4. Restaurants

PaaDee

6 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR, 97214
  • (503) 360-1453
  • Store is closed

PaaDee Menu

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  • Denea Y.

    It pains me to knock this place down a notch, especially with the great service and quality of the food. The food was bland, plain and simple. The grilled squid was somewhat tasty and cooked well, considering squid can get too chewy and this wasn't. My favorite dish in the world is Kao Soi, and their vision was sour and lackluster. I was confused by the crispy chicken, because although it had good flavor, it reminded me more of Chinese food than Thai. And overall, nothing was spicy. They serve a Thai condiments tray to DIY your spice, but still, there's no flavor to even begin with.

    (2)

  • David C.

    Where do I even begin to start with this harbour of excellence? I heard about this place from a friend, talking up about there wings. I decided to head there and man was it the right choice. The ambiance of the restaurant echoed and helped evoke a sense that only amplified the solid vibes that were resonating from this place. The food was absolutely on point. The wings are more delicious beyond belief with the siracha fish sauce doing wonders with the chicken meat. Another appetiser I recommend are the meat hangers, such tender meat that almost melts against the teeth. The entree I ordered was the crispy chicken and it was again amazing. This place is simply amazing, a delightful combination if crispy yet tender meat met with the sweet taste of the sauce. Do yourself a favour, check it out.

    (5)

  • Danni D.

    Wonderful experience start to finish at this Thai addition just at the edge of SE Portland across from the Laurelhurst theater. Their business is Thai street vendor and comfort food, and they typically do a great job. The crab dishes are completely loaded with crab. Their special pork noodle soup is one of my favorite dishes so far this year (note to self when voting come December). My only issue has been consistency. This dish excels when it contains flat noodles and when the pork belly is cooked up super crispy at the edges. Too often lately I have had the dish with thinner, stringier noodles, and the pork has not been as crispy as previous visits. Their cocktails are Thai twists on classics and they worked beautifully. My hands down favorite is the Sunrose Derby and the 12 Mile limit - both bourbon cocktails, and both full of flavor. Definitely give this upscale Thai place a try. It's not your usual menu. And that's a great thing.

    (4)

  • Bliss D.

    Had dinner there once. They can't make many of the entrees vegetarian, but the Pad Kee Mao I did have was too salty and didn't taste like traditional Thai food. The flavors weren't deep and rich enough, if that makes sense...

    (3)

  • Ed W.

    Have been there couple times, the food there is really good. Green curry and stir fried veggies are my fav. Sometimes the service is great but not always.

    (4)

  • Corinne E.

    Great happy hour served all night if you sit at the bar! Cocktails balance well with the food. The whiskey sour is perfect. You must get the steak and sticky rice! Probably one of the best things on the menu. Noodle bowl was bland last time though not enough to keep me away. I do wish they served a Tom Kha soup in addition to their Tom Yum.

    (4)

  • Mike G.

    Exceptionally good Thai food and service.

    (5)

  • Gina B.

    One star is one too many! My husband ordered a dinner that included steak and discussed with the server in great detail the need to ensure that the meat would be cooked medium well. She stated that it's the only way this dinner was prepared so we felt confident that is was clear on the medium well expectation. A steak that was red and blue was haphazardly dumped down on the table. It was so sad that it was laughable how rare the meat was. Thought maybe we were getting punked. Waited for her to come back and check on our meals and it never happened. Much later, we waived her to the table and showed her what she served. We told her that we did not want it put back on the grill. No I am sorry. Only a quick turn in her heels as she scurried it over to the manager where they looked at the sunburned meat closer. No, the manager did not come to apologize. Our waitress avoided our table like the plague after that. Not a look to even see if we needed water. My bowl of soup had more egg noddle than protein which sopped up the 1/2 cup of broth served up with it in no time. If this was an off night it might explain why the meat was raw but it does not explain the lousy service - lack of her checking not only before the dinner was served but after as well. Or hey, how about an apology? And, the manager not caring enough to come over and follow up. That steak was so rare that if you gave it CPR, it would come back to life.

    (1)

  • Jana C.

    Stopped by for dinner at around 7 on a Saturday night & they were full except for the counter. We decided to sit there since it was only 2 & what a deal. If you sit at the counter, you get happy hour drink prices & you can order off the happy hour menu all night. We started with a couple of appetizers & drinks & continued on with dinner. The food was excellent & we were able to chat a bit with the bartender about her concoctions. I've discovered my new favorite Thai restaurant.

    (5)

  • Bud G.

    I am really struggling with my star rating for PaaDee, I really want to give them 5 stars. I have absolutely had 5 star experiences at this little gem of a place. The crab curry, crispy chicken and the pork noodle bowl are regular menu items and are impressive. The Tempura Asparagus Salad that was on the menu this summer was one of my top dishes of 2012. One of the apps not to be missed is the Hoy Joh, crab meat and minced pork wrapped in soy skin and fried, absolutely delicious. The drink list is also inventive and delicious. What keeps me from awarding that illusive 5th star is consistency. While I have had some of the best food I can remember here, I have also had times where everything was a little over salted or just a little off. We have had service that has been phenomenal. On one occasion our waiter realized we hadn't been in in quite a while and explained everything new that was on the menu since our last visit more than a month ago, I think that is awesome service! But, we have also had a couple of occasions where the service has been spotty and the drinks, while delicious always seem to take forever to get to our table. I would highly recommend this PaaDee. If your experience is quite what you hoped, please try back before you write them off.

    (4)

  • Ronald A.

    Our dinner group stopped in here last night. It was our recommendation after our last visit. Even with six of use, it did not disappoint. Another very nice dinner. We started with the chive pancakes; a wonderful way to start. We then followed with mixed vegetables in a garlic sauce, chicken with wide noodles, prawns in a spicy broth, a crab dish with a light curry sauce and the Thai pancake. All were nicely done and all tasted different. They have a small, but good selection of draft beers. The price is extremely fair. This may be my favorite Thai restaurant. It is clearly unique; we will be back. My only caution is it is a bit noisier than I would prefer. I will put up with it to enjoy such a good combination of quality food and price.

    (4)

  • Kristen M.

    4.5 STARS PaaDee is a "party" in your mouth! (Literally!) Thai comfort food? Check! Cheap eats? Check! Crafty Cocktails? Check! Unique ambiance? Check! ~~ Let's go to PaaDee!!! ~~ PaaDee has ALL the components one would look for when dining with a group of buddies. Great for groups (may have to make rezzos) and great for just a couple on a date! What to eat?! [SNACKS] GUY TIEW LUI SUAN ($6 for 3 pieces) - Consider this a Thai version of the Vietnamese "Spring Roll" where the filling is made up of sauteed tofu, shitake mushrooms, corn, diced carrots, minced garlic all wrapped up in a rice paper. Available with some lettuce and a hint of basil with a chili limp dipping sauce was phenomenal! (Thank you Sherry S. for your lovely pic!) **4.5 STARS** PEEK GAI TOD ($6 for 6 pieces) - Fried chicken wings glazed in a Sriracha fish sauce was pretty nice! The glaze was sweet and the chicken came out piping hot! For those who would like to compare this dish to Pok Pok (famous Thai resto in PDX), I'd prefer Pok Pok's since I like the heat element. But nonetheless, the chicken is a decent dish for what you pay for! **3.5 STARS** [SALAD] KOR MUU ($12 fam bam style dish) - This fried pork cheek salad with sliced cucumbers on the side and lettuce. It came with a sauteed Japanese eggplant chili paste mixture which was very lovely since it packed a bunch of heat! I would definitely order this dish again! **5 STARS** [NOODLE BOWL] BA MHEE TOM YUM PITSANULOK ($11 fam bam style dish) - for a huge bowl good to share between 3-4 people, this was one delightful soup! Engrossed with thin egg noodles in a "Pitsanulok province" style spicy lime with pork broth, gave a light element of savory-ness to the soup. I'm not sure if the soup was to be a bit sour, but if it was much more sour, I'd like it even better. Consider the sourness of the soup to be tamed. Pieces of ground pork, roasted red pork and crispy pork belly also pork-i-fied the dish to be unbelievable. Garnished with sliced green beans, peanuts and scallions, this soup is a must try! **4 STARS** [SIDES] Jasmine rice and Sticky rice ($2 each) What to drink?! (I forgot the ingredients to the drinks! Sorry!) But all three were popular cocktails recommended by our host. I believed him! What's cute about all three cocktails is that they had huge blocks of ice within your cup! It was kinda cute and interesting how unique that was! Sorry I didn't take a picture, I was "thirsty"............. THE WATERFALL ($8) - was very refreshing! It was light and it still gave you that buzz you need (after a few)! It was pretty much the popular drink at our table! There was a garnish of cucumber which was nice. **5 STARS** PAADEE ($8, Cognac based) I thought this was a decent drink, but I'm not really a Cognac person. But for the mixture that they created, it's worth a try. **3.5 STARS** 27 ($8, Vodka based) - consider this a "girly drink" if you will. There were elements of a "grapefruit" essence, but not quite sure if that was involved in the creation of this lovely cocktail! I was leaning toward this drink at first, but the waterfall seemed more delightful! **4 STARS** FYI: *Portland Monthly's Best Restaurants 2012 (Issue: Nov 2012) *Parking on the street or nearby neighborhood *Cross streets are SE 28th & E Burnside Ave *Diagonally across the street from Laurelhurst Theater *HH 5:30-6 PM & last hour before closing (9-10pm) *Accepts CC *Cute that they serve you your check in a book (as a bookmark!) *Unique decor lighting using bird cages as a fixture My friends and I were stuffed after our meal and even had left overs for the next day! Not sure if it was the food or the amount of alcohol that contributed to the "fullness" but we were unable to order dessert. I would love to come back and try out their happy hour and hopefully make room for dessert the second time around! PaaDee is worth a try! Check it out! I'll definitely be back here!

    (4)

  • Neona R.

    This place is fantastic. I have had both lunch, and dinner here, and neither has disappointed. I also have a huge soft spot for the sweet and attentive waiter that's been there both times that I have. Every dish I have had has been more than stellar. I received one dish that appeared as if would be bland and looked like it had no sauce, but I had nothing to fear; the flavor was superb and the pork cooked tenderly with fresh crab, too. Their appetizer spicy wings are INSANE. I could have eaten twenty of them. They have great beers on tap. Have not had any cocktails or wine. The specials I have ordered have all been great. Make sure you consider them. And last but not least, the space is really cute. Also love the location.

    (5)

  • Lili K.

    My friend and I tried the Pad Thai and Pad Khee Mao here and they were alright; nothing to rave about. We were the only table in the restaurant so we got attentive service by the two young hipster-looking servers. Nice decor, especially the birdcaged lamps covering the ceiling. The menu is on the pricier side, but I would come back to give some of the other dishes a try. Maybe the two dishes we tried just aren't their best dishes.

    (3)

  • C M.

    Overall great. Kind of heavy on the sugar in most dishes. But I have never ordered something I did not like. Their Tom yum is the best I have had in the city, and it is on the happy hour menu, so that is a sweet deal and yummy. Great wings also on the happy hour. They had an asparagus salad for a while that was really great. I hope that comes back with the season. Fish cakes are also great if you like wild lime leaf. I do. Not super great for more than 4 people. The way the tables seating is spaced out it makes it hard to still close enough to 5+ people and have one conversation. So don't let the big tables fool you, not great for groups. Rice is always perfect. This cannot be downplayed. An Asian restaurant with crappy rice is a REALLY bad sign. The decor is pretty great, there are bird cages hanging from the celling. I have never been to Thailand, but this gives it sort of an exotic feel that is fun. Great bartender.

    (4)

  • Bob K.

    Wow, what a difference 11 months make. We decided to try PaaDee again. This time we had the steak salad and the crispy pork belly and green beans. OMG! Sorry had to say that. Both were amazing. I think the pork belly was the best. They cook it so there is a little soft fat and a lot of crispy fried pork. And the beans that came with it were some of the best cooked string beans that I have had in Portland. So we promote PaaDee from a 3 to 5 Star restaurant. We will back a lot.

    (5)

  • Megan C.

    Decided to try something new this weekend and went to PaaDee. They definitely have something unique going on here. Loved the atmosphere, classy yet totally unpretentious and cozy. Our server was great, very friendly and helped us with questions we had about ingredients on the menu. Cocktails were a little slow, but were pretty darn tasty. Hoy Joh - crab and pork balls were delicious and unique Steak salad - super yummy! Gai grop sam yan (crispy chicken) yummy comfort food but was quite salty, definitely needed the whole bowl of rice to combat the saltiness Grilled Mackerel (on special) - I don't think I've ever been compelled to eat the fish skin before but it was so tasty, although there was too much salty sauce on the plate Overall great experience, they just need to turn the saltiness down a notch or two and speed it up on the cocktails. I plan on going again to try out more things on the menu.

    (4)

  • Ryo K.

    You can enjoy great Thai food at a very reasonable price. Be aware, it's not one of those ordinary Thai food we have in Portland. Some people get disappointed when they find out that there is no "Pad Thai." I personally think this is the best Thai food in the city. I would like to say "authentic" but I've never been to Thailand so I cannot say that. My favorites are chive cakes (similar to Chinese rice cake), pork skewer (only $2 during happy hour) and fish cake (so light and fluffy). They have seasonal specials as well. You definitely need to try their asparagus salad during summer and mushroom soup during winter. You can have a very satisfied dinner under $20 per person with several drinks. Beer is $3 and wine is $5 (I thought) during happy hour. Those who are tired of mediocre Thai food, try PaaDee. It's very different from other Thai restaurants you've tried in the past. I'm looking forward to their new concept restaurant they are planning to open next door in February.

    (5)

  • Elizabeth R.

    This is not your cookie-cutter Thai. I recommend getting something in each category- an appetizer, a soup and a couple of entrees for two. If you are in the neighborhood and looking for a place to eat, try this.

    (5)

  • Lezley L.

    So on the night we went to try PaaDee, it just happened to be their anniversary. Sometimes this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Luckily it was a pleasantly enjoyable visit. The chef had provided a special menu just for the occasion and well my group pretty much ordered everything on the menu plus quite a few libations. So again, my review is based on their anniversary dinner menu which was not & is not the same as it's current dinner menu. Kudos to the chef and his team for providing a great dining experience plus providing with complimentary sticky rice with Jack fruit.I'll be back to try their regular menu.

    (3)

  • Lazy D.

    Amazing meal! Great price! Loved the mango and sticky rice! Best ever.... Yummy. Wonderful staff and atmosphere. Fun people watching too.

    (5)

  • Mitch L.

    Excellent food without the crowding of the other very popular Thai restaurant nearby :)

    (5)

  • Erich S.

    Great place for some thai food. Check it out.

    (4)

  • David H.

    Many people try to avoid a direct comparison of PaaDee to Pok Pok. I will not attempt to avoid this comparison, as they are similar in their style, except for one big difference: PaaDee is better. Now I know my words constitute Portlandia blasphemy, and I might lose a friend or two for saying this, but seriously, PaaDee is better. The reasons I will use to back up my heresy are relatively simple: 1) The food is fantastic. Most dishes are spicy, but not too much. There is usually a little heat up front, but it dissipates pretty quickly on the finish, leaving you with the amazing Thai flavors that the dish intends. The dishes themselves are so rich with authentic Thai flavors, that everyone that I have tried is nothing less than stellar. The portion size at PaaDee is significant, which is in stark contrast to Pok Pok, who seem to think that a small plate that is to be shared means everyone gets a bite (or half of one). So while the standard menu prices are on par with Pok Pok, the portion size combined with the quality of the food makes PaaDee an excellent value. 2) The texture of the food is amazing. For example, the fish sauce that comes on the side of a few of the dishes I've ordered has ground, baked brown rice on top. This gives the sauce (and whatever you put it on) a brilliant, slightly crunchy mouth feel that is not only savory, but satisfying to the rest of your senses. Another example is the rice noodles that come with the green curry - they are cooked perfectly and are silky to the palate. Everything we ate had perfect texture. In fact, the texture on the chicken wings alone put them on par with Pok Pok's. I will go so far as to say that I like texture on the wings at PaaDee better (and I never thought anyone would make wings to rival Pok Pok's). 3) The cocktails are really, really good. I know that we have all enjoyed the drinks at the Whiskey Soda Lounge (Pok Pok's bar), and maybe I'm just getting tired of them, but the cocktails we had at PaaDee were better. They were definitely more balanced and the flavors were stellar. 4) The happy hour menu and prices are insane. $2 skewers (highly recommended) and $5 wings. And the portion sizes are excellent and ready for sharing. 5) The service was excellent, and I do mean exceptional. So, while I still love Pok Pok, I am going to be spending more time at PaaDee.

    (5)

  • Cindy A.

    HAPPY HOUR REVIEW 5:00-6:30pm Daily; 9:00pm-close Sun-Thurs; 10:00pm-close Fri-Sat Enjoy Happy Hour all night at the bar! Food Deals $2.00-$6.00 Excellent choices and well-made Thai food with quality ingredients: Grilled squid or pork skewers, tom yum soup with prawns, sausage selections, fish cakes, noodle dishes. Award-winning food at a top PDX restaurant! Delicious, and a favorite! Drink Specials $3.00 drafts (2nd one for only $2.00 - I like it!) $5.00 house wines; $6.00 specialty cocktails Atmosphere Cozy industrial-chic, with talented and appropriate interior design choices incorporating subtle Asian stylings. Lots of light, cool bar, curtains, flowers, stained concrete. Long wood tables for groups, smaller 2-4 tops, and sidewalk seating.

    (5)

  • Allyson M.

    If you are looking for authentic, delicious, and affordable Thai comfort or street style food, PaaDee is your spot. Phenomenal dinner and lunch menus. I have been there over twenty times and never been disappointed. I have tried almost every item on the menu and loved it all. There is even happy hour all day long of you sit at the bar, sporting $3 20 oz local draft beers and then refills for $2, not to mention a variety of extremely cheap eats. It's unheard of. By far my favorite restaurant in Portland. The asparagus salad, green curry, minced pork, pork belly/grilled pork/minced pork soup and wings are all amazing. Actually, everything I have ever tried there is amazing.

    (5)

  • Andrew A.

    Winner, winner, chicken dinner! It seems like there are more restaurant and food cart choices for Thai than for any other cuisine. So I'll go out on a shaky limb by claiming PaaDee on par with Portland's best. Yup, right up there with a number of forgot the name favorite food carts, old icons such as Lemongrass, Chaba Thai, and Khun Pics, and new twists such as Pok Pok and Thai Seasons. Most of the dishes were excellent; many were complemented by their own special dipping sauce. The appetizer star was the Kanom Gui Chai (chives cakes), just wow! Another big favorite was the Sai grog e-san, a pork sausage stuffed with fermented rice and accompanied by roasted peanuts, some very hot peppers, and ginger slices (I think.) A generous portion of cabbage is included so you can create a little Thai taco, but they slice it too thin. I found the fish cakes too dense, but that's probably the way they're supposed to be; others really enjoyed them. I didn't think you could do much with grilled steak and sticky rice, but their version - the Neau yang - was heaven! The Pad kee mao here was good, but I've definitely had much better. For drinks, maybe try a something new and the order the delicious and creative Waterfall (I love the big ice cube.) If you desire a little more kick, then the Paadee (cognac based) was very good. The Pistachio ice cream atop of some jelly-like pieces from Lovely Fifty-Fifty was meh; it just didn't have enough flavor. For now, it doesn't seem like sweet endings are Paadee's forte. NE 28th and Burnside is great neighborhood. Our server was very sweet and knowledgeable of the menu.

    (4)

  • Robert H.

    I have eaten here three times now, and each time I have been impressed and delighted by the quality of the food. Honestly, I prefer it to Pok Pok, which I have always found to be a bit overhyped--although I don't mean to disparage Pok Pok in any way. My favorite dish is the Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok (with soft-boiled egg and extra pork belly). It's all you need to eat all day!!! So delicious. The Pad ma khua (Japanese eggplant) is also excellent, as is the Gra prao muu sub (minced pork with green beans). I have enjoyed every soup and appetizer that I have tried here as well, and the sweet sticky rice with mango (when available) is the best I've ever had. Service has been uniformly friendly and helpful. They have a nice list of cocktails as well. Highly recommended!!!

    (5)

  • Nate D.

    Paadee is a great, unique Thai place with a cool atmosphere and excellent service. The menu is a bit small, but everything is done so well that it's not really an issue. I've loved everything I've had so far, and they're very accommodating when it comes to dietary restrictions/substitutions. Paadee is one of the places I take visiting friends, so take that for what it's worth.

    (4)

  • Kate C.

    Skip the lines at Pok Pok and get down with an all-night happy hour at the bar at PaaDee! Refreshing cocktails and DELICIOUS food at reasonable prices. The tom yum soup is a perfect blend of hot and tangy, the chicken wings are perfectly tender, and the pad kee mao is really satisfying. Very generous happy hour portions, too. I recommend going with a friend and getting a little of everything to share.

    (5)

  • Heather D.

    Great hipster ambience and service, but a bit of a weird odor greets you when you walk through the front door. It's just a little off-putting. They have a very generous Happy Hour. The sizzling steak with sticky rice was delicious. The squid was not. The Ba mee tom yum (pork belly noodle bowl) was super generous and yummy! We had a reservation for 7 people and we were easily accommodated. The service was attentive and knew the menu intimately. We had a great overall experience. The funky smell was the only thing making me think A-OK.

    (3)

  • Amy B.

    I went here as part of the Portland Food Adventures. The food this chef creates is amazing. He has such a desire to bring comfort food from his native Thailand. The place was closed for the evening for this event, but it must be popular because people kept showing up. The atmosphere is very quaint. I loved the simplicity of it. I will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • Nicole P.

    Extremely good! I highly recommend it to any Thai food lovers. Amazing pad Thai and a classy atmosphere. They have gluten free and vegan options. This is definitely my current favorite Thai restaurant. Check it out!

    (5)

  • J. O.

    Very good Thai, but for the love, TONE DOWN THE SALT! I ate here for the second time tonight, trying a variety of dishes with my girlfriend. The food always comes out very fresh and hot. It's nice to see different Thai dishes rather than the same ones you see on every menu in town. Most are very well done, and the fish sauce wings are very good (although I still prefer Pok Pok's). My only concern is that most of the dishes I've tried have come out overly salty. When a friend first recommended checking this place out, his caveat was the excessive saltiness of the dishes as well, and it held up to be true. Otherwise the space is nice, and the service has always been good. A solid happy hour, fair prices, and no ridiculous waits for authentic Thai dishes.

    (4)

  • Bill D.

    Went last night with a gang of 8. PaaDee is very much a PokPok competitor and overall gets an edge. Of the 10 dishes we had the standouts were the chicken wings (different than PP but perfect), steak salad, tempora asparagus salad, minced pork entree, crab entree. Food prices are very modest and our waiter knew his stuff. Drinks were interesting and helped us double our bill ;-) Everybody in our monthly dinner group was very positive. We'll be back

    (5)

  • Madison W.

    Sexy Thai food, that's light and hearty, delicious and unique. The atmosphere is fun, decorated in an asian crafty motif, with birdcages surrounding hanging lamps and huge community tables along with private table, make the space warm and inviting. Its the little things that I love about this place from their elegant and delicious cocktails to the single long cube of ice in your glass. Try the chicken for sure, and the noodle dishes rock. Everything is FRESH FRESH, the ginger, the salmon... And the deserts leave you happy. I highly recommend it, and I think its completely different than POK POK. Located right across the street from the Laurelhurst Theater and SMUT. At the edge of Burnside and 28th. Its a great place to take a date or the family. Bon Apetit!

    (5)

  • Thomas O.

    We came here after reading the Portland Monthly Best Restaurants article. A few ambiance details are worth noting. Water is served in tin cups, which reminded my wife of her childhood in India. The check is brought in an antique book (novel) instead of the typical folder. We arrived about 6 PM on a Saturday night and had to wait only 10 minutes for a table. The service was friendly and prompt. The only slightly odd thing was that our entrees were all brought out about 10 minutes apart. My family was less impressed than I with the food. I think it came down to the dishes they chose. My wife chose the grilled fish of the day, which was Mackerel, a fish she had never eaten before. I liked it but for her it was too fishy. The preparation was fine though. I had the farm stake (hanger steak) that was well prepared with interesting sauce. My daughter had a vegetable dish made with eggplant that was also very good.

    (4)

  • Steve R.

    Where else can you sit at a table outside and view the Laurelhurst marquee and negotiate which movie you'll catch after eating. That and the good service give this place extra points. The small sampling of food we tasted convinced me that this restaurant is here to stay. Most of the items on the menu were familiar but there were some new names that I hadn't encountered before like the Guay Tiew Lui Suan, basically salad rolls with a twist and super fresh. Also, the Plaa Muek Yang or squid skewers, tasty but a little on the tough side (hey, it's squid). We also tried the family favorite, Pad Kee Mao which I rate as one of the best I've had. And finally for desert, the excellent sweet sticky rice with fresh sweet mango slices.

    (4)

  • Chad S.

    I crave PaaDee. Chicken wings. I usually don't like them breaded but these are fantastic, I'd go so far as to say they are my favorite fried chicken in Portland. Hot and crispy with tangy fish sauce/sweet chili sauce. I could eat these every day. The noodle dishes are perfectly flavored and spiced, balanced and earthy. I've tried both the soup dishes as well as the stir friend dishes and love them both for their own qualities. Even Tom Yum gets reinvented with a previously unknown depth in the hands of the skilled chefs. The drinks here are also excellent. Well crafted, diverse enough to satisfy just about any cocktail palate, and just plain delicious. Particularly like the tamarind sour. I almost hate reviewing this place because I know it is just one rave review away from being packed Pok Pok style, but I also recognize that if they don't get crowded soon they will start to sacrifice and change things and I don't want them to change a thing. It's pretty darn perfect like it is.

    (5)

  • May C.

    Any place with good happy hour food served on the weekend deserves an automatic 5 stars! HH from 5-6:30PM DAILY! The chicken wings and hanger steak from the HH menu were delicious! Seasoned and cooked just right. I can't wait to go back to try more items off their menu! The staff was very friendly, the place is really cute (love the decorations), and the large windows are perfect for portland summer nights.

    (5)

  • Phil N.

    I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. Their food doesn't pull any punches and has a more interesting menu than most thai restaurants in this town. Their wings are tempura battered fish sauce wings that give pok pok a run for their money. I'm a big fan of many of their salads...tempura asparagus, grilled shrimp, and steak salads. All have been bold and bursting with flavors and complexity...granted they are a bit heavy handed with the fish sauce and could dial it back a bit. I haven't explored their dinner entree section much and was disappointed with the pork belly dish, but I don't think it'll be a problem as all the other sections on the menu are so interesting (the noodle section are mostly all fantastic, and I'm a big fan of the garlic chive cakes). I haven't been this obsessed with a restaurant since the old Podnah's Pit on Prescott. I must have been here 7 times in the past 10 weeks. Great stuff.

    (5)

  • XiuCe H.

    We had the crispy chicken, green curry with vegetables and tofu, fish cakes, and a pork noodle soup. Each dish was tasty, flavorful, complex, and distinct. We especially liked the fish cake appetizer and the green curry. Cool interior, competent service, but the big winner was the food.

    (5)

  • Annika H.

    Hooo boy, those were some damn delicious noodles. Our party of three, six year old in tow, were looking for a spot with not much of a wait, a cool atmosphere, and most importantly, delicious food. And boy, we found it. We started off with grilled squid skewers with a chili lime sauce and a hot and sour soup with wild prawns. Then we moved on to a sauteed crispy chicken with cashews, scallions, dry chilis, and, the mother lord, the noodle bowl, egg noodles with spicy lime & pork broth, ground pork, roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sliced green beans, ground peanuts, and scallions. It was topped off with three thai iced teas and mango sticky rice. Our waitress was fantastic, funny and friendly. And even better, when our picky eater six year old asked for a bowl of plain noodles, it was happily made, peanuts sprinkled on top. The atmosphere was fantastic as well, old school Thai art mixed with a modern twist. The only word worthy of describing this meal? Bomb-diggity. We'll be back real soon.

    (5)

  • Bell D.

    I went here last night and met up with a friend. We were able to get here just in time to snag the happy hour deals. The food was good (especially the soup) the service was decent, and it was just an all-around pleasant experience. One thing to note: no bar seating so, if you're going here to meet someone, you might want to make a reservation / go ahead and get seated and have them meet you at the table.

    (4)

  • Olivia T.

    Remember the old (yes now it's considered old..) TLC song, "Waterfall"? That was my favorite TLC's song and happy hour at PaaDee totally brought back all good memories of that song. It's not because they played that song there but because they make this awesome cocktail with a self titled "Waterfall". I forgot all ingredients in the drink, but I remember I saw Sochu and Drinking Vinegar as two ingredients in it. This cocktail is really light, very refreshing, a bit sour but not too overwhelming, and yes sir there's alcohol in it but you won't be able to taste it. I think that's really good. I hate it when my drink is nothing but alcohol. It might work for alcoholic peeps, but that's just not for me. Besides the "Waterfall", we also got some happy hour food. We ordered the Chicken Wings, Fermented sausage, Pork Skewer, Noodles with red pork in broth style (for me), and a dry noodles with veggies in sweet chili sauce (for Jesse). I like the chicken wings and my noodles. The fermented sausage was a new concept for me, it took a few seconds to get use to but after that it was great. It's different than food that I usually eat, but it's delicious. For all of those food and drinks we spent about $28 before tip. It was a great deal considering how much food we got. Those happy hour noodle bowls are pretty much like dinner size bowls. PaaDee is great for happy hour and apparently you can get happy hour all night if you don't mind seating at the bar (they only have 5 bar stools available). Next time, I will get the fish cake. I just didn't have enough space in my belly for the first visit.

    (4)

  • Benjamin V.

    This is by far one of our favorite restaurants in Portland. After terrible service and "ok" food at Pok Pok we stumbled on this place quite literally by accident. It was love at first taste. The pork belly chunks are bites of heaven! The staff is friendly, and the drinks are yummy. We take all of our guests from out-of-town here, and every time they're back in Portland they *always* request a return trip to PaaDee. The crowd favorite is the Gra prao muu grob. The Thai style fermented rice and pork sausage is always a must as well. Definitely worth a visit.

    (5)

  • Jessica G.

    This place was so good. Went in early on a Saturday for lunch and the service and food where quick. Had the prawn salad and pad thai. Both where amazing. The cocktails where also excellent. The only bummer for me was that the menu is very small, but I do think its better to do a small amount of things perfectly than a whole ton of stuff mediocre. Will be back.

    (5)

  • Melissa G.

    Paadee is extremely authentic N. Thai food and the service is excellent! my friend is vegan and they had many options for him as well. The chive cakes are must! They are sort like a mochi texture and the sauce was outstanding. I usually will not even eat chives! The cocktails are well balanced and go nicely with the food!

    (5)

  • Nathanial S.

    Amazing food, awesome pork, everything has a good spice to it. The broth of the Guay tiew gai was out of this world. It was sweet, almost like they had made a brown sugar broth for the ingredients to simmer in. Everything we ordered was delicious and we did not want to stop eating.

    (5)

  • Cherry O.

    Good deal for happy hour. Grilled hanger steak is really delicious, although I am not a fan of fish cake or Tom yum goong soup.

    (4)

  • Christy H.

    No PAADEE for me! The atmosphere was meh. I don't know it was just too contemporary? The service was quick but the waitress didn't know a whole lot about the menu? Ordered a Double Mountain IRA and it tasted funky. Like really funky. Not sure if the tap lines have been cleaned in a while or what. The appetizers were great. Pork skewers were delicious. Nice sweet and sour sauce with some chili to dip it in. Crab and pork wrapped in soy paper and deep fried with a sweet plum sauce. Also was great. Tom Yum soup was very hearty but I thought it was way too spicy. The main dishes were really the down side. Too much chili! I would like the mild or spicy options that most thai places have and definitely think they should consider these options. Fried noodles with chicken. Meh. Too much grease and too much chili. It needed more flavor. Prawns, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower dinner dish was horrible. Bland with a lot of chili sauce. Chill out on the chili! It was in everything we ordered and my mouth was on fire. Not pleased at all. Maybe this is a place that actually serves REAL thai food and I am more of an american-thai junkie? I have no idea, but maybe I am missing something because this place also seems to have great reviews? I only know that it wasn't for me.

    (2)

  • Heather H.

    The one dish I had here that I would recommend was a deep fried sweet and sour tofu. I don't even like tofu and this was absolutely amazing. Everything else? Either overcooked or totally bland. With so many amazing choices for Thai and other south Asian foods in PDX, I'll skip PaaDee from now on.

    (2)

  • Dennis M.

    I highly recommend eating here. The service was very good, and the server was knowledgable. The chicken wings appetizer was amazing. I had the crispy pork belly, and it was awesome. I was concerned about it being spicy, but it wasn't. It was just delicious!

    (5)

  • Aaron S.

    Love love love this place! Crispy chicken is amazing, staff is nice, and great design/atmosphere!

    (5)

  • Darren D.

    Good food. Very bad service. The kitchen brought put the food for my wife and daughter and mine came as they finished their food. Not sure if I would go back.

    (3)

  • Zastruga Z.

    Perfect atmosphere, clever waitress, and delicious food! Our waitress was perfectly attentive, not over bearing but there when we needed her, with clever quips and a helpful attitude. The food was so so so good. It was like my taste buds were having a paadee and only delicious flavors were invited. I will definitely be going and taking people there again.

    (5)

  • Tim S.

    Amazing Thailand Ninjas concocting simple goodness for my body's nourishment, mmmmmmmmmm, I think I hit another bombastic track of extravaganza!!

    (5)

  • Melissa M.

    Food = Amazing Drinks = Amazing Service = Attentive and super chill. Went over menu items and suggested great stuff. Atmopshere = Amazing and very relaxing. We had 4 dishes and everything was tasty, plentiful and interesting. This is our new favorite place.

    (5)

  • Jes P.

    LOVED this new spot in Portland on my last trip to town. Seriously, LOVED. Cocktails were divine, and food was delish and unlike any Thai I've eaten previously. It is Thai comfort food with a street food twist. I loved the quirky interior - concrete and bird cages. We sat in the back room with spinning bird cages blown by the air vents that played tricks with the lighting. This room is not for the motion sick. Tables were long with benches in our room. Water was served in handled tin cups which felt like camping and added to the street food vibe. For apps I loved the Chive Cakes. Dinner for me was the Dungeness Crab entree and it was unbelievable, the sheer volume of crab on that plate was amazing. The sauces they brought out to liven things up and bring a little heat are a must have. I went with red wine (a mistake actually given the awesome cocktails) but tasted every other cocktail at the table and they kicked a**. For dessert we ordered the Chinese fried dough with Pandanus cream. Not my favorite of the night, but OK. I would likely switch venues for dessert in the future or have another cocktail instead. All around great place. I will be back again and again.

    (5)

  • W C.

    I like Paadee better than Pok Pok. Although Pok Pok does have some excellent dishes that are quite authentic they still have some misses. I've been here twice and everything has been good. There wasn't anything that fell flat. The taro dessert soup is unique and haven't seen it outside of Thailand. I hate taro but this dessert soup reminds me of glutinous rice balls more than taro. A very Asian style dessert with prepared in Thai fashion with coconut milk.

    (4)

  • Ashley R.

    My husband and I stopped in Paadee late one Saturday night, and we were seated right away. I ordered the Asparagus Salad seasonal special which came with tempura asparagus, pork, shrimp, and other veggies. It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I love when tempura is just right, not too heavy, not too light. My husband ordered the Ba Mhee Tom Yum Pitsanulok (noodle bowl). I couldn't get many specifics out of him besides the fact that it was delicious. We are certainly headed back here to try some of the other dishes. Check it out!!

    (5)

  • Kristie B.

