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    Pata Cafe

    4.5 (104 reviews)
    ModerateBubble Tea, Cafes, Thai

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    Recommended Reviews - Pata Cafe

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    Yum Woon Sen
    Sheila M.

    I came to have lunch at a locate eatery. This restaurant is a whole in the place. Located a few blocks from Queens blvd. This restaurant is a family owned. Food is delicious and tasty.

    David A.

    Went to Pata Cafe for lunch in Elmhurst, Queens, NY. Looking for authentic Thai? You'll find dishes here that are hard to find in the . NY Times and Michelin recommended for casual authentic Thai fare. Had Thai Lychee tea and Yum Woon Sen. Sweet and complex flavor for the tea. Spicy, tangy, earthy and herby flavors for the dish. Too full for dessert! Wife had the beef soup. Only seats 12 people max. Cash or Venmo only. Lots of free street parking on a Saturday. Can't wait to go back!

    Jim H.

    I may have to come back and try other dishes. The chicken with my rice tasted old. The grill chicken was really good. Service very good. Like I said, I have try other dish and give a better feel. Price for the food seem high. Cheers!

    Additional drinks menu
    Orena W.

    OH. MY. GOD. YOU GUYS. This place is the best Thai restraunt I've been in my life. (I've been to many Thai restaurants in the past). We were getting on our way out of the city and the traffic to I-495 was impossible. So we just pulled over and found the closest restraunt. We ended up stumbling on this tiny restraunt down the street. There's plenty of free street parking and it's pretty quiet around here. We walked in and it seemed like a cute, humble little place. There were 2 tables inside that sit 4 people each. There was one lady behind the counter. This lady did everything, she ran the whole place all by herself! She mentioned that her daughter helps out, but she wasn't working at the moment. She was so kind and it felt like home. We ordered the Tum Poo Plara, I ordered it cause I normally love papaya salad, and this seemed like a more elevated version than the usual. We also got the Basil Fried Rice, Kua Gai, lychee Thai ice tea, and coffee with cream and sugar. There's 1 small bathroom inside should you need to use one. It's pretty clean, but small. Despite the whole restaurant being run by 1 lady while fulfilling take out orders at the same time, it took her about 10 mins to prepare everything. It was pretty impressive. But our party of 3 were also the only ones in the whole restaurant. We also went later on in the day around 2pm. Everything smelled amazing and the noodles and rice were steamy hot! The lychee Thai ice tea was refreshing and very sweet and tasty. The Tum Poo Plara was very very flavorful, spicy with the perfect mix of umami from the fermented crab, sweetness from the tomatoes and the sauce, and sour from the lime and fish sauce. It was amazing. The Basil Fried Rice was pretty good too. It was delicious and not super oily or salty. But the star of the table was the Kua Gai. I've never heard of it before or tried it. There were these thick broad rice noodles stri-fried with thin strips of chicken with flavors of coconut, peanut, spice gave the dish such an amazing complex flavor that was so deep and mindblowing. I think this dish could have easily been $30 in a NYC restaurant. It was so good. It came with a small dish of siracha too to dip the noodle in which just made the noodles taste even better! After we were done eating the plates clean, she suggested we try the sticky rice mango dessert. So we thought it sounded good and we got it. She prepared it fresh with the streamy hot fresh sticky rice next to the perfectly riped mango. The dessert was actually my mom's favorite part. When I tried it, I cut a piece of the mango and ate it with a scoop of the rice. And oh man. I just melted into blissful heaven. I felt like I was melting into the dessert. The mango, sticky rice, and coconut milk just dissolves into your mouth with no unpleasant textures. The flavors and textures just work perfectly with each other. I think the mango was the softest, most sweet mango I've ever had in a restraunt before. Overall this place doesn't deserve 5 stars. This place deserves 10 stars. She prepared the food with such love, and detail. The presentation was beautiful and the food was to die for. This tiny place is a hidden gem. We tipped her very well and left very satisfied. If you haven't tried this place before, you need to sit down and experience this food. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.

    Snacks menu
    Simon W.

