Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas

By Zeke Quezada, About.com Guide

I need to apologize to the readers. I have been selfish. I have held out and not discussed Le Thai for too long. You see I find comfort in walking over to Le Thai from a Downtown Las Vegas hotel and finding a seat at the bar. It’s a neighborhood place with plenty of reasons to walk in. That’s my problem with it. You might find it. You’ll tell a friend. They’ll tell friends. Do you see where I’m coming from? Soon I won’t be able to have a huge bowl of spicy noodles and a beer in comfort. I’ll have to wait behind a crowd of hipsters. However, it is my duty, if you are even anywhere remotely close to Le Thai in Downtown Las Vegas you’ll have to go over and try it. You’ll love it and I’ll wait outside for a table.

Location: Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas
523 Fremont Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101

Phone: 702 778-0888

See Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas website

Cuisine: Thai

Reservations: yes, but not required

Price Range: affordable

Hours at Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas :
11:30 – 2 am weekends may be later

Attire: Casual

What to Expect at Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas:
Sitting at the bar with my back turned on the new Las Vegas it's almost a shame I'm eating alone. The climate of Fremont East, the area of Fremont Street that was once dirty and that now looks hip, is just that, cleaned up. It looks like one of those neighborhoods that you check out in a foreign city and you want to be part of.

It's not cheap Thai like you might find in a real neighborhood in the big cities of America. Le Thai is that restaurant that surprises you in the hipster neighborhoods of gentrified America. Le Thai draws you in because even though it has sprouted up in this spot that was once bad and now is good it is like a throw back. This is like discovering a tattoo on your 7th grade science teacher and wondering what she was doing during college.

Le Thai is a little grunge, mixed in with a little bad ass and followed up with a solid spot to have a meal. In other words, it works. It’s comfortable and it crosses each of the boundaries typically reserved for places that are among the best. You don’t have to order in a foreign language but the food tastes like you did. The beer list suggests somebody cares about your drink. If you don’t know what you should order, don’t worry they’ll help you decide. One more thing, this is not Las Vegas spicy, this is the real deal, don’t be a hero.

Part of Where to Eat in Las Vegas 100 Restaurants You Should Try in Las Vegas.

How’s the food at Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas?
Let me reiterate that this is not Las Vegas spicy or resort spicy. This is not a restaurant in a hotel where they have to care about you making a bad decision or where they stroke your ego by telling you it’s a 5 on a scale of 5 just so that you can go and talk about your courage on Twitter. Order spice level 4 and you will feel the tiny firefighters in your belly racing to douse the inferno in your system. Go 5, Thai Spicy and the sweat in your armpits will make you unattractive to everyone, even your mom. There is no flavor lost when the spice comes up. This is a well balanced meal where the extra heat only enhances the experience.

What You Should Try At Le Thai Downtown Las Vegas:

• Drunken Noodles – These noodles make me drool. I was in love with the drunken Noodles at Wazuzu at Encore for a very long time. These might be better. I can’t believe I just typed that. The reason is simple. These noodles do not feel refined. They don’t try to be fancy as if they are being served in a super high end resort where creativity is stifled. These noodles are raw and in your face with flavor and spice. Get five orders and spread them on your bed and take a nap with them. They are that good.
• Waterfall Beef – The sauce is what does the trick but the beef is done right. It’s not over the top good but it is the type of dish that is comforting. Really? Yeah, as in I could comfortably eat 2 orders.
• Tom Kha – Have I had better coconut soup? Yes, however, I was nearly killed in a really sketchy neighborhood in a town that will remain nameless in a restaurant where I was the only person who could speak English.

Remember, this is not full blown authentic Thai but it is a good rendition. A little like when Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix cover a song. You forget who really wrote the song even though you know you have heard it before.

Still searching for the right place for a meal in Las Vegas? I can help:
Go back to Restaurant home
Find The Best Restaurants In Las Vegas
Treat Yourself To Cheap Food in Las Vegas
Breakfast in Las Vegas
Restaurants A to Z

As is common in the travel industry, About.com Travel Guides may receive free food, lodging, or travel for the purpose of reviewing those services. However, these perks will not influence the coverage on About.com. See About.com’s Ethics Policy