Araya’s Place

As I was sitting there eating, I wondered how vegan food could taste so good. About half an hour after eating, my stomach wasn’t feeling so well, rejected it, and didn’t feel well all night. MSG is the suspected culprit since my stomach reacts the same way to it everytime, and I suspect it was a high dose based on my reaction. The restaurant décor and service were great. I did a lot of searches for MSG on Unilocal before going, but only a few mention that MSG is not used here. My stomach told me otherwise.

Truly the absolute best vegan buffet, hands down. And they don’t skimp on all of the wonderful thai offerings. My mind is blown that they can do this for such a reasonable price. My go-​to Thai place in Seattle, I wish they had this establishment all over the country

My favorite place «Araya’s Place». Vegan but wonderful foods forever! Healthy and tasty Thai cuisine

First time here and it was worth the stop. The place is big and very clean. The food was very tasty with good size portions. Their Thai ice tea is a little different with a coconut cream. It was very good so give it a try.

Love the buffet and its all vegetarian. Reasonable price. Will definitely come back.

I had the lunch buffet at Araya’s yesterday. It was amazing! I am on a mostly vegetarian eating plan and I could not have picked a better place to have lunch. The food was delicious and lots of choices. I like the curried veggies and stir fried veggies. I also had the soup which was a homerun. I am definitely going back soon.

Araya’s Place was my second Vegan dining experience– and what a wonderful experience it was!
I was visiting Seattle for a weekend and my friends brought me here for dinner one night. We ordered the mango salad, drunken mushroom noodles, phad phet makhua, basil fried rice, and the Thai iced tea with coconut milk. Everything was delicious and we were stuffed by the end of our meal. Unfortunately, there was no room for dessert, but we were happy with our Thai teas. The restaurant had a very warm, home-​y feel to it. Our waitress was very pleasant and friendly. We asked for recommended dishes with eggplant in it, and although there weren’t too many dishes that featured eggplant, she asked the chefs in the back, and came back to tell us that they would add it to any dish of our choice.
But the highlight of my visit was that women’s restroom! Yes, you read that right — the restroom! My friend told me in advance that it was beautiful, but the second I walked in there, I was wowed. Someone please go in there and take a photo, because it was just gorgeous!
Come to Araya’s to get your Thai/​vegan fix!

Awesome lunch buffet! (12.05 after tax). I eat here more than any other restaurant in Seattle. Super healthy, super good. Really great friendly staff. Highly recommend!

This place is great. Its in a quiet neighborhood and a bit unassuming/​out of the way. But if you’re looking for vegetarian or vegan Thai food, this place has everything.
I had the spring rolls with the fried rice. Both were delicious and really filling. I couldn’t even finish them. The prices were reasonable and the service was really great. The only reason it didn’t get a 5 star is because it didn’t have anything amazing! Everything was really good though. Will definitely come back on my next trip to Seattle

I had a fantastic experience at Araya’s. First of all, I love how the restaurant is located farther back in the strip mall area, and the exterior is very pretty. I ordered from the menu and got the Pad Thai and Veg Potstickers. Both were phenomenal, and it’s great that you can choose your level of spice (I chose 3 stars). My sister got the buffet food and I tried what she got. The yellow curry was so delicious – the curry had such a complex flavor. The fried rice with veg and tofu is also so delicious. Understandably, the buffet food is a bit less fresh-​tasting than the menu food, but still great nonetheless.
And what made the whole experience better is that someone mentioned that we were eating out for my birthday, and the owner came back with a complementary Thai iced tea for me, which I was very grateful for! It was by far the best Thai iced tea I’ve ever had. So much better than the dairy types I’ve tried in the past.
100% coming back again!

