There was no wait when we arrived. Tyra quietly greeted and seated, the food is good; however, some parts came out cold. I just like my food "piping hot" lol. The cute place is really cute. It's weird seeing a fish tank with no fish though. We'll be back because EVERYthing was good. Get you a Lychee Mojito. read more

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Dependable good place for Thai food right on Severn next to Lakeside Mall in Metairie. Our usual orders are Pad See Ew (sweet soy flat noodles with protein and broccoli), Pad Kee Mao (spicy version), and Street Thai Basil (so flavorful and tender ground chicken). Cafe Equator is a busy place serving good food, nice to see it continuing to thrive. read more

One of my go to spots for Thai. Food is always served fresh and dinner portions are generous. Love the calamari salad--flavors are on point. Got the staples, pad see ew and pad Thai. Both were perfectly flavored as well. Thai tea of course too! Service is almost always friendly & quick. Love the clean, bright, and spacious dining area. The decor is fun, yet feels like being you're to a resort in Thailand. Also a great spot for lunch with the lunch specials M-F. One thing that would add a star: authentic spice tray! Missing the authentic chili peppers & fish sauce! read more

Cafe Equator - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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I have not heard of this place ever but I went here with a couple friends not knowing what to expect since I rarely find good thai food in New Orleans, but this place was really good. As pictured, we got the Panaeng (Nutty Butter Version), Andaman Hunter, and Khao Soi (Chiang Mai Noodle), all very good with pretty big portions. The Panaeng had a good peanut taste and paired well with the rice, the catfish on the Andaman Hunter was perfectly cooked and the Khao Soi was super yummy! My one thing to nit pick is that the chicken in the Khao Soi is an entire chicken breast that is unsliced, which kinda makes it look weird and you have to cut it yourself but that is fine. The store itself is pretty small, so be careful if you have a big party, I think the biggest table I saw can sit 5-6 people, but I would say no more than that. Service was decent, our orders were taken and the server brought us what we asked for, but nothing extraordinary. I would definitely go back again though, this one hits the spot for good thai food! read more

Cafe Equator - Panaeng (Nutty Butter Version), Andaman Hunter, Khao Soi (Chiang Mai Noodle) - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

Love this local gem! Our new go to Thai place. The squid salad is so flavorful. Can't go wrong with the classics like pad Thai, red curry, pad woon Sen. They have great lunch specials and fresh young coconuts! read more

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Cafe equator is an oldie but a goodie! That fish tank needs some TLC but the food is delicious usual! The food is always piping hot and fresh read more

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Always a hit and never disappoints. Would recommend for anyone wanting comfort food. Thai tea ratio of milk to tea is perfect. Equator fried rice has the perfect about of kick to it. Definitely coming back! read more

Cafe Equator - Equator Fried Rice Yellow Curry Thai Tea (iced, 16 oz cup) - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

Paid a visit to Cafe Equator this week with my mom. It's a quaint, peaceful dining room with a very long menu, as is normal for most Thai restaurants. I'm a curry girl and will get the Mussaman curry every time I visit here. My mom got the yellow curry. We both had shrimp as a protein. Very hearty and flavorful. We also had a side of roti to sop up the curry. We were pleased that the lunch special was priced very well and the dish came with a small serving of edamame and a little egg roll. We weren't expecting those little additions but what a lovely surprise. Our server was a sweet lady, who was on top of making sure we had everything in a timely manner. Never had a bad experience here. read more

Cafe Equator - Yellow Curry with shrimp - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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I had dinner with three friends here to catch up. We were happy that I chose Cafe Equator. The parking lot is surprisingly small. However, I found a few street parking spots nearby. Their menu offers a variety of choices. For most entrees, you can choose a type of protein from chicken, tofu, or beef. They also mark the level of spiciness for each dish - light, medium, or very. I had Thai basil with chicken as my protein choice. It didn't disappoint. The ingredients were fresh. The entire dish tasted a bit sweet, which I liked. I will come back to Cafe Equator. I'm excited to try one of their authentic street food versions. read more

Cafe Equator - Thai basil (with chicken) - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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The best Thai food ever. We have to eat here every time we visit friends. For apps, get the beef paratha and flags. Both are phenomenal. Try the dipping sauce if you like cucumbers. Our friends always get the pad Thai and drunken noodles. Both are perfectly cooked and seasoned. My husband gets the most divine green curry. I tried the basil fried rice with pork. We all loved it. Service is great. Do not sleep on this place. read more

Cafe Equator - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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Delicious food Great service You will fall in with the food real fast. You will thank me you went. read more

