I'm not sure why, given the location, but I describe this as the best-kept secret Thai restaurant. I have had lunch here on three occasions and usually there are only about 2-3 other seated tables. I'm worried as I don't want to see this restaurant go away; I think these folks are doing a great job of producing the standard Thai fare _and_ adding their own flair with dishes that you don not normally see (check the soup selections, for instance). Please visit this place! read more

Manager/owner refuses to release Postmates orders that have already been paid for, insisting they still need payment. Refuses to work with me with I have customer support on the phone confirming it is paid for. Very shady business practices. Seems like they're trying to scam people. read more

Some of the best Thai in the area. Dumplings are sooo good! Had 3 different curry's, all very tasty.

Amazing new Thai restaurant with some staples, some fusions and several truly authentic dishes! We stared with the Tom yum dumplings- which were not only gorgeously presented but delicious!! We asked the owner what her favorite dishes were which led us to the Nam Tok beef, a spectacular combination of fresh flavors and tender beef strips with sticky rice, and Squid in Haven, perfectly cooked squid and veggies in a deeply savory sauce. We were stuffed, but took a slice of custard cake home which came in handy a few hours later :) Highly recommend! read more

Bua Thai Cuisine - Tom Yum dumplings- points for presentation and flavor! - Thai Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Good place, husband loved it. I'm a vegetarian so had to let them know each time that I don't take eggs in my dishes.

Went here a couple weeks ago. Had the green papaya salad as an appaetizer and we both seemed to like it. I stuck with the pad Thai which was super delicious. Partner had the Thai beef soup which she loved. Place had a low crowd on a weekend but it was kind of surprising considering how good everything was. Maybe they cater more to the local business crowd that frequents during the week. read more

After my girlfriend and I moved to the Woodcroft area a year ago, our first order of business was finding a good Thai restaurant. Luckily, the area's best Thai food was right in the neighborhood! Bua's owners are truly delightful people, their service is excellent, and the food is consistently delicious. Having eaten at Bua almost once a week for the past year, we've had the privilege of sampling most of their menu and found that you simply can't go wrong with anything. Would highly recommend Bua to anyone. read more

We got takeout and it was really very good. The steamed dumplings were deemed, "The best we've ever had," by 2 in the group (very dense). Basil fried rice was also very tasty. The low spot was the Pad Thai. Was too sweet and had a mild chlorine taste. Overall, very enjoyable meal, and we will definitely be back. read more

The menu clearly states that Sake is half price on Wednesday's, but the server refused saying only wine is half priced. Also I got the pineapple fried rice which is usually one of my favorite dishes. The portion was huge and the presentation was very nice, but it was dry and had VERY LITTLE FLAVOR. It also only had about 4 pieces of pineapple despite sitting in a giant half pineapple. It was very disappointing and definitely not worth the price. Overall the atmosphere was very nice, the server was nice, but not a good experience and I would not return. read more

Bua Thai Cuisine - Half priced sake is a lie on Wednesday - Thai Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Tried the hot thai girl martini and pad thai at 3 chili rating. Wife and daughter tried pineapple fried rice (PFR ) and thai curry. It was definitely one of the better Thai restaurants in the area. We will be returning due to the quality of food, location and atmosphere of the restaurant. read more

Easily the best thai food in the area. I've been here many times and tried a large chunk of the dishes offered. The pad thai is a bit underwhelming, but all of the other dishes are fantastic. read more

I wanted to try this place. Ordered chicken pad Thai but it was a disappointment. I cannot seem to find amazing pad Thai like the one I had at Lemongrass in Raleigh read more

I love Bua Thai! This is a takeout staple for us. Great curries and appetizers. We haven't ate outdoors yet but definitely plan to. Their staff are always sweet when we place and pick up our order. Thanks Bua Thai! read more

This place was wonderfully delicious. The menu choices were great and the service was excellent. I had the Fried Soft Shell Crab. The lamb was delicious and their Drunken Noodles were yummy! read more

Bua Thai Cuisine - Drunken Noodles with Tofu - Thai Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

I've ordered from Bua Thai three times now and each time I've been disappointed. The food is very oily and just not as flavorful as I've had at other Thai restaurants. Every time I have ordered it's been with different people and they've also made comments or pushed their food around on the plate. read more

I am a Thai take-out junkie. At least I was before I moved to the Triangle about 10 years ago. The Thai options in Durham and Chapel Hill left something to be desired in terms of taste and spice level. Feeling disparaged, I had resigned myself to a life of only getting Thai food when I travelled to larger metro areas (DC, Boston, Bay Area). I am so glad I gave this place a try! The "Thai hot" version of the Shrimp Massaman Curry reminds me of the amazing Thai food you can find in a larger city. Finally, Durham has awesome Thai food! And I don't have to pay an arm and a leg to live in the same city as that awesome Thai food! read more

