Restaurant Awards 2012

Extremely disappointing.
Expensive restaurant giving regular quality food.
I went yesterday, took my boyfriend there for his BDay dinner thinking it would be awesome and i felt it is a total rip off.
A restaurant of that reputation needs to work on the menu and the quality of the dishes.
The service, described as amazing on timeout reviews was horrible, they brought me the wrong order, so they took everything back to the kitchen and food came back one hour later.
in addition, the waiter wasnt very helpful when we asked about the menu.
we spent 500 dhs and i totally regret it. Dubai has many thai restaurants with same or way better curries than the one we ate there.
as a conclusion, only go there if you want to get an abra ride..

I visit Pai Thai many times and every time I enjoyed with food and service. Food so amazing and service is excellent. I took abra to arrive to the restaurant beautiful ambience and romantic place that I enjoy dinner with my wife.

Do they have vegetarian option as well?? because my friend is a vegetarian.

Pai Thai’s best feature is the ambiance! My fiancée and I were invited to the restaurant on a Saturday night. We took the boat ferry and the ride was just surreal. We docked in front of the restaurant where we were greeted cheerfully and handed fresh wet towels before being escorted to our table that was on the terrace on the water front. I must say this is the best setup I’ve seen in Dubai so far.
The food in general was very good. The complimentary prawn crackers were really good and the sweat chili sauce that came with it just perfect. Starters included green mango salad that was delicious and very refreshing, fried seafood on lemon grass skewers that was also exquisite. The glass noodle salad was a bit mediocre though.
The soups were out of this world, we had two soups between the four of us, the prawn tom yam was just perfectly balanced with galngal, kifir lime, lime leaves, fresh prawns, a hint of coriander and lemon grass!! Flavors that blend in a wonderfully tantalizing broth! The chicken coconut milk soup was equally splendid.
The main course was the chicken green curry with two Thai eggplant varieties was good but not the best in town. For one thing, the curry paste was not flavorful enough and not spicy enough (we asked for medium got very mild). It was also a bit thin. The barracuda deep fried fillet on the other hand was divine. Crunchy and deep fried to perfection just to be smothered with a chili-lime sauce that really complimented the flavor. The last main dish was a seafood pudding flavored with lemon grass, lime leaves and chili and steamed in banana leaves sealed with a wooden toothpick. To say the least, it was truly tasty and exotic innovative dish.
To finish the meal, we all shared the mango with sticky rice and coconut cream dessert which was perfect. Sticky rice steaming hot and perfectly cooked with cool mango (I think they actually used the Thai variety) and the creamy sauce laden with creamy goodness and coconut flavor to compliment.
Throughout the meal we were entertained with soft yet live Thai music and dancing. This added to the surrealism of the experience. While not the best, Pai Thai is surely among the best, the surrounding is definitely superior. I’d definitely go there again.

Location excellent, beautiful views and great weather!
A lovely Thai dancer for entertainment.
However; terrible service, the restaurant manager wouldn’t accept guests with any form of discount card or voucher. She insisted that we couldn’t pay on the spot but had to charge to our hotel room.
The food was average.
The dessert options were poor
Everything tasted like nutmeg.
Overall, very disappointing.

I was recommended this place from a friend. We went last week for a birthday dinner. I knew it was going to be expensive, but if the value is great, then I did not mind paying more. To be honest I was v disappointed. The problem is with this place is that your paying a whole lot more for nothing, sometimes worse food than you would get at cheaper places in Dubai. They did not give the foot a twist or present it in a different way. The fish main was shocking. Over cooked, rubbish presentation and v tastless. I dont want to give a bad review, but I have no choice. The best thing about the place was the decor and service. Apart from that, shockingly bad. Such a shame as the food deserves better as do the customers.

As others have said, the abra ride and the ambience on the terrace are truly lovely. The food, however, is hugely disappointing. It's bland, even when requested to be extra spicy and lacks authenticity. The service is polite but only sporadically attentive. An interesting restaurant to visit but there are far better Thai options in Dubai.

I love Pai Thai, atmosphere very romantic, excellent food and service, friendly staff. Definitely will come back

I went with high expectations, if it wasn't for the lovely abra river ride the night would have been to total disappointment, service was non-existent and the food was very average.

