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Grab a drink and apps with a friend. Favorite seat at the corner of the bar. Perfect location to see all the happenings. Pat is training as the bartender and when she approaches looked at me and somehow knew I wanted a Thai Basil Collins. We had a connection. The drink was great and the apps hit the spot. Then it was time to decide on dessert and David walked up and asked if I want the fried bananas with chocolate ice cream. I did and said nothing. Again, delicious and perfect for my evening.
Sitting at Boda's bar, with the friendly service and the overwhelmingly delicious aromas wafting from their kitchen while its sub-zero temperatures outside and the snow banks are 5 feet tall... it really is a treat! The food is delicious, the cocktails are done right and the bartenders are always witty and friendly! We love date nights at Boda. FYI -- this place is great all four seasons (not just in the dead of winter)
Excellent Thai food. Easily the best Thai food I've had in Maine, NH, and MA. We tried multiple dishes, and everything from the apps, mains, to desserts were fabulous. In general, the flavor profile of each dish is so complex...and the textures so varied...it is like a kaleidoscope from bite to bite, from the initials flavors to the ending notes. So good! The service was efficient and friendly, and the server provided suggestions based on what we're thinking. There are two rooms, and we sat in the front room where the bar is which made it a little noisier than the back room which just has dining tables. It was a great atmosphere with the big windows facing a busy street made it feel like we could have been in any cool urban restaurant. As amazing as the all the food was, the desserts were absolute standout. We had the Thai tea cheesecake and the sticky rice with fresh mango. The cheesecake had complex flavors and a great texture, and the fresh perfectly ripe mango on sticky rice, with a delicate crisp cookie on top, was sweet and savory and soft and crispy and so good!
So we finally ate at Boda. We had a 30 minute wait but was well the wait. Service is impeccable. We started with Beef skewers- good flavor but a little chewy. The meat was definitely not velveted. The chicken dumplings had no flavor, The sticky rice was awesome as was the box choy. It was nice to have that vegetable crunch. We ordered the pad thai wrapped in a crepe like omelet, it was very good. The drunken noodles were also a good choice. For dessert the girls shared the cheesecake - they raved how good it was. For me I couldn't eat another bite of anything. So to sum it up I enjoyed Boda but I left without feeling like WOW that was incredible. I must say the place was hopping busy on a Sunday night. Overall Boda keeps packing people in day after day, year after year. 11-11-2024 One day later: Honestly my leftovers tasted better cold than when it was served at the restaurant. Go figure- my taste buds are exploding right now
10/10!!!! Best food we had in Portland this week. Cozy intimate thai restaurant- gather with friends & order lots of food to share. We loved everything we ordered, but here's the highlights: 1) mussels in a curry broth with sticky rice. Mussels were plump and fresh and the broth I wanted to drink it! So many layers of flavor without being spicy. 2) quail eggs- cute presentation, you can decide how well done you would like them. Very tasty 3) drunken noodles with tofu- tons of fresh veggies & nicely sauced Wait staff was great! Great value for such tasty comfort food. Loved every bite
Boda is such a great spot with very inventive dishes. It felt like one of those places that is unique and exciting. Everything here is good- the drunk noodles were great. The dumplings were some of the best I've had. They had some fun specials and fried dishes that were also great. You can't go wrong with anything here! Our server was great at recommending food.
I LOVED THIS PLACE. We came here for a quick dinner and even though the place was packed, we got quickly seated at the bar. Our bartenders gave us lovely drinks, honestly I liked sitting there just to see how they made them. We ordered the mussels, pad kee mao, pork belly skewers. The mussels were good, the sticky rice it came with was sticky but so hard it was hard to break apart. The sauce the mussels were in so good! The pork belly was cooked perfectly. My favorite was the pad kee mao. We got it with chicken and the flavor and the amount of sauce, everything was delicious.
