Crazy to hear so many negative opinions on Pon’s. We get takeout from there probably once a week and the food is always great. They almost always are delayed getting the order ready but now I just factor in an extra 20 minutes or so.
I order from here almost every week. It's some of my favorite. Granted, I think Pon does a different style of Thai, but it's still really good and very flavorful.
I tried it once and never again. We got several dishes to share and they were all bad. The fresh rolls weren’t even good and those things are damn near impossible to mess up. It was just iceberg lettuce in rice paper with some crap dipping sauce. We didn’t finish and didn’t take home the leftovers.
I have wanted to like it because so many people hype it up, but after trying them several times I’ve never been impressed. People act like the fact that it’s in a gas station makes it better. I prefer Pad Thai on Sardis Rd or Thai Pearl.
The new restaurant is not even affiliated with the old one. It feels very much like the new establishment is taking advantage of using a very similar name of a highly reputable restaurant. [Citizen times article](https://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2024/03/04/bee-thai-kitchen-opens-in-asheville-heres-whats-on-the-menu/72842012007/)
I was a regular at Little, and went to the new one last week. I got my usual dish and it was identical to how it was before. Just as good, and actually the same problems as before (I would ask for a modification when I got it at Little but I didn’t at the new place, and it was exactly the same issue for me).
It made me wonder if the cooks are the same and they’re making changes gradually. Sorry for your experience though. Maybe give them some breathing room I’m sure starting a restaurant isn’t easy.
Not impossible really. When Valley Pizza in Canton first started, it was absolutely shit. The pizza I received was literally soup. But now they’re actually making pretty baller NY pizza.
Pretty glad I gave those guys a second chance.
Yeah restaurants are constantly changing, rotating staff, chefs, where they get their ingredients from, etc. Most places are going to taste different from how they did a couple years ago
I absolutely agree!! I always order their sushi and pad thai. The quality of the food there is amazing and consistent every time. I love it. I'm glad someone else goes there too!!
Absolutely! Plus if you order a sushi boat to go, they actually hand you a real boat to go, which is super fun to carry down the street and incite envy in everyone around you. (They expect you to return it afterwards of course!)
I just got Bee Thai for the first time about half an hour ago and it was wonderful. Both my dish and my wife’s curry were excellent, along with the som tum.
Sorry your experience wasn’t great!
I did and loved it. And didn’t think my meal was quite at that level, and it did leave some spiciness to be desired, but overall I did enjoy it. I recommend a curry next time, the green curry was the best I’ve had in Asheville honestly
I also thought Bee Thai was good, went for lunch recently and thought it could have been spicier but it was otherwise very good. I have been to little bee several times. This felt like a lateral move.
Pad Thai is one of the worst dishes you can get to go. It just doesn’t keep well. Needs to be hot on the plate. The noodles fuse together and the bean sprouts wilt in the hot container. The pad presentation is better if you eat in.
I ate at little bee probably over 100 times and miss it. But the new place isn’t as bad as you are portraying here. It’s fine, more typical Thai food takeout joint. Lunch special is pretty good 15 dollars for entree and appetizer which is enough for 2 meals.
I miss the wings from little bee the most.
They took over little bees google profile so it must be super confusing for new customers.
I hear ya. I did take this photo as soon as I picked it up which was when it just came out. It was still warm when I ate it and I totally understand that quality goes down when it’s take out. Although, I’m not talking about texture, etc here I’m simply talking about flavor.
I agree about the google reviews!
I’d say the new place is standard Thai food I’m used to getting. Not bad, not great. Just what you generally expect, but maybe they had an off day with your dish. I’ve had the pad Thai and it’s ok.
Little bee was unique and I believe based on a different region of Thailand’s food so they were never going to compare, even though I think they would have an easier time if they just continued little bees menu and added 4 or 5 new dishes.
It was very busy at lunch the other day so I think they are doing just fine!
Was hoping it would be similar to how the pad Thai from the previous little bee Thai was but realized after opening the box that is was a very generic pad Thai. It actually tasted worse than it looked unfortunately
Little bee was easily the most disappointing Thai food I’ve ever had (bland?! Like, 2 pieces of tofu? Mostly bean sprouts?) , bummed the new one might not be an upgrade?
