It pains me to write a critical review of my once favorite Thai fine dining options in town. I loved this bistro when they were completely focused on the dining part, and had full table service, but perhaps this isn't what their vision is anymore. I am reviewing specifically the bistro component, less so the used books part.The service is fantastic, never any complaints, everything came out in reasonable time, and everyone was extremely cordial.The criticism comes to the food, where for the price point of the restaurant it's reasonable to expect the food to be elevated past another fast Thai food restaurant. But I think the food here fell short of that unfortunately. Each of the dishes were quite unfortunate in their flavor profiles while reasonable plated for my rib dish.The meat was braised, and the texture was not something to particularly envy. It was quite tender, I do give it that, however the flavor profile just felt flat. The salad was fine, yet was overly dressed with what I would determine to be fish sauce, making it too salty. The tofu vegetarian curry dish was also unfortunate because it had near no flavor except for a component of spice from some pepper. As another insult, the rice was not cooked well. I felt that the rice was overly dry.I would love to give you guys another chance. I recall fondly of a sous-vide duck curry and your other chicken curry you served 3-4 years prior, which were divine. I have been wanting to come ever since, and this time was quite disappointing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Des gh
I had high hopes for this place but unfortunately it didn't meet expectations. I had a tofu basil dish. It was very much 1 note and didn't pack flavor like other thai dishes. I did appreciate the amount of tofu and veggies. I finished it but wasn't satisfied. I should have driven to Mai Thai or Lotus Thai. I hate to say this but it kind of tasted like Dukes Pad Thai quality for a much higher price point. So sad to say this about a local family restaurant. The other dishes people had looked tasty though. I would give it another try if someone else was paying.
Tessa C.
It's changed some over the years but still tastes great. Don't sleep on their spring rolls or pad thai!
Diane Perdue-Shupe
awesome, cozy place! wonderful vegan food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kirsten Olson
Amazing meal everything was great, best matzah ball soup in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Becca E.
Hands down the best Thai food in town. Very small little mom and pop shop that cranks out the best pad thai youll ever have. Due to it being such a small little restaurant it can take a while, but every second of the wait is worth it.
Laura W.
Restaurant is closed. Called their phone number and they have a message about flattening the curve. Was excited to try it but oh well!
Andrew Hand
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Columbia and I want it back so bad
Will K.
OMG!! Don't bother with the chains!! Ban Sawan is magnificent!! Highest quality, freshest food I have ever had!
Kelly D.
It has taken me several visits to finally put together what I want to say about this restaurant. A small, family owned business that makes their own rules and can get away with it. The food is always beautiful and delicious with great attention to detail. I have sampled a good variety of dishes and see consistent results across fish, duck, chicken and vegetarian fare. Unlike other establishments, the front of the house takes care that the kitchen does not become overwhelmed, too busy, or need to cut corners. In order to maintain quality in the kitchen, the front will seemingly spontaneously decide 'the kitchen is closed', or 'the restaurant is full', or even if not full- 'we are no longer seating customers'. These are the important steps taken to ensure the integrity of the food remains. Once I figured out the quirks, I am proud to say Baan Swan is one of my favorite places to go in Columbia. Enjoy
I made a reservation at Baan Sawan Thai Bistro at 8 for Valentine's Day after hearing good things about it. We were confused when we arrived because it was more like a house than a restaurant, but the interior was nicely designed like a small Thai restaurant. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and I ordered the shrimp tom yum soup and fried tofu pad thai, while my partner ordered the three flavored duck. The tom yum soup came out and it was lackluster. The flavor wasn't bad, but it wasn't as sour or flavorful as other tom yum soups I've had. There were maybe 2-3 baby shrimp in the bowl and they were overcooked and rubbery. After the soup, it took forever for our food to come out, close to 35 minutes. When our food finally came out, the duck plate was beautiful and I was surprised to see wide noodles with the pad thai. The flavor of the noodle itself was good but a little dry, and you could tell that the fried tofu had been pre-made and was just sitting out. It was not warm or crispy and I was disappointed after having to wait that long. Although the duck was delicious! To top it off, our server took soooo long to attend to us. We would see her talking at the bar with other customers while waiting to get a to-go box, waiting to get our check, and then waiting to pay our check. We were there for an unnecessarily long time and it made our patience wear thing. The food was good but not the best. Service was terrible so we probably won't be coming back.
Kaci Handlery
D.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s. thai food in a restaurant with great ambience. Staff is always amazing, friendly, and attentive.
Andrew H.
One of the more established Thai restaurants in Columbia. Excellent food and service to match. They're routinely full, and very honest about your wait time. Perfect date spot. Must-try if you live in Columbia.
Michael N.
Very good food. I looked at the posted menu and I didn't see Tom Kah Motz which is a Thai Coconut soup, but instead of chicken being the star, it's filled with matzo balls, where they use duck fat instead of schmaltz. Crazy good. It used to be a special, but we bugged Chef Alex for a couple of years and he finally added it to the menu. I tell visitors from out of town that the only place to get matzo ball soup in Columbia is at a Thai restaurant. The specials are pretty imaginative too, e.g. rabbit & venison sausage served with drunken noodles, or wild boar pork shoulder with your choice of a North/Central or massaman curry sauce. If you show up with a crowd, your service might be slow, at least that's been my experience. But in a nutshell--GO!
