Critic's Review
When they talk about the "boom" in Fort Lauderdale, they're not talking about this armpit section of the city. Right on the beach where the old Holiday Inn was; not the shined up Sonesta sits on the corner surrounded by Tattoo Parlors and old crusty leftover venues from the 80s.
Thai on the Beach is one of those venues. I'd never been inside before; everything looks so old and dirty in the neighborhood. But exploring is what I do.
It started badly as they have a lane closed on Sunrise for no real reason and it's just a parking lot as a result. Then there was no metered parking nearby. I found one spot behind the Sonesta; There's a garage but it's $15 for valet parking and I'm not even sure if they have hourly parking. The street metered parking is $1.25/hr.
This place resides on top of Primanti's, with barely a sign telling anyone it's there.
Up the steel staircase and I was greeted with a rusting power outlet that somehow proves that this building hasn't been properly inspected in years. Not sure what they were plugging in out here anyway. A ripped astroturf carpet adorns the entrance. What could await inside?
A dude walked in just before me; as I entered I was surprised by how tiny the place was. I sat at a table; the place had a bad odor. I wasn't sure what it was. The dude looked at a menu and then said "Thanks" and walked out. I think the smell was more the reason than the menu.
Asian decor is never to my liking, but this place was decorated in the 70s before there were city codes. The lamps over the tables are nose height to me, and I'm not that tall. An old fish tank. A creepy booth. The place is like a bad Chinese takeout restaurant.
Just one girl working the front. I order the Tataki "Special" and an Iced Tea. Tea is delivered with a big bowl of sweetners and an un-squeezable lemon slice.
The only saving grace of the place is the view of the beach.
The tuna came out in 10 minutes. Considering I was the only one in the restaurant it seemed longer.
I'm not sure if the tuna was old or just bad quailty. It was not so good. And the "ponzu" was fairly tasteless also. They have little pitchers with soy sauce on the table, but no little dish for it, so I was stuck with the lousy ponzu.
I couldn't wait to get out of the place.
$10.95 plus $2.50 for an iced tea with no refill.
Conclusion
In this neck of the woods, there aren't many choices, but a slice at Primanti's is safer than this place. Not worth the effort to walk up the stairs. Without even a sign to tell anyone that they're up there; I wonder how they could exist so long; and why.