The Mandeville-Covington corridor on the North Shore boasts a greater concentration of Thai restaurants than any other part of the New Orleans area. More gratifying is that all of them are pretty good. This is one of the best, with a lengthy menu and the ability (which I've tested on a few occasions) to put out almost any Thai dish you may have enjoyed elsewhere.
Thai Chili was the first permanent Thai restaurant in the corridor. It originally was in an oversize building across the parking lot from the Winn-Dixie just off the Causeway. It moved to its present location a couple of years after the hurricane. The former occupants were a Mexican restaurant, then a Middle Eastern place, both of which left behind their handsome and unusual renovations.
One medium-size, spacious room has a unique sculpture on its back wall that suggests it came straight out of the jungle. The room is comfortably furnished. The happy staff is almost all Thai, but if you make yourself clear they will respond to all special requests. If you order more than one course, be sure to let it be known that you don't want the whole thing at one time.
The restaurant is not easily visible from the highway. Look for the AT&T store, which is right next door in the perpendicularly-oriented strip mall.
| Attitude | 1 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 1 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 0 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 2 |
| Wine | 0 |
