Two weekends ago we met an out of town friend at a recently opened Thai restaurant on Eat Street in Minneapolis which received rave reviews about authenticity from Jeremy Iggers as well as The Heavy Table. He’s a Thai fan and following my multiple experiences eating at Ronin Sushi Cafe’s traditional, multi-course, special evenings where they served truly authentic Thai cuisine (nothing at all Americanized) I was excited to check out Krungthep Thai.
We arrived for lunch and found a nearly empty restaurant. There was one other table and only one other person came in to pick up a takeout order while we were there. We were seated promptly, provided menus, water, and some time to look over the absolutely massive menu.
After much time we settled on three items: Pad Thai, Pad-see-eew for our buddy, and some dish with beef and peppers with rice (ordered ‘extremely hot’), the name of which is long since forgotten and due to the lack of an online menu unable to be recalled–sorry. We also put in orders for spring rolls, egg rolls, and Thai sausage as appetizers.
Our appetizers came out in short order. The Thai sausage was full of fresh herbs, had a ton of flavor and was overall quite nice aside from the heavy amount of grease pooling on the plate. The spring rolls were nicely done and pretty but didn’t include any promised pork and had only a tiny piece of tasteless shrimp in each. The eggrolls were flaky and filled with lots of vegetables and not much else.
The entrees eventually arrived and my dish, ordered extremely hot, had no spice coming up with the steam. In fact, the first few bites provided absolutely no spice whatsoever. My friend tried some and noted he didn’t taste any spice either. The meat was overdone and chewy, the rice accompanying it was nothing special, and overall it was edible however I wouldn’t consider it even remotely “authentic” and definitely not “extremely hot”. Later when I made mention of the lack of spice to the waitress her mock horror face did little to fix the problems. She said she made mention of it to the kitchen and they were just in shock. While nothing is really too hot for me, with The Heavy Table making specific note of the heat levels in their own review:
Just make sure to specify the mildest level of spice when ordering. Even the most well-adjusted palate might recoil after a few bites of a medium spice dish. That’s right. Krungthep’s for real.
I really have to take exception to this. Either we were there on a very off day or people need to get on the ever growing heat-loving bandwagon, yes even in Minnesota, before they start ranting and raving about the spice levels of Minnesota restaurants. I really do expect a publication like The Heavy Table to know better and not print such ridiculousness unless beads of sweat are dripping off your face and onto your plate. Just because it’s ‘warmer’ than ketchup doesn’t mean it needs specific mention in your review.
Even with my mediocre dish, our friend’s Pad-see-eew was fine. It was nothing special in my opinion and certainly not at all as authentic as both Iggers and The Heavy Table claimed it would be. In fact, it was just about as Americanized as you could get. The Wife’s Pad Thai, while missing peanuts and sprouts because she chooses to avoid them during pregnancy, was bright orange and tasted like a sweet orange syrup. While she ordered hers “medium” it was too spicy for her to eat. I agreed that it had some heat, certainly not to be confused with my “extremely hot” dish but not worthy of mention. Unfortunately the dish itself was completely and utterly Americanized and a fairly big disappointment. I’ve had better Pad Thai at Noodles and Company. While I may be able to forgive The Heavy Table‘s ignorance on appropriately gauging Thai spice levels, their claims that Krungthep’s Pad Thai is what you order for your, “hard-to-please friends who made Pad Thai at home when they were, like, 12,” was laughable. Pad Thai is street food, not something Thais generally make at home, let alone when they’re 12 but hey, I get it, it sounds nice in a review. Unfortunately, in reality, it was just a cruel joke.
Overall, in our experience, Krungthep Thai in Minneapolis was not only the very typical Americanized Thai restaurant you’re likely to find in just about any Minnesota strip mall but it was also mediocre overall and definitely way underspiced even for Minnesota Thai. Edible for sure but definitely overhyped in every single way. I won’t be recommending anyone go there and instead suggest if you’re in the mood for some better Pad Thai that you head on over to the freezer section of your local grocer and get some Lean Cuisine Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken. You’ll end up paying less, receiving more spice, and you won’t be nearly as disappointed as we were with Krungthep’s pedestrian, Americanized Thai cuisine.
