Thai Pepper

This was my first time trying Thai food, and wow—Thai Pepper did not disappoint! I ordered the Bangkok Fried Chicken Lunch Special, and it was absolutely perfect. I’m already looking forward to coming back and exploring more of their menu.

Decided to try this place on a whim. Was craving Thai. i can positively say my cravings were satisfied! I got the Chicken Pad Thai 4 stars spice, I wish it was spicier. Great portions and pretty plating. I also got a seafood combo salad, it was so good. would definitely order this dish again. spice was perfect. The appetizer sampler was good too, I like that it came with 3 different sauces. Our waitress's were very nice.

This was the best Thai I’ve ever had. My daughter was sang happy birthday by them. Was a great experience

The food was absolutely delicious—fresh ingredients, bold flavors, and a variety of options to please every palate. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared, making every bite a delight. Beyond the fantastic food, the owners and staff truly made the experience special. They were incredibly friendly, welcoming, and attentive, making us feel right at home from the moment we walked in. You can tell they take great pride in their restaurant and genuinely care about their customers. The prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality and portion sizes. It’s the perfect spot for a casual meal or a gathering with friends and family. Highly recommend. I’ll definitely be coming back soon!

This was our first time visiting, and we were intrigued after noticing the “okay” signs as we walked in, though we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Unfortunately, the overall experience didn’t meet our expectations. From the moment we entered, the air felt stale and uncomfortably warm, with no noticeable air conditioning — which made it difficult to fully enjoy the meal. While the ambiance had potential, the food itself fell short. The spices lacked depth and flavor, leaving the dishes tasting somewhat bland. Portion sizes also felt inconsistent — some plates were smaller than expected, especially considering the price point. The staff was polite, which we appreciated, but overall, the experience just didn’t come together in a way that would encourage us to return. We hope others have a better visit, but for us, it’s unlikely we’ll be back.

Food was delicious. Great Thai place, has a bar and lots of seating. Got the spiciest volcano macadamia stir fry, red curry and fresh rolls (ask for a side of peanut sauce, it's warm and super good!) Every dish was great and authentic tasting. The peanut sauce was the best I've ever had. Service was suburb! Parking is normal downtown parking but highly recommend trying Thai pepper. We come back soon.

Our dinner was great we did take out. I came because of the reviews myself however, the food lived up to the reviews I read . I sent my son in and was actually short on what the final bill was and they covered the remainder. Granted it was less than a dollar but I just really feel that was a lovely gesture. I did send my son back in with the money and a tip, but the fact that they paid the rest of it I thought it was pretty cool. We just moved to the area and we will definitely be back. Pad se ew and sticky rice mango were delicious.

We popped in last night for dinner and we were really happy with the food and service. We had pad Thai, spring rolls and crab wonton. All were fresh and well prepared. Our service was the best. Thanks for a great dinner before the show tonight.

I've eaten here a handful of times now and it's always been good! The service has always been friendly, and the prices aren't terrible. The layout of the restaurant is a little odd and there isn't much seating for a downtown place, so if you're going on a weekend night, you may have a bit of a wait. But they do have a few bar seats. Their food has always been great, and like most places the spice levels depend on who's cooking - though they have often been heavier handed with the spice (which I personally like). Be aware, the parking in this part of town is terrible, we typically drive around the block 3-4 times before finding a spot if it's a weekend!

Excellent Thai food, well flavored and medium spice was about right for us. The two dishes we ordered came with a generous bowl of brown rice. We managed to eat it all but we should have taken half of each dish home. Each one was enough for 2. the Fresh rolls were great, made to order with a tasty sauce. Service was prompt and efficient. The only reason I did not rate them a 5 was because the restaurant is somewhat cold, cavernous and sterile. Ambiance is not their strength so it may not be the place for a romantic date but the quality of the food more than makes up for it.

PadThai and PadSeeEw are our faves. Their appetizer chicken wings are really good too. We usually do take out but the few times we've eaten in, the service was good.

