Let's be real, Berkeley has a lot of Thai options but for me one of my favorites is Racha! Racha isn't usually as busy as the others since they're a bit farther from campus which makes it great to grab lunch with friends. My favorite dishes are the pad see ew, barbecue chicken with fried rice, and teow lord. Both the pad see ew and teow lord are great noodle options. They use just the right amount of seasonings and sauce that makes there dishes memorable and yummy. I love their marinade for the barbecue chicken and one cannot go wrong with fried rice. Some other great options to go with your meal is their Thai tea and Thai iced coffee. Both are a bit on the sweeter end so you won't have to feel bad including these as your desert. read more

The customer service was excellent. Very nice people. I ordered the Lao papaya salad and Thai boat noodle. The Lao papaya was uh-mazing!!!!! It wasn't too fishy and was so refreshing! Unfortunately, the Thai boat noodle in my opinion was very bland and the noodles were too soft. I would still order here again! read more

Racha Cafe has the good Thai food in Berkeley. It's a casual place, and it's good for groups. The restaurant is pretty busy and the time we had dinner in this place, they were only two staff running around taking orders. They gave us a table for two the table wasn't clean, I felt like they were rushing us to give our orders in. We didn't wait that long for our food to be served it was fast actually. But after our food got served, I had to ask the staff to give us plates, pork, napkins and drinks. read more

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So a month later I got a note from someone about my review to attack me????!! Ridiculous... please see my posted pictures for details - 1) we got waiter not waitress; 2) we did nothing rude (if we did, please name just one, make up something more specific next time???); 3) we paid 18% tips not 0%; 4) it was a month ago, I'm very impressed with your memory read more

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This is my favorite place to go to for pineapple fried rice! I've tried a lot of different Thai places here in Berkeley, and they all have their "best" dish...Racha's is their RICE!! I usually get chicken pineapple fried rice, but I've seen a lot of people order the fried chicken/BBQ chicken over fried rice that looked super yummy. The rice is the right level of chewy, and I love the different spices/ingredients mixed into the rice. I've tried their green curry, pan nang curry, pad Thai, pad see ew, duck noodle soup, and papaya salad as well, and they're all solid as well! Great for large parties - they also have an extra private room at the back. Service is usually good, although it gets a little loud. read more

Racha Café - pa nang curry with chicken - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Racha is squeaking through as my Thai spot in Berkeley these days. I've had a lot of the menu - noodles, rice dishes, curries - all work for me, some better than others, but I feel like Racha is more reliable, whereas the other Telegraph and Shattuck-area Thai spots can be more hit-and-miss. read more

The pad kee mao here is SO good and I don't even like pad kee mao that much. It's so well seasoned, salty, spicy, oily, with a lot of veggies and basil. I ordered take out and it took less than five minutes. The thai tea was also really good, and they only put in enough ice to keep it cold (unlike some places that fill the entire cup with ice). Probably my favorite Thai place near campus. read more

Very solid food with average service. That being said, probably my favorite Thai spot near campus: it's right on Telegraph, there's always seating, and food quality is very consistent. I've ordered an obscene amount of food here during my time at Cal and Racha's has never, ever let me down lol It's a huge restaurant and great for large groups - we even hosted a club banquet here at some point. The curries, basic noodle dishes (Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, etc.,) and Thai iced tea are all worth a try. Portion sizes are also very reasonable. read more

Racha Cafe is one of my go-tos for cheap Thai food in the Berkeley area. I love coming here with my friends, and the wait time isn't super long usually. The waiters are all super nice, and the options are always great. I love getting the Pad See Ew with pork, but the Pad Thai and the Fried Chicken over Fried Rice is amazing too! Definitely would come here again!! read more

Racha Café - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

The waiter said FUCK YOU to us. The food was good though. The service however was the worst I've ever had. Not only would the waiter not take our order until everyone showed up despite asking multiple times, the food came out 6 mins apart. Keep in mind, the restaurant was not busy at all. When the check came, he told us that we were being complicated and that they couldn't accommodate our payments. He then yelled at us. We told him you shouldn't treat customers like this and he said "FUCK OFF and FUCK YOU. I am not one of those rude customers but after that we had to get into it with him. Worst experience in a restaurant ever. read more

Especially for the price of Thai Basil, this place is an obvious go to! Though a bit out of the way, what you will find is a hole-in the wall, empty establishment with lightning-fast, quality service. I got the Thai Tea and Pad Thai with beef and it absolutely hit the spot. Must try! read more

