Nick K. W.
Yelp
After an extended time of me not posting any reviews, I've returned to give my thoughts on what I consider one of the most surprising places I've been to in recent memory.
Thai food is something that I enjoy, but I tend to not seek it out that much, especially given that I have a favorite Thai restaurant in my part of town, in Henderson. However, errands brought me to this part of town -- and to Pin Kaow, which is considered one of the "OG" Thai restaurants in Las Vegas. My mother was the one who thought of this place, and I will admit that I had my concerns, especially given that this restaurant is part of an unassuming and slightly rundown-looking corner of Rainbow and Lake Mead.
Boy, was I wrong. The interior of the restaurant definitely made me feel like I was in Thailand, and it was busy! One of the things that my mother and I noticed throughout our meal was that there were people coming in almost constantly; this rush didn't let up until we were finished and ready to go, so that alone tells you how popular this place is with the locals.
In any case, we ended up ordering quite a lot of food -- the chicken satay, the wor wonton soup, massaman curry, pad see ew, their fried rice, the Gulf of Thailand, and their duck curry. ( As one could guess, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs at the time. ) To say that we enjoyed everything would be AN UNDERSTATEMENT -- one of the most surprising dishes that we had there was the chicken satay. In many other Thai places in town, the satay is often dry, tasteless, and rather sad. Not here, though -- the chicken was so moist and juicy and flavorful that even my mother, who doesn't typically like satay, finished hers off faster than I blinked! Their wonton soup was also really delicious as well; packed with plenty of meat, vegetables, and wontons, it was easily one of the best soups I've had anywhere in town.
For the main courses, my personal favorite standouts were the duck curry and the fried rice; the duck curry in particular is something that I don't usually see at other Thai restaurants, and it was just as good as I was hoping it would be! About the only thing that we would change next time is the spice level. My mother and I asked for no spice in our food, but in hindsight, having some spice would have enhanced the dishes further. They were still quite good regardless, though!
When it came to service, we did have to flag down a server multiple times to get what we asked for, though admittedly, I can understand them being a bit rushed because of the sheer number of people who had come in to eat.
As she works in this part of town, my mother considers Pin Kaow one of her favorite Thai restaurants in the Valley, and after my experience there, I can understand why. It truly is special, and I am a convert -- it's even made my personal favorite list of Thai restaurants in town, along with other favorites like Siri Thai in Henderson and Arawan Thai Bistro and Dessert in central Las Vegas. If you've never come here before, please do yourself a favor and try this place. You'll love it!