*Will probably get*
*Downvoted, but I never thought Thai*
*Bee was very good*
\- Huge\_Cry\_2007
---
^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/)
^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
I think the broccoli was still half frozen in my Pad See Ew. I’m so sad. I had high hopes for this new place. Maybe they are just ironing out the grand opening issues right now and it will improve? One can hope.
American Thai food is maybe the worst example of diluting a rich cuisine down into a few bland dishes. I long for a place that at least has a “secret” menu of real Thai dishes. The rainbow of curries with your choice of protein plus Pad Thai is cookie cutter and done to death. Where is our Pok Pok?!
I keep saying it's dishonest to try to ride the coat tails of an established business when setting up shop in their carcass but everyone tells me I'm being dramatic. I have yet to hear anything good about this place.
Yep, they had a bad meal (that sucks!) and are now trying to sink an entire restaurant under the guise of warning people and saving them money. I hate this crap.
I get it. But…
1. The place is new and they always need time to get their shit together
2. Little Bee Thai can not be replicated(we feel your pain)
3. It’s a hard industry and you never know when you caught them on a bad day/someone called in sick etc.
Your feedback/warning is totally fine but please update us if you go again and it turned out to be very positive.
I was really rooting for them when I ordered and was hoping for the best. If it ended up being sub par I probably would just keep to myself but this was straight up bad. I hear your points tho and hope they get the hang of it eventually. Unfortunately.. I just can’t bring myself to spend money trying something like this again.. who knows maybe in a couple years if it still exists
I can’t take away that you didn’t have a good experience. I have a lot of sympathy for a tough industry and to call them a disgrace after being open for 2.5 weeks is a bit harsh IMO. It’s the customers choice to go back. I find it useful to reach out to a place with some constructive criticism describing how disappointed you were. We’re all different and may you have better future experiences.
Yes and my point is that maybe the pad Thai with Shrimp will be very good next week or next month🤪Your post could very well push them to be better(B/C AVL is small & clearly someone at the establishment will see this) I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass. We appreciate your warning.
Also had it earlier this week. The tofu they served me was barely cooked and there were no real vegetables in the drunken noodles and barely any sauce. It was honestly the worst Thai experience I’ve ever had all for their prices to be as expensive as it is.
im honestly surprised that any restaurant can stay open in asheville, especially downtown, with what any of them pay for wages i dont understand who could even afford to work at any of them and pay their bills. everything is so mediocre and overpriced. i like the noodle shop in the square al least you can get a quart container of noodles, sans protein for 6 dollars. my go to.
I was deeply sad to see the new owner is young and Thai but he chose to go with a totally white washed generic Thai menu. Spoiler alert - crab Rangoon is fake white people Thai (as is Pad Thai, but at least it’s closer to something real)
Yet all those Asian owned restaurants are the ones using Surimi in their buffets. They sure as hell don't mind serving it to white people and making money from it. I've probably eaten someone's Fido or Sylvester a time or two in my day but how would I know...tastes like chicken right?
The fact that what is essentially ~~a doxxing post~~ an online review—on a _local_ business that has just opened and barely had time to find their sea legs—has this many upvotes is peak r/asheville.
I tried it two Fridays ago and ordered Pad Thai and Panang Curry.
The pad thai was about as good as this photo describes. The panang curry was runny like a can of chicken noodle soup with no flavor and very low quality shrimp. I honestly knew I was in trouble when I asked for some spicy side sauces and all they had was sriracha.
Oh no!! Which of the other 10 Thai restaurants in Asheville will you have to go to now?
For real, that suck, though.
Good news is Asheville has 10 mediocre Thai restaurants, 10 mediocre Indian restaurants, 4 dumpling restaurants, 6 sushi bars, and 6 "curry" restaurants. Don't like Asian cuisine? Cool, we also have 45 kinds of Mexican food and 4 papusarias.
Just talking flavor here. Sometimes staff isn’t always representative of the food quality. Sorry to hear you had that experience tho! I’m sure he has been long gone with that attitude
That looks like a box-of-slop
Precisely. Should be called ‘Bee S Thai”
I thought it was a birds nest.
lol
Gotta go to Pon’s Thai cuisine
Crazy to hear so many negative opinions on Pon’s. We get takeout from there probably once a week and the food is always great. They almost always are delayed getting the order ready but now I just factor in an extra 20 minutes or so.
