Eat My Thai – Albuquerque, New Mexico

In his inimitable style Anthony Bourdain described the first time he tasted Thai food: “It was like discovering a color I never knew existed before. A whole new crayon box full of colors.”  His words resonate true for those of us who don’t live in a monochromatic world of homogeneous meals lacking diversity, personality and flavor.  Similarly resonant is his characterization of Thailand’s spicy food: “That perfect balance of pain, and pleasure, and more pain. Brain flooding with endorphins and all is well with the world. Until tomorrow morning.”  Would that my words would flow with the profundity, veracity and ease with which Bourdain laced his every utterance.

When my Kim and I find a Thai restaurant with a menu so diverse and complete that it practically begs for a poetic waxing is when I curse the lack of fluency, grace, and rhetorical eloquence in my speech.  Such was the case when we visited the almost sardonically named Eat My Thai restaurant on Gibson.  Perusing the menu filled me with joy and with hope.  Far too many Thai restaurants across the Duke City have a boring “sameness” as if they subscribe to a templated format.  Eat My Thai’s menu offers a number of items heretofore unavailable in the Land of Enchantment’s Thai eateries.  It’s not every menu that fulfills its promises of deliciousness and diversity in every menu item.  Based on what we enjoyed during our inaugural visit, Eat My Thai does!

Eat My Thai is situated in the Siesta Hills Shopping Center on Gibson Blvd. a few blocks east of San Mateo.  It’s recessed from Gibson and has an east-facing storefront which makes it a challenge to spot if you’re headed east.  More easy to spot from Gibson is the delightful 999 Seafood Market, itself a foodie’s haven within Albuquerque’s International District.  The spot in which Eat My Thai is ensconced has been home to a number of short-lived restaurants (including the wonderful Asian Grill).  Eat My Thai is going on three years at the location as of our initial visit in July, 2025.

Though adobe-hued homogeneity describes the restaurant’s exterior, step inside and you’re treated to a vibrant ambiance,  Lush greenery, wicker baskets on the walls, requisite Buddha statuary and other visually intriguing decorative touches lend to what promises to be a tranquil and immersive experience.  That experience is bolstered by an attentive wait staff.  Following up friendly greetings, the wait staff is on-the-spot with refills, recommendations and prompt service.

Though such factors as ambiance and service rarely escape my notice, my primary focus is on a restaurant’s menu.  That’s where Eat My Thai really shines.  While the menu does include all the usual suspects (such as America’s favorite Pad Thai), the menu is replete with dishes not common in Duke City Thai restaurants.  Unique offerings can be found in every section of the multi-page menu: Stir-Fried Noodles, Noodle Soups, Rice Dishes, Curry Dishes, Wok Dishes, Eat My Favorites, Vegetarian menu; Appetizers, Soups and Salads; and Beverages and Desserts.

25 July 2025:  Appetizers at virtually every Thai restaurant in the Duke City don’t extend much beyond satay, egg rolls, steamed dumplings and chicken wings.  At Eat My Thai, you’ll find such delightful starters as money bags (cilantro, mushroom, carrot, wrapped in egg roll ground skin).  Visually, each of the five crispy golden pouches do indeed resemble an old-fashioned money bag complete with a tie to hold all that lovely money intact.  Every bit of thse money bags is edible and absolutely delicious though the accompanying sauce is mostly one-note (sweet).  Money bags (thung thong in Thai) have their genesis as part of “Thai Royal Cuisine,” food for people who reside in the Thai royal palace.  Royal cuisine in Thailand dates back to 1351 and historically used the rarest, freshest and most expensive ingredients to prepare lavishly presented cuisine that was and still is mild in taste.  Today money bags can be found in some Thai restaurants, even in Albuquerque.  One of my greatest thrills is introducing great friends to great food.  Our friends Tom and Ellyn Hamilton had never experienced money bags until visiting Eat My Thai with us.  Not surprisingly they loved them.

25 July 2025: Another appetizer as delicious as it is unique is called angel’s wings (boneless chicken stuffed ground pork, onion, carrot and mushroom).  As celestial as any starter in town, these angel’s wings are (to my knowledge) only found at one other Albuquerque restaurant location, the wonderful Vietnamese restaurant Huong Thao.   Who would ever have thought a stuffed chicken wing could taste so good?  These hand-held gems are terrific though the accompanying sauce (cloying) isn’t worthy.  One other problem with both the angel’s wings and the money bags is that they’re served in odd numbered portions which means you might have to figure out how to split the odd numbered one.  Tom’s solution: order two portions.

