Surprisingly good! Notable were the "corn crisp" and the fish cake appetizers. My son ordered his entree "as hot as they could make it", and it came back medium at best. There was visibly lots of red pepper flake, but it didn't seem to pack the "thai hot" punch he likes at other places (that do it by means other than use of red pepper flake). If you're seeing a show at the Alberta Rose Theater, the location doesn't get any more convenient. Worth a stop. read more

See all

I'm new in the 'hood and gave this place a try after being blown away by the excellent Thai Noon down the street. Since it was my first time here, we ordered some of the standards that I use to evenly compare Thai restaurants: fish cakes, shrimp pad Thai, tom kha soup, ginger fish, Thai iced tea, plus some extras: pork red curry, and beef pad see ewe. Everything was edible, but rather boring and not terribly flavorful. The fish cakes had a look and texture like they'd been leftover in the fridge for a few days (somewhat thin and rubbery, but correct flavor). Shrimp pad Thai was kind of gooey and not very dynamic, lacking the kinds of bold flavors I expect from Thai food, like lime and fish sauce. However, the shrimp were plump and properly cooked, and it seemed like there may have been one or two more than at other restaurants. Pork red curry had overcooked pork and was lackluster in flavor, as was the tom kha, which is usually bright and exciting at other places. To be fair, we did ask for the curry to be mild, but there's more to Thai seasonings than just heat. Ginger fish was the most bizarre; although it was cooked nicely golden, it was a thin, dry, unseasoned slice of tilapia fillet on a bed of raw spinach leaves. The fish looked nice, but it was overcooked for such a thin piece (less than 1/4") and contained no sauce whatsoever. There was a small container of veggies/liquid in the takeout bag that I presume was meant to be used on the fish, but it didn't have any discernible ginger flavor, so that component remains a mystery as to whether it was intended for the fish or if we received it by mistake. Pad see ewe also had overcooked beef, like a softish jerky, but the smoky flavor of the noodles was nice. Even the Thai iced tea tasted a bit heavy and too sweet, like it had come from a can. Overall, this was a disappointing meal and I won't be returning. read more

I really love this restaurant! Everyone here is so friendly and sweet, plus the food is excellent. They've got a lovely outdoor patio with plenty of seating, including small tables perfect for a summer lunch date, and longer tables for larger parties. This spot always has fresh and delicious ingredients. read more

Great food! big portions and a Good level of spice too! I ordered hot chicken pad thai and my eyes were watering at the end of my meal. but it was never too spicy to eat. Just the right amount, if I want spicy they got it right! It's hard to find in alot of places, so I am very happy with this detail and will be adding this place to our rotation! They also pile on the meat, and have a good amount of green onions, my personal favorite part of phad Thai. my girlfriend ordered a medium chicken phad thai and she could have gone with a mild next time, but she still enjoyed her meal also. we both can handle a bit of heat, so if you aren't used to spciy, stick with the mild. Besides the heat, the flavors in the phad Thai sauce were amazing, you can tell they take their time making the sauce. Def will be back! We also got fried rolls, each order of them comes with 4 pieces which is pretty generous. The fried rolls were decent, but the dipping sauce was the real winner here! killer! read more

I went there for the first time today. I had Thai Ice Tea, 2 Steam Dumplings, and Tofu Pad Thai. The food tasted great and was super fresh! I had so much I had to get a take-out box. read more

See all

I've actually never eaten here but the service alone would make me come back. I went in to pick up an order for someone and the server helping me was so delightful. She went above and beyond and really made my day. I will def be back! read more

I've been getting takeout from Cha Ba Thai for years. I will drive across the city to get Thai food here. Ive tried other Thai spots but none of them compare. My go to order is the Pad See Ew and the salad rolls. BEST SALAD ROLLS. Everything they make is so fresh and delicious. And the staff is always so sweet. read more

We live near by and have gotten food from here for years. I recently tried to order catering for an event, called and left a message for the manager on Wednesday, emailed them on Thursday and it is now Saturday and have had no response. It's unfortunate that they don't want $300 worth of business :( read more

