So, the waitresses aren't the nicest. And it can get pretty busy at lunch time (though, that's why God invented take out). BUT, the food makes up for anything you may find off putting. The spring rolls are mouth watering, the curry is among the best in the city and the pad thai will make you wish you could eat two lunches. All in a clean and hip (surprisingly for the area, in fact) environment. read more

I really enjoy eating here. Wish the portions are larger, since the food is so good. The wait is a little long, but definitely worth it. There's never a good night to go, since it's always crowded. Just go and deal with the waiting, you'll be glad you did. read more

Not good. Super salty and super sweet. I know a lot of people like this place; I think there's way better Thai food in portland.

This place is solid! I got chicken yellow curry and it was pretty good - this is usually a hit or miss at a lot of Thai restaurants. Got my boyfriend pad-se-ew to go, and he had no complaints. Service here is quick and there is plenty of seating. Service was great. read more

I order from Chaba Thai because without doubt there are 3 dishes that keep me coming back every single time: 1. Pad Thai 2. Ka pao, medium spicy with ground chicken a *crispy* basil on top. (Crispy = fried Thai basil leaves!!!) 3. Green curry. They charge extra for the crispy basil but it's worth it. The food is always good. They're not super friendly, but whatever, it's not like they are my bffs. read more

This is the best traditional Thai food that I've found! We've learned that their 'medium' spice is hotter than most, though it is always subjective. If you're sensitive to heat, be careful ordering! Panang Curry is amazing, as is the Fried Rice, Pad Kee Mao, and Cashew Chicken. Yum yum yum! read more

If I come back it will be for the food. No serious complaints about our meals. I had a red chicken curry, which was pretty much the usual--a touch light on the chicken and heavy on the bamboo shoots for me, but still quite good. I managed to get the perfect heat by bumping my usual 2-3 star (in other cities) to a Portland 4. My daughter stuck to the chicken satay--and proclaimed it the best she'd ever eaten. The portion was more than ample, with 4 sizable sticks of chicken (and a teeny tiny pot of peanut sauce, enough for about 1 of the sticks). The lunch specials are about $7 (unless you go big and get the seafood). There are a couple reasons that I will hesitate to return. First, the noise in this little restaurant was overwhelming, even though there were only about 4 or 5 other occupied tables. My daughter and I had to repeat ourselves about half the time when sitting across from each other. This would be a lot more fun with a hot date than it was with a cranky 6 year old who thinks Mommy is ignoring her. The other thing holding me back is that the servers, though nice enough, seemed to be operating in another dimension. Repeatedly asking if we're ready when we have just been seated and are obviously studying the menu, bringing boxes after the meal that are way too small for sticks of chicken satay, so I had to work at trying to get the chicken off the stick and into the little box, bringing me another table's credit card ... this did not make a good impression. Hopefully it was just an off day. Nice interior, though--cheerful and tasteful. If they could only figure out a way to cut down the noise ... read more

Went to pick up take out for the first time the other day, since my mom moved to the area. Service was prompt, my food was ready and waiting when I arrived within the estimated time. We ordered the pad se ew, yellow curry, and tempura shrimp and vegetables. The tempura was heavy on the vegetables and light on the shrimp, and the curry was more curry-y and less sweet than I've experienced at other places - but those are really the only notes I have. Everything was good, and I will be ordering from Cha Ba again because it is near my mom's house - it's worth noting, however, that with so many great thai restaurants throughout the Portland Metro area, I wouldn't go out of my way to get to this one otherwise - good, but pretty standard. read more

Stars are for the good eats here. Whatever flavor and sensation your mouth craves, this place has something that will satisfy it. I have nothing I can knock on this place for other than the on and off level of hospitality I feel like you get at every other Thai place. read more

I have eaten here several times in the last 6 months. It is AWESOME! Great food, great people, and good prices. We have eaten their catfish, red curry, panang curry, tom yum soup, etc... and everything we have eaten was awesome. The prices are also very nice -- 3 people ate here and had 2 beers with leftovers for $30! read more

The good: this is some of the best Thai food in the city. I love the curries, and the fried rice with the Chinese sausage is my favorite fried rice in all the world (and I've eaten plenty of "real" fried rice in Asia). The decor is lovely. The bad: the wait time for take-out is pretty unspeakable, and the staff can be curt or downright rude. So... as much as we love the food, we don't go very often. read more

We are regulars here. We love their food. Best Thai in Portland as far as we're concerned ;) We get the following: Pad kee mao w/beef Yellow curry w/chicken Pad Thai chicken We like it spicy. This place is always solid. Worth the wait. read more

