Thaiku

Thaiku is a Thai restaurant on Phinney Ridge next to El Chupacabra. It used to be on Ballard Ave and was a noodle house in Fremont before that. This location can be tough to park at, especially on weekends since street parking is difficult in this area. They have some tables outside open during nice weather and over a dozen tables inside. The service is great, the staff are super friendly. Their menu isn't massive like most other Thai food restaurants, and you can order directly from their website if you plan on picking it up. For takeout orders, the portion sizes are very small, making the price per size pretty bad. The panang curry was just a little over 1 cup with no vegetables in it, so it was actually more of a soup. The pad see ew had no vegetables in it and was only filled about 1/3 of the container, which was already a smaller container than almost all other Thai food restaurants in the area. The taste was fantastic, but the price should be half of that for the little food you get. Looking at pictures, it seems like you may get larger portions when dining in, which we might try in the future. We won't order takeout again, though, unless the portions change. Other than that, it's a solid place and would get 5 stars easily if not for overpriced/underportioned food.

With less than an hour before closing: they sat us down, gave us drinks, served us food, and gave us dessert. This place is phenomenal! Every drink and dish is full of flavor. The staff is kind and attentive. Totally would come back and try everything on the menu.

Has some surprisingly different Thai dishes that you can hardly find in Seattle. Good vibe and service. Good price.

FANTASTIC THAI RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE . FRIENDLY SERVICE AND STAFF . GREAT MENU AND PRESENTATION . BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERE AND NICE OUTDOOR SEATING . SHAREABLE DISHES . NICE BAR MENU

Great Thai in greenwood with a nice outdoor patio. Nothing like a rendez vous with friends with authentic food and good vibes.

Amazing restaurant! Everything we’ve gotten from here has been so delicious, with unique flavors and dishes I haven’t seen elsewhere. Really fun cocktails as well. Love the vibe, cozy indoor seating and a great patio.

I loved thaiku! It was just a bummer that it took forever to sit down (there were empty tables) and also to order/get our food. Maybe they were short staffed. We loved our tom yum soup, the egg noodles, and the pork belly. I definitely want to come back!

Really like the location, the seating options, and ambiance. Everyones food was very well prepared and displayed. Very appetizing. Better flavor than just about any Thai restaurant back in Anchorage AK where we traveled from. Was expecting my Pad Thai with shrimp to be a little more zesty tasting (tamarind sauce, yum), but after using all the pepper on the side of the plate, along with leftover spicy peanut sauce from chicken skewers, it was soooo delicious. Our experience was that the food had spice you could taste, which was good. However, many people will want to ask for a bit more kick or get some extra sauces on the side. Drizzle spicy peanut sauce on your Pad Thai. 👌

Overall, this place serves authentic Thai Food. Absolutely will come back to this place and recommend to others. Food: 4.5 out of 5 stars I highly recommend the chicken larb. I come from the bay area, where you may be surprised that the food there is not authentic (at least in places where I've been to). The only thing I felt was a slight miss was the Thai Iced Tea as it was too sweet. Service: 4 out of 5 stars The staff were attentive and friendly.

Parking can be tricky. Food and waitstaff top notch. Ambiance is close quarters Portion size could be a tad larger

Incredibly nice staff! Clean and entertaining atmosphere. Food was full of flavor and perfect textures. Thank you so much

So good. Their Angel Wings were SO, SO good. The peanut sauce was yummy. Everything we ate was wonderful. My friend and I met here for lunch and everyone was so kind and attentive we were never felt rushed. We will definitely visit again.

Came here with a few friends and it was busy on a Friday night. Probably waited 10 minutes to be seated outside. Ordered the appetizer pictured, a pork belly curry, papaya salad, crying tiger. Crying Tiger was a smaller portion than I expected. Papaya salad was pretty standard. The pork belly curry was really good. The ambiance outside was great. Good overall was really good.

