Rising Sons Thai Restaurant (State Street)

"The only PRO is the papaya salad. (It's only good item on the menu.) However, it seems too expensive for the small portion. (It's $10, but only enough for one person. Other restaurants are either cheaper or same priced, but it's a shareable portion.) I've went twice now with friends and here are the CONS: - I went at noon the second time and the waitress told me that the chef doesn't cook papaya salad this early (why is it on the menu then if I can't order it) - Papaya plate platter (with fried chicken) the portion was too small and it was expensive ($17)... the fried chicken was freshly cooked, but I could tell that it was old/out-of-date (the chicken had a weird taste) - Garlic Pork Dish (pictured below) was extremely dry and had a stench (the pork wasn't cleaned properly) - Keng Kari (curry with beef) was extremely salty - Pho and Pho Nam Tok were way too sweet - When it was time to pay, the waitress clicked on the 15% for me. (The customer should be able to choose what amount to tip.) Essentially, my friends and I would not come here again."

"Rising Sons on State Street in Madison is a great place for Lao and Thai food. This papaya salad is fire! Delicious and so freaking spicy. I got there papaya salad combo that was supposed to be with beef jerky and sticky rice but got pork chops and regular rice. All good. It was delicious. I also got pork eggrolls and Thai ice tea."

"Been coming here for years and it is consistently the best Thai food in Madison. The owner is very friendly and remembers the way I liked my soups. Soups are amazing, very tasteful and great broth. The curry’s are fantastic as well. Now that I’m not in Madison anymore I look forward to swinging by whenever I’m in town."

"This is my safe space on campus. I love the staff with my whole heart they genuinely care and remember you, they will make you feel so overjoyed. The pad kee mao and green curry combination is unmatched. Make sure you get everything super spicy it makes the whole meal 30x better. Please never go out of business I would donate my home to keep you with a roof over your head."

"Got the pad see ew (w tofu) and mango sticky rice. Both were incredible. The pad see ew's noodles were very soft and tender, but still had the perfect amount of char. Veggies and tofu were cooked to perfection. The mango sticky rice was perfectly ripe and a delicious treat."