Mae Sri Ruen on Beach Road

[Evil Penevil]

 

Mae Sri Ruen (or maisriruen) is a chain of inexpensive Thai restaurants that began 50 years ago in Pattaya as a small place selling chicken noodle soup.  It now has 20 branches, with three in Pattaya and 17 in Bangkok.

 

 

The branch on Beach Road next to Central Festival has been open a few months.  I don't know if it is the replacement for the branch at Big C North that was closed due to the big renovation project or is an expansion unit in case the Big C North restaurant reopens.

 

 

The interior is bright and extremely clean, both very positive factors for me.  There is an outdoor seating as well as a large enclosed, air conditioned section.

 

 

It's not a fancy place, but much more comfortable than hole-in-the-wall restaurants that serve similar food.  The times I've eaten there or just passed by, it seemed most of the customers were Thai, but also a fair number of foreigners.

 

 

The menu has expanded far beyond the signature chicken noodle soup.  In fact, Mae Sri Ruen could serve as a primer in basic Thai dishes.  Prices are very reasonable for the quality of food served.  You won't find expensive seafood dishes on the menu, but most of the Thai standards are there.

 

 

My friend began his meal with minced pork and tofu soup. He liked it and a big bowl was 90 baht.

 

 

 

He followed up with roast duck on a bed of vegetables. Again, he had no complaints and thought the portion was fair-sized for 160 baht. The total cost of his meal with a bottle of water (15 baht) was 265 baht.

 

 

I began with hoy tod, a savory pancake made with oysters or mussels and served on a bed of bed sprouts. I chose the oyster version and it came on an extremely hot sizzling plate. That's a mistake in my eyes (and mouth) as the moisture in the bean sprouts produced a lot of steam, which turned what should be a crispy a bit soggy. The taste, however, was excellent, with plenty of small oysters to give the right accent.  At 140 baht, it was reasonable.

 

 

 

My second dish was roast pork with rice at 60 baht. It was tasty iuf unremarkable.  With a watermelon shake, my meal cost 252 baht.

 

 

 

On another night, I had the chicken soup with rice noodles. It was very good and I understand why it became the restaurant's signature dish.  At 45 baht, it wasn't more expensive than street food.

 

 

  

 

Nice strips of tasty chicken.

 

 

I next had pad thai with shrimp wrapped in a lace-like layer of egg.  It was delicious as well as visually appealing.

 

 

 

It had a surprisingly complex taste with the ingredients complementing each other and the herbs providing accent.

 

 

 

I'm sure for Thais it would have come in as mildly spicy, but for my farang palate, it was medium.

 

 

 

 

At 185 baht, it was one of the more expensive items on the menu.

 

Bottom line: Mae Sri Ruen offers inexpensive Thai food in air-conditioned comfort. If you want to enjoy your meal in more appealing surroundings than Tin Cups and similar places but don't want to spend a lot, then it is a good choice.

 

Evil

[Mongster]

Currently staying on soi10 and it has been my go to lunch spot. Tom yung goon is great and comes in a large metal pot with flame underneath to keep it hot. Also had the pork with holy basil and Chile which was tasty as well. There take on roasted chicken was barely edible and the fresh (not fried) spring rolls were bad as they use a heavy sweet sauce that was not so great. Overall it was clean and the items I had that were good were really good. Price for my lunch of two items each visit was under 250 baht and only that high because the tom yum and roast chicken are some of the most expensive items on menu.

[Wolf Cat]

I like Mae Sri Ruen for lunch, nice, clean decor, nothing too expensive and good tasting food.

 

Nice write up as usual EP, thanks,

[Evil Penevil]

One point I should have mentioned in the OP is that the service is fast, friendly and attentive.  The male manager gives customers a warm welcome and speaks good English, but the rest of the service staff, while very friendly, speaks little to no English.  That's not a problem when ordering, as each dish is numbered and has a picture.  Just point to it on the menu, no need for words at all.

 

However, Mae Sri Ruen isn't the right place for special requests or a lot of questions about the food unless you speak Thai.  If as a non-Thai speaker you're not prepared to "pick and point," then you are probably better off going to another restaurant.

 

Evil

[socrates]

One of my favourite places and great for people staying in VT6 - very reasonable prices

 

Staff definitely speak very little English

 

I believe they charge for ice

 

One negative the dishes come out in a very random order

[izzyg]

Found this restaurant on the last day of my latest trip. Great location for us who stay at VT6.

[bluechef]

I used to go to the one in big c a lot as I stayed in sabai resort, girls always liked it, as did I. good quality food served in a clean environment at cheap prices. saw the new one on beach road in my trip in august, but didn't try.