We used to order from this restaurant often because the food was good and reasonably priced. However, on Thursday, we ordered our dinner 2 hours in advance and when my mom was there to pick it up, they said, and I quote, "we were too busy." And so she waited more for the food. And this was just the beginning. I obviously posted this review on google, and then, that night at 11:30PM I was approached by the manager, I assume (she never told me what she did) on FB, Dolly Shah. And she TOLD not asked me to delete my review. Then, proceeded to call me in the middle of the night and kept constantly bothering me with constant msgs, and phone calls. Today is Saturday and I have received so many msgs from her it is ridiculous. I clearly told her yesterday to stop msging me and that I will remove my review once I get my refund. And she msgs me again 30 minutes ago saying "trust me, and remove your review." lease hire better people. I have never experienced this level of unprofessionalism in my entire life.

A solid choice for Thai in a city that has many options. A homey vibe and the staff is friendly. I had pad see iew with tofu and broccoli. My preference is for food to be spicy. I asked for five stars/Thai Hot, which is supposed to signal that I know what I am getting into. This was two stars. A tasty dish and I finished it. I usually take home half from most restaurants. Your mileage may vary. Chilis in the picture courtesy of the spice plate that Thaiku provides, Many options on the menu for all tastes. Give it a try.

Great food, but service was really bad. We had a reservation but had to flag down a server multiple times to be acknowledged when we came in. They did not have anyone greeting / seating people. Order took a long time and was not accurate when it came out. Server did not check on us, we had to flag them down to get service. Overall the food was amazing but I was sad the service was so bad, probably wouldn't go back because of that.

Charming Thai restaurant, with a cool little bar area toward the front, regular seating and also some outdoor seating. Dim lighting, kind of intimate and quiet. The menu was full of cocktails and delicious sounding dishes that I haven't heard of before. I ordered the Emerald cocktail and some dish with ground pork, rice and fried egg. Wow, both were amazing. The flavor of the dish was insane! I thought about it for a couple days after! I'd love to work my way through this menu. Highly recommend!

The most deliciously Thai food we've ever had. Fresh and unique in every way. Delicious Manhattan to start. Thank you!

Wowza! This place is fire!! I can't believe I'm within walking distance of this hidden gem with an amazing name and even better food. I could not get enough of the red curry, the papaya salad (without the mini shrimp) and the pad thai - all of which were naturally gluten free. Nothing was overly sweet, and everything had wonderful, genuine flavors. Fish sauce was not overly used, and the noodles were thin and delicious. I would only ask that they double the rice that comes with the curry. I will be back for more very soon!

I've never really found a Thai restaurant in Seattle that stays consistent. We eat here at least once a month and they have yet to disappoint!! They are the sweetest people too. When we walk in, whether picking up or eating in, we are always greeted with the kindest of energy. I've never left there unsatisfied. I am SO glad they made it through the pandemic!! We love their wraps, Nahm Dok Neua and Pahd King. They cook the mushrooms in the Pahd King SO PERFECTLY. Just YUMMINESS.

One of my favorite Thai restaurants. I love the romantic ambiance inside. And I don't just mean to identify this Thai house as a date spot because it's also romantic in that it feels authentically Thai. There's a small bar at the front of the restaurant, and there's a cozy covered breezeway with a couple tables, as well as an outdoor patio that probably doubles their footprint. They've managed to create a lovely and intimate environment throughout. The menu isn't overwhelming but contains some unique dishes that aren't typical of Thai menus in the US. My favorites are the Khao Soi (fresh egg noodle in yellow curry with organic tofu, pickled mustard greens, and scallion) and the Gaeng Kua Sapparod (traditional herbal red curry with organic tofu, fresh pineapple and Thai basil). They have an alluring cocktail menu that I haven't sampled from yet, but I fully intend to.

they're prices are to high for small amount of food they give u i rather go to panda express atlease u more bang for your buck

hard to find hole in the wall-definitely worth the search amd not so bad once.you get in--come.early or you will wait however what's the saying? "worth.the wait" try the tom zapp soup with pork ribs fragrant herb.broth with lime.juice green onions mint and cilantro for something different and so tasty @$18 add the phad see em @$16.95 wide fried noodles i like with beef with a.side.of jasmine.rice @$3 now you got.a.happy face-cheers al

I first heard about Thaiku from a former coworker. I was hesitant at first because too many Thai places in Seattle are Americanized, and my husband never liked Thai food before. We finally went one day and found this is one of the only authentic Thai restaurants in the area. Thaiku is the first Thai restaurant my husband has ever liked. We're hooked on the crying tiger. It's too bad they no longer have happy hour pricing because of the pandemic, but we're still willing to come here despite that because of the quality and flavors. So far I've tried all of the skewers (except tofu), khao soi, crying tiger, lahb, sai oua (sausage with peanuts). I'm not a big fan of salads, especially papaya and green mango ones, so I would recommend sticking to their more saucier dishes. My husband recommends their old fashioneds, which have great flavors and pack a punch.

