Tamarind

I love Thai food so much... I mean that I'm obsessed more than a little. That perfect balance of hot-sour-salty-sweet...the herbaceousness, the pungency, the little blasts of hot fresh chiles. Thai basil. It all does somethin for the ole gal, I tell you. I love it. I have pestered other peoples' Thai friends for recipes. I love Thai food.

As further testament to our general sloth at times, we kinda rely on Tamarind for our Thai food fix and mostly because it's close to our house. Through some trial and error we've determined what dishes will do the trick. The food is good, OK, but never quite great.

And now here's the part where I pompously inform you, one and all, how I've been so spoiled by some really great Thai food in my time... "in other cities and burbs," I remark while gazing wistfully into the distance. It's really true though...

Spoiled, so when my tom yum gai is kinda weak and in need of more lemongrass, or my penang is kinda watery...or it's all just kinda oomph-less... well, my heart just kinda sinks ever so sadly.

Here's what cranky ol me LIKES about Tamarind:

-If you like hot and spicy foods (and I do, and I do) you can count on Tamarind to hook it up. They offer "spicyfications" from 0-7. I order top heat and that's what I get. I like when people believe in my spiciness! I always order extra hot or "Thai hot," and at some restaurants it takes a return visit or two for the servers to really believe you. At Tamarind if you order 7 heat and nod emphatically, "Yes, 7," they'll believe you.

- Dig the Thai sausage appetizer.

- Pad Kee Mao or drunken noodle always hits the spot. Consistently. I always ask for some prik nam pla on the side ( fish sauce with thai bird chiles) just for added spikes of salt and heat.

-B.Y.O.B. is always good gravy. Bringing my own cold Singhas make me happy...anywhere, really.

Singhas, ah yes, they also remind me of a song. And if you don't mind, I'll just eh... ahem, "Finally found a place they could never reach... Sippin Singha Beer on Pattaya Beach... Singha beer, don't ask no questions! Singha beeeeer don't tell no lies..."

If you're in the neighborhood with a hankerin for Thai and are happening to be carrying booze on your person, well, Tamarind is worth a try.

Been here over 10 times, love it, so authentic and cooked to perfection.

We got:

Glass noodles
Panaang curry x 2
Tamarind rolls
Spring rolls

Will keep coming back!

Food is wayy too spicy and I did level 2. Somehow I think they might have made it level 5 by accident bc I've tried their dishes before and level 4 used to be just right for me.
I got the Panang curry and pad thai with chicken. The portions are good, there was a lot of chicken and it's very tender.
I feel like I have a stomach ulcer now. I just wanted to enjoy some Thai food.

Excellent! Incredible and never disappointed w Tamarind!
Even my kids love it. Very reliable great food!

We stopped in here since many restaurants were not accommodating inside dining as of yet.
It was empty as expected. This was my 2nd time here and the 1st time I came before the pandemic and it only had 2 other customers. I was skeptical at first but was in the mood for Thai food so I decided to check it out and wasn't disappointed.
This time we brought someone else who commented that the place looked suspect since it was so empty.

For appetizers we ordered the crispy angel and their breaded shrimp. Our young server suggested we try the crispy angel over the spring rolls and they were good. Crispy, light, filled with seasoned chicken and a sweet sauce to accompany it.

Our plates came out one at a time which was exactly how they served us in Thailand. The chicken and shrimp Pad Thai were flavorful, hot and very good. My green curry tasted really good although I picked out the string beans. I felt like they could've been cooked a bit longer but that green curry hit the spot for me. In fact the person who ordered the shrimp curry switched meals because she preferred the green curry taste or her shrimp Pad Thai.

As for drinks we had Thai tea which could've been a bit sweeter and a sprite.

Easily the worst vegetarian Thai food I've ever had in my life.

The curries were so bland and watery I couldn't even tell the difference between them. I had to add extra spices, curry powder, etc. and hot sauce to even make it palatable. Literally have never done that in my life, but I guess there's a first time for everything.
The veggies seemed like they had been pre-cooked separately and were just thrown in with the "sauce" at the last minute, so they didn't have any flavor of the sauce cooked into them. The potatoes were completely white - when have you ever seen that in a curry?? Even worse, half of the "veggies" were those depressing, flavorless, grey, canned bamboo shoots.

The fried tofu appetizer had zero flavor and neither did the satay sauce with it! Just baffling. I've never had satay sauce that had no flavor before. It didn't even have enough salt!

The entrees came in normal plastic takeout containers, but the rice was in a styrofoam box (the kind that just folds shut and doesn't seal at all), which means it will dry out as hard as a rock in the fridge within the hour. Such an annoying waste of time because you have to immediately transfer the rice to another container, and extra wasteful because it's just trash and not even reusable or recyclable.

Ordered takeout. There was one couple dining inside however the tables blocked the entrance so we could not walk any more than like 3 steps. When we called in our order, we were told that the hotness scale ran from 1 - 7. Odd... We decided on medium spicy at a 5. We were kindly advised by the person on the phone that we may want to get a 4 with extra hot sauce on the side. We obliged. I am happy to have listened to the advice! I took one bit of my curry and thought that I had bitten into a ghost pepper!! The tears! The burn! My dish was not definitely not spiced at a 4 out of 7 in my book and I can handle a good bit of heat. OMG. The food was so spicy that I truly could not enjoy it. The calamari was good and the spring rolls were nice and crispy. My friend enjoyed the pad thai, which I used to help balance out the hot factor in my dish.

Flavors are on point! My favorite are the ginger curry & flat noodles. Super fast delivery. I appreciate that they call to clarify my orders if they have any questions. I'm a loyal fan!

Delicious & authentic Thai food. Friendly staff & great food for takeout. My favorite items to order are the Spring Rolls & Pad Woonsen.

My favorite Thai spot! I have been going here for 15+ years, anyone know why and when they will be opening again? Last time I went the doors were locked and no signs. I try calling but it's a disconnected line!!!

I just wanted to update my review to say this - I moved away from Philly over 4 years ago. I still think about the green curry from Tamarind. I have hunted and hunted for a replacement and cannot find one that even comes close. I will forever miss this place and love it. It haunts my dreams, man. Why is it so good? Can the chef teach others? Can you mail order it to my home in Pittsburgh? Will I ever be satisfied again? I miss you, Tamarind. Love always, me.