Royal Orchid

There is not place in the twincities that I like to eat Thai food other than this place. They offer many dishes which are unique to Thai only. The taste is a authentic as you can get outside of Thailand. So, get there fast.

I'm always very nervous about finding good food (especially thai) in the suburbs...but this place is wonderful!! I met my dad there for dinner tonight and both our meals were wonderful. The woman who served us was very sweet. She said they'd really been hurting for business since the Barnes and Noble next door closed. But they're wonderful so eat there often!!!

Being a person of Thai descent from the Los Angeles/Orange County area, I was pretty spoiled when it came to eating great Thai cuisine. From Thai Town to Central OC to my mom's kitchen in Irvine, I grew up eating Thai food and was taught by my mother on how to cook Thai. When I came to the Twin Cities about 15 years ago to go to college, I developed homesickness for the food that I grew up eating. I found a few places in the Cities that called themselves Thai and when I would ask them (using the little Thai that I know) if they had any specific Thai dishes, I got a lot of funny looks. Fortunately, I discovered The Royal Orchid, which was in Minneapolis at the time. Having been disappointed by some of the Thai places before, I kept my expectations low. After my first trip here, I vowed to be a regular because Pat and Nita, the owners, knew what I was talking about when it came to Thai cuisine and prepared the food that I grew up eating in a manner that I remembered it. While most of my "farang" friends like pad Thai, I prefer other dishes such as Tod Mon, haw muk (which they make off of the menu sometimes), Gaeng Ped Nuea (Beef in Red Curry), and Mieng Khum . I found the flavors delightful and not too sweet or sugary. The flavor of their Panang Curry is to die for and is my wife's favorite dish. He also makes a great coconut noodle dish that is wonderfully flavored as well. I could go on and on raving about this place, but whenever I don't feel like cooking Thai at home, I go here because Pat and Nita know what I like. The restaurant is nicely decorated with Thai artwork and while their location is in a strip mall in Roseville, don't judge this place by its location. The food and the service speaks for itself. My mother came to visit me a few years ago and she gave this place her "stamp of approval." My mom is pretty finicky when it comes to Thai restaurants and their cooking and normally will not eat Thai when she is out of town. In this case she made an exception because I strongly insisted that my wife and I wanted to eat Thai (and it was my birthday....:)) and the owners wanted to meet her. She told me that their Haw Mok was one of the best dishes she has ever had outside of Thailand. If this isn't a strong enough endorsement for thi s place, I don't know what is. But don't take my word or my mom's word for it, try it for yourself. You'll be glad you discovered a true Thai gem in the Twin Cites. Tell Pat and Nita that I sent you.