This was the best Pad Thai I've had in years! Service was casual and polite. Portion sizes: huge. We had chicken satay (very coconutty), and Panang beef. Would definitely return. read more

I have never had a bad meal at any one of the four locations I've eaten at (and that includes the one in Burnside, too, which has incredibly fast service during the lunch rush.) read more

Great food, minimal servers on staff but always do a great job of keeping up.Good place for a meal

Usually take out. The service is excellent, and the food is awesome. Love the cashew chicken. A go-to choice.

I have never been disappointed. A great take out spot. Always our go to when Thai cravings hit.

Excellent lunch specials and excellent service with good food suggestions. Very attentive to the diners needs.

I've had Cha Baa Thai in downtown Halifax and I've never been disappointed! This was my first time at the Burnside location, and nothing's changed. As far as places to eat in Burnside (I work out here) - you've basically got your choice of the run of the mill usual suspects (Wendy's, Tim's, Subway, BP, Montana's, etc.) But if you're looking for more of an actual sit-down meal, you've got less choices on that end. I've heard Cha Baa has some good lunch specials so I went today to have a bite to eat with a friend! YUM. That's all I have to say I chose to start with a hot and sour soup because it's a serious weakness of mine. At 7$ I have to say, the bowl was substantial, though I'm not quite sure it was worth that price (I had just veggies in mine, which in my mind should have been less than the options with beef, chicken, tofu, or shrimp). Nonetheless, it was hot, delicious, and chock-full of a ton of veg (snap peas, carrot, bok choy, tomato, onion, cabbage etc.) and I'm talking BIG chunks. I didn't finish it all because I wanted to save room for other goodies! I ordered the Panang Beef lunch special which is $10, and includes 1 small spring roll+dipping sauce, rice, and the beef dish. Flavour explosion. I have never had this dish here before, I've had the pad Thai, red curry, green curry (all delish) and I chose this based on a recommendation from my boyfriend's sister who eats here frequently! It was just the right amount of spice after my hot and sour soup, and the beef was cooked perfectly. Often times when you order a dish like this, I find the beef can be rubbery and overcooked. Not the case with this dish! The beef strips were sliced thinly, and were cooked with lime leaves, green beans, red chili, cabbage, coconut milk, pha-naeng curry paste and peanuts. The sauce was creamy, flavourful, with just the right amount of coconut and peanut flavours. I would have this again in a heart beat! I think I have a new go-to comfort lunch! The bill was about $23 including tip (came to around $19 before tip.) The food came out quickly, despite a lunch rush, and the server was friendly, helpful, and knew her stuff! I'd recommend Cha Baa Thai to anyone looking to have a nice meal - be it lunch or dinner! read more

Cha Baa Thai - Panang Beef Curry Lunch Special - Thai Near Me - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

We ordered Coconut soup, Sweet & sour pork, Pineapple fried rice. It was awesome :) This is our second time have been here. We compare other Thai restaurant and we thought this is the best one in Halifax. Yum :) read more

Yesssss my pretties. Come to Dartmouth, favourite restaurants. Come to Dartmouth! THEN we'll see who calls us the Darkside...Okay. Maybe they still will, but at least we'll be able to mask the pain with the city's best Thai food at this sister location to the Queen Street favourite! The location might be a bit strange-even for those familiar with Burnside-but the experience holds true to the high bar set downtown. The venue might feel a tad more industrial but it actually kind of works. It can even feel a little hipper than the white walled room that we're all used to. The menu is the exact same, the service I've found to be even better, the food is still made with incredibly fresh ingredients and can be altered to taste or preference, and there are tons of options to keep your vegetarian friends delirious with choices. HEAVEN. Dangerous tip: awesome for take-out as you drive through on your way home. read more

