There are so many Thai restaurants in Portland that it's hard to tell which ones are legit, but this tiny Thai diner is the real deal! I'm always leery of Thai restaurants that are overly sleek and modern, since such places tend to cater to western palates, so I was glad to see the dated atmosphere with old pictures on the wall. Their kitchen is behind a diner-style bar, and is basically a 2-pot wok and saucier system run by one older guy in a hair-net, and the 'front of house' is a very pleasant lady who seems to know all her customers by name, along with their regular orders.  This place has so many takeout regulars that it has a distinct neighborhood feel.  Even though it was small, and busy for a Tuesday night, we still got our food quickly. Normally the Thai food I get around town is very mild and bland. I forgot to mention that I wanted it spicy, but I was pleasantly surprised when the food was moderately spiced (though I still had to add a few chilies), and neither the red curry or pad kee mao were 'missing flavors', as I'd come to expect. The food was in fairly large portions, and two dishes yielded much welcome leftovers for my husband and I. They're closing for renovations soon, but we will definitely come back after, and I hope they don't change too much! read more

All I need to say is that it's the BEST thai food east of i205. We live in SE and east of i2056 doesn't have many good places to eat - they all suck actually, but this place is a gem. Noodles are good and great curry. Beware, it's not as good as like Esan and Peacock thai but relative to the area it's in, it's GREAT read more

The lady that owns this place is amazing. Very nice and welcoming every time I go in. There food is not only the best Thai food on that side of Portland there pricing is amazing. I say anyone who loves Thai food needs to eat here at least one time. read more

I adore Thai food and as we just moved to the SE Portland area, wanted to try this place as it's not too far from our house. I ordered Chicken Pad Thai and their pumpkin curry special. Wow. Amazing. Real depth of flavor and spice (medium) was perfect. If you like things pretty hot, their medium is on the milder side, so you might ask for a bit more zing. Prices really reasonable. There will definitely be a next time, because I can't wait to try other stuff! Don't let the outside fool ya - the inside stuff has the goods! read more

Came here last night (valentine's) got pad se ew, yummy as usual they were busy it's good to call in your order, awesome flavors everyone I recommend this place to loves it. Yummy best thai food I've had read more

I judge thai places on how well they can pull of the subtle caramelization/smokey char with their noodle dishes. This chef nails it every time. read more

This is the cutest little place, with awesome food, and the people are incredibly friendly. Pad thai is always what we get first at a place we've never been before and it was great. I'd recommend this place for anyone but go slow cause you WILL miss it read more

I have never been disappointed by anything I have eaten here. This place is awesome. I suggest calling ahead if you are in a hurry. They get pretty busy, but it is worth the wait. read more

I was trying to find an Asian place to eat on Yelp and came across Chai Thai. Decided to give it a try based on its ratings. It's an easy place to miss and definitely a hole in the wall, but the food is definitely up to par with my favorite Thai places I've tried. Small place, kinda dingy, but GREAT flavor in their foods. We ordered the spicy basil fried rice and pad see ew with beef. The noodles were cooked to perfection. I would definitely come back to try out some other dishes. read more

See all

Great little hole in the wall restaurant, family owned, love the service. Basil fried rice is always my go to, but many delicious items on the menu that I've also tried. read more

Tried them for the first time since moving to the neighborhood. Extensive menu is on the their website. Phone ordering was pleasant and easy. Picked up to go in just 15 minutes and all was ready, nicely packed in a box and completely safe (no dripping) to put on the car seat for the trip home. Friendly people. Great pandemic practices. And the food was terrific. It'll be our regular Thai place from now on. read more

I travel in my van all around the country and Hands down amazing food, and very fast service! Everyone here is friendly good vibes!! read more

It's the typical hole in the wall gem!!! The food here is amazing, especially considering the location. Never somewhere id stop to try out. If it wasn't for yelp, I may have never stopped. I've tried other Eastside Thai Places and this by far the best. The mango lover and seafood specials are my favorite!!! Always great for takeout since seating is very limited, but I am surprised how many parties can sit in at once. Only complaint is the lemon grass is a little hard in some of the dishes, otherwise excellent food!!! read more

