Thai Palace: a diamond hidden in the strip mall rough.
by Greg | June 3, 2008 | 20 Comments
(votes: 5, average: 4.00) 
Loading ...Thai Palace is located at 308 West Edmond Road in Edmond, just north of Oklahoma City (map). They don’t have a phone, a website, or any other means of communication. Just go!
Ever looked down a stretch of road and seen nothing but the same old, same old? Burger joints, taco parlors, pizzerias — all featuring familiar names and mediocre flavors. At some point, you have to try something new and I’ve got just the place. It’s one of the very best in my opinion. It’s called Thai Palace.
It doesn’t look like much from the outside – just another strip mall restaurant with its name spelled out in boring, green block-letters. The inside doesn’t inspire much either. White cloth on the tables, pictures that fade into the walls as decorations, and what appears to be just a single employee. That’s Nick.
Nick is going to blow your mind.
Formerly the owner of Sala Thai (down in the Asian District), Nick started Thai Palace a few years ago and brought all his recipes with him. I mean ALL of them. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the menu. It puts the Cheesecake Factory to shame with its size and variety. The only difference is, Nick cooks food you want to eat.
Between 11am and 1pm, Thai Palace features a buffet of rotating entrees, rice and soup for $6. It’s not all-you-can-eat. In fact, you can’t even try everything on the buffet on one dish. But don’t worry, it’s still a heck of a deal. You’ll get plenty of food and these are authentic Thai dishes prepared by a master of his craft.
If you don’t want the buffet or if you come for dinner, there’s that massive menu to satiate your appetite. The green curry vegetables are amazing, with veggies still crisp and fresh and a sauce that is as complex as it is delicious. If you want it hot (and Nick will ask how hot you like it), it can sear your mouth shut. I’ve eaten with some friends who dial it up so high they are blowing their noses after every bite. Despite all the pain, though, nobody ever leaves food on their plate.
Personally, I tend toward a less-scalding experience, especially with some classic dishes like Pad Thai. I’ve had Pad Thai from lots of places and it’s not always good. Some Pad Thai is so sweet you might as well be eating candy. Other places it’s so bland it tastes like it was born in a cardboard box. Not at Thai Palace. They hit it right on the mark, blending sweet and savory. If you don’t like the Pad Thai here, you just don’t like Pad Thai.
There are a couple of drawbacks to Thai Palace. One is the overly vast menu with too many choices. The other is an impatient chef. Nick is in the business of getting you your food fast, so if you don’t order when he comes to you, it might take a while for him to return.
But if you can put up with the idiosyncrasies of a one man show, you will be rewarded with a great treat. Thai cuisine is definitely a step outside the ordinary. And for the real Thai experience — the soups, the curries, the stir-fry, the noodles and the deep, hot spices — there’s no place in Oklahoma City that compares to Thai Palace.
(4.70 out of 5)
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So far, 20 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?June 4th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Can you get takeout, how much is the Pad Thai,is the how hot done by star? as in 1, 2, 3, 4 star? ahh! Tell me! (grin)
June 4th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I’ve never gotten take out myself, but I have seen styrofoam containers leaving Thai Palace, so I guess take out is an option. Of course, with the phone disconnected, you have to go there to order it before you can take it home.
I can’t remember the price on the Pad Thai, but if I find it, I’ll add it to the review.
As for the star system, more stars equals more heat. I’ve seen a four star just soak a man with sweat. I go for two stars, which is enough heat to wake you up, but not so much that it could wake you from a coma.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:25 am
What? No coma breath for you? (grin)
I’ll go by and pick up a couple of orders of Pad Thai for me and the missus next time I’m in Edmond.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I remember Nick from Sala Thai. It was from there that I started to develop my culinary tastes for Thai cuisine. What a gastronomical delight!
You summed it up very well about Nick’s idiosyncrasies and that was Nick that I knew. His personality was evident in the deceptively simple yet practical interior décor but his food was far from simple. Nick was an excellent cook with a broad range of dishes in his repertoire. He could be chatty once he got to know you. If you want to know how he runs his restaurant, be prepared to spend some time listening to his philosophy of life.
Nick would probably hate me for saying this but he would be a wonderful host for a B&B if he chose to.
Thank you for posting this article. I have no doubt that he has continued to serve excellent food to his clients in Edmund. I will definitely pay a special visit to Thai Palace next time I am in Oklahoma.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I’ve never tried Thai before and I was gonna eat there today, but didn’t get there until about 2:30. Be advised: they are closed between 2 and 5. Ended up eating at the taqueria next door, which was very good as usual. Next time I’ll know to get there earlier!
