Small local restaurant just outside of Union center. We were able to easily find street parking. Fast, friendly service... quite the disappointment when they didn't have the sliced beef appy which we requested... I ordered my standard pad Thai with shrimp and friend got the garlic beef with veggies and brown rice. Both were delicious, although not spicy... we had requested a 2 and a 3 out of four. Would rather have it less spicy than overheated, but definitely added more chilis ourselves. Reasonably priced especially for the portions! Would definitely recommend and return! read more

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Unfortunately, I did not take photos I ordered the fried pan dumplings, but unfortunately I received steamed dumplings instead. Normally, I'm not a big fan of steamed dumplings, so I was a little disappointed at first. However, the flavor was excellent and definitely exceeded my expectations, so I can't complain too much about the mix-up. The real star of the meal was the Yellow Curry Crispy Duck. Absolutely amazing! The duck was cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the curry had incredible flavor. I ordered it with spice level 1, which was just right for me and allowed all of the flavors to shine through. My only real complaint is the portioning of the rice. While the half crispy duck portion was quite generous, the amount of rice provided didn't seem to match the amount of meat. For the price I paid, I feel like the rice portion should automatically be adjusted to complement the entrée. Having to request extra rice just doesn't make much sense when there's plenty of duck left over. I'm usually not picky about things like this, but considering the cost of the meal, I expected a little better balance. Other than that, the staff was friendly and welcoming. The restaurant itself is a small hole-in-the-wall spot with a cozy, authentic feel. It's the kind of place that locals seem to know and enjoy. I actually discovered it while heading to a Mexican restaurant with some coworkers and decided to give it a try because I'm a big fan of Thai food. Overall, I'm glad I did. The food quality was excellent, the flavors felt authentic, and the crispy duck alone is worth coming back for. Despite a couple of minor issues, I would definitely recommend giving this place a try. If you enjoy authentic Thai cuisine, you'll likely leave satisfied. Authentic taste and quality ingredients--everyone should give it a try! read more

Thai Mama - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Came here for dinner on a double date and can't wait to come back and try more! I enjoyed the duck curry (red curry) and a bit of the Khao soi (note: they use chicken breast slices instead of thigh meat now). I didn't mind too much, but my partner was a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, it's fantastic to find a place in NJ that makes khao soi! For their dishes, you can choose the spice levels and I enjoyed that the flavors were well balanced even for the spicier dishes. This place is byob so we also brought a bottle of wine to drink. Just a few extra notes, the restaurant is small and they don't take reservations. We also street parked because there's no parking lot for the restaurant. read more

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We've only done takeout, but the few times we've ordered, they've been solid. Even when they're busy, the food comes out really fast, and thankfully, fast does not mean sloppy. My go-to and my kid's favorite is the chicken Pad Thai. I like that you can choose your spice level including no spice, and their mild is actually mild while still making things interesting. My husband liked the Green Curry Chicken, and my daughter loves the Chicken Laab (or Larb), which is super tasty ground chicken with fish sauce and bright lime flavors over greens. The entree portions are huge. An entree with rice can easily stretch into two or three meals for me, which is always a win. The only miss was the Mango with Sticky Rice. The mango was ripe, sweet, and tender, but the rice was a little hard and clumped together. Still, Thai Mama is quick, generous, and tasty enough that it has earned a spot in our takeout rotation. read more

Thai Mama - Pad Thai w/chicken - yummy! - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

How I wish Thai Mama would've moved in when we still lived in the area! We went in for lunch last week for the first time and I would dare say this is the best Thai food we've had in Jersey. You can tell they care about using quality ingredients and everything is cooked to order, perfectly. We ordered everything mild and it was just the right amount of spicy. We loved everything we ordered - papaya salad (so impressed by how well the shrimp was cooked!), pad thai, khao soi (probably spelled wrong), sweet chili fish (forget the actual name on the menu). Service was great and it's nice to see a place that's literally family run - especially Mama being in the kitchen. They offer some parking, but it's limited. Closed Tuesdays, I believe. If you love Thai food, you'll love this gem. We live almost an hour away now, but we will be coming back as often as we can. read more