I am so glad this is within walking distance of my family. We ordered the khao soi, gaeng hun Lei, pad see ew, and Yellow curry noodle. The Gaeng hun lei was so refreshing and the perfect starter. The pad see ew was great and the broccoli was still crunchy, which is great. The khao soi and yellow curry noodle were not spicy, but very flavorful. I'm also not an accurate person with spice because I have an iron tongue. I also got a Thai tea which paired perfectly. My cousins got their version of a mojito. I cannot wait to come back and have some more food from this place and the customer service was awesome. They were so accommodating even with the little one.

It had been awhile since I had been back here, but I came back in April 2021, so decided to update my review! Like last time, everything was still tasty and flavorful! They're doing a great job of distancing (there were very few tables inside -- more than 6 ft of distance for sure) and there are also a few tables outside. You can use the QR code or they will give you a paper menu. Our waitress was sweet, and took the time to answer our questions about the menu... which isn't your typical Thai menu. One thing that has changed due to covid, is that they have a new (smaller) menu, mainly to allow proper distancing by the kitchen staff and taking into account the increasing unavailability of certain ingredients as well as higher prices of some ingredients. This is noted on their website, but I didn't actually notice until I arrived and looked at the menu. I was a bit disappointed to see this since some of my previous favorites were no longer on the menu, but totally understand the rationale. We ordered: - Nahm Dok Neua appetizer (grilled flank steak w/ lime based dressing), which the waitress recommended. Flavor explosion! - Kua Gling - beef in a sauce of galangal, lemongrass, etc. with rice. The waitress also recommended this dish. Very flavorful as well due the lemongrass and galangal but for me, it was a bit too heavy/rich. Still tasty but not my favorite dish. - Pad thai w/ gulf prawns - so good! Ok, I realize you can get pad thai anywhere, but this one was super good! The prawns were huge and cooked the right amount and were not dry/rubbery at all. The pad thai comes w/ chilis and peanuts on the side and I'm no expert, but it appears pretty authentic, unlike some places where the pad thai is orange from adding ketchup! The noodles were perfectly cooked and overall flavors were on point! The only minor negatives are that the menu is tad pricier for the portion size, BUT it's still worth it based on the quality and unique dishes served here.

Delicious food!!! Have tried a couple things there and both were great. Great neighborhood too!

Amazing thai food and my favorite so far in seattle. We had plah (lettuce wrap), pahd kraplu Kai dow, green beans and radiant flower cocktail. It was all so delicious full of flavor. Beautifully uniquely decorated and as you even approach the restaurant, u can smell the delicious food from the outside. Friendly quick service. I wish I could eat this every day!!!! Definitely going to return many times and bring more friends here. Happened just go here passing by and tired. But the flavor woke up my hunger.

very good always consistent always good and classy interior thanks for staying good after 20 years !

This place is so cute and has a lot of great options. I'd say the Thai food here is on the sweeter side for sure but the flavor is definitely there. I highly recommend ordering some of their drinks, as they are unique and have great in flavor. I love the house feel with the open kitchen layout! One of my favorite dishes is the som tom, which is their papaya salad. It's one of the few places that ti know serve it with the black crab.

Food was excellent! Smaller menu than I'm used to but that must be because they specialize. I had a beef dish with rice and a few vegetables. Kua Gling The beef was tender, spicy and delicious sauce. Rice was cooked perfectly. Also enjoyed an Old Fashioned cocktail, Thai style, that was tasty. Ambience inside was welcoming.

The restaurant was cute, service was great, and they were so friendly. Food was good, but everything was a little too sweet for me and not as spicy as expected. Overall we loved it and will definitely come back here again!

this place was ok! the food was nothing exceptional, but i have pretty high standards for thai food. service was good, no complaints, but would've liked to have more flavor in the dish i got. their vegetable stir fry ends up being way overpriced if you also want rice with it, which is kind of necessary. will probably not be coming back but maybe their other dishes are better?

