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    Thara Thai

    4.2 (298 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Salad, Noodles
    Open 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Thara Thai Photos

    Business Info

    THARA THAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Drunken noodles
    Robyn K.

    Can't get Thai in Peoria so stopped on our way through. The service was excellent! Portion size good although I couldn't stop eating to have leftovers. Expansive menu! I read so much about the spice level, and I'm disappointed because I like spicy but went with medium just in case. Wish I would have went with medium like my husband. Will be back when in the area.

    H. A.

    Food was super good & the service was wonderful! I only took off one star bc i feel like its kinda expensive but prices of everything are going up these days so i understand. we got the Red curry and the chicken Pad thai :) both were delicious

    Pad Thai
    Arun K.

    Good food (except Pad Thai) and service, Ambiance is fine as well. We ordered the below Combination Fried rice - 5/5 Pad Thai - 2/5 - sweet n bland Red Curry lunch special- 4/5

    Chicken pho
    Ashley B.

    Outstanding always. The food, the service and the comfy booths are the best. Their pho will make everything better.

    Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
    Monica L.

    My husband describes this place as his favorite Thai restaurant in the whole world. He hasn't been to Thailand, but for a Thai restaurant in central Illinois, this place is for real. We've stopped at this place several times in our travels, and it always delivers. (They also have carry-out. Ha!) Most important consideration. When you're asked, "how spicy?" consider the chef is probably a native of Thailand. "5" is Thai spicy, as in melt your tongue spicy. "2" is American spicy, as in your nose will run but you can still enjoy the flavor. I ordered "3" once and it was eye-watering hot. Be careful. When we were here a couple years ago, they hadn't yet reopened to dining in, but I'm happy to say, you can eat inside now. The dining room is simple and clean. The service is efficient and super fast. We waited less than 3 minutes for our crab rangoons -- crispy and filled with spicy cream cheese. The spring rolls were also expertly made and very fresh. I deviated from my useful order of shrimp green curry to try the papaya salad (aka som tum). Think of it as the tastiest tomato and iceberg lettuce salad you've ever eaten. The shredded green papaya is not sweet--it reminded me of bean sprouts. It was served with hot white rice, which I found weird until I tried it. Definitely try it. You might like it, too. It cost $17.99, which seemed high but it was very fresh and flavorful. (There are lunch specials for $12.99 if you're looking for value.) We will, without a doubt, be back.

    Alaina G.

    DELICIOUS!!! This restaurant should have 5 out of 5 stars. It's a little hole in the wall kind of place and by the outside, probably not your first pick. But don't judge a book by its cover, it was by far some of the best Thai I've ever had. We order off their lunch menu, pad Thai and green curry, spice level medium. Thai is my favorite and I often make it at home and I love spice. However, their medium spice is burn your lips and mouth off spicy. My eyes were watering and my nose running! I would definitely get mild next time. I've eaten a lot of other Thai and always order medium, but their medium is very very hot. Our waitress was super friendly and sweet! We got our order in right away and it was brought out very quickly. Super authentic and absolutely delicious! I'll definitely be going back soon to try more dishes!

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Best Thai in Champaign. Helpings are huge so prices seem high, but they are not. Max spicy is very spicy.

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    10 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Really delicious family run and tasty Thai. Was a delicious way to spend dinner rather than 5 guys or other chain. Service was great

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    The food was great, very accommodating for gluten free, price accurately matched the large portion sizes

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    The food is lights out...Best fried rice I have ever had!! Family owned and ran, great service

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Decent Thai food. They were quick and it was hot. Did a good job with not making it overly spicy but really just right.

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food and excellent service. Always on the radar when I want Thai. Love the Thai iced coffee too!

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Service fast and accurate. Food=excellent with attention to spicy ness. Ambiance = okay.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The staff is great and very accommodating towards gluten allergies! Ambiance and food are both great too.

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    3 years ago

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    Page 1 of 8

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    McAlister's Deli

    McAlister's Deli

    2.9
    (89 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $

    each ordered a bowl of soup and a tea. the "bowl" was a cup and was $7.19! came with 2 small…read moretortilla chips and a few broken pieces. I asked about my order saying I didn't order a cup of soup I ordered a bowl! was told that was the bowl now, a little smaller! HA! We definitely will not be back!!

    I am upset. This rating is for the food only. The food was…read moreso far below what I'm used to from this restaurant (which is normally a favorite). What we got: New Yorker on jalapeño bread 3/10 Tomato "bisque" 2/10 Black Angus spud 2/10 Broccoli soup 5.5/10 Sugar cookies 7/10 Banana butterscotch pie 6/10 Let's talk about why each item got it's rating. The NY was a half sandwich, which we weren't told. Flavors were mute & dull, very lacking. Tomato "bisque" should not be called that, it was offensively acidic/bitter. I honestly can't imagine how it went wrong in so many ways. The BAS upset me the most by far. It was an unseasoned, unloved, meat slab spud. No flavor, tough meat and no condiments to be found. I couldn't even tuck in because of the effort it took to cut into pieces. Broccoli soup was subpar, not seasoned and lacking but the best thing I ate in this meal. Why are the cookies sooooooo thin? But the taste was expected. Lastly the pie.... if it weren't for the absolutely soaked crust it would've been great. The filing was smooth and yummy but the crust was inedible. **Now normally I don't go so deep on a review but I was really caught off guard.

