A small dining experience. Authentic food. All the flavor your looking for in this style of cuisine. I will look forward in trying more from there menu. read more

Char's Thai - Even though Tucson is over 100° out this soup is Wonderful. Fllavor of lemongrass refreshing. - Thai Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Pretty tasty and quick spot for lunch. The lunch special menu is pretty good, it's actually probably too much food. For $6.95 you get your entree, fried rice, fried wonton, an eggroll and the soup of the day. The soup of the day when I went was totally delicous, but I have no clue what it was. To eat I had the lunch special #4 which is simply called Thai Curry. I got it vegetarian and it was a red curry. Delicous, the menu calls it medium but it really wasn't too spicey. They do bring this little basket of spices for you to add though. The service was pretty quick, we were in and out in about 30 minutes which for lunch I really appreciate. read more

Glad I discovered this place!! Always love finding a good Thai restaurant. The interior is decorated nicely, and I thoroughly enjoyed the hot male actor/man of the year collage on the table we sat at. We ordered to go, so while we waited we split a Singha in two very frosty mugs. We ordered pad thai (always looking for a good one), yellow chicken coconut curry, and tom kha gai soup. All of it absolutely excellent, and probably the best pad thai I've ever had (the noodles actually had flavor!). The curry was creamy and delicious, though a bit thin, but nothing the rice couldn't sop up. The soup was generous for two people and great as well. The portions are a bit small besides the soup, but I still had leftovers. Will definitely be returning! read more

Love this place! Family run, been here forever. Very authentic and cozy place. I ordered the traditional steamed mussels in Thai herb soup that was so so good, I ordered 2! Within half an hour, non stop locals filled the room. I knew it must be a favorite. The owner and her staffs are so kind and gentle. Would be back in a heartbeat. read more

Char's Thai - Steamed mussels in Thai herb soup - Thai Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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The Best Thai Food in Tucson - consistently over ten years. They have never let me down. Be adventurous. If you want eggrolls and fried rice, you may be happier elsewhere. If you want to savor flavor and spice and wake up your tastebuds.... Try the Larb or Yumn Neau or the Naem Sohd for an appetizer. Entrees: Squid with ginger and green pepper, Thai Roast Duck or even the Pad Thai with extra heat. Cycling 70 miles tomorrow? Savor the beef noodle soup and fish cakes. Incredible food that won't obliterate your spending plan. Enjoy! read more

Very bad service. My husband and I came to get 2 lunch specials. 1 Chicken Panang Curry and 1 Red curry. They both come with soup of the day which was overwhelmingly sweet and unbearable to finish. My husband doesn't eat bamboo shoots so we asked if it can go into my curry. After back and forth communication with the waitress and kitchen, they can't put the bamboo shoots in my curry because they can't change the "ingredients." So than we asked if it can be on the side which can't be done either. So eventually we got no bamboo shoots. Which doesn't make sense. Probably won't be coming back again, we prefer 4 Seasons. read more

I'm gonna call Char's my Thai base line...meaning this is about the bare minimum I am willing to accept as far as the quality is concerned for my Thai Food. I'd been once before for lunch, and I remember 3 of us each ordering a different curry...all of us ordering them spicy, and none of them having any spice whatsoever. The lunch combo plate was large and seemed like a decent deal. Coming down from a powerful Thai High produced in the depths of Vail at Sa-Ing about a week ago, I was in need of a fix. Char's is the closest Thai restaurant to my house, and I decided I would try them again...this time for dinner take-out. I ordered Kang Karee and Pad Thai, both chicken, and picked it up without incident a short while later. The Kang Karee had good flavor, and was actually spicy this time, but the consistency was way off. This was more of a Kang Karee soup than a curry. The texture was watery and there was oil floating on top. The flavor was great, but being so watery, the curry just washed off of the chicken and potatoes when you tried to eat them. This needs to be fixed to be called a proper curry. The pad thai looked fantastic, but seriously lacked flavor. Pad thai tends to either be more sweet or more savory, and I suppose this errs to the latter, but was so bland it didnt really warrant putting much thought into what the flavor actually was. This time, not enough sauce...the noodles were dry, and the raw bean sprouts which should add an earthy crunchy quality to good Pad Thai just made this one taste like someone put dirt in the recipe. Earthy, I suppose, but not in the right way. I guess I need to either bite the bullet and head down to Vail every time I want some Thai or hit up Karuna's more often or something...but I think its going to be a while before I give Char's another go around. read more

