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Kalaya Philadelphia Reviews
The service was great so were the drinks & food.
I would definitely go back. Unfortunately one needs to make reservations way in advance. Was there for my birthday.
I suggest you give it a try
We went here on a Thursday night. It was pretty crowded. The service was really good. I was very impressed at how well coordinated the staff was. It was very attentive and they made very helpful suggestions. We had many many dishes from appetizers to entrées. They were all very good. Each dish had its own unique flavor. All very distinct. Some were spicy. Some were not. I think my favorite was the pork belly with five spice. It was a little sweet but at the same time pretty spicy. We had a Spanish bottle of sparkling wine. That was very tasty. I also had a nonalcoholic drink - a thai iced tea. It was delicious. Overall, it was a good experience with very interesting options.
Water
Water (and lots of it) required for your meal. Flavors on steroids and a tad too much salt for most dishes. Great service and atmosphere though.
All Good.
Another excellent dinner with another couple. Their first time, our second. You really can't go wrong here though take your time ordering as the food comes out a bit too quickly.
You're paying for a beautiful place, but the food helps
-pro: great food, great cocktails, chic environment -con: very pricey Coming from out of town we wanted to try some of the best food in Philly and got recs for this place. The inside has some beautiful art and light fixtures. I love the atmosphere and vibe overall. The cocktails were really well balanced. And the food came out very quick. We stuck to the vegetarian options which were all very good, different than normal Thai options we'd pick but were very good. The big con is the price-sharing plates helps this.
Best Thai food out here
Was recommended this spot and told it was one of the best places in philly, where I grew up. This place did not disappoint. Everyone should at least try some Thai quality if you live around here.
Flavorful Thai food that excels. Go there.
Awesome Thai food. Flavorful, sensibly spicy. The branzino was to die for, with some heat, moderate citrus, perfectly cooked. Other items comparable. Food nothing like the usual neighborhood Thai restaurants that predominate. Moderately large venue but conversation and service were excellent. Prices not inexpensive but reasonable. If you have been to Jitlada in West Hollywood, CA, which could be the best Thai restaurant in the country, you will see a real resemblance. If we lived in Philly we'd be here all the time. By the way, the listed address is incorrect. The actual address is 4 West Palmer St, Philadelphia 19125. And the name is Kalaya Philadelphia, I believe. I asked, and the 9th St address is several years' old.
Great Food, but......
Food at Kalaya is very tasty and unique with an incredible mix of flavors and spices. Nothing we had was overly spicy which was nice for Thai based food. The service was very good as well. The decor is okay, some fun stuff but not particularly interesting. The big but - this area in Fishtown is a dump and makes going here feel unspecial and unsafe. Narrow streets, everything under construction, trash, several sketchy people along the way from the parking lot. Just be prepared.
A real taste sensation
You may think you know Thai food. But Kalaya will give you an education. And an amazing meal to boot. The flavors come alive with every dish--done thoughtfully, fancifully but without pretense. Despite the din of a packed dining room and people hovering for tables, the staff is practiced in being cool and calm but never detached. The people they serve are happy to be there and they are too. You may not know everything on the menu when you come in, but you won't forget them when you leave. If going for dinner on the weekend, book well in advance. It'll be worth it.
All we hoped for
What a great dinner. It was all that I hoped for in all ways. The food was outstanding and service was very good. The room was lovely and a great crowd. Flowere dumplings were amazing and hot, just short of too hot but hot. Crab and huge scallop curry in coconut sauce was beautiful and wife's beef stir fry was great. Mustard green side was very nice and the pilot noir was very good and decently priced. I believe it was the owner circulated to make sure and a nice touch. Warning, I guess, parking is challenging but if you can parallel park, and willing to maybe walk a bit, it's fine.
Enjoyed the food, but a little pricey.
Recently dined at this restaurant with family and really enjoyed the food. All the food is healthy and very tasty but felt it was a little pricey. Being a vegetarian I really appreciated all the different veggie and vegan choices on the menu. I did not care the decor or the ambiance, it was very load and therefore had a hard time hearing the conversation at our table. Loved the signature drinks.
Great & spicy with good service Skip it is yuo don't enjoy spicy food)
The dishes are shared by the table. We started with the shots in which you took a bite of a piece slice with spices on it then the shot These were delicious. The curry chicken and sesame chicken were the best. The goat and lamb curry were excellent as well. The prawn was large and interesting. Some of the dishes were very spicy, causing us to sweat and requiring lots of water, but not so hot as the spices masked the flavor of the dishes. The service was good. Popular, reservations hard to come by so we ate at 5;00 pm
Stunning Food
I had an amazing meal at Kalaya, every dish had the wow factor. The flavours were incredible - so fresh & zingy. Their curries certainly have bite! Don’t miss the Lum Yong cocktail & their showstopper iced dessert, Nam Kaeng Sai. Service was faultless from the lovely Michael. Kalaya is no longer at the address on South 9th Street as listed here, it moved to bigger premises in Fishtown over a year ago.
