Had a fantastic meal at Papaya Thai. We tried the chicken satay, drunken noodles, mango sticky rice, and roti paratha--everything was delectable. The roti was perfectly light and not oily at all, which was a real highlight. The spice level is authentic, not toned down like in many Americanized Thai restaurants, and the flavors felt true to traditional Thai cooking. Mango sticky rice was the perfect way to end a scrumptious meal. Highly recommend this place if you're looking for authentic Thai food that's flavorful and satisfying. The ambience gives you the vibe of a homely Thai place and the service was quick too. read more

See all

I don't know why they only have 3.5 stars but Papaya Thai is our favorite Thai spot in the East Bay. Are they fusion? No! This is an authentic Thai restaurant. They don't try to over complicate their dishes by trying to make it modern or fancy. Instead they serve classic thai dishes that look and taste authentic. The servers are extremely nice and treat you like you're a guest in their home. We've never had a bad dish. My favorite is still the Laos style Papaya Salad. It is a kind of flavor and spice that you just can't stop eating. The panang curry is amazing, but does contain peanuts if you are allergic. My husband's favorite is the garlic fish. They give you huge portions too! We finished our dinner with the Mango with Sticky rice. See you next week! read more

See all

It's kinda small when you walk in but it's a cute place. My friends and I shared the fried rice & the Thai curry and honestly we loved it! The portions were huge & the drinks were just as good as well. I got the Vietnamese coffee & it was pretty good! Service was great and overall such a great place. read more

Papaya Thai - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

Love the lunch special pad thai Spicy, sweet, and everything in between Will definitely come back for more read more

Papaya Thai - 54. Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

Went on a Friday for early dinner and it was fabulous. FYI: Closed Saturdays, folks. Enjoyed Chicken Satay (cooked a bit crispy as I prefer) and tangy peanut sauce to accompany. Also ordered Panang Curry Prawns. Really good - requested medium spicy level and it's medium indeed. So order mild if you can't handle spice. I'm a big fan of Panang. Also feasted on the Cashew Chicken and the vegetables and sauce were delicious. Steamed rice and we're all set. No room for dessert this time. Check out Papaya Thai. Authentic Thai cuisine in Newark. Small, cute restaurant. Not loud which is nice. Our kind server was from Bangkok. Props to the chef. read more

My boyfriend and i had a really good experience here! Food was really good and it wasn't busy on a weekday which was a nice date :) the service was good, and the inside has quite a bit of tables and seats, the bathroom was also nice, which is a great plus! Definitely will be back! read more

I really have mix feelings about this review and I want to be as truthful as I can be, as I liked the food but won't be going back to papaya thai. I been wanting to give this place a try since I Love Thai food, and have ate at almost all Thai spots in city of Fremont/Newark. I went to papaya Thai with my fam of 4 as they opened at 5, we arrived at 5:30pm, mind only us and a couple at the Resturant. We ordered few dishes and liked the food, flavors were there for me and all. We ordered pad thai, chicken basil, chicken wings, pot stickers chicken, white rice, few drinks. Cutting down to chase, I give their service 3 star, and customer service is very important to me as I'm spending my money at the place of business. Me and my fam didn't really get the vibe from this place. Our server and person behind register/table weren't too welcoming)joyful read more

Papaya Thai - Basil chicken was delicious - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

The staff was really kind and service was fast. The green curry was really delicious and spicy!

I used to Doordash this place weekly. Recently, they removed the option for how spicy I need to pad thai to be. I haven't ordered since. You guys are losing a returning customer. Bring back the spice option on Doordash! read more

Came in with my family of 5 for dinner and got seated at a table which was too small for all of the food we ordered. We were constantly struggling to pass food and pick things up. I think the spring rolls were crispy outside and soggy inside. The roti was not worth it and the fresh spring rolls were just fine. I expected more from the soup. We got the tom yum and it was meh. The pad Thai also should have had more flavor and the pad see ew was just noodles and way too much oil. I expected much much more for a Bay Area Thai place. read more

Horrible experience for to go. They forgot my thai iced tea. I had to come back to retrieve it. It wasn't in the bag. The green curry tasted awful with really dry pork and not much green curry. Super small portions. Rice was super dry and old. Mango was NOT ripe and the sticky rice was super hard. For to go it's a NO. The dine in food looked okay though. read more

Papaya Thai - No on to go food - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

Ordered calamari, it was so hard and crispy could not eat it. Inside of it was white and milky, not sure it was even calamari. I also ordered sautéed string beans, she bought out mix vegetables instead. Our waiter didn't speak or understand English well, we couldn't really understand her!! Then she ordered more vegetables without asking us and demanded we pay. Horrible place, I will neverrrr eat there again. read more

I really wanted to try this place out because I live almost 5 minutes away and love Thai food. But when I ordered my pad see ew through a delivery app, the noodles were just bland. There's an older photo maybe a scroll down that documents the same thing I experienced here :( read more

Their spicy Fried Rice is the best around so flavorable. I can always count on the freshness & quality to be on point.