This is by far my favorite Thai place. It is not the typical Americanized Thai place so if you are looking for that this will be a nice change. I have tried many of their dishes and truly enjoy all of them. Must tries Appetizer: Mieng Kahm -fresh and light with a different flavor * asked they will tell you how to eat it* Dinner Khao Soi - full and rich flavor with a enjoyable crunch that comes from the fried egg noodles *i typically get it without the pickled mustard greens* Don't forget the sticky rice! Other favorites are the Crying Tiger for a meat based appetizer, Goong Ob Woon Sen is you are looking for shrimp dish and Um Pahk Yaang for something vegetarian, full of flavor and a little crunch, I like to add chicken. This place again is a favorite of mine, comfortable seating area, and a patio during the summer. The staff is nice and the cost for the amount of food you get is reasonable. Atmosphere 5 Food 5 Staff 5 Water cups 5 (little metal cups makes even the non water drinkers ....me.... love water) Drinks 3 Value 4

Best Thai food I've had in Seattle. Service was fast and friendly (we got there shortly after opening and were seated immediately - done in well under an hour). Leftovers keep well, so you should probably just order everything.

Delicious food, I highly recommend the Kua Gling, but it's all fantastic. Their front patio is also lovely, especially on a nice day.

Been here couple of times already, but keep forgetting to write them a review for their amazing food that they offer. This is the spot to go to if you're craving for some authentic Thai cuisine. It's a hidden location, but if you walk in to this restuarent. The atmosphere there feel like your in somewhat in Thai restuarent. As usual dim lighting... lol, tbh I'm really not a fan of these romantic or dark lighting scene in a restuarent. I want to see what I'm eating and etc. The food there are great. Thaiku was the place where I had my first Papaya salad and I fell in love with it. It's really good, sweet and sour every bite and the papaya is crunchy too. Their seasoning is perfect, compare to other Thai restuarent papaya salad. I usually get their curry noodle, beef pad see ew, and etc. They were all good. Also, they have a pretty decent price. Overall, I will come back here once a while. When I'm craving for some Thai food!

What a cute place tucked away on a fun corner of Phinney ridge. All the food we had was great. I've been on a bit of a thai beef salad kick and this place is pretty good. The crying tiger I think uses Mami sauce. The Thai beef salad is on the smaller side but filling. Papaya salad was tasty and the leaf dish appetizer was super fun! Probably the highlight of the night next to the Chrysanthemum juice. So refreshing. The interior design is a feast for the eyes and the intimate bar is super fun. This is a great date spot in every aspect. Portions, adventurous, flavors, and drinks. I really just want to hang at the the bar one night people watch.

Friends recommended Thaiku..... every plate we ordered was fantastic. Portions were shareable, yet on the smaller portion size. Thoroughly enjoyed the small craftsman size venue with tasty food.

Ordered takeout. I personally ordered the pad see ew. We tried the red curry which my husband said he wished he had ordered. I'm visiting and this is my BIL's go-to. Take out on a Saturday night was surprisingly quick and took 20 minutes to be ready.

We did a pickup order from Thaiku. I was really appreciative of the way they divided the khao soi (crispy noodles separated from the normal noodles separated from the curry). I was also very impressed with the dish, it was extremely well spiced with good balance of ingredients. We also got the beef and the pad see ew which were not as good but still slightly above average. The beef was a bit tough, though the sauce was great (some combination of sesame oil, chili powder, green onion and some sweet soy-sauce like ingredient?). I thought the pad see ew could use a little more flavor and the Chinese broccoli could have been more tender. Overall, would definitely revisit.

