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    Brown Sugar Cafe

    4.0 (1k reviews)
    ModerateThai
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:30 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    BROWN SUGAR CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Brown Sugar Cafe

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    Chicken Cashew Nuts
    Hannah C.

    If you're looking for a Thai spot in Boston with a large menu, authentic flavour options, and a good sized portion, Brown Sugar Cafe is a solid pick. But if you're after exceptional value for premium dishes (especially high-priced ones) or a highly curated small menu, you might want to check the dish and price carefully and read recent reviews for the particular item. Great service!

    Satay Chicken appetizer
    Brian W.

    I've walked by this place a good amount and eventually decided to try it because it looked pretty busy - however, when we walked inside the restaurant I should have had my red flags go up, as most of the restaurant was empty except for all of the tables by the windows. We even witnessed a group of 2 come in wanting to sit at one table but they were told that they couldn't and instead were guided to a two person table by the window area. It seemed very obvious that the goal was to appear busy to people walking by on such a busy street. Even with that red flag, we sat down and decided to order, but when we received the menus, they were enormous. There were so many options and the menu organization felt random, so it was tough to find what we were looking for. We eventually decided to try the satay appetizer and a fried fish that was listed as market value. Satay Chicken ($11.95 on the website, unsure what we actually paid, but I think it was less) - If this dish was in fact almost $12, it is definitely not worth it. It's comprised of 4 slivers of chicken breast on sticks which probably amounts to 1 actual chicken breast cut into 4 pieces. The grill wasn't bad, the meat was juicy, and the satay and fish sauce were decent, but it was a really small amount of for for $11.95 (my note about price is that I THOUGHT it was slightly less, but it was still too expensive for the amount of chicken given). Crispy fried whole fish (Market price - $44) - We were very excited to try this since my partner used to get this at their favorite Thai restaurant back in Chicago, and it honestly wasn't bad. The fish was nice and crispy, and most of the bones had been removed. It was butterflied and fried but not too oily with a sweet and salty sauce and plenty of basil and peppers. The actual amount of fish meat wasn't a whole lot, and though we did end up being full eating it with sides of rice, I don't think I'd order it again for that price. There was a lot of batter without meat and while that tastes great with the sauce, $44 for batter and sauce with some fish meat isn't a great deal. I think I'd have been happy if this was around $26 instead. All in all, the portions for the satay were a bit tiny, and the fish was very expensive for the amount of meat we received, but the taste of the dishes was decent (though probably a little on the sweeter side than I'd have preferred). I probably won't be returning here - 3/5.

    Masaman curry with tofu and rice.
    Daryl M.

    So first off, service was fine, the interior is still beautiful, and this is a spot that has been producing great Thai dishes, reminiscent of Thailand native, for a long time. I've been eating here for 17 years, carrying quality, it's better at night than it is during the day, take out is usually better. I just had one of the worst Thai dishes of my life so maybe they need to do a little internal review. I went for a quick lunch before a medical procedure. I just wanted a meal, not drinks nor apps and the server did offer and seemed disappointed when I said, no. I ordered the tofu masaman curry, pictured here. It was delivered to me in about 4 minutes after placing my order. The curry was watery, most likely from the worn out sponge quality of the old tofu that was probably made days ago. The vegetables on the plate were completely uncooked, about 1 minute away from completely raw. No one wants raw onion in their curry. The potatoes were still ice cold in the center, again, probably made days ago and sitting in a fringe. The orange slice they gave me was filled with seeds. At least the rice was good and the water was fine. It's hard to go someplace that is known for authentic food and see people serve food they clearly have no pride nor passion for. If this was my Italian cooking I would never let Italian food like this hit the table. Someone needs to stop looking at receipts and do a review of what quality food are they putting out. This was an insult to everything Thai food is known for.

    Soft Shell Crab Pad Thai
    Kiri C.

    I got the appetizer combo where you get a bunch of different ones, and it was quite pleasant. I'd happily order that as a meal itself The soft shell crab pad Thai was good, but I wish they gave more soft shell crab. Not saying it's economical for them, I'm just saying we ate the crab first then we were left with just a (still tasty) pad thai

    Khao Soi
    Neha M.