    Every once and a while in Portland, I hit a restaurant that I have overlooked (there are just so many good spots). Then, out of the blue I remember hey, I need to go back to...well, tonight it was PaaDee. And, hell, I am so happy about it. The drink program is amazing, think, Southeastern influenced flavor cocktails, great whiskey and sake, and local beers. Food? Simple, delicious Thai dishes made from quality ingredients. Tonight, I had an amazing noodle soup with pork three ways; pork belly, a Char Sui-style sliced pork, and ground pork with chilis. It was surreal. The broth was a perfect balance of sweet and sour and the egg noodles were wavy and toothsome. If you are a ramen fan you will love this soup-in fact, get it with a poached egg! I also had the chicken wings and loved every bite. The flesh was succulent and the skin crispy and with a snap of sour and spice. Wings and beer anyone?! All and all, I have a huge crush on PaaDee right now. I heart the food, the drinks, and the adorable personnel. So, I have one piece of advise to food loving Portlanders: run don't walk to PaaDee.

    (5)

  • Alex P.

    Not only the best Thai food in town, some of the best food I've ever had. So many amazing things but pad kee mao and khao soi gai are my favorites.

    (5)

  • Alaya W.

    This new Thai place is the bomb! The food is artfully made, with plenty of layered and nuanced flavors, yet approachable enough to be street-y and easy to wrap your mouth around. The spices are generous (authentic) and yet delicately placed. The food is clearly well thought out and leaves you with a satisfied yet clean feeling. Portions for the price are great, as is echoed in other reviews. Tom Yum soup is so good, comes with big, tender prawns. Just be careful for the sharp/hard lemongrass and other root-herbs. There's a substantial amount of navigating needed with the soup, but if you care more about that than the flavor, you are a food weenie. My friend ordered the fried tofu with peanut sauce app (delicate, brothy sauce) and liked it so much he asked for another round. I got the green curry noodles, which were really, seriously delicious. Huge portion, and amazing, again layered and beautiful spice. Much hotter and much more interesting than you would get at an average (American) Thai place. Savory yet completely comforting. Noodles also come with a side of wonderful veggies, including house made (I presume) pickles. Wine list shows they understand what pairs well with spicy Asian; bubbles, Riesling, chenin, grigio. Nice looking bar and rumor of good (serious) cocktails, though I just had wine. All of this wrapped in a super cool modern space, with similarly modern yet welcoming decor and down to earth, friendly staff (yes!!). I was psyched to find this place in my hood, and will be bringing lots of people back.

    (4)

  • Liam C.

    Really great Thai place, the noodle bowl in pork broth with pork belly, red pork and ground pork was excellent. Great Khao soi, good happy hour selections - we had the Chinese fermented sausage and the squid skewer - and tasty cocktails. Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Aaron V.

    The seating is a pain-in-the ass! Almost literally... There are a handful of individual tables around the perimeter and two large communal tables in the center. While the perimeter seating has proper chairs, the communal seating has bar stools. Needless to say, I was pretty perturbed when we showed up to this empty restaurant (because its new - not because its bad) and while there was plenty of proper seating, we were the only ones seated at the communal tables. As for the food - pretty good authentic Thai food (according to my Thai wife). I had the Gai grop sam yan (crispy chicken) and my wife had the Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok. The food was really good and my wife was impressed that the noodles in her dish are handmade (Pok Pok uses packaged Ramen).

    (3)

  • Maya H.

    Issues: small portions, overpriced, not particularly good, loud music, overly "Portland hip" vibe. Looked like they had a good bar at least, but considering the number of good thai places in town, this is a disappointment. Their green curry with chicken and eggplant came out a mushy pile of overcooked rice noodles, with literally two small pieces of eggplant. This for $12. I've gotten amazing thai with big leftovers for $10 or less. This was barely filling. Also not very authentic- example; they don't have coconut water of any kind. That just seems strange to me. When you walk in, there is a line on the floor you step over, the side to the door says Portland, and once inside it says "Thailand". It's so not like Thailand. Please don't be mistaken into thinking that. I think trendy Portland kids will flock here- but if you want real Thai food, find somewhere else that will make you happier for cheaper.

    (2)

  • Devon D.

    I'm really digging PaaDee right now. Soups are rich and vibrant and just-right-spicy. Love the smokey-grilled squid and succulent street-style pork skewers. The happy hour menu is happily generous; recommend the fish cakes for a splendid treat. Easy, minimal drink options so the focus remains on great food flavor!

    (5)

  • I G.

    Paadee used to be one of my favorite restaurants. I ate there at least twice a week. I would either order the crispy chicken or if I went for lunch in the weekdays the beef panang. When they first opened the food was fresh and delicious. Over the last year and a half the quality has dropped remarkably. Now I still go, but inevitably end up sending back about 50% of the dishes. The crispy chicken is dry and capable of making you choke. The Summer asparagus salad comes with chewy prawns and cold asparagus. Paadee used to have lines out the door every night, but that's no longer the case. The staff is friendly and more than willing to remake my items, but I shouldn't have to ask for that. The best thing on the menu by far is the Beef Panang curry. Unfortunately it is only available for lunch on the weekdays. I have asked countless times for it to be included on the dinner menu because it is so delicious and they always answer no. I hope and pray they find their way again, but until I am assured they do I will not be spending my money at this establishment.

    (1)

  • Melissa C.

    I've been here for happy hour and brunch. I wish their happy hour would be longer, but I went right at five so it was fine. Squid skewer and fried chicken wings were fantastic. The noodle dish I tried was alright. The cocktail had thyme in it, which was fabulous. Their hot toddy drink was smooth and delicious. For brunch, my friends and I each ordered something different so I got to taste a variety of dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed all, especially the egg tofu with pork and Thai omelet. The coffee was being made in a French press so it took a long time, however we were told that they'll be getting a larger coffee maker, which is a necessity for brunch in Portland. One can't compare this with a typical Thai restaurant in Portland. The dishes are so flavorful and well crafted. I'm pleased that it's within blocks of my house.

    (5)

  • Ben F.

    Best newish Thai restaurant in Portland. By far. The curries here are the best I've had in town, both the panang and massaman curries (lunch only) are stellar. None of that canned curry paste crap you get at most thai spots in PDX. The green curry (lunch & dinner) was not quite as impressive, but still really really good. Lunch is a great deal here, HUGE portions for $9. For apps/starters I really liked the fried chicken wings and the tom yum goong soup, it warmed the soul on a nasty Portland day. The grilled hangar steak entree for dinner was excellent, be sure to specify med-rare if that is your thing, default seems to be more med/med-well. The dipping sauce it comes with is great. The minced pork dish was also on point. They can get a bit slammed during peak times, but even though the service might slow a bit as the kitchen backs up, the floor staff is still very attentive. Great ambiance, solid drink selection and as good of Thai food as you can expect in Portland.

    (5)

  • Kim L.

    I love this place. It helps that I live only 2 blocks away but we've probably eaten there 12-15 times in the last 6 months. This is not like every other thai restaurant in PDX. You won't find some of the basics like yellow and red curries but what you will find is exciting and delicious. One of the best menu items is the asparagus salad with shrimp and ground pork. The asparagus is tempura battered and fried, then tossed with the pork and shrimp with this crazy lime-based dressing that would be great to just drink from a cup. It's that good. Savory, sour, a little sweet, yum! They have this appetizer that is seasoned ground pork wrapped in tofu skin with a plum-type sauce that is just plump, savory goodness. The shrimp soup (tom yum) has large plump shrimp in it and the broth is spicy with lemongrass and really makes a great start to a meal on our damp PDX evenings. The pork skewers are also really moist and nicely seasoned. The chang mai sausage is good and seems like it might benefit from just a little more fat in the mix. There is this crazy crispy chicken dish with cashews that reminds me of savory chicken caramel corn. It's crispy on the outside and tender inside with a sauce the chicken is tossed in that gives it a salty/sweet caramel-corn type goodness. This is so more-ish be prepared to find it hard to stop eating it! Husband loves the bar here and the Oregon-fashioned drink is his fave. It's made with gin instead of the usual whiskey and has the most perfect square ice cube. Service has always been top-notch. This is a great additional to PDX's asian food scene. I hesitated to write this review because I don't want to experience Pok Pok crowds but I love this place and want it to thrive - so bring it on PDX!

    (5)

  • Julia B.

    Very good food and very reasonable! Great atmosphere. Would highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Brandon Z.

    The happy hour is awesome. They have 4 rotating taps. Your first imperial pint (20 oz pour) is $3 and your second is $2, so for $5 you are getting 40 oz of awesome northwest beer. Happy hour goes from 5-6:30 which is nice because not many places in this area that I know of go past 6. What to get: I can absolutely say the 6 following items are great. We get them repeatedly and will continue to do so. - the chicken wings - pork skewer -squid skewer - tom yum soup - flank stack w/ rice - fried chicken I don't recall the real name of the fried chicken dish, but it is on the regular menu ($12) and tasty. Sweet sticky sauce and a side of rice. The other things are all on the happy hour menu. The chicken wings are absolutely awesome. the tom yum is some of the best I have had around here. What not to get: I would personally never order these things again. - fish cakes - just don't... - the sausage. there are two, and I can't remember which I got, but it just wasn't wonderful. kinda dry. We go here weekly. The atmosphere is awesome inside, servers are nice, helpful and friendly. Go try it.

    (5)

  • Chris C.

    Best Thai I've had in Portland! Authentic and delicious.....and their drinks are fantastic too!

    (5)

  • Ian H.

    For Portland Thai food, it doesn't get a whole lot better. Deeeelish!

    (4)

  • Chris B.

    Good and interesting. Liked it very much. Especially the chicken and beef

    (4)

  • Emily W.

    Since moving to Portland (which was only 3 months ago), I've been here twice for happy hour. The chicken wings are my favorite and the food isn't so tradition (like pud thai etc) so you get to try something different. One thing that separates Paadee from other Thai restaurants is the flavor, there is sooo much flavor in every bite!

    (5)

  • travis t.

    This place is what Pok Pok used to be - quality thai food, friendly atmosphere, and really solid drinks. I could list what some of my favorite dishes are, but it's just about 80% of the menu at this point - a few highlights are the crab and yellow curry, the eggplant, the chicken wing appetizer, and the veggie rolls (which are really different from the standard fare you get at lesser places). The service here is attentive and friendly. Highly recommened.

    (5)

  • Cynthia P.

    Yes I have enjoyed PoK Pok though ironically very expensive for "street" thai food. I have of course only my opinion but when I read Yelp reviews I notice there will be many 5 star reviews and then always some who generally write long meandering reviews who thank god aren't paid reviewers. they will have either chips on their shoulder or talk about many peripheral things and honestly what is not fair to many restaurants they have their opinion but you must take it all for what its worth. I used to review restaurants in Chicago and have eaten my way through Thailand and usually don't want to eat Thai food in Portland because much of is samey. Not so here. The dinner we had was VERY AUTHENTIC. One "reviewer" complained the food was as spicy as Heinz Ketchup ... this food had more layers of spice than I have ever had at a Thai restaurant in America . My boyfriend and I love spice and both commented on how far above the bar this is and none of the crazy lines outside. What is all this talk about hipster waitstaff? Our waitress was from Chang Mai Thailand and we talked about her home town and all the waitstaff were very very friendly. For Portland the atmosphere was nice with the birdcages. the Green Chicken Curry with noodles Kanom jeen gang keaw was delicious and different than all the thai restaurants I have been to here. My boyfriend ordered a noodle dish with pork belly, ground pork and both were so authentic if I closed my eyes I thought I was in Thailand. and the sriacha crispy chicken wings as appetizers were out of this world. I could eat them every day (yes I like Pok Pok chicken wings too) For people saying the food is 5 stars and the service is zero and give it 1 star... they don't have good math skills. Yes everyone is entitled to their opinion but always take them with a grain of salt. I have eaten all over the world and reviewed many many types of restaurants, was a chef, had a catering company for years , worked as a waitress and have my food handler's card and love Thailand and its food for what its worth. and we came here after going to the Laurelhurst movies.. a perfect night out.

    (5)

  • Adrienne H.

    Ooooh, Paadee... how you've changed my life. I am eternally grateful for your proximity to the building I just moved into. It's a game changer. Paadee does Thai food in this new, beautiful way. The dishes are bright, playful and full of both flavor and adequate amounts of spiciness. No dish is too simple and I love that. The space is open, comfortable and the decor is on point. I love the bird cages that are reminiscent of a trip to Thailand. They had a huge chalkboard full of specials. I like that in a restaurant. It's a great way for a kitchen to show off their talent in off-menu, temporary ways and Paadee did it right. I had a tempura asparagus salad that might go down as the best "salad" I've ever had, regardless of its having been fried. It had a habanero-lime dressing that was mind-blowing, grilled prawns, ground pork & peanuts- and the portion was enormous! Thank you, Paadee, from the bottom of my heart for this one. My boyfriend had the steak salad and was equally impressed. It was a totally different type of dish, but it was bright and flavorful as well. This same night, I also ordered some sort of soup that I can no longer find on the menu and I will say it was pretty awful. It tasted like water, the noodles weren't cooked well and the pork was chewy. I just wrote it off completely and I'm not going to let it ruin my experience. I'd like to think it was a one time thing. The Thai Gods have done well with this one. I predict being a check-in regular here.

    (5)

  • Natalie B.

    3 words: Roasted Duck Curry. Order it. Close your eyes with each spoonful taking in the complexity of flavor and succulent duck that has been roasted to perfect. I asked for it extra hot and they told me it is already quite spicy. You may need to take a mid-entree intermission to let your mouth cool down and wipe the sweat off of your forehead. Get ready for a full body experience The roasted duck so tender and juicy with the beautiful fatty, browned skin kept on, a brilliant decision. Appetizers: the prawn salad is a delicious light, sweet, spicy, salty salad that is worth ordering while you wait for your (roasted duck curry) entree. The larb is also a nice light refreshing appetizer. Both are spicy, so be careful!

    (5)

  • Lee H.

    After visiting Thailand two years ago, I have no tolerance for mediocre Thai food. Much like Chinese food, I've found that most Thai restaurants in the states are mediocre at best. You know what I'm talking about: gloppy pad thai that's overly sweet, green papaya salad that doesn't have any spicy heat to it, green curry that's flavorless. I'm happy that I found PaaDee because what they're doing in the kitchen is not your usual Americanized Thai food. It makes me happy to sink my teeth into a fried chicken wing glazed in Sriracha-fish sauce that about takes my head off from spiciness. No pandering to the American palate here! Down to the bird cage-turned-light fixtures that adorn the ceiling, PaaDee feels like a little piece of Thailand. Ok, maybe I didn't see bird cage light fixtures in Thailand, but I saw more birds in wicker cages than I've ever seen in my life. Go to PaaDee if you want to experience real Thai cooking.

    (5)

  • Jaimy And Sherine B.

    Ahhhhh mazing! Service is stellar. Food is unique AND authentic. Decor is really well done. The check came in a very cool old book. Clever! I am heading back again soon!

    (5)

  • Jack B.

    If I were to write an epitaph for PaaDee, a zippy one-liner, I would say: "Really really good date restaurant, pretty ok Thai food." Not that this place is dying! 28th and Burnside? Who could ask for better real estate! This restaurant is loud, and chic, but there are two types of loud. Some places are loud i.e. obnoxious -- the music is too bassy or shrill, the clientelle pure rube, the tables too close together, the traffic sounds unbearable out on the patio. Then there are the restaurants where the chatter becomes a flat sea of noise, a bedrock intimate conversations can float on and be presumably unheard. PaaDee is the latter. Date-loud. My fellow diners, the Parks, didn't seem to agree. But they didn't complain about the food too much either. The Parks are picky orderers. A server's bane, but a great litmus test for a big douche like myself. It was busy, and our waitress was mostly patient, though there was an audible sigh of frustration during the entrée phase. I know. There were always the people who 'didn't really get' Jimmy John's. 'It's all cold??' -- yes. 'And you don't serve coffee??' No. I may have sighed once or twice. But in a Yelp review? Inexcusable! For apps we got that mushroom-corn wrap there are a million pictures of on here, with the basil dressing, and the chicken wing, and the tofu triangles. I can't speak for the wings, but all else was very nice. The triangles were super thick, veritable pleasure prisms, and I found myself scooping up the extra pink sauce and peanut bits on my fork. But I do that with cream cheese I've scraped off my bagel, for the record. (As for cocktails, go with vodka or gin or whatever equivalent -- my '12 mile limit,' a fruity Manhattan, was okay. Ms. Park got the one with sojo and a cucumber slice, and I was jealous.) My attitude towards the main courses may be skewed because I'm vegetarian, and don't do fish sauce. That said, I got an eggplant dish that I've had at many a Thai place low and high -- it was on par with the norm. And a dish that was essentially Thai drunken noodles was just so, not markedly exceptional or otherwise, though it seemed like the spice factor was doing too much legwork. Which is where my 'date restaurant' classification comes into play. Yes, there are plenty of Thai places in Portland where you can get food of similar quality for a little cheaper and with a more homestyle, vinyl tablecloth vibe. But sometimes you don't want to be the only people in the house at 7 o'clock, and you may want an exciting cocktail, or to go to the Laurelhurst afterwards, and that's when you go to PaaDee. Please, though, get that awful lime ale off your chalkboard. Imagine a 'Bud Heavy Lime'....

    (3)

  • Vi B.

    I think you really have to appreciate the true flavors in Thai cooking to love this place. That is, you have to know that certain dishes have that smoky spice, or others have that wonderful fishiness. I don't think I'm a Thai food expert, but I do eat it often and enjoy the cuisine a lot. My general thoughts: 1) Super cute interior, 2) packed with people (so you might have to wait), and 3) good (but not over-the-top fantastic) food. But then again, I'm not a huge fan of Pok Pok so take my review with a grain of salt (if you love Pok Pok). I would definitely go again because it's in a great area (and if you're in the mood for Thai it's good), but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorites.

    (4)

  • Lisa S.

    We came in specifically for the Langbaan Fried Chicken Burger special for Eater Burger Week. Limited availability (20 burgers a night) for only one week. Once seated, I asked the bartender/server if they were offering the burger special since no one mentioned it to us. He looked completely dumbfounded & said "uhh...we don't have a burger." So I had to show him the Instagram post & he then said "oh that chicken thing? Let me go ask." Way to sell it, buddy. He came back with our $3 drafts (great deal during happy hour, btw) & confirmed that the "chicken thing" was a go. Since we got there right at 5pm, we also took advantage of their happy hour. We ordered the chicken wings ($5), squid skewer ($2), pork skewer ($2), & 2 burger specials. The skewers were not very good. Even for $2. The pork ping at Khao San is infinitely better. The chicken wings were delicious though. Very similar to Pok Pok's but with more other flavors besides fish sauce & sugar. I would definitely come back for the wings. The fried chicken "burger" was disappointing. It was definitely trying to be a Thai-style bahn mi with some really tasty pickled veg on a ciabatta bun, but it was lacking salt, too heavy on the curry flavor, & the tempura-fried sweet potatoes served with it were bland as well & needed a dipping sauce of sorts. It reminded me of a Lardo sandwich which I guess at $12 is what they were going for. I just expected to be wow'd after dining at Langbaan for the first time on Saturday & it was far from that. We'll definitely be back for the wings & to try their dinner menu & I will update this review accordingly, but we probably won't be coming back for their next "chicken thing."

    (3)

  • Svetlana B.

    One of the best restaurant experiences I've had at this price point. Definitely better than a lot of higher end places I've been to, at that. My friend and I started by splitting the crispy chicken wings; amazing. Perfect combination of sweet, spicy, and fish sauce. Delicate crunch. We crushed them. For dinner I had the Ba Mhee Hang and damn it really dank. This noodle dish has all these pockets of ingredients and flavor that are placed separately on the dish. You bring them together by mixing it, customizing the level of spice and wetness of the noodles. This dish just has such a complex marriage of flavors that really shows the chef's awareness of balance and design in crafting these meals. Also, I think it's really cool that there are a bunch of thai ladies whipping in the kitchen who know what they're making and how to cook it better than a bunch of white people who went to culinary school. This shit is authentic as fuck! It goes without saying that the mango sticky rice also be yummy. I constantly crave this food, thank you Earl Ninsom for hashtag blessing Portland with your vision!!!

    (5)

  • Ford F.

    Amazing food made up for awkward service. I think it was a new dude, he seemed extra sweaty and gave me shaky vibes. Maybe he had to use the potty or something. Wings- amazing Mushroom Larb- amazing Duck curry- a little bland but tasty Gang Teh Poh- best curry I have ever had Yeah

    (5)

  • Rajesh K.

    Nice little Thai place. Great for families or groups. Love their cocktail selections. We had the green curry with vegetables and crispy chicken. Authentic and tasty. Will come again.

    (4)

  • Becca J.

    I came here for lunch on a weekday. We were worried that it would be crowded, but we showed up around noon and there was a reasonable amount of seating left. To start, my friend and I both ordered the Kai Look Kaey, which is a soft boiled egg topped with dry chili and shallots, scallions, and tamarind sauce. It was really tasty. For the 2nd half of my egg, I pulled off the dried chili because it was a little too spicy for me. For my main dish, I had the Chicken Mussaman Curry. I'm pretty sure it was the best Thai curry I've ever had. The potatoes seemed on the under-cooked side, but the flavor of the dish 100% made up for that. Water was served in tin cups with a bottle of water for the table for us to provide our own refills. The bill came out in an old "Ripley's Believe it or Not" book, so they're definitely trying with the cute touches. It looked like the restaurant has a full bar. They also had a large bouquet of fresh flowers by the entrance. Both my coworker and the waiter recommended the Green Curry, so the next time I come here it's going to be at the top of my list to try. Parking was street parking on the side streets.

    (5)

  • Allen K.

    Holy balls this place is good. Not your typical Thai fare, PaaDee offers a refined and delicate take on Thai food. I intended to get a light dish for lunch one day but, per usual, ordered the most decadent thing on the menu instead. When my eyes fell upon the Ba mhee I instantly fell in love. I liken it to a Thai style ramen (I know it's not ramen) loaded with pork 3 ways: ground pork, roasted pork, and crispy pork belly. If you like pig meat in your mouth you will adore this dish. You would think with all that oinkiness the broth would be heavy with fatty oil, but in fact it was surprisingly light with notes of fish sauce and lime. In the end I was able to pig out without feeling like one and the Ba mhee turned out to be the perfect lunch on a rainy day.

    (5)

  • O. F. D.

    Delicious soups and noodle dishes, though be careful on some of the spicy dishes-- they can be overly so. This is great comfort Thai.

    (4)

  • Jocelyn P.

    Went in around 5:30pm on a Tuesday. Service was very fast and didn't have to wait at all. I ordered the special soup with a combo of meats. It was very hot just how I love it. Ordered the salad roll, spring roll, and a Thai tea. I learned to eat "salad rolls" in Reno, NV which are a lot bigger so I was sad to see that these portions were a lot smaller and a bit chewy probably due to overlapping of the wrap and has probably sat for a while. But the spring roll (fried) was amazing. And the Thai tea came with boba so I loved it. Overall very good experience and didn't have to wait long at all for our food.

    (4)

  • Hawthorne A.

    Just had lunch here and it was good! We started off with the Thoong thong and Kai look kaey which were both tasty. For our entrees I got the fried trout, (it was good but I'd ask them to make it extra crispy next time so I can eat the skin). He got the pad ke mao which he thoroughly enjoyed. It's on the high side for thai food but I will definitely be back to check out their HH and dinner.

    (4)

  • Katya L.

    Three of us came here for my mom's birthday - she loves Thai and wanted to try something different, I've had this place on my radar for some time but haven't been able to make it over so we decided to pop in and give it a whirl. It was a Saturday night so I called ahead to make a reservation; the gentleman on the phone told me I'd probably be fine without one but took my name down to be safe. Once we arrived, a little early and ahead of the third member of our party, I was glad we'd called because the restaurant was full - we most certainly would have had to wait. Since we were early, we waited anyway and had a drink at the bar. I had some sort of gin fizz with egg white which was very light and refreshing. Once we were seated, almost right on time, we decided to go ahead and order up a plethora of goodies (and at this point, our third companion was still missing and we were hungry) starting with some pork and shrimp dumplings. When they arrived, they looked like sweet little bundles tied up with seaweed at the top, the fried wrapper crispy but the filling inside tender and savory. Yum! For the main course, family-style, we ordered the green curry noodles, kaffir lime curry with prawns, and pork belly with green beans. The noodles were quite tasty, but the flavor was very light - I would have appreciated a touch more depth of flavor. The lime curry was good as well, but my mom lamented that it was light on content - only four prawns and the only vegetables were cauliflower and a tiny bit of greens. Perhaps they were going for simplicity of flavor, but it came across as skimping on the ingredients. The pork belly was by far my favorite dish - smoky and fiery with spice, the pork belly tender and the green beans perfectly cooked to have just a little snap. The dishes were decently sized - they didn't look big but with a little rice to soak up the sauces, all three of us were quite full and still had a little leftovers to take home. I ordered a second drink with dinner, some sort of herbal liquor thing that I can't recall now but that my mom wanted to try. It was very good, and very strongly flavored, but after two cocktails (each over $10) I was not at all buzzed, which I would expect and appreciate. I love a good craft cocktail as much as the next girl but when I'm paying over a tenner for a drink I expect to feel it! I did appreciate that the dishes were mostly in the $10-15 range, which was quite reasonable for the care and deliberation the kitchen put into the food. I would definitely return to sample more dishes, but might stick to ordering simple drinks from the bar. The service was also great, friendly and attentive without being fake or overbearing. Ambiance was fine - I enjoyed the decor, but would just like to say that I am completely over the stark, modern all-concrete restaurant and bar designs! So much stone with nothing to dampen sound lends to a very noisy space, and even around a small table my party and I had a hard time hearing each other over the music and the din. I live for the day when decorators will figure out how to design for good acoustics without sacrificing appearance. Until then, I guess I'll just have to resign to shouting at my friends over dinner.

    (4)

  • Stephanie W.

    So, so, so, so good. Two of us tried a noodle dish, two others had the curries. Each dish was so delicious. My noodle dish was light and initially I thought I'd been denied a dish with sauce but realized I loved it the more I ate it, it was subtle in flavor with crab, ground pork and chicken. My fellow diners had a pad see ew'esque chicken noodle dish, duck curry and the coconut curry with chicken wings. I will definitely be going back to try the coconut curry with chicken wings. We also had the fried little dumplings and fishcakes. Delicious!

    (5)

  • Jesse C.

    I was surprised with the menu. I'm from LA so I'm used to different options when I take look at a Thai menu. Upon my first observation of the menu at Paadee I was like "what the heck?" I was even more surprised that they had a cocktail list at this restaurant; which seems customary at almost every restaurant in Portland. Back home I'd be lucky to find a beer at a Thai restaurant. No drinking on this particular occasion regrettably as I already had plans for drinks elsewhere. Instead, my girlfriend and I had the kanom jeen gang keaw gai; green curry noodles with chicken, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, red bell pepper, and a one or two other things. We also ordered the gai grop sam yan; which is crispy chicken with cashews, scallions, and dry chillies. It was all delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. Also have to mention the staff and the design of this restaurant. On arrival, we were cheerfully greeted by both the host and our server. The server was helpful in describing certain dishes and did an excellent job in assisting us anyway he can. As for the decor and look of the dining room, I think the pictures can explain it all. I can only say it created a trendy and unique atmosphere. So Paadee was startling to say the least, but definitely in a good way. The menu might have been unrecognizable but still has great tasting options.

    (4)

  • Hayden N.

    I'm always looking for a good Thai restaurant, there are so many around Portland but, most of the time, the food is generic and mediocre. That's not the case with PaaDee! We came during happy hour, however, everything on the happy hour menu was very standard. Looking at the full dinner menu, all their offerings had a unique twist to them--an ingredient or different preparation method that isn't customary. I couldn't decided so I ended up getting two dishes. They had me with the roasted duck and lychee, two of my favorite foods...together?? It was a curry with roasted duck, lychee fruit, bamboo shoots, bell pepper, and basil. I am not sure why I've never thought of that combination. It was probably one of the richest curry I've ever had the pleasure of eating--perfect curry to coconut milk ratio. I started with the Ba Mhee Tom Yum Pitsanulok first, which had egg noodles in a spicy lime and pork broth with ground pork, roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sliced green beans, ground peanuts, and scallions. I added a soft boiled egg. The curry was so amazing that I ignored my other dish. Don't get me wrong, that was full of succulent pork and made for a delicious lunch the following day but I was so fixated on this duck curry. I'm salivating writing a review for it. The ambiance of the restaurant and service was great--there was always someone being attentive and bringing us whatever we needed without being asked. I was really impressed by PaaDee--that's rare with Thai restaurants.

    (4)

  • Harneet S.

    Great atmosphere and great food. Service was quick but we were the only ones there (it was lunch time so that's fair). Their version of the Tom kah and pud kee Moa were on point as well as the Thai iced tea. Also parking was not difficult.

    (4)

  • Harvikramjeet S.

    Amazing Thai iced tea. Nuff said. Food was amazing. Green curry amazing. Fast service. Nothing bad to say about this place great food good service nice atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Don B.

    PaaDee has grown on me. A lot. In fact, I'm coming to favor this joint over certain others that serve up similarly-situated Thai food. I've found some dishes on the menu here that completely dominate my palate and take me back to SE Asia, like the pomelo salad and kaffir lime curry. The flavors here pop, and the menu offers a lot of dishes you don't really see on many other menus. The more I dine here, the more I want to come back again and again for the deliciousness. Also the cocktail menu has some surprising notes of deliciousness on it. Like the tamarind whiskey cocktail. Usually tamarind cocktails are not at all well balanced, but the drink here (the name escapes me) is fantastic. I think PaaDee has easily passed into 5-star territory for me.

    (5)

  • Kristin M.

    Paadee is by far our favorite restaurant in Portland! The service is always great and friendly. Best dishes are the Puu Pad Pong Gari (lobster curry), Ba Mhee Hang and the Ba Mhee "Pitsanulok". The Hanger steak and rice is also amazing! They serve it on their HH as well and it is not to be missed! HH is also a great deal for everything offered! Drinks are always fantastic as well--they are true mixologists here! We've had most of the drinks on the menu and they never disappoint!

    (5)

  • Jess P.

    Until dining at PaaDee, I was unaware that eggplant could create an other-worldly euphoria in a person. It was butter, and silk, and crispy all in one. At first bite, I realized PaaDee had my heart as one of the finer Thai restaurants in Portland. The dishes were perfectly spicy. The vegetables done to perfection. The tofu achieving that impossible ratio of crispy and silky. The noodles were the ideal texture and bite. In short, the meal was executed wonderfully and all of the flavors you want and love of Thai food were there. That said, the folks at PaaDee need to save that "V" label for food items that are actually, truly, indeed-ly vegetarian. If your curry rocks fish sauce, that's fine. I bet it tastes a lot better to some. But it's not vegetarian. And their curries can never, ever be made vegetarian (according to our waitress). So they should never, ever be labeled as vegetarian. It's a simple fix, but its an important one to us vegheads out there.

    (4)

  • In B.

    1 hr wait, ey.. i dont mind if the food is off the hook.. it wasnt bad at all but it wasn't the greatest either. some dishes definitely had some rich, bold flavors like their fried chicken. it had pokpok flavors but better! crispy and ~oh my~ juicy inside~~ i also really enjoyed their pad kee mao because the noodles were extra fresh n chewey! some of the other dishes were a little bit on the salty side but its a good balance if u drink a beer with it -- but then again, what isn't good with beer the place had a very nice ambience n good vibes. overall good service, but they dont really smile.. but its ok cause thats how most asians are. lollll id go back for another try.. maybe try other dishes.

    (3)

  • Mia N.

    I absolutely love this restaurant. Having spent some time in Thailand traveling around, I am pretty picky about thai food. This place never disappoints and as soon as I leave, I am thinking of when I can go again.

    (5)

  • Jessica W.

    Meh. That's really the best I can say about PaaDee, unfortunately. I convinced my group of friends to come here instead of our tried-and-true after reading all the positive Yelp reviews because I was craving something fresh and new. I was so excited, but we all left disappointed. My group started by splitting the chicken wings, which were fantastic. Perfect crunch, piping hot, juicy, well-seasoned, hint of fish sauce flavor. After that, the meal went downhill. The squid skewer I ordered was unpleasantly rubbery and the squid wasn't well-cleaned. The cocktails were very expensive for what they were. I don't mind paying $9 for a drink, but I expect it to be a really good drink and the cocktails at PaaDee were really nothing to write home about. A friend who will drink just about anything barely touched hers. The attitudes of the wait staff left something to be desired as well. My friend asked if they were still serving the Massamun curry that he had seen a photo of online and our waiter's attitude was a little holier-than-thou. "That is a LUNCH item. We only serve it at LUNCH because we think of that and Pad Thai as being LUNCH items, because they are meant to be eaten at LUNCH." Okay. Also, my biggest pet peeve: if there are no condiments on your table, your food had better be well-seasoned, and it was not. My Ba Mhee "Pitsanulok" arrived lukewarm and was bland and underwhelming. Perhaps it was just an off day? I got the feeling that the food would have been good with some adjustments, but it wasn't, and at the price I wouldn't go back to find out.

    (2)

  • Vicki L.

    Is everybody ready to PaaDee?!! Ha...ha..ha.... Seriously, this restaurant tops it with it's chill decor and simple yet diverse menu with some bomb ass quality Thai food while somehow keepin an awesome American spin to it I ended up getting the Tom Kha Gai which was just right and my friend ordered the Guay Tiew Kua Gai which turned out to be similar to a Thai style ramen We also ordered the Peek Gai Tod chicken wings which were probably the best damn Thai style chicken wings I've ever had hot DAYUM Great decor. Great vibe. Great service. Top quality ingredients in their food. Definitely great for dinner parties or a romantic date ;)

    (5)

  • Tim F.

    They have some good drinks on HH. The pork belly meal is SUPER. It's a bit more than what I'd like to pay for thai food but it's worth it to come here once in a while. The pad kee mao is good also. The waterfall cocktail is one of the best cocktails that I've had. Chicken wings are pretty good but have a bit too much breading for my liking. The HH pork soup is bland; I really hope they change it. It has a very little amount of pork and the broth is watered down.

    (4)

  • Heather C.

    While the Happy Hour menu is somewhat limited, we were able to enjoy quite a few things on it! The wings and soup were the best options, though. Their special Tennessee Williams drink was fantastic. By no fault of her own, we had difficulty understanding the accent of the waitress over the noise of the space, so we didn't order anything that she tried to describe to us. Trust me when I say that people are visual and would rather read a dessert menu and discuss the options, so we went somewhere down the street for dessert. I would come back for dinner, though!

    (4)

  • Lucy S.

    They don't overdo the ginger like some other Portland Thai restaurants do. It's a good mix of flavors and is savory without overpowering saltiness. The chicken wings were an amazing start to the meal. Would definitely recommend them.

    (4)

  • Claire G.

    Adorable set-up, prompt and friendly service, amazing food. Green curry was a big winner- loved the eggplant. Claire ordered a meat and noodle bowl of some sort, and naturally we wound up trading because it was not what she had expected (the broth was a bit on the tangy side for her, but I loved it). The thing that REALLY blew us away was the squid skewers. I could live on those!

    (4)

  • J1 J.

    Yeah, I'd take PaaDee over PokPok any day. No wait, great food. Plus, the wings are 100X better (and cheaper) than PokPok's. Whereas PokPok serves up the whole chicken wing - both drummette and wing all in one piece - covered in a tarry and sweet fish saucey mess, PaaDee splits the pieces and covers them in light golden batter, with a pickled and fish sauce-srirarcha glaze that's a better balance of sweet, tart and savory. Addicting. Ba mhee is also great - noodle soup with a hot and sour broth and all the fixins - including perfectly crisp pork belly pieces (the only problem was trying to figure out how to not get them soggy while they swam in the broth). I'd go back just for the wings alone. And I'd take them to Pok Pok and eat them in front of the people waiting 2hrs for a table there.

    (5)

  • Aimee L.

    Food: five stars. Service: zero stars. Returned here after a good food/dismal service experience a few months back and walked in for more of the same if not worse. The waitstaff had zero friendliness, barely acknowledged us trying to make conversation, and then because we did not want alcohol, refused to serve us from the 5-6pm happy hour menu and said we'd BOTH have to order drinks to use it. When I said my husband doesn't drink, the waiter actually said "well you won't be needing these" and took the happy hour (food) menu off the table. Oh and did I menu we were the only people sitting in the whole place? Or that they were blasting techno music at 5pm? Dumbfounded at this experience. Portland has a lot of good Thai. I will never waste my time again with this kind of crap service. Seems to be a theme along NE 28th (with exception of Pambiche) that so many of the places don't think they have to make any type of attempt at being friendly to customers.

