This is the best Thai food in Portland. The food is amazing. I have been to many Thai restaurants in Portland and elsewhere. I have to say that the food here is on a different level. The new owner is a brilliant chef. The flavors are well balanced, refined, and delicious. The restaurant is clean, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the owner and staff are friendly and attentive. I am vegan and super pleased that there are many vegan choices. I give Esan Thai on Division my highest recommendation. read more

I lived in Thailand for 5 years, mostly in Central North areas--close enough to the Esan area that their regional cuisine was popular. When I chowed down on barbecue pork and sticky rice with a side of Lao-style somtam (raw papaya salad), I was in heaven. Or transported back to Thailand, more accurately. The chicken larb salad is also yummy and authentic. read more

Had a intensely awesome lunch at Esan Thai today. I was hoping for a lunch special, I guess they don't do that. But what I got for a few bucks more was great! I went with the cashew nut stir fry with tofu and added mango. It came in a big bowl/plate with jasmine rice on the side so I could create my own little portions of food. Service was great and kinda hands off which I really appreciate. And the interior is very nice and relaxing. Great lunch! read more

Esan Thai - Cashew Nut with mango - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

One of our go to places for Thai near our neighborhood because they have great flavors, all the usual suspects for your Thai dish cravings, as well as some chef specials. We recently ordered 3 noodle dishes and all were solid with distinct flavors. We also ordered the panang curry and I would say that was the only dish we weren't satisfied with as the consistency seemed off (too thin and runny). Will order again for take out. read more

Quick service, casual ambiance and great food. It's a cozy place with generous portions of delicious food. I never visited that side of the town unless it's for Bollywood theater or Kati Portland. However this is another gem of a place right across from the two and really worth trying. To top it off, no waiting like Kati. :) I will go back to try them and I hope you do too. read more

Esan Thai - Thai 68. Basil Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

The dining month experience of curry puffs and khao soi salad was really phenomenal. The flavors were really great. The coconut milk dessert was also delicious. We'll definitely be back for more read more

I had a great Take-Out experience here. We had the larb chicken and garlic and pepper pork which is Thai street food. The staff were friendly and attentive. Ambiance is good. I'll definitely come back for dine in. Love Esan on Se Division st. read more

Esan Thai - Larb chicken and garlic and peppers pork. - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great portions- can share between 2. Tons of flavor and has outdoor seating. The people are very kind and you're always greeted with a smile! read more

Well I'm not sure how we never ever tried Esan before but we finally made it!!! I even learned a cool fact that when Macklemore is in town, he gets Pad Thai right here at Esan! So we came with friends who recommended Esan, and who always have great food recommendations. We arrived at 7pm on a Friday evening, and it wasn't too busy when we got there but the service was slow. I ordered an Old Fashioned and my husband had a margarita. My drink took a long while to come but it was good. We ordered fried tofu to start and it was excellent. Definitely light in color and not greasy. I typically don't even eat it but it was so light it was great. I ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice because once I'd seen the photos I KNEW it had to be mine. They made it vegan with tofu added and it would have been 5 stars but it was pretty greasy. Still I ate it ALL up because the veggies were nice and fresh and the pineapple was sweet and juicy! My husband had a red curry and it was good. Too spicy for me because I'm a WIMP with any kind of Asian spices lol. But again delicious and fresh veggies. I liked the food and drinks but the service was lacking and I would definitely ask for less or no oil next time. Other than that yum! read more

See all

Everything! Sooo...back in the day, say 20+ yrs ago, my daughter and her co-workers at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church would say "let's go to the crack house!" That meant Esans! My daughter's faves were the green curry, pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple, the pad Thai, and I'm sure others that I can't think of now. I passed this place one day and told my daughter. She had been going to the food trucks and the quality wasn't there. But now it's a brick and mortar and it's back to the ole crack house!! So yummy!! read more

We really loved our meal and drinks. Pad Thai was fresh and flavorful and so was the Pad Se Ew. Sweet and quick service too. Cute atmosphere and the loveliest plates. Definitely recommend. read more

Esan Thai - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

I usually get takeout here every other week. The staff is kind and the food is consistent. Got my usual takeout order after the new menu updates and I was so disappointed that they now give a significantly smaller portion of curry. No more quart container. Portion cutting with the same price feels like a greedy change. The pad see ew was really sweet in flavor and different than usual as well. Not leaving this to be hateful, just bummed to see a place I go often change. read more

This place has yummy pineapple fried rice and curry. It's not too busy to eat here and they get lots to go orders from different apps. The meal is good for sharing with friends or you can get some leftovers for later. read more

