Baan Sawan Thai Bistro

We love this place. Run by two brothers, they make food with so much love, care, and creativity. The menu shifts each week but they keep the website updated. A few parking spots in front and more around the back. Usually if you get there by 5, 5:30 you can get a table. 6, 6:30 is more dicey since their seating is so limited

It pains me to write a critical review of my once favorite Thai fine dining options in town. I loved this bistro when they were completely focused on the dining part, and had full table service, but perhaps this isn't what their vision is anymore. I am reviewing specifically the bistro component, less so the used books part. The service is fantastic, never any complaints, everything came out in reasonable time, and everyone was extremely cordial. The criticism comes to the food, where for the price point of the restaurant it's reasonable to expect the food to be elevated past another fast Thai food restaurant. But I think the food here fell short of that unfortunately. Each of the dishes were quite unfortunate in their flavor profiles while reasonable plated for my rib dish. The meat was braised, and the texture was not something to particularly envy. It was quite tender, I do give it that, however the flavor profile just felt flat. The salad was fine, yet was overly dressed with what I would determine to be fish sauce, making it too salty. The tofu vegetarian curry dish was also unfortunate because it had near no flavor except for a component of spice from some pepper. As another insult, the rice was not cooked well. I felt that the rice was overly dry. I would love to give you guys another chance. I recall fondly of a sous-vide duck curry and your other chicken curry you served 3-4 years prior, which were divine. I have been wanting to come ever since, and this time was quite disappointing.

Best Thai restaurant in Columbia. They do their own take on the dishes so it's not "pure authentic Thai cuisine" but Thai recipes infused with some Guatemalan cuisine some times or just simply experiments it seems to me from the chefs. But it works, we read the menu every week and when we see something that sounds new and exciting, we go. If you are not an adventurous eater, it might not be for you, but if you like new culinary experiences, give it a go, in Columbia, you won't find anything better.

You had me at Thai + used book store. We were only in the area for a couple nights and I am always looking for unique things to try and this place kept popping up on my radar. It's tiny, only open 2 nights a week, and has a rotating menu that you can see online. What's on the menu is what they have so if you don't see it, it's probably not available. It was a little bit of a challenge to feed our sometimes picky kids but my husband and I enjoyed it immensely. The kids were entertained with the assortment of board games available and the bookshop. Perfect service.

Beautiful atmosphere, delicious food and excellent service! I had the ginger tofu and my sister had the lamb meatballs. They were both so good!

Great food.. Quality as wells as quantity of the food is good. This place is near to the main road. We have to park the vehicle on the road itself because parking space is less. Food is little expensive but tasty.. Staffs are friendly.. We can define this restaurant as a cozy place.. Drinks are also available if needed..

Amazing food, staff and hospitality. Reminds me of a library, with the beautiful and lovely addition of a restaurant. Rotating menus with exquisite taste. Highly recommend. Coincidently they are Guatemalan based, and I’m half lol.

A true gem 💎 located near five points in Columbia SC with only two dinner services weekly. Friday and Saturday only with a set menu of their choosing at least for now. I’ve come to love Thai food and this place got me hooked many years ago I found the place. The restaurant also doubles as a used book store. They also have wine clubs or memberships. Parking is free and they open at 5:00PM with bar seats or a few tables to eat dinner. Great spot !

The entrees were really pricey but imo worth it. They were out of basil the night I dined. The server/manager stated we strive to have the best ingredients and they were not to our quality. Not sure if that was a spin or the truth but the flavors from the dish do not disappoint. Tip: ask for a spice rack! The chili powder is very spicy though - you were worn. I personally like to have a little initially but finish off the meal with enough spice to burn my taste buds off. Rating four because the food was truly delicious. I did not enjoy the appetizers though and will not be returning for appetizers. Would I recommend/go back: Yes! Food: 9/10 except appetizers Ambiance: 8/10 Service: 9/10 Drinks: N/A

It's changed some over the years but still tastes great. Don't sleep on their spring rolls or pad thai!

