Under 300 Baht ... And Good! (updated for 2024)

[Evil Penevil]

Evil

PS- He has also posted in this thread.  

[Evil Penevil]

(The pic above is from Moon's Facebook page.  I went back after my first visit to take an exterior pic in daylight, but Moon was closed for interior work.  My pics below).

The Moon Diner has been open in Tree Town for about six weeks and I tried it for dinner a few days  ago with two friends.  Its theme for the menu, decor and background music is an American diner from the 1950's and 1960's. 

Of course, the Moon Diner has about as much in common with a real U.S. diner as the Siam Garden Restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma would have with any popular Thai restaurant in Pattaya.  But that's beside the point.  From what I've seen in real life and in Facebook pictures, the Moon's customers are by a big margin Thais.  Not farang, certainly not Americans, but Thais who have never gotten closer to the U.S. than a TV or movie screen.  The Moon Diner is playing into what its customers think an American diner should have been like 50 or 60 years ago.

According to Moon Diner's Facebook page, the direct inspiration is Mel's Drive-In from the iconic 1973 film, American Graffiti.  Mel's was a real restaurant, but outside San Francisco, not in Modesto, CA, the site of American Graffiti.  Actually, Moon is closer in form and spirit to Arnold's Diner in the TV series Happy Days.  The layout with booth and counter seating is typical for some traditional diners in the U.S.

But what the heck- you can't mistake it's supposed to be American something.  The Moon is covered with every possible American symbol, including three U.S. flags inside and four on the roof! 

And you have to  love the statue of Marilyn Monroe ...

as well as the baseball  bat and catcher's mitt on the counter.

To cut to the chase-the food at Moon is good- not great, but good.  It is expensive for what you get and portions are adequate but not large. The decor and lighting are a bit gaudy, but the background music (rock'n'roll and pop classics from the 1950s and 1960s) was played at a very discrete level.  That's a big plus for me.

I wasn't very hungry the night we ate there and just had a toasted ham and Swiss cheese sandwich for 139 baht.  

It came on a wooden platter with a fancy presentation and a small order of French fries.  You won't see that too often in a U.S. diner.

The ham and Swiss cheese were good quality and the balsamic vinegar and tomato foam were nice touches.  I enjoyed the sandwich.

My friend had the chicken schnitzel  at 220 baht. 

It also came on a wooden platter, this time with fries and a few lettuce leaves with but without much of a presentation.  It was a fairly large piece of chicken breast and he thought it tasted fine.  We both felt the fries- crispy on the outside, fluffy inside- were better than the fries you often get in Pattaya.

His Thai companion was hungry that night and began with an order of buffalo wings ...

followed by a shrimp cocktail and Thai soup.  

The shrimp cocktail cost 139 baht and the soup was 89 baht.  I forget how much the buffalo wings were.  She knocked back all of it.  I tasted a bit of a buffalo wing and it was fine, not as spicy as I had expected. My friend had one of the shrimp and said it was very fresh.  That shrimp cocktail did indeed hark back to the style of the 1960s.  

Another afternoon I went back to try the calamari. It was an appetizer-sized portion, but tasted good and had been deep- fried properly.

The menu at the Moon is fairly extensive, covering a number of U.S. and international bases.  They offer the usual array of farang favorites, including hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, pork chops, BBQ ribs and a few Thai dishes.  It also has some American-style ice cream sundaes.  The Moon offers a number of beers and cocktails.

It's located at the northwest end of Tree Town, across from a Thai nightclub that used to be called "Burn."  

It could be the management of Moon is counting on business from customers at the nightclub.  Moon's opening hours are 4.30 p.m. to 2.00 a.m. seven days a week.  

The night were ate there, Moon had more customers inside and outdoors than I had expected.

 

Bottom line:  Moon is a fun place to take a Thai girl for a meal as it provides numerous opportunities for the ever-so-important selfies.  The kitschy decor is likely to be a turn-off for some farang, although it will probably prove popular with Russians if they find the place as it's hidden in a back corner of Tree Town.

