I ordered carry out. It was ready when I arrived (15 minutes). On the positive side, the food was in ample servings, sides were offered, and it was packaged to not spill on the way home. In terms of taste, it was not bad. However, if compared to another thai restaraunt nearby on 86th St, it come up quite short. Ordering was challenging on the phone due to limited english speaking ability (can't tell me if the spring rolls are rice or wheat wrapped, can't tell me about msg---if you have food issues or want to change an item, it could pose a challenge). If you look online at the menu and just order a number, you will be fine. Here is what I ordered: Pad Thai: no peanuts, no garnish, no lime flavoring. A giant dish of somwhat sweet and bland noodles, which one of my kids loved and the other two did not care for Drunken noodles: every other time I had this, it has been a pretty wet dish. It was fair. Very dry, no sauce. Green curry with green beans (#25 on the menu): there were only about 4 green beans in the whole curry, but the flavor was good. All of the dishes had little to no veggies and very scant protein. I'd wager to say less than 2 oz's per dish. It was all starch and fat. I think if you were dining in person and could really stress more veggies, it might work out better. All in all, I would stop here for a lunch, but I don't see myself ordering carryout often. read more

Love their red curry with tofu and drunken noodles with tofu! Its one of the best thai restaurants in the area!

Excellent service! They catered to all allergies and requests. The food was absolutely delicious and was cooked in a timely manner. I had a stir fry dish and it was amazing. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious meal with amazing service. read more

My husband and I have been going to Thai Papaya for several years. The owners are nice, the restaurant is clean, the food is amazing. When Covid hit, we decided to get carry out once a week to help them through. We have now had just about everything on the menu, we didn't know what we were ordering at times, and we have enjoyed every dish. Especially the sticky rice with mango for dessert! If you love Thai food, you have to give them a try. read more

Great Thai place to hit up for a quick lunch. I walked in, ordered, and only waited about 5 minutes for my food. The lunch special is reasonably priced. I opted for Pad See Ewe and was amazing. Full of flavor. The noodles were different than other Thai places I've been to but still great. Staff was very friendly. It was busy but service didn't slack. I didn't spend over $10 for the lunch special which means I can eat there more often Because I won't go broke! If you're near the pyramids, check it out! read more

Absolutely delicious!!! I ordered the L12 off lunch menu ( super hot ) and I got exactly what I ordered,Great hot Thai Food. Hard to ask for more than that. read more

Hidden gem in a little strip mall my niece and I found this place for early Saturday dinner. I ordered 48 and she ordered 25 and both were great. Large portions so women or light eaters may want to share. Clean, goid service, cute decorations. Would definitely return. Near NW shopping on Michigan Rd. read more

My favorite Thai food in Indy. Great for quick lunch at a fair price and good value. I recommend the Tom Yum soup and Pad Seuw! Their servers are also very helpful with their recommendations. read more

Tasty place for lunch. I like my Thai really hot and the cook accomodates me. The Pad Thai is really good.

Great place for lunch, had the pineapple fried rice with chicken, hot. Wife had Kao Padd with chicken, medium. We both liked the soup which was a light colored sweet soup with a hint of chilli. Food was very good and service was excellent. I'd definitely eat here again. read more

What does this place have going for it? The food. That is damn sure. What does it have going against it? Just about everything else. The location is a nondescript strip mall next to a McDs. The decor is Thai kitschy. The service is, well, kind of unprofessional. I get the feeling that everyone who works there is family, so it is a very casual approach to fulfilling orders and serving you. I guess that kind of makes it authentic. I hope they are making money so they can invest in cleaning the place up and making it a bit more top-notch. But the food is great. Ideally, this is awesome for takeout. If you want to impress someone with great Thai food, this will do the trick. If you want to impress someone with a great restaurant, it will fall a bit short. read more

BEST thai food around! Totally authentic and DELICIOUS! The Pad Thai is my favorite!!

I probably hit up Thai Papaya at least once a month. Their lunch specials are a great deal and are always delicious. I'd always been a red curry person until I had the green curry here. Delish!! Sometimes I actually call Thai Papaya before I leave work to pick up carry-out to take home rather than order from Thai Cafe in Broad Ripple which is closer to my home because I think the food at Thai Papaya is so much better!! read more

Solid takeout. Got massaman curry and Thai wings. Both tasted very flavorful, though not very spicy.. Could see red chili flakes. So they tried. Is it authentic? Who knows? I Have no idea what average Thai person eats, neither do other 1st worlders. My guess is Thai person would be ecstatic about having meat on their plate, and would gobble this food up. I'll definitely get takeout from here again. Which is usually your best bet with little ethnic spots like this. read more

