Thai Café
371 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN, 55103
Thai Café Menu
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Address :
371 University Ave W
Saint Paul, MN, 55103 - Phone (651) 225-8231
- Website https://www.thaicafemn.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : No
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
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moin s.
let's not mince: cheap and tasty thai food is finally here.
(4)Sam W.
I can't remember the name of what I ordered, but it was absurdly tasty - seared tilapia, covered in a slurry of fresh herbs and fish sauce. Nowhere near the best Thai food I've ever had, but I am hard pressed to think of any other restaurant hardcore enough to serve you the whole fish like this! It brought me back to eating perch by the lakeside with my uncles when I was a kid. Also, I can second from other reviewers that the television is cryptic and unintentionally hilarious. The whole time I ate, it had a carefully edited video loop of slo-mo hummingbirds doing nothing in particular. When I want classic Thai food, I'll probably stick with On's - but next time I want to push my boundaries and have something unrepentantly, borderline uninvitingly authentic, this is where I'm going back to!
(4)Hailey P.
Four and a half star? No way, this place is definitely overrated. Craved Thai food suddenly on a Sunday night- so yelped and found this pretty high rated Thai place. Was very excited to try their food and we were hungry!! We ordered spring rolls, pad Thai and chicken cashew- the service was very slow and our appetizer(spring rolls) came out with the main dishes. The food here was very disappointing; pad Thai was over cooked, bland, just not tasty at all, the cashew chicken smelled weird(they do not use fresh chicken I guess), kinda salty and I just did not really like it. Spring rolls were just okay. Most importantly, this place is not clean... Dirty. Dining area did not look clean, but also the kitchen area looked even worse- DISGUSTING. What a bad experience... Never would go back or would recommend this restaurant! One of the worst Thai places I've ever tried in my whole life!
(1)Nichole K.
A girlfriend and I decided to try Thai Cafe on a Sunday afternoon after realizing that On's Kitchen was closed on Sundays (wtf! I was really craving that Pad See Ew!) Well, have no fear! Thai Cafe's Pad See Ew is amazing; just as flavorful and delicious as I have come to expect. It did not disappoint! If I recall it was quite a bit cheaper as well. The other two items I had were equally as deliciouso: the Mango Sticky Rice and the Mango Bubble Tea are to die for. Can you tell I like mango? Because I do. A lot. Everything I had blew me away. The actual dining room was quite small and unassuming but I really don't need fanciness when the food is that good. I will definitely be back to gorge on those delicious noodles and mango everything.
(5)Sean M.
The astounding thing about Thai Cafe is that no one ever seems to be eating here. I was hesitant to write a review, because I like it that way. I've been probably a dozen times, and this food is the real deal. They won't give you an actual 5 in spice unless you make really big fuss, or go there often. My personal favorite is the Spicy Pak Ka Pao with pork. Another suggestion is the Massaman Curry. Portions are sizeable, service is quick and friendly, and you have to walk through the kitchen to go to the bathroom. What more could you ask for? If you're coming with a party of 6 or more, know that this place is small, and probably only accommodates 20 people tops.
(5)J D.
Got this catered through my company and loved it. Went back for lunch one day and it was as good. While it isn't in the nicest neighborhood and the condiments need to be cleaned, replaced on the tables the food is just awesome. I do find it to be expensive for what you get but again it's just such good food. I will go back but likely for take out.
(4)Michael G.
I've eaten at the Thai Cafe a few times but never the same dishes except for the pineapple fried rice which has an addictive quality to it -- the sweet pineapple, rich egg flavor, savory chicken and shrimp, tart raisins, and earthy, but buttery, cashews... Sigh... The curries are wonderfully spiced and have great depth of flavor, more so than most. I wonder how they do that... Tried the green papaya salad tonight by mistake but it turned out to be a good one! Finely julienned green papaya has the crunch and texture of jicama and seemingly sweet and tart at the same time. the space is beautifully decorated and feels like I'm having dinner in my living room expect for the giant-size TV tuned into a Thai channel I presume. Can hardly wait for a return trip to try the coconut chicken soup!
(4)Karyn P.