Esan Thai - 70. Pineapple Fried Rice and 44. Massamun Curry - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We get take out here frequently and it is consistently good. We usually order one of the curries, fried rice or pad Thai. I highly recommend it! read more

First time eating here and was pleasantly surprised. The pad prik king was excellent. I ordered it medium spicy and it was exactly that. Pleasantly hot but the flavors of the sauce shone through. I'm lactose intolerant, so the very able server happily got me an iced tea with coconut milk, which was delicious. Portions were ample, and not overpriced for what they were. I'll be back! read more

Overall, this is a cute place and the food was pretty tasty. There are a lot of Thai restaurants in Portland, so this is a good option but not a must visit. The sever was quick and kept our interactions short and there were plenty of people ordering take out. We had the Pineapple Fried Rice and the Curry Noodle Special. The fried rice had decent flavor but somehow all the toppings were on one side of the plate? It was on the sweet side for me personally. The noodles were ok flavor, it was interesting to have the rice noodles served on the side. Usually they get sticky without being in a sauce which did happen during the meal. The curry for it was good but would prefer it over rice to help soak up all the flavor. I thought it had a nice kick to it but my partner who loves spicy food didn't agree. read more

Esan Thai - 70. Pineapple Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Tried out Esan last night. It was a warm teaser day pre spring and the strawberry mojito was very refreshing and made me feel like it was summer. You do read the menu on your phone but I appreciate you get to order with a real person. Nice atmosphere with decent chairs and nice lighting. There is outdoor seating but it is right next to a bus stop. Okay food... I got the garlic and black pepper with green beans and mushrooms plus chicken. The chicken was tender and the green beans were cooked enough. Some Thai places throw them in last second and they are basically raw. I like my green beans cooked so happy here. The dishes are good sized and all came with either white or brown rice. Again nice to have that option and we took advantage of it. Everyone seemed to be happy with their meals. I would come back when I want to eat in for Thai. Might be hard to do pickup here because parking can be challenging but I did see many to go bags going out. read more

This is just for takeout but definitely would recommend for Thai food! I got the pad see ew with chicken, fresh spring rolls, and coconut curry with tofu. Everything was suuuuper hot and fresh when I picked it up and online ordering was easy. Well priced, good portions, and super tasty! read more

One of the classic Thai places that's been around for a long time. This location is well decorated in the interior and has outdoor seating. We came here for lunch and ordered a few items to share. The food was tasty as usual and the service was very friendly. The Thai Sausage fried rice and Drunken middle were delicious. The pad woon sen and bbq chicken were also good. This was a good assortment of food to grub on. read more

See all

Had chicken pad see ew medium spicy. It was so great. Service was great. All real plants nice atmosphere

We recently ordered takeout from a Evan and it never disappoints. Always tasty and always great food. I ordered the pad Thai, curry, and salad rolls, and all of them were packed with flavor and tasted incredibly fresh. Overall, I would highly recommend this Esan restaurant for takeout. The food was delicious, the staff was friendly and accommodating with gluten allergies. I will definitely be ordering from them again in the future. read more

Yum!! Just got the Evil Price Curry for carry-out and it's delish! Great flavors and mild plus was the perfect spice level for me, just a little somethin'. Love all the veggies in this dish too. read more

Fantastic Thai cart situated in Beaverton Food carts. A very non-assuming cart and dishes out really good and very tasty Thai food. They close it early so call them before you go or order on the phone and go pickup the food. If you eat really hot and spicy then I would recommend their hot chili sauce, but beware it is really hot. This is another very good Thai place that we normally order for take out. read more

12/12/20: 4.75 out 5 - This review was is based on E-San Thai being delivered to my home via one of the delivery services. My wife and I was use to eating at the food cart that use to be at the Tidbits Food Carts before shutting down, and was delighted to when we found out that E-San Thai now opened a "brick and mortar" on SE Division. Hence, the delivery service since we don't live in the area. The food arrived as instructed, and prepared to our request. That's a plus, considering it was delivered. We had ordered 3 items since it was just my wife and I eating. At first, it didn't seem like much, but once we started digging in, it actually is more than plenty. It was still hot, and quite very tasty. With everything going on, we are hopeful that will be able to visit and actually have a sit-in dining experience. I definitely would recommend trying this place once and decide for yourself, if you haven't done so by now. Enjoy! read more

See all

Tried this place for the second time. First time - I ordered rice (extra $) and did not get it. Second time- ordered Salt & Pepper Squid, OMG , it was like they rolled the squid in salt. Gross! read more

Some of the best Thai food in the area, Esan Thai is a PDX staple. Everything is fresh, delicious, & filling. Especially love the green beans & salad rolls. Plenty of veggie options I appreciate! read more