Cafe Equator - Sweet ginger fish - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

0/5 Stars - Completely Unacceptable Experience We planned a retirement dinner for one of our doctors and booked this restaurant weeks in advance for a group of 15, specifically reserving a back room. When we arrived, we were told there was no back room--instead, five tables were pushed together at the very front of the restaurant. Disappointing, but we stayed gracious and made it work. Things went downhill quickly from there. While tables were being arranged, the young man who greeted us kindly helped me plan a dessert board and confirmed vegan options for our guest of honor, to be brought out at the end on my tab. He was helpful and professional. Then our server, Siriwan W., arrived and immediately scolded me--rudely--telling me I should speak to her, not "him," despite him standing right behind her. Her tone was short, dismissive, and hostile from the start. Before ordering, I discreetly stepped aside to explain how checks would be split. I was covering meals for two staff members due to financial constraints and wanted to avoid embarrassing anyone or showing favoritism. This would have totaled 7 checks, not 15. Her response: "No. One check. You can all Venmo." When I explained this was a professional work dinner and not appropriate, she rolled her eyes, huffed, ignored me, and said her system "couldn't do that many checks." I calmly told her I'd do my best to consolidate but needed separate checks. When I privately pointed out the two people I'd be paying for, she snapped, "Tell me when they order," then walked away rolling her eyes. Ordering was chaotic and uncomfortable. She skipped people, avoided eye contact, snatched menus, and asked for names without acknowledging anyone. Food arrived incorrectly and at different times, forcing the table to wait. Ironically, when checks came out, everyone had individual checks anyway. When I quietly tried to place my two employees' checks under my credit card, she returned, loudly called me out by name exclaiming she lost what credit card was mine because it was on top of too many tickets, dumped all the tickets back on the table, and made me sort it out publicly--completely undermining the discretion I had tried to maintain all evening. When I reminded her we had discussed this privately before ordering, she grabbed the tray and walked away without a word. No thank-you. No apology. Just hostility. To top it off, every check included a mandatory 20% fee, despite the worst service any of us have experienced. We spent weeks planning this dinner, brought significant business to this restaurant, and left feeling like we were an inconvenience the entire time. Our guest of honor deserved better. No one should feel like they're walking on eggshells while spending hundreds of dollars. We were all appalled. This was a huge letdown and an unforgettable example of how poor service can ruin what should have been a meaningful celebration. read more

Nice staff, ambiance was everything! Will definitely be back to try more items! Service was wonderful! read more

Cafe Equator - Red Curry (creamy) w/chicken and shrimp super creamy and delicious (light spice) - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

I came based on the overall reviews and it was close to me. The worse Thai food I have ever had, hands down. Hot green tea tasteless. Didn't put enough tea leaves. Ordered fresh spring rolls and something came out that I've never seen before. Sent back for some real spring rolls but they were bland and tasteless and didn't have a peanut sauce. Pad Thai lunch special. It was too sweet. Had to ask for lime and chilli peppers, she brought lemon. They do give a few edamame, fried rice and a tiny fried spring roll. Overall, horrible. Left with a bad aftertaste! And the service needs improvement as well. She kept sweeping around me while I'm eating. Gave me wrong info on spring rolls. Disappointed to spend the money and leave in satisfied. Boo hiss. read more

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I stopped in before work for dinner. I ordered the Shrimp Equator. It was seasoned well, veggies were real tender, and I had the very thin noodles. I was helped immediately after walking in. The restaurant is very small. I've ordered on delivery app before and enjoyed the food. I decided to stop in since I was in the area. read more

Cafe Equator - Entree Menu - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

This was the best Thai food I've ever eaten. Parking lot was very small. We parked at Shake shack next door. The service was great & the atmosphere was inviting. I highly recommend the Pad Thai, the homemade Roti, the Summer roll & the blanket shrimp. I will be back. read more

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Coming from Seattle, where there is a lot of Asian food especially Thai food. It's hard to find a very good Thai restaurant in the south. This place is good still different from what I'm used to, the noodles were still not as flat as I usually eat when I'm in Seattle these noodles are on the chewy side. The sauce reminded me more of a chow fun. The chicken pieces were OK. He was nothing special, but overall friendly service large menu with lots of vegetarian options. read more

Cafe Equator - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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Good soup. Hit fresh. Quick. Good size. Good selection of soups. Always good to get soup here when it's cold outside.