25 July 2025:  Mention beef jerky and many New Mexicans think “carne seca.”  There really is a difference between beef jerky and carne seca.  Carne seca has a much more intense flavors than typical jerky. It’s often seasoned with a variety of spices, including chile.  New Mexican restaurants like the New Mexico Beef Jerky Chicharrones have  introduced so many wonderful variations to carne seca that we no longer have to wonder what carne seca would taste like if it was marinated in teriyaki or habanero (for those of us who can stand the heat).

25 July 2025:  The Thai version of beef jerky is actually more like carne seca than it is like the boring beef jerky non-New Mexicans are subjected to.  Well, maybe not texturally, but at least in terms of not being a one-note exercise in chewing.  Thai beef jerky (known as Neua Dad Deaw is a flavorful and slightly sweet-savory dried beef snack and popular street food.  It’s typically made by marinating thin slices of beef in a mixture of fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and spices, then drying it in the sun or oven before lightly frying it. This results in a chewy, tender, and crispy texture.  it also results in delighted diners.

1 July 2025: Eat My Thai has a wider selection (ten) of curry dishes than other Thai restaurants in Albuquerque.   In addition to the usual selection of Thai curries–red curry, green curry, yellow curry, Panang curry and mussaman curry–the menu offers duck curry, mango curry, pineapple curry, pumpkin curry and even a Japanese curry.  They sure do know how to curry my favor.  Remembering the last time I had mango curry was in Denver almost two decades ago made my selection an easy one.  The tangy sweetness of mango pairs so well with the sugary sweetness of coconut milk and complements curry’s combination of salty, sweet, sour, and piquant elements.  The mango curry included onion, bell pepper, carrot, green beans and mango, in good proportion to one another, lending a terrific balance to a wonderful dish.   Steamed jasmine rice is served with all curries.

1 July 2025: Many Thai restaurants seem to limit available proteins to pork, beef, chicken or shrimp.  Eat My Thai one-ups them all with several duck-based dishes: duck noodle soup, duck rice, duck curry, honey duck and an entree called “Eat My Duck” from the “Eat My Favorites” section of the menu.   This aptly named wok-fried duck dish includes boneless duck with ginger, mushroom, carrot, onion, pineapple and tomato.  The tanginess of the pineapple, spicy pungency of the ginger and acidity of the tomato provide a nice counterbalance to the earthy qualities of the mushroom and the delicate, yet rich notes of duck.  This is a beautiful dish on the plate made even more palatable by flavors that go so well together.

25 July 2025:  During an episode of Parts Unknown, television gliteratti Anthony Bourdain visited Thailand where he observed that “There’s almost an inverse relationship, like the more hideous looking the dish, the more delicious it is.”  He wasn’t talking about green curry which may be the most inviting of all Thai curries.  With a vibrant green color and its inimitable balane of sweet, savory and spicy flavors, it’s an amalgam of ingredients (green curry paste made with fresh green chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and other herbs and spices) simmered in coconut milk with various vegetables, proteins such as chicken, tofu, or seafood, and aromatics, it is one of my very favorite of all Thai curries.  Eat My Thai’s version with chicken is terrific.

27 July 2025:  It just wasn’t fair.  The day after enjoying my very favorite eggplant dish in Albuquerque at the Red Chilli House, I was still craving more eggplant.  Eat My Thai’s spicy eggplant dish beckoned.  As with other entrees at the restaurant, you can have the dish with your choice of protein (chicken, beef, pork, steamed tofu, fried tofu, vegetables, shrimp, seafood and even duck) as well as the spice level (mild, medium, hot, Thai hot) you can tolerate.  Eggplant shares a generous bowl with bell peppers, onions and basil.  It’s a good dish, but not as lively and delicious as Red Chilli House’s version.

27 July 2025: It’s not often we visit a Thai restaurant without enjoying mangoes with sticky rice.  It’s not every Thai restaurant that offers “Mountain Flat bread with condensed milk, also known as “roti.”  Roti is unleavened flatbread made from whole wheat flour in kitchens throughout South Asia, the Caribbean and Africa.  Typically called “chapati” at Indian restaurants where it may be served with chutney, it’s best served as a dessert with sweetened condensed milk.  The wonderful contrast of smoky, savory flatbread with sweet, rich milk is addictive.  Nine wedges of the fabulous flatbread were a nice way to finish a delightful meal.

If you find my words in adequate to describe the lively flavors of the colorful food at Eat My Thai, you’ll see just how difficult it is to describe a meal that delivers on the promises of a diverse menu.  How many adjectives and synonyms are there, after all, for delicious.

Eat My Thai
5303 Gibson Blvd., S.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 388-0499
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 27 July 2025
1st VISIT: 1 July 2025
# OF VISITS: 2
RATING: 23
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Roti, Eat My Duck, Mango Curry, Angel’s Wings, Money Bags, Thai Beef Jerky, Green Curry,
REVIEW #1475