May Restaurant and Lounge

Awesome Pad Thai! The environment of this place is a cozy, authentic, upscale tiki-​lounge. Totally hip. Wife and I come here about once a month and have Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken Pad Thai. They have a unique presentation for their Pad Thai dish but omg is it delicious! Delicious Mai Thais and other similar cocktails. Service is usually fine too.

I think May deserves 3.5 stars. Had a good experience here. Staff were very attentive, service was prompt and friendly. Restaurant was neat and clean.
We started with a green mango salad, which surprisingly came in the format of strips instead of chunks/​cubes. It was really crisp and refreshing and had a delicious sauce.
For mains, my husband got the pad thai, which, as expected (having read others’ reviews), was tossed tableside with spices — kinda gimmicky, perhaps, but fun to watch and certainly a novelty. That being said, it was really good, but not amazing. I got a lemongrass chicken dish, which was alright. Sadly the chicken was overcooked and thus very dry, however the flavor was good.
I think they’re a bit overpriced. You can find great pad thai at most places for about 11 bucks. Fortunately this place offers 10% off if you show them you’ve CHECKED IN right here on Unilocal.:) That was easy and effective.

The panang curry with fried tofu was good but needed more veggies. The pad ke mao was terrible — ordered it veggie with no egg and have had the same dish a million times better at other places. My partner ordered some shrimp app and said it was horrible and definitely microwaved.
The 3 stars is for the curry, all else was a 1.

I hate to say it — but it’s really hit or miss with the take out options from the May. On the one hand, the chicken pad thai is probably the best tasting I’ve had in Seattle (especially if you order it with the wide noodles instead of the thin ones). On the other hand, it seems like every other time I get take out from there, I get some food poisoning and nothing is good about that. So if you want some truly amazing pad thai AND you’re feeling a little adventurous, then this is the place for you… I mean, I obviously keep going back so it must be worth it… right?

It’s been a while since I’ve eaten here. The last I remembered, it was one of the best pad thais I’ve ever had in Seattle. Tonight I ordered togo and I’m not sure if you can even call it pad thai. The flavor was off. The beef had no flavor and in cut in big chewy chunks. The noodles were hard and so stuck together that I had a hard time eating. Then I realized there were peanut residue in it when I asked for no peanuts. The chef probably realized after he tossed on the peanuts the order said no peanuts and then took it off to salvage the dish. What if I had a more severe peanut allergy? I could of died eating here. Wished the other Thai places in Fremont didn’t close so early. Then I wouldn’t have wasted $ 20 on food I can’t even eat.

The worst service I’ve received in Seattle. We came in and sat in an open booth. The waitress came by a few minutes later and dropped off menus and just left. No greeting, no response to us saying thanks, just an irritated look on her face. It was full, but not really busy (there are only about 5 – 6 tables), and we then waited 15 minutes for her to come back at all. She finally came our way and we were ready to order, but she just dropped off water and left again. Didn’t even look at us or respond to us when we said we were ready. Needless to say, we got up and left. I’ve been here before and the service has always been a bit slow, but never this terrible.

One of the best and authentic Tai places I have eaten at. I am frequent this place when I can.

The food is good, but our experience was mostly marked by the lousy service.
We were there for lunch on a weekday, and I am hoping that the bad service was because the only waitress in the restaurant was having an off day.
We ordered from the lunch combo menu. The entrees were served first, ten minutes later she brought out the salads, and the soups a few minutes later, after we reminded our waitress that we ordered the combos. We asked for 4 knives, she only brought one. The fourth entrée was so late that we had to cancel it and leave.
The place was freezing cold, most of the customers kept their jackets on. I asked where the heater was on, the waitress pointed me to tiny portable one they had in a corner.
Avoid May on weekdays for lunch when it’s cold outside.

