The Lemon Grass Restaurant

Came in for lunch with my boyfriend on ²⁄₁₄. We were quickly greeted and seated by one of the two servers working.
I chose this restaurant because I ate here with a friend 7 years ago, and the food was really good back then. It is still fantastic. The depth of flavor and balance of sweet and salty in the dishes really hits it home for me.
I ordered the Seafood Combo which was a heavenly blend of white fish, mussels, shrimp, and scallops with vegetables in a green curry and coconut sauce with fresh basil. The portion was just right. The sauce was sublime with just the right amount of lemongrass, garlic and lime. All of the seafood was fresh with the mussels served in the shell, adding to the presentation. $ 16.95 was a reasonable price for this dish.
My boyfriend ordered the Ginger Vegetables with chicken. I tasted the chili ginger sauce, and we agreed it was divine. Came with a variety of vegetables and great seasoning, reported the BF. His dish was $ 11.95.
Our order came with a serving of jasmine rice that was generous. Noted on the menu that there is a small extra cost for brown rice and additional jasmine rice.
They have a nonalcoholic menu that is separate from the main menu. They have it labeled out whether you get a refill or not for the standard price — one refill included on sodas, not included for juices. My apple juice was served in a beer glass with two tiny straws which I found amusing.
I saw coconut ice cream listed in the desserts and wanted to try it, but I was stuffed from my entrée so will try that next time.
Besides Thai food, they also serve Chinese and Vietnamese dishes.
Our waitress/​hostess was polite and fast, and the server was there to refill waters and check-​in on us often. We didn’t have to wait for the check.
They have seating available for groups. There is a separate dining area beyond the main seating room. All of the décor is in a fresh, beautiful Asian setting in grey, red, black and gold. Pleasant atmospheric new age Asian music was playing. The BF, who is a musician, commented on how nice it was and how it added to the experience.
There’s limited street parking in this neighborhood so you may have to walk a couple blocks but it is well worth it.

Has consistently been the best Thai food in Olympia, but the prices have begun to reflect that fact.

I had a Thai tea, the coconut chicken and eggrolls.
All delicious. Great location, good prices. Waiter was friendly and prompt.

Delicious thai fusion kind of food, seasoned well and a nicely remodeled location downtown. Been eating there for years and will continue to do so!

Great place! Very welcoming and friendly. The apple curry was a new item for me and I loved it. I will definitely come back on my next trip to Olympia.

Went with a group of 6 people for a holiday lunch treat.
Even after informing the server of peanut allergies at the table they still brought peanut sauce with an appetizer.
My Green Curry with prawns was very good, however it wasn’t the one I ordered and almost too spicy for me. The Curry I actually ordered showed up 10 minutes after everyone elses food and was served to our boss who was paying. Everyone should have been served at the same time and served what they ordered.
The food was good, but the timing and service of food was poor.

Very good, flavorful, friendly staff, clean restaurant. I cant complain. Good Thai food outside of Thailand.

I guess I don’t understand what the big deal is. I have been to this location twice and both times left disappointed. First, let me say that the restaurant is beautifully decorated inside, and is probably one of the most visually appealing restaurants places downtown. On my first visit I had a green curry, one of my favorite Thai dishes. It curry sauce was good, but what ruined it for me were the many large chunks of onion in it. I have eaten green curry at many Thai restaurants over the years, including a couple in Thailand, and I have never been overwhelmed by onion like I was that day. I mean, shallots seem to be the usual choice in most Thai food, maybe because they are milder. But this just overpowered.
The second time I ordered Pad See Ew, and I chose the highest level of spiciness they offered. The flavors were good, but it was not spicy at all. I mean not at all. I didn’t even finish my first glass of water throughout the whole meal. But what really bothered me that day was that I ordered it with tofu, because I don’t eat meat, and it came with three pieces of beef in it. I ate meat for 35 years of my life and I know it when I see it and when I accidentally chew it. I just don’t understand how that happens. Did they not clean out the wok? Did they cook two servings at once, one with beef and one tofu? (Yes I know the dish has fish sauce in it.)
On top of that, it’s more expensive than the competition. I guess because it’s so popular. For my money, there are about a half dozen better options in Olympia for Thai food.

I went here with my grandmother, fiancé, and daughter. I do not think I will go back.
Service was okay, although it took a very long time to get our check at the end. Also, our food came out at two different times. Décor was nice, music was quiet and calming.
So, that brings us to the food. I ordered pad thai, which I always get at a new Thai restaurant to get a feel for their quality. The sauce tasted overly sweet and chick-​full of ketchup, there was also a ton if it. The noodles were overdone to the point of mushiness, making the dish nearly inedible. The only saving grace was the perfectly fried tofu. My fiancé ordered Noodles Delight. The peanut sauce was thin and nearly non-​existant. His noodles were also al-​dente, almost too much so. the veggies, however, were plentiful and crisp. They also had a large variety of vegetables. One quick note: my 2.5 star spiciness was the same as his 4 star spiciness. My daughter ordered the chicken satay. The flavors were incredible, but the chicken was poorly trimmed, and there was a lot of inedible chewy stuff left. The peanut sauce was delicious, but very watery. I was expecting something thicker. My grandmother ordered their green curry, and it was actually very good, if a little more watery than I like it. The rice was also underdone, and still a little crunchy in the middle. The drinks (they had Thai iced teas) were delicious, though!
The meal was very overpriced for the portions as well. I would expect either twice the food or half the cost. At $ 12 a plate, it was more than I usually like to spend on this kind of Thai food. Maybe if the menu was upscaled at all, but it’s super standard Thai restaurant fare.
Next time, I will try one of the other Thai places on the block.

