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    Chao Thai

    3.9 (429 reviews)
    ModerateThai
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Chao Thai Takeout or Delivery

    Chao Thai Photos

    Business Info

    CHAO THAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Chao Thai

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    Reviews With Photos

    Menu
    Betty C.

    A small place with less than 20 seats. Since I'm not Thai, I don't know how authentic the flavors are. My group tried the TomYum soup and thought it was very sour (more than other places). I enjoyed the chicken satay and pork larb. We also had shrimp pad Thai and fried soft shell crab. I didn't try the crab but others said it was their favorite.

    Chicken Satay
    Judy C.

    Quick service and good food. Went for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon, so not crowded. Got a variety of items to try, all very tasty.

    Lemon A33. Pork Skin Salad
    Ben L.

    Absolutely loved it. I'm on a diet so even though their menu had a lot of things I wanted but I had to stick to a salad. Needless to say I got the lime pork salad and it was to die for. The meat was juicy and the sauce was absolutely amazing even though it was on the spicy side. Service was pretty quick and the lady behind the counter was extremely nice she was telling me about some places to visit on my upcoming trip to Thailand. I'm def coming back to try out more things.

    Patrick W.

    TLDR: Chao Thai is one of those places you go when you just want tasty Thai food. Nothing fancy, just straight tasty. Papaya Salad, get a larb for sure and definitely grab a drunken noodle a/k/a pad kee mao. FYI, this place can get spicy. Finally visited after being recommended by multiple folks. Chao Thai is on Whitney right off of Broadway across from all the Viet spots in Elmhurst. The place is small so def try to come on the earlier side. We got the papaya salad, the pork larb, a side of sticky rice, the pad kee mao with chicken and the fish fillet with basil sauce. The papaya was so crisp and perfectly tender. Super refreshing, the peanuts were especially good. The larb. At first this didn't seem spicy but when you get to the bottom with the juice - this wlll light you up. In a good way though. Get a side of sticky rice to help soak up the flavor and soften the heat. Pad Kee Mao with chicken. Probably one of the better versions I've had. Savory, spicy, a tad bit sweet but not too much. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. This was fully eaten almost as soon as it got to our table. Fish fillet with Basil Sauce. Not bad, it was fried well but a bit salty I thought. Probably my least favorite out of everything we had. We will definitely be back to Chao Thai when we want to hit up a spot for solid Thai. PS - cash only.

    JiHae L.

    This is a hole in the wall pace that you can just pass by if you skip this part of Elmhurst. They have indoor seating, but I don't recommend coming here with a large group as that wouldn't work. They have a wide variety of items here to please any palate. I decided on a medium spice level noodle soup with pork inside of it called Tom Yum. It does have a kick to it, so be careful. It was very flavorful. There is a bathroom downstairs, so if you need to use it, just know that it's accessible to the public. There's only 1 person manning the cash register, taking orders, cleaning and serving.

    Menu (11/2023)
    Andie E.

    I haven't been to Chao Thai in over 5 years! Why? Mostly because they're a tiny restaurant and do NOT take reservations. But on this Tuesday evening my party of 8 arrived super early at 5:30pm and scored a table, which took up half of their restaurant. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for large groups, unless you can get there very early. I'm so glad we revisited Chao Thai because the food is just fab. So flavorful! Service and hospitality is very welcoming and friendly. It is a one woman operation at the front of house, and she does an excellent job! Here is our menu (shared by 4 ppl): -- Crispy Morning Glory Salad w.Seafood ($16.95): Hands Down, my fave dish of the night. I could have eaten this whole dish and nothing else, and I would have been happy & satisfied! Get This!!! -- Curry Powder w.Beef  Stir-Fry ($15.95): I've never had this dish before and this was good! Very flavorful; with a good amount of beef. --  Raw Shrimp in Spicy Fish Sauce ($13.95): This is a typical Thai dish but somehow not typically found in NY Thai restaurants. The fish sauce was terrific, as well as the huge amounts of raw garlic included! -- Fish Filet w.Pla Basil Sauce ($19.95): Another very flavorful dish; my 2nd fave dish of the night. The Fish Filet is fried and delish. -- Massaman Curry w.Chicken ($13.95): Don't expect this to be like the Indian Massaman Curry (which I love). This dish is lighted in flavor; albeit still very good. Just not like the thick Massaman Indian Curries. -- Jasmine Rice: complimentary with each entree (not with salads). The bowl of rice is pretty large! If you want extra rice, it will be an additional $2.50/bowl. Looking forward to a return visit to try other menu items (along with the Morning Glory Salad!).

