Under 300 Baht ... And Good! (updated July 4, 2022)

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

You seem to be contradicting yourself. First you write: "Western meal: under 300 you get garbage..." That's an unequivocal statement. But then you follow it up with:

if you see my restaurant reports, mostly under 300 baht and usually good quality, great foods...

Why would you say a Western meal under 300 baht is "garbage" but you usually get "good quality, great foods" under 300 baht? It doesn't make sense.

You also wrote:

I meant : meal, not food or plate... I meant a few courses and a drink... Burgers , pizzas, fish and chips, poorly served spaghettis, minced meats on the mash, english brekkies etc. are great foods,plates but not meals....

But earlier you had written:

I go to a restaurant to eat, not to mental wank...to fill my belly with quality food.... not with the side garbage...In thailand the desserts are simply crap.... a Cornetto is the best choice... or the best one a Swensen's ice cream cup...

In that quote, you appear to be saying you want all the food at a meal on one plate as one course. You seem to be rejecting the idea of a multi-course meal ("the side garbage"). Again, you have contradicted yourself with your post on April 16.

 

Two other observations:

1) In English, the word "meal" refers to the food eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner (supper, tea, etc.). A meal does not have to include two or more courses, nor does there have to be a lot of food on the plate. You can have your own personal definition of "meal," but then you need to make that clear. Thousands of Western short-term visitors and permanent residents in Pattaya eat a lot of meals in restaurants and many, many times those meals won't consist of multiple courses. Nevertheless, they have had meals in restaurants that weren't garbage and very often cost less than 300 baht.

 

2) Your objections to the Western food served in Pattaya most often center on portion size, not the quality or taste of the food. Why do you then call the food "garbage," which would only apply to very bad, inedible food?

 

Evil

[halfaboy 31]

Well said !

[Gabor 296]

 

 

2) Your objections to the Western food served in Pattaya most often center on portion size, not the quality or taste of the food. Why do you then call the food "garbage," which would only apply to very bad, inedible food?

 

Evil

 

Yep... if I'm still hungry following the so called quality meal... no matter of the quality, I'm still cheated... BTW... I look for quality meal to fill my stomach for reasonable prices... And I'm a small guy with no wolf appetite... the " giga beef pie " I had in the Fraser's ( see my report ) made me totally full was only an appetizer for my english mate.... he isn't a big guy either.... If I say it was a small portion, you can believe me... it was...

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Yep... if I'm still hungry following the so called quality meal... no matter of the quality, I'm still cheated... BTW... I look for quality meal to fill my stomach for reasonable prices... And I'm a small guy with no wolf appetite... the " giga beef pie " I had in the Fraser's ( see my report ) made me totally full was only an appetizer for my english mate.... he isn't a big guy either.... If I say it was a small portion, you can believe me... it was...

Your response explains why you want a larger portion than you sometimes get, but it doesn't answer the question I asked: Why do you then call the food "garbage," which would only apply to very bad, inedible food?

 

It would also be good if you answered the other question I asked: Why would you say a Western meal under 300 baht is "garbage" but you usually get "good quality, great foods" under 300 baht?

 

Evil

[Gabor 296]

Your response explains why you want a larger portion than you sometimes get, but it doesn't answer the question I asked: Why do you then call the food "garbage," which would only apply to very bad, inedible food?

 

It would also be good if you answered the other question I asked: Why would you say a Western meal under 300 baht is "garbage" but you usually get "good quality, great foods" under 300 baht?

 

Evil

 

 

Food vs meal... Food is a plate, meal is a complex experience.... let see the " Deli " at the TuckCom... meal, but... looks poor, simple food, small portions...no any special I would pay the farang tax... And anyway... you are right... I was too sharp.... but if you see the restaurants offers something special, worth the farang tax... hardly under 300 baht...

[losgrad 264]

Ok, I'll play along....so another criteria:

 

Western Food

Good

AND a "Full-Filling Meal" :).

 

I just happen to be in the new Harbor Mall on Klang (taking a break from Songkran water play :) and saw they also have an "All Seasons Steak Buffet." A few times, I've eaten at the one at The Avenue (closed a few months ago) and Central Festival Mall, but have a few friends who visit weekly as they want the protein. For me, it meets 3 of the 4 criterion and the "Good" is subjective, but Good is not "Great" so i guess it qualifies :).

 

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/allseasonssteakbuffet/?fref=nf

Edited April 19, 2016 by losgrad

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Dropped in at New York Pizza House today for the first time.