Awesome customer service and great food. First time I've been and the vibe was lively. Small hole in the wall place, so the food was just what I expected. read more

Very disappointed over the years the changes made. This was the top Thai in Portland with the mystery diner. I've always liked the home family feel, but they are getting more skimpy. The meats are few when ordering like the curry. You get 5 shrimp for the $14.95 charge. Not sure why as all the other ingredients are not that expensive which makes each shrimp $3.00. Seems a bit much for overcooked shrimp. Very sad as I've been eating there for almost 15 years. Just seems they could give a few more and a tad less rubbery cooked. Also Pad see ew is not as good either. Sticky and starchy when it use to be just delicious. Please go back to your old ways and give a little. read more

Fresh, crisp vegetables combine with delicious Thai flavors. Amazing food every time. read more

Chai Thai - Eggplant Lovers with chicken - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

this is such a small place and made me believe in the saying "sometimes, the best food comes from the most humble place" Came here with friends and tried Pad Thai, Pad Kee Mao, both of them were excellent, not too dry not too wet and juicy the server was really friendly and helpful highly recommend !! read more

Wow...this is one busy Thai place!! Tiny little place... And people are CONSTANTLY in and out of there ordering take out (since the place probably can only seat...30 people max?) The phone is also ringing off the hook with people trying to call in orders. After tasting all of our food....we knew why...delicious!! And spicy for sure! We had the Tom Yum soup with seafood to start off with. Perfect for a cold day out...very flavorful...and they shrimp, squid, scallops, mushrooms...all perfect! For main courses, we had the "evil jungle" noodles which use their "special curry sauce", as well as the roast duck curry. Again, both were delicious and unlike many other Thai dishes I've had before. In addition, the lady behind is counter is super friendly, and somehow keeps engaged with all of her customers This place is definitely worth the cross over the river to! :) read more

The place is small and quaint. The service is quick and efficient. The food was excellent and full of flavor. I love the different distinctive flavors each dish brought without crossing over like most Thai places I've been to. The evil jungle was creamy and full of coconut flavor. The pineapple curry was also creamy and not only the smell of pineapple but every bite was sweet pineapple. The pad kee mao was robust and different than the other two dishes but very good nevertheless. The portions & prices are ok. But i did come during lunch time. This is my new go-to for Thai food. read more

See all

Let me tell you what! This place might be a small hole in the wall, but oh my word its delicious!!!! The Pumpkin curry is amazing. Even though the seating is limited, Its a must go to! I can only describe the food just short of utopian! I recommend it! read more

Excellent food! I always order the pad kee mao and the pad thai as these are my favorites. That being said, I have also had the thai green curry which was also very good. Customer service is good in person, they can be a bit short on the phone, but to me the food makes up for it. read more

I LOVE the food . I'm giving 4 stars because it's randomly closed often. The hours are mot always right and I think they just close whenever they feel like it :( read more

Truly terrible Thai food Sickly sweet, boring, stingy on the meat, and dreadfully overpriced read more

Great food, served quickly, hot, delicious, and with all staff friendly. Big menu, many selections to try. We've been to many Thai restaurants and this one gets 5 stars and two thumbs up. read more

Small little hole in the wall place. Ive had the Pad Thai and the veggie stir frie- they both were very amazing. Not a lot of seating and not a good place to go if youre in a hurry or have a large group. But its worth it to me. Those are the only things Ive tried, plus the Thai Tea (which is delicious) and I go back here regularly. Has better tasting Pad Thai than many other places i have tried read more

Mmm. I just love this hole-in-the-wall. I'm sick. It sucks. What is worst is that I have no sick time left at work..soo off to Chai Thai for lunch. The Tom Yup soup is better here than other places I have gone to. Extra mushrooms and onion? Yes!!! I had it with tofu and it was amazing...good by congestion! read more

Best EVER. The food is fresh, the Jungle is such a great choice. Tofu pra ram(peanut sauce) is the only way to have pra ram. Chicken version is good, but tofu/veggie just absorbs and blends with the peanut sauce. So delicious. read more

Favorite pad Thai place. My wife and I have tried many different Thai places, but this is our favorite.

