Hooters on Beach Road

[Evil Penevil]

This is a review of the food that is served at the newly opened Hooters on Beach Road near the intersection with Soi 13.  A discussion of the other aspects of Hooters as a bar can be found elsewhere on the board.  Just do a search for Hooters.  I'll limit myself here to a discussion of the food I've had.

 

 

 

 

 

 So far I've had four dishes: a po' boy sandwich; chili con carne; New England clam chowder;  and a half-rack of BBQ pork ribs.  All four were iconic American dishes and two, the po' boy and the clam chowder, aren't widely available in Pattaya.  In fact,  it was the first time I've seen a po' boy offered at any restaurant here.

 

 

The food, taken in isolation from the service, was good.  It was almost identical in taste and presentation to the food on the menu of any Hooters in the U.S.  Not great, but good U.S.-style bar food  that I'd have no problem ordering again.  But Hooters is expensive for what you get. I won't be eating there often, but I will go back if I have a yearning for comfort food from back home.

 

The service at Hooters has improved enormously since my first visit on Jan. 1.  Service was a total fuster cluck back then; Saturday it was fine because an almost full house.  I blame the problems they had earlier on the farang manager.  On Jan. 1, the tables weren't numbered, which made it extremely difficult for the girls to get the food to diners in a timely fashion.  They also didn't have a dedicated cashier, which meant the bartenders and girls were spending a lot of time punching in numbers.  But on Saturday, this rather severe looking woman was entering all the orders and printing out tabs at a very fast pace.

 

 

Anyway, on to specifics.  The first dish I ordered at Hooters was a po' boy (New Orleans dialect for poor boy) sandwich was invented in 1929 by two brothers (and former streetcar conductors) who had opened a food stand.  During a strike by streetcar workers, the brothers showed their solidarity by giving the strikers free sandwiches. At first, the sandwiches consisted of whatever leftover scraps the stand had on hand piled on a small loaf of what's called New Orleans bread.  It had a very thin brittle crust, but an extremely light and fluffy interior, almost the consistency of cotton candy. You virtually never find outside of New Orleans, but it is the perfect base for a po' boy.  

 

The most popular early po' boy featured scraps of beef pot roast and gravy and that sandwich is still popular in New Orleans. In time, however, shrimp, oyster or shrimp-and-oyster po' boys became the standard and spread across the country. Hooters offers a shrimp po' boy, served on a hoagie, not a New Orleans loaf.

 

 

It with curly fries, which I don't much like. Nothing with Hooters' curly fries; I just don't like that form of fried potato.

 

 

The sandwich consisted of six pieces of fried shrimp dressed with lettuce and tomato. That's pretty much the standard.  The shrimp  were fresh and lightly fried.  

 

 

It tasted exactly like a shrimp po' boy I had in Hooters in Orlando, Fla a few years ago. Except for the bread, it wasn't radically different in appearance from  the shrimp po' boy served at the Parkway Diner and Bakery in New Orleans. Clearly the Parkway version tastes much better thanks to the special local bread.

 

 

Here's the downside.  The po' boy at Hooters in Pattaya cost 530 baht, which at the current rate is about USD 15.15.  At the Orlando Hooters, it cost $10.00, equivalent back then to about 300 baht. The Pattaya po' boy was a good sandwich, but not worth 530 baht, or nearly 1/3 more than you'd paid in the U.S.

 

I next tried the chili con carne, which despite its Spanish name is an American dish that owes little to traditional Mexican cuisine. Chili con carne was the first Tex-Mex dish to achieve national popularity in the U.S.

 

 

It cost 220 baht and came with three small pieces of French bread. I could have added chopped onion and cheese for an extra 60 baht, but I don't like either with chili con carne.

 

 

Again, it tasted good. It was light years from the best chili I've had, but still pretty decent. TThe characteristic chili flavor came though, but there wasn't much heat from the chilis. However, the price was  premium; the chili con carne wasn't.  I've had equivalent bowls of chili elsewhere in Pattaya for half that price.

 

Another day I tried the New England clam chowder, also at 220 baht.

 

 

 

I would say the same thing about the clam chowder,  Good, but nothing special and expensive for what you get.

 

 

 

 

.On Saturday I had the half-rack of BBQ pork ribs at 460 baht.  It came with curly fries and a small side of coleslaw.

 

 

 

 

 

This was the first dish I had at Hooters that I though was really nice and not just good.  The ribs had been slow cooked and glazed with a vinegar-heavy Memphis-style BBQ sauce, which is my favorite.

