Subsin’s Authentic Thai Food

Thai food is currently my favorite cuisine. I have eaten at saps fine Thai, Thai passion, and IM Thai in austin as well as this place. The food here is good, but not better than saps fine Thai, IM Thai or Thai passion. I do not like the look of the outside of this place and the inside atmosphere is not nice either. This restaurant is close to south ACC campus so I’m sure ill be coming here often.

A solid THREE stars one star held back because the place needs to be deep cleaned and updated.

Subsin’s atmosphere is definitely lacking, however, the food there is absolutely excellent. It’s really not a destination due to the dark and quiet dining room that could creep anyong out but it IS completely take-​away friendly. I feel so lucky to have an amazing Thai restaurant down south that has never let us down– no matter what we’ve ordered.
There are other alternatives (I am sure you know the handful I am talking about) for Thai but Subsin’s is consistently the best I have had in the years we’ve lived in Austin.
Just finished the Tom Yum noodles for dinner and it was flavorful, authentic and completely delicious. Spring rolls are lovely, curried fried rice is yummy, and the red curry is yet another favorite!
Get your dinner ‘to go’ and remember «Spicy! Veggie! BYOB»

I must warn that my review is based solely on the quality of food here.
Walking in to Subsin — you get the feeling that something isn’t right. Perhaps its the colonial oak dining furniture that feels like it belongs in an Amish restaurant. Perhaps its the architecture. It sure smells like an Asian restaurant, though.
After Thai Taste seems to have gone the way of the sugar cane — it was time to venture off to find a new Thai restaurant for lunch outings that didn’t ruin their dishes with glucose.
Subsin’s delivers on that promise. Their curries are deliciously spiced, colorful and perfectly cooked. They don’t drown out the flavors with sugar or sweetness, and they have several menu items that I’ve never seen before.
Try the Gang Paa or Young Pepper curry for a change from your average Thai restaurant. Sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy the pepper curry-​induced sniffles.

Food was pretty good. Inside is better than the outside. Only woman in the place did cooking, waiting, serving, and hostessing. She was really nice.

I’m not going to pretend that it hasn’t, on occasion, smelled a little like diapers in here, but who cares when you get to listen to Asian covers of American pop songs?
Subsin’s is a safe bet for my wife and me. We know it’ll be good, fast and inexpensive. New India is probably the only other place within 2 miles that we hit regularly. And those guys are seriously gonna have to step up their diaper smell if they really want to compete.

I had been wanting to check this place out for awhile, but I wasn’t even sure if it was actually open. (Hint: A sign near the street would tell potential customers that your business is open).
Questions about it’s openness aside, the food is great. I ordered the Pad Mow Mow, which was perfectly spicy and a pretty decent sized portion. I was only person there, which was odd-​but the food came out extra fast.
I want this place to succeed. I want them to put up signs that say «I assure you, we are open». But so long as they are still open, I’ll be a customer.

Part of eating out is the ambiance of the restaurant… right?
Even the best hole-​in-​the-​walls have character. Some so much so that you overlook the dirt and food and other «things» on the floor.
This place had a down right STANK to it. I couldn’t get past it. It was a sewer-​ish undertone with Lysol mixed in.
We stuck it out… through 3 courses.
1. Chicken Satay: Anorexic chicken on a stick
2. Thai Beef Salad and Panag Curry: Pretty tasty.
3. Wrapped Bananas: Different… but pretty good.
The smell alone will keep me from visiting again.

To be completely honest I thought this place was a front for money laundering or weed selling, I mean there is never a car in the lot and the place never looks open.
The food however is delightful! My BF used to go to ACC right next to it so it was our special lunch place on his break. I love how the employees wear flip flops in the kitchen and have baby toys in the lobby. I’d probably be grossed out by the tacky décor and karaōke machine but the bare feet and fake flowers are a sign for good Asian food. These hard working people don’t have time to hire a decorator or update the place they have authentic food to sell.
My boyfriend loves the Green Curry, we always have to tell the waitress make it «Asian Spicy» which she always laughs because he’s as white as they come. The green curry is the best with pork or chicken, loaded with peppers, coconut milk, bamboo and veggies the is the real deal. Super flavorful and spicy without the bulge feeling after wards. I usually order the phadseewu (spelling) it’s good 98% of the time, the noodles are sometimes a little hard for my liking but nothing to deter me from frequenting Subsins. I think they have the best sticky rice as well, wash it all down with a Thai iced coffee.
Next time I’m there I’m definitely trying the Pompano with chili sauce, I will eat those fish cheeks like it’s Thanksgiving dinner