Fun and funky atmosphere. They have a bar and separate dining area. The servers were no-nonsensene, direct and efficient. The food was, well, A -OK, good but nothing to write home about. We got the stir fry chicken and vegetables and the yellow curry with chicken. There were two of us and we definitely could have shared one dish - but, hey had lunch already to go for the next day. Reasonable prices - app, one beer and two entrees' for 30 buck. read more

Thai food isn't my favorite so when my family gets takeout from here I usually opt for a peanut butter and jelly at home. If I'm feeling optimistic and forgiving I get the pad Thai. Tonight was the night... I ordered tofu pad Thai, bean sprouts on the side, and extra lime. Instead I got my sprouts mixed right in there, a full on mushroom harvest, scrambled eggs, invisible tofu and not one lime. I've ordered pad Thai here twice before, first time it was extremely greasy, second time no tofu and bean sprouts all over. Third time is not the charm. At least they wrote bean sprouts on the side on the box right? 2 stars because my family likes this place okay. read more

Cha Ba Thai - Bean sprouts on the side? - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Loved everything ordered. All hot things arrived hot (curry was still hot even after first eating appetizers), all frozen things (coconut ice cream) arrived frozen, and cold things arrived cold! Taste is great. Was delicious on a warm day (hot food actually cools you down btw ;) ). Thanks for a comforting dinner! read more

We're big fans of their Pad See Ew and Pad Kee Mao! Great price for the amount of food you get and they're friendly people too!

Alberta needs a new Thai restaurant like it needs a hole in the head. When I saw the Vida location was being reoccupied, I was quite disappointed to see yet another Thai joint coming in. That said, Cha Ba Thai is probably my favorite of the bunch, so I can't be a total hater. It's the game to hate, not the 5th Thai restaurant in 15 blocks. The decor is nice. Kinda mixed media rebuilding center funky with some cool richly-colored art and flatware. The food is delicious. Lots of flavor and some good options. I just wish that one of these places would move away from the Saigon Kitchen model of Thai menus. So, if it were one of two, or maybe even three Thai joints on Alberta I'd give them 5 stars. But if you want 5 you're going to need to bring something new, not just delicious grub. read more

This ain't the first time I've been to the Cha Ba Thai rodeo. If you need the proof, you can click on this here link: http://www.yelp.com/user_details_review_search?userid=E4SfIfuU0H3RtDKwDvc_Uw&q=Cha+Ba+Thai So I expected the same quality of food from the new location on Alberta, and was not at all disappointed. We cluttered our table with yellow curry, moo ping (beef on sticks!), pad kee mao, and tempura. The tempura on the menu includes shrimp, but the kitchen graciously substituted the little shelled bringers of doom with broccoli when they were told about the allergy of the silly girl on table three. And despite the massive bergs of tofu in the veggie curry, it was all as delectable as the restaurant on Sandy ever was. But since I've waxed ecstatic on the food itself before, I'll save you that trip down memory lane. Unless you clicked on the link, in which case it's too late. The Cha Ba Thai on Alberta seats more people and has been decorated in a more modern manner than the Sandy location. Think more paintings of feathery abstract what-have-yous and less dark wood panels. There is also a fully-stocked bar towards the entrance with a flat-screen TV almost as big as one of the tofu pieces. But the best attribute of the new Cha Ba Thai is that the staff includes a server named Tai. And it's not his first time at the Thai food rodeo, either. He told us that at his previous Thai food position, he even had to wear a tie. He also keeps his shoes tied, but that should go without saying. Tai and the rest of workers are all really nice. You should definitely go and see them someTHAIme. Yup, that there just happened. read more