 

I ordered the house pizza, the eponymous New York Pizza. You get your choice of sizes and crusts and I ordered small, thin crust.

 

Despite ordering the smallest size I couldn't finish it. The 'za comes with grated cheese and hot sauce you can pour on yourself.

 

The pizza plus bottled water came to 235 baht. I added a 40 baht tip and still got change back from 300 baht. What's not to like?

 

By the way, in addition to the excellent Bite Me across the street there is a French restaurant next door called Aux Agapes. The interior looks nice though I didn't see a menu. Something else to check out!

 

Sorry, no photos as I'm the last white man in Pattaya who doesn't have a smartphone.

[Odense 498]

The last human without one MGDN ;-)

 

Posted from my mobile so I blame any spelling errors on that.

[Gabor 296]

Ok, I'll play along....so another criteria:

 

Western Food

Good

AND a "Full-Filling Meal" :).

 

I just happen to be in the new Harbor Mall on Klang (taking a break from Songkran water play :) and saw they also have an "All Seasons Steak Buffet." A few times, I've eaten at the one at The Avenue (closed a few months ago) and Central Festival Mall, but have a few friends who visit weekly as they want the protein. For me, it meets 3 of the 4 criterion and the "Good" is subjective, but Good is not "Great" so i guess it qualifies :).

 

 

FullSizeRender (11).jpgFullSizeRender (8).jpg

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/allseasonssteakbuffet/?fref=nf

 

I tried a few times... the beef steaks are unedible shoe soles, left all on the plate, the pork steaks almost the same... the chicken steak is fine, but chicken and steak together to mention ??? I went there because my beloved russian borsch on the menu, but it was a disappointment, it was cold and poor.... On the other sides, the thai foods were Ok...

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Santa Fe Steak is a Thai restaurant chain with branches all over the country. Despite its name, beef plays a rather subordinate role on its menu. Santa Fe Pork or Santa Fe Chop would be more accurate. In addition to beef and pork, it offers chicken, fish and pasta, all at very moderate prices. It's certainly possible to tuck away a fair amount of food at Santa Fe for 300 baht or less, as the mains, including the specials, come with complimentary soup and salad. Some of the specials also include a beverage, so the customer is getting a three-course meal and (non-alcoholic) drink for under 300 baht or even 200 baht.

I had lunch at Santa Fe Steak on the 6th floor of Central Festival on April 19, the big day for Songkran festivities on Beach Road. I broke up my photo excursion into the climactic hours of water-tossing madness by ducking into "Centan" around 1 pm to wash the white paste off my face; get some relief from the heat and sun; and have a bite to eat. Thanks to my quick-dry clothing and the effect of standing a few minutes in the intense sunlight, I was mostly dry at that point. You can see the pics of my whole April 19th outing here (post #317).

I decided to eat at Santa Fe Steak mainly because I'd never been there before. It was a relatively small restaurant that was about half-full. It was very clean and tidy. I was the only farang diner. I assumed the name "Santa Fe" was used due to the Santa Fe Railway's association with the beef industry of the 1800's. The railroad's full name, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, wouldn't have been as catchy.

I chose the "imported ribeye steak" at 239 baht. I chose to drink a bottle of Heineken, but if I'd had ice tea at 24 baht, I'd have come well under 300 baht.

It came with small portions of French fries and tater tots and a few lettuce leaves on the plate as well as ...

sides of salad and (corn) soup. They weren't bad, just meaningless. The gravy or brown sauce looked so horribly gelatinous I didn't even taste it.

I had ordered the steak medium rare and that's how it came.

The steak was tender, but not very flavorful for rib eye. I can imagine it was imported U.S. beef, although of the "Select" or "Choice -" grade. It's roughly the same grad of meat used in some U.S. chains. Nothing wrong with that.

I had no trouble finishing the steak. The rest of the meal was a bit of a disappointment, but for the price, there's no reason to complain.

This isn't a full review of Santa Fe Steak as I've only had one meal there. I've read and heard there's better value for money to be had by taking one of the pork, fish or pasta specials.

There's no problem in eating under 300 baht at Santa Fe Steak. The "good" rating is a bit more difficult. If we only have two categories, good and bad, there's no question it would be good because it's not bad. But if we get more sophisticated and imagine three ratings - good, acceptable and bad - then the weakness of the sides would pull it down to the acceptable category.

A little trivia. You have to love how Google translates one of the sentences from Santa Fe Steak's Web site: "Elephant soft aroma were still taste the steak like no other." That's a blurb I couldn't resist.