Okay so you know how "the grass is always greener?" Well here was a case of "the service is always better." After watching the table next to us order drinks, receive their drinks, and order their food, we remained completely serverless. Finally, an elderly woman with a long gray braid came up to us and gruffly asked "Want a bigger table?" and gestured toward a booth. We felt like we'd been saved; perhaps we would be delivered to 'greener' pastures. The old chick clearly meant business. She immediately took our drink and food orders. When we asked about the Fried Wontons appetizer, she firmly responded "Boring" and suggested some chicken skewers. Big ups for the honesty, but we were both ordering chicken dishes so we decided to forgoe appetizers altogether. Huge mistake, given the amount of time we had to wait for our entrees. While that other table from before enjoyed tasty-looking eggrolls, we sat..and sat...and sat...until the ice had nearly dissolved into our soft drinks. When the food finally arrived, it was good but nothing spectacular. The portions were about average, and my dish (#5 on the menu) with the little "spicy" designation on the menu had absolutely no fire whatsoever. There was a little condiment holder thing which was apparently given by request only, and the chili garlic sauce helped spice things up, but I was still somewhat disappointed with the dish. The pad thai was fine. All in all, this was an average meal not worth waiting all night for. read more

I may have found my favorite Thai place in Tucson. This is the third Thai restaurant that I've visited since moving a few weeks ago, and the third time was a charm! I love that they have an entire veg section of the menu - and those aren't the only veg selections! I wanted tofu with a basil sauce, and they were able to do a dish from another section of the menu, vegan style. Plus, they have brown rice and terrific service. Finally, the prices are very reasonable. In fact, I was stunned that the bill for dinner for two was about $20. That's a steal! The only thing that could be improved is the decor...the lighting was a little harsh, and the interior is a bit dated. But that's minor. I will definitely be going back - again, and again! read more

Chars was recommended to my husband by his co-worker so we decided to try it since we weren't happy with our current go-to Thai restaurant. The decorations are ok, and they have newspaper cutouts on the table tops(we sat on the Princess Diana table). The first time we went the food was great and so was the service. The second time we went was for lunch which is from 11-3. We arrived at around 2:55 as we were walking in, two men were walking out and they said," hurry, I think they are about to close but its really good!" So we hurried in, and even tough they were indeed about to close and sit down to eat, they welcomed us in and sat us down. We ordered Thai tea which I fell in love with here(I wasn't a fan before) we also ordered a seafood combination soup, the payang curry, shrimp pad thai, and cashew nut chicken. Everything was delicious, especially the curry. I wasn't impressed with the cashew nut chicken, I like the sauce spicy(I will order it spicy next time). The lunch specials come with rice, egg roll, fried wanton, and soup of the day. The soup of the day was very good, the broth was full of flavor. The seafood combination was really good too, but expect a lot of mushrooms. The service was great the food was prepared quickly(we were the only ones there) and even though they sat down to eat, they didnt forget about us. read more

Char's Thai - Thai Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Someone recommended we try Char's Thai and I'm glad we did. The food was great and we had plenty bring home to. They were about to close but still served us and the staff was very Freindly. I'm sure we'll be back again soon! read more

Good food. They err on the bland side so if you like it hot be sure to order it appropriately Good portions and I like the option to have brown rice. Friendly staff, but service can be a bit slow. Good lunch hangout though read more

