Review: Thai Charcoal Pit

A perennial favorite of the couch-savvy, Thai cuisine offers a fresh alternative to the old staples of delivery food. Thai Charcoal Pit offers classic Thai dishes at reasonable prices for an enjoyable, if not memorable, experience. I ordered the Pad Thai, but was slightly dismayed at the noodle-to-other-things ratio, with only a small helping of red cabbage and crushed peanuts on the side. The signature tart taste of the tamarind/lime-soaked noodles with the crunchy texture of the bean sprouts was nice, but not quite compelling enough to call delicious. The side order of egg rolls, on the other hand, was sublime. The cabbage, carrot, and rice noodle filling was surprisingly fresh, and paired with the rich, crisp fried outer layer, left me feeling full but wanting more. I finished the meal with an order of their coconut ice cream, which is exactly what it sounds like, with chunks of coconut flesh and cashews sprinkled liberally. It veered dangerously close to cloyingly sweet, but was otherwise delightful.

Heavy on the noodles, light on the everything else.

Pricing-wise, Thai Charcoal Pit tends to lean towards the cheap, a full meal costing somewhere around ten dollars before taxes; thankfully, delivery is free. The food comes in neat Styrofoam containers and paper bags, which can be messy if your food is greasy. The restaurant is slightly stingy when it comes to cutlery and condiments, with flimsy plastic forks and almost no napkins. The meal did come with a fortune cookie, although it came in a sealed plastic bag. I didn't know fortune cookies were sold that way.

Thai Charcoal Pit is located at 2226 E. 7th St., Long Beach, CA.
For orders, call (562) 434-9723.