Sawadee Thai Cuisine

absolutley delicious. The ambience was amazing. Everything was superb. I loved it. The food was impeccable. The service was friendly and genuine. I definitley recommend this for any looking for a great night out. It is a little expensive so keep the visits to a minimum i think. But it really is a great experience

Sawadee is awesome! I have been there several times with one or two people and I also had a birthday dinner there with a big group - both experiences were fantastic. Everything is authentic from the delicious food, beautiful outfits the staff wear and the interior decorating, you really feel like you are overseas when you visit here. The 'Money Bags' are very nice and if you go with a group try to book the large table by the door which sunken into the ground for even more fun!    

Located at the beginning of the Ponsonby strip, Sawadee sits with an unassuming almost lack luster appearance, though, to my surprise though I found the complete opposite. As I walked into the lobby I was immediately struck by the hidden size and interior decorating, with the main seating and bar area stretching back almost 20 meters I could instantly see how it is a perfect location for both large and intimate dining parties So here I am its 7pm on a Thursday night, I’m hungry, in need of a seat, I don’t have a reservation and the restaurant is buzzing with people....Normally I would start to get a little stressed at this point dreading the ½ hour to 45 minute wait we could be in for. Not at Sawadee! within seconds of our arrival we were greeted by a smiley hostess dressed in beautiful Thai silks informing us she was able to seat us right away. As we walked through the restaurant I was very impressed to see that the interior was modeled like a classic Thai bungalow. Beautifully crafted wood and bamboo walls with traditional art covering one wall and an amazing stone waterfall/river water feature on the other. We were lucky enough to be seated right beside the water fountain. As peacefully relaxing as the decor and Thai music was, I noticed not one guest was meditating over their meal, everyone was living it up with laughs all ‘round.  The majority of the tables comprised of 4 or more guests with what appeared to be several larger family groups, all having a great time.  I started with a classic, the Todman Goong- Prawn patties with Thai herbs and a side of sweet chilli sauce. It was light, fluffy and as soon as it hit my lips I could tell the rest of the night was going to be good. They were delightfully easy to eat and like all thai food went perfectly with the sauce. For our mains we chose Pad Thai Chicken and the Tiger Milk Curry also with Chicken. This Pad Thai was gorgeous! almost as good as on the streets of Bangkok. The only downside was the lemon served on the side should really be lime. As for the Tiger Milk Curry, it was to die for. WOW! This dish is a tropical vacation in your mouth! It is yellow curry, coconut milk and banana stir fried with chicken. It is slightly sweet and creamy yet light. A must try for Sawadee.  For dessert I was a little disappointed as they were out of the Banana Delight which is a deep fried banana with coconut cream and caramel sauce. I ended up settling for a boysenberry ice cream topped with a raspberry sauce that had an exotic tingle to the tongue that couldn’t be placed.  There are numerous mouth-watering dishes on this menu so with that said a reservation is in the near future.

We dined here with a group of five and really liked it.  The decor I found especially nice, with our table right next to the water fountain.  The food was great, and the portions are quite generous.  One of our group ordered a dish that was perhaps slightly above her limit for spiciness - she should have known better ;)  The staff were friendly, but the table service was a bit slow.  All told, an enjoyable night with friends.

I’ve only been to Sawadee once but it was very good. There was a great selection of food and it came out so fast and so fresh. The service was so great the staff were very nice and accommodating. Would defiantly recommend this place to friends and family for group gatherings.

Have  only been there the once, for my birthday in October. The food is to die for and it's really reasonably priced especially considering it is in Ponsonby. Will definitely be returning.

The food's too good to wait for, although the mixed entree comes out pretty smartly. Wait 'til you try the curry puffs with sweet chilli sauce. Oh. Em. Gee. We loved everything, but the duck curry's really special.

I love Thai food (I should clarify this by saying NZ style Thai food!) and dining at Sawadee Thai is always fantastic! You can make it a formal affair by dining-in, in their elegant environment or ring ahead to order take-aways. If you're not a fan of hot (chilli) food, then try my fav chicken dish - Gai Sam Ros. It's gorgeous!

I have always loved Sawadees amazing food, great authentic Thai cuisine and I am gladly to announce it has not changed the slightest over the years, a very popular Thai restaurant. My last experience was some mediocre, due to the service I we received. We made a booking due to the usual high popularity of the restaurant, we sat down and ordered promptly as a large group of 10 allows for. Upon the arrival of our entrees, we were less then 5 minutes through when the waiting staff came and abruptly took our half finished entrees, without even asking us if we were finished. I excused it at the time, as we were with company. To be fair it was a great 'half' entree! Only to find our mains arrived minutes later, which were again AMAZINGLY delicious! Upon finshing my rice, I and several other guests asked for another portion of rice, which unfortunately did not arrive after proceeding to ask the waitress and waiter several time over the next 15 minutes. The great food was unfortunately let down by the waiting service.