Kalaya LLC Reviews

I was looking for some interesting takeout for a family birthday and Kalaya was perfect. We saw pictures of their beautiful dumplings that look like flowers and they tasted just as wonderful as they looked. We really enjoyed all the food which was careful packed and still hot when we got home. We are looking forward to trying Kalaya for dining in when we are able! In the meantime I highly recommend the food!

Once you have Kalaya, you never looked back! I was never a particular fan of Thai food, but a friend invited me for dinner a few weeks back, and I have returned three times now! The service is friendly (but slow), and the food is a DREAM.

This was a great experience. The place is small, so best to make reservations. We were a large group (9) and they had no issues making room for us. The service is excellent. The selection on the menu was expansive. I took a picture of the menu. It was not an inexpensive meal, but as they say, you get what you pay for. Come hear making sure to try different things on the menu. You will not be disappointed.

I have nothing good to say about this place . Worst food, worst service. High price for eating nothing..I love Thai food but here the only thing you could taste were salt and MSG. First time we could not finish one dish. Owner was a piece of work with a plastered fake smile . Although we made a reservation months in advance , we still had to wait 40 minutes after being lied multiple time for our table . This is nothing more than street food at high end price . It’s a ripoff and absolutely not worth time and money . Philly has much better Thai places that do not break your bank . Bad service combined with bad food left us totally dissatisfied and disappointed. Do not waste your time and money Read the reviews and don’t believe what you read on magazines . Flight attendants do not make for good chefs

“Aloha” from the friendly staff and your in for a great experience. We sat outside in the cozy Philly street dining box and had a fabulous meal. Beautifully delicious dumplings and spicy hot beef salad. The meat so tender you could cut with a spoon. Top it off with sticky rice and Thai ice teas. We loved it. Thank you. This place is a South Philly Thai gem in the Italian Market.

Kalaya is a favorite Thai restaurant of mine. We went to the new location recently but it was noisy at first. The reservation was 7:45 and it quieted down later. The atmosphere is a cool warehouse feel and the food is spectacular. We ate crab curry, turmeric rice, whole Branzinno, dumplings with cod, and corn and bean salad. We didn’t get dessert but the main entrees were plenty. It’s spicy but you can talk to them if its too much. We loved it! Service was great and they brought water frequently.

Attend Kalaya last night and it was very impressive. The staff was excellent they all were very attentive to my wife and I. The food was unbelievable, if you don’t eat spicy food please do not try any of their spicy dishes. The grill squid was wonderful, the dumplings were very different from what I was used to. The main dishes are something you truly want to share. You must have the salads it’s more then you can imagine. I also heard they do also family style but you must safe space for dessert. There shaved ice is a treat. That place was packed so I suggest you make reservations.

Another excellent dinner with another couple. Their first time, our second. You really can't go wrong here though take your time ordering as the food comes out a bit too quickly.

Once in, perhaps, every decade…you *might* have the good fortune to be the grateful recipient of a chef who is in a passionate relationship with her cuisine. So much so, that it is not food, it is art. For this past decade, for me, it has been Nok Suntaranon. Of course, she’s gone to MANY of the world’s FINEST schools – to perfect her craft – (including several months in pastry school, though I’m not sure how much that will be featured) – but now, she is able to share her artistry with others at her new restaurant – Kalaya Thai Kitchen (BYOB) in the Italian Market. Don’t schedule your evening as “we’ll eat at Kalaya BEFORE the show, etc…” Kalaya Thai Kitchen BE the show for the evening. Bring your bottle of wine, settle in and allow Nok to do her magic. It will be an evening devine. PLEASE NOTE!! The photos I've posted don't necessarily show what will be on the menu when you come in and dine. Just...trust the chef....

We were looking for Thai food and came across Kalaya. We were able to get seated outside in the wooden crates they setup for outdoor dining. The seats were terribly uncomfortable. Once seated, the waitress informed us that there were no food substitutions allowed and that they could not adjust the spicinesses of the food. Being pescatarian and preferring moderate spiciness on our food this severely limited our options. And then there was the outrageous price. Some entrees were $75 with most ~$40 or more. We ordered a mushroom salad that was definitely too hot to enjoy and the glass noodle prawns which were overcooked and tough. A glass of tea and the total was over $100 (with tip).

