Ovo
Chinese
Thai
Vietnamese
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Thai food menu with also Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. Kitchen will make a dish vegan upon request, such as using seitan or tofu in place of meat in a dish. Lunch buffet on weekdays. Open Tue-Fri 11:00am-2:30pm, Tue-Thu 5:00pm-9:00pm, Fri 5:00pm-10:00pm, Sat-Sun 4:00pm-9:00pm.


Venue map for Lai Thai Kitchen
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16 Reviews

First Review by grandmabutt

Momof6

Points +291

Vegan
01 Aug 2024

Delicious!

My husband and I ate dinner here and loved it! Several different options and very helpful waitress. I got the Drunken Noodles and asked for very little spice and it was so good! My husband got the Red Curry with mild spice and it was pretty spicy, but he loved it.

Pros: Lots of options, Helpful waitress

TurnipForPlants

Points +2598

Vegan
30 May 2024

Best Thai Takeout in Grand Rapids

Lai Thai Kitchen is a great example of why I love Happy Cow. If it wasn’t for this site I would never have discovered this hidden, hole-in-the-wall goodie. From the moment you walk up to the restaurant, you know you are in for a treat with a sign painted on the window showcasing their many vegan options. I love a store that is proud of its plant-based menu.

Speaking of the menu, there is a lot of choices for a plant-based eater. Unfortunately, the physical menus do not clearly label the vegan options, but the online menu does. We ordered a green curry and a sesame tofu. Yes, these are quintessential American-Thai foods and not as traditional, but I wanted to see if the standards held up. And I can say they smash it out of the park.

The tofu is crispy on the outside and springy in the middle. It’s not reminiscent of any specific meat, but I treat tofu as its own remarkable food rather than “fake chicken.” The spiciness level was medium, but we could have gone hot. The sauce was sweet and citric. I have no complaints beyond that the sesame, general tso, and orange tofu are all essentially the same dish with the same sauce. Among those three standards, I recommend the sesame.

The green curry was flavorful in its sweet coconut cream. The heat did not really hit me until I was down to the liquid. The additional of eggplants, green beans, and tofu make this soup like-curry a texture rainbow.

And lastly, the vegan coconut pie is a must order. I love pie. It’s my favorite dessert. And this pie did not disappoint. It is creamy with chucks on coconut in its center with a flaky top and bottom. They are very proud of their coconut pie (as they should be) because they advertise it strongly on their menu.

Overall, Lai Thai Kitchen is a great option for a takeout meal. We dinned in, but its spartan dinning area is not a must see. The server was very friendly, and the whole restaurant gives a welcoming, family vibe. I highly recommend Lai Thai Kitchen.

Updated from previous review on 2024-05-30

Pros: Many vegan options, Friendly staff, Proud of their vegan offerings

Cons: Not entirely vegan, Dinning area barebones

LVeg4

Points +28

Vegan
18 May 2024

Hidden Gem

Amazing food, appetizers, entrees, and desserts! The menu is EXTREMELY clear about what is vegan (and gluten free). Great service and atmosphere as well😄🌱

Pros: Gluten free AND Vegan options, Great service , Good atmosphere

MsPocketSand

Points +72

Vegan
07 Apr 2024

Truly Vegan Friendly

Lai Thai has a big menu and plenty of options to choose from. The staff was knowledgeable and the food was fast and delicious. The coconut pie is super tasty.

tubes

Points +20

Vegan
17 Nov 2023

Delicious!!!

Best drunken noodles I've had that I didn't make myself

BLDVEG

Points +76

Vegan
09 Oct 2023

Delicious

I ordered take out, haven’t dined in. It was very clear and easy to order vegan and know what options there were. The red curry with tofu was so so yummy. I also got veggie rolls which were really good. The food lasted me 3 meals. Will definitely be returning.

Pros: Ease of ordering, Large portion, Many options

jeka34

Points +17

Mostly Veg
30 Nov 2022

They have many vegan and veggie options! We loved it, can’t wait try more!

I like that you can choose your protein in most of their dishes. Also choose your dietary preferences with most as well, even give you a heads up for nut allergies.

iscloviscool

Points +62

Vegan
25 Mar 2022

Very yummy and lot of options

They’ve got Tom kha and Tom yum with no fish sauce which I was really missing, very yummy but it was very sweet for some reason. Also tried the pad Thai and it was good.

suzannecg8

Points +242

Vegan
22 Jan 2022

AMAZING!

So delicious and fresh!! Lots of options, great service - highly recommend! #Veganuary

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Fresh

VeganBilly

Points +16

Vegan
09 Mar 2019

Wonderful find

Great vegan options. Large portion sizes and friendly staff. They are happy to answer any questions. They can make their Thai Doughnuts vegan as well for a dessert - recommend them with some of the Thai peanut sauce. My nonvegan roommate and I drive out of our way to go here.

Pros: Lot of vegan options , Large portions, Friendly Staff

cmyesh

Points +18

Mostly Veg
11 Nov 2018

Always good!

Whenever my family orders from here it’s always good. The owners are so friendly and take time for you. There are lots of veg/vegan options.

Pros: Large menu, Locally owned, Tofu!

Cons: Limited seating

KatieMoore

Points +19

Vegetarian
28 Oct 2018

Amazing Thai Food!

Lots of vegan options!

Pros: Lots of vegan options

PlantPoweredRN

Points +83

Herbivore
03 Jan 2018

Very friendly to Vegan options and dietary requests

When Lai Thai changed ownership, I first was not as happy with my “old favorites”. But as I have been trying new things, I have found many that I really like! I consistently find myself thinking about returning to try more. Give this place a try!

thechtothead

Points +36

Vegetarian
29 Sep 2017

One of my faves

I was surprised to see that the only reviews on here were negative, so I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

My wife and I have eaten here on a number of occasions and have always left happy, whether it was eating in or taking out (with the exception of the time my wife ordered their fresh spring rolls and was bummed that they weren't deep fried; that's not their fault of course!)

They are very knowledgeable about vegan ingredients and are able to make just about anything on the menu vegan, even the things that aren't listed in their vegan section. My favorite is the Country Curry which, to my ignorant understanding, is a more "authentic" way to get curry and comes without the coconut milk that is typical in most Thai curries around here.

The only thing that I find lacking is the ambiance. As others have noted, it's in a strip mall (which is fine) but it is quite small and often very quiet. I sometimes feel like I need to whisper when talking to my wife so as not to be "that loud person."

That said, in my experience the service has been quite prompt, the food has been tasty, and I've found it a pretty good bang for the buck.

Pros: Vegan-knowledgeable, Can get most anything vegan

Cons: Too quiet

Herbiv4

Points +1969

Vegan
25 Jul 2017

Underwhelmed

I thought I'd give this place a shot since their only review was from a couple of years ago. The staff was friendly and my food actually didn't take too long. However, I paid extra for extra tofu and veggies in the Vegetable Tofu Supreme (please look at the picture I posted) and requested it to be mild as opposed to spicy. Had I not gotten carry-out, I would've requested a refund. I hate to leave a bad review, but not only did I return to my hotel to find that I mainly had a container of sauce but it was liquid fire. I will check my food before leaving establishments in the future and I certainly won't be returning here.

Cons: mild = spicy, paying extra for more is a rip-off, somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall joint

grandmabutt

Points +56

Vegan
27 Feb 2015

Not Great

Casual strip mall setting. Visited on multiple occasions, and every time the service is super slow. The meat eaters at my table had the same amount of tofu in their noodle dishes as mine. I would have expected more. There is better Thai food in GR. I've never eaten from the buffet, but there is a small one with some vegan options I believe.




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