4.5 stars
I think this place really just suffers from location. It’s small, hard to find, and doesn’t look open… it just screams «hole in the wall.»
But don’t believe the bad reviews, this place is not creepy, its not dirty, and the service is fine.
The food is probably the most authentic Thai I’ve had in Austin. There is plenty of savory flavors and spice on the spicy dishes. The prices are reasonable and the portions are big. The service can be a little on the quiet side, but maybe they are only semi-​fluent in English… I don’t know, but they had no problem getting our food and drinks quickly and nicely.
I feel like this place would be booming if they just had a makeover. Its usually pretty quiet inside, often with the place to yourself or 2 – 3 other tables munching away. But I like to think, those few tables are all silently grinning to themselves on what everyone else is missing out on. There is karaōke equipment about so I wonder if this place has some kind of underground Thai night…
I think its BYOB too, but not sure on that
Bottom-​Line: a true hole in the wall experience

Let me start off as saying that I love food, all types. I also think that customer service goes hand in hand with eating out as well. So my review is based upon the food as well as the service I receive on a regular basis from Subsin’s.
I love this place, it’s Thai heaven on a plate in my mind. I’ll start with the dishes I wholly recommend working my way from least favorite to most favorite but bare in mind that I love them all. First off, the Butterfly is fantastic, it has a smoky flavor and 1 order is almost a meal itself. The Thai spring rolls are wonderful too and great as appetizers. The Sa Tay is a mouthwatering delight as well, either as an appetizer or a dinner portion.
Now for the Curry, I’ve tried a few of them but by far my favorite is the Masman Curry, the Potatoes are very sauteed and one portion is enough for 2 people. So less than $ 10 for 2 people to eat, can’t beat that. The Gang Paa is quite spicy, I’m kind of a lightweight when it comes to spicy foods but wow, to be a middle of the line spicy entrée, it’s quite spicy. Very tasty though.
The Pad Puk is a very basic vegetable stir fry in brown sauce, but so much better than your regular asian take out fare, I can eat this by itself and have a better dining experience than a lot of 5 star dining experiences I’ve been to. I have only tried one soup so far, the Tom Kha, it’s a spicy coconut soup which you might find at other asian restaurants but once again, for the price you’ll be hard pressed to find better for such a reasonable amount of money.
Lastly, my two favorite items on the menu. The Thai Beef Jerky served with sticky rice, when you dip this in cucumber sauce you’ll know what I’m talking about, and for less than $ 8, it’s a wonderful meal or a great appetizer. Not tough and not tender, a great blend and a taste explosion for your taste buds.
And my absolute favorite meal, the Subsin’s Noodles, dear me. So much food for so little money, the flavor’s are incredible, shrimp & chicken with beansprout & zuchinne and with a splash of lemon, can’t quite top that taste for the price. You may notice I keep mentioning price, well that’s because two people can eat a great, fresh homemade meal for under $ 20 here. That can barely be done at McDonald’s mind you. But at Subsin’s you can taste the love in every bite, you can tell someone chose fresh ingredients and made the entrees to order.
Now, not least of all, the customer service here is top notch, I am always greeted with a friendly face. No matter if I’m spending $ 10 or $ 50, I’m always treated as a reason this business stays in business. I am not just another person to fill a seat, I’m not hurried or rushed. I am treated like I’m the reason this place thrives. Because people are treated like hungry people who have a great place to eat great food at great prices. A+ all around, I love the décor as well, it seems very down home to me and it almost feels like going to grandma’s for dinner, if your grandma was Thai of course, had a full menu on a daily basis for you to enjoy.

I don’t understand why this place isn’t full all the time. The food is delicious, healthy with lots of veggies (unlike Madam Maam’s which has virtually no veggies), friendly efficient service, and very reasonably priced. It is quiet enough to visit with your friends. The only downside is the ambience. It is clean, but plain.
The location is not very visible which I imagine contributes to fewer customers.

The locations is kinda creepy. We didn’t think it was open when we first went but we had driven by so many times we had to try it. Hole in the wall burger places are awesome so why not Thai? Umm… no.
The place had a «smell’ to it. It also just had a weird vibe. Maybe it was because no one else was there. The server didn’t feel the need to answer any of questions. It’s not like we asked nutritional content just if something was spicy. The hubs ordered the Pad Thai, as he always does. He didn’t finish it. I got my typical red curry. Not impressed.
We didn’t see a reason to go back or had a glimmer of hope that maybe next time would be better.

My first Thai experience since I moved to Austin. I love really good authentic Thai and was prepared for a letdown since it’s hard to tell for sure from reviews what a place is really like, especially when a lot of people review Thai places based on Pad Thai (I mean, c’mon). Plus I also got the vibe from Unilocal that there isn’t a whole lot of good Thai here.
We ordered take-​out since we heard it was byob & wanted to relax at home with a beer coming straight from work.
We got Spring Rolls (veggie) which were fantastic, though small, but cheap at $ 3 for 2. I really don’t like Chinese style egg/​spring rolls, but when they’re made with those tiny little rice-​y noodles that some Thai places use they’re simply phenomenal (this was one of those places).
Next we had Tom Yum chicken (hot/​sour soup w/​mushroom, lemongrass, etc). A simple yet very tasty version, also $ 3 for a bowl.
For the entrée we got the Pad Puk with chicken ($ 9) — stir fried mixed veggies in brown sauce w/​rice on side. We asked to make it a medium spice level, since it’s not normally made spicy. It had a nice little kick to it & tasted delicious. Nice & light with a variety of veggies.
We will definitely go back to try more!