I made a reservation at Baan Sawan Thai Bistro at 8 for Valentine's Day after hearing good things about it. We were confused when we arrived because it was more like a house than a restaurant, but the interior was nicely designed like a small Thai restaurant. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and I ordered the shrimp tom yum soup and fried tofu pad thai, while my partner ordered the three flavored duck. The tom yum soup came out and it was lackluster. The flavor wasn't bad, but it wasn't as sour or flavorful as other tom yum soups I've had. There were maybe 2-3 baby shrimp in the bowl and they were overcooked and rubbery. After the soup, it took forever for our food to come out, close to 35 minutes. When our food finally came out, the duck plate was beautiful and I was surprised to see wide noodles with the pad thai. The flavor of the noodle itself was good but a little dry, and you could tell that the fried tofu had been pre-made and was just sitting out. It was not warm or crispy and I was disappointed after having to wait that long. Although the duck was delicious! To top it off, our server took soooo long to attend to us. We would see her talking at the bar with other customers while waiting to get a to-go box, waiting to get our check, and then waiting to pay our check. We were there for an unnecessarily long time and it made our patience wear thing. The food was good but not the best. Service was terrible so we probably won't be coming back.

Hands down the best Thai food in town. Very small little mom and pop shop that cranks out the best pad thai youll ever have. Due to it being such a small little restaurant it can take a while, but every second of the wait is worth it.

Restaurant is closed. Called their phone number and they have a message about flattening the curve. Was excited to try it but oh well!

Baan Swawn is a small, cute yet comfortable little restaurant with a non unassuming menu. For Columbia standards the food is pretty good, but over all I would call it average. The best part of my meal was the smooth and impossibly dark, Frothy Beard, Cluster Shuck, oyster stout brew. I can't imagine how good this would be on tap vs in a can The wife and I both ordered the crispy vegetable spring roll which wasn't bad but greatly suffered from a lack of plum ginger sauce I also had a cup of an underwhelming Tom Kha soup with vegetable broth, coconut milk, white mushrooms, lemongrass, ginger, & galangal. I ordered Three flavored duck - two duck leg quarters confit, flour dredged and finished crisp in a thai three flavor sauce. Bot the wife and I thought was pretty good However I had to switch my dish with the wife's, who thought her 2 duck leg quarters confit served in a Massaman curry was just OK We finished the night with a nice dish of Fried banana served with ice cream caramel sauce. We ordered this with an excellent decaf served in coffee press pot. While on of the of the better Thai restaurant in Columbia, I would put rate it middle of the road compared to Thai restaurants in larger cities.

I adore Thai food, Baan Sawan was such a treat! The restaurant atmosphere is sophisticated, the service was professional. But the food ! Such an explosion of flavors and colors. The seafood curry was absolutely delicious ! Our starters were also tasty.

We have been driving by Baan Sawan for years, but had never tried Thai food and didn't stop by, until recently. We have been missing out! This place is cute and homey. The service is warm, friendly, and very professional. The wine menu is nicely sized and you can tell was put together with lots of love. The beer list is the same. Having dinner in this quaint yet elegant atmosphere sets you at ease, and makes you feel like you're attending a nice dinner party at the house of an old friend. We started with an appetizer. I cannot remember for the life of me what it was called, but they were little fried "cakes" that were compiled of shrimp and I think chicken. They were served with a great sauce, which was made to the spice level we desired. They were delicious and did not last long! For supper, I ordered the Spicy Noodles with Shrimp, and my SO ordered the Pad Thai with shrimp. My Spicy noodles were phenomenal and the shrimp were cooked perfectly! The ingredients all tasted fresh and high quality. I had a lovely glass of Cab Franc with my noodles and my SO had a Thai beer with his Pad Thai. I didn't get to try the Pad Thai because he ate every bit of it! This was our first foray into Thai cuisine, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We want to come to Baan Sawan once a week now! This is a great place for a family supper, a date night, or dinner with a friend. If you haven't been, GO!

Hip vibe and really easy to miss this set back location. The stars of the show was the fried tofu skewers and yes, it's the intro to Thai Food but I love Pad Thai, this spot got it right. Destination spot when in the Columbia area.

My partner and I came here for a couples night out. The service was amazing. I had a curry dish that was just okay and a few appetizers that were just okay as well. Still somewhat uncertain of why their pricing is the way that it is because the dishes are nothing above average.