 

 

The ribs had a substantial amount of meat that literally fell off the bone.  The meat also had plenty of flavor. It's still expensive at 460 baht, but not totally out of line for riibs of comparable quality at another Pattaya restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

Hooters has a very extensive menu for both food and drink.  Hamburgers in several variations, steaks, fish,  crab's legs and other seafood, salads, soups, sandwiches and of course, its signature buffalo wings, are all there, plus a few dessert items like pecan pie. I'm not a fan of buffalo wings and rarely eat them anywhere, so I can't comment on Hooters' wings.  But make no mistake, everything on the menu is expensive by Pattaya and even U.S. standards.

 

Bottom line:  The food I've had at Hooters was good and the ribs were very good, but the prices seem out of line for what you get.  If that doesn't bother you and you enjoy American-style comfort and bar food, then Hooters is OK.  The service problems seem to have been solved.

 

Evil

[Scumbag]

530 Baht for a sandwich in Pattaya!!!....lol

 

The other dishes look quite small.

 

I looked into the place from the outside a couple of days ago. I doubt that I will eat in there due to those prices.

[poppyy11]

that bowl of chilli looks tiny for 220 baht, thank you for a very good extensive review

[Soi7]

Was i correct in seeing the shrimp in that sandwich were served with the tail shell still attached ?

[Piece Corp]

Thanks for the review. I tried one of the Bangkok Hooters, 800 baht for chicken salad and a black jack lemonade.

[rain_angelus]

They have russians working there?

[Pattaya_Brian]

I will never understand restaurants that serve tiny side orders like the coleslaw in the pic of the ribs.

 

It's an instant negative impression. Minor, but still a negative.

 

It's more like a garnish than a side order.

[Davie Duke]

I can buy 5 to 7 kilos of boneless chicken breasts for 530 baht.

[Piece Corp]

I can buy 5 to 7 kilos of boneless chicken breasts for 530 baht.

 

Buffalo chicken includes a 'sick buffalo' surcharge

[expatdude]

Was i correct in seeing the shrimp in that sandwich were served with the tail shell still attached ?

 

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. And did you pull off the tails, or eat around them, or did you go whole hog and turn it into a crunchy po boy?

[Evil Penevil]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. And did you pull off the tails, or eat around them, or did you go whole hog and turn it into a crunchy po boy?

 

I removed the tail shells with my knife and fork.

 

They have russians working there?

Five of the bartenders are farang females and I would assume Russian, but I don't know their nationalities for sure.

 

Evil

[expatdude]

You wimped out!

 

Real men go crunchy!

 

*wink* *wink*

[Farangkie]

Thanks EP , very very helpful review.

[B-Man]

Another great review Evil. Thanks for taking the time.

[vimto66]

That severe looking woman isnt bad at all   ......yes quite expensive for what you get but you have to expect it i suppose,the food looks nice though all the same.I wont rule out visiting next trip!

[mrhappy1234]

Great review ! Lots of photos !

[mr21]

Great review and I appreciate the effort with photos and an extensive write-up as always. Personally I will not be eating there since I don't really care for the Hooters at home either. However, I could understand going there as an expat wanting a taste from home. 

[just hanging]

Evil, you always have the best food reports and pictures, thanks and keep it up.    I love looking at food as much as looking at girls

[Thai1onjohn]

As always great review,best wishes there in 3 weeks.....

[Houten Kop]

 

This is a review of the food that is served at the newly opened Hooters on Beach Road near the intersection with Soi 13.  A discussion of the other aspects of Hooters as a bar can be found elsewhere on the board.  Just do a search for Hooters.  I'll limit myself here to a discussion of the food I've had.

 

 

 

 

 

 So far I've had four dishes: a po' boy sandwich; chili con carne; New England clam chowder;  and a half-rack of BBQ pork ribs.  All four were iconic American dishes and two, the po' boy and the clam chowder, aren't widely available in Pattaya.  In fact,  it was the first time I've seen a po' boy offered at any restaurant here.

 

 

The food, taken in isolation from the service, was good.  It was almost identical in taste and presentation to the food on the menu of any Hooters in the U.S.  Not great, but good U.S.-style bar food  that I'd have no problem ordering again.  But Hooters is expensive for what you get. I won't be eating there often, but I will go back if I have a yearning for comfort food from back home.

 

The service at Hooters has improved enormously since my first visit on Jan. 1.  Service was a total fuster cluck back then; Saturday it was fine because an almost full house.  I blame the problems they had earlier on the farang manager.  On Jan. 1, the tables weren't numbered, which made it extremely difficult for the girls to get the food to diners in a timely fashion.  They also didn't have a dedicated cashier, which meant the bartenders and girls were spending a lot of time punching in numbers.  But on Saturday, this rather severe looking woman was entering all the orders and printing out tabs at a very fast pace.