The choices for Thai food in Tucson are at best mediocre. Char's tops the list in quality Thai restaurant overall, but I've always left wanting a bit more out of my experience compared with really good Thai places in other cities. At Char's, I've tried a number of their dishes, though I generally fall back on my favorites: pad-se-ew, red curry, or panang curry. I've sampled the appetizers and enjoy the lemongrass soup. The food is generally prepared well, and service is fast, although at times inattentive (I'm fine with this; I sometimes enjoy eating my food without being bothered). I can't say one bad thing about Char's, but I'm definitely falling short of calling it wonderful, exciting, unique or special. It's pretty standard Thai food, without American gimmicks. *I'd call my rating 3.5 stars. I want to give it the 4th, but I feel that it's not really trying to earn that 4th star. read more

Gave them another chance. Shouldn't have. Char's Thai seems to live at the crossroads of terrible service and mediocre food. Their vegetarian soup had a genuinely nice combination of flavors represented in the broth--lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, maybe a hint of galangal?--but, oh mercy, it was salty. Its lack of protein and starch wouldn't have been a problem if it had actually contained vegetables, but there were tragically few. The waitress was bewildered by our request for a side of rice and told us that she would have to check if it was "okay" to bring us just rice. Thankfully, it was okay. We tried an order of fried wontons to fill out the spare meal, but they weren't cooked through and their mysterious filling was entirely devoid of flavor. Don't go. read more

The staff are amazing and super friendly! Their pad Thai was sweet and very well made. The egg rolls and tempura vegetables were so fresh and tasty!! We will def be going again! They have a lunch menu with smaller portions or u can get dinner size to take home and enjoy twice!!! read more

First time at this restaurant. Each person in our group of four ordered something different, and everyone liked their food. My husband and I ordered Larb Neau and Gai Satay for appetizers, and two curries, Massaman Curry and Kang Karee with chicken. We enjoyed the flavors of both but my only complaint is that both were mostly broth and not much chicken. read more

First, I have to say I have been going to this place since being introduced to it by a co-worker 12 to 14 years ago. They have good, fast, tasty and healthy lunch specials and in the five to six dollar range what a value!!! The dinner menu is great too with the staff always tailoring how hot you would like your dish and many choices to offer. I love appetizers and their sampler plate is what I would recomend! They have many main dishes to choose from and non that are boring. The deserts are scrumptious as well. I suggest the Mango and sticky rice or the cherry topped coconut ice cream. Finally a must try is their thai Ice tea with cream/ coconut milk, don't leave without giving this a shot. The atmosphere is not five star, the place is a little dated and the lighting at night is very poor, but with the meals being so economical this can be overlooked. I would also have to comment on their quirky murals! one is of monument valley Az with some kind of dragon or Buddha looking monster.....not sure but it always makes me laugh!!! If I could only take this restuarant and put it into a foothills location with a nice design they could get $20 range for their meals!!!!!!!!! read more

Had been trying to get together with a friend for lunch. Our schedules finally aligned and, luckily, Char's happened to be a good midpoint place to meet. We started with an appetizer of Larb Neau - ground beef with lime, mint and spices, served with some lettuce leaves for wrapping up and stuffing in your mouth. The ground beef had a strange texture, but the mint, lime and lettuce made it kind of refreshing. I had the Hot And Spicy Combination - green beans, bamboo shoots, and coconut milk sauteed with chicken, shrimp, and pork in hot and spicy sauce. The server asked me how spicy I wanted it. I said, "spicy but please try not to kill me." To which her response was, "OK, so you don't want it Thai spicy". No offense to Thai people, but you guys are either crazy or you get conditioned to it by getting spicy coconut milk in your baby bottle. How else can you eat stuff that hot? Anyway, the spice level was just enough to keep me going back for another bite. The creaminess of the coconut milk sauce helped tame it down. The veggies were nice and crunchy and the proteins were cooked just right. When it was set down in front of me I didn't think I could eat it all... but I did. It was sublime. My friend had the Panang Neau - sauteed beef with red chili, fresh basil, peanut sauce, coconut milk, bell pepper, and hot spicy gravy sauce. He asked for Thai spicy. He ain't afraid of no spice. He said the same thing - the spiciness and flavor kept him going back for another bite... and another. They served a very large dish of white rice on the side for sharing. Because of this, I suggest sharing a dish if you don't have a large appetite. I went light on the rice because I loved the flavor of the food so much. Our server (must have been one of the proprietors) was VERY friendly. I have had minimal experience with Thai food, but after this, I intend to start having it a lot more and Char's Thai will definitely see me again. read more