This place is nice and tasty but don't expect to have an endless selection of thai food. Note that it's a two $ type of place, so the ambiance lends itself to a quiet, intimate dinner. The staff are very attentive to your needs, which was unexpected for some of the people in my group. When they think thai food, it is usually a hole in the wall, with a large menu, and a loud scene. But that's what happens when they pick a spot and didn't use Yelp! It may not have been the type of thai place we were expecting, based on past experiences, but that doesn't make it bad. Now because of what I have described to you, you must think the prices are higher too. Yes, they were. a pad thai dish and a thai tea came out to $20, when normally you could get that for under $15. While the food was good, it wasn't a game changing experience. Most of the other group members had the panang curry, which they did say tasted good, but not amazing. I loved my thai tea, but I have rarely had something i considered to be a "bad" serving of thai tea. Just saying that makes me crave one right this moment. I think this place is best for a first date or someone trying to get their feet wet with thai food.

Excellent service and the food is fabulous. One of Columbia's treasures!

It has taken me several visits to finally put together what I want to say about this restaurant. A small, family owned business that makes their own rules and can get away with it. The food is always beautiful and delicious with great attention to detail. I have sampled a good variety of dishes and see consistent results across fish, duck, chicken and vegetarian fare. Unlike other establishments, the front of the house takes care that the kitchen does not become overwhelmed, too busy, or need to cut corners. In order to maintain quality in the kitchen, the front will seemingly spontaneously decide 'the kitchen is closed', or 'the restaurant is full', or even if not full- 'we are no longer seating customers'. These are the important steps taken to ensure the integrity of the food remains. Once I figured out the quirks, I am proud to say Baan Swan is one of my favorite places to go in Columbia. Enjoy

OMG!! Don't bother with the chains!! Ban Sawan is magnificent!! Highest quality, freshest food I have ever had!

Baan Sawan is an absolute gem of Columbia's culinary scene. The food is amazing, and they have one of the best wine lists around. I love takeout Thai as much as the next person, but don't make the mistake of thinking this is that. The quality is much superior (and the prices a little higher to match). All of the curries are delicious, we love the duck option on top of the curries, spicy noodles get two thumbs up, the duck fat matzo ball soup is how fusion dishes should be, and the calamari puts every other calamari dish I've ever had to shame. You might not expect a Thai restaurant to have such a wonderful wine list, but they do. And their sommelier is incredibly friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable in helping you try something new!

This place easily made its way into my top restaurants in the area. The atmosphere is so homey and almost feels as thought the family that's owns the place invited you into their own home. My girlfriend and I ordered vegetable spring rolls as an appetizer, pad thai with chicken for dinner, and the fried banana dessert. Every single one of these were mouthwateringly good and left us wanting more. Our conversation over dinner consisted of mainly saying, "this is so good." So if you're looking for a new place to try, or even a place to become a regular and feel welcome, I suggest this place.

Well after having a few drinks down the road with some old and new feinds I decided that I need to treat myself to a nice dinner on a Wednesday as I work for a living and had the funds to do so haha. So I know this place is great as I have been here before and really enjoyed it. The task at hand was deciding on what to get as everything looked good on the menu. After several long conversations with the waitress I pulled the trigger on three way duck entree and duck-fat matzo ball soup prepared in coconut milk with tasty mushrooms. While I waited I sipped two Thai beers then quickly finished off the soup normally a special appetizer served once in awhile was made permanent because of its high demand and popularity. Moving onto one of my all time favorite meats, duck oh duck how I love thee. This dish is prepared with so much love and care cooked tender with all the tart citrus flavors surrounding a mound of rice with a few vegetables. Five stars all the way ! Most people don't even know about Baan Swan but that is about to change as the new sign more closer to the road is bound to bring the crowds in from all over the surrounding area. Not sure how I feel about that, but in all honesty they could set me up a small table out back and wouldn't care as long as I had this food prepared the way I like it.

I'm glad my colleague took me to this Thai restaurant the last time we came to Columbia. My first time I had red chicken curry. I thought it was quite good and a generous portion. Last night, we all ordered Tom kha with matzo balls, which we all loved. It was a great fusion idea. We also had pad Thai, which was good and had a strong sesame flavor. The green curry read alright but disappointing. Still, if recommend if you're in town.

