Pretty good menu: I tend to get the khow soy (36), pao tag (41), and special Steve green curry soup (40). Easiest to order by number. And a Thai tea of course. I love how you can eat here for right around 11 bucks. I always seem to come when it is closed, though, and that is probably why I go to Thai Pepper more often. But the food is good and it's a great place to go if you have an hour between classes or meetings. I wouldn't come if you are in a hurry. The location looks like it should be condemned and will fall down any minute, but it hasn't yet in the 5 years I have been in town. A strange little set up with limited seating (U-shape) around the ordering counter. There are more seats in the back after you pass the register on the right. read more

Great Pad Thai! Seriously this place had amazing food. I was steered towards getting it medium on the spice since it was my first time here. Medium was probably pretty spicy for most people, next time I will get hot. I love spicy thai food. The place has an old school, divey feel to, but clean. It's small and sort of tucked away which is nice as well. The food will take some time as everything is cooked to order and made from scratch. Not the place to go if you want in and out, but it is worth the wait. Thank god I found good pad thai in west Texas. read more

Do NOT be put-off by the location. This is a bit of a "hole-in-the wall." I have eaten here for years and have never been disappointed when I'm craving Thai. Absolutely the BEST Hot and Sour Soup I have ever had. Quite spicy -- and they will dial back the heat if you ask -- but just truly amazing stuff. read more

Recommend: Red Curry This place is like the freaking cave of wonders. You might show up and think it shut down, but proceed inside for the best Thai food in town. In true cave of wonders fashion, it requires a certain quality of character to enjoy the treasures Choochai's has to offer (someone who doesn't mind sitting next to storage boxes while dining). And of course, you'll need to heed the posted warnings about patience and worth. So, it's not a place you would go to entertain your out of town guests but the exposed kitchen makes for an interesting time, and it's especially great for a night of take out. read more

The owners are very accommodating to my gluten issues. The food is amazingly tasty and is a great value. It is a bit difficult to spot on 19th, but it is well worth the effort! read more

We go here every week and order the khow soy with noodles and khow pad with and egg and every time we're not disappointed! My boyfriend and I keep saying we'll try something new but they just hit the spot every time! We also get fried and steamed pork wontons for an appetizer and they are perfect. Best Thai place in Lubbock! read more

Tiny inside, even smaller than it looks from outdoors, though there's a narrow bar area that extends around the side. Parking is a premium here, as the private lot is very small and subject to some annoying overflow from, of all things, a gas station. Very, very friendly service, and the Pad See Ew was pretty good. I've been here a few times now and have not endured the quality problems described in another review. Credit to them for actually serving spicy food -- to the point that they will ask when you order it if you're familiar with their particular brand of spicy. It's still probably a few rungs below Thai spicy, but it's the hottest stuff I've found in Lubbock. Probably great if you're on campus or in nearby Tech Terrace. read more

I've had SO much better. I got the chicken pad thai medium and #23 hot to split between two people. The meals were really dry and sticky. Their food would be alot better if they cooked with a little bit of water, more fresh veggies, and fresh jalapenos and serranos instead of the sprinkle chili powder that was just caked on everything. The fried tofu and eggroll were good, THEY NO LONGER TAKE CREDIT CARDS - They do however have an ATM on site. Their thai tea was also VERY sweet. I've had a lot of different thai tea, but it was so sweet we couldn't drink it I want to try it again when it's not so close to closing time, maybe they'll be able to devote more time to the meal without having to close down the shop at the same time. read more

I gave this place a try after always wanting to and I was very pleased. The lady at the front was very sweet and helped me pick an entree that I was sure to enjoy. The prices are great and the food was out promptly. The lady at the front even gave me a to-go menu and had highlighted the dishes I should try. The food is prepared right there at the counter so you know it is fresh. I had the yellow curry chicken and although the portion was small, it was delicious and the lady at the front could not have been more kind and attentive. I will definitely be returning to this gem of Lubbock. read more

It's divey but clean. I've only had the pad see ew but it was tasty (medium is pretty darn spicy!). I'll definitely be back. read more