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Rachas is a GO-TO! I am actually angry that it doesn't have higher ratings. It is SO GOOD! I recommend anything on the menu because I've tried all sorts of items, and it's all been bomb! I would recommend the moo dang or curry noodle! So good! Please keep Rachas in business! Restaurants close all the time in Berkeley, and so I am worried for Rachas! read more

Super yummy thai food! This restaurant is well lit, has good service, and decent portions. This restaurant is well decorated with all sorts of Thai art! From paintings to sculptures and figures! As always, you must ask for their chili sauce and crushed peanuts! That's my ultimate advice every time you eat Thai food!! Unless if you're allergic of course! Yummy noodles! They also close at 10pm so it's perfect for those of you who get off of work at 6-7 pm and have to suffer through traffic! Visit Berkeley is a must! read more

Racha Café - tom kha kai - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is my second visit. I orderred Kaow Soi again, one of my favorite. Taste exactly same as before, love it!!! The Noodle Glass Salad is made from perfect combination (tamarind sauce, lime juice and chili) it has own unique taste, different from other Thai Rest. I ever tried. So far, I love everything I orderred, will try other dishes on my next visit. read more

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I don't come here often but my friends like this place because it is slightly cheaper then time other Thai options. I got teaw talae, which is similar to sukiyaki but without egg and with a clear broth, and with thick rice noodles instead of silver noodles. I would say it is pretty tasteless and that I had to add siracha to give it a little bit of flavor. The portion is slightly smaller than Thai noodles'. One thing to point out that their water always taste really weird compare to other places'. read more

Racha Café - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

Extremely rude waitress. Does not respect vegetarians/vegans. Will blame you if they mess up your order. I asked for the vegetarian option of a dish that listed tofu (or other meats) as a protein option. The waitress said nothing to inform me that there was a secret unlisted option of no tofu, just veggies. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding but she brought out the dish with no tofu and only vegetables. I politely asked where the tofu was and then she rudely blamed me for not specifying with tofu when literally there was only the one vegetarian tofu option listed. Furthermore, I was very careful to ask if all the ingredients were vegetarian (no fish sauce or oyster sauce) and I swear I taste fish sauce in the red curry sauce. I didn't make a fuss and just asked again if they could double check that the sauce was vegetarian. I was loudly and rudely told that the waitress is 100% sure; she didn't even check in with the kitchen to ask about the curry paste. Instead she said she watched the kitchen as it was being made when I 100% saw her outside working the cashier. Lied right to my face. Never going to go here again, even though I live right next to it. I'd rather go a couple blocks away to have my dietary concerns respected and not be blamed by shitty service. Can't imagine what would happen if I had an allergy. read more

Food wAs great but be aware they charge you wrong! They dont say that they charge you service fee and then add taxes after taxes on your food. As u can see on the picture i was charge 77.09 for a bill of 65.55 oh get this the price on their menu is not the correct price they charge you. Waitress wont let me see bill and when i finally saw the bills i saw charges that i wasnt aware of! So sad because the food is amazing! Just be aware of your bill read more

Racha Café - When you add it all 65.55 but i was charge 77.09 - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

Thank me later... try the spicy crispy pork! Sauce is amazing & it has green beans, onions, bell peppers!

I've been going to Racha Cafe for the last 8 years and it never disappoints. One of my favorite Thai food places in the East bay. Their pad sea ew and fried prawns are always my go to. I also love their chicken pineapple fried rice. read more

There was a group of 11 of us. 6 of us sat in while waiting for 5 others to arrive shortly. Food was alright, took long to get to us (20 mins), and was served in small portions. BAD service-- the workers were very rude-- 1. When the 6 of us sitting in asked to order food early while waiting for our other 5 friends, the tall, young Asian male waiter got angry and didn't believe that more of our friends were coming 2. When one of the plates arrived, the older female Asian waitress put the food in front of the wrong person and told my friend to scoot it over to the right person because it was "too heavy" (when the plate had a small portion of food on it) and she could've took one step to give it to the right person. 3. When we asked for to-go boxes, they bumped into one of my friends and put the box right in front of my other friend's face and said "Here!" 4. The waiters also did not say "thank you" or "goodbye" after we paid/left). These are just some of the few horrible things that we encountered at our last visit to Racha. and are not exaggerated. The low rating mainly has to do with the inconsiderate workers. Not coming back. read more

I frequent Racha's. I've had their tom kha, egg rolls, mango sticky rice, pad Thai, pad ki mao, pad see ew, red curry, green curry, and yellow curry. I usually get their pad see ew. I've had all the entries with chicken and tofu so can attest to the quality of those. The service is above average, and you usually get your food in a quick and timely manner. From my experience, you can't really go wrong here with their noodles or curries. My club has also held a banquet here in the past and they reserve the back room, which is kind and they do a good job with the food to feed 40! Would recommend! read more

