05/21/2022
After seeing them pop up a few times in my local foodie group, I will finally be reviewing Thai Express. For those who don’t like a long read, as usual in my reviews, I give you the thumbs up or down in the first paragraph. In the case of Thai Express, the verdict is …. A big thumbs up 👍🏼. If you want to try some Thai style food with a bit of an upgraded fast food atmosphere, this is a must try. For everyone else that likes a little bit more detail about the overall experience, let’s jump into it.
Establishment: Thai Express
Date: Friday, May 20th around 3:30pm.
Location: Express 83 in front of Dave & Busters / McAllen.
Price: About $15
Today I had a little bit of a late lunch. My favorite times to have lunch is either a little early around 11:30 or a little late around 3:30. Personally, I rather not eat during a super busy lunch hour so that I can take my time with my process of taking photos and then eating my food. Today it was the 3:30 time frame. Only a couple of patrons in the restaurant at the time so it worked out great.
Ambiance: As you can see from the photos, the place is decorated nicely. It’s welcoming, modern and clean. A little art on the walls and some neon signs give it that trendy feel…if you’re into that. I’m there for the food, but I am a fan of the arts so I also enjoy the vibes as well. The place is something like a hibachi style restaurant. There a place where you can stand and watch your food being prepared, or you can watch from your seat. While watching from your seat is less intrusive, you can’t really see the whole show. You can choose to be less intrusive or get a good show. They encouraged me to watch close up, but I kinda didn’t want to be completely in their face so I took a couple of pics from close up and most from a distance.
Service: the service was good. I was greeted as I entered and pointed in the right direction to get my order placed. I believe the manager was there going over some best practices with the staff. From time to time she looked over to see how I was doing or if I needed anything else. The cook also came by a couple of times to see how everything was as well. With that said, the service was really good during this visit.
Food: They have a special of the day for about $9 everyday. Everyday it’s a different dish. Todays special was the General Thai. When you put two and two together, it’s easy to see that it’s their version of general tso’s chicken, or at least that’s what I took away from it. Anyhow, I went with the special. I was curious to see their twist on it. In the photo where you see the giant flame at the grill…yea, that’s my General Thai. It’s served over steamed rice for about $9 as the special of the day. I made mine a combo with added a drink and 2 small Imperial rolls served with sweet chili sauce. This probably wasn’t the most Thai thing I could have ordered, but there are no regrets. I really enjoyed my food. I was pleasantly surprised as a matter of fact. I knew it wasn’t going to be bad for the most part, typically all food is pretty good. The serving size of the General Thai was a good portion. If there is a small complain, it would be that the imperial rolls were really tiny. I didn’t take any measurements, but I would say that they were the size of a normal sized thumb. And the only reason I would make that complain is because they were really really good and I wish they were bigger lol. You also get to control the level of heat on the dish. There are about 4 levels of spiciness to chose from. A few pics included a pad Thai dish, which I will prob try on my next visit.
Price: Overall, it was about $15 for the combo. Your entree, a drink and your side. One thing to keep in mind is that I had the daily special which was about $2-4 dollars cheaper. I would say to expect to pay about $17 for a combo at regular price (before tip). As mentioned before, i definitely enjoyed my food and I will definitely be back as well, however, I do feel like the price is a little high. Admittedly, the food is very good and the vibes were good as well. $14-15 isn’t too bad, but that’s only when you get the special. I’d still pay the $17-20 if I decide not to order the special, but I’d rather keep it at a lower/fair price so that more people would be able to enjoy their place. Obviously, that’s just an opinion. Im not watching anyones pockets, so feel free to spend your money how you wish 😊.
Overall, pretty good food and good service. I’ll definitely be back when that mood hits again. Once again, if you made it this far, thank you for reading…you are appreciated 🤙🏼.
