We were disappointed with our lunch experience today. We have not visited this cafe since just before the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, my husband and I had lunch here weekly. It was our favorite restaurant. Today, we ate here and found that the menu, the recipes, and the meal prices have changed. I would always order Singapore noodles and the dish was delicious. Today, the meal tasted much different. There was a ball of dry noodles, no sauce, and different ingredients such as kale. I was so disappointed . The prices were significantly higher as well. read more

Just went there and the Curry was the worst I ever had sorry I really don't like doing bad reviews but this was awful I ordered green and yellow curry and would not eat that again and it was to expensive for the quality and no flavor read more

When I'm feeling a quart low and really need a good lunch, I get a yellow curry. It's spectacular and can be spiced according to your level. Great place. read more

Maybe my expectations were a little too high after reading the reviews. I do love the Thai-American hybrid menu and the fact that they have bubble tea! I'll start with my least favorite, the Reuben. My favorite sandwich of all time. If it's on the menu I order it. My love for these sandwiches started when I was 4-5 y/o, my dad would make them for me after hours in the kitchen of the La Playa hotel where he worked as a chef. Been ordering them ever since. This sandwich was unbuttered and barely toasted, the bread was cold and somewhat soggy, lacked that buttery crisp when biting in. In addition the Rueben, typically piled high, was not. Minimal amounts of meat and sauerkraut. Came with fries, which I would rate as average. Would not order again. On the other hand the fried egg rolls were excellent. Wrapped in spring roll wrappers, not the thick egg roll wraps. They were served hot, fresh and crispy. The filling was also good and flavorful. My bf ordered the pad-thai which was absolutely delicious. Actually one of the best pad thai's I've tried. Would def order this again. And then we ordered 2 taro bubble tea's. FYI it is served frozen, not over ice. Which I actually didn't mind too much, it was delicious. Aside from the fact that my tapioca pearls were not cooked, at all. Many of them were completely hard and I had to keep spitting them out. I thought maybe it was the frozen aspect that was hardening them? But I've ordered many iced taro bubble tea's before where the pearls hadn't hardened. Maybe I would order again with the pearls? Or I'm thinking this was an isolated case and will try them again? Will see. Even though I'm only giving 3 stars, I am open to going back and trying them again. Thinking their Thai menu options are a better choice. read more

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Pretty good Thai food. Not my favorite but my teenage son loves it. (Probably because he can get blended bubble tea smoothies here as well as yummy noodles.) I've had really mixed service. Sometimes friendly, sometimes not. Often slow and understaffed. Definitely worth a try to decide for yourself, but I probably wouldn't drive across town for it. Update: I read another review stating that Mina's has cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles now! I might be able to have Thai on Keto?! Definitely will be back. read more

Cute, quaint, little establishment. Upon entering we were just going for the Bubble/boba drinks because there aren't many place in Oregon that do that yet and we are from California where is it a staple. We ordered our drinks from the lady: Caribbean Passion Coffee Mocha It took some time for the drinks to come out, but we did not mind as we were catching up. But unfortunately they missed it on a family wanting to dine in because they did not come to greet them when they came in. We also ordered the fried cheese cake. It was delicious. We will come back again for the desserts we didn't try the food this time around. read more

Mina's Cafe - And you get to leave cute messages - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Best salad rolls ever! Everything so fresh and colorful! The peanut sauce to dip them is so yummy!

Absolutely obsessed with this place!! Some of the best spring rolls I've had, and the pho is amazing (despite pho not being their highlighted item). I want them to bottle their peanut sauce also - that stuff is amazing! Definitely worth checking out! read more

The chicken curry is SO good. I have no complaints at all, full of flavor, veggies are cooked not soggy but perfectly still crisp. The tofu salad rolls are a little bit dry to me, maybe juicier vegetables? I'm not sure. All around I was well pleased even though i came in at a suddenly busy time and waited a while for my food. Nice staff, cute interior, and the whole place smelled delicious. Looks like there was good seating for a big group even! I found this place randomly as I was driving home from work and popped in for dinner! Delicious read more

My absolute favorite Thai in town!! I have several allergies and she is always sure to address them all, she even comes to our table herself to clarify and be sure. She works very hard to run her own business and with little help but does wonderfully. The food is very tasty and delicious, I even get an order to go for later when I'm not staying in town. She has bubble tea, Thai food, American food, and though I am not familiar with it she offers what I can assume is lottery and gambling in the next room. There is seating for dine in, you can take out, but no delivery. The food is worth the pickup. There may be a little language barrier but be patient it's worth it. read more