One curious note:  Moon seems to have some connection with Thai photographers.  Moon's Facebook page features a number of photos of girls taken by various photographers at the diner.  The night we ate there, two Thais with heavy-duty professional camera equipment were sitting at one of the booths, but they weren't taking pics while we were there.

(The two photos above are from Moon's Facebook page).

Evil

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[bbbz]

On 22/12/2018 at 22:16, jiz said:

I’d like to offer up a photo of the delicious pizza served at Italian Osteria. 

Second floor at Terminal -21.

Didn't study the prices.

The slice topped with Speck ham I ate was around 180bt.. The slices are big. Enough for a meal. 

Doesn't look appealing. 

Did they bake the crust then cover with raw leaves and vegetables?     Maybe its flatbread vegetarian?  Pinto beans  peanuts and radicchio .

Edited January 12, 2019 by bbbz

[jiz]

1 hour ago, bbbz said:

Doesn't look appealing. 

Did they bake the crust then cover with raw leaves and vegetables?     Maybe its flatbread vegetarian?  Pinto beans  peanuts and radicchio .

Some people prefer Pizza Hut slapped together by a nose picking Thai teenager and like to squeeze some ketchup on their pizza. 

Others may appreciate a serious Italian chef preparing their pizza with quality ingredients. 

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by jiz

[taylor1975]

1 hour ago, jiz said:

Some people prefer Pizza Hut slapped together by a nose picking Thai teenager and like to squeeze some ketchup on their pizza. 

Others may appreciate a serious Italian chef preparing their pizza with quality ingredients. 

 

Not just the chef thats serious 

so whats the crack with those leaves ...just decoration?

[Hideaway]

8 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

(The pic above is from Moon's Facebook page.  I went back after my first visit to take an exterior pic in daylight, but Moon was closed for interior work.  My pics below).

The Moon Diner has been open in Tree Town for about six weeks and I tried it for dinner a few days  ago with two friends.  Its theme for the menu, decor and background music is an American diner from the 1950's and 1960's. 

Of course, the Moon Diner has about as much in common with a real U.S. diner as the Siam Garden Restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma would have with any popular Thai restaurant in Pattaya.  But that's beside the point.  From what I've seen in real life and in Facebook pictures, the Moon's customers are by a big margin Thais.  Not farang, certainly not Americans, but Thais who have never gotten closer to the U.S. than a TV or movie screen.  The Moon Diner is playing into what its customers think an American diner should have been like 50 or 60 years ago.

According to Moon Diner's Facebook page, the direct inspiration is Mel's Drive-In from the iconic 1973 film, American Graffiti.  Mel's was a real restaurant, but outside San Francisco, not in Modesto, CA, the site of American Graffiti.  Actually, Moon is closer in form and spirit to Arnold's Diner in the TV series Happy Days.  The layout with booth and counter seating is typical for some traditional diners in the U.S.

But what the heck- you can't mistake it's supposed to be American something.  The Moon is covered with every possible American symbol, including three U.S. flags inside and four on The Roof! 

And you have to  love the statue of Marilyn Monroe ...

as well as the baseball  bat and catcher's mitt on the counter.

To cut to the chase-the food at Moon is good- not great, but good.  It is expensive for what you get and portions are adequate but not large. The decor and lighting are a bit gaudy, but the background music (rock'n'roll and pop classics from the 1950s and 1960s) was played at a very discrete level.  That's a big plus for me.

I wasn't very hungry the night we ate there and just had a toasted ham and Swiss cheese sandwich for 139 baht.  

It came on a wooden platter with a fancy presentation and a small order of French fries.  You won't see that too often in a U.S. diner.

The ham and Swiss cheese were good quality and the balsamic vinegar and tomato foam were nice touches.  I enjoyed the sandwich.

