Zalathai Thai Restaurant in Nanaimo

I love this place so much, excellent service always, sad to see them go, happy retirement!!

Food is the best thai in town. Service is even better. They are very nice.

Did a google search of thai restaurants in the area. This one came up showing open for business. Went to the door and it is locked and closed. Guess they are not so open. Not the first time this has happened with this restaurant.

We wanted to try some thia food in town, seen this place had some food of interest, the food wasnt great, had an odd flavor and wasnt tasty, for $80 + for 2 people id expect real flavors and nice portion sizes which wasnt the case, the service was good though... unfortunately we wont be back as we have a better option for authentic Thai food..

Don t take your business here ordered pad thai with tofu and food tastes like you are having sugar syrup and can hardly find any tofu pieces. Veggies were all rotten

Take out only. Drove to location and they refused us and said they do take out only. Very disappointed

BEST Thai food Ive had on the island so far!! Coconut rice to perfection, pad thai to die for !!! Wish they were open for dine in

Please note that this place is take out only.

My daughter and I get a nice big Pad Thai to go from our favourite place, Zalathai, and share it for dinner when we re treating ourselves!

Great place for nice authentic Thai food, definitely reminds me of home.

The woman attitude was so bad

Best Thai on the island!! I fear the day they go back to Thailand as they make the only tasty good Thai food on the island. No dine in yet but so worth it, friendly staff & delicious food. Highly recommended, especially once they re-open dine in they had amazing deep fried bananas

I visited there with my friends, we ordered 4 different items and not even a single one of them was good in taste. I will never recommend this place.

We called to ask if they were still take-out only.. and the lady simply yelled NO DINE IN!!! then hung up on us lol. We were going to place a take out order but didnt bother to after that.

Im not sure about the atmosphere inside, as Ive only gotten take out, but the staff are polite, kind, and efficient, prices reasonable, and pad Thai delicious.

Absolutely the best Customer Service from the owner themselves, with the awesome Thai food. Curry and fried rice were the best

The woman at the front just yells at you and gets irritated if you ask her to repeat anything. I mean youre the one not able to speak or understand English in the first place lady.

Take out only. It looked like Thai food, but pretty bland on flavour for our padthai dishes. Chicken cold rolls unimpressive lumps.

Best pad Thai in town

I was planning of going to this place for the first time tonight. Called in to make a reservation, the person on the phone was so rude- all she said (yelling) was TAKE OUT ONLY!! and hung up the phone. I called back since I wanted to make sure they did not have dine in at all- and she was yelling said DO YOU UNDERSTAND TAKE OUT ONLY TAKE OUT - DO YOU UNDERSTAND. Thankfully i called before going in because I wont want to spend a dollar where staff cant be courteous.

I wish there was a NO star option coz this place doesn t deserve even a single star. After seeing so much hype about this place and a 4.3 rating, I was eager to visit this place for dinner. Since it was a Friday night, I just wanted to make sure I have a reservation in place. So I called in and the lady who answered the call was the rudest person I would have ever spoken to. I asked for reservation and she said take only and hung the phone. She didn t even bother asking if I would like to place a take out order. I called again and she said #TAKE OUT ONLY TAKE OUT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?? This place definitely needs to get this lady out and have someone more polite and courteous answering the call. No way I am ever gonna go to this place ever and my recommendation to others, visit this place only when you give more importance to your taste buds and ignore the fact how you are treated. The reviews said food is good but what s the point if you are ill treated or disrespected.

Do you know those times when you ve been to a place once, and it failed so bad the first time that you give it a second go to see if it improves? That was this time. Ive had my fair share of Thai food in BC and this place is very mediocre for the culture of food it derives from. Personally, I find the inability to eat-in is a way to produce low quality Thai food. The food here lacks flavour, lacks clear signs of time spent cooking the food (this means that the veggies were simply cut and warmed up enough to be consumed), and not to mention the food portions for the cost. With previous experience at other places and cooking it for myself, the ratio of what they do cook and what they serve you (in take out boxes might I note so they can get away with it) is not proportional. I feel just because this is only one of two options in nanaimo for Thai food, it doesnt make it a good one.