Was told tonight that the vegetarian pad thai weve been eating for years contains oyster sauce as do some curries. We have been eating here for years, many times in restaurant and lots of pickups. Always get pad thai, a curry of some sort, and pad see yew mostly. Weve ordered a handful of times on amazon and say vegan- no egg please- thanks. Never once has anyone stated there is oyster sauce in the pad thai. Finally someone called and said there is oyster sauce in the pad thai and the curry we ordered. NICE, should I be thankful? I suppose for that info! How do you run a restaurant in pdx and not point this out one time in years. Weve eaten here probably 100 times, probably much more. Someone may have a shellfish allergy and be in big trouble. Have been vegan or vegetarian since 1996. I think I even wrote these guys a 5 start review a while back, I almost never write reviews.. I cant imagine how many vegans and vegetarians have been eating oysters all along. Carnivores may not care but we make a choice. The menu says vegetarian/tofu as an option on the entire large lunch menu. So on the spot, we got what was suggested, not what we ordered. I should have canceled. It makes me very sad that people care that little for their customers preferences and feed them oyster when they specifically say vegetarian or vegan and the menu says it. Fish or shellfish is not a vegetable. No argument can make it one. Very sad. I hate leaving bad reviews and hate eating animals even more. read more

We knew we were risking it, heading to the Cha Ba Thai on Sandy on a friday night at dinner time. Sure enough, full with a long line (sad face). "Let's go check out the new one on Alberta". Great space, bigger than the Sandy place but not quite as nicely finished. Separate bar area with TV. The squid salad (my kitchen test dish) was perfect! The squid just warm, the rest of the flavors balanced. S.U. had the Tom Yum noodle soup and was comparing it to the Red Onion. Close but that's a high bar!. I had pork Pad Se Ewe. and that was great. I reviewed the Sandy place almost 4 years ago and have been a huge fan and regular since moving to PDX. I checked the map. Our house is a bit closer to the new Alberta site. It may have to become the 1st choice for Thai. read more

Pretty good. The pad thai wasn't the mildly sweet version PK serves, it was more like, well, "dark" was the only word I could come up with to describe it. Kinda toasty, kinda smoky, but neither of those. Whatever it's called I liked it. A nice change, although I do dig the mildly sweet type. Service was quick and friendly, but we were half done with Brandon's dish (the egg noodles one, totally can't remember the name) before I got mine. Big kitchen skills fail there. But everything else worked so I'm willing to cut them some slack this time. Two meals, one beer came to $20.50. Hell yes. read more

I'm so sorry I strayed, Thai Noon. I don't treat myself very often, and when I gave Cha Ba a shot, especially after all of the good reviews I didn't think I would regret it. Sure, I'm lily white - but when I say HOT, I mean HOT. My beloved pineapple fried rice wasn't even seasoned, not to mention nowhere near resembling spicy. I didn't see a waiter outside the entire time I was trying to eat my sad, bland dish to even ask for some Sriracha and so I picked at it and took the rest home for the refuse bin. Add to that that they left out the cashews and my semi-annual Thai treat was a major disappointment. I might try it again if someone else is buying, but meh... I may just stick with what I know. While I didn't try it, my gal pal's Pad Thai was a bomb as well. read more

my order: "Can I get Pad Thai with no egg?" "Oh and can I substitute extra vegetables instead of tofu?" (I don't like tofu all that much) Waitress: "yeah, no problem" Order comes, I start eating, waitress comes back to take away my plate because she said they cooked it with eggs. Whatever, fine. I wait for a few more minutes for my order. I get my order, finish eating and a different waitress brings the bill. I see on the bill under my pad thai "Extra vegetables $1.50". I tell the other waitress that I substituted the tofu for extra veggies, she says ok no problem. Mind you this order had the same amount of vegetables that a normal Pad Thai would have (not even extra). When the original waitress comes back to give our cards back she tells me that I ordered extra vegetables. I remind her that she agreed I could substitute the tofu for extra vegetables, and she tells me "We don't do substitutions". So I said "if you had told me that I would have not asked for extra vegetables in SUBSTITUTION." Wait What??!?! If that was the case then why did you agree to substitute in the first place. I'll tell you why she did it. She did it deceitfully knowing full well she would add on another $1.50 (which isn't a big deal- but its vegetables subbed for tofu, I mean come on- this isn't subbing sirloin steak for tofu). A normal wait staff person would have realized that the customer caught on to the unwarranted petty extra charge and not charged them for it- ESPECIALLY after messing up the original order, but this waitress had the audacity to try and tell me to my face that I ordered extra vegetables knowing it would not be substituted for tofu which is ridiculous. I would not have even cared to write a review regardless of the mediocre dining experience, but when the waitress made a fuss about something that was her fault- That made me angry. If someone asks you if they can substitute something for something else YOU DON'T SAY YES AND THEN CHARGE THEM FOR IT. Never going back. read more