Dinner at Boda was a great way to end our stay in Portland. The staff was kind and informative. We started out with beef skewers and green papaya salad. The beef skewers had a nice salty savory flavor marinated into them as well as a crispy texture while still being juicy and tender. For the green papaya salad we were asked which spice level we wanted and chose 3/4. Despite being spicy, it was very refreshing. For my entree I had the red curry jay with chicken added since I wanted more protein than just tofu. There was a good balance of flavors that is typical in Thai cuisine. For my dessert I had the mango sticky rice as well as the black rice pudding. The mango was ripe and the sticky rice was nicely sweetened with coconut cream. It was my first time having black rice pudding and I'm glad I ordered it. It had a slightly herbal note and a complexity that I enjoyed. The toasted coconut shaving topping added a nice warm note to the dish. I'd definitely come back here to try more dishes on my next trip to Portland.
I was actually heading to king of the roll but when I passed Boda, it looked practically empty. It always looks so full so I took the opportunity to get a table and try it out finally. Good thing too, it immediately filled right up!! I ordered the margarita, the mussels, and the goi moo, a salad made with pork belly. Tom Yum Margarita - this was a really great drink. A classic margarita, but also spicy, and in kind of a unique way. Gaeng Kha local mussels - an enormous portion of mussels - they were really crammed in the bowl - with a spicy curry broth and basil. It comes with sticky rice, so I ate all the mussels first and then put the rice in the broth to soak it all up. So good! Goi Moo - pork belly salad with greens, shallots, etc. I ordered it at a '3' which might have been 1 too much. Though actually the mussels turned out to be spicier, and the somewhat sweet sauce (from the fish sauce) in this dish became a welcome respite. Getting two smaller dishes was the right move. My eyes always tell me I want an entree and an app, but sticking to the tapas/small plates/apps lets me try more things. When I can do it anyway. Getting three spicy items though, maybe that wasn't the best idea. Boda tends to be crowded, but if you're ever walking past and it looks empty... uh go somewhere else and let me have the table instead! hahahaa
This place is absolutely delicious! We started with the beef skewers based on other Yelp recommendations and this did not disappoint! Sooo tasty! We then had the curry puffs which was on the specials menu, which is a no brainer bc curry puffs are the best damn thing! For our entrees we ordered the beef panang - amazinggggg. The beef was so tender and the curry was perfectly tasty. We also had another special which was the spicy crab curry which was a small portion, served with cute little noodle nests - this was also very flavorful and definitely not that spicy. As for drinks, their Thai basil Tom collins is so good! Took off one star bc the host/server was just not friendly when you first walk in with welcoming you and honestly, all of them don't really smile? Weird! It's a good thing the food is amazing! read more
My SIL recommended this place as a must go place whenever she's in Portland. My bf and I came here not too long after they opened. We luckily got a table right when we walked in. Appetizers: quail eggs, crab curry, beef skewers, strawberry watermelon with shallot, sugar Mains: woon sen pad thai & pineapple shrimp fried rice Drink: thai tea Everything we ate was so delicious and flavorful. I've never had pad thai with the egg wrap over it nor have I had cashews and pork floss in my fried rice. It was definitely a nice contrast of texture. One of the seasonal items was the strawberry and watermelon skewers. It was so refreshing to eat on a hot summer day. Why the 4 stars? I felt like everything was a tad too salty, i noticed myself reaching for my thai iced tea between bites to offset the saltiness. if they used maybe 30% less salt it would've been perfect. I would definitely be back again as I can't get this kind of thai food where I live. read more
2 years ago
