The Thai restaurant in Tacoma that brings together the amazing spices, herbs and fresh ingredients of Southeast Asia into truly memorable meals. Come see us downtown, just blocks from the Pantages Theater, Rialto, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, UW Tacoma, convention center, hotels and much more.
Wide rice noodles stir-fried with light, sweet soy sauce, egg and fresh gai lan (Asian greens). Chopped fresh green beans sauteed with Thai basil, bell pepper and yellow onions, with choice of meat, prawns or tofu. Topped with crisp basil. See our dinner menu, specials list and beer/wine selection to begin planning your visit to our downtown Tacoma Thai restaurant!
Wide rice noodles stir-fried with light, sweet soy sauce, egg and fresh gai lan (Asian greens). Chopped fresh green beans sauteed with Thai basil, bell pepper and yellow onions, with choice of meat, prawns or tofu. Topped with crisp basil. See our dinner menu, specials list and beer/wine selection to begin planning your visit to our downtown Tacoma Thai restaurant!
Services
In 2002, when Galanga Thai Cuisine opened in downtown Tacoma, the city had only a few Thai restaurants. However, Tacoma was a GREAT place for a new Thai restaurant to put down roots. Southeast Asian immigrants had arrived decades earlier, launching grocery stores that sold (and still sell) all the fresh ingredients a Thai restaurant needs.
Crispy rolls of carrot, cabbage, black wood mushroom, bean sprouts, and mung bean thread noodles, served with sweet and sour garlic chili sauce. Julienne cucumber, carrot, lettuce, sweet basil, shrimp, vermicelli noodles, mint and cilantro with a light, sweet sauce with ground peanuts. Four skewers of chicken breast, marinated in coconut milk, turmeric and spices, grilled to perfection and served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce.
Asparagus cooked in Prik Khing curry paste with baby corn, carrots, yellow onions, kaffir lime leaf and choice of meat. Asparagus stir-fried with shitake mushrooms, yellow onions, baby corn, carrot, tomato, mirin rice wine and choice of meat. Topped with sesame seeds. A delicious Asian soup featuring rice noodles, bean sprouts and chunks of beef, in a richly aromatic broth seasoned with star anise, galanga, lemongrass and other spices.
Galanga is in downtown Tacoma, in the heart of the business and theater districts. Our street, Broadway, is just two blocks up the hill from downtown's main drag, Pacific Avenue. Broadway on our block is one-way southbound - we are midway down the block, at the top of the stairs/plaza that connects Broadway to Commerce Street (in fact, we're in a building that has storefronts on both Broadway and Commerce).
Reviews (27)
Bridgette Salas
Jan 14, 2022
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Ordered the Pad see ew w/ beef, 4 star (their max), salad rolls and Tom yum soup 4 star to go. Easy to call and order.
Pad see ew: good flavor profile that had proper ingredients and was not oily at all. Great portion sizes. Wish there was an ounce or two more off beef to justify the price. It had a nice kick but wasn’t off the charts spice level for my taste.
Salad rolls: phenomenal fresh ingredients! They had a chili sauce instead of a peanut sauce which I absolutely loved and would order again and again.
Tom yum soup: heavy tomato flavor, good soup, did not disappoint, spice flavor was
Pad see ew: good flavor profile that had proper ingredients and was not oily at all. Great portion sizes. Wish there was an ounce or two more off beef to justify the price. It had a nice kick but wasn’t off the charts spice level for my taste.
Salad rolls: phenomenal fresh ingredients! They had a chili sauce instead of a peanut sauce which I absolutely loved and would order again and again.
Tom yum soup: heavy tomato flavor, good soup, did not disappoint, spice flavor was
Stephanie C.
Dec 23, 2021
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Worst chicken pha thai I have ever had! It's been a bit since I've ordered pha thai. I had some really great Thai food prepared by some amazing people! Who ever prepared my delivery order this particular time simply didn't care. I'm not sure if it was because they were closing in 1.5 hours or if they simply didn't give a ---? It looked like someone's left overs they tried to spruce up with some bean sprouts. The bits of chicken looked like someone had bitten into a few of them. The one lonely lime wedge that was definitely left over...used...not fresh. I sampled a
Lola W.
Dec 11, 2021
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Bella M.
