Taste of Asia

I can’t believe there isn’t a line out the door every night! This place is consistently great. The food is delicious and beautifully presented. Creative interesting menu. Outstanding service and lovely atmosphere. It is family run and everyone there seems to care about your dining experience which is always top notch.

Short feedback, good feedback: I made a reservation by phone and arrived 10 minutes earlier. We were welcomed by the staff and got a very nice table beside the main room. It was really ideal for a romantic diner and very quiet/​private.
The staff is excellent, very fast, very effective and at the same time transparent so they are not annoying or on you every 5 minutes. It’s what I call a perfect service. Prices are very good not expensive. 2 x Appetizers, 2 x wine and 2 x phở for $ 50. The phở was huge and very flavorful. Overall, we were really happy by this Vietnamese; certainly one of the best in Florida.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while now. I’m sorry that I never went sooner. Their Thai tea & coffee are about $ 2.50…Probably the cheapest teas/​coffees I’ve seen in an Asian restaurant, anywhere. The menu is slightly odd, it looks like a graph or chart for school, semi hard to read. We had the tempura calamari, big portion! I was maybe too full when my chicken red curry came, he had the phở. Cheapest phở in town! $ 8.50 my boyfriend is a phở fanatic, and I guess somewhat of an expert; he said the phở was decent but for the price, great! I’m rating a 3 because there is room for improvement ie: their plating and presentation, food was a little bit too salty. We actually felt slightly sick after eating, both the meals were saltier than the fried app. The menu is small, not a huge selection. I was expecting a real, «taste of Asia», it’s mostly all Thai. The service is so-​so, but we’re not needy people — I can see where some would complain, but I definitely wouldn’t say it was bad service. They’re super sweet and we will return!

The spring rolls were greasy and just ok. With so many Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants in the area this place reopen as A Taste of Europe. Because i really want to go to a «jack all trades» restaurant.

Food is ok but service I s HORRIBLE. Servers the 1^st couse an never came back to pick up dishes, serve second round of drink or even refill the water glass. There were 4 wait staff and 3 tables. When I got up to find what had happen to them the owner instead of apologizing went off on us.

For gluten-​free thai food options, this place is amazing. They’re also great about making sure that you don’t get fish sauce if you’re vegetarian, and about accommodating various allergies. The curries, pad thai and thai iced tea are all fabulous, and the staff are lovely.
The menu is a bit pared down when it comes to some other offerings (there aren’t a lot of noodle dishes, for example), but that’s the only downside.

Previous reviews mentioned that the building used to be a Wendy’s, which while that is true, they did a wonderful job remodeling the inside. You feel like you are in a true Vietnamese restaurant when inside.
I got the beef stir fry with cauliflower fried rice. It was very good. I loved the cauliflower rice in particular. The beef was served as a thin cut of steak. I was expecting it to be cut up and mixed in the stir fry, also they didn’t ask how I would like it cooked which further made me expect it would be cut up and in the stir fry. It was a bit rarer than I prefer. Nonetheless the meat was very good quality and overall dinner was very good. The spring rolls, or veggie rolls were very large and very good also.
My wife got the veggie stir fry with fried rice and felt it was a bit bland, but they brought some spicy sauces on the side that made it better.

Unbelievable thai and laotian dishes. The BEST I have ever eaten anywhere!!! This is on a whole ‘nother level. Nothing else in Sarasota compares. The Koor Mee Lao, Green Curry, Lumplings and Lao rolls are not to be missed!!! I can’t wait to attend one of their cooking classes. The drinks are great too. Delicious mai tai. Come hungry!

Wow. Honestly my favorite restaurant. Is anything NOT great here? I am addicted to the shrimp phở. This soup is honestly nectar in a bowl. My favorite soup in the Universe… I dream about it and would have it for breakfast if I could. The lumplings are amazing… I wish they served a bowl of them instead of 4… Absolutely DELISH. The fried rice is yummy goodness, the rice is delicate jasmine rice and the flavors are subtle and delicious. The amazing beef IS amazing, served with peanut sauce and rice. The fresh rolls… Mmmmmm… The service is great. This is a GREAT restaurant with amazing food and ambiance. I love it. A must try. Plainly put: Addictive. Ever since I tried Vietnamese food at this restaurant, I have wished for a Vietnamese grandmother to cook me delicious food… Absent that, this is the next BEST thing. Try the PHO soup if you must try ONE item (but careful how much spicy sauce you add to it: add by drops!). :)

Back… Again! We did a cooking class tonight, cauliflower fried rice. LOVED IT. Such a great value and we had so many laughs with our abundance of food. The chef and his wife are one of a kind and a joy to know. We will be back for their green and yellow curry class in July!

