally order. I go light and at a 2 I tasted almost no heat. I usually like just an edge and will go higher next time. Also, if you are ordering the sweet and sour, don’t expect a fried and glazed meal. The sweet is in the sauce and it was pleasing and subtle. A really nice balance, but someone expecting a more traditional «sweet and sour» kind of meal could be taken aback by what they receive.
I do sadly have to advise that you check your order when doing takeout as one of the seven we received didn’t match what was ordered in the least (wrong meal, wrong heat). My coworker went ahead and ate it rather than go back.
Across the board, everyone in our office seemed very pleased with the food and factoring in price we will be going back for future meals when Thai calls to us.

Sooo good. This is the best Pad Thai ever! I get the tofu pad thai minus the egg (I tell myself it’s 100% vegan but its not like they use a seperate pot to cook it) and it is amazing. Portion sizes are HUGE and its only $ 8! It’s a must when I’m in Cincy.

Best Pad Thai in the city!
Used to go here all the time in college. Now that I work within a few miles, I get up to Thai Express every couple of weeks or so.
The place doesn’t look like much, but it’s a great spot for some homemade Thai food. Thai Express specializes in carry-​out. Seating is almost non-​existent and seems to be there only for those waiting for their order to come up. I suggest calling ahead as there is not much real estate.
There are not readily available bathrooms and cash seems to be easier. If you’re not in walking distance, parking can be a chore. There is an unassociated lot next door that sells 7 minutes per quarter, which is steep but close by.

Probably the best Thai food I’ve had thus far. Holy Basil Pork is insanely delicious and I haven’t found anything quiet like it at many of the thai spots I eat at around the states. Every time I’m in Cincinnati, this is a MUST!

You can tell that this is some real thai food when the old ladies from Thailand are making your food in the kitchen.
Everything is made fresh and we go there just for pad Thai. You don’t get like the service service like a sit down restaurant but they have some nicest people so I enjoy my waiting time there haha.
We tried their pepper stir fry or something like that and did not like it at all, that’s why I gave 4 stars instead of 4.
A definite try. I love that place.

Amazing authentic Thai food in the heart of University of Cincinnati. Never seems to disappoint my pad thai cravings with multiple spicy levels from 1 – 10.
This place is a small hole in the wall allowing people to come in and out for their local take out in just minutes. It is fast, easy, cheap and outrageously addicting.
I will warn you, once you start eating Thai Express, it is hard to stop.

Wow. Talk about authentic experience. I went in looking for something to remind me of home while I travel. Just a few words in Thai and I felt like family _()_. Everyone inside was happy and smiling. If I lived here I would be back in a minute! The food is really impressive. I know it’s hard to get the right spices and ingredients in the us. But they did good. …oh! They take cards via Square now too

Fast easy and inexpensive. Not the best Thai you’ll ever have but well worth the paupers price. I come as often as I am in the area and have a hankering for some spicy noodles.

One of my favorite places in Clifton to get my spicy food. I’ve never had Thai food before. I read on Unilocal the Holy Basil Stir Fry was good. So I got that with Chicken and went with an 8 on the spicy scale. Definitely not bad for $ 8 compared to Panera or Chipotle. I’ll definitely be going back to try the level 10 spicy for it. And try some appetizers too.

The big thing that bugs me about this place is the pad see ew. I can’t be certain what the «right way» is, but my preference is thick noodles and the flavor of Thai basil and chili pepper to permeate through the entire dish. But at Thai Express, the pad see ew tastes like a soy sauce ripoff of their pad thai. They use the thin rice noodles and the basil is just entirely missing :(
Otherwise, Thai Express is good bang for your buck. The portions will fill you up and it’s not very expensive. There is probably only enough seating for 6, and free parking is hard to find around that area (USqaure garage or lot for paid options). The ladies behind the counter are very welcoming and friendly!

Best Thai Food fix ever and best Pad Thai in Cincinnati!!! This place has been here forever and is still freaking great! Their portions are generous for the price you pay! I always get the chicken pad thai, and the wings. The chicken pad thai is a tad sweet, but all the flavors are well balanced, with the tinge of sour and the spice. Happy harmony and well-​balanced flavors. Wings are always nicely fried, and have a nice thin layer of crunch with tender moist meat with a addicting dipping sauce. The place is small, so its always great for take-​out. This place never fails, its always on its A game! They take credit card now! — best move ever, it use to be my downfall when I wanted some because they use to just take cash. So now it may become a problem, I may always be there now. NOMz!!!

Summary: Some of the best thai in Cinci coming out of a no-​frills mom-​and-​pop shop
#Update: I’ve come back again and am bumping my rating up from 4 star to 5 star. I had one of their specials Kao Soy (northern Thai style noodles with a curry soup base, pickled mustard greens with tofu (meaty options also available)). Simply incredible.
Restaurant: I’ve been coming here for years after walking by this very unassuming restaurant. On the outside, it looks completely run down and small. They’ve cleaned up on the inside. They also take credit card now via Square including American Express, which is great. All of the employees are super nice and helpful.
Food: The food is the same as it was years ago — it’s all still really good. I tend to get their rice dishes which are more varied than what you can get at other thai restaurants. My favorite still is the Holy Basil Stir Fry with tofu and an additional fried egg. The runny yolk spills over the rice and the salty sauce and makes a wonderful rich flavor for the dish. They’ll ask you how spicy (from 1 to 10) and I’d say they’re a touch spicier than other places in the city. They will also give you «thai spicy» if you ask for it, which is pretty hot. I’ve also had their mango salad with tofu and it’s absolutely delicious. Perfect balance of tangy, sweet, crunchy, and salty. Food portions are big.
Overall: Great Thai food that happens to be in the college eats part of town. Every time I come into town, I come here, especially because there’s no thai food in Alabama.