I decided to splurge! Craving good seafood and spoke to the wonderful staff. They suggested this dish that did not disappoint! Normally it comes with broccoli and carrots in a delicious sauce, but for me, just carrots due to surgeries and digestive issues. Very accommodating! WOW, the dish was amazing and I will be back Thank you True Thai

Pretty decent Thai food spot. I liked pretty much everything I tried. We asked for everything to be veganised and they were able to accommodate. The Tom kha soup was tasty but smelled a bit like fish sauce so we're were bit unsure about that but the rest was fine. I cannot say it was excellent but good enough. Ambience is beautiful next to the Tacoma harbor. Would recommend

Great service, really tasty food, very fair prices, and a nice aesthetic as well! Went here with my family and tried a whole bunch of different items and they were all phenomenal with large portions.

Nice, clean cozy place with delicious & healthy food choices. Large portions served with great service. Definitely

The duck curry! We don't live in the area, but whenever we need to run this way for anything we try to squeeze in a visit. The duck curry is a high recommend. Throughout your meal you'll continue to get crispy bites of duck. Flavors are incredible. They are fast and the portions are huge. Great for sharing or having leftovers. Miang Khum (Diced Ginger, Shallots, Limes, Peanuts, Dried-Shrimp, Crispy Coconut Meat in the Spinach Wrapper served with Tamarind Sauce) - We love this appetizer. I find it so rare to happen upon a chance dish you've never heard of, wouldn't think the description of ingredients would work, and come out the other side surprised and impressed. It's so interesting. Try it! Lemongrass Chicken (Chicken Breast Marinated With Garlic, Pepper, Cilantro, Curry Powder, Coconut Milk, Lots Of Lemongrass, Served On A Bed Of Green Cabbage & Sizzling Plate) - The chicken comes out moist and tender. Another dish with a lot of good flavor! But back to the duck curry.... Parking - Back in only spots along the front street that can be filled up during peak hours. You can try nearby side streets as well or around back of the building/restaurant. Don't forget to pay at the machine and tape the tag to your window if applicable.

Came in for a quick work lunch and although the place was pretty full, we were seated right away. Service was quick and no-nonsense. We ordered off the lunch menu and our meals were brought out piping hot and fresh. Soup was good, pad Thai was delicious, and vegetables and spring rolls were straight from the garden. Can't wait to come back again!

My favorite Thai restaurant in Tacoma. I love being recognized as a repeat customer when we walk in the door. I love that they play authentic Thai music - and have art on the walls that remind me of Thailand water markets. My favorites are pad see ew, larb gai, sticky rice, panang curry, miang khum (appetizer), and tom kha gai soup. Mmmmm. They also have a full bar and the sweetest employees. Love their food so much!

(Takeout Review) The website is easy to use to order online! The pick up process was also very easy'! Food was packed very well! Portions are a great size and all the items we ordered were flavorful. Will eat again and try to dine in next time!

This place is great for lunch. I wish it was closer to work because I would go here more often during that time. Their lunch menu is fantastic - with so many options at a very reasonable price. It is one of the best meeting spots if you are looking for one. Parking is not free, you have to pay at the station. Although that can be inconvenient, it is OK. There usually is parking around. The service is great here. The people are attentive and nice. I have been able to make reservations last minute. The food is not only great, they also offer a soup for free before you even order. Talk about service and ambiance! They know how to treat customers. The food is wonderful and the thai tea that I usually order. I definitely will come again!!!