Ambiance: Casual. Festive Christmas decorations. Not too noisy. We were seated next to the door to the patio so it was cold. Service: Rude. Very rude. We ordered and then a few minutes later I realized she never asked us how spicy we wanted the entrees. I went back to tell her she forgot to ask us how spicy we wanted the papaya salad and she said it came 2 stars by default. I asked if we could make it 3 stars and she made the most disgusted face at me. The displeasure was clearly registered on her face though she didn't say anything. The other waitress ran to the kitchen to see if it could be changed. Food: The papaya salad was too crunchy and you could tell that the flavors had not absorbed into the green papaya. The pad kee mao was an unappealing brown color and barely had any vegetables. This was the darkest pad kee mao I've ever had and it did not come with broccoli or carrots like most places. Flavor was good but I would not order it again. The khao soi (curry noodle dish with chicken) was our favorite dish among the three. This one had plenty of noodles and chicken. We ordered extra rice with our meal but this was not necessary as this was noodle overload. Portions were small on the papaya salad and rice noodles for the price. Verdict: Not on my repeat list mainly due to the rude service

My go to spot for Thai when I'm in Seattle. I love their Pad Thai, one of the best in the city. Grateful that they are still doing to-go orders at the moment. The drinks here are also very creative and so delicious. Always happy to give you extra sauces, which is clutch, cause I love me some spicy pad thai! Solid spot!

I would give this place five stars for ambiance and the staff but the food just wasn't as tasty as I had hoped. I am an avid fan of Thai food so I always order the pad see ew. I have tried this dish so many times. The dish was on the smaller to medium side. For $15 plus tax, I would say it's pricier but I guess you are paying for ambiance. Their outdoor dinning area is delightful and well spaced out. You don't feel like you are crowded or sitting on top of someone else. It was a good distance from the other tables so you have your privacy. The decor was simple but nice. On a summer day, it was absolutely the perfect outdoor dinning area. The staff was friendly and nice. We had really great and attentive service. I think the reason why it's 3 stars is because the pad see ew dish just wasn't that impressive. The noodles and vegetables were good but the chicken was so so dry and not that flavorful. Most places will really marinate the chicken but it just tasted a bit bland. I would say the chicken is the star of the dish but it was kind of disappointing. Despite this, I would come here again bc the ambiance and staff was just great.

We had the pad see eew with pork, gaeng hung lei and mango sticky rice. The pad see eew was one of the best I have ever had. The noodles were the perfect consistency. The gaeng was yummy but a little too fatty. The mango sticky rice was yummy but a bit pricey. I got the food to go and it was ready right on time. I would eat here again.

This was the first meal we had after arriving to Seattle from Charlotte. We are both Thai food lovers who have traveled to Thailand. Prices aside which we believe are standard in Seattle, the foods were decent. We ordered Tom yum and pad see ew. The portions aren't as large as we would like but the food were pretty good like 80% what I had in Thailand. The pad see ew could use a little bit more soy sauce. They didn't ask us to specify our spice level though. And I ordered jasmine rice w my Tom yum which turned out to be brown rice it was probably better for me but that's why I gave this a 4.

Solid spot but way too expensive for what it's worth, especially considering the portion size. Drinks are meh. Pork belly was delicious! Spot on flavor, curry texture, etc. Definitely a must try! The papaya salad was really good as well but was too small for $8. The steak appetizer was delicious as well - tender pieces of flavorful meal! The drinks were a big disappointment. $11 for watered down, almost no flavor drinks. Tried old fashioned and girlfriend had something else - neither was good.

This is a wonderful find in a city filled with great options for Thai food. Although I've never been to Thailand, the atmosphere and the menu here seems so exotic to transport you far from Seattle. I love the metal dishes and mugs and the furnishings both inside and out. There are a number of tempting cocktail options (I almost never stray from beer, but was drawn to the oolong teani which was really nice). As for the menu, there are many dishes I've not seen at other Thai restaurants along with a few familiar choices as well. Portions are what I'd call right sized and prices are a bit higher than elsewhere but we'll worth it for the quality and the overall experience. This is a place to savor and come back to over and over.

Love this authentic Thai joint. You'd find many cool dishes here that the American Thai places don't serve. I noticed that their spicy level had dropped a bit. It used to be extremely spicy, but for some reason, got adjusted to Seattle palate this time, which is better in my opinion. As always, friendly service, and open outdoor sitting. We ordered quite a bit off the menu. Starter: CHICKEN SATAY, GRILLED WILD GULF PRAWNS, SOM TAHM THAI, CRYING TIGER, and NAHM DOK NEUA. Everything was good, especially the Crying tiger. the savory and spicy dipping sauce really takes their starter game up a notch. Entree: BA ME MOO DANG. This fresh egg noodle was bomb! The crushed peanut adds some texture contrast to the noodle. Even though we were 9.5 out of 10 satiated, we managed to finish all the noodles! GAENG NOR MAI. (Chicken breast, bamboo shoots, Thai basil, house-made turmeric coconut curry) it has a balanced flavor. An appetizing entree for sure. Desert: MANGO STICKY RICE. It is seasonal and sensational, and the mango was ripe, sweet, and perfect for this dessert. I would just come here solely for this. This was such a pleasant and lovely dining experience. We will be coming back for sure.