The best Thai food prepared by the best people. Amazing. We go here constantly because nothing else is quite as good. Always such a pleasant experience read more

The first time we wanted to dine here, we waited at the door for about 5-7 mins before anyone noticed us, which they didn't so we left. We went the following week as I'm a big thai fan and the service was good (tall looking gentleman), he was fast and friendly but the food was not THAT impressive. read more

I really hate to slam a new restaurant, but I had one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had here and want to send out fair warning. Showed up on a busy weekend night. We were told they were in the weeds and that we could be seated right away, but that the wait for food would be 20-30 minutes. Ended up being an hour and 10 minutes and still no food. When it did come out, it was awful: ridiculously over-salted (as in: inedible), drowned in fish sauce, missing key ingredients that are known to each dish and mentioned on the menu, and somehow - even with all that salt - lacking flavor. The only reason that we stayed as long as we did is that we were, at that point, starving. My partner had steam coming out of his ears by the time the dishes arrived. Needless to say, we will never, ever go back. The owner apologized to us and was very nice, but man - it was just bad. To top it off, prices just seem outrageous - but that seems reflective of many Triangle Thai restaurants. read more

I've lived all over the U.S. and they serve the best pad Thai I've ever had. I go at least three times a week and it has become the 'go to' restaurant for my place of businesses lunch meetings. As a vegetarian, I appreciate the substitute ingredients they offer in place of things like fish sauce and the like. EXCELLENT restaurant. read more

When I lived in Chicago, there were four Thai restaurants within a block of my apartment, and I knew the best dishes to order from each of them. ;) I have been searching for a Thai restaurant that has the flavor depth and variety of those days. I found it last night at Bua Thai! Their online ordering interface is easy and clear. You can customize with extras, ask for ingredients on the side, and know if and when there is an additional charge. They have the details covered, and the food was wonderful. Even the mild basil fried rice made my nose run just a little. Curbside pickup was super easy! read more

My husband and I came on a Saturday night around 6:30. It was not busy and there were open tables everywhere. It took us 20 minutes to even get seated. The food was good, the issue I have is with the service. They had more than enough staff working and it still took almost two hours to get seated, order and get our food. It seemed like the staff were kind of lost, running around to any and every table. We had three different waiters. All in all I was less than satisfied with my experience here. Hopefully it was an off night, but as of now I couldn't see myself returning. read more

I really like this Thai place. They have some really unique flavors on their menu. The soft shell crab was really unique and their summer roll was fantastic too, especially the sauce. Those two were very different from what I have had in all my other Thai restaurant experience. Their Pad prik catfish was really flavorful too. Overall, it was a stimulating dining experience. I really want to try the other items on their menu and would definitely recommend this place for those that a) like Thai food and b) what to try setting different too. read more

I was in town visiting my grandmother last month. Of course because Durham was still in a reopening phase, many restaurants closed fairly early in the evening. The staff was so kind and my food was ready in literally 10 minutes. I felt bad because they didn't seem to be very busy because of all the regulations but I was very pleased! The pineapple fried rice and Massaman curry were so good! Next time I'm in town I'll definitely be returning read more

I been going back to bua for they delicious thai foods ..so far everything I had try there are all good and delicious..never disappointed. read more

Bua Thai Cuisine - Thai Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Best Thai food I've had in a while in Chapel Hill/Durham. Waitress recommended the red curry and it was amazing.

Found out about this gem from the Triangle Food Guy blog and high tailed it over to check them out. Only opened for a week now we had another couple over to watch the UNC basketball game and thought we would get take out from Bua. I like that they only do Thai cuisine, some Asian fusion places can be a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. Their menu is solid with all the heavy hitters and all of my favorites. Out of our group, we all enjoyed our main entrees and many commented on the use of quality ingredients (to include the proteins) and accurate spice levels. My green curry was perfect at medium though I wish they would add more veggies to the dish for the $13 dollar price tag. Spring Rolls were great and the Dumplings were outstanding, though at $1.50 per dumping the price is a little steep. I would pass on the Salad Roll as the ingredients and sauce did not do it for me or anyone else in the group. Lastly, the Laab Kai was not what my husband thought he was getting and at $17, he was not pleased. I do have to mention that their entrees are served with the most perfectly cooked jasmine rice. More hits than misses, so a solid choice for Thai in South Durham. I would say Bua falls in between Thai Café and Thai Lanna but since they are the closest to my house I plan on trying them again and would recommend them if you want some Thai in South Durham. read more