    Everyone needs to come here! The staff was extremely accommodating and ensured that my khao soi would be made with tofu. Loved the khao soi and honestly the portions are bigger than almost every Thai place I've been to in Boston. It's such a cute place, right near BUs campus.

    Brown Sugar spare ribs
    Matthew H.

    Despite how not-Thai the name sounds (my friend suggested that "Brown Sugar Cafe" sounds much more like a bubble tea store than a restaurant), I was super impressed with how delicious and authentic my meal here was. My friend and I came around 7:30 on a weekday. The (surprisingly spacious, really high-ceilinged) restaurant was pretty empty at the time, and we were seated really quickly. Service was very prompt, and in fact had to circle back a few times because we hadn't decided what to order yet, mostly because their menu is enormous. (Someone described it as the Thai version of the Cheesecake Factory menu, which is definitely very true.) Also, we realised not all the menus were exactly the same - some had extra pages with specials and what not - so do note that when ordering. We started with the Brown Sugar Spareribs - super delicious! The random cherry on the plating led me to slightly lower my expectations (seems like a typical American (TM) thing to do), but thankfully this was totally misguided. The meat was super tender - each bite just falling off the bone - and it was super well cooked, with a light, smokey flavour that really brought out a lot of the savouriness of the ribs themselves. We also had a pad see ew and the khao grapow. Pad see ew was very tasty and served as a great flavour complement to the khao grapow, by which I mean the minced pork was actually SO incredibly spicy that we were basically alternating bites to not burn off our taste buds. (The server did ask if we wanted mild but I said no, which was the right choice. Very authentic!) Really delicious regardless - the pork was super flavourful and fried in a very yummy sauce. Portion size was also really big - we packed up our leftovers and probably still had enough for 1-ish meal each - and definitely worth the price. Also, we did remark that the comforting/relaxing ambience actually did kind of give off café vibes - although it's unclear whether that's related to the name or if they would look very kindly if we just parked ourselves here like doing work at a café. Regardless, though, I am very keen to come back if not just to try some of the million other things on their huge menu. Looking forward to it already!

    Jess C.

    Can't quite agree with the high reviews. I am a fan of Thai food and have tried many. Here, everything was so salty that it's hard to tell other flavors. The have the creamy Tom yum - granted it's rare to to see and they use jumbo shrimps as it should be, but other than that, again, just salty taste. Also have to comment on their Thai style pad Thai, which feels nothing Thai at all. I wonder how their regular pad thai would taste. Servers are not rude/too bad but definitely not helpful when you try to get advice on what's good. I also don't really enjoy the environment, which is dark and has an old feeling.

    Fried Banana

    Service was wonderful. Food is great ,fresh food. Have only tried a few things but loved them. Had Thai ravioli and fried banana with ice cream ,hot green tea. Very comfortable sitting a little close but common for small city restaurants.

    Soft Shell Crab  - Poo Pad Pong - garee
    Tulsa H.

    Their "Tom Yum Goong Yai" (spicy soup with extra large shrimps), I must say, is Brow. sugar Cafe truly special dish. It is the creamy type with coconut milk inside. Definitely what distinguishes this dish from other Thai restaurants in the Boston area is the size of the Shrimps. The jumbo size make them truly special. Beside the comments above, the ingredients seem to be all in there--lemon/lime, coconut milk, condiments, etc. Highly recommended you try this dish. It's the best Tom Yum Shrimp Soup I've had in quite a long time. Soft Shell Crab - Poo Pad Pong Garee (see picture below) is quite decent as well.

    Crab rangoon
    Alice D.