My history with Thai food goes back to Jit Pochana in Bangkok way back in 1979. That's when my love affair with this cuisine started. There has been so many cities with so much excellent Thai food over the years I couldn't possibly count. Rarely, does a restaurant pop up out of nowhere that could hold its own with a: Uncle Boons - NYC Love2eat Thai Bistro - Los Angeles Lotus Siam - Las Vegas Immm Rice - Chicago But tonight, in of all place's, Portland, Maine, Boda came at us and hit us right in the solar plexus. This Thai food was not only excellent, but it was extremely creative. This unassuming little restaurant within an array of many other neighborhood Thai restaurants just stands out with its innovative and original dishes. My wife and I were stunned with: * Quail Eggs plated so well that they were as beautiful as they were delicious * Shrimp Fried Rice that was so packed with so much goodness we ate every kernel * Beef on Skewers with Thai flavors was my favorite. I could have eaten 10 skewers and not batted an eye * Green Curry with Crab that was so good it was the show stopper. * My two Singa beers brought this dinner together like a really good Cabernet compliments a ribeye steak My favorite thing about feasting is when you least expect a "Shocker" you get shocked. Whenever that happens, it puts a smile on my face! Guess who was smiling last night at Boda - correctomundo, me! read more
10 months ago
3 years ago
Make sure to get here early- and expect to wait. They don't take reservations but you can put your name in. The restaurant is small and cute, and the bar only has a few seats. Just like every review says the quail eggs are as good as they say they are. I actually crave these sometimes. Upscale Thai food done right. I'm not a huge fan of all Thai food but many things on the menu I love. And the person I came with said the pad Thai was on the best he has ever had. Definitely worth a visit! read more
3 years ago
Wow!! Absolutely amazing dinner we had! It's a tiny restaurant so I recommend getting there early. They turn over tables quickly. The food was incredible! One of the best Thai places I have ever been too! read more
This is a highly recommended Thai fusion restaurant located near downtown Portland. People were lined up out the door on a Friday night. We waited less than 30 minutes and we're seated in a cozy dining area. Service was excellent. We were promptly greeted by our waiter who gave us a few drink recommendations. He was very attentive to us throughout the dinner service. We started with Ma-Hor. Nice presentation and the perfect bite. I ordered Beef Panaeng, it was good but I felt like it was missing something. The meat was nice and tender. I would've love more basil, I only had two leaves in the entire dish. I added hot pepper oil and devoured every bite. Hubby ordered Kra-Prao with level 4 spice. For us, it wasn't really a lot of heat. There is no dedicated parking, but there is on street metered parking. Free after 6. Definitely a place I would return to. read more
2 years ago
11 months ago
We were so happy to hear that after some light relaxing of Covid restrictions that Boda was open to dining in again! Taking social distancing seriously tables are reduced to accommodate and the service is spot on. We have missed the food here so we went loose on the orders and trie drew dishes. As always never a disappointment. From drinks to apps and unable to get dessert as we were stuffed. Welcome Back Boda and we look forward to returning to our regular scheduled visits. Get Resi and book your visit!! Do your part as this is one of the diamond spots in Portland for authentic Thai! read more
Heard great things about this place from friends so it was on our must try list for our quick getaway. They don't take reservations but they do allow for an online waitlist check-in on their website. We didn't know this so we had to wait. Bar seating is also part of their dining room so you can't just go to the bar and have some drinks before your table is ready. They are only open for dinner, so plan your meals accordingly. After reading reviews, the fried rice and beef lemongrass skewers were very popular items we didn't get to try. Our friends rave about their khao soi, so we had to try that. It was very good, it had a nice texture with chewy noodles, and enough curry flavor. I think overall their curries are too heavy handed with the coconut milk, diluting the curry spices. The crab curry was well presented but suffered from the same issue, too much coconut milk and very little crab meat. The price was only $14 so I'm not going to hurt the review due to the lack of crab. The crispy squid was very familiar with very sweet chili sauce, more robust than a duck sauce but just as sweet. I can see someone crushing that as a snack and a couple of alcoholic beverages. The dessert was good, we don't usually see black rice pudding on menus. I hate coconut so we got everything on the side, but wifey loves coconut and enjoyed everything mixed together. Boss is tied with street and co as the second best place we went to in our short trip. The restaurant is broken up into two rooms with decent seating. Groups larger than 6 may have trouble but I didn't see the back room, which could accommodate larger parties. The plates are decorated similarly to things you would find in Asia, bringing some authenticity to the dish ware. read more