Evil

Edited April 20, 2016 by Evil Penevil

[losgrad 264]

Dropped in at New York Pizza House today for the first time.

 

I ordered the house pizza, the eponymous New York Pizza. You get your choice of sizes and crusts and I ordered small, thin crust.

 

Despite ordering the smallest size I couldn't finish it. The 'za comes with grated cheese and hot sauce you can pour on yourself.

 

The pizza plus bottled water came to 235 baht. I added a 40 baht tip and still got change back from 300 baht. What's not to like?

 

By the way, in addition to the excellent Bite Me across the street there is a French restaurant next door called Aux Agapes. The interior looks nice though I didn't see a menu. Something else to check out!

 

Sorry, no photos as I'm the last white man in Pattaya who doesn't have a smartphone.

 

Occasionally, I have pizza delivered from New York Pizza so i think they have my order with specific nuances linked to our phone#. I like the Hawaiian with thin crust and extra sauce, but the Hawaiian Pizza at The Camel in Ban Chang was definitely better. Yes, it also takes me two attempts to finish the small. I guess getting older has also affected our appetites :).

 

Well, in regards to the 'smartphone,' there are a couple of you guys in that 'cheap charlie group' that don't have smartphones even when offered one for FREE, so it appears to be a lifestyle choice :).

 

 

 

I tried a few times... the beef steaks are unedible shoe soles, left all on the plate, the pork steaks almost the same... the chicken steak is fine, but chicken and steak together to mention ??? I went there because my beloved russian borsch on the menu, but it was a disappointment, it was cold and poor.... On the other sides, the thai foods were Ok...

 

Yes, I agree. My friends who love it go for the unlimited cheap protein (weightlifters) and i occasionally join them just for the social, but sometimes i don't eat. It's 'good' for them, but not for us.

Edited April 20, 2016 by losgrad

[jacko 8,822]

 

Sorry, no photos as I'm the last white man in Pattaya who doesn't have a smartphone.

Wrong, I know some who do not even have a mobile phone.....

They have a club and meet in restaurants, so far never more than one has managed to make it at the same time or day.

Edited April 20, 2016 by jacko

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Wrong, I know some who do not even have a mobile phone.....

They have a club and meet in restaurants, so far never more than one has managed to make it at the same time or day.

 

Glad to hear I'm not the only Luddite in town

[cbrib 354]

 

Glad to hear I'm not the only Luddite in town

 

You are part of a unique group. The few, the proud, the Luddite's.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

A few more suggestions on LK Metro. The Rockhouse recently restarted its food service and the most expensive item on the menu goes for 250 baht.

For the most part, it's traditional British pub-style food, although there are a few Thai dishes on the menu. I decided to try the lamb shepherd's pie at 250 baht. It came with peas or beans and either mashed potatoes or chips and gravy. Unfortunately, my "full-plate" pics didn't turn out well, but the close-ups of the shepherd's pie were OK.

It was a good-sized portion. The meat mixture had a good lamb flavor and was well seasoned, while the mash potato topping had been cooked to a golden brown.

I'll be back to try other dishes from the Rockhouse menu. The first time round, the food served at the RH had been very good. It was British comfort food as it should be done. And it appears the RH is off to a good start this time, too.

EDIT IN: Here are the daily specials at the RH-

Monday . 2 fried eggs , steak fries and baked beans . only 110 b .

Tuesday. Beef burger and steak fries . only 140 b .

Wednesday . chilli con carne with boiled rice . only 140 b .

Thursday . fish n chips . only 120 b .

Friday . all day breakfast . only 130 b .

Saturday . chicken in cashew nuts with steamed rice . only 120 b .

Sunday . assorted pies with steak fries and baked beans . only 150 b .

I have tried any of those specials since the RH resumed food service, but I have had most of them in the past and they were very good. It's the same chef this time round, so it should be just as good.

Another option on LK Metro is the Wok N Rok take-away stand in front of the Office A Go Go. It serves the same U.K.-style Chinese food as in the former Wok N Rok Restaurant on Soi Bukhao. The kiosk is open from 6 p.m. until "late."

And before anyone objects, I consider the food it serves to be Western because U.K.-style Chinese is quite different to the food you'd get in a restaurant in China.

It has an extensive menu, with most of Chinese-style favorites Westerners will recognize from their neighborhood take-aways back home. There are a few Indian dishes on the menu as well.

The dishes range in price from 149 back to under 250 baht for some of the two-dish specials. I've lifted a few of the pics from the Wok N Rok thread to give an idea of what's on offer.