This place kinda freaks me out… I always thought it was some kind of front because there never appears to be anyone eating here. I wanted to go here because the sign advertised BYOB and I had read a rave review in the Austin American Statesman. I have to say I disagree, Statesman. The food was middle of the road Thai. I love Thai food and have been trying to find a good Thai place in Austin and so far no luck.
The breakdown:
Four stars– Service (but only because we were the only people there)
Three and a half stars– food
Two stars– décor
Three stars– Price
And the search continues for an authentic Thai food place in Austin…

I’ve eaten at Subsins since they opened a few years ago and I really like their food. The hubby and I actually dined inside the first time we went and the atmosphere is sub-​par and weird especially when you’re the only ones in the place but the food is really good. The owner helped us choose a few things. We try to eat outside of our comfort zone whenever possible and it’s always nice to have restaurant staff encourage that and tell you what’s their specialty and such. Pad Thai is for beginners so if you are judging this place merely by reviewers that only had Pad Thai then you need to skip that reviewers advice on Subsins food.
The hubby and I always order to go for 2 reasons–
–the atmosphere is not my fave
–they are BYOB
I’ve always liked their food and I’ve had friends of mine that are real live Thai folk compliment the food as well. You should check them out!

So, when you’re driving up to Subsin’s. don’t let the exterior make you question your decision to go with your Thai craving! Walking into the restaurant is mildly entertaining (as someone who likes to notice the details, I was entertained for the 2 minutes it took for us to get seated — check out the objects in their little alter in the entry way), and the staff was immediately attentive and super sweet, concerned for our needs like we were regulars at the joint.
We ordered a few different things to get a good range — shrimp spring rolls, regular spring rolls, a yellow curry (hooray for potatoes!), and Lard Na. They were all really yum! A previous poster mentioned that the curry was a little soupy — and this is true, but for me, I like that. It just makes it easier for the rice to soak up the goodness. It definitely had all the taste of good curry. The Lard Na was also REALLY good, it had that authentic Thai taste behind it.
Another cool thing? BYOB! Had I known this, I’d have brought some Singha with me!

Today I went to try Subsin’s with my friend Danielle. I was going to go a couple weeks earlier, but seeing the disappointing exterior and not a single car in the parking lot, I went elsewhere. But today we went because I figured I’d give it a try.
Looked like it was closed. Not a good sign. No one except us were in there to eat.
Also, the prices were way more than I expected for a hole in the wall such as this. We obviously weren’t paying for the atmosphere but probably for them just to break even.
So we each ordered a fried spring roll appetizer. I was chomping down on the very last one when what do I see? A long black hair sticking right out of it. Disgusted but trying not to be a party pooper, I ate my Tofu fried rice. It was ok, but Ive had much better for the same price. And I was preoccupied with making sure there was no hair in my bite of food.
Waiting for a to-​go box, I look at my water glass and see yet another hair attached to it. I have decided they are shedders.
I just didnt mention it, paid for my food, and Im never going back. Plus paying 13 $ for mediocre food is stupid. I can go spend my money on better food that’s hair free.
Sorry Subsins. I would have given you a higher score if you had been on hair patrol a little bit better.

Subsin’s is in a weird little corner spot situated on corner of Manchaca and Stassney. We were super excited when we pulled up and saw it was BYOB, since we had just come from buying a case of wonderful white wine at Spec’s. We grabbed a bottle and headed in. I did notice when walking in that it smells strange but once you get further to the back seating area, it’s not so bad. We had the entire place to ourselves for a little while. They brought us glasses and ice and an ice bucket for our wine (FREE of charge!).
The service is quick and friendly. We ordered the pud mow mow (flavorful noodles with veggies and chicken) and just the right amount of spice. and the red curry chicken — not spicy but good. and yes it is more watery than the usual curry (which sometimes seems way too heavy) but it’s also less sweet. We clocked in around $ 20 for dinner, which is pretty great, considering we also ordered the egg rolls.
The décor is a little discombobulated and they were playing some cheesy techno tracks but it wouldn’t keep me from coming back.

Wow. This place is fantastically awful. I do love the BYOB but I feel that in order to enjoy food there I would also need to bring my own dinner.
If the still frozen crab rangoons (yes, I ordered crab rangoons, it’s my burden to bear) don’t get you, the incredibly bland noodle dishes will.
That’s it! Wow, that was easy. Ba-​da-​bing!