Tara Thai

Ok, tonight I tried it for the first time and man I’m sorry I have not tried it sooner. Tonight I tried Thai tea which is Chai tea, sugar, and heavy cream. This was amazing. (New favorite drink). Our waiter then brought out crunchy noodles with sweet spicy dipping sauce which was also good. We ordered Egg rolls for an appetizer-​again awesome. For my entrée I ordered Pad Thai with pork. This was not so hot (remember I am not one for Thai food). I think the pork did not blend well. Chicken would have been a better protein. I also ordered Thai fried rice with chicken. The rice was delicious and perfectly fried. Not surprisingly, my wife ordered drunken noodles (see below).
We ordered everything Thai spicy and I can say, that once my nose stopped running, I was then able to pick up the pieces of my exploded head. This should tell you that if you’re not in the mood for super spicy do not order Thai spicy. We liked it but we are fire eaters.
Our waiter, Ricky, was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. He also served the meal with the right amount of timing so we wouldn’t be flooded with food all at once.
Overall, continue with the five star rating. Definitely coming back.
*****************previous review***********
Wow. Wife actual gave out 5 stars today!!! She says the drunken noodles and the jasmine rice were fantastic. She also orders the noodles «Thai» spicy which I can’t help but wonder how she doesn’t catch fire while eating. Thai rolls and dipping sauce were awesome (I actually tried one). It is a little bit pricey but the good sized portions make up for the cost.
The chef, Chantima, is extremely talented and she grows her own chiles.
Overall, no place better in El Paso to eat Thai food than this place.

Price is bit high, portion is small. Food and service are okay. Doesn’t worth the high price tho, won’t be returning again.

This was a great place my whole family enjoyed it and the mango sticky rice for desert was very good.

Delicious Thai food! We had pad thai, chicken lettece wraps and a soup that I can’t remember the name of but it came in a big metal bowl with a heating canister. It was so good. I’ll definitely go there again with my friends.

I ordered the chicken Pad se ew. It was not very flavorful and was definitely not spicy like I requested.

Best Thai food I’ve had in El Paso! I don’t know why it took me so long to come here! Everything we had was made to perfection. Their air conditioner was not working and it was a bit uncomfortable, but the food was so good that it made up for it. I still gave it a 5 and will definitely come back.

Tara Thai is one of two Thai places that I really like in El Paso. The first of which is the Thai Chef Café, over on Dyer.
I happened to be over on the West side this past weekend, so I decided to stop in to Tara Thai and pick up some takeout to being home to the fiancé. The funny thing was, while I was waiting for my Pad Thai entrees to come out, I got to chatting with the Chef… who mentioned that the same people who own Tara Thai… ALSO OWN Thai Chef Café!! I thought it was really cool that their food is so consistently good, so overwhelmingly delicious, and so recognizable that I was able to unwittingly pick their only two restaurants out of the whole lot in El Paso! Clearly these guys know what they’re doing.
As for the food– well, you really can’t go wrong with Pad Thai. They do it with your choice of veggie, chicken, shrimp, tofu, or beef. Always good to have choices! Also delicious are their curries, and their dumplings. Basically, head over to Tara Thai if the Thai food bug has bitten you, and you’re in the area and don’t feel like hauling it over to Dyer. You’ll quickly be rewarded with some of the best Thai food in El Paso!

It’s hard to find good ethnic cuisine in El Paso, TX but Tara Thai is an exception. The food is great and there is a large variety of menu items. The pad Thai is the best I’ve ever had. My only complaint is that they don’t have a liquor license so your only option is beer and a limited wine selection.