Very nice, elegant and private restaurant. Definitely coming back when Im in the Olympia-​Lacey area ;)

Amazing modern décor with an intimate setting. Excellent customer service and friendly staff. Food packed with flavor out of this world. A definite must for anyone visiting the Olympia area. We have already planned a pit stop here for our next trip to Portland
We had the Yellow and Apple Curry, no need for rice

Been loving Lemongrass for years with my family.
Unfortunately, the quality of service has decreased as this business grew and now has 3 different locations.
The owners are wonderful – but a lot of the staff are anything but. A lot of them run around and you can’t get their attention for anything.
Always busy during the weekend. I’d recommend a Tuesday lunch at any of the 3 locations if you want a quiet experience.
It is also pricey and I feel like there’s less and less food appearing on the plate… so I wonder about value at that point.
But, the food really is so good. I will keep going back with family.

Please do no eat at Lemongrass. They instruct their employees to tell customers that there is no MSG in the food, even though there is. They will put the MSG in the dish even when you ask for no MSG. Many people in my office have gotten sick immediately after eating there for lunch (we work right behind the Tumwater one). After some investigating and talking to previous employees, I found out about all that nastiness. You deserve to know what’s in your food!

This was my first time ever having a legitimate nice Thai dinner and it didn’t disappoint. The food here is exceptional. Everything tasted fresh and well spiced. We tried the green curried rice which was amazing and another noodle dish I can’t remember what it was called that was excellent. The wait staff were friendly and the décor was beautiful. I highly recommend.

I have been here 1x and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to going back regularly when I move to that area soon. I had sweet n sower chicken. It was great. The ambiance was beautiful and quiet. Peaceful and clean. Sometimes I am afraid to go into a restaurant that is new to me. I’m not afraid to go into this establishment anymore. They are fantastic. Give them a try. I think you will be amazed. I was!

The Lemon Grass has been a reliable place for years in Olympia. Our dinner experiences have been good. The food is a bit spendier than other Asian places, but its a nicer atmosphere overall than most of the downtown Thai places. Plus, it isn’t strictly Thai food. It is a Thai/​Vietnamese fusion. The Honey-​walnut Prawns make a terrific appetizer.
The only drawback is that weekend dinners are very loud, and the place seemed a bit densely packed. If you want a quiet dinner on a Friday or Saturday, this is not your spot. If you want some slightly creative Asian dishes, this is a good spot to try.

Maybe the best thai restaurant in olympia. And Olympia, Wa has about a 100 thai restaurants. They are a dollar or two more but everything is worth it. Great food. Great staff. Great environment.
Go get some Thai!

My whole family loves the Lemon Grass! Great menu, interesting dishes, unique sauces, just what you want in an Asian inspired restaurant. They can get busy so you may have to wait a bit for a table and there is not a lot of room to wait in, you feel like you’re hovering over the seated diners bit what can you do they have a limited space. I love the Jungle Price and the Pad Si Yeu (sp?). My wife and daughter love the honey walnut prawns and the curry dishes (especially the green).
My only complaints are that they have gotten so popular that they now have three locations and the quality control has dropped off. Also they are a bit on the high $ side for casual Asian fare.

Sorry — went there last month on the recommendation of a shop owner… meh, is about the best I can say.
Food — bland but pretty
Prices — waaaay over-​priced for what you get
Staff — nice enough, but «not present»… different person every time someone interacted with us, had to flag them down each time we wanted anything (order, water, bill…)
We’re moving into Oly soon and checking out different places to establish some favs… this one didn’t make the cut… not even the «maybe» pile. There are too many really good places to waste either time or money by returning here.

Ever since I moved to Olympia, I have always wanted to try this place and I finally got the opportunity today. It has been always recommended as the best place for Thai food in Olympia. I went on a Monday so there was no wait. The ambiance of the restaurant is a little bit more upscale than your typical Thai restaurant and price is a little more expensive than your usual Thai restaurant as well. However, the steeper price was so worth it. It lived up to all the hype and good reviews! I brought a friend with me and I did not want to disappoint her since she loves Asian cuisine and she loved it and even thought that this was the best Thai place she has tried. We ordered fresh rolls, tofu skewer, fried whole trout, and their dish called «purple passion».
The fresh rolls were good, but not the best I’ve had. I like it since the rice wrapper wasn’t too thick. I wish they included some more veggies that would add more crunch and textural difference to the roll. The peanut sauce was delicious.
The trout was very good! I’m from the Philippines and I am used to having an entire fish with the head and tail still present. If you don’t prefer to have the head with the dish, don’t skip this dish since it was really good — may be just ask the server to take off the head haha! I love the garlic sauce they put onto it and there were a lot of veggies mixed with the dish that could have been a salad on its own especially with the sauce. It was fried to perfection and was crispy!
Purple Passion — whoever invented the name was a genius haha! It was a vegetable dish with egg plant, jicama, green beans, bamboo shoots and other veggies. I like the yellow bean and garlic sauce in this dish. It might be too strong for other people though. I just though the shrimp was overcooked.
Finally the tofu skewers — it was heavenly good! Probably the best dish of this meal and probably one of the best tofu preparations I have had! the crispy batter and the firmness of the tofu was just perfect. I would eat this over and over and over again! A MUST TRY!
On the other hand, the service was not perfect. We had to call the server’s attention 3x before they refilled our water and tea. And the food took a long time to come out. But still I highly recommend this place. I saw the other table had lettuce wrap — I might just try that next time!