Lunch Special at Em-On’s Thai Cafe

Em-On’s Thai Cafe

Em-On’s Thai Cafe

is a restaurant, as the astute reader may surmise, that serves Thai Cuisine. The restaurant has been open under the same ownership since 1996. Whenever I hear something like this regarding a restaurant it is generally without exception a very good sign. I had Blogged about Em-On’s almost 5 years ago and thought it was very good. Recently, a couple of dining companions suggested going here for lunch. Why not I thought. It it’s not broken don’t fix it!

The restaurant looked generally the same as it did in 2014, a proverbial old shoe that fit very comfortably.

We decided to order off the lunch special menu, with soup, spring roll, rice and an entree for either $9.99 or $10.99, a one to two dollar increase from 5 years ago. I apologize for the quality of the menu pictures. I do not believe the lunch special menu is online.

Lunch special menu, Em-On’s Thai Cafe

Lunch special menu, Em-On’s Thai Cafe

This is not one of the lunch menu soup choices, but the server let us substitute chicken tom kha soup for the usual offerings.

Tom kha soup

It was one of the better versions of this soup I have ever eaten. This was richly flavored and delicious. This soup is typically made with coconut milk, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, lemongrass, cilantro, mushrooms and lime juice. If you eat lunch here, ask to substitute this. It will not disappoint.

Both my dining companions ordered the chicken gang dang, a red Thai curry with coconut milk.

Chicken gang dang

This looked really good, the curry made red from red curry paste, it’s color from the dried red chiles in it. Lemongrass, baby corn, chicken broth, fish sauce, garlic, coriander and other ingredients provide the complex flavors that make up, according to my dining companions, this delicious curry. A must try next time.

I ordered the beef pad prik pon. This is a stir fry of beef, onion, dry pepper, scallion, garlic and oyster sauce. It was excellent and highly recommended.

Beef pad prik pon

The food served to us was as good as I remembered it in 2014. There is a reason the restaurant has been open under the same ownership for over twenty years. What they do works and people keep coming back, it’s as simple as that.

If you haven’t been to Em-On’s for their lunch specials, I hope you will. For the quality and flavor of the food served here, it is one of the best lunch values in town. If you have been here I am almost certain you will be back. I imagine there are very few who did not have a second visit.

That’s that for another post on Forks.

Em-On’s Thai Cafe

2364 Immokalee Rd.

Naples, FL 34110

(239)566-1993

Em-On’s Thai Cafe Facebook Page

Lunch: 11AM-3PM Monday-Saturday; Open Christmas and New Years Day, Closed Sundays; All major credit cards accepted; Kid’s meals available