 

 

Anyway, on to specifics.  The first dish I ordered at Hooters was a po' boy (New Orleans dialect for poor boy) sandwich was invented in 1929 by two brothers (and former streetcar conductors) who had opened a food stand.  During a strike by streetcar workers, the brothers showed their solidarity by giving the strikers free sandwiches. At first, the sandwiches consisted of whatever leftover scraps the stand had on hand piled on a small loaf of what's called New Orleans bread.  It had a very thin brittle crust, but an extremely light and fluffy interior, almost the consistency of cotton candy. You virtually never find outside of New Orleans, but it is the perfect base for a po' boy.  

 

The most popular early po' boy featured scraps of beef pot roast and gravy and that sandwich is still popular in New Orleans. In time, however, shrimp, oyster or shrimp-and-oyster po' boys became the standard and spread across the country. Hooters offers a shrimp po' boy, served on a hoagie, not a New Orleans loaf.

 

 

It with curly fries, which I don't much like. Nothing with Hooters' curly fries; I just don't like that form of fried potato.

 

 

The sandwich consisted of six pieces of fried shrimp dressed with lettuce and tomato. That's pretty much the standard.  The shrimp  were fresh and lightly fried.  

 

 

It tasted exactly like a shrimp po' boy I had in Hooters in Orlando, Fla a few years ago. Except for the bread, it wasn't radically different in appearance from  the shrimp po' boy served at the Parkway Diner and Bakery in New Orleans. Clearly the Parkway version tastes much better thanks to the special local bread.

 

 

Here's the downside.  The po' boy at Hooters in Pattaya cost 530 baht, which at the current rate is about USD 15.15.  At the Orlando Hooters, it cost $10.00, equivalent back then to about 300 baht. The Pattaya po' boy was a good sandwich, but not worth 530 baht, or nearly 1/3 more than you'd paid in the U.S.

 

I next tried the chili con carne, which despite its Spanish name is an American dish that owes little to traditional Mexican cuisine. Chili con carne was the first Tex-Mex dish to achieve national popularity in the U.S.

 

 

It cost 220 baht and came with three small pieces of French bread. I could have added chopped onion and cheese for an extra 60 baht, but I don't like either with chili con carne.

 

 

Again, it tasted good. It was light years from the best chili I've had, but still pretty decent. TThe characteristic chili flavor came though, but there wasn't much heat from the chilis. However, the price was  premium; the chili con carne wasn't.  I've had equivalent bowls of chili elsewhere in Pattaya for half that price.

 

Another day I tried the New England clam chowder, also at 220 baht.

 

 

 

I would say the same thing about the clam chowder,  Good, but nothing special and expensive for what you get.

 

 

 

 

.On Saturday I had the half-rack of BBQ pork ribs at 460 baht.  It came with curly fries and a small side of coleslaw.

 

 

 

 

 

This was the first dish I had at Hooters that I though was really nice and not just good.  The ribs had been slow cooked and glazed with a vinegar-heavy Memphis-style BBQ sauce, which is my favorite.

 

 

The ribs had a substantial amount of meat that literally fell off the bone.  The meat also had plenty of flavor. It's still expensive at 460 baht, but not totally out of line for riibs of comparable quality at another Pattaya restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

Hooters has a very extensive menu for both food and drink.  Hamburgers in several variations, steaks, fish,  crab's legs and other seafood, salads, soups, sandwiches and of course, its signature buffalo wings, are all there, plus a few dessert items like pecan pie. I'm not a fan of buffalo wings and rarely eat them anywhere, so I can't comment on Hooters' wings.  But make no mistake, everything on the menu is expensive by Pattaya and even U.S. standards.

 

Bottom line:  The food I've had at Hooters was good and the ribs were very good, but the prices seem out of line for what you get.  If that doesn't bother you and you enjoy American-style comfort and bar food, then Hooters is OK.  The service problems seem to have been solved.

 

Evil

 

AFAIK New England clam chowder is the only decent item in US-American cuisine, but I am not American.

I wonder however if you can get acceptable quality for that price (220 baht).

[chilli]

Thanks for an excellent review.

Nothing there to entice me to enter, especially the prices.

[mr21]

AFAIK New England clam chowder is the only decent item in US-American cuisine, but I am not American.

I wonder however if you can get acceptable quality for that price (220 baht).

Evil's review was so good I'm happy you posted it again 

[SimplySam]

Evil's review was so good I'm happy you posted it again 

 

Well, CnP is an art form LOL.

[SimplySam]

Evil, you always have the best food reports and pictures, thanks and keep it up.    I love looking at food as much as looking at girls

 

Yes, but please add more pictures of that rather severe looking cashier. I missed her in my visit yesterday.

[just hanging]

Yes, but please add more pictures of that rather severe looking cashier. I missed her in my visit yesterday.

 

sorry dude but I saw here first and we may have babies together