Brookside Thai Restaurant

I really like this place, the food is solid - nothing too creative, simply great Thai food. I have gone there with some Thai friends and they say it is rather authentic. They have great pad thai with shrimp and i love the spring rolls. I have tried alot of the vegetarian appetizers -yum yum yum.
Usually the specials are the best things on the menu and reflect the chef's talents. Also get the Thai iced tea with milk - its fattening but worth the calories. The atmosphere is cute and cozy (just a shhhh hint - dont sit by the back wall, the elephants smell, ha ha) but overall I like the decor the earthy tones are very soothing. Some of the tables are close together so be careful who you are talking about. I always run into someone i know here - and service is A-OK. Overall, i think they have Thai Chef beat!

The price is right too. Chicken Pad Thai $5.95 for example. We are there once a week. Keep in mind that if it says SPICY they aren't kidding.

Brookside Thai has been a huge favorite since it opened. Staff is wonderful, even with the language barrier. The food is fresh, flavorful and have never had a bad meal there. Love the dumplings and spring rolls, most of the entrees (haven't tried them all yet!) and the deserts! I never would have tried fried banannas (done in spring roll wrappers) with ice creams like mango, tropical fruit. Also, the desert rice is a special treat!

A great meal, every time.

Brookside Thai has been a huge favorite since it opened. Staff is wonderful, even with the language barrier. The food is fresh, flavorful and have never had a bad meal there. Love the dumplings and spring rolls, most of the entrees (haven't tried them all yet!) and the deserts! I never would have tried fried banannas (done in spring roll wrappers) with ice creams like mango, tropical fruit. Also, the desert rice is a special treat!

A great meal, every time.

Definitely better than any Montclair Thai restaurant.
No high chairs, but good for take out, too.

i cry everytime i eat the pad thai with chicken bc im in love with it!! i love it more than marq romero oppa and songjoo oppa

my fat ass doesnt fit the chairs! but i like the food! cheap too! oh ya! i recommend it.

I absolutely love Brookside Thai and rarely have room for dessert. After reading the remarks of other people here, I now realize what I was smelling the time I went and sat near the back wall! I just thought maybe it was just musty in there .

I'm new to the area and this was the first place I tried. Loved it! My boyfriend and I had an appetizer, two dinners and shared the custard for $25. Incredible deal.

The curry puffs were great.. dinners were great. But, our dessert (custard) was actually still half frozen. I won't hold it against them though. Our waitress also took a little while for our soda refill and forget to wrap my food to go, which sucked because I only ate half of it. Nonetheless, I will return because the food was great and the prices were so reasonable. Its definitely worth a second chance.

Been here a couple times recently. The food is solid..(great). I ordered the mussels.. and while they smelled terrible... they tasted great. The Pad kee mau is excellent!

Small place though so may be a wait on weekends. Always great for takeout.

My absolute favorite! The food is always excellent and affordable. I love the spicy grilled steak salad and the steamed dumpling app. Thanks to Charlene and their market next door - I can now make great panang at home. Unfortunately - they took my favorite grilled pork off the specials list - I tried to make it at home and it's just not the same --- bring it back I beg you!

Yes it's true, the wait can be brutal especially Friday/Saturday nites. We made reservations once for four and had to wait two hours past our reserved time. The couple we invited loved the food and no one ever complained.

Best thai in the area (better than Mtclr) but a little warm and buggy year-round. Get takeout instead if that's a turnoff for you, so the people who don't mind the conditions will have a little more breathing room.

The food was pretty darn good and way better than the pretentious places in downtown Montclair. The service was spotty, but overall I was expecting way worse based on the comments. I made a reservation for peak time on Fri night and they totally ignored it and I had to wait 20 min for a table. But once seating the appetizers were good - duck salad with tamarind dressing was quite nice and the soups were a little bland but ok. My entree was brought quite a while before my partner's and they forgot to serve us drinks. But when I asked them to take back my dish so my partner and I could eat together they were very obliging and attentive and gracious the rest of the meal. I heard other tables being asked if everything was all right and no one else seemed to be having problems. I left overall quite contented and ready to go back. It's a crowded interior but quite warm and cozy. The food is solidly good and the price is fantastic. The little market next door is worth a separate trip, what a gem!

My friends have travelled to Thailand and they told me this food is as close as it gets. I can't explain it, but even though some of the food is don't -forget - your -fire-extinguisher spicy, I couldn't stop eating it.