Well I went pretty tame and just had spring rolls and the special rice noodle soup. I really enjoyed both. The owner said next time try something new and adventurous so I think I will have to go back. But on a cold rainy day that soup really hit the spot.
(4)Bryan C.
The food was terrific and the service was excellent! We really enjoyed our time there. I would definitely go there again! Thank you very much!
(5)Hank D.
The green curry ($8.99) with chicken had an abundance of vegetables like baby eggplants, peppers, and bamboo shoots. I got medium and it was true to description. Rice comes with it. Egg rolls are just all right in flavor but at $2.99 for four, it feels reasonable and the crispy freshness hits the spot on a frigid evening. I would definitely check it out again. Nice service too.
(5)G M.
Both of our dishes were to die for! Wanting me to go back as soon as possible for more!! Reasonable priced and nice people working there!! Very small but we got in right away!! Waited a little longer than I am used to for Thai food but the wait was well worth it!! I had the green curry dish which was one of the best I've had in the Minneapolis area! And my friend had a chicken almond dish that I kept wanting to steal more because it was so damn good!! Can't wait to bring my daughter there... She loves Thai as much as I! :)
(5)Jessica H.
We had spring rolls, tom yum soup, red curry, and Basil stir fry. All of it was fantastic. The soup was more like a seafood stew, packed with seafood. The red curry had way more vegetables than curries I have had before. All of the food was spicy. Some of the best Thai food we have ever had.
(5)Patti I.
Hole in the wall with really good food, my kind of place. Ordered fresh spring rolls and fried bananas for appetizers. The spring rolls were top-notch. Have never had fried bananas before, these were't terribly sweet and I wondered if maybe they were plantains. Good, but super-rich as you might expect so I only ate a couple bites. Main courses: green curry with chicken, absolutely wonderful. Great basil flavor. Red curry was also a standout. We also ordered shrimp pad thai, very good, and beef laab (larb), cold rice and herbs with minced meat. The laab was fragrant and super-tasty but be forewarned, they include little curly ribbons of tripe in theirs. It tasted fine but the texture was a little rubber band-y. Two of my dining companions ordered Thai coffee. It was extremely strong and sweet, I didn't ask if they managed to fall asleep that night. Everything we ordered was delicious and the prices are excellent. The bill for four of us came to $48. I am eager to go back. The menu is quite small and could use more complete descriptions of the dishes.
(5)Katie B.
After going to several other high-ranking thai places on Sunday only to find they are closed, I remembered hearing this place was good and we checked it out. The atmosphere is not great. They have TV's going and too many pictures of the food on the wall - it's a wall of photos. With no music going and plain tables, it doesn't look like it's going to taste very good. The waitress was very nice and kept our waters full. The food took quite awhile to come out. Part of this I think is because there is only one cook (I think). That said, the food was pretty good! The portions were pretty large, price was right. The spring rolls were excellent. I had gotten Cashew Chicken, my friend got the Ginger Chicken, and another got Pork Laab. Everything was very good and the presentation of the food itself was nice. Waitress was great the whole way through and even brought us free fried plantains as dessert, which was nice. We tipped her we.. I'll probably continue to go to my go-to favorite thai place but for Sundays this will work out just fine for me.
(4)Lauren C.
The spring rolls, were awesome. The pad thai, was awesome. The mango bubble tea, was awesome. So glad I finally decided to pop in here!
(5)K K.
Phenomenal. Sour pork is insane. The blood soup is incredible. I haven't been to Thailand but this is what I imagine the food would be like. It's as good as any Thai food I've ever had.
(5)Marise M.
Don't judge a book by its cover! This is a simple looking restaurant with nothing extravagant. On the other hand the food and service were absolutely amazing. Some of the best thai food I ever had, especially at such a reasonable price! This place is without a doubt a must eat place in St-Paul!
(5)Mat L.
We tried this place on a Sunday afternoon after reading all the great reviews. We found the food and service to be seriously lacking. Despite the fact that there were not many people in the restaurant we had to wait a long time for anyone to take an order, and then on the order of half an hour for food. Once the food came, it was very generic. The pad thai was boring and uninspired. The green curry was okay, but somewhat oily and uninteresting. Given the many other Thai restaurants on University I cannot give this one a thumbs up.