    Young Jackfruit salad
    Momoe K.

    The Young Jackfruit salad was so good. The taste was like an original northern Thai dish.

    N13. Pad Thai Woonsen
    Chah L.

    Likes - delicious foods - great service - simple decor - close to the train Dislike - soft shell crab chu chee a bit salty

    Victor C.

    A hole in the wall. If you like Fried Chicken this is the spot. The crunch the skin had was out of this world! The spring rolls are top tier. The rice has curry in it so let that be a warning if you don't like curry. The service is great. They do not receive card payments. Only cash or Zelle !

    Pork A13. Grilled Pork
    Gerardo A.

    I have seen this restaurant a lot of times while walking into the train station. So, I decided to give it a shoot and have dinner here with a friend. I share a few appetizers with my friend. Num Tok Beef a salad that has grilled beef with onion, chili, lime juice and roasted rice with a touch of medium spiciest, be careful they don't play around went they talked about spicy food, although my palate could handle the degree of spices, it was spicier than I was expected, the beef was very juicy the lime gives it a great taste I recommend getting this to share because the portion is just perfect to share. Grilled Pork another great appetizer to share with a party which is served with tamarind sauce, pork was cooked perfectly the sauce was a great way to dip the pork to give that extra taste. For my main disk, I had the Drunken Noodles chicken I notice there was not a lot of protein on my plate, but the noddle was not bad but like the salad was spicier than I was expected. But overall was not bad. The place is pretty small so is kind of difficult to get a table. Another bad thing about the restaurant is that is only cash so no debit or credit card accepted.

    Fish cakes
    Jenny N.

    A taste of Thailand in the heart of queens. My boyfriend and I were visiting our buddy in the neighborhood and our buddy recommended this place. What we ordered - minced meat with a side of sunny side up eggs ~ tasted like street food in Thailand. - Thai tea - good balance of sweet. - fish cakes - fried seafood salad ~ nice and crispy. - spicy jungle curry Service: friendly and attentive. My friend here's frequently and has never had a bad experience. - cash only

    N12. Pad Thai
    Faye Y.

    This is a hole in a wall place but serves authentic thai food. I am basic and I love shrimp pad thai. It was so good! We also got the papaya salad with salted egg yolk. Not sure what that is in thai but was good!

    Pad Suki with Tofu

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    3 years ago

    Food is not bad, but when I call for the information about carried rice, the phone service is very bad!!

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    Page 2 of 11

    Ask the Community - Chao Thai

    Is take out available?

    Yes, but food always tastes better when it fresh served

    Do they have nam prik kapi?

    Yes they do have nam prick kapi & pla too ()

    View All 5 Questions

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    Ayada Thai

    Ayada Thai

    4.1
    (1.5k reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    So, I've known about this place forever, but haven't been able to go…read more Finally make it during lunch and I loved it. Service: it's nice. They definitely didn't tell me that lunch specials were available before I ordered my soup. Other than that, everyone is pleasant. Space: they have two sides, so plenty of space, but nights and weekends can get pretty packed, so keep that in mind. Food: I ordered Tom Yum soup and a lunch drunken noodle with a Thai iced tea. I only had the soup there and took the entire lunch special to go. Just based off of the soup, I will be going back. It was delicious and PACKED to the MAX! Writing this now, I can still imagine. Drunken Noodles were also really tasty. I like mine spicy and it could have been made spicier, but that's not even a real complaint. Also- the one next to me had this dish which reminded me of pad see ew but in a gravy. Looked delicious!! I will be back for whatever she had. Overall: the entire block is like a little Thai street. There are lots of Thai food options and I finally made it to Ayada. Super happy with my meal and excited to go back with some people and enjoy.

    So happy I got to try this place out in Little Thailand at Elmhurst! We walked without any…read morereservations and was able to get a spot very quickly. The server was so nice and accomodating to us! - Tom Yum Soup - Such a great soup! The flavor was super rich which contrasted very well with the fresh mushrooms. - Crispy Duck Panang Curry - I love that this dish came with rice as I feel like at most Thai restaurants in the city you need to order it on the side. The duck was extremely crispy and the flavor of the breast went very well with the rich curry. - Raw Shrimp Salad - I've never had this dish before so I was very interested in its flavor and it delivered! The shrimp had such a wonderful sour but fresh flavor while the inside of the shrimp was slightly soft almost like an uni texture. The best word to describe it was umami! The raw bitter melon and the garlic was also interesting to contrast the fishy flavor of the shrimp although we didn't really finish these side pieces at the end. I wish they cleaned the shrimp a bit better as there were still some poop tracks in the shrimp. Overall, a wonderful restaurant and would be very happy to come back to try more of their items!