Have you ever eaten at Krungthep Thai in Minneapolis on Eat Street? If so what did you think? Where do you go for truly spicy Thai? How about “authentic” Thai? Do you agree that people’s tolerance for spice, even in Minnesota, has grown recently? Do you think it’s utterly ridiculous to keep over-estimating the levels people can handle just because this state has traditionally been so intolerant? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.
Address:
Krungthep Thai
2523 Nicollet Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone:
612-874-7721
See all the pictures from Krungthep Thai on Flickr here.
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December 21st, 2011 at 8:06 am
I just wanted to add that I also tried Bill’s dish and when I agree that a dish has no spice to it, you know that is really bad because I have a low tolerance for heat. My dish ended up being the hottest one on the table and I soon surrendered it to my companions. They apparently have no consistency to their spice levels so keep that in mind when ordering. Specifying mild, medium, hot or extremely hot wont’ actually mean anything, you are going to get what you are going to get and it could be any one of the levels mentioned. Surprise!
December 21st, 2011 at 8:29 am
Hey there–I’m the writer of that Heavy Table review you’ve taken issue with, and I’d be happy to address your assessment of Krungthep. [I should mention that I'm writing this comment on my own and it does NOT reflect the opinions of the Heavy Table at large.]
First, let me say that I visited the restaurant more than three different times before writing the review, so I think we can safely rule out the presence of snap judgements. I had a great experience on every occasion, so I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy your own.
But I really hope you give it another try. For one thing, you didn’t sample most of the dishes in my review. In fact, the only dishes both of our reviews have in common are the spring rolls and the Pad Thai. However, if you recall the article, I write that the “Pad Thai ($8), is good enough” but that “the noodles were pretty greasy on our visit, and overall the plate lacks the spunk and citrusy verve of the other dishes we tried.” Clearly, both you AND I didn’t love this item on the menu. In fact, it’s the only item I do not rave about in my review, so I don’t really understand why you would link your dislike of it to my otherwise positive review of Krungthep. I don’t think it’s a great example of what Krungthep can do.
What’s more, you mention that the “medium” heat level of your wife’s dish was “too spicy for her to eat,” thereby admitting that people in fact have different palates and that perhaps some restaurant goers (notice I never specifically mention “Minnesotans” in my review the way you do) might appreciate a warning about spice. Although you weren’t satisfied with your “extremely hot” dish, it was clearly a fluke if it was even LESS spicy than a “medium” level one. Confusing, for sure, but also an indication that spice tolerance is one of those things that’s hard to evaluate because it varies so much from person to person–no matter what state they’re from.
Also, I think you’re misreading this line: “hard-to-please friends who made Pad Thai at home when they were, like, 12.” I meant to indicate “super in-the-know foodie friends who looove cooking and often recreate their favorite dishes at home.” I don’t think I allude to them being “Thai” friends, or that Pad Thai is something any given person of Thai descent would make at home. I simply meant to say that Krungthep has a ton of delicious things to offer, the least of which is the over hyped and well-known dish called Pad Thai. But perhaps I could be more clear next time–it’s good to know what readers think.
Hopefully that clarifies a few things. Again, I’m sorry you didn’t find my review helpful, but I really do hope you’ll give Krungthep another shot. I stand by my positive experiences there. And the Tom Yum soup is seriously bomb on a cold night.
December 21st, 2011 at 8:34 am
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December 21st, 2011 at 9:08 am
I visit Krungthep’s sister restaurant, Bangkok Thai Deli in St. Paul, biweekly at least. My last meal was for my birthday — so that’s how much I like it!
I guess I don’t know what “authentic” is, because I’ve never been to Thailand or Asia, but based on the majority of the patrons eating there, I’d say it’s probably pretty good Asian food.
My favorite are the soups, especially the pho, and the curry (#28). Once you become a familiar face, the level of spice requested starts to be taken seriously :) Blonde hair and light blue eyes don’t put much credibility behind a request for heat.
And if it doesn’t suit me, I just dip into condiments until my nose starts running! I guess that Bangkok/Krungthep isn’t for everyone. But at least there’s enough variety of Thai/Vietnamese in this town for everyone’s liking.
December 21st, 2011 at 9:11 am
When you compare any pad thai to the shit Noodles & Company throws out…I can’t take your review seriously.