See all

Okay, so one day I was craving Thai food something fierce and lamenting the lack of said deliciousness in Dartmouth. I googled Thai Dartmouth in desperation, and found a job ad recruiting for what sounded like a Dartmouth location of Chabaa Thai. I became so excited, I actually emailed the contact person listed in the ad for details. I know, it's a sad life I lead. But folks? When I found out Chabaa Thai really was opening in Burnside, I probably screamed with delight. I was still working in Burnside at the time and this was a dream come true. It was many excruciating months before Cha Baa opened for business, but it was so worth the wait. Now, Burnside is a fairly industrial spot. And Cha Baa looks pretty unassuming from the outside. It seems wrong that it's part of a sad little strip mall-type building (mall indicates shopping, so this is not really an accurate term). But once inside, you forget all about it. I actually prefer the decor here to the Halifax location. Lots of parking, but hey - it's Dartmouth, so parking is rarely an issue here. Great, prompt service - particularly important at lunch hour. I've never had a problem getting back to work within my 1 hour allotment. And the lunch specials are fantastic. And the food? Just as delicious as the Halifax location. The spring rolls are bites of crispy heaven. My usual - the Red Curry - is just as spicy and flavourful as ever. The Cashew Chicken lunch special is so yummy. I've also branched out and tried the Penang Beef. Whoa - this dish is not for the faint of heart. So spicy I had tears rolling down my face. But so worth the pain. Yay Dartmouth! read more

Cha Baa Thai - Cashew Chicken Lunch Special - Thai Near Me - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

In life there are some main staples of needs. For me good if not excellent Thai food is an essential from time to time. Thai food excites the taste buds as it is amid of flavours (curries, spice, tamarind, basil, ginger and garlic). Seriously it's so freaking awesome! Chaa Baa Thai represents what I so find freaking awesome about Thai food. Big portions, lots of flavour and authenticity. My work colleague mentioned this restaurant but mentioned it does get quite busy in there. So we got there before lunch and almost all of the tables were full! Woaaa this to me is a good sign. Also you could get the smells of different dishes wafting in the air! I knew this was going to be a gooder so I couldn't wait. After carefully perusing the menu I decided to just go for a Chicken Pad Thai. This could be determined the staple for thai food. It came out as a generous serving in a creamy but tasty serving with a medium heat. It also had a mix of sprouts, some egg and green onion. II must come here to try some other dishes. Seriously good! read more

Cha Baa Thai - Chicken pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

See all

I'm addicted to the Massaman curry. Always with chicken. Fast and delicious. Worth the cost. YUM!

I was pretty impressed with my first experience of Cha Baa Thai, Burnside. I'd say Burnside cuisine got kicked up several notches when these guys opened their doors. I had a craving for something spicy and thai and was in the area so decided to try their lunch menu. It was towards the end of the lunch service and there were only a few other patrons. The space is pretty welcoming despite being in an industrial strip mal and . the open kitchen shows they worked with the space. Given its positive reviews, I am sure this place can be hopping during lunch hour. I had the Panang beef curry at the restaurant and, since I had a tough time deciding, and too lazy to cook got the Massaman beef curry to go for later. My order was taken promptly and my server was back about five minutes later with my meal. The presentation was a cut above your usual lunch special; the carved veggies adding a nice visual touch. The Panang curry was quite good but I didn't find it overly spicy; my fault for not ordering it so The deep-fried spring roll was a bit of a let down and I couldn't get past the cold temperature. It tasted like it had been cooked sometime earlier and re-heated. Really, for $10.50 the quality, presentation and amount of food can't be beat. After a pleasant but non-combative curry, I managed to catch the waitress and specify that the Massaman curry for later be made "thai hot" which she seemed happy to do. After I paid my original waitress wandered away and left me unsure about the take out part of my order. I had to wait until another server happened to come by and tracked down my currry. I enjoyed the Massaman curry later that night. It was excellent, in a fiery, velvety sauce. The fresh spring roll didn't taste very but it had been in my fridge for a few hours by that time so I am not going to fault them for that. Despite not being wowed by their appetizers I don't think you can judge by spring rolls alone. I would certainly go back and look forward to trying them again soon. read more

Cha Baa Thai - Panang beef curry. I know to order it thai hot next time. - Thai Near Me - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Thumbs up for: - their real Thais chefs - the clean plates presentation - the basil tofu - the friendly service Thumbs down: - rice does not come with the plate (3$ for a small bowl) - the kind of "rush" atmosphere But, I have to go back for their pad Thai. ;) read more

Cha Baa Thai - Delicious basil tofu, small bowl of rice and some tea. - Thai Near Me - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