Homestyle eats in a Mom n Pop kind of establishment. Friday night was busy with only one person working the whole front (host/server). Customers were pretty nice about waiting patiently to be seated. I guess returning guests know what to expect. Decorated in authentic Thai fashion with sculptures up front. Each table has a QAR code for the menu but actual menus were brought over too. A friend and I shared a couple dishes: *Roti with curry dip *Crispy Calamari *Shrimp Pad Thai *Crispy Catfish with Garlic sauce *Steamed white rice Roti was flaky with good chew and a mildly spicy-sweet curry dip. Calamari was a bit overcooked, but still enjoyable. Pad Thai seemed heavier to me in terms of flavor and consistency. It wasn't saucy or anything, just different from what I'm used to. Noodles were cooked well. Catfish filets were crisp with a sweet and almost tangy garlic sauce. I'd ask for sauce on the side to maintain crispness as long as possible. Large three piece portion. So cute how the rice was shaped like a star. Little details like that make me smile. Presentation on point. We were in food coma mode by the end of dinner. It made us sleepy! Still had leftovers to take home. read more

See all

OK is a pretty good way to describe my experience at Papaya Thai. It wasn't bad but it wasn't really great either... just OK. One big pro about Papaya Thai: they're open late (until 10 PM). When the pad thai cravings hit late at night, they were just about the only ones open in the area after searching on Yelp so to Papaya Thai we went. The "meh" parts I almost want to chalk it up to being there late, though. The restaurant decor is a beautiful nod to Thai culture but the vibes when we arrived definitely felt like it was the end of the night and folks were ready to go home. There were a few other parties in there and doordash/delivery folks going in and out. But aside from the sound of everyone talking, it was really just... quiet. And once it was just us and another table, it was practically like an awkwardly quiet dinner. The service was also less than great. Not very welcoming, but that's not a huge problem for me. It was a bit slow though - our appetizer came out about 15 min after ordering and the entrees came out about 30 minutes after that. Then from there, we were very close to closing time so it almost felt like we were rushed to eat and leave. The food was pretty good though! We ordered the thai samosas ($9) which were more fried than I expected (can something be more or less fried? I don't know, but this was just not as bready as other thai samosas I've had). It was good, but I've had better. I also ordered the chicken pad thai ($14). Generous portion - definitely one to share with the table. Also was pretty good, but not as good reheated the next day. My husband ordered their crispy catfish with garlic sauce ($17). This was so huge! Such a generous portion - enough for lunch/dinner the next day as well and he really liked it. I'd be down to try it again but I likely wouldn't go out of my way to go there. read more

the worst pad thai i've ever had in my life i am not sure if id try again and only because the tom yum was great. the pad thai was flavorless the tofu was stale and the peanuts were stale too and onions were stringy - it was absolutely terrible! i'm extremely disappointed with my first time trying it. we literally threw it the trash after trying it which is so upsetting because despise eating food. read more

Papaya Thai - Tofu #86. Pad Thai Veg or Tofu - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

We ordered pad see ew (with chicken) and crab meat fried rice. Also we asked for mild spicy. Both are very delicious, plenty of crab meat in the fried rice. The pad see ew is full of broccoli, chicken. The flavor is kind of mild, which is expected with the spice level. The crab meat is real, no imitation!! My only minor comment is the rice is mushy and the carrots in the fried rice are kind of undercooked! But overall, this is a nice Thai place, I am not sure who authentic the food is. But having tried several Thai places in Bay Area, I would rank this place in top 10 Thai places I have tried all over the bay. read more

