Restaurant Name: Exotic Thai
Location: 3614 State Road 38 E, Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: (765) 449-8898
Cuisine: Thai
Review: I used to eat at Exotic Thai quite frequently. Then I ate at Thai Essence and I decided that I never needed to eat at any other Thai restaurant for the rest of my life. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I am such an overwhelming fan of Thai Essence, I really have stopped dining at other Thai places in town.
(Hey, do you all remember when there were no Thai restaurants in Lafayette? I sure do!)
So yesterday I was running errands right around lunch time and happened to be by the mall. Exotic Thai is located in a little strip across from the mall on 38. When I went in yesterday, I noticed that they’d remodeled since the last time I was there. They now have a sushi bar and have upgraded the place quite nicely.
I was seated immediately. I’ve never actually seen this place busy, but I imagine it gets a decent carry out business.
The menu has also expanded to include tons of Sushi and now even a complete lunch menu. It was almost a little overwhelming. Because I am (often) boring, I went with my normal Pad See Ew with chicken. I really love appetizers but didn’t want to spend much money and from what I remembered the portion sizes were good, so I just went with that.
I was brought my water and soup and salad very soon. The salad is just iceberg lettuce with a tomato and cucumber, and their house dressing. Nothing fancy. The soup was almost like a dressed up egg drop soup. It was hot, but had some kind of flavor I couldn’t quite place. Pretty good though.
When my meal came, I was really disappointed. Instead of the huge plate of noodles to which I’ve become accustomed, I got a smaller portion of noodles with a big side of white rice.
The food was decent, although my standards are pretty high from Thai Essence. The portion was small and did leave me a little hungry afterward. I did see on the menu that you could swap the white rice for fried rice for an additional charge, but they didn’t ask when I ordered so it didn’t occur to me until later. I’d have preferred fried rice.
The service is always good. One of the things I like about Exotic Thai is that they don’t hover. When I dine alone (and I’m the kind of geek who likes to go out to eat alone) I take a book and enjoy a good meal while I’m reading. Other places (I’m looking at you, O’Charley’s) have servers that are constantly in your face, asking you how everything is and if you need more soda, etc. I like to have my drink refilled quietly and only occasional interruptions, especially when I’m reading a book. But hey, that’s just my personal preference.
If you are on the east side, it’s a decent stop but if you are looking for great Thai food, head to the west side for Basil Thai or Thai Essence.
Kid friendly: No children’s menu, but I’ve taken my kids there. If they like rice and noodles they should be okay.
Price Range: Lunch prices are pretty cheap, mine was less than $7 (without a drink). Can get pricey if you add on appetizers and drinks. (Note: There’s a $10 minimum to use your credit or debit card.)
(4.86 out of 5)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Exotic Thai has been a mixed bag for me. Lunch has been pretty weak each time I’ve gone, but my one dinner experience was fantastic.
We have been here several times and as long as you don’t try to send a meal back because it tastes funny, than it’s not too bad. Horrible service. We ordered the Panang curry with Beef and had to send it back because something was wrong with it. We asked that they take it off our bill and they refused and said “you will pay for this, our manager said this cannot be taken off the bill.”
I have been going to Exotic Thai for years and love it! I sometimes goes several times a week for lunch because most of my friends love it too. I was never a Thai food fan before but they changed my mind. While the service can be hit or miss (mostly hit), the food is always wonderful and the proportions are large. You do get a smaller portion for lunch but you also get a smaller bill
For around $7.00 you get a small salad with the best ginger dressing I’ve every had, plus soup which varies unless you order off the sushi lunch menu then you got miso soup which is great. And their sushi lunch menu offers (among other things) 2 rolls and soup and salad for $7! You can’t beat that. All their curries are amazing and so are the Spicy Basil Noodles, to name a few tasty options. This is a great restaurant with amazing food at affordable prices. Definitely a Lafayette favorite!