By far the best Pad Thai in Indianapolis. A lot of restaurants in the US use too much ketchup (you'd be surprised where) but not the Thai Papaya. I also love their Tom Yum soup and Green Curry; not too watery and full of flavor. The lunch special appetizer is a good deal. The service is friendly and the chef likes to talk when he's not busy. Be careful asking for super hot because he'll give it to you. read more

Thai Papaya has been one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Indianapolis for a long time. The original owners have retired, passing the restaurant on to their extended family. This caused a brief change, but I think they're right back up to awesome now (took about 6 months). Anyway, it's a great place run by great people, so give it a shot! read more

We went here in a recommendation of a friend. This is on the mediocre side. We ordered the Thai coffee with Boba. The Boba was mealy and almost dissolved in your mouth. I would say the worst Boba I have ever had. The Tom Yum soup was really weird. It was the clear version but it was full of oil and only had tomatoes and cilantro in it. I didn't get a hint of lemon grass and no mushrooms. We had a spring roll appetizer and those were generic but over cooked. I ordered the fried fish pieces with red curry and vegetables. This dish was ok my biggest complaint was that it didn't fit the description. I'm glad I didn't opt to do red curry by itself. The red curry was too sweet and thick for a singular dish. The fish was served in fried filets not pieces which made it hard to cut with the curry. The vegetables provided were green beans and red pepper in sparse quantities with broccoli as a side garnish. My husband got the sweet chili chicken. That was served on top of rice and then we were each given a bowl of rice, too much rice, not enough chicken for him. If you need gluten free in the area they have GF menu items. I really don't know what my friend was thinking when he recommended it. read more

Thai Papaya - Lunch menu - Thai Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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I love this place. The owners are great and the food is amazing. I always go for either the pad Thai or Red Curry and I like it hot. I want to try some different dishes but those are the 2 dishes that I judge Thai places with and this place doesn't disappoint. I didn't know about this place until recently and I have to say, it's one of the best Thai places I've ate at. Try their lunch specials and go back for dinner. Don't know what to get? You can't go wrong with pad Thai but be careful. Don't get the extra hot unless you know what Thai hot is, it isn't your normal hot. I've done it with the red curry but it was too much for my family. I loved it! You can always get recommendations from the people there too. They will always guide you the right way! read more

Ive traveled all over Thailand and this place has very authentic Thai food. It is easily one of the best Thai restaurants in Indy. The owners are from Bangkok and are very nice. Food is fresh, hot and flavorful. Highly recommended!!! read more

We have frequented this establishment on many occasions. We run our own business and often have to take trips into Indianapolis....and this little restaurant is write near the road we take home. That being said...the food has always been okay, we mainly went there for the above reason- it was on our way home. Yesterday, I ordered the curry. I make curry myself, and have ordered it literally all over the United States, as I have traveled quite a bit. This curry was watered down...barely a taste of curry to it. No spice whatsoever, even though I asked for it to be spicy. It was like a faux curried gravy. The rest of the food we all had ordered had been fine. I asked the waitress if it would be okay to send it back and get something else. She said as long as I pay for the new dish....I said sure, of course I would. I dont expect a free meal. She left, I thought about it for a second. I then called her back over and asked if she meant I had to pay for both of them.....the one that didnt taste right, and the one replacing it. She said "Yes". The owner then came around from cooking and proceeded to yell at me.....saying I was trying to get something for free. (I had only take two bites of the curry dish and sent it back. ) I tried to tell him it didnt taste right. Him and his wife both came over yelling at me....saying I had to pay for it. The owner then went around to the kitchen and screamed about me in english, so everyone in the restaurant could hear him. Calling me names...saying I was ripping him off. I left in tears....embarrassed, humiliated. My husband paid for the dish I didnt eat...and we all left. This was the WORST dining experience in my life....and we were repeat customers. I highly recommend NO ONE going to this restaurant. The food changes every time you order it...never the same flavor. And the minute you think about complaining, you get to endure a scene....such as I endured. read more

My family and I have been eating at Thai Papaya for years.They have great food, Awesome service, and reasonable prices. The owners and staff are very nice, and the food is always out in a timely manner. We couldn't be happier with this place. Tiffany C. read more

I've had Thai all over the country and this is the first Thai restaurant to disappoint me. I always get Pad See-Ew at every Thai restaurant, but this one seems to have mangled the recipe. It didn't even use the dish's traditional noodle. This makes me question the restaurant's authenticity read more

Decent Thai food, not the best I've had in Indy though. Service is slow, and the place is kinda dirty. Dishes were even dirty. But the food was pretty good. read more

I had the padd wood sen (stir fried bean thread noodles with egg, bean sprouts, mixed vegetables) and I couldn't get enough. I wanted a whole other plate of it when I had finished. The noodles were perfect, the veggies were crisp and wonderful, and the sauce (whatever it was) was stellar. You can get it with chicken, pork, or beef but I said vegetarian and they added tofu for me. It was great. I had a thai salad before my entree and the cabbage was nice a crisp and flavorful. My table also split an order of spring rolls which were fried golden. The sauce that complimented them was nice and sweet. read more

My husband and I have came here twice, we have never had anything bad! Their food is so delicious omg , I really enjoyed the pad thai, fried tofu, and Tom yum soup! read more

They make a great Penang curry! It's a little sweeter than I'm used to but still quite tasty.