The food was excellent. The people were incredibly helpful with picking out our dinner dishes. Can't recommend it enough.

The food was generally good. A few things were outstanding, others somewhat disappointing (e.g the pork belly pieces had HUGE pieces of fat). The service was friendly. My biggest gripe is that prices are very high — higher than pretty much at any other Thai restaurant we’ve been to.

I had an amazing meal at Kalaya, every dish had the wow factor. The flavours were incredible - so fresh & zingy. Their curries certainly have bite! Don’t miss the Lum Yong cocktail & their showstopper iced dessert, Nam Kaeng Sai. Service was faultless from the lovely Michael. Kalaya is no longer at the address on South 9th Street as listed here, it moved to bigger premises in Fishtown over a year ago.

The four of us enjoyed a wonderful dinner last night at Kalaya. The pros- clear and concise menu, enough choices to satisfy nearly any food preferences, flavorful and well presented dishes, timely but not rushed service, BYO, friendly and professional staff. The branzino rocked. The cons- dishes have a hot spice level above my taste- nearly every dish. The spice level is not negotiable. As summer arrives in Phila, this hot, hotter or hottest food fare may be less appreciated. The acoustics also need some serious addressing. On a full night, as this place appears to do regularly, its extremely loud. Overall- fantastic now with Michelin potential. Hope to see low heat adds to the summer menu. Will definitely return for same.

Awesome Thai food. Flavorful, sensibly spicy. The branzino was to die for, with some heat, moderate citrus, perfectly cooked. Other items comparable. Food nothing like the usual neighborhood Thai restaurants that predominate. Moderately large venue but conversation and service were excellent. Prices not inexpensive but reasonable. If you have been to Jitlada in West Hollywood, CA, which could be the best Thai restaurant in the country, you will see a real resemblance. If we lived in Philly we'd be here all the time. By the way, the listed address is incorrect. The actual address is 4 West Palmer St, Philadelphia 19125. And the name is Kalaya Philadelphia, I believe. I asked, and the 9th St address is several years' old.

Great food in a wonderful setting. Parking sucks, so plan ahead to find a spot on he street or in a lot. I go everywhere to eat that's good in the city and I have to say, this was one of the more unique meals I have had and one of my top 3 best meals of the last few years. Yes I wil be back. Is it expensive and a little too expensive for what it is? Yes. Is it worth it? Most of it sure is. Could they come back to earth with some of their prices and build more loyalty and repeat business. Yes. Then again, most restauranteurs don't understand the big picture of repeat and referral business and they do silly things. One silly thing is the 3% kitchen staff tip on top of the bill - something I have never seen and a little ridiculous for a restaurant that charges high end for their food. When you pay $400 for dinner for 2 (literally) you don't need to see a nickel and dime charge at the end of the bill. C'mon guys. Not me, but that is enough for people to not come back They should have enough money to pay their staff properly. It's not a lot of money, but just sours the end of the meal when you get your bill. To me, penny smart and dollar foolish, as a few people I know complained of this. The steak, the chicken, the dumplings, the AWESOME dessert - it's all top notch and let's be real. you get what you pay for. That said, they could revise things a little bit to build in little more customer loyalty for the long term.

You may think you know Thai food. But Kalaya will give you an education. And an amazing meal to boot. The flavors come alive with every dish--done thoughtfully, fancifully but without pretense. Despite the din of a packed dining room and people hovering for tables, the staff is practiced in being cool and calm but never detached. The people they serve are happy to be there and they are too. You may not know everything on the menu when you come in, but you won't forget them when you leave. If going for dinner on the weekend, book well in advance. It'll be worth it.

The food here is tasty but too spicy for my taste. They will not adjust the spice level for you. The wait staff are excellent. But the price point for the quantity and quality of the food is just not there.

What a great dinner. It was all that I hoped for in all ways. The food was outstanding and service was very good. The room was lovely and a great crowd. Flowere dumplings were amazing and hot, just short of too hot but hot. Crab and huge scallop curry in coconut sauce was beautiful and wife's beef stir fry was great. Mustard green side was very nice and the pilot noir was very good and decently priced. I believe it was the owner circulated to make sure and a nice touch. Warning, I guess, parking is challenging but if you can parallel park, and willing to maybe walk a bit, it's fine.

