Way overpriced for a "college town" restaurant, plus portions were only about avg size at best. I'd say the avg dish price + tip is min 25. Not worth it. I will not be back again. And prepared to pay with cash unless u wanna pay additional 3% cc fee. AND i guess a party of 5 means automatic 18% gratuity! WTF?!?!?! read more

I was told they can literally make any dish gluten free--just let them know and they'll use a different sauce. They were knowledgeable about what does and doesn't contain wheat and interceded when I was about to order the wide flat noodles with no clue they're made of wheat! Truth be told, I haven't even got my order yet, but that service alone warrants a 5 star from me! Excellent!! I'll be back next time I'm in Chambana! read more

Absolutely love the food! So authentic and great service. It's a small simple restaurant where people will treat you very well while you endulge yourself with great thai food. Try the panang curry and chicken fried rice. This place is a must go to when we are in the Champaign area. read more

The Thai dumplings are amazing! I also got the Pho Special which was super tasty. It was exactly what I was craving.

The red curry chicken is honestly the best thing I've eaten my whole life and I eat out every meal! Going here several times a week now. read more

Thara Thai - Red curry chicken - Thai Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Best Thai food in town, hands down! Always excellent, I never have any complaints. The outside of the building is very unassuming, but don't let that stop you. read more

Stopped by this establishment on my road trip. I was craving some Thai food and ordered the beef pad thai, add medium spicy. The flavors and spices were great with just enough crunchy cherished peanuts. I only wished the beef was not so tough and chewy for the price I paid (about $15 including tax). Overall the food hit the spot and I would definitely go, again. read more

Thara Thai - Beef pad thai - Thai Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

This Thai place consistently wins all five stars from me. After moving away from Champaign, I've tried so many new Thai restaurants and always end up disappointed because of how high my standards are because of Thara Thai. It is worth making the trip all the way back to Champaign for the most delicious Thai food you can get. I promise you will not be disappointed! read more

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I guess this is as good as it can get in Champaign. While it's not terrible, it definitely could be better. The papaya salad was soggy, not sure if they properly drained the lettuce off water. My mother ordered pho soup which didn't taste much. The duck curry I ordered was at the standard I expected. The sticky rice and fresh mango desert was also on point. Overall, I think this is a hit-miss place. I might try someplace else when I'm on a trip again in the area. read more

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I get takeout just about every other week. Really love their pad Thai, spring rolls, and chicken satay. The red curry is incredible and the service is always good. I bring my friends who visit to this place as well. I also love the cucumber salad. Since I'm thinking about it, maybe I'll get some tonight. :) read more

This was fantastic. Have been missing Thai food since my favorite restaurant closed. Spring rolls and sauce and Thai dumplings were just what the doctor ordered! read more

Driving back home from Iowa we came upon this little jewel. Walking in we realized that we made a great choice because it was packed for a Sunday evening. My daughter and I spilt the mild level Pad Thai. It was just the right amount of spice and DELICIOUS. My husband and son got the Special Pho with chicken. They also got the mild spice. While they would order it the same way again, it was a tad spicy. It was the perfect balance of flavors. We will make it a point to come back while driving to and from Iowa again. read more

Our favorite Thai restaurant! Ingredients are always fresh. Service is fast. I'd give them a 5+ if they weren't randomly closed without warning. It's a 25 min drive from our town. Disappointing to arrive and see CLOSED sign up- middle of week when you're expecting them to be open. Yes, we've called before, no message and at times- they've simply been busy and unable to answer. They are a family business with standing room only at times. Yes- they are that great! We love you, please understand FB is not a website. It can be used to update and say: Sorry! We're closed today! Other than that- they really are the best. read more

Bland food other than spice level (which you get to choose.). Huge selection on menu not specializing in only Thai food. Large portion sizes. read more

Delicious food & friendly staff. I've only ever gotten takeout from here, but the restaurant's interior looks cozy. I will be back!