If you enjoy U.K.-style Chinese food, the Wok N Rok does it better than any restaurant in Pattaya.

Late Thursday night (actually very early Friday morning) I stopped for my weekly pasta fix at the spaghetti stand on the corner of Soi Diana and Soi Bukhao.

The stand was doing a landslide business, although most customers were eating in the bar behind the stand. I counted ten plates that went out before the girl got to my takeaway order. Perhaps a bar crawl had decided spaghetti was needed to soak up the booze.

This is what my spaghetti Bolognese looked like after I got it home.

Nothing fancy about it, but a good-sized portion and good taste for 105 baht. It's better spaghetti than you get in some restaurants.

Evil

Edited April 23, 2016 by Evil Penevil

[Desmond Jones 196]

Hey Evil, Thank you for the fine grub info........

 

 

 

Hey Evil, What's better

Food or Sex ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm livin for givin the Devil his due"

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Hey Evil, What's better

Food or Sex ?

 

Is that a trick question?

 

I remember the answer from junior high- It depends on which dish you're eating. (alt answers- which dish you're offered, which dish you can afford.)

 

And then there's the famous analogy usually attributed to Mel Brooks, "Sex is like pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still pretty good." But I'm not sure that applies to either sex or pizza in Pattaya.

 

Evil

[Desmond Jones 196]

 

Is that a trick question?

 

I remember the answer from junior high- It depends on which dish you're eating. (alt answers- which dish you're offered, which dish you can afford.)

 

And then there's the famous analogy usually attributed to Mel Brooks, "Sex is like pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still pretty good." But I'm not sure that applies to either sex or pizza in Pattaya.

 

Evil

 

 

 

 

Bro......................Depends on who's cooking................

 

OBLA DEE BRO

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

I tried the Tuesday special special at Nicky's near the intersection of Soi Bukhao and Soi 15. The facade of the building had been redone. The 175-baht special was chicken casserole, which resembles a stew but has been cooked slowly in the oven rather than on top of the stove.

 

 

The casserole was advertised as coming with a crusty rolls, but I guess they had run out of rolls by the time I ordered my meal at 9.30 pm and I got two slices of buttered bread. It was excellent bread, fresh and with a home-baked taste.

 

 

The portion was very large, more than enough for me.

 

 

The casserole consisted of chunks and pieces of chicken, potato, carrots and celery in a delicious thick sauce.

 

 

Nicky's offers a different special every day Monday through Saturday at 175 baht as well as a week-long two-course special at 300 baht.

 

 

Bottom line: The chicken casserole was a very filling meal for 175 baht and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.

 

Evil

Edited April 26, 2016 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I wanted to try the relocated Sizzler on the Beach Road side of Royal Garden Plaza. Our initial plan had been to eat lunch there and take advantage of the pre-4 pm specials for less than 300 baht, but we were delayed until 5.30 pm, so we had to order from the regular menu.

It's a very spacious restaurant that had only a few customers at that hour.

The signature salad bar was still in good shape, with the 60-some bowls, trays and containers all full and fresh.

I decided to see if I could remain under 300 baht for a main course - and I could, at 299 baht. There were even a couple of main dishes around 250 baht, but they were all chicken. Forget beef, pork, fish or seafood if you want to spend less than 300 baht.

But first, we took a turn at the salad bar. My Source Coyote's choices:

And a bowl of very tasty hot and sour soup.

My plate of salad (cole slaw; minted carrots and almond; pumpkin and cashews; Asian potato salad) and the Sizzler toast that comes with some mains. It was all very good.

I ordered the hibachi chicken with pineapple and rice for 299 baht.

It was a rather small portion in and of itself, but considering unlimited helpings at the salad bar, which features soup, pasta, fruit and desserts as well as "make-it-yourself" salad ingredients and prepared salads, you won't leave Sizzler hungry.

In any case, we ordered two more mains and split them, so it was indeed a filling and varied meal.

We had the New York steak:

and the sizzling shrimp, both of which were delicious.

Bottom line: We had an excellent meal at Sizzler, but if you want to stay under 300 baht, get there before 4 pm unless you're fond of chicken.

Evil

[losgrad 264]

 

I wanted to try the relocated Sizzler on the Beach Road side of Royal Garden Plaza. Our initial plan had been to eat lunch there and take advantage of the pre-4 pm specials for less than 300 baht, but we were delayed until 5.30 pm, so we had to order from the regular menu.

It's a very spacious restaurant that had only a few customers at that hour.

