This somTum place is in downtown PSU area. The inside dining room is comfy, clean, and bright. Outside pet friendly is small but cozy. Our pup enjoyed the private area. Nan, our server was very nice and kind to open the outside section for our pup. She gave good recommendations on food and accommodated our preference. Thank you! We ordered Tum Tard, which is a combination of corn spicy salad and salted eggs, and all side dishes. Kor Moo yang, grilled pork shoulder with tamarind sauce, Moo Ping, Tub warn, pork liver with spicy sauce, and Tom Zab, spicy soup with pork ribs. All were delicious!! And we had some leftover for dinner. lol They also have a boba tea downstairs called "boba cat tea" which we will definitely try it next time. read more

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Very cute decor with North Eastern Thai style cuisine. Open late night which is perfect for late night craving. We ordered Pa kao noi $39. I enjoy Tom zap pork ribs. Very tasty clear broth soup. I also really enjoy crying tiger paired with papaya salad & rice noodle & sticky rice. Our waitress is attentive & gives great recommendation for our first time visit here. Overall, if you love Thai Northeastern style cusine. Please give SomTum a shot. Will not disappoint you :) read more

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Meh. Looked so interesting online. Cozy house inside, makeshift decor, couple use a deep clean. Service ~ so apathetic & unenthusiastic, especially being the only table. Food ~ interesting chef specials. Unfortunately broke out in hives after eating the raw shrimp plate. Pad Kee Mow was flavorless, soo small and too expensive for the portion served. Poor service made this a no return. read more

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Came here for dining month and was absolutely blown away. I had the ribeye in the curry and it was so delicious. The curry was nice and flavorful and the ribeye was nice and tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare. We also had the blue crab marinated with the seafood sauce and that was by far the most delicious marinated crab I've had in Portland. We also had the salmon belly bits with the crackers and also I got the udon Thai drink and I had a little rubber ducky in. It was really cute and the drink was really strong. It tasted like skittles. Service was also awesome and super friendly. Definitely will come back here again. read more

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Very beautiful and pretty spacious cozy local mom and pop Thai restaurant vibe restaurant. Beautiful yellow flowers at entry way to upstairs (not wheelchair accessible) and on ceilings inside of the restaurant. Pretty cute floral print tableware including plates, napkin, and bowls. Very delicious, strong flavored authentic Thai food. We got crispy rice salad, Tom kai makham, and pad krapow moo. The tom kai makham is pretty strong flavored and recommend ordering rice to eat with. Pad krapow moo and crispy rice salad is VERY delicious and strong recommended. Also recommended requesting side of sauce&seasoning to add on. Their fish sauce is unforgettable delicious Service is also good. Seasonal menu poo ma dong is my absolute favorite. Also highly recommend the seasonal menu. Poo ma dong is my favorite! read more

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There's plenty of street parking and a parking garage nearby. This restaurant is located upstairs past the bubble tea shop when you start walking up the stairs you can tell that they already try to set that atmosphere with the decorations that are outside. The inside is a little bit on the smaller end, but still have enough tables for those that come in. The host was great and the waiter welcomed as well and was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. This Thai place is staffed and operated bye mostly Thai people which is cool to see, but mostly you can tell by the quality and the taste of the food. Which spoiler alert was amazing!!! We got multiple dishes and they were all pretty amazing. What stood out to me the most was a crying tiger steak. This was by far a 5/5!! The quality of the meat was great, very tender, very flavorful and was delicious all around. It does have a little bit of the fatty part of a steak on there, but is pretty great to still have as a balance me. It is served, medium, rare to medium, which is perfect for me, but I know that others may or may not like that. The pork skewers were great and had a lot of flavor and was super tender! I also got Tom Sap Kradook On, the soup was super light and refreshing with a hint of lime and spice. The meat has a cartilage and a bone in it, which is fine, but the meat was super tender and fell right off the bone. I would totally recommend it. 5/5 The pad Thai was honestly just OK, it was a little bit on the spicier end, even though we picked the lowest spice (Granted in my wife's spice tolerance is pretty weak). The chicken was a little bit on the dryer and and wasn't as good as the rest of the meat that we had ordered overall, it was about average.3/5 It seems as though the authentic Thai food items is where it's at! Definitely give it each item and you will try because I feel like there's more treasures to be discovered !! Overall. 4.5/5!!! A MUST read more

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Lovely atmosphere and the food and drinks were phenomenal. We went for Portland dining month and loved everything. The ribeye in the curry was so amazing. The papaya salad was so fresh. We also loved the fresh rolls with shrimp. Can't wait to come back. read more