It pains me to write a critical review of my once favorite Thai fine dining options in town. I loved this bistro when they were completely focused on the dining part, and had full table service, but perhaps this isn't what their vision is anymore. I am reviewing specifically the bistro component, less so the used books part.The service is fantastic, never any complaints, everything came out in reasonable time, and everyone was extremely cordial.The criticism comes to the food, where for the price point of the restaurant it's reasonable to expect the food to be elevated past another fast Thai food restaurant. But I think the food here fell short of that unfortunately. Each of the dishes were quite unfortunate in their flavor profiles while reasonable plated for my rib dish.The meat was braised, and the texture was not something to particularly envy. It was quite tender, I do give it that, however the flavor profile just felt flat. The salad was fine, yet was overly dressed with what I would determine to be fish sauce, making it too salty. The tofu vegetarian curry dish was also unfortunate because it had near no flavor except for a component of spice from some pepper. As another insult, the rice was not cooked well. I felt that the rice was overly dry.I would love to give you guys another chance. I recall fondly of a sous-vide duck curry and your other chicken curry you served 3-4 years prior, which were divine. I have been wanting to come ever since, and this time was quite disappointing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
I had high hopes for this place but unfortunately it didn't meet expectations. I had a tofu basil dish. It was very much 1 note and didn't pack flavor like other thai dishes. I did appreciate the amount of tofu and veggies. I finished it but wasn't satisfied. I should have driven to Mai Thai or Lotus Thai. I hate to say this but it kind of tasted like Dukes Pad Thai quality for a much higher price point. So sad to say this about a local family restaurant. The other dishes people had looked tasty though. I would give it another try if someone else was paying.
It's changed some over the years but still tastes great. Don't sleep on their spring rolls or pad thai!
awesome, cozy place! wonderful vegan food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Amazing meal everything was great, best matzah ball soup in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hands down the best Thai food in town. Very small little mom and pop shop that cranks out the best pad thai youll ever have. Due to it being such a small little restaurant it can take a while, but every second of the wait is worth it.
Restaurant is closed. Called their phone number and they have a message about flattening the curve. Was excited to try it but oh well!
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Columbia and I want it back so bad
OMG!! Don't bother with the chains!! Ban Sawan is magnificent!! Highest quality, freshest food I have ever had!
It has taken me several visits to finally put together what I want to say about this restaurant. A small, family owned business that makes their own rules and can get away with it. The food is always beautiful and delicious with great attention to detail. I have sampled a good variety of dishes and see consistent results across fish, duck, chicken and vegetarian fare. Unlike other establishments, the front of the house takes care that the kitchen does not become overwhelmed, too busy, or need to cut corners. In order to maintain quality in the kitchen, the front will seemingly spontaneously decide 'the kitchen is closed', or 'the restaurant is full', or even if not full- 'we are no longer seating customers'. These are the important steps taken to ensure the integrity of the food remains. Once I figured out the quirks, I am proud to say Baan Swan is one of my favorite places to go in Columbia. Enjoy
Restaurantji Recommends
I made a reservation at Baan Sawan Thai Bistro at 8 for Valentine's Day after hearing good things about it. We were confused when we arrived because it was more like a house than a restaurant, but the interior was nicely designed like a small Thai restaurant. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and I ordered the shrimp tom yum soup and fried tofu pad thai, while my partner ordered the three flavored duck. The tom yum soup came out and it was lackluster. The flavor wasn't bad, but it wasn't as sour or flavorful as other tom yum soups I've had. There were maybe 2-3 baby shrimp in the bowl and they were overcooked and rubbery. After the soup, it took forever for our food to come out, close to 35 minutes. When our food finally came out, the duck plate was beautiful and I was surprised to see wide noodles with the pad thai. The flavor of the noodle itself was good but a little dry, and you could tell that the fried tofu had been pre-made and was just sitting out. It was not warm or crispy and I was disappointed after having to wait that long. Although the duck was delicious! To top it off, our server took soooo long to attend to us. We would see her talking at the bar with other customers while waiting to get a to-go box, waiting to get our check, and then waiting to pay our check. We were there for an unnecessarily long time and it made our patience wear thing. The food was good but not the best. Service was terrible so we probably won't be coming back.
D.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s. thai food in a restaurant with great ambience. Staff is always amazing, friendly, and attentive.
One of the more established Thai restaurants in Columbia. Excellent food and service to match. They're routinely full, and very honest about your wait time. Perfect date spot. Must-try if you live in Columbia.
Very good food. I looked at the posted menu and I didn't see Tom Kah Motz which is a Thai Coconut soup, but instead of chicken being the star, it's filled with matzo balls, where they use duck fat instead of schmaltz. Crazy good. It used to be a special, but we bugged Chef Alex for a couple of years and he finally added it to the menu. I tell visitors from out of town that the only place to get matzo ball soup in Columbia is at a Thai restaurant. The specials are pretty imaginative too, e.g. rabbit & venison sausage served with drunken noodles, or wild boar pork shoulder with your choice of a North/Central or massaman curry sauce. If you show up with a crowd, your service might be slow, at least that's been my experience. But in a nutshell--GO!
Exquisite works of art meals every single time.