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This place is pretty small and has a seemingly broken lighted open sign. The paper sign was up and said open. Prices were pretty cheap but the food is not worth it the pad thai had cabbage as the only vegetables in the dish no sprouts or carrots. The noodles in the pad Thai were more shaped like spaghetti instead of the normal flat noodles I would expect. The fried egg chunks were pretty large and the sauce was not good at all and there was very little sauce. The fried rice was basically rice with soy sauce nothing else in it. Two stars because my coworker got a spicy dish that he liked. The portions were small as well. read more

Bad aftertaste. Went there June 15th 2021. Food was far from fresh. Egg rolls were pre made. Only veggies in the psd Thai was cabbage and it was old smelly and hard read more

Pad Thai was okay at best. It had decent flavor but as others have mentioned, it was EXTREMELY dry - to the point it was hard to swallow. Other than though, pretty good. I also ordered mine hot. Now I read many reviews on here that it's so incredibly spicy.... it's not. It's hot don't get me wrong, but it wasn't that hot. If you can't handle heat, don't order hot. But if you like spicy and can handle it, you should be fine. I've had Thai many times that was much spicier than that. Finally, I also ordered some pork wontons. They were pretty much like dumplings, and those were delicious. The sauce dumped over them was top notch too! I'd probably give this place another shot, but definitely get the dumplings again. read more

Another example of " Its weird that this place could survive after all these years...maybe in Lubbock as long as u are the first place to serve a certain type of food or u been around long enough people will accept it as the standard...." I always try a place at least twice even if the first time was bad...I just like to be sure, but man I messed up on this one. We ordered 2 apps, 2 entrees, and one soup for the 2 of us, the first time. The pad thai came first, we could see the other 2 groups of people sitting at the counter after us also ordered this, and they looked like regulars, chatting with the owner. Ours had one piece of chicken in it,, still raw, the pad thai noodles were still hard, not cooked thru, and the cabbage was still raw. There was no taste at all...I could see the owner serving ours first from the big pile he was cooking on the flat griddle, but can't u atleast cook it so its not raw? The soup had lots of frozen seafood, but had a really weird taste...like rotten vegetables.... The service was decent and the apps were ok( got the fish cake and sate) But will never be back again unless we are with regulars. read more

Delightful food, fresh, made in front of you. Great customer service. Kids love it too.

Staple of the Lubbock restaurant scene for a very long time with good Thai food and consistent service. I can't comment much on many of the menu offerings since I always get the same thing. Spicy vegetarian pad Thai with tofu and extra veggies. Yum! read more

I am sad to say that i sat at the counter waiting for take-out and spoke to an employee about the off taste of my Thai ice coffee, asking if it was old. I was assured it was fine and cleary he thought i had never had one before and just didn't understand. I have had many, my wife took one sip and nearly spit it out, and I have had diarrea all weekend. I am really trying to like you Choochai. This really isn't helping. read more

Choochai - Thai Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

Not too bad. Not too good. Mediocre at best. Nice people though I had the pad thai and it was a little bit dry my fried rice was good though. read more

My favorite Thai food in Lubbock. Charming owners, nice cozy feel. Always have the pad thai.

This is the best Thai food in Lubbock!! Tom cooks it fresh as you order!! Service is fast and Renee is very sweet and great service !! Very friendly people!! Awesome curry dishes! read more

Choochai - Thai Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

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Really great food. Great owners, Tan and Renee. I live the artar special, the laub na, the green curry, their version of Tom ka gai. The now soy. Very authentic for Lubbock and well anywhere. Do not order spicy unless you can eat Serranos raw. This is the one place in town it is cooked Asian spicy. Work your way up. It's worth it and still plenty flavorful mild. read more

I rarely write reviews and can eat almost anything. This being said, we ordered a chicken pad thai and a chicken curry. Both were inedible. The pad thai was dry and covered in red chili flakes. I love spicy food but this was bad. It had no flavor but the red pepper. The chicken curry was better but way too much fish sauce. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Lubbock, the food is always fresh and extremely tasty. I have never had a bad experience or anything that I didn't not absolutely love. The owner is so kind and talkative and she is more than willing to help you out with anything that you may need. I always order the cashew chicken and a Thai tea and it is absolutely Devine read more

