Pad Thai Grand Cafe

Meh. I’ve had much better Thai food. I came here with a group of colleagues for lunch. We all ordered some variation of the lunch special. It came with the soup of the day, and today’s soup happened to be tofu, of which I am not a fan. There were 13 of us at lunch, and the food came out super fast (in less than 10 minutes) for 11 of us. The other two of us had to wait another 10 minutes to get our food, which sucked. Ambiance is… odd. Lots of gilded and ornate things mixed with pictures Scotch-​taped to the wall. Pricing was very reasonable, but that doesn’t impress me when the experience was sub-​par. Overall, I was not impressed.

We ordered the pad thai and some green curry. The food came out in 5 minutes. Does anyone remember the time machine watch Hermione had in the 3^rd year of Hogwarts? Yeah, that was my only assumption as to how they accomplished this so quickly. The food was, however, not magical in any way: it was not seasoned the way we requested and it did not taste fresh. Perhaps they could use their time machine technology to take a Thai cooking class? Everything else was fine with the dining experience.

Easily the best Thai curry in St. Paul. The staff is just the cherry on top with kind, courteous wait staff (something I find hard to find these days!)
Easy review to write because it’s «that» good
Good job Pad Thai!!!

Overall: pleasant dining experience, but underwhelming flavors
What I ordered: Tom Yum and Pram Ram Ron Song fried tofu with both.
Service: despite being overstaffed I found myself looking for the attention of a server a couple times. They were very kind when they did come around and the bus boys were extremely helpful.
Menu: many authentic Thai staples. Plenty to choose from.
Food quality: completely average. The peanut sauce was tasty but the fried tofu was a bit soggy. The veggies that came with the Pram Ram were definitely sautéed separate from the actual dish which left the plate feeling like it came off an assembly line more than it was cooked and prepared.
Price: economical and fair. Easy to get out of here on with two people and spend under $ 40.

The food was okay, but nothing special considering the price. My panang curry had nothing but some chicken, a huge amount of potatoes, and a couple peas. The dish came out on a scorching hot plate less than 10 minutes after we ordered, so the flavor was heavy on the coconut cream and the chicken tasted preheated.
The woman who served us came in every minute to ask us how it was, but she did it in a very direct and hostile way which lacked genuine warmth in favor of expediency.

As a last minute choice, Pad Thai exceeded my tastebuds expectations. I took the waiters suggestion on an authentic curry. The Yellow Curry was absolutely delicious. You have to try the Mango Rice for desert, I ate one and bought another one to go.

The taste is just ok. I don’t think the food is worth the price. I probably would not visit again.

Extremely fast service and one of the only ethnic food places open between 2−5pm. Nice décor, clean establishment, and good food. The menu is huge and a tad over-​whelming. There were four of us and we each shared a different dish and an appetizer. The Pad Thai noodles tasted a tad overcooked. Nothing stood out as our favorite. Overall, each item had a nice spice and flavoring; we enjoyed all five dishes.

Had lunch here with my daughter who was home from college for a break. Had the red curry with mock duck. It was really good. I cleaned my plate and was so full when I was done. My daughter had yellow curry with veggies and tofu. She, too, ate until she was stuffed. Really good sign of a good meal. You are sad when it’s done. People are super friendly. This is as good of thai food that I’ve had anywhere. Treat yourself!

This is my first review despite being someone who frequently orders take out and dines in. I typically would not complain, especially on a forum such as Unilocal,but I had such an unpleasant experience last night that I feel the need to pass it on.
I ordered a number of items, including stir fried basil with beef, for takeout. I got home, served my guests only to find that there was 5 small pieces of beef and a significant number of vegetables. I was surprised, especially given the fact that two weeks earlier I had ordered the same order and it was fabulous.
I called, to simply ask them if they would be willing to change my charge from ordering beef to vegetables given the minuscule amount of meat. Despite it being a minor thing, I wanted to bring the issue to their attention and ask for a minor refund. When I called, I got nothing but defensiveness despite approaching them kindly and couching it. Long story short, after refusing to give me a refund for the difference, the man answering the phone told me to never come back, they didn’t want my business and hung up on me.
The food I got last night was mediocre however it’s the poor customer service that will keep me from ever going back again. A little humility and client service would have been the difference maker between a frustrated customer and a satisfied customer, and a negative Unilocal reviewer and not.
As a result, I will be taking my business elsewhere as there are other fab Thai restaurants in the area including On’s Thai Kitchen, which in my book, has even better quality and taste, not to mention they are accommodating.