Drunken Noodles. Oh, yeah! Pad Kee Mao is my favorite Thai dish. Cha Ba Thai does it GOOD. Plus, this place is about a two second walk from my front door. Yes, I miss my regular Thai take-out joint in my old burg, but the amazingly close vicinity of this topnotch Thai restaurant makes up for the loss--a little. Cha Ba Thai, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship... read more

Best thai spot on Alberta. They sometimes throw broccoli and carrots into the pad thai which I love, but they don't always add it. Now I always as for broccoli and carrots in pad thai. read more

First time there. Ordered crab fried rice at $18. As it is pretty much crab rice mush. Nice people, good service. There is a distinct crab aroma and some crab taste but any pieces are too minuscule to identify. Flavor is bland. Almost no spice. Onion bits are also very, very small and would be better sliced instead of finely minced as that would add texture and variety. Bigger tomato pieces would help too. All in all way too expensive for the ingredients and the preparation. read more

I was told Ch Ba Thai had the best Thai food in the NE and I simply don;t see what the hype is about. The food was very average and the decor not so hot. I'd recommend Thai Noon down the street or Siam Society if you want a more upscale atmosphere read more

We had been long time customers of the NE Sandy location. We had stopped going there though because the food quality had slipped. We had heard that the old chef at the Sandy location had moved to the Alberta street location, but with so much Thai around, we had not made it up here. We used to come here when this was the Vita Cafe space, yeah, it's been that long. Anyway, the inside dining area is spacious and could accommodate large groups. The patio is great when he weather is good. Being seated is a somewhat informal affair, and the service may take a while to get going, but they are attentive to your needs. We sat on the patio, as the weather was really good. The menu is still the same Chaba Thai I remember. There was a coconut tofu special that my youngest son wanted to try, so we ordered those, some salad rolls, the Pad Eggplant, and the Pad See Ew for the boys. The salad rolls came out first. Now my wife and I are always on the search for great salad rolls, and while many place have good salad rolls, Chaba Thai is still the reigning champion of salad rolls in my book, with the peanut sauce they come with, they are simply divine. The coconut tofu was also, truly delicious. They have a coconut based breading and were deep fried, served with the plumb sauce. So good, I ate more of them my son, they were delicious. Next came our entrees, the Pad Eggplant was exactly what I remember. The sauce is so good, the eggplant perfectly cooked. This is the best Pad Eggplant I have ever had, and still holds that title. The Pad See Ew had to be sampled, also delicious. It is hard to stop eating this food it is so tasty. So the rumors are true, the chef at this location is the one. The menu here is extensive, everyone can find something they would like. If memory serves me right, this is one of the rare places where the stir drys, noodles, and curry are all excellent. I will say that I mostly order vegetarian here, even though I am not a vegetarian per say. But for Thai food, I am hard pressed to think of a place that all around has such consistently delicious thai dishes. read more

Not only is the food amazing, but the service is top notch! Party of 8.5 set to meet at 7p, 6.5 show up and none of us wanted to order without the remaining 2 (the two who actually planned the gathering)... Nearly 45 minutes sitting there and we weren't rushed to order nor did it seem we were bothering the staff as they would check on us to see if we wanted to drinks, appetizers, or anything else. I have to give them props for accommodating my request to change from college basketball to the Blazer's game, which was awesome. Thank you. Ordered the pad se ew = delicious Ordered the thai bbq chicken = yum Ordered the thai tea = better than most places I'd order it from Second time I've ever eaten Thai from here, first time I had ordered to go and it was great. The second time around dining in, I was not disappointed. Definitely will be coming back! read more