Would not order from again. Portions were very very small and for the price it was not worth it. It s okay but I know now that there are no Thai food places on the island that will ever compare to the ones on the mainland. I order a chicken pad Thai and green curry chicken and the flavor was not there at all for the pad Thai and the curry was okay. If you want something that s very small portions for what they charge then sure go for it. I m just an honest connoisseur of Asian foods being of oriental Asian heritage it was a first and last time that I will order from here.

Not for me: food lacked flavour and was too expensive for the portion sizes.

Take out only

The front service woman was the most unprofessional and rude person I ve ever dealt with in the food industry. I am appalled at the level of disrespect she treated me with when I picked up my food and phoned to order my food. I would never return here again.

Google directions via Lois Lane took us to a narrow alley. We had to back out. Closed today at 330 pm when Google says open until 8 pm. Sign on locked door says Takeout Only. No idea of food, I had to go elsewhere.

When I picked up my order, the owner asked me to pay in cash instead of credit card as she closed the machine for the day. This was something unexpected to us as we were not aware of the situation. We didn t have cash on us, so she had to accept credit card payment WITH AN ATTITUTE. After paying for my take out order, my kid ask for the washroom, again, owner and her husband kept saying the washroom is closed, go outside. We are decently not coming back ever due to the customer service and bad attitude. The food is just an Ok.

I m sure not understanding the recent negative reviews. We ordered takeout last night from our favourite place - hubby says he was greeted with a lovely smile. As usual, food was fabulous, hot and fresh. The pad Thai, chow mein and panang curry were perfection on a plate, yum!

Called to place an order, the lady on the phone wasnt very clear with what she was confirming - ended up thinking we were getting 3 of the same dish when we only wanted 2, and confirmed 2 dishes many times only for her to keep saying 3. Kept saying only 2 dishes & then she just hung up on me. Was told the food was good, but will not try calling back again to order based off of the customer service.

I really don t like writing negative reviews but I can t *not* write this My flatmate and I both got upset stomachs within minutes of eating our food. I ordered chicken pad thai, he ordered the tofu one. On top of this, I asked for no bean sprouts but I still found bean sprouts in my food anyways. I am allergic to bean sprouts so I had to pick them all out. Whether or not I explicitly stated I was allergic, I still found it very unprofessional to totally ignore a customer s specifications. Imagine something like this happening to a person who with a life threatening allergy Anyways, I gave up trying to pick out the sprouts because I already started to feel sick midway through, and did not finish my food.

They never answer their phones, sometimes they just answer and hang up immediately. Super frustrating. If you happen to be able to order a meal from Zalathai, you arent greeted when you walk in, its awkward and quiet. Its a shame, because I really like their food. But the last year I have experienced absolutely horrible service.

Customer service was my reason for one star. I showed up at the door, the lady opened the door and said this place is take out only, the shut the door. Uninterested in even taking any orders.

Food is delicious and authentic. Oners are great people and service is fantastic! Vegetarian options: Many vegetarian options. Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Doesnt offer delivery like it says on Google. Person who answered was quite rude

Food was good overall but the chicken was too dry and the tomyum was too sweet for my tasting.

Delicious Thai food and super friendly staff.

A lady that work there, was so rude to people that were waiting the bus outside, throw water and almost shower someone that was walking over the sidewalk. Bad attitude.

It is because of the good reviews that made us want to try but the WOMAN in front who takes your order is SUPER RUDE. We were asking a question about the food and she tells us to hurry up because they are busy and she does not hide her irritation.

Our go to Thai food. Love all of it but especially the salad rolls and curry dishes. Excellent service!

Chefs special is always my go to when ever I visit this place. Last time I ordered duck curry and it was fabolous! Also if you are a peanut sauce lover should try fried tofu. The peanut sauce is unbeliavable!

