I love Thai food. I never had it when I was growing up, because rural Vermont doesn’t have an overabundance of ethnic restaurants. But we are incredibly blessed in Burlington to have a huge selection of restaurants, including several great Thai restaurants that are also comfortable dining places for solos.

First is my old standby, Tantra, at 169 Church Street (south of Main Street). A friend of mine introduced me to this place back when it was Loong Chat’s Kitchen. The food was good then, and it’s even better now. They use fresh, organic ingredients, which is always a plus in my book, and will tailor dishes for you if you are vegetarian. They have a long bar with 10-12 seats for solo dining and very good drinks. I also really enjoy the setting; it’s cozy, and the music is good. If you’re dining alone, you can get lost in that music. The service can be a little slow at times, so it might not be wise to come here if you are in a hurry. The food is the star here.

I often order the Tom Kha Gai soup, because I love the way they make it, not too spicy. I am also a big fan of their Tiger Rolls with sweet chili dipping sauce, I just can’t get enough of them. They have just the right amount of cream cheese and crab, so you can taste the crab, but it’s still really creamy. The roll sampler (4 Tiger Rolls, 3 Spring Rolls and 2 Shrimp Rolls) is also a winner, but if you’re dining alone, it might be too large an appetizer. The mixed vegetable stir-fry with your choice of meat is very good. Unfortunately, Tantra has no website at the moment (apparently, they didn’t renew their domain name in time to keep it). I’ll post it in the SoloFriendly Burlington pages once it’s up again (and once I create those pages!) In the meantime, you can call them at 802-651-9660 to get their hours and go here to check out the menu: Tantra Menu.

Parima is the oldest Thai restaurant in the area, and has a fancier space than Tantra. It is located on Pearl Street, just around the corner from Church, in what looks like a ridiculously tiny building. However, when you walk inside, you realize it’s just an illusion, because it’s actually a very large space. They have a sizeable bar area if you choose to sit with other solo diners. The food is terrific and there is live music on weekends. You will probably spend as much time staring at the gorgeous and intricate wood-carved interior of the restaurant as you will staring at the menu. It’s really a lovely space. According to their website, they are the only designated Thai restaurant in Vermont recognized by Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce. Dinner could easily be a couple of their yummy appetizers (say, the tiger rolls and the chicken satay or the grilled coconut tofu), or one of their house specialties. They have recently added a Noodle Bar.

The Bangkok Bistro at 144 Church Street (next to the Scuffer) offers delicious Thai cuisine, a prime people-watching spot on Church Street, and an abundance of bar and counter seating. During a recent visit, I ordered the Grilled Veggie Thai, which was really flavorful–the vegetables were crisp, the sauce was delicious and the rice was the right degree of stickiness. My friend ordered the Tom Kha soup, which was surprisingly spicy, and some dumplings in a tasty sauce. The Thai iced coffee was a little too sweet after drinking about half a glass, but if you like sweet, you’ll like it (consider it kind of like a virgin coffee drink). Our waiter was all smiles, very friendly and helpful. Dinner entrees are $10.95 to $21.95, and all lunch entrees are $7.95. They unfortunately do not have a website or online menu. Call them at 802-951-5888 for hours of operation.

There is another Thai restaurant I haven’t yet tried myself, so I can’t speak to the solo-friendliness of it or anything else for that matter except “buzz”:

Tiny Thai, 2 locations (24 Main St., Winooski, 802-655-4888 and Essex Shoppes & Cinemas, 802-878-2788). I keep hearing that this is the most “authentic” Thai in the area, and that their prices are less expensive. It also has a BYOB policy. (Interesting.) It gets rave reviews at TripAdvisor, so it must be good. I really have to get my butt over there one of these days. Like Bangkok Bistro, it has no website of its own; the closest it has is some information in Essex Shoppes & Cinema directory.

Note to restaurant owners: Please join the rest of us in the 21st Century by getting a website! We diners-out love to visit them to see your menus, prices, pictures of your restaurant, hours of operation, location map, dining coupons, etc. Thank you. (For affordable websites, see Champlainwebcenters.com.)