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We lucked out, an intimate place with a few tables and chairs. As soon as we sat down, the dinner rush followed. The food here is immaculate. I'm so glad we stumbled upon it. My favorite, to nobody's surprise, was the duck basil. I swear it's gon' hit every single timeeeeee. read more

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Food was OK. I've had much better Thai food. I felt like I was rushed, which I didn't like or appreciate. May give this spot another chance not sure yet. read more

Small Thai restaurant in Union that has become my favorite Thai spot. Fresh food prepared skillfully and delicious flavors from dish to dish. I need to go with a large group because I get tempted with too many things. The basil duck, drunken noodles, and the curries are all delicious. I encourage you to go and try. ENJOY!!! read more

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Food is always perfect, and consistent. They have the best service. My favorite restaurant. Nice, comfortable atmosphere. read more

Delivery Order: I got the Massaman Curry and Pad Thai, my standard order when trying a Thai place for the first time. I simply loved the Massaman Curry, both the quality and quantity was good, and it tasted awesome. Pad Thai was good but not great, there was something different about the flavor that couldn't identify. Food was packed well, and delivery was quick. Will definitely try again. read more

Thai Mama - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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I ordered delivery: crispy chicken massaman curry and tom yum soup; everything was delicious.

5 stars!!!! This is definitely one of the best Thai restaurants I been to in New Jersey.. Mama knows how to throw down in the kitchen!

I'm surprised this restaurant is rated so highly but not too surprised. Cranford diners seem pretty loyal to what opens in their town. We came for dinner on a Saturday night. The place is cozy and cute with a nice mixture of 2 seater and 4 seater tables that can be configured for more diners, if needed. It's perfect for an intimate date night, as it's dimly lit and on the quiet side but families do come here also. They also have a large takeout business and people tend to wait near the register so ask to be seated in the room without the register if that makes you uncomfortable. It's a small place. The server was very kind but service was disorganized and things got overlooked. My boyfriend asked for chilis on the side but they didn't come. The waitresses walked by and tried but seemed forgetful. We ordered the fried wontons as an appetizer and that was the standout for us. They were flaky, light as air and flavorful. Entrees were drunken noodles and pineapple curry. Both seemed to have the same sauce, which was extremely sweet. Typically Thai has a balance of 4 flavors and the sweetness dominated. Parking is rough in Cranford but I can't fault the restaurant for that. Theyre across from the diner and parking is minimal but easy to find. We both agreed with so many choices in the area, we aren't likely to come back. read more

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Absolutely friggin delicious. We got Yellow Curry (mild). 4.8/5.0 The Thai fried wontons I could eat about 25 of them. Need extra sauce. 5.0/5.0. The pad Thai with pork was very good. 4.5/5.0 and the egg fried rice was flavorful. Super nice staff, food was prepared to order and a quick pick up. Huge fan! read more

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Stopped by this Thai restaurant because of all great reviews. The menu is small, but has your traditional Thai dishes. I had the Tom Ka soup to start, and I loved the creamy coconut flavor. For dinners we had the pineapple fried rice and the Pad Thai. The pineapple fried was AMAZING! Im definitely coming back for that dish! The Pad Thai was good, but I like mine more sweeter. I recommend Thai Mama in Cranford! read more

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Wow Roasted Duck w curry sauce was amazing The drunken noodles with shrimp top level Thai tea was also delicious. Service is top shelf extremely helpful very polite The place is small, but very comfortable. Seems like they have a great business for pick up. Have to say probably the best Thai food I've had outside New York City read more

Yum!!! Best crispy spring rolls and drunken noodles I've had in the area!! You can't beat the taste and the price is reasonable. Staff is also great and attentive. Would recommend this spot for anyone who is in the area. read more

Thai Mama - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

I pay $15 extra just to have Thai Mama delivered because it's far from me but SO worth it. Everything I've tried is clearly made with fresh ingredients and is well balanced. Seriously the best Thai this side of the Hudson. read more

I've had pad see ewe at many, many Thai restaurants and this was among one of my least favorite. The quality of the meat was poor, there was something off putting about the sauce.. I can't put my finger on the flavor that didn't taste right. It wasn't egregiously bad, and the sticky rice with mango and wonton appetizer were redeeming, but I wouldn't order from here again. read more