    Great Mom and Daughter Team! This isn't a Michelin restaurant, not a destination restaurant, not a place for a large group, not a place where you will receive white glove service, not located near anything else you'd want to goto,... I could go on and on, BUT PATA CAFE is a great neighborhood restaurant. The mom and daughter team behind the scenes are delightful and sooo endearing. Every time I'm here both make it a point to greet and say hello even if brief. They cater somewhat to the nearby local elementary school with a snacks such as fried wings, hot dogs, fries, grilled cheese sandwiches and grilled marshmallows. These snacks including the fried wings are very good. I can definitely see the younger crowd making Pata Cafe a hangout for something before dinner. But this isn't the main draw for me of course. The main draw for me is the awesome Steamed Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings. The perfect appetizer, 5 to an order, loosely packed and set, these dumplings are great. They also have some great grilled chicken over rice with a couple of options for sauces including plain. Often times, the Thai Chili is really good without much heat. The fried rice isn't fantastic as it really lacks the fire in the wok but it isn't the worse fried rice I've had. They have a few desserts and bubble teas to satisfy the those with a sweet tooth as well. So the restaurant itself is not very large, there are only seats for maybe 10-12 with a large majority of seating at one large table. This isn't a place for a large group and the kitchen output is not very high. The hours may also vary a bit because they are a small team so definitely give them a call before you go.

    Mango Sticky Rice
    Amelia L.

    This café is a tiny space of about four tables with fun, quirky décor. There's a definite relaxed, casual vibe here. On the walls are lots of reclaimed wood, everyday Thai objects and twinkling lights. The tables aren't quite level but who cares! All this along with the very personable staff adds to the overall warmth of the place. The food is great; best of what Thai home cooking is like. It's amazing to me that all the yummy food comes out of this tiny kitchen behind the counter. During our visit here we ordered the Basil Fried Rice, Thai Chicken Wings, Beef Pad Thai and the Chicken Sate appetizers. The Pad Thai was lighter in color, less sweet and less oily than what I'm used to. Nevertheless, this was quite tasty. The Basil Fried Rice was another delicious dish. It was more on the mild side and had only a tiny bit of a kick. And the Chicken Sate was delicious!! I only wished I ordered two! It had a nice grilled meat aroma and was very tender. This was by far my favorite dish during this visit. The Thai chicken wings were okay. They were really just fried chicken wings with the sweet and sour dipping sauce. For drinks, we got a mango slush and a strawberry slush. Both were a little too sugary for me but was okay. For dessert, we got the mango sticky rice. This was a nice way to end the meal with. The mangoes were perfectly ripe, and I liked that they give you the full mango (minus the pit). At some restaurants I've been to, they only give you half of the mango. They paired this with purple sticky rice. The rice was soaked in coconut milk. And the color contrast with the very ripe mangoes was very pleasing to the eyes. I would definitely come back again to try more of their menu. Tip: Cash only but order through Yelp for pick up and pay with credit card.

    Grilled Marinated with Pork Tender
    Christian V.

    When you are craving for some down home Thai cooking in a friendly neighborhood setting, check this place out! The seating is limited, but gives you the warm and fuzzies. Surprisingly varied selection of drinks, mains and starters, they even offer bubble tea. We ordered shrimp rolls, tom yum soup, green papaya salad, pad kee mao shrimp, grilled pork and green curry chicken. Satisfying portions, more than the average. Dee-licious. There's no other way to describe the satisfaction other than to come back and get some more!!

    Yum Woon Sen
    Phen O.

    I found this place through Seated app. The place is very small, probably only 3-4 tables inside but it gives you the privacy feels lol. The staff is super friendly and the food tastes good with decent portion. They use paper boxes as food containers which I personally like because it helps with the environment. They don't have many choices but enough to fill your craving for Thai foods! Note: Cash only but accept Venmo and Zelle. However, make sure you confirm with the restaurant because that might change.

    Grilled Marinated with Pork Tender
    Allyssa C.

    I live in the area so I've been here so many times. The quality and taste is very consistent. Authentic thai food, affordable price and very friendly staff. I always get the Thai tea. Pata Cafe always delivers, never disappoints! I uploaded their most updated menu as of August 2023

    Tyler L.

    My actual review rating is 3.5 stars. This is a small cafe style restaurant that is family run. It is a newer place and is super clean. I am not sure how long it will be around, as it is in an out of the way location two blocks south of Queens Blvd. We ordered several different plates of pad thai and pad see ew, with different kinds of meat and tofu. We also had some of their shao mai and Thai iced tea. The food itself tasted great. With it being a small, family run spot, the food is cooked with good flavor and seasoning. However, the portion sizes were very small. I have had Thai food in this part of Queens that is just as good for the same price - with a portion that is 50% larger than here. It was very noticeable as soon as they brought the plates out. In fact, the "chicken" pad thai had very little chicken and had a huge amount of egg in it - to make up for the lack of meat?

    Maggie C.