See all

Bua is a great new addition to the Fayetteville Road restaurants. Had a craving for noodles and my husband had seen a sign for a new restaurant, so we decided to try Bua. Their Tom Kha was a little sweet for me, but with some spice it was perfect. The Pad Thai was delicious, not dry like many other local spots. The thinner noodles stuck together a little, but the flavors were on point. My husband enjoyed his Thai sausage and the papaya salad was nice and refreshing. My cousin enjoyed the drunken noodles. We will definitely be back to try more dishes. read more

Opened up the place one weekend afternoon. Service was great, super friendly with a smile. The owner came and stopped by the table to introduce herself and was open to feedback. All I had was, "Good job". I'm not a Thai expert, I've probably had it 4 times in my entire life, so I just ordered the regular Chicken Pad Thai. Would definitely go back again. My friends also ordered cocktails and they loved them. read more

I had lunch here. Thai red curry and Tom Kay soup. Both were delish! I need to come Back and try additional items before giving 5 star. Everything was really good. Service was good as well. read more

Very good Thai food. I had L9 (mix veggies w chicken), wife L10 (Cat fish) Everything was spiced just so. Portions was plentiful. Atmosphere is nice. Prices on par. Service is good(our waiter still learning English but very attentive) Great location. The grilled chicken looked really good and there is a lamb dish I was eyeing too. We will be back for sure. read more

This review is for takeout only. We have been counting down the days for this place to open. Opening day, we order Tom yum soup and the Larb. The soup did not disappoint but the Larb was $17 freaking dollars. Are you kidding me ? We paid $17 for ground chicken and sticky rice. Once we saw what the $17 actually got us, we were a little appalled. We are planning to come back to dine in, but this will not be my go-to take out Thai place . read more

Got takeout from here on a Friday evening. We ordered the spring roll appetizer, drunken noodles tofu, Green curry vegetables and Karee jumbo shrimp. The appetizer was alright. The stuffing inside the spring rolls was quite bland. The fried tofu with the drunken noodles was very oily and smelled funny. It tasted as if it had been fried in stale oil that was not hot enough. The green curry was full of celery which was not appetizing. And most disappointing was the shrimp that was badly overcooked. Yet another fail with Thai food in Durham. Not going back any time soon. read more

We have been waiting for Thai food like this to come to the area. Loved it! The food itself was delicious, didn't feel heavy and even my 18month old son enjoyed it thoroughly. We will be back! Service was excellent too. Friendly and quick. Everyone made us feel welcome. We had pad thai, tofu in basil sauce and massaman. All brilliant! Plus, passion lemonade which is made with freshly squeezed lime... So refreshing. read more

Absolutely delicious! I was sad when there was no more food to eat. Wonderfully attentive staff too. Can't wait to go back and try more dishes. read more

Open for dine-in, staff wears masks and gloves, very delicious! Vegan options available. Polite, prompt service with a masked smile

Like most place I have tried in NC, the people were rude, Snotty and Patronizing. I put my name in, 15 to 20 minute wait, yet saw 2 other couples come in put their name in and were seated a head of me. Just trying to find a place to sit and wait these people followed me around saying people are going to sit there, even in the waiting area, screw this place don't waste your time, asked many people leaving and they also stated don't waste your time, Think about it Thai, Japanese food all in the same place, NOT good. the print on the menu so small couldn't read it. Guess that is how they trick you into ordering stuff no one else would. read more

Best Pad See Ew I've had in the Triangle. Twisted Noodle used to be our favorite but Bua Thai is even better!

I love Thai food and was really excited to see that one had opened so close by. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with the food, especially at the price charged. I had ordered Thai tea and spring rolls separately from my primary meal as it only came with a small iceberg lettuce salad. Unfortunately the Phad Thai was awful. There wasn't any delicate balance of flavors and I had to ask for some lime to be provided. The lime helped cut through the previous taste, but overall a disappointing primary dish. I will give them kudos for a very nice green peanut and ginger dressing on the salad and the spring rolls had a good taste to them as well. The staff was friendly and helpful, but I did not enjoy the smell of smoke that kept coming in from the outside door the chef kept going in and out of. Not sure I will return especially given the price for lunch! read more

Great new place! Got a couple of staples to try before coming back for more (steamed dumplings, pad see ew) and it was delicious! Can't wait to go back to try everything else, and make sure I leave room for dessert. There is a bakery/cafe section inside and I've already heard their stuff is super yummy. Simple and classy decorating and beautiful baskets across the ceiling. Having been to Thailand multiple times, and always trying to find a really good place in town, I think this is it! read more