Bangkok Thai

This Restaurant is now out of business. There is a sign in the parking lot that a pizza place is moving in.
My family is sad to see the kind folks that ran this restaurant go. Things started out promising but the business just never took off. As a result, the quality and dining experience suffered, which only made problems worse.
Best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Jisook.

I’m not sure how or why this eatery is still in business. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t memorable either. It appears to be ran by just 2 people, presumably a husband wife duo. The dining room was hot and it was not inviting… We stayed but I couldn’t wait to leave.

Good Pad Thai, but very awkward establishment, very few people ever there so don’t expect to be dining in a crowded atmosphere. Almost always empty if not close to empty. Woman who runs it is nice though, often gives free samples and such. Delicious crab Rangoon though!
CLOSED DOWN– JUNE 26^th

Open for Xmas eve made this place even more friendly in my book. It was getting late at night and my beau, his brother, and I were famished and looking for a place to eat on our way to Chicago. The veggie friendly tom yum soup, fried tofu, and curry were all very tasty. They weren’t making bubble smoothies so I ended up getting a thai tea instead. It seems like a whole in the wall family business, but it made our road stop much more enjoyable.

We stopped here on our way through town, hoping that the Unilocalers got it right… not this time. We were the lone diners there on a recent Sunday night. It was a cold night, and the place felt chilly enough to me that I kept my coat on… even the booth beneath me was chilled through. I don’t require much in the way of ambience to enjoy a meal, but I do like to be comfortable. The woman was friendly and efficient enough… she got our order right and brought everything quickly. She started us off with a soup… a chicken broth with cabbage and pieces of chicken in it. It was not bad, if somewhat bland. I can say with certainty that I’ve never had a soup like it at any other Thai restaurant I’ve been to, and that, had I been paying for it, I would have been disappointed. Since it was gratis, I’m fairly neutral about it. Just puzzled.
I eat lots of Thai food on my travels, and this was disappointing and bland. Green curry is my go to dish, and theirs was a thin, watery coconut milk broth with very little curry paste and no seasoning. The dish didn’t come together at all, and tasted like a few ingredients hastily and randomly thrown together… ingredients that were perhaps precooked and assembled to order. This strikes me as the kind of restaurant I see a lot of on Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine… a place where people opened a restaurant by default and know nothing about cooking. I don’t know if it’s busier on other nights, but I can see why it was empty during our visit. Definitely moving on.

OMG! This is quality Thai food. My wife and I shared each course so we could both try it all. The owner/​chef also served us. Both she and her husband were very friendly. And oh the food!!!

Best pad Thai and spicy red curry. I’m from Maui and we have a great Thai place hear, this restaurant was awesome. My boyfriends step-​dad is from shumway and doesn’t eat anything adventurous and he ate the chicken pad Thai. He said it was good. The lady is so sweet and gave us free chicken soup to start with. Stop in and give it a try.

The taste is authentic and hospitality of the stuff is very pleasant. If you like a hot and spicy food, here is the one of the best places in Effingham.

Really good pad Thai… very authentic

Very good service… very good food… very courteous

Owner is very friendly. Food was above average. Décor is meh! Not my favorite restaurant but I will return again because they appreciate your business, which seems rare these days

I had such a weird experience at Bangkok Thai. I wanted to like it. I swear I did. I even caught myself liking it at one point. But road-​trip Thai rarely has a happy ending for me. (Ba-​dum-​bum)
I swung by Bangkok Thai on my way back to St. Louis after visiting family out east. After Unilocaling the Effingham exit’s dining establishments and being disappointed that I couldn’t find Indian or Mediterranean food here like I had craved, I actually had tried to go to a Mexican restaurant. Alas, that place had closed so Bangkok Thai seemed like a reasonable alternative. I didn’t care anymore; I just wanted to eat and get the hell home.
The place certainly is run down on the outside, and I walked in to find the place empty and very chilly. After five minutes of standing alone, I had to gently yell «Yoo hoo» like a horny housewife in a period film to get what I assumed to be the owner-​lady to come out. She sat me down with a menu, and I asked her if there were any lunch specials happening. She said something in a heavy accent that I didn’t understand at all, so I just nodded, looked at the menu I chose… hell, I don’t remember what it was, exactly. Basically vegetables in spicy sauce with white rice.
She went off to make stuff, and I caught up on gossip via Facebook. She soon came back with a bowl of soup — soup which I didn’t order. I looked at it confusingly, and she just said, «Eat» and ran around to other empty tables cleaning them. Ok, well that was kind, I guess. Maybe she had a bunch of soup leftover because she had overestimated that day’s crowd? I didn’t know what this soup was that I didn’t order, though, so when she eventually passed by again, I asked if it was vegetarian. She kind of nodded and said something that again I didn’t understand, but I picked up «carrots» and «Japanese… something.» Normally I don’t eat what I can’t fully discern, but I didn’t see any meat-​like things, plus the broth was very, very clear. I can’t believe I did this, but I tasted it. The broth was good, but the vegetables were mushy and without much flavor. Still, it was soup that I thought she was giving me for free, so I wanted to be nice and eat it.
She brought out my entrée just a few moments later. The plate of vegetables was not as big as what Thai establishments around home usually give you, and the plate of rice was extremely tiny. I actually ended up asking for two more servings of rice throughout my meal. The vegetables were pretty tasty and definitely adequately spiced. I’d give this entrée itself three stars.
But then the lady dropped off my bill and swept the plates away. The total was about $ 13. Wait, WHAT? The menu had told me that my entrée was $ 8. That means that this lady — instead of being motherly, like I had assumed — was actually charging me for soup that I didn’t order. Is that even legal? Did I order it and not realize it? Did she say something indicating that the soup *that she brought out without my consent* would cost $ 4+? I was pretty damn angry, but not enough to do anything about it. I didn’t have it in me to fight over $ 4 with someone who spoke very broken English. But damn. That was low, man, and this was NOT a meal worth $ 12. Avoiding Bangkok Thai permanently from now on. No happy ending, indeed.