[robw]

Looks good,I'll definitely try it in April.

[Yahooka]

Must have walked past this one hundreds of times without noticing it.Thx for the tip.

[Luv2Phuket]

Really glad you reviewed this location, EP -- I'm staying nearby in the coming weeks and it's nice to have this as an option.

 

One question -- do they have Khao Man Gai?  

 

Didn't see it in menu photos, but the chicken for their noodle soup looks very similar to it, and it would appear that the only difference would be that it is served over rice (instead of noodles/soup)

[helman2000]

Its good, and not expensive. And you can enjoy the ocean sleeze.

[geezerrb]

Thanks EP will definitely giv  it a try next trip in Dec, my Thai is almost non existent but the picture displays for the menu will make it easy for me and I do not mind paying a little more than Tin cup for much more pleasant surroundings.

[Kreggerz]

The food there is mostly above average for local Thai food and especially their signature dishes are well worth trying.

[wez121]

I've took a lot of girls out for food and nearly all of them suggested this place. Lovely food, cheap and clean.

Good place for someone who's worried about getting the shits but wants to try Thai food as the place is spotless and everything is cooked thoroughly!

[Evil Penevil]

One question -- do they have Khao Man Gai?

Yes, they do. From their Facebook page:

 

 

You can see all the pics here: http://www.msrpattaya.com/menu.html

 

Evil

[SirL]

Thanks for review, i'll certainly be visiting shortly.

 

To me, it's a shame the menu doesn't have the Thai names but in English letters, ie "Khao Man Gai", not a bunch of Thai characters or "Steamed Rice with Boiled Chicken".  When people write about something they refer to in Khao Man Gai terms I'm often not sure what it is and it would be nice to learn.  Is there an easy way to learn what all the Thai foods named like Khao Man Gai are, particularly if in relation to the MSR menu?

 

NB Google Translate doesn't translate "Khao Man Gai"

[Balee]

Another very good review - thank you

[Wolf Cat]

Thanks for review, i'll certainly be visiting shortly.

 

To me, it's a shame the menu doesn't have the Thai names but in English letters, ie "Khao Man Gai", not a bunch of Thai characters or "Steamed Rice with Boiled Chicken".  When people write about something they refer to in Khao Man Gai terms I'm often not sure what it is and it would be nice to learn.  Is there an easy way to learn what all the Thai foods named like Khao Man Gai are, particularly if in relation to the MSR menu?

 

NB Google Translate doesn't translate "Khao Man Gai"

Forget google translate and just google Thai food;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Thai_dishes

 

https://migrationology.com/100-best-thai-dishes-to-eat-in-bangkok-ultimate-eating-guide/

[Evil Penevil]

Thanks for review, i'll certainly be visiting shortly.

 

To me, it's a shame the menu doesn't have the Thai names but in English letters, ie "Khao Man Gai", not a bunch of Thai characters or "Steamed Rice with Boiled Chicken".  When people write about something they refer to in Khao Man Gai terms I'm often not sure what it is and it would be nice to learn.  Is there an easy way to learn what all the Thai foods named like Khao Man Gai are, particularly if in relation to the MSR menu?

 

NB Google Translate doesn't translate "Khao Man Gai"

 

I don't know if there is an easy way, but this Web site has a list of 100 popular dishes with a photo, transcribed name, English name and name in Thai characters. For example:

 

 

 

Evil

 

 

[SirL]

Thanks for replies, they'll be a good start.  Trouble is I want something to have right there and be useful when ordering in a restaurant, and referring to Wikipedia or any website mid-ordering won't really work.  It would be ideal if the MSR menu had "Khao Man Gai" written in English letters - "Steamed Rice with Boiled Chicken" somehow sounds less appealing, and I'm useless with Thai characters.  Thanks again.

[SirL]

MSR looks like a good idea and I'll certainly visit.

 

An alternative version of Thai fast food in a modern clean dining area might be Yum Saap in Central Festival floor 5, reviewed by someone on FB yesterday:

http://www.yumsaap.co.th/menu_main.php

 

 

I haven't visited MSR or Yum Saap.

 

 

 

 

[benny31]

wow, great review

thanks Evil Penevil for taking the time to review

[rodo555]

Been going to the big C branch for a years never been disappointed , don't know how you compare with street food prices or the crap served in the hole in the wall , khao Man Gui is very clean and air conditioned !!!

[Taa_Saparot]

Been going to the big C branch for a years never been disappointed , don't know how you compare with street food prices or the crap served in the hole in the wall , khao Man Gui is very clean and air conditioned !!!

 

But closed ?

[rodo555]

But closed ?

Yes closed now , beach road better location now