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Ordered the pad Thai and it wasn't good at all. No flavor whatsoever. It seems like none of the veggies were cooked either and definitely not fried together with the noodles. Looks like they just put it next to the noodles on the sides and that's it. I will never try again. read more

The food was great. I really appreciated the fresh vegetables that come on the side of the pad Thai dish, for me it's more than a garnish- it's nutrition. The service was super friendly- maybe too friendly but in a good way. I tried the bubble tea, they were out of my preferred flavor- avocado so I settled on mango. It was on par or just above par compared to the many other Thai restaurants I've been to. I didn't like the parking layout but who cares? You come here to enjoy good food not park your car. Maybe I'm too liberal with my 5 star reviews but it was certainly better than many other places I've been to that I would rate 3-4 stars. I'll be back eventually! read more

Mina's Cafe - Table with menu - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Very fresh, tasty and unique ingredients used in Mina's Laos/Thai cuisine! I had Tom Kha rice noodle soup with chicken, lovely hints of tamarin, galangal root and more. My friend ordered mango curry which also was fabulous! Mina shared w us some of her powerful story of coming to America. You'll enjoy her cafe. read more

Favorite Thai in Salem. Friendly staff, intimate setting, and great food! I love the the curry, and my wife loves the Pho! Don't miss it. Also the crunchy vegetable rolls are next-level. read more

Mina's is my favorite Thai restaurant. Mina herself is from Laos and is the most incredible person. She will remember who you are and what you like to order and take the time to go the extra mile. The food is fresh and some of the best Thai out there! read more

Ok so I used to think Thai Orchid was the best Thai in Salem but now it's Minas all the way, the food is pretty much perfection, prices are on point and Mina herself makes it all! The sweetest person who has a true passion for creating and putting out nothing but the best, I will definitely be back! Thank you Mina for chatting we my mom and I this afternoon, you made our day! read more

Mina's Cafe - FRESH salad rolls, chock full of warm tofu and fresh veggies and literally the best peanut sauce EVER! - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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My sister and I just found our new favorite Thai place!! The friendliest and sweetest staff and the best food!!! Highly recommend!!

TL;DR - 5 stars because while the food was great, Mina was stellar!! Prices are a tad high, but I was very satisfied with my food and the service at this cozy, quiet spot. ____________________ I was meeting some people for a movie and decided I didn't want to eat anything I had at home, so I looked up Mina's and decided to give it a go. FOOD/DRINKS -- CRISPY EGG ROLLS ($7.5): Fresh, hot, and crispy. Served with a sweet chili sauce. I was pleasantly surprised to get 4 pieces. Still seemed a little pricey, but they were good. -- PAD THAI W/PORK ($12.95): Price seemed a little high at first but it ended up being more than I thought. Pork was very tender and tasted slightly of white pepper under the flavor of the whole dish. Great proportion of noodle to everything else! Would definitely come back for the lunch price ($8.95). -- DESSERT: Not quite sure what it was, but it was this thin, fried dough filled with a cheesecake type of cream and fruit, with a scoop of ice cream on the side. Mina came out from the kitchen to chat with guests after she finished cooking and was describing it, telling us to come back for it next time, when she decided to just make one and split it between me (solo) and another party of 2. WOW so generous! STAFF Mina's clearly passionate about her food and business, as she hung out in the dining area with her guests after she was finished cooking. I have to say that food was a little slow to come out given that it wasn't PACKED with people, BUT I overheard a couple mention they come every Friday and had never waited this long. Then Mina came out of the kitchen and explained that her regular staff are on vacation for the long Labor Day weekend. The waitress was a quiet girl who was very polite. She checked in occasionally to see if anything else was wanted, and to reassure me that my food would be out soon. SPACE/LOCATION There's an amusing and endearing mix of Thai decor and handwritten notes and drawings from appreciative customers inside. The restaurant is tucked away around the corner from Donatello's (away from Northern Lights), so it was nice and quiet on a Friday evening. There are couple of tables outside, a main dining area inside with about 5 tables, and another side area with a couple more. Restroom is in the back and down the hall. read more