I think Tara Thai is the best Thai food restaurant in El Paso… Of course there are only like 5 other options, but even if there were plenty of competition, Tara Thai’s food would still be very good.
I LOVE Thai food, or more specifically, I love the few things I’ve been able to try because I can’t help but want to order the same thing every time, which doesn’t allow much opportunity to explore. I’m okay with that.
My favorites at Tara are:
Pad Thai, tried and true, always yummy!
Panang Curry Chicken, another tasty staple, I order it when the prospect of noodles is too heavy, or is hot as hell outside.
Drunken noodles, which unfortunately won’t get you drunk, but hit your mouth with a plethora of flavors.
BEWARE: the «Thai» spiciness level isn’t f#@kin around, I suggest going with medium. I speak from experience, nobody is actually impressed by your ability to put spicy foods in your mouth, least of all a woman you are meeting for the first time, medium has great kick without messing up the flavor.
I recommend getting your Tara Thai fix during the lunch hour, the portions are great and you’ll save some cash.

I was looking for a place with soups and after reading the Unilocal reviews decided to try it out. Food is very good and good size portions. Both dishes had the option of three level of spicyness and both I chose were the medium.
Not the greatest looking exterior of the building but worth the drive to it for the food. Great seevice too.

I loved Tara Thai! We were on our way to get some phở only to find it was closed and we came across this gem! I ordered the crispy chicken basil and it was amazing! The chicken wasn’t too fatty and it was breaded and crispy to perfection! My chicken came with a side of jasmine rice which complimented it perfectly! I also got a chance to try a bit of the chicken pad Thai and it was great! Great texture! With both the chicken pad Thai and the crispy chicken basil you get a choice of three spicy levels! YUM!

We had a wonderful dinner here! The server was super nice, the food was super good. Just to note, we all got medium and mild and it was pretty spicy, so depending on your tolerance maybe go easy. By no means did it take away from the food tho, if you like good Thai food def come here and eat and get lit.

«BEST THAI IN EL PASO» but definitely NOT the best Thai I’ve had in my life. I think this title was earned because El Paso lacks variety in terms of authentic ethnic Asian Food in a sea of Mexican restaurants, Mediocre American Chinese, and Chain restaurants. But I digress.
I came here for a late lunch on a weekend because i was in the mood for some non-​Mexican, Tex-​Mex, or American Food and also because Thai is one of my favorite cuisines. The place from outside looks rundown and seems sketchy but once you step inside, it’s pretty cozy. When I arrived, there were only about 3 – 4 diners. In terms of décor and interior, there isn’t much going on with minimal things that makes it stand out as a Thai restaurant and definitely not as lavish, exotic, and «gay» as Thai restaurants on 9^th Avenue back in NYC lol. Anyways, server guy was pretty friendly and took my order immediately. I was surprised to find Thai Beef Salad on the menu so I started off with the salad and some Cold Thai Iced Tea and for my main course, the server recommended the Panang Curry with Shrimp.
**Please note that you’ll be asked by the server (s) if you want it Mild, Medium, Spicy, or Thai Spicy. I always get Thai Spicy as it’s NOT even that hot. If you’re used to and can tolerate the heat of the salsas that authentic Mexican restaurants in El Paso serve, their «Thai Spicy» is a joke. But I digress
Beef Salad was good but not too spicy as I would’ve wanted it to be. Couldn’t really taste the «Mint» leaves and the Thai Iced Tea was only ¾ filled which was disappointing. There was also no water served. My Shrimp Panang Curry came with a scoop of white rice. It was good but the portions were smaller than NYC Thai restaurants which was disappointing and I had to order a Pad Thai to justify my big appetite. I ordered the Pad Thai with Chicken and HOLY SHIT, this was HUGE like I can split it with 2 – 3 people or something. Sadly, the noodles weren’t cooked well.
All in all, if this is the best «Thai» El Paso has to offer, you’re better off eating something else unless you’re CRAVING it like you mean it. The prices are slightly over-​priced for the amount of food you get (except the Pad Thai) and no, I didn’t get their Lunch Specials because I heard the portions are a joke. It’s OK but definitely not the best that I’ve ever had.

Great tasting food. The medium spicy was enough to get the sweat going. Wouldn’t advise going full Thai spicy unless you’re extremely adventurous… or crazy drunk. The reason I gave it four stars was the price was a little higher than expected for a relatively smaller portion size.