December 21st, 2011 at 9:14 am
Seppuku,
It was done purposefully to highlight the ridiculous claims of “authenticity” by the other reviewers. That statement wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. Sorry you can’t detect humor. Sank claims it’s a problem on this site ;)
December 21st, 2011 at 10:46 am
Wow, brutal review. Good to know that you are not going soft in your old age.
I thought Emily penned a very nice response in defense of her own opinions on the place.
These are, after all, opinions.
December 21st, 2011 at 10:54 am
Chad, yup. Much better than many others handle criticism including myself at times. Kudos to her.
December 21st, 2011 at 9:18 pm
I haven’t been to a decent Thai place in a while, but I always liked Chang Mai Thai. I for Vietnamese/Thai I overwhelmingly prefer Quang Deli on Eat Street. Every time I go, I intend on ordering something different, but always order the caramelized chicken. Also, there’s a great little Thai (I think it was Thai, anyway) in Brooklyn Park called Lemongrass. Wonder if it’s still there?
December 22nd, 2011 at 7:59 am
I’m Bill’s “out of town friend” referenced in this review. My additional comments would be these: (1) I would classify the spring rolls as “grass rolls flavored with meat”. (2) Bill’s “extremely hot” dish was indeed closer to “Minnesota bland”…didn’t even approach a proper level of heat. (3) Every dish was a bit too greasy. (4) My overall review of this restaurant can be summed up in one word: “Unmemorable”.
December 26th, 2011 at 8:56 am
After reading reviews from Heavy Table and Andrew Zimmern, we thought we were in for a treat with the arrival of Krumthep Thai! We have been anticipating dining here with great anticipation, saving the experience for Christmas when we ‘go Jewish’ and enjoy an Asian meal and a movie. BIG, BIG, BIG disappointment. Not only was the medium spiciness not at all spicy, but my curried mock duck was a pile of slop, literally. The ‘meat’ had not been cut into pieces or strips, but was sauteed as a lump. It was like a giant glob of a hamburger in mass. The potatoes and carrots were over-cooked to the point that they retained no texture; they were practically baby food. We love spicy, so we were looking forward to the heat. Zippo. As a matter of fact, I wondered if they accidentally left it out entirely, a HUGE faux pas when you’re talking about Thai food. My husband’s seafood dish was amped just a little more, but still very tame, and the scallops in his dish were mushy and fishy. My 16 year old daughter commented that she was underwhelmed with her curry dish, and that the portion was ‘skimpy.’ (Heavy Table said that 3 could share a dish………three toddlers?) Further, we waited nearly an hour for our take-out order!!! While eating this crap (it really was!) I rationalized that maybe the regular cook was off for Christmas and some panicked novice got stuck with the cooking duties. I can see from the above reviews that this was not the case. While Thai and Vietnamese are very different animals (and I was so excited to have a choice!) I too will stick with my beloved Quang.
December 26th, 2011 at 9:13 am
Julie’s comment above illustrates why fluff reviews that you see in so many places are such a disservice to everyone.
December 26th, 2011 at 9:50 am
What?
December 26th, 2011 at 10:34 am
I am not an author, Hemmingway.
January 25th, 2012 at 7:03 am
[...] Taqueria and Mercado 15. Shamrock’s 16. Joey Nova’s 17. Dandelion Kitchen 18. YumMi 19. Krungthep Thai 20. The Blue Door Pub 21. The Lexington 22. Taste of Thailand 23. Dakota Jazz Club and [...]
March 17th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Bill, do yourself a favor and try On’s Kitchen. Right near the corner of Snelling and University. She used to be the cook at Bangkok Thai Deli and left them a couple of years ago. Absolutely the best Thai you will find in this town hands down.
March 17th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Dr. K.,
I was there fairly recently (a few weeks ago) with a friend and enjoyed what I had. While I told them to make it as hot as possible, it wasn’t anything near.
But the food was still good. I’ll go back and do a review sometime. Thanks for the reminder.
April 19th, 2013 at 6:08 am
I’m looking for a great Thai place that has wonderful curry..Love places that use Thai Basil in their curry. Any suggestions in Minneapolis metro area?