Pawinee Thai

Good food; a little different from what you’d get on the Ave. Service is prompt and friendly. I picked up some Kee Mao noodles to go, and was quite happy with them. I think Pawinee has become my new standard Thai takeout place, even if I can’t quite figure out how to pronounce the name.
Note that (unlike on the Ave) some of the noodle dishes don’t come with rice. You still get enough food to fill up on, though. Why do people serve rice with rice noodles, anyway?

OK. I’m going to have to amend my original review. I know the consistency of the dishes here fluctuates, but the last two times I’ve ordered food from here I had issues. The first time the Spicy Sweet Basil consisted entirely of onion and I couldn’t eat it. The second time, they forgot my two orders of brown rice. I still like the staff and the quality of the ingredients, but the finished product needs more consistency and the staff needs to be a bit more on top of things.
Original Review Below
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The two main reasons I love this place: 1. It’s 2 blocks from my house. 2. They use fresh, natural ingredients and serve brown rice. OK… there’s a #3. The staff is very nice and it’s always good to have a chat while I wait for my food.
They appear to have a lot of medical professionals who frequent their business because of the food quality. But most of all, I like how they’ve really integrated themselves into the fabric of the neighborhood. (Once when I said I was going to Scarecrow to get a video while waiting for take-​out, they asked me if I would mind telling the folks over there that they were now open for lunch, as they were anxiously awaiting this news.)
I would give them 5 stars, but the execution of their dishes is hit and miss. (Word to the wise: Don’t order the spicy basil dish. It’s mostly onions.)

Always good, always friendly. Whether you eat there or take it to go, it’s super fresh, hot, flavorful, and their time estimates for pick up orders are always accurate… I never have to wait. And the prices! A great value for what you get to stick in your face.

As a teacher, I usually get a 20-​minute lunch if I’m lucky. I make copies, call a parent and mediate a playground dispute. If I’m lucky I have time to slurp a yogurt. Yippee.
That’s why I love going to workshops: they give us a full hour to eat. If we hurry, we can even go out. Today I ventured out to Pawinee. I only had 45 minutes left by the time I made up my mind, but that was enough time for them to feed me quite well.
The soup was light and spicy, a good way to start the meal. The tofu phad thai was freshly made to my level-​2 palate. There were only four chunks of tofu on top, but it was nicely marinated and fried – not the pallid little chunks you get sometimes. I had a choice of brown or white rice on the side, but the phad thai wasn’t saucy enough to lend any flavor. My Thai iced tea was as bracingly sweet as it’s supposed to be.
The service was good. My water glass stayed full, they didn’t mind my waffling about for-​here-​or-​to-​go, and two staff members struck up conversations. They wanted to know if I worked nearby, which (aside from this workshop week) I don’t. Since the place was only ¹⁄₃ full at 12:30 pm, I imagine they were hoping I’d bring co-​workers back.
Which I certainly would, if only I ever had reason to go there. Perhaps you can go there instead. Perhaps I will go back tomorrow.

My roommates and I started going to Pawinee Thai simply because it was close to our house. We knew it was there because it’s next to Dante’s but we had never tried it. It was less than a year old when we first entered the delicious realm of Thai food that is Pawinee Thai.
The food is AMAZING. I’ve tried many of the other Thai restaurants on the Ave. and Pawinee Thai is definitely among the best.
Because they don’t get as much business as the other Thai restaurants on the Ave., their food is almost always made fresh. I often go at dinner time or at night, and I’ve only had freshly made Thai food, usually Phad Thai.
The owners and workers are very friendly and eventually knew my friends and I because we came in so often. Occasionally they would give us free drinks and special Thai delicacies to try.
If you live a little off the Ave. and don’t want to walk far for great Thai food, this is your place!

Pawinee is a little piece of heaven a little bit off of the Ave.
The service is the best I’ve ever had at any restaurant. Honestly.
The employees who work there get to know you and what you like to eat. Sometimes, they’ll even give you a free sample of something on the house!
The phad thai is glorious and their pineapple fried rice and other fried rice combinations are delicious.
All the food is made fresh before your eyes, the wait time is very little and the food is served hot.
Highly recommended!