I've found that some restaurants go well beyond being popular, and become so adored by their regulars that one can't take the comments you hear about it seriously. Singha Thai is such a place. A side effect of this is that a certain number of people go to the restaurant with wildly high expectations triggered by the loyal fans. Any reports you hear that Singha Thai is the best Thai restaurant in America (or the worst), that it's a terrific bargain or a total ripoff, that portions are enormous or minuscule, or anything else extreme should be ignored. The reality: here is the standard Thai menu, turned out reasonably well, if not brilliantly.
Surrounded by office buildings, Singha Thai serves a steady stream of office workers who want something a little different from the standard lunch menu. As Thai menus go, it's abbreviated, but they'll prepare almost anything you ask for. As the CBD has become more and more residential, Singha Thai has been able to return to dinner service, after hits from Katrina and a building collapse.
Singha Thai opened in 2000 in a minuscule space in an old townhouse on Carondelet Street. It expanded into what had been a courtyard and became one of the most popular places to eat among people who worked at One Shell Square and other office buildings in the vicinity. In 2013, a building collapse destroyed the restaurant, which remained closed for over a year before moving a block away to its present Gravier Street location. In the meantime, the owners opened a second restaurant with the great name "Singha Song," but it has since closed. The restaurant's name is the same as that of the most popular brand of Thai beer, but there's no connection.
Singha Thai has never been quite big enough for its customers, and in the new location that remains true. It is roomier than the old place, and better looking, too. The customers are Gen-X and younger, for whom the somewhat spartan surroundings are perceived as desirable. The service staff is usually a bit overloaded. Don't come here in a hurry except to pick up orders to go.
The restaurant is geared up for fast service of a basic menu. If you want something complicated, go at an off hour.
| Attitude | 0 |
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| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 2 |
| Local Color | 1 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
