Indochine
Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 853-1238
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Fri 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sat 5:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
96 reviews
Redwood City, CA
"A great Thai restaurant that's deceptively bigger than what you see from the outside. This family owned restaurant is ran very well and I…" read more »
25 Reviews for Indochine
My wife has become the biggest fan of Thai food, so on the way back home today we decided to give Indochine a try and we were not disappointed. The attention was great. The food was very good too. The portions were very generous, so much so that we have enough left for tomorrow's dinner. Highly recommendable easy-to-miss spot in Middlefield, Palo Alto.
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3.6 Stars
I think this place is cute, small place, good ambiance, really nice owner, they just need to hire more wait staff or at least staff that knows how to actually wait tables. The owner's great, he just can't do everything by himself. The person who was either busing tables or filling up water cups, completely ignored the table across from us who wanted their check -- although they had piles of empty and half eaten plates and sat there with annoyed faces for way too long while he filled up their waters but didn't actually offer any service. Then it took about 20 minutes for their food to be boxed up. It was sitting in the back for 18 minutes. We were there long enough to notice everything. I am complaining for the other table because we watched them for so long and felt so bad.
The Pineapple Fried Rice was pretty good, the Yellow Chicken Curry was okay, I thought it was bland, but my sister really liked it because sometimes things are too spicy for her to eat otherwise.
I don't know that I would go back, unless my Sister wanted me to. I might go back and try some of the recommended dishes according to the previous positive reviews though.
If I do go back, I have to try the desserts or at least the Mango Sticky Rice.
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Lunch review.
The first thing I noticed when we walked in is the bare walls, ceiling, and floor and it was LOUD! Lunch conversation went something like this:
"Anything on the menu look especially good to you?"
"Huh?
"WHAT LOOKS GOOD TO YOU?"
"HUH?"
I had the chicken basil lunch special. The soup was rather bland but the chicken was very tasty. Lunches also come with spring rolls which were also quite good. Another person ordered the red beef curry which he said was terrific. I tasted the sauce and agree, it was quite good. Out group has two vegans. One got an eggplant special that looked especially good and the other just ordered a vegetarian fried rice. The lunch special prices are competitive with other similar places in this area and the food is excellent.
Note to owner: Please consider investing in carpet, wall hangings, and acoustic ceiling treatment.
Note to prospective customers: Learn to lip read.
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Unfortunately, this review is not about the food because after ordering takeout over the phone, arriving 10 mins later than when they said it would be ready, and waiting for 32 minutes, I decided to cancel my order and walk out.
There were 2 other people waiting for their takeout order - 1 person was there when I got in and the guy at the counter offered her some wine - so, she must've been waiting for a while. The other person came in about 5 mins after me and was still waiting when I left.
I saw one couple dining in who were waiting for their food for a while and then walked into the kitchen asking if the food would come out soon as their babysitter would have to leave soon.
There were a few other couples waiting for their food - so, not sure if it was an aberration. It is a shame as the place looks nice inside and the little food I saw coming out looked good. But, I am never going back - too much stress waiting...the food can't be that good.
Indochine is a small restaurant. One would completely miss it while driving on Middlefield Road if one was not searching for it. But when you step inside the restaurant, you get a feel of a very nice restaurant without paying for the "nice" dining price.
The ingredients used in their food is fresh. The flavors are nicely balanced. The amount of time that it takes for the food to get prepared is not too long.
The customer service is excellent. The waiters are very attentive. While dining there all three times, I noticed the owner acknowledge his regular customers and stopping to have conversations with them.
The service here was really really good very hospitable. The food was pretty average and the prices were on kinda the higher side but what do you expect in Palo Alto right? I pass by here pretty much every day but I've only gone once so it didn't leave the most lasting impression. The food was a bit spicy for my taste even though I indicated "least spicy", but perhaps for some that would be good.
The service is really awesome. Very friendly and hospitable waiters. The food is great. Very different than your typical Thai/Vietnamese restaurants.
I think this place is pretty good.
Its nice to be able to walk there.
I really like their pad thai, its full of vegetables and crunchy peanuts on the side.
We also like the seafood sweet and sour soup.
Dont go often but when we go it's makes us satisfied :)
Average Thai food in every way. The appetizers were great, the entrees were average. The service was average, the menu selection was average, even the ice tea was average. Which was fine, actually, for the average business lunch I was having here.
Indochine is a perfectly innocuous, reliable place, in a quiet, modest, part of Palo Alto where you can probably take good company to have quiet, interesting conversations. But don't expect much else from the place. It was so average, I can't even write about it in this review in a more-than-average way.
I've had the Thai Spicy Prawns twice, and I don't think I can ever eat these again. I might die. I've never eaten anything so spicy in my life. The imperial rolls were, as always, outstanding. The fresh spring rolls are even better. The mango sticky rice is twice as good as Three Seasons'. It comes with an entire beautifully sliced mango (mango? in November? who cares!), lightly laced with coconut milk.
I was pleased to discover that the inside of the restauarant is very nice. Usually places with food this good are holes in the wall with little to no ambiance. Indochine is the opposite, with a smartly decorated interior, classy furniture, good lighting, a well-spaced dining room, and an extremely friendly, knowledgable staff. I'm genuinely excited to go back and try the salads, and some curry, and god knows what else.
I'm in love! And I'm dying! Damn these delicious prawns!
----
Gotta subtract a star. I'm pissed. Since my original review I've had nothing but great service and great food from Indochine ... except for tonight. When we showed up at 8:35, and they wouldn't serve us. The hours painted on the door state they are open until 9pm on Thursdays. Way to treat a loyal customer.
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Papaya Salad with Shrimp ($7.95)-- good, does great when you want something fresh and healthy.