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This was a great lunch spot for my partner and I! The interior is very inviting and fairly small. We were seating right away and overall food came very quickly. Our server was super friendly and she came by to check in on us multiple times. The food itself was excellent. A fair warning that I remembered from my last time here: they are not kidding about the spice levels! I find that a lot of places in PDX do not actually mean "spicy" when they say it, so you might be tempted to order things "hot" here. I would not recommend this unless you are truly a tastebud titan. For me, the "medium" spice level is perfect and is about on par with a "high spicy level" at other spots with similar food. The man next to us ordered medium as well and was crying from how hot it was, for context. The food is well-priced and portions are fairly large. We ordered the vegetarian papaya salad (very crispy, excellent flavor and texture) and the veggie egg rolls (also good). I got the Pad Kee Mow with Tofu and my partner got the Penang Peanut Curry. Both of us enjoyed our entrees and my partner had enough to take home for lunch the next day. read more

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Not worth the $40. Tiny portion of meat in the $20 main dish, little to no crab in the crab Rangoon just creamcheese, and the drink tasted horrible and nothing like Longan drinks. It was honestly so bad I want my money back. Ordered the beef broccoli, crab Rangoon, and 32oz Longan drink. read more

Visited by myself for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon before heading to the airport and had a pleasant experience. It wasn't too crowded the time I went but there were a couple other people being served at other tables. The environment was calm and casual, and put me in a good mood before my flight. The host and server were both very friendly to me. I was seated promptly and served quickly after my order was taken. The food was delicious. I ordered the crispy chicken peanut curry lunch special and loved the flavors and spices in the curry. As an Asian American, I've found that it's a bit harder to find food with a decent level of spice in cities in Oregon, at least compared to what I'm used to in areas with larger Asian populations, but this curry was definitely up to par. The chicken was cooked to the perfect crispiness as was the egg roll. I also went in the summer when mangoes were in season and the mango sticky rice was amazing, the sticky rice was the ideal sticky texture with the right amount of sweet coconut milk sauce for the ideal flavor and the mango was perfectly ripe and sweet Overall I'd definitely return again if/when I'm in the area read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Mango Sticky Rice - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I was in the verge of 5 staring this restaurant due to how much my sisters loved it when they were in town. The food is amazing, they are spot on with the spice level and bring to real authenticate Thai favoring to Portland. The first night we were amazed by how the owner showed up, held conversation, and made suggestion. He new his menu; which brought us back the next day requesting for him. The fooood was just as amazing on the second occasion I returned with my cousin so she could to experience the delicious, hospitality. It wasn't there she ordered a drink that wasn't made well, asked the host to take it away and was still charged. We asked for a to go box like 4 times. It just wasn't at welcoming the third go round read more

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Such amazing variety here! I loved seeing all the different traditional menu items that I don't see typically at Thai restaurants. I came here specifically to try sai krok isan which is a fermented pork sausage, it was delish! Also got an order of their beef larb which was very delicious and herbaceous. My friend ordered the yellow curry which I tried a little of & was a little unimpressed with, it was very sweet. The Thai tea was okay, not the best I've had, a little too sweet in my opinion. The Thai iced coffee was yummy but also a little too sweet but not as much compared to the Thai tea. Service was good, they sat us quickly, took our order quickly & checked on us once. Love the vibe of the place. Lots of cute hanging flowers and monstera wallpaper. I would like to come back & try more dishes! The price was fair for the food although the sticky rice ($3) was overpriced for the small portion we received. read more

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We had a great early dinner here this past Saturday. With so many Thai restaurants in Portland this place was a standout for its Isan offerings. The restaurant is located near PSU behind/above Bobcat Tea House, and has cute decor. We were greeted and seated right away. We ordered Tum Khao Pod (very good), Yum Woon Sen (refreshing), Moo Ping Kati (delicious but tad too sweet), Isan Sampler (great variety), Sticky Rice (a must), and Thai Coconut Creme Brûlée (yum). There were quite a few more dishes we wanted to try, so there will be a next time. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you're in the mood for Isan food. read more

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What a great place to catch up with a friend! My boyfriend and I were traveling to Portland and we agreed to meet a friend of ours to catch up over a meal. SomTum Thai Kitchen was a great choice to do so. We ordered salmon plara with vermicelli noodles, pad see ew, and two cocktails. I loved how spicy and flavorful the salmon plara was. If you are used to the taste of the fermented fish sauce, definitely get their plara dishes or other variations of som tum/papaya salad. The cocktails were great too! I enjoyed my mango cocktail and what it came in surprised me. It was a cage surrounding the glass with cute fake mango decor! I forgot what drink my boyfriend got but he enjoyed it. Our friend didn't get anything to drink and just had the pad see ew. If you're looking for good thai food in the Portland area, this is the place to go to. Also, the service is quite nice! read more

