After days of working my way through Portland's wildly overhyped Thai food, I had begun to wonder…read moreif the problem was me. Maybe Thai food was simply better in Los Angeles. Then I walked into Eem, sat down, took a few bites, and realized the problem was, in fact, everyone else. Eem is a Thai and Texas-style barbecue mash-up that sounds slightly unhinged on paper and makes absolute, beautiful sense once it hits your mouth. This is the kind of fusion that doesn't feel like a gimmick. It feels inevitable. I started with the Sweet & Sour Fried Chicken, one of their most popular dishes, and for good reason. Savory, beautifully fried, shatteringly crisp on the outside, juicy and tender within. Exactly what fried chicken should aspire to be. Then came the Wok-Fried Yu Choy. And dare I say it? The best vegetable dish I've ever had? Yes. I think I dare. Spectacular. Deep, smoky, savory, with enough personality to make you briefly question why you ever needed meat in the first place. But the Smoked Pork Krapow is where they really got me. Krapow is traditionally a dish built around seasoned ground beef, but Eem takes the idea somewhere else entirely, folding in pork belly burnt ends. It sounds like excess. It tastes like genius. Smoky, fatty, spicy, deeply aromatic. Completely blew me away. And then there's the room itself. Warm, colorful, playful, beautifully decorated without trying too hard. The service was just as good. Welcoming, attentive, confident, and Portland hospitable. They know exactly what they're doing. Eem didn't just redeem Portland Thai food for me. It reminded me why you venture out to eat in the first place: to discover something you didn't know you needed. So do yourself a favor. Go to Eem first. Before you start categorizing Portland restaurants as Thai or barbecue, before you begin comparing them to other Thai restaurants, before you get trapped in your own expectations. Just go. Because if "Keep Portland Weird" means anything anymore, surely it means putting Thai food and Texas barbecue together, making it work brilliantly, and serving it with a smirk. Thank you, Eem. You just gave me another very good reason to come back to this weird, wonderful town.

Eem was such a fun Portland food experience! We tried the white curry with burnt ends, and WOW, it…read morewas weird in a good way. A Thai-meets-American bbq. The the combination of smoky, tender barbecue with the creamy Thai curry was so good. The burnt ends brought that deep, savory, slightly charred flavor, while the curry gave it a completely different dimension. The flavors worked well. I just wished the burnt ends were more fatty. We also tried a pork belly dish, which was another highlight. The pork was rich and flavorful, and I loved the crispy fried egg, green beans, cucumber, and fish sauce with it. If you're visiting Portland and want something playful and different, Eem is absolutely worth checking out!

The food was very tasty! We couldn't pick a favorite because everything was very good. The flavors…read morewere very delicious. Our server was very nice and flexible and we got seated very quickly. The vibes inside the restaurant are very nice and overall this place is a 8/10!

Great food and beautiful atmosphere! I got the pork pad see ew and it was very good! I also liked…read morethe green curry!

Love this place but it is not cheap....plan to spend about 20-25 for lunch and more for dinner but…read morethe food is absolutely scrumptious here....no matter what you order. Chicken with gravy and flaky bread is absolutely awesome and most people try it but the brisket curry is also amazing here So flavorful so unique u will love it

My meat-loving friends adore this place, so this review is solely for vegetarian food. 3 stars for…read moreveggie food, 4 stars on Yelp because I'm not interested in damaging a star rating, just sharing info for vegetarians. There is only one vegetarian item on the menu, the veggie curry. It's sort of an afterthought, throwing a bone for the vegetarians in the group. (Could they not make a vegetarian version of the Southern pad thai, just to be a pal?) The curry sauce is tasty, but the veggies were completely undercooked. Raw, tough, spongy pieces of underdone eggplant. It was like the person cooking it did not know what to do with a vegetable. The roti is tasty (I'm not familiar enough with Southern Thai to critique it). But if there's just one veggie item on the menu, and it's just vegetables in a curry sauce, I feel a restaurant should take pride in getting it right. Seating is a little tight, but somehow that adds to the atmosphere as you end up sharing a table with strangers, which is fun. Service is fast and food came out fast (too fast, in the case of those poor eggplants).

Their chicken dish is a staple in Portland. It tastes nothing like normal Thai dishes and is really…read moreflavorful without being heavy like normal Thai dishes. Very light and similar to hainese chicken. Their Thai tea and Thai coffee were not good.

Very large portions for their cost! I think the chicken and peanut sauce were very well made :)…read more Unfortunately, we've had this dish at many other places and what distinguishes the best from the rest is the rice. The rice is a vital part of the dish and was missing the garlic, ginger, and deep chicken broth flavor :/ One thing I'd say is they have pretty minimal seating, with the majority of seating consisting of wobbly hard metal stools.

This place is amazing. I've been here a couple times now and have not been disappointed by the…read moreflavor, and service. The noodles were always so fresh and clean tasting. I had the roast pork and the roast duck dish and both times the meat were cooked to perfection.

