Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro

(404) 873-4888

1197 Peachtree St NW Ste 110 (14th Street)
Atlanta, GA 3036 33.7882 -84.3837

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Neighborhoods: Midtown, Northeast, Northeast

Hours:

Mon-Thu 11am-10pm

Fri 11am-11pm

Sat 4pm-11pm

Sun 11am-9pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 1.11.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Outdoor Dining, Notable Chef, Theater District Dining, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Online Reservations, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Thai, Asian

Smoking Permitted:

Yes

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Owners Charlie and Nan Niyomkul have the magic restaurant touch--relocating their beloved Tamarind from 14th Street to Colony Square without a glitch. Since opening day, the intimate dining room--dressed in rich browns and accented with spice jars-has been packed with business lunchers, theatergoers and longtime fans following the scent of lemon grass, coriandar and chilies. A breezy patio offers additional space for dining and people-watching. – – The Food – The setting may have changed, but the food is as fresh-tasting and as precise as ever. Crunchy…

Editor's Tips

Parking:
Tamarind Seed validates parking in the Colony Square parking garage for 1 1/2 hours. You can self-park in the garage or use the valet, located in front of Shout restaurant on Peachtree Street.
What to Drink:
The restaurant's wine list ranges from the affordable Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($8 a glass, $30 a bottle) to the pricey BV Georges La Tour Cabernet Napa for $165. It also has several beers--including Singha--cold sakes and fruity specialty cocktails.
Know Before You Go:
If you plan on dining during peak dinner hours or the lunch rush, make a reservation to ensure you'll have a table. The restaurant does offer takeout, but if it's too busy, the staff may tell you they can't do it for you.
The Extras:
For a healthier option, opt for the brown rice. That way you can splurge on the lychee nut creme brulee for dessert.
Look Good:
Ask your server about the whole fried snapper with basil sauce. It's not on the menu, but if it's available, the kitchen will prepare it for you.
ambiance
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. “Their food was delightful and so was the atmosphere.”
  2. “The atmosphere was pleasant enough, the service attentive.”
  3. “The food is excellent and the atmosphere is very comfortable yet elegant.”
  4. “This beautiful new location of Tamarind, now Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro, at Colony Square is absolutely stunning.”
  5. “The atmosphere was very nice along with the employees.”
  6. “The old location a couple of blocks away, was cozy, but very hard to park near.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The dessert was decent -- caramelized bananas with ice-cream.”
  2. “We tried the the fish cakes and they were excellent.”
food quality
88.54000091552734% positive
  1. “Their food was delightful and so was the atmosphere.”
  2. “We highly enjoyed the service and food at this restaurant.”
  3. “didn't mind paying the higher price for thai food but the food was subpar.”
  4. “The main courses were decent -- green chicken curry, spicy catfish, pad thai.”
  5. “Their Phad Thai is unique, not very spicy, sweet, and flavorful.”
  6. “One of my favorite excursions: an all-appetizer meal.”
  7. “the food is excellent; i don't even care if they are polite or if i have to wait.”
  8. “We shared the chicken satay, and while it was incredibly tender and delicious, we thought the four small sticks of chicken were kind of pricey at $7.”
  9. “the staff is friendly but the food speaks for itself!”
  10. “agree with Creative Loafing: best thai food!”
  11. “had the somtum-green papaya salad, and it was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten.”
  12. “The food is excellent and the atmosphere is very comfortable yet elegant.”
  13. “overpriced food, small portions, intrusive staff”
  14. “The service was ok and the food was too slow.”
  15. “The food is spicy, as good Thai should be.”
  16. “would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this restaurant to anyone who likes Thai food.”
  17. “It's a tad pricey, but the food was so good that we thought it was worth it!”
  18. “The food is awesome, I have yet to have a meal that I didn't enjoy.”
  19. “highly recommend the chicken in a pineapple.”
  20. “great food (best is Siam chicken!)”
  21. “the food here will not disappoint even the most selective palates.”
  22. “the flavor of the food is amazing!”
  23. “Best Thai food I've ever had!”
  24. “All the curries, lemon grass and fresh spices, aromatically fill the air of this new room.”
  25. “Go to Surin they have awesome thai food.”
  26. “This place is not large but the food is very good.”
  27. “went to tamarind this weekend expecting it to be delicious food.”
  28. “just returned to Atlanta after living in San Francisco for 5 years, and Tamarind is still the best Thai food I've ever eaten.”
  29. “The food was delicious and well-prepared.”
  30. “The food at the Tamarind is outstanding.”
  31. “Tamarind is consistently one of the best Thai food experiences you can have.”
  32. “love Thai food and have favorites for specific dishes throughout Atlanta, but EVERYTHING we had at Tamarind Seed (steamed rolls, papaya salad, noodles & curry) was AWESOME!”
  33. “have been a huge fan of Tamarind; the food and the service had been great before this.”
  34. “My boyfriend had the gang-panang chicken, which was also wonderful, but we thought the portion was somewhat small for the price.”
  35. “Satay chicken appetizer was dry and flavorless.”
  36. “recommend this fine restaurant to anyone who enjoys Thai food.”
  37. “completely recommend this restuarant to anyone who loves Thai food or wants to experience Thai in America at it's finest.”
  38. “This place has some of the best Thai food that I have ever had.”
  39. “The starters were decent -- spring rolls, squid salad.”
  40. “Great food”
  41. “My boyfriend and I thought the food was delicious.”
  42. “Great variety of of spicy and non-spicy dishes.”
  43. “We tried the the fish cakes and they were excellent.”
  44. “The food was tasty, but the spring rolls looked like 2 rolls sliced into 4 pieces.”
  45. “Upscale place but excellent cuisine and setting.”
  46. “The food here is excellent.”
  47. “my husband is french and a food fanatic, i am american and a food fanatic, and this is one of our all time favorite restaurants in america.”
  48. “The service was excellent and the food was top notch.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Great variety of of spicy and non-spicy dishes.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “great Thai restaurant with no MSG.”
  2. “I've lived all over the world and the US and this is the best restaurant in the USA dollar for dollar.”
  3. “absolutely, positively the best THAI place in town”
service
73.68000030517578% positive
  1. “They could decorate a little nicer and the servers could be a little more friendly.”
  2. “We highly enjoyed the service and food at this restaurant.”
  3. “Service is attentive.”
  4. “The service was excellent and the food was top notch.”
  5. “In the beginning, everything went great until I notice that our server was chewing gum the whole time she wait on us!”
  6. “the staff is friendly but the food speaks for itself!”
  7. “The owner/chef is attentive to those with special needs.”
  8. “The service at this resurant is amazing.”
  9. “The atmosphere was pleasant enough, the service attentive.”
  10. “The service was ok and the food was too slow.”
  11. “but when we got there, our hostess was impolite and looked at us weird.”
  12. “rude service”
  13. “The atmosphere was very nice along with the employees.”
  14. “great service.”
  15. “overpriced food, small portions, intrusive staff”
  16. “Pleasant service.”
  17. “What surprises me every time is the rude service.”
  18. “The service was excellent.”
  19. “have been a huge fan of Tamarind; the food and the service had been great before this.”
value
62.5% positive
  1. “overpriced food, small portions, intrusive staff”
  2. “We shared the chicken satay, and while it was incredibly tender and delicious, we thought the four small sticks of chicken were kind of pricey at $7.”
  3. “And, I was surprised that the prices were very reasonable.”
  4. “have been a huge fan of Tamarind; the food and the service had been great before this.”
  5. “For the price, I find other good thai restaurants to be more appealing.”
  6. “will never go here again, there are plenty of higher quality, affordable thai restaurants in atlanta - try spoon, rama5, or sbydee.”
  7. “didn't mind paying the higher price for thai food but the food was subpar.”
  8. “It's a tad pricey, but the food was so good that we thought it was worth it!”
  9. “Absolutely the best Thai in town, especially when you consider the very reasonable prices.”
  10. “I've lived all over the world and the US and this is the best restaurant in the USA dollar for dollar.”
  11. “My boyfriend had the gang-panang chicken, which was also wonderful, but we thought the portion was somewhat small for the price.”
  12. “Food is way too expensive, too small quantities, and not very traditional thai.”
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. “The service was ok and the food was too slow.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