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I was having a horrible day ( death in the family ) and wanted to just get something yummy and healthy to eat and be alone maybe take it some place nice and just sit in nature, and was driving around aimlessly. I didn't want to go in anyplace because I was barefoot having just left in such a rush. I remembered Mina's had a drive up window, so drove up and waited, I didn't drive by the front of the restaurant so hadn't noticed they were closed, but Mina opende the window, (she had been inside cleaning) and must have noticed I didn't look that great and offered to make me anything. THIS is the sort of caring person she is and I don't go out much but whenever I have a choice, it will always be this lovely woman's place. The food is amazing, made with love, care and pride! Her salad rolls are a refreshing lite lunch and I always try anything she reccomends. PS, not sure why my profile is saying I'm from San Francisco: I live in South Salem. read more

We ate here for the first time tonight and it was really good. The food is made when you order it, so it is really fresh,delicious and hot. It's a smaller restaurant and very clean. I would have given it 5 stars but the waitress came by once and asked how things were and brought the check halfway through our dinner, never asking if we wanted dessert (which we did want but didn't order) read more

Mina's Cafe - Red Curry - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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What an AMAZING Thai restaurant! This was the first time my husband and I have been there but it definitely not the last! Our yellow curry chicken over rice was the best I have ever had! I can't wait to try more of her dishes. AND she caters, I will be sending the word out!! The owner is so personable and in gagging, we just loved her. To say the least we will be back many times to come! read more

Absolutely wonderful food. The owner is one of the friendliest people I've met. 100% recommend giving it a try!

Very tasty authentic Thai! I stumbled upon this place and love Thai food & thought what the heck, give it a try. It's a Tuesday evening and business is brisk, but not overwhelming. It looks like Mina has a lot of local support which tells me it's going to be really good! I'm glad I stopped, the Thai basil was very good. She uses very fresh ingredients and just enough spice to enhance the food without over powering it. Take a chance on this place, it's well worth the visit. read more

The absolute best Pad Thai around! I love everything I've had here and Mina is a delight! I highly recommend the Drunken Noodles and Egg Rolls as well. read more

Mina's Cafe - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Mina is just the loveliest and I enjoy her personal influence and touches when it comes to ordering new dishes to try!

Good food, but long wait. If you have lots of time to hang out and great company then you won't mind the wait time at Mina's. They are friendly, but understaffed and the table we sat at had a stained tablecloth. Our food came at different times so I got to watch my friend finish their meal while I was still waiting for mine. The Pad Thai had a mild yet delicious flavor and the drunken noodle was also excellent. It was quite redeeming after a long wait and the ingredients tasted fresh. read more

Food: We ordered drunken noodles and pad thai. The drunken noodles were pretty good. Great flavor. The pad thai was not. It was dry and disappointing. Service: Horrible. For this reason alone, I will not be back. I called in an order and came in to pick it up with my daughter. First, the woman acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. Then she asked me if I was using a Groupon. I told her yes. She said it was for dine in only and how would she know that I was taking these two entrees home for two people to consume. The Groupon makes no mention of dine in only. I looked prior to calling. And I'm sorry, but who cares how many people it is for? Isn't the point of Groupon to get people to try your business and hope they come back? Well, unfortunately, this customer was lost. Luckily, there are other great Thai places in Salem. read more

This spicy Tom Kha soup on a rainy day was perfect! It had the perfect blend of spices and lime. The shrimp were plentiful and cooked to perfection & not over cooked which is a challenge in hot soup. Great service, great food and a cute place... I'll be back. read more

Mina's Cafe - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Amazing food !!! I got the beef pho and fried pineapple rice to take home . The pho was the bEst I have ever had , and the owner not Mina but her sister was seriously one of the niCest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. She helped me choose what to eat being sick sat with me and my two daughters and was so nice and made us feel like family. I highly recommend this place not just for the food but the service. read more

Tried for the first time and won't be ordering from there again. The noodles are all stuck together and the wings looked and tasted old. Tasted like all the food was just heated up in the microwave. The rice had a very odd smell to it. Very disappointed since I heard a lot of good things about this place read more

Mina's Cafe - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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We went last week after a gap of about 6 months. Was a kinda disappointed with the drunken noodles - was OILY. Crazy stir fry was good. This was troubling. We sent back our fresh plates cause they were ...oily. We got good plates after. Hope this is addressed. The bubble tea was good. Would still recommend the place read more