Maybe I ordered the wrong dish, but if a restaurant can't pull off pad Thai, it can't claim to serve Thai food. I give Choochai three stars because one of the two dishes I ordered was different and pretty darn good, but anyone who has eaten the pad Thai from Choochai and calls it the "best Thai food in Texas" should stick to the super-cheap stacks of frozen mini pizzas we used to keep in the freezer in college. The pad Thai was not inedible (I ate it), but it was far from Thai food and completely lacking in appropriate flavor. First, the good. I ordered pad Thai and, as an afterthought, added egg rolls. The woman at the counter said they had chicken or vegetable egg rolls. I asked which was better and she said she preferred the beef. ????? OK. I'll take the beef. I've had some interesting beef preparations in southeast Asian cuisine (onion beef rolls at Saigon in Stockton, CA) and these beef egg rolls join that list. They had a tender wrapper properly fried without residual oil, and the filling, which was pretty much all beef, was either slow-cooked brisket or well-seasoned roast beef. Dipped in either the spicy or mild sauces provided, these were delicious. On the bad side, the pad Thai was inexcusable. Pad Thai is about melding textures and flavors. Sweet flavors come from sweet wine or sugar, sour flavors from lime and tamarind, saltiness from nam pla and soy sauce, savoriness from garlic, tamarind, nam pla and soy sauce and, sometimes, spice from chili sauces, pastes or flakes. Textures come from noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts and proteins such as chicken, tofu or shrimp. The noodles in the pad Thai at Choochai were the high point. They were done right. Everything else was done wrong. The spice in the pad Thai came strictly from the red chili pepper flakes (think pizza parlor shakers or spaghetti with garlic and oil) that dominated even the appearance of the dish. I asked for medium heat and she warned me that medium was pretty spicy. I said I was good with medium spicy (by Lubbock, TX, standards), but I did not expect a flavor like I had taken a spoonful of fried red chili flakes. Appearing only occasionally at the edge of the chili pepper bomb was a little sourness that was clearly vinegar and a little savoriness and salt from soy sauce. The chicken was there, as was a lot of fried egg, but they could not begin to compete with the flavor of red chili flakes. The only possibility of crunch was some cabbage, which was well past the crunch stage. (I will allow that I got the dish to go and had to drive almost five minutes back to the hotel to eat it.) Bean sprouts, peanuts and (it seemed to me) tamarind and nam pla were not present in the dish. The only positive thing I can say is that the dish was not overly oily, as pad Thai too often is. I've been misled by positive Yelp reviews before, but the rave reviews for food as bad as that from Choochai are hard to understand. read more

Twenty years a regular customer. I have tried Thai all over the US and always glad to come home to Tahn's cooking and Renee's counter service. Wan's cooking at Thai Thai (Tahn's sister-in-law) is 5 star also. The difference is like the difference from Moscow Faberge and St. Petersburg Eggs, both gems but different to those in the know. Choochai (Tahn's Dad) was the Mohammad Ali of Thai boxing until he found out sports and politics don't mix and time to head to the US. I'm still looking for a picture of their first "restaurant" which was a take out only, converted Photomat Booth, down on Q and 50th, what a site it must of been. I recommend the spring rolls or Moo-sa-tee (excuse the spelling) beef or shrimp drenched in a homemade peanut sauce for appetizer. The Coconut soup (#34, I think also called TomKarGee, maybe) is to die for and except for a couple of dinners in Florence and Capri, a taste that makes living worth any troubles you can name. IMHO. Lawson di Ransom Canyon read more

The people here are very friendly! They greet you when you walk in the door and know the menu very very well so they can answer any question you have! My favorite thing here is the Pad Thai. It's the best pad Thai I've had in Lubbock. Just be careful when they ask how spicy you would like it. Sometimes when you say medium it's pretty spicy! But still really good! read more

