Cha Ba Thai

I came here to get a lunch order for the office last week. The interior is very warm and inviting, I really like their dining room and the décor. Staff was very friendly to me and helpful when I had questions. I want to come sit down and eat sometime because I also noticed a $ 3.95 mimosa special. The kitchen was very fast in preparing my large order. I’d have to say this is some of the best Thai food I’ve found so far in Portland. Very nice ingredients with tons of flavor. They even have a nice outdoor seating area which I can always get behind. Very reasonably priced on-​top of that.

Horrible customer service! I ordered 1 chicken and 1 tofu pad Thai (wife is vegetarian) through Amazon prime now. When the food was delivered the brought 2 chicken pad Thai. I called prime and the said the would refund the wrong chicken, but I would have to reorder. Problem is the I would have to buy $ 20 minimum again. So I called cha Ba Thai directly hoping they would help. They said my wife’s order was sitting there and they made a mistake. The would not deliver it and said if she wanted it she would have to drive down there and buy it since Amazon refused it. So my wife had to get dressed drive down there and buy the food that they screwed up. You think they would just give it to her since they screwed up the order. So much for a relaxing evening in bed watching a movie and eating pad Thai. Last time I will be giving these guys my business.

my order: «Can I get Pad Thai with no egg?»
«Oh and can I substitute extra vegetables instead of tofu?» (I don’t like tofu all that much)
Waitress: «yeah, no problem»
Order comes, I start eating, waitress comes back to take away my plate because she said they cooked it with eggs. Whatever, fine. I wait for a few more minutes for my order. I get my order, finish eating and a different waitress brings the bill.
I see on the bill under my pad thai «Extra vegetables $ 1.50». I tell the other waitress that I substituted the tofu for extra veggies, she says ok no problem. Mind you this order had the same amount of vegetables that a normal Pad Thai would have (not even extra).
When the original waitress comes back to give our cards back she tells me that I ordered extra vegetables. I remind her that she agreed I could substitute the tofu for extra vegetables, and she tells me «We don’t do substitutions». So I said «if you had told me that I would have not asked for extra vegetables in SUBSTITUTION.»
Wait What!!!
If that was the case then why did you agree to substitute in the first place. I’ll tell you why she did it. She did it deceitfully knowing full well she would add on another $ 1.50 (which isn’t a big deal– but its vegetables subbed for tofu, I mean come on– this isn’t subbing sirloin steak for tofu).
A normal wait staff person would have realized that the customer caught on to the unwarranted petty extra charge and not charged them for it– ESPECIALLY after messing up the original order, but this waitress had the audacity to try and tell me to my face that I ordered extra vegetables knowing it would not be substituted for tofu which is ridiculous.
I would not have even cared to write a review regardless of the mediocre dining experience, but when the waitress made a fuss about something that was her fault– That made me angry.
If someone asks you if they can substitute something for something else YOU DON’T SAY YES AND THEN CHARGE THEM FOR IT.
Never going back.

We love cha ba Thai in our home!
My 15 month old eats everything on the menu! It’s our go to take out place at least once a week.

I come here for one dish only: the yam nuar (grilled beef salad). The sauce is near perfect, the grilled beef is great, and while their rendition of the dish is not as «proper» as pok pok’s (Cha’ba includes lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers), their additions do not detract much from the salad (they just make it a different dish). The portion size is generous for 10 $ (much larger than pork pok and for signifigantly less $), and it makes a wonderful healthy meal.
The service is usually very prompt and polite.
Sometime I want to try their larb, but I can’t bring myself to change my order.

Has the best salad rolls of anywhere I have tasted in Portland. Pretty good Thai!

Came here on Tuesday for dinner with a girlfriend. We shared an order of salad roll (they were pretty great). She had the lemongrass chicken salad and i had the lemongrass chicken. I think she loved her salad and i really enjoyed mine as well.

We had been long time customers of the NE Sandy location. We had stopped going there