Sawaddee Thai may be tucked into a nondescript strip mall on W. Flamingo, but its vegan Thai cuisine stands out in Las Vegas. Opened in late 2018, the bright Sawaddee Thai with contemporary Asian decor is a vegan-friendly restaurant in Las Vegas serving authentic Northern Thai cuisine.
Now, the menu does not specifically notate which dishes are vegan or can be made vegan, but we sat down with the owner and went through the menu page by page. Plus, the staff is well-versed and understands what is and is not vegan at the restaurant. Pro tip: There are a lot of options. We recommend ordering family style and sharing.
Vegan appetizers include Siam spring rolls stuffed with veggies; Thai-style patisserie pancakes, Scallon Puffs; and the Instagram-worthy (and scrumptious) Money Bags, a crispy wonton filled with mashed potatoes served in a curry sauce. While it’s not on the menu, Sawaddee Thai also has veggie gyoza they can serve, too — just hold the spicy mayo. Both the Sawadee Salad and the Papaya Salad are also vegan friendly.
Big bowls of soup like Tom Kha and Tom Yum are meals in themselves so plan on sharing. They also have the wonderful the creamy Tom Yum, a hot and sour soup with lemongrass, lemon leaves, galangal, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. Just be sure to remind them you’re vegan.
Sawaddee Thai even has the Northern Thai specialty, khao soi, a spicy coconut-curry-based noodle soup served with fresh cilantro, pickled cabbage, raw red onion, green onion, and lime wedges on the side. To make it vegan, swap out the egg noodles for rice noodles and hold the crispy noodles which normally adorn the soup.
Noodle and rice dishes such as pad Thai, pad see-ew, and fried rice can easily be made vegan by omitting the egg. The tasty Jungle Noodles — a spicy plate of stir-fried flat noodles with bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, onion, and basil — is vegan as is.
There are quite a few entrees which are or can be made vegan by opting for tofu or veggies, like the fried eggplant with veggies or red curry topped with fried tofu.
End your meal with the perfectly sweet heart-shaped coconut sticky rice, if you can find room. But, there is always room for dessert, right?
4983 W. Flamingo, 89103, 702-459-4499, Thursday – Tuesday: 12 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Kathryn Hartwig is a senior writer for Vegans, Baby. She decided to go vegan almost eight years ago while searching for the perfect diet to compliment her role as a professional dancer. After experimenting with multitudes of fads, she finally found a lifestyle that turned out to be so much more than just a diet. She settled in Vegas with her husband/photographer Daniel, and puppy, Layla, after traveling the world on cruise ships and living in New York City. The family recently welcomed the birth of their first child, a true vegan baby.