    Photos
    Ayada Thai
    F1. Fish w/ Sweet Chili **Market Price**
    F1. Fish w/ Sweet Chili **Market Price**
    N8. Tom Yum Noodle Soup

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    N8. Tom Yum Noodle Soup
    Zaab Zaab

    Zaab Zaab

    4.0
    (169 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Came on a Saturday at 5 pm right before the rush. Our server was super sweet and friendly and gave…read morea couple of recommendations. She also started us off with some complimentary popcorn. Surf & turf skewers: My least favorite dish of the night. I found most of the skewers a bit dry. Larb beef & tripe: the Larb was super flavorful and delicious. We got a side of sticky rice as well and it paired really nicely together. Crab fried rice: Generous amount of crab and nice wok hay. The rice also had a nice chew to it that I enjoyed. Salt encrusted tilapia: I wish there was a bigger vermicelli noodle portion on the side but I really liked the tilapia. It was perfectly cooked and fell off the bone and the sauce complemented it perfectly. Don't forget to remove the salt crust!

    I genuinely don't understand the hype around Zaab Zaab Elmhurst. We ordered the fried rice, drunken…read morenoodles, pad kra pao, and the ribeye steak. The steak was the only dish that showed any sign of life. Everything else tasted as if it had been rinsed with water before being served--completely stripped of seasoning, aroma, and any trace of authentic Thai flavor. It's astonishing that a restaurant with such a strong reputation could produce food that's less flavorful than the faux Thai takeout spots tucked inside Chinese restaurants off the Ohio Turnpike. That's not an exaggeration. What's even more baffling is the location. In the heart of Queens, surrounded by Thai restaurants serving bold, vibrant, unapologetically flavorful food, Zaab Zaab somehow manages to be a culinary desert. The fried rice was bland, the drunken noodles were lifeless, and the pad kra pao lacked the punch, basil, heat, and savoriness that define the dish. It honestly felt as though the menu had been engineered for diners who think black pepper is adventurous. Instead of authentic Thai flavors, everything seemed toned down to the point of being unrecognizable. For a restaurant with this reputation, the meal was a massive letdown. There are countless nearby Thai restaurants that deliver the bold, aromatic flavors Thailand is known for. Save your money and your appetite for one of them.

    Photos
    Indoor
    Indoor
    Prawn pad thai
    Prawn pad thai
    THAI ICE TEA

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    THAI ICE TEA
    Eim Khao Mun Kai Elmhurst

    Eim Khao Mun Kai Elmhurst

    4.2
    (573 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Found a heavy hitter in Elmhurst. ​Eim Khao Mun Kai is…read moredoing one thing, and they're doing it better than anyone else. If you're looking for a massive menu, keep walking. This spot is a 3-table operation focused entirely on perfecting Thai chicken rice--and they nailed it. ​The move here: ​The Chicken: Poached to absolute perfection. Tender, juicy, no fluff. ​The MVP: The chicken heart. It was so good I had to double down and order a second round. If you know, you know. ​The Rice: Fragrant ginger rice that actually has flavor, paired with a radish broth that hits the spot. ​The Sauce Science: They let you mix your own. I went with the soybean paste + ginger-scallion combo. It's addictive. Do not skip the ginger-scallion. ​Washed it all down with a solid Thai tea to balance the heat. It's a tiny shop with efficient service and zero ego. A total hidden gem. I'll be back. ​ 81-32 Broadway, Elmhurst ​#ElmhurstEats #QueensFood #KhaoMunKai

    Simple no frills "food stand" that sits within a restaurant front serving one dish and one dish…read moreonly: steamed chicken and fragrant scallion rice. I am always a fan of these hyper specialist places because I figure if you only sell one dish it must be really good. The chicken is tender yet light on flavor, so the included sauces (one soy based and one chili sauce) are a must. However the rice was delicious and fragrant, a complementary pairing to the chicken. They also included some chicken gizzards and liver if you are a fan of those, but for me I could do with or without. Overall a solid place and worth a repeat visit in my book.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Such a good snack
    Such a good snack
    Steamed Chicken for Set 1 $11

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    Steamed Chicken for Set 1 $11

    Chao Thai - thai - Updated July 2026

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