I kind of feel like I’m cheating on Linnie’s when I eat Thai food at any other place than the Third Avenue shack. Sometimes it’s OK being bad like that however, particularly when you find as good of an alternative as Thai on 1st.

While not quite up there with what Linnie’s serves up on a good night (honestly the quality might be a bit random there at times,) Thai on 1st still delivers, be it noodles or curry, or whatever else you would expect from a standard Thai restaurant. We went with four out of five stars on the spice scale for our dishes, which turned out to be a good way to clean up the sinuses. It did not overpower the actual flavor of the food however. Three or four stars should be good for anybody who is not afraid of a little kick.

Also worth mentioning is the service which was great. Friendly and funny staff, which served up the food quicker than I had expected. We even had our waiter decide which dishes to choose for us, something he did without hesitating. And good as all his choices were for the main dishes, the star of the show was the appetizer, the Tom Kah Gai soup. Plenty of chicken and mushrooms in coconut milk, with some lemon grass and galanga? Oh yes.

Thai on 1st might not be the “new Linnie’s” for me, but it’s certainly worth visiting for a bit of variation. Not to mention the soup.

I haven’t tried Linnie’s yet, because I really don’t have a reason to. Thai on 1st hasn’t let me down yet. Go to favorites are:

#26 Garlic Pork, perfect blend of flavors with tender-crisp fresh veggies

#38 Thai on 1st Fried Rice, the house special rice – do I need to say more?

#15 Green Curry (choice of meats), we always get chicken. Creamy, spicy curry with plenty of bamboo shoots & peas.

#34 Pad Thai, everywhere else pales in comparison. Maybe it’s because this was my first Pad Thai experience. Other Pad Thai’s I’ve tried are usually neon red (think mall sweet & sour) & overly sweet. Thai on 1st Pad Thai is more of a light brown color made with chicken, bean cake, eggs & green onion. They top it with ground peanuts & really fresh beanspouts.

#3 Chicken Sate, this is a great appetizer or even to make a meal out of. It is served on a piece of toast (why??) with a little cucumber relish & peanut sauce.

We like to order several entrees & dine family style. Just more variety that way. The service there is always great & the guys are so friendly & fun to joke with.

My office orders take out once a week. Even if we place our order in the middle of the lunch hour, we are always told “15 minutes” & they stick to it. Fresh food, served fast. Gotta love it.

I love their food, I just wish they would offer lunch combos during the week. I work right around the corner and would be there weekly at least.

One thing to note is that their food tends to be spicier than other Thai places in Spokane. A three star order often has the spice of a four to five star order elsewhere.

Thai on First is by far the best Thai restaurant in Spokane. The quality and flavor is consistently excellent. The taste says it all.

I have been eating Thai food for years, and have eaten it in many states…Thai on 1st is by far the best..J8, #6 (soup) and N1, are the only dishes I order every time..Because they are the best…Good god..I need some now..If only it was not 4:27…It’s not open until 5…arggg…I shall sit with mouth watering impatience…YUM

This is the most consistent / best Thai in Spokane. Now many people will cry out that Linnie’s is but they have serious consistency problems, when they are good they are awesome, but when they are off the food is not very good.

Thai on First however has never disappointed, the service is always good, the place is clean, the food is authentic. Are they the best Thai I have ever had – no, but for Spokane they deserve 5 stars.

Their curry dishes are made with home-made paste, not commercially prepared products like Linnie’s and Thai Bamboo, this is a plus. Their noodles dishes are always extraordinary and guess what they actually have at three types of basil in the kitchen.

Highly recommended in Spokane