On a short vacation to Nanaimo for a few days and discovered this gem! We ordered takeout for the first night and food was very delicious, portion was right and was prepared very quickly after ordering! We then came back a second time just before we leave to return back to Vancouver and tried their lunch specials! It was all so amazing! Definitely recommend and will come back when we visit the island again! We tried the following items: Pad Thai (a bit on a sweeter side) Green curry w/ beef Roasted duck curry Pad krapow w/ pork (highly recommended) Crab fried rice (highly recommended) Tom kha soup Moo Gratiem (Garlic pork)

Consistently amazing.

Okay

Amazing food, always fast and fresh, and run by a lovely couple. They are considerate of my dairy and egg intolerances and I ve never had an issue ordering here.

Tom Ka soup is amazing, pad Thai is good kinda sweet, coconut rice is great and I love the pad se ew.

The best pad thai and panang curry on the island!

The best Thai food I ve had on Vancouver Island. Som Tam is my favourite. The only downside is that I live in Courtenay and wish you could open another restaurant in the Comox Valley so I could eat there every day!

Super tasty, and the lady taking my order was so nice. We had yellow curry, pad Thai, coconut rice and spring rolls. All super tasty. Can t wait to try their stuffed angel wings!

Good taste! Tom Yam doesn t look red. Only can get a to-go / no dine-in.

tasty food, sad that we cant dine in (love their thai ice tea)

Best Thai in town

Rude !!! We are Visitors to this area. Asked for help on menus. But the lady in the pinky dress has a terrible attitude . Did not explain anything just rush us to pick a number of the food. I would never go there again .

Maybe we ordered on a off day but the food did not meet up to the high reviews. Spent $100 on food that half got tossed in the compost bin. Can t say anything good about any of the dishes, Just a bad overall experience. Stomach was not happy after that meal, 3/4 did not feel great after eating. I get that sometimes places get busy but waiting 40+ min on a order that was suppose to be ready in 20min . . . Had high hopes for this place and we try to support small businesses but Sorry won t be back.

Delicious and always fast

I originally wanted to go in for a meal, but I could only order takeout. So I was outside the store ready to check on my phone for places to eat nearby. A middle-aged female clerk inside knocked on the glass very rudely and asked us to leave, and her expression was very unfriendly. It is impossible to go to this restaurant or recommend friends to go there. I feel that there is no friendliness between people. Why would I want to eat in such a place? This place has made my impression of Nanaimo a lot worse!

Good luck ordering by phone. The lady doesnt speak english and hang up on me. Very rude and unprofessional staff. Avoid this restaurant !

Nanaimo has been the greatest disappointment for a variety of decently priced ethnic foods. We must have driven by this restaraunt 100 times and not even realized it was there. The owners are extremely sweet and accomodating. We have tried almost everything on the menu and loved it all!! Vegetarian options: Great selection of vegetarian options. Dietary restrictions: Owners were very accomodating when it came to level of spice. They also are NOT stingy when it comes to the meat. Parking: Parking can be slightly tricky as it is a busy area Kid-friendliness: The owners are so kind. They are lovely people!!! Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs to enter/one level. Since covid you can only take your order home.

Great pad thai

I enjoyed the yellow curry, pineapple was a nice touch.

Great food and excellent service! The whole family absolutely loves their food (we ve had noodles, rice, curry dishes, all delicious!) and I can t speak enough about their service. There was a mix up in my most recent order (100% my fault) and they went out of their way to make it right even though it was my fault. Unbelievable service, and so thankful for their generosity.

Food was ready fast and very good!

Fresh and delicious. Friendly staff. My new favourite Thai restaurant!

Great Thai food reasonably priced

Awesome food and service No dine in right now and looks nothing special from the outside but very friendly staff and great pad see ew Medium was a bit hotter than expected but definitely not unmanageable

AMAZING AMAZING FOOD. I m a regular here. The spring rolls are worth every penny and the Pad Thai is epic tier. The owners are so hard working and nice. Please support this local business!!!

