Laid-back Thai restaurant focusing on traditional recipes served in a colorful setting. Based on 202 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.1 stars. Price $
Address:
8300 E Oak Island Dr, Oak Island, NC 28465
Phone: (910) 278-6420
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Thai-by-the-Sea-102294013181939/
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Reviews
Zachary Alexander (Link1478)
Great place! Always making great food. Clean kitchen, good people. They were gracious enough to make me something during lunch hours when they are supposed to be closed right now.
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Joseph 1971
Good food and filling but service was slow and very understaffed the owner/waiter was super smiley and weird it is noisy in here if only two people I can’t imagine if it was full bc it would be sooo crowded. I asked for the banana ice cream and they didn’t have it and that was a problem. The only reason I’m
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KAJ
We’ve had Thai food all over the United States, this place is up there as one of ours favorites. Simple menu, that allows all dishes to be very well done. You have to be on your redial game to get your order in but worth the effort. To the 1 star raters who have not tasted their food, come on man, stop your whining and try harder to get your order in on time. Its worth it. We eat here frequently and are never disappointed.
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James Christian
Please do not be dissuaded by the reviews that say the host is unpleasant. We visited this restaurant 28 December 2018 and found it to be a pleasant dining experience.
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J Allen Murray
I would love to tell about how wonderful the food and service at Thai By the Sea, but I cannot. It’s clearly listed online and here on Google that they closed at 8:00 on Sunday nights. However, when I arrived at 7:13 to place a take out order I was told they weren’t taking any orders because, “we close at 8:00/8:30.” I would completely understand if I had come in right at 8:00 to order food that they were about to close, not 47 minutes before the advertised closing time. The man behind the counter seemed honestly annoyed at the very presence of customers trying to order food because as he said, “not much is open on the island on Sunday.” I watched several other people have the exact experience as we were leaving and spoke to another couple who also were turned away plenty of time before the advertised closing time. If it’s so incredibly obvious you do not want the business of customers before you close, don’t tell the world you’re open until 8:00. While I was not served any food, I was served disappointment from a place that seems to be loved by many. Unfortunately, with such a terrible attitude given I don’t think it’s worth giving my patronage in the future.
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Hope
I was born and raised in Brunswick County and for years I had heard so many friends talk about how great Thai By the Sea is. I finally decided to check it out on Sunday evening. I double checked the hours before I went. Their hours said they were open until 8pm on Sundays. It was 7 so I figured it wouldn’t be unreasonable to get take out. I arrived at 7:13 and was met by the owner at the front of the restaurant. I asked to put in a to go order and he told us that they were no longer taking orders for the night. To quote the owner, “We’ve stopped taking orders for the night. We don’t take orders after 8:30 so that we don’t get backed up and can close at 8. There aren’t a lot of places open on Sunday evenings.” I think he meant to say “7:30” and misspoke but I double checked the time on my phone and it was 7:13. I was pretty confused but left and found food elsewhere. I have worked in the food service industry and I would never try to eat a restaurant less than 30 minutes before closing because I know what it’s like to just want to go home. But it was over 45 minutes before they closed and I wasn’t planning to dine in. I later realized that they were take out only(which would explain the why the restaurant was empty). I also thought maybe they just didn’t have help because of the pandemic but after looking at other reviews from YEARS back, I don’t think this could be chalked up to the pandemic. I’m disappointed and I don’t like to leave 1 star reviews and I would love change my rating and review in the future once I can actually try the food, but I don’t plan to be back anytime soon. Maybe one day.
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Susan Dotson
A very good Thai restaurant that we are blessed to have on Oak Island. They don’t have a lot of employees, but service is good and wait is usually not long. Good has always been delicious and it is reasonably priced for lunch or dinner!
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Crystal Jones
My expectations were high here. I called on a Wednesday at 6:00. I ordered the sampler & Chicken Eggplant entree w white rice. My ETA was ALMOST 2 HOURS LATER….i was told pickup @ 7:40 !!!! Soo, I’m thinking…must be excellent, right? The Wontons were good…small, but good. The Dumplings were good, small & a bit overcooked. The vegetable rolls clearly held a lot of oil & were mostly wrappings & oil…it retain a good amount of oil… hardly any veggies. My Chicken Eggplant had awesome vegetables & white rice…. however , the Chicken tasted very weird & undercooked…no pink, but very strange. Definitely NOT HIGH END QUALITY…Plus wait time is absolutely ridiculous
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C Rogers
Amazing Thai food! We ordered take out from this Thai restaurant, and it was authentic and delicious. The flavors in the food were amazing and it was cooked fresh, to order. The owner was nice and worked as quickly as she could. On this evening, she was only accepting take out orders (must not have had the staff to open the restaurant). We later learned the woman owner has been through a personal tragedy and is trying to keep the restaurant going with the overwhelming orders (due to how good the food is). So, if you want some great Thai food, either be patient or order early in the evening. We ordered pad thais with chicken, sweet and sour chicken (it’s not breaded), and chicken fried rice. We made quick work of the food, it was SO GOOD! Highly recommended and plan to eat there twice this week.
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Tim Shearer
The food was fine, nothing spectacular, but not bad either. Good selection for vegetarians. Service was quick. However, we were practically asked to leave, by way of presenting us with the bill before we were finished with the main course. I suspect they’re not keen on having young children present (we had a two year-old with us). Stuck me as rather odd and uptight, especially considering it wasn’t busy, and it’s not exactly an upscale restaurant.
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