It's an ok spot I guess. Loud banging and clanging and other orchestral sounds from the kitchen. If a spoon falls on the floor it's very loud indeed. Nice soft piano music but the acoustics is like overdrive amplification in here ...sucks big time! People were raving about the cashew chicken. I think the Pad Thai is a better dish. Cashew chicken was a bit spicy. Spring rolls are ok I guess. Water glasses don't get refilled here, or maybe I should have just asked. Seems expensive for what you get. read more

Wow! I came here at 230 pm hoping I could order from the lunch menu, and was pleasantly seated by a friendly lady with my menu. Looking around, there were only a few people in the dining room. I ordered the No 3 Green Vegetable Curry, one of the luncheon specials. My food was ready in a short time and served piping hot. My eye was attracted to the pretty carved carrot flower on a bed of sliced cabbage. I tasted the curry and the sauce was simply scrumptious. The curry was full of a variety of amazing vegetables. I liked the way the white rice was shaped in a perfect half globe. The egg roll and plum type sauce were a delicious accompaniment. I really enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, the personable service, and I will definitely be back for a return visit! read more

Cha Baa Thai - Yummy green vegetable curry. I adore the food here! Notice carved carrot flower and half globe of white rice. - Thai Near Me - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Always delicious flavours and generous portions. Great treat on date night with my husband. Something different from burgers and fries. Friendly service. Clean environment. read more

Even though the environment is not fancinating, but the foods are really delicious! I come here for twice in 2 days, and the price is fair. The only short-coming is that you have to drive here. read more

My fiancé was out at a work party so I decided to treat myself to dinner out. It was a cold, rainy, windy night in December so what better to warm me up than Thai food? I placed my order by phone prior to leaving work in Downtown Dartmouth. By the time I made it through rush hour traffic to Burnside my food was sitting waiting for me. I took it home (about another 12 minute drive) and it was still piping hot when I opened all the containers. For myself I ordered the fresh spring rolls, ginger beef, massaman chicken curry and jasmine rice. I was not disappointed. Everything was hot, fresh, spiced perfectly, and delicious. So much so that when I was heating up my leftovers the next night I called and placed another order for my fiancé to pick up on his way home :) everything was just as good that night too! It's nice that Dartmouth has finally started to get some quality restauatants. read more

Burnside rocks, no? Well, at least it doesn't suck as much as it used to. Boyfriend maintains that all it needs now is a great sushi place. We will see, as we tour the local eateries! So happy that there is close-to-work thai, doing the thai food happy dance (which is always followed by thai food coma). So Boyfriend and I went for lunch, during the rush time, so they were slamming busy. Still, though, we were seated promptly and drinks and order were taken quickly. Love that they have a lunch rush process. I got the green curry lunch special, Boyfriend got the red curry (both with chicken). Both were fantastic and spicy, just what you expect. Just the right amount of food too (enough that I get full a little early so Boyfriend finishes his and mine) and can't argue with the $10 lunch special price tag. The spring rolls are good too--though I have to say I like Talay Thai's a little better. But only a very little. Atmosphere is... well, they've done what they can with weird strip mall in Burnside location. Like the little tiki hut things on the side of the room. And really, who cares when the curry is this good? Definitely going to stay on the Burnside lunchtime circuit. And if you live close enough, they'll deliver (for a fee). WIN. read more

My God how I love Thai food. But it's sucha bitter feeling when it's done poorly....thankfully that's not the case here! Decor is warm and cozy with lots of space on the inside, you wouldn't think so by the outside - looks like a tiny Thai restaurant in a strip mall. Went in for lunch, looks like that's what all the business people do as well during the weekday - so it was fairly busy in there but our waitress was more than attentive and quick to grab our orders. I ordered the Green Curry Chicken lunch combo. Spring roll was nice and fresh and left nothing else to be desired. It was pretty much perfect. The green curry was also made perfectly - with the spices just right and the consistency of the sauce not too runny but not too thick either. Man, just writing this up makes me want to leave the office and head over for some 10 am Thai food! read more