I have to admit. This place ruined my appetite for Thai food in the US. Even Thai places I used to love are not appetizing after eating here. The service was great. The food was amazing. It was fresh. Very tasteful. Very satisfying. I've never been to Thailand but this was recommended to me by a Thai friend who when she took her dad here he said it felt like being bàck at home.

Thaiku is a moderately-sized Thai restaurant in the Phinney Ridge area of Seattle. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating is great for the warm Seattle summers. I met up with a friend for dinner here and there were plenty of seats available both indoor and outdoor. Reservations were not necessary. The menu is fairly large with some of the standard Thai fare, such as pad thai and pad see ew, but also some of the non-standard ones such as khao soi and pad gra prow. We ordered a sai oua (pork sausage) to share. I ordered the gaeng kua sapparod goong (red coconut curry) and my friend ordered the gaeng hung lei (pork belly). The wait staff seemed like they knew Thai, as they were well-versed in pronouncing the names of the dishes. This is coming from someone whose relatives are Thai. The pork sausage was good. It was quite savory, but nothing that screamed Thai food for me. I really enjoyed the red coconut curry. The broth was spicy and a bit rich with the coconut milk. The prawns were quite large as well. I'd definitely order this dish again. The pork belly was also quite good. I'm not usually a pork belly fan, but it was tasty and not as fatty as I was expecting, which is a good thing! I found the five spice curry flavorful and savory. However, I didn't think it was hot spicy at all. Overall, I thought the food was good here. The wait staff was very attentive as well.

TLRD: Tasty and healthy. Small place. Fast service. Narrow place. Prepare to get cozy! Extremely dimly lit at night. Food paparazzi be warned of lowlight conditions! Fast service and waitresses are very attentive. The names of the food are interesting but they are pretty much pronounced how they are spelled. They don't judge if you just point at the words on the menu when ordering. :) Food is pretty flavorful and healthy--a bit spendy though.

Where to start? This place is SO good. So many fresh and great flavors. Was truly a surprise, and a great one at that. Not just your average Thai place. From the green beans to the Kua Gling, my party ordered 6 dishes and shared. A special on the menu, was a favorite. The Kua Gling was a def runner up. The chicken Lahb was also super good, a hint of spice and citrus. New favorite Thai food for sure.

Came in on a Saturday afternoon for lunch and ordered a phad thai $14 and Thai iced tea $4. They had a very authentic menu, much of which I had to reference Yelp for, and seemed to have a ton of options. The phad thai was delicious and so was the iced tea, which luckily wasn't too sweet. They were pretty busy on Saturday though we didn't have to wait long for a table. I would definitely come back next time I'm in the mood for Thai food!

Stunningly good food. We ordered some pretty typical stuff (pad thai, red curry, satay skewers) but were still super impressed by the depth of flavor and the presentation. Near the end of the meal, we decided to try one more dish, some kind of salad-adjacent bite (maing kham, I think). The server took the time to give us a much needed leaf folding demo, and we piled the rest high with peanuts, fresh ginger, onion, coconut, and little bits of lime, then drizzled it with what may be honey or some other sweet syrup. I've never had anything like it and it blew me out of the water. We also had some strong and well-crafted cocktails. Also, the menu was very gluten free-friendly. I can't wait to visit Seattle again!

Quite expensive for small portion size. Keffir lime strips in curry had a plastic like texture.

I heard this place was good so maybe it was an off day. The pad see ew that I ordered was tasty, but otherwise the experience could've been better. The restaurant smelled so strongly of wet dog that I actually looked around to see who had brought a dog before realizing it was coming from the kitchen. We also ordered the curry, and though it tasted good, you had to get past its odor of piss and sewage. Really it was the most bizarre thing. I wanted to like the place better but the smells were just off putting.