Delicious Thai food. Currently it's only operating for curbside pickup, but the online ordering process was easy and grabbing the takeout was a breeze. Favorites were the classic Pad Kee Mao and the Tom Ka Gai soup (which I was surprised was packed with so much flavor!). I've never tried or seen the Goi Hed mushroom salad on menus before, and I actually really enjoyed this dish but in smaller portions at a time. It has a rather strong lime flavor, and the tanginess would probably be too much for one person to eat all at once in one sitting. Good for sharing! The crispy squid was also good too, but sadly not as crispy since it had to sit in the takeout container until I was ready to eat (which is no fault to the restaurant!). Great, tasty dishes and I'd happily come back. read more
4 years ago
*****Review 1K****** Hands down Boda was our favorite recent to eat at while visiting Portland. Not only was service fantastic from the moment we walked into the restaurant until we left, the food was amazing. Everything was so flavorful! Boda takes Thai food to another level. They offer a variety of soups, salads, small plates, skewers (2/order), and entrees. The skewers, especially the beef skewers, were a big hit. So much so that we ordered a few of these. I'm normally not a huge fan of lemon grass, but these were so good. You could taste the lemon grass, soy, garlic, and ginger in each tender bite of beef you took. The pork belly skewers weren't bad, a tad on the dry side. The Thai sticky rice ball was also very good. It was savory, crispy, and grilled well. Definitely a must to go with your skewers. We also shared the kee mao (drunken noodles) with chicken and shrimp. Although we asked for it to be spicy, it came out pretty mild. We still enjoyed it, though. I was pleasantly surprised with how big the shrimp were. They also gave you a generous amount too (along with the chicken, which was very tender and seasoned well). Luckily I didn't taste the bamboo shoots in the dish as I'm not a fan. I also tried some of the shrimp fried rice, which again came with a generous amount of plump shrimp. This rice was super flavorful and probably one of the best fried rice dishes I've had in awhile. This one is definitely a must, especially for little ones. To drink I had the Thai iced tea, which was smooth and creamy. Not super sweet. Definitely went well with all the dishes we had. They don't take reservations, but there is an online wait list you can put yourself on. We came about 30 minute after opening, and were able to grab a table with no wait even though the restaurant was already pretty busy. Plenty of metered parking nearby, also a couple parking garages as well. If you're in the Portland area, do yourself a favor and eat at Boda. read more
2 years ago
Ordered the pad that and beef skewers. The flavor of the beef skewer was on point, really enjoyed. The pad thai was good, nothing spectacular. Vibe is nice, overall good experience read more
3 years ago
This meal will forever be a very memorable meal to our trip to Portland. I ate the beef patang and it was EXCELLENT. My husband had the pad Thai and loved it and we shared the quail eggs. The flavors were so fresh and great fast service. read more
On my list of places to eat in Portland, this place is a must try. My friend and I got here early afternoon and our wait was very short. We were promptly seated at a table for two and handed both a menu and a drink menu. We both ordered a take on a ginger mule along with gyoza for an appetizer. For our main courses my friend ordered pad Thai and I ordered curry. The gyoza were perfect, had great texture and the dipping sauce complemented perfectly. My curry was delicious and flavorful but lacked heat. They don't have options for spice levels here but have a chili oil you can ask for. My friend said her pad Thai was delicious and the noodles were tender and soft. Overall, this place was wonderful and should be on your list of places to go to in Portland. read more
4 years ago
Delicious as always. So happy they are open and they have their late night menu back. Our favorite Thai place and they never let us down read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Our absolute favorite Thai place in Portland. Everything is authentic and perfectly seasoned. Pictured here are our go to dishes. Forgot to take a photo of the skewer stuff but the beef, pork belly and tofu is a must AND an order of quail eggs. Make sure you get there way ahead of time or later in the evening as it can be a long wait between their rush hours. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Probably my new favorite Thai restaurant! Came here on vacation and this place was great. Loved the food and atmosphere inside. read more
