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    Tara Thai Cafe

    4.0 (288 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Seafood, Noodles
    Closed 10:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    TARA THAI CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Fried Banana
    Susan U.

    Casual & Friendly Version: I live just a short walk from Tara Thai and have been coming here for years. The same owner has been running it for as long as I can remember, and the food is always delicious! Everything tastes fresh and full of flavor. Whenever I crave for mango sticky rice or pad Thai, this is my fave spot. The staff are super friendly and make you feel right at home. It's so nice having a spot this good so close by -- great food, great service, and super convenient location. Definitely one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants!

    Chicken Satay...tough and stringy.

    We ordered several items. Something was definitely off with the chicken satay. Chicken meat looked strange. Like it was very shredded looking and very hard to chew. Flavor was off. Wondering if they use Lab created meat. It was that strange! Chicken in pineapple fried rice was normal and very good. I don't think we will order it again.

    Yellow chicken curry
    Evan F.

    Had the always great shrimp wonton soup tonight. Excellent placer and wonderful presentation. A real treat to start a meal.

    Thai Tea
    Marcus G.

    My absolute favorite thing on the menu has to be the Thai Tea - I treat myself to one every single week! Since I'm lactose intolerant, I always get mine made with coconut milk, and it's perfection in a cup. Recently I finally tried the Chicken Pad Thai for dinner, and wow - it was incredible! I went with chicken and bravely chose the spicy option... and I'm so glad I did. It had the perfect kick: noticeably spicy but never overwhelming, just enough heat to elevate every bite. The flavors were on point, and they give you such a generous portion - easily two meals for most people. But after a long day at work? Yeah... I demolished the entire thing in one sitting and have zero regrets. Highly recommend if you're craving Thai that actually delivers on flavor and spice! Shawna is the best!

    Pad Se-ew Noodles
    Kendal S.

    Our experience at Tara Thai Café was fantastic. First things first - the waitress. She was amazing and honestly stole the whole show. Her kindness carried the entire experience. Just good vibes all around from her. We started with two traditional drinks: you can't go wrong with a cold Sapporo and a little sake to set the tone. To start we ordered the Tom Yum soup with shrimp. Now listen, they have a large size on the menu, but pro tip: you can ask for a small portion, which is perfect if each person wants their own. The spice level? Perfect. The flavor? On point. And they don't skimp either - five big shrimp in there. I mean, I wouldn't have been mad if they threw in five more, but hey--beggars can't be choosers, lol. Next up: beef salad - SO FIRE. The beef was actually mad tender (which, let's be real, is rare sometimes). You could tell they took their time with it. WHEW. Respect. (My bad on no pics, that's how fire it was) Then the spring rolls came out. Now spring rolls are hard to mess up - and they didn't. Light, crisp, just how they should be. Finally, the main event: Pad See Ew. Some might say this is a Mount Rushmore dish when it comes to grading a Thai spot. And if this was a test? They passed with flying colors. It HIT. Honestly, everything did. Big fan of this place. Great food, great vibes, and a small, cozy setting just a few blocks from the beach. And shoutout again to our server - she was just amazing.

    Wonton Soup.
    Jennifer B.

    After spending a fun 4th of July lunch and brisk walk by the shore with a couple of fur babies, Hubbers and I agreed we should pick up food for dinner. (We were dog sitting and we didn't want to leave the pups home alone as one of them is terrified of fireworks - and we knew they're gonna be going off all night.) The first Thai place we went to was closed due to the holiday. This was next to check if they're open. Luckily, they were! Hubbers and I went through the menu and ended up with a list of goodies to order. He stayed in the car with the pups and I went in. The weirdest thing is no one was tending to this whole place. I figured they were at the back somewhere. I said a few hello's and no response. I half yelled, and still nothing. I even tried calling (yes! Their listed phone number!) and nobody answered. So, I walked out. But while walking out, a lady walked in apologizing for the wait. For a few quick seconds there, I debated if I should stay and order or just keep walking out... ... but the idea of not leaving the pups alone to get food (even more especially) for 4th of July won out. Since there were no customers, I assumed the wait wouldn't be that long, so I put the order in and as I expected, I was walking out in no time. WONTON SOUP: Broth was tasty and had depth. The wontons were full of flavor. The veggies were good sidekicks. We liked it. CRAB FRIED RICE: My favorite of the lot! They were very generous with the crab. Each bite was guaranteed a piece or at least a taste. The aroma was enticing. What I find kinda odd was a quarter slice of tomato beneath the whole thing. (It's a filler, I know.) Neither Hubbers or I ate it. Otherwise, this dish was a meal in itself. BEEF PANANG AND LARB SALAD: These were Hubbers' picks and I wasn't really in the mood for either. However, he said he liked them a lot. THAI CHICKEN BBQ: Chicken was pretty juicy and tasty. But it's comparable to other Thai places, it has that familiar and common taste. But I liked this as well. FOOD: 4. SERVICE: 2.5. Someone should always be manning the front, right? Another couple walked in a few minutes after i put my order in, and like my experience, no one was there to welcome them in. (That lady took off to the kitchen to put my order rollin', but she was still gone too long.) VALUE: 3.5. PARKING: Private lot. OVERALL: 3.25. Yes, everything had to be reheated, but they turned out really good anyway. I'd return, if only for the crab fried rice... yum!