I used to eat Thai twice a week in TN so tonight I decided to search for some awesomeness. I ordered to-go, but waited until I got there to order. The ladies up front were very sweet and accommodating. They greeted every person that walked through the door so I would like to assume that they provide excellent service to every guest they have. I have a normal order with curry...pangang with shrimp and I add pineapple and cashews. It's just the perfect balance for me. After I ordered I decided to try their sweet sticky rice with mango while I was waiting, but my food came out so quickly I actually ended up getting it to-go as well. The curry was great. Sauce was quite a bit thicker than what I'm used to, but still fantastic. The sticky rice with mango was phenomenal. The mango had obviously been sliced fresh. I may try a few more Thai places around town to find the consistency that I'm looking for, but I would come back and maybe try something new next time :) read more

Yummy.. First time here and it was great. The food was tasty and are waitress was great. Will be coming back.. read more

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Pad Thai was a soggy, tasteless mess. No veggies, no bean sprouts, no peanuts. Just lukewarm, greasy, over cooked noodles with nasty over cooked tofu & rubbery metallic tasting shrimp. Service was verrrry slow - only one cook and one server on a Sunday night. Everyone around us who came in and ordered AFTER us got their food long before we did. It was NOT worth the wait. read more

I'm so glad I had friends to introduce me to Char Thai. It's not the showiest from the outside but it's a great offering in Tucson. Our service was excellent and both accommodating and helpful to those of us with dietary restrictions. (Gluten was an issue for a couple of us, and I don't eat meat.) The staff was great in recommending dishes and checking for ingredients. I had curry, and it was very yummy. A nice variety of veggies and tofu pieces in flavorful curry gravy that soaked into the fluffy rice. I asked for it to be made hot, and they confirmed "Thai spicy" level, but I wasn't impressed with how it came out. I guess that was obvious - a little caddy of spice was brought out and our waitress suggested to use only the dry chili powder so that it wouldn't affect the taste of the curry, just add heat. The Thai iced tea was a nice balance of sweet creamy condensed milk and the tea - it wasn't as orange/floral as I'm used to but there was a nice hint of spice in the brew. While I didn't eat them, both the beef and broccoli (#19? Maybe #47?) and a seafood curry ordered for our table smelled divine and added to the supremely colorful banquet of food. I'll be trying their noodles when I come back. read more

This is the best Thai food in town! The food is excellent, and the service is quick and helpful. Prices are totally reasonable, and not overpriced. This is a great lunch or dinner spot, perfect for Thai food lovers, or 1st timers! read more

This is my Thai go to in Tucson. Food is very tasteful and authentic! My bf and I never forget to get our Thai tea when we are here! Everything is great from curry to pad Thai to pad zee eww! The Tom yum soup is especially delicious! Most dishes you can customize how spicy or mild you want it! Don't be alarmed by the interesting decor and table placement. It's their weird theme! Cute little quiet interesting place to experience for dinner night! read more

I've been here a number of times, and it just keeps getting worse. Compared to other Thai restaurants I've been to around the country and in Southeast Asia, Char's is a far cry from a true Thai dining experience. All of the usual suspects are on the menu, but fall short of my expectations. Typically, I find their veggies to be overcooked / limp, and the curries to be very thin and lacking in depth and richness. The same can be said for their soups and rice dishes - lacking flavor and not cooked well. Furthermore, when it comes to service, I've found the wait staff to be incredibly short and cold in dealing with myself and other guests (always rushing around, never taking the time to talk to you more than taking your order and scurrying off). I've been here with family friends before, who's Shrimp dish was obviously not fresh (as we all confirmed by trying a bit at our table before notifying the management) and they REFUSED to correct it in any way, charging us full price for the dish! Absurd. Quality Thai food is pretty hard to come by in Tucson, so Char's is passable for most, but I just can't stomach it... read more