(3)Marie K.
Solid reasonably priced Thai food. If you are out and about in St. Paul this is a great choice. My husband and I ordered the ribs, pad Thai and a red curry and it was more than enough to fill us up. The most expensive thing on the menu were the ribs at $12.99. Everything else, excluding appetizers was from $8.99 to $10.99.
(4)Abby T.
I love this place. The chef, her husband, and her daughter are really nice to us every time we come in. We always compliment them as well every time we come in. I get the chicken Tom Kha soup and it's outstanding. Granted I take the ginger and lemongrass out, the favors it leaves lingers and it's very delicious. My boyfriend usually gets the pad Thai or pad kee mao. We also get bubble tea every once in awhile too. They're fresh and taste great.
(5)justine m.
Food was pretty good. But the boyfriend found hair is his pad kee Mao. Hence the two star deduction.
(3)Linda H.
We have been back several times since my last review. We can not seem to stay away from this place!! The dishes we have tried have been numerous to include some different curries, Pad Thai, and tonight I had this wonderful Thai Cashew Stir Fry which is one of my new favorites! The sauce tasty, cashews plentiful, and loads of fresh veggies made me want to grab my plate and lick it clean! I also found my new favorite bubble tea tonight made from the root Taro. I was leary but it also is my new favorite. If you like Bubble Tea, please try it here. I used to not like Bubble Tea and now I crave it. My daughter's plateful of Pad Thai tonight was so gynormous, it would be enough for two people but she gobbled hers up because once you start eating this wonderful food, you can not stop! The owner/cook graciously brought us three bowls of Mango Sticky Rice Bubble Tea ( I think that is what it was called) and I could not put it down. It was a warm, coconut sauce with little balls of mango and sticky rice bubbles. I have never tasted anything like this before. Picture the best mango sticky rice you have ever eaten in your life but in semi-liquid form with round balls of mango and sticky rice. DIVINE! This alone is worth a trip here. Because of all of the above and how perfectly friendly the service has been each and every time we have dined here, I have to move my rating from four to five stars.
(5)Wesley W.
I was in Saint Paul for a couple of weeks working and we found this little place tucked away on the first night we went out looking for something to eat. It's nothing fancy, just a little hole in the wall, but the food is awesome!! The proprietors are very congenial and the service is fast! To me, I think the place is more authentic than a fancy chain Thai restaurant would be. I was there 4 times in the 2 weeks that I was in the area but I think I could have eaten there every night and not gotten tired of it. I had their Pad Thai as well as the Red Curry and fried rice. Everything that I tried was excellent!! I would recommend this place to anyone!!
(5)Austin L.
Recently moved to a new area and on my way to / from work, I pass by University & Western and have noticed several posted signs for restaurants. The Light Rail Construction along University has been particularly hard on the myriad of small businesses along it. So I've decided to try and eat at all of the restaurants I can. There is a large and varied Asian community with dining offerings of Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese, just to name a few. The first stop is Thai Cafe. Thai is my favorite cuisine. Massaman curry is my favorite Thai dish. Unfortunately of the few 1-star reviews I've given out, 2 are Thai restaurants. I generally have bad luck finding / keeping a great Thai option. So whenever a new Thai place crops up, I'm worried it will disappoint. No such worries here. There are about 8 table with room for maybe 30 people. The woman that took my order was obviously the person cooking it in the back. I ordered my go-to, Massaman Curry. It arrived fast and hot, with the perfect amount of rice to soak up all of the curry sauce. It was chock full of potatoes and mock duck. A nice portion, either a big belly full at once or a nice bit to take away for office lunch the next day. It was everything I was hoping for. My friend had Pad Kee Mao and an Avocado Bubble Tea. The tea didn't taste strongly of avocados, but then again, not even avocados do. It was pleasantly sweet and a nice way to deal with some of the heat of our dishes. The Pad Kee Mao appeared to hit the spot, my friend added chili pasta for some extra heat. Quaint little place that needs your support. Eat University Avenue!
(4)Sarah S.
Found this place almost by accident and wow what a treat! Got and shared the Thai noodle soup, Thai papaya salad and the green curry. Everything was superb and the service was excellent. We'll most definitely be back to try more here...probably next week.