I have to deduct a few stars here as the last time it was a miserable experience. I wanted to order me some Thai Pepper at 701 Pacific Avenue and specifically a green curry dish. Now when you order from here you are almost always in for a 30 minute wait time to get their food which makes their website handy because if you work downtown and say only have a 30 minute lunch you can order the food ahead of time and go pick it up. If you have an hour lunch you have more flexibility that is for sure but 30 minutes of waiting is a big chunk of time which leads back to the website which you can incorporate into your work schedule and time it to meet your work routine. So I was attempting to do all of these things on the Thai Pepper website and after getting everything in my order I wanted I ran my debit card and it said it could not be verified. I tried my card again and it said the same thing. I got to thinking that I should check my bank and see what I see there. I was charged for my order twice. The Thai Pepper website said I would not be charged bit there the transactions were as plain as day. So I called over there to see what was going on. The first call I either got hung up on or the call disconnected. I called again and after a ring or two hold music came on. So I just walked over there and told them what happened. Good news is I didn't have to pay a third time. My order was not in front of them though so we had to start all over again and I had to wait 30 minutes for the food to come. Even when the food came they were ready to send me off with an incomplete order as I didn't have the two Thai Iced Teas I ordered in which they then corrected after pointing this out. They also took my name, number and address to call me to fix the double charge and that someone would call me later that day which never happened. So I took the matter up with my bank in which it was resolved there. Thai Pepper is a solid quality restaurant in downtown Tacoma but after this latest horrid experience with service levels I may not return. Perhaps for the lunch crowd that works downtown we all just need to bring our own lunches or hope some fast food restaurants move in downtown and hope they are actually fast. Perhaps Thai Pepper is best as an evening place where you do dine in experiences which there are a handful of these type of places downtown. I think the restaurant could handle in person dining more than pick up's if they don't get their website revamped. Or if you are a worker that is salaried and want to try to impress a client then maybe it would be a good fit here and your time frame can be used for a longer timed dining experience. But that isn't really the end of the trouble here either. My colleague also ordered food here and he is allergic to shrimp and knows to avoid it. In his dish there was a piece of shrimp tail in it which I am sure would amount to a health code violation. So after all of that while Thai Pepper may be solid in food there are some problems going on here without much intent on fixing... but some. If I wasn't working and on that kind of schedule for timing Thai Pepper could be considered an option to dine at but then it brings up the situation of "why would I do that?" when there are other Thai restaurants I enjoy more and they are easier to access as opposed to needing to go back to downtown again.

It was just not good at all. Service was meh and the dishes were so tasteless. We had the chicken wings and fresh rolls to start and both tasted just old. The wings were tough, tiny, and the sauce was nothing to remember. I ended up not ordering an entree (I already knew what I already knew...) and my husband's ate the rest of our green papaya salad, where the shrimp weren't cleaned very well. I also had issue with the kitchen workers going to the back of restaurant....bathrooms...with gloves on, and coming out with the same gloves. Saw the same thing as they went to take out the garbage. Cringy. I guess it made sense that they have an "okay" health rating. We won't be back.

While seeing Odd Otter off, I wanted to grab some lunch. Thai Pepper has just opened for the day and was right down the street. While I'd gone not too long after opening, I wasn't even close to the first one there! Definitely a good sign! Swimming rama is my standard for new places, but I haven't had panang curry in forever, 3 star as usual, with fried tofu. Service was mostly friendly and quick. I was really surprised to see a little pile of chili flakes on the side. Was that where the 3 star is to come from? I tasted the sauce and there was already some heat in there, so that's not it. What does one do in this situation? Go all in, of course! I happily mixed all the chili flakes into the curry and I don't regret that decision. Makes me wonder if I should have gone with a 4? Overall it was a very nice curry and I'd absolutely eat it again! The restaurant was clean with a nice ambiance and it's a great Thai option in the area!

I dined here on a Sunday evening for dinner. We were sat promptly and met with waters/drink orders quickly. My friend just wanted a light bite and ordered the prawn rolls, which she said were delicious. I ordered the yellow curry with rice, very delicious but pretty standard as far as yellow curry goes.

With Great service, excellent and attentive staff, and a wonderful atmosphere and ambience, not to mention delicious food, I would recommend Thai Pepper to anyone looking for a great experience. The food is delicious and the restaurant is a great place for lunch or dinner and a great date spot to take your significant other. The curry is amazing and the appetizers and hot tea are excellent and very delicious. My boyfriend and I enjoyed our meal there. Would definitely recommend it.