You could go other places in town and get phở, but for myself and my boyfriend, it will never be as good as Taste of Asia’s. Their beef phở has amazing broth and great quality meat. They also have awesome Thai food and drinks. Love this place!

Our first time here. We drove by it this morning but was told it only open from 430pm. We came back this evening…
Glad we did, the restaurant was decorated with lots of elephants… firstly, the servers are all very friendly. The food was very good. We had the calamari tempura, the chicken amazing (curry) with white rice, the beef phở, calamari broccoli n cauliflower fried rice and the shrimp pad Thai. very much authentic Thai food. (Most Thai food are on the sweeter side).very pleased with our overall experienced there. Will come back if we are back in Sarasota next time

Delicious food and excellent service, atmosphere. Had the green curry and for dessert, rice custard. So yummy!

Once upon a time, not so long ago, this building used to be home to an amazing and unique little old fashioned hamburger joint that, if my memory serves me correctly, was called Wendy’s.
I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical of this place when it opened, and not because it was new or where it was located, but because I’m a pessimist. I thought I was going to be unimpressed, but OH BOY was I wrong (this one and only time).
If you like Thai, or can appriciate good food, you need to give this a place a go. Normally I wouldn’t care if you go or not, but gosh darn it I love this place, and It needs business so it doesn’t end up like that old fashioned hamburger joint.

Excellent and interesting food in very nice surroundings. As a vegetarian I find most Thai restaurants challenging, because getting them to omit fish sauce can be difficult. Assurances to the contrary are not always trustworthy.
Taste of Asia offers a separate vegan menu, with a broad array of choices. My wife especially loved their «fried rice» made entirely from vegetables — no rice! I’ve tried two of their curries, and found them very tasty, with fresh ingredients. I need a few more visits to calibrate the spiciness — asking for «medium» got me what I consider on the bland side — but that will come with time.
Taste of Asia is definitely on my «regular» list now. One little quibble: It’s embarrassing to be offered chopsticks in a Thai/​Lao establishment. It makes as much sense as using chopsticks in an Italian restaurant. Japan, China, Korea — yes; elsewhere in Asia use a fork and a spoon, like the locals.

Food is fresh and can be customized to your preference. Not the traditional Thai, this is more Vietnamese Asia flavors. Large vegan and gluten free selection if needed. The beef is perfectly grilled and delicious with the brown jasmine rice is a wonderful dinner. Keep in mind a $ 2 up charge for brown rice. Appetizers are served in a delicate manner perfect for 2.
The location was formally a Wendy’s site so parking is not an issue. The décor outside is bamboo and the inside maintains that theme with dark tones. The lighting at each table is perfect for reading the extensive menu. The dress is Florida casual like most restaurants in the area. The service is attentive and steady.

Best Thai food and vegan friendly! We order out all of the time and it’s excellent dining in or to go. Family run, clean, and very family style prep, lots of veggies and large portions, make it your Thai stop of you are a local or just visiting SRQ. Red curry yum! Chicken lumplings double yum! I am typing this review as I wait for my order to arrive at the table. Drooling.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Taste of Asia! This is my favorite restaurant in Sarasota.
They have a large vegan menu (as well as gluten-​free and things for carnivores). They sometimes change it up, but Chef Lum will still make a favorite dish of mine even if it isn’t on the menu.
You have to try the Lumpings, I could eat those for days! The fresh rolls are also delicious, I love the peanuts sauce!
A few (vegan) favorites: Vegan Amazing, Black Pepper and Garlic Tofu, Special Fried Rice. But really, you can’t go wrong, I’ve never had a dish I didn’t like.
The tofu is fried perfectly, crispy outside, soft inside. The veggies are always cooked just right– never overdone.
The whole Lum family is wonderful, and if you become a regular (how could you not?) they will never forget you!
I loved their location on Siesta Key, but you won’t believe their new placed used to be a Wendy’s– they have done an amazing job!
I eat here at least once a week, and if it was closer to my work I would eat there for lunch every day.

Absolutely fantastic food and service! Cosy and welcoming atmosphere with just the perfect balance of flavors, textures, and spices… I had the Tom Ka soup with veggies and a Yellow Vegetable Curry. Great selection of vegetables instead of the boring onion, potato, and carrots of most other places in town that offer Yellow Curry. And just enough heat to enhance the flavors without blazing your taste buds and mouth. Will be my stop for Thai. Really great experience.

First impression with spring shrimp rolls and dark peanut sauce are excellent! And they were excellent! The corvina was also very delicious and reasonably priced, @ $ 20, but the extra sauce in a bowl, was not needed, and they charged us $ 6 for it. I didn’t check the menu before ordering it… so my fault.
All in all, a great find, but DON’T sit near the rear door, as the smokers sit outside, and their smoke wafts in:(