• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Champagne Tastes®
  • About
  • Travel
    • Food Travel
    • Outdoor Adventure
  • Recipes
    • Garden To Table
    • Seafood
    • Camping Recipes
    • Ferment
    • Backyard Foraging + Wild Game
    • Cooking Basics
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Garden To Table
  • Seafood
  • Ferment
  • Foraging + Wild Game
  • Cooking Basics
  • Camping Recipes
  • Outdoor Adventure
  • Food Travel
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Travel » Food Travel

    DaLaya Thai Cuisine (Sylva, NC)

    Published: Jun 10, 2022 · Modified: Aug 13, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    Experience a range of delicious northern Thai food at DaLaya Thai Cuisine, a welcoming North Carolina eatery not far from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

    DaLaya sign.

    On our recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there were two things we were anticipating: great hiking and great food!

    There’s no shortage of either, and in spite of rainy weather the trip was still a success.

    We found a less-traveled but gorgeous waterfall trail called Sweat Heifer Creek, and we booked a fun, laid-back hike-and-sip tour at Souther Williams Vineyard.

    But my favorite restaurant discovery has to be DaLaya Thai Cuisine, an upscale Northern Thai restaurant in Sylva, North Carolina.

    It was amazing!

    If a small but gourmet eatery with a menu rather different from your usual Thai places sounds good to you, you’re in for a treat. Here’s what to expect at DaLaya Thai Cuisine!

    Looking for trail guides in the Smokies? Try Abrams Falls, Andrews Bald, Charlies Bunion, and Alum Cave! If you’re staying on the North Carolina side, here’s a guide to things to do.

    Before You Go

    The town of Sylva, North Carolina, is about 30 minutes from the south side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s also about an hour west of Asheville. It has quite a few restaurants for a small town!

    DaLaya Thai Cuisine is on Main Street. It’s open for supper most days of the week (and pickup-only for lunch hours). You can check out the menu on their website, and order online if you’re doing pick-up.

    No reservations are needed for dine-in.

    DaLaya building.
    DaLaya Thai Cuisine

    There’s patio outdoor seating, as well as just a few indoor seats.

    Outdoor Seating at DaLaya.
    Outdoor Seating at DaLaya
    DaLaya Seating.
    DaLaya Seating

    The restaurant is right next to Scott Creek, a stream that runs through most of the downtown area. It adds to the peaceful ambience.

    River Views.
    Creek View

    The Menu at DaLaya Thai Cuisine

    The menu was unlike other Thai restaurants I’ve been to. It could have possibly been overwhelming, but the server was super helpful!

    dalaya menu
    Specialties Menu
    dalaya menu
    DaLaya Menu

    She explained that they serve Northern Thai food, so there’s no Pad Thai, and also the curries are slightly thinner than we might be used to when ordering Thai restaurant staples like panang curry.

    The server also let us know that they don’t customize heat levels, so she could help us choose meals that fit our spice preferences. (Basically, the server was amazing!)

    The meals were gorgeous, as was my blooming jasmine tea. We also tried the iced hibiscus tea.

    Blooming Jasmine Tea.
    Blooming Jasmine Tea

    Our server told us that one of their most popular dishes was Khao Soi, a classic north Thai dish.  

    Khao Soi.
    Khao Soi (Chicken Curry with Egg Noodles)

    We ordered the Khao Soi and the Khanom Jin Naam Yaa Plaa (a rainbow trout curry). That curry was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!

    Khanom Jiin Naam Yaa Plaa.
    Khanom Jiin Naam Yaa Plaa (Trout Curry)

    For dessert we tried the Thai ice cream, and it was fantastic.

    Thai Tea Ice Cream.
    Thai Tea Ice Cream

    They also had a lavender honey ice cream that sounded wonderful. Next time!

    I hope you get to try DaLaya Thai if you’re in this corner of North Carolina, and I hope you have as much fun with these flavors as I did!

    There’s a lot of great food in this part of North Carolina: we also loved the Everett Hotel Bistro in Bryson City, about 25 minutes away!

    « Beech Fork State Park (Barboursville, WV)
    Crab Pizza »

    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    bio

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a traveler who loves to eat.   Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road.

    Learn More →

    Currently Trending

    • A Canned Sardine Recipe: Mini Fish Cakes
    • Pan-Seared Rockfish
    • Pan-Seared Red Snapper
    • Crab Butter Sauce

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe and Photo Reuse Terms + FAQ

    Copyright ©2015-2023 Champagne Tastes
    All Rights Reserved.