Araya's Place

Fantastic food with a clean, smart atmosphere, and lunch buffet. There are very few soy-free options, sadly, but the portions from the menu are generous, the peanut sauce is fantastic (and SF), and that Thai iced tea is to die for. Highly recommended.

Really friendly staff and amazing food. Very cute inside. Reasonably priced $25 for two people!

Araya's place is back in Bellevue (same Family owned restaurant)!!!! Such a great spot, walking distance to downtown Bellevue Park. This place is a favorite, wonderful ambience. Has an open kitchen so you can watch the amazing chef's cook (hopefully you will get lucky and see Fang who is the son of Arayas do his magic in the kitchen) everyone is lovely. They have the buffet everyday 7 days out of the week 11:30 - 3:00 or you can order off the menu. The food is amazing, never dissapoints. Parking can be a little tricky but there is plenty of parking at Bellevue Park, which is walking distance..which in my opinion is better since you may need to walk off all the food you just ate from the delicious buffet. Menu (there is so much to choose from) Don't forget to try there Thai Iced Coffee w/Soy cream (all Vegan) My favorite or Thai Iced Teas with Coconut Milk (a must try). Love Araya's this place is amazing!!!! So glad they are back in BELLEVUE!

The lunch buffet here is large enough to have soup,salad, rice,noodles, curry, rice pudding,plus another dish or two. Very solid.

For dinner the other night, those dishes were exceptional, great flavors. We had a bunch of food and finished it all plus some takeout for later. Family-friendly, they work with special diets, its clean, great staff. seitan options
Updated from previous review on Sunday October 13, 2013

I've only been here once. It was worth the visit.

It's not easy to find truly vegetarian Thai food: e.g., soup without fish sauce. For many vegetarians, that alone makes this an attractive place.

I ordered the tofu satay for an appetizer and the curry with asparagus, with brown rice, for the main. This was way more food than I could consume, so I set aside most of the satay to take home. Both dishes were pretty good; the curry sauce was indeed fairly watery, but the vegetables seemed fresh.

Service was a bit odd. The staff were very friendly. However, it took a while to place an order. Once I had, though, the food came out in rapid order (I had had only a third of the appetizer when the main came out), and they seemed really eager to clear my plates. But then it again took a while to pay.

I wish they had smaller appetizers (that probably cost a bit less, too). The service could become a bit more savvy. And if you aren't vegetarian, there's probably not much of a reason to go here. But if you are, it's well worth it.

Love the food here--it's so nice to be able to eat from the WHOLE buffet as a vegan. Great peanut sauce and kimchi! Not as spicy as I am used to but they have some spicy sauces if you want to make things hotter.

My omni parents liked all the food--they label the gluten free options too! SO glad this place is in Bellevue.

One of the best vegan restaurants I have been too! Food was excellent, service was great, prices were good.

Had dinner at Araya's Place last night. Overall it was a very good experience. Good food, good service, good prices. Just a couple of hints to the staff I'd like to pass on in hope that it helps. Dipping sauce for spring rolls was way too sweet. Offer a plum sauce, more traditional and goes better with spring rolls. Cutlery needs a good scrubbing. Also, better advertising. Would never have known you were there. We were planning to go to the Greek restaurant that had been there but discovered it was gone.

Araya's had their grand opening in Bellevue last month, but it took me awhile before I moseyed on over to this little gem of a restaurant. Nestled in the heart of downtown Bellevue, Araya's offers a delicious lunch buffet for under $10. Buffet items include crispy spring rolls, pad thai, a variety of curries, salad bar, and a delicious sticky black bean and rice pudding. It is sooo good. I decided to check out the dinner offerings last week. I had the gyoza (pot stickers) which was amazingly good. I immediately thought of the last time I had vegan pot stickers which happened to be at Boom Noodle. Araya's should school them on how it's done. Delicate flavors of cilantro & spring vegetables served with ponzu sauce was perfect for the palate. Next I had the green curry with brown rice on the side. I asked if they could put eggplant in the curry (it's not included in the standard menu). They were more than happy to accommodate my request. That too, was delicious. Lastly, I had the Oh My Goodness chocolate fudge. It wasn't my first choice though. I asked for the Creme Brulee. My waiter talked me out of it, citing the fudge was more popular. I asked him if something was wrong with the dessert I picked. He said the texture is odd. I relented and went with his selection. For the record, I'm not a big chocolate fan. It's a very rare thing for me to eat. It tasted like chocolate. There was nothing wrong with it. I'm sure if you're the type who orgasms over chocolate, this dessert is going to be right up your alley. Next time I'm there I will give the creme brulee a whirl. They have a non vegan bakery in addition to the vegan baked goods. Overall, I highly recommend Araya's Place. The staff is very friendly, the food is delicious, and the prices are more than reasonable. You can find them on Bellevue Way between Main and 2nd, in a yellow building.

Update 6/21/12: Took a friend to dinner there last night. I had one of the two creme brulee desserts they offer. It was Machi flavor. I loved it! :)