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Stumbled across this place and was glad that I came. I found the Thai here to generally be better than my local options. Food was quite tasty, with a good amount of spice, but not over whelming. The only item that I didn't love was the pad Thai... it was too sweet, and had a weird texture. Reasonable pricing. read more

Thai Mama - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Yes! Yes! Yes! We as a family love Thai food, so trying different restaurants can be challenging as we already have favorites, and don't want to "chance" it sometimes. Yelp was pretty convincing that we should give this a try and so we did. We ordered delivery, so can't speak to the service or ambiance. Everything was well packaged and arrived HOT. What I can speak to is flavor!! We tried the wings, dumpling soup, thom ka soup, curry puff, drunken noodles, Thai Mama fried rice, green curry and more. I would order every single dish again (sorry, was too hungry to take photos, will add next time). One thing I'd mention is that we ordered everything mild, always do on first try and I don't think we'd go up a spice level in the future. Everything was incredibly tasty, but even the mild drunken noodles were a bit too spicy for the kiddos. If you haven't, give this place a try! read more

Cozy little nook with some incredible Thai food! I stopped in here for a early weeknight dinner with my mom and had a great meal. Thankful to Yelp for helping us find a new Cranford gem! We have our favorites in town but I was looking to mix it up, and so happy that we did. We thought it was just a slow night, but after a little while, I realized we just got there super early because by 6ish, the place was packed. We started with the fried tofu bites. This was the one and only thing of the night I didn't love. They were just very bland, and didn't really hold any of the flavor from the dipping sauce. I would have preferred if they were like coated or drenched in the sauce. But onto the entrees which seriously blew me away. I go the Kra Tiem - like a stir fry with lots of veggies, chicken and a brown garlic sauce. It was so so good, and a huge portion that left me with a meal for the next day. My mom got one of the curry dishes with the crispy duck and it was the star of the show. The curry sauce was sweet from the coconut milk but still had a little bit of zing, and the crispy duck was so so good. I kept stealing little bites from her plate the entire night. If you are stopping in with another person, I recommend one curry dish and one other dish like a stir fry or soup or noodle dish to get a few different kinds of flavors. You will love! read more

Thai food is easy to find in New Jersey, but finding GOOD Thai food is the challenge. Fortunately not too long ago Thai Mama opened up in Cranford. Thai Mama may not be a chain but its iconography definitely shows that there are some real professional and corporate-lite chops behind its organization. It has cute illustrated characters on its menu. The restaurant has cute figurines including the "Good Luck Cat" sprinkled throughout the dining area. The restaurant looks like it can seat about 15-16 people comfortably (maybe more if you squeeze into certain parts). On some nights, expect a wait. You can find parking on the street in front on some days or there is a municipal lot a short walk away. I've been to Thai Mama several times and had many dishes. Among my favorites are: DRUNKEN NOODLES I generally order these noodles and veg with chicken. You can select your spice level so I generally go with medium. I find that is the perfect level to get that hit of heat while still being able to appreciate the deep, savory flavors of the dish itself. The noodles are always perfectly cooked with a nice, slick texture. This is one of my go to dishes at Thai Mama. GREEN CURRY with VEGETABLES I'm a big fan of green curry as a dish, and I've had versions of it from many many different restaurants. My absolute favorite was from a restaurant in Manhattan that no longer exists, so I am happy to report that Thai Mama makes one that is just about as good! You can adjust the spice level of this curry (I usually go with medium). It has a rich, comforting flavor and I generally add tofu in as the protein. There's plenty of vegetables in the mix too so don't worry about being hungry if you get this dish, it's plenty of food! MANGO & SWEET STICKY RICE This dessert is often advertised at Thai places, but half the time I go to various restaurants they are always "out of it" (even if you get there at the start of dinner time). Not so at this restaurant! Each time I have gone they have had it. They always select sweet mangoes (none of those sour, dried out ones) and the sticky rice is sweet but not super sweet. It's a wonderfully comforting dish! Service is always friendly at Thai Mama and I'm always impressed by how fast the food comes out. Their bathroom is also kept very clean. I have nothing but praise for this restaurant. Check it out! read more

