Here's what to order at Mai's Thai Restaurant, including authentic curries and more

When you live in Louisville, it’s easy to forget about restaurants that are just a hop, skip, and jump away in Indiana. There’s something about driving over a bridge that makes it feel further away. In reality — at least for me, living in Irish Hill — it takes less time to get to Jeffersonville than it does to Churchill Downs.

But regardless of where you reside in Louisville, there’s an eatery on the other side of the Ohio River that might be worth the drive: Mai’s Thai Restaurant, which has been serving authentic Thai cuisine for 24 years.

This week, I caught up with Samai Morris — daughter of Mai’s Thai owner Pissmai Meyers — to talk about the restaurant’s roots, which dishes are on the must-try list, and what’s in store for the business once Meyers retires. Here’s what I learned.

Mai's Thai credits its restaurant start to The Courier Journal

Morris explained that in the 1980s, her parents opened Addison’s Grocery in Old Louisville.

“My mom had a deli that was located inside of the grocery store,” she told The Courier Journal. “We used to sell deli sandwiches, fried chicken, (and) stuff like that.”

Meyers — who grew up in Bangkok — eventually decided to add a few Thai dishes to the deli selections. “We had no idea that so many people wanted to taste Thai food,” Morris recalled.

After a Courier Journal reporter wrote a story about it, even more Louisvillians were eager to sample some authentic Thai cuisine.

“After … the article (was published), we had people lining up at the door,” Morris said. But Addison’s Grocery was exactly that — a grocery store — and it wasn’t equipped to accommodate so many customers.

Meyers, however, always wanted a restaurant — and the response she was getting at the deli was a clear indication that Derby City and its surrounding areas were ready for more Thai flavors. By 1999, her dream came true, and she opened the doors of Mai’s Thai Restaurant in Jeffersonville.

The pad Thai is good — but don’t sleep on the curries

Morris said the pad Thai is, unsurprisingly, one of the restaurant’s most popular picks. Guests are also fond of the Gua Teow Pad Se-ew, which features Thai rice noodles that are stir-fried in bean sauce with eggs and broccoli. Customers like the Thai fried rice, too — but Morris said her mom’s specialty dishes are her curries.

“(She’s) my mom, (so) of course I’m going to give her all the praise,” Morris said, “but I’ve tried a lot of Thai food in the area, (and) nobody can beat her curry.”

The Mai’s Thai menu boasts eight types of curry; each is served with steamed rice and a choice of chicken, pork, or tofu. Guests also have the option of swapping the steamed rice for fried rice and/or adding shrimp or beef.

Morris’s favorite is the Gaeng Keow Wan, or green curry. Made with coconut milk, it includes green beans and eggplant. “(Like) our customers tell it,” Morris added with a laugh, “can’t nobody do it like Mai do it.”

The reason the food is so flavorful is all about the spices

Morris attributes the restaurant’s longevity to the fact that the dishes have remained consistent from day one. Meyers developed her menu based on the foods she grew up with, and she doesn’t cut corners.

“When she says (it’s) authentic,” Morris said, “that means she’s cooking it just like she (did) … in the country, in Bangkok.”

Meyers also works to keep her dishes as close to what one would find in Thailand by incorporating ingredients, like dry peppers, that she hand-selects during her annual trips home.

“She likes to bring back … products to use in the kitchen,” Morris said. “She doesn’t like to use the imported stuff. She likes the real deal, (and brings) back … enough to last for the whole year.”

Check out Mai Mondays and Mini Mai's Thai

Morris’s daughter, Alexis Addison, works at her grandmother’s restaurant and is responsible for bringing various specials to Mai’s Thai customers. One of the current specials, dubbed Mai Mondays, is offered every Monday from 4-6 p.m. With each purchase of a regular-priced entree, guests can get a salad or an appetizer for half-off.

During warmer months, Addison also runs the restaurant’s food truck, Mini Mai’s Thai. “She graduated (from culinary school) in 2015, Morris explained, “and (her) passion … was to open up a food truck.”

The family debuted the new wheels this past April and plan to have it back on the streets in March 2024.

Addison recently invested in new wok stations, which will help her offer dishes to customers completely fresh, similar to the way street food is served in Thailand.

Restaurant, food truck will be around for at least a few more years

Meyers, now 72 years old, is looking forward to retirement. “She was going to retire during COVID-19, but we talked her out of it,” Morris recalled, adding that the family now has a plan in place for when her mom does retire in two-and-a-half years.

“We do plan to keep her name alive,” she said, “but we’re not looking at a restaurant.”

Not wanting to give too much away, Morris added, “I really do think people will be very excited … to see what we have planned. … It (will) continue the legacy that my mom has already created for us.”

Know a restaurant that would make a great feature? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.

Mai’s Thai Restaurant

WHAT: This is a locally owned and authentic homestyle Thai restaurant.

WHERE: 1411 E. 10th St., Jeffersonville, Indiana

SERVICES: Indoor dining, carryout, and catering; 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

CONTACT: maisthai.com, minimaisthai@gmail.com, 812-282-0198

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: What to order at Mai's Thai Restaurant in Jeffersonville, Indiana