Probably a cooler scene at night, it’s lunch scene was pretty slow today (and I mean lacking a pulse). I was drawn in by the 10% off Unilocal check in and photos of the wicked exterior. The pad see ew flavor was just not up to standard, and the chicken was dry. The interior decorations are super cool and authentic, and they also have fun with the décor (restroom door haha). I’d come for drinks at night and avoid spending $ 12 again on a plate of mediocre food (hint to owner: lower priced lunch deals/​tastier combos recommended!) because I bet the lights, décor, and two floor setup makes for a really fun bar in a neighborhood with a cool nightlife vibe.

I was on vacation in Seattle and in the mood for some take Pad Thai and a friend recommended May. We stopped in and got to go orders!
I didn’t try any of the real Thai food, just the Pad Thai. I was pretty impressed that it came out wrapped up in Banana Leaves. They get an A+ for presentation for sure.
I was however disappointed in the flavor of the Pad Thai. I cant help but think it looked a bit light and I feel like it could have used a bit more tamarind paste to really give it that sour Pad Thai flavor.
Next time I’m in Seattle I will definitely give them another shot!

This was a great time. The The stunning appearance is what caught our attention at first. The inside is decorated so nicely in a Thai theme.
The food was amazing. It was very much unlike Thai food I’ve ever had. I imagine it was more authentic than most, but I have not been to Thailand so I must just assume so at this point. The phad Thai was mixed at the table and was amazing. I had the Swimming Rama and it was really good but a bit much: rather than the usual spinach, it was prepared with Thai watercress (I think) and about halfway through I got tired of the strong flavor. Also at the table was green curry and it was also delicious, but the amount of sugar eventually made my teeth hurt. My favorite thing on the table was probably the Tom Kha: it was refreshing, exciting and perfectly balanced. I am almost always distracted by something like salt or sugar but that did not happen with this soup.
The server was very attentive in all aspects, from cocktails to dessert. It was my baby sister’s 21^st birthday also, and he helped to make it super special. At the end of the meal, I got ten percent off for checking in on Unilocal!
I’m SO going to come back to this place!

May Thai actually has some pretty great thai food. Every time I’ve visited I’ve tried a new dish and I have yet to be disappointed with the flavor and quality of any order. The portions are also decent, though for the higher cost the larger sizes are expected (they recently raised the price of pad thai to $ 15).
Unfortunately the service here has been really hit or miss. I’m rarely a stickler for service because in my experience the staff is usually trying the best that they can. However, we recently visited and waited over an hour and a half for our food. We arrived at 6:00 and it took at least 15 minutes for anyone to take our order. Then we waited. And waited. A half hour later our appetizer came out. We checked back in with the waiter at 7:00 because we had to be at an event nearby at 7:30. He said that our food was almost ready. We didn’t get our food until 7:20, at which point we had to pack it up and take it all to go. We ended up eating it at the event. We asked the waiter if he could split the dishes into separate to-​go containers (since we had two couples who now had to take the food to-​go) but he couldn’t do it, so we packed it up ourselves. They were kind enough to give us a 10% discount but it truly did ruin a night out with our guests. The restaurant wasn’t at capacity and there was nobody waiting for seats so I’m not sure what took so long!

Tried to find a place open on Monday and stumbled upon this place for lunch! Incredible food! Fresh, full of flavor, and good portions.
They had a curry noodle dish that I had never seen before… And it did not disappoint.

This place looks so cheesy on the outside but it was a fun experience!
Their specialty is phad Thai which seems super generic but this one is different. They make it at the table with fresh spices for the spiciness. With that said, 3 stars (the max) isn’t spicy at all. It’s a sweet dish but the extra touches like the banana leaves are lovely.
We also had the panang curry which was tasty and the shrimp was cooked nicely.
Prices here are a little higher and service a little spotty but I would definitely come back!