I've lived, worked and traveled in Thailand. I believe I have a pretty good handle on actual Thai food. Kalaya is as close as you can come to real Thai food in America. The food served here shows why Thai food is a culinary delight. This is not Americanized Thai food that you find across the city and yes it will be too spicy for some. There are no silly pictures of chilis after the dishes telling the restaurant how to prepare their recipes. Diners that are willing to open their minds and their palates will be rewarded. The servers are knowledgeable and efficient. The owner, Khun Nok is caring and delightful. For anyone that actually wants to try Thai food, Kalaya is a must.

The dishes are shared by the table. We started with the shots in which you took a bite of a piece slice with spices on it then the shot These were delicious. The curry chicken and sesame chicken were the best. The goat and lamb curry were excellent as well. The prawn was large and interesting. Some of the dishes were very spicy, causing us to sweat and requiring lots of water, but not so hot as the spices masked the flavor of the dishes. The service was good. Popular, reservations hard to come by so we ate at 5;00 pm

...turns out, it's because Kalaya Thai Kitchen super new. Before we walked inside the restaurant, a friendly waiter welcomed us and started to share about the others who are inside wishing to greet us. Ok, when does that happen? Within two minutes of being seated at a four top of the completely full restaurant, two additional wait staff came by to greet us and tell us about the menu and one of the two co-owners (Nok Suntaranon) came by to talk with us to give us her personal favorite selection item (mom's khao yum kamin). This is a BYO and they do take credit cards, so keep that in mind. There is some outdoor seating (limited). Meanwhile, we ordered the chicken wings which were to die for. Very sweet, spicy, tender, and cooked to a little crunchy perfection. The sweetness comes from the palm sugar that they use in the kitchen. I should mention now that the food is delivered with the consideration of sharing, pure Thai style, which we embraced. In addition, multiple staff are available to answer any questions, we found, throughout the meal, on the menu. We also got the grilled sliced beef salad (yum nua ma kua poa)as an appetizer, which is supposedly earned three chilis for heat (their highest), but it wasn't quite that hot as we expected. You can tell they marinaded this juicy beef for hours, much like everything else come to think of it. We tried the coconut rice which was presented in a beautiful Thai bowl and noted the aromatic fragrance and the green color, as a result from the herbs, I imagine, that are used when cooking. One of the other meals that we shared had vermicelli rice (long thing grain rice) and the staff brought out from fresh herbs and three kinds of onions/chives and other peppers that could be added to the bowl. Our four items we got were the following which I recommend along with my three dinner friends - and I'm taking the time to write these all down now because they were stellar and the four of us are total foodies: 1. kang poo pak tai (crab curry) 2. moo pad kai kem (stir fry pork) 3. moo pad kapi (wok pork) 4. goong aob woon sen (cooked shrimp and glass noodles) The two desserts we ordered were evening specials - mango fried rice and a pudding - the name of which escapes me at the moment. Highly recommend. We will go back to taste more on the menu.

Deserving of their great reviews. Excellent Thai cuisine. Everything was elevated usual standards. Cocktails were also very good.

OK, I have to believe I visited the Upside Down version of Kalaya. My experience was absolutely sub standard and the prices were ridiculous, based on the portions and lack of flavor. First, I will admit most of the time, take out is not going to be as good as eating in. That said, in picking up our meal, the noise level on a Sat. night exceeded anything I have ever experienced in a restaurant. It was deafening. There is no way I ever could have enjoyed any meal with that amount of noise. I've been to tractor pulls that were less noisy. Now onto the food. Bland, bland, bland. What can I say. Better food at Panda Express by far. $19.00 for four slugs of monkfish (that is the whole order, no vegetables or sauce), which was dry and tasteless. The crab curry that everyone raves about had flaccid noodles and basically tasted as though they just poured coconut milk over the noodles. We also got the cabbage dish. Which was barely cooked and again, completely flavorless. That is hard to accomplish with fish sauce, but that was our experience. Coconut milk rice. Again, just tasted as though they added sugar to rice. But at least it had some flavor.

Gem of a place. Very busy and a little loud but I love that for restaurant ambiance. Cool space. Food was phenomenal. Best Thai I’ve had. I may dream about the yellow curry for years to come. Spicy goodness with the coconut rice. Ahh. Definitely save a little room for a shaved ice!