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    McAlister's Deli
    McAlister's Deli
    McAlister's Deli

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    Forage Kitchen

    Forage Kitchen

    3.6
    (26 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    Casual warm bowls for clean living. This lunch place has you covered when you want something hearty…read morebut not heavy. The bowls use simple ingredients for a mild but hearty meal. I ordered a power bowl, with the dressing on the side and added tofu. It was effectively a large bowl of black rice -- a meal unto itself -- topped with slightly chilled vegetables. The guacamole and slaw that came on it were crisp, and they mixed into the rice to give it a texture both smooth and crunchy. On the other hand the sweet potatoes, lentils, and tofu were cool and mushy, like they had been cooked the day before and just come out of the fridge. They warmed party in the rice. The flavors were mild, except for the dressing. I'm glad to have ordered it on the side because it overwhelmed everything else with vinegar. The ingredients generally seemed to be a couple days old. The green onions were dried out though firm, and the sourdough it came with was a bit stale. In the future, I will probably stick with the small bowl, which cuts down on the rice.

    50 minutes. 2 items. Placed an online order for a wrap and a bowl. Showed up about 20 minutes…read moreafter ordering, only to have them start on the order. Stand in the pickup area for another 30 minutes. Told at 15 minutes 'the press isn't heated up yet' (now 11:00a - lunch service). Watched 3 wrap orders get served to eat-in patrons after this. Asked staff multiple times about the order with different excuses, eventually being ignored. Food is decent - it's a great option to have in town, but never again with that level of service. Wasted my entire lunch hour waiting.

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    Forage Kitchen
    Mole Bowl
    Mole Bowl
    Make Your Own Bowl

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    Make Your Own Bowl
    Fresh International Market

    Fresh International Market

    4.0
    (33 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $

    This place is awesome! I can see it becoming the best Asian international grocery market in the…read morearea! They have a huge selection of foods predominantly from China, South Korea, and Japan. I have seen some Indian, Vietnamese, and Filipino stuff though including a generous section of spices and whatnot. The prices are quite affordable and they have a great assortment of fresh produce, deli foods like ready to eat kimbap or squid salad, baked goods, pick your own hotpot items, and fresh bbq (put out at 11am). Their staff is super friendly and diverse (a sign at the entrance touts the multilingual abilities of the staff). They seem to have everything including more niche ingredients and even live seafood! I also appreciate that they freshly butcher meat to sell unlike other stores like Amko that freeze it all. There's also a home goods section with cute bowls, makeup, and other stuff. This is all relatively close to campus too and worth the trip. It's also right next to Golden Harbor, which is a plus. I found out about their membership card. You get 1 point per dollar spent and it builds up - it seems handy especially if you shop here frequently. They are still in the opening stage but hopefully the food court will open up soon!

    Very surprised to see an Asian market with a great variety of options in the area. We happened to…read morepassed by the market and saw some of our favorite items that you can only get in Asian markets. Red dates, Gogi Berry, ginger tea, kimchi, Vita drinks, matcha soymilk, miso paste, whole wall of lee kum kee sauces, japanese candies, Korean banana milk, coffee milk, instant noodles, and much more. Their fresh produce was a bit low in stock but they had Taiwan and Napa cabbage and fresh ginger. Inside seems clean and there is parking right outside of the market. Cashier was really friendly. There is a membership to earn points to redeem for coupon. Don't forget to grab some Japanese or Korean instant coffee packs and special lays flavored chips! Those are so good.

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    Fresh International Market
    Fresh International Market
    Delicious!

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    Delicious!
    Watson's Shack & Rail

    Watson's Shack & Rail

    4.1
    (306 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    Had great stuff at this Southern themed restaurant in Champaign. It has a lot of chicken but also…read moreplenty of vegetarian choices if avoiding meats. Watson's is one of the cleaner and shinier hangouts but it still has some campus vibes. A lot to choose from. The prices aren't bad for portion and quality. Coming in the first time it wasn't that busy. It's a lot crazier when school is in session. This has been around for a while now but it's still a pretty cleaner looking kind of place okay to bring families of students or whatever. A lot on the menu. There's shit tons of drinks and we got a few of these. It's about $5 to get a slushie which hit the spot because outside it was hot. There's a few flavors to choose from which rotate. Among the cocktails are a few that are cool looking. I got one of the seasonal specials, the Campfire Mule. This was made with ginger beer, lime, and whiskey. It's about $12 for the cheapest entrees. She got the Tofu Basket, which was big enough for a meal. This was panko breaded tofu triangles and waffle fries, with a choice of a sauce. I got the Watson's Po Boy. This comes with a choice of protein and I got tofu. Comes topped with lettuce, onions, and a choice of sauce and got it with the vegan remoulade. Great stuff. Also has plenty of choices for chicken. They got the hot style. Got to say it has lots to choose from. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays. There's chicken of course but also plenty of things for vegans and vegetarians.