I've always been a fan of Cha Ba Thai and everytime someone asked for thai food recommendation, i always point them toward this place. However, i have been disappointed lately. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I came in right when they open for lunch. We order crab fried rice, our favorite dish. As we ate, we could clearly tell there was something wrong with the rice. It was hard and dry. We knew it was either undercooked or old rice taken straight off the fridge (without heating up with moist, like putting a wet paper-towel on top and microwave it). So we asked if they can cook the rice a little more... But it came out to be the same. Then we were sure that it was old rice... But the waitress insisted that it was new rice straight from the rice cooker. My boyfriend and I grow up eating rice almost everyday, and both of us have been working in restaurants for awhile. Not to mention that we like to eat out a lot, trying out different places. So we felt a little deceived this time... It has always been a nice experience at Sandy one, but the Alberta one just slowly losing in me... Another time i came in with a party of 20 for my friend's farewell party, and ordered pad kee mao. It came out with too much sauce, making it too salty. I can tell because i normally order it and it comes out perfectly. I didnt want to tell the waitress because it was busy, and she was rude with me when bringing the food out (maybe cuz i just got out of class and looking crappy in my sweat pants n stuff and look like i dont have money?), so i didnt want to bother. I wonder if they have new cook? Anyway, i might come back another day and give an updated review later. I hope it will be a better experience because we visited this place 20+ times and it has always been nice until recently. read more

We came here after a long hiatus and were pretty disappointed. While service was still friendly, the food has gone downhill. The fresh rolls were loosely wrapped, filled with only noodles and lettuce, and the wontons in the wonton soup were like little rocks-- next to inedible. They also forgot to bring a drink we ordered. We mentioned it when they brought the check so we wouldn't get charged. They kindly offered to bring one to go...and then charged us. It was a two star experience, but the pad see ew and the peanut sauce served with the fresh rolls added a star. It's such a shame, but there are just too many other tasty Thai restaurants in PDX for us to return. read more

My favorite Thai spot in NE, top 3 in all of Portland. I like to add broccoli to the pad thai with chicken. The mussamen curry (all of the curries actually) and crab fried rice are both excellent as well. read more

SO GOOD! Best Thai food I have ever had. We ordered the vegetable yellow curry, vegetable pad woon sen, and chicken satay. Everything was delicious. If you are in the mood for Thai food, look no further. read more

Cha Ba Thai's other location on Sandy has been our favorite place for Thai food in PDX for a few years now so when we saw that they were opening a new and larger place on Alberta, we were very happy. Yes, Aberta's already got a lot of Thai places - but this is the very best. The food was very good (my pad thai was perfect), the service attentive and friendly and the best thing about this place? The huge garden/patio. read more

Some of the best Thai in Portland! I have yet to order something I don't like. The best perhaps though is their Pad Prik King - green beans in an amazing, spicy sauce. I normally get tofu or chicken. read more

I'm still in the restaurant as I write this. We stopped in from out of town and love this place! Decent prices, good portions and great flavor. This review is mostly for the service though as our server, Funny, is the sweetest (and funniest) server I've had in a while. I hope the owners see this and let her know how awesome she is!! read more

The food tastes very fresh and well prepared. Best pad see ew I've had outside of Thailand. I would prefer more tamarind in the pad thai. Enjoy! read more