    (1)

  • Kevin R.

    Bad service and cold food. I called to let them know about my experience and they said they were sending me gift cards so that I could try them again. The gift cards never came. I won't be back.

    (1)

  • Rachel H.

    Amazing food! I was happily enjoying my green curry when my friend and I saw Ben Gibbard walk in! :D Well heck, if it's good enough for Ben Gibbard, it's good enough for me! :) Great restaurant, awesome food, we'll be back! :)

    (5)

  • Cat P.

    So many amazing options that are not the norm. I got the crispy pork belly. It was delicious and slightly spicy. Great atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Dan H.

    Some of the recent reviews for this place said that the food was too salty. Sue and I didn't have that experience at all when we came here last night. We both really enjoyed the food and the service. We were able to get a few things off of the happy hour menu to start. Started out with the Muu Ping (Grilled Thai street style pork skewers) as well as the Sai grog e-san (Fried northeastern Thai style fermented rice and pork sausage). With that Sue had a glass of their house wine and I had their version of a Dark and Stormy. For my main dish I had the Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok (Egg noodles in "Pitsanulok province" style spicy lime & pork broth, ground pork, roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sliced green beans, ground peanuts, scallions.) $12 gets you a big portion of soupy and porky goodness. I added a soft boiled farm egg for an additional $1 and I'm glad I did. It was just about the perfect egg. We saved room for dessert. I quite enjoyed the Pa tong goh sang ka yah (fried chinese style dough with pandanus cream $6), but Sue did not have the same feeling. Not that the dish was anything amazing mind blowing. If you've had fried dough, fried chinese style dough isn't much different, but the cream was very good. Service was very good. Our server just seemed to be very into her job. Just about everybody who worked there thanked us for coming in as we were leaving. When you often don't get this kind of service in Portland, something like this really stands out.

    (4)

  • Anna M.

    I'm very much with Jessica W. on her review on the food and the almost waitstaff. Also the review on awkward service by Ford F. below is spot on. Strange. The women running the food were nice though. There are so many Thai places in town that are solid. This one has a shiny look, but the food and prices don't match up. Gonna stick with my old spot on Belmont.

    (2)

  • Kay N.

    We ordered Tom yum soup, their popular noodle soup dish with fried pork belly and pad Kee Mao noodle dish. The Tom yum soup was the best I ever tasted! I love how the veggies tasted fresh and everything was pretty flavorful for all of our dishes. Not bland at all. Happy hour is from 5-6! Food is discounted if you order a drink. Great place to bring a date. Decor is pretty nice. I would describe it like modern rustic.

    (5)

  • Trey C.

    Yum. Inside is loud but the outside seating is great. Their eggplant was very well cooked which is not very easy. Service was prompt and helpful so definitely recommend!

    (4)

  • Anthony T.

    We came here for the food and stayed a while to enjoy the service and bar offerings a little more. We had the good fortune of being served by PaaDee's culinary associate, Ms. Dong. She's got a great sense of humor and provided excellent suggestions for entertainment after learning we weren't locals. Aside from the food being delectable, this charming joint is kept in good order and is well-staffed. Portland has a gem in PaaDee.

    (5)

  • Amy E.

    I believe most of the staff is from Thailand. That should tell you enough. My husband and I were the first to arrive for lunch. A few days ago we had a great experience at Lang Baan and decided to return to PaaDee for lunch. We ordered the squid and pork skewer, the fried fish cakes, pad seew, and a spicy/sour rice noodle soup. Unfortunately I didn't get the exact names of the dishes. All of the dishes we had were fantastic and reminded me of our trip from Thailand. We were just in Thailand a month a go and I recall having the dishes prepared the same way. There is so much flavor. I am happy PaaDee is not afraid to use authentic herbs heavily. I wanted to give PaaDee 5 stars, but there was one thing that kept it from perfection. Most of the foods were a bit too salty. The spicy/sour noodle soup was best seasoned, but all the other dishes were on the salty side. I am not sure if this is due to the American pallet or if someone is just heavy handed with the salt. I would get this wonderful taste in my mouth with the all the herbs and spices, but then I am left with this salty taste. The saltiness kept me from wanting more. Usually Thai food has a great balance of spicy, sour, sweet and salty which makes me have the appetite to consume a lot more then I should, but for some reason it was too salty for me to go that path. Overall I give PaaDee a thumbs up. It's pretty darn close to dining at a restaurant in Thailand.

    (4)

  • Megan S.

    Okay, we've been back to PaaDee quite a few times at this point. We often go for lunch because it's never very crowded. Last week, we went there for dinner with a guest from out of town. Luckily, we had the foresight to make a reservation because it was packed! So, with that in mind, go for lunch if you want a more relaxed meal. Some of our favorite dishes are the khao soi gai--a turmeric-laced chicken and coconut soup with fried wonton; the ba mhee pitsanulok (not sure if I'm spelling that correctly)--a pork broth with noodles, pork belly, ground pork, and red-cooked pork; and the Japanese eggplant dish. But everything we've had there has been really good. Consistently good. Other highlights are the son-in-law eggs and their chicken wings. Everything is always fresh and full-flavored, the servers are really great, and the atmosphere is good. So far, I have absolutely no complaints about PaaDee--only positive things to say.

    (5)

  • Brandi M.

    When going to a Thai restaurant I always have to get the Tom Yum soup and fresh salad rolls. So of course my first time at PaaDee I wasn't about to stray from my usual. I don't typically see Tom Yum made with evaporated milk and I was a tad leery but I must say it was mighty tasty. The fresh salad rolls (with tofu) were not too shabby either, I do prefer my salad rolls without the noodles so I was pleasantly surprised to find that's how they are made at PaaDee. All together I gotta say PaaDee is worth the try, I would most diffenately not mind going back here more often.

    (4)

  • Scott L.

    The food here was off the charts. We had a little bit of a wait but it was well worth it. My favorite dish was the wings they have available as an appetizer. After eating here I craved them for weeks and ended up swinging by for two to go orders of them for dinner one night. I really enjoyed the vibe and ambiance they have here.

    (5)

  • Seema F.

    I found this place because it was the only restaurant in the area that seemed to be open after 9:30pm. I was skeptical because fancier Thai places tend to have terrible, Americanized food, but PaaDee was surprisingly good. There menu had some of the usuals, but plenty of items I haven't seen at your run-of-the mill Thai place. With 3 people we ordered: pad kee mao, gai grop sam yan (crispy chicken), and ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok (spicy pork). Everything arrived pretty quickly and in larger portions than I expected (not larger than a hole-in-the-wall Thai, but larger than most "fancy" places). Not unusually, we thought the level of heat was too low, and when we asked for chilies, they did have a nice array of chilies to choose from. We all left satisfyingly full and had no leftovers. It does seem like that since Pok Pok came around, Thai restaurants have priced their dishes accordingly. At least the food here is more worth the cost than half of the other places I've been to. I do wish it was a little cheaper, but all in all it was an excellent meal, and I'd recommend it if your looking for a nice Thai restaurant with a little more upscale atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Jeff O.

    PaaDee strives for the glories of Thai street food but they fall rather short. Throwing pork belly on everything does not a special meal make -- you have to make good sauces. The flavors of our Saturday dinner were not sharp or spicy enough -- and the crispy chicken was just plain mediocre. It may not be generic Thai, but it's not good Thai either.

    (2)

  • Marina P.

    Delicious Thai food on the East Side. Great, relaxed ambiance. The portions are perfect size. Their fizz drinks were yummy. I had the pad-kee-maw and pad-see-ew. Delicious!!!

    (5)

  • Jenny H.

    Came here for a brunch on Sunday and was surprised at how empty it was. I was a little worried but after I started eating I was happy it was not super packed because it just means it's still a hidden gem. I really liked everything I tried and there's still quite a few dishes that I want to come back to try. KAI LOOK KAEY ($2) = Fried soft boiled egg with shallots, chili, and scallions. So yummy! GUAY TIEW KUA GAI ($10) = Flat rice noodles with chicken eggs and bean sprouts served over a bed of romaine lettuce. This was recommended to me by the server and I was happy I tried this. The crunchy romaine lettuce made this dish very refreshing and was perfect for brunch. BA MHEE TOM YUM PITSANULOK ($12) = Egg noodles in a spicy pork broth served with ground pork, roasted red pork, and crispy pork belly. This was also very good with the crispy pork belly being the star.Broth was good and I imagine it'd be perfect in the winter.

    (4)

  • James D. H.

    Guay Tiew Lui Suan (tofu, corn, shitake, carrot in garlic, rice wrapped.) Tom Kha Gai (coconut milk soup with chicken and button mushrooms.) The rolls were really, really good. Came with a tangy little sauce that i pretty much drank. The star of my lunch (other than the stellar service and killer music plus great service, was the the Coconut Soup w/ Chicken. Wow. It was all i could do to not make animal noises as i slurped this creamy broth of yumminess down. I was planning my next visit half way through lunch. The only bad part was i wolfed my food down so fast i wished i had spent more tome enjoying it all by smell and sight. I was kinda sad that it was almost gone. Even though i was very full. I wanted more.

    (4)

  • Angela C.

    I've only been once, and I'm already drooling thinking about going again! The ambiance, the service, the food, all of it was amazing. It was hot in Portland this week, so upon sitting down they apologized about the ac being broken. I didn't mind since it was nearly 9pm. I got a perfectly mixed (not too sweet) Thai iced tea. I started off with the shrimp and pork dumplings. Fried to perfection with a sweet plum sauce. It was really hard to make a decision on my main course! But I decided on the green curry with chicken and rice noodles. Perfectly spiced and perfectly cooked Thai eggplant. I will be back!

    (5)

  • Emily J.

    We all know that PaaDee has great traditional Thai food, but this review is dedicated to a cocktail that I am absolutely in love with. The Waterfall is absolutely delicious and is the most refreshing drinks I've ever sipped on. The cucumber, lemon and thyme combo is so simple, yet unbelievably delicious. At first sip you think it's a plain cucumber drink, then you are kicked with the crisp and punchy taste of the lemon and liquor. I had two of them during happy hour ($6) but definitely could have drank 3 or 4 more. Highly, highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Steve H.

    I first experience here was not so great. I came because several friends had raved about how great PaaDee is (I have one friend who swears it's better than PokPok). It was late lunch on a lazy afternoon. We started by ordering cocktails. I got Bombay Sapphire martini, which cost $10. Okay. I've paid that much for a tasty, big martini before. However, this one was served in one of those retro miniature martini glasses from the early 20th century that may well have been salvaged from the Titanic. You know the type. Hold about a shot and a half of booze. Good margin on those I guess. But I felt a little cheated. The friend who brought me there raved about their wings, so we ordered them as an appetizer, and then ordered main courses. I got the Pad Kee Mao, which was actually quite good. Typical Thai restaurant fare, but done up well. The downside is that the waiter forgot our wing order. The main courses just came out. The waiter apologized and we said we still wanted the wings. They came out as "dessert" I guess. But the wings were pretty borderline raw--almost raw enough for me to want to return them, not for aesthetic reasons, but for reasons of health and food safety. Also, they were sodden with grease. I don't know if the fryer was too cold or what, but man, they were nasty, nasty wings. And beyond that--in regard to the Pok Pok comparison--there is nothing all that special about the menu. It's very typical American Thai restaurant fare: green curry, red curry, masaman curry, panang curry, etc. So on first visit I have to say I just really don't get it. I've since returned with the same friend and had a much better experience. I had the Pad Kee Mao again, and again I found it quite good. And the little condiment tray with the various peppers and sauces is a nice touch. But I still don't see what's supposed to make this place so over-the-top good. It's a decent Thai restaurant--perhaps a notch above the typical. You will likely find that it more than meets your requirements for quality food. But I think Thai Basil on NE Broadway is better,as is Chiang Mai on Hawthorne, and yes, so is the now trendy to hate (pok Pok is OVER!) Pok Pok.

    (3)

  • Martha R.

    I do enjoy me some Pok Pok. So when I came into town, and mentioned eating there to a friend, he suggested that we eat at PaaDee instead. Well, let me say, I sure am glad that we did. It's delicious, has similarities to Pok Pok but fun differences too, and the wait is NADA. I imagine that once this place gets more positive reviews and the word gets out that it will be nice and busy all the time. So enjoy it while you can. The rice pie w/ green onion was my favorite thing on the menu. The other items were delicious and the right amount of spice. I definitely suggest testing just about everything on the menu. Also, the wine list is reasonably priced, and options are good. Parking is annoying, which is probably the only thing that I didn't like about PaaDee. Otherwise it's a great addition to the Portland eating scene.

    (4)

  • Sebastien N.

    The wings and the pitsanulok (must order) were both phenomenal, but the duck curry was just eh. But, really, order the pitsanulok. It's one of the best dishes in Portland.

    (5)

  • Rena J.

    Perfectly cooked noodles. Most of their noodle dishes could use more sauce but that's just my preference. Everyone at my table got noodles. I got to try pad kee mao, pad thai and a rice noodles in green curry with chicken. OMG the green curry was amazing and had a good kick of spice. The noodles were hidden under all that sauce and I took advantage of that by dipping my tofu into it. I'm happy that I don't have to wait 90+ min at Pok Pok for good Thai food because there's PaaDee!

    (5)

  • Andrew S.

    I'm torn on the stars to give this establishment. Thought the food was good, I found myself saying " I would order take out from this place" halfway through my meal. The contrived nature of the restaurant and the horrible acoustics made me want to leave before the food even arrived. Honestly, this could be any kind of restaurant with the horrible, "trying too hard to be hipster portland" vibe. It was almost unbearable to sit through the meal. Due to to poor acoustics I could hear the conversations of every other table except ours. It was awful... The food was ok, noodles were overlooked and my sticky rice was the tiniest portion I have ever seen. Lol. I even asked if this was right and they responded with the stupidest answer ever. I could only laugh about it. Drinks and food portion to price is way over priced. Like I mentioned. I would order take out but will not be dining in again.

    (2)

  • David B.

    We had the wild prawn salad, then pork gang te pho (peanut curry--we had it with pork belly, the other option was prawns). The prawns were excellent, something I find to be rare in Portland (too far from the coast?). The prawns were grilled and tasted very fresh. The salad zesty, very flavorful. Lime and cilantro, lemongrass perhaps? I came in hoping for a papaya salad--my usual favorite, but they didn't have one. This was better, however. The peanut curry was the best curry I've had recently. Definitely an underrated restaurant!

    (5)

  • Zach K.

    We must have been in on an off night based on the other reviews and what seemed to be poor execution. We'll retry at some point and hopefully update with a better experience. The rundown: - Squid skewer was rubbery and the sauce on top didn't seem like a great pairing: -1 - Chicken wings: Really delicious, but wasn't spicy like I had hoped. But I wouldn't compare these to other fish sauce wings as these are a totally different style. And its definitely fried chicken. +2 - Ba Mhee: They seemed to skimp on the meat which wasn't that great anyway. The broth seemed a little plain, and like it needed an egg. Was better the next day after sitting in the fridge and adding some heat(bit of sriracha sauce). +- 0. - Green Curry Noodles w/egglplant: There was a long strand of hair in the food. This happens, but rarely, and doesn't bother me much. What was worse is the noodles were practically mush(very soft), and there was hardly any eggplant(which was good). The curry was quite nice, and had the right amount of kick. Perhaps the noodles were as intended, but it wasn't my cup of tea. -1 - Whiskey soda: Seemed to almost entirely be an ice cube. No bitters. Maybe I was brought the wrong drink? The ice cube was cool and it was happy hour price, so +- 0.

    (2)

  • Rebecca V.

    The food here is delicious. I usually have the green curry and rice noodle dish with chicken. It's super flavorful and rich. This past time it was so spicy it almost burned my mouth off. I wish they had asked what level of spice I wanted. So yeah, food is great. Atmosphere is cute, not phenomenal. Service is ok. Not anything to write home about.

    (4)

  • Sabina U.

    This instantly became my favorite Thai place in Portland, and I've been to almost all of them in search of the perfect one. The presentation of the dishes is unique, with great attention to detail. You can taste the superior quality of their ingredients and it's huge. Fresh, clean, flavorful, exquisite. Perfect for a little date or a quick lunch. It felt fancy and unpretentious at the same time. The waiter was very knowledgeable and attentive. Loved every minute there!

    (5)

  • Eric M.

    Had a great meal here for the first time! My favorite dish was the crispy chicken. I thought everything we had was interesting. I would say the wings need a different sauce as the fish sauce was a little intense.

    (4)

  • Anne K.

    I don't rate service, ambiance, cleanliness and wait times; they are too variable. I can put up with anything if the food is good. It is all about the food- that's it. All of my ratings are based on vegan options only. Notes: This place was pretty good.

    (4)

  • Christina B.

    Fresh delicious thai food with delicious cocktails too. Pros: Green curry with veggies & tofu was delicious. I took leftovers home and ate the two hours later because I couldn't wait any longer. Yummy. I also had a shochu cocktail with a cumber and lemon in it. It was sweet, citrusy and refreshing. The atmosphere is open and could be versatile for a work lunch/dinner, date or dinner with friends. I love the metal cups for the water. I will definitely be back! The one con was the waitress was not very friendly and tried to to not serve me a happy hour cocktail at 5:50pm. Happy hour goes until 6:00pm, I had ten minutes.

    (5)

  • Sherry S.

    Thai is thai is thai.. and there is a ton of it in Portland, but, this place does it different. It seems fresher, newer, or, maybe the ingredients are a little grander? Something.. I'm no expert, except that I've eaten in thai restaurants for years. The menu has some items I had never tried anywhere else, and don't seem to be on a lot of thai menus that I can recall. I decided to try them here. I got the Kai look kaey (pic and ingredients here): yelp.com/biz_photos/iTDV… as one of the "snacks" off the menu. The egg was still warm, the flavors blended nicely together. I could have done that again. Next we got the Guay tiew lui suan: yelp.com/biz_photos/iTDV… unusual salad rolls to say the least. I loved the corn and shitake that was added. Finally, I got the Wid Prawns salad: yelp.com/biz_photos/iTDV… tons of nice big prawns, lemongrass was fresh (I hate getting lemongrass that's like biting into old sticks), and the spicy lime dressing was not too salty like some places. It was perfect actually. I also ordered a bloody mary. They seemed to have played with the basic recipe and added something different. Don't expect all the pickled veggies or anything. It's all in the juice. Subtle, yet full of flavor. Atmosphere is relaxing, with warm colors. They've got some really fun bird cage lights above. They open up their windows to the outside and they have outside seating as well. It really is not your what-to-expect thai restaurant. They've got their own personal touch and I'm sure the chef has something to do with it.

    (4)

  • Erica S.

    Meh is right. I found this place on Yelp, read the reviews and checked out all the amazing photos (so many beautiful bowls of soup!), and decided to go at once. I'm fine with it being a fancier atmosphere compared with the more cozy-to-hole-in-the-wall traditional thai restaurants, and I didn't mind when I found the waitstaff to be of the Portland hipster variety. But I do mind being led to a place that somehow draws comparisons to Pok Pok, only to find the same dishes that I can get in any thai restaurant in town. I took the advice of many yelpers and ordered the ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok. To me, the broth had no depth; it seemed like the broth components came from a bottle a few minutes before being served to me. It was mostly sour, and not the rich broth I was hoping for. We also had the pad kee mao, which the which the server said was spicy, but it was about as spicy as Heinz tomato ketchup. Nothing was bad, it just wasn't anything like these 5 star reviews had led us to believe. On top of that, you are paying $3-$4 more per dish than you would in any Thai restaurant. I'll take a Portland thai restaurant version 1.0 anyday over this new model.

    (2)

  • Allison P.

    I was very happy with my Pork Panang curry. It had a wonderful flavor. Wait staff was nice too.

    (4)

  • Jee Young K.

    It was Friday dinner we had to wait more than one hour to get in. Waiting area was full so we had to sit out side. Food was great I highly recomend chicken wing it was so delicious.

    (4)

  • Shannon J.

    Great environment. Tasty food. Not a traditional portion size supplier. I had Tom Yum Goong, Mr. T had the longest name under Noodle. He is the one yahoo-ed first out of my surprise as the serving isn't big at all for $11 noodle. T loves cooking and Tha and spicyi. He appreciated the curry and loved the natural color of it. It's very yummy to me. Noodle is a different kind of rice noodle I guess. As to my Tom Yum Goong, I didn't like how simple and small the bowl looks like. There are a few very big shrimps, which was good news to me. Other than that, taste is good. But simple. Since I wasn't very hungry. It's perfect quantity. My reflection is: we probably just don't need that much? compared to the portion that you couldn't actually finish. especially if it could be well made. All in all, worth trying with wonderful decoration and comfortable seats.

    (5)

  • James K.

    Went to PaaDee last night with my much better half for dinner. We live close to PokPok and while we like it a lot, the price and the wait leave us both a little cold. So we decided to try PaaDee for a change of pace. Immediately upon entering, I thought the decor was interesting, but the music was too loud. The vibe seems a little mixed, with dim lights that suggest intimacy, but louder music and communal tables that don't. Luckily we sat at a 2-top and could hear each other just fine. The menu has a lot of interesting things on it, with several starters, salads, noodle dishes and specialties. We opted for the wings and a squid skewer to start along with a couple of their menu cocktails. We followed that with the Pork Belly and Beans and a special half chicken dish. Everything was prepared pretty nicely, with the only two complaints being that the wings were a little too salty (and a little spendy at $8 for 6 single joint wings) and the sticky rice was too firm. It was actually hard to cut the puck of rice once we got it out of the wrapper. We got out of there for $60 without dessert, which seems a little steep for what we got. Generally the food and service were good, but not outstanding

    (4)

  • Ashley F.

    We were really happy with our food. We got the pork skewers and the fermented rice sausage to start. Then the pork noodle dish everyone recommends and the crispy chicken with cashews. Also, they delivered our check in a Judy Garland biography while we were in the middle of a Wizard of Oz conversation!

    (5)

  • Sudipto G.

    standard of thai food keeps getting better and better in PDX, this is another gem in the long line of excellent thai restaurants. I don't remember the names of what I ordered, but all the dishes were excellent, an we went off yelp pictures to figure out what to order.

    (5)

  • Georgie K.

    The food here is unique and authentic like Thai comfort food. I loved everything we ate. The appetizers are somewhat limited in choice, but very tasty. Service was fine. It was not fantastic or horrible. My husband did not care for his green curry, but I loved it. I look forward to going back.

    (4)

  • Chandler B.

    Very spicy with no warnings. Gnarly salt hangover the next morning. Other spots on the block are preferred!

    (2)

  • Jenelle E.

    Tasty food and drinks and excellent service. We've eaten here ten times because we're close by. Comparatively speaking, there is better Thai food in town and it's a little pricey but I enjoy myself here and would recommend it. Their mushroom larb is unique and fantastic!

    (4)

  • Chris H.

    The cooking here is amazingly precise. The dishes have complex flavors that stand on their own, but also blend beautifully with a perfect balance of savory, sour and sweet. The seasoning is done just right, so there is never a wish that there had been less salt or that you wished you had hot sauce to add. I didn't want to change a thing about any of the dishes we ordered. Our waiter was cheerful and extremely helpful. Here's what we ordered: Sai aou - This is listed under snacks. It's Chiangmai sausage with herbs, served with fresh greens. It was a sliced sausage on a plate with very crisp, crunchy romaine leaves, cucumber slices, and cilantro. I tasted the sausage all by itself and found it to be salty and lemon grassy. Not bad, but when I wrapped a piece up in a romaine leaf with a slice of cucumber and a sprig of cilantro, it was absolutely heavenly. Our waiter said the Sai grog e-san sausage is even better. We'll try that next time. Ba Nhee "Pitsanulock", which is egg noodles, spicy lime and pork broth, with pork belly, red pork, ground pork, peanuts and scallions. We also added a soft-boiled egg. The dish was both refreshing and filling at the same time. The contrast of the sweet red pork with the broth was particularly nice. Yum! Guay tiew kua gai - flat rice noodles, chicken, egg, sprouts, salted radish, and romaine. This came with a lime-based sauce. The description doesn't sound like much. We ordered this based on our waiter's recommendation. So glad we did. Unbelievably good.

    (5)

  • Ada Y.

    Went on a date here and it was great! The place had a lively atmosphere that is suitable for all ages, and is relatively inexpensive. I had the gang keaw tofu (green curry w/ tofu) and he had the gai grop sam yan (saute crispy chicken). Both dishes were delicious! The only drawback was I wish our server asked how spicy I wanted the dish, but it's partly my fault for forgetting. It came out a little on the spicy side for me, but it was good to clear up my nostrils! The place doesn't have a parking lot but we didn't have to go too far to find a spot. Service was great as well.

    (4)

  • Lorelei C.

    I was so excited to see something go into this corner spot on 28th and Burnside! I live just a few blocks away and love Thai food, so it was a win/win in my book. Each time I've ordered the same thing (The Pork Belly dish, with rice and veggies) - The first time it was melt in my mouth delicious. The second time it had a lot more kick to it. Went a little spice heavy in back maybe? But still really good. I haven't tried any drinks outside of a beer, but the little bar seating is cute. I've sat at the large community table each time, and while you might be sharing space with strangers, it's quite easy to keep to yourself and your partner/group. The only thing of note: Your food might come out at different times. One time we were asked if this mattered or if we wanted all of our food at once, the other time we weren't. If you're eating family style and sharing your plates this is awesome, allows you to go for one dish after the other. If you're on a date you might want to take note of what might take longer to cook or if your meals will come out at the same time or not.

    (4)

  • Sarah M.

    Enjoyed my first trip to this upscale Thai restaurant just across the street from Laurelhurst theater. The food was extremely tasty. I ordered the prawn soup and it was immensely flavorful. The fish cakes with crispy basil were also spiced just right and the sauce was superb. I tried to ignore the noodle dish my dining companion ordered but could not resist and it was also a winner. The atmosphere is nice and relaxing - not too loud though it could have been with the somewhat out of character music they were playing, but we were able to hear each other. The only negative comment I can impart is that while I don't generally mind communal seating, the tables should be a bit narrower. At the width that they are, sitting across from your friend makes it hard to hear them because they feel too far away. I would consider cutting that table down if possible. Or, do away with the music altogether. I really think restaurants should not play music. It more often irritates than amuses.

    (4)

  • Joe L.

    The service was quick and friendly. The decor was charming. The food was not awful, but not worthy of its surroundings or price. I got fish sauce and sriracha chicken dish. The chicken was crispy and moist, but flavorwise was just a salt bomb. I could taste nothing of the chicken nor sriracha, just the fish sauce. My ladyfriend got a chicken and rice noodle dish. The noodles were well prepared and tender, but the chicken was chewy and flavorless. The dish was served with a nice spicy vinegar sauce, but not enough to season an otherwise flavorless dish. The restaurant uses local ingredients, which I appreciate greatly, but unfortunately they did not do much to elevate these ingredients.

    (2)

  • Annette D.

    The soup was sooooo good! I could eat it every day! Had it from the happy hour menu with a noodle dish which was also delicious. Definitely better than your average Thai!

    (5)

  • Christopher M.

    Great Thai food! We've spent a lot of time in Thailand and this food is authentic.

    (5)

  • C C.

    Only went here cuz my favorite place wasn't open. I read the great reviews, not sure I agree with them. Portland has fab restaurants, but I've never had great Thai in Portland. The place was empty maybe two other couples. Our food took a while - not crazy long but for such an empty place I'd think it would be faster. We had the Thai fried rice - a bit heavy on the soy, no spice available you had to add your own after it came to the table. It was just okay fried rice. We also had the eggplant with shrimp is was the best dish we had. We also tried the squid skewer - a "gross" rubber skin, and we had the veggie spring roll - again boring and bland. Good service, nice space and a good location.

    (2)

  • I Love Food A.

    Green chicken curry was soooo good. I could eat it for days...Black pepper chicken was flavorful. Beef pad se ew and pad thai was good. I love how the place was decorated. This place so worth the $$.

    (5)

  • Melissa N.

    Pok Pok-esque without the wait. Try the sauteed Japanese eggplant, what a surprisingly good dish! Beware of the over-sized icecubes in your expensive cocktail, however. They are pretty, but they make that half-shot a teaser that will quickly empty your bank account.

    (4)

  • Corrie H.

    You know the kind of meal where you have to close your eyes and savor every bite? Well, we had that kind of meal last night at PaaDee. Wow! The plates are small, but that's fine--the flavors are so strong that a giant heaping plateful would be too much. We had two of the specials: a tempura asparagus/ground pork salad (stunning flavors, perfectly crisp tempura) and copper river salmon (which had the most delicious sauce I have ever eaten, anywhere). Alas, since these were specials, they aren't on the everyday menu, but what is are two other fantastic dishes: a hangar steak (cooked perfectly with a yet another nifty sauce) and green curry noodles in a creamy broth (super spicy). What we especially loved is that our waiter assumed we would be sharing, and brought enough plates/bowls/etc so that every single item could be neatly plated for all four of us. How fabulous! There is a small but decent taplist, and several stunning cocktails featuring very original ingredients. I had the drinking vinegar and cucumber cocktail. It wasn't very strong or, frankly, quite large enough, but the taste was out of this world. Now, on to the atmosphere. PaaDee is the perfect mix of hip/minimal/cozy/Asian. You'll enjoy it. Most of the tables are long communal ones with benches, but even so, we felt that we had sufficient distance between us and the nearby diners. Finally, the service was great. Our waiter was happy to make recommendations and checked in frequently to see how it was going.

    (5)

  • Mollie P.

    My 1 star is for those lovely birdcage lights and nice long tables, definitely nothing to do with the food. Yes the decor is great. We all love when the server leaves a unique water pitcher on the table, regardless the food was a total dissapointment. I order the Rice Noodles with Chicken and Sprouts. It was the most bland, tasteless Thai food I have ever eaten. I am not one to be to particular, however this meal was simply flat. The chicken was very dry and compltely flavorless. The noodle dish is accompanied by a "hot sauce". It was no where near my meager standards for hot, but it did give some body to the meal. My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Wings with Siracha and Fish Sauce...read his review to get his take on one of the worst meals out in memory....

    (1)

  • Grubsteak G.

    Paadee is delicious! Standards for great food are really high in Portland--especially for Thai food--but Paadee is definitely a top contender, even in this environment. They offer most of the Thai standbys that have become part of our life, but also some new and different dishes that are quickly becoming MUST HAVES. The pork belly is especially special! Service is great. Awesome legit Thai food, and usually without the wait that you're likely to find at the few other Thai Restaurants that are in the same category. Amazing, that is.

    (5)

  • Emily M.

    I had higher expectations to this place, because it was sent to me as one of Yelp's best rated restaurants of 2012. We ordered a couple appetizer's which were pretty good. I had the Kai Look Kaey, and those were addicting little things! A friend ordered the Guay Tiew Lui Suan and those were very good too. For our meals: I ordered the Pad Kee Mao, and I was not impressed. What I didn't like was the chicken tasted funny, almost like it was a little bit too old to be served. A friend ordered the Pad Thai and also didn't think it was that good. The service was also not too good, but to give them credit, he was kinda busy being the only one running the floor. But I am not in rush to get back there.

    (3)

  • J L.

    Had my favorite oysters in the city here. Food was really good, but I don't think it is fair to compare this place to Pok Pok; PaaDee seeks more traditional. Cocktails were good too, although one was a little watery. Probably closer to a 4.5 in my book, but nothing really blew me away.

    (4)

  • Adaline Z.

    AMAZING! The service and food were superb! The server recommended the asapargus salad, which we never would have ordered but it was, by far, our favorite dish!

    (5)

  • Lee Y.

    Best Thai food in town! Strongly suggest the tom yum soup, but honestly everything here is great! The waterfall is pretty much the best drink I've ever had, so make sure you get it!!

    (5)

  • Michael T.

    Thai food is probably one of my most favorite cuisines. I've checked out many places and Paadee has quickly risen to be one of my top choices for thai food! If you're looking more for traditional thai dishes like Pad Thai and red curry or something of that sort, Paadee is probably not the best place to go. They carry a different sort of dishes. My favorite dish is the Khao Soi! Now I must admit I haven't tried most of the dishes, but it's been a pretty positive experience so far from the 3 times I've swung by Paadee. On one occasion, our fish sauce chicken wing appetizer was super salty. My friend and I were impressed by the customer service as they comp'd those wings even though we had eaten half of it. I would have given this place 4 stars if it had not been for that fantastic service we received. The atmosphere is not like any other Thai restaurant I've been to. There is definitely a hipster flare to it. The decor is great, venue is clean and the restaurant is always busy (a positive sign for me). This is definitely a place I could take a date to.

    (5)

  • Scott C.

    Have had two wonderful meals here! I don't understand the comparisons made to Pok Pok because to me this place has a completely different vibe and menu selection. Having said that, Paadees chicken wings do hold up in a comparison, you have to try them. We've tried bout 6 different dishes and the curry was a standout also really liked the ramen which I thought would be a pain to share but the waitress brought out 4 little bowls and we loved it. Also the the drinks were good, slightly overpriced, but good.

    (4)

  • samayyah s.

    awesome food, service, libations and decor. great veg*n options that were comparable to the omni dishes and wait/bar staff that know what's up - especially when they play the entire daft punk 'discovery' album during service. thanks again for the great experience, paadee - I'll be back soon.

    (5)

  • Jenine G.

    Excellent food and great vegetarian choices! The green curry noodle dish was delicious as well as the pork belly noodle dish. Large portions and good value! Recommend over pokpok.

    (5)

  • Robert C.

    I've eaten there three times. The last two meals there were WAY too salty - over the top salty - head ache salty. I'm afraid I'll keel over from a heart attach. Great decor, though. Love the concrete theme. Getting a cushioned bench seems to be a catch as catch can affair.

    (2)

  • Joe I.

    No question I find Thai food to be among the top cuisines on the planet and PaaDee helps to amplify that belief. The beef salad had the freshest flavors and instead of the traditional beef "pieces", they employed delicate, tasty slices of hanger steak. Their version of Pad Kee Mao was incredibly complex and the flat rice noodles perfectly cooked. Green curry noodles (vermicelli style) were excellent with a perfect spice. No sticky rice with mango, but I totally forgive them for that over site! Decor is creative and thankfully shuns the traditional cheesy Thai surroundings of beaded/bedazzled wall hangings and buddha carvings (although I know, in Thailand this would be the case!). Against my better judgement, I give Paadee a 5 star rating, although I know it won't help the line I need to wait in next time!

    (5)

  • Amanda M.

    I'm feeling terrible about this one star rating. I loved the atmosphere and our service was very good. I really wanted to like this place. The one star is all about the food for me. I haven't been so displeased by a meal in a long time, especially in Portland. Maybe ever! We started with something like a salad roll (please forgive me, I can't remember what anything is actually called on the menu). It was corn, bell pepper, carrot and peanut wrapped in rice paper and greens. My friends liked it but something was off for me...everything, even the peanuts inside, seemed mushy. And I swear some taste inside was reminiscent of a canned vegetable. I'm probably wrong about this but that's the image that was conjured for me. It was bland and boring. Next the fish cakes. Bland! SO bland! Just fishy, no wonderful taste sensation. A boring vinegary dipping sauce did nothing to make them any more exciting. When my meal came, a prawns, greens, green beans, pumpkin and cauliflower dish, I have to say I was surprised and disappointed that it arrived as a soup. The menu description said nothing of this, no mention of broth. I was expecting a dish like my friends had, something more saucy to serve over rice. I got over that pretty quickly and dug in, but then another disappointment. All I could taste was fish sauce. Salty fishy fish sauce. I happen to love fish sauce, but this was soooooo much overkill. My friends all agreed I should send it back, nobody could eat it. Our server was very nice about ordering me something else. I didn't want to make everyone wait for them to make me an entirely new dish, so I ordered a couple of the squid skewers from the app menu. What I got were large pieces of chewy and slimy squid drenched in sweet chili sauce. TERRIBLE! This experience makes me feel that it was more than an off-night for PaaDee. The food just isn't for me....salty and bland and uncreative. The great reviews here have me a bit baffled, especially the ones that compare it to Pok Pok. No comparison in my opinion. I'll take any Thai around Portland before I come back to PaaDee. Sorry.