It was my wife's first outing in Dubai. Having spent the last 7 months apart I selected Pai Thai in the hope it would be a romantic and special ocassion - we weren't dissapointed on the contary!

The boat ride across the waterways of the Madinat set the scene. The service was as good as we've experienced anywhere and the food, well the food was truly delicious!

Whilst the bill with tip did come to AED 1000, that did include a bottle of wine and too much food. Yes we made the mistake of ordering a rice and noodle dish and two mains which in addition to the mixed starter resulted in their being enough for another couple. Needless to say due to both the cost and quality of our untouched red duck curry and veg rice we shamelessly asked for a doggy bag which we were presented in two Madinat gift bags - class through to the end!

We most certainly will go back to take our visiting friends and family as were sure it will Wow them like it Wowed us!

Certainly wasnt what I expected and had hoped for!!

I couldnt believe this restaurant when I went there, I had heard so much about it from my family but WOW. This is ideal for romantic dinner or family friend.

Simply perfect

We went to this restaurant for New Years Eve and then again as soon as we could. The location and service is impeccable and very romantic. My wife and I have tried many of the other Thai restaurants in Dubai and this one is by far the best. Each dish has such depth in flavours. Our favourite is the red thai beef curry, the meat is so tender. If you are looking for a place to go to for a special occassion or just to treat the wife, look no further! Far greater than the competition in Old town and equally good setting. Stop reading and book a reservation!

Just would like to say thanks all staffs to make our meal so wonderful... Plus the restaurant atmosphere is unique and stunning view that's perfect for couples. We got the table at the water way, it's gorgeous. I have no question why this restaurant is always busy because quality of food and service here.

My wife and I went to Pai Thai last night to celebrate our wedding anniversary and it was ealily the best dining experience either of us have had in Dubai.

The food was exquisite! Our waitor recommended the lobster special which turned out to be the hilight of the meal. We opted for mostly seafood dishes, all of which were expertly prepared and unbelievably tender.

The ambiance and service were both impeccable. When booking the reservation I mentioned our anniversary and requested an outdoor table. We were placed at a table right next to the outside patio rail overlooking the water with unobstructed views of the night sky.

Throughout the evening every detail was taken care of down to a single red rose for my wife.

We will definitely be back!

Not the cheapest place but what you get is quality in all departments.

Very romantic atmosphere and best service from staff. I love it and sure will go back again.

My bf took me there to celebrate our anniversary. we're not really a huge fan of thai food, but after dinning there WE LOVED IT!! i would definitely recommend it and would definitely go there again. It's perfect not only for romantic celebrations/ but for brunch on the waterside. The ambience, the food, the service everything was perfect and i loved the special hospitality since they already knew that we were celebrating our anniversary. To top it all, the boat ride made it even more romantic

Just luvvveed it. It's been a long time since I have been really impressed by a restaurant in dubai and this is definitely one that impressed the hell out of me. We went there to celebrate my birthday (my husband & I) and we were delightfully surprised by the ambience, the overall experience, the quality of food and service. I have been ana ardent fan of Blue Elephant food before and so far (in the last 6 years) none has beaten it in terms of quality of food but now after my visit to Pai Thai, I am a convert! Do go and you will not regret.

The service is very poor.... I went to this restaurant because of the timeout reviews
While I was waiting for my food I noticed that my chopstick on the table was dirty. I told waiter to change it for me. He went to the kitchen and came back with the same chopstick... all he did was starched the dirt with his nail and bring it back to me. As i have been in catering business more than 10 years. I told him what he did... Luckily he didn’t deny it, he just said yes sir I did that I am sorry... I took the chopstick from next table and gave him back the dirty one....
Maybe it sounds like a simple mistake from that waiter but I will never go back there again...
Amount of the money they charge in these kind of places they should give better salary to those guys who worrk careless and slow might start working in better way...

Tried their Brunch last Friday. Very surprised with the quality of the food and selection. The food is orderred for chef to cook and not what normally you take from the buffet that is not fresh or hot after awhile. Too much food and drinks to enjoy with less than Aed200 to pay for. Great service and entertainment too. Paithai definitely deserved the award given by Timeout and looking forward for next week dinner I have booked. :)

What I wonderful way to arrive for dinner via a little boat, just like Disney land.