(5)Sarah G.
Had probably my most bizarre and disgusting dining experience here. I ordered the Tom Kha soup (coconut broth, chicken, lemongrass.) When my soup arrived, I was immediately hit by the most awful smell. My sister was with me and actually gagged when she smelled the soup. From what I could surmise it was probably left to heat for much too long, and the fish sauce and coconut milk reduced and curdled to the point that it was thick and rancid smelling. I am not a picky eater or one to sensationalize, but I was actually nauseated. I called the waitress over to ask what was wrong with the soup, and asked her to smell it. She recoiled from the smell but said "that's probably what it's supposed to smell like" and guessed that there were herbs in the soup that made it smell that way. She told me to "maybe stick to a curry next time" and didn't offer to give me something else or even take the soup away. I don't think I've ever encountered a situation where I've been that grossed out by something that was served to me. Also, the place is small and dirty, but that wouldn't really phase me if my food was decent. Stay away!
(1)Sarah T.
Thai Cafe is my 'go to' for when I'm craving Pad Thai and find myself on University. The place is always clean, the service is very friendly and efficient, and most importantly their Pad Thai is authentic! I also like that the menu is vegetarian friendly. Thai Cafe has it set up so that every dish is meat free unless you want to spend a couple extra dollars to add meat or tofu to your dish. Overall, the atmospheres is very genuine and the prices are very reasonable. So when you find yourself craving some good Thai food, you should support the small businesses in the Little Mekong District and stop in at Thai Cafe!
(4)Jonathan T.
It might be a solid option for Thai food, but my underwhelming experience will prevent me from returning anytime soon. I've had this business on my radar for a long time and finally made a visit several days ago for lunch. It's a tiny space that has large photos of their food plastered all over the wall, several tables that mostly fit two to four, and a large screen that plays really random (and funny) stuff. I think we watched fishermen harvesting shrimp and then the reproduction of squid? LOL! But whatever, like most hole-in-the-walls, it's mainly about the food: Spring Rolls: Even though I thought the peanut sauce was OK, I couldn't stomach the iceberg lettuce. Also, where are the herbs? I usually don't like wasting food, but this appetizer was an exception. Coconut Green Curry: Uninspiring. Nothing memorable Pad See Ew: Bland and really dry. Maybe, it could've used more soy sauce? Service: Fast! Just the way I like it. Prices: Reasonable. Maybe I came on an off day, but for now, I can't recommend this place.
(3)Nancy L.
Tried this place for the first time. The environment was small but there were a few people dining in. My fiance and I ordered sour pork ribs, red curry chicken, and chicken laab. Everything tasted pretty good. Chicken laab was not extra spicy like we ordered. There were no peppers in it actually. The curry chicken was a bit thick. BUT the sour pork ribs was DELICIOUS! Been craving for more ever since! Probably will try their papaya salad next. Overall, OK first experience. Will try the place again! UPDATE: Second Time: Yummy Sour Pork Ribs! Papaya portion seems a bit small and not spicy like I ordered. No pepper in it at all. It seems they kind of wanted to get it out to me quickly that they forgot to pay attention to the details. Third time here. Service is okay. Ordered Lao Papaya Salad and got Thai instead. They just cannot get my full order correct! Haha. But the sour pork ribs was delicious as usual!! Although they should put more pork! Still yummy! Will come back for just that!
(3)Alejandro V.
The food was not Thai at all??? I ordered a ground pork dish because I have never seen the dish before at a Thai restaurant. The dish just ground pork stir fried with bell peppers, something I could make at home... And the price was $12.99. Do not order the ground pork dish!
(1)Chao K.
I always find myself coming here with my little family, with extended family or with friends. The chef is so friendly and willing to accommodate basically anything. This place never disappoints. The only downfall is the restroom which is located just past the kitchen. You'll actually have to go through the kitchen. We've hit up almost all of the Thai places up and down University and we always find ourselves back here!
(5)Lee T.
Beef laab and lao papaya are on point. YUMMM
(4)Raphael P.
Great Thai food at a reasonable price. The service is always spot on. The dining area is pretty small but haven't had to wait very long for a table.
(5)Micheal M.