Cutest. Spot Ever. Oh and the food is delicious!
This had been on my to-​try list for ages so I was excited when my friends and I finally headed over.
Upon stepping into this converted house, it was immedietely warm and inviting, especially compared to the rain outside. The décor is beautiful and filled with gold, white and earth tones. It’s a good spot to go if you want the place to be nice-​ish but warm, the food good but the prices not too high.
We ordered:
–Tom yum soup with tofu
–Banana curry with tofu
–Avocado curry with tofu
–Mushroom, asparagus and noodle dish
–Black rice pudding with ice cream
Everything was oh-​so-​delicious! My favorite was the banana curry… it’s unique, sweet, warm and comforting. The avocado curry was also excellent and provided a nice savory contrast to the banana curry. I liked that the tom yum soup came in a bowl that stayed heated and the mushroom dish was delicious and a nice way to change up the other tofu curry dishes we had. Be aware, that black rice pudding portion serves 4! We ordered 2 and it turned out to be completely unnecessary for the 4 of us.
My only criticism is that this place is really tofu heavy. I can understand wanting to lay off the faux meats but a little more variety would have been nice. The mushroom dish provided some of that contrast but there weren’t that many options.
With that said, this will go on my list of one of my favorite Thai restaurants and one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in town. I can’t wait to come back!

dinner
food: the drunken mushroom noodles. i felt that there were enough of the mushrooms. it has a mix of other vegetables in there too, bell peppers, asparagus, etc. the noodles were cooked well and it has a little bit of that wok hei going on. that was good. not sure if drunken mushrooms is a misnomer; you dont taste alcohol, for me at least. ***4/​5
service: server was great. we had to take some leftovers home and he got our foods boxed up. the food is ready fairly quick. the place is homey. ***4/​5
value: the food was great. the price aint bad for a vegan/​vegetarian place. my vegetarian choices are limited, but i have to put this near the top of my list. ***4/​5

I would visit Araya’s place just to stand in their bathroom again. Not even a joke. I’m not a vegetarian, but I have many vegetarian vices… and Araya’s is now on my vegetarian watch list.
Truth be told, the parking situation is a little rough. As with any Madison Valley restaurant, you’ll be relegated to parking in the neighborhoods or attempting to parallel park along the street, taking you back to the melancholic days of failing your driving instructor 235 329 853 times… or at the very least, scaring the crap out of them). Menolikey! But, for this place, I’ll make an exception… I’ll actually… try. Try to parallel park.
With a nice little garden space outside, the atmosphere here is serene and low key, but nice (I think I said that already). The interior certainly has a clean and modern feel (there’s so much lovely light inside!)… but also a Thai feel which lends a hint of authenticity. This is a Thai restaurant, after all.
Service was fast and friendly… and there appeared to be carts for a lunch buffet in the front of the restaurant (again, for those who are interested… and work nearby). I had a chicken seitan dish and it was pretty great (I believe it was the Rad Na since I love wide format noodles). It did not disappoint this meat eater! On thing: the seitan was a little on the dry side, but the dish was flavored well and the fake meat definitely had the texture of real meat (if that’s the kind of thing that matters to you). The drinks, such as the Thai iced tea, were also quite good and not terribly sweet or terribly pungent. No room for dessert (which is a weird thing for a fat-​kid-​in-​training such as myself to say about a vegetarian restaurant), so no comment on that. All in all, I would definitely come back!

Come here to eat to feel healthy!
This buffet spot is pretty amazing — one, it’s a buffet spot, but the quality of the food is actually good! Tofu pad thai, spring rolls with plum sauce, a bunch of different veggie dishes, tom yum soup, and even kimchi! All the veggies are fresh!
Second, this place is actually catered for vegans/​vegetarians! But even a steak-​atarian like me can appreciate the food here. For instance, the Tom Yum Soup is solid, decently flavored but not insanely spicy, and has more than enough mushrooms to satiate your fungus craving. Also, the spring rolls here are fried perfectly and the sauce that goes with it complements well. Finally, for dessert, they got fruits and coconut milk that you can pair with sticky rice.
Third, the inside is SUPER clean! It’s got this majestic aura, too, which can be explained by the different paintings of Thai kings and the decorations they have.
Fourth, there is this cute little garden area that you walk through before entering the entrance. You would never expect that for an area such as Madison Park.
Finally, buffet lunch on the weekdays (not sure about the weekends) is around $ 12 including tax! Not bad, eh?