Crispy garlic chicken! Nothing crispy about this! Looks different to other pictures of the same order. The food is good but they are extremely slow the 2 time is have picked up calling ahead they told me 20-25 min each time it ended up being 40-50 min.

This is probably one of the most gluten-free friendly Thai places I've ever encountered. They were able to make so many dishes gluten-free that I had to come back and order carry out multiple times during my week-long stay in Tacoma so I could try them! Everything was very flavorful and authentic, and the Lemongrass Chicken dish was so much fun to watch come alive when dining in! I had very good service that was attentive and efficient for both of my dine-in experiences and no issues with my carry out orders. Thanks for being so wonderful and inclusive of dietary restrictions!

Food was terrible, old reheated, flavor just off, couldn't even eat it we tried 2 dishes and got the combo appetizer. Won't be back. Don't waste your money

Absolutely, incredible food, great service, really nice people very quick. Their lunch special is to die for, something like 13 bucks for a choice of three items, and plenty of it. I had Thai, chicken, curry, yellow, curry, egg rolls, rice. I've never had anything that wasn't super tasty!

Absolutely the best bang for your buck when it comes to the lunch specials. You get to choose an entree and two sides (meatless pad Thai, rice, salad) and whatever the soup of the day is. It is delicious and affordable.

Everything was Fresh, very flavorful, and delicious. We dined inside a lot seats to dine in. The staffed worked together effortlessly and our food took no time to come out. I would definitely recommend to try this place if you have a Thai craving.

This place is good. I called ahead for takeout and my food was ready when I showed up. The shrimp are fresh and jumbo size.

The last time I came here was almost seven years ago. I thought they had something on their menu that I had been craving, but I misread the menu. So, I decided to go with the Chili Paste Fried Rice that I got the last time I was here that I remembered really liking. It did take a bit of time to get our food. The fried rice looked really good when it finally came out, but tasted nothing like how it looked. It literally had no flavor, whatsoever. I'm not sure if they forgot to add soy sauce or chili paste or any seasoning at all, but it tasted like plain white rice. I also ordered 5 stars, and couldn't even taste the spice. Even the tomato in it had more flavor. I squeezed the lime in it, added chili oil from their slice rack, used some sauce from my cousin's Pad Kra Pow, and asked for some soy sauce. It was like I was making my own fried rice now. I was pretty sad. And it took some time for me to get someone's attention to ask for the soy sauce, so I started losing my appetite, but the stuff is very friendly though.

WARNING!!!! This place charges a very illegal and mandatory "tip" at their rates when it comes time to pay for online orders. Worst yet, it was for pick up and NOT delivery. The "tip" which is more like a fee is fixed and non-adjustable. You cannot opt out.

We have previously enjoyed the food and experience here. Last night was different. We ordered fried rice and pad kee mao. Neither was served When I was surprised by the curry and rice I got (maybe the order was misunderstood to start), the waitress said "no problem" and took it to the kitchen. What was returned looked and tasted like curry mixed with rice, nothing fried rice about it I don't know what we got that wasn't pad kee mao but it didn't have broccoli or wide noodles (this order was clearly understood because it was on the bill) We just ate what we were served because we didn't want to fight the kitchen and were hungry but the food was disappointing

There are many choices for Thai in Tacoma, this has been the best Thai I've tried out of three other places. . A few of us decided to made at Thai Pepper for lunch on a Friday. We arrived right at 11, so we were sat right away. Service was attentive. We were brought soup right away- a chicken ginger soup, which was perfect on a chilly day! We shared the mixed appetizer platter- was delicious! I ordered the red curry lunch combo- you get huge portions here! Ambiance is ok, not overalls fancy. There was a strong smell of floor cleaner when we arrived- I guess a good thing but not very appealing when eating. Overall- this place was great and I would definitely recommend!

Lemongrass chicken with curry sauce, fresh rolls, and mango sticky rice were over the top delicious! Enough food for two. Service was intentionally kind and helpful. Was busy, but not loud. Will definitely return. Prices were very reasonable.