Ordered pickup take out from here on Friday around 6:00. It is a small restaurant and all tables were full and lots of people waiting for pickups. Thats how I knew it would be good! We ordered two drunken beef noodles and order of Thai spring rolls. We were quoted 45 mins but ended up taking about an hour. Food was so tasty! Loaded with flavor and the drunken noodles had a good spice. The noodles had less veggies than other Thai places, and I wish it had more veggies. However all was delicious none the less. read more

Thai Mama - Beef DRUNKEN NOODLES and CRISPY SPRING ROLLS - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Cute, welcoming delicious place. Prompt service with fresh food. We had the Khao soi and massaman both were incredibly flavorful. Wish we lived closer so we could indulge more in this wonderful spot. read more

We dined in and ordered in. Both great. BYO Not cheap, but thats just how Thai food is. Food - Excellent - I actually think someone's Mama is back there Service - Attentive Ambiance - Like a take out place. read more

Authentic, filling and great value! Was passing through the area so I decided to ordered some food to go. Parking is a pain, but this is more of a pick up to go type place anyways. Devoured the chicken pad Thai, very authentic and flavorful. A hint of spice, but nothing too crazy for me since I love some heat in my food. My wife ordered the drunken noodles which were very good as well. The noodles are perfectly cooked, glass-like and full of flavor. $3 Thai iced teas are a great value and go perfectly with the meal. My wife also ordered the mango sticky rice which was super sweet and delicious. Great establishment to get authentic Thai food! read more

Thai Mama - Chicken pad Thai, delicious! - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

I found my new favorite Thai restaurant! Thai Mama is a small and cozy Thai restaurant serving up authentic and incredibly flavorful dishes with a homestyle flair. I've enjoyed every dish here, but my top go-to's: Khao Soi and Pineapple Fried Rice. I've always found it difficult to find Khao Soi on menus, and it's fantastic here. The massaman curry soup base is creamy and flavorful, with a nice kick to it. I also rarely order fried rice at restaurants, but the Pineapple Fried Rice is one of my favorites. It's slightly sweet and savory with a good "wok flavor" that's truly addictive. On top of that, the staff has always been so friendly and kind. We'll definitely be back again and again. read more

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I literally JUST reviewed this place a couple of days ago but it was so good that I literally ordered more. This time for takeout and oh my gahhhhhh! This Thai food is the absolute perfect addition to this area. There are literally no good Thai restaurants remotely near this part of north jersey but now we have one. The drunken noodles are soft, flavored to perfection, and absolutely delicious. I had to heat them up and OH MY GOSH THEY WERE LIKE THEY JUST CAME OFF THE STOVE. How many times do we order Thai food that doesn't heat up well? The noodles break apart? The oil is falling off each piece? Thai mama is the literal and exact opposite. Every bite had me stunned. The dumpling soup was also soooo tasty. The dumplings are house made which is very obvious because they are the most perfect combination of delicate wrapping to seasoned ground meat. Have I said the word perfect enough?!? Finally, the service-- literally the women that work here are truly gems. They are friendly and know how to make customers feel special. I cannot wait to come back!!! read more

Thai Mama - TOM KA - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Small restaurant with street parking. Suggest avoiding peak hours because the restaurant is small, especially hard to accommodate big group. They also close at 9pm and won't take orders after 8:30. In terms of food, i recommend the fried wontons. Also must try their drinks, the ice tea is one of my favorites. Passion fruit tea was very good too. Drunken noodle is my go to. read more

I usually order the pad Thai but decided to try the drunken noodle dish which looked really good on the website. Unfortunately, it was not the same as the picture when it arrived. I called the restaurant and explained that this is NOT what I expected. The restaurant worker did not agree, told me to ask for a refund from Uber Eats and hung up twice (she hung up the phone and I redialed and asked for the owners when she hung up again). read more

Thai Mama - DRUNKEN NOODLES - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Long overdue review as we have been here 4x, and definitely our favorite Thai place in the area. It's a small charming space that is super inviting, you feel like you are eating at "mama's" house from "Thai Mama". The dishes here are absolutely delicious and super authentic. My personal favorites are the fish (Bangkok or Pad Pet Pla), the noodles (pad see ew or drunken), as well as the Khao Soi Gai. The only dish that has been inconsistent has been the papaya salad. I order it each time, and it has been amazing or just meh. The drinks are absolutely delicious as well, I personally love the lychee Thai iced tea. Service is great and super attentive. Always a pleasure coming here. read more