My friend had the chicken schnitzel  at 220 baht. 

It also came on a wooden platter, this time with fries and a few lettuce leaves with but without much of a presentation.  It was a fairly large piece of chicken breast and he thought it tasted fine.  We both felt the fries- crispy on the outside, fluffy inside- were better than the fries you often get in Pattaya.

His Thai companion was hungry that night and began with an order of buffalo wings ...

followed by a shrimp cocktail and Thai soup.  

The shrimp cocktail cost 139 baht and the soup was 89 baht.  I forget how much the buffalo wings were.  She knocked back all of it.  I tasted a bit of a buffalo wing and it was fine, not as spicy as I had expected. My friend had one of the shrimp and said it was very fresh.  That shrimp cocktail did indeed hark back to the style of the 1960s.  

Another afternoon I went back to try the calamari. It was an appetizer-sized portion, but tasted good and had been deep- fried properly.

The menu at the Moon is fairly extensive, covering a number of U.S. and international bases.  They offer the usual array of farang favorites, including hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, pork chops, BBQ ribs and a few Thai dishes.  It also has some American-style ice cream sundaes.  The Moon offers a number of beers and cocktails.

It's located at the northwest end of Tree Town, across from a Thai nightclub that used to be called "Burn."  

It could be the management of Moon is counting on business from customers at the nightclub.  Moon's opening hours are 4.30 p.m. to 2.00 a.m. seven days a week.  

The night were ate there, Moon had more customers inside and outdoors than I had expected.

 

Bottom line:  Moon is a fun place to take a Thai girl for a meal as it provides numerous opportunities for the ever-so-important selfies.  The kitschy decor is likely to be a turn-off for some farang, although it will probably prove popular with Russians if they find the place as it's hidden in a back corner of Tree Town.

One curious note:  Moon seems to have some connection with Thai photographers.  Moon's Facebook page features a number of photos of girls taken by various photographers at the diner.  The night we ate there, two Thais with heavy-duty professional camera equipment were sitting at one of the booths, but they weren't taking pics while we were there.

(The two photos above are from Moon's Facebook page).

Evil

 

What a great and unbiased review to read, fantastic photos too.

[roknrob]

Also thanks for the review Evil.

As you indicated a good place to take the girls or Thai friends would would enjoy the themed ambience. Food pics also look good.

Looking for forward to trying this next week when Im in Patts. 

Anyone got a photo of the menu? 

Robx out. 

[Kreggerz]

Also thanks to Mr. Evil for the info about Moon Diner. Reviews are good for letting people know about places they want to rush out to and also  places they would never want to visit. No Moon Diner for me but I'm happy to know about the place.

[Evil Penevil]

I've finally gotten around to writing up a review of Simon's Hummus Laboratory on Soi Buakhao at the north side of Buakhao Night Market.  It's on the upper level above the SCB branch and next to Amazon Coffee. Whether it's on the first or second floor depends on what country you come from.    It's easy to miss Simon's because there is no eye-catching signage on the ground level. The yellow arrow marks the entrance to Simon's.

Simon's is an Israeli and Middle Eastern restaurant.  As the name indicates and the Web site proclaims, it is focused on "hummus, hummus and more hummus."  In Israel and at Simon's, hummus has gone beyond an appetizer (meze) or accompaniment for drinks and become the base for main courses.  

The mainstay of the menu seems to be hummus platters in numerous variations accompanied by pita bread and small side dishes of cabbage, carrots and hot sauce. I like the classic hummus with falafel and have had it several times.

It costs 180 baht.

Hummus itself is boiled, mashed chickpeas, which can be bland.  The addition of olive oil, herbs and spices gives it a lot more flavor, as do the side dishes.

 The portion is large enough for a light lunch or supper.  But if you're looking for a more substantial meal, Simon's doesn't disappoint.  The baked chicken with potatoes is very good at 220 baht.

There's plenty of chicken and potatoes in a well-seasoned sauce.  It comes with the same side dishes as the hummus platter.