A good beer or Reisling works well here.

I went there for a birthday dinner last fall and a huge cockroach walked up the stem of my wine glass right at the table while we were eating. It was DISGUSTING. Although the food tasted good, I can't imagine going there again.

Cockroach !!!!!!! ummmmm
me too, I've seen them once walk up on the table, I will never come back to this place again, How the hell could they passed the inspection.

to me, no matters how good the food is
I really concern about food healtier

I've been eating there on at least a monthly basis for over a year and never had a bad experience with the food, nor have I ever seen a roach anywhere in the place.

Been at Brookside Thai at least once a week for the last 2 years and never saw any roaches. Occasionally some flies around in season.
The food is always good. the price is great. The service is what you would expect at a place where some of the waitstaff speaks very little (no) english, but everyone is pleasant.

I've eaten a lot of Thai, and my fiancee has had more authentic Thai during her business stints in Japan, and we both agree it's among the best Thai we've had ... never had an inconsistent or poorly prepared meal, and the spices are just "right," just the way they are at a real authentic Indian places. Brookside hits the mark time after time, and BE SURE to try their specials ... they come up with some inventive stuff, indeed. And the dumplings (No. 7) are to die for!

I am surprised at the reviews for this restaurant. I am Thai and I have eaten at Brookside a few times. The food is ok but definately not on par with thai restaurants in NYC and Queens (where I am originally from). They do substitute a lot of traditional ingredients and their fish cake appetizers are the store bought frozen kind. But that being said- I haven't found a Thai restaurant in the area that is as reasonably priced or as authentic as this one. It's good for a nearby meal but for more authentic really good thai food I would venture to Sriphaphai in Woodside (Queens) or Pimaan in Emerson.

Me and my hubby treated my brother's family for my niece's graduation. We all enjoyed our entree, but my favorite was the green papaya salad, it was so refreshing and very good.I have another favorite Thai place in Montclair, but after my experience with this place, I think i have a new Thai place to go. The only thing is when it says spicy, it is really SPICY.

Tried this place last night. Given all the glowing reviews, I wanted to love it more than I did. We ordered pad thai chicken and pad thai shrimp- they were a little on the flavorless side for our taste and two of my shrimp had some mush (with a weird taste) in it- kind of like the "mustard" that's found in crab. We also ordered the Tood Gra Tiem with beef. The beef was very dry and the sauce, though quite good, didn't have any cilantro in it as stated on the menu (cilantro sauce). There are so many postive reviews here so maybe they were having an off night?

I eat at Brookside Thai atleast 3 or 4 times a week and I have never has a bad experience there. The staff is very polite and attentive, the food is always hot, tasty, and authentic, and very clean regardless of the comments that may suggest otherwise. Frequenting the place so often, I have never seen a cockroach or any other kinds of bug besides the occasional fly that usually plague most restaurants. The price is great and its a great place to sit and chat over some excellent food.

This place was a gem. Use to go there with a friend who spoke Thai and we ordered entree after entree of the delicious, authentic food. Couldn't beat the prices. Was bummed when I read that it was closed by the Board of Health.

Boy do I miss 28. Ain't nothin around like it. Not even Raymond's.

Brookside Thai was not closed by the Board of Health. It's open and thriving. Sheesh, you people.

tommyeats.com

USED to love this place-even had them cater a couple of parties, but last time was given pad thai that had spoiled shrimp. When I returned it and politely and quietly asked for something else, the owner/chef rudely insisted on tasting it and told me I was wrong (despite the fact I had been eating that pad thai for at least 2 years). Never going back. Now a convert to Thai Chef.

We ate there a couple of weeks ago and I must say the gentleman server was rude. It was one of those really hot evenings and the AC in the restaurant seemed a bit weak. For approx 30 seconds, we were trying to decide if it was too uncomfortable a temp to be able to enjoy the meal. The waiter was hostile at the thought that we should take a second to decide if we were going to stay. there was no line, no wait and empty tables. Should have left, but didn't. The meal was OK, but not worth any raves. Too many other options to put up with a server's BS.