Went here for night out with son and daughter-in-law. Excellent Thai experience. Spices were there but not excessive. Waiter asked for heat tolerance and made recommendations. Menu has no heat guide. Dumplings and Crab Rangoon were starters. Lamb, beef, soft shell crab and pork belly were mains. Pork belly was not a hit, although veggies with it were. Finished with panna cotta. No liquor, beer or wine available. Colder inside than out.even with heaters I was cold.

This beautifully appointed restaurant knocks it out of the park Buzzing with a sidewalk of diners and patrons waiting to be seated at 9 pm on a Thursday evening we knew at the door this would be great. The interior of the restaurant is carefully appointed with beautiful art and perfect lighting. The large barn like space is designed to be human scale. The food! Wow. We are huge fans of Thai flavors. This menu brings the sweet flavors of the region easily pairing with the crunch of fresh lettuce, radish and cucumbers that balance the hot flash of peppers. The dumplings were like none we had ever experienced.. the squid was light and crisp. The service is more attentive than we have seen in years. THe owner came by our table to greet us. We could not have asked for more.

a few things to consider...start with your car. there is no place to park it. the chicken was overcooked. the breast meat was dry and hard. the accompanying rice was a hard stiff ball but they said that was the way it was supposed to be. service was no better as we were told to wait while others arriving after us were immediately seated and we were then seated at a table that had been available when we arrived. one and done. fool me one James beard! score them a zero next time

As others have noted, very pricey, but you can check the website beforehand to see if this will be an issue. Food is outstanding, and I offer two caveats. 1) I assumed our online rez was for an indoor table. They tried to seat us outdoors in one of those Covid-cabanas with a heater. Chairs were basically flimsy bridge chairs, and the ambience, of course, was very subpar considering the prices. I raised a small fuss and was seated inside, thankfully. I also noted that a deuce table remained empty the entire time we were there. 2) Your server will try to get you to order too much food. I noted people walking out with doggie bags, which is not unusual per se. However, we are big eaters and were not able to finish the dishes they recommended. You do not need a salad, a curry, a soup, an entree, etc. I would have been fine with just the shrimp noodle dish (pad thai chaiya). Tons of huge shrimp, broth, veggies, noodles for $39. Definitely worth it. Servers very friendly. Will definitely go again. Would have offered 5-star review if not for the caveats.

Enjoyed every bite, every dish we tried. The staff was awesome. The chef came out several times (sidewalk dining due to COVID) to make sure all was well. Limited contact ordering (they ask you to use an app on your phone and pre-paid. It is BYOB. I brought 2 bottles the night before to make sure they would be chilled (they kept them for me!)

-pro: great food, great cocktails, chic environment -con: very pricey Coming from out of town we wanted to try some of the best food in Philly and got recs for this place. The inside has some beautiful art and light fixtures. I love the atmosphere and vibe overall. The cocktails were really well balanced. And the food came out very quick. We stuck to the vegetarian options which were all very good, different than normal Thai options we'd pick but were very good. The big con is the price-sharing plates helps this.

We went here on a Thursday night. It was pretty crowded. The service was really good. I was very impressed at how well coordinated the staff was. It was very attentive and they made very helpful suggestions. We had many many dishes from appetizers to entrées. They were all very good. Each dish had its own unique flavor. All very distinct. Some were spicy. Some were not. I think my favorite was the pork belly with five spice. It was a little sweet but at the same time pretty spicy. We had a Spanish bottle of sparkling wine. That was very tasty. I also had a nonalcoholic drink - a thai iced tea. It was delicious. Overall, it was a good experience with very interesting options.

Phenomenal food. Amazing. We had dumplings, river prawn and goat curry, shaved ice and dorian rice pudding. We will be back. Leave time to find parking. But it’s worth it.

Kalaya lives up to the hype! It really is that good. A true party in your mouth! We had the spicy chicken dish, oyster dish and both types of dumplings. The cod fish bird dumplings were amazing! We can’t wait to return. A must visit when in Philly!

Horrible noise level. Interesting food choices, but dishes arrived so quickly that it was hard to enjoy the family style experience. Our group of 4 barely had a chance to enjoy each dish. You might call that good service, but it felt rushed. Not that we could really have conducted a conversation at the table anyway. When we left I felt blessed relief from the roar inside. The food is okay but t was would never go back. Wonderful people watching experience - dressy/ sexy ladies with no-effort gentleman. Can’t understand how these young people can even afford the place. In short, pass on this currently hip restaurant.