Good? Yes. Great? No. Worth going? Yes. Location is a biflg…read moreplace, the area is now so nice to walk by. The place itself is nice, but you'll smell of Asian coucine food afterwards, which I mind. The food was good and would go back for it. Decent price for the area. Nice service.

Some of the best Thai food I've ever had, and I live in Los Angeles. This is definitely a spot you…read moreneed to check out if you're in Portland. The service is exceptional, and the food is even better. Highly recommend

This is my new favorite restaurant in Portland. The pad kee mao was incredible. The texture of the…read morenoodles was perfect and the sauce was very flavorful.

First of all sorry for not taking the pictures of the food. We were just too hurried and hungry…read morefrom our 9 hours road trip. For those people who need full services this place is not for you but the food is great; it's Thai mixed with Chinese style food. The Thai tea was amazing . The restaurant is small located in the downtown area with street parking only. They have setup everything for you to self serve once you ordered your food they give you a # stand before looking for a table . Don't forget to bus your own table when finished. I will definitely recommend it for the foods

Loved this place. We did the #4 and the #22 both were fantastic. I loved the in house chili oil,…read morevinegar and the soy sauce. Our food came out quick and I was so stoned and couldn't figure out how to pay but the lady behind the register was so nice and patient, eventually she got me back on track. $3 Thai Ice Tea was soooooo good. Must add. Cute little restaurant and we got to sit in the little covered booth outside, can't wait to come back. Beast.

I always forget about and then wonder why I don't come back here more often. Tucked right next to…read moreCheese & Crack, it's a cute spot with cozy interiors and great drinks. The mango sticky rice (when they have it) is so soo good, please bring this fan favorite back ;) My partner at the time ordered the crispy pork belly over rice with an egg on top, I took a bite and honestly, I was jealous of his plate the entire meal! Everything was flavorful, comforting, and beautifully well done. Felt like an upscale Thai restaurant. Definitely overdue for a return visit.

Great food, waitstaff and atmosphere. We ordered Thai iced tea. I found it to be the perfect amount…read moreof sweetness. The tender pork tenderloin skewers were perfectly paired with the spicy-sharp dipping sauce. Pad kee mao and stir fried pork belly with Chinese broccoli were both delicious as well. I really enjoyed the whole experience and will be back!

How do I know about this restaurant?…read more For a very brief period of time, I decided to DoorDash... on a bicycle. It was very brief, due to the fact that Portland's hills are... well, I'm in a good shape, but I won't be in the Tour De France. A side benefit is that I learned where a lot of good food in Portland resides: Thai Peacock and Little Peacock made up a fair amount of my orders. How much do I like Thai? So much that I learned to make it myself, and I make a better than average Pad See Ew/Kee Mao... So when it came time for a lunch break, well, I couldn't wait to order from Thai Peacock. I got the Pad Ka Phrao (there was not an option for super hot / Thai hot... my one complaint about their system... more on that in a minute)... and started walking. It was easy to pick up, well labeled, and hot when I arrived. The reusable bowl (for the paper bag crowd who are taking notes.. this is Portland ya know)... was full of delicious meat and vegetables. The rice was packed separately, along with the single serving of added sriracha. The serving was more than generous, and good in its preparation. There are some caveats here: Thai Peacock does not make their dishes in the same way that many other Thai restaurants do... they do it with minimal ingredients, hoping you'll add on vegetables. It gets annoying when you're looking at ordering pad se ew, and you might otherwise get a similar dish for $7-$10 cheaper. The lack of an ability to add additional heat is also unwelcome. However, I understand that each Thai restaurant has its own way of making a specific dish. The generous portions make the bare bones dish a good value, if not the best representation of the dish I've had. This would be 5* for a group meal (no shortage of options, and consistent service), and 4* based on comparison to other Thai dishes at similar price points I've had. 5* here based on what most people would likely say. An extremely reliable restaurant with tasty food and generous portions deserves it.

best thai food restaurant in Portland. everything we ordered…read morewas good. and it was inexpensive.

Chu chee trout Mom, special witches Peng and Curry with lightly battered trout…read more Pad Lee mow with pork belly and somtum ( papaya salad) Still have cotton candy machine

My friends and I tried this place out, and ordered a bunch of things. I like how they're pretty…read morecreative with their meat selections; like soft shell crab, trout, etc. So, if you're bored of the usual chicken or beef, this may be your place. Most of my friends liked their dishes, but I honestly was disappointed with the crab fried rice I ordered. I felt the dish to be mostly scrambled eggs, with some small bits and pieces of actual crab on a bed of not-so fried rice. I just think for nearly $20, I'd be getting a better dish. Otherwise, I did try their Pad Thai, and that was pretty good and tasted authentic. The service was also friendly and great. If your about the ambiance, its pretty IG friendly with the colorful wallpaper and decor. Give this place a try if you like creative thai food, and ur about the vibes. Just don't order the crab fried rice.