I don't usually post "after" pics, but one below shows how much I enjoyed my meal.

Another favorite of mine at Simon's is the shakshuka,  a combination of poached eggs simmered with tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices. It costs 150 baht. There are many variations of shakshuka and at Simon's it comes with cheese melted on the eggs.

Food historians can't decide if it originated in Turkey, Morocco or Yemen, but it has been adopted as an Israeli staple, eaten for breakfast or dinner.

It's light and healthy, but filling. I much prefer it over Western fried breakfasts.

Simon's has many tasty and interesting dishes from Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.  I'll post excerpts from the menu at the end of this review

The decor at Simon's is eclectic to say the least.

It's clean and well-lit.  I can't remember anything about the background music, so it must have been unobtrusive

The service staff and Simon himself are friendly.  Each time  I've eaten there, he's asked me how the food was.

Bottom line:  The Israeli food at Simon's may be new to a lot of plain-vanilla farang, but don't hesitate to try it.  Simon's is open every day from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.

 

Evil

 

Edited January 13, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[Notherenow]

3 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

 

Thanks @Evil Penevil Those eggs look fantastic!

Now if they could just do it with a cup of tea and an orange juice for 99b!

[taylor1975]

You got the israel flag star on your pics too! very clever 

[Kreggerz]

Other things that are very good at Simon's include the lentil soup, the chicken schnitzel platter, the spiced beef kebab platter, the BBQ chicken thighs platter, and all the desserts. The vegetable soup served with couscous is good too. Another cool thing is that you can order a small side dish of hummus for 20 baht so if you don't want to eat an entire order you can always have some with your main dish. 

Edited January 13, 2019 by Kreggerz

[Kahoy]

On 18/07/2018 at 10:24, Evil Penevil said:

Rinapp Ristorante is a small Italian restaurant on Soi 13/1 (Soi Yamato) between 2nd Road and Beach Road. I had the pasta alla puttanesca (whore's pasta) a couple of days ago. It was good but not great at 290 baht.

There's a new Italian restaurant on soi Len Kee called Il Peccatore which has a larger serving of spaghetti puttanesca for 260 baht. Their servings are larger in general than Rinapp.  I thought their pizzas were a bit soggy but not bad. Best pizza for my taste is Sergios at The Avenue with sourdough pastry.

[Kahoy]

Ultra cheap is the Terminal 21 food court. I had a large chicken noodle soup there for 32 baht yesterday. It was excellent.

[Kreggerz]

26 minutes ago, Kahoy said:

There's a new Italian restaurant on soi Len Kee called Il Peccatore which has a larger serving of spaghetti puttanesca for 260 baht. Their servings are larger in general than Rinapp.  I thought their pizzas were a bit soggy but not bad. Best pizza for my taste is Sergios at The Avenue with sourdough pastry.

It's the same Italian owner from this place that closed down (Sendi) but he hired a new Italian chef and added some more dishes to the menu such as risotto and pizza. They also have daily specials but they're not too good about always posting them on facebook. I agree Sergio's pizza is really good by haven't tried Peccatore's yet.

https://www.facebook.com/latavernadelpassatore

 

Edited January 13, 2019 by Kreggerz

[kane666]

17 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

 

Might not be there long‎

שמעון ארל‎ to Buy/Sell/Rent Pattaya

2hrs · 

Quick Sale! Restaurant for sale

฿300,000

Pattaya

Quick Sale! Restaurant for sale
location on soi buakhao market 2nd floor
Restaurant with working kitchen and 20 indoor seating plus 10 outdoors
Including kitchen equipment, refrigerators, seating tables and new air conditioners
The low rent is only 15,000 baht per month
For a quick sale the price dropped to 300,000 baht
For details please call 087-8336960 SIMON

[philkrenshaw]

On 12/01/2019 at 22:32, Hideaway said:

What a great and unbiased review to read, fantastic photos too.