Bah. That’s really all I can say. I met a client here for lunch and it was just… bah. She loves the place, so I thought I would give it a chance (even though the reviews are less than awesome). We arrived right at the beginning of their lunch hour — and it was pretty empty. We were seated quickly and provided menus. The service was a little odd? I was given food that I did not order and when I said that I had not ordered it, they said «well, it’s free — so just go ahead and eat it». Odd. My drunken noodles were okay… nothing to write home about. The shrimp were a little overdone and lacking — but I am not that annoyed by that. It was more that the food itself was lacking in taste. I know I live in Minnesota and when I say that I want things spicy, that can mean different things to different people. But when I said that I wanted it hot, the food was literally bland. All it really tasted like was MSG and oil. I would say, there are MUCH better places to get some traditional Thai cuisine in Saint Paul — this is just not one of them.

I have been to Pad Thai on Grand multiple times and it never fails to amaze me. Tonight, we walked in at 6:30 pm (on a Friday) and I have never seen it so busy, the line was almost out the door! Believe it or not, we were sitting down at a table in less than 10 minutes!
We already knew what we wanted so we ordered right away. I’m not kidding you, everytime we have come here the food comes out very fast! Even when it’s so busy! And the quality of the food is very very high. I’m a person who always likes to try something different and tonight I tried the seafood curry pasta and it was to die for! Honestly the best meal I have had here… p. s. The spring rolls here are ACTUALLY the best in the twin cities!
I definitely recommend Pad Thai on Grand!

This is by FAR the best thai place in the twin cities. I love, love, LOVE the egg rolls and the cream cheese wontons! The Pad Thai noodles are fantastic as well. All in all the egg rolls are what set this Thai restaurant apart.

Love the food here! One of my favorite Thai restaurants! Service is always great at hostess station, but sometimes the servers are a tad shy on the english vocabulary. All part of the charm of Pad Thai.
Great atmosphere and décor! Great date night place or with family.

I can’t believe this restaurant doesn’t have any reviews yet. It is super popular in the neighborhood. I am hesitant to give it 5 stars given that I don’t know what authentic Thai is really supposed to be. It is also rather expensive compared to other Asian establishments. However, it’s worth it.

I’ve been coming to this place for years and get the same delicious dish every time: #306, Green Coconut Curry. I have dreams about this stuff. So good.

First time here and my brother and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The décor and atmosphere was really nice and seemed quite authentic. We arrived during lunch hours so we ordered straight off of the lunch menu. I got the chicken pad Thai and my brother went with the beef Pad Khing. The chicken from my dish was slightly dry and my the sauce from my brother’s dish was saltier than my palette would have liked. The service was alright, a bit slow but nothing to really complain too much about. The waitress and host were extremely friendly and welcoming though.
Overall a very good experience!

Good food, good portions. A little OK with the presentation of the food but that can be overlooked. Must make a special mention of the Deep Fried Cream Cheese– EPIC! Good place for lunch/​dinner with a large group as well.

XOXO
First place I ever tried the magical dish of PAD THAI. Best place I ever ate PAD THAI. Their atmosphere is perfectly chill yet busy with friendly service and room for all. PAD THAI. It’s in the name. Eat it. Duh.
Highlights:
PAD THAI
ALL DAY EVERYDAY HAPPY HOUR WINE = ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
Cream Cheese Wontons
Pad Mee Horapa
Egg rolls
Pad Thai Grand Café = First love.

Came here with a friend on a night we were both feeling Thai.
My friend, a regular at the restaurant, suggested we get the Fried Pork Egg Rolls for an appetizer. I was conflicted between a nice, warm, red curry since it was so cold out, but after asking the waiter his suggestions, he informed me that whenever someone was new to the restaurant, they HAD to try the pad thai, and he ensured me that I would not be disappointed. With that, my friend and I both got the Chicken Pad Thai.
Sigh. Whoever said to listen to your gut was right. The fact that the restaurant was called «Pad Thai» sadly was completely irrelevant to the quality of the actual Pad Thai dish. Some of the noodles were undercooked and the spice level was almost non-​existent even though I asked for «medium» spice on a level of mild, medium, or spicy. It was nice to see that the noodles weren’t completely submerged in a greasy too-​tangy/​salty/​sweet sauce as they often are in many Thai restaurants, however, the dish was still overall lacking in the many layers of flavor, such as fish sauce or the subtle peanut aftertaste.
This place is still deserving of 3 stars though: the Egg Rolls were very big for $ 4.50 and the «delicious sauce» that came with it, was believe it or not, delicious! Although the Pad Thai was underwhelming, the dish was huge– my friend and I could’ve easily split one with plenty of leftovers too. Also, the servers were very friendly and helpful.
All in all I wouldn’t find myself driving out to this place whenever I got the Thai cravings, however, if I ever found myself in St. Paul and got the sudden images of crispy Egg Rolls and Masaman Curry floating around in my mind, Pad Thai Grand Café would surely suffice.