Hidden-Gem in St.Paul. Excellent food at a great price. Had the spring rolls and panang chicken curry. 10 out of 10 !!!!
(5)Lisa R.
Pad Kee Mao was just ok. The noodles are not freshly prepared. The spice level was good. The service was lacking. I would head to Lemongrass in Brooklyn Park a 100 times before returning here, and not just because of the atmosphere - but really the food is not that great.
(3)Alex V.
Thai Cafe is not the best looking thai restaurant in twin cities, but dont judge the book by its cover, this could be the best Thai restaurant in twin cities. I have been to many thai restaurant but here I had the best Tom Yum soup, the best spring rolls and many more!!
(5)A B.
One of the things we found great about this place was the high-quality chicken they had in their dishes. This is a subtle yet key factor of a high-quality restaurant in our opinion.
(5)Nate K.
I love this place. The duck laab is super phenomenal! The sour ribs are great, too. Some of the best pad Thai and rice noodle dishes around. Great soup too. Best part is the sweet lady who owns and cooks the food. Never packed but should be.
(5)Katie C.
As previous reviewer said, green curry is awesome! We tried the pad thai and it was standard..nothing special. I would steer clear of the fresh cold spring rolls, ours were warm and all in all were awful. I would go back and have green curry and maybe try some other dishes.
(4)Ge V.
Small family own. Great service & great food. I would come back again. Read my tips review.
(4)Jeremy B.
Got food to go. Best I have had in the Cities. Better than Ruam Mit Thai. Loved their Panang Curry
(5)Stefano G.
I would rate this place one star higher if it weren't for the slow service. Granted, the owner/waitress/chef/hostess was a bit overwhelmed being the ONLY employee but that doesn't warrant an over half-hour wait with not even a drink, appetizer or apology sent our way. There was only one other party of four seated at the time. The sour pork ribs were loaded with garlic which wasn't to my liking. They were very fatty and cooked too fast resulting a tough and dry texture. The massaman curry was a bit sweet. I should have specified I wanted it hot. It came out tepidly Midwestern. Although, I did appreciate its complex combination of flavors. My partner's pad Thai was only so-so. He orders it often at different restaurants and didn't have much to say about it other than "meh". We both had bubble teas and didn't realize they were sweetened so heavily. They're more like a Thai milk shake than a tea. Not bad but not something I would normally order. I also didn't find the prices to be as low as I anticipated from the reviews here. Our meal for two cam to $48 with tip. I don't think I'll return. I also think it's a far cry from being James Beard award worthy.
(2)Marijane T.
Wanted to like this place cause of a billboard I saw, I ordered pho, it was exactly like the MAMA pho you get in the packets. Have no plans to return.
(1)jared h.
Authentic and inexpensive. Coming back for sure. Great papaya salad, It's definitely the best thing I've had on the menu. Ask them to crush the peanuts on it. The Thai coffee is really tasty too, it's like a dessert in itself.
(4)Michael B.
My family LOVES Thai food and we've tried many of Thai resturants in St. Paul. This one was recommended by a co-worker and based on these reviews we had high expectations. We ordered a wide variety of food for take-out (egg rolls, spring rolls, beef salad, pad thai, stir fry, curry). The food lacked flavor and spice. We ordered it medium spice, which is usually good for us, but this wasn't. They also put tripe in the beef salad, which was nasty. There are much better options for Thai on University Ave. Currently our personal favorite is On's.
(3)Salinee H.
Delicious! I wish it was by my house. But it's probably a good thing that its not or I'd eat there everyday. The prices are good too.
(5)lazy s.
The food is good but the service is really bad. We ordered the taro bubble tea, an appetizer and the main course. No kidding but we waited for the longest time for the food to arrive. It arrived but only the main course. The bubble tea came when we were half way through the meal and the appetizer right after we were done eating! We told the waitress that we will 'to go' the appetizer. sigh. Bringing the food after a very long time is one thing but not even acknowledging the delay and apologizing for it is another. At least she could have done that. I don't think the food is that exceptional that it is worth waiting an hour, not to mention sitting an eating in that no so great looking place. I mean the food is good but isn't worth going through all that.
(3)Cailin R.
