There are two main reasons why I like to go out for Asian food rather than cook it at home. 1: I do not have a wok burner, it's hard to get that fiery taste that comes from being able to cook fast and hot. 2: is the refusal to use MSG, too much salt, and sugar. So when I choose to eat Asian food I do it hoping to get that fiery caramelization on my noodles or stirfry and I know I'm going to get that deliciously tasty, salty, sweet flavor that comes from the additives that we all turn a blind eye to. My spicy noodles that I ordered here had all the ingredients with a good amount of number 2 but it was missing that caramelization that I yearn for on my flat rice noodles. I ordered to go, but when picking up my order at the restaurant it looked interesting and inviting And looks like a very nice place to eat Thai food. read more

Thai Crystal - Spicy chicken noodles $12 - Thai Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

Doesn't look like much but the food was excellent. Had Thai Basil, crab Rangoon and spring rolls. Wait staff were great.

This is another great find on my travels throughout the West. I was staying the night in Pendleton and was not expecting to find a Thai restaurant let alone one this good. I ordered the fresh shrimp rolls with peanut sauce and avocado green curry with chicken. The two shrimp rolls were large ( saved one for next day) and the peanut sauce was the perfect thickness. This was the first time I had avocado in any curry and it was AWESOME!! The avocado added a nice smoothness to the curry which had just the right heat. Temperature hot was spot on and the spice level was just above medium giving the curry a little kick in a good and flavorful way. The taste is distinctive and sets it apart from other curries I have had. If you are not staying the night in Pendleton you should still order ahead and get off the highway to grab food from here. Easy on and off from either direction, just roll a mile down hill ( you'll see what I mean) and your pretty much there! read more

Thai Crystal is a wonderful restaurant serving authentic Thai cuisine. The staff are consistently cheerful and most of them will cheerfully converse with you in Thai if you are fortunate enough to know a little of the language. Unlike some restaurants attempting to serve Thai cuisine, Thai Crystal knows how to get the flavor balances just right. It would be nice to have some more variety, like Son in law eggs, but I'm sure the limited local population wouldn't support much more of a variety. Stop by and have a wonderful Thai dinner. read more

Amazing food, and good friendly smiles. I got the Rangoons and a Fried rice meal; all of it was worth the money it cost. The Rangoons were exactly as I was hoping them to be and the fried rice was very flavorful and filling! read more

I can't say enough good things about this place. The staff is absolutely kind, welcoming, and accommodating. They are always willing to make you happy as their guests. Their food is the most consistent in the city of Pendleton. You ALWAYS know you can expect top quality at the Thai Crystal. Their ingredients are always fresh. Not to mention they are one of the few Pendleton restaurants open on Tuesdays. And I have never ordered an item I didn't enjoy. We are local and eat here as often as humanly possible. We literally can't get enough. My husband's favorite dish is the Emperors cashew with beef. Mine is the Yellow Curry with Tofu. And the kids are all about the Crispy Chicken Pad Thai. Best restaurant in town! Thanks Thai Crystal! We adore you. read more

Food was very good. Staff was friendly. Has a great atmosphere. Large portions. And affordable prices. Cool glasses for drinks. Overall 10/10 read more

Thai Crystal - Awesome decor - Thai Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

Second visit and great food. I had the avocado green curry. The hot version on Thai tea was an unexpected favorite.

