Lemongrass: She’s a Keeper

By Monica Jones
Contributor: Josh, Columbus Georgia Eats

Let’s just go ahead and say it.

Some of y’all have been driving past Lemongrass for years and still haven’t tried it.

And that’s fine… until it’s not. Because at some point, you realize you’ve been missing something that’s been sitting right here the whole time.

Lemongrass Thai & Sushi has been part of Columbus for years now. The food is fresh, balanced, and authentically Thai. The kind of place that resets your expectations of what Thai food is supposed to taste like…and if you’ve ever sat down for a meal there, you get it.

That kind of consistency doesn’t just happen.

What started as one restaurant has grown into three locations across the region, a reflection not just of good food, but of something deeper. Owner Jennie Sardinas came to the U.S. from Thailand with a simple goal of building something for herself. She did that. And then she kept going.

This is a true family operation. And not in the “they own it” sense, in the “they’re everywhere at once” sense. Jennie is deeply hands-on across all three locations, and if you don’t see her at one, you’ll probably catch her at another the next day. The same goes for her family. They move between kitchens, step in wherever they’re needed, and somehow keep everything running without missing a beat. You start to wonder how it all works, but wherever they are, they’re fully present. And that kind of presence shows up in everything.

And somehow, through growth, expansion, and everything the last few years have thrown at restaurants, they’ve kept that same standard intact.

Columbus gets a lot of people passing through thanks to Fort Benning, but what keeps a place growing here is simple, people come back. Lemongrass has built that kind of following over time. The menu is thoughtful, the execution is consistent, and it shows. Walk in, order just about anything, and you’re going to understand why it’s lasted.

Recently, Josh from Columbus Georgia Eats pulled up with a few friends and did the right thing, ordering across the menu instead of playing it safe.

The meal started with a Thai coffee. As Josh put it, “strong, dark, finished with heavy cream, and naturally a little sweet… still coffee, just better behaved.”

Shrimp spring rolls came out first. Fresh, light, not trying to do too much. Shrimp, crisp vegetables, glass noodles, all wrapped in soft rice paper. Two sauces on the side, chili and peanut. “The chili gives it a little edge,” he said, “but the peanut sauce is the one you keep going back to.”

Then came Tom Kha Gai. Coconut-based, a little spice, really clean flavor. The lime is what pulls it together, keeping it from getting too heavy and giving it that brightness that makes you go back for another spoonful.

Once the mains started landing, it was clear nobody at the table ordered wrong.

Graprao Gai was one of those dishes that surprises you a little. Chicken, Thai basil, chilies, garlic, bell peppers, everything working together instead of fighting for attention. “Savory, herbal, a little sweet, a little heat,” Josh noted. Even the egg, which can be hit or miss for some people, actually rounds it out.

Drunken noodles with shrimp is probably the safest entry point if you’re new to Thai, but it still delivers. Wide noodles, a little chew, some heat from the chilies and jalapeños, balanced out by the egg and the sweetness from the peppers. Cashews give it some crunch so it’s not all soft texture.

The crispy duck stood out, mostly because it was done right. The skin had that crisp you want without feeling heavy, and the meat stayed tender. As Josh pointed out, the sauce “cuts through just enough to keep it from getting overwhelming halfway through.”

And yeah, you can’t ignore the sushi here.

A chef’s selection came out and looked the part immediately. Clean, well put together, not overloaded. The nigiri lets the fish do what it’s supposed to do, and the rolls add some variety without drowning everything in sauce.

They wrapped it up with mango sticky rice, made with black sticky rice instead of the usual white. A little more texture, a little more depth, still sweet, still light enough to not feel like you made a mistake at the end of the meal.

And that’s not just one good meal, that’s the standard.

If your experience with Thai food has been limited, this is a good place to start. The flavors are layered without being heavy. Rich when they need to be, light when they should be, and far more balanced than what most of us reach for on a regular night.

And with Mother’s Day coming up, it’s an easy call. Take your mom. Take yourself. Take whoever’s been saying “we should try that place” for the last three years and just go.

Because once you do, it becomes one of those places you’ll want to keep coming back to.

Lemongrass Thai & Sushi
Wynnton Rd & North Lake Pkwy (Columbus)
Columbus Pkwy (Opelika)
lemongrassthaiandsushi.com