An honest review of the glorious Thai Restaurant that is, Soi.

Seattle has a different Thai restaurant on the map, and it’s known by the name of SOI.
Soi was opened by Husband-and-wife team Gabe Wiborg and Yuie Helseth back in 2015 with the intentions of shaking up the Seattle Thai scene.

Marketed as “NOT YOUR TYPICAL THAI,” the owners promise, “SOI is a return to Thailand–a departure from your normal expectations of Thai food in Seattle. Our idea is to return back to what it really like to eat in Thailand, with a focus on the food of the raised plateau of the North Eastern region of Thailand called Issan.”

To Eat

The food here is truly delicious. There was not one item we tried that we did not enjoy.

Phad Prik ผัดพริก Blistered yard long beans stir-fried with basil, cumin, garlic, bell pepper, lemongrass

Khao Soi ข้าวซอย A northern-style curry noodle soup. Egg noodles in a coconut milk curry of cumin, turmeric, shallot, galangal, lemongrass, and chicken, topped with bean sprouts, pickled cabbage, cilantro, and sliced shallot

Spicy Curried Prawns ฉู่ฉี่กุ้ง Jumbo tiger prawns in a coconut milk curry of shallot, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, shrimp paste and garlic, banana chips

THINGS I LIKE ABOUT SOI

• Quality Ingredients The ingredients are fresh. Soi strives to source local and natural whenever possible and they refrain from using MSG.
• The Space The decor of this place is insanely cool featuring reclaimed wood from Eastern Washington and Idaho Barns and Silos.
• It’s Different It was fun to see Northern Thai items and not your typical westernized Thai.

CLAIMS I CAN’T 100% GET BEHIND

• ” Our idea is to return back to what its really like to eat in Thailand”
  • When you walk into Soi you may notice the “Specials” Board. On our visit it featured an (overpriced) Pumpkin Curry for $22… sorry what?! Friends, I’ve eaten many meals in Thailand. The price point of an average authentic Thai meal in Thailand? $2. Served usually in a plastic bag with a twist-tie, served quickly and generally focused on flavor, not presentation. The Kao Soi here is beautifully served in a small ceramic bowl? $17.

You’re paying for pretty food and a pretty interior. Honestly, you’re probably paying to support their rent because they have a killer location in cap. hill

• “Our food is fiery”
  • Well, not quite. Our server warned us against intense spice so we let her know we LOVE spice. She asked if we wanted our dish “Thai Spicy” and we said YES PLEASE. Upon our first slurp, the spice we expected was missing and this honestly just made me sad. If you’re going to promise something on the first page of your menu AND have your servers talk it up, please relay the message to your kitchen staff.

• “Happy Hour”
  • We happened to be at Soi during happy hour so we checked out the menu. With most of the dishes being listed by their Thai name it was a tad tricky for us to figure out what these dishes were. Totally fine! This means it’s more authentic, right? We spent a good 10 minutes trying to find these items on the regular menu to read their descriptions but had a pretty tough time finding them. So alas! We decided to ask our waitress to explain the dishes to us. Sadly, she even got tripped up trying to explain the menu and was getting a few of the menu items confused. I found it funny, but other visitors might not.

Needless to say, the happy hour menu kind of made me feel like I was in Thailand again, guessing what things were and trying new dishes so that was fun. But, it was also an added level of difficulty. So, if you’re not willing to be adventurous or at least ask your waiter what half of the menu is then, you might not have the best time ordering your meal here at Soi in Seattle.

At the end of the day, I love that they don’t have Phad Thai on the menu, I love that they claim authenticity with their menu, I love how pretty this place is. I just had to be the one to say something different about Soi because for the last four years I’ve only heard stellar reviews of this place. In no way did I have a bad experience, in no way is this a bad review of Soi in Seattle. In all ways is this my 100% honest, tried and true experience of dining at Soi in Seattle.

Interior

Exterior