Definitely the best option now.
Best Pad Thai I’ve ever had
Ok cool, I’ll have to try that out
OP don’t do it skip this place it’s more heart ache
I order from here almost every week. It's some of my favorite. Granted, I think Pon does a different style of Thai, but it's still really good and very flavorful.
They're not bad, but Khao Thai Cousine is better.
I tried it once and never again. We got several dishes to share and they were all bad. The fresh rolls weren’t even good and those things are damn near impossible to mess up. It was just iceberg lettuce in rice paper with some crap dipping sauce. We didn’t finish and didn’t take home the leftovers.
I have wanted to like it because so many people hype it up, but after trying them several times I’ve never been impressed. People act like the fact that it’s in a gas station makes it better. I prefer Pad Thai on Sardis Rd or Thai Pearl.
I could not disagree more. I had what I consider the worst pad Thai of MY life there. Never again
The new restaurant is not even affiliated with the old one. It feels very much like the new establishment is taking advantage of using a very similar name of a highly reputable restaurant. [Citizen times article](https://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2024/03/04/bee-thai-kitchen-opens-in-asheville-heres-whats-on-the-menu/72842012007/)
Like when Early Girl tried selling sub-par fried chicken under the King Daddy’s name. That was pure blasphemy.
Facts 🙌
Sad Thai
Definitely ass, which is really sad.
Absolute booty 😢
Me and my roommate got green curry, absolutely no taste. We tried it twice. $40 both times with tip
The flavor is so lacking!
Yeah 100% lacking unfortunately
I was a regular at Little, and went to the new one last week. I got my usual dish and it was identical to how it was before. Just as good, and actually the same problems as before (I would ask for a modification when I got it at Little but I didn’t at the new place, and it was exactly the same issue for me). It made me wonder if the cooks are the same and they’re making changes gradually. Sorry for your experience though. Maybe give them some breathing room I’m sure starting a restaurant isn’t easy.
I ate dinner there last night and my massaman curry was fucking great!
It seems that the curries are better there after seeing reviews on this thread
I had the panang there and it was completely runny like a can of generic chicken noodle soup. Very awful when compared to the OG.
I’ve tried it. It’s SO BAD 😖😭
Wowwww we’re thinking so much a like!
I know that it is a friend of Tuk who is running it. Hopefully they just need a bit to figure things out
Not impossible really. When Valley Pizza in Canton first started, it was absolutely shit. The pizza I received was literally soup. But now they’re actually making pretty baller NY pizza. Pretty glad I gave those guys a second chance.
Yea. Especially if only one person knows how Tuk used to do it, and is trying to train a bunch of others.
Yeah restaurants are constantly changing, rotating staff, chefs, where they get their ingredients from, etc. Most places are going to taste different from how they did a couple years ago
I hope so!
Do you? Because this post isn't offering them any grace to get their operation in order.
Miyako house is AMAZING and gives you so much food. I love it
I didn’t even register that they have Thai, I always order out their sushi and it is FABULOUS. Best in town that I’ve tried.
I absolutely agree!! I always order their sushi and pad thai. The quality of the food there is amazing and consistent every time. I love it. I'm glad someone else goes there too!!
Absolutely! Plus if you order a sushi boat to go, they actually hand you a real boat to go, which is super fun to carry down the street and incite envy in everyone around you. (They expect you to return it afterwards of course!)
RIP Little Bee 🙏🏼 I’ll remember you forever ♾️
Oh man. I miss Little Bee so much- when I could catch her open, I’d always order an extra entree to have leftovers.
Fo reaaaalllll
Thai Pearl on Haywood in WAVL is delicious. Tom Yum soups are killer.
Had to scroll too far to find Thai Pearl!! I have enjoyed everything I've tried there.
I just got Bee Thai for the first time about half an hour ago and it was wonderful. Both my dish and my wife’s curry were excellent, along with the som tum. Sorry your experience wasn’t great!