Hello there fellow reviewers of the Yelp variety!! And a warm good day to the merely curious and / or hungry Yelpertons, who may not yourselves participate in the submission of your unsolicited opinions, yet find much benefit in the work of users such as this one. Well, here we are again, back on the long and winding, fun and food - fueled highways and byways of this great nation. It is now fall and the leaves are beginning to turn, the air is light and crisp and our Rockwagon is a rolling, rolling, rolling. First stop of the tour was this quaint, yet gracefully aging Thai joint by the name of Crystal located in Pendleton, OR. Situated across the street from some kind of large and spooky looking factory(?), the Thai Crystal gives the impression that it may be somewhat of a fish out of water in Pendleton. Inside we were greeted warmly and shown straight to a cozy booth near the entrance. The Mooners are fairly well versed in Americanized South East Asian cuisine and arrived predictably ravenous so there was not a lot of time umming and ahhing over the menu. Our orders included Massaman curry, Panang curry, Phad See Ew, two orders of the house specialty (a Thai noodle soup), veggie spring rolls and sticky rice with mango. All dishes were quite delicious and came out relatively quickly, although not so quickly as to arouse suspicion. My one and only real complaint was that my soup was not quite spicy enough for my taste, which was a little disappointing considering I asked for a spice level 4 of 5. After our meal, some of us experienced some minor stomach confusion, although that may have been related to the fact that we played a game of soccer in the hotel parking lot pretty much immediately after stuffing our faces with Thai food. Who knows. Ok, that's all! Love, Lo Moon and our trusty steed Sansa. read more

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This place is AMAZING. Big city girl right here, and their food (pad Thai, duck Curry - for my boyfriend - Tom Kha and so much more) was amazing. And the service was equally wonderful. So good. I just can't say how good it was. Just go there and see for yourself. Incidentally, mine was a to-go order picked up and delivered by taxi. So thankful they are here in this town!!! read more

Extremely underrated spot in Pendleton. Always delicious and the staff is unendingly enthusiastic and accommodating, and has been so for many years. Beautiful, too. read more

Not at all what you'd expect to find in a cowboy western town. :-) We decided to stop in for a early dinner and Phad Thai and the appetizer of chicken satay. We'll start with the appetizer and say it was four generous pieces of chicken with a lovely curry sauce. It had a side dish of peanut sauce that was good as well as a cucumber salad. The Phad Thai was very good. Noodles were not mushy. Yay! I ordered the chicken version and the chicken & sauce were a great combination. You're not going here for ambience. The place seemed clean & tidy - important for a restaurant, but definitely was lacking in the Thai "feel". Maybe a should have put that first...but hey, we're here for the food not the surroundings. ;) read more

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Absolutely wonderful place. We were passing through and stopped for dinner. Quick friendly and very delicious. Spices were added to perfection some of the best Thai food I've ever had including in Thailand. read more

Even a Cowboy Town such as Pendleton needs a good Thai restaurant and Thai Crystal delivers. Each menu item is numbered to avoid confusion and embarrassment if you can't pronounce what you desire. (I had number 20 with chicken. Delicious!) Pictures of menu items are also included. So give this place a try when you are tired of steaks, pizza, or burgers. read more

First to review! I'm new to Pendleton-land so I'm not sure when this restaurant morphed into Thai Crystal (formerly Thai Ploy). On a whim (an empty stomach), we ventured into this unassuming restaurant for lunch. My partner in crime ordered the spicy basil chicken lunch meal (comes with soup, spring roll and rice) and I had my Thai-barometer-meal of Pad Thai (with a 3 of 4 spice rating). This meal did not disappoint! Standard Thai fare with friendly service, quality ingredients and a clean eating area. Please, please, PLEASE visit this restaurant! Pendleton needs more 'authentic' restaurants like this one! We will certainly be back! read more

Thai Crystal - Yummy Pad Thai! - Thai Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

So your in the middle of Cowboy country and there lies this little Thai restaurant! And worth your time to stop if your done with steak and potatoes!!! And I usually am as I don't eat red meat!! Their food is fresh, hot and well seasoned!! Delicious Thai! We enjoyed the Spicy Basil Chicken, tofu and chicken pad Thai and the Thai orange chicken. The only thing I would criticize is I would have expected the spicy basil chicken to be more spicy. But the food was Delicious and HOT when we picked it up!! Great job and we will go back!! So happy we grabbed dinner here! Yummy read more

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First time I had pad Thai it was amazing. Try the fresh rolls and the egg rolls too. Everything we tried was so delicious.

went on my first date w my girlfriend here. good food and amazing service, i would recommend this place to anybody

Absolutely best Thai food on the whole US West Coast! Best Thai food outside Thailand. How did they ended up here versus a bigger city is a mistery, we were just driving by read more