I was here on a Saturday afternoon. It wasn't too busy. The ambiance was nice and the waitress was welcoming and friendly. I almost always order a crab rangoon as an appetizer so I went with that and red curry. I asked for hot for the spice level and my friend ordered the pad ke mow with a medium spice level. I'm definitely a fan of spicy food and I've been to other Thai places and when they say it's spicy it wasn't so I decided to try hot rather than medium. Our crab rangoon came out first. It was a good size and they didn't slump out on the filling. Our food came out next and the portion was pretty big! Now the spice level o m g I should have done medium!! Hot was VERY HOT for me but it was sooo flavorful and good. I was sweating while eating but I couldn't put my spoon down! The curry was too good. I ate a bite of a crab rangoon in between each spoonful of curry to alleviate some of the spiciness LOL. My friends food was spicy for her too but we really enjoyed it!!! I hope to come back to try other items on the menu because I was really impressed with this restaurant. read more

It came highly recommended but both dishes we ordered (shrimp in lobster sauce and Mongolian beef) didn't have much flavor and it was also quite expensive. On the positive... The egg rolls were good. Portions were large. Plenty of meat. Fresh ingredients. Maybe we tried it on "a bad night". Disappointing, for sure. Not sure we would try it again. read more

I hate how long it took me to find Thai food. I know that there are numerous thai restaurants in Chicago, but I had been limited to the suburbs and DeKalb, until finding Thara in Champaign. I love Thai food, i.e. grownup chinese food. It tastes better and fresher in my opinion. At Thara Thai, you will not be disappointed by anything. I arrived here with my brother after he had been raving about this place. The best Thai I had ever had was Thai Pavillion, located in DeKalb, Illinois. Sorry TP, you have been bumped! We got here around 7:50 on a Saturday night. The restaurant is located right off of 74, and could be easily missed. It's surrounded by McDonalds and gas stations. The exterior is not great, but the interior is calm and inviting. After being seated, it took a while to get our drinks, but after that, the service was smooth sailing. My brother ordered the Seafood pad thai. I decided on the See Eiw pad thai, which was a special. Basically, it is your standard pad thai, but instead of thin rice noodles, it came with wide rice noodles, which I prefer. We also decided to split the basil stir fried vegetable dish. Our food was promptly delivered in 12 minutes, which was a surprise because my brother had said on his previous visits that the service was a bit slow, but the food was very good. In my case, both were amazing! The basil vegetables were excellent. I was debating on whether to get Kee Mao as my main course, but by splitting this dish, all my taste buds were satisfied (Kee Mao is cooked in a basil garlic sauce, just like the vegetable dish we split). As for my Chicken See Eiw pad thai... simple amazing. The noodles were stirfried along with the veggies, and all were very fresh. I ordered my dish mild, because I'm just not a spicy guy. I would have preferred more chicken, but I would have received less noodles, so I was fine with it. My bro gave me a piece of his shrimp, and it was awesome as well (this coming from a guy who hates seafood, and I'm just trying to get over my fear of eating it). I will say that I was disappointed that my dish was not garnished with lime, carrots, or cabbage, which is usually a staple of the pad thai dish. But that's definitely not enough to take off a star. Our total was 44 and change. My bro went with a very expensive dish (10.99 + 5 for seafood). I had the 12.99 special, and we split a 9.99 entree. Not bad, but a little pricey for a budget. The lunch special looks like a good deal, and apparently it is the same size as dinner, so I would do that to be more friendly to my wallet! My new favorite thai place. Too bad it's 2 hours away! that won't stop me... As Arnold said... I'LL BE BACK. read more

Thara Thai - See Eiw Pad Thai (Special) with Chicken - Thai Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