    (1)

  • Sara G.

    I like it. Great happy hour, lovely drinks, super fun table settings, yummy noodles, crispy wings, savory soup, courteous service, attractive environment. They are not trying to reinvent the wheel, just make a comfortable enjoyable meal you can enjoy with any size party for a reasonable price.

    (4)

  • Chelsy W.

    no msg hands down the best thai in portland love the atmosphere and 28th st cool.

    (5)

  • Joe M.

    Reading the negative reviews here, it really makes you realize that some people are just looking for the negative in life. I live a few blocks away from this place, and I've been there 3 times since they opened. Really nice people, great food, really cool atmosphere. The noodle dishes are especially awesome. And really people, you're complaining about $11 when the noodles are homemade, and the meats and such are all from local top quality producers? All I can say is, I'm glad to be rid of the cheap, bitter people so I can have Paadee to myself and other positive people--- like the dozen or so people I've brought there who have thoroughly enjoyed it. If you didn't like something, tell the owner, who's constantly floating around there, doing his best to open a cool restaurant. Don't just stew about it and post nasty reviews.

    (4)

  • Joe S.

    First time here and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're tired of the usual and typical Thai food (like phad thai, pad see ew, etc) then you have to try Paadee. It's not what you would expect when you look through the menu. Everything on it seems very foreign and unfamiliar. It's like a hidden secret of delicious Thai food that you could only get in Thailand. But the taste is wonderful. I tried the Ba Mee (spelling) noodle soup and it was delish. The service was great and the ambiance was warm and cozy. Definitely a place I will be frequenting when I'm around the area.

    (5)

  • Eh O.

    I have tried many Thai restaurants, but this menu was extremely unique. I went there Brunch hour on a sunday, and was craving a soup I get at most Thai places, but their menu for brunch had what Thai have for their breakfasts. NOTHING was familiar on the menu to me, but the waitress did her best to try and describe their food to us ( 3 at the table never seen this kind of menu ) . My mother and I both had their prawn porridge and our friend had a chicken crepe type things. Absolutely fabulous for all of us and I now crave that porridge ! Thank you !

    (4)

  • t k.

    We were amazed by the unusual menu, the super-tasty food, and their willingness to accommodate a group of 10, including a tiny baby. My husband loved the $3 pork appetizer that ate like a meal, and I was really excited by my asparagus salad. The service was incredible, attentive, friendly and accurate! Shockingly, when we picked up the bill, it was about half of what we had expected... so I'd recommend it on the basis of affordability too. A new favorite, for sure!

    (5)

  • Kevin S.

    Thai food should not be this expensive. Even if it does taste pretty good, which I think it does. If you are going to charge $11 for a simple noodle dish I would expect some comfort elements that were lacking. The only way to even come close to justifying such a steep price for Thai is to make the experience something special. Their cheap flatware, tin cups and modest furnishings may seem authentic, but in that case, make the price reflect that. Fine restaurants take simple food concepts and dress them up to make the up-charge palatable. Paa Dee seems to think some nice real estate alone can do the same. Sorry, but it can't.

    (2)

  • Scoob W.

    Yahoo! We've been wishing upon a star for an amazing thai restaurant in our hood and our wish has come true. We had 3 amazing dishes ...eggplant salad, pork belly & green beans and cashew chicken. All were fantastic. the eggplant salad was cold, smoky and zingy. It was super unique and delicious. The pork and the chicken were both amazing. The service was friendly and wonderful. I am currently plotting my return to this place. Perfect place to go before or after a Laurelhurst movie. Thank you Paadee!!

    (5)

  • Rosa P.

    This is my second post about Paadee. So the owner responded to my review and said that Thai traditional food supposed to be salty sweet and spicy. I understand but the food at Paadee is not anywhere closed to traditional Thai favor. I've been eaten in many great Thai places. The curry, pompret, and wings are super salty. Even though I tried to eat with Jasmine rice, still super salty. I told the waitress that the food was too salty, she just smiled and walked away. If this saltiness is human errors, then why did I pay $55 for dinner for two? So if you want to know real Thai favors are like, try Pok Pok, their curry is good and the wings are just enough salt. Oh one more thing Paadee has the ugliest curry bowl ever. The waitress bought us a giant bowl of curry that almost overflow and the presentation is zero. Paadee maybe a good place for beginners of eating Thai food but not for native Thai who been eating many great places.

    (2)

  • Holy-foo' X.

    I've not yet come close to exhausting menu options @ this newfangled eatery springing up just off of E. Burnside. So the number of stars in this here horizon are certainly subject to change as warranted. However, Portland is at this point by no means lacking in quasi-Thai options. The last Thai eatery to really knock it out of the park and even out of the zip code, for me, is Luc Lac. They're open super late and their prices are insanely journeyman-like, even though they be downtown. A huge bowl of steamy, spicy hot Ba mhee tom yum soup with THREE meats (of your choice) @ Luc Lac is a trifling $7 bucks. At PaaDee, it's $11. Granted, quality is also worth something, and PaaDee's noodles and soups were every bit as top notch and well-prepared as I dared to hope. A middling amount of pork belly meat, be it every so crispy and delish, is no match for mountainous mounds of triple meat choice.... again, served super late. Like the old saying goes, you can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to BE THERE. Especially as regards late night availability. PaaDee, you were good enough to warrant a second or even third look, and in a city already with an embarrassment of Thai riches at hand, this is no small praise. Rest assured, we'll back to check out the Pla muek yang - Grilled squid skewer, and perhaps their Neua yang jim jaew - Grilled hanger steak, sticky rice, spicy tamarind dip and sticky rice, the Gang som goong - Wild caught prawns, central Thai style sour orange curry with tamarind water, napa cabbage, green beans and cauliflower; or perhaps even Kai jiew muu sub - A Thai-style omelet with minced pork, Sriracha dip. Good old-fashioned Thai home-cooking , Voila, I'm already warm from memories of good, hopefully great things to come from PaaDee....! But until they offer a super late night menu, they remain on the 2nd tier for this foodie.

    (4)

  • Jack K.

    We tried all eight of the small plates on the Happy Hour menu. It lasts till 6:30 on Saturday night which is pretty cool. Fermented sausage, chicken liver, pork, fish cakes, hanger steak, chicken wings. pork belly, and squid with sticky rice. A real festival of meat. Everything was good, but nothing was spicy, so if you like hot Thai you'll be disappointed. The atmosphere was great, with lights in hanging wicker bird cages and nice wood tables. Service was very friendly and attentive. I'm kind of excited to try their soup as they make their own noodles on site.

    (4)

  • H. M.

    Super and wonderful bowl of egg noodles, pork belly, and picnic pork. Had a good pilsner which was a good counterpoint to all the hot chili I added to my bowl. We finished up with sweet sticky rice with mango. Perfect.

    (5)

  • Rad P.

    do yourself a favor and when you order the chive cakes, order two - you're welcome

    (4)

  • Andrea L.

    My brother in law, husband and myself randomly went into Paadee last weekend for a late lunch. First of all the atmosphere is really creative and comfortable, and the service was top notch friendly. We started out with the wings and I am going on record saying that they are the best wings I have had, ever. I love wings and I don't think that I will be able to eat another from somewhere else without comparing the two. If you do not enjoy spicy don't try them because they do have a bit of a bite to them, but if you do like spicy you have to eat these. All three of us enjoyed our meals and will be back!

    (4)

  • Jillian M.

    Four stars based on a very brief visit. The food is beautiful and flavorful, the cocktails are original and delicious, the service is friendly and informative. Don't hesitate to try this gem.

    (4)

  • Gilad G.

    We're great fans of Kinara so we were super excited to hear that these guys are opening PaaDee. And damn, this new place is freakin' awesome! Imaginative creative food, great drinks and cool atmosphere. Definitely a winner.

    (5)

  • Katherine P.

    Great food, drinks and ambience. We were looking for a new alternative to our favorite thai joint and we were pleasantly surprised. Service can be a little slow and awkward but still worth the visit.

    (5)

  • Joshua S.

    Such a wonderful way to let go of the work week stress and transform my mood and my day after work on Sunday. The food was amazing and so was our bartender. Three amazing dishes some soup and a happy hour beer. This is why I LOVE thai food in Portland because of places like PaaDee, Thank You.

    (4)

  • Nathan V.

    A very vibrant and interesting menu. All the dishes were packed with flavor and value. Even better when you catch the happy hour. Don't let the upscale look fool you, it is a great choice for casual dinner. One quibble: tall outside tables were paired with very uncomfortable short chairs.

    (5)

  • Tucker L.

    While the food had by the group was great (highly recommend the chive cakes) but I wish there had been additional vegetarian options. Services was a little slow that night as some of our meals went cold before everyone was served. The stool seating in the back was incredibly uncomfortable, the atmosphere was okay but it has very dim lighting in the back room and with the constantly rotating bird cages above (while very pretty) can make one a little queasy. May give this another go once they have had a few months to settle in. One customer hoping for a better experience!

    (2)

  • Mike W.

    Nice to have yet another alternate Thai restaurant serving something outside the mainstream of southern style Thai restaurants often serving overly sweet curries. Only negative is high decimal level when crowded due to hard surfaces.

    (4)

  • Michael S.

    Fish cakes, pork patties, crispy cashew chicken, noodles with crispy skin pork belly, serious cocktail program... Great meal, I'll be going back.

    (4)

  • Brian M.

    Great food and space, innovative cocktails! Welcoming staff. Good location. I hope they're around for a long time!

    (5)

  • Sam S.

    Just had a delicious meal tonight. Definitely a great alternative to PokPok. The crispy chicken, the Tom Yum soup, the green curry noodles, and the pork belly were out of this world.

    (5)

  • Derek J.

    I have walked my Paadee several times on my way to and from work and thought it looked decent, but never gave much thought about eating there. I had a friend from Seattle come into town and wanted Thai food, and I wanted to try some place new. I read the reviews on here and thought we would give it a try. We started off ordering the chicken wings, don't let the Sriracha fish sauce glaze put you off if you can't handle spicy food. You get 6 chicken wings, and they are fried with a wonderful sweet and a touch of spice, I have to say I prefer these to Pok Pok's wings (yeah..I went there). I ordered the Waterfall cocktail, which is a beautiful combination of sweet and sour drinking vinegars, cucumber, and thyme - great on a warm spring or summer day. I ordered the Pad Kee Mao, which is a noodle dish with bamboo, red pepper, basil and chili paste. It was a beautiful combination of sweet and spicy! This has by far became my favorite Thai place in Portland.

    (5)

  • Stacy b.

    The chicken with cashew was delicious, but not much different than any other cashew chicken you can get at any thai restaurant. The soup lacked broth, dissapointing when you order soup....the atmosphere and service were great. Food was okay, mostly just overpriced.

    (3)

  • Sukho V.

    Tried Paadee for the first time last night. We took a family member who is an experienced chef who is very hard to please so we were a little nervous. This is the food that I, my wife and her chef cousin grew up eating, so we were a little cynical to begin with, but man we were thoroughly impressed, to say the least. The atmosphere and décor was hip Portland, but the service was very warm and friendly. The cuisine is what they're calling "Thai comfort food" which is more esoteric than what most people are accustomed to, so you have to keep an open mind. The prices were very reasonable for the portions, the food was fresh, well prepared, and the presentation was great. At the end of the meal "our" chef went into the kitchen to say congrats to "their" chef and invite him to her restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. For us, this place is easily one of the best Thai restaurants in a town flooded with Thai restaurants, and I'm a little surprised they don't get more love in the press. This place is really good.

    (5)

  • I J.

    Fantastic. We had a great dining experience, the food was yummy and unique, and the service was super friendly. I'm really excited to have them in the neighborhood. Also, they are open late, so you can go there after a movie at Laurelhurst.

    (5)

  • D. B.

    My wife and I opted to eat here instead of pushing on to our favorite Thai restaurant, which shall remain anonymous. We made the mistake of not checking the menu in the window before entering and sitting down, and by the time we'd been given water we realized that the bill of fair did not include some items that we had come to take for granted elsewhere: salad rolls, fried rice, grilled chicken and such. But, deciding that we had passed the point of no exit, we decided to gut it out, with mixed results. I wound up ordering the crispy chicken, which I found excellent if perhaps a bit overpriced. My wife ordered a curry dish which in her opinion was lacking in vegetables and relatively tasteless, except for a bit of spiciness which the server had assured her would not be present. Service and attitude from the staff were a bit on the negative side, actually. I requested that my crispy chicken come without the dry chilis, and the server acquiesced while implying in tone that I was committing some kind of culinary faux pas by daring to make such a demand. (How gauche that I should want it "my way.") My wife later requested some additional hot water for her tea, which never came -- as we watched, the server appeared more interested in mixing one alcoholic drink after another for other customers. He apologized when he brought the bill and didn't charge us for the original tea, which was nice, but showing some competence in the first place would have been preferable. Later, we waited for what seemed a small portion of eternity to have someone come to take my credit card. Tastes differ, of course, but we are not at all fans of communal dining, which dominates at least half of the establishment's floor space. I will admit I'd be willing to come back for more crispy chicken, but my wife isn't at all crazy about returning. And, truth to tell, this restaurant's atmosphere is rather off-putting, with a subtext that says you really need to be cool to eat here, and if you don't consume alcohol please go to the end of the line. Self-consciously foodie and not welcoming. But I still daydream about the crispy chicken now and then.

    (2)

  • JoAnne B.

    I can't tell you how happy I am about this new restaurant arriving in our neighborhood. As I watched it being created, I was ecstatic that my long-time dream of a Thai place in the Burnside/28th St. restaurant row had come true. Then, when it was finally open for business, I was dismayed to see that all the seats were hard wooden stools. We are in our 60's and just can't get excited about subjecting our achy bodies to discomfort no matter how cool and chic the restaurant. I immediately fired off an email to the owners: perhaps they were going for a younger crowd, but don't they realize what a large group of aging foodies they might be discouraging? They replied that this was not their intention and that they would definitely order some chairs with backs to remedy the situation. I waited patiently for months, looking in the windows, reading the reviews, wanting to try it but not being able to because of unrelated issues. Finally, tonight, we vowed to go there at last and what do you know? They have a bar counter set up with very comfy, padded chairs with backs. And to top it off, no matter what time of day you sit there, the Happy Hour menu and prices are honored. We ordered from both menus and had a fantastic meal. The food is top notch, the waitresses are charming and attentive, the ambience warm and cosy. We absolutely love this place and can't wait to return. Here is a perfect example of business owners that listen to their customers and respond appropriately. And there are still plenty of trendy stools available for younger, more supple bottoms.

    (5)

  • RJ H.

    I've passed PaaDee hundreds of times and although I like Thai..for me it's the most hit or miss cuisine type as well as combining food quality, bar menu and vibe. PaaDee bills itself as Thai comfort food and after having dinner with a semi large party ( which included a contingent of Tweens) I have to agree..everyone came away happy and satisfied including part of the group that spent time in Thailand . The waitstaff , really the wait team since I think we had 3 individuals helping us, were friendly, knew the menu and were great at describing each dish...and not in Thai! Nice full bar...we mostly had a combination of beer and bubbly( along with blood orange soda for the tween contingent)..so really can't rate cocktails etc at this point. Among our favorites were the: Tom Yum Goong Nahm Kon..prawns- spicy lemosgrass Soup Always get the sticky rice! Gai Groping Sam Yan...crispy Chicano with cashews scallions , chilis... my fave. Khao Soi Gai...egg noodles...chicken ...perfectly spicy. There is plenty on the menu I look forward to trying...if you are in the mood for an upscale..yet not super expensive Thai experience ..this is it.

    (4)

  • Brooke C.

    This is one of the best restaurants in Portland, hands down. Langbaan, the pop-up restaurant, was AMAZING. Such a great atmosphere and excellent food (best out of all pop-ups I have been to). I think PaaDee's food is so yummy as well. If you are analyzing the food, you are super picky. This is well prepped, good Thai food.

    (5)

  • Pascal F.

    Absolutely amazing Thai food! We stopped here for weekend brunch, and were the only people in the restaurant. Our amazing waitress walked us through the menu, and we ordered a little bit of everything. We enjoyed it all, but the MASSIVE hits were: Tom kha gai. Coconut soup with mushrooms...I could drink this by the cauldron. Joek. Rice porridge with scallions, ginger and cilantro. Who knew that something so simple, could taste this amazing?!?! We added greens to the dish and went to town. Eat here, and you won't be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Tim L.

    This place is the best! Food is fresh and delicious, and the people are so nice. I have eaten here several times, and I took my five year old son in for his birthday and the staff were so kind and accommodating in making recommendations for "kid friendly" Thai food. A good time was had by all.

    (5)

  • Miz C.

    happy hour ALL DAY if you sit at the bar! i was adventurous and tried the fishcakes, which were yummy (i dont usually eat seafood) and the fermented sausage was MOUTHWATERINGLY DELICIOUS! i also got the bowl of the tofu khao soi, which is my current most favorite food to eat ever. its a trendy cute atmosphere, great cocktails, and there are plenty of other bars in the area to walk to if you have to wait for a table. i cant wait to try lang baan, their sister restaurant.

    (4)

  • Ella H.

    The best fish sauce sriracha wings! The pad kee mao is great, but the second time I had it wasn't as good as the first. Not too consistent but still a yummy place!

    (4)

  • Andrew H.

    Confession: I thought I was going to hate PaaDee...I really did. I live very close and had seen it being built, I walked past it frequently and it looked a bit posh for the area. I thought it was going to be a fancy-pants Thai place with high prices and small portions, a place that a caveman like me would get the stink-eye for even entering. I was so, so wrong. The ONLY reason I went here is because I live close and wanted to try something different in the neighborhood, I'm very glad I did. The best tip I can give about this place is: if you sit at the bar it's ALWAYS happy hour. As someone that often wants to cure his hangryness STAT and not coordinate/beg friends to meet him somewhere, I love this idea. I only sit at the bar here, so my review is framed around this life-changing idea and may or may not be relevant to the place at large. Like Pok Pok (which I like the food at, but given its price and meager portion size, will NEVER visit again) this place has what I'm assuming is a more "authentic" take on Thai food (I don't really know though as I've never been to Thailand). Let's just say there are a lot of dishes you don't see at other Thai places and vice-versa. UNLIKE Pok Pok: - this place doesn't have insane wait times - this place doesn't have isane(ly) small portions (everything at Pok Pok feels like a side or an appetizer but is priced like a full meal) - this place doesn't have an air of "have you dine with us before? We do "family-style" dining" pretension (read: you'll have to get three things and share and still be hungry) Let's just say that I when I was here I got: TWO 20oz pints of good NW beer (Laurelwood IPA and Double Mountain IRA) TWO skewers (squid and pork) And a tastey noodle dish The tab? ELEVEN BUCKS. This would cost you like $30 at Pok Pok and you'd still have to go hit up the food carts afterwards. Also, this is what the 'tapas' concept is supposed to be like: low prices and smaller portions which allow you to sample many different things and still leave satisfied, but never is. Other things that are great: Service is sweet, kind, and fantastic They give you your tab wedged in some sort of Thai comicbook/graphic novel Ambiance is dark and nice but not pretensions The sign has two cute Asian Elephants on it I highly recommend giving them a shot!

    (5)

  • Mike M.

    5 stars - why? Interesting and delicious food, great service, location, fine drinks and happy tummy. Go, as one should always, with an open mind....

    (5)

  • Woo K.

    PaaDee, what an unexpected gem of a find! I came across this place on yelp and was enthused to check it out. I'm always a lil sketch on new Thai places though, because even though most of them are decently yummy- I haven't found one in a long time that scream new but familiar flavors. Let's check the list of YAY's: 1. Ambience- this place has got it. Love the small, cozy, yet hipster type of vibe it's got going on. 2. Chicken wings- holy shet, I loved these wings. Juicy, crispy, full of flavor. A lil bit on the salty side but I'm not complaining whatsoever. Thoroughly enjoyed them. 3. Shrimp Salad- yes please. Nice big prawns and a nicely dressed salad. Flavors were on point. 4. Pad Kee Mhao- I've had this dish everywhere, but for some reason this place just gives it it's own perfect flavor. It's one of those flavors that you always try to find everywhere and accomplish at home but always end in epic failure. Coming here from now on. You really can't go wrong with this place. Menu is smaller than most Thai restaurants but I respect that. Simplicity is sometimes the best policy.

    (5)

  • Momo B.

    BIRDS IN CAGES ARE QUIET AS DINERS FORGET IT'S RAINY AND COLD If you're serious about Thai food, this is definitely the place. Not planned this way, we arrived just in time to take full advantage of their happy Hour Menu and selected the following:. Sai grog -e-san (fermented sausage) comes with raw cabbage wraps, peanuts, julienned ginger and real Thai chili Peek gai tod (fried chicken wings) Neua yang (grilled steak & hot sticky rice, carrots cucumber & cilantro) Tom yum goong (hot and sour soup with 3 giant prawns) Pad kee mao pak (sauteed rice noodles and veggies, sweet chili paste) Plus two Thai ice teas All I can say is that the food authentic as you can get it. BTW everything added up to $32... not bad eh ? Special mahalo to Carrie of The Nines Hotel for this most excellent Thai restaurant referral.

    (5)

  • Michelle L.

    Guys, I found A LIVE WORM IN MY FRESH OYSTER SHELL. It was actually wriggling and squirming around on the shell. That's all I'm saying about that, because thinking about it too much literally makes me sick to my stomach. Live worms in oysters. Yurgh. To top it all off, service was really shitty and slow, with our waiter taking 15 minutes to take our initial order. He didn't even apologize for the oyster worm incident; actually, to clarify, he didn't even check in on us throughout the dinner at ALL. We had to get the poor hostess's attention to the worm. She gave us our appetizers for free, but we still had to pay for our entrees. Which was fine and gracious of her, especially because she wasn't even our waiter after all...but you can imagine how unappetizing the rest of the food seemed after the wormy oysters. And some sort of apology or acknowledgment of the incident from our actual waiter would be nice. Oh well. In sum: WORMS IN FRESH OYSTERS. NO APOLOGIES/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM WAITER. NOT OKAY.

    (1)

  • Diane C.

    I would actually give 4-1/2 stars. The look here is inviting...it has big glass windows and lots of natural light comes in from outside. There are long picnic tables to eat at, very low-key. The decor is restrained. The food was really good. There are a good variety of items available, from noodle bowls (my husband and a friend has these) to various dinner entrees. I had the Pad kee mao - Saute flat rice noodles, bamboo shoots, red pepper, scallions, onions, basils and chili paste. With a Choice of Chicken or Tofu. I had the chicken. Oh, and the drinks menu was inventive. We had a pair of "Mekong and Stormies", with 2 kinds of rum...delish. The only downside was that the music was pumped up so loud that we had trouble hearing each other speak.

    (4)

  • Amy B.

    Dang! Larb, pad kee mao and some spicy Japanese eggplant dish. Washed it down with a zesty shochu waterfall. Birdcage lighting and friendly be-bearded and be-plaided wait staff. Picture windows perfect for people-watching. Encore!

    (5)

  • Autumn C.

    I eat a lot of Thai food. A lot. The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars is because I am in love with another Thai restaurant in Portland. However, this place is a close second. I've been in for lunch a couple of times, and happy hour as well. The food is really quite good--Pad Kee Mao, Curry, Wings, Steak Bites, Sticky Rice--all with great flavor and just the right amount of heat. And I love the atmosphere. It has this tucked-away little corner table that almost makes me feel like I'm the only one there. Lots of windows and light. And funny enough, I always seem to notice how enjoyable I find the music they play in the background. Also of note, the coffee they serve is killer. Lots of good things--you should definitely give it a try.

    (4)

  • Cameron W.

    Small and noisy, apparently the sine qua non of a trendy restaurant. Wonderful flavors in this departure from the usual Thai place. We had Asparagus tempura, good but rather woody. Ba mhee "Pitsanulok" and Pad kee Mao both were enjoyable. The serving sizes are fine and the prices a bit high. The servers were friendly and competent although it was hard to hear them. The wait for our entrees was a little long. We'll try it again.

    (4)

  • Laura S.

    The dishes lack depth and complexity. Newbies to Thai cuisine might be taken for a ride, but not serious foodies. The prices reflect the restaurant's location and not the fare's quality. It's just not good Thai food.

    (2)

  • Mikhail H.

    I wandered here with a friend for their dinner and happy hour. If you sit at the bar you can do both and I could not believe we had as much food as we did for such a low price. Their crispy fish was pretty incredible and I was in awe at the perfect vegetables with garlic. We also ordered pork skewers with some spicy fish sauce. The service was grand! They were even kind enough to give us pumpkin cheesecake on the house - and it was incredible! Their drink menu seemed rather gin a bourbon heavy but they do have a very impressive alcohol selection and make stiff drinks.

    (4)

  • Mikael N.

    Wings were good, not as good as Pok Pok but good. Entree was fantastic.

    (5)

  • Dan C.

    My first visit to PaaDee, and certainly not the last. Their sticky rice is delicious, and the kaffir lime sauce over pork belly, cauliflower and green beans is amazing. They back room is perfect, although could use a bit more light for my taste; I love the music they play... from African beats, to Edith Piaf and much more in between - great atmosphere, good drinks, excellent food.

    (5)

  • Pui S.

    Definitely NOT Authentic (Pad Thai was pretty bad), my noodle soup was VERY sweet. NO NO NO, the real Thai food is not just sweet!!! Service was good and I love the decoration.

    (2)

  • Sophia T.

    my bf's fave thai place. meat centric - dah but we're vegan. i loved the tom soup, had a noodle dish (don't remember), i think i liked it? it was - hate to say it - too exotic for me. just like my pad thai and curries. i'll be making the soup at home.

    (3)

  • Maureen R.

    Tonight was our third time eating a Paa Dee. Our first 2 times were great we had the vegetarian eggplant dish--asked them to not use fish sauce and some other vegetarian dishes. Tonight we sat at the bar and my guy got the pad kee ma from the happy hour menu and I again got the eggplant and 2 of their happy hour cocktails. The eggplamt dish came in a small bowl and it was 1/2 the amount of our first 2 times there; it was the same size as the happy hour pad ke mao which was just 5$--a deal. The eggplant was not a deal at $10. it was 1/2 the size as it was this summer. So perhaps they're trying to cut costs. So the food is good but they are cutting their portion sizes.

    (3)

  • Jerome D.

    I followed the recommendations of Yelpers and tried this place ranking 4.5 on the charts. We have eaten in many Thai places all over the country and wanted to try this new one. The result is A-OK. The place is nice and friendly, the service was good, the prices are fair,. the food is OK. Nothing to fall for though. The tom yum soup was good, but not really spicy and missing a bit of depth/flavor. The noddles from the Koh samui were a little overcooked and mushy. Also, most dishes were too salty. I might go back if I am around but I still feel that the ranking is slightly overrated. They are better Thai place in Portland area, keep exploring!

    (3)

  • Brody L.

    The food was so delicious that after I ate it I wanted to go back in time and eat it again. After I got home I was very sad because I had no left overs to eat once I was hungry again. I suggest ordering a dinner to go after you eat so you won't become depressed like I was. I'm getting hungry just writing their review and I wish they were open right now at 5am.

    (5)

  • Tony T.

    You know when you found a good Thai restaurant here in Portland when it can stand out from the masses. There is 2 or 3 Thai restaurants practically in every commercial block in Portland, it's ridiculous. The atmosphere is great, the food was great and the price point was great! Hands down, i'd definitely go back in a heartbeat. Wings were exceptionally good.

    (4)

  • Dan R.

    Probably my top 3 dishes in Portland. The Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok is amazing. Also, get the ice cream!

    (5)

  • Dan H.

    One of my favorite restaurants now. All three of us in our family think so. We are eager to go back. You know how Thai restaurants are, some are better than others, but you have to sit down and do some analysis to rate them. Not with PaaDee. It raises the bar so high that it easily leaves the rest of the pack behind. Great fun! But here are my footnotes (1) If you don't like Thai food at all, don't go here thinking that you'll get a watered down Americanized version that meets your needs (2) My biggest complaint with other Thai restaurants is that they are very broth heavy and each dish tastes strangely similar to all the others on the menu, making me think that they all originate from one giant broth bucket. Not at PaaDee because each dish is a new adventure.

    (5)

  • Kimberly V.

    Totally uncool confession at the colon: I've lived in Portland for nearly six years and I haven't eaten at Pok Pok. Another uncool confession: I don't care. I've been to PaaDee. Like Gloria Gaynor, my Thai food needs and I will survive. So I won't compare the two restaurants. I do know that it would be ludicrous to plan for an hour plus wait at PaaDee, which is always a boon in my hungry world. But get to the food, Kimberly V, you uncultured swine, you are probably thinking, especially if you are thinking this from the deepest recess of your own ass. On my first visit, the party of four I was with ordered a couple of starter dishes and three dinner entrees. One of those appetizers was the fried chicken wings, or the Peek gai tod. I would have spent the rest of the evening gnawing as close to the bones as I could, building a layer of sauce around my jaws, and chucking the uneaten parts at any person who dared to cast a disdainful glance in my direction. You know you're eating good wings when you're aware you look like a caveman right after the spring thaw has passed and you don't care. Bring more, I have cave paintings to think about. For the rest of the meal, Crime Partner and I shared our Thai restaurant divining rod dish, Pad Kee Mao, as well as Kanom jeen gang keaw. On top of the appetizers, it was more food than anyone at the table could finish and it was all right because I was already excited about the lunch leftovers. The Pad Kee Mao was filling and tasty, with the spice to starch ratio. But the Kanom jeen gang keaw - a noodle dish with eggplant, peppers, and bamboo shoots swimming in green curry - oh my stars. I would drink it for breakfast daily. My stomach lining might protest - it was the spiciest of the bunch, and it's the slow burn kind of spice - but fuck my stomach. To give you a sense of how good that noodle dish is, it's basically a soup, and Crime Partner and I ate it for a late dinner on the hottest day of the year. We sought it out. It was a good choice. There are also good cocktails with fast, pleasant service in a very relaxed setting, but whatever. The food here is crazy delicious. The other factors make PaaDee a no-brainer and easily my favorite new(ish) place to eat. You want more confessions to convince you? What are we, Catholic now?

    (5)

  • LJ W.

    My friend Trent and his cousin Luke brought me to Paa Dee to impart unto me a little of the "joie de vivre". I was not disappointed. The food was delicious and artful in its preparation. Our drinks were carefully and precisely prepared by Paa Dee's resident mixologist, and reflected much of the same creativity we enjoyed from the menu. They had a calm inviting atmosphere that I could have spent the remainder of my evening in eating and drinking. If you're on a budget their bar has a smaller happy hour menu that serves all day to any patrons willing to pull up a stool. Paa Dee was everything I wanted and more. I certainly got a taste of the "joie de vivre".

    (5)

  • Kyle S.

    It's ridiculous that anyone on here says the servers have been unfriendly. That must have been some sort of freak day... because I've been here probably about ten different times and I've always remarked on how friendly and professional the wait staff is. The food is incredible, the atmosphere is great, and they deliver your ticket in the pages of an old book. Highly recommended.

    (4)

  • David Z.

    If you're tempted to dismiss PaaDee as Yet Another Thai Hipster Restaurant (YATHR), then you might just be doing yourself a major disservice, because PaaDee serves some of the most interesting Thai food that I have ever tasted. We came here for brunch on Sunday, and tried just two dishes: Khao Kloog Kapi - Served only during brunch on the weekend, this dish came highly recommended from our server. Strikingly simple, it consists of just shrimp paste fried rice, with eggs, onions, cucumbers, shallots, pork belly, and Chinese sausage. With a playful take on Chinese-Thai fusion and a masterful balance of salty and savory, the khao kloog kapi is difficult to pinpoint and even more difficult to top. I finished every last grain of rice on the plate. It is a must-try. Green curry noodles - Served with a plate of vegetables quite unusual for a curry, this dish is somewhat of a Viet-Thai fusion. I was actually quite unsure of what to do with the side plate, before just dunking it into the bowl. The noodles soaked up the curry flavor nicely, and the veggies provided a nice texture. This was a solid dish. In the end, if you settle for your same old pad thai or red curry, then you just might be missing out on some fantastic food. PaaDee might be just a hipster Thai restaurant to some, but its thinking is clearly out of the box.

    (5)

  • Matthew F.

    Walking into PaaDee, there is a dotted line on the floor that separates the U.S.A. from Thailand which is apropos due to it's exotic dishes and fine cocktails... apparently you don't have to be a native to enjoy native cuisine.

    (5)

  • Jessica D.

    Paadee has become a regular part of our visits to Portland. I find myself thinking about the Japanese eggplant regularly! Also don't pass up the wings. Wings are generally not at the top of my list, but, these are SO special! Also the servers are very attentive and helpful.

    (5)

  • Ally M.

    By far my favorite Thai restaurant in Portland. Everything is amazing.

    (5)

  • Miss L.

    I've enjoyed both of my trips to Paadee. My last visit was an exceptionally fun experience. The waiter gave us exactly what we wanted to hear when we asked for his spiel. He honestly and efficiently broke down the menu describing his favorite items in each section from snacks to noodles to entrees. We actually high-five'd him when he was done because it was honestly one of the best and most sincere waiter spiels I've ever witnessed. Plus the items we that we ordered off his list were freaking delicious. Mad props to the bartender with the sweet R&B jams. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every song I heard that night.

    (5)

  • Dharma K.

    This was a great little place. We had yummy Thai food, noodles, coconut tofu curry, eggplant veggies, and a fried chicken. This stuff had some spice! Made my eyebrows sweat for sure. The atmosphere is intimate, soft/dark lighting. Good for a first date or a find night out with your friends. Good food and good service.

    (4)

  • Krista M.

    The food here is fantastic. It's the best Thai food I've had in Portland so far. I had the Pad Kee Mao with chicken and was so happy. My friends got a pork belly soup bowl that I tried, it was also amazing. The ambiance here is great, I loved pretty much everything about this place. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the service. Our server's name was Mark, and Mark treated us like shit from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left. He asked us if we wanted bar or table seating, we told him we would take whatever was available first and for whatever reason, this seemed to really irritate him. He never once smiled and continued to be annoyed at pretty much everything we did. When we got the check, my three friends put down cash. I only had a card, so I wrote "card" next to my dish. When he picked it up, he said, "What's going on here?" in a really rude tone. I explained my dish was on the card, same rude tone, he said, "and what did you have?" I showed him on the receipt where I had written "card," and his response was, "I see what you were trying to do here." I'm not terribly sensitive, but this guy was so bad, I almost asked for the manager, which I've never done before. As he was walking away with the bill, he even rolled his eyes. I will definitely recommend this place. The food is great, reasonably priced, and everyone else who helped us, delivering food, filling water, etc, was very friendly. When I go back, if Mark is working, I'll definitely wait for a table in someone else's section. The food would be worth the wait, putting up with that guy's shit is not. Paadee would be 5 star if they cut this guy loose and hired someone who doesn't hate customer service.

    (4)

  • Jun Z.

    This place is on the small side, but it packs a great punch. For starters, they have great alcoholic drinks that they have on rotation. Then their food... DROOL. I don't know how many times I've had their take of "chicken and waffles" but it is amazing. It's so nice to have a spin on that classic dish that's familiar but so different because of the Thai flavors. I'm definitely coming back here!

    (4)

  • Gabrielle S.

    Mushroom soup is ah mazing!!!! It's a light soup with great flavor; mushrooms, parsley and garlic. Yum. The pad see we has really good flavor, too! They've remodeled inside...super cute. Nice staff. Great little Thai Gem in SE...highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Kiki P.

    Happy Hour has great specials like Tom Yum with shrimp and my favorite chicken wings covered in garlic! Yum! Noodle bowl was seasoned perfectly and fish cake was also really good! I will be back again and again as it seems it gets better and better every time I go. The atmosphere is really nice and the windows are large and open in the summer for indoor/ outdoor seating. The staff is friendly and super informative about the food! I only wish they had those corn cakes on the desert menu were still there. I have been to Thailand many times and it reminded me of great snack food I had there many times!

    (5)

  • Bubba Y.

    Many people have said good things about Paadee. No arguments here. Good food, good service. Would have rated higher but the music was so loud that conversation was difficult.

