Royal Orchid
$$ - average
Thai
Authentic Thai food in a strip mall
Royal Orchid is a small Thai restaurant in Roseville that used to be a larger Thai restaurant on Nicollet in Minneapolis.
You know a restaurant is veg-friendly when the menu has a note saying "please inform your server if you are a strict vegetarian."
- Large Group-Friendly
- Quiet
Added by Dave Rolsky on Oct 26 02 (updated May 18)
Reviews
I eat here very often, and it's sad that whenever I stop in they're somewhat empty, especially because Nita (who's always serving and at the counter) is so nice. I always get the Laab (Northeastern salad) with tofu, which has an extremely unique and tangy flavor. I've also had the Pahd Thai with tofu, no egg or fish sauce, and it was still really good without being bland like other restaurants. All of their entrees can be made with your choice of protein, of these options the tofu and mock duck are vegan. You also get a lot of food for an average of $9 plate.
I have enjoyed eating here in the past, but today's lunch was terrible. They have lunch specials and none of them are vegan, so I ordered off the regular menu. I ordered the Pad Thai with tofu and with out egg. After eating part of my meal, I noticed that I was chewing on small piece of chicken. Looking through my plate more, I noticed that there were a lot of small chicken pieces buried in the noodles. I suspect that they just took the premade lunch item, removed the large pieces of chicken and egg and added the tofu.
Ish!!! to say the least.
I ate here once a long time ago - but I remember wondering what all the fuss was about. Lots of my friends has said it was fantastic, but I wasn't impressed. I don't remember what I ordered, but I do remember seeing a guy at a table near ours get something served to him in a pineapple 'shell/skin' bowl and thinking "I'll have to get that next time".
Mmmm yummy! Good curries- especially the Masmon Curry. They will also make the fried rice dishes & Padh Thai without egg if you ask.
In my original review, I said that this was the best Thai in the Twin Cities, but I think that designation now belongs to True Thai. Most Thai food in the area seems to be too oily and too sweet. Royal Orchid has neither problem, and instead the food is rich without being overpowering, and full of flavors and spices. However, the quality of the food is not always consistent, and some visits have been better than others.
Great food and service. They are very accomodating to vegans!
Gah! Why have I never been here before?! It was great. The first thing I said to the server was "we're vegan" and his response was a reassuring confident "OK". I love it when you don't have to explain what vegan means.
They don't eff around with the spice either. Probably the best Thai I've had in the cities. Definitely going back and can't wait to explore the rest of the menu.