There are some good Thai places in Tucson, but this is probably the best of them. The food is really good, and they serve good portions. In addition, there is a good selection, where there are good options for vegetarian meals and seafood. They can prepare meals quite spicy, which is what I like. Importantly, the customer service is really good, and they do take care of people. I definitely recommend this place! read more

I got take out for the family a couple of weeks ago. I would probably have gone with three stars and given this place another shot but based on the customer service while picking up my order I'll probably just try another place. I simply asked the lady if they had paper plates. A simple no would have sufficed but she seemed to be irritated by the question and told me to rip the kids off the styrofoam containers. Ok... I'm familiar with this technique but not sure why the message needed to be delivered with the attitude. It would have been kind of funny if I wasn't handing over $60. The portions were on the small side except for the rice which was very generous. The flavor of the food was ok. It's too bad as they are right around the corner from my house and would have been super convenient. I'll venture a little further next time and see what else is available. read more

Char's Thai - Thai Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Very good food and service. I ordered pho noodle soup with fried tofu. The temperature was perfect and the tofu exactly what I was looking for in this dish. The service was amazing. Very friendly and extremely quick. No complaints and would highly recommend if you are looking for a great Thai restaurant! read more

It pains me to write this because I have been eating here for over 20 years. I came to Tucson from San Francisco Bay Area where the Thai is phenomenal. I settled on Char's after Thai Thani closed (anyone remember?!) I ate the lunch buffet at least 3 times a week when I was pregnant with my 1st son 18 years ago because Kang Garee was the only food that didn't make me sick. Unfortunately, we have noticed a decline in the quality of the food over the last year or so. The second to last time we went, the Tom Yum Gai smelled like gym socks. This last time we ate there, we all got sick. I'm still giving it 2 stars out of sentimental value. We miss Toy. read more

I was yearning for Pad Thai so I Googled, "Best Pad Thai in Tucson", and found Char's Thai.............I've had Pad Thai all over the world, and in Tucson but this dish is truly as good as it gets outside of Bangkok.......and it's at a value price! Loved that I could rely on Yelp! read more

I used to eat here when I first came to Tucson in the mid 1980's. I got out of that habit and hadn't eaten there for some time. Yesterday, my Husband and I stopped by for a bite to eat. We ordered the Pad Thai and the Ka Ree off the Vegetarian Menu. They were both delicious ! The Pad Thai had great texture and was very flavorful. It was spiced well without having much heat, and even though I was craving a spicy-hot dish I wasn't upset because there was so much flavor. The Ka Ree (Coconut Curry) was also not Spicy-Hot, but also had so much flavor that I nearly upended the bowl to drink the sauce. From the Greeter to the Waiter, to the Person who filled our waters, and the Person who brought us our bill, Everyone was polite/professional/kind/and Happy. The happy thing was what got me most. I don't think I see many content people working in restaurants here in Tucson. They weren't in a hurry to get us out of there and they weren't upset with us for not ordering appetizers and beverages. The place was bright without being glaring, had clean walls and a nice clean restroom. Other diners looked happy and ate with great zeal. It was a very nice experience. I will eat there again. Next time I will bring my kids, I am certain they will love the food too. read more

Char's is fun and has delicious food. The interior decorations are worth a visit, and the food is served hot, fresh, and family style (but, really, who has time to share when the food is delicious). This was my "first" Thai food experience and will always be one of my favorites. The karee yellow coconut curry and panang red peanut curry are delicious... I could seriously eat the curry liquid on rice and be happy forever. I've only had take-out a couple of times, but I did notice that you get significantly larger portions when dining in the restaurant. I always take home leftovers when we eat in at Char's. The wait staff is either really timid or hilariously social and very endearing. The shy ones won't say much but some of the ladies here have a happy-go-lucky motherly demeanor about them that makes the experience that much better. I have never had a poor visit to Char's, so my only complaint is that they aren't open for lunch when I'm on my way home from a Sunday morning movie at El Con. read more