    (3)

  • Jocelyn P.

    Went in around 5:30pm on a Tuesday. Service was very fast and didn't have to wait at all. I ordered the special soup with a combo of meats. It was very hot just how I love it. Ordered the salad roll, spring roll, and a Thai tea. I learned to eat "salad rolls" in Reno, NV which are a lot bigger so I was sad to see that these portions were a lot smaller and a bit chewy probably due to overlapping of the wrap and has probably sat for a while. But the spring roll (fried) was amazing. And the Thai tea came with boba so I loved it. Overall very good experience and didn't have to wait long at all for our food.

    (4)

  • Adrienne H.

    Ooooh, Paadee... how you've changed my life. I am eternally grateful for your proximity to the building I just moved into. It's a game changer. Paadee does Thai food in this new, beautiful way. The dishes are bright, playful and full of both flavor and adequate amounts of spiciness. No dish is too simple and I love that. The space is open, comfortable and the decor is on point. I love the bird cages that are reminiscent of a trip to Thailand. They had a huge chalkboard full of specials. I like that in a restaurant. It's a great way for a kitchen to show off their talent in off-menu, temporary ways and Paadee did it right. I had a tempura asparagus salad that might go down as the best "salad" I've ever had, regardless of its having been fried. It had a habanero-lime dressing that was mind-blowing, grilled prawns, ground pork & peanuts- and the portion was enormous! Thank you, Paadee, from the bottom of my heart for this one. My boyfriend had the steak salad and was equally impressed. It was a totally different type of dish, but it was bright and flavorful as well. This same night, I also ordered some sort of soup that I can no longer find on the menu and I will say it was pretty awful. It tasted like water, the noodles weren't cooked well and the pork was chewy. I just wrote it off completely and I'm not going to let it ruin my experience. I'd like to think it was a one time thing. The Thai Gods have done well with this one. I predict being a check-in regular here.

    (5)

  • Hawthorne A.

    Just had lunch here and it was good! We started off with the Thoong thong and Kai look kaey which were both tasty. For our entrees I got the fried trout, (it was good but I'd ask them to make it extra crispy next time so I can eat the skin). He got the pad ke mao which he thoroughly enjoyed. It's on the high side for thai food but I will definitely be back to check out their HH and dinner.

    (4)

  • Jack B.

    If I were to write an epitaph for PaaDee, a zippy one-liner, I would say: "Really really good date restaurant, pretty ok Thai food." Not that this place is dying! 28th and Burnside? Who could ask for better real estate! This restaurant is loud, and chic, but there are two types of loud. Some places are loud i.e. obnoxious -- the music is too bassy or shrill, the clientelle pure rube, the tables too close together, the traffic sounds unbearable out on the patio. Then there are the restaurants where the chatter becomes a flat sea of noise, a bedrock intimate conversations can float on and be presumably unheard. PaaDee is the latter. Date-loud. My fellow diners, the Parks, didn't seem to agree. But they didn't complain about the food too much either. The Parks are picky orderers. A server's bane, but a great litmus test for a big douche like myself. It was busy, and our waitress was mostly patient, though there was an audible sigh of frustration during the entrée phase. I know. There were always the people who 'didn't really get' Jimmy John's. 'It's all cold??' -- yes. 'And you don't serve coffee??' No. I may have sighed once or twice. But in a Yelp review? Inexcusable! For apps we got that mushroom-corn wrap there are a million pictures of on here, with the basil dressing, and the chicken wing, and the tofu triangles. I can't speak for the wings, but all else was very nice. The triangles were super thick, veritable pleasure prisms, and I found myself scooping up the extra pink sauce and peanut bits on my fork. But I do that with cream cheese I've scraped off my bagel, for the record. (As for cocktails, go with vodka or gin or whatever equivalent -- my '12 mile limit,' a fruity Manhattan, was okay. Ms. Park got the one with sojo and a cucumber slice, and I was jealous.) My attitude towards the main courses may be skewed because I'm vegetarian, and don't do fish sauce. That said, I got an eggplant dish that I've had at many a Thai place low and high -- it was on par with the norm. And a dish that was essentially Thai drunken noodles was just so, not markedly exceptional or otherwise, though it seemed like the spice factor was doing too much legwork. Which is where my 'date restaurant' classification comes into play. Yes, there are plenty of Thai places in Portland where you can get food of similar quality for a little cheaper and with a more homestyle, vinyl tablecloth vibe. But sometimes you don't want to be the only people in the house at 7 o'clock, and you may want an exciting cocktail, or to go to the Laurelhurst afterwards, and that's when you go to PaaDee. Please, though, get that awful lime ale off your chalkboard. Imagine a 'Bud Heavy Lime'....

    (3)

  • Vi B.

    I think you really have to appreciate the true flavors in Thai cooking to love this place. That is, you have to know that certain dishes have that smoky spice, or others have that wonderful fishiness. I don't think I'm a Thai food expert, but I do eat it often and enjoy the cuisine a lot. My general thoughts: 1) Super cute interior, 2) packed with people (so you might have to wait), and 3) good (but not over-the-top fantastic) food. But then again, I'm not a huge fan of Pok Pok so take my review with a grain of salt (if you love Pok Pok). I would definitely go again because it's in a great area (and if you're in the mood for Thai it's good), but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorites.

    (4)

  • Natalie B.

    3 words: Roasted Duck Curry. Order it. Close your eyes with each spoonful taking in the complexity of flavor and succulent duck that has been roasted to perfect. I asked for it extra hot and they told me it is already quite spicy. You may need to take a mid-entree intermission to let your mouth cool down and wipe the sweat off of your forehead. Get ready for a full body experience The roasted duck so tender and juicy with the beautiful fatty, browned skin kept on, a brilliant decision. Appetizers: the prawn salad is a delicious light, sweet, spicy, salty salad that is worth ordering while you wait for your (roasted duck curry) entree. The larb is also a nice light refreshing appetizer. Both are spicy, so be careful!

    (5)

  • Lee H.

    After visiting Thailand two years ago, I have no tolerance for mediocre Thai food. Much like Chinese food, I've found that most Thai restaurants in the states are mediocre at best. You know what I'm talking about: gloppy pad thai that's overly sweet, green papaya salad that doesn't have any spicy heat to it, green curry that's flavorless. I'm happy that I found PaaDee because what they're doing in the kitchen is not your usual Americanized Thai food. It makes me happy to sink my teeth into a fried chicken wing glazed in Sriracha-fish sauce that about takes my head off from spiciness. No pandering to the American palate here! Down to the bird cage-turned-light fixtures that adorn the ceiling, PaaDee feels like a little piece of Thailand. Ok, maybe I didn't see bird cage light fixtures in Thailand, but I saw more birds in wicker cages than I've ever seen in my life. Go to PaaDee if you want to experience real Thai cooking.

    (5)

  • Jaimy And Sherine B.

    Ahhhhh mazing! Service is stellar. Food is unique AND authentic. Decor is really well done. The check came in a very cool old book. Clever! I am heading back again soon!

    (5)

  • Lisa S.

    We came in specifically for the Langbaan Fried Chicken Burger special for Eater Burger Week. Limited availability (20 burgers a night) for only one week. Once seated, I asked the bartender/server if they were offering the burger special since no one mentioned it to us. He looked completely dumbfounded & said "uhh...we don't have a burger." So I had to show him the Instagram post & he then said "oh that chicken thing? Let me go ask." Way to sell it, buddy. He came back with our $3 drafts (great deal during happy hour, btw) & confirmed that the "chicken thing" was a go. Since we got there right at 5pm, we also took advantage of their happy hour. We ordered the chicken wings ($5), squid skewer ($2), pork skewer ($2), & 2 burger specials. The skewers were not very good. Even for $2. The pork ping at Khao San is infinitely better. The chicken wings were delicious though. Very similar to Pok Pok's but with more other flavors besides fish sauce & sugar. I would definitely come back for the wings. The fried chicken "burger" was disappointing. It was definitely trying to be a Thai-style bahn mi with some really tasty pickled veg on a ciabatta bun, but it was lacking salt, too heavy on the curry flavor, & the tempura-fried sweet potatoes served with it were bland as well & needed a dipping sauce of sorts. It reminded me of a Lardo sandwich which I guess at $12 is what they were going for. I just expected to be wow'd after dining at Langbaan for the first time on Saturday & it was far from that. We'll definitely be back for the wings & to try their dinner menu & I will update this review accordingly, but we probably won't be coming back for their next "chicken thing."

    (3)

  • Svetlana B.

    One of the best restaurant experiences I've had at this price point. Definitely better than a lot of higher end places I've been to, at that. My friend and I started by splitting the crispy chicken wings; amazing. Perfect combination of sweet, spicy, and fish sauce. Delicate crunch. We crushed them. For dinner I had the Ba Mhee Hang and damn it really dank. This noodle dish has all these pockets of ingredients and flavor that are placed separately on the dish. You bring them together by mixing it, customizing the level of spice and wetness of the noodles. This dish just has such a complex marriage of flavors that really shows the chef's awareness of balance and design in crafting these meals. Also, I think it's really cool that there are a bunch of thai ladies whipping in the kitchen who know what they're making and how to cook it better than a bunch of white people who went to culinary school. This shit is authentic as fuck! It goes without saying that the mango sticky rice also be yummy. I constantly crave this food, thank you Earl Ninsom for hashtag blessing Portland with your vision!!!

    (5)

  • Becca J.

    I came here for lunch on a weekday. We were worried that it would be crowded, but we showed up around noon and there was a reasonable amount of seating left. To start, my friend and I both ordered the Kai Look Kaey, which is a soft boiled egg topped with dry chili and shallots, scallions, and tamarind sauce. It was really tasty. For the 2nd half of my egg, I pulled off the dried chili because it was a little too spicy for me. For my main dish, I had the Chicken Mussaman Curry. I'm pretty sure it was the best Thai curry I've ever had. The potatoes seemed on the under-cooked side, but the flavor of the dish 100% made up for that. Water was served in tin cups with a bottle of water for the table for us to provide our own refills. The bill came out in an old "Ripley's Believe it or Not" book, so they're definitely trying with the cute touches. It looked like the restaurant has a full bar. They also had a large bouquet of fresh flowers by the entrance. Both my coworker and the waiter recommended the Green Curry, so the next time I come here it's going to be at the top of my list to try. Parking was street parking on the side streets.

    (5)

  • Allen K.

    Holy balls this place is good. Not your typical Thai fare, PaaDee offers a refined and delicate take on Thai food. I intended to get a light dish for lunch one day but, per usual, ordered the most decadent thing on the menu instead. When my eyes fell upon the Ba mhee I instantly fell in love. I liken it to a Thai style ramen (I know it's not ramen) loaded with pork 3 ways: ground pork, roasted pork, and crispy pork belly. If you like pig meat in your mouth you will adore this dish. You would think with all that oinkiness the broth would be heavy with fatty oil, but in fact it was surprisingly light with notes of fish sauce and lime. In the end I was able to pig out without feeling like one and the Ba mhee turned out to be the perfect lunch on a rainy day.

    (5)

  • O. F. D.

    Delicious soups and noodle dishes, though be careful on some of the spicy dishes-- they can be overly so. This is great comfort Thai.

    (4)

  • Katya L.

    Three of us came here for my mom's birthday - she loves Thai and wanted to try something different, I've had this place on my radar for some time but haven't been able to make it over so we decided to pop in and give it a whirl. It was a Saturday night so I called ahead to make a reservation; the gentleman on the phone told me I'd probably be fine without one but took my name down to be safe. Once we arrived, a little early and ahead of the third member of our party, I was glad we'd called because the restaurant was full - we most certainly would have had to wait. Since we were early, we waited anyway and had a drink at the bar. I had some sort of gin fizz with egg white which was very light and refreshing. Once we were seated, almost right on time, we decided to go ahead and order up a plethora of goodies (and at this point, our third companion was still missing and we were hungry) starting with some pork and shrimp dumplings. When they arrived, they looked like sweet little bundles tied up with seaweed at the top, the fried wrapper crispy but the filling inside tender and savory. Yum! For the main course, family-style, we ordered the green curry noodles, kaffir lime curry with prawns, and pork belly with green beans. The noodles were quite tasty, but the flavor was very light - I would have appreciated a touch more depth of flavor. The lime curry was good as well, but my mom lamented that it was light on content - only four prawns and the only vegetables were cauliflower and a tiny bit of greens. Perhaps they were going for simplicity of flavor, but it came across as skimping on the ingredients. The pork belly was by far my favorite dish - smoky and fiery with spice, the pork belly tender and the green beans perfectly cooked to have just a little snap. The dishes were decently sized - they didn't look big but with a little rice to soak up the sauces, all three of us were quite full and still had a little leftovers to take home. I ordered a second drink with dinner, some sort of herbal liquor thing that I can't recall now but that my mom wanted to try. It was very good, and very strongly flavored, but after two cocktails (each over $10) I was not at all buzzed, which I would expect and appreciate. I love a good craft cocktail as much as the next girl but when I'm paying over a tenner for a drink I expect to feel it! I did appreciate that the dishes were mostly in the $10-15 range, which was quite reasonable for the care and deliberation the kitchen put into the food. I would definitely return to sample more dishes, but might stick to ordering simple drinks from the bar. The service was also great, friendly and attentive without being fake or overbearing. Ambiance was fine - I enjoyed the decor, but would just like to say that I am completely over the stark, modern all-concrete restaurant and bar designs! So much stone with nothing to dampen sound lends to a very noisy space, and even around a small table my party and I had a hard time hearing each other over the music and the din. I live for the day when decorators will figure out how to design for good acoustics without sacrificing appearance. Until then, I guess I'll just have to resign to shouting at my friends over dinner.

    (4)

  • Stephanie W.

    So, so, so, so good. Two of us tried a noodle dish, two others had the curries. Each dish was so delicious. My noodle dish was light and initially I thought I'd been denied a dish with sauce but realized I loved it the more I ate it, it was subtle in flavor with crab, ground pork and chicken. My fellow diners had a pad see ew'esque chicken noodle dish, duck curry and the coconut curry with chicken wings. I will definitely be going back to try the coconut curry with chicken wings. We also had the fried little dumplings and fishcakes. Delicious!

    (5)

  • Jesse C.

    I was surprised with the menu. I'm from LA so I'm used to different options when I take look at a Thai menu. Upon my first observation of the menu at Paadee I was like "what the heck?" I was even more surprised that they had a cocktail list at this restaurant; which seems customary at almost every restaurant in Portland. Back home I'd be lucky to find a beer at a Thai restaurant. No drinking on this particular occasion regrettably as I already had plans for drinks elsewhere. Instead, my girlfriend and I had the kanom jeen gang keaw gai; green curry noodles with chicken, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, red bell pepper, and a one or two other things. We also ordered the gai grop sam yan; which is crispy chicken with cashews, scallions, and dry chillies. It was all delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. Also have to mention the staff and the design of this restaurant. On arrival, we were cheerfully greeted by both the host and our server. The server was helpful in describing certain dishes and did an excellent job in assisting us anyway he can. As for the decor and look of the dining room, I think the pictures can explain it all. I can only say it created a trendy and unique atmosphere. So Paadee was startling to say the least, but definitely in a good way. The menu might have been unrecognizable but still has great tasting options.

    (4)

  • Hayden N.

    I'm always looking for a good Thai restaurant, there are so many around Portland but, most of the time, the food is generic and mediocre. That's not the case with PaaDee! We came during happy hour, however, everything on the happy hour menu was very standard. Looking at the full dinner menu, all their offerings had a unique twist to them--an ingredient or different preparation method that isn't customary. I couldn't decided so I ended up getting two dishes. They had me with the roasted duck and lychee, two of my favorite foods...together?? It was a curry with roasted duck, lychee fruit, bamboo shoots, bell pepper, and basil. I am not sure why I've never thought of that combination. It was probably one of the richest curry I've ever had the pleasure of eating--perfect curry to coconut milk ratio. I started with the Ba Mhee Tom Yum Pitsanulok first, which had egg noodles in a spicy lime and pork broth with ground pork, roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sliced green beans, ground peanuts, and scallions. I added a soft boiled egg. The curry was so amazing that I ignored my other dish. Don't get me wrong, that was full of succulent pork and made for a delicious lunch the following day but I was so fixated on this duck curry. I'm salivating writing a review for it. The ambiance of the restaurant and service was great--there was always someone being attentive and bringing us whatever we needed without being asked. I was really impressed by PaaDee--that's rare with Thai restaurants.

    (4)

  • Harneet S.

    Great atmosphere and great food. Service was quick but we were the only ones there (it was lunch time so that's fair). Their version of the Tom kah and pud kee Moa were on point as well as the Thai iced tea. Also parking was not difficult.

    (4)

  • Harvikramjeet S.

    Amazing Thai iced tea. Nuff said. Food was amazing. Green curry amazing. Fast service. Nothing bad to say about this place great food good service nice atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Don B.

    PaaDee has grown on me. A lot. In fact, I'm coming to favor this joint over certain others that serve up similarly-situated Thai food. I've found some dishes on the menu here that completely dominate my palate and take me back to SE Asia, like the pomelo salad and kaffir lime curry. The flavors here pop, and the menu offers a lot of dishes you don't really see on many other menus. The more I dine here, the more I want to come back again and again for the deliciousness. Also the cocktail menu has some surprising notes of deliciousness on it. Like the tamarind whiskey cocktail. Usually tamarind cocktails are not at all well balanced, but the drink here (the name escapes me) is fantastic. I think PaaDee has easily passed into 5-star territory for me.

    (5)

  • Kristin M.

    Paadee is by far our favorite restaurant in Portland! The service is always great and friendly. Best dishes are the Puu Pad Pong Gari (lobster curry), Ba Mhee Hang and the Ba Mhee "Pitsanulok". The Hanger steak and rice is also amazing! They serve it on their HH as well and it is not to be missed! HH is also a great deal for everything offered! Drinks are always fantastic as well--they are true mixologists here! We've had most of the drinks on the menu and they never disappoint!

    (5)

  • Jess P.

    Until dining at PaaDee, I was unaware that eggplant could create an other-worldly euphoria in a person. It was butter, and silk, and crispy all in one. At first bite, I realized PaaDee had my heart as one of the finer Thai restaurants in Portland. The dishes were perfectly spicy. The vegetables done to perfection. The tofu achieving that impossible ratio of crispy and silky. The noodles were the ideal texture and bite. In short, the meal was executed wonderfully and all of the flavors you want and love of Thai food were there. That said, the folks at PaaDee need to save that "V" label for food items that are actually, truly, indeed-ly vegetarian. If your curry rocks fish sauce, that's fine. I bet it tastes a lot better to some. But it's not vegetarian. And their curries can never, ever be made vegetarian (according to our waitress). So they should never, ever be labeled as vegetarian. It's a simple fix, but its an important one to us vegheads out there.

    (4)

  • In B.

    1 hr wait, ey.. i dont mind if the food is off the hook.. it wasnt bad at all but it wasn't the greatest either. some dishes definitely had some rich, bold flavors like their fried chicken. it had pokpok flavors but better! crispy and ~oh my~ juicy inside~~ i also really enjoyed their pad kee mao because the noodles were extra fresh n chewey! some of the other dishes were a little bit on the salty side but its a good balance if u drink a beer with it -- but then again, what isn't good with beer the place had a very nice ambience n good vibes. overall good service, but they dont really smile.. but its ok cause thats how most asians are. lollll id go back for another try.. maybe try other dishes.

    (3)

  • Mia N.

    I absolutely love this restaurant. Having spent some time in Thailand traveling around, I am pretty picky about thai food. This place never disappoints and as soon as I leave, I am thinking of when I can go again.

    (5)

  • Jessica W.

    Meh. That's really the best I can say about PaaDee, unfortunately. I convinced my group of friends to come here instead of our tried-and-true after reading all the positive Yelp reviews because I was craving something fresh and new. I was so excited, but we all left disappointed. My group started by splitting the chicken wings, which were fantastic. Perfect crunch, piping hot, juicy, well-seasoned, hint of fish sauce flavor. After that, the meal went downhill. The squid skewer I ordered was unpleasantly rubbery and the squid wasn't well-cleaned. The cocktails were very expensive for what they were. I don't mind paying $9 for a drink, but I expect it to be a really good drink and the cocktails at PaaDee were really nothing to write home about. A friend who will drink just about anything barely touched hers. The attitudes of the wait staff left something to be desired as well. My friend asked if they were still serving the Massamun curry that he had seen a photo of online and our waiter's attitude was a little holier-than-thou. "That is a LUNCH item. We only serve it at LUNCH because we think of that and Pad Thai as being LUNCH items, because they are meant to be eaten at LUNCH." Okay. Also, my biggest pet peeve: if there are no condiments on your table, your food had better be well-seasoned, and it was not. My Ba Mhee "Pitsanulok" arrived lukewarm and was bland and underwhelming. Perhaps it was just an off day? I got the feeling that the food would have been good with some adjustments, but it wasn't, and at the price I wouldn't go back to find out.

    (2)

  • Vicki L.

    Is everybody ready to PaaDee?!! Ha...ha..ha.... Seriously, this restaurant tops it with it's chill decor and simple yet diverse menu with some bomb ass quality Thai food while somehow keepin an awesome American spin to it I ended up getting the Tom Kha Gai which was just right and my friend ordered the Guay Tiew Kua Gai which turned out to be similar to a Thai style ramen We also ordered the Peek Gai Tod chicken wings which were probably the best damn Thai style chicken wings I've ever had hot DAYUM Great decor. Great vibe. Great service. Top quality ingredients in their food. Definitely great for dinner parties or a romantic date ;)

    (5)

  • Tim F.

    They have some good drinks on HH. The pork belly meal is SUPER. It's a bit more than what I'd like to pay for thai food but it's worth it to come here once in a while. The pad kee mao is good also. The waterfall cocktail is one of the best cocktails that I've had. Chicken wings are pretty good but have a bit too much breading for my liking. The HH pork soup is bland; I really hope they change it. It has a very little amount of pork and the broth is watered down.

    (4)

  • Heather C.

    While the Happy Hour menu is somewhat limited, we were able to enjoy quite a few things on it! The wings and soup were the best options, though. Their special Tennessee Williams drink was fantastic. By no fault of her own, we had difficulty understanding the accent of the waitress over the noise of the space, so we didn't order anything that she tried to describe to us. Trust me when I say that people are visual and would rather read a dessert menu and discuss the options, so we went somewhere down the street for dessert. I would come back for dinner, though!

    (4)

  • Ford F.

    Amazing food made up for awkward service. I think it was a new dude, he seemed extra sweaty and gave me shaky vibes. Maybe he had to use the potty or something. Wings- amazing Mushroom Larb- amazing Duck curry- a little bland but tasty Gang Teh Poh- best curry I have ever had Yeah

    (5)

  • Rajesh K.

    Nice little Thai place. Great for families or groups. Love their cocktail selections. We had the green curry with vegetables and crispy chicken. Authentic and tasty. Will come again.

    (4)

  • Lucy S.

    They don't overdo the ginger like some other Portland Thai restaurants do. It's a good mix of flavors and is savory without overpowering saltiness. The chicken wings were an amazing start to the meal. Would definitely recommend them.

    (4)

  • Claire G.

    Adorable set-up, prompt and friendly service, amazing food. Green curry was a big winner- loved the eggplant. Claire ordered a meat and noodle bowl of some sort, and naturally we wound up trading because it was not what she had expected (the broth was a bit on the tangy side for her, but I loved it). The thing that REALLY blew us away was the squid skewers. I could live on those!

    (4)

  • J1 J.

    Yeah, I'd take PaaDee over PokPok any day. No wait, great food. Plus, the wings are 100X better (and cheaper) than PokPok's. Whereas PokPok serves up the whole chicken wing - both drummette and wing all in one piece - covered in a tarry and sweet fish saucey mess, PaaDee splits the pieces and covers them in light golden batter, with a pickled and fish sauce-srirarcha glaze that's a better balance of sweet, tart and savory. Addicting. Ba mhee is also great - noodle soup with a hot and sour broth and all the fixins - including perfectly crisp pork belly pieces (the only problem was trying to figure out how to not get them soggy while they swam in the broth). I'd go back just for the wings alone. And I'd take them to Pok Pok and eat them in front of the people waiting 2hrs for a table there.

    (5)

  • Aimee L.

    Food: five stars. Service: zero stars. Returned here after a good food/dismal service experience a few months back and walked in for more of the same if not worse. The waitstaff had zero friendliness, barely acknowledged us trying to make conversation, and then because we did not want alcohol, refused to serve us from the 5-6pm happy hour menu and said we'd BOTH have to order drinks to use it. When I said my husband doesn't drink, the waiter actually said "well you won't be needing these" and took the happy hour (food) menu off the table. Oh and did I menu we were the only people sitting in the whole place? Or that they were blasting techno music at 5pm? Dumbfounded at this experience. Portland has a lot of good Thai. I will never waste my time again with this kind of crap service. Seems to be a theme along NE 28th (with exception of Pambiche) that so many of the places don't think they have to make any type of attempt at being friendly to customers.

    (1)

  • Dan H.

    Some of the recent reviews for this place said that the food was too salty. Sue and I didn't have that experience at all when we came here last night. We both really enjoyed the food and the service. We were able to get a few things off of the happy hour menu to start. Started out with the Muu Ping (Grilled Thai street style pork skewers) as well as the Sai grog e-san (Fried northeastern Thai style fermented rice and pork sausage). With that Sue had a glass of their house wine and I had their version of a Dark and Stormy. For my main dish I had the Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok (Egg noodles in "Pitsanulok province" style spicy lime & pork broth, ground pork, roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sliced green beans, ground peanuts, scallions.) $12 gets you a big portion of soupy and porky goodness. I added a soft boiled farm egg for an additional $1 and I'm glad I did. It was just about the perfect egg. We saved room for dessert. I quite enjoyed the Pa tong goh sang ka yah (fried chinese style dough with pandanus cream $6), but Sue did not have the same feeling. Not that the dish was anything amazing mind blowing. If you've had fried dough, fried chinese style dough isn't much different, but the cream was very good. Service was very good. Our server just seemed to be very into her job. Just about everybody who worked there thanked us for coming in as we were leaving. When you often don't get this kind of service in Portland, something like this really stands out.

    (4)

  • Anna M.

    I'm very much with Jessica W. on her review on the food and the almost waitstaff. Also the review on awkward service by Ford F. below is spot on. Strange. The women running the food were nice though. There are so many Thai places in town that are solid. This one has a shiny look, but the food and prices don't match up. Gonna stick with my old spot on Belmont.

    (2)

  • Kay N.

    We ordered Tom yum soup, their popular noodle soup dish with fried pork belly and pad Kee Mao noodle dish. The Tom yum soup was the best I ever tasted! I love how the veggies tasted fresh and everything was pretty flavorful for all of our dishes. Not bland at all. Happy hour is from 5-6! Food is discounted if you order a drink. Great place to bring a date. Decor is pretty nice. I would describe it like modern rustic.

    (5)

  • Trey C.

    Yum. Inside is loud but the outside seating is great. Their eggplant was very well cooked which is not very easy. Service was prompt and helpful so definitely recommend!

    (4)

  • Anthony T.

    We came here for the food and stayed a while to enjoy the service and bar offerings a little more. We had the good fortune of being served by PaaDee's culinary associate, Ms. Dong. She's got a great sense of humor and provided excellent suggestions for entertainment after learning we weren't locals. Aside from the food being delectable, this charming joint is kept in good order and is well-staffed. Portland has a gem in PaaDee.

    (5)

  • Amy E.

    I believe most of the staff is from Thailand. That should tell you enough. My husband and I were the first to arrive for lunch. A few days ago we had a great experience at Lang Baan and decided to return to PaaDee for lunch. We ordered the squid and pork skewer, the fried fish cakes, pad seew, and a spicy/sour rice noodle soup. Unfortunately I didn't get the exact names of the dishes. All of the dishes we had were fantastic and reminded me of our trip from Thailand. We were just in Thailand a month a go and I recall having the dishes prepared the same way. There is so much flavor. I am happy PaaDee is not afraid to use authentic herbs heavily. I wanted to give PaaDee 5 stars, but there was one thing that kept it from perfection. Most of the foods were a bit too salty. The spicy/sour noodle soup was best seasoned, but all the other dishes were on the salty side. I am not sure if this is due to the American pallet or if someone is just heavy handed with the salt. I would get this wonderful taste in my mouth with the all the herbs and spices, but then I am left with this salty taste. The saltiness kept me from wanting more. Usually Thai food has a great balance of spicy, sour, sweet and salty which makes me have the appetite to consume a lot more then I should, but for some reason it was too salty for me to go that path. Overall I give PaaDee a thumbs up. It's pretty darn close to dining at a restaurant in Thailand.

    (4)

  • Megan S.

    Okay, we've been back to PaaDee quite a few times at this point. We often go for lunch because it's never very crowded. Last week, we went there for dinner with a guest from out of town. Luckily, we had the foresight to make a reservation because it was packed! So, with that in mind, go for lunch if you want a more relaxed meal. Some of our favorite dishes are the khao soi gai--a turmeric-laced chicken and coconut soup with fried wonton; the ba mhee pitsanulok (not sure if I'm spelling that correctly)--a pork broth with noodles, pork belly, ground pork, and red-cooked pork; and the Japanese eggplant dish. But everything we've had there has been really good. Consistently good. Other highlights are the son-in-law eggs and their chicken wings. Everything is always fresh and full-flavored, the servers are really great, and the atmosphere is good. So far, I have absolutely no complaints about PaaDee--only positive things to say.

    (5)

  • Brandi M.

    When going to a Thai restaurant I always have to get the Tom Yum soup and fresh salad rolls. So of course my first time at PaaDee I wasn't about to stray from my usual. I don't typically see Tom Yum made with evaporated milk and I was a tad leery but I must say it was mighty tasty. The fresh salad rolls (with tofu) were not too shabby either, I do prefer my salad rolls without the noodles so I was pleasantly surprised to find that's how they are made at PaaDee. All together I gotta say PaaDee is worth the try, I would most diffenately not mind going back here more often.

    (4)

  • Scott L.

    The food here was off the charts. We had a little bit of a wait but it was well worth it. My favorite dish was the wings they have available as an appetizer. After eating here I craved them for weeks and ended up swinging by for two to go orders of them for dinner one night. I really enjoyed the vibe and ambiance they have here.

    (5)

  • Kevin R.

    Bad service and cold food. I called to let them know about my experience and they said they were sending me gift cards so that I could try them again. The gift cards never came. I won't be back.

    (1)

  • Rachel H.

    Amazing food! I was happily enjoying my green curry when my friend and I saw Ben Gibbard walk in! :D Well heck, if it's good enough for Ben Gibbard, it's good enough for me! :) Great restaurant, awesome food, we'll be back! :)

    (5)

  • Cat P.

    So many amazing options that are not the norm. I got the crispy pork belly. It was delicious and slightly spicy. Great atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Seema F.

    I found this place because it was the only restaurant in the area that seemed to be open after 9:30pm. I was skeptical because fancier Thai places tend to have terrible, Americanized food, but PaaDee was surprisingly good. There menu had some of the usuals, but plenty of items I haven't seen at your run-of-the mill Thai place. With 3 people we ordered: pad kee mao, gai grop sam yan (crispy chicken), and ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok (spicy pork). Everything arrived pretty quickly and in larger portions than I expected (not larger than a hole-in-the-wall Thai, but larger than most "fancy" places). Not unusually, we thought the level of heat was too low, and when we asked for chilies, they did have a nice array of chilies to choose from. We all left satisfyingly full and had no leftovers. It does seem like that since Pok Pok came around, Thai restaurants have priced their dishes accordingly. At least the food here is more worth the cost than half of the other places I've been to. I do wish it was a little cheaper, but all in all it was an excellent meal, and I'd recommend it if your looking for a nice Thai restaurant with a little more upscale atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Jeff O.

    PaaDee strives for the glories of Thai street food but they fall rather short. Throwing pork belly on everything does not a special meal make -- you have to make good sauces. The flavors of our Saturday dinner were not sharp or spicy enough -- and the crispy chicken was just plain mediocre. It may not be generic Thai, but it's not good Thai either.

    (2)

  • Marina P.

    Delicious Thai food on the East Side. Great, relaxed ambiance. The portions are perfect size. Their fizz drinks were yummy. I had the pad-kee-maw and pad-see-ew. Delicious!!!

    (5)

  • Jenny H.

    Came here for a brunch on Sunday and was surprised at how empty it was. I was a little worried but after I started eating I was happy it was not super packed because it just means it's still a hidden gem. I really liked everything I tried and there's still quite a few dishes that I want to come back to try. KAI LOOK KAEY ($2) = Fried soft boiled egg with shallots, chili, and scallions. So yummy! GUAY TIEW KUA GAI ($10) = Flat rice noodles with chicken eggs and bean sprouts served over a bed of romaine lettuce. This was recommended to me by the server and I was happy I tried this. The crunchy romaine lettuce made this dish very refreshing and was perfect for brunch. BA MHEE TOM YUM PITSANULOK ($12) = Egg noodles in a spicy pork broth served with ground pork, roasted red pork, and crispy pork belly. This was also very good with the crispy pork belly being the star.Broth was good and I imagine it'd be perfect in the winter.

    (4)

  • James D. H.

    Guay Tiew Lui Suan (tofu, corn, shitake, carrot in garlic, rice wrapped.) Tom Kha Gai (coconut milk soup with chicken and button mushrooms.) The rolls were really, really good. Came with a tangy little sauce that i pretty much drank. The star of my lunch (other than the stellar service and killer music plus great service, was the the Coconut Soup w/ Chicken. Wow. It was all i could do to not make animal noises as i slurped this creamy broth of yumminess down. I was planning my next visit half way through lunch. The only bad part was i wolfed my food down so fast i wished i had spent more tome enjoying it all by smell and sight. I was kinda sad that it was almost gone. Even though i was very full. I wanted more.

    (4)

  • Angela C.

    I've only been once, and I'm already drooling thinking about going again! The ambiance, the service, the food, all of it was amazing. It was hot in Portland this week, so upon sitting down they apologized about the ac being broken. I didn't mind since it was nearly 9pm. I got a perfectly mixed (not too sweet) Thai iced tea. I started off with the shrimp and pork dumplings. Fried to perfection with a sweet plum sauce. It was really hard to make a decision on my main course! But I decided on the green curry with chicken and rice noodles. Perfectly spiced and perfectly cooked Thai eggplant. I will be back!

    (5)

  • Emily J.

    We all know that PaaDee has great traditional Thai food, but this review is dedicated to a cocktail that I am absolutely in love with. The Waterfall is absolutely delicious and is the most refreshing drinks I've ever sipped on. The cucumber, lemon and thyme combo is so simple, yet unbelievably delicious. At first sip you think it's a plain cucumber drink, then you are kicked with the crisp and punchy taste of the lemon and liquor. I had two of them during happy hour ($6) but definitely could have drank 3 or 4 more. Highly, highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Rena J.

    Perfectly cooked noodles. Most of their noodle dishes could use more sauce but that's just my preference. Everyone at my table got noodles. I got to try pad kee mao, pad thai and a rice noodles in green curry with chicken. OMG the green curry was amazing and had a good kick of spice. The noodles were hidden under all that sauce and I took advantage of that by dipping my tofu into it. I'm happy that I don't have to wait 90+ min at Pok Pok for good Thai food because there's PaaDee!

    (5)

  • Andrew S.

    I'm torn on the stars to give this establishment. Thought the food was good, I found myself saying " I would order take out from this place" halfway through my meal. The contrived nature of the restaurant and the horrible acoustics made me want to leave before the food even arrived. Honestly, this could be any kind of restaurant with the horrible, "trying too hard to be hipster portland" vibe. It was almost unbearable to sit through the meal. Due to to poor acoustics I could hear the conversations of every other table except ours. It was awful... The food was ok, noodles were overlooked and my sticky rice was the tiniest portion I have ever seen. Lol. I even asked if this was right and they responded with the stupidest answer ever. I could only laugh about it. Drinks and food portion to price is way over priced. Like I mentioned. I would order take out but will not be dining in again.

    (2)

  • Steve H.