I guess this is an unpopular opinion, but this was hit or miss for me. We were with a large group and ordered a ton of the appetizer/skewers. I don't know what was ordered, but I do know that majority of the items were vey tasty... like the spicy Thai wings, they were indeed SPICY but really delicious. I think the beef skewers were my favorite though, and of course you can't go wrong with bacon wrapped scallops. Since we had so many appetizers, my husband and I split the Woon-Sen Pad Thai. Neither of us enjoyed it, I guess we were really looking forward to a typical Pad Thai, I realize they do modern takes on these items, which we are usually open to, but this one just didn't hit the spot for us. Neither of us liked the egg omelet approach and we both LOVE eggs, so idk why that was a miss... I don't think it held up to the super, super thin noodles. They were my least favorite of everything because they would easily break into tiny pieces and disintegrate with the other items in the dish. Thankfully the appetizers were very good. But I wish we tried a rice dish for our entree instead of the Pad Thai. read more
This isn't really authentic Thai, more of a modern take. Our cocktails were delicious: the lychee martini and tea infused bourbon. Our pork belly skewers were good, but a little thin so not much fat. The drunken noodles were ok, but lacked some flavor. You can get this at your own desired spice level. I enjoyed the crispy duck, but felt it was a little dry and could also use some more spices. The sauce it came with was spicy, but tasty- we poured it on the noodles also. read more
4 years ago
Hands down some of the best Thai food I've ever had (I've been to Thailand). This meal exceeded my expectations. The Thai tea was mid but the food!!! 10/10 overall experience! read more
5 years ago
This place tasted yummy, calamari had sweet chili sauce, pork belly was good but be careful of the skewers! Pad Thai was delicious/kinda expensive but if I'm craving good Thai I'll eat this again. The coconut rice and chicken curry, went really well together and was super yummy. The service was amazing! The bar seemed fun. Somewhat of a wait as always being in Portland on a busy dinner night! read more
3 years ago
Love Boda. For years this has been extremely reliable for delicious and creative food. Never have had a disappointing experience. In addition o great food, the design and atmosphere is great and the service is wonderful. I had the pork belly special tonight and it was delicious. As was the cheesecake with seasonal berries. read more
Our party came almost around closing time but they let our party in! I was definitely thankful. We ordered the infamous pad thai noodles with an omlette egg. To my surprise, it was soooooo tasty! It was seriously the BEST modern interpretation of pad thai I have ever eaten. The egg, made omelette style, was thin and crispy and wrapped the entire noodle dish. How did they make this super thin egg wrap around the entire noodle dish and prevent it from tearing or break apart? Amazing!! Being from Hawaii, Asian food is plenty and common. Thai food is all over the island. You can't not have Thai food in Hawaii. I've also been to Thailand and I love Thailand's OG version of the Pad Thai. Here, it's not a traditional Pad Thai so, don't expect that. But if you're open to a new modern interpretation, this will surprise and amaze you like it did for me. Our party also tried the quail eggs. It was good but this was the one thing I wouldn't say that I was surprised and amazed with. Overall, it was still a good dish. I'll definitely be back for the pad thai omelette. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
The food served here is really good. My boyfriend is not a big fan of Thai food but he loved it and has already planned to visit this place again. We had ordered chicken drunken noodles and chicken Penang curry and for the very first time tried chef's choice oysters. The dishes were pretty good...no complaints at all. Ambiance is very cute and very date worthy. read more
4 years ago
Was looking for a late night option after a 12 hour work day, and Boda was it. I got the pork salad dish. It comes with fish sauce as a dressing. It is exactly what it says it is. I found it to be a little strong and the saltiness of the pork with the saltiness of the fish sauce was overpowering. That being said, I ordered it over a safer more familiar dish like the pad thai, so that's on me for being adventurous. The ingredients were fresh. The food came out quick. I had one of their mai tai drinks and it was strong. I would go back to try their noodles. read more
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Boda - thai - Updated July 2026
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