I had the opportunity for a late lunch in Burnside so stopped in here. And they get 5 stars yet again. Though between my last review and this one, I have had the opportunity to try several more dishes here - the glass noodles, Pad Thai, and now the red curry - my favorite go-to here is the green curry. But I have been satisfied with every dish I have had. In addition to loving the green curry, the spring rolls are fantastic - within the top 3 I have had in Halifax. The service was prompt and the food was perfect. I am always impressed with the cook on the bamboo shoots - I find these can be undercooked in some restaurants, but never here. Also, the lunch specials are served until 4PM when many other businesses stop lunch specials around 2. read more

I've been to a couple of locations and haven't been disappointed at any of them. A coworker talked me into going here for the cheap lunch specials. It was one of he better lunch decisions we have made. I tend to get the curries with that delicious rice and the amazing spring rolls. Everything is perfectly cooked, fresh, and incredibly delicious. The service is fast and excellent (it took us longer to drive out here from North End Halifax than it actually did to order and eat our food). I raved about my first lunch here so much that I was able to finally convince my husband to try Thai food and he really enjoyed it. Easily my favorite Thai place in he HRM. read more

Stir-fried ribs. Oh, I need to say more? The flavour of the food is spectacular. Bring friends and you each pick a dish and share, family style. Make your way there on your own and try the pad thai. The food tastes authentic, the cleanliness top notch and the service great. With a location on either side of the harbour, you never have to go thai food deprived in HRM. read more

I will be the first to admit that I'm not terribly adventurous when it comes to Thai food. That's generally because I'm not a huge fan of anything that's particularly spicy. So I can't really speak too much to the menu's great variety, having only really eaten a few basic chicken dishes and spring rolls. That said, this place (along with Kababji) is what keeps Burnside from being a complete Industrial Park Hell. It's a clean, well-designed restaurant that has really damn good food. I almost always order my food ahead for takeout. And they're ridiculously fast. I've never had to wait for my food to finish up - and my office was just down the road! (They've also got great lunch combos, as others have mentioned. These are perfect, as their full entrees are often a bit too much for lunchtime, I find.) I've only eaten inside the restaurant once. It was for dinner and the place was practically dead - so if you're looking for a quiet place where you can be the centre of your server's universe, be sure to head over to Burnside on a weekday evening, it seems. If you're looking for somewhere to eat in for lunch, I'd suggest going early or late. A friend and I tried to go, but the line for seats was literally out the door at noon. So, should you find yourself trapped in Burnside, do yourself a favour and let Cha Baa be your best food friend ever. read more

Clean! Fast (like they read your minds and start cooking your food before you order)! Excellent food - I think that I've only tried one dish, Stir Fried Rib combo at lunch because it is awesome!!! Others that have dined with me rave about their food too. I have not heard a bad comment about any of the food choices. Pricing is great. Service is too! For all of the above, I give this location 5 stars. I'll be sure to review the other location when I do get there - I'm sure it will be soon :) read more

Cha Baa Thai is such a welcome addition to the Burnside dining scene and I am a frequent purchaser of their yummy Pad Thai. The service is always great and quick, which is a big advantage to me because it allows pick ups on a half hour lunch. I have only ate in once but the décor is nice (I like it better then the down-town location) and the presentation of the food was very nice as well. Their price seemed average and portions are a good size and sometimes allow for left overs (but usually it is just too tasty and gets gobbled in one sitting). read more