The curry is incredible, spring rolls to die for, and any stir fry will blow your mind. I absolutely love this place. It's not quite a hole-in-the-wall location, it's one step up from that, but priced just like a hole-in-the-wall. I highly recommend it.
(5)Alex I.
Delicious, fast, spicy. It seems like most places I go, when i order "Hot" and they give me some moderately spicy stuff, expecting you to not really want it that hot. Inevitably the next time I order, I have to say Extra Hot. Not here. We ordered hot and we got hot. Not only that but they said 15 minute and it was ready in 15 minutes. That's another thing with takeout that always seems to happen. Most places say 15 minutes and you show up 15 minutes later only to sit around for another 5 minutes. Not here, it was ready right away. On top of that, it was really tasty. Tonight was our first experience there, and it will definitely not be our last. Oh, and one more thing, it was really reasonably priced. I got a big noodle bowl thing and it was like $8. I'm pretty big and it was more than enough for me.
(5)Luca R.
TOTALLY AWESOME THAI FOOD!!! I always get the curry for myself, green or red, doesn't matter, it's all good. Their other dishes are delicious too. The prices are very low and the service is friendly. Good for take out too. Their bubble tea goes really well with the spicy food too. Unlike most bubble tea, theirs is made with crushed ice, sort of like a frappuccino. Taro is my favorite.
(5)Kris B.
WOW. This place has been open only about a month. They have a menu consisting of about 5 soups, some fried noodle dishes, fried rice, stir fry, curry, and fish. My husband and I went there today and each got a different soup, and I am BLOWN away. Their Thai Traditional Noodle Soup is my new favorite soup of all time. The waitress was also, I believe, the daughter of the owner, and she was the one who steered us to the above soup. Talking to another of the customers who is a regular, we learned that the restaurant is always willing to create something that is not on the menu for customers. This is a small place with fantastic food -- please go, spread the word, and above all, trust the wait staff to suggest good dishes!!! UPDATE: I've now been here 5? times. I'm still really in love with this place. Just wanted to give a couple more suggestions: 1) The Pork Sour Ribs: You have got to try these. They are cooked with keffir lime leaves that are not decorative but are meant to be eaten with the pork. Oh my god, this is just an amazing, flavorful, addictive dish. My new favorite thing on the menu. 2) The Thai fruit salad, suggested by our server, is a unique and wonderful appetizer. One would think it would be sweet, but it is actually savory and spicy. I have never had anything like it. Please try.
(5)john c.
My partner and I went on a Sunday morning to try this new addition to the Saint Paul University Avenue asian culinary family. I was very impressed with the food and the attention given by our server. We started with an Eggroll appy, and an order of the Fried Bananas at the suggestion of our server. Yum! For our main, I ordered one of the Noodle Soup dishes and my partner ordered the Panang Curry. I have only found a couple of Thai restaurants that can pull off a soup similar to my mom's and this place is definitely one of them. The broth had a wonderful fresh smell and the oversized bowl was filled to the top with noodles, beef, tripe, shrimp, and meatballs. I started getting full only half way through the bowl. My partner thought the Panang was a little salty, but the taste I took seemed okay. I am not a fan of curry so I am far from a connoisseur. I can't wait to go back and try some of the heartier dishes and I definitely recommend giving this place a try. The menu is small, but the variety makes up for it.
(4)Luther M.