    i am not sure what happened to this place, but ever since they expanded to more locations, this one…read morehas suffered immensely. I am here for Ebertfest and it has now taken over an hour to get drinks, food, and dessert. I am trying to flag down my server because I was worried about the amount of time it was taking. She apologized and took off the dessert, but she seemed to be the only one working. I was near the back so I got to see all the other servers "yucking" it up and just standing around while this poor lady was doing laps. I am from the service industry and only 40 so I'm not being a Karen. This server deserves a huge raise and probably a better job. Pair that with them cutting down the menu, this place went to a "must see" in Champaign to a maybe. What I ate was tasty, but the rest of Champaign has caught up and starting to leave them behind.

    Photos
    Bar & Bourbon Selection
    Bar & Bourbon Selection
    Avocado toast brunch. They use the 7grain from Illinois Central Bakehouse
    Avocado toast brunch. They use the 7grain from Illinois Central Bakehouse
    Montucky Cold Snacks in a can. Ummmm... yes please!!

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    Montucky Cold Snacks in a can. Ummmm... yes please!!
    Golden Wheat

    Golden Wheat

    4.5
    (15 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    I was really pumped to try Golden Wheat because my friends raved that this is the #1 noodle place…read morein Champaign. The restaurant is operated by super friendly and nice Chinese owners. It appeared that they do not speak the best English, but we didn't have any trouble ordering as there was an English/Chinese menu printed out, which we used to point to the item that we wanted to order. What we got: Beijing style JaJangmyeon: I had Korean-styled jjajangmyeon, so I didn't know what to expect at first. The portion size is beyond generous and the amount of topping on the noodles was more than enough. The noodles were soft and chewy. The dish tasted like peanut noodles which I am not the greatest fan of, but my friend loved it! Spicy fatty beef slices noodles: this was really good! I am a big meat lover and the amount of meat that came with this dish made me really happy! The dish was not too spicy and well-balanced. I wish there was a bit more soup because it was just a lot of noodles, but I think this is supposed to be more noodles than soup because it was one of their 'mixed noodles' dish. Overall, it was a very hearty meal. The owners were super kind enough to give us a free bok choy+fish cake side dish which we enjoyed as well. Despite the communication barrier, the service was great and the owners are super sweet people. I will definitely be coming back!

    Stopped by after a few friends recommended this place! The noodle soups are amazing. Here are a few…read moretips for non Chinese speaking customers like me. It took a little effort to order due to language BUT it was totally worth it! ORDERING The owner who was originally taking my order was so friendly but only spoke Chinese, so someone else had to step in and help me translate. I asked for the most popular noodle soups and he pointed to "dry beef noodle soup" and "pork shoulder noodle soup" so we ordered both. After you pick your dish he asks if you want spicy or non spicy. We got one of each. I personally liked the "spicy" version and thought it wasn't spicy at all! FOOD I ran into a friend there who knows the owner. He told me everything is made from scratch! Including the noodles. The broth was perfection. So fragrant, flavorful, well seasoned, and clean tasting. Meat was super tender (both beef and pork) and pretty much melted in our mouths. The "dry beef" in the name is totally misleading because there is nothing dry about the meat. ATMOSPHERE It seems like the restaurant kept most of the interior decor from PvP bakery so the aesthetic is pretty nice. Simple, clean, modern, minimal. It's sort of a self serve style in here so you have to get your own water. Just like most Asian restaurants. PACKAGING I ordered our meal to go but the restaurant IS also open for indoor seating. Our food was packed with care! The noodles and soup were packed in separate containers. I will add a note of caution while carrying the food. The hot soup warped the plastic container quite a bit so by the time I got home I noticed that the lid was just barely hanging on and on the brink of busting open. As long as it's held upright though it should not be an issue. Overall, if you're looking for a non frills place with good authentic Chinese food, this is the place to go! Price was pretty good too especially for how good the fooAbout $11 per noodle soup which is much cheaper than mid summer and golden harbor. We will definitely be back!

    Photos
    Golden Wheat
    The inside
    The inside
    Dried Beef Soup Noodle - Spicy (not spicy at all)

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    Dried Beef Soup Noodle - Spicy (not spicy at all)

    Thara Thai - thai - Updated August 2026

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