Papaya Thai - Crab Meat Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

See all

The owner here reminds me of Apa from Kim's Convenience lol. All kidding aside I like this small Thai restaurant. Always good to eat here they are friendly they are fast and most importantly their food is really good. Lots of people love Sala Thai in Fremont l, but I personally think this place is better. Can't go wrong with Thai food though. I just think this is a smaller place and doesn't have the popularity as the other restaurants. If you want Thai food give this place a try. You will not be disappointed!!!!! read more

Papaya Thai - Red Curry Chickens - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

See all

I ordered through Uber Eats and unfortunately didn't enjoy our meal. The Pad Thai was ok. There wasn't any flavor except for spice. I ordered Mild for a 1 on a scale of 5 and it was extremely spicy (more like 4/5 and I wish I was exaggerating). I tried picking out all the pepper and that didn't really help since the spice was in the sauce too. It was extremely difficult to eat for both of us and we stopped after a few bites. We ended up making ramen for dinner and unfortunately had to toss the meal. I also paid extra to sub the protein for squid and there were only 3 pieces in the entire dish. Lastly, this one wasn't a huge deal breaker, but adding on to everything else, it was just another disappointment. This was a delivery order so I requested no ice, but ice was added anyway so the drink was extremely diluted by the time we received it. read more

See all

I have been looking for a good Thai place around my house for so long until I found this restaurant! The food is so good! I don't dare to confirm if it is authentic, but i really like the taste, kinda similar to the dishes I had in Thailand before. We ordered: Tom Yum (with an additional bowl of rice), pineapple fried rice, pad thai, and mango sticky rice. I love all and highly recommend all. The price is also reasonable with the portion. The space is also calm with beautiful Thai decoration. Just a little note is that: we came at a Saturday night so the restaurant was a little understaffed with just 1 couple running and they looked so tired. Cheers for them read more

See all

New to the area and moved from the city and wanted some good tom yum soup! There's def didn't disappoint especially how they had a non-spicy option since I can barely handle spicy foods. Delivery thru GH which was great and quick! Will def have to dine in soon and try other dishes! read more

Great ambience, love the noises. Server was lit af. Water was just a little warm which kinda bummed me out :( read more

Papaya Thai - My buddies - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

We took a takeout for vegetarian food but the food has smell of fish sauce especially Panang Curry. We ordered Veggie Fried Pineapple rice, Panang Curry w Veggie and Panang Curry w Tofu. Either the wok was reused or fish sauce was added despite clear instruction on order (No egg, No fish, No fish sauce, No meat, No mushroom). I wouldn't recommend or try again as this is not what we asked for and we got! read more

Papaya Thai - Pineapple Fried Rice, Panang Veggie and Panang Tofu - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

Love this place, it's so cute, the food is great, and the service is lovely. Have been going for years and has become my benchmark for thai food. read more

Whether it is an order to go, or sit-down at the restaurant, Papaya Thai is the best Thai food in the Fremont/Newark/Union City area!

Food was delicious! This is will be our go-to for Thai from now on. We were able to order to the desired spice level and it didn't disappoint. The flavors were good and the portions generous for the price. Note: we had this delivered thru a third party which made the transaction a little more pricey. read more

Papaya Thai has amazing food. The fact that they stay open late is a plus. We work late on most nights and being able to get quality food is wonderful. read more

Did takeout. Good amount of food for the price. Got Panang curry, fried catfish with garlic sauce and crab fried rice. All pretty tasty and seasoned well. I really appreciated that they separated the garlic sauce from the fried fish, so that the fish isn't soggy. They couldn't adjust the heat level on the curry, but it was a pleasant mild heat level, totally tolerable. Will I come back, yes!! read more

Love the papaya salad. I would love it more if it had more green beans n stinky sauce. I absolutely love the laap. Wow...... spice level was to my liking for sure. Will be back soon. The fish though it's ok. Not my dish but others may take to it more ‍ read more

Papaya Thai - #50. Crispy Catfish with Garlic Sauce #15. Papaya Salad (Lao/Thai Style) #17. Larb Chicken - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

See all

The food here is decently tasty (typical Thai), the portions adaquete (neither stingy or generous), but the wait time to pickup an online to-go order is ridiculously long. An order was placed Sunday evening at 8:08pm, with the confirmation email stating the food shuuld be ordered in 15 mins. I arrived at the restaurant at 8:38 (30 mins after ordering) and was told the order would take another 15 minutes. The food finally was ready at 8:57pm, 49 minutes after ordering and 34 minutes after the order confirmation stated. On top of that, I asked for some sauce to go. The restaurant staff handed me an empty sauce container and the jar of sauce from the table and told me to fill up my own sauce cup. I can't understand why restaurants just don't seem like they care about the customer experience as much anymore. read more

