Love this place! Excellent food especially the fried chicken. Fun drinks and always helpful and attentive service. Highly recommend...one of our favorite places in Portland. read more

OMG. Order yourself a cocktail and the 4 piece fried chicken with the chili crisp - and bask in the absolute glory of a perfect dining experience. I can't believe we were able to score a couple seats at the bar upon walking in on Friday, but the stars aligned and we were *pumped* The "same same but different" and "making it grain" cocktails may have been the best cocktails I've ever had?????!! The pork skewers were impossibly tender and flavorful. The som tum could have used a little more spice and been a bit more plentiful, but it was still great. The fried chicken is the must-order dish. We shared the 4 piece, but could have eaten more!! We got the sauce party, because why not. Our favorites were the chili crisp, soy/ginger, and sweet chili. We both don't lovveee cilantro so the other two were just a bit much. The one with the fish sauce was funky and tasty though. Every bite reminded us so much of dishes we had in Thailand, and those cocktails.... We're already planning our order for our next visit (Sichuan wings and waterfall salad, at minimum!) Get over there ASAP!! read more

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I ordered the Crispy Waterfall Salad. $17 and was tiny, and only so so. It was very overpriced for what it is.

Was highly recommended when visiting Portland and didn't disappoint. Get there allowing time for waiting for a seat as seating is limited and we were there mid-week. Fried chicken is good and I did the Sauce Party and preferred Chili Crisp and Khao Man Gia. Not a fan of the fishy sauce, but still glad we did the variety. Pork congee and Moo Ping, just wow. Wild variety of mixed drinks and try something different like I did! read more

Crispy Gai - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

I'm a little conflicted about this place. I found the flavors odd. I liked the chicken (didn't love it) but the crispy-ness is definitely the key here. I did not like the cabbage salad, too much mint for me. The fried rice does have pork sausage in it but is definitely very small. The wait staff was very nice but overall I just think it's over priced. I do think the place is worth a try because they have such bold, unique flavors but for me, it was a bit of a miss. read more

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Great service! The host was really nice and knows the restaurant well. My SO ordered their Bangkok Hot Chicken sandwich and it was crrriiissspy! Took a look at their dinner menu (was there for lunch) and y'all, it looks like home lol. Will definitely be back to try their dinner the next time we're in town! read more

Crispy Gai - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Deliciously spicy. I loved the pork Pad See Ew. It's usually very sweet at most places but was not sweet here. It was perfectly spiced and the pork was shredded with some crispy edges. Just perfect. The fried rice was bland to me but that was probably by design. My wife loved the fried rice. read more

Crispy Gai - Pork Pad See Ew - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

Crispiest wings I have very had. They were so juicy and delicious that we had to go back the next day before we left town. A lot of the locals suggested this place and I'm glad we listened. It's a must try when visiting Portland. Great vibes and service. The drinks were great too! read more

Crispy Gai - Hat Yai Extra Crispy Wings with NJS ranch - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

Excellent meal in a tiny but mighty Thai-inspired restaurant. Seriously not a single bad dish out of the numerous things we ordered. The drinks were bangin' too. The cabbage salad ($9) pops with a ton of flavor and a great play with acid clashing with the peanuts. The occasional bird eye chili also likes to interrupt and say hi with a kiss of heat. Lovely. Then there's the fried rice ($11) which is studded with some Chinese sausage, celery, fried garlic, and egg. If you don't order this, do me a favor and hop on Elon's first flight out to Mars and vanish. It's a must-have and it's awesome. The Hat Yai wings ($13) and insanely crispy and juicy. There's salt and fried shallots on them and it's so beautifully simple but so well executed that it made my soul all tingly inside. And happy. Don't sleep on the Pork skewers ($13) either, which comes with a peanut sauce and a pickled thingy. They're juicy and full of flavor and they're also pretty damn great. Wash this all down with one of their many unique cocktails and you'll have a meal fit for a king, or queen. Seriously this place rocks. The ambiance, the service, the ticket time, it's all so damn good. Believe the hype, this is one of Portland's best restaurants. read more

What a treat in portland!! I'm a huge fan of Thai food and this really hit the spot. The drinks were amazing, and I may have had one of my favorite martinis ever. I got the hat yai fried chicken and boat noodles which were a special that day. For drinks I got the martini and the mangolorian. Idk if it was the coconut water or what but the martini was insanely fire. I will def come back to portland just to hit crispy gai! read more

Crispy Gai - Martini - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Had huge expectations but the food was too salty. Everything we ordered was just too salty.