July 24th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Darn – I didn’t get to try the Pad Thai – he only does it on Fridays at lunch on the buffet. So if you want to try the Pad Thai, go for dinner or Fridays. Was pleased with what we go though. Nick is a nice guy.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:35 am
The boyfriend and I stumbled upon this place on a whim, and it has become a regular in our rotation. Don’t go if you are in a huge hurry, but the food is definitely worth the wait!
October 8th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Greg,
Go try Siam Smile between 1st and 2nd on Broadway, then tell me who makes good thai food.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Siam Cafe 2nd & Bryant in Edmond. It is the best Asian cuisine I have ever had, Margie do you know if there is a correlation between Siam Smile and Siam Cafe?
October 27th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Siam Smile is in downtown Edmond next to the Antique Mall. The owner is Thai and moved here from California. They don’t advertise so I’m worried that they might not last.
But I don’t know of Siam Cafe. There is so much at 2nd and Bryant with three hugh areas of shops. What is near Siam Cafe? Are you thinking of Tao Cafe west of Target?
November 2nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Thai Palace is my favorite Thai restaurant. They have the largest menu selection that I have ever seen for any restaurant. Problem is I can’t seem to order anything other then the Spicy Pork in Red Curry Sauce (CU11), which I got hooked on years ago while in college.
Lunch is a great deal and lets you try things you won’t normally try. I love the cabbage and chicken on the buffet. This past week, he had pumpkin and chicken for October and it was really good.
Nick is a great guy with a very interesting sense of humor. I don’t get there as often for dinner anymore, but he does have wait help at times.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Okay, okay, I will give Thai Palace another try. My dining partner won’t go back to a place if they are off even once.
Unfortunately, my last plate of pad thai at Siam Smile was not as tasty as before. I chalk it up to my opposing politics on election day.
Sigh, I miss the good thai food that I’ve had out of state. If all else fails, I will crack out my own recipes.
November 26th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Hah Margie, I ran into the same thing re:politics at Siam Smile. It was our family’s last meal in Edmond before we moved. Definitely left a different taste.
January 14th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
My husband and I love Thai food. We usually go to Lemongrass on Santa Fe in Edmond, but we have been to Thai Palace (which was yummy) and Siam Smilie (not good at all! bleck) but the best Thai food hands down was this hole-in-the-wall place called Tana Thai on May. I will never go to another Thai place as long as I live. It was ah-mazing.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I agree with Cindy about Tana Thai, its the best I’ve had in the OKC area. That said, if I don’t want to leave Edmond, I always go to Thai Palace. Nick is Edmond’s own version of the Soup Nazi.
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:11 am
Yeah, Tana Thai on May Ave. is mind-blowingly good. Y’all really should review it.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
June 25th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Thai Palace is our favorite thai restaurant. One time I couldn’t decide what to order off the huge menu so Nick asked what I like, went off to the kitchen & brought back the most amazing dish that was just delicious. He’s great & the food is even greater!
June 26th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
This is too funny and awesome!
I was 18 years old when I first tried Thai food at a hole in the wall in OKC called Sali Thai. Since then, I got married and moved to AR and CA and am now back to Edmond, OK area 15 years later.
We had gone my Sali Thai several times and didn’t see Nick and could tell the food was not the same. We had no idea it was not his place anymore.
We just today found out that he has the Thai Palace in Edmond! Boy are we excited. If there was anyone who understood that LESS is MORE, it is Nick! Some of the best Thai anywhere.
July 5th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Yeah, Tana Thai IS wonderful (the best Thai I’ve had in OKC so far)… And I definitely wouldn’t call it a “hole in the wall”… linen tablecloths and sparkly table settings, always with at least a fresh flower, and a tasteful, attractive
“decor.” Nice, nice people work there, including one zany waitress who always makes me laugh. My favorite Thai dish is an unorthodox combo of soups — Tom Kah Kai plus Tom Yum Kai — a mix I learned to combine from friends in LA. It got a little expensive to do with this last price hike, though, so I’ll try some of your other recommendeds to see what I can find… and yet, as my Mom taught me, you get what you pay for, and Tana Thai is definitely EXCELLENT Thai food and a very pleasant meal experience!
November 13th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I’m moving to Edmond and will definitely be trying this. Hope it’s as good as Thai Raja in Norman.
Please tell us what you think.