It’ all fab from start to finish.

I try not to tell many people about it as I don’t want the restaurant to be fully booked when I make a booking!

Been to their Friday Brunch today, was really enjoyed with the selection of food and best of all at a very good price.

Read the reviews from here and decide to give it a try for our wedding anniversary dinner. Highly recommend for readers here to use the Abra to the restaurant as this is one of the most memorable moment we had in Dubai dining experience. The restaurant have a very nice terrace overlooking the Arabian summer house and ambience is very good. Now I do understand of this best romantic restaurant award given to them.
Food was delicious especially the duck curry which is the best I ever tried. Service was attentive and friendly. Definitely one of my favourite restaurant in Dubai. Well deserved awards from you Timeout! Remember to make reservation beforehand as I was told they are always very packed especially if you want a terrace table.

My husband took me to the Pai Thai yesterday for my birthday dinner and Uauuu ... It was amazing!
Starting at the beautiful Al Qasr Hotel, followed by Abra to the restaurant on the edge of the creek ... everything contributed to the experience to become a magician.
With great service and the atmosphere incredible the food became complementary... a very good addition. Definitely an experience to be repeated.
Honestly the best service we have had in many of the best restaurants in Dubai.

everything was just perfect in this restaurant... the food was amazing.. the view outside is really beautiful and the setting from the inside is really nice.. the service is very good...
i advice all to try this restaurant.. before going there i read the reviews over here and could not make up my mind.. but i am really happy that i went there.. and it was one of the most amazing dinners i had in dubai or anywhere else...
very romantic and beautiful..

Well,so after reading 20 smthing positive reviews listed here,i decided to give pai thai,the oh so romantic place,a try as it was a dear frnds bday.So we arrive with a reservation and mind you,a confirmed one at tht,and we get NO TABLE,we r made to wait for atleast 45 minutes before we r finally shown the table which is somehow shoved in the corner facing the door so tht all we can really look at is...well...the DOOR,tht says a lot for good customer service.to top it all,the confused hostess first does the traditonal thai greeting and wen we r about to ask her about our table,she cuts us midway saying "wait please" while she does the same fake greeting to someone else who strolled in after us.WOW,to the etiquette!
so v r seated,looking not to happy and our order arrives an hour late after left wondering wut really happened to our wok fried chicken and chicken curry with coconut shoots.the food i order from a mini chinese rest near my place does better chicken than pai thai.the wok fried was so fried tht it was an effort to chew it,the curry was flavor-less.
now coming to the attentiveness to the staff:if u call confused,worried and hurried people of pai thai:STAFF,then its a shame.big time improvisation needed
Decor:is a JOKE,please.the abra ride is perhaps the only OK thing bout the whole place,the interiors r plain,the ambience is nothing to rave about and the arrangement of seats is awkward.
OVERALL:OVERRATED AND OVER HYPED,SPEND the hard earned cash smwhere else

Last Thursday 27 of August 2009 me and my wife went for honeymoon dinner at Paithai restaurant and it was a mind blowing exprienced we ever had.
i am from Greece and we have many best restaurant of the world but when i went to this restaurant i gave my salute the way my wife expressed to me. this our first time in Dubai but been many times in Thailand but never tasted food like here in Thailand and service was amazing.
our surprise dinner was hosted by my brother with out telling us because he used to stay in Dubai but he did not join for dinner and everything paid by him and i do not know how much was bill. The way we enjoyed with food and service i want to salute for manager and his serving people because they are very friendly and helpful and giving service more than what we expected. restaurant was full, some kids, bit noisy and tables are very near to each other but we considered this as a summer time. one of serving person told me that they have the best romantic table at outside terrace and open after summer. we are planning to come back again to have dinner at terrace.
After our dinner we asked my brother how did he find about this resturant and he told me that it was from time out magazine than we started serching in web side. they really deserve thess awards as they havewon best romantic restaurant and best Thai restaurant in Dubai. Food is great and better than Thailand and service is no way to compare even we can not find in european city and Friendly serving people. we wish for good luck we will tell our friends to come and visit this restaurant and thank you so much for timeout magazine for allowing us to give our feedback.
Once again thank you for Paithai team for making our honeymoon as a memorable in our life............

