Tis Me Michelle

I’m on a mission, you guys. To find my go-to Thai spot. I don’t know if it’s just different here in Orlando, but I am constantly on the hunt for Thai noodles the way I get them up north in Philly or New York. I just had a great experience on my last NY trip (if you’re interested in a recap, let me know in the comments!). It’s actually impossible to get a wide rice noodle here, and it hurts my soul. What I really should do is go to Thailand and have the real deal, so I have an accurate understanding and comparison. Until I get there, I’ll be trying out the options we have locally. Starting with Thai Cafe.

The Vibe: This is a super small, family-owned spot. My server, who I believe was the owner as well, was super friendly and welcoming. He immediately knew it was my first time in and mentioned how their main customer base are the folks who work locally downtown. Overall, a very cozy environment.

The Meal: For a true comparison, I’ll be ordering my favorite basic, standard, go-to option: a Pad See Ew and Thai tea. My last Thai review on the blog was Thai House before I made this a real challenge, and that was, by no surprise, one of my orders there as well. With my order, I actually got a simple salad, with a sweet, gingery dressing. I rather enjoyed having a little bit of greens. I needed it. The Thai Tea was well-balanced and smooth. One of the more affordable teas I’ve seen as of late, at around $4.75 for a large cup. I can see that they started as low as $3.50 a few years ago, and you know… I blame the inflation, not their pricing.

Now for the main course. I always ask for my Pad See Ew spicy, even though it’s the sweeter option, between it and Drunken Noodles. It did have a bit of a kick, but not overpowering. Usually, most of the Pad See Ew has Chinese broccoli and egg, and other times I’ve had some other vegetables added as well. This one had regular broccoli, carrot, cabbage, and zucchini. I didn’t mind the extra veggies. Again, I could use all the veggies for my well-being. However, I am not sure if it was the combination of the vegetables, but the dish was rather watered down. It didn’t have the flavor I was expecting, that sweet soy sauce (plus the heat I requested) flavor. I really wanted to love it, but it just missed the mark for me.

The Parking: This is straight up downtown Orlando. There is street meter parking all around, can just be hard to find depending on the time of day. I happened to be in the area and had already secured a spot, so it worked out.

Overall: I really want to love this place. It’s a family-owned business, and my server was lovely. I would be open to trying some of their other dishes. I was actually recommended the Drunken Noodle, along with a few other options, so maybe it was just my pick. If you have been and have a must-try dish, I would happily go back and try it! This rating is simply based on what I had.

Rating: 6.5/10

Address: 217 N Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801