Bottom line: We had an excellent meal at Sizzler, but if you want to stay under 300 baht, get there before 4 pm unless you're fond of chicken.

Evil

 

 

 

I usually don't schedule my eating to specials, but apparently on Wednesday's the dinner menu is significantly discounted as there was an unexpected queue for seating. The normal 399 baht combo meals were 289 baht. However, by 9 pm most patrons had finished and many tables were open.

 

Enjoy your veggies....

 

 

P.S. This new location on the beach side of the 1st Floor has attracted many more customers than their prior location on the back of the 3rd Floor.

[cbrib 354]

For those living in or around Jomtien i found a nice little spot. i opted for the 99 baht Spaghetti Carbonara. Decent portion with two small slices of garlic bread. The Carbonara was actually very tasty with nice chunks of ham and bacon, on par with what you would pay upwards of 200 baht elsewhere. Garlic bread was also very nice.

 

 

The place is called Concordia and is a small little restaurant guest house. It is located on soi Winchester/soi Wat Boon about 500 meters up from Jomtien 2nd rd. Here are signs to watch for.

 

 

 

 

Their Thai food is also very good, i have tried both the garlic pepper pork and the penang moo, sorry i didn't get any snaps of them before but i will be back to this place for sure

 

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I had a very good cheeseburger at the Rock House on LK Metro Friday evening:

It was a bargain at 185 baht, with a good-sized patty of beef, plenty of cheese and a fresh bun.

The tomato, raw onion and lettuce complemented the burger but didn't overwhelm it.

The steak fries (chips) were also good; crispy on the outside, fluffy inside and not at all soggy, which is the downfall of a lot of thick-cut fries.

Bottom line: The RH cheeseburger was better than you get in many Pattaya restaurants. It was made from quality ingredients and balanced in terms of the flavors contributed by its components. I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.

Evil

Edited May 1, 2016 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

Malee 3 offers European and Thai food at very low prices, among the lowest in Pattaya for a sit-down restaurant. It's in a subsoi off Soi Bukhao, but I'll give more info on its location at the end of this post.

 

 

The exterior sign says Malee features Russian and Uzbek cuisine in addition to European and Thai, but I didn't see much evidence of Russian or Uzbek dishes on the menu. There were, however, several Dutch specialities listed, mostly snacks.

 

Although it's not a fancy restaurant, but it's clean and comfortable. Because it's open-front, it can get quite warm, even when sitting next to a fan, when Pattaya is undergoing a hot spell like now.

 

 

The big attraction of Malee is its price range. There are a lot of dishes under 200 baht and quite a few around 100 baht, with its burgers going for 45 to 60 baht and breakfast for 65 baht.

 

 

I had the roast lamb dinner at 159 baht and it tasted surprisingly good for the price. It consisted of one thick piece of lamb which most restaurants would have sliced into three thin pieces; roast potatoes; gravy; and mixed vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, carrots and snap peas.

 

 

It wasn't a large portion, particularly regarding the lamb, but it was adequate for me.

 

 

The lamb was tasty and moist, but not the most tender I've had. It certainly wasn't tough or overly chewy, just not as tender as most lamb. There was some fat on the meat, but not too much.

 

 

I would have preferred for the gravy to have been served on the side- I forgot to ask- and not poured all over the plate. But the gravy was good and had been been made from the drippings from the lamb.

 

[

 

The vegetables seemed to be fresh and not frozen. They hadn't been overcooked and retained a lot of flavor.

 

 

The roast potatoes were also good, crispy on the outside, fluffy inside.

 

 

In addition to the 65-baht special, the breakfast portion of the menu offered a lot of choices, including pancakes.

 

 

Malee is located down a subsoi off Soi Bukhao between Soi Diana and Soi 15. The subsoi is directly opposite Pattaya City Hospital with a motorcycle shop on the southwest corner.

 

 

Bottom line: It's not fine dining, but I'll certainly be back to sample more of Malee's budget fare. I particularly want to try Toad in the Hole for 99 baht.

 

Evil

[Kev 178]

 

I wanted to try the relocated Sizzler on the Beach Road side of Royal Garden Plaza. Our initial plan had been to eat lunch there and take advantage of the pre-4 pm specials for less than 300 baht, but we were delayed until 5.30 pm, so we had to order from the regular menu.

Evil

 

Cool so they have SIzzler there now thanks for the info Evil. Yep their salad bar usually is good and was the steak tender"ish"?

Edited May 4, 2016 by Kev