Soda Hall isn't the best place to find good food So Racha Cafe is where I go Me and my friends at the table drink'n thai tea Drinking fast and then we eat food Come over and start with some pad see ew with just me And trust me you'll give it a chance now Take your spoon, scoop, put pad kee mao on the plate yah And then we start to chow, and now I'm nomming like Racha, you know I want your food Your food was handmade for somebody like me Come on now, fill my belly I may be hungry, don't mind me Say, boy, let's not talk too much Grab on that phone and reserve for a party, aw yeee Come on now, woon sen pad thai Come, come on now, yellow curry mmm mmm mmmmmm I'm in love with the food from you We come and eat like a regular do Although my hunger is falling too I'm in love with your thai food And last night, I had all your food And now the whole place smells so good Every day discovering something brand new I'm in love with your menu Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I I'm in love with your pad thai Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I I'm in love with your tom yum Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I I'm in love with your moo dang Every day discovering something brand new I'm in love with the food from you read more

Bad food. Horrible service. Inconsistent portions. Rude staff yelling at us. "Don't come back" Mr Bean the waiter read more

I haven't been here in years! This was one of my go-to spots in college, since I lived right down the street. I have many fond memories of my friends and I taking up the whole restaurant, which is exactly what we did this time around too :P Unfortunately, I feel like the food quality has gone down a bit... To keep things simple in a large group, 4 of us decided to split 3 dishes amongst ourselves. Here's what we ordered: - Fresh shrimp rolls - Like spring rolls, but Thai? Idk... - Pineapple fried rice - Surprisingly bland for a dish that has so many ingredients; it wasn't even salty, just sweet from the pineapple and raisins. - Pad Thai - Wet and ketchupy. Not a fan of anything we ordered. Here are my recommendations based on past visits to Rachas: - Pad kee mao - Pad see ew - Pad prik khing - Pumpkin curry - Curry fried rice - Beware, this one can be spicy! Service was not great, which unfortunately I've come to expect for Berkeley. The woman who seated is was very clearly stressed out and made sure to passive-aggressively let us know ("Ugh there's another big party coming in an hour, but I guess it's fine..."). She was very short with us when we told her there were several others joining, and almost made me feel like I shouldn't bother her. The waitress, however, was really nice and even played with the kids a bit. She brought out cartoon plates for them to eat off of, which they enjoyed. I feel like it's a hit-or-miss situation here. Parking is fine. It's not so close to campus that you can't find anything. It's easy to get free parking if you go down Dwight or Blake. All in all, I wouldn't come back based purely on this dining experience, but I'll probably return just for old times' sake if my college buddies visit. read more

Racha Café - Fresh rolls with shrimp! More Viet then anything, but still tasty :) - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First time eating here. Got the red curry with tofu a la carte and some ka ree puffs. Portion was perfect on the curry. The puffs were a little small. Prices are fair. One note: Krinkle cut veggies always remind me of frozen vegetables, even if freshly cut. read more

Delicious food. Prompt service. There was plenty of room for our group of five to find a quiet spot where we could talk. We plan to go again. read more

My favorite thai place in all of Berkeley, and the price is quite reasonable. My favorites are the crispy tofu salad, which is my favorite meal in all of Berkeley. The Khao Soi is also delicious, sub in rice noodles to make gluten free. The red curry pumpkin is also a favorite. They also have really good water which might be a weird thing to review but it is filtered to perfection. read more

Racha Café - Crispy Tofu Salad - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

If you're looking for decent Thai food and reasonable prices, you're at the right place. A meal for two came to $15, including tax. What a steal! This is a great place to order family-style: pick up a few dishes so you can sample different tastes. Sharing is caring! The **Pad See-Ew** had been highly recommended by a few friends so I ordered the dish with beef. My dining companion chose the **Green Curry** with chicken. The Pad See-Ew lived up to the hype and was one of the better renditions I've had of this dish. Thanks for the recommendation, everyone! The Green Curry was decent, but I may not be the best judge since I'm not really a fan of the green curry flavor. The ambiance is typical for a Berkeley establishment: full of students, a little crowded, and noisy. Definitely a popular spot where you'll have to wait for dinner unless you get there early. At 5pm there was no line; by 6pm it was completely packed. TIP: Get here early before peak dinner hours! read more

Racha Café - Green Curry with chicken - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

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My favorite Thai restaurant in Berkeley! The pad see ew, green curry, and curry noodle dishes are always solid at an affordable price. I know that some people prefer Thai Basil for pad see ew, but I find that Racha's is more flavorful while being less greasy. When I'm dining in, I love asking for the container of sauces, then covering my food with the chili sauce. Come hungry for some classic Thai food, and you'll leave happy without empty pockets. read more