    Exceptional Pad Thai

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    The Tom Yum noodles were absolutely amazing! Big thanks to the wonderful staff and talented chefs -- you're the best!

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    1 year ago

    I order takeout often from Tara Thai. I love the food and the service! Great people and yummy food

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    Tara Thai Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Tara Thai Cafe

    Siam I Am

    Siam I Am

    3.8
    (645 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    Apparently this restaurant is now known as Jeep Thai Eatery. I hadn't dined here for a while and…read moredecided to stop in for a quick dinner. When we arrived it was apparent the "chef@ was also the hostess. As a result we waited quite a while to be greeted and seated. I should note that the chef did arrive about thirty minutes later. I ordered the Waan Om Khom Kluean yellow chicken curry and my guest had the deeb Sao Thai Pad Thai with shrimp. I also ordered a Thai ice tea and the server forgot to bring it. I had to remind her after my meal was almost finished. To me the chicken curry had a terrible unappetizing presentation. It looked like shredded chicken and big lumps of potatoes. In fast that's what it was. While the taste was pretty good, the over abundance of potatoes felt like a filler for less chicken. It was a decent dish but far from one of my favorites. The Pad Thai looked a lot better. My guest said it was good, not great, and that he'd order it again. Now to the price. Nearly $70 including the two dishes, one Thai ice tea and rice. This was not fine dining. I realize they have bills to pay but it was much more than I've paid at other Thai restaurants for similar meals. All parking is on the street. One need a bit of courage to park on PCH as passing cars make it scary to open the driver's door. Cars were flying by in the 40's and 50's and it's a very unsafe parking location.

    While the somewhat smaller portion of BBQ chicken was shockingly juicy and tasty, the other dishes…read moreleft much to be desired. Our larb salad was painfully salty to the point where it couldn't be enjoyed on its own and the kang kio wan curry was somehow watery and bland. Both the pork and beef were overcooked and tough. Unfortunately that the meal turned out to be such a flop, the chicken was the only thing that saved this from being a single star.

    Photos
    Floyd, the owner   4/13/08
    Floyd, the owner 4/13/08
    Floyd on 8/12/08
    Floyd on 8/12/08
    Basil Leaves w/Chicken

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    Basil Leaves w/Chicken
    Taishi Hainan Chicken

    Taishi Hainan Chicken

    4.4
    (1.3k reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    This place is a gem. It's a small location with big flavors. Location is always neat and clean…read more We've taken our food to go and we have dined in. When you dine in they bring metal cups with an icy cold carafe of cold water to your table. Customer service is efficient. The person behind the counter is very soft spoken and gives you a slight smile but gets your order correct every time. Hands down so don't argue with me they have the absolute BEST orange chicken. It has a slight crunch on the outside while tender and juicy in the inside. The orange sauce is perfection. It has a great balance of salty and sweet without being overly sweet like an orange candy. It's not tart and you can tell the ingredients are fresh. They put the right amount of sauce so it is not drenched. Pair it with the garlic rice and the salad that crops and fresh no dressing is even needed. Order this and you will be happy. The regular white rice is good too! The Zapp chicken is crunchy, juicy and spicy. I normally cannot eat spicy but this one is perfect. Since my 24 year old son told me about this restaurant I've been here four times in the past month. Simply delicious!!!

    Ordered online for take out. Was ready on time…read more 1. Original hainan chicken: there was a lot of chicken though a bit dry. The house spicy sauce wasn't really spice. The sesame soy sauce was better. Neither was the ginger green onion that I would expect at other Hainan places. Garlic rice had nice flavor. 2. Fried gyoza: Fried well. Liked the filling. Good with or without the sweet dipping sauce. Overall, both items were good and would get again but I prefer the ginger scallion sauce.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Original Hainan Chicken Rice
    Original Hainan Chicken Rice
    Menu p.4 (February 2024)

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    Menu p.4 (February 2024)
    Phuket Thai Restaurant

    Phuket Thai Restaurant

    4.3
    (64 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$
    Women-owned & operated
    Free parking

    The food is always fresh delicious, and full of flavor. You have to trying the green juice and…read moremango stick were absolutely delicious...

    Really good food, nice atmosphere, a little noisy, but that was more the large 12-person party…read moreadjacent to where I was sitting. Quick and great service. I came in later in the evening as I had just flown in and was staying nearby. This is super close to the hotel I was staying in. I was seated quickly, and my server brought me a menu. I asked about the spice level of the dish I got, and they were able to tone it down. I ordered the spicy seafood dish. My server asked if I wanted rice, and, whether white or brown, I ordered brown. Where I live, rice comes with it, and I didn't think anything of it until I got the bill and saw a $2.50 charge for the rice. I didn't even finish the rice because I thought it was part of the dish. I didn't need the rice; if I knew it was extra, I just wouldn't have ordered it. I'm not sure if that is standard on the West Coast or in this area. Other than the rice snafu, I was really happy with this restaurant. I really wanted some mango with sticky rice, especially after the table across from me got some, but I was so full. I might have to go back later today to have an order, as I absolutely love that dessert. Anyway, I enjoyed my meal and would certainly come back here in the future and I highly recommend.

    Photos
    Best of the Beach 2025
    Best of the Beach 2025
    Thaitini drink
    Thaitini drink
    Choo Chee Pla

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    Choo Chee Pla

    Tara Thai Cafe - thai - Updated July 2026

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