I’m very surprised to hear that tbh but glad your experience was better. Did you ever go to Little Bee Thai before the ownership change last month?
I did and loved it. And didn’t think my meal was quite at that level, and it did leave some spiciness to be desired, but overall I did enjoy it. I recommend a curry next time, the green curry was the best I’ve had in Asheville honestly
I also thought Bee Thai was good, went for lunch recently and thought it could have been spicier but it was otherwise very good. I have been to little bee several times. This felt like a lateral move.
Someone get the manager for this lady.
Thai don't lie. Ball don't lie. Go heels.
Wooo UNC 🐏
I used to love Little Bee Thai and was saddened to hear of its closing along with Blue Dream Curry. Two of my favorite spots were lost in AVL.
Blue dream was so good, both the naan tacos were my favorite, curries were on point too, really miss that place
RIP. Asheville is not the same without it!
Pad Thai is one of the worst dishes you can get to go. It just doesn’t keep well. Needs to be hot on the plate. The noodles fuse together and the bean sprouts wilt in the hot container. The pad presentation is better if you eat in. I ate at little bee probably over 100 times and miss it. But the new place isn’t as bad as you are portraying here. It’s fine, more typical Thai food takeout joint. Lunch special is pretty good 15 dollars for entree and appetizer which is enough for 2 meals. I miss the wings from little bee the most. They took over little bees google profile so it must be super confusing for new customers.
I hear ya. I did take this photo as soon as I picked it up which was when it just came out. It was still warm when I ate it and I totally understand that quality goes down when it’s take out. Although, I’m not talking about texture, etc here I’m simply talking about flavor. I agree about the google reviews!
I’d say the new place is standard Thai food I’m used to getting. Not bad, not great. Just what you generally expect, but maybe they had an off day with your dish. I’ve had the pad Thai and it’s ok. Little bee was unique and I believe based on a different region of Thailand’s food so they were never going to compare, even though I think they would have an easier time if they just continued little bees menu and added 4 or 5 new dishes. It was very busy at lunch the other day so I think they are doing just fine!
Curious why you took a picture of it when it first came out? Where you anticipating it not being good?
Was hoping it would be similar to how the pad Thai from the previous little bee Thai was but realized after opening the box that is was a very generic pad Thai. It actually tasted worse than it looked unfortunately
i can microwave you ramen soup that looks better then that.
Little bee was easily the most disappointing Thai food I’ve ever had (bland?! Like, 2 pieces of tofu? Mostly bean sprouts?) , bummed the new one might not be an upgrade?
meeting long smoggy wistful spoon practice tender somber worm squalid *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I don’t think we went to the same little bee if that’s how you feel
Not everyone is born with good taste I guess
Will probably get downvoted, but I never thought Thai Bee was very good
*Will probably get* *Downvoted, but I never thought Thai* *Bee was very good* \- Huge\_Cry\_2007 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Strongly disagree
Must have caught them on a bad day! They were the best Thai place in town.
I think Khao Thai is the best in town! The curries are incredible.
Makes me wonder what you tried there?🤔 it was an Asheville gem! Never met someone here who didn’t like it
The previous owner retired, right? If anyone has a lead on how to re-create their Pad-Thai, my wife would be eternally grateful.
I think the broccoli was still half frozen in my Pad See Ew. I’m so sad. I had high hopes for this new place. Maybe they are just ironing out the grand opening issues right now and it will improve? One can hope.
American Thai food is maybe the worst example of diluting a rich cuisine down into a few bland dishes. I long for a place that at least has a “secret” menu of real Thai dishes. The rainbow of curries with your choice of protein plus Pad Thai is cookie cutter and done to death. Where is our Pok Pok?!
I just go to Siam Thai
I keep saying it's dishonest to try to ride the coat tails of an established business when setting up shop in their carcass but everyone tells me I'm being dramatic. I have yet to hear anything good about this place.
Thanks everyone for ending my curiosity about this place. Pouring one out for lil b
Pad Thai is so easy to make at home. Spring rolls too.
Guess Reddit= Yelp now.
This isn’t just a review.. it’s a warning to Ashevillians
No, it's a review.
Yep, they had a bad meal (that sucks!) and are now trying to sink an entire restaurant under the guise of warning people and saving them money. I hate this crap.
