My family loves Thai, especially

Pad Thai chicken
Pad se Ew Beef
Panang curry chicken or tofu
Spring rolls and chicken satay

These are pretty basic items, some spice in the panang but not a lot.

I order one dish per person + 2 dishes for a table of four people to share.

So for 4 people, I would order 7 entrees. For 8 people - 13-14 entrees.

The jumbo sized entrees of America's glory years have disappeared. So, these are still generous offerings if you have catered to everyone's choice of entree and in addition you have dishes that every one can share.

Anonymous wrote:spring rolls or steamed dumplings
combination low mein or combination pad see ew (not both)
chicken fried rice
Kung pow chicken (no peanuts)
Panang curry tofu
Sichuan green beens (without pork if you have a vegetarian)
beef and broccoli or double fried pork

it's too much but who cares, have left overs.

This is a great list. Everyone would be happy.
Plus Thai Iced Teas. I love those. Maybe they can have the ice separate for you.

Check about nut and shellfish allergies if doing thai.

I prefer thai and would order:
- spring rolls x 2 so there is at least one each
- garden rolls
- chicken satay (x 2 if you know everyone will take one, there are usually only 4)
- pad see ew with veggies
- drunken noodles with shrimp
- pad thai with chicken
- green curry with tofu

My friends are not big meat eaters.

Here is our usual order for Thai food with our family ((Ufff...since it is a take-out, some fried and battered dishes may not transfer well. So, have a plan for that.))

Crispy chive dumplings
Chicken satay
Veggi spring rolls
Papaya salad
Fish cakes or battered calamari
Tom Yum or Tom Kha soup

Chicken in penang curry
Spicy catfish
Herbal Tofu
Pork in green curry
Drunken noodles
Eggplant with basil and chili
Ginger stirfried mushroom

Here is our usual order when we order Chinese for our family get togethers -

Spring rolls
Panfried dumpling
Sweet corn soup
Hot and Sour soup

Singapore noodles or Mai Fun noodles.
Egg Foo Yong (with gravy)
Green beans with pork
Eggplant in garlic sauce

Kung Pao Chicken
Chicken with broccoli
Pork with mixed veg
Sweet and sour shrimp

Do you think your friends would like fried rice and lo mein as well? You can add it.

Unless you know everyone's dietary preferences, I would avoid shrimp. A lot of people don't eat it due to allergy, religion, or not liking seafood. It also doesn't reheat well if you expect leftovers.

For Chinese: chicken lo mein, beef with broccoli, sweet and sour pork, some variety of mixed vegetable dish, a spicier chicken dish for the people who like spicy.

For Thai: pad thai, chicken green curry, beef massaman curry, pineapple fried rice (or combo fried rice), chicken satay and papaya salad.

I disagree about asking, especially if you aren't ordering specific items for specific people.

I like your selection and agree with PP about considering the sauces.

Ask them.

Why aren’t you asking people?
This is so odd.
You don’t have to cater to every single persons favorite dish but ask them for preferences.
You might find everyone loves chicken dishes and hates beef. Or they all like rice and hate lo mein.

spring rolls or steamed dumplings
combination low mein or combination pad see ew (not both)
chicken fried rice
Kung pow chicken (no peanuts)
Panang curry tofu
Sichuan green beens (without pork if you have a vegetarian)
beef and broccoli or double fried pork

it's too much but who cares, have left overs.

I would also consider the sauces. It seems like a lot of Chinese restaurants use very similar sauces on several dishes, so I would aim to have a variety.

I always love Singapore noodles with chicken.
Beef with broccoli. Fried rice.

Ask the people who will eat it

I’m having a few friends over for dinner tomorrow night, and plan to order in Chinese or Thai food. I will order before everyone arrives and am deciding what to order.

What are most popular dishes, in your opinion? I am thinking spring rolls, and- a veggie dish, a chicken dish, a beef dish, a shrimp dish, and a noodle or rice dish. There will be 5 of us, and I’ll be happy to eat leftovers.

Thank for your suggestions. This isn’t a big deal, just thought I’d crowd source.