Yesterday, 29th August 2009, was my second time at Pai-Thai, but my husband's first. Because I had been there a couple of years earlier, when I wanted to pick a romantic restaurant for my husband's birthday, Pai-Thai came to my mind instantly.

When we got to Al Qasr and made way to the dhow, he was quite impressed. He was certain this was going to be a romantic evening.
The table we were seated at had an A/C outlet just above us and because of the humidity, it was dripping water. The waiter profusely apologised and made arrangements to have us seated elsewhere. At the other table, not only did the waiter come back and apologise for the incovenience (although it wasn't much inconvenience since we hadn't even ordered yet), but so did the restaurant manager.

We ordered the veg spring rolls for starters, but found it to be quite bland. For our main course, we had the wok-fried noodles with prawns, the wok-fried crispy chicken and the deep-fried hammour in spicy sweet & sour sauce. My husband thought the hammour wasn't fresh, although I couldn't tell. I enjoyed the hammour the most and the chicken the least. The prawns in the noodles were very fresh.

We were about to order dessert when a few waiters & waitresses came in singing Happy Birthday aloud and we were so engrossed in our conversation that not only had I forgotten I'd asked for something special to be done when I had called to reserve a table, my husband had forgotten it was his birthday :) The cake they bought us was the best part of the evening. It was delicious.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, the service was excellent - not too attentive, but good enough for them to refill our glasses without having to be called :) The food was good, but the pricing was maybe slightly more than average; our bill came up to AED 410/-.

I'd return to the restaurant, but my husband probably won't (he said it was because he wanted to keep it as a memory and not dine there again or with anyone else either).

Last night we want ed Thai food. Mango Tree and Zuma were booked unless you wanyted to eat at 11PM. We opted for Pai Thai as it was highy recommended by Time Out. We made a reservation for 2 people for 8 PM and received an SMS confirmation. Sorted!
Our experience started out great with the corny little boat ride to the restaurant. My wife loved it. Upon arrivng, we were a bit confused where the entrance was as there was no one to guide us. We eventually barged through one of the side doors to the dismay of the existing diners. A waiter then guided us to the main lobby/entrance and were told there were no tables availbale. Isn't that what reservations are for? However, there was a table located in the main entrance, BEHIND the day bed where the live music was. Not romantic at all and to top it off, it was annoying as there was a non-stop influx of hot, sun burnt tourist in shorts and phones ringing. I though...isn't this a 5 star hotel and restaurant where a semi-decent dress code was applicable? I guess not. Although...my wife wantedto stay ...I didn't.
We decided to stay and browse through our menus with menu lights as it was a bit dark BEHIND the day bed. As our table was behind the day bed and near the entrance doors, we couldn't help noticing the constant flow of people opening and closing the doors to either come in or go out for a smoke.
We ordered and then waited to see if the food would make up for the horrible, un-romantic atmosphere and ambiance.
We order the spicy beef anbd chicken salads. the meat inboth was a bit on teh dry side and the sauces tasted teh same. Thumbs down.
I ordered my favourite soup, the Hot and Sour Chicken, which came out OK but tasted like any other hot and sour soup. Could have been better.
For the mains, my wife ordered the fried hammour which was excellent. I ordered the fish curry. The curry could have been red, green but I found it very ordinary. Nothing special.
To be a little positive, the staff were very friendly and helpful, although none of them were originally Thai. The coconut margarita was also excellent.
The bill was more than I expected for a sub-par meal (770 AED).
All in all......we will not be returning to this restaurant. I will be going to my favourite, more authentic (with real thai cooks and staff), tastier, cheaper Thai joint......Smiling BKK! See ya!!!

well like most of the people here i was pretty confused too abt where to take my date for dinner and after reading the amazing reviews here i ditched the bocadillo in atlantis for pai thai in madinat and i was glad i did so!

everything from the romantic ambience of madinat to the boat ride to the food was amazing. for a moment i felt we were on our honeymoon and totally out of Dubai. loved it!

to add a little humor to the romantic dinner there is a thai dancer which comes around dancing right next to your table and we had a good laugh. it was something very unique though, good stuff!

the food was AMAZING, bt what was pretty ANNOYING was after every dish a person would come and ask you how it was, sometimes 2, like they jst want to hear us praising! at one point i thought the waiters were TOO sweet! bt its better than nt attending to you!

overall, go there and you'l love it!
park at the madinat souk parking and walk it up towards the boat ride!