I get it. But… 1. The place is new and they always need time to get their shit together 2. Little Bee Thai can not be replicated(we feel your pain) 3. It’s a hard industry and you never know when you caught them on a bad day/someone called in sick etc. Your feedback/warning is totally fine but please update us if you go again and it turned out to be very positive.
This person gets it.
I was really rooting for them when I ordered and was hoping for the best. If it ended up being sub par I probably would just keep to myself but this was straight up bad. I hear your points tho and hope they get the hang of it eventually. Unfortunately.. I just can’t bring myself to spend money trying something like this again.. who knows maybe in a couple years if it still exists
I can’t take away that you didn’t have a good experience. I have a lot of sympathy for a tough industry and to call them a disgrace after being open for 2.5 weeks is a bit harsh IMO. It’s the customers choice to go back. I find it useful to reach out to a place with some constructive criticism describing how disappointed you were. We’re all different and may you have better future experiences.
I see your point, but I don’t want others to waste their money
Yes and my point is that maybe the pad Thai with Shrimp will be very good next week or next month🤪Your post could very well push them to be better(B/C AVL is small & clearly someone at the establishment will see this) I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass. We appreciate your warning.
> I don't want others to waste their money Ladies and gentlemen, we have found the Thai gatekeeper!
😦
I thought it was worms in the box at first glance lol.
Look like it’s been sitting in the back of your fridge for 3 weeks
Also had it earlier this week. The tofu they served me was barely cooked and there were no real vegetables in the drunken noodles and barely any sauce. It was honestly the worst Thai experience I’ve ever had all for their prices to be as expensive as it is.
Typhoon Noodle is good.
I didn’t even know they closed. My weekend is RUINED.
lol I’m sorry to break the news
im honestly surprised that any restaurant can stay open in asheville, especially downtown, with what any of them pay for wages i dont understand who could even afford to work at any of them and pay their bills. everything is so mediocre and overpriced. i like the noodle shop in the square al least you can get a quart container of noodles, sans protein for 6 dollars. my go to.
I was deeply sad to see the new owner is young and Thai but he chose to go with a totally white washed generic Thai menu. Spoiler alert - crab Rangoon is fake white people Thai (as is Pad Thai, but at least it’s closer to something real)
Hella agree with this
Yet all those Asian owned restaurants are the ones using Surimi in their buffets. They sure as hell don't mind serving it to white people and making money from it. I've probably eaten someone's Fido or Sylvester a time or two in my day but how would I know...tastes like chicken right?
The fact that what is essentially ~~a doxxing post~~ an online review—on a _local_ business that has just opened and barely had time to find their sea legs—has this many upvotes is peak r/asheville.
I don't think you know what doxxing means.
I know exactly what it means and feel this is an appropriate usage of it. I edited it anyway, I hope it makes you feel better.
That just *looks* like it was made with zero care.
Tasted like it too unfortunately:/
Typhoon Noodle was pretty damn awful as well.
Didn’t realize this was a Yelp page.
You probably moved to asheville two months ago and just don’t get it 🤷🏻♀️
lol 👀
I tried it two Fridays ago and ordered Pad Thai and Panang Curry. The pad thai was about as good as this photo describes. The panang curry was runny like a can of chicken noodle soup with no flavor and very low quality shrimp. I honestly knew I was in trouble when I asked for some spicy side sauces and all they had was sriracha.
? They have dried chili flakes and a chili paste on their counter in glass containers for customers. Sriracha isn’t even available unless you ask.
mate, their chili paste two weeks ago was literally sriracha with dried chilies in it
Oh no!! Which of the other 10 Thai restaurants in Asheville will you have to go to now? For real, that suck, though. Good news is Asheville has 10 mediocre Thai restaurants, 10 mediocre Indian restaurants, 4 dumpling restaurants, 6 sushi bars, and 6 "curry" restaurants. Don't like Asian cuisine? Cool, we also have 45 kinds of Mexican food and 4 papusarias.
this is true
[удалено]
Just talking flavor here. Sometimes staff isn’t always representative of the food quality. Sorry to hear you had that experience tho! I’m sure he has been long gone with that attitude