Why Siam Thai Is a Local Favorite

Siam Thai. Photo taken June 26, 2025 by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

There is a reason Siam Thai is a local favorite with people who relish authentic Thai food. Located at 4819 W. National Ave., it is just across the border in West Milwaukee and a couple minutes from the freeway. After two meals with friends at this small restaurant I can attest to the delicious flavors of every dish we enjoyed.

You will know right away that Siam Thai is special when you enter through a corridor lined with healthy green plants and see the small immaculate dining room. My companions and I took our time with the extensive menu that listed both familiar Thai dishes and a few that were new to us.

You may want to begin your meal with a refreshing glass of Thai iced tea. It tweaked my sweet tooth, perhaps because it combined sweetened condensed milk with tea and when I stirred it, it turned into a gorgeous sunset orange. The Thai lemonade was also refreshing with its combination of lime, lemon, and a hint of ginger.

My companion’s pho, more Vietnamese than Thai, was served in a bowl filled with sliced tender beef in a broth that must have simmered for hours to get its deep beefy flavor. It came with a plate of accoutrements: bean sprouts, sliced jalapeno, lime wedges, and Thai basil.

The pad kee mao, or drunken noodles, was one of the three stir-fried noodle entrees we ordered. The shrimp in both the pad kee mao and the pad Thai were large and juicy. Both dishes included stir-fried rice noodles but that was their only similarity. The pad Thai had a slightly sweet tamarind sauce while the addition of salty crushed peanuts balanced the sweetness from the tamarind. The pad kee mao was spicy from chili peppers and included bell peppers, carrots, sliced onion, bamboo, and holy basil.

My pad woon sen had a sauce I wanted to drink, it was so tasty. It also featured vermicelli noodles, egg, carrots, and sliced onions along with peas and broccoli. The thin slices of pork were tender and appeared to have been grilled. All three stir-fried noodle dishes were outstanding and each came separately to the table from the kitchen when it was ready which ensured that each dish was hot and all the veggies remained crisp and fresh.

When I returned for a second meal, we started with appetizers, spring rolls and crab rangoons. We included the latter because we asked our server what was her favorite appetizer and without hesitation she said, “crab rangoons.” She was right. We agreed they were the best because mixed with the melty cream cheese we found real crab and some green onion to add extra flavor to these tasty little packages. They came with a sweet and sour dipping sauce topped with crushed peanuts.

The pad prik kang made with coconut milk and red curry paste had a creamy and slightly spicy sauce for the peppers, carrots, onions, and bamboo shoots. There was plenty of everything, especially the tender sliced chicken, in this healthy dish.

Cashew Entree, as it was called, lived up to its name. Cashews starred in this dish along with chicken, onions, peppers, carrots, and pineapple. For the lad nar, my companion chose the crisp rice noodles and crisp they certainly were, like a birds’ nest surrounded by a large portion of broccoli, onions, carrots, and chicken. After several attempts to spear the crispy noodles, my companion pounded them into submission and then combined them with the veggies and the gravy hiding in the bottom of the dish.

If you wish, you can finish your meal with mango sticky rice, a dessert, and almost in meal itself. My rice was cooked to order and topped with chunks of mango in a sweet sauce. The sticky rice, appropriately named, had a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. It played perfectly with the mango.

There was a lot more to explore on Siam Thai’s comprehensive menu. There were 14 entrees including a show stopping volcano chicken ordered at an adjacent table. There were also several soup choices, salads, curry, fried rice, and many more stir-fried noodles and appetizers.

This was a find. We had excellent service; the food was carefully prepared, fresh, and healthy; the prices were reasonable; the portions were big; and that Thai iced tea was perfection in a glass.

On the Menu

12►

Photo Gallery

The Rundown

• Location: 4819 W. National Ave.
• Phone: 414-672-7426
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Fri, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat
• Website: https://siamexpressmilwaukee.com

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.