It does not look like much from the outside but the food was wonderful!! Very fresh and very flavorful. The inside of this gem is very lovely decorated in a three color warm and cheery paint job, and the rest of the decor was lovely too. My friend and I were happy with everything we ordered. I ordered Tom Ka soup with crispy tofu and green curry chicken, my friend ordered chicken satay and fried rice and sausage. All of our dishes were very good. No leftovers for us! I'd return read more

I'd give this 4.5 stars if I could. My wife loved the pad see ew and I loved the Panang curry. Both dishes were very flavorful... Just the right amount of lime leaves in the curry! Neither were too sweet... It was just the right combo of salty/sweet. A lot of places over Americanize dishes these days, but not here. The portions were big, too much for the two of us to finish even without appetizers. The wait staff was really friendly, I even chatted one up for a few minutes about the process behind making pad see ew at home. Certainly not over priced, and if I'm ever back in Portland I'd go back. Our only complaint was that the iced tea (regular, not Thai) was tasteless. read more

Usually, I would give Cha Ba Thai at least a 4 if not a 5 star rating. However, the past two times we've ordered (tonight being the most recent), I ordered the Volcano Beef special (my favorite dish of theirs) with extra beef. Both times the way they packaged my dinner let the sauce overflow and run out into the takeout bag. By the time I got home, more than half of the sauce was gone and I was left with a dried out dinner with less flavor than does this dish justice. I know that COVID has taken its toll on restaurants, but I'm pretty sure that the last time we ordered was before the COVID outbreak and the result was no different. Here's hoping that the next time is better because this is our favorite local Thai restaurant. read more

Something has happened to this previously dependable and good source of Thai food. The last three times we have gotten take out over a couple of months the magic is gone. The rich, complex flavors were missing. Reliable favorites like cashew nut chicken and pineapple fried rice have become ordinary, and fresh salad rolls had also changed. Beware! There are too many options to return here for a long while. read more

This is one of my favorite Thai Places. The customer service is great. The food comes out fast. My personal favorite from here is the crab fried rice and the pad Thai. read more

The only restaurant in Portland,Oregon where everything you eat is a 10/10 rating. Service is phenomenal. They know me by name and say hi Chris, bye Chris as I come and go. read more

I walk by this place a few times a week, and they've got this sign that says "LUNCH SPECIAL $8.50" across the top, with a chalkboard underneath listing 'top 5 lunch special'. It's an enticing offer, the listed dished look fantastic and the average beer tourist like myself is happy to get a decent meal on the cheap (more money for beer, right?). So maybe its my fault for just assuming the items listed on the board are the 'lunch special' selections, because that would make sense and thus life easy and that's not why I'm writing this. They've also got the little table flyers that list the same lunch specials, but they're listed at $10, not $8.50. Hmmmm. A closer look at the chalkboard also has "$10 each" in little tiny cursive chalk writing at the bottom. HMMMMMMMM. "$8.50 LUNCH SPECIAL", it seems, is something else they offer, not listed anywhere on any of the menus or actually explained somewhere. You won't notice this until you get your bill, of course, so what are you going to do? As you sit there and look closer you realize you got hooked by an offer and didn't read the fine print. I'm not going to argue over $1.50 on this particular day, and there's a sort of...personality about the head woman in charge that makes the prospect of confrontation seem like a bad idea. It just irked me because it's a ruse and I was too lazy to spot it before I ordered. Because they don't mention the "$8.50 LUNCH SPECIAL" literally anywhere else you just assume that's what's on the board, and the table flyers, and the $10 listed price is a holdover or something. Some lesson about assumptions...right? I'm not going to lie, the food was great. I had to order a side of extra rice - $2 - but I finished the whole meal, and the other 'top lunch special' menu descriptions read as tasty as the diced chicken and shrimp stir fry I had. I don't feel like I got much shrimp, the few pieces I could identify stood out from the 'chopped' chicken, but on the whole it went down fast. The fried(?) basil leaves were intersting, and the colored bell peppers nice and crispy, fresh-cut. The rice was a perfect match, I can eat it as a meal all by itself when cooked right and this stuff was heavenly. The water girl was on point, I'll say that much, I was thirsty and she was an enabler, as soon as my glass hit the table she was there with a refill. They have some 'imported' far-east beers, typical selections for the most part, nothing that caught my eye, it'd get expensive pretty quickly if you tried to quench your palate with beer. I saw tea being served too. It's not really a large place and they fit a lot of people in, so don't expect a whole lot of privacy. Singles or pairs can sit at the front windows and watch the cars go by, with larger tables towards the back. I haven't ever not seen the place at least a quarter full, so if you've got a larger group you should call ahead as dinner hours are much busier. With the brewery next door opening up around noon I expect they'll be even busier because who doesn't like Thai food when they've been drinking? Aside from the whole 'lunch special' issue, the pricing for menu items isn't too bad for what is said to be some of the best thai in the 503. I got out for $15 without ordering anything to drink for lunch, which isn't terrible, they have some dinner items listed for under $10 but most dishes are closer to 12 or 14, with extra meat or seafood options - if you go for apps and drinks I'd expect to pay $25 a person for dinner. Service and speed was great, I didn't notice any glaring issues with the dining room, and that's why I'm conflicted about a 3 star review. If I'd only had dinner I would have probably dropped a 4, having different expectations about the cost. I would have eaten here eventually anyways, as well, so...the lunch special deal is an outlier. I have to wonder how many times someone found themselves in my position, and saying something about it, yet they still have this sign advertising something, but not the thing it's attached to. The strange thing is, their reputation is already good enough they don't really need to do something like this. If they DID offer a bunch of great lunch specials at $8.50 that'd be even more awesome but that's unrealistic, right? read more