My friend is really good at picking great lunch places lately and when we arrived at the Dartmouth version of a very good restaurant on Queen St, I was pleasantly surprised and looking forward to it. The decor - meh. Perhaps I say this because it was very busy, even if before noon. This was likely due to the increase in lunches we all tend to do at this time of year and was expected, but the decor did nothing to even have me remember it really (except my last para reference). Another problem that may have taken my eyes from anything of real interest was that it looked like they had put the tables & chairs closer together near the front and put in these other "different looking" tables. I am pretty sure this was to ensure more customers served. And while I applaud this keen business strategy it was way too close for me. It was almost packed and very loud because of it. These things I'll put away for the season and I soon toned everything out but the food and my friend's conversation anyway. The food - YUMMY. We stuck to the lunch specials thinking as busy as they were, it was likely the best bet on a getting out in an hour and we did! I had the Thai Noodles Soup (pork option) and loved it. My only change would be to lighten the broth; really quite dark and not like the picture on the menu - but very good! It was enough for 2 meals for me as I just don't eat that much for lunch so I asked for it to go. I have to say it was almost as good heated up the next day. My friend had the Massam Curry Beef with the option for a fresh spring roll. He said it was all very good. That's all he said but he doesn't say much on food :) The service I found excellent. Although they were very busy she was quick to take our order, made one minor mistake on the spring roll (fried not fresh but was rectified immediately), cleaned our plates on time, and had us out without feeling rushed - great! You pay at the front area and the manager was at the til and was very pleasant and efficient. This place is a well-oiled machine. The thing I almost love the most was seeing the chefs cooking just slightly away and over some sort of plexiglass I'm guessing. I wish we had been sitting closer to see them in action other than on our way out too My only complaint, and it really bothers me, and therefore I've rated them a 4 not a 5, is that I was given my soup to go in a Styrofoam container :( I'd have said something but I really wanted the darn soup, which makes me madder for taking it. If the owner or manager reads this - please for the love of all that is our planet - STOP and get some environmentally friendly/compostable/reusable containers. I'd pay more for the lunch. read more

Great food as advertised from previous ratings. Definitely will eat here again! The choice of meat for the Satay was shrimp beef or chicken. Most places only offer chicken. The Tom Ka Gai was amazing. Didn't skimp at all on the kaffir lime leaves or galangal ginger. We had Penang curry and Pad si ew were excellent as well. read more

Cha Baa Thai is the best ! Red Curry is amazing ! The Chiken or tofu pad Thai are awesome. This is one of my personal best restaurant in Halifax. The place is nothing fancy but the food is what Thai Food is all about. read more

Very fresh and tasty, big surprise!!! Had the wantong sup and the BBQ duck really good flavors the sup has the perfect umami and the duck was on point and cooked so it will melted in your mouth. One of the beat Thai restaurants i have been in a while. read more

This was really, really good! I'll be the first to admit that I am a huge Thai food snob, having been to Thailand and having lived in NYC (where there is so much amazing, authentic Thai food). I never get my hopes up with Thai food because I am so often disappointed, but this place was delicious! I got take-out, which I is never my favourite thing to do, but everything was still fresh and wonderful and the portions were big. I got papaya salad, which is one of my favourite appetizers and one of the ways I judge a Thai restaurant. It did not disappoint. It was fresh and crunchy and really spicy with the perfect balance of fish sauce/sugar in the dressing, just how it should be. I was weirded out because the menu listed celery as an ingredient, and celery does not belong in this salad, but fortunately it was nowhere to be found in the dish. The sliced tomatoes were not the best, but I didn't mind that--it's so hard to get good tomatoes at this time of year and they are not a key part of this salad for me anyway. Then my dad and I split two main dishes: vegetarian spicy noodles and eggplant basil with rice, both medium spicy. They were both spiced perfectly--definitely had enough kick to them. I love it when I order medium spicy and it actually is medium spicy! The vegetables in each were also cooked perfectly--still crunchy (except the eggplant, of course) and not overdone. The spicy noodles were similar to what many Thai restaurants call pad kee mao (aka pad kee mow, aka drunken noodles) and they were really tasty and definitely the better of the two dishes. We got the vegetarian version, which has that delicious fluffy fried tofu in it. The eggplant basil was also really good, but just not the best I've ever had. It was just a little too sweet for my taste, although I am very sensitive to food being too sweet. It was also just a tiny bit too oily for me. Still, I really enjoyed it and am excited that I have leftovers. Really excited to have found delicious Thai food nearby. I will definitely come here again while I am in the area! read more

Ashamed to say that I've lived here almost 4 years, worked in Burnside for the same and only recently have I started to venture out for lunch beyond the regular fast food fare. Oh how I regret wasting that time. Finally got to try this place out and happy to say I'll be visiting more often. I arrived about 11:40, shortly after they opened and ordered up the cashew chicken lunch special to go. I was the first in and was only there about 10 minutes but people started coming in pretty steadily in that time. I like the decor, lots of dark wood makes it very warm. The place looked very clean, you get a nice view of the kitchen and there are plenty of tables. The service was friendly, the food fresh and hot and just enough to satisfy. The lunch special comes with rice and a small spring roll for $10 + tax. Wish my husband liked Thai so we could put this place on our dinner out rotation but alas, it will be lunches here for me. read more