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If you want to experience authentic Thai Som Tum (papaya salad), this is the place to go! I absolutely love it here. The atmosphere is great, the staff are lovely, and the food is delicious. Highly recommended! read more

highly encourage everyone who loves thai flavors and thai foodto visit this place -- its portland wing week, and they are offering basil wings! this is usually my go to place for papaya salad, and its such a bonus that they are right next to the PSU campus. my favorite dishes here are: the salty egg papaya salad, yum woon sen, and all the larbs/namtoks (mushroom/hed & kor moo yang) if youre looking for a flavorful experience, with a bit of heat/spice then i would point you to this place. read more

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visited SomTum based on a Thai friend's recommendation, who said their flavors are as close to authentic Thai as you'll find in PDX. SomTum did not disappoint. The flavors and spice are bold, so be prepared! They have an easy-to-understand heat scale to help guide you. Be sure to try their house specials. I sampled a bit of everything, and everything was packed with flavor. The staff is friendly, and while the restaurant is near PSU, parking (street or garage) can be a challenge. Enjoy. read more

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I'm obsessed with Thai cuisine and was visiting the city on a solo trip. It is located next door to BobaCat in the heart of PSU, where a staircase takes you to the top. Once inside, you will find this warm, cozy restaurant, where two people will greet you. I ordered two dishes: Tom Yum Kai and Pad Ka Prow, both of which are authentic Thai. read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen serves some of the most delicious and flavorful Thai food in Portland. Considering how many Thai restaurants/ food carts there are operating in Portland, that is saying a lot. SomTum offers delivery thru GrubHub. I took advantage of this and ordered yellow curry with veggies, pad see ew with veggies, Thai fried rice with veggies and stir fried veggies. The food arrived on time and well packaged. Each item was full of flavor. I appreciated how the veggies were all cut into bite sized pieces. There were options for spice level as well as choices for meats, tofu or veggies. As a vegetarian I always look for items that come with a choice rather than automatic meats added. SomTum is located above Bobacat Tea House, another fine establishment near PSU in downtown Portland. They offer inside as well as outside seating. They're open everyday. If you enjoy tasty Thai food, I highly recommend trying SomTum Thai Kitchen! read more

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Slow service but delicious food. There were things on their menu that I've never seen before. I am a creature of habit and always get Pad See Ew but since there were so many cool choices that it would have been a shame to order it this time around. I did not take any pics because I just devoured everything. The one downside was that service can be slow but they only had one guy working the tables and front so it makes sense. read more

Food is fantastic ! We all got sick at my house and ordered the Ton Kah soup and it was so healing. The flavors were perfect . We felt nourished and satisfied. We also got the pad thai its flavor is elevated from other local thai spots and their peanut sauce is bomb! We had sticky rice and their coco potatoes too. read more

Authentic. Don't come here if you're basic and just want Pad Thai... you know who you are. Grew up with Lao spice (very similar) The spice here is VERY REAL. The food is amazing. Recommend: Crispy rice. If you don't know how to eat the food here... just ask. Don't try to figure it out and ruin your own experience. There's a good boba spot next door too. Only a 4 star because the have a small drink selection and the tables outside aren't very clean. read more

Thai food It's my favorite. I'm always looking for new places, but a few places will make it into my rotation. This is one of them. I was craving papaya salad. And naturally, you want bbq chicken and sticky rice with it. SomTum popped up serving it all on one plate. Perfect! Of course, that's what I ordered. Thai spicy. They even have a hotter level than Thai spicy, which is wild. I can handle my heat, but SomTum hits different. The spice was amazing. A nice lingering heat. The chicken was delicious too. A perfect pairing. My partner ordered the crispy chicken with curry sauce. It was also really tasty. It comes as a medium heat already. It was definitely a barely there heat for spice lovers but that's okay. I wouldn't change it! We also ordered crying tiger because it's amazing. And it absolutely was. While I loved everything, this was probably my favorite. Service was great too. I loved how the chef even came out to see if we enjoyed his meal. Heck yes! We'll be back! read more