We have tried many of the dishes here and the quality is definitely above average. I travel quite a bit providing a large number of restaurants for comparison. Granted some dishes have flavors that I do not like at any Thai restaurant however we like most of the menu here. Their salmon in special panang curry is one of my favorite dishes just to give an example. read more

The sweetest staff and good Thai food They have Angel Wing's....which for some reason are hard to find. I will ALWAYS keep this location as my go to Thai restaurant. Everything is always so good:) read more

I love this place!! small, cozy, and the food is to die for!! :) but if you go during rush hour, which is like lunch or dinner time around noon and 5-6pm be prepare to stand in a veryyyy long line for a table and your food because the place is always packed!! :) read more

I predominately just go take-out with Cha Ba, which says a lot considering the five other choices we have on NE Alberta! The service is swift, sometimes a little curt, but for the most part they are very friendly and appreciative of the business. Their Pad Thai is one of the best I've had in Portland, nothing new going on, just solid flavors and classic presentation. The quantities are large for the price. Pad Kee Mao and Pad Won Sen, are solid dishes and have plenty of flavor, although the basil could be more prominent in the PKM. Cha Ba Thai noodle soup is a great choice with a spicy broth of seafood and noodles. For Thai take-out in NE PDX, its hard to beat Cha Ba for their price-to-flavor-to quality ratio. read more

Yum! Delicious! Lots of variety great for kids as they let you add your own spice on most dishes. We shared pad Thai, garlic pepper beef, and chicken in oyster sauce food looked and tasted great and arrived quickly! read more

Cha Ba Thai - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Very yummy. Found this place on the way to Eugene from the airport. Great place to stop and enjoy the Thai culture. Their pad Thai is delicious! Highly recommend!! read more

Best Thai food!! And customer service, Jenn especially. About 5 year's ago I got pretty bad service only because some staff was rude and usually that'll stop me from spending money any longer at any business but the food was too amazing and I'm glad I kept going because the staff now is the complete opposite and very friendly!! Waitressing can be very stressful and can understand why sometimes servers come off rude especially since I've done tons of waitressing myself read more

We've been going here for years and still going. The food is amazing and the service is friendly enough. Being Asian, we've seen all types of service in Asian restaurants, warm, rude, silent, happy, loud and it's all normal. Anyways, we try new dishes along with the standards and are never disappointed. They changed my mind about eggplant, now it's one of my favorite dishes there. Even fried rice, which I usually stay away from is tasty here too. We recommend to anyone asking for Thai. read more

One of standard go-to neighborhood eateries. Food is consistently good. Even better when you do sit down version rather than take-out

This is the best panang curry ever! The people are so sweet and everything is delicious. Highly recommend, it is my choice every time I get Thai food. read more

Togo drink Thai iced tea is very small for the price you pay, but overall fresh and good food.