Phenomenal! The food is always fresh; the staff super welcoming and mind; the atmosphere is zen
To me this place personifies why many love vegan and Thai food. The zen of the décor and music amplifies the food experience, and the quality and taste of the food reminds me of why I love Thai cuisine.
You come in hungry and you leave with a smile on your face. Every bite is an explosion of flavors while the quality of the ingredients used reminds you of both the significance of fresh vegetables and the greatness of dining in Seattle.
A must try in my book (even if one isn’t vegan).

What can I say, this place is so amazing that I never miss not eating meat. Tofu, noodles, veggies, bring them on! I am in love with their crisp, well cooked broccoli and kale. However, it’s also very oily which is the only downside.
It’s fun to get buffet lunch here. The variety is pretty good with fresh, kimchi-​like salad, the above mentioned veggies, pad Thai, curry, egg rolls, soup, and a few more.
On a side note, the small buffet area is right there as you walk through the doorway. It was uncomfortably crowded when we came in.

I came here on a Groupon though I live in the neighborhood now and have intended to try it for quite some time. It was a Monday lunch time and I thoroughly enjoyed the lunch buffet. The dining room was fairly empty upon arrival during prime lunch time and wasn’t much busier upon living. Nevertheless, the service was very friendly and the dining room is bright and pretty. I really liked the photos of the the Thai royalty all around and felt like I was really eating in someone’s house (in a good way).
The lunch buffet had your usual offerings: pad thai with tofu, panang curry, fried rice, steamed rice, tom yum soup, cashew stirfry, spring rolls, satay sauce, and a full salad bar with various offerings and fresh fruit. The food was fresh and delicious. The sauce had the perfect seasoning to it and was really delicious. Even non-​meat eaters should love this place. The spring rolls were crispy, not soggy or greasy. The salad was fresh and crisp. The only thing I didn’t love was the soup, it was too sour for me.
I hope to be back and enjoy Araya’s again. I loved the buffet and left stuffed but might need to try ordering off the menu next time too.

This was our first meal in Seattle and we came here for their lunch buffet. It’s a deal for $ 10.99 per person. The restaurant is tucked behind other storefronts. The inside of the restaurant has a warm, cozy feeling. Almost feels like you’re inside a home.
The food was delicious. Well prepared and flavorful vegan dishes. Everything from the soup, salad to entrees were flavorful and kept me going back for more. My favorite dish was the red tofu curry. Now pour some of that and extra sauce over brown rice and it’s money!
Staff was very friendly and attentive. I’d definitely recommend this place, even to those that aren’t vegetarian/​vegan. Knocked off one star only because I wish they had more dishes in the buffet. Yes, I know gluttony is a sin. I’d definitely come back and try items on their dinner menu.

This place is more in Madison than Capitol Hill…
upon entering, there is a cute courtyard connecting to a honey spa and some outdoor seating…
My favorite item there is the avocado curry with seitan and tofu… soo silky and comforting!
This time we had the deep fried tofu with honey chili sauce, the sauteed veggies with faux prawns and the mango salad…
Everything this was was just too ‘fish saucey’ and we usually can handle fish sauce !
I will have to order the curry next time since that was made just right

Glad to know the old rovers is replaced by a yummy restaurant. Arayas is vegan and majority of their dishes are gluten free (I can see why their other location is in la at the grove). Restaurant is cute and intimate. Staff is friendly and hardworking. I took my best friend for dinner here.
As an appetizer, We ordered the soup: Tom kah. Then we ordered our two entrees: bff had the pad Thai and I ordered their house specialty drunken mushroom. The soup was perfect for a cold evening! Lots of flavor from the lemongrass with coconut milk and hearty amounts of mushroom. I love the serving metal pot that the soup was served in, next time I will ask to have it served with our food because I needed a starch.
Bff’s pad Thai was very sweet, with a copious amount of bean sprouts, carrots, green onion, and cabbage. I’m picky about my pad Thai, but they had a lot of tofu to soak up some of the sweetness. I just wanted more salty flavors (fish sauce please!).
My mushroom specialty was delicious and my absolute favorite from the dishes. Many types of mushrooms in this dish, about 4 – 5 different ones. The fried basil was a bonus and added that extra texture to the dish. The noodles were perfect, not stuck together like most Thai restaurants. Next time we will go for lunch, I would love to try their Ayce salad buffet!