Went there sunday 12/10/06- the place was nearly empty but we waited 20 mins. to order as the whole staff was involved in arguing with a patron who had food catered saturday and found some questionable food, which they did not eat. We finally called a waiter over and he apologized for forgetting we were there. However,the manager/owner was rude and the patron left upset that they thought she was lying.The husband and an older man came back asking for the manager and met the same fate- arguing and denial about the color of some food- rudely. The patron suggested politely that he be compensated in some way and to end the dispute that was upsetting other diners. No go- just more rude behavior, and a promise from the patron of a health Dept. visit. The staff laughed and cheered when the men said they would never come back after years of being regulars there. What bad business practice and behavior- we also will never go back.

We just had lunch here today: spring rolls, curry puffs, lemongrass soup, pad thai and some beef fried rice with basil. Our food came out quickly, and it was hot and tasty...all for a mere $26. We had to wait about five minutes to order, but our server was pleasant and after the first time I asked for my water glass to be filled, it wasn’t less than half-full thereafter. Perhaps it was because we were sans four-year-old that we found really enjoyed the food and atmosphere, but we’ll definitely be back. :)

Pat Thai has better food...Brookside is a nicer venue...i'll stick to Pat Thai.

Recently Brookside Thai has lost its flavor. The ingredients are now VERY lack-luster and the place has become DIRTY. The tables against the walls are gross, all you see is dryed up little pieces of food against the wall. The carpet looks like it hasnt been vacuumed in months. Also, when entering Brookside Thai the smell of garbage hits you in the face. It's ashame because Brookside was one of my favorite comfort Thai places to eat at. I have now abandoned this place and will no longer ever go here.

And they're expanding too!

I've eaten here a couple of time...dining in will make you claustrophobic. The Pad thai is bland and sort of thrown together, not the balance of flavors I've come to love at other places. The Mussaman curry, chicken satay, dumplings were likewise disappointing and the overall feel was that it was all not that flavorful. The upside is the low prices, but I'd rather pay a bit more and satsify a Thai craving with tastier.

A poor excuse for Thai food. BLAH!

My Husband & I used to eat there AND order out. We always asked if they could please tone down the spicy. They ALWAYS said yes, but NEVER did. We used to add our own can of coconut milk to some of the dishes. We finally gave up and no longer eat or order from there. Not to mention once we got some hair in the food. Whatever happened to those hair nets they used to wear?

They've moved out of the cramped up hole in the wall place that they used to be in and moved next door. It's much more elegant now but still gets busy & still has that family restaurant feel to it.

Every time we eat there, it's great. we love it.

Never had a problem eating there but then, I don't pay any attention to the staff. Most of them are probably students somewhere & aren't professional waiters.

I'd have to say it's the best Thai restaurant in the area w/o having to drive to the city.

Yum

When they moved to the new location they changed their recipes, notably for panang. Let me say this, I love this place and go quite often, which is why I was so disappointed that they changed the recipe upon moving. The new spot is very nice and much bigger than the old spot. If you sit by the windows in the winter, you will nearly freeze to death. I was a little surprised to see that they didn't put in a real heating system and still rely on a space heater to heat the front section. Also, for the first time ever, the service was super, super slow - talking 40 minute wait to get two entrees when the place wasn't even 60% full. I'll still go here and try other dishes to see if they changed chef's (and therefore recipes) or if they just changed the panang. Anyway, still a ridiculous value - $7 for thai that is yummier than the Montclair choices is fine with me.

This place is great. We just moved here from the city where we had our favorite Thai place in Park Slope. We were pleastly surprised tonight when we ventured to Brookside to taste their menu. It matches or even beats the Thai that we were used too. I had the spring rolls, and the chicken pad thai, and my wife and daughter had the mussels, and coconut lime juice shrimp soup. Everything was so good, we all left with bloated bellies! The other nice surprise was the price. We all ate to our hearts content, and the bill was under $35.

pad thai w chicken, duck w curry, panang w chicken...nuff said!

i have a small penis

This has become my regular Thai place...I've tried a few different places in the area. Most places serve up Pad Thai as a dried out, bright red mass of noodles. Brookside's Pad Thai is moist, doesn't make me sweat grease afterwards and is chock full of the scallions, peanuts, tofu that other places skimp on. Love their curries, as well. The Massaman curry is mouth-wateringly creamy. Loved the Gang Ped Yang, Penang Curry, Red/Green. The renovations have improved the atmosphere, but service still needs improvement.

great mussels. crispy duck salad also very good. friendly service and really a great place for dinner. starting to get really crowded but that's good for business. excellent place when you don't feel like dealing with the snob customers on their cellphones at thai chef.