    I first experience here was not so great. I came because several friends had raved about how great PaaDee is (I have one friend who swears it's better than PokPok). It was late lunch on a lazy afternoon. We started by ordering cocktails. I got Bombay Sapphire martini, which cost $10. Okay. I've paid that much for a tasty, big martini before. However, this one was served in one of those retro miniature martini glasses from the early 20th century that may well have been salvaged from the Titanic. You know the type. Hold about a shot and a half of booze. Good margin on those I guess. But I felt a little cheated. The friend who brought me there raved about their wings, so we ordered them as an appetizer, and then ordered main courses. I got the Pad Kee Mao, which was actually quite good. Typical Thai restaurant fare, but done up well. The downside is that the waiter forgot our wing order. The main courses just came out. The waiter apologized and we said we still wanted the wings. They came out as "dessert" I guess. But the wings were pretty borderline raw--almost raw enough for me to want to return them, not for aesthetic reasons, but for reasons of health and food safety. Also, they were sodden with grease. I don't know if the fryer was too cold or what, but man, they were nasty, nasty wings. And beyond that--in regard to the Pok Pok comparison--there is nothing all that special about the menu. It's very typical American Thai restaurant fare: green curry, red curry, masaman curry, panang curry, etc. So on first visit I have to say I just really don't get it. I've since returned with the same friend and had a much better experience. I had the Pad Kee Mao again, and again I found it quite good. And the little condiment tray with the various peppers and sauces is a nice touch. But I still don't see what's supposed to make this place so over-the-top good. It's a decent Thai restaurant--perhaps a notch above the typical. You will likely find that it more than meets your requirements for quality food. But I think Thai Basil on NE Broadway is better,as is Chiang Mai on Hawthorne, and yes, so is the now trendy to hate (pok Pok is OVER!) Pok Pok.

    (3)

  • Martha R.

    I do enjoy me some Pok Pok. So when I came into town, and mentioned eating there to a friend, he suggested that we eat at PaaDee instead. Well, let me say, I sure am glad that we did. It's delicious, has similarities to Pok Pok but fun differences too, and the wait is NADA. I imagine that once this place gets more positive reviews and the word gets out that it will be nice and busy all the time. So enjoy it while you can. The rice pie w/ green onion was my favorite thing on the menu. The other items were delicious and the right amount of spice. I definitely suggest testing just about everything on the menu. Also, the wine list is reasonably priced, and options are good. Parking is annoying, which is probably the only thing that I didn't like about PaaDee. Otherwise it's a great addition to the Portland eating scene.

    (4)

  • Sebastien N.

    The wings and the pitsanulok (must order) were both phenomenal, but the duck curry was just eh. But, really, order the pitsanulok. It's one of the best dishes in Portland.

    (5)

  • David B.

    We had the wild prawn salad, then pork gang te pho (peanut curry--we had it with pork belly, the other option was prawns). The prawns were excellent, something I find to be rare in Portland (too far from the coast?). The prawns were grilled and tasted very fresh. The salad zesty, very flavorful. Lime and cilantro, lemongrass perhaps? I came in hoping for a papaya salad--my usual favorite, but they didn't have one. This was better, however. The peanut curry was the best curry I've had recently. Definitely an underrated restaurant!

    (5)

  • Zach K.

    We must have been in on an off night based on the other reviews and what seemed to be poor execution. We'll retry at some point and hopefully update with a better experience. The rundown: - Squid skewer was rubbery and the sauce on top didn't seem like a great pairing: -1 - Chicken wings: Really delicious, but wasn't spicy like I had hoped. But I wouldn't compare these to other fish sauce wings as these are a totally different style. And its definitely fried chicken. +2 - Ba Mhee: They seemed to skimp on the meat which wasn't that great anyway. The broth seemed a little plain, and like it needed an egg. Was better the next day after sitting in the fridge and adding some heat(bit of sriracha sauce). +- 0. - Green Curry Noodles w/egglplant: There was a long strand of hair in the food. This happens, but rarely, and doesn't bother me much. What was worse is the noodles were practically mush(very soft), and there was hardly any eggplant(which was good). The curry was quite nice, and had the right amount of kick. Perhaps the noodles were as intended, but it wasn't my cup of tea. -1 - Whiskey soda: Seemed to almost entirely be an ice cube. No bitters. Maybe I was brought the wrong drink? The ice cube was cool and it was happy hour price, so +- 0.

    (2)

  • Rebecca V.

    The food here is delicious. I usually have the green curry and rice noodle dish with chicken. It's super flavorful and rich. This past time it was so spicy it almost burned my mouth off. I wish they had asked what level of spice I wanted. So yeah, food is great. Atmosphere is cute, not phenomenal. Service is ok. Not anything to write home about.

    (4)

  • Sabina U.

    This instantly became my favorite Thai place in Portland, and I've been to almost all of them in search of the perfect one. The presentation of the dishes is unique, with great attention to detail. You can taste the superior quality of their ingredients and it's huge. Fresh, clean, flavorful, exquisite. Perfect for a little date or a quick lunch. It felt fancy and unpretentious at the same time. The waiter was very knowledgeable and attentive. Loved every minute there!

    (5)

  • Eric M.

    Had a great meal here for the first time! My favorite dish was the crispy chicken. I thought everything we had was interesting. I would say the wings need a different sauce as the fish sauce was a little intense.

    (4)

  • Anne K.

    I don't rate service, ambiance, cleanliness and wait times; they are too variable. I can put up with anything if the food is good. It is all about the food- that's it. All of my ratings are based on vegan options only. Notes: This place was pretty good.

    (4)

  • Sherry S.

    Thai is thai is thai.. and there is a ton of it in Portland, but, this place does it different. It seems fresher, newer, or, maybe the ingredients are a little grander? Something.. I'm no expert, except that I've eaten in thai restaurants for years. The menu has some items I had never tried anywhere else, and don't seem to be on a lot of thai menus that I can recall. I decided to try them here. I got the Kai look kaey (pic and ingredients here): yelp.com/biz_photos/iTDV… as one of the "snacks" off the menu. The egg was still warm, the flavors blended nicely together. I could have done that again. Next we got the Guay tiew lui suan: yelp.com/biz_photos/iTDV… unusual salad rolls to say the least. I loved the corn and shitake that was added. Finally, I got the Wid Prawns salad: yelp.com/biz_photos/iTDV… tons of nice big prawns, lemongrass was fresh (I hate getting lemongrass that's like biting into old sticks), and the spicy lime dressing was not too salty like some places. It was perfect actually. I also ordered a bloody mary. They seemed to have played with the basic recipe and added something different. Don't expect all the pickled veggies or anything. It's all in the juice. Subtle, yet full of flavor. Atmosphere is relaxing, with warm colors. They've got some really fun bird cage lights above. They open up their windows to the outside and they have outside seating as well. It really is not your what-to-expect thai restaurant. They've got their own personal touch and I'm sure the chef has something to do with it.

    (4)

  • Erica S.

    Meh is right. I found this place on Yelp, read the reviews and checked out all the amazing photos (so many beautiful bowls of soup!), and decided to go at once. I'm fine with it being a fancier atmosphere compared with the more cozy-to-hole-in-the-wall traditional thai restaurants, and I didn't mind when I found the waitstaff to be of the Portland hipster variety. But I do mind being led to a place that somehow draws comparisons to Pok Pok, only to find the same dishes that I can get in any thai restaurant in town. I took the advice of many yelpers and ordered the ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok. To me, the broth had no depth; it seemed like the broth components came from a bottle a few minutes before being served to me. It was mostly sour, and not the rich broth I was hoping for. We also had the pad kee mao, which the which the server said was spicy, but it was about as spicy as Heinz tomato ketchup. Nothing was bad, it just wasn't anything like these 5 star reviews had led us to believe. On top of that, you are paying $3-$4 more per dish than you would in any Thai restaurant. I'll take a Portland thai restaurant version 1.0 anyday over this new model.

    (2)

  • Allison P.

    I was very happy with my Pork Panang curry. It had a wonderful flavor. Wait staff was nice too.

    (4)

  • Jee Young K.

    It was Friday dinner we had to wait more than one hour to get in. Waiting area was full so we had to sit out side. Food was great I highly recomend chicken wing it was so delicious.

    (4)

  • Christina B.

    Fresh delicious thai food with delicious cocktails too. Pros: Green curry with veggies & tofu was delicious. I took leftovers home and ate the two hours later because I couldn't wait any longer. Yummy. I also had a shochu cocktail with a cumber and lemon in it. It was sweet, citrusy and refreshing. The atmosphere is open and could be versatile for a work lunch/dinner, date or dinner with friends. I love the metal cups for the water. I will definitely be back! The one con was the waitress was not very friendly and tried to to not serve me a happy hour cocktail at 5:50pm. Happy hour goes until 6:00pm, I had ten minutes.

    (5)

  • Shannon J.

    Great environment. Tasty food. Not a traditional portion size supplier. I had Tom Yum Goong, Mr. T had the longest name under Noodle. He is the one yahoo-ed first out of my surprise as the serving isn't big at all for $11 noodle. T loves cooking and Tha and spicyi. He appreciated the curry and loved the natural color of it. It's very yummy to me. Noodle is a different kind of rice noodle I guess. As to my Tom Yum Goong, I didn't like how simple and small the bowl looks like. There are a few very big shrimps, which was good news to me. Other than that, taste is good. But simple. Since I wasn't very hungry. It's perfect quantity. My reflection is: we probably just don't need that much? compared to the portion that you couldn't actually finish. especially if it could be well made. All in all, worth trying with wonderful decoration and comfortable seats.

    (5)

  • James K.

    Went to PaaDee last night with my much better half for dinner. We live close to PokPok and while we like it a lot, the price and the wait leave us both a little cold. So we decided to try PaaDee for a change of pace. Immediately upon entering, I thought the decor was interesting, but the music was too loud. The vibe seems a little mixed, with dim lights that suggest intimacy, but louder music and communal tables that don't. Luckily we sat at a 2-top and could hear each other just fine. The menu has a lot of interesting things on it, with several starters, salads, noodle dishes and specialties. We opted for the wings and a squid skewer to start along with a couple of their menu cocktails. We followed that with the Pork Belly and Beans and a special half chicken dish. Everything was prepared pretty nicely, with the only two complaints being that the wings were a little too salty (and a little spendy at $8 for 6 single joint wings) and the sticky rice was too firm. It was actually hard to cut the puck of rice once we got it out of the wrapper. We got out of there for $60 without dessert, which seems a little steep for what we got. Generally the food and service were good, but not outstanding

    (4)

  • Ashley F.

    We were really happy with our food. We got the pork skewers and the fermented rice sausage to start. Then the pork noodle dish everyone recommends and the crispy chicken with cashews. Also, they delivered our check in a Judy Garland biography while we were in the middle of a Wizard of Oz conversation!

    (5)

  • Sudipto G.

    standard of thai food keeps getting better and better in PDX, this is another gem in the long line of excellent thai restaurants. I don't remember the names of what I ordered, but all the dishes were excellent, an we went off yelp pictures to figure out what to order.

    (5)

  • Georgie K.

    The food here is unique and authentic like Thai comfort food. I loved everything we ate. The appetizers are somewhat limited in choice, but very tasty. Service was fine. It was not fantastic or horrible. My husband did not care for his green curry, but I loved it. I look forward to going back.

    (4)

  • Chandler B.

    Very spicy with no warnings. Gnarly salt hangover the next morning. Other spots on the block are preferred!

    (2)

  • Jenelle E.

    Tasty food and drinks and excellent service. We've eaten here ten times because we're close by. Comparatively speaking, there is better Thai food in town and it's a little pricey but I enjoy myself here and would recommend it. Their mushroom larb is unique and fantastic!

    (4)

  • RJ H.

    I've passed PaaDee hundreds of times and although I like Thai..for me it's the most hit or miss cuisine type as well as combining food quality, bar menu and vibe. PaaDee bills itself as Thai comfort food and after having dinner with a semi large party ( which included a contingent of Tweens) I have to agree..everyone came away happy and satisfied including part of the group that spent time in Thailand . The waitstaff , really the wait team since I think we had 3 individuals helping us, were friendly, knew the menu and were great at describing each dish...and not in Thai! Nice full bar...we mostly had a combination of beer and bubbly( along with blood orange soda for the tween contingent)..so really can't rate cocktails etc at this point. Among our favorites were the: Tom Yum Goong Nahm Kon..prawns- spicy lemosgrass Soup Always get the sticky rice! Gai Groping Sam Yan...crispy Chicano with cashews scallions , chilis... my fave. Khao Soi Gai...egg noodles...chicken ...perfectly spicy. There is plenty on the menu I look forward to trying...if you are in the mood for an upscale..yet not super expensive Thai experience ..this is it.

    (4)

  • Brooke C.

    This is one of the best restaurants in Portland, hands down. Langbaan, the pop-up restaurant, was AMAZING. Such a great atmosphere and excellent food (best out of all pop-ups I have been to). I think PaaDee's food is so yummy as well. If you are analyzing the food, you are super picky. This is well prepped, good Thai food.

    (5)

  • Pascal F.

    Absolutely amazing Thai food! We stopped here for weekend brunch, and were the only people in the restaurant. Our amazing waitress walked us through the menu, and we ordered a little bit of everything. We enjoyed it all, but the MASSIVE hits were: Tom kha gai. Coconut soup with mushrooms...I could drink this by the cauldron. Joek. Rice porridge with scallions, ginger and cilantro. Who knew that something so simple, could taste this amazing?!?! We added greens to the dish and went to town. Eat here, and you won't be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Andrew H.

    Confession: I thought I was going to hate PaaDee...I really did. I live very close and had seen it being built, I walked past it frequently and it looked a bit posh for the area. I thought it was going to be a fancy-pants Thai place with high prices and small portions, a place that a caveman like me would get the stink-eye for even entering. I was so, so wrong. The ONLY reason I went here is because I live close and wanted to try something different in the neighborhood, I'm very glad I did. The best tip I can give about this place is: if you sit at the bar it's ALWAYS happy hour. As someone that often wants to cure his hangryness STAT and not coordinate/beg friends to meet him somewhere, I love this idea. I only sit at the bar here, so my review is framed around this life-changing idea and may or may not be relevant to the place at large. Like Pok Pok (which I like the food at, but given its price and meager portion size, will NEVER visit again) this place has what I'm assuming is a more "authentic" take on Thai food (I don't really know though as I've never been to Thailand). Let's just say there are a lot of dishes you don't see at other Thai places and vice-versa. UNLIKE Pok Pok: - this place doesn't have insane wait times - this place doesn't have isane(ly) small portions (everything at Pok Pok feels like a side or an appetizer but is priced like a full meal) - this place doesn't have an air of "have you dine with us before? We do "family-style" dining" pretension (read: you'll have to get three things and share and still be hungry) Let's just say that I when I was here I got: TWO 20oz pints of good NW beer (Laurelwood IPA and Double Mountain IRA) TWO skewers (squid and pork) And a tastey noodle dish The tab? ELEVEN BUCKS. This would cost you like $30 at Pok Pok and you'd still have to go hit up the food carts afterwards. Also, this is what the 'tapas' concept is supposed to be like: low prices and smaller portions which allow you to sample many different things and still leave satisfied, but never is. Other things that are great: Service is sweet, kind, and fantastic They give you your tab wedged in some sort of Thai comicbook/graphic novel Ambiance is dark and nice but not pretensions The sign has two cute Asian Elephants on it I highly recommend giving them a shot!

    (5)

  • Mike M.

    5 stars - why? Interesting and delicious food, great service, location, fine drinks and happy tummy. Go, as one should always, with an open mind....

    (5)

  • Woo K.

    PaaDee, what an unexpected gem of a find! I came across this place on yelp and was enthused to check it out. I'm always a lil sketch on new Thai places though, because even though most of them are decently yummy- I haven't found one in a long time that scream new but familiar flavors. Let's check the list of YAY's: 1. Ambience- this place has got it. Love the small, cozy, yet hipster type of vibe it's got going on. 2. Chicken wings- holy shet, I loved these wings. Juicy, crispy, full of flavor. A lil bit on the salty side but I'm not complaining whatsoever. Thoroughly enjoyed them. 3. Shrimp Salad- yes please. Nice big prawns and a nicely dressed salad. Flavors were on point. 4. Pad Kee Mhao- I've had this dish everywhere, but for some reason this place just gives it it's own perfect flavor. It's one of those flavors that you always try to find everywhere and accomplish at home but always end in epic failure. Coming here from now on. You really can't go wrong with this place. Menu is smaller than most Thai restaurants but I respect that. Simplicity is sometimes the best policy.

    (5)

  • Tim L.

    This place is the best! Food is fresh and delicious, and the people are so nice. I have eaten here several times, and I took my five year old son in for his birthday and the staff were so kind and accommodating in making recommendations for "kid friendly" Thai food. A good time was had by all.

    (5)

  • Momo B.

    BIRDS IN CAGES ARE QUIET AS DINERS FORGET IT'S RAINY AND COLD If you're serious about Thai food, this is definitely the place. Not planned this way, we arrived just in time to take full advantage of their happy Hour Menu and selected the following:. Sai grog -e-san (fermented sausage) comes with raw cabbage wraps, peanuts, julienned ginger and real Thai chili Peek gai tod (fried chicken wings) Neua yang (grilled steak & hot sticky rice, carrots cucumber & cilantro) Tom yum goong (hot and sour soup with 3 giant prawns) Pad kee mao pak (sauteed rice noodles and veggies, sweet chili paste) Plus two Thai ice teas All I can say is that the food authentic as you can get it. BTW everything added up to $32... not bad eh ? Special mahalo to Carrie of The Nines Hotel for this most excellent Thai restaurant referral.

    (5)

  • Michelle L.

    Guys, I found A LIVE WORM IN MY FRESH OYSTER SHELL. It was actually wriggling and squirming around on the shell. That's all I'm saying about that, because thinking about it too much literally makes me sick to my stomach. Live worms in oysters. Yurgh. To top it all off, service was really shitty and slow, with our waiter taking 15 minutes to take our initial order. He didn't even apologize for the oyster worm incident; actually, to clarify, he didn't even check in on us throughout the dinner at ALL. We had to get the poor hostess's attention to the worm. She gave us our appetizers for free, but we still had to pay for our entrees. Which was fine and gracious of her, especially because she wasn't even our waiter after all...but you can imagine how unappetizing the rest of the food seemed after the wormy oysters. And some sort of apology or acknowledgment of the incident from our actual waiter would be nice. Oh well. In sum: WORMS IN FRESH OYSTERS. NO APOLOGIES/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM WAITER. NOT OKAY.

    (1)

  • Diane C.

    I would actually give 4-1/2 stars. The look here is inviting...it has big glass windows and lots of natural light comes in from outside. There are long picnic tables to eat at, very low-key. The decor is restrained. The food was really good. There are a good variety of items available, from noodle bowls (my husband and a friend has these) to various dinner entrees. I had the Pad kee mao - Saute flat rice noodles, bamboo shoots, red pepper, scallions, onions, basils and chili paste. With a Choice of Chicken or Tofu. I had the chicken. Oh, and the drinks menu was inventive. We had a pair of "Mekong and Stormies", with 2 kinds of rum...delish. The only downside was that the music was pumped up so loud that we had trouble hearing each other speak.

    (4)

  • Amy B.

    Dang! Larb, pad kee mao and some spicy Japanese eggplant dish. Washed it down with a zesty shochu waterfall. Birdcage lighting and friendly be-bearded and be-plaided wait staff. Picture windows perfect for people-watching. Encore!

    (5)

  • Autumn C.

    I eat a lot of Thai food. A lot. The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars is because I am in love with another Thai restaurant in Portland. However, this place is a close second. I've been in for lunch a couple of times, and happy hour as well. The food is really quite good--Pad Kee Mao, Curry, Wings, Steak Bites, Sticky Rice--all with great flavor and just the right amount of heat. And I love the atmosphere. It has this tucked-away little corner table that almost makes me feel like I'm the only one there. Lots of windows and light. And funny enough, I always seem to notice how enjoyable I find the music they play in the background. Also of note, the coffee they serve is killer. Lots of good things--you should definitely give it a try.

    (4)

  • Cameron W.

    Small and noisy, apparently the sine qua non of a trendy restaurant. Wonderful flavors in this departure from the usual Thai place. We had Asparagus tempura, good but rather woody. Ba mhee "Pitsanulok" and Pad kee Mao both were enjoyable. The serving sizes are fine and the prices a bit high. The servers were friendly and competent although it was hard to hear them. The wait for our entrees was a little long. We'll try it again.

    (4)

  • Laura S.

    The dishes lack depth and complexity. Newbies to Thai cuisine might be taken for a ride, but not serious foodies. The prices reflect the restaurant's location and not the fare's quality. It's just not good Thai food.

    (2)

  • Mikhail H.

    I wandered here with a friend for their dinner and happy hour. If you sit at the bar you can do both and I could not believe we had as much food as we did for such a low price. Their crispy fish was pretty incredible and I was in awe at the perfect vegetables with garlic. We also ordered pork skewers with some spicy fish sauce. The service was grand! They were even kind enough to give us pumpkin cheesecake on the house - and it was incredible! Their drink menu seemed rather gin a bourbon heavy but they do have a very impressive alcohol selection and make stiff drinks.

    (4)

  • Mikael N.

    Wings were good, not as good as Pok Pok but good. Entree was fantastic.

    (5)

  • Dan C.

    My first visit to PaaDee, and certainly not the last. Their sticky rice is delicious, and the kaffir lime sauce over pork belly, cauliflower and green beans is amazing. They back room is perfect, although could use a bit more light for my taste; I love the music they play... from African beats, to Edith Piaf and much more in between - great atmosphere, good drinks, excellent food.

    (5)

  • Pui S.

    Definitely NOT Authentic (Pad Thai was pretty bad), my noodle soup was VERY sweet. NO NO NO, the real Thai food is not just sweet!!! Service was good and I love the decoration.

    (2)

  • Sophia T.

    my bf's fave thai place. meat centric - dah but we're vegan. i loved the tom soup, had a noodle dish (don't remember), i think i liked it? it was - hate to say it - too exotic for me. just like my pad thai and curries. i'll be making the soup at home.

    (3)

  • Miz C.

    happy hour ALL DAY if you sit at the bar! i was adventurous and tried the fishcakes, which were yummy (i dont usually eat seafood) and the fermented sausage was MOUTHWATERINGLY DELICIOUS! i also got the bowl of the tofu khao soi, which is my current most favorite food to eat ever. its a trendy cute atmosphere, great cocktails, and there are plenty of other bars in the area to walk to if you have to wait for a table. i cant wait to try lang baan, their sister restaurant.

    (4)

  • Ella H.

    The best fish sauce sriracha wings! The pad kee mao is great, but the second time I had it wasn't as good as the first. Not too consistent but still a yummy place!

    (4)

  • Maureen R.

    Tonight was our third time eating a Paa Dee. Our first 2 times were great we had the vegetarian eggplant dish--asked them to not use fish sauce and some other vegetarian dishes. Tonight we sat at the bar and my guy got the pad kee ma from the happy hour menu and I again got the eggplant and 2 of their happy hour cocktails. The eggplamt dish came in a small bowl and it was 1/2 the amount of our first 2 times there; it was the same size as the happy hour pad ke mao which was just 5$--a deal. The eggplant was not a deal at $10. it was 1/2 the size as it was this summer. So perhaps they're trying to cut costs. So the food is good but they are cutting their portion sizes.

    (3)

  • Jerome D.

    I followed the recommendations of Yelpers and tried this place ranking 4.5 on the charts. We have eaten in many Thai places all over the country and wanted to try this new one. The result is A-OK. The place is nice and friendly, the service was good, the prices are fair,. the food is OK. Nothing to fall for though. The tom yum soup was good, but not really spicy and missing a bit of depth/flavor. The noddles from the Koh samui were a little overcooked and mushy. Also, most dishes were too salty. I might go back if I am around but I still feel that the ranking is slightly overrated. They are better Thai place in Portland area, keep exploring!

    (3)

  • Brody L.

    The food was so delicious that after I ate it I wanted to go back in time and eat it again. After I got home I was very sad because I had no left overs to eat once I was hungry again. I suggest ordering a dinner to go after you eat so you won't become depressed like I was. I'm getting hungry just writing their review and I wish they were open right now at 5am.

    (5)

  • Tony T.

    You know when you found a good Thai restaurant here in Portland when it can stand out from the masses. There is 2 or 3 Thai restaurants practically in every commercial block in Portland, it's ridiculous. The atmosphere is great, the food was great and the price point was great! Hands down, i'd definitely go back in a heartbeat. Wings were exceptionally good.

    (4)

  • Dan R.

    Probably my top 3 dishes in Portland. The Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok is amazing. Also, get the ice cream!

    (5)

  • Kimberly V.

    Totally uncool confession at the colon: I've lived in Portland for nearly six years and I haven't eaten at Pok Pok. Another uncool confession: I don't care. I've been to PaaDee. Like Gloria Gaynor, my Thai food needs and I will survive. So I won't compare the two restaurants. I do know that it would be ludicrous to plan for an hour plus wait at PaaDee, which is always a boon in my hungry world. But get to the food, Kimberly V, you uncultured swine, you are probably thinking, especially if you are thinking this from the deepest recess of your own ass. On my first visit, the party of four I was with ordered a couple of starter dishes and three dinner entrees. One of those appetizers was the fried chicken wings, or the Peek gai tod. I would have spent the rest of the evening gnawing as close to the bones as I could, building a layer of sauce around my jaws, and chucking the uneaten parts at any person who dared to cast a disdainful glance in my direction. You know you're eating good wings when you're aware you look like a caveman right after the spring thaw has passed and you don't care. Bring more, I have cave paintings to think about. For the rest of the meal, Crime Partner and I shared our Thai restaurant divining rod dish, Pad Kee Mao, as well as Kanom jeen gang keaw. On top of the appetizers, it was more food than anyone at the table could finish and it was all right because I was already excited about the lunch leftovers. The Pad Kee Mao was filling and tasty, with the spice to starch ratio. But the Kanom jeen gang keaw - a noodle dish with eggplant, peppers, and bamboo shoots swimming in green curry - oh my stars. I would drink it for breakfast daily. My stomach lining might protest - it was the spiciest of the bunch, and it's the slow burn kind of spice - but fuck my stomach. To give you a sense of how good that noodle dish is, it's basically a soup, and Crime Partner and I ate it for a late dinner on the hottest day of the year. We sought it out. It was a good choice. There are also good cocktails with fast, pleasant service in a very relaxed setting, but whatever. The food here is crazy delicious. The other factors make PaaDee a no-brainer and easily my favorite new(ish) place to eat. You want more confessions to convince you? What are we, Catholic now?

    (5)

  • LJ W.

    My friend Trent and his cousin Luke brought me to Paa Dee to impart unto me a little of the "joie de vivre". I was not disappointed. The food was delicious and artful in its preparation. Our drinks were carefully and precisely prepared by Paa Dee's resident mixologist, and reflected much of the same creativity we enjoyed from the menu. They had a calm inviting atmosphere that I could have spent the remainder of my evening in eating and drinking. If you're on a budget their bar has a smaller happy hour menu that serves all day to any patrons willing to pull up a stool. Paa Dee was everything I wanted and more. I certainly got a taste of the "joie de vivre".

    (5)

  • Kyle S.

    It's ridiculous that anyone on here says the servers have been unfriendly. That must have been some sort of freak day... because I've been here probably about ten different times and I've always remarked on how friendly and professional the wait staff is. The food is incredible, the atmosphere is great, and they deliver your ticket in the pages of an old book. Highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Dan H.

    One of my favorite restaurants now. All three of us in our family think so. We are eager to go back. You know how Thai restaurants are, some are better than others, but you have to sit down and do some analysis to rate them. Not with PaaDee. It raises the bar so high that it easily leaves the rest of the pack behind. Great fun! But here are my footnotes (1) If you don't like Thai food at all, don't go here thinking that you'll get a watered down Americanized version that meets your needs (2) My biggest complaint with other Thai restaurants is that they are very broth heavy and each dish tastes strangely similar to all the others on the menu, making me think that they all originate from one giant broth bucket. Not at PaaDee because each dish is a new adventure.

    (5)

  • David Z.

    If you're tempted to dismiss PaaDee as Yet Another Thai Hipster Restaurant (YATHR), then you might just be doing yourself a major disservice, because PaaDee serves some of the most interesting Thai food that I have ever tasted. We came here for brunch on Sunday, and tried just two dishes: Khao Kloog Kapi - Served only during brunch on the weekend, this dish came highly recommended from our server. Strikingly simple, it consists of just shrimp paste fried rice, with eggs, onions, cucumbers, shallots, pork belly, and Chinese sausage. With a playful take on Chinese-Thai fusion and a masterful balance of salty and savory, the khao kloog kapi is difficult to pinpoint and even more difficult to top. I finished every last grain of rice on the plate. It is a must-try. Green curry noodles - Served with a plate of vegetables quite unusual for a curry, this dish is somewhat of a Viet-Thai fusion. I was actually quite unsure of what to do with the side plate, before just dunking it into the bowl. The noodles soaked up the curry flavor nicely, and the veggies provided a nice texture. This was a solid dish. In the end, if you settle for your same old pad thai or red curry, then you just might be missing out on some fantastic food. PaaDee might be just a hipster Thai restaurant to some, but its thinking is clearly out of the box.

    (5)

  • Matthew F.

    Walking into PaaDee, there is a dotted line on the floor that separates the U.S.A. from Thailand which is apropos due to it's exotic dishes and fine cocktails... apparently you don't have to be a native to enjoy native cuisine.

    (5)

  • Jessica D.

    Paadee has become a regular part of our visits to Portland. I find myself thinking about the Japanese eggplant regularly! Also don't pass up the wings. Wings are generally not at the top of my list, but, these are SO special! Also the servers are very attentive and helpful.

    (5)

  • Ally M.

    By far my favorite Thai restaurant in Portland. Everything is amazing.

    (5)

  • Krista M.

    The food here is fantastic. It's the best Thai food I've had in Portland so far. I had the Pad Kee Mao with chicken and was so happy. My friends got a pork belly soup bowl that I tried, it was also amazing. The ambiance here is great, I loved pretty much everything about this place. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the service. Our server's name was Mark, and Mark treated us like shit from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left. He asked us if we wanted bar or table seating, we told him we would take whatever was available first and for whatever reason, this seemed to really irritate him. He never once smiled and continued to be annoyed at pretty much everything we did. When we got the check, my three friends put down cash. I only had a card, so I wrote "card" next to my dish. When he picked it up, he said, "What's going on here?" in a really rude tone. I explained my dish was on the card, same rude tone, he said, "and what did you have?" I showed him on the receipt where I had written "card," and his response was, "I see what you were trying to do here." I'm not terribly sensitive, but this guy was so bad, I almost asked for the manager, which I've never done before. As he was walking away with the bill, he even rolled his eyes. I will definitely recommend this place. The food is great, reasonably priced, and everyone else who helped us, delivering food, filling water, etc, was very friendly. When I go back, if Mark is working, I'll definitely wait for a table in someone else's section. The food would be worth the wait, putting up with that guy's shit is not. Paadee would be 5 star if they cut this guy loose and hired someone who doesn't hate customer service.

    (4)

  • Jun Z.

    This place is on the small side, but it packs a great punch. For starters, they have great alcoholic drinks that they have on rotation. Then their food... DROOL. I don't know how many times I've had their take of "chicken and waffles" but it is amazing. It's so nice to have a spin on that classic dish that's familiar but so different because of the Thai flavors. I'm definitely coming back here!

    (4)

  • Gabrielle S.

    Mushroom soup is ah mazing!!!! It's a light soup with great flavor; mushrooms, parsley and garlic. Yum. The pad see we has really good flavor, too! They've remodeled inside...super cute. Nice staff. Great little Thai Gem in SE...highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Kiki P.

    Happy Hour has great specials like Tom Yum with shrimp and my favorite chicken wings covered in garlic! Yum! Noodle bowl was seasoned perfectly and fish cake was also really good! I will be back again and again as it seems it gets better and better every time I go. The atmosphere is really nice and the windows are large and open in the summer for indoor/ outdoor seating. The staff is friendly and super informative about the food! I only wish they had those corn cakes on the desert menu were still there. I have been to Thailand many times and it reminded me of great snack food I had there many times!

    (5)

  • Bubba Y.

    Many people have said good things about Paadee. No arguments here. Good food, good service. Would have rated higher but the music was so loud that conversation was difficult.

    (3)

  • Miss L.

    I've enjoyed both of my trips to Paadee. My last visit was an exceptionally fun experience. The waiter gave us exactly what we wanted to hear when we asked for his spiel. He honestly and efficiently broke down the menu describing his favorite items in each section from snacks to noodles to entrees. We actually high-five'd him when he was done because it was honestly one of the best and most sincere waiter spiels I've ever witnessed. Plus the items we that we ordered off his list were freaking delicious. Mad props to the bartender with the sweet R&B jams. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every song I heard that night.

    (5)

  • Dharma K.

    This was a great little place. We had yummy Thai food, noodles, coconut tofu curry, eggplant veggies, and a fried chicken. This stuff had some spice! Made my eyebrows sweat for sure. The atmosphere is intimate, soft/dark lighting. Good for a first date or a find night out with your friends. Good food and good service.

    (4)

  • Denea Y.

    It pains me to knock this place down a notch, especially with the great service and quality of the food. The food was bland, plain and simple. The grilled squid was somewhat tasty and cooked well, considering squid can get too chewy and this wasn't. My favorite dish in the world is Kao Soi, and their vision was sour and lackluster. I was confused by the crispy chicken, because although it had good flavor, it reminded me more of Chinese food than Thai. And overall, nothing was spicy. They serve a Thai condiments tray to DIY your spice, but still, there's no flavor to even begin with.

    (2)

  • David C.

    Where do I even begin to start with this harbour of excellence? I heard about this place from a friend, talking up about there wings. I decided to head there and man was it the right choice. The ambiance of the restaurant echoed and helped evoke a sense that only amplified the solid vibes that were resonating from this place. The food was absolutely on point. The wings are more delicious beyond belief with the siracha fish sauce doing wonders with the chicken meat. Another appetiser I recommend are the meat hangers, such tender meat that almost melts against the teeth. The entree I ordered was the crispy chicken and it was again amazing. This place is simply amazing, a delightful combination if crispy yet tender meat met with the sweet taste of the sauce. Do yourself a favour, check it out.

    (5)

  • Danni D.

    Wonderful experience start to finish at this Thai addition just at the edge of SE Portland across from the Laurelhurst theater. Their business is Thai street vendor and comfort food, and they typically do a great job. The crab dishes are completely loaded with crab. Their special pork noodle soup is one of my favorite dishes so far this year (note to self when voting come December). My only issue has been consistency. This dish excels when it contains flat noodles and when the pork belly is cooked up super crispy at the edges. Too often lately I have had the dish with thinner, stringier noodles, and the pork has not been as crispy as previous visits. Their cocktails are Thai twists on classics and they worked beautifully. My hands down favorite is the Sunrose Derby and the 12 Mile limit - both bourbon cocktails, and both full of flavor. Definitely give this upscale Thai place a try. It's not your usual menu. And that's a great thing.

    (4)

  • Bliss D.

    Had dinner there once. They can't make many of the entrees vegetarian, but the Pad Kee Mao I did have was too salty and didn't taste like traditional Thai food. The flavors weren't deep and rich enough, if that makes sense...

    (3)

  • Ed W.

    Have been there couple times, the food there is really good. Green curry and stir fried veggies are my fav. Sometimes the service is great but not always.

    (4)

  • Corinne E.

    Great happy hour served all night if you sit at the bar! Cocktails balance well with the food. The whiskey sour is perfect. You must get the steak and sticky rice! Probably one of the best things on the menu. Noodle bowl was bland last time though not enough to keep me away. I do wish they served a Tom Kha soup in addition to their Tom Yum.

    (4)

  • Gina B.