Nov 23, 2021
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Ordered from here while visiting some friends and family. delivery was quick and the food was still warm. they got my order correct which i appreciated considering i had some modifications done to my order and a lot of places choose to ignore. i got the chicken pad see ew with no vegetables and it was mediocre. very bland and the sauce was not on the bottom half of the noodles and some of the chicken looked a little odd. i would possibly order from here again but would definitely get something else. everyone else enjoyed their food though so maybe it was just what i ordered
Kelly H.
Nov 14, 2021
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Tracy W.
Nov 10, 2021
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Seamless delivery. Small portion, 24 dollars with delivery, was late and didn't even come with rice. Shame on me for not seeing that when I ordered. While I make rice, I review. May get a star added if it actually tastes good. Maybe a follow up. Be careful what you order online. Get your galoshes on and go pick it up! Best recommendation ever!
Alex Holliday
Sep 19, 2021
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Shaun Rasmussen
Sep 16, 2021
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Wendy McMillan
Aug 13, 2021
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Viktoriya K.
Feb 04, 2021
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Mary Kay H.
Jan 05, 2021
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Thai open on a Monday!
Of course for take out.
Crab Rangoon
Pork drunken noodles
Chicken pad Thai
Paanang curry w/chicken
Rangoon were cute little pockets, drunken noodles were yummy, a good ginger taste. Pad Thai was standard, good pad Thai. The curry however was the disappointment. The chicken was dry (overcooked) and the sauce could have used more flavor. Per another reviewer I ordered 1 less star than normal b/c they said it was hot...it was not. I'd say everything was at least a star lighter than what I'm used to. That's ok b/c I have plenty of hot sauces at home, but ignore
Of course for take out.
Crab Rangoon
Pork drunken noodles
Chicken pad Thai
Paanang curry w/chicken
Rangoon were cute little pockets, drunken noodles were yummy, a good ginger taste. Pad Thai was standard, good pad Thai. The curry however was the disappointment. The chicken was dry (overcooked) and the sauce could have used more flavor. Per another reviewer I ordered 1 less star than normal b/c they said it was hot...it was not. I'd say everything was at least a star lighter than what I'm used to. That's ok b/c I have plenty of hot sauces at home, but ignore
Emily N.
Dec 11, 2020
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Lori T.
Oct 19, 2020
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Shawn D.
Sep 26, 2020
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Lisa L.
Aug 30, 2020
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Ej Kelt
Jul 15, 2020
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I have been going to galanga off and on since 2005 when I worked across the street for about 6 years and loved it.
I recently got a to go order for Thai fried rice and pad thai. Maybe they are just trying to make ends meet during the shutdown but we were disappointed. I love their Thai fried rice but my dish was lacking in flavor, had exactly two pieces of pineapple and maybe 2 ounces of chicken. There wasn't any chicken in it larger than a nickel. The pad thai also had very little chicken.
Hoping their quality goes back up when things get back to normal.
I recently got a to go order for Thai fried rice and pad thai. Maybe they are just trying to make ends meet during the shutdown but we were disappointed. I love their Thai fried rice but my dish was lacking in flavor, had exactly two pieces of pineapple and maybe 2 ounces of chicken. There wasn't any chicken in it larger than a nickel. The pad thai also had very little chicken.
Hoping their quality goes back up when things get back to normal.
Kenneth Hernandez
Jun 30, 2020
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Kenneth Smith
Jun 26, 2020
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Delicious food!
The person on phones understood what vegan meant and accommodated us fully! They even confirmed no eggs and no fish sauce when we picked up.
The packaging was almost all paper based! Super grateful when take out isn't all in plastic. Even the curry was in a non-plastic container. Super awesome for the environment. The only plastic was a small recyclable sauce cup. The carry out bags were the plastic type used in grocery stores which are recyclable (not curbside), but these might be avoided if you bring your own reusable bag. A++++
The person on phones understood what vegan meant and accommodated us fully! They even confirmed no eggs and no fish sauce when we picked up.
The packaging was almost all paper based! Super grateful when take out isn't all in plastic. Even the curry was in a non-plastic container. Super awesome for the environment. The only plastic was a small recyclable sauce cup. The carry out bags were the plastic type used in grocery stores which are recyclable (not curbside), but these might be avoided if you bring your own reusable bag. A++++
David D.
Feb 06, 2020
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Brigitte W.
Dec 03, 2019
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Julia T.