I have been here three times now and every time the repeat dishes we ordered were the same(10/10). I value the consistency as they were delicious the first time and I got exactly what I was excited for the second and third time having dinner here. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. Cocktails and wine by the glass have all been good. Dessert was not my favorite. It was very busy two of the times we walked in and were still seated promptly but it is worth the wait if there is one. read more

Yummy- had brunch Great ranch and coffee Service is friendly and professional;) Super cute storefront Nice vibe and music read more

We were out in Portland and asked a bar tender if Portland had good tiki cocktails and he suggested we go to Crispy Gai. It was pretty late but we got there early enough to order fried chicken and two tasty cocktails. I loved the chicken but was underwhelmed by the sauces that accompanied it. Drinks were solid. Would definitely go back. read more

The food here did not disappoint. The staff were so friendly and wonderful. We tried their oysters and fried wings and it was perfect. The location was also easy to find. Highly recommend read more

Food is incredible! Highly recommend the red curry wings. The "same same but different" cocktail is so unique, tastes like a meal itself. And don't miss dessert. read more

Crispy Gai - Fried rice, red curry wings, crispy wings with sweet chili sauce, and salad w/ crispy mushrooms - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

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The space is really fun and the staff are friendly. Our table of two was able to be seated right away on busy Saturday afternoon !! The food came out in a reasonable time and the chicken sandwich was super crispy and hot, it just needed a little salt! The siu mai were delicious and came with 4 pieces, topped with salmon roe, and the lemongrass puffs were nicely seasoned. Overall great food, great staff, and fun space :) read more

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Crispy Gai has the best fried chicken in town -- period. Have eaten in, and have gotten takeout / delivery, several times. Always hits, no misses. Truly nothing bad on the menu but we always order some form of fried chicken (the 4 piece slaps, but so do the wings -- get the sichuan), the fried rice, and the cabbage salad. Cocktails are awesome and the vibe is fun. Go! read more

The wings were a-ok and large sized. They are in a thick (kinda burnt) crust. We liked them but I probably don't need to eat them again. The other dishes were good but nothing surprisingly wonderful. The waitress was very nice and the entire staff was quite attentive. They do sneak in an additional (4%) charge for kitchen on your bill which seems a little shady but whatever. I guess that's common now? Cool little spot, very busy. read more

Delicious drinks and fried chicken. It's a bit expensive, but it's one of the better fried chickens I've ever had.

The best fried chicken. I don't eat a lot of fried foods, but I seriously crave this chicken. The atmosphere is really lovely. Service is okay. read more

It took us several tries to get in here as it's always packed around when they open at 5, at least in the summer. Finally took advantage of a Thursday in March (still busy!) and now I see why. I remember one of the owners from his time at Baharat (single tear) and he's an incredibly nice guy, so I mean no offense, but when Crispy Gai first opened I thought it could be just hype. Okay, fried chicken, some Thai food and a lot of branding. So very wrong. It's a really thoughtful menu with every item (that I tried or saw) being an elevated Thai dish compared to most of the quick and dirty Thai spots all over southern Maine. No idea on authenticity, but the flavors were off the charts. Killer drinks, amazing wok-fired cauliflower, a pork sausage that melted in the mouth, and I'm still dreaming about those red curry wings. Now I've got to get back before the tourists arrive so I can eat more of this menu. read more

Loved it! Crispy chicken, crab rice - awesome! Service is super. Must come and try! We opted for a one up from mild sauce- perfect!

Had the papaya salad and spicy curry wings with a garlic dipping sauce. The food is flavorful, fresh, and tastes really good! The flavors all compliment each other very well! I really recommend stopping by! Located in a central location in Portland as well. read more

Everything on the menu, except for the drinks and desserts, is prepared with the flavor enhancer MSG. That's their culinary secret. Or was their secret. BTW, their MSG free drink was teacup size for $15. Thankfully, that was taken off as a courtesy when learning we could not eat anything in their restaurant due to MSG. read more

I went here for the first time tonight and it will be the last time. I'm being generous with three stars. I'll start with the good. The server/bartender would get 5 stars. She was wonderful. I ordered the mushroom pad see ew. I was asked if a little spice was ok and I said yes, a little. The dish was so hot that I couldn't taste anything. The mushrooms in it were the consistency of dried grass. I couldn't chew through them. Even the unidentifiable greens in it were so tough. It was awful. My guy ordered the pork skewers and the crispy chicken. The flavor of both was very good! However, there was so much gelatinous fat on the pork that it made me gag. There was a bit of "goo factor" under the chicken coating as well. If you are all about animal fat then you will love it here. We both felt the same about the dishes. read more

Everything is so delicious and this will always be a Portland visit requirement. Great little mixed $5 shot guys too

Fantastic, wildly flavorful Thai food. Also great value. Highly recommend the Sichuan wings, ribeye, and mango coconut rice. Instead of saving the rice for dessert, get it with your meal to pair with the spicy flavors. read more

Delivery was quick and food was still warm. Chicken wings were out of this world, crispy and seasoning was numbing.