    Came here with a reservation on a Saturday night for a birthday and we had no issues getting seated. The space wasn't too busy so we could've done without calling ahead, but better to be safe than sorry! The staff was relatively efficient and good with service so nothing but positive things from that front. They did get one of our orders wrong however, but it wasn't a huge deal. They had a pretty large menu which made it a little difficult to choose what we wanted, but a majority of our table settled on crispy chicken pad Thai. We got two appetizers and drinks along with our main dishes and everything was pretty solid. The tea hit the spot, the scallion pancakes were deliciously crisp, and the crab rangoons were super yummy. I went with the gaprow noodles for my entree and I enjoyed it a lot. I will say that it's extremely spicy (I got the normal spice level) and I had some difficulties eating it because of that, but the Thai tea helped out a lot. Once I ran out of drink though, I decided to bring the rest home since it was a little bit of a struggle. We came for the birthday disco ball they offer and the experience didn't disappoint. The lights dim, music plays loudly, and they bring out a dessert with candles for $15 if we request it. The experience was great and our friend was happily surprised - awesome end to the meal! Overall, our dinner was a lot of fun. The prices are a little steep for Thai food, but things tasted great and we had a nice time. I'd definitely recommend this place for birthdays for the unique disco ball experience!!

    Siamese Twins
    Shana S.

    Always happy with the service and food. Same quality, even after Covid. One of the best Thai spots that I've been to .

    Drunken Noodle, Red Curry, Pad Thai

    This place feels super authentic and has efficient and good service!! The food was good I just thought the pad Thai could use more flavor, but I'd definitely recommend the drunken noodles

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    1 year ago

    I love this Thai place. The food and the staff are wonderful. When I visit Boston university to visit my son, we go here.

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    The food was tasty, service was very good; the decor was great. Would definitely recommend!

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    Tasty Thai food. Service was good, but the restaurant wasn't very busy when we went there. The restaurant has a nice ambiance.

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    Page 1 of 26

    Ask the Community - Brown Sugar Cafe

    Is there alcohol here- I saw someone said beer and wine?

    Beer and wine only- no mixed drinks.

    View All 2 Questions

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    Khao Soi at Basil Pho…read more I've ordered it a handful of times now and it genuinely never disappoints. The chicken is perfectly crispy and adds that extra heartiness and protein that makes this feel like a REAL meal. One thing though: in person is definitely the superior experience. When you get it to-go or delivered, they separate the chicken, noodles, and broth so you can assemble it yourself (which honestly keeps everything from getting soggy), but eating it fresh in the restaurant just hits differently. The service is quick and the restaurant is small. There's always usually a line but the food is worth it.

    This place is very close to Boston Symphony Hall, so I brought my colleagues here after the…read moreconcert! Pad Thai: Just like at Nine Tastes, my first bite was overwhelmed by the strong sourness... According to ChatGPT, American Southeast Asian restaurants may use concentrated tamarind sauce instead of the original tamarind-infused water, or reduce the sugar to suit American tastes, hence the extra sourness of Pad Thai. Learned something new! The shrimp was very fresh, firm and tender; the rice noodles were stir-fried with a great wok hei 鑊氣(wok aroma), and the portion was huge, but it got a bit oily towards the end. My favorite was the peanuts--they were incredibly fragrant, and not too finely ground, giving them a better texture. Also, a larger plate is really needed; it would be much easier to mix all the ingredients together. Drunken Noodles: The wide flat rice noodles were authentic. The spicy flavor added another layer of wok hei, and the thin layer of chili oil helped retain heat and enhance the aroma. Although a bit spicy, I felt it was the best of the three. Saigon Noodle: It felt like a combination of the two above, with a touch of sweet and sour and a hint of spicy, but neither was particularly prominent. It had a hint of sesame oil, but I personally don't really like sesame oil.

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    Thaitation

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    We stopped into Thaitation for lunch between visits to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the…read moreMuseum of Fine Arts; it was the perfect spot, since it only took us about 5 minutes out of the way. The restaurant was casual, but nice, and had several other tables of diners at that time. The staff was very friendly, as well. The menu had some really interesting dishes that I had not seen elsewhere, but I was lame and ordered my usual - Chicken Pad See Ew. I found the poultry to be very tender, and the included broccoli was fresh and crisp. I should note that the broccoli used was the popular Calabrese kind, while Chinese broccoli cost $1 more. In fact, there were several upcharges scattered around the menu, which was a bit much. Anyway, back to the dish...In addition to the broccoli, carrots were also included, which was not typical for Pad See Ew, but I was fine with it! The sweet soy sauce was a bit thick, like a light gravy, so that was a bit unusual, but the flavor was terrific! I heard reasonably positive things about their Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles as well. Thaitation would be a place I would frequent if I lived in the area.