Racha Café - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

Racha Cafe is always such a busy place at night. It takes awhile to be seated and attended to by the server. However, the food is always very good! My favorite is their Thai BBQ chicken fried rice plate. The chicken was made to perfection and moist with flavor. Even the fried rice was one of the best I had. It had plenty of ingredients inside, such as the typical peas, carrots, and egg but it also included tomatoes. I devoured it all and was very satisfied. I am definitely going to order that again. I've tried their Pad Thai, but compared to the Thai BBQ chicken fried rice, I'd say the chicken is superb. read more

I had a few friends recommend Racha's, so we decided to get dinner here before heading to an event. Ordering was smooth and easy and our food was served pretty quickly. I personally don't enjoy coconut milk, but ironically ended up ordering the Panang Curry with Chicken (made with coconut milk) upon recommendations... Overall, the food was decent although I personally didn't enjoy mine (which was my fault). **Also, for parties of 6+, they add the gratuity fee of 18% to the pre-tax amount** read more

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Love, so many good dishes. Always friendly service. Pad se ew and pad Thai are my favorites. My boyfriend likes the catfish.

Favorite Thai restaurant in Berkeley. This was my place to go to if I was in need of some good comfort Thai food. The noodle soups were usually a go-to for me. I think I've tried every one. The flavor and portion size are excellent. They're curries and pan fried noodles are also very good. Never watery or chewy, always on point. Sometimes if we were feeling it, my roommate and I would come here and order the fried ice cream dessert. Oh. Man. Somehow they got it perfect everytime. I've never been to another restaurant that nail it like they do. Ambiance: 3/5 Food: 5/5 Service: 4/5 (Sometimes they were slow depending on the crowd) read more

Looks like Racha is back open! They have a modified menu for take out orders. Highly recommend the pad thai or chicken thai bbq chicken fried rice!! Awesome service as well! read more

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Red curry with duck. Don't ask questions, just order it. When I first came to Racha's, I ordered the pad see ew. My friend ordered the red curry with duck and he let me have a bite. MY GOD, I was so jealous throughout the whole meal. The pad see ew was good, but the duck curry was seriously amazing. I came here last night with two friends and we all ordered the duck curry, hahaha. My two friends licked their bowls clean and I saved half to take home. Literally eating my leftovers as I'm writing this review. Uuuugh, why is it so good?! I tried my friend's Thai iced tea and that was pretty good too, but definitely not worth it. They gave him a toooon of ice and I probably could've finished the drink in 5 seconds. He also ordered the mango sticky rice and that was surprisingly really tasty. I definitely recommend that to share with friends as a nice dessert. I didn't have any problems with service like the other reviewers had. They refilled our waters frequently and were pretty accommodating. I've been here twice already and the service has always been average. read more

Racha Café - Red curry with duck - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Racha has been around for a long time, and I hadn't been back since I went to Cal. Great food for not much money, and the staff is always friendly. I had their chicken pad thai ($10 after tax), and it came out piping hot with a side of bean sprouts for contrast. Didn't even need hot sauce or any of the usual condiments. read more

Great, inexpensive Thai food in Berkeley. I prefer this spot to the one in the Asian Ghetto down the street. I like that if you order tofu for the noodle dishes they ask you if you want egg in case you are vegan. I've also tried the Penang curry here which my boyfriend loves. We have also tried the kao soy. I like getting the rice dishes with basil or ginger and tofu. read more

Racha Café - Thai Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First time at Racha with my roommates just to try it out because many people seem to like it. I ordered one of the highlights, pad kee Mao, had a sweet and sour taste and greasy. Wasn't my kind of dish. Also disappointed the beef was mashed into bits instead of sliced. Barely any beef at all. The service was also amazingly slow for a night that wasn't busy at all. I had to flag the waitress down again who was standing next to the only other waitress. She snapped at me "can you wait a minute?". You had like 10 minutes for one freaking to go box. read more

Every time I've eaten from this place, it's been takeout. The lady at the counter is always so sweet & friendly w/ great customer service. The food is always top tier. My current fav place for mango sticky rice. read more

Racha is a pretty good place overall, but not the best Thai in Berkeley or around the campus. However, this is a great place to go and has its own merits. Come here if you don't want to be in an overly crowded place like Thai Noodle House II. Some of the food here is just as good, and some menu items, I would say, even better. Get any of the Tom Yum dishes, the soup itself or with the noodles. Really my favorite Tom Yum of all the Thai restaurants in Berkeley! Service for me has always been great and food quick to come out while still being perfectly cooked and delicious. read more