Were the photos so good we had to scroll through them twice?

[Evil Penevil]

3 hours ago, kane666 said:

Might not be there long‎

says I.  I will try to find out if it is finito for Simon's in Pattaya or he is just moving to a new location. He has moved several times in the past.

Evil

[Taa_Saparot]

5 hours ago, kane666 said:

Might not be there long‎

I could swear I read that it was up for sale, about a year ago.

He wanted to sell up and open up in Bangkok was the story.

[Evil Penevil]

From August last year (Simon's FB page):

[Atlas]

Hey Guys,

Thought I would add a couple of spots over here on the 'darkside'

I came across Retox Outback by accident and have been back several times since. It is located on the main road out to Lake Marpachan and is just before the new highway overpass. Food is good and reasonably priced. I really like the Ribs which tend to be on the specials board a lot. We usually have a game of pool at the same time. 

Second on the list is Nam's Garden this is on the same soi as CC2 and Tops supermarket. We have driven past it for the last 6 months and decided to try it last night after my Wife's friend said it was good and no too expensive. She was right, very nice atmosphere, great choice of meals (German, Swiss, Isaan & Thai). 2 good meals and drinks cost us 440 Baht. We will be back  

Thanks to all those that have shared on here. 

 

[Barhop]

Thanks Evil for a great thread and thanks also to the many other contributors 

My question is very basic but am thinking about if from time to time as I put on 4kg last trip (4 months ago) and have only just managed to shed it.  Had even cut my meals to two a day, but these were large.  Normally packed omlette early and stir fry later.  But almost always said yes to the rice bowl.  Feel a bit silly now for having never asked while placing order, but is brown rice sometimes offered instead of the over processed white rice?  Is it a "never available" or are there some places that offer it?

Would guess that anywhere that offers brown rice as an option would perhaps also have other more healthy considerations???

[Atlas]

53 minutes ago, Barhop said:

Thanks Evil for a great thread and thanks also to the many other contributors 

My question is very basic but am thinking about if from time to time as I put on 4kg last trip (4 months ago) and have only just managed to shed it.  Had even cut my meals to two a day, but these were large.  Normally packed omlette early and stir fry later.  But almost always said yes to the rice bowl.  Feel a bit silly now for having never asked while placing order, but is brown rice sometimes offered instead of the over processed white rice?  Is it a "never available" or are there some places that offer it?

Would guess that anywhere that offers brown rice as an option would perhaps also have other more healthy considerations???

Mate,

I am no expert... But.... I can't say I have seen brown rice in any of the places I have been to and I have looked for it at the supermarkets, it's there but not much of a range....

As for eating only 2 meals..... They say eat less, more often. It works. The difference between white and brown rice would be minimal calorie wise... I mean look at most Asians they have rice at every meal, do you seen fat ones often ? The other one is SUGAR... Be very careful with "low fat" stuff, they usually fill full of sugar instead of fat.. Good luck

 

[Taa_Saparot]

1 hour ago, Barhop said:

Feel a bit silly now for having never asked while placing order, but is brown rice sometimes offered instead of the over processed white rice?  Is it a "never available" or are there some places that offer it?

I would say, nearer never available.

[Barhop]

1 hour ago, Atlas said:

Mate,

I am no expert... But.... I can't say I have seen brown rice in any of the places I have been to and I have looked for it at the supermarkets, it's there but not much of a range....

As for eating only 2 meals..... They say eat less, more often. It works. The difference between white and brown rice would be minimal calorie wise... I mean look at most Asians they have rice at every meal, do you seen fat ones often ? The other one is SUGAR... Be very careful with "low fat" stuff, they usually fill full of sugar instead of fat.. Good luck

 

Cheers and thanks for the response.  I avoid sugar like the plague but of course absorb lots of fructose eating fruit.

Ok, will stop those rice bowls...

Still, question is are there no under B300 meals with brown rice though???