A good friend brought me here for a midweek lunch a few months ago and I never would have known about this place on my own. Walking in we were greeted by a very friendly woman. The decor is beautifully done and the space is very clean. We ordered a few different dishes to try and all were very good. I was super impressed with the quality of the food, and our server was very friendly. I will definitely be returning in the future! read more

I enjoy going there for their lunch specials. Spicy chicken panang curry is my favorite!!

I now consider myself a Thai connoisseur. I've had Thai food all over the place and have to say that for Tucson this is as good as it gets. My first Thai experience was at Karuna's, however after we ate at Char Thai Karuna's pales in comparison. Large menu with good prices and ample parking (wait that's not an issue in Tucson). In a bit of an odd spot, not a really happening area. My favorite thing to do while waiting for my food is try to figure out what was going through the artist's mind when they painted the murals on the wall. Very cool, kinda funny. All in all an enjoyable experience. Oh! Only thing that I would want to warn you about - their Thai iced tea/coffees are sweeter than most places make them. So if you're not into teeth destroying, you might want to ask them to go easy on the sugar (if that's possible). read more

Wow, the menu is really huge here and everything we ordered was really delicious. We sat in the back corner and waited a while to be served, but once she knew we were back there we received very friendly, attentive, talkative service. The table was covered in magazine clippings of Thai women (along with the occasional Pierce Brosnan and Elizabeth Taylor clips), which we found entertaining in a weird sort of way. Definitely a place where you could easily become a regular. Oh yeah, no MSG :) read more

I'd love to love Char's, but I just can't do it. It's a solid place to eat, for Tucson, but never leaves me with that high feeling a good Thai meal imparts. Curries are reasonably well seasoned but lack good vegetables. I'd like to see more fresh chile when the meals are ordered hot. The dried pepper flakes don't excite the palate. I'm sure a better meal could be prepared at home with a trip to the Grant/Stone market. Staff has always been very friendly. I have felt pressured to leave immediately after finishing my meal on Friday and Saturday nights. But it's always been a friendly sort of pressure. The Char's restaurant in Phoenix was taken over by Thai-Rama with a significant improvement in quality. Maybe one day Tucson will be as fortunate. In another city, I'd be likely to go out for Thai twice a week. In Tucson, just a few times a year. I save my Thai dollars for visits to towns with better options. read more

I have had a lot of really excellent experiences here. It used to be the go-to place for eating out with my group of friends, and i can't wait to go back~ But I think between me and all my friends we've had virtually everything on their menu and I can't think of a single thing i didn't like! The yellow curry is my favorite, and they have cashew chicken dish served in a pineapple! I also love their Pad Thai. The seating is kind of kitschy with pictures of popular actresses and politicians under the table as well as a giant mural of the dessert with random thai palaces and elephants on it which makes it a very casual and laid back atmosphere. I also recommend any of the desserts, as well as the thai iced tea. :) read more

I just visited for the first time for lunch. The lunch special menu has a nice selection of entrees and a great price ($6.95 for soup, entree, egg roll, and fried won tons). Egg rolls and fried won tons don't sound particularly Thai to me, but they were good. The soup and entree were absolutely delicious. I also had the Thai iced tea. It was sweet, creamy, and the tea had a perfect hint of smokiness. Delicious. The service was fine. I was seated immediately upon arrival and waited just a few minutes for someone to take my order. My iced tea came in moments, followed by the soup. Just after finishing my soup the entree showed up. Perfect! I see Char's becoming a regular lunch destination for me and I will definitely be going back. read more

I will admit that my rating is limited but this is for their Vegetarian Pad Thai with Tofu - so good. I have been trying to recreate it at home and have failed many a time. Have gotten this dish 3 times and planning on many more! read more