We went there for our anniversay, and it was great, the food was excellent and so was the place. The ride to the restaurant by the abra was a unique experience as well. At the time of booking, I had mentioned that it would be our anniversary, so they gave us a small choclate mousse cake on the house, which made the evening even more memorable. The menu selection is a little limited but the food nevertheless good.

After we read the reviews here we decided to have dinner here. The ambiance was amazing. If we hadn't read about the dhow ride from here we would have missed a spectacular ride.
Our disappointment was when we chose the 3 course set menu for a certain price. The dishes were not that appetizing. We regretted instantly for not choosing a la carte.
Helpful hint: You can get your valet validated at the restaurant.

What an awesome restaurant. I went with my two best friends and we had a great time. Extraordinary service, excellent thai food. My friend asked for a very mild version of curry and it just came as that. The advice on the wine selection was perfect.

If you want to start your evening with a really nice dhow trip, make a reservation at the restaurant - then you will receive a confirmation number. In the evening you go to Souk Madinat and take a dhow from there. It is free if you can present the confirmation number.
Very lovely!

Simply the best! 5 starred ambience, food and service, 3 starred pricing. My favourite restaurant in Dubai!!

Very very spicy food.

I have been to the restaurant last night after reading the awards and reviews they have received from this website. The whole experience is really mind blowing and had definitely inpressed my guests from Thailand and myself. I am very gladful to read the recommendation and i believe they deserved the recognition.
Food is truly authentic and impressive. Quality and quantity exceed our expectaion. Even though it looks like the restaurant is very busy but the service is still very attentive. We are pampered like royal family! Highly recommended for someone who likes to try authentic Thai food with a touch of romantic. :)

Service and food is totally over rated.
Ask a thai nationality if you want to know if the food is good, the thai stall food in emirates shopping mall serve better quality food.

Very disappointed, came here for our wedding anniversary and seeing as it just won the award we thought it would be amazing. Unfortunately the staff were not very knowledgable about the food or helpful towards vegeterians and we were very let down by the food and menu. For the very high cost of eating here we expected to be blown away by the quality and service and we very underawed. We won't ever be coming back here and also found it to be very crowded and noisy. The poor thai lady forced to grimace and dance through the diners when the music wasn't audible out on the deck was a bit of a laugh though, at least until we got the bill....the ban thai cocktail was a winner though.

very nice

Actually I can rate it also as the best THAI restaurant in Dubai, in addition to its fabulous location for having a good food in a romantic atmosphere.
Recomended for Thai food lovers

Pai Thai is the most amazing restaurant I have ever been to. The overall experience was amazing from being picked up on a gondola to being dropped off at the Pai Thai. The food is exquisite and served authentically. As for the young Thai lady dancing, it says it all. It was that special on the night of March 7th 2009, that I proposed to my amazing partner Elizabeth. The scenary, ambience and service pushed me to an emotional limit, let alone the couple behind us. So thank you Pai Thai for making that evening the best ever.......!

I have been to this restaurant atleast 10 times, and tonight is going to be my 11th.
Everytime I have friends visiting me from abroad, this is where I entertain them.
The food, the ambiance and the service is excellent.

Best Thai restaurant I have ever been. Excellent food, excellent service, fantastic ambience. To try

I went there for dinner last night with my family The restaurant is amazingly romantic with the nice abra ride along the waterway of Madinat Jumeirah. I just came back from Thailand last month and the food here are definitely very authentic and delicious. Service is very attentive too. Highly recommended!

I went for dinner last couple days...it was great experience and great atmostphere and great foods

I went to this restaurant in January 2008 and it was fantastic!

I could not recomend it more, the food was devine and the atmosphere is excellent.

After catching and Abra up the internal river, I proposed to my girlfriend whilst sitting outside... the perfect spot!