O my Tacoma! This was the best Thai food ever! Very much worth the trip. We selected an appetizer Lamb, with two chef specials, duck and seafood. The service was attentive with three staff checking in on our dining experience. I washed it down with a cold tea drink. The place is located in a location with lots of options to choose from so it can get pretty busy. It serves a welcome to dine mood with a little more effort of how was your food type ambiance.

I really can't get over the lemongrass chicken or the panang curry. This restaurant is definitely a Tacoma Top 10 on my list. I wish the dishes were spicier though. I ordered my curry a level 4 since the level 3s hadn't been doing much for me, and I could barely taste the spice. Is there a secret menu spice level where I can ask the kitchen to kill my ego? That would be great. Either way. Love this restaurant. It is a must. If you're thinking about it, just do it.

My favorite Thai food in the south sound! Service is consistent and orders are accurate. The food is tasty and fresh for dine-in or take-out. I usually order a level two spice. I love their fresh rolls, crab wontons, chicken satay, pad thai, curries, pad see ew, and cashew chicken.

Come here a lot not impressed with tonight server she is new and younger phone call for order hung up on me twice strong attitude, have red hair lady when came and paid she acts like I owe her the world very disappointed and she is very disrespectful they need to get a new server

Place is great for dining in. For take out, it seems they couldn't care less. They're busy so your order becomes more of a suggestion. Make sure to give them an extra half hour from the time they tell you to pick up and please check your order because it will be wrong! Stick with Bai Tong for take out! Still great for dining in though.

Came here a couple weeks ago with my boyfriend, upon walking up I noticed the food rating was "okay" so I was hesitant but decided to give it a try because I've been craving mango rice and Thai. The potstickers were soggy and bits were cold, the pad Thai wasn't too bad and the portions were good, mango rice was amazing but something that didn't rub me right at all was my boyfriends rice. At first he liked it, ate almost half until I noticed mold covering a cucumber. After I addressed the staff she replied " okay" so I gave a confused look and she replied "I'll give you a discount since you ate half of it already" when I tell you shock was an understatement! Never would he haven't eaten if we saw that mold. Insane. Now I understand the Okay food safety rating.

I really enjoyed the Thai iced coffee and Yum Koa Tod salad! The pad Thai and sweet and spicy chicken was average. But would come here again for the salad alone!

food and prices were decent, service was excellent. they definitely focus a lot on providing satisfaction - they brought the food out promptly and happily. we also had ordered a thai tea that never came out, which we were fine with and just let them know to cancel it towards the end of our meal. they apologized and gave us two thai teas on the house! food wise, the pad thai and pad kee mao were very very good, yellow curry was good but not very special. portion sizes fairly large as well, we had a little left over at the end

Craving Thai and this place had the best reviews. SO glad we stopped here. It was so delicious! We got fresh rolls with shrimp and a side of fresh made peanut sauce, Penang curry with fried tofu and yellow curry with chicken. EVERYTHING was amazing. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town

Very solid Thai food with vegan options -- good portions and reasonable prices. I did a takeout order one evening and was quoted 30 minutes for the two dishes I ordered. The food was indeed ready exactly when they quoted. I ordered: -Rad Na ($13.95 plus tax) with soft tofu, with 4/5 spiciness, made vegan. This came with the proper very wide rice noodles, along with broccoli, carrot, and big pieces of soft tofu. The gravy was on the watery side -- much waterier than I've typically had with rad na dishes. Still quite flavourful, garlicky, properly salty, and savoury. Not that spicy. Good dish. 4/5 -Pad Kra Taim (Garlic Delight) ($13.95 plus tax) with fried tofu, with 4/5 spiciness, made vegan. This was nicely masde, coming with nicely spiced, garlicky fried tofu, broccoli, and carrots, with a gentle garlic sauce. Not too spicy, but still reasonably flavourful. 4/5 Overall, very good vegan-friendly Thai food.

