Sawadee

Certainly a large menu, but sparsity of diners makes you wonder how old the food must be to offer pages upon pages of selections. More significantly, food is OK with pleasant flavor — but nothing tantalizing the palate. Sauces overwhelm mediocre quality of provisions, but for the price, I should not complain. You cannot eat a cheaper sit-​down dinner anywhere in or around Metuchen. Bar is nice and bright for singles looking to read (revealing my age), but don’t ask for the wine list — in fact, don’t even ask for the choices. Restaurant looks like it’s on its last legs — no bustle and no patrons. It needs to trim its menu, raise the quality and flavor, and perhaps rent out or share the extra space. Offering just one better bottle of red or white wine would at least get my attention and another visit.

Menu is HUGE at about 25 pages worth of wonderful gourmand delights.
Imagine the endorphin rush you get off all the aromatic flavors and spices… we wander out after our meal and simply float to the ice cream/​pizza place next door to have a nice green tea ice cream afterwards. So nice on a 90 degree August day.
Every time we’ve been here, we have been the only patrons or there was only one other party of people. This may be because we go at around 2pm on a Saturday.
Plenty of spacious seating and room for many.
Pad Thai is quite good. I usually order the vegetarian version of this.
The aromotic spices they use are heady and traditional.
Duck pia rolls are an interesting twist. Husband and son swear by them. I love their veggie pia rolls and curry chicken rolls.‘
Chicken grilled satay on little skewers is nice and tasty.
They have about 15 duck platters if that’s what you like.
Noodle soups are the only thing I wasn’t thrilled with. I guess they may be a traditional thing, but it was kind of average with cilantro and not too tasty for my taste buds! :)
My only question is *why* do they have Mexicans prepping and cooking the food??? Don’t Thai immigrants need jobs and wouldn’t they KNOW how to make Thai food??? 8-​(
Mai-​Thais are bright blue and strong. Even husband who doesn’t like them orders them here LOL :)
They will bring out the spices to the table, so order MILD and add as you go.
Nice place, ambiance with low lighting and nice service.
Party room in back.
Clean bathrooms.
They do a big take-​out business.
Love it!!!

Visited last night, found parking closeby and walked there. We were greeted and given a table in the back, the restaurant is pretty nice interior wise. Ow ordered: Tom Yum Balek soup, 8.95, Pad Thai 10.95, Stir Fried seafood (love me some octopus) 8.95 and a sliced beef bbq dish. All in all it was pretty good, we ordered an extra pad thai to go. Prices and portions are fair compared to other thai restaurants.
In the local area: Four Seasons, Pad Thai and Sawadee are all owned by the same people.
as far as minji K’s review: there is a optional fee of 3 dollars per person for everyone who doesnt get a entrée. Pretty Weak, if you ask me. Although the food was good, it almost makes me want to try somewhere else instead next time im back. and in regards to Green Mon R’s review: I too noticed spanish signs all over the place, kind of wierd, true.

If I wanted crappy Thai food I would’ve asked a two year old to make it for me, not come to Sawadee and wasted my money on it. If I could, I’d stand outside the entrance and direct everyone looking for good Thai food elsewhere, because this is really not it. I came here with my family a few months ago for dinner. We were a party of 4 but wanted to get 3 dishes to share because my younger sister doesn’t eat much. The waitress gave us a huge attitude and started lecturing us about how everyone had to order a dish, otherwise we’d have to pay extra (for what? taking up a seat in a nearly empty restaurant???) I remember ordering some sort of seafood sampler appetizer and mussaman curry. Both were horrible. The appetizer looked like it had come out of a heat and eat box that they probably got from the frozen foods section of the local grocery store. I’ve tried mussaman curry at numerous places, and this was not even vaguely similar. THE worst Thai food I’ve ever had.

Let me start out by saying that I love the green curry chicken. Extremely spicy and delicious I start to sweat just thinking about it. However many of the other dishes are steaming piles of greasy noodles that taste pretty similar to the other steaming piles of greasy noodles on the menu. I imagine a huge vat of steaming greasy noodles that someone slaps on a plate and sprinkles the various menu choices on top. At this point they might put it in another vat to mix it really well. The result is a homogenized pile of steaming overcooked greasy noodles. Ever notice how many dishes are the same color? The Pad Thai is miserable. I have had good Pad Thai where you can pick out the individual ingredients taste and texture. Not here. Just one big homogenized pile…
The 2 stars? If you like green curry chicken its worth a visit.

I have found my mecca of Thai food. I now make pilgrimages every week, and when I pray to the gods of Thai food, I pray toward Sawadee Inc in Metuchen.
I can forgive the fact that the only decent lighting in the restaurant is around the television, which is usually playing telenovelas. And I can forgive them for not always wanting to speak Thai with me when I come in (damn I’m annoying in Thai restaurants!)
That stuff, and my previous experiences with the food, would lead me to give a 3 star rating. From where do the extra two stars cometh, fair Andrew B, from where?
They serve my favorite Thai dish!!! Moo Tawd Gratiem Prik Tai. Fried pork with garlic and Thai spices, served with jasmine rice. I have never found it in any American restaurant except this one (tell me if you find it elsewhere!). Even here, it normally comes with shrimp, but I asked them to make it with pork.
If you have never tried Moo Tawd Gratiem Prik Tai, go here and try it. It’s very authentic. Eat quickly, because something is lost in the flavor as the dish cools.
UPDATE: I was a little harsh in the review before. The lighting is better now, and the Thais that work there will chat it up with me now. Pear, who works there sometimes, is a sweetheart. Love this place!