OMG OMG OMG Yall need to get over the Cafe Equator meow because I don't want anything happening to this place!! This is the BEST Thai restaurant I have ever been to. I have been to La Thai (closed now) but adored that place, and I have been to Tuk Tuk, and Cafe Equator is better by leaps and bounds! First, I love that there is a street menu. That was the first place I went and ordered something garlicky. I ordered the Street Garlic and Black Pepper and the spice was just perfect. The flavors of that garlic chicken took me to garlic heaven as the garlic crunchies added texture and crunch to the dish. It was a perfect dish, rare for me to say. It had a spot-on flavor profile combining the creamy egg to basically cut the spice of the spicy garlic chicken and the texture from the crunchies made this so good. That won ton soup and that broth, so flavorful! And it was not too overloaded but it was not skimpy either. The fried rice was amazing as well with the jumbo shrimp. I tried the lava too, which was also really good. The shrimp egg rolls had a nice crunch to them as well. The restaurant has a sort of sexy, dark ambience. It was clean inside. We were greeted right away. They refilled our drinks and kept checking on us. The parking isn't bad either - Fat City usually is a pain for parking. Overall, this place is amazing. I need to go back and just order the rest of the menu. This place is incredible. Please keep doing what you are doing! read more

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We went there for lunch but wow an abundant of choice one can be so overwhelming. We end up ordering few sets combo meals as it all comes with egg rolls and edamame foods came out fairly quickly n fresh servers were very attentive to ours needs will be back to try more dishes as it's very reasonable for price. read more

Cafe Equator - Squid salad and chicken Yellow Curry - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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Husband & I just ate dinner here for the first time. The food & service were excellent. The food came out very quickly. Nice, quaint place. read more

What can I say, they definitely didn't disappoint. The parking was a bit cumbersome, but once my food arrived, I was over the parking debacle fairly quick. Everything arrived super fast and piping hot. The spice levels were on point and the taste was great. The waiter was pleasant and provided above average service. For appetizers we ordered roti, edamame and spring rolls. All three items came to the table very fast. For my entree, I had the drunken noodles with shrimp. It was served with a side of rice, a fried veggie spring roll and a few edamame. All of this for $12 bucks!!! You can't beat that Cafe Equator, "You've Got a Friend in Me"! read more

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THE LUNCH PORTIONS ARE HUGE. As a woman who loves tofu, I was excited to try their tofu pad Thai because of how busy they were. Their tofu was super chewy. Annoying. But then I tasted other tofu and they were on point. The eggroll that came with the lunch special was nice The rice that came with the lunch special was delish. I'm not usually a fan of rice but I'd just order this it's was so good. Their parking lot was hard to find parking in. The service was slow at best. I was seated and then forgotten. Eventually I was able to order. Paying also was difficult. read more

Cafe Equator - Pad Thai (lunch portion) - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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I haven't been in years but I stopped by for a quick lunch! You could not go wrong with the shrimp spicy basil! Also the golden shrimp. I tried the sake marg. Delicious. Ive never had a bad experience here. They vibe and the server was on point. read more

I love Thai food and a friend recommended Cafe Equator for dinner. There was adequate parking but I can imagine there not being enough parking during busier times. We were quickly seated and the server did a good job. The menu here is quite extensive and it took me forever to decide what to order. I chose the Pad See Ew (with pork) and a side of Roti. My food was delicious and I didn't have a single complaint. The Pad See Ew was very flavorful and the serving size was big. The Roti was buttery and yummy as expected. I'll definitely be adding this place to my list of go-to restaurants. read more

Cafe Equator - Pad See Ew and Roti - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

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We ordered twice from here through Instacart on days where we didn't have much time to eat. Food was fabulous, and reasonably priced.

I would give it 5 stars for the food. but the fish tank is disgusting!!! needs to be cleaned ASAP!!

pretty good food! pretty good service! can't miss with thai food portions are pretty big so thats nice to share read more

This place is very cute!! The staff were friendly and we were seated fast. I really enjoyed the food and i wished I would have remembered to take pictures. Everything was so good and I was too hungry to stop myself lol. I can't wait to go back and its always a plus that its next to lakeside mall. Great lunch or dinner place after shopping. read more

MUST Eat Here, I live 45 minutes away and drive here just to eat then go back home. This is best Thai you can have. Good service and relaxing ambiance. The drunken noodles are remarkable! I get the shrimp and beef spice level 3. You cannot go wrong with this meal. Hands down one the best I have ever had and I try drunken noodles at every Thai restaurant I visit. The shrimp golden rolls and the soup with the meatballs (Tom-yum)....oh my goodness!! If you get appetizers you have to try those. The flags appetizer is really good too. This food is Soo good it makes you want to put it in your mouth, close your eyes and slowly rock while you chew with a smile on your face. read more