Loved the cute atmosphere here! Ordered their Panang Curry and Pad Thai and will go back for more~
Getting Pad Thai here was a wonderful experience from the second the waiter brought the dish out. He carefully explained all the ingredients and assembled/​tossed the carefully presented dish with all of the different spices, young banana blossom, and condiments in front of us. He went to proceed teach us how to distinguish and appreciate all of the flavors and spices that go into making a true pad thai.
The only downside is that it is quite a bit more expensive compared to other Thai restaurants, over double compared to prices you’d find typically.

By far the best Pad Thai in Seattle. You should try it at least once in your lifetime. My bf and I usually get it with the panang curry/​rice and share. If the panang curry happens to blend in with the pad thai you won’t regret it.
The downstairs portion is open until 11pm-​12am-​ish serving the full menu.

Food was decent but way overpriced. It cost $ 2 extra for a side of rice to pair with the curry. Service was great and the mint they gave us at the end was really tasty but with all the other thai food choices in the area, it’s not worth comng to this one.

I wanted to like this place more.
The word of the night was «authenticity». The exterior is designed like an old school Thai building. Actually, according to their website, it really is an old school Thai building that the had taken apart and shipped over here. We skipped the bar downstairs and went straight to the dining room upstairs. The walls were hardwood with high ceilings and pictures of Thai royalty hung everywhere. Thai music was piped in. Authenticity abounded. There were no chopsticks. Confused? Chopsticks aren’t Thai. You’re ignorant.
We both ordered Thai iced tea. It was way too sweet. I had to dilute mine heavily twice before it tasted right to me. That wasn’t too bad though because it’s kind of like I got two thai iced teas.
The phad Thai is mixed up in front of you, with the sugar, pepper flakes and bean sprouts folded in table side. As advertised on their website, no tomato-​based sauce was used, but rather tamarind paste. Authentic. Here’s the problem; it was too authentic for my dumb American palate. I actually struggled to finish it. The edible banana flower pieces folded in were bitter, and the noodles were too acidic. We also ordered the phad khee mao, which tasted different from any other khee mao I had ordered in the past. Less basil. It just had a taste that neither of us could really nail down. Both of us were completely full afterwards.
Bonus: 10% off your bill if you show your server that you checked in on Unilocal

MAY… I have some more, sir? SOME MORE?!
^ Oliver Twist
JK in all seriousness, May Restaurant and Lounge is an excellent Thai restaurant and their Pad Thai is… GREAT. And supposedly very authentic. I’ve tried a couple of their other dishes but the Pad Thai is what you want.
Why?- Getting Pad Thai at May is really an experience. The noodles and all the condiments come out on a wooden plate and are tossed in front of you (Spices, salt, and the best part– young banana leaves). The waiter will ask you how spicy you want your dish, how much salt and all are mixed together. The ingredients are fresh and the taste is unlike any other Pad Thai.
Why not?- Well… May is more expensive than most Thai places, and I think some dishes are just better than others. Be prepared to pay a little extra. For me the Pad Thai is the best dish and I’m more than willing to pay 13 – 14 dollars for a fresh delicious batch of Thai noodles.
Stay hungry, eat healthy, and be happy.

There are so many Thai restaurants in Wallingford. But this one particularly sticks out in my memory for two reasons. One is the appearance of the building; it’s a beautiful and sharply-​pointed house wedged between two more ordinary-​looking houses. The other is the presentation of the food; not many restaurants actually do that in front of you after serving it to you. Overall, the food was good, but really the most memorable part about May is what I’ve just described.
Anyway, about the food. I ordered the Pad Thai ($ 14.00) which came to the table after twelve minutes. I wouldn’t say it was ready at that point, though. The server, Justin, was a cool guy who asked me whether I was familiar with traditional Thai cuisine. I said no, and he put on a really neat demonstration where he peeled the banana leaves of the dish, then mixed the peanuts and sugar with the noodles and squeezed lime over the whole thing. I found it entertaining to watch and seriously couldn’t wait to go home to Unilocal about it. Definitely a good restaurant if you later go home and want to brag about it on the internet!