About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Siam Cafe, located in Cleveland's Asiatown just east of downtown, is a favorite of Asian and non-Asians alike. The vast menu features traditional Thai specialties as well as Cantonese and Vietnamese favorites. Everything I've tried there has been delicious.

Pros

• Good, affordable food
• Varied menu
• Kitchen stays open 'til midnight
• Food is delicious
• Many vegetarian options.

Cons

• Large, impersonal dining room

• Often a wait at lunchtime

Description

• Siam Cafe
  3951 St. Clair Ave.
  Cleveland, OH 44114
• 216 361-2323
• Open daily 11am to midnight

Guide Review - Siam Cafe

Don't let the large, cavernous dining room, decorated in 1980s mauve and burgundy, fool you; Cleveland's Siam Cafe is serious about food. The vast menu contains old (read safe) favorites, such as sweet and sour pork and beef lo mein as well as a host of dishes made with exotic ingredients, such as conch, soft-shell crab(in season), and frog.

The service is efficient, if a little brisk, but it's the food that excels here. I've tried the Paradise Shrimp (pictured above), a delightful combination of onion, shrimp, and coconut milk. I've also enjoyed the Pad Thai, a traditional Thai dish that combines noodles with vegetables, sprouts, and nuts with a sweet and sour dressing.

Siam Cafe also offers a variety of excellent, and complex, soups; interesting Asian drinks; and fun desserts, such as green tea ice cream.

Nothing here is too expensive, so it's easy to enjoy a variety of dishes.

This restaurant is a favorite of Cleveland photographer, Stu Spivak, who has amassed a collection of more than 150 images of Siam Cafe dishes on his Flickr site. Click here to view them.

^{(updated 5-08-08)}