Water (and lots of it) required for your meal. Flavors on steroids and a tad too much salt for most dishes. Great service and atmosphere though.

I visiting Kalaya's Thai Kitchen in the 9th street area of Philly when COVID restrictions were still in place, so food was available via take out only. Service was fast and friendly, and the sticky rice and mango was excellent, including presentation.

Amazing new twist on traditional Thai food with creative dishes and cocktails. We asked our server to bring out basically the most popular dishes for our small group and she was happy to comply. One of the best Thai places we have ever visited. The shaved ice was incredible.

Went here last night and loved it. The curry dishes, the sliced beef salad, the rice salad, the eggplant, and the coconut panna cottage were all delicious.

Fantastic Thai on the edge of Italian Market scene in South Philly. Kalaya blew me away - in terms of flavor and heat. Wednesday night at 8 pm - the place was full. So, beware - make a rez and enjoy!

As I am a Thai + Really Nice real Thai food, most of the Thai restuarants in the US are pretty "not Thai" + Nice service - Small and Noisey

Our bar seating was terrible, end of the bar where everyone picks up drinks, my chair was hit numerous times. Also for a high scale restaurant with a top chef, you would think they could do better with catering to vegetarians. Everything was cookie cutter and couldn't be taken out or added because it was already prepped. Maybe 4 main/app dishes total out of the whole menu. Our drinks were great. Beautiful decor and ambience. Tried it and done, won't be back.

Was recommended this spot and told it was one of the best places in philly, where I grew up. This place did not disappoint. Everyone should at least try some Thai quality if you live around here.

Had dinner for the first time at Kalaya and this morning I’m still shaking my head and making weird satisfaction noises at the quality of the food, service and overall experience. We knew we were in for something special moments after we were promptly seated for our reservation when the owner (who is also head chef) sat down at our table to describe the menu and talk about the specials. She was so obviously proud and enthusiastic about the food that we got excited. She then hands us off to the servers who work as a team and were uniformly friendly, professional and attentive. Empty plates disappeared and water glasses were refilled almost psychically. The staff also made good recommendations on the menu and we ended up ordering a mix of dishes to share. The food was amazing – an explosion of flavors and textures. I hate to single anything out (there wasn’t a dish we didn’t like) but the duck salad (ground roast duck with cabbage and cucumbers) was sublime. Two things to note: First -- the heat level of the dishes is no joke. We love spicy food but the beef curry, for example, had us all downing our beers and water (all while marveling at the flavor). Second – the restaurant is small so advance reservations are essential. There was a line out the door for the 8:30 seating on a cold Thursday night. So the first thing I did upon returning home was book a table for a return visit in the New Year. There are more many more dishes I am excited to try!

You know how you're sometimes torn between sharing a secret you don't want to get out, and wanting to do right by people you respect and honour? I've held off on this review, because I don't want competition for seats. Kalaya was great pre-pandemic. Great, but tiny, and super, super loud inside. One of the few wonderful Philadelphia innovations of the pandemic is street seating, and restaurant tables where once out of town diners were competing for parking spaces with hostile locals playing savesies. Kalaya outdoors has doubled, perhaps tripled, its space, and it's magnificent. The space, that is. The food is better. The American version of Thai food seems generally to have been debased even quicker than other Asian cuisines, with the sugar and the over-sauced goop amped up an order or two of magnitude. You know the drill: the four curries, different colours, same flavours, the pad thai and drunken noodles and if you're really, really lucky, maybe some fish cakes. Throw all that expectation out the window here, open your mind and palate, and let yourself be guided by the expert service. Be honest about your spice tolerance. When they say it's hot spicy, it's hot spicy. When they say it's nuanced and the ingredients cut the heat, that's true too. There are some easy going routes in. We haven't tried the crab rangoon, but it's there, as are some fried rice dishes, and all of them smell good when they go by. But if you're adventurous, then just give your spice tolerance, any allergies or aversions, and your level of hunger or willingness for leftovers, and be guided. Because most of these dishes you will not have had before. The rotating selection of dumplings/appetizers are without exception excellent. Elegant too, with the kind of presentation that enhances the taste. The salads and appetizers are superb (also seasonal -- shrimp ceviche style, plump, the pickling transforming the texture of the protein, wow). The shredded duck salad, which seems to be a year-round staple, is extraordinary. Every bit of the duck meat, skin too, with toasted rice powder added to the sauce for texture. Exceptional. We've tried most of the curries by now, I think, by visit six or seven. The dry red curry tofu will challenge the expectations of even the most carnivorous human re vegan food. If you associate goat meat with bad Caribbean take away after a long night of too much drink, then try the goat curry. And if you think the idea of pickled vegetables stir fried with greens and egg sounds weird -- which it does when you first contemplate it -- think again. You'll note I've avoided trying to reproduce the Thai names of the dishes. I don't know Thai and I've yet to learn more than a handful of food words and the succinct, decidedly unpretentious descriptions of the dishes will help you choose what you want with no fuss and no embarrassment. Also, don't come expecting Asian take-away prices. If you do, there'll be sticker shock, which is totally unwarranted. Philadelphians are used to paying 20-30 bucks for an entree of mediocre red-sauce pasta and a secondo piatto that could have come off a bistro menu in the Godfather movies fifty years ago. You'll be paying at that price point here, but for some of the best non-western food you've ever eaten. (And it's BYO, so consider that part of the bargain!) Seriously, this is a twenty minute walk for us, but it's worth an actual commute. And outside the Vetri/Solomonov empires, how many Philly restaurants can claim that?

