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    Cha Ba Thai

    3.8 (409 reviews)
    ModerateThai
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Cha Ba Thai Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    CHA BA THAI ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Cha Ba Thai

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    Reviews With Photos

    63.Pad See Ew
    Keely N.

    I haven't been to Cha Ba Thai in years, and I thought that the restaurant looks very chic with great interior design. I like the portraits of traditional dishes that hung from the wall. The mural was beautiful too. I got the pad see ew and thought that it was a bit too salty for my personal preference. The server was attentive and I like how it's family-owned and operated.

    Justin L.

    Let me start with this: Cha'Ba Thai on Sandy Blvd is NOT the same as the other location you might have heard of. This spot is completely independently owned and operated, and it shows -- in the best possible way. They've been a part of the Portland food scene for 26 years, which is impressive in itself, but what's even more amazing is how fresh, welcoming, and vibrant the experience still feels. They recently underwent a full renovation just five months ago, and the transformation is stunning. The interior is beautifully modern with elegant touches of Thai design that make it feel warm, inviting, and upscale -- without losing that neighborhood charm. I ordered a solid lineup of dishes, and every single one was a 5/5. Truly. - Panang Beef Curry, Papaya Salad, Pad Ka Prao, Spicy Chicken & Shrimp with Crisp Basil, Boat Noodle Soup, Longan Juice & Coconut Juice, Mango Sticky Rice (One word: heavenly) But beyond the amazing food and beautiful space, what truly elevated the experience tonight was Lexi, my server. Her service felt personal, thoughtful, and warm. I can tell she cares about both her guests and the food. Lexi, thank you for making my night so memorable -- you're a star. In short, Cha'Ba Thai on Sandy Blvd is the real deal. It's a neighborhood staple that somehow feels like a fresh discovery. Whether you're a Thai food enthusiast or someone looking to explore something new, this is a place that deserves your attention and support. I'm already planning what to order next time -- and there will be a next time. Soon

    42.Yellow Curry
    Kathleen N.

    excellent service. causal dining. yellow curry and som tum were good. wasn't a fan of their calamari --kinda rubbery and chewy. pricer compared to other thai restaurants i've been to. overall, good experience!

    Panang curry
    Jace C.

    Cha Ba Thai replenished my tired and weary body after some hiking out in the PNW! As I walked from the back to the front of the restaurant, the sounds of kitchenware moving and the chefs talking (heard from the back screen door) got me pumped! I came in on a Friday evening and got seated immediately. I ordered Khao Soi and Panang Curry, both with beef. Both dishes were super flavorful, but I found myself digging in on the khao soi a bit more. It's a coconut curry noodle soup that I believe comes from Northern Thailand; the broth is really rich and it can be pretty filling! I thought the portion given here was perfect, and if you are down to try a soup with broth that isn't so soupy, but more gravy-ish, then I'd def rec trying this. The service here was quick, friendly, and very courteous. If I'm visiting Portland again, I'd def take a friend here!

    Please wait to be seated
    susie K.

    We have been to this place a few times over the years - - it seems to be a go-to thai restaurant for many in our neighborhood but not so much for me. And, I'm not sure why exactly - - service is super friendly and helpful, dining area is fine, food's good. Their fresh rolls are crisp and delicious, peanut sauce is super yummy and the chicken satay is seasoned and cooked well. The spice on the green papaya salad is fab, but I can't really give a fair assessment of it because we ordered it without the tomatoes- - not much else there so we will skip it next time. The Mussaman Curry with tofu is also something I will skip next time. The tofu was tough and it had too many onions. Street parking. Bathroom in the back.

    60. Chaba Thai BBQ Chicken

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    17 days ago

    The Crispy Duck was amazing. I highly recommend this place. The service was excellent and the interior ambiance is great.

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    2 months ago

    Food was delicious and beautifully presented. Will definitely come here again when in Portland.

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    7 months ago

    Very new and renovated dining room. Great selection of food and lots of choices for vegetarians.

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    2 years ago

    Everything we tried was good. Chu chee catfish, pad thai, som tum, The khao soi was everyone's favorite.

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    Page 1 of 11

    Ask the Community - Cha Ba Thai

    Are the curry dishes dairy free? If not, which have dairy and which coconut milk?

    Hi! I believe they are all dairy free but you should definitely ask

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    Eem

    Eem

    4.4
    (1.7k reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    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!

    Photos
    VIBES
    VIBES
    Wok fried yu choy
    Wok fried yu choy
    Chopped BBQ Fried Rice

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    Chopped BBQ Fried Rice
    Hat Yai

    Hat Yai

    4.3
    (822 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    I haven't been to Southern Thailand, but I have spent enough time in Malaysia and Singapore to…read morejudge roti canai/prata, and the roti and curry here is really excellent. You can watch them frying the roti in front of you, they have a great flavor (they're a bit on the thick side), and the curry is absolutely sublime, with an incredible depth of spices without being hot. I also really enjoyed the freshness and textural blend of the "rice salad," with great cucumbers and herbs, although it was too spicy for my dining companions. I admit I didn't think the fried chicken was anything special--the chicken was moist (even the white meat), but the outside could have been crunchier. But I'm not the biggest expert in fried chicken, nor in pad thai, and both were certainly competent even if not as exceptional. Sticky rice was also cooked perfectly.

    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).

    Photos
    Hat Yai
    Hat Yai
    Quarter leg fried chicken

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    Quarter leg fried chicken

    Cha Ba Thai - thai - Updated August 2026

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