Everything is perfect. Food was delicious, server was attentive and respectful. Parking s/b easier after busy lunch/dinner hours. Would definitely be back again & again. read more

CURRY: INDIAN VS THAI When you think of curry you think of Indian food. Indian cuisine has a unique flavor. I tend to find that find cuisine too earthy for my taste. Due to this I find Indian curry not one of my favorite foods to eat especially when Indian curry is extremely hot. That doesn't mean Indian cuisine isn't delicious. Thai curry has that sweet texture that I prefer. I don't eat a lot of spicy foods, but Thai curry is one food I really like spicy as the fruit flavor balances the spiciness for me. Last year I did an experiment for myself. There are four types of Thai curry: green, yellow, red, and panang. During that time I ordered different types of Thai curry from Papaya Thai. For each curry I ordered different types of meat. Around April last year I ordered the green curry seabass, which I requested extra hot. The seabass was moist. The red bell peppers acted as a sweetness to contrast the spicy flavor. About a couple of weeks later I ordered the yellow curry beef special. When I placed my order through Yelp I requested this curry to be extra spicy. What I liked about this curry was there was a lot of beef. The big portion of beef helped absorbed the spicy curry. I will admit this dish was spicier than I normally would have. In June I ordered the red curry with chicken. As with the previous curry I ordered it extra spicy. Thai basil adds a unique flavor to Thai curry. The basil elevates the spiciness yet adds an aroma that makes the curry sweet. Most people who think of Thai curry think of panang curry, which has a texture that is closest to Indian curry. Several months later in November I ordered the panang curry with pork. The panang curry has slight spice yet not overpowering. The meat was moist but not dry. What I liked about the panang curry from Papaya Thai is the balance between the curry and meat. If curry isn't your thing to eat there are other items at Payapa Thai I would recommend. The first is the crispy catfish with its crunchy breading and moist meat. The second is the Thai beef short rib as it is slightly spicy yet sweet. Overall the curries at Papaya Thai stand out. If you love curry whether Indian or Thai I recommend trying the curry items from Papaya Thai. Maybe then you can experiment if you prefer Indian or Thai curry. read more

Papaya Thai is OUR number 1 best Thai food spot to eat! Our faves : garlic crunchy catfish, garlic beef, pad see ew, roti, and their fish sauce with chili peppers! Caevin requested we spend his 13th bday here! read more

See all

We tried Papaya Thai last night and I was amazed with the food quality and portion sizes. We were not expecting the portion sizes to be so substantial so we ordered: Tim Yum seafood soup, crispy catfish garlic sauce, Basil pork, and crab meat fried rice. The service was pretty good! And the place is cozy and a bit romantic with lots of Thai accents to the place. The plates were real! And overall it was a wonderful dinner. All of the food was terrific! At the end we had to take both the fried rice and basil pork to go, and had a sticky rice with mango as desert. It was interesting that other places make their sticky rice sweet, whereas this place had salty sticky rice that went well with the sweet of the fresh mango. Great place! We will be back!!! read more

This is my favorite Thai restaurant, from the quality of the food to the cozy ambiance of the restaurant it's self everything about the place is excellent. I would easily recommend it over an other local Thai spot read more

Food was not good. We had ordered Red Curry and Pad Thai. 1) Curry in-spite of writing Mild, was super spicy. 2) Curry had taste of a paste and seems like was not fresh 3) Pad Thai Tofu had no veggies We will not likely order from here again. read more

I'm a sucker for chicken pad Thai, its my absolute favorite thing to order from here. I always make sure I order it spicy! The roti is very delicious too, the curry dipping sauce is just oh so tasty. The service Is great, they're quick and very friendly. The ambiance here seems like such a vibe too, very wholesome and you always see people inside enjoying their food. read more

Papaya Thai - 4 Piece Roti - Thai Near Me - Newark, California

See all

This has been our go-to to-go thai spot for years. It's always a little spicier than needed but that's the default? I'm ok with it but other people may not be. The service isn't friendly but they are fast. Never really dined in but that's the impression I got each time I picked up. read more

We did a to go order and the food came out quickly! We got the pad se ew with beef, red chicken curry with rice, and mango sticky rice and we LOVE them all! So delicious! Would highly recommend this Thai restaurant! read more