Nov 22, 2019
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Pretty disappointed. The asparagus special was nice, without protein or worth shrimp, and with brown rice, but not memorable. More healthy than tasty.
The tom yum soup was the worst I have ever had. By far. Bland, not hot, terrible ingredients.
The value of everything was remarkably poor. Paying a premium for mediocre food at best. The interior was quite depressing and the worst part of all, while we were dining they used some stinky cleaning agent so while I'm eating the sad, bland meal, I'm completely overwhelmed with the smell of noxious industrial degreaser.
I'd say this place
The tom yum soup was the worst I have ever had. By far. Bland, not hot, terrible ingredients.
The value of everything was remarkably poor. Paying a premium for mediocre food at best. The interior was quite depressing and the worst part of all, while we were dining they used some stinky cleaning agent so while I'm eating the sad, bland meal, I'm completely overwhelmed with the smell of noxious industrial degreaser.
I'd say this place
Stevie B.
Sep 23, 2019
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We ordered the Drunken Noodles, Fried Rice, Tom Yum soup and The Drunken Noodles and the we're my favorite dishes I have had more flavorful Tom Yum at Chili Thai. The fried rice was not the typical fried rice we were looking for. This fried rice was light, healthy, and no meat. Not saying it was bad, just not what we were looking for. I will be going back to try other items though
Sarah E.
Jun 27, 2019
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I can't decide if I come here for the good food or impeccable service. This is the kind of place where the staff make you feel like family and make you want to keep coming back.
I've tried just about every dish and haven't had any complaints. If there isn't something just right, they are more than accommodating to adjust it for you.
I've tried just about every dish and haven't had any complaints. If there isn't something just right, they are more than accommodating to adjust it for you.
Debbie W.
Feb 03, 2019
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Came for our anniversary before a show. Yelp doesn't indicate reservations are available but they are if you call them directly and are recommended on weekend nights. We had the salad rolls which were standard but the sauce was more flavorful than I am used to, but not spicy. We had the spicy crispy chicken and basil as well as swimming Rama. Both excellent dishes.
Staff friendly. We will come again, and remember to make reservations.
Staff friendly. We will come again, and remember to make reservations.
Melissa S.
Sep 20, 2018
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Galanga's spice rating DOES NOT PLAY. Usually 5 stars anywhere is laughable, but my Drunken Noodles laughed at ME. Also, Drunken Noodles were delectable.
Done about 3 orders for pick up and have had no issues. Have dined in about 3 times, too, and the service was absolutely pleasant.
My boyfriend and I debated why we couldn't give Galanga the full five stars, and the most sensible response we came up with with the lack of an authentic feel. Otherwise, food is tasty, prices reasonable, great service for dine-in and take out.
Done about 3 orders for pick up and have had no issues. Have dined in about 3 times, too, and the service was absolutely pleasant.
My boyfriend and I debated why we couldn't give Galanga the full five stars, and the most sensible response we came up with with the lack of an authentic feel. Otherwise, food is tasty, prices reasonable, great service for dine-in and take out.
Brian Williams
Jul 31, 2018
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Wow what a nice surprise. We were going to a different restaurant on the same street but it was oddly closed at 7:30 on a Wednesday...so we stumbled upon this place and really glad we did. REALLY tasty Thai food, some of the best dishes of this variety we've ever had, red curry for me and drunken noodles for my wife. Also the place is super clean, we both commented on it.
So highly recommend and we will go back when in town, we were down for a couple day trip from Seattle.
So highly recommend and we will go back when in town, we were down for a couple day trip from Seattle.
Joseph Rodriguez
Jun 27, 2017
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This place is awesome. The wife and I stumbled upon it tonight and plan on coming back. We tried a few different plates and though they were all fantastic! Drunken Noodles, Pad Thai, and Pad See Iew!
The service is great and the wait staff are very friendly!
It's very clean and the atmosphere is good also. The lighting is on the low side but that doesn't bug us at all. There is also an outdoor eating area.
It wasn't very busy the night we went and from the looks of it, it's not a busy dinner spot. Great place for a quite evening.
The service is great and the wait staff are very friendly!
It's very clean and the atmosphere is good also. The lighting is on the low side but that doesn't bug us at all. There is also an outdoor eating area.
It wasn't very busy the night we went and from the looks of it, it's not a busy dinner spot. Great place for a quite evening.
