Maggie's Thai

5.5 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  5     

Maggie has gone. The new owners have kept my favourites on the menu, Pork with Asian Greens and Massaman Curry, but the dishes failed to impress. Overly sweet and luke warm curry and a so-so version of the Pork. Service was friendly and the place was busy so that's a good sign.

Mar 15, 2012 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  4     

We decided to try out Maggie's, being local and all. The service is hit and miss but mostly miss. The women are pretty cold and seem annoyed. We ordered the duck parcel, the belly pork with chinese greens and the barbecue chicken papaya salad.

Duck parcel wasn't too bad, but very small. It was similar to a larb duck on iceberg lettuce. The belly pork was not crispy at all. It also had a boiled pork smell, possibly indicating the lack of freshness. The barbecue chicken had some of the cheapest cuts of deep fried chicken to one side with a side of papaya, carrot, cabbage drowned in mayonnaise. It was similar to a papaya coleslaw.

At the end of the meal, at the counter, the waitress looked at me and chatted away, not even acknowledging me trying to pay my bill. Lack of service and lack of quality food suggests that people should give this a wide berth, unfortunately.

Feb 24, 2012 

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  5     

I have had dinner at this place a few times. I liked friendly atmosphere and reasonable priced food. I was happy to go there until the last visit.

I had Thai Beef Salad and it was far too spicy. I could not taste anything but chili and could not finish it. I have found so many chili and chili seeds in the dish. I had painful experience next day in the toilet.

Service was good until the last time. A new guy was working in the restaurant. He seems like a European prince who wants to show off his looks and body to ladies. He poured water to cups on some table but our table was totally ignored. No glass, no water, no menu, no cutlery, no dish was brought to our table even he passed quite a few times and saw nothing was on our table.

We had to ask another staff to come to our table as he was spending more than 5 minutes for chatting with customer at the next table and we were invisible for him. He seems to chose the table he wants to attend and ignore other tables completely.

I won't go back to this restaurant for a while.

Feb 05, 2012 

3 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  4      Service  6      Value  1     

I've persisted with Maggie's for a few years now. I had a wonderful lunch there nearly ten years ago and as a local I've longed to recreate that experience. There are two great things about this restaurant; 1 - Maggie herself, she is a character and knows how to work a small room, making people happy (and drinking your wine...), and 2 - exceptionally friendly and professional service from the waiting staff.

The food, however, is awful: dry, tasteless and the least fresh ingredients imaginable. And not authentic Thai. The worst green curry I have had anywhere - dry, tasteless, stringy tough gristly chicken. 'Duck parcel' - a special, served san-choi-bow style, presented in a rancid fistful of grey iceburg lettuce. Prawn omelette, the driest omelette imaginable - and no prawn to be seen! Prawn curry - lucky if you have two frozen prawns in the dish. Massaman; dry, stingy and stale flavours, no aroma, ugly chunks of undercooked potato with last week's beef. Pad thai; clumps of overcooked gluggy noodle with a mean film of wok residue...

Maggies has so much potential. Everything is great except the food, which in a local restaurant with lots of competition is frustrating. Maggie is a great local personality, maybe this place should be a cafe and forget about the food.

Sep 11, 2011 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Maggie's deserves its reputation as one of the best suburban Thai places in Sydney. It just has something most others don't, a freshness, a nice balance, some quality that is so often missing. It's just good.

Nov 21, 2010 

4.5 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  2     

The evening started off well with light thai pop playing in the background which reminded me of the happy hip cafes in bangkok. after that it was a slippery slope downhill and we left the restaurant to the sound of techno trance beats.

Ok I jest. Music is not the issue here but the food. Oh my goodness the food. My wife noted later that evening that we were the only non-caucasian diners and I really should have picked that up as the first warning sign. If you respect thai cuisine, please avoid this place at all cost. Tom yum-shocker. Flathead special-obscene. The rest (pad thai, curries etc) are basic entry-level aussie thai quality.

I have eaten a few aussie-thai places in the past (organised by friends) - this easily ranks as the worst. Oh geez please let me purge the memory of this. Thank goodness I didn't get a tummy ache for it will truly top the experience.

p.s. To be fair, service was not bad. food came quick and water glasses were topped up with initiative.

Nov 21, 2010 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

The best green papaya salad outside of Bangkok! Wonderful fresh seasonal food. The home made fish curry is also a delight. Service is terrific and very welcoming.

Jul 27, 2010 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

For me this is the best Thai food in Sydney, mostly because it is authentic but also because it is great value. Where else can you get well cooked and spicy Thai food for $15 to $25 for main courses? But the really good thing about this restaurant is that it's like eating in Maggie's personal dining room. Maggie really makes you welcome. Eating here feels like being part of the family.

Dec 09, 2009 

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Fresh delicious food. We ordered spring rolls, stir fried king prawns with snow peas and pad thai. The portions were generous and well priced. Service quick and friendly. I'd recommend this place.

Dec 03, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

With the choice of two thai restuarants in Erskineville I prefer Maggies over Stor Crazy. The food at Maggie's is much more flavoursome and spicier at Maggies which I prefer. Maggie and her staff are very friendly and polite. She is a local celebrity. The fat old bald man described in the other reviews is not longer there. Please do not let that deter you. Maggies is a local institution.

Sep 05, 2009