My wife and I went there recently. Overall, it was disappointing. The calamari appetizer was some of the best I've had, and easily the highlight of the meal. I ordered green curry; she ordered pad thai. They arrived after a surprisingly long wait. Neither of us was particularly impressed with these dishes, and the shrimp in her pad thai tasted a little funky (not like it had gone bad, but still kind of weird...neither of us got sick so don't worry about that). My green curry tasted fine, but was a bit bland. With the exception of the calamari, the meal was mediocre. We decided it was definitely not worth the high price. The food alone may have been worth 3/5 stars; it wasn't bad, but for the price we paid, it should have been a lot less...lackluster. You can get larger portions of much better Thai food in Spartanburg of all places, and for much less. And you won't have to wait as long... There were two plusses however: our server was nice, and this is one of the few restaurants in Columbia that doesn't have a TV. But that's not enough to make me want to go back.

Baan Swan is fine dining style Thai food. It's a cute little restaurant, maybe 15 tables, and you are greeted and seated immediately. Because it's fine dining it's more pricey than typical Thai food. This isn't a problem for me except that two elements were a miss for me. The Chicken Basil is really really basic. I've had better basil chicken at less fancier places. Also the have 5 levels of spicy, but if you like spicy you have to go really high in number. I ordered my basil as a 3 (significantly hot) and I think it's more of a mild. To be fair I think Baan Swan specializes in curry. They have 5 different types each served 2 ways (so I guess 10 types). But I didn't order the curry. My colleagues did and enjoyed it. The service the night I went was incredibly slow. It took probably 20 mins for my colleagues soup to come out as an appetizer, 40 minutes from when we ordered til when dinner came out. Fine dining or not, this is unacceptable.

One of the more established Thai restaurants in Columbia. Excellent food and service to match. They're routinely full, and very honest about your wait time. Perfect date spot. Must-try if you live in Columbia.

Very delicious. It pains me to give this place anything but 5 stars. I love Thai food. I love that it was a converted house. Being half Thai I feel like it is my specialty. The boars cheek mussamun was sooo tender, succulent perfection but a little sweet for my taste. The panang was great also a little sweet and lacking lime leaf. The Tom kha soup creamy awesomeness. That all being said the service was absurdly slow. A person in my group was allergic to shellfish. The waiter was not helpful in coming up with alternatives. I know Thai dishes get cooked with fish sauce often or oyster sauce sometimes but there are easy alternatives (especially if this is a made to order restaurant). I was sorely disappointed. I really loved everything but the lack of accommodation and the extremely slow service time. All in all. Food was amazing, our server was nice but my companions who had to sit at another table had a server who was rude, unaccomodating and practically yelled at them. I won't be retuning because of that.

I had high expectations. We travel around the US and go to any Thai restaurant we find on our way. This one is small so it's hard to get a table; tried once before but didn't have time to wait. This time on a Wednesday night we were seated right away. The server told us there would be wait for entrees, while apps and drinks could be served soon. He was right. The Tom Kha soup was wonderful and savory, not sweet as we have come to expect in Thai restaurants. About 25 minutes after we finished the soup, the entrees came. Vegetable red curry and pad Thai with tofu. They were good, not great, perhaps because I followed the advice on the menu to order one spice level below what you think you want. The service was excellent.

Baan Sawan is "5" star Thai. I ordered the special of the night-- perfectly grilled pork loin (sliced very thin) and served in a masterful massaman curry. The vegetables and rice were perfectly cooked. The amazing sauce was layered with flavors. The chemistry and complexity of the sauce alone sets this place apart from average Thai restaurants. The chef's presentation is a work of art. Sam is one the finest servers I've ever encountered. He is so knowledgeable and pleasant. He made the evening "exceptional." We arrived around 7:30pm and were seated immediately. We did not wait long for the food-- but I do recommend getting an appetizer to break up the wait. Everything is carefully crafted and takes a bit longer. Note: this is a small restaurant with limited seating-- not ideal for parties larger than 4.

I absolutely love this place. I love the small intimate feeling of the restaurant. I love the great service and attention. The food is superb. It is expensive but worth it, not every place needs huge portions and dollar menus. This place allows you to sit and enjoy the portions, the wine and enjoy an evening. Plus, it's not a chain restaurant. This is a great place to go on a date in Columbia. Thumbs up!