I've been here three times so far and it gets better each time. First time I ordered Pad Se Ew (chicken) dine-in. Ordered spicy, dressed with fish sauce and sugar (very important) at the table. It was some of the best fried noodle I've ever had. Next order was same but take-out, ordered mild or medium. Was out of fish sauce at home, no dressing, was still pretty good. Every time Heat level was spot-on (although I always ask to Thai-med, or Thai-hot, not Minnesota-tames heat) Two nights ago Pops and I went for dine-in. Ordered the Sour Pork Ribs app, Pad Se Ew (pork), and Green curry (chicken). The curry was fantastic, SO much better than my homemade. We dressed the Pad with fish sauce, sugar, and dried pepper and it was better than ever. Great main dishes totally worth the trip. The real show stopper were the ribs. I've never had anything like them. At Dad's prodding the owner/chef came out to tell us how they were made, with her daughter helping with translation. They're bite-sized pork rib nib-lets served with cloves of garlic, chili peppers, and kafir lime leaves, all beautifully fried and served hot. The ribs are beautifully yet indescribably sour. Turns out that they are actually fermented with cooked rice. According to the Chef, the longer they ferment, the better they get. I'm pretty sure Thai Cafe on University is the only place in the cities where you can get these. They were fantastic! Not something I'd eat everyday but a great taste experiment. Both Dad and I were in a rush to get home to look up how to make Thai Sour Ribs. After reading the recipe I'm more than happy to go buy them from a trained chef rather than trying them myself. Fermented Pork, Wow! OK, travel details, Thai Cafe is about four doors east of Western on University. There is lots of Light Rail construction in the area but all the more reason to get them your business. It's easy to get there from the north, avoiding all the construction. head down Western until just before University, park on the street or in the lot behind. Walk less than half a block east of Uni & Western, and you are there. The place is small and cozy. Quite utilitarian, but with beautiful art tucked in between full color photos of their dishes. The photos help make it easy to order. This is a family operation. I'm sure if it got busy service could be hit or miss. Dad and I had great service overall but we got our meal piecemeal with the app served last. Not a deal killer for a couple flavor junkies like Dad and I. Frankly I'd rather be served food when the chef is happy to send it out rather than some sort of arbitrary order. The whole menu is also available for take out. Prices are great given the quality.
(5)Corey P.
Yum! We had the Chicken Pad Thai and the glass noodles with pork, both equally delicious. You should try this place, it's so yummy.
(5)Courtney I.
I love a place that takes a white girl seriously when she says she wants the food "hot." I ordered the massamam curry, and it was so delicious. My fiancee ordered the Pad Kee Mao and loved it. We would go back in a heartbeat.
(5)Teebs C.
Delicious home made Thai food. This is a hole in the wall family business. Mom is in the back cooking the meals which are made to order. I had pineapple fried rice with chicken. As far as fried rice goes this tasted extremely fresh. Usually when you get fried rice the egg can come out a bit chewy but this was perfectly cooked. It could have used more chicken but honestly that is probably my only minor complaint about this place. Husband had duck laab which is basically a meat salad with some rice on the side. He loved it. Thought it was fantastic. We stopped by for a quick bite on our way cross country and were not disappointed. If you live in the area and are looking for a home cooked Thai meal definitely check this place out!
(4)Prudence T.
Red curry is a great choice if you want veggies! This place is fabulous. Everything on the menu is great. Tuesdays = free egg rolls! :-)
(5)Lindsey D.
This place is freaking good. Just do it. Pad Thai was sooo good. Just moved here and all the Thai we've tried sucks, until Thai Cafe. Amaazzing egg rolls. We are picky and snobby about food and loved this little place. Check out the crazy Asian grocery store next door while you wait.
(5)Jules E.
After reading the many positive reviews, my wife and I decided to give the Thai Cafe a try, even though we've been quite happy with our regular Thai place: Sawatdee. We saw that they did not serve alcohol, so we bought our own bottle of wine. We tried a couple of our favorites: Pad Kee Mao, and the Panang Curry. Both were delivered quickly, and with fresh authentic flavors. The table had assorted condiments and spices to allow you to tune your dish to the desired level of heat, which came in handy because on our first visit to a restaurant we tend to play it a little "safe", especially since many Thai restaurants have a wide chasm between "medium" and "hot". The Thai Cafe's atmosphere is simple and unadorned, the service is friendly, the prices are very reasonable, and most importantly, the food is delicious. We will be back many times. As a side note, the construction on University Ave is making it tough for so many small businesses, so please, please, please, keep supporting the wonderful little gems like the Thai Cafe so we can continue to enjoy them for years to come.
(5)Kyra M.
I second Kris B's accolades for this tiny little restaurant. Service is super friendly. The food was very fresh & high quality. The curry was wonderful. The beef in my pad thai was tender. Prices are good. I think our entrees were around $7.50 each. There are bags of their dessert specialty lined up on the counter - a fun, crunchy, light, crispy pastry made from tapioca flour. It isn't "sweet" but it tastes sweet after eating the spicy Thai!
(5)