    Really cute little Thai spot in Elmhurst. :) there's a good amount of appetizers, entrees, salads, sides and flavored drinks to choose from. The portions are adequate at a very decent price. The service is also good -- it's run by these two sweet women who are attentive and friendly the minute you step into the cafe. There isn't a ton of seating, maybe 2-3 groups at once and spread apart. Overall, I'd say this is a good place to meet up for a chat over lunch/dinner. Nothing super outstanding nor unbearable.

    Menu back
    Lisa C.

    Cute mom & pop restaurant. They have 2 NY Times recommended dishes, which is pretty neat! The dining area is small so it's definitely not made for large group gatherings, but is suitable for groups of up to 4 people. I got the Shrimp Tom Yum, which was mildly spicy and reminded me of a Singaporean laksa. I'd recommend this if you like coconut milk based broth. Papaya salad was super spicy, even though we requested mild, but it tasted fantastic! We also had it modified due to my friend's allergies to shellfish (used soy sauce instead of fish sauce). Even with the modification, it tasted pretty similar to a regular papaya salad. Lychee thai tea was refreshing and not too sweet, which I liked. Other things to note: - They serve snacks in the range of $1-$3 (french fries, hot dogs, etc.) in the afternoon to cater to the after school crowd (kids, students, etc.). -There's a small unisex bathroom to the left of the counter. - Drink selection is limited on the actual menu, but if you go up to the counter, they have a bigger selection of drinks that you can order from. Hope to return to this place soon to try out the recommended dishes!

    Pamella D.

    By far one of the best Thai food restaurants I've been to. I think what makes this place special is that grandma is throwing down in the kitchen. Her and her grand daughter are like dynamic duo's. I love the rolled up shrimp rolls and the basil shrimp friend rice. I had the pad swee ou (probably spelling this wrong lol) and that's also a favorite. The hospitality is amazing and food is great. They do take out as well as sit in however this is a small and cozy spot so if you plan on sitting in make sure to call and ask if they are not packed. Your temp is taken when you come in which is appreciated. All and all I am hooked and definitely will be back for a 3rd time.

    Basil Fried Rice with shrimps

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    Nice people and authentic food. Not much for ambiance here. Maybe because it's still early. The workers are very nice.

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    My favorite go to place after school! Love love their food here and customer service is on point!

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    Ask the Community - Pata Cafe

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    While In Kathmandu - 4. Not a Taco Fusion (Choila Roti)

    While In Kathmandu

    4.5(300 reviews)
    2.6 miRidgewood
    $$

    I've had Nepalese food in Jackson Heights. But I've heard many good things about this spot, so I…read moredecided to drive over to Ridgewood just to try this spot with a friend. My friend and I decided to share everything. We ordered: GARLIC NAAN 5/5 These garlic naans were probably the best we've both tried. As soon as we took a bite, we are both impressed. And to think that we would have missed out if our server didn't suggest it... These particular naans are made different from the traditional Iones. They are coated with buttery goodness and are super thin. The hummus on the side was also a very good pairing. I would recommend this app. PORK JHOL MOMO 5/5 These pork momos were also super delicious! Comparing it to the ones I've had at another restaurant, there is no overpowering cilantro in this one! The momo itself was very juicy. The flavor of the inside and the soup was delicious. Another must-get! CHICKEN KHAJA PLATTER 4/5 My friend and I were probably the least impressed with this one. A lot of the dish includes a lot of dry ingredients like popped rice & soybean seeds. They also used cold meats and veggies. It was great to try each portion of the platter, but wasn't our personal favorites of our visit here. Overall, we had a delicious lunch. We throughly enjoyed our experience here and would definitely recommend this local spot. I did think it was worth the trip over.

    went to while in kathmandu in ridgewood and had such a memorable meal. we ordered the sautéed…read moremasala wings, garlic naan with hummus, chicken momos, 2x not a tacos, mango lassi, chitwan ko tass, and the chicken roti with cheese. the chitwan ko tass especially stood out, it's a classic goat dish from the chitwan region of nepal served with a variety of sides. this was definitely outside of our usual comfort zone but it surprised us in all the best ways. every dish had such unique and delicious flavor profiles and the whole meal felt special. sitting there eating honestly made me feel transported to nepal in the best way, like a cozy little town near everest. the staff was so warm and welcoming, helped guide us through the menu, and even shared some history about the culture and region which made the experience even better. so happy i got to experience this place!! definitely make the time to visit the ridgewood location.

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    Pork Jhol Momo

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