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The service is always excellent. Of course, the food is amazing. Every dish I have had here has been delicious. Today I had the Ga Pow. The vegetables were not overcooked and the green beans were crisp. I treated myself to dessert here for the first time. I had the mango and sweet sticky rice. Wow! I was going to try to bring home half, but indulged and ate the whole dessert. Such a delightful coconut sauce. Glad I drove the extra mile to get here rather than go somewhere in my neighborhood. Will be back with my family. read more

Thai Mama - MANGO AND SWEET STICKY RICE - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Finally, a really good Thai restaurant in the area. Tiny place with seating for about two dozen patrons, and takeout, of course. We had shrimp pad thai and chicken drunken noodles. Both dishes were delicious. Good sized portions, and very authentic. Choose a heat level from one to four. Had a two on the drunken noodles, and it was agreeably hot. I live about 1/2 hour drive each way from this place, but I will bypass a half-dozen closer Thai restaurants and come here, even for takeout. read more

Thai Mama - chicken drunken noodles - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Yummy yummy. Small joint, fills up fast. Main server was soooo kind, she is very personable and really brings the place to life. Food was pretty good, not to die for but definitely tasty. Pad thai was alright, definitely on the wet side but none the less it was tasty. The drunken noodle was super flavorful, leaning more salty-- seems like the restaurants most popular dish. Papaya salad was mostly limey, would skip this one. Chicken satay was tastyyy good peanut sauce no complaints here. Thai iced tea and thai iced coffee were amazing yum yum. all around good experience. Probably would return if in the area but wouldn't go out of my way. read more

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Amazing little Thai spot with super friendly service and delicious food. I actually went there for the first time on a Friday for lunch and went back Saturday for dinner because it was so good! So far I've had the curry puff, dumplings, Thai tea, pad kee mao (drunken noodles) and khao soi gai. Khao soi gai isn't super common on the menus of Thai restaurants I've been to and I wish it was! It was the perfect combination of savory, creamy, spicy, and tangy with a great mixture of textures. The chicken very literally fell off the bone and was amazingly tender. The drunken noodles are great, as many others have stated. I love when they get a bit of char on them, and the crinkle cut veggies are a really cute touch. The spice levels are very approachable - as someone who's used to ordering medium spice at other Thai places (I like spice and I prefer to sweat a little with my meal ), level 3 at Thai Mama seemed fairly tame and I could likely do the level 4. Though I'm sure if you asked nicely they could probably crank the spice level! Other notes: there is a very small parking lot on site but I would recommend street parking, and it is a small restaurant and can get busy (because it's great) so I would recommend going on off-peak hours if possible. I will be coming back here for sure! read more

Thai Mama - Drunken noodles (pad kee mao) with tofu and veggies - Thai Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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We were visiting New Jersey on spring break. We found this place by luck. Great food, great atmosphere, great people. The owners were so kind. They gave my kids free stickers. read more

I called in my order and experienced a short wait, but it was well worth it--I saved $10 compared to ordering through a third-party app. The food was absolutely outstanding, evoking the authentic flavors of Thai cuisine you'd find in Queens. I highly recommend giving it a try. Oh and order the Thai ice tea! We had the green curry, the drunken noodles, the children's chicken noodle, the pineapple fried rice. Warning! The medium is very spicy. read more

I've been looking for a good Thai spot and glad I've found this one. Been here like 3-4 x and tried the pad Thai and drunken noodles . Both are solid and tasty. I've only done take out but would like to dine it one day read more

Was craving some Thai food and found this place on Yelp. It was a 20min drive for me but that's my threshold on cheat days. Here are my ratings for the food that I ordered: Crispy spring rolls 7/10: Very crispy and perfect texture. Took one point away because the taste is missing some seasoning that I couldn't pinpoint. 2 points for the sauce, it's a bit sour for my taste. Was looking for that usual sweetness from the sauce. Pad See Ew: 7/10 Also good, chicken was tasty. Overall flavor was great but it was a little dry in my opinion. Pineapple fried rice with chicken: 8/10 I wish they add more seasoning to make it perfect. Service and customer service is 10/10. Packaging and promptness also 10/10. read more

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