Excellent Veggie fried rice. Perfect level of spice. Ordered two with different spice levels and both were awesome.

Love it here. Ive eaten at a lot of Thai places, its my favorite, and this place is awesome! Im so glad theyre surviving the pandemic, theyre food is so good!

Such friendly staff and amazing food! We love Zalathai

Tasty cuisine and well packaged for takeout

AMAZING! We found THE Thai food restaurant....no need to go anywhere else ever again! We ordered Satay, Salad rolls, Panang curry, Moo Gratiem, and of course Pad Thai; and it was ALL the best Ive ever had! Thank you Zalathai!

Most authentic Pad Thai I found in Nanaimo

Saw the incredible reviews and so I waited an hour for them to open. And finally I got on the phone to double check if they were open yet, and over the phone the lady said something about takeout but I wasnt able to hear her clearly, so then when I asked her to repeat herself she screamed TAKE OUT ONLY and just hung up on me. I called back to order and I said she disconnected, and she slowly spelled out T A K E O U T only! Only to hang up on me again! I didnt even get a chance to get a word in! Youd think shed want to take my order firdt! I understood what she said after the first phone call so I called back just to make my order and I didnt even get the chance, maybe a previous customer or employee agitated her but it was completely uncalled for. I really am disappointed because I heard so many great things about this place and the whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth. I would understand if I was rude or pressing, and I understand how busy they might have been, but I dont understand how you can even have such a rating with that level of disrespect for customers. Maybe this lady doesnt speak to others that way.

Absolutely Amazing!!! Order size is big and the food is so fresh! I cant wait to go back again! 100% worth it !! Thank you Zalathai Thai Restaurant!!!

Best thai food I have ever had I highly recommend them and wonderful customer service

Incredibly kind and accommodating staff - we were pressed for time and they went out of their way to offer to cook our meal extra quickly. The food was some of the best Thai I have had, and the staff were notably compassionate. Highly recommend Zalathai and the wonderful folks who work there.

Very tasty Tofu Pad Thai that didnt break the bank and gave you a large portion size. My friends said that the salad rolls were also delicious. Support Local and get some yummy food here :)

Google maps says it closes at 3pm. We went there at 1pm today and it was all dark inside. We were wondering if it was closed and a lady came out with a large bowl of water. Before we could start asking she poured the bowl of water on the floor right in front of us. Guess that was her way of saying youre not welcomed. It was my favorite Thai restaurant in Nanaimo but never again.

The best Thai food i ve ever had. Everything I ve ordered from there has been amazing, and the most lovely staff. They also provide a wide variety of vegetarian/vegan dishes and are always happy to accommodate

The quintessential Thai family dining experience. Home style Thai food with sincere Thai service.

I live on their salad rolls

Very tasty! Will order again.

Best Thai food Ive ever had!! The whole menu is awesome Id suggest getting the crab fried rice!! Real crab!! Soo good!!! Absolutely amazing!

Delicious food and wonderful staff!

Very friendly service for takeaway. Good food and was ready early. Tasty and vegetarian friendly if needed.

Pretty good. Better than most I ve tried in the area. Still nothing was great. All the dishes we ordered were well seasoned, authentic-ish and average portion size. Way overkill on the bamboo shoots - where s the meat? We ve tried it twice because the location works for us but I think we will look for somewhere else next time.

Fantastic food and employees gave excellent service.

Nice restaurant and staff. Large menu with choices for everyone.

Picked up coconut chicken curry and prawn drunken noodles lastnight The curry sauce literally smelled like a urinal and was watery to the point where we almost took a sample to provincial board. The prawn drunken noodles were great except for the shrimp.....not prawns Such a let ddown considering the reviews

We had a delicious meal and very good service.