As stated before, the building is very inconspicuous but don't let that fool you. Today was the first time I have been, just walked in and ordered the Pad Thai. I love the other Thai places in Lubbock, and this was just as good. The cook made it fresh to go for me on the spot, and made it spicy as requested! Yum! Overall fresh food, okay building, good service, good prices. read more

Absolutely the finest Thai food in Lubbock. The service is friendly and the food is excellent. The decor is "hole-in-the-wall-local, so don't plan a date with anyone high maintenance. They attract customers through word of mouth and keep them with the food. read more

OK, so this the first place I ever had Pad Thai and I've searched the country and have yet to find any place that compares. That was over 20 years ago and it's just as good today. read more

It's been a while since I've enjoyed Choochai, but in the last month I've eaten there twice and thoroughly enjoyed it! Pad Thai and hot & sour soup are my go-to dishes and they're are on point. Spicy Thai food is what I love and I lean towards this place over any other Thai place in Lubbock. Would love fountain drinks to be available as they only have cans, but no big deal. Give this hole-in-the-wall a shot! read more

This is some of the best Thai food I've ever had, and I've had Thai in 4 countries and at least 10 states. The Padd Thai here is unlike any I've had before and it is phenomenal! My entree was Padd Prig Nau - beef with peppers, carrots, mushrooms and curry over rice. Awesome! And their medium is hot enough! (I usually have to order "Thai hot" to get it hot enough, but the owner warned me and I'm glad he did!) read more

The food is really good but it isn't fast. Their mild is still pretty spicy so this is your fair warning. Make sure to try their Thai coffee! We didn't order their dessert options but they look delicious! read more

I've never been a crazy huge Thai food fan but my friend recommended this place and I swear to God this stuff is like crack. I got the coconut curry chicken soup noodle dish thing, I don't even know, it's number 30 on the list, and it's legitimately like crack. It is amazing. I am addicted. Zero fucks giving. read more

Food was ok, but Thai Pepper and Bangcok are MUCH better local Thai spots

Absolutely avoid this restaurant. After ordering a dish to go, the owners wife, Rene, chastised me for not tipping her in front of a few professional associates of mine. This was for an order that was already 15 minutes late. Completely unacceptable. Having been a loyal customer of Choo Chai for several years I was shocked at this level of poor service and ill mannered behavior. The food here is below average at best. Ton, the owner and cook, is very much erratic in both quality and spice content. An order on Monday of spicy is easily confused with an order of mild on Tuesday. Also, given the poor quality, the food is vastly over priced. Save your money and eat at any of the other great Thai food places in town. read more

Not too much good asian food in Lubbock, but this place will give your fix. I like the 45 and fried wontons. Their medium is beyond most places' hot. read more

This is by far my favorite Thai restaurant in Lubbock! The atmosphere is different in it's own special way and the owners and staff are always so nice and welcoming. I must admit that I have tried nearly everything on the menu and have never been disappointed. For an appetizer, I would suggest the #6 Moo Sa-Te. My go to entree is usually the #15 Kouy Tiew Nau Sad. Best Thai beef noodle soup I've had! If soup isn't what you're looking for, I'd suggest the #16 Lad Na. The spice here is hotter than most Thai restaurants, so beware! Medium plus is perfect for me. read more

I seriously want to go visit Lubbock just so I can eat here. I love this restaurant, it is run by a family and has a very genuine/at home feel to it. The food takes a while to come, but it is because it is being made fresh. If you go here you must make sure to get an egg roll, soup, and pad thai. One of the hidden gems of being a Texas Tech student. read more

4 stars for the food only. Pad Thai and pad See Ew is probably the best in Lubbock. Portion size is lacking. Hours are wonky and the place is often closed when it should be open according to google and Yelp. The inside isn't very appealing, definitely my go-to takeout place though. read more

Great Place. Food is always awesome. Fantastice family owned and ran place. Every time I go in, no matter how long it as been between visits, they still remember me by name and ask about my family. Can't go wrong with the Pad Thai. Go with "Medium +" if you like heat. I think medium would be pletty of heat for most people. read more