Probably some of the best [Americanized] Thai that you'll find in the metro area, which kind of justifies the higher prices compared to competitors in the area. The ambiance is nice, maybe a little cramped. read more

My wife and I have driven by this place numerous times, and to be honest, I mostly wanted to try the business because of the name. I kept reading the sign in my mind as "Cafe Ecuador". We saw on Yelp that it was a Thai place and since we have been looking for good Thai that was close to us, we decided to give it a try. Aside from parking being a little tough (unless you park in the Breaux mart parking lot), the entire experience was very pleasant. We did not have to wait for a table. The service was pretty average and the food came out pretty quick. The food was better than I expected for Metairie. The food is simple, flavorful, and well-cooked. The garlic ribs appetizer was delicious. The coconut soup was very good, but nothing special. My wife's curry was yellow curry was good and Drunken noodles were also good. This is a very solid 4 stars, and I would be happy to visit again. Ambiance: 3 stars Service: 4 stars Food: 4 stars Value: 4 stars Overall: 4 stars read more

Cafe Equator - Coconut soup - not that sweet. A little sour. Really nice flavor - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

Loved the food here!! Everything we ordered was very flavorful. The papaya salad was a little on the spicy end but we still ate it all! I was a little hesitant to get the grilled chicken wings but they were soooo good...so much flavor, and I only tasted the end of the wing. Our 3 yo devoured the wings! Staff was also very friendly and attentive. read more

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Excellent food, great service, kind staff (and funny, too). I always choose this place for business lunches/dinners bc the location is central (right off Vets Blvd) and is not too far from my house. read more

4 stars for the food and 3.5 for the service. When we walked in we weren't greeted and it took about 5 minutes for someone to ask if we were dining in or taking out. Finally got our table and the server was a little off putting but we brushed it off. Everything ordered was really good especially the Drunkin noodles and the red curry. The pad Thai was also good it just was like any other pad Thai that I've had from other Thai spots in the surrounding areas. Over all we enjoyed out food and I would say give it a try. If you're looking for a cute date night this would be a good choice it's nice and quiet with dim lighting perfect for date night read more

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The food, service, and ambience was excellent. We really enjoyed our appetizer and the rest of our meal was great too. Our server was wonderful and we really enjoyed the cleanliness and quickness that our food came out. read more

Delicious food with lots of authentic options. Reasonable prices and quick service. Very nice wait staff.

The service was so nice. Me and my mom loved the food. We love to come to this place when we are at the mall, it is our go to. I absolutely recommend. read more

Cafe Equator - Beef Garlic and Black Pepper - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

If you like Thai food, you must try Equator. I've been coming here for years and they never disappoint me. Reasonable prices, and a great lunch menu keeps me coming back. I always get the chicken pad kee mow (drunken noodles), it's flat noodles with onions, squash, bell pepper in a spicy garlic and basil sauce - VERY TASTY. I also get their Thai tea, if you like Thai tea, you'll like tea from Equator. Located right across from Lakeside mall. Very limited parking though. #NeatToBe2021Elite read more

Cafe Equator - Drunken Noodle - Thai Near Me - Metairie, Louisiana

TL;DR: a go-to for Metairie Thai cuisine. Perhaps not an establishment that you would go to Metairie for out of New Orleans to visit but a fine choice if you find yourself in Metairie when you get hungry. I will and do go again. My experience with Café Equator Thai Cuisine has repeatedly been no less than adequate. It is probably my favorite Thai cuisine in Metairie. The chances of you getting good Thai food in New Orleans is high because of the density of Thai population is East N.O. is high. This place's aesthetic is minimalist and rustic with central see-through displays that contain various pottery teapots. The lunch portions are generally generous enough to make two meal portions out of it, depending on how much you eat. The restroom is cozy, tucked away, and may take some adventuring into backroom storage space. Be aware that if the rain is heavy on your visit that there may be some flooding around the lot and the entrance. My photos should give you an idea of what to expect concerning the inside aesthetic, restrooms, and lunch costs pre-tip. The staff is often unenthusiastic but gets the job done and in a timely manner. Lunch, available on Saturdays, comes with the food mentioned in the menu and includes a small sweet-peanut spring roll, a few edamame (soy beans), and a third thing that seems to be entree-specific. I've seen crunchy noodles (pad thai), fried rice (crystal noodle dishes), and white rice (curry dished) in the third location. read more

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