This poor place is suffering from an identity crisis. Situated on Bloomington Road next to a motel that's frequented by drug addicts and prostitutes, this place has excellent food and warm and friendly servers. But on the day we were there the servers were wearing old blue jeans and hoodie sweatshirts and yet the prices were above average for this community. It has the look and feel of a motel diner but the prices of an upscale cloth tablecloth place. And they lost a star for committing the cardinal sin of restaurants. They took over one booth near the door and used it as a workstation for the help. It was covered with McDonald's food, a deck of cards, a box of crayons, and a pile of receipts that they were apparently tabulating for their tax return. The food is excellent, but I wouldn't bring somebody there who you were trying to impress. read more

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I'm vegetarian and I had the Pad See Ew with Tofu! Total was $13.99 without tax. I was able to finish the entire plate. You have an option of spice level. I highly recommend getting a level lower than what you think you can handle. This is the best Thai restaurant around. read more

Thara Thai - Pad See Ew with Tofu! - Thai Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Awesome portions. Quick food. Pretty spendy. The chicken fried rice didn't taste like peanut butter but it made our whole house smell like it. Crab Rangoon was chalked full of celery I couldn't see any crab. Teriyaki chicken was almost a soup and not much flavor read more

Awesome awesome awesome!!! Closed on Mondays, and I am always devastated when I forget and get psyched for Thara Thai! This is a family owned wonderful place, and they custom Any dish just the way you like it. The "mother" of the adults who wait on customers is heavy handed with spice, so beware!!! read more

Love love love Thara Thai! Customer service is excellent and the dishes are so tasty!!!

Anytime I am in the mood for Thai I'm calling Thara Thai! They are very popular, so depending on the time you call you have various wait times. I always get take out here, but they do have a small and comfortable sit down space to enjoy your meal there. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and I've never had a bad experience here. read more

I order from Thara Thai at least twice a week. Their food is consistently awesome. From their pho to their curry dishes, literally everything on the menu is great. I travel to Champaign from WV for work so I rely on restaurants like Thara Thai. As long as you call 15 minutes or so ahead for a pickup, you will never be disappointed. read more

Took my mom and brother here for a late dinner on a Thursday night.The restaurant was completely dead- there were no take out orders and no other customers the whole time we were there. The service was friendly and the food was alright. We started with mini veg egg rolls and pot stickers. The egg rolls were standard. The pot stickers were unique. They didn't seem to have meat in them... I thought they were pretty good but my mom wasn't really feelin it... I ordered my entree "mild" (yes, I'm a wimp, I know). However, there were still enough pepper flakes in my dish to keep my eyes watering. My brother on the other hand, ordered his food "medium" and after sampling my dish said they tasted about the same level of spicy. The food was alright. It didn't really stand out from other thai restaurants though. While they were generous with portions, it was a bit more expensive than most restaurants of this scale. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't leave us wanting more. read more

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I have been to Thara Thai consistently since discovering it in January 2013. Their Chicken Pad Thai is OUTSTANDING in every way. It is a VERY generous portion as well, the dinner plate is enough for 2 meals! I love it hot, i am not sure if i am ready for thai hot just yet, soon though. I've had this dish all over town, and to me, this one is THE best. read more

Love love love their pad Thai! Definitely one of the best in town! Staff is also very friendly and the food is always done super quick!

This place is a bit more expensive than those Thai restaurants on campus but it's better so there's a trade off. I love their duck noodle soup, medium spicy, and with extra onion. It tastes super Asian. Desserts sticky rice is warm and sweet with coconut milk. I like it better with coconut pie (sticky rice with coconut pie). The only thing I don't like about this restaurant is that the opening hours aren't exactly the same as the ones on websites. It seems that the owner doesn't open the door if he wants a spring trip once a while. I came here with my friend last time and they were closed. So I called ahead this time just in case. read more

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This company does NOT STAND BY ITS PRODUCT. Ordered delivery from Thari Thai through DoorDash. $60 worth that was delivered to THE WRONG ADDRESS. When I called the company I got the manager who literally laughed. Laughed and laughed at me and said the restaurant was not responsible FOR IT'S OWN FOOD. I CAN ONLY WONDER HOW THE ACTUAL QUALITY OF THEIR FOOD IS!! Find a different Thai restaurant. read more