The service was good, but the food was awful. It was so salty we could t finish it. It lacked flavor other than salt and made me want to drink a gallon of water after. The own made sure to tell us all the people in the kitchen were Thai, like that actually means anything.

My friends and I ordered family style so we tried a lot of everything. Traveled from out of state and we really enjoyed the food and service. I'm so thankful they were open late too because our flights arrived late at night.

Delicious pineapple fried rice-- so savory and kept us wanting more. Reheated really well for breakfast the next day as well. Definitely a favorite I'd come back for. Pad See Ew with tofu was delicious too-- their spicy definitely has a kick to it. Portion sizes are hefty, and the classic Thai iced tea was done well. Spring rolls felt like they had pockets of grease in them-- they tasted yummy, but didn't feel great to eat. Ambiance drew us to this restaurant-- it has a cozy vibe with a bar as well. The servers checked in frequently, that was appreciated!

Really good curry. Cucumber salad was also really fresh but it wasn't a salad, it was in vinegar!

we ordered take out, this was genuinely some of the best thai food I've had! the tom yum was so flavorful and had the perfect amount of sour to it, and the pad see ew was not lacking in flavor either! super delicious meal, would love to go back to washington just for another bowl of that soup!

You know when you're eating your meal, and you know you're not going to be able to finish it so you have to cut yourself off so your leftovers are worth it? Get ready to really test your willpower. I dont even know how to put into words how good Thai Pepper is. I chose it because of the Chive Pancake. What seems like a simple dish, it's often not on Thai menus, but you should 100% search it out. The appetizer is 3 pancakes for $7.95, cut in half, served with a peanut oil. It's a little crispy outside, a little chewy inside with tons of chives. It was everything I hoped it would be. Next course Pad Kra Taim (Garlic Delight). Delight indeed! Served with a heaping bowl of rice to soak up all that delicious sauce. This is where I had to test my willpower. I'm getting full, but the chicken is tender. Carrots and broccoli have some crispness. Peanuts add some crunch and then pow! The cilantro mmm. And the sauce. I'm a baby when it comes to spice so mild is plenty for me hah. The garlic is a cooked flavor so not that raw burn, but a smooooth savory, cooked all day flavor. The long grain rice was well cooked, not sticky, so it perfectly soaked up the sauce. Service is wonderful and attentive but not overdone. Price is just right ($40 for app, entree, and two glasses of wine). Is it time for my leftovers yet?

High praise for the fresh rolls, condiments choices and coconut ice cream. The recommended lemongrass chicken entree was just okay. I felt it was more coriander forward than lemongrass but it had a decent amount of heat. Excellent service and good drink list.

Thai Pepper's combination lunch is excellent! I got the #2 which came with a cup of their soup of the day, red curry chicken, brown rice, and fresh spring rolls. The brown rice I ordered was actually red rice, which I think actually tastes better with red curry, so no complaints there. I ordered my curry medium spice level and that's exactly what I was served! Their veggie spring rolls are fresh and flavorful too! The portion size was just right and left me feeling satisfied but not stuffed. The service was very timely; I was seated right away and served respectfully in a timely manner (in and out in about 45 minutes). The place itself has a nice modern feel to it while maintaining a classic Thai restaurant atmosphere.

This was one of our first places we came to eat when we moved to Tacoma. We are originally from the south and my husband loves thai food so we gave it a shot. Its a cute little place and the staff are always super friendly and give us their recommendations as well. My husband loves the crab pad thai and they are definitely not greedy with the crab. It is well worth the price for the amount of food you get. We love coming back here when we can.

One of the better Thai spots in Tacoma. It has more of a casual Thai dining experience. I'd love to see maybe a few more booths or more intimate lighting. I love dining out in this area for date nights but for a romantic feel, I would say this isn't the spot for that. But I loved taking the kids here randomly for a girls lunch. Nothing too fancy, straight up to the point thai food and sometimes that hits just right. The pad see ew and the Tom Yum were delicious.