This is a really interesting Thai place and we had a fantastic dinner there last night. It's more expensive than the typical Thai restaurant in the US, and it doesn't have all the things you might expect on the menu. But they're doing their own thing, curating the menu to just a dozen or so really great entrees. I had the three spice duck and my husband had the red curry with fried tofu and veggies. Both were great. My husband has trouble getting restaurants to give him food as spicy as he likes it, and the five was a pleasant surprise. Be warned. My three spice duck was really fantastic, two generous pieces of crispy fried duck with a complex sauce. I tend to want veggies with my entrees, and this was my only complaint. No veggies. And the curry didn't come with rice (though I don't think we were charged for it when we asked...). In general, it seems really great for vegetarians, too. My husband is one of those vegetarians who doesn't eat any meat derived ingredients, so no fish sauce or oyster sauce. This makes most curries in Thai restaurants off-limits. But they seem to be going out of their way to make things accessible to vegetarians here. You even have a choice of fresh or fried tofu with the curries. There were also several vegetarian appetizers (though we'll have to try them next time) including the first vegetarian larb salad I've ever seen. Looking forward to trying that. Prices are a little higher for entrees than typical Thai places ($22 for the duck, $18 for the curry) but I think it's worth it. And the service was really phenomenal. Our waiter was really personable, attentive, and helpful with ordering. We are really glad that this place is in our new neighborhood!

Extremely slow service. Took him 30 min to give us our credit card back after we paid. We just wanted to leave. Also, $18 for pad thai noodles. Get. The. Fuck. Out of here. This place is so annoying.

I have been a regular at this place but today will be my last time. I ordered Basil Thai & requested less tofu, my dish was full of tofu & the veggies were under cooked, I could now swallow my food. I had to tell the waiter & he took back, I just had a bite & was charged for the whole dish, they did not even offer to make my dish right, very poor customer service

Ah... When it's great, it's amazing. Don't go for "traditional" and don't go for "Thai hot" even though you can have as much heat as you like. Explore their curries, savor their tofu satay, and revel in the specials --- duck, catfish, boar. (Notice I am not a vegetarian and recommend the tofu? Don't fear the tofu, you sissy.) Their beer and wine selections are bar none in town and for some ways beyond. Very carefully chosen, and across a spectrum of tastes. Sans "bold" one note reds and unbalanced saccharine whites. You can have your fruits and nuance, too! And even more. There's a generally excellent (albeit smaller) selection of beers, so don't overlook them. As someone who's been a "foodie" (srsly, the dumb terms that catch on) since the last fin de siècle, Baan's been something of a hidden gem -- but since the two buildings that obscured it were demolished, perhaps it will become less over-looked, now? It's long been that special place enough people know about and recommend... where you bring visiting friends, or treat yourself. Because it consistently pleases very diverse tastes, and strikes the right balance between elegance and warmth. Weeknights (except Mons) are wonderful if you're in town for business and looking for something out of the ordinary. In a town that is entirely beset by much that's ordinary despite intentions and the times, I don't take this place for granted. I like to travel. When I have to come home, it's a great consolation to have Baan here.

Food was really good. Service was terrible. Drinks stayed empty for 20 min. Ordered a spicy dish, ran out of water and took another 10 min for a refill. Only time waiter was in any hurry was to run our card for us to leave.

This place has been on my radar since I started yelping - I'm always eager to try non-chain local joints. We arrived on Tuesday around 7:10, there were only 3 spots available in front of the restaurant (1 was taken, 1 was handicapped designated) and maybe a combined 10 or so, along the side (for parallel parking) and around the back of the building... which were ALL taken. We opted to park down the hill to the right of the restaurant in spots that were labeled SHARKYS etc and hoped we'd have a car to come back to. We were able to get a table squished off into the corner without a wait, the restaurant was loud and crowded - I didn't get the cozy intimate feel I was hoping for (there was a larger group on the other side of the restaurant that seemed to be having a good time so I'll attribute the loudness to that). I ordered the calamari appetizer and shrimp pad Thai. We ordered at 7:20ish, my appetizer took maybe 10 or 15 mins to hit the table (not bad considering it was crowded in my opinion for a Tuesday and there were only 2 servers). The calamari was good - I was hungry - it was fresh, crispy, tender and the batter had a nice black pepper flavor that went well with the sweet plum sauce. The entrees didn't arrive until 8:15 and by then I was bored, and my app and drink had started to settle in my belly so I wasn't as hungry or excited to eat. This was my first time trying Pad Thai, it had a vinegary taste that I didn't like much, so I picked out a few shrimp and ate a couple bites of the noodles - trying to like it more with each bite, I ended up taking more than half of it to-go. Hopefully someone at home will enjoy it more. Our server was polite, I didn't think we got as much attention as I'd like or expect from a "fine dining" establishment (didn't get a refill, didn't check in with us to keep us updated on the progress of the food, didn't check to see if we were enjoying everything once we got it). Glad I tried it, but don't think I'll be back anytime soon.