The food was good and the service was decent. The staff was friendly, but pretty slow. I got the Nuea Numtok, which was a beef salad (I really liked this dish, better than "good" not quite "great"), and the Garlic Pepper Stir Fried with chicken which was good. I also tried some of the Basil Duck and Papaya Salad. Both of those dishes were good. Besides the Nuea Numtok, I described all the food as "good" because nothing was spectacular or amazing and nothing was bad either. The portion sizes were pretty decent too (better than a lot of other restaurants where I leave hungry). I think three stars is the perfect rating for this place. Nothing spectacular, but the food is good. If you're in the area and in the mood for Thai food, then definitely check it out, but otherwise there is no need to go out of your way to try this place. read more

Thara Thai - Garlic Stir Fried w/ Chicken - Thai Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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1st time: 1 * , had to wait in a hot crowded room for 2 hours after they said it would be ready for food that was almost inedible, had to throw half of it away 2nd time: 3 *'s, food was better, not amazing this time it was edible and we liked it. the location is convenient so we gave it another try, but the wait was yet again too long (45 minutes) after we showed up at the time we were told to show up read more

This is not Thai food, probably worst Thai I had in last 10 years. There is zero use of basil or coconut. Menu names are Thai, but certainly the food is far from Thai. Vegetables usage is limited to green peppers and onions, much worst than description and pictures. Each entree is 15.99, and for that the veggies are pathetic. If Order once by mistake , I will delete from my list read more

So grateful to them for putting together a take out order for us right before closing for a snow storm! I was supposed to leave town but the storm kept me here for another night, and without them I would have had nothing to eat! The food was very good and they have a clear and full understanding of what vegan entails. I had red curry (they said no shrimp paste in the curry, which is actually rare as it usually comes pre-mixed, but there are some kinds that do not -- or perhaps they make it in house-- plus no fish sauce, etc), vegan pad Thai and tofu fried rice. They also threw in some free spring rolls. It was all delicious. I would definitely come back if ever in town, and my friend who lives here loved it, too, so I'm sure he will be back. read more

The food was flavorful but they don't get their spice levels right. I ordered mild but the food turned out to be really hot on the spice level. I don't understand how mild can be this hot on any spice level. Given that this is a takeout order, it went to waste as I could not eat more than 20 percent of my meal. I will not order again. read more

They are very nice there and efficient. Their food is authentic and amazing! If you enjoy Americanized General tsao chicken I would not recommend that one.Theirs is Thai style it is not what you would expect read more

I don't eat at any other Thai place. I've been to most of the other ones in town and this is my favorite. Yes, depending on who is working or if it's busy it may take a while to get food here. It is a bit more expensive, but sometimes I think you all forget that people are trying to make a living here. It's family owned and this is all they've got. C'mon give them a break. I love the Thai iced coffee and the Thai iced tea. Chicken Pad Thai is my go to when I can't decide what to eat. I also love the beef pho. I always have them add meatballs to mine. I also like the Panang curry. I've never had a dish here that I didn't like. The appetizers here are not really my thing, but if you do get some, get the shumai. read more

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This is hands down the best Thai food I have ever had in my entire life, no exaggeration!! When I was a student at UofI my parents would visit me and schedule their visit around lunch or dinner just so we can go eat here. I wish they had branches in Chicago!! read more

Takeout only due to Covid. We got papaya salad & green curry, & both were delicious. The woman who waited on us was very sweet as well. I'll definitely come back next time we come to Champaign. read more

Extremely overpriced. Food is ok, not great, but portion sizes are big. If you like SPICY Thai food, they will do that for you. It's cramped in there, and in winter it is drafty. There are other, better options for Thai food in CU, especially by price. read more