05/30/11

Worst Service EVER

by thaifoodlover822

The food was alright, but my server messed up my order not once, but TWICE. I believe his name was Jason and he looked like he was ill mannered and needed to improve his personal hygiene. He never checked up on our table to. I had to flag him down & wave my hand in the air every time I needed something. When I received my bill, I caught him looking over my shoulder as I calculated my tip. Maybe if the service was better, I would consider coming here again.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/13/10

Almost Authentic..not quite.

by shert

We love authentic Thai food and this place does a good job of trying. It is still a knockoff though, so I wouldn't recommend this but wouldn't cringe if we had to go there.

Pad Kee Mao is pretty decent...is made with Italian Sausage instead though and the noodles are more like pasta noodles than real rice flat noodles.

Friend ordered the Panang and the portion was really small.

Service was really slooooow. Took 15 minutes to get a hostess to help us, then waited for a waiter to come get our drink order.

The coconut cake though...was divine. Would come here for tea and cake.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/14/10

We really had a great time

by LuzPlata

We had a guest from overseas and we visited this place since we wanted to give him a treat. This place did not disappoint us because they had a wide array of delectable food and the service was totally awesome. Our guest loved it. We really had a great time.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/05/09

The Best Lunch this YEAR!

by pattersonpost

I own a communications company just outside the perimeter - I must say take your wife, lunch date or biz partner here - or client - the heats as described on the menu are spot on. Brilliant!

  • Pros: The food was amazing, excellent service, wow!!
  • Cons: NONE!
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/04/09

I agree with Creative Loafing: best thai food!

by jessicabcd

My boyfriend and I dined here yesterday, and we had the pleasure of being served by Santi. We shared the chicken satay, and while it was incredibly tender and delicious, we thought the four small sticks of chicken were kind of pricey at $7. I had the somtum-green papaya salad, and it was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. My boyfriend had the gang-panang chicken, which was also wonderful, but we thought the portion was somewhat small for the price. Also, it did not come with rice, and a small bowl of it costs $3.

  • Pros: service, flavors
  • Cons: small portions on some items

The Details on Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro

Place Categories:

  • best thai food
  • rude service
  • best phad thai
  • favorite thai place
  • overpriced food
  • recommend fine restaurant
  • affordable thai restaurants
  • decent portion
  • amazing flavor
  • never bad experience
  • very reasonable prices
  • wonderful gangpanang chicken
  • cozy old location
  • beautiful new location
  • very nice atmosphere
  • decent main courses
  • highly recommend tamarind
  • overpriced small portions
  • attentive ownerchef
  • excellent setting
  • decent dessert
  • excellent atmoshphere
  • very good panang curry
  • flavorless chicken appetizer
  • best entree s

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