Thai Crystal - Mango sticky rice - Thai Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

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Ohhhh my God. Delicious. I ordered the spicy basil chicken and it was on point. Great food, good prices, great service and an ammmaaazzzing hot sauce made of backyard garden chili peppers. I will come back every time I visit Pendleton from California! read more

Driving home to PORTLAND (land of 500 Thai Restaurants) from Salt Lake and stayed overnight in Pendleton. On a lark we tried Rhai Crystal. This some of the best Thai food I have ever had. The TomKa soup beats all 500 Portland version! They have amazing service and the people that work there are extremely nice. I recommend going and try them out. read more

Fantastic. Fantastic Thai iced tea. Fantastic folks, thanks for the food! We're road-tripping and hadn't had a good hot meal in miles and miles. Wow what a total gem. We'll be coming here every time we stop through. (We've eaten lots of thai - this was excellent) read more

Excellent ambiance, service, and food. We have eaten here before and will go back again. Yum!

Delicious food & gracious staff. Not a bad item on the menu. Personal favorites are any of the curries, Thai spicy basil, and Thom Ka (Gai). Loyal customer since day one. read more

Thai Crystal - Thom Ka Gai - Thai Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

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This is your best bet for something different in Pendleton OR. It is a very authentic restaurant and truly a gem in a cowboy town in rural eastern Oregon. The menu is divided between noodles, soups, curries, and stir-fried entrees. The price range is around $10. You cannot go wrong with the pad Thai. The spicy basil is very nice and the Thai iced tea is great at combating the heat. The cashew w/ shrimp is also very tasty. This place is geared toward a family style of dining, and is great for large groups! Really fantastic! read more

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Food is always delicious. Staff is always super friendly. Highly recommend Thai Crystal!

Sweet Dara, most delicious Food! Love this place for its very friendly staff and great food.

A block off the main drag, quick on/off of I-84...great for Travelers! $$ pricing, reasonable @ $48 dinner for two: Massaman Curry/Tom Kah Soup Large Bowl/ Avocado Fresh Rolls/ two Thai Iced Teas. (& 20% tip) Authentic flavors, albeit with a reluctant spice factor...we asked for a Heat Factor of 4 out of 5, and got that on the Tom Kah soup but the Massaman was lacking heat--more like a 2. (perhaps due to the Coconut milk) Also ordered the avocado fresh rolls, which came with a To-Die-For peanut sauce. Thai Iced Teas served in tall Pilsner-style glasses, with a cute rose fashioned on the top of the paper straw sleeve--nice touch! All dishes were tasty and prepared with FRESH ingredients. Would stop here again, just need to be articulate and firm about the Heat. read more

Thai Crystal - Nice touch! Order a Thai Iced Tea at Thai Crystal and it comes with a Rose to top the paper straw sleeve! Avocado Fresh Rolls pictured too - Thai Near Me - Pendleton, Oregon

This is great Thai food. I'm visiting from the SF Bay Area, where I have a lot of very good Thai options. Thai Crystal's food is on par with the best I've had. I hope Pendleton folks appreciate what they've got in their own backyard (great service, too) read more

So my pals and I were in another city 50 miles or so down the blacktop yesterday, give or take. One em says this joint was supposed to have good eats. We looks online, says they are open so in the boiler we jumps and drives on down. That was the bunk. The slappos that run this flimflam outfit neglected to change their online open sign or to post anything about tak'in the day off. Wasted time, wasted trip equals a pissy experience. The only good in it is we finds "Sisters" who does stay open when they say they are open. Next time you feel like Thai food, go eat at "Sisters" which is actually serving food. I will. read more

Requested lunch special when I arrived and was shown menu on wall with peices $12 to $15 the when I asked again I was shown the lunch special. I ordered Basil Chicken It was spicy as I requested but was not Basil Chicken it was some Spicy Noodle Dish.. Food ok not great Double check order owner cant speak english well. Threw my money away. Suzies Cafe for Chinese Mo Pho for Thai style food read more