We had two Thai restaurants we selected from among Yelp reviews a couple of weeks ago, because they had both good reviews, and were an easy walk to the Albert Rose Theater. We came in the area early, and found great on-street parking, directly across from the theater. Even though we showed up before "doors opened", the helpful folks in the Theater lobby gave us our wrist bands. We asked about the Cha'Ba Thai, the Thai restaurant next door. "Many of our artists love it," was the reply. Good enough for us. Cha'Ba Thai welcomed us in, and sat us at a window table - fun to watch "the world go by" along NE Alberta Street. Okay, let's get to the food and service ... We started off sharing two Cha'Ba Thai Fresh Rolls. These featured bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, mints, steamed rice noodles, and fresh lettuces wrapped in soft rice paper served with peanut plum sauce. They were quite tasty, very fresh, and a fair value at $4.50. We really like a good peanut plum sauce -and Cha'Ba Thai's was great - so we quickly asked for an extra dish - well worth the $1.50 to us! Sweetie ordered the Pad Woon Sen - this is a dish featuring "glass noodles", stir fried with egg, cabbage, baby corn, snow peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers - and in her case, shrimp. She loved it, she said; and a good value at $10.50. I ordered the dish by which I judge all Thai restaurants, their national dish, Pad Thai. Yes, just rice noodles stir fried with egg, green onions, bean sprouts, with special Pad Thai sauce. I didn't order the chicken version; so often, I'm disappointed by the "old" smell. Maybe I should have this time - the dish was tasty, spot-on delicious. At $9.00, a bargain. Neither Sweetie nor myself had lunch that day, so yes, we consumed our entire meals. For those not so peckish, a couple could easily split an entree and be satisfied. The service wasn't really speedy, but we agreed we received prompt attention, had water refills, extra napkins - in short, our needs were met. And, we had plenty of time before the show started, so we sat back and enjoyed the meal. Only one negative for me. I don't like eating off black plates. I could have asked for another, but I lived with it. Next time, I'll request a light colored plate! We're now keeping our eye on what shows are coming to the Alberta Rose Theater - a good excuse to come back and again dine at Cha'Ba Thai. read more

This used to be my family's go-to place because we live on Alberta! But twice in a row we got takeout from here and it was just not good at all. The fried rice had just plain white rice mixed into it. The pad kee mao was bland and the serving size only filled up half the box! read more

I've eaten here four times now, and if you come in with lower expectations, you'll leave happy. It tastes like most other Portland Thai food, which is to say it's mostly Americanized stir fry, with unoriginal and lower quality ingredients. If you bought this at a food cart, you'd think it was fantastic, but I expect more at a restaurant. The prices are excellent, and the portions are massive. They're good with the vegetarians, but make sure you ask for your dishes without fish sauce or oyster sauce, as that's not the default vegetarian cooking method here. The waiters and waitresses are all very nice, and the service is quite fast. Basically, when you want quick, decent Thai at a good price, you should come here. When you want high-quality ingredients, inventive dishes, and legitimately hot Thai food, look elsewhere (well, basically outside of NE Portland). read more

Got Pad Thai takeout here the other night and really enjoyed my meal. I was told that it would take 15-20 minutes, and it was ready by the time I got there (in 15). The restaurant was very busy so I take that as a good sign. The portions were very large and I feel like I definitely got my money's worth. I'll definitely be back. read more

It's all good in the NE hood. Not really, but I like rhymes. I've got to find the Thai time to make a dime to pick up dinner that's a winner. Alright enough of that. I mean it. Cha Ba is good enough to eat, but over the years they've been lapsed by the plethora of Thai that has packed into Portland. They're still great, all the locations (I'm counting the Red Onion in the pearl because it's the original Cha Ba onwer) but the flavor is a little more tame. Some people call this Authentic, but what they don't get is that in Thailand you can't get ingredients like you can over here in PDX. Does that matter? No not really, if you want pure tried and true Thai this is what it tastes like. Myself I guess I'm more in the mood for a new fusion of Thai mixed with a Northwest experience. Never fear, there's no disappointment here. :) read more

Fun and welcoming ambiance, great place for a good local Thai fix. Food here is on point!! If you're not from around NoPo, it's well worth the drive! read more

Cha Ba Thai - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

YUM. Love most everything here so can't choose. Soup, noodles maybe duck curry. Sure to not to disappoint! read more