The spicy crab roll at Thai Village, Cornerstone of Centerville, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Behind the crab roll, from left: Soy sauce, Thai Hot spice and hot sauce
Ray Marcano/Contributed
When I want Asian food, I frequent a number of small mom and pop restaurants in assuming strip malls that’s more geared for carryout than dine in.
Thai Village at Cornerstone of Centerville has taken the opposite approach. It’s a well-appointed sit-down restaurant, provides a nice ambiance and interior with a combination of tables, booths and partitioned areas that provide a little more privacy. The stocked bar contains standard spirits (Maker’s Mark, Tito’s) as well as domestic, Japanese and Thai beers. There’s even an outdoor patio which would be nice on a cool day.
I visited on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the kind of warm and muggy day that screams “beer.” So I started with a nice, cold, 12-ounce bottle of Singha Thai lager ($7) that was close in taste to a Michelob Ultra, and that’s perfect for me. I don’t care for wine with Asian food, which is good because of the minimal offerings on the menu. The bottles are certainly affordable ($33-$37) and I might have talked myself into a Reisling or Pinot Grigio. But I remembered my experience tying to pair Chinese food with wine and decided beer was the best bet.
Thai Village has an extensive menu of appetizers, entrees and sushi. Trying multiples of each would have turned me into Sherman Klump of the Nutty Professor. So, I decided the appetizer sampler ($19) would provide a cross section of tastes.
The appetizer sampler at Thai Village, visited on September 8, 2026, contains four chicken wings, two spring rolls, four gyoza, four cheese Rangoon and two sauces.
Ray Marcano/Contributed
The plate came with four chicken wings, two spring rolls, four gyoza, four cheese Rangoon and two sauces.
The Rangoon had more cream cheese than the standard fair and was crunchy without being over fried. The gyoza were tossed in a pan giving the outside a crispy texture that provided a nice contrast to the soft pork filing. The chicken wing breading was so airy I would wager they were dredged in rice flour. I could have eaten a dozen of the crispy vegetable spring rolls.
The sampler was good, but the sauces were amazing. The garlic and pepper Thai chili had a slight kick and sweetness that coated the wings well. But the soy, oyster and fish sauce was a sweet, sticky, salty bit of goodness that I slathered on everything. It enhanced, not detracted, from the appetizer bites. That was purely yummy.
The menu provides a much-needed chart with five spice levels from none to Thai hot. The levels mean different things to different establishments. I’ve ordered “medium” and the spicy about blew steam out of my ears. I’ve ordered hot that wasn’t. In this case, I ordered medium and asked for the “hot” and “Thai hot” on the side.
I next a spicy (imitation) crab roll ($9), a sushi dish that reminded me of the importance of closely reading the menu. The “spicy” was a spicy mayonnaise, which was tasty, but not very spicy. The light sticky rice was the best part of the roll, made better when I dipped it (first) in that amazing fish sauce and then when I tried a bit with the Thai hot, which comes as a seasoning. To my embarrassment, I exclaimed (loudly I guess) “woah!” because I noticed a couple of people turning my way. Yes, it was that hot, and I pushed it away. The “hot” sauce, sweet and spicy, was far more manageable.
I tried the roasted half duck entrée ($32), which comes with a choice of noodles, curry, fried rice or wok specialties. I love a good Pad Thai, and that with duck seemed like an excellent pairing.
The duck was crispy on the outside, exactly the way good skin should be. Sadly, the meat was inconsistent. One piece was overdone, yet another juicy. Fortunately, the various sauces help the dish but that shouldn’t be. Good duck should stand on its own.
The vegetable Pad Thai has the requisite sweet and sour balance. Though the menu said it contained crushed peanuts, I didn’t taste any, and I missed the light crunch that normally accompanies the dish. Thai Village also offers a crispy Pad Thai, deep-fried noodles that stay crunchy. That’s a dish to try on another visit.
Duck with Pad Thai at Thai Village at Cornerstone of Kettering on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
Ray Marcano/Contributed
I looked at the dessert menu but skipped it. The mango sticky rice was the only traditional Thai dessert on a menu that included chocolate mousse, New York cheesecake and tiramisu. I was hoping for something more authentic.
The restaurant, however, needs to clean up a few things. I noticed, in a hall leading to the restrooms, a bag of sweet potatoes on a bench near the bar as well as a cart containing dirty dishes. There has to be a place to keep them out of the customers’ site line. Our server, who seemed a tad nervous at first, became comfortable enough to thoughtfully and cheerfully explain the sauces and dishes in detail. Good job.
Otherwise, Thai Village is a nice mid-range option with good ambiance and sit-down options. Oh. Stay away from the Thai Hot.
The review
5 = outstanding, 4 = above average, 3= average, 2 = poor, 1 = terrible
What: Thai Village, 5201 Cornerstone N Blvd., Dayton
Ambiance: 4: Well-appointed
Appetizers: 4. Excellent
Duck: 3: Crispy skin
Sushi: 4: Great sauces
Service: 4: Attentive
Upcoming wine dinners
Prices are per person
** Includes tax and tip
Sept. 16: Paella on the Patio, Salar, Dayton, $75, $99 with wine
Sept. 17: The Prisoner wine dinner, Chart House, Cincinnati, $140**
Sept. 17 or 24: Four course bourbon cocktail pairing dinner, Bonefish Grill, Dayton, $65
Sept. 18: Wine, Whiskey and Wagu, Flemings Steakhouse, Dayton, $149
Sept. 18: You had me at Malbec, Ralph’s Garage, Wilmington OH, $70
Sept. 21: Watershed Mixology, four-course dinner, Salar, Dayton, $99
Sept. 23: Four course German + Austrian wine dinner, Piazza Discepoli Wine & Food, Cincinnati, $85
Sept. 23: Clarence Dillon Wine Dinner with Château Haut-Brion, Table 33, Dayton, $234**
Sept. 23: Two Mountain Winery, Napa Kitchen a Bar, Columbus, $100**
Sept. 25: Fourth anniversary, five-course beer dinner, Little Fish, Dayton, $124.56
Sept. 29: Five-course wine dinner, Club Oceano, Beavercreek. Call 937-988-0909 to RSVP
Sept. 29: Four-course Tapas and Tasting, Ray’s Wine, Vandalia, $60
Sept. 29: The Three Masters Sommelier wine dinner, The Refectory, Columbus, $395
Oct. 15: Rodney Strong wine dinner, Chart House, Cincinnati, $120**
Oct. 21: Wine and Dine, Yankee Trace, TBA, Centerville
Oct. 24: A Taste of Italy, Light on the Hill, Casstown, $90
Oct. 29: 5-course Duckhorn wine dinner, McCormick & Schmick’s, Cincinnati, $140
Nov. 14: Jungle Jim’s International Wine Festival, Fairfield, $40 to $200
Send your wine or cocktail dinner listings to winedineddn@gmail.com
Ray Marcano.
Dining and Cooking