Favorite Thai in Portland but also anywhere. Perfectly cooked meats, excellent flavors and textures all around. Haven't ordered a thing here that isn't amazing. They do have ample outdoor seating with around 8 tables outside. read more

See all

I got the pad phet and the eggplant was extremely undercooked, closer to raw. So I didn't love it! The people are very nice and the food my friends got was good, so maybe it was a one off but mine was pretty bad. Cute place, fun location. read more

One of Portland best Thai restaurant. I remember when they had a location downtown. There are some many Thai restaurants in PDX but this place is consistent the food always taste the same the quality is always above board the restaurants are always clean and the staff seem happy to be at work. For Halloween night it wasn't to busy and the waitress had time for a short conversation. Our food came fast even with the small changes we made. If you're in the mood for Thai don't overlook this place. They also have a few food carts around town as well. read more

See all

I've come back to this restaurant many times for its consistency, good prices, and nice indoor and outdoor seating. Staff is always very welcoming. The pineapple fried rice comes in an actual pineapple-- a nice touch. The crab puffs are also quite good. Definitely one of my go to Thai places in Portland. read more

Esan Thai - 70.Pineapple Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Our waitress was really sweet and we loved the food. Portions were good for the price and the drinks were stiff. We'll be back!

Food was wonderful! service excellent. Currently only Take out. Food was cooked superbly, appropriate heat for our requests.

Decent food and tasty! Yet there are so many Thai places out there in Portland, so this isn't a "must visit," for now. May try this place again as we ordered this food for delivery! Ordered the Pad Se Ew with Tofu and Friend Rice with Chicken. Honestly both tasted pretty bland to us, no big flavors popping out or even a hint of spice. I was a little unsure of the tofu as it was cooked a bit different from what I'm used to. The sides of the tofu pieces were slightly cooked and crispy but the inside was more liquid than I expected. I think we may have ordered the wrong things, especially seeing so many reviews for their peanut sauce. May give this another try in the future! read more

Seriously the worst food. No flavor, over cooked rice, under cooked chicken. It's inedible.

SO delicious! I got the yellow curry, my husband got the pad Thai, both were delicious. I got the lychee martini as well and loved it. Our server was so nice and it's a great atmosphere! read more

Esan Thai - 42. Yellow Curry 60. Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Wish I could give them -ve stars - placed an order online and when we reached the restaurant they said they never got our order (even though I got a confirmation email) and then they said we were supposed to call them for the order, when in fact their website says the staff will call us within 10 mins to confirm the order. We had to place a new order and waited for it to get redone. Horrible experience - NEVER order ONLINE from them, their system is terrible. Overall killed the experience for me, lost a customer due to bad online ordering. read more

Esan Thai - Proof that they were supposed to call us to confirm the order but didn't - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The chicken fried rice and chicken pad Thai was absolutely not edible. Rice was super salty and mushy. The noodles were also salty. In addition, we ordered crab puffs and the sauce they gave for dipping was watered down and almost transparent. ESan I've raved about your food in the past, but tonight super disappointed. $60 and i literally threw everything in the garbage. read more

I just read the previous reviews and I am glad that I got the hit part, of hit or miss. A friend and I got caught up and sat outside on the corner patio and stayed quite a while. We ordered a few items and I enjoyed the Nam Kao chicken lettuce wraps and the Tom Kha. I didn't realize the chicken lettuce wraps had crispy fried rice in them and it gave it an extra level of crunch factor, that hit all the savory taste buds with the fish sauce, lime, and peanuts. My large bowl of tofu Tom Kha was filled with broccoli, mushrooms, etc. which was delicious, it could have been spicier at a medium, next time I'll order it at their next level of spiciness. The reviews are mixed, and I had a pleasant experience, I hope that the next time I stop by and dine in, it won't be a miss! read more

If you are Vegetarian avoid like the plague!!! The worst Tom Kha I have ever had, worst curry absolutely unedible!!!! Only thing that was decent were the salad rolls and my friends wine. So if you can stomach bad food.... read more

Best Thai food I have had in my life!! We ordered many items and everything was perfectly cooked. Each dish was unique from the last! I highly recommend the egg rolls and salt and pepper squid to start! The peanut sauce is heaven. The noodles are like none I've ever tasted. The mojito that was hand crafted by the very talented owner/chef/bartender needs to be a specialty cocktail here! The location is perfect, the restaurant is quaint, clean and beautifully decorated with large sliding glass windows that open all the way up to the outside seating. The service was great too, everything we ordered came out promptly and perfectly. I was really impressed and can not wait to go back to Portland and visit E-San again! Yum!! Great experience! read more

See all