I have gotten food from Baan Sawan twice now (take out both times). If I was to review the establishment based on just my first experience it would have been 4 stars - great service, we got a drink while we waited and had a pleasant conversation with the bartender. We ordered the Pad Thai and a red Thai Curry -- both fantastic. I especially liked how the pad thai was served with the customary lime and sprouts. When we asked for spicy sauce, they gave us some "tom yum' powder which was also excellent. However, a place is only as good as how consistent it is. We got Baan Sawan tonight and the whole experience was a disaster. We ordered take out at 8:30pm -- as soon as my wife ordered she heard the rude person on the other side saying that the kitchen closes at 9 (we got there before 9pm) and we should definitely be there before then if we wanted our food. She ordered a Pad Thai and a Green Curry and asked for it to be spicy -- the person on the other side said we should not order the green curry if we wanted spicy food and told us to order a red curry instead. Once we got the cold food, we immediately realized it was pre-prepared inedible food. This is easy to tell because the cold noodles stick together. It is sitting in my trash right now. Never again.

Waited an hour for the food when the restaurant was not even busy. Waitress started ignoring our table as others' food came out. Beautiful ambiance. I had high hopes. Disappointed at the high price and long wait. Portions are small.

This was our last visit to Baan Sawan. We use to love this place. The food use to be excellent and was probably the best Thai food in Columbia. Not anymore. Now the place is nearly empty on a Saturday night and the food is NOT good. I had spicy noodles that were so greasy that it was nasty. My friend had yellow curry, that was worse. What happened here? The last few times we have come here it has been poor to bad. We have come back to Baan Sawan hoping they would fix their problems, but they apparently are on the way out. Sad...

This is my new favorite Thai place in SC. I sat at the bar, and Sam took very good care of me. The Seafood Curry was excellent, and the wine Sam paired with it was perfect. I'll be back often!!

Very good food. I looked at the posted menu and I didn't see Tom Kah Motz which is a Thai Coconut soup, but instead of chicken being the star, it's filled with matzo balls, where they use duck fat instead of schmaltz. Crazy good. It used to be a special, but we bugged Chef Alex for a couple of years and he finally added it to the menu. I tell visitors from out of town that the only place to get matzo ball soup in Columbia is at a Thai restaurant. The specials are pretty imaginative too, e.g. rabbit & venison sausage served with drunken noodles, or wild boar pork shoulder with your choice of a North/Central or massaman curry sauce. If you show up with a crowd, your service might be slow, at least that's been my experience. But in a nutshell--GO!

Just a great experience each time. Sammy--a co-owner and the usual bartender--is a delight, so try to sit at the bar if available. However, don't hesitate to grab a table if the bar is full. The food is consistently brilliant. Unless you have allergies, please let the kitchen do their thing. Please don't get a million modifiers. It just doesn't make sense to pay money for a chef's expertise, and then change his recipe all around when you order. The curries are my favorite, but Chef Alex nearly always has two or three very inventive and delicious specials. Pound for pound, the wine list is the best and most principled in town. It's a TEENCY bit pricy in terms of markup, but I chalk that up to the restaurant being tiny, and the family needing to make in margin what they can't make in volume. Anyway, you won't find ANYONE else in Columbia who puts more time or thought into their wine program. Yummy Thai comfort food and the city's best wine list--I think that'll keep me coming back.