    Unassuming restaurant. Not very large, but plenty of open seats on a Friday night. Service was very…read morequick. Noise levels were low for most of the meal, but at one point turned up to blast a rendition of "happy birthday" for another guest - after that, music stayed a bit too loud, which seemed to clash with the otherwise calm ambiance. They didn't ask for our preferred spice levels for the main dishes, and I would've liked everything a little bit spicier. We originally wanted the salmon spring rolls but they were out. We got Tod Mun (fried fish cakes) instead, and they were really tasty. They were smaller but greater in quantity than what I've seen elsewhere, and the sauce was good. I'm not a huge fan of the side salads, though this one surprised me with the spiciness in the dressing. We ordered the mango curry (which comes with chicken, and we added steamed tofu for no charge) and tofu drunken noodles. The noodles were really good, plus looked more appetizing than the similarly-popular pad thai. I was hoping the mango in the curry would be large, beautiful pieces of sweet mango on top, so I was a little disappointed that the small chunks weren't quite as flavorful as I was hoping for. However, I was still quite happy with the dish overall. It also comes with a (pretty small) bowl of rice on the side. The food by itself would be 4 stars for me, except that at the very end of my meal, as I was polishing off the curry, I found a long hair stuck to the bottom of my plate. It didn't match ours, so I know for sure it came from the staff. I know it happens, but the ick factor is hard to get over. Knocked off a star for the unfortunate hair.

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    Came here yesterday with 3 others for a 7:30pm reservation that I booked a month in advance…read more Otherwise, you're looking at a 4pm or 10pm reservation. Found street parking easily on surrounding streets. The restaurant is small, with low tables, high tables, and bar seating. The other reviewers are accurate in saying that the table next to you is only a few inches away. For 4 of us, we ordered 2 Thai iced teas, khao tang na tung (rice crackers), jor puu, kai tod had yai (fried chicken), beef massaman, classic pad thai, and crab fried rice. I was not a huge fan of the rice crackers as they tasted a bit bland. Standouts were the crab fried rice and the beef massaman. Jor puu was good, the fried chicken was good, although it seemed less fried and more grilled. Pad thai was average to me as were the Thai iced teas. Overall, was a good meal and we left satisfied and full. But I don't think it was exceptional enough to warrant a month-long waitlist for a normal dinner time, although I'm sure much of this is due to making Bib Gourmand recently. Glad I got to try it once but there are other Thai places I'd be more willing to go back to.

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    Nud Pob Thai Cuisine - Pad See You

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    WOW. This place is my all-time favorite Thai restaurant in the Boston area. I've had a few…read moredifferent things here that hit it out of the park every time, but the biggest reason to keep coming back here is that they have a dish I've never seen at any other Thai places: Ba Mee Song Kruang. I had never heard of this dish before but it quickly became a favorite in my household and we always order at least one order of it. Basically, it is described as "thin egg noodles with Thai style roast pork, fish balls, chinese broccoli, bean sprouts, and topped with crispy wonton." It is AMAZING. On top of what's listed, it comes with ground pork in the noodles and a sweet and savory sauce that perfectly coats the egg noodles. There are 3 different kinds of fish balls - a shrimp one, a whitefish one, and a fried one, as well as peanuts, deliciously juicy roast pork (char sew), and the crispy wontons add that perfect extra texture and crunch. Man, if I could eat this every week I would. Easily a 5/5 - this is the only place I've seen this dish and it is out of this world. The rest of the menu is also great, but you absolutely have to try the Ba Mee Song Kruang if you come here.

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    Brown Sugar Cafe - thai - Updated May 2026

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