Your taste buds will thank you!
REAL Thai food!! Each dish was better than the next!! This is the best Thai food you will find outside of Thailand. Don’t go expecting American-Thai food … just be open and enjoy all the flavors!!! Only small complaint was that this dishes came out a bit rapidly, so be sure to tell them to slow things down. Otherwise this was an unforgettable meal and we can’t wait to return!!
Thai One on Here!
Kalaya lives up to the hype! It really is that good. A true party in your mouth! We had the spicy chicken dish, oyster dish and both types of dumplings. The cod fish bird dumplings were amazing! We can’t wait to return. A must visit when in Philly!
Mediocre food, great ambience
Our bar seating was terrible, end of the bar where everyone picks up drinks, my chair was hit numerous times. Also for a high scale restaurant with a top chef, you would think they could do better with catering to vegetarians. Everything was cookie cutter and couldn't be taken out or added because it was already prepped. Maybe 4 main/app dishes total out of the whole menu. Our drinks were great. Beautiful decor and ambience. Tried it and done, won't be back.
Service was a 10/10.
Food was delicious. Must try! Closes your going to get to authentic Thai food.
nickel and dime
There is a reason it’s tough to get a reservation- the new location is gorgeous. The food is very good, however as great as it was, there were some oddities and upsells. Our server informed us dumplings come in orders of 5, and encouraged us to add on a 6th dumpling for an additional cost. I looked around the restaurant, not a single table had an odd number. It seemed intentional to sell them in 5s then request tables add an additional. At the bottom of the menu it also informs that every bill will have a 3% charge to pay the kitchen staff- knowing that not a single bill would be under $200 that night seemed crazy that their prices didn’t already account for paying the staff. It was good but felt overpriced- ecsp for Thai food, it’s hard not to have very mixed feelings about them nickel and diming guests for fine dining.
Never again
Poor hygiene from the wait staff and a very unappealing restroom experience. The same guy that took the plates from another table went and folded someone's napkin without washing their hands. There was someone with a mullet that did the world's worst job of cleaning and sanitizing the table and then turned around and placed silverware on the bare surface of the table. Not a single drip of sanitizer or maybe a second towel after you scrubbed up spots and then pushed the dirt all over the place. I guess to just even out the filth. I didn't even get to my food yet, which was bland and excessively priced. I barely made it home before I had to sprint to the bathroom. Flat. Out. Disgusting.
Birthday night out
Attend Kalaya last night and it was very impressive. The staff was excellent they all were very attentive to my wife and I. The food was unbelievable, if you don’t eat spicy food please do not try any of their spicy dishes. The grill squid was wonderful, the dumplings were very different from what I was used to. The main dishes are something you truly want to share. You must have the salads it’s more then you can imagine. I also heard they do also family style but you must safe space for dessert. There shaved ice is a treat. That place was packed so I suggest you make reservations.
Kalaya was one of the best meals I've had in Philly.
Up until this dinner my knowledge of Thai food was limited to pad Thai and drunken noodles. After eating at Kalaya Thai food takes on a whole new meaning! The main word to describe the food was FLAVORFUL. All of the seafood and veggies were SO fresh and all of the dishes were so well executed. I can't recommend Kalaya enough if you're looking for authentic and delicious Thai food. The waitress was great at explaining all of the dishes and even the owner came out to help us pick out some dishes! We had a ton of left overs and everything reheated perfectly. The immediate next thing you should do after reading this is go and book a reservation!!
Not typical Thai food.
Delicious but some dishes are way to hot. Prices seem to have increased substantially in the last 6 months. That said, food is not to be missed.
Way too expensive and mediocre food.
We were looking for Thai food and came across Kalaya. We were able to get seated outside in the wooden crates they setup for outdoor dining. The seats were terribly uncomfortable. Once seated, the waitress informed us that there were no food substitutions allowed and that they could not adjust the spicinesses of the food. Being pescatarian and preferring moderate spiciness on our food this severely limited our options. And then there was the outrageous price. Some entrees were $75 with most ~$40 or more. We ordered a mushroom salad that was definitely too hot to enjoy and the glass noodle prawns which were overcooked and tough. A glass of tea and the total was over $100 (with tip).
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