First thing I see on the specials menu: Pulled Pork Penang. That is what I'm talkin' about!! Authentic? No. Legit? YES! Columbia, South CARO-LINE-AAA, is surprising in a lot of ways. First of all, they are about to elect a Sikh-Methodist woman governor - google Nikki Haley - and that about blows my shit (politics aside). Second, they have some of the best Thai food I've ever had in my overly indulgent life (and I spent three months in South East Asia with some munchies like you would not believe! It was like Brokedown Palace up in that piece, minus the going to jail and wanting to die part). Anyways, per usual, I digress. ENTER, BAAN SAWAN. Awesome ambiance, including a huge flowering pot of Jasmine near the entrance. With the sultry warm air and the sweet smell of Jasmine perfuming everything you're transported to a completely different place. The restaurant itself is on top of a hill, so I literally felt like I was entering a tree-house restaurant or something - fab.U.lous. Second, the wine and beer list is truly diverse and impressive. Pricey, but so worth it. My friend ordered a fancy french beer in a 780ml bottle, the thing cost him $18 bucks! I'm from San Francisco, so anytime something costs too much and looks and tastes gorgeous, SIGN ME UP! As for the food, wow - my gulf-caught shrimp and red curry was absolutely delicious - the freshness of the ingredients was immediately apparent, as was the chef's clear understanding of the nuances of a good curry. Purrr-fect! I ate the entire thing, no problem. I'm trying to be a little more "mindful" of what I eat these days, so I asked myself if I needed another bite and responded: "F*ck you Oprah voice, I'm eating this mutha-f*cker whole. STAND DOWN." ....Yeah, I'm gonna get that looked at.... bottom line, this ranks as the best meal I've had in 2010, and my favorite restaurant in Columbia!

I've been meaning to check out Baan Sawan for quite some time and am happy to say I finally got around to it last night. We had dinner at the place and as so many yelpers have already written - they offer fantastic food and great service. They definitely lived up to their online reputation. We started off with two crispy vegetable spring rolls. They serve the appetizer in a small bowl cut into two's and rested on a very sweet sauce. Something about the sauce blended in with the texture and seasoning of the rolls just worked and it was probably one of the best vegetable spring rolls I've had a Thai restaurant! We were off to an amazing start. My glass of Cataldi Madonna Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2011 was light and smooth and went well with all the food. I loved that they let me try a bit before ordering. My friend had a Thai beer and seemed to like it just as well. For our entrees we had a pad thai with tofu and a green curry with chicken and were happy with all the flavors. I particularly liked the curry options on the menu and the explanation of the heat levels (1 to 5 for most, except the green curry is only served from 3-5). 3 is hot, 4 is super hot, and 5 is extremely spicy with still somehow maintaining the food's sapidity. Our food was a three and it was perfect for me. They also gave a small cup of spice to amp up the heat if we were so inclined. We wrapped up our meal with a dish of chocolate mousse and savored the fluffy airy chocolate chef's concoction. To me Baan Sawan is bordering on a 5 rating. If I hadn't had dinner at Blue Elephant at Murrells Inlet, to me the best place for Thai food in SC, I might give Baan Sawan that perfect rating, but it falls slightly below the caliber of Blue Elephant, so it's getting a 4.75 score. It is a close second though. And lastly, I'm being redundant here, but echoing what others have said, the restaurant is a little hard to find, so drive slow if you're turning from Harden, and you'll see it on the left side of the road not shortly after. It's easy to miss, so just take your time. Devine has two lanes so people can pass you if they're in a rush. I think that covers it all. Bon appetite!

How about I start by explaining my score (a whopping five stars)? When I joined Yelp I promised myself that only the very best restaurants would receive the top score. In the case of Baan Sawan, I doubted a long time between awarding the restaurant four or five stars, but eventually I decided upon the latter. Let me try to explain. There really is nothing bad I can say about Baan Sawan. The food is tasty and the price is right. I have to admit the portions are not very large, but they do not need to be at a restaurant like this. The wine and beer list is out of the ordinary and not overpriced. Service is friendly, professional and fast. The ambiance is pleasant and the surroundings are cozy. In short, Baan Sawan offers an exciting and tasty dining experience! However, there is something that bothers me about Baan Sawan, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. I get a distinct 'almost precisely right, but not quite'-feeling. Were it the tastes that were not quite pronounced enough? Was it the food that arrived a bit too quickly (because that too should be avoided in my opinion)? I plan to go back to Baan Sawan in the next couple of weeks to find out. In the mean while, I will rate this restaurant the maximum of five stars... even though it really should be four and a half.