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Som Tum Thai Kitchen is an absolute gem -- easily one of Portland's best spots for truly authentic Thai and Isaan-style cooking. Every dish bursts with flavor, balance, and that perfect mix of spice, tang, and freshness that makes Thai food unforgettable. The star of the show is, of course, their Lao-style papaya salad (Som Tum Lao) -- hands down the best I've had outside of Thailand. It's bold, funky, spicy, and deeply flavorful, with that perfect kick of fish sauce and chili that wakes up all your senses. The shredded green papaya is crisp and fresh, the tomatoes and lime add just the right brightness, and the roasted peanuts give it that addictive crunch. It's the real deal -- no watered-down flavors here! Beyond the papaya salad, everything from the grilled meats to the sticky rice and larb showcases the kitchen's skill and respect for traditional Isaan cooking. You can tell the chefs care deeply about keeping those regional flavors authentic -- earthy, vibrant, and full of character. The portions are generous, the prices are fair, and the service is warm and welcoming. It feels like eating in someone's home -- comforting, flavorful, and full of heart. If you love Thai food or want to experience the bold, spicy, tangy world of Isaan cuisine, Som Tum Thai Kitchen is a must-visit. It's not just good Thai food -- it's a taste of Northeast Thailand right here in Portland. read more

The big negative: an extremely loud irritating voice chime that plays every time someone enters or exits the front door. About 10 times during our lunch. Find a better system! The Pad Thai lunch special is a good deal and a tasty version of this popular Thai dish. The fried pork belly small dish was scrumptious. The Tom Kai Makham was meh. Loved the pandan lemongrass drink, creative and refreshing. One regular server seems like she absolutely hates being there. The other is stoic, but polite. Others have expressed similar sentiment. The place definitely has charm. Prices are average for a university area. read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Lunch special is a good deal. - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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It was our first visit and it was a very hot day for Portland. Seating was inside only and it was busy. Our server was very nice but perhaps a bit overwhelmed. He did caution us about the spice levels. Thank heavens because we had my mom (not spice capable) with us. We only ordered a couple dishes medium and those were quite spicy. The pad see ew and vegetarian spring rolls were mom's favorites. I always love pad see ew and this one was pretty good. The larb, medium spice, was my spouse's favorite and it was yummy. Me, it is a tough call but it might have been the mango sticky rice. The variety of dishes that you don't see on other Thai menus was appreciated. We didn't see our server much after ordering and we could have done with more follow up and plate clearing. read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Cocktail - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Come here for super spicy Thai food and dishes you won't find at many other Thai restaurants in the area! We've made the mistake of overestimating our spice tolerance here, and have been greatly humbled so be aware that their Thai spicy really means Thai spicy!! Their yum salmon pls-ra is so fresh and addicting, we have to order every time we're there. The grilled pork neck dish (Kor Moo Yang) is sooo tender, and a great dish we've never had. The sea bass with lime was so fresh and cooked to perfection, super moist inside, and you can't go wrong with the classic noodle dishes like pad see ew, pad kee mao, and pad Thai. Tom sap kradook On (spicy pork cartilage soup) is a dish I've been searching for and have not found since our visit in Thailand, and it brought back so many memories - it's tangy and so so good! The only dish we found underwhelming was the crab fried rice, it didn't have that much flavor and was a little bit plain. Service is good, and the decor is cute and quaint. The hours here are awesome, good to have a late night Thai spot you can depend on. Overall highly recommend for dishes you wouldn't normally find at most Thai places around the area. read more

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I've been a chef for 10 years, this restaurant is top tier for flavor. Easily the best Thai restaurant I've eaten at in my life. The Tom Kai Makham soup is incredible, it's packed with flavor and a perfect spice for me (PED) The broccoli Beef is also an amazing dish, sweet and spicy. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THUS RESTAURANT. I cannot wait to try more dishes. Thank you!! Also the servers are very friendly. read more

absolutely amazing. this is easily one of the most authentic thai spots i've tried, and i'm from seattle so i've had my fair share. the flavors were spot on, everything tasted fresh, and you can tell a lot of care goes into the food. i'm seriously craving it again already and can't wait to come back! read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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This spot is seriously underrated. They've got a bunch of dishes you don't usually see at your typical Thai restaurant, and we were excited to try some -- they definitely didn't disappoint. The raw salmon and the soup were standouts for me: packed with bold, sour notes but still perfectly balanced with the other rich flavors. Note: I don't even like sour food usually! read more

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This is my favorite thai place at the moment. Every dish here is good and so as the service. I love how they are open super late too. The food can be kinda salty but thai food is generally salty. read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I really, really liked the peanut curry. Both the ribeye panang and the crispy chicken peanut curry were really good, but the crispy chicken peanut curry really only had enough curry to cover the chicken, not enough for rice too so next time I would get the ribeye panang, or get the peanut panang as a main. The crispy rice salad was also top 3! The normal papaya salad was too spicy for me even at a medium, but the flavor was great. There was another one that wasn't as spicy (had something else and didn't have fish sauce) that was delicious though. read more