We live near Mina's and to be honest, the location isn't great, and I wondered if it was any good. Plus, they have video gaming, and to me that spells D-I-V-E. We decided to try it tonight and were VERY pleased. The food was as good as any we've had in Portland, and that's saying a lot. I had the Drunken Noodles with chicken--the meat was tender and the entire dish was delicious. Awesome rice noodles. One of their specials was New York Steak and baked potato with veggies. My husband skeptically ordered that (how good could a steak BE at an Asian restaurant?)--and it was very good. Cooked just right. For an appetizer, we ordered the shrimp veggie spring rolls wrapped in rice paper and they were fabulous. Super fresh. Only 2 kinds of wine--red and white. Actually, the only negative was the red wine, which was a "red blend." My hubby got the impression that they dumped several "leftovers" into a bottle and called it their red blend. Not very good. My Chardonnay was good. Great, friendly service from Savannah and good food. The decor is an interesting mix of Asian and Pinterest/homey. Mina has worked hard to make this unusual space inviting and pleasing. I suppose if the decor was top notch, you'd pay a higher price for your food, so I'm fine with it the way it is. We plan to be regulars here. read more

Just go here - everything was delicious and the portions were good sized - and the service was so personable and friendly! It's like visiting a friend in their home - Mina has a grand personality and the food was outstanding! We had: drunken chicken noodles, drunken pork noodles, crazy Asian stir fry and pad Thai with pork. We sort of all passed around the plates and ate off each other's - not one was better than the next because they were soooo yummy! Also had strawberry banana bubble tea - YUM and fried wonton (?) wrapped bananas with ice cream for dessert. Take the chance - you won't regret it! read more

Having no regrets for trying a "new to us" place for dinner. Cozy dining room. Clean and welcoming. Our server Savanah was a true gem. Bubble tea is worth a try if you've never experience it before. We ordered Pad Thai with tofu and drunken chicken. To go orders available. American and Thai options. read more

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I've visited twice and tried different foods. Nearly all dishes were made with so much sugar :( this is not the Thai food I expect. The pad Thai was super sweet and not spicy at all. The peanut sauce that came with the rolls was also super sugary and sweet tasting. This is well more sweet than any other ice experienced. The service is not consistent. First time I was greeted by the owner. She was thoughtful, helpful, and very efficient. Second time I stopped with friends and waited while the young waitress did other duties. She finally greeted us and sat us. Then was gone for a while longer tending other people. She wasn't too friendly and my perception was she wished she wasn't there or the other was this was her first job. She wasn't trained well and seemed unconfident and wasn't comfortable in her job. Food order took a while to get taken and she wasn't familiar with the menu or if allergy related ingredients were present. I asked for no onion and found it was in the sauce or something because I became ill that evening 100% reaction to eating onion. Too sweet paired with bad service and the inclusion of onion after asking for it be omitted will result in not stopping again. read more

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Honestly, you will find no restaurant that can boast home-made Thai food. You can tell she loves and takes pride in her cooking. Where can you go in Salem where the restaurant owner/operator honestly treats you like an honored guest? Because of the pandemic, the restaurant has a pick-up window. No easier and faster way to eat a fresh, healthy meal that just hits the spot. Be respectful of them and wear latex gloves and a mask, please. Support local owner/operated businesses. read more

There are not many Thai food restaurants in Salem, so when I saw so many good reviews for Mina's cafe, I had to try it out. First, the restaurant is clean, and furnished nicely. Second is Mina! She is so sweet and willing to help you with your order and just to chat. I tried the special which was pineapple fried rice and a green tea bubble tea. The portion was HUGE! I brought it home and barely got through a quarter of it, very tasty. The bubble tea was just ok. What will bring me back is the service. I can't wait to try more. read more

Mina's has incredible bubble tea and Thai food! Pad Thai is always hot and fresh. The egg rolls are crispy and delicious. Bubble tea is flavorful and the tapioca pearls in it are cooked well. Mina is kind and friendly. The service is excellent. Highly recommend this place for food or a quick bubble tea run! read more

Had lunch today. Great food, nice people. We'll be back! Mina is a treasure and the desserts look wonderful. read more

Mina's Cafe - Thai Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Not easy to see from street but, worth the effort. Behind Wells Fargo. Mini is the energy of this restaurant. I am GF, no problem here. My dish of Pad Thai was good. My husbands dish of Yaka soba was also, good. We shared salad rolls w/peanut sauce...good. We will be back. read more