Very tasty Thai restaurant in a town that is otherwise lacking for decent food. I’ve had Thai food in most major cities and thought this one, while not the best, was certainly good. The owner was also super friendly and clearly wants to establish a good rapport with customers. I would definitely go back.

My husband and I are the biggest fans of bangkok thai rest in effingham. we are regulars here. the worst part of this place is that they don’t have customers like other known chain restaurants do which is really sad. the food is so healthy, non greasy and tasty. The owners are a delight and very hospitable. this is by far the best place to eat in Effingham. Please people, spread the word and get people to that restaurant. The food is so goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddd!!!
I would recommend
beverages — thai coconut water, ice coffee (my husband’s fave) she gets two for him everytime we go.
appetizer — crab ragoon, pot stickers, spring rolls
salad — my fave, papaya salad
soups — tom yum kung (prawn)
entrée — Hawaii chicken, basil chicken, prawn fried rice, beef stir fry
trust me, you will not regret it…

Came here for a lunch while in town on a job. For southern IL, not bad for somewhat authentic Thai food cooked ma and pa style. Thai iced tea is, ok – the tea could have been stronger, and a bit too sweet. Avoid the spring rolls – it’s not what you expect. The skin isn’t the clear type, it’s spongy and the filling is… ehh…
Their starter soup is pretty good, even has chicken in it. Soups and entrees are a good size, and the price is right. Nothing stood out as spectacularly good or bad, but it’s definitely something refreshing in a town full of chains and fast food.
Also, don’t be afraid if it seems empty. It’s not their fault – the people around here just are afraid of Thai food that is not Americanized.

So like a lot of people I assumed that the parking lot was mostly empty because of the food. Wrong!
The food is delicious. It is very fresh, not oily at all, and at least half of the menu is peanut –free. I had the Ginger chicken and my parents had cashew chicken and Hawaiian chicken. Everyone was very pleased with their meals. The entrees include a bowl of soup.(chicken with Asian veggies,) generous entrée portion, rice, unlimited jasmine tea, and fruit at the end (we had super juicy oranges.) The soup had cilantro on it so if you aren’t a fan just ask.
You can choose your spiciness — we went with mild to be on the safe side but I’ll try medium next time.
I command you to go. You won’t be sorry!

This food is great! More people need to check this place out. Parked the big rig at the TA for a 34 to reset the 70, and took a short walk down the road to «Bangkok Thai».
I had the Garlic Chicken prepared spicy of course. Served with a couple of cold beers, and I was one satisfied trucker. The service was excellent and the people there very nice.
Sure they speak with an accent, but they speak English better than I speak Thai.

Arriving at 11:30 AM today, I asked if they had a lunch menu. The waitress smiled, and said something totally unintelligible. Pressing on, I asked if there were any lunch specials. Again, the response was impossible to understand. She did smile a lot, pointed at several items on the menu, and I did pick out the word «chicken», somewhere in there. Finally giving up on the lunch idea, we ordered off the regular menu. Julie ordered a beef dish «very spicy», and I ordered a soup «medium spicy». Her beef came out very bland, and my soup was volcanic!
The food was very unremarkable, but the waitress was friendly. She came out with a quarter of a watermelon after we finished eating. She smiled, and spoke for another minute or so. Never understood a word she said! Oh… except for «chicken», early in the process.
UPDATE: The sign out front says «$ 4.95 lunch specials». I find it unacceptable for a restaurant to advertise something they were unable to deliver.

finally something to eat around here other than burgers and fast food. I’ve had noodles here, mostly pad thai w/​tofu, here several times and its always been delicious. Definately give this place a try :)
i think they have another location in a college town not too far from here. its seems that location does much better because of the college kids. I can see how roadtrippers would be skeptical of a thai place in a little midwest town but if you are driving through and want a good taste of noodles, come here! i’m afraid that it’ll go out of business and i’ll be stuck with nothing but steak and potatoes again.

Finally a place in Effingham with excellent food! This is hands down the best food in Effingham. No other place in town compares with the level of freshness and quality!
My family kept telling me how this place had the best food. I was hestiant after having tried Thai food in California and not liking it at all. I figured, why not give this place a try, what do I have to lose. I am so glad I tried this place. Now I just wished I still lived in the area, so I could eat there weekly.
We started out with the chicken soup. It was excellent, full of fresh veggies and packed with lots of chicken. The broth wasn’t the least bit greasy and full of flavor.
The egg rolls were packed with chicken and cabbage. These killed any Chinese style egg rolls I’ve ever eaten. They also were not the least bit greasy. Quite refreshing.
Crab rangoon was excellent as well. They were smaller is size than the ones I’ve eaten before, but they were not greasy, and full of flavor.
For the main dishes, we had Hawaiian Chicken and Basil Chicken. The Hawaiian Chicken had green peppers, onion, bamboo shoots, pineapple and carrotts. It was excellent. The quality of the chicken was out of this world. I have never eaten such fresh food.
The basil chicken was also good. I just tasted it as someone else with me ordered it. I can’t recall everything that was in it, but it was also very good.
I will for sure go back. Effingham you have a gem in this place. I hope people check this place out. Try it, you will love it!