The lady was super friendly while taking my order over the phone. When my husband came home with our order he said he tipped extra cause the lady was sooo nice. We enjoyed our food. Really good noodles!! read more

Thanks for the reviews guys! I love Pad Thai - and was very happy! Hot, quick and tasty. Can't wait to go back and try something new!

Yum! Wow the food here was the best! I'm not the hugest fan of Thai, mostly because it's always too strong or too weak for me. This place was the perfect balance! It was sooooo good and soooo worth it. Don't be fooled by the exterior or even the interior! This place is great! read more

Pretty legitimate Thai food. I travel all over the US looking for Thai food that tastes as good as in Thailand, and this place is close. The Pad Thai and Pad See Ew are both excellent and the red curry is good too. Plus, the prices are pretty reasonable for Thai food. If I am ever back in the Portland area, I will certainly be getting some Thai again here! read more

A decent thai place. Not a lot of seating, but it works. And good for takeout. Reasonable prices.

We all have good days and we all have bad days. I think I went to Chai on an off day. I ordered a Thai Iced Coffee and it was made perfectly. I ordered the Pad Se Ew Chicken for my daughter and she started eating it, then she bought a bite in her mouth and soon after she put the bite back on the plate and would eat no more (she is almost 2). Why? I tasted it and it tasted burnt. Unfortunately I was eating the Green Curry, which was a bit too spicy for her. How was the green curry? Excellent! However, the rice that came with it was a little bit crispy, as though it was from the bottom of the rice steamer. Though my Thai Iced Coffee was perfect. I might try this place once more, though Heavenly Thai is closer to my house and they have yet to disappoint. read more

So I had to give Chai Thai five stars. Its been about a year since I have eaten there and the anticipation was intense. I could barely sit still in my seat, I wanted it so bad. I always order the same thing, red curry, its to die for. So fresh, so flavorful, so perfect! My fiance had the tom Kha soup (coconut soup). I was very impressed with the flavor of the soup. I kept staring at his big, steaming bowl and wishing it was mine. As you are driving through the sketchiest part of Gresham, in search for Chai Thai, do not be discouraged. It is worth the ugly drive and bad area. I would say its the only place in Gresham worth driving to. read more

Most amazing Thai food I have ever had. And joy is awesome. If you are new to the place you will kinda get thrown off by joy at first. But she treats you like family from the first day you come in. And he ssometimes that means hearing her say stop stealing your wife's food I brought you your own plate. read more

Best Thai place in Portland, IMO. Little hole in the wall, but I'll keep coming back as long as their doors are open .

Came here wit a group of 8, which is QUITE a lot for this place to accomodate, but all of us were glad we did. This restaurant is super affordable, perfect for us college kids. Since we came in such a large group we had to sit separetly. The tables here would do best with a group of 3-4, anymore than that is pushing it and risk being split up. The atmosphere is non-existent. It feels like you're in a house that has been converted into a restaurant (which I think was the case). The seating area is adjacent to the kitchen and you can hear every pop and sizzle the oil makes. This isn't a place to take a special someone if you're trying to impress someone. Instead this place is more of the establishment I would go if I wanted DELICIOUS and CHEAP thai food. Our food tasted great and no one had complaints. The best part though, is the price. Super, super affordable. Those who live in Portland are lucky to have a place like this! read more

Fun little place. Great customer service and food was delicious. We will be back, so glad we found this little gem!

Ambiance from the outside (like many Portland area restaurants) is unassuming, and it has very limited seating inside. The food is amazing! My husband, a Pad See -Euw lover, says this is the best he's ever had. Their fried rice with shrimp was really flavorful, and there was a generous amount of shrimp. But most importantly in a Thai place, their heat level is spot on--medium spicy is actually medium. The server/cashier is cheery and very solicitous despite being constantly taking phone orders as well as taking care of all the takeout orders (a large percentage of their business). Love this place! read more