Great restaurants downtown Nanaimo but not this one We went in to get a bite to eat sat down and ordered (small servings ) Asked to use the washroom and they said no washroom , washroom broke .... had to go down the street to fresh slice To use theirs !!! And fresh slice said it was for a couple days !!!! What restaurant sends their customer to another for that reason ???

I order from these guys regularely and I have never been disappointed excellent food and the owners are great.

The best spicy chicken fried rice!!! Very nice customer service!! Best Thai food in town.

Best Thai in Nanaimo

Absolutely delicious food! The owners are super sweet, I recommend this place to anyone who loves Thai food!

I was very disappointed with their Pad Thai dish. Unfortunately, it was the worst I have ever had. The noodles were dry with hardly any sauce. There was no trace of any vegetables and a few pieces of dry meat. This dish had no flavor at all, just dry noodles with mashed peanuts on top. I will not be returning here.

Really disappointed in my experience here since I typically love Thai food and had decent expectations, given the Google rating. I ordered Panang Curry, as its my favourite Thai dish and is always the first thing I try at new Thai restaurants. I have to say, the food looked delicious, however on the drive home (take out only due to covid) I thought it was a bit weird that I couldnt smell it in the car. Upon arriving home and tasting my meal, I was very surprised to discover that it had almost zero flavour and a similar level of spice (asked for medium spice, which usually gets my forehead sweating just a little). The serving was large enough for two meals however I have no appetite for a second meal, especially since Im on vacation and want to enjoy myself. Unfortunately, I do not recommend going to this restaurant.

Very delicious The most authentic Thai food I have had outside of Thailand. Dave

coconut rice and panang curry were delicious! sat next to a large, open window with a nice breeze

Best Thai food in town.

Really great Thai food, and the owners are total sweethearts. The pineapple fried rice is a personal favorite, but I have yet to be disappointed with any of the dishes Ive ordered.

Great food, right downtown.

I would rate a zero if I could for this. They surely don t understand the definition of medium spicy. They made it extremely hot making it difficult to eat.. Ridiculous!! I hate this place and am never going back!!

I always enjoy fresh and delicious dishes here paired with very nice service by the owners? Its good enough that I keep going back and have not yet bothered to check out any other Thai places here in the city.

Good Quality Thai Food Always Try some Traditional Thai dishes.

A-roi!!!! I have traveled to Thailand 3 times and this restaurant cooks exactly the real thing! 10 out of 10! Best Thai food restaurant on Vancouver Island.

Excellent authentic thai food. We have travelled thailand for over 20 years and feel Zalathai provide excellent authentic thai dishes. The staff ( owners) are very helpful and pleasant. The best thai we have found outside of thailand.

Great place for Thai food staff very friendly

Amazingly sweet owners and absolutely delicious food! 10/10 would reccomend!

A lovely oasis of wonderful food at a reasonable price!

Service was good, food was good. (surprisingly ready quite soon)

Everyone loved their meal.

Food was good

Great food. Worth the drive from Port Alberni

This is a excellent thai restaurant, pad thai is great

Best pad thai ever

Awesome food

Pretty good

The best service and food our family has had in a long time .We will definitely be eating there again :) :)

Excellent selection. Wonderful owners. Youll enjoy your time here!

It was pretty standard Thai food, but well-made and tasty. Id eat here again.

I would have posted some photos, but we ate it all! We are from out of town and regularly eat Thai. Food here is great and authentic. One of the few places Ive been where they actually made it spicy enough for me, ask for extra hot / Thai hot!

Awesome, family run, authentic Thai food. Lovely hosts. Great food. Neat decor.

Good service but taste is so so

Good place ~~~

My husband and I stopped in the have dinner after a long day in Vancouver. The service was beyond amazing and the food was the best Authentic Thai I ve had since being in Bangkok. We were honestly blown away with the kindness and the quality of each dish. We will definitely being venturing to Nanaimo from Cumberland for date nights in the future. Thank you!!!