The chicken was crispy and tasted good. We had two orders. Didn't live up to the buzz of the place. The Pad See Ew was an overcooked, over salted glob of mush but it was takeout so maybe the 7 minute walk to the hotel cooked it further. The fried rice was fair, not good, not bad. What really got us was the portions and the price. Post pandemic we all understand that prices have gone up and portions have gone down; we are thankful that we still have a wide selection of restaurants but this was way over the top. We paid $11 for an order of fried rice and received about a cup of the finished product. Look at the photo. I can't really understand it; the food cost on rice is very little. It can be measured in cents for this dish. We eat rice in our house pretty much everyday. It's a really odd dish to skimp on even if you factor is the cost of an egg, some chinese sausage and the aromatics. In summary, the chicken was tasty, the rest was meh, it was expensive, and there wasn't much of it. read more

Crispy Gai - A very small portion of fried rice. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Portland, Maine

Crispy Gai is easily my favorite wing spot in Portland. Everything is delicious and the the service is incredible! 10/10 recommend!

you get decent fried chicken for that fix Fried rice to salty don't bother It's that place you go to when it's Friday night you a had few you walking passed read more

Hands down the best fried chicken in Portland. The skin basically shatters in your mouth. Kra pow was awesome too, and the Sichuan wings did their thing, pleasantly numbing your mouth. Stay amazing! read more

Chicken to die for. The 4 pc comes with two thighs and two drumsticks, bone-in. No breasts, so the meat is always juicy. The meat is brined so it's flavorful but not too salty. And the batter! So crunchy! It's even crunchy the next day after sitting in the fridge. This makes for great leftovers! I loved the nam jim jaew sauce, it's sweet and sour with a touch of fish sauce. The cabbage salad is also a treat. The menu is different for lunch but they serve wings which are just as good. Highly recommend! Especially if you can't get into Highroller next door. read more

This place is amazing! The fried chicken chicken is the best I've ever had. Everything I had was amazing . The drinks are top notch. Fried rice is killer. If you have room the desserts are awesome. We had the coconut ice cream. read more

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So delicious! I never write reviews so you know it has to be good. I really recommend the waterfall salad. I used to live in Portland Oregon and that dish really reminds me of the cult hit restaurant Pok Pok (similar Thai street food vibes). That place racked up a Michelin star at one point so.... please try this place. read more

Best chicken wings I have ever had. Crispy flavorful and spicy! Totally recommend the Szechuan wings!

On our first night in Maine, my fiancé and I walked around the Old Port, without a dinner reservation. We were turned away by TWO of the most popular restaurants in the city, which were fully booked for the evening. It was 7pm. On a Thursday. We trudged back to our hotel, starving and disappointed. We'll just order room service, we thought. Then, across the street, we noticed Crispy Gai, illuminated in neon. Thai food, in Maine? It will be passable at best, we thought. We had no idea that our meal here would be not only the best of our entire east coast trip, but the best we have had outside of Thailand. Every aspect of the experience, down to the silverware, was so authentic that it felt like we were in the motherland. The interior is casual yet stylish, with modern tropical decor. The menu offers a thoughtfully curated selection of Thai specialties. Local Maine ingredients make an appearance in some dishes, but not in an obnoxious fusion way. No Pad Thai, in fact, no noodles at all. A refreshing change of pace. I nearly got a tear in my eye when their Som Tum tasted exactly like the version at my favorite Bangkok sidewalk restaurant. The Fried Rice was a mouth punch of savory flavor, studded with big, tender pieces of flaky Maine crab. We loved the accompanying Nam Jim with the delicious, fried shallot topped Pemaquid Oysters, and my fiancé raved about the Nam Tok Ribeye. Their cocktail program is equally impressive. We got the "Same Same...But Different", a subtly sweet mix of rum, coconut milk, Tom kha tincture, galangal, and makrut lime leaf, and "Skin In The Game", a Mekhong Thai Spirit (!!) and Amaro Montenegro based drink with carrot, pineapple, and bitters. Both were outstanding in substance and presentation, and truly unique. Bonus points for perfectly paced service. Sasha was both professional and enjoyable to talk with. An absolute gem in Portland. read more

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You guys... run, don't walk! This place serves the crispiest chicken wings ever that are packed with flavor, it's what they are known for (hence the name) but they do serve other items that are just as wonderful as the wings. There are a ton of reviews raving about the food so I don't feel the need to go into detail but believe the hype. Two items I wanted to call out was the coconut ice cream & mango sticky rice, both are authentic & epic! I'm sure if you can get reservations, we walked in on a Friday night and sat outside and it was delightful. If it is possible, I recommend doing so as this place is busy! Despite how busy they were, the service was just as impressive as the food. I can't wait to come back! . read more

Cocktails, staff and food were excellent!!! I had the Pad Krapow Gai with a side of sticky rice and it was delicious!!! Cocktails were also delicious!! My favorite was probably the Same Same...but different. Very friendly, talented bartenders!! Highly recommend this great spot!! Cheers!! read more

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