Sheesh all the high reviews and fancy blogs I was expecting amazing and all I got was higher priced Thai food that tastes like I cooked it because the meat was grissly and steamed so kinda bland. And it was cut in a plain way like I could've done myself. I guess the wine list was nice but overall won't be back :(

Baan Sawan is a godsend for lovers of spice. Every bite of their "hot" dishes bursts with the flavor of peppercorn, thai basil, and exotic chiles grown in the owner's garden. It's difficult to find genuinely spicy food in Columbia, and near impossible to find the sort of complex, nuanced, and imaginative spice combinations available here. That said, Baan Sawan suffers from a lack of consistency. Many of their dishes-- especially the non-"hot" selections-- are simply lackluster and do not merit their over-inflated price tag. Once you find a good dish, stick to it; you might find yourself disappointed if you engage in too much exploration of their menu. (My personal favorites are the Three Flavored Duck, Garlic & Pepper, and Tod Mun.)

Great food and service. The curries were all tasty - we had several different ones in our party - and the spice levels were perfect. We found this place by sheer dumb luck and will now make it a go to place in Columbia when we are visiting the kids at USC!

The food was spectacular! However, I would question the $$ rating. Might be closer to 2.5 $s. The food was absolutely worth the price tag! Just be prepared to pay more than you'd think by the rating :)

We visited Baan Sawaan Thai Bistro because we were looking for an authentic Thai experience here in Columbia. First things first, everything is overpriced, maybe twice that of other restaurants we have frequented across the country. This would be understandable if they were using all traditional ingredients because maybe they are harder to come by here. But they don't. For instance, they don't use Jasmine rice. What Thai restaurant uses plain rice? What Thai restaurant doesn't serve sticky rice and mango??In all fairness, if we had paid more attention to the name "bistro", we would have known that the restaurant would be Americanized to some degree. But that is an understatement. We ordered Tom Kha Gai, Calamari, Gang Gai and a fish special. The food was actually really good although the soup did not use fresh Thai peppers but ground Thai chilis which took the heat quotient through the roof. We were told that we could choose the spiciness from level 0 (not spicy) to 5 (very spicy). We chose 5 thinking they would use fresh peppers in the soup not ground powder. PLEASE be warned, a level 5 is not "Thai spicy" but is inedible and could put someone in the hospital. The reaction I had was not unlike the ghost pepper challenge you've seen on social media and in the end, I could not keep it down. In essence, for an Americanized Thai experience, this is your best option in Columbia, SC.

I'm not sure if I went to the same place as all these reviews. After reading about the peanut curry I decided to order some to go. First is the price. Are you kidding me? For a pretty small sized portion I ended up paying around 17 or 18 bucks. If it was the best curry I had ever had the price would be perfectly fine. But here's a secret. Get some coconut milk and add curry powder and creamy peanut butter to it and you'll have the same exact taste as the peanut curry. It was sickeningly sweet. I got it extra spicy and it was pretty mild. The chicken in it was good though. The servers were friendly but for what you're paying vs what you receive it really is not a good deal at all.

This is now my new favorite restaurant. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. The curry was cooked to perfection and reminded me of my mother's cooking. I will definitely be back.

Great find in Columbia! Server at bar was awesome and let us sample many things. Went way beyond he call of duty. I had curried tofu and it was best I had ever had. Friend had curried Boar ribs and it was amazing. Don't be fooled thinking this small off the beaten path is not worth it or authentic. It was fantastic. This might be one of the best restaurants in town. Service was unreal!!

8:45 on a Friday night in June and the doors were already closed to arriving patrons. I should have expected that since it seems to happen repeatedly. 3 times so far this year. I didn't inquire whether they had just filled up and wouldn't have time for a subsequent seating, which would be a reasonable excuse, I suppose. Anyhow, great food--really really good-- or else I wouldn't bother anymore. Lesson learned: if you're thinking about it, call ahead.

Best Thai in Columbia. It's a little more high end than traditional shopping center type Thai restaurant. Higher quality, finer ingredients and more "chef-like" menu. If you're looking for cheap Thai, go to Mai Thai in west Columbia. It's inexpensive and good. But Baan Sawan is GREAT. Seriously great