Sometimes when you're visiting a less than cosmopolitan area of the country you get a mixed bag of Yelp reviews. Some people give 5 starts to a restaurant because they've never been outside of their small town, and some people give 1 star just because they refuse to believe that good ethnic food can be found outside of LA. Imagine my surprise when I saw all of the five star reviews of Thai Crystal. We were spending the night in Pendleton because of weather conditions on the road home, and using my trusty Yelp skillz I found Thai Crystal. I wouldn't drive through a blizzard for just any Thai, and I can happily report that Thai Crystal is worthy of studded tire travel in sub-zero conditions. We had the Pad Thai, Yellow Curry, Tom Kha, and mango and sticky rice. The pad thai was just as good as my favorite neighborhood joint's, the yellow curry had the perfect balance of flavors, and speaking of flavors, I can only use the words of George Costanza for the tom kha: "It's like a party in my mouth and everyone's invited." The only shortcoming for me was the mango and sticky rice. The mango-to-rice ratio was off, and the rice didn't seem like glutinous sticky rice at all, but rather regular rice swimming in a light coconut sauce. After a few bites I finally placed the taste: it tasted like the bottom of the rice cooker when the rice is about to go rancid. Still, I'm giving five stars for this surprising gem in the middle of Pendleton: friendly service, quirky ambience, and fantastic Thai make me think that the dessert was an anomaly, and we'll definitely be back when we return to Pendleton. read more

Best Thai place around with absolutely THE best peanut sauce! Yum. Love the Swimming Rama and portions are generous which is very important to me and great in comparison to other places around. Definitely will keep going back! read more

Let me start off by saying that I did not expect to find good Thai food in Pendleton. This isnt the best I have ever had but it is FAR from bad. This is one of the best places to eat in Pendleton bar none. The food is delicious, staff phenomenal, and very decently priced. Not to mention they are fast! I've never had to wait longer than 15 minutes. Highly recommend. read more

The food here is pretty good, but it really doesn't compare to the Thai food in a larger city such as Chicago. Sorry, previous reviewers. In sum, most of the flavors were correct, the noodles were the right texture, and so forth, but a decent amount was just off. There were tomatoes in a noodle dish that were really overwhelming and didn't go with the sauce and the Tom Yum soup practically tasted like vinegar. I might go again if I was in the area, but it's not unseating any of my favorite Thai places elsewhere. read more

Coming in from a freezing cold winter day, a bowl of hot chicken rice soup was much appreciated. We ordered Spicy Basil ( chicken with veges) and Spicy vegetables (beef with a wider selection of veges), and fresh shrimp spring rolls. All was delicious. Like others we were on a trip from Seattle to Boise, and this restaurant is an easy stop off of I-84. The only item I left on the plate was the Crab Rangoon, a deep fried won ton affair that seemed to be hot cream cheese with a few bits of crab. Service was good and the atmosphere is 1970s friendly with booths and tables. A great place to stop for top tier Thai. read more

Surprisingly excellent! Would recommend for anyone in town. The shrimp spring rolls, pineapple fried rice and pad Thai were delicious. We're originally from SoCal, now living in Kirkland, WA, so I've had my share of really good Thai food. This place is G.O.O.D! read more

The best Thai food I had so far. Very much above expectation and very authentic Thai food. I order the Tom Yum Seafood soup and seafood were very fresh and soft. The Spicy noodle is also very good. Not like typical wide thick rice noodle, the noodles here are very thin and therefore easy to absorb sauce which make the dish tasty. read more

Coming from Seattle, I eat a lot of Thai food. Just finishing Lunch at this Thai joint, it was excellent. The only reason I'm doing 4 instead of 5 stars today is because of price. I don't think I've ever had a $17 dish for a single item on the menu. Honestly, it was a bit of shell shock when getting the bill. So if you have a lot of cash and love Thai food, this is your spot. read more

I am a well traveled engineer, from an asian descent who loves food. So trust me when i say, this place is got amazing food. Everything i order so far has always been excellent. The waitress sarah is friendly the owner kind and the chef know how to make the thai food right. Everytime i pass by this town. I have to stop by read more