We ate in this time -- it's a lovely little spot above a boba tea place which is a perfect end to a meal. The punchline is the same: the isan dishes are absolutely perfect, others are just fine. read more

Wow, the entire experience was INCREDIBLE! It was such an authentic Isaan style Thai experience. And the service was TOP NOTCH! She really elevated the whole dining experience by explaining each dish, recommending the best options for a group of 6 of us, and really inviting us into the culture. I personally loved and enjoyed every component of the dishes. Loved the sampler option to try a variety. The presentation was so beautiful and loved how the utensils, dinnerware was so fitting. Never been to Thailand (yet) but it made me feel like I was in Thailand. Thank you to the SomTum staff for creating such a beautiful and wholesome dining experience. Unmatched!! read more

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Came here for dinner and it wasn't super busy on a Sunday night. The staff are friendly and always checking in. It's not too small inside & very clean. There were a lot of small plat options which I liked so that you can try more dishes but I did about 2-3 small dishes, one main dish, soup & papaya salad and it was enough for 4 people. I haven't had isan thai style so it was a little different but still decent. Pad see ew 7/10, crispy salad rice 6/10, tom kai soup 6.5/10, crying tiger 6.5/10, som tum papaya salad 7/10, pork belly 7/10 read more

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After seeing how this was someone's favorite Thai spot in Portland, I've been wanting to try as you can never have enough good Thai food. Located in a small building in SW downtown, it can be easy to miss (we did), but they have a cute sign directing you up a small flight of stairs to find it! The inside of the restaurant is a bit small, but cozy and so beautifully decorated (it may not be the best for big groups, however). The lights make the ambiance feel as if you're in Thailand and the breeze is so nice if you're on the patio. We ordered a Thai iced tea, longan tea, crying tiger, and pa khao noi (after seeing the table next to us eat it). The drinks were pretty good, but I was really surprised at the longan tea and it was the first time I've had it and it was refreshing and sweet. The crying tiger was also pretty standard, but the sauce was amazing. And the pa khao noi was really the star of the show. One of the things I noticed was that this restaurant has a lot more traditional dishes that you typically don't see in Thai restaurant, encouraging you to be a bit more adventurous--and I loved that I was. Every piece in the pa khao noi was phenomenal and new to me. I would absolutely love to come again to try more. read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Longan Tea, Thai Iced Tea, and Crying Tiger - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Still love this place. Still my favorite in Portland. It never disappoints. I tried new drinks this time and omg I loveeeeee their coffee and their roselle drink was so refreshing and good. We tried their glass noodles starter and while it was good, there's others I'd say you could try instead. The spice level for it was perfect though at "hot" for spice lovers. As always the platter never disappoints to impress friends I introduce to this restaurant. The service was incredibly sweet as well. I was hoping to eat outside since they had a tiny area and my dog was with me. But it was closed due to slight rain, however there was a table by the door and away from all the other customers and they allowed my dog to lay quietly in our corner as we ate. Thank you read more

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I'm in love with Isaan cuisine, so I was pretty excited to try this place. They have so many menu items that are uncommon in most Thai restaurants, that I have only tried before in Thai households. We ordered the Pa Khao Yai, and everything had just the right amount of flavor. I loved the larb, crispy rice salad, and tom sap. I also ordered the longan drink, and it tasted perfect, not too sweet. The little straw wrapper rose was a nice touch hehe. I love that they also have fun cocktails, even one that comes in a pitcher. Service was very welcoming and friendly, and street parking was not difficult to find. I definitely will be back to try more items from their menu! read more

SomTum Thai Kitchen - Pa Khao Yai - Thai Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Had dinner here after reading the reviews. Overall it was a decent experience. The papaya salad was good and so was the soup. Very flavoriful food. The customer service was friendly and helpful. The only real gripe I have with this place is the portions were really small for what your paying. The soup came in a bowl that you would normally give to someone as a single serving. If you have a small appetite this place will probably be fine. Not sure if I'd go there again given all the other Thai places in Portland that I'd like to try. read more

The atmosphere and vibe is very nice. A welcoming and comfy feel. The employees were very friendly and polite. The food is absolutely delicious and full of flavor. This Thai restaurant has some unique dishes that I have not come across at other restaurants. You absolutely must try these dishes. Also, I did not get a pick of the coconut creme brûlée... but oh my goodness.. it's divine! The portion sizes are well worth the price points. Highly recommend. Enjoy, cheers! read more

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