    One star is one too many! My husband ordered a dinner that included steak and discussed with the server in great detail the need to ensure that the meat would be cooked medium well. She stated that it's the only way this dinner was prepared so we felt confident that is was clear on the medium well expectation. A steak that was red and blue was haphazardly dumped down on the table. It was so sad that it was laughable how rare the meat was. Thought maybe we were getting punked. Waited for her to come back and check on our meals and it never happened. Much later, we waived her to the table and showed her what she served. We told her that we did not want it put back on the grill. No I am sorry. Only a quick turn in her heels as she scurried it over to the manager where they looked at the sunburned meat closer. No, the manager did not come to apologize. Our waitress avoided our table like the plague after that. Not a look to even see if we needed water. My bowl of soup had more egg noddle than protein which sopped up the 1/2 cup of broth served up with it in no time. If this was an off night it might explain why the meat was raw but it does not explain the lousy service - lack of her checking not only before the dinner was served but after as well. Or hey, how about an apology? And, the manager not caring enough to come over and follow up. That steak was so rare that if you gave it CPR, it would come back to life.

    (1)

  • Jana C.

    Stopped by for dinner at around 7 on a Saturday night & they were full except for the counter. We decided to sit there since it was only 2 & what a deal. If you sit at the counter, you get happy hour drink prices & you can order off the happy hour menu all night. We started with a couple of appetizers & drinks & continued on with dinner. The food was excellent & we were able to chat a bit with the bartender about her concoctions. I've discovered my new favorite Thai restaurant.

    (5)

  • Elizabeth R.

    This is not your cookie-cutter Thai. I recommend getting something in each category- an appetizer, a soup and a couple of entrees for two. If you are in the neighborhood and looking for a place to eat, try this.

    (5)

  • Bud G.

    I am really struggling with my star rating for PaaDee, I really want to give them 5 stars. I have absolutely had 5 star experiences at this little gem of a place. The crab curry, crispy chicken and the pork noodle bowl are regular menu items and are impressive. The Tempura Asparagus Salad that was on the menu this summer was one of my top dishes of 2012. One of the apps not to be missed is the Hoy Joh, crab meat and minced pork wrapped in soy skin and fried, absolutely delicious. The drink list is also inventive and delicious. What keeps me from awarding that illusive 5th star is consistency. While I have had some of the best food I can remember here, I have also had times where everything was a little over salted or just a little off. We have had service that has been phenomenal. On one occasion our waiter realized we hadn't been in in quite a while and explained everything new that was on the menu since our last visit more than a month ago, I think that is awesome service! But, we have also had a couple of occasions where the service has been spotty and the drinks, while delicious always seem to take forever to get to our table. I would highly recommend this PaaDee. If your experience is quite what you hoped, please try back before you write them off.

    (4)

  • Ronald A.

    Our dinner group stopped in here last night. It was our recommendation after our last visit. Even with six of use, it did not disappoint. Another very nice dinner. We started with the chive pancakes; a wonderful way to start. We then followed with mixed vegetables in a garlic sauce, chicken with wide noodles, prawns in a spicy broth, a crab dish with a light curry sauce and the Thai pancake. All were nicely done and all tasted different. They have a small, but good selection of draft beers. The price is extremely fair. This may be my favorite Thai restaurant. It is clearly unique; we will be back. My only caution is it is a bit noisier than I would prefer. I will put up with it to enjoy such a good combination of quality food and price.

    (4)

  • Kristen M.

    4.5 STARS PaaDee is a "party" in your mouth! (Literally!) Thai comfort food? Check! Cheap eats? Check! Crafty Cocktails? Check! Unique ambiance? Check! ~~ Let's go to PaaDee!!! ~~ PaaDee has ALL the components one would look for when dining with a group of buddies. Great for groups (may have to make rezzos) and great for just a couple on a date! What to eat?! [SNACKS] GUY TIEW LUI SUAN ($6 for 3 pieces) - Consider this a Thai version of the Vietnamese "Spring Roll" where the filling is made up of sauteed tofu, shitake mushrooms, corn, diced carrots, minced garlic all wrapped up in a rice paper. Available with some lettuce and a hint of basil with a chili limp dipping sauce was phenomenal! (Thank you Sherry S. for your lovely pic!) **4.5 STARS** PEEK GAI TOD ($6 for 6 pieces) - Fried chicken wings glazed in a Sriracha fish sauce was pretty nice! The glaze was sweet and the chicken came out piping hot! For those who would like to compare this dish to Pok Pok (famous Thai resto in PDX), I'd prefer Pok Pok's since I like the heat element. But nonetheless, the chicken is a decent dish for what you pay for! **3.5 STARS** [SALAD] KOR MUU ($12 fam bam style dish) - This fried pork cheek salad with sliced cucumbers on the side and lettuce. It came with a sauteed Japanese eggplant chili paste mixture which was very lovely since it packed a bunch of heat! I would definitely order this dish again! **5 STARS** [NOODLE BOWL] BA MHEE TOM YUM PITSANULOK ($11 fam bam style dish) - for a huge bowl good to share between 3-4 people, this was one delightful soup! Engrossed with thin egg noodles in a "Pitsanulok province" style spicy lime with pork broth, gave a light element of savory-ness to the soup. I'm not sure if the soup was to be a bit sour, but if it was much more sour, I'd like it even better. Consider the sourness of the soup to be tamed. Pieces of ground pork, roasted red pork and crispy pork belly also pork-i-fied the dish to be unbelievable. Garnished with sliced green beans, peanuts and scallions, this soup is a must try! **4 STARS** [SIDES] Jasmine rice and Sticky rice ($2 each) What to drink?! (I forgot the ingredients to the drinks! Sorry!) But all three were popular cocktails recommended by our host. I believed him! What's cute about all three cocktails is that they had huge blocks of ice within your cup! It was kinda cute and interesting how unique that was! Sorry I didn't take a picture, I was "thirsty"............. THE WATERFALL ($8) - was very refreshing! It was light and it still gave you that buzz you need (after a few)! It was pretty much the popular drink at our table! There was a garnish of cucumber which was nice. **5 STARS** PAADEE ($8, Cognac based) I thought this was a decent drink, but I'm not really a Cognac person. But for the mixture that they created, it's worth a try. **3.5 STARS** 27 ($8, Vodka based) - consider this a "girly drink" if you will. There were elements of a "grapefruit" essence, but not quite sure if that was involved in the creation of this lovely cocktail! I was leaning toward this drink at first, but the waterfall seemed more delightful! **4 STARS** FYI: *Portland Monthly's Best Restaurants 2012 (Issue: Nov 2012) *Parking on the street or nearby neighborhood *Cross streets are SE 28th & E Burnside Ave *Diagonally across the street from Laurelhurst Theater *HH 5:30-6 PM & last hour before closing (9-10pm) *Accepts CC *Cute that they serve you your check in a book (as a bookmark!) *Unique decor lighting using bird cages as a fixture My friends and I were stuffed after our meal and even had left overs for the next day! Not sure if it was the food or the amount of alcohol that contributed to the "fullness" but we were unable to order dessert. I would love to come back and try out their happy hour and hopefully make room for dessert the second time around! PaaDee is worth a try! Check it out! I'll definitely be back here!

    (4)

  • Neona R.

    This place is fantastic. I have had both lunch, and dinner here, and neither has disappointed. I also have a huge soft spot for the sweet and attentive waiter that's been there both times that I have. Every dish I have had has been more than stellar. I received one dish that appeared as if would be bland and looked like it had no sauce, but I had nothing to fear; the flavor was superb and the pork cooked tenderly with fresh crab, too. Their appetizer spicy wings are INSANE. I could have eaten twenty of them. They have great beers on tap. Have not had any cocktails or wine. The specials I have ordered have all been great. Make sure you consider them. And last but not least, the space is really cute. Also love the location.

    (5)

  • Lili K.

    My friend and I tried the Pad Thai and Pad Khee Mao here and they were alright; nothing to rave about. We were the only table in the restaurant so we got attentive service by the two young hipster-looking servers. Nice decor, especially the birdcaged lamps covering the ceiling. The menu is on the pricier side, but I would come back to give some of the other dishes a try. Maybe the two dishes we tried just aren't their best dishes.

    (3)

  • C M.

    Overall great. Kind of heavy on the sugar in most dishes. But I have never ordered something I did not like. Their Tom yum is the best I have had in the city, and it is on the happy hour menu, so that is a sweet deal and yummy. Great wings also on the happy hour. They had an asparagus salad for a while that was really great. I hope that comes back with the season. Fish cakes are also great if you like wild lime leaf. I do. Not super great for more than 4 people. The way the tables seating is spaced out it makes it hard to still close enough to 5+ people and have one conversation. So don't let the big tables fool you, not great for groups. Rice is always perfect. This cannot be downplayed. An Asian restaurant with crappy rice is a REALLY bad sign. The decor is pretty great, there are bird cages hanging from the celling. I have never been to Thailand, but this gives it sort of an exotic feel that is fun. Great bartender.

    (4)

  • Bob K.

    Wow, what a difference 11 months make. We decided to try PaaDee again. This time we had the steak salad and the crispy pork belly and green beans. OMG! Sorry had to say that. Both were amazing. I think the pork belly was the best. They cook it so there is a little soft fat and a lot of crispy fried pork. And the beans that came with it were some of the best cooked string beans that I have had in Portland. So we promote PaaDee from a 3 to 5 Star restaurant. We will back a lot.

    (5)

  • Mike G.

    Exceptionally good Thai food and service.

    (5)

  • Megan C.

    Decided to try something new this weekend and went to PaaDee. They definitely have something unique going on here. Loved the atmosphere, classy yet totally unpretentious and cozy. Our server was great, very friendly and helped us with questions we had about ingredients on the menu. Cocktails were a little slow, but were pretty darn tasty. Hoy Joh - crab and pork balls were delicious and unique Steak salad - super yummy! Gai grop sam yan (crispy chicken) yummy comfort food but was quite salty, definitely needed the whole bowl of rice to combat the saltiness Grilled Mackerel (on special) - I don't think I've ever been compelled to eat the fish skin before but it was so tasty, although there was too much salty sauce on the plate Overall great experience, they just need to turn the saltiness down a notch or two and speed it up on the cocktails. I plan on going again to try out more things on the menu.

    (4)

  • Ryo K.

    You can enjoy great Thai food at a very reasonable price. Be aware, it's not one of those ordinary Thai food we have in Portland. Some people get disappointed when they find out that there is no "Pad Thai." I personally think this is the best Thai food in the city. I would like to say "authentic" but I've never been to Thailand so I cannot say that. My favorites are chive cakes (similar to Chinese rice cake), pork skewer (only $2 during happy hour) and fish cake (so light and fluffy). They have seasonal specials as well. You definitely need to try their asparagus salad during summer and mushroom soup during winter. You can have a very satisfied dinner under $20 per person with several drinks. Beer is $3 and wine is $5 (I thought) during happy hour. Those who are tired of mediocre Thai food, try PaaDee. It's very different from other Thai restaurants you've tried in the past. I'm looking forward to their new concept restaurant they are planning to open next door in February.

    (5)

  • Lezley L.

    So on the night we went to try PaaDee, it just happened to be their anniversary. Sometimes this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Luckily it was a pleasantly enjoyable visit. The chef had provided a special menu just for the occasion and well my group pretty much ordered everything on the menu plus quite a few libations. So again, my review is based on their anniversary dinner menu which was not & is not the same as it's current dinner menu. Kudos to the chef and his team for providing a great dining experience plus providing with complimentary sticky rice with Jack fruit.I'll be back to try their regular menu.

    (3)

  • Lazy D.

    Amazing meal! Great price! Loved the mango and sticky rice! Best ever.... Yummy. Wonderful staff and atmosphere. Fun people watching too.

    (5)

  • David H.

    Many people try to avoid a direct comparison of PaaDee to Pok Pok. I will not attempt to avoid this comparison, as they are similar in their style, except for one big difference: PaaDee is better. Now I know my words constitute Portlandia blasphemy, and I might lose a friend or two for saying this, but seriously, PaaDee is better. The reasons I will use to back up my heresy are relatively simple: 1) The food is fantastic. Most dishes are spicy, but not too much. There is usually a little heat up front, but it dissipates pretty quickly on the finish, leaving you with the amazing Thai flavors that the dish intends. The dishes themselves are so rich with authentic Thai flavors, that everyone that I have tried is nothing less than stellar. The portion size at PaaDee is significant, which is in stark contrast to Pok Pok, who seem to think that a small plate that is to be shared means everyone gets a bite (or half of one). So while the standard menu prices are on par with Pok Pok, the portion size combined with the quality of the food makes PaaDee an excellent value. 2) The texture of the food is amazing. For example, the fish sauce that comes on the side of a few of the dishes I've ordered has ground, baked brown rice on top. This gives the sauce (and whatever you put it on) a brilliant, slightly crunchy mouth feel that is not only savory, but satisfying to the rest of your senses. Another example is the rice noodles that come with the green curry - they are cooked perfectly and are silky to the palate. Everything we ate had perfect texture. In fact, the texture on the chicken wings alone put them on par with Pok Pok's. I will go so far as to say that I like texture on the wings at PaaDee better (and I never thought anyone would make wings to rival Pok Pok's). 3) The cocktails are really, really good. I know that we have all enjoyed the drinks at the Whiskey Soda Lounge (Pok Pok's bar), and maybe I'm just getting tired of them, but the cocktails we had at PaaDee were better. They were definitely more balanced and the flavors were stellar. 4) The happy hour menu and prices are insane. $2 skewers (highly recommended) and $5 wings. And the portion sizes are excellent and ready for sharing. 5) The service was excellent, and I do mean exceptional. So, while I still love Pok Pok, I am going to be spending more time at PaaDee.

    (5)

  • Cindy A.

    HAPPY HOUR REVIEW 5:00-6:30pm Daily; 9:00pm-close Sun-Thurs; 10:00pm-close Fri-Sat Enjoy Happy Hour all night at the bar! Food Deals $2.00-$6.00 Excellent choices and well-made Thai food with quality ingredients: Grilled squid or pork skewers, tom yum soup with prawns, sausage selections, fish cakes, noodle dishes. Award-winning food at a top PDX restaurant! Delicious, and a favorite! Drink Specials $3.00 drafts (2nd one for only $2.00 - I like it!) $5.00 house wines; $6.00 specialty cocktails Atmosphere Cozy industrial-chic, with talented and appropriate interior design choices incorporating subtle Asian stylings. Lots of light, cool bar, curtains, flowers, stained concrete. Long wood tables for groups, smaller 2-4 tops, and sidewalk seating.

    (5)

  • Allyson M.

    If you are looking for authentic, delicious, and affordable Thai comfort or street style food, PaaDee is your spot. Phenomenal dinner and lunch menus. I have been there over twenty times and never been disappointed. I have tried almost every item on the menu and loved it all. There is even happy hour all day long of you sit at the bar, sporting $3 20 oz local draft beers and then refills for $2, not to mention a variety of extremely cheap eats. It's unheard of. By far my favorite restaurant in Portland. The asparagus salad, green curry, minced pork, pork belly/grilled pork/minced pork soup and wings are all amazing. Actually, everything I have ever tried there is amazing.

    (5)

  • Andrew A.

    Winner, winner, chicken dinner! It seems like there are more restaurant and food cart choices for Thai than for any other cuisine. So I'll go out on a shaky limb by claiming PaaDee on par with Portland's best. Yup, right up there with a number of forgot the name favorite food carts, old icons such as Lemongrass, Chaba Thai, and Khun Pics, and new twists such as Pok Pok and Thai Seasons. Most of the dishes were excellent; many were complemented by their own special dipping sauce. The appetizer star was the Kanom Gui Chai (chives cakes), just wow! Another big favorite was the Sai grog e-san, a pork sausage stuffed with fermented rice and accompanied by roasted peanuts, some very hot peppers, and ginger slices (I think.) A generous portion of cabbage is included so you can create a little Thai taco, but they slice it too thin. I found the fish cakes too dense, but that's probably the way they're supposed to be; others really enjoyed them. I didn't think you could do much with grilled steak and sticky rice, but their version - the Neau yang - was heaven! The Pad kee mao here was good, but I've definitely had much better. For drinks, maybe try a something new and the order the delicious and creative Waterfall (I love the big ice cube.) If you desire a little more kick, then the Paadee (cognac based) was very good. The Pistachio ice cream atop of some jelly-like pieces from Lovely Fifty-Fifty was meh; it just didn't have enough flavor. For now, it doesn't seem like sweet endings are Paadee's forte. NE 28th and Burnside is great neighborhood. Our server was very sweet and knowledgeable of the menu.

    (4)

  • Robert H.

    I have eaten here three times now, and each time I have been impressed and delighted by the quality of the food. Honestly, I prefer it to Pok Pok, which I have always found to be a bit overhyped--although I don't mean to disparage Pok Pok in any way. My favorite dish is the Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok (with soft-boiled egg and extra pork belly). It's all you need to eat all day!!! So delicious. The Pad ma khua (Japanese eggplant) is also excellent, as is the Gra prao muu sub (minced pork with green beans). I have enjoyed every soup and appetizer that I have tried here as well, and the sweet sticky rice with mango (when available) is the best I've ever had. Service has been uniformly friendly and helpful. They have a nice list of cocktails as well. Highly recommended!!!

    (5)

  • Nate D.

    Paadee is a great, unique Thai place with a cool atmosphere and excellent service. The menu is a bit small, but everything is done so well that it's not really an issue. I've loved everything I've had so far, and they're very accommodating when it comes to dietary restrictions/substitutions. Paadee is one of the places I take visiting friends, so take that for what it's worth.

    (4)

  • Kate C.

    Skip the lines at Pok Pok and get down with an all-night happy hour at the bar at PaaDee! Refreshing cocktails and DELICIOUS food at reasonable prices. The tom yum soup is a perfect blend of hot and tangy, the chicken wings are perfectly tender, and the pad kee mao is really satisfying. Very generous happy hour portions, too. I recommend going with a friend and getting a little of everything to share.

    (5)

  • Heather D.

    Great hipster ambience and service, but a bit of a weird odor greets you when you walk through the front door. It's just a little off-putting. They have a very generous Happy Hour. The sizzling steak with sticky rice was delicious. The squid was not. The Ba mee tom yum (pork belly noodle bowl) was super generous and yummy! We had a reservation for 7 people and we were easily accommodated. The service was attentive and knew the menu intimately. We had a great overall experience. The funky smell was the only thing making me think A-OK.

    (3)

  • Amy B.

    I went here as part of the Portland Food Adventures. The food this chef creates is amazing. He has such a desire to bring comfort food from his native Thailand. The place was closed for the evening for this event, but it must be popular because people kept showing up. The atmosphere is very quaint. I loved the simplicity of it. I will definitely be back.

    (5)

  • Nicole P.

    Extremely good! I highly recommend it to any Thai food lovers. Amazing pad Thai and a classy atmosphere. They have gluten free and vegan options. This is definitely my current favorite Thai restaurant. Check it out!

    (5)

  • J. O.

    Very good Thai, but for the love, TONE DOWN THE SALT! I ate here for the second time tonight, trying a variety of dishes with my girlfriend. The food always comes out very fresh and hot. It's nice to see different Thai dishes rather than the same ones you see on every menu in town. Most are very well done, and the fish sauce wings are very good (although I still prefer Pok Pok's). My only concern is that most of the dishes I've tried have come out overly salty. When a friend first recommended checking this place out, his caveat was the excessive saltiness of the dishes as well, and it held up to be true. Otherwise the space is nice, and the service has always been good. A solid happy hour, fair prices, and no ridiculous waits for authentic Thai dishes.

    (4)

  • Bill D.

    Went last night with a gang of 8. PaaDee is very much a PokPok competitor and overall gets an edge. Of the 10 dishes we had the standouts were the chicken wings (different than PP but perfect), steak salad, tempora asparagus salad, minced pork entree, crab entree. Food prices are very modest and our waiter knew his stuff. Drinks were interesting and helped us double our bill ;-) Everybody in our monthly dinner group was very positive. We'll be back

    (5)

  • Madison W.

    Sexy Thai food, that's light and hearty, delicious and unique. The atmosphere is fun, decorated in an asian crafty motif, with birdcages surrounding hanging lamps and huge community tables along with private table, make the space warm and inviting. Its the little things that I love about this place from their elegant and delicious cocktails to the single long cube of ice in your glass. Try the chicken for sure, and the noodle dishes rock. Everything is FRESH FRESH, the ginger, the salmon... And the deserts leave you happy. I highly recommend it, and I think its completely different than POK POK. Located right across the street from the Laurelhurst Theater and SMUT. At the edge of Burnside and 28th. Its a great place to take a date or the family. Bon Apetit!

    (5)

  • Thomas O.

    We came here after reading the Portland Monthly Best Restaurants article. A few ambiance details are worth noting. Water is served in tin cups, which reminded my wife of her childhood in India. The check is brought in an antique book (novel) instead of the typical folder. We arrived about 6 PM on a Saturday night and had to wait only 10 minutes for a table. The service was friendly and prompt. The only slightly odd thing was that our entrees were all brought out about 10 minutes apart. My family was less impressed than I with the food. I think it came down to the dishes they chose. My wife chose the grilled fish of the day, which was Mackerel, a fish she had never eaten before. I liked it but for her it was too fishy. The preparation was fine though. I had the farm stake (hanger steak) that was well prepared with interesting sauce. My daughter had a vegetable dish made with eggplant that was also very good.

    (4)

  • Steve R.

    Where else can you sit at a table outside and view the Laurelhurst marquee and negotiate which movie you'll catch after eating. That and the good service give this place extra points. The small sampling of food we tasted convinced me that this restaurant is here to stay. Most of the items on the menu were familiar but there were some new names that I hadn't encountered before like the Guay Tiew Lui Suan, basically salad rolls with a twist and super fresh. Also, the Plaa Muek Yang or squid skewers, tasty but a little on the tough side (hey, it's squid). We also tried the family favorite, Pad Kee Mao which I rate as one of the best I've had. And finally for desert, the excellent sweet sticky rice with fresh sweet mango slices.

    (4)

  • Chad S.

    I crave PaaDee. Chicken wings. I usually don't like them breaded but these are fantastic, I'd go so far as to say they are my favorite fried chicken in Portland. Hot and crispy with tangy fish sauce/sweet chili sauce. I could eat these every day. The noodle dishes are perfectly flavored and spiced, balanced and earthy. I've tried both the soup dishes as well as the stir friend dishes and love them both for their own qualities. Even Tom Yum gets reinvented with a previously unknown depth in the hands of the skilled chefs. The drinks here are also excellent. Well crafted, diverse enough to satisfy just about any cocktail palate, and just plain delicious. Particularly like the tamarind sour. I almost hate reviewing this place because I know it is just one rave review away from being packed Pok Pok style, but I also recognize that if they don't get crowded soon they will start to sacrifice and change things and I don't want them to change a thing. It's pretty darn perfect like it is.

    (5)

  • May C.

    Any place with good happy hour food served on the weekend deserves an automatic 5 stars! HH from 5-6:30PM DAILY! The chicken wings and hanger steak from the HH menu were delicious! Seasoned and cooked just right. I can't wait to go back to try more items off their menu! The staff was very friendly, the place is really cute (love the decorations), and the large windows are perfect for portland summer nights.

    (5)

  • Phil N.

    I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. Their food doesn't pull any punches and has a more interesting menu than most thai restaurants in this town. Their wings are tempura battered fish sauce wings that give pok pok a run for their money. I'm a big fan of many of their salads...tempura asparagus, grilled shrimp, and steak salads. All have been bold and bursting with flavors and complexity...granted they are a bit heavy handed with the fish sauce and could dial it back a bit. I haven't explored their dinner entree section much and was disappointed with the pork belly dish, but I don't think it'll be a problem as all the other sections on the menu are so interesting (the noodle section are mostly all fantastic, and I'm a big fan of the garlic chive cakes). I haven't been this obsessed with a restaurant since the old Podnah's Pit on Prescott. I must have been here 7 times in the past 10 weeks. Great stuff.

    (5)

  • XiuCe H.

    We had the crispy chicken, green curry with vegetables and tofu, fish cakes, and a pork noodle soup. Each dish was tasty, flavorful, complex, and distinct. We especially liked the fish cake appetizer and the green curry. Cool interior, competent service, but the big winner was the food.

    (5)

  • Annika H.

    Hooo boy, those were some damn delicious noodles. Our party of three, six year old in tow, were looking for a spot with not much of a wait, a cool atmosphere, and most importantly, delicious food. And boy, we found it. We started off with grilled squid skewers with a chili lime sauce and a hot and sour soup with wild prawns. Then we moved on to a sauteed crispy chicken with cashews, scallions, dry chilis, and, the mother lord, the noodle bowl, egg noodles with spicy lime & pork broth, ground pork, roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sliced green beans, ground peanuts, and scallions. It was topped off with three thai iced teas and mango sticky rice. Our waitress was fantastic, funny and friendly. And even better, when our picky eater six year old asked for a bowl of plain noodles, it was happily made, peanuts sprinkled on top. The atmosphere was fantastic as well, old school Thai art mixed with a modern twist. The only word worthy of describing this meal? Bomb-diggity. We'll be back real soon.

    (5)

  • Bell D.

    I went here last night and met up with a friend. We were able to get here just in time to snag the happy hour deals. The food was good (especially the soup) the service was decent, and it was just an all-around pleasant experience. One thing to note: no bar seating so, if you're going here to meet someone, you might want to make a reservation / go ahead and get seated and have them meet you at the table.

    (4)

  • Olivia T.

    Remember the old (yes now it's considered old..) TLC song, "Waterfall"? That was my favorite TLC's song and happy hour at PaaDee totally brought back all good memories of that song. It's not because they played that song there but because they make this awesome cocktail with a self titled "Waterfall". I forgot all ingredients in the drink, but I remember I saw Sochu and Drinking Vinegar as two ingredients in it. This cocktail is really light, very refreshing, a bit sour but not too overwhelming, and yes sir there's alcohol in it but you won't be able to taste it. I think that's really good. I hate it when my drink is nothing but alcohol. It might work for alcoholic peeps, but that's just not for me. Besides the "Waterfall", we also got some happy hour food. We ordered the Chicken Wings, Fermented sausage, Pork Skewer, Noodles with red pork in broth style (for me), and a dry noodles with veggies in sweet chili sauce (for Jesse). I like the chicken wings and my noodles. The fermented sausage was a new concept for me, it took a few seconds to get use to but after that it was great. It's different than food that I usually eat, but it's delicious. For all of those food and drinks we spent about $28 before tip. It was a great deal considering how much food we got. Those happy hour noodle bowls are pretty much like dinner size bowls. PaaDee is great for happy hour and apparently you can get happy hour all night if you don't mind seating at the bar (they only have 5 bar stools available). Next time, I will get the fish cake. I just didn't have enough space in my belly for the first visit.

    (4)

  • Benjamin V.

    This is by far one of our favorite restaurants in Portland. After terrible service and "ok" food at Pok Pok we stumbled on this place quite literally by accident. It was love at first taste. The pork belly chunks are bites of heaven! The staff is friendly, and the drinks are yummy. We take all of our guests from out-of-town here, and every time they're back in Portland they *always* request a return trip to PaaDee. The crowd favorite is the Gra prao muu grob. The Thai style fermented rice and pork sausage is always a must as well. Definitely worth a visit.

    (5)

  • Jessica G.

    This place was so good. Went in early on a Saturday for lunch and the service and food where quick. Had the prawn salad and pad thai. Both where amazing. The cocktails where also excellent. The only bummer for me was that the menu is very small, but I do think its better to do a small amount of things perfectly than a whole ton of stuff mediocre. Will be back.

    (5)

  • Christy H.

    No PAADEE for me! The atmosphere was meh. I don't know it was just too contemporary? The service was quick but the waitress didn't know a whole lot about the menu? Ordered a Double Mountain IRA and it tasted funky. Like really funky. Not sure if the tap lines have been cleaned in a while or what. The appetizers were great. Pork skewers were delicious. Nice sweet and sour sauce with some chili to dip it in. Crab and pork wrapped in soy paper and deep fried with a sweet plum sauce. Also was great. Tom Yum soup was very hearty but I thought it was way too spicy. The main dishes were really the down side. Too much chili! I would like the mild or spicy options that most thai places have and definitely think they should consider these options. Fried noodles with chicken. Meh. Too much grease and too much chili. It needed more flavor. Prawns, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower dinner dish was horrible. Bland with a lot of chili sauce. Chill out on the chili! It was in everything we ordered and my mouth was on fire. Not pleased at all. Maybe this is a place that actually serves REAL thai food and I am more of an american-thai junkie? I have no idea, but maybe I am missing something because this place also seems to have great reviews? I only know that it wasn't for me.

    (2)

  • Heather H.

    The one dish I had here that I would recommend was a deep fried sweet and sour tofu. I don't even like tofu and this was absolutely amazing. Everything else? Either overcooked or totally bland. With so many amazing choices for Thai and other south Asian foods in PDX, I'll skip PaaDee from now on.

    (2)

  • Dennis M.

    I highly recommend eating here. The service was very good, and the server was knowledgable. The chicken wings appetizer was amazing. I had the crispy pork belly, and it was awesome. I was concerned about it being spicy, but it wasn't. It was just delicious!

    (5)

  • Aaron S.

    Love love love this place! Crispy chicken is amazing, staff is nice, and great design/atmosphere!

    (5)

  • Darren D.

    Good food. Very bad service. The kitchen brought put the food for my wife and daughter and mine came as they finished their food. Not sure if I would go back.

    (3)

  • Zastruga Z.

    Perfect atmosphere, clever waitress, and delicious food! Our waitress was perfectly attentive, not over bearing but there when we needed her, with clever quips and a helpful attitude. The food was so so so good. It was like my taste buds were having a paadee and only delicious flavors were invited. I will definitely be going and taking people there again.

    (5)

  • Tim S.

    Amazing Thailand Ninjas concocting simple goodness for my body's nourishment, mmmmmmmmmm, I think I hit another bombastic track of extravaganza!!

    (5)

  • Melissa M.

    Food = Amazing Drinks = Amazing Service = Attentive and super chill. Went over menu items and suggested great stuff. Atmopshere = Amazing and very relaxing. We had 4 dishes and everything was tasty, plentiful and interesting. This is our new favorite place.

    (5)

  • Jes P.

    LOVED this new spot in Portland on my last trip to town. Seriously, LOVED. Cocktails were divine, and food was delish and unlike any Thai I've eaten previously. It is Thai comfort food with a street food twist. I loved the quirky interior - concrete and bird cages. We sat in the back room with spinning bird cages blown by the air vents that played tricks with the lighting. This room is not for the motion sick. Tables were long with benches in our room. Water was served in handled tin cups which felt like camping and added to the street food vibe. For apps I loved the Chive Cakes. Dinner for me was the Dungeness Crab entree and it was unbelievable, the sheer volume of crab on that plate was amazing. The sauces they brought out to liven things up and bring a little heat are a must have. I went with red wine (a mistake actually given the awesome cocktails) but tasted every other cocktail at the table and they kicked a**. For dessert we ordered the Chinese fried dough with Pandanus cream. Not my favorite of the night, but OK. I would likely switch venues for dessert in the future or have another cocktail instead. All around great place. I will be back again and again.

    (5)

  • W C.

    I like Paadee better than Pok Pok. Although Pok Pok does have some excellent dishes that are quite authentic they still have some misses. I've been here twice and everything has been good. There wasn't anything that fell flat. The taro dessert soup is unique and haven't seen it outside of Thailand. I hate taro but this dessert soup reminds me of glutinous rice balls more than taro. A very Asian style dessert with prepared in Thai fashion with coconut milk.

    (4)

  • Ashley R.

    My husband and I stopped in Paadee late one Saturday night, and we were seated right away. I ordered the Asparagus Salad seasonal special which came with tempura asparagus, pork, shrimp, and other veggies. It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I love when tempura is just right, not too heavy, not too light. My husband ordered the Ba Mhee Tom Yum Pitsanulok (noodle bowl). I couldn't get many specifics out of him besides the fact that it was delicious. We are certainly headed back here to try some of the other dishes. Check it out!!

    (5)

  • Kristie B.

    Every once and a while in Portland, I hit a restaurant that I have overlooked (there are just so many good spots). Then, out of the blue I remember hey, I need to go back to...well, tonight it was PaaDee. And, hell, I am so happy about it. The drink program is amazing, think, Southeastern influenced flavor cocktails, great whiskey and sake, and local beers. Food? Simple, delicious Thai dishes made from quality ingredients. Tonight, I had an amazing noodle soup with pork three ways; pork belly, a Char Sui-style sliced pork, and ground pork with chilis. It was surreal. The broth was a perfect balance of sweet and sour and the egg noodles were wavy and toothsome. If you are a ramen fan you will love this soup-in fact, get it with a poached egg! I also had the chicken wings and loved every bite. The flesh was succulent and the skin crispy and with a snap of sour and spice. Wings and beer anyone?! All and all, I have a huge crush on PaaDee right now. I heart the food, the drinks, and the adorable personnel. So, I have one piece of advise to food loving Portlanders: run don't walk to PaaDee.

    (5)

  • Alex P.

    Not only the best Thai food in town, some of the best food I've ever had. So many amazing things but pad kee mao and khao soi gai are my favorites.

    (5)

  • Mitch L.

    Excellent food without the crowding of the other very popular Thai restaurant nearby :)

    (5)

  • Erich S.

    Great place for some thai food. Check it out.

    (4)

  • Melissa G.

    Paadee is extremely authentic N. Thai food and the service is excellent! my friend is vegan and they had many options for him as well. The chive cakes are must! They are sort like a mochi texture and the sauce was outstanding. I usually will not even eat chives! The cocktails are well balanced and go nicely with the food!

    (5)

  • Nathanial S.

    Amazing food, awesome pork, everything has a good spice to it. The broth of the Guay tiew gai was out of this world. It was sweet, almost like they had made a brown sugar broth for the ingredients to simmer in. Everything we ordered was delicious and we did not want to stop eating.

    (5)

  • Cherry O.

    Good deal for happy hour. Grilled hanger steak is really delicious, although I am not a fan of fish cake or Tom yum goong soup.

    (4)

  • Devon D.

    I'm really digging PaaDee right now. Soups are rich and vibrant and just-right-spicy. Love the smokey-grilled squid and succulent street-style pork skewers. The happy hour menu is happily generous; recommend the fish cakes for a splendid treat. Easy, minimal drink options so the focus remains on great food flavor!

    (5)

  • Alaya W.

    This new Thai place is the bomb! The food is artfully made, with plenty of layered and nuanced flavors, yet approachable enough to be street-y and easy to wrap your mouth around. The spices are generous (authentic) and yet delicately placed. The food is clearly well thought out and leaves you with a satisfied yet clean feeling. Portions for the price are great, as is echoed in other reviews. Tom Yum soup is so good, comes with big, tender prawns. Just be careful for the sharp/hard lemongrass and other root-herbs. There's a substantial amount of navigating needed with the soup, but if you care more about that than the flavor, you are a food weenie. My friend ordered the fried tofu with peanut sauce app (delicate, brothy sauce) and liked it so much he asked for another round. I got the green curry noodles, which were really, seriously delicious. Huge portion, and amazing, again layered and beautiful spice. Much hotter and much more interesting than you would get at an average (American) Thai place. Savory yet completely comforting. Noodles also come with a side of wonderful veggies, including house made (I presume) pickles. Wine list shows they understand what pairs well with spicy Asian; bubbles, Riesling, chenin, grigio. Nice looking bar and rumor of good (serious) cocktails, though I just had wine. All of this wrapped in a super cool modern space, with similarly modern yet welcoming decor and down to earth, friendly staff (yes!!). I was psyched to find this place in my hood, and will be bringing lots of people back.

    (4)

  • Liam C.

    Really great Thai place, the noodle bowl in pork broth with pork belly, red pork and ground pork was excellent. Great Khao soi, good happy hour selections - we had the Chinese fermented sausage and the squid skewer - and tasty cocktails. Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Aaron V.

    The seating is a pain-in-the ass! Almost literally... There are a handful of individual tables around the perimeter and two large communal tables in the center. While the perimeter seating has proper chairs, the communal seating has bar stools. Needless to say, I was pretty perturbed when we showed up to this empty restaurant (because its new - not because its bad) and while there was plenty of proper seating, we were the only ones seated at the communal tables. As for the food - pretty good authentic Thai food (according to my Thai wife). I had the Gai grop sam yan (crispy chicken) and my wife had the Ba mhee tom yum pitsanulok. The food was really good and my wife was impressed that the noodles in her dish are handmade (Pok Pok uses packaged Ramen).

    (3)

  • Maya H.