Decent price, great taste, great portions, great service. Never disappoints always delicious.

The best Pad Thai you will find anywhere. And i’ve had pad thai in 6 different countries. They also have the best Tom Kha Soup I’ve ever tried. They own another establishment, Thai Chef with the same menu that’s closer to Fort Bliss.

The food here was great! We came the day after Christmas and the soups def hit the spot on such a chilly night. My dad really likes seafood Thai hot pot super spicy and he said they made it great. My mom got the beef noodle soup, my brother the drunken noodles and I the tom yum noodle soup. Everything was very flavorful and portions were nice and big! The only complaint is that there were only 2 workers that night for a full restaurant so they took forever to bring out more rice for my dad’s dish. By the time they did, the soup had gotten cold and the rest of us had finished our food… other than that, no complaints! Well, I guess it’s also worth mentioning that it’s quite dim in here so it’s hard to tell if you’re eating noodle or bean sprout sometimes… :)

The food was very well done. I had Karee Curry and my wife had the Tom Kha Gai soup with a side of jasmine rice. We also split a chicken satay app (pictured).
My Karee Curry was excellent: the potatoes and carrots were cut with a zig-​zag cut and the pork (normally served w/​chicken) was cut into appropriately sized pieces. The curry sauce was medium-​level spice, and I was content with the temperature rating. Overall, the dish was delicious and I would make the trip to ELP from Cruces to order it again.
My wife enjoyed her soup. She doesn’t like spiciness, and they were able to tone it down without compromising the soup’s flavor profiles. I was impressed with the presentation of her soup as it came in a pot with an elevated center that had a candle in the base to keep the soup warm.
The service was fast, smart, and stress-​free.
From the outside it does not look special, but as soon as you walk through the door, relief sets in. The environment is romantically lit and calming. The décor is well selected and minimal and the tables and chairs are sturdy and comfortable. A fine dining location.

Normally I’d be sad when one of my favorite restaurants change not only owners, but also management and staff. But Tara Thai is the exception seeing as how it’s in extremely competent hands.
I wouldn’t say there’s been an overhaul to TT, more so it’s been tweaked. One change I was happy to see was the addition of a real wall in front of the kitchen. I can’t be certain if the entire color scheme changed, but the bold red wall gives just enough color to an otherwise neutral (and calm) environment. For the most part though, it’s still the same great establishment with pleasant staff that’s it’s always been.
If I’m in TT, I’m eating some kind of curry — probably Panang. And I’m more than likely using reverse psychology to convince my dining partner to not be adventurous and order the always perfect Pad Thai with the sugar, spices and peanuts (although I wouldn’t doubt everything on the menu is delish). TT still serves up my fave Panang Curry in EP, but I did notice minor changes. The first being that even the lunch portion is smaller than before, but it’s still reasonably filling so no biggie. The recipe does taste subtlety different, but has still maintained it’s warmth and nutty good flavor. So flippin’ good! TT will forever be my go to for tasty Thai dishes.

If you’re having one of those days, when you just crave a really good curry, this is the spot.
Do you not have those days? Oh, just me then. Yes, I’m Asian, what gave it away? :)
Last time I was here, I ordered the Seafood Curry (Thai Hot). Definitely a must! Variety of seafood, including ginormous prawns, calamari, fresh mussels, and lots of veggies. I recommend asking for ‘thai hot’, because it really is not that spicy. And the thai hot spiciness enhances the flavor. I’ve also tried the Green Curry, and it was yummmmmy. Pad Thai is a little too sweet for me, so I stay away from that dish.
Prompt service, quiet restaurant, dim lighting, subtle décor = good spot for a date. So get your boyfriend/​girlfriend/​we don’t know what we are I think we’re dating but don’t want to be the first to bring it up/​husband/​wife/​fiancé, and eat dinner here. ;)