Food at Kalaya is very tasty and unique with an incredible mix of flavors and spices. Nothing we had was overly spicy which was nice for Thai based food. The service was very good as well. The decor is okay, some fun stuff but not particularly interesting. The big but - this area in Fishtown is a dump and makes going here feel unspecial and unsafe. Narrow streets, everything under construction, trash, several sketchy people along the way from the parking lot. Just be prepared.

There is a reason it’s tough to get a reservation- the new location is gorgeous. The food is very good, however as great as it was, there were some oddities and upsells. Our server informed us dumplings come in orders of 5, and encouraged us to add on a 6th dumpling for an additional cost. I looked around the restaurant, not a single table had an odd number. It seemed intentional to sell them in 5s then request tables add an additional. At the bottom of the menu it also informs that every bill will have a 3% charge to pay the kitchen staff- knowing that not a single bill would be under $200 that night seemed crazy that their prices didn’t already account for paying the staff. It was good but felt overpriced- ecsp for Thai food, it’s hard not to have very mixed feelings about them nickel and diming guests for fine dining.

If you are looking for an authentic, un-Americanized Thai food, this is the place for you! Chef Nok uncompromising conviction of bringing her hometown food across the Atlantic is evident in every dish here. You can taste hard to find dishes outside of Thailand right here. The flavours and spice level are truly authentic. Having happily dined there several times since they opened, my favorites are too many to name, but especially memorable are the pla nung manao (steamed branzino) ; pla thod kamin (monkfish) ; wok fried cabbage (if you desire something a bit mild) and the rice salad. Everything I tasted was very fresh and different and a feast for my tastebuds! Go before it's impossible to get a table as this is a rather small place.

REAL Thai food!! Each dish was better than the next!! This is the best Thai food you will find outside of Thailand. Don’t go expecting American-Thai food … just be open and enjoy all the flavors!!! Only small complaint was that this dishes came out a bit rapidly, so be sure to tell them to slow things down. Otherwise this was an unforgettable meal and we can’t wait to return!!

Poor hygiene from the wait staff and a very unappealing restroom experience. The same guy that took the plates from another table went and folded someone's napkin without washing their hands. There was someone with a mullet that did the world's worst job of cleaning and sanitizing the table and then turned around and placed silverware on the bare surface of the table. Not a single drip of sanitizer or maybe a second towel after you scrubbed up spots and then pushed the dirt all over the place. I guess to just even out the filth. I didn't even get to my food yet, which was bland and excessively priced. I barely made it home before I had to sprint to the bathroom. Flat. Out. Disgusting.

Recently dined at this restaurant with family and really enjoyed the food. All the food is healthy and very tasty but felt it was a little pricey. Being a vegetarian I really appreciated all the different veggie and vegan choices on the menu. I did not care the decor or the ambiance, it was very load and therefore had a hard time hearing the conversation at our table. Loved the signature drinks.