Yippe! A delicious, affordable, non-chain restaurant in Burnside! I love their spot in Halifax so I am really happy that they opened up a second spot close-ish to my work. After having lunch on a day off at their Queen St. spot, and realizing how reasonable they are I suggested it to a friend as our lunch date spot. Don't judge this place by its store front, in a dingy looking strip. The restaurant is large, lofty and has an open kitchen. We arrived shortly after noon, and it got packed quickly, when we left, all tables were full and people were waiting for a spot. The food was delicious as always, and served quickly considering how slammed they got so quickly. My favorite spot for a lunch in the park, I can't wait to introduce my dad (who works just down the road from the restaurant) to Thai next week! read more

After having a great meal at the Halifax location not too long ago, we decided to try the Burnside location because it's much closer to home. I'm happy to report that this location is great as well. When we walked in we were greeted and sat immediately. It was about 6pm on Friday and there were only a few other people in the restaurant. We were given menus and water as we sat down. My boyfriend ordered tea and I stuck with water. The openness of the location was nice and the exposed kitchen was interesting but a great idea. We decided to order the same meal that we had in Halifax...spring rolls, pad see iew with prawns, and cashew chicken with jasmin rice. We received the spring rolls within minutes and they were very good. My boyfriend had a small piece of something very hard and wood like in one of his, the server showed the kitchen and explained it was a piece of the black fungus mushrooms they use. Nonetheless, the spring rolls were yummy. Our main meals came on platters instead of bowls like in Halifax, which inspires sharing. The taste was just as good, but the portions seemed much smaller. We noticed that the plates and other serving dishes were much different than in Halifax. Everything matched and were clearly made specifically for cha baa Thai - green with some design, elephant shaped dishes, etc. Overall we had a great Friday evening and will most likely visit cha baa Thai burnside atleast once a month - great food, reasonable prices, and friendly staff ... Can't go wrong there! read more

See all

Never a disappointment on this lunch time treat! Food is fabulous, portions are generous, and price is reasonable. Ive never actually eaten IN the restaurant, as account of the fact that at noon hour, it is insanely busy. Highly recommend!! read more

It's only been last year when I first tried Thai food (outside of mediocre grocery store pad thai) but, the obsession continues with Cha Baa Thai! This location not only rocks because of the extremely speedy service (both dining in and taking out) but the wait staff are friendly and the food.. THE FOOD! So delicious. I've tried many things on the menu, some too spicy for me to handle but I still dug in. My favourites are the Tom Kha soup, the bean curd rolls (appetizer), lemongrass chicken, and pad see ew noodles. Food is always steaming hot - even the take out which is impressive to say the least. There is something for everyone here, sweet, savory, and spicy! Thai food may be your new favourite! read more

Best Thai I've had in HRM, and they're in Burnside! Who'd have thought? Not much to add, except to agree with other reviewers. Delicious curries, pad thai etc etc. Note also that they are now open on Sundays, even though their website says otherwise. read more

This review is based solely on a single lunch experience. I frequent the Queen Street location but was in Burnside at 12 on a Friday with a colleague and decided to stop in. Two things: first, the speed. We were seated, had our orders taken, had eaten, and were on our way to an afternoon meeting all in under 40 minutes. The place was packed and we told our waitress that we were in a hurry and she certainly took us at our word. The tables were turning over as fast as the bus boy could clear them, so our waitress was all efficiency. She even brought our cheques with our meals. Now that is efficient. Second, the quality of the food was in no way compromised by the speed of the service. The masaman beef, my favourite, was just as I like it. ALl in all, the Burnside location lives up to the very high standard set by the Queen Street location and offers the same fantastic lunch specials at the same great prices. read more

In a restaurant it's all about the food. The food here at Cha Baa is so good I could eat it every day. If you like Thai, you'll love the food here. It is just SO GOOD. The spring rolls, the panang beef, the red curry dishes, the mango salad. To have this located in Burnside is a bit strange, but whatever, at least it is in Dartmouth. I actually like the atmosphere inside, but it really doesn't matter, because the food that comes out of the kitchen is just so good. Eat here. You won't regret it. read more