The food is amazing and is cooked fresh to order. I've only had dishes with the bean thread noodles so I'm not sure how their other dishes are. The only down side is they up and close whenever they want to. I assumed they closed early just if its slow but I've called during peak lunch/dinner hours and they answer stating they are leaving for the day. read more

Solid Thai food. Thai basil fried rice was great. Good spring rolls and pad seuw was pretty good. I would go there again.

Quick service by our waiter, who possibly was the owner. I had the Panang Curry and it was superb. My husband had Pad Thai and stopped eating it all, just so he could take the rest home to eat it later that night. We split a mango ice cream which was delicious. Where can you get fresh made mango ice cream?! read more

Why can't I give more than 5?! I spent a month in Thailand looking for food to bring me back since I left... I've lived all over the country since then, moved to Indy a few months ago and found the gem of them all. OK the food....UNREAL. I felt like I could close my eyes and I was right back eating Thai food like it's supposed to be. The freshness is impeccable, the shrimp were so fresh, the spices and rawness of food cooked from the heart is not to be compared. This is for certain an Anthony Bourdain find:) The couple who runs the place is from Bangkok and they do it all. After chef cooks he comes around to tables to say hello...it's a touch you dont find in the states anymore and I find it truly refreshing and genuine. I hope you can all experience Thai Papaya for all of its charm and authenticity. I am ordering food to go as I finish this post:) Cheers all and happy eating! read more

After reading all of the great reviews, I was really disappointed to arrive discover that they are currently closed for remodeling. Maybe some other time. read more

I love this restaurant! The servers are always so friendly and the food is delicious. I always get the Pad Thai with a spring roll on the side and I am never disappointed. There are also plenty of delicious vegetarian and gluten-free options. Overall, a really great experience and I would highly recommend going. read more

First time here and only second time eating Thai food. It was okay. Portions were very small but so was the price. Massaman curry was rather bland even though I ordered it hot. Soup was good. Service was very fast and friendly. read more

I walked right in and knew this restaurant was a winner. There's a great, comfy atmosphere that I felt right away. The service was great, and I thought the hostess was a gem of a human being. Most of the entrees come with a free spring roll, soup or Thai salad. Each of these side dishes are a perfect appetizer to any of the dishes (although I recommend any of the noodle entrees). I always order pad thai at Thai restaurants, but the pad thai at Thai papaya is by far the best I've ever had. It's rich with a perfect balance of thai flavors. My experience here was exceptional, and I highly suggest it to anyone passing through the area read more

Red or green curry, both are delicious:))) very affordable and fantastic owners. Real thai food:))

The food is very tasty. The owners are very kind and gracious to their customers. The prices fair in the proportion to the size of the food. The waiters on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are dashing young men who are respectful and attentive to their customers. I recommend anything in the chefs choices and the spring rolls are. read more

At last I found them again! This is the same wonderful couple that used to own the Thai House on 86th and Michigan. Once again, the absolutely best Thai food I've ever had! (I've had Thai food in 5 states!) Every dish I've tried is fantastic. LOVE the spring rolls! (told the owner makes homemade!) Most authentic Thai in Indy! Cook/owner is very good at adjusting spice level to individual's preference. Portions are huge! Friendly, wonderful "mom and pop" business! read more

This is the best restaurant I've been to in the whole state of indiana! The food is amazing and so affordable! My mom and I will eat lunch here and get two entrees with soup and escape for only $16! I recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves Thai food! read more

Been driving right by this little gem. Stopped in late one night and since the wife and I were starving we ordered more than we should. Wow. The food is really good. We especially liked the spring rolls. Came back a few days later and my son ordered the pad Thai . I typically avoid the generic and look for the chef specials, but it is the best I've had. Service is fantastic and fast. It has become a favorite. read more

Very, very good food! If you are looking for good Thai food then this is the place for you. Like others have said before, the décor leaves a lot to be desired but the food more than makes up for it. The owners are super nice and are from Thailand (he is also the older brother of Ty, the owner of Sawasdee). W e eat there all of the time and are never disappointed in the #8 and #23, so yummy! read more