I ended up here on for New Year's Day dinner quite unexpectedly. My friend and I kept it simple, we ordered Panang Chicken ($9.50) and the Emerald (chili, steamed broccoli, spinach, chicken with peanut sauce $9.50) The staff were kind and helpful. The decor was fun. The restrooms were clean. The portions were just right. read more

We've been coming to Chaba Thai for about 5 years. It used to be great. The go-to place for noodles or other rice dishes. In the last 6 months or so, probably from Jan 2018, the food taste is really weak. TO THE OWNERS: please bring back your old chef, your old recipes. You know the food lacks taste just by looking at it. There's no color anymore to the food. And...no taste. We probably will give Chaba Thai Sandy a try 1-2 more times and if things don't improve, never come back. Sadly. read more

I have been eating at this restaurant for a couple years now. It was always a favorite because it is close, fast, cheap, and good. The inside of the restaurant can be a little crowded, but the food was always worth the wait. The remodeled a bit and repainted recently which really added some new life to the restaurant. The stir fries were always very flavorful and fresh. The staff is very attentive and the cooks fast at getting food out. Fast forward to now and I'm not so enamored with Cha Ba Thai. The last few times I have eaten there the food has been some what bland and the vegetables looked old. I'm hoping that this isn't a sign of what's to come in the future as I really would like to love this place again. read more

I came here with a big group for a birthday. They were quick to pull tables away when some people of the party showed up late. The ladies then stood there and stared at us eat and wanted us to hurry out. She was very rude when serving and then rushed us to put everything in a box and pay. Food was good nonetheless, probably would come here again but maybe just for takeout. read more

No one ever lost money comparing food to sex. All that "orgasm in my mouth" shlock, that whole saying that likens pizza to mediocre boom time, you get the idea. But I always thought that the analogy was missing kind of a big point. You can go for a long time without sex. It's not fun and I don't endorse such an experiment, but it's possible. However, you can't go for too long without food. And I'd even venture a statement so bold that I can't really operate for a few days before I start to twitch for Thai food. In fact, if I'm starving and you look like you have it coming, I'd probably stab you in the throat for some kee mao. And I'm fully aware that I come off as disgustingly privileged, totally out of touch with the concerns of the majority of the world's population, when I say that I can't go too long without Thai cuisine. But in my defense, I don't have a lot of luxuries at my disposal, so Thai food can be a true indulgence, especially towards the end of the month when my checking account starts to appear anemic. In spite of that, I always feel like I'm eating Thai food fit for the King of Siam and all his wives when I eat at Cha Ba Thai. Both the red and yellow curries have that pearly, creamy consistency and soft flavor that acts as a gastorial massage. If your private parts are on a voluntary or involuntary inactive status, the kee mao could help you fill in the void, but not directly because that could get itchy and sticky. And since most of the entrees are less than $10, treating yourself to a stately dinner won't royally break the bank. See, I'd never make you choose between sex or Thai food. In fact, you bring your special someone here, you could probably have both in one night. read more

We used to go here all the time as we live in the neighborhood, but we have drifted to other Thai places because the quality of the food from this Chaba location has been on the down slide. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is ok, and sometimes it is not good at all. So we stopped going. However I heard the old chef moved to the Alberta location, and having recently sampled this location, I would strongly recommend visiting Alberta rather than this location, as the food at the Alberta location is everything this location used to be. Alberta location gets 5 stars, see me review for details. read more

Authentic thai curry with flavors that are perfectly balanced. Spiciness was on point and the ingredients are what I would expect from authentic SE Asian cuisine. I ordered the Lunch Special 4 shrimp curry and was pleasantly surprised by how good the curry was compared to other thai places I've been to. Generous servings of veggies along with the pan-fried shrimp doused in coconut milk infused curry was served with jasmine rice. Curry can be difficult to get exactly right, but I found this curry to be PERFECT in terms of how it should taste. Not overly salted, nor too oily, nor bitter - instead, all of the flavors are delicately balanced for a lightly coconutty, delicious blend. I will be sure to stop by again for authentic thai curry the next time I'm in Portland! read more

The first time my husband and I went to Cha Ba Thai, we made sure to ask if what we were ordering was vegan friendly. We have gone there multiple times under the assumption that what we typically order was vegan (yellow curry and pad Thai). For the first few times we ate there, we always confirmed before we ordered. Every time it was a yes. Being the paranoid vegan that I am, we called the restaurant one day before heading there to triple check, and they said they use fish sauce in their pad Thai. Very sad. Very enraged. I will not be returning. Might I suggest that fellow vegans go to Pad Thai Kitchen. read more

Great food, the veggies cooked perfect, all dishes seasoned well, the crispy duck & ginger is to die for. Some of the best salad rolls I've had. We'll be back read more

You know that pie eating contest scene in "Stand by Me"? The one where everyone is chanting "Lard Ass, Lard Ass, Lard Ass" at the fat kid? Yeah, Chaba Thai has seriously put me at risk of getting Larb Ass. Ground chicken Larb Ass, to be specific. I could stick my face in their larb with my hands tied behind my back. read more