Highest-reviewed Thai place on Google Maps for a reason! Excellent service with a smile, and good was ready in about 7 minutes. Phad Thai was marvellous.

Great service

Excellent food and very friendly service.

We had several curries and larp. Nothing special, had far better for less $$ but it was okay for a evening when other places were closed. The Tom yum soup was the most disappointing item, being quite small with more spice than flavor. The larp was best item.

Authentic and delicious Thai food for a very reasonable price.

Best Thai food in Nanaimo.I have been to Thailand myself and find their food very Authentic and very reasonable. The owners are very sweet and always give big smiles everytime. They even remembered my brother and was asking about him. Super impressed!

Nice spot

Authentic Thai food and experience. Highly recommend this hidden gem.

Tasty, great portions, clean lil place

Fast .... Food comes fast hot and its good

Love there food

Delicious! I love their coconut rice

Love everything Ive ordered here!!

Staffs are nice. They welcome and smile to serve customer all the time. Food was good but price was not reasonable I think.

I had the crab fried rice and it was amazing. Somewhat pricey but very worth it

Delicious food and delightful service

I love zalathai the atmosphere is wonderful the food is out of this world and the service is impeccable.

very delicious thai restaurant with friendly staff!

I like this place. Good value, very tasty food and friendly owners and staff. Large selection of satisfying fare.

My favourite place ever!

Great food, friendly family run establishment. A regular lunch stop for me and my colleagues. Love the Pad Thai

Beer is ridiculously expensive (7$ domestic) but food is ok priced and tastey

Love their Papaya salad and such nice people.

Highly recommend!! A truly delicious restaurant!! The atmosphere is very nice and friendly, and most of all, the food is so delicious. Be sure to go!! The spring rolls are really delicious and the curry is also really delicious!! I ordered a small bowl of rice and it came out that much.

Really good Thai food, love their coconut rice. The owners are super friendly and welcoming. I looked forward to this place coming back from Thailand.

Hands down best Thai in Nanaimo. Offering a Gluten Free many is also amazing. The staff is also super helpful and remembers us.

Just ordered from skip the dishes food was amazing and fast

Fantastic food. We very much enjoyed it. The red curry dish was not too spicy but did have a very mild kick to it.

Really nice Thai food. Best in Nanaimo for sure and good portion sizes - good value all around

Great massaman Curry, and lovely staff!

Always good food and great staff

Nice atmosphere, clean, welcoming. A good selection of menu items that are reasonably priced. Really enjoyed it!

Great real Thai food, friendly service

Great authentic Thai food even better service. Nice server I have had in a long time. Right downtown Nanaimo so no parking but thats Nanaimos fault not the business. Highly recommended if you love good Thai food

Absolutely delicious! Clean, friendly staff, wonderful food, would reccomend to a friend

Food is absolutely amazing ! Great service ! I had #24 on the menu, with medium spice and my boyfriend had the masman curry with meidum spice really enjoyed his food. Food portions are big and filling !

We travelled to the island from Winnipeg and this food is absolutely amazing. It is a highlight of our trip. Not to mention the customer service is awesome. The coconut rice is a must try. Thanks for the great food and service

We came in at 3:00pm the restaurant is actually closed, but the lady still let us in and make food for us, great food and service.

Ma and Pa run, small business very tasty excellent service and never changes its style or taste two big thumbs up anyone who has not tried Zola Thai should go if you love food!!!

Very delicious food. Local family restaurant and owners are from Thailand as well. Very amazing environment to go and have dinner. Great job!

Great food. Great service. The restaurant is impeccably clean and we did not have to wait long for the food (a definite plus with a baby)

You charged us for tea and rice??? No decent reastaurant scams its customers this way. I have never been to an oriental restaurant ever that charges for rice and tea. An extra $8.00 in your pocket whooo!! You asked if we wanted tea, yes, but not if we wanted rice. Keep on Scamming!!

Great service and tasty food

Return customers .. very tasty .