Iced Vietnamese Coffee ($3)- good but not as good as Lee's. Taste like it was made with lowfat milk instead of condensed milk like it should be traditionally.
Iced Thai Tea ($3)- Too sweet for me, but the bf loooooves it.
Roast duck curry- was very tasty, but it had very little duck meat, most of it was skin and fat.
Beef PraRam (beef and eggplant curry)-- was a bit bland, the beef was way overcooked and tough, but again, my bf who is less picky than I am liked this dish alot.
House Noodles (with egg and chinese broccoli)- was good, though I've had a much better version at Krung Thai. But if you're not comparing, this dish is definitely a tasty one to try.
All in all, decent food, decent prices!!
Dishes I still want to try:
Pad Thai
Beef Salad
Saigon Salad
Chicken Salad
Thai Chicken Soup
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Great service, varied menu, and reasonably priced. We had the spring rolls, chicken lemon grass clay pot and the Prawn curry dish - they all had fresh ingredients, plenty of veggies, and a nicely balanced combination of flavors.
It wasn't crowded at all for a Friday night and the service was attentive and friendly. My hot tea was refilled about 3 times!
*****edited down to 3 stars on 6/3/08 ... we went back and ordered almost the same thing but we tried the thai basil chicken instead of the prawns. Something was different than last time... The fresh spring rolls were still quite good - lots of fresh mint, and 3 prawns in each one. The wrap was a bit chewy but didn't distract too much. The clay pot hardly had any veggies but was a generous portion for $9. The Thai Basil didn't have enough basil for my taste and too many bamboo shoots. The service was still attentive and the teas was refilled as before! :)
After we left, the boyfriend and I both just shrugged - eh, not worth going back to but not worth really complaining about either. Too bad, it's a cute spot without the crowds.
Don't bother dining here. We ordered two dishes and one (shaken beef special) was barely edible, the other (pad thai) was mediocre and the bill was kinda pricey. There are better options for Thai out there, for sure.
I'm not sure how this place survives, it's been pretty empty the two times I was here. Probably because it's in kind of a removed location. It deserves more traffic. The Pra Ram Beef, if I recall correctly, was quite good entirely because of the sauce. The beef in it was actually a bit tough.
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This placed replaced Mint Leaf which was a disaster, rude service and high prices. Indochine is the opposite.
However, I am giving this 3 starts because the last time I ordered Indochine fried rice, it was tasteless and I just ordered one again (asked for it to be spiced up a bit), it taste great but it has plenty of eggshells in it!!!! I called and they said next time to inform them and they can "give" me something in return. I'll try one more time and see what they do.
Also I think the price range posted is incorrect, this was reasonably priced for sure
Oh they do not take credit cards for orders less than $15.
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Ups
- Tasty food.
- Fast service during lunch.
- Good place if you're vegan.
- Clean.
Downs
- Asked for tofu in my Tom Kha, didn't get any.
- Asked for coconut milk in my Thai Ice Tea, didn't get any.
- Didn't get the correct split in our change back.
- Small portions of food for the price.
Nice place if you're jiving Thai, but am not planning to go there more then maybe once every two to three weeks.
UPDATE: Went a 2nd time, great service, they were able to fulfill my full order down to the letter. I asked for some extra rice to take back with my with my left overs. The owner was more then happy to oblige, free of charge. Will go back again.
Probably a bit higher than 3-stars, but I can't in good conscience give it 4. Solid Thai and Vietnamese food with friendly service. I've dined here three times, sampled a variety of dishes, and can't report being knocked out enough by anything worth noting here. Very nice atmosphere.
Every dish we tried was pretty good. Nothing overly amazing, but no complaints either. The coconut chicken soup was good, as well as the red duck curry and pineapple fried rice. Overall, I'd come again when I want to avoid downtown.
New Thai and VIetnamese restraurant in midtown Palo Alto. Replaced the Mint Leaf which was overpriced with terrible service. They've addressed both issues - service is great, prices are reasonable, with a nice selection of both Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
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this place has pretty decent Thai food, their pad thai is good and their curry is awesome. One time we had a beef green curry with egg plant, it was very flavorful and delicious! I would order beef curry instead of chicken curry though because their chicken is not very tender. Dessert - you should not leave the restaurant without trying their vietnamese coffee ice cream or the Thai tea ice cream, very delicious and unique! It's a nice little Thai place and the price is affordable. They even have lunch specials.
Nice and quiet location for a surprisingly splendid restaurant. The cuisine is Thai and Vietnamese, with very affordable prices. So far I've only had the duck curry, but it was fantastic: duck (obviously) with pineapple, tomatoes, raisins, peas and basil in red coconut curry. The chef even made it more spicy on request. The thai iced tea (one of my personal favs) is creamy and delicious. I'm definitely coming back here.
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Back in the day, I used to work in the Midtown shopping center running an educational center. Mint Leaf was always our weekly lunch treat. Almost every Friday, we would head over there and splurge on their amazing Thai food. One thing that stands out about this place is how each dish had its own unique flavors and they all tasted fresh. Every meal was a delight and I look forward to returning when I am in the Palo Alto area. Don't forget about this great little find ... venture outside of downtown and head down Middlefield for a great meal.
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Never been here, but it wouldn't let me submit the business without rating it, for some reason... I'll edit this if/when I try out the restaurant
not bad! it's hard to find good entrees for around 10 bucks in palo alto.
i had a bunch of "thai styled" dishes. all the dishes were flavorful with a little bit of a spicy kick. the rama tofu (eggplant and tofu in green curry) is really good. my mother was eyeing our neighbor's calamari salad - must try that next time.
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We eat here regularly and love it. Friendly, great service, nice owner and reliably good food. We like the fresh rolls, the chicken satay skewers, Indochine special noodles and the garlic prawns.
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