    Issues: small portions, overpriced, not particularly good, loud music, overly "Portland hip" vibe. Looked like they had a good bar at least, but considering the number of good thai places in town, this is a disappointment. Their green curry with chicken and eggplant came out a mushy pile of overcooked rice noodles, with literally two small pieces of eggplant. This for $12. I've gotten amazing thai with big leftovers for $10 or less. This was barely filling. Also not very authentic- example; they don't have coconut water of any kind. That just seems strange to me. When you walk in, there is a line on the floor you step over, the side to the door says Portland, and once inside it says "Thailand". It's so not like Thailand. Please don't be mistaken into thinking that. I think trendy Portland kids will flock here- but if you want real Thai food, find somewhere else that will make you happier for cheaper.

    (2)

  • I G.

    Paadee used to be one of my favorite restaurants. I ate there at least twice a week. I would either order the crispy chicken or if I went for lunch in the weekdays the beef panang. When they first opened the food was fresh and delicious. Over the last year and a half the quality has dropped remarkably. Now I still go, but inevitably end up sending back about 50% of the dishes. The crispy chicken is dry and capable of making you choke. The Summer asparagus salad comes with chewy prawns and cold asparagus. Paadee used to have lines out the door every night, but that's no longer the case. The staff is friendly and more than willing to remake my items, but I shouldn't have to ask for that. The best thing on the menu by far is the Beef Panang curry. Unfortunately it is only available for lunch on the weekdays. I have asked countless times for it to be included on the dinner menu because it is so delicious and they always answer no. I hope and pray they find their way again, but until I am assured they do I will not be spending my money at this establishment.

    (1)

  • Melissa C.

    I've been here for happy hour and brunch. I wish their happy hour would be longer, but I went right at five so it was fine. Squid skewer and fried chicken wings were fantastic. The noodle dish I tried was alright. The cocktail had thyme in it, which was fabulous. Their hot toddy drink was smooth and delicious. For brunch, my friends and I each ordered something different so I got to taste a variety of dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed all, especially the egg tofu with pork and Thai omelet. The coffee was being made in a French press so it took a long time, however we were told that they'll be getting a larger coffee maker, which is a necessity for brunch in Portland. One can't compare this with a typical Thai restaurant in Portland. The dishes are so flavorful and well crafted. I'm pleased that it's within blocks of my house.

    (5)

  • Ben F.

    Best newish Thai restaurant in Portland. By far. The curries here are the best I've had in town, both the panang and massaman curries (lunch only) are stellar. None of that canned curry paste crap you get at most thai spots in PDX. The green curry (lunch & dinner) was not quite as impressive, but still really really good. Lunch is a great deal here, HUGE portions for $9. For apps/starters I really liked the fried chicken wings and the tom yum goong soup, it warmed the soul on a nasty Portland day. The grilled hangar steak entree for dinner was excellent, be sure to specify med-rare if that is your thing, default seems to be more med/med-well. The dipping sauce it comes with is great. The minced pork dish was also on point. They can get a bit slammed during peak times, but even though the service might slow a bit as the kitchen backs up, the floor staff is still very attentive. Great ambiance, solid drink selection and as good of Thai food as you can expect in Portland.

    (5)

  • Emily W.

    Since moving to Portland (which was only 3 months ago), I've been here twice for happy hour. The chicken wings are my favorite and the food isn't so tradition (like pud thai etc) so you get to try something different. One thing that separates Paadee from other Thai restaurants is the flavor, there is sooo much flavor in every bite!

    (5)

  • Kim L.

    I love this place. It helps that I live only 2 blocks away but we've probably eaten there 12-15 times in the last 6 months. This is not like every other thai restaurant in PDX. You won't find some of the basics like yellow and red curries but what you will find is exciting and delicious. One of the best menu items is the asparagus salad with shrimp and ground pork. The asparagus is tempura battered and fried, then tossed with the pork and shrimp with this crazy lime-based dressing that would be great to just drink from a cup. It's that good. Savory, sour, a little sweet, yum! They have this appetizer that is seasoned ground pork wrapped in tofu skin with a plum-type sauce that is just plump, savory goodness. The shrimp soup (tom yum) has large plump shrimp in it and the broth is spicy with lemongrass and really makes a great start to a meal on our damp PDX evenings. The pork skewers are also really moist and nicely seasoned. The chang mai sausage is good and seems like it might benefit from just a little more fat in the mix. There is this crazy crispy chicken dish with cashews that reminds me of savory chicken caramel corn. It's crispy on the outside and tender inside with a sauce the chicken is tossed in that gives it a salty/sweet caramel-corn type goodness. This is so more-ish be prepared to find it hard to stop eating it! Husband loves the bar here and the Oregon-fashioned drink is his fave. It's made with gin instead of the usual whiskey and has the most perfect square ice cube. Service has always been top-notch. This is a great additional to PDX's asian food scene. I hesitated to write this review because I don't want to experience Pok Pok crowds but I love this place and want it to thrive - so bring it on PDX!

    (5)

  • Julia B.

    Very good food and very reasonable! Great atmosphere. Would highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Brandon Z.

    The happy hour is awesome. They have 4 rotating taps. Your first imperial pint (20 oz pour) is $3 and your second is $2, so for $5 you are getting 40 oz of awesome northwest beer. Happy hour goes from 5-6:30 which is nice because not many places in this area that I know of go past 6. What to get: I can absolutely say the 6 following items are great. We get them repeatedly and will continue to do so. - the chicken wings - pork skewer -squid skewer - tom yum soup - flank stack w/ rice - fried chicken I don't recall the real name of the fried chicken dish, but it is on the regular menu ($12) and tasty. Sweet sticky sauce and a side of rice. The other things are all on the happy hour menu. The chicken wings are absolutely awesome. the tom yum is some of the best I have had around here. What not to get: I would personally never order these things again. - fish cakes - just don't... - the sausage. there are two, and I can't remember which I got, but it just wasn't wonderful. kinda dry. We go here weekly. The atmosphere is awesome inside, servers are nice, helpful and friendly. Go try it.

    (5)

  • Chris C.

    Best Thai I've had in Portland! Authentic and delicious.....and their drinks are fantastic too!

    (5)

  • Ian H.

    For Portland Thai food, it doesn't get a whole lot better. Deeeelish!

    (4)

  • Chris B.

    Good and interesting. Liked it very much. Especially the chicken and beef

    (4)

  • travis t.

    This place is what Pok Pok used to be - quality thai food, friendly atmosphere, and really solid drinks. I could list what some of my favorite dishes are, but it's just about 80% of the menu at this point - a few highlights are the crab and yellow curry, the eggplant, the chicken wing appetizer, and the veggie rolls (which are really different from the standard fare you get at lesser places). The service here is attentive and friendly. Highly recommened.

    (5)

  • Cynthia P.

    Yes I have enjoyed PoK Pok though ironically very expensive for "street" thai food. I have of course only my opinion but when I read Yelp reviews I notice there will be many 5 star reviews and then always some who generally write long meandering reviews who thank god aren't paid reviewers. they will have either chips on their shoulder or talk about many peripheral things and honestly what is not fair to many restaurants they have their opinion but you must take it all for what its worth. I used to review restaurants in Chicago and have eaten my way through Thailand and usually don't want to eat Thai food in Portland because much of is samey. Not so here. The dinner we had was VERY AUTHENTIC. One "reviewer" complained the food was as spicy as Heinz Ketchup ... this food had more layers of spice than I have ever had at a Thai restaurant in America . My boyfriend and I love spice and both commented on how far above the bar this is and none of the crazy lines outside. What is all this talk about hipster waitstaff? Our waitress was from Chang Mai Thailand and we talked about her home town and all the waitstaff were very very friendly. For Portland the atmosphere was nice with the birdcages. the Green Chicken Curry with noodles Kanom jeen gang keaw was delicious and different than all the thai restaurants I have been to here. My boyfriend ordered a noodle dish with pork belly, ground pork and both were so authentic if I closed my eyes I thought I was in Thailand. and the sriacha crispy chicken wings as appetizers were out of this world. I could eat them every day (yes I like Pok Pok chicken wings too) For people saying the food is 5 stars and the service is zero and give it 1 star... they don't have good math skills. Yes everyone is entitled to their opinion but always take them with a grain of salt. I have eaten all over the world and reviewed many many types of restaurants, was a chef, had a catering company for years , worked as a waitress and have my food handler's card and love Thailand and its food for what its worth. and we came here after going to the Laurelhurst movies.. a perfect night out.

    (5)

  • Christopher M.

    Great Thai food! We've spent a lot of time in Thailand and this food is authentic.

    (5)

  • C C.

    Only went here cuz my favorite place wasn't open. I read the great reviews, not sure I agree with them. Portland has fab restaurants, but I've never had great Thai in Portland. The place was empty maybe two other couples. Our food took a while - not crazy long but for such an empty place I'd think it would be faster. We had the Thai fried rice - a bit heavy on the soy, no spice available you had to add your own after it came to the table. It was just okay fried rice. We also had the eggplant with shrimp is was the best dish we had. We also tried the squid skewer - a "gross" rubber skin, and we had the veggie spring roll - again boring and bland. Good service, nice space and a good location.

    (2)

  • Chris H.

    The cooking here is amazingly precise. The dishes have complex flavors that stand on their own, but also blend beautifully with a perfect balance of savory, sour and sweet. The seasoning is done just right, so there is never a wish that there had been less salt or that you wished you had hot sauce to add. I didn't want to change a thing about any of the dishes we ordered. Our waiter was cheerful and extremely helpful. Here's what we ordered: Sai aou - This is listed under snacks. It's Chiangmai sausage with herbs, served with fresh greens. It was a sliced sausage on a plate with very crisp, crunchy romaine leaves, cucumber slices, and cilantro. I tasted the sausage all by itself and found it to be salty and lemon grassy. Not bad, but when I wrapped a piece up in a romaine leaf with a slice of cucumber and a sprig of cilantro, it was absolutely heavenly. Our waiter said the Sai grog e-san sausage is even better. We'll try that next time. Ba Nhee "Pitsanulock", which is egg noodles, spicy lime and pork broth, with pork belly, red pork, ground pork, peanuts and scallions. We also added a soft-boiled egg. The dish was both refreshing and filling at the same time. The contrast of the sweet red pork with the broth was particularly nice. Yum! Guay tiew kua gai - flat rice noodles, chicken, egg, sprouts, salted radish, and romaine. This came with a lime-based sauce. The description doesn't sound like much. We ordered this based on our waiter's recommendation. So glad we did. Unbelievably good.

    (5)

  • Ada Y.

    Went on a date here and it was great! The place had a lively atmosphere that is suitable for all ages, and is relatively inexpensive. I had the gang keaw tofu (green curry w/ tofu) and he had the gai grop sam yan (saute crispy chicken). Both dishes were delicious! The only drawback was I wish our server asked how spicy I wanted the dish, but it's partly my fault for forgetting. It came out a little on the spicy side for me, but it was good to clear up my nostrils! The place doesn't have a parking lot but we didn't have to go too far to find a spot. Service was great as well.

    (4)

  • Lorelei C.

    I was so excited to see something go into this corner spot on 28th and Burnside! I live just a few blocks away and love Thai food, so it was a win/win in my book. Each time I've ordered the same thing (The Pork Belly dish, with rice and veggies) - The first time it was melt in my mouth delicious. The second time it had a lot more kick to it. Went a little spice heavy in back maybe? But still really good. I haven't tried any drinks outside of a beer, but the little bar seating is cute. I've sat at the large community table each time, and while you might be sharing space with strangers, it's quite easy to keep to yourself and your partner/group. The only thing of note: Your food might come out at different times. One time we were asked if this mattered or if we wanted all of our food at once, the other time we weren't. If you're eating family style and sharing your plates this is awesome, allows you to go for one dish after the other. If you're on a date you might want to take note of what might take longer to cook or if your meals will come out at the same time or not.

    (4)

  • Stacy b.

    The chicken with cashew was delicious, but not much different than any other cashew chicken you can get at any thai restaurant. The soup lacked broth, dissapointing when you order soup....the atmosphere and service were great. Food was okay, mostly just overpriced.

    (3)

  • Sukho V.

    Tried Paadee for the first time last night. We took a family member who is an experienced chef who is very hard to please so we were a little nervous. This is the food that I, my wife and her chef cousin grew up eating, so we were a little cynical to begin with, but man we were thoroughly impressed, to say the least. The atmosphere and décor was hip Portland, but the service was very warm and friendly. The cuisine is what they're calling "Thai comfort food" which is more esoteric than what most people are accustomed to, so you have to keep an open mind. The prices were very reasonable for the portions, the food was fresh, well prepared, and the presentation was great. At the end of the meal "our" chef went into the kitchen to say congrats to "their" chef and invite him to her restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. For us, this place is easily one of the best Thai restaurants in a town flooded with Thai restaurants, and I'm a little surprised they don't get more love in the press. This place is really good.

    (5)

  • I J.

    Fantastic. We had a great dining experience, the food was yummy and unique, and the service was super friendly. I'm really excited to have them in the neighborhood. Also, they are open late, so you can go there after a movie at Laurelhurst.

    (5)

  • D. B.

    My wife and I opted to eat here instead of pushing on to our favorite Thai restaurant, which shall remain anonymous. We made the mistake of not checking the menu in the window before entering and sitting down, and by the time we'd been given water we realized that the bill of fair did not include some items that we had come to take for granted elsewhere: salad rolls, fried rice, grilled chicken and such. But, deciding that we had passed the point of no exit, we decided to gut it out, with mixed results. I wound up ordering the crispy chicken, which I found excellent if perhaps a bit overpriced. My wife ordered a curry dish which in her opinion was lacking in vegetables and relatively tasteless, except for a bit of spiciness which the server had assured her would not be present. Service and attitude from the staff were a bit on the negative side, actually. I requested that my crispy chicken come without the dry chilis, and the server acquiesced while implying in tone that I was committing some kind of culinary faux pas by daring to make such a demand. (How gauche that I should want it "my way.") My wife later requested some additional hot water for her tea, which never came -- as we watched, the server appeared more interested in mixing one alcoholic drink after another for other customers. He apologized when he brought the bill and didn't charge us for the original tea, which was nice, but showing some competence in the first place would have been preferable. Later, we waited for what seemed a small portion of eternity to have someone come to take my credit card. Tastes differ, of course, but we are not at all fans of communal dining, which dominates at least half of the establishment's floor space. I will admit I'd be willing to come back for more crispy chicken, but my wife isn't at all crazy about returning. And, truth to tell, this restaurant's atmosphere is rather off-putting, with a subtext that says you really need to be cool to eat here, and if you don't consume alcohol please go to the end of the line. Self-consciously foodie and not welcoming. But I still daydream about the crispy chicken now and then.

    (2)

  • JoAnne B.

    I can't tell you how happy I am about this new restaurant arriving in our neighborhood. As I watched it being created, I was ecstatic that my long-time dream of a Thai place in the Burnside/28th St. restaurant row had come true. Then, when it was finally open for business, I was dismayed to see that all the seats were hard wooden stools. We are in our 60's and just can't get excited about subjecting our achy bodies to discomfort no matter how cool and chic the restaurant. I immediately fired off an email to the owners: perhaps they were going for a younger crowd, but don't they realize what a large group of aging foodies they might be discouraging? They replied that this was not their intention and that they would definitely order some chairs with backs to remedy the situation. I waited patiently for months, looking in the windows, reading the reviews, wanting to try it but not being able to because of unrelated issues. Finally, tonight, we vowed to go there at last and what do you know? They have a bar counter set up with very comfy, padded chairs with backs. And to top it off, no matter what time of day you sit there, the Happy Hour menu and prices are honored. We ordered from both menus and had a fantastic meal. The food is top notch, the waitresses are charming and attentive, the ambience warm and cosy. We absolutely love this place and can't wait to return. Here is a perfect example of business owners that listen to their customers and respond appropriately. And there are still plenty of trendy stools available for younger, more supple bottoms.

    (5)

  • Sarah M.

    Enjoyed my first trip to this upscale Thai restaurant just across the street from Laurelhurst theater. The food was extremely tasty. I ordered the prawn soup and it was immensely flavorful. The fish cakes with crispy basil were also spiced just right and the sauce was superb. I tried to ignore the noodle dish my dining companion ordered but could not resist and it was also a winner. The atmosphere is nice and relaxing - not too loud though it could have been with the somewhat out of character music they were playing, but we were able to hear each other. The only negative comment I can impart is that while I don't generally mind communal seating, the tables should be a bit narrower. At the width that they are, sitting across from your friend makes it hard to hear them because they feel too far away. I would consider cutting that table down if possible. Or, do away with the music altogether. I really think restaurants should not play music. It more often irritates than amuses.

    (4)

  • Joe L.

    The service was quick and friendly. The decor was charming. The food was not awful, but not worthy of its surroundings or price. I got fish sauce and sriracha chicken dish. The chicken was crispy and moist, but flavorwise was just a salt bomb. I could taste nothing of the chicken nor sriracha, just the fish sauce. My ladyfriend got a chicken and rice noodle dish. The noodles were well prepared and tender, but the chicken was chewy and flavorless. The dish was served with a nice spicy vinegar sauce, but not enough to season an otherwise flavorless dish. The restaurant uses local ingredients, which I appreciate greatly, but unfortunately they did not do much to elevate these ingredients.

    (2)

  • Annette D.

    The soup was sooooo good! I could eat it every day! Had it from the happy hour menu with a noodle dish which was also delicious. Definitely better than your average Thai!

    (5)

  • I Love Food A.

    Green chicken curry was soooo good. I could eat it for days...Black pepper chicken was flavorful. Beef pad se ew and pad thai was good. I love how the place was decorated. This place so worth the $$.

    (5)

  • Melissa N.

    Pok Pok-esque without the wait. Try the sauteed Japanese eggplant, what a surprisingly good dish! Beware of the over-sized icecubes in your expensive cocktail, however. They are pretty, but they make that half-shot a teaser that will quickly empty your bank account.

    (4)

  • Corrie H.

    You know the kind of meal where you have to close your eyes and savor every bite? Well, we had that kind of meal last night at PaaDee. Wow! The plates are small, but that's fine--the flavors are so strong that a giant heaping plateful would be too much. We had two of the specials: a tempura asparagus/ground pork salad (stunning flavors, perfectly crisp tempura) and copper river salmon (which had the most delicious sauce I have ever eaten, anywhere). Alas, since these were specials, they aren't on the everyday menu, but what is are two other fantastic dishes: a hangar steak (cooked perfectly with a yet another nifty sauce) and green curry noodles in a creamy broth (super spicy). What we especially loved is that our waiter assumed we would be sharing, and brought enough plates/bowls/etc so that every single item could be neatly plated for all four of us. How fabulous! There is a small but decent taplist, and several stunning cocktails featuring very original ingredients. I had the drinking vinegar and cucumber cocktail. It wasn't very strong or, frankly, quite large enough, but the taste was out of this world. Now, on to the atmosphere. PaaDee is the perfect mix of hip/minimal/cozy/Asian. You'll enjoy it. Most of the tables are long communal ones with benches, but even so, we felt that we had sufficient distance between us and the nearby diners. Finally, the service was great. Our waiter was happy to make recommendations and checked in frequently to see how it was going.

    (5)

  • Mollie P.

    My 1 star is for those lovely birdcage lights and nice long tables, definitely nothing to do with the food. Yes the decor is great. We all love when the server leaves a unique water pitcher on the table, regardless the food was a total dissapointment. I order the Rice Noodles with Chicken and Sprouts. It was the most bland, tasteless Thai food I have ever eaten. I am not one to be to particular, however this meal was simply flat. The chicken was very dry and compltely flavorless. The noodle dish is accompanied by a "hot sauce". It was no where near my meager standards for hot, but it did give some body to the meal. My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Wings with Siracha and Fish Sauce...read his review to get his take on one of the worst meals out in memory....

    (1)

  • Grubsteak G.

    Paadee is delicious! Standards for great food are really high in Portland--especially for Thai food--but Paadee is definitely a top contender, even in this environment. They offer most of the Thai standbys that have become part of our life, but also some new and different dishes that are quickly becoming MUST HAVES. The pork belly is especially special! Service is great. Awesome legit Thai food, and usually without the wait that you're likely to find at the few other Thai Restaurants that are in the same category. Amazing, that is.

    (5)

  • Emily M.

    I had higher expectations to this place, because it was sent to me as one of Yelp's best rated restaurants of 2012. We ordered a couple appetizer's which were pretty good. I had the Kai Look Kaey, and those were addicting little things! A friend ordered the Guay Tiew Lui Suan and those were very good too. For our meals: I ordered the Pad Kee Mao, and I was not impressed. What I didn't like was the chicken tasted funny, almost like it was a little bit too old to be served. A friend ordered the Pad Thai and also didn't think it was that good. The service was also not too good, but to give them credit, he was kinda busy being the only one running the floor. But I am not in rush to get back there.

    (3)

  • J L.

    Had my favorite oysters in the city here. Food was really good, but I don't think it is fair to compare this place to Pok Pok; PaaDee seeks more traditional. Cocktails were good too, although one was a little watery. Probably closer to a 4.5 in my book, but nothing really blew me away.

    (4)

  • Adaline Z.

    AMAZING! The service and food were superb! The server recommended the asapargus salad, which we never would have ordered but it was, by far, our favorite dish!

    (5)

  • Lee Y.

    Best Thai food in town! Strongly suggest the tom yum soup, but honestly everything here is great! The waterfall is pretty much the best drink I've ever had, so make sure you get it!!

    (5)

  • Michael T.

    Thai food is probably one of my most favorite cuisines. I've checked out many places and Paadee has quickly risen to be one of my top choices for thai food! If you're looking more for traditional thai dishes like Pad Thai and red curry or something of that sort, Paadee is probably not the best place to go. They carry a different sort of dishes. My favorite dish is the Khao Soi! Now I must admit I haven't tried most of the dishes, but it's been a pretty positive experience so far from the 3 times I've swung by Paadee. On one occasion, our fish sauce chicken wing appetizer was super salty. My friend and I were impressed by the customer service as they comp'd those wings even though we had eaten half of it. I would have given this place 4 stars if it had not been for that fantastic service we received. The atmosphere is not like any other Thai restaurant I've been to. There is definitely a hipster flare to it. The decor is great, venue is clean and the restaurant is always busy (a positive sign for me). This is definitely a place I could take a date to.

    (5)

  • Scott C.

    Have had two wonderful meals here! I don't understand the comparisons made to Pok Pok because to me this place has a completely different vibe and menu selection. Having said that, Paadees chicken wings do hold up in a comparison, you have to try them. We've tried bout 6 different dishes and the curry was a standout also really liked the ramen which I thought would be a pain to share but the waitress brought out 4 little bowls and we loved it. Also the the drinks were good, slightly overpriced, but good.

    (4)

  • samayyah s.

    awesome food, service, libations and decor. great veg*n options that were comparable to the omni dishes and wait/bar staff that know what's up - especially when they play the entire daft punk 'discovery' album during service. thanks again for the great experience, paadee - I'll be back soon.

    (5)

  • Jenine G.

    Excellent food and great vegetarian choices! The green curry noodle dish was delicious as well as the pork belly noodle dish. Large portions and good value! Recommend over pokpok.

    (5)

  • Robert C.

    I've eaten there three times. The last two meals there were WAY too salty - over the top salty - head ache salty. I'm afraid I'll keel over from a heart attach. Great decor, though. Love the concrete theme. Getting a cushioned bench seems to be a catch as catch can affair.

    (2)

  • Joe I.

    No question I find Thai food to be among the top cuisines on the planet and PaaDee helps to amplify that belief. The beef salad had the freshest flavors and instead of the traditional beef "pieces", they employed delicate, tasty slices of hanger steak. Their version of Pad Kee Mao was incredibly complex and the flat rice noodles perfectly cooked. Green curry noodles (vermicelli style) were excellent with a perfect spice. No sticky rice with mango, but I totally forgive them for that over site! Decor is creative and thankfully shuns the traditional cheesy Thai surroundings of beaded/bedazzled wall hangings and buddha carvings (although I know, in Thailand this would be the case!). Against my better judgement, I give Paadee a 5 star rating, although I know it won't help the line I need to wait in next time!

    (5)

  • Amanda M.

    I'm feeling terrible about this one star rating. I loved the atmosphere and our service was very good. I really wanted to like this place. The one star is all about the food for me. I haven't been so displeased by a meal in a long time, especially in Portland. Maybe ever! We started with something like a salad roll (please forgive me, I can't remember what anything is actually called on the menu). It was corn, bell pepper, carrot and peanut wrapped in rice paper and greens. My friends liked it but something was off for me...everything, even the peanuts inside, seemed mushy. And I swear some taste inside was reminiscent of a canned vegetable. I'm probably wrong about this but that's the image that was conjured for me. It was bland and boring. Next the fish cakes. Bland! SO bland! Just fishy, no wonderful taste sensation. A boring vinegary dipping sauce did nothing to make them any more exciting. When my meal came, a prawns, greens, green beans, pumpkin and cauliflower dish, I have to say I was surprised and disappointed that it arrived as a soup. The menu description said nothing of this, no mention of broth. I was expecting a dish like my friends had, something more saucy to serve over rice. I got over that pretty quickly and dug in, but then another disappointment. All I could taste was fish sauce. Salty fishy fish sauce. I happen to love fish sauce, but this was soooooo much overkill. My friends all agreed I should send it back, nobody could eat it. Our server was very nice about ordering me something else. I didn't want to make everyone wait for them to make me an entirely new dish, so I ordered a couple of the squid skewers from the app menu. What I got were large pieces of chewy and slimy squid drenched in sweet chili sauce. TERRIBLE! This experience makes me feel that it was more than an off-night for PaaDee. The food just isn't for me....salty and bland and uncreative. The great reviews here have me a bit baffled, especially the ones that compare it to Pok Pok. No comparison in my opinion. I'll take any Thai around Portland before I come back to PaaDee. Sorry.

    (1)

  • Sara G.

    I like it. Great happy hour, lovely drinks, super fun table settings, yummy noodles, crispy wings, savory soup, courteous service, attractive environment. They are not trying to reinvent the wheel, just make a comfortable enjoyable meal you can enjoy with any size party for a reasonable price.

    (4)

  • Chelsy W.

    no msg hands down the best thai in portland love the atmosphere and 28th st cool.

    (5)

  • Joe M.

    Reading the negative reviews here, it really makes you realize that some people are just looking for the negative in life. I live a few blocks away from this place, and I've been there 3 times since they opened. Really nice people, great food, really cool atmosphere. The noodle dishes are especially awesome. And really people, you're complaining about $11 when the noodles are homemade, and the meats and such are all from local top quality producers? All I can say is, I'm glad to be rid of the cheap, bitter people so I can have Paadee to myself and other positive people--- like the dozen or so people I've brought there who have thoroughly enjoyed it. If you didn't like something, tell the owner, who's constantly floating around there, doing his best to open a cool restaurant. Don't just stew about it and post nasty reviews.

    (4)

  • Joe S.

    First time here and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're tired of the usual and typical Thai food (like phad thai, pad see ew, etc) then you have to try Paadee. It's not what you would expect when you look through the menu. Everything on it seems very foreign and unfamiliar. It's like a hidden secret of delicious Thai food that you could only get in Thailand. But the taste is wonderful. I tried the Ba Mee (spelling) noodle soup and it was delish. The service was great and the ambiance was warm and cozy. Definitely a place I will be frequenting when I'm around the area.

    (5)

  • Eh O.

    I have tried many Thai restaurants, but this menu was extremely unique. I went there Brunch hour on a sunday, and was craving a soup I get at most Thai places, but their menu for brunch had what Thai have for their breakfasts. NOTHING was familiar on the menu to me, but the waitress did her best to try and describe their food to us ( 3 at the table never seen this kind of menu ) . My mother and I both had their prawn porridge and our friend had a chicken crepe type things. Absolutely fabulous for all of us and I now crave that porridge ! Thank you !

    (4)

  • t k.

    We were amazed by the unusual menu, the super-tasty food, and their willingness to accommodate a group of 10, including a tiny baby. My husband loved the $3 pork appetizer that ate like a meal, and I was really excited by my asparagus salad. The service was incredible, attentive, friendly and accurate! Shockingly, when we picked up the bill, it was about half of what we had expected... so I'd recommend it on the basis of affordability too. A new favorite, for sure!

    (5)

  • Kevin S.

    Thai food should not be this expensive. Even if it does taste pretty good, which I think it does. If you are going to charge $11 for a simple noodle dish I would expect some comfort elements that were lacking. The only way to even come close to justifying such a steep price for Thai is to make the experience something special. Their cheap flatware, tin cups and modest furnishings may seem authentic, but in that case, make the price reflect that. Fine restaurants take simple food concepts and dress them up to make the up-charge palatable. Paa Dee seems to think some nice real estate alone can do the same. Sorry, but it can't.

    (2)

  • Scoob W.

    Yahoo! We've been wishing upon a star for an amazing thai restaurant in our hood and our wish has come true. We had 3 amazing dishes ...eggplant salad, pork belly & green beans and cashew chicken. All were fantastic. the eggplant salad was cold, smoky and zingy. It was super unique and delicious. The pork and the chicken were both amazing. The service was friendly and wonderful. I am currently plotting my return to this place. Perfect place to go before or after a Laurelhurst movie. Thank you Paadee!!

    (5)

  • Rosa P.

    This is my second post about Paadee. So the owner responded to my review and said that Thai traditional food supposed to be salty sweet and spicy. I understand but the food at Paadee is not anywhere closed to traditional Thai favor. I've been eaten in many great Thai places. The curry, pompret, and wings are super salty. Even though I tried to eat with Jasmine rice, still super salty. I told the waitress that the food was too salty, she just smiled and walked away. If this saltiness is human errors, then why did I pay $55 for dinner for two? So if you want to know real Thai favors are like, try Pok Pok, their curry is good and the wings are just enough salt. Oh one more thing Paadee has the ugliest curry bowl ever. The waitress bought us a giant bowl of curry that almost overflow and the presentation is zero. Paadee maybe a good place for beginners of eating Thai food but not for native Thai who been eating many great places.

    (2)

  • Jillian M.

    Four stars based on a very brief visit. The food is beautiful and flavorful, the cocktails are original and delicious, the service is friendly and informative. Don't hesitate to try this gem.

    (4)

  • Gilad G.

    We're great fans of Kinara so we were super excited to hear that these guys are opening PaaDee. And damn, this new place is freakin' awesome! Imaginative creative food, great drinks and cool atmosphere. Definitely a winner.

    (5)

  • Katherine P.

    Great food, drinks and ambience. We were looking for a new alternative to our favorite thai joint and we were pleasantly surprised. Service can be a little slow and awkward but still worth the visit.

    (5)

  • Joshua S.

    Such a wonderful way to let go of the work week stress and transform my mood and my day after work on Sunday. The food was amazing and so was our bartender. Three amazing dishes some soup and a happy hour beer. This is why I LOVE thai food in Portland because of places like PaaDee, Thank You.

    (4)

  • Holy-foo' X.

    I've not yet come close to exhausting menu options @ this newfangled eatery springing up just off of E. Burnside. So the number of stars in this here horizon are certainly subject to change as warranted. However, Portland is at this point by no means lacking in quasi-Thai options. The last Thai eatery to really knock it out of the park and even out of the zip code, for me, is Luc Lac. They're open super late and their prices are insanely journeyman-like, even though they be downtown. A huge bowl of steamy, spicy hot Ba mhee tom yum soup with THREE meats (of your choice) @ Luc Lac is a trifling $7 bucks. At PaaDee, it's $11. Granted, quality is also worth something, and PaaDee's noodles and soups were every bit as top notch and well-prepared as I dared to hope. A middling amount of pork belly meat, be it every so crispy and delish, is no match for mountainous mounds of triple meat choice.... again, served super late. Like the old saying goes, you can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to BE THERE. Especially as regards late night availability. PaaDee, you were good enough to warrant a second or even third look, and in a city already with an embarrassment of Thai riches at hand, this is no small praise. Rest assured, we'll back to check out the Pla muek yang - Grilled squid skewer, and perhaps their Neua yang jim jaew - Grilled hanger steak, sticky rice, spicy tamarind dip and sticky rice, the Gang som goong - Wild caught prawns, central Thai style sour orange curry with tamarind water, napa cabbage, green beans and cauliflower; or perhaps even Kai jiew muu sub - A Thai-style omelet with minced pork, Sriracha dip. Good old-fashioned Thai home-cooking , Voila, I'm already warm from memories of good, hopefully great things to come from PaaDee....! But until they offer a super late night menu, they remain on the 2nd tier for this foodie.

    (4)

  • Jack K.

    We tried all eight of the small plates on the Happy Hour menu. It lasts till 6:30 on Saturday night which is pretty cool. Fermented sausage, chicken liver, pork, fish cakes, hanger steak, chicken wings. pork belly, and squid with sticky rice. A real festival of meat. Everything was good, but nothing was spicy, so if you like hot Thai you'll be disappointed. The atmosphere was great, with lights in hanging wicker bird cages and nice wood tables. Service was very friendly and attentive. I'm kind of excited to try their soup as they make their own noodles on site.

    (4)

  • H. M.

    Super and wonderful bowl of egg noodles, pork belly, and picnic pork. Had a good pilsner which was a good counterpoint to all the hot chili I added to my bowl. We finished up with sweet sticky rice with mango. Perfect.

    (5)

  • Rad P.

    do yourself a favor and when you order the chive cakes, order two - you're welcome

    (4)

  • Andrea L.

    My brother in law, husband and myself randomly went into Paadee last weekend for a late lunch. First of all the atmosphere is really creative and comfortable, and the service was top notch friendly. We started out with the wings and I am going on record saying that they are the best wings I have had, ever. I love wings and I don't think that I will be able to eat another from somewhere else without comparing the two. If you do not enjoy spicy don't try them because they do have a bit of a bite to them, but if you do like spicy you have to eat these. All three of us enjoyed our meals and will be back!

    (4)

  • Nathan V.

    A very vibrant and interesting menu. All the dishes were packed with flavor and value. Even better when you catch the happy hour. Don't let the upscale look fool you, it is a great choice for casual dinner. One quibble: tall outside tables were paired with very uncomfortable short chairs.

    (5)

  • Tucker L.

    While the food had by the group was great (highly recommend the chive cakes) but I wish there had been additional vegetarian options. Services was a little slow that night as some of our meals went cold before everyone was served. The stool seating in the back was incredibly uncomfortable, the atmosphere was okay but it has very dim lighting in the back room and with the constantly rotating bird cages above (while very pretty) can make one a little queasy. May give this another go once they have had a few months to settle in. One customer hoping for a better experience!

    (2)

  • Mike W.

    Nice to have yet another alternate Thai restaurant serving something outside the mainstream of southern style Thai restaurants often serving overly sweet curries. Only negative is high decimal level when crowded due to hard surfaces.

    (4)

  • Michael S.

    Fish cakes, pork patties, crispy cashew chicken, noodles with crispy skin pork belly, serious cocktail program... Great meal, I'll be going back.

    (4)

  • Brian M.

    Great food and space, innovative cocktails! Welcoming staff. Good location. I hope they're around for a long time!

    (5)

  • Sam S.

    Just had a delicious meal tonight. Definitely a great alternative to PokPok. The crispy chicken, the Tom Yum soup, the green curry noodles, and the pork belly were out of this world.

    (5)

  • Derek J.

    I have walked my Paadee several times on my way to and from work and thought it looked decent, but never gave much thought about eating there. I had a friend from Seattle come into town and wanted Thai food, and I wanted to try some place new. I read the reviews on here and thought we would give it a try. We started off ordering the chicken wings, don't let the Sriracha fish sauce glaze put you off if you can't handle spicy food. You get 6 chicken wings, and they are fried with a wonderful sweet and a touch of spice, I have to say I prefer these to Pok Pok's wings (yeah..I went there). I ordered the Waterfall cocktail, which is a beautiful combination of sweet and sour drinking vinegars, cucumber, and thyme - great on a warm spring or summer day. I ordered the Pad Kee Mao, which is a noodle dish with bamboo, red pepper, basil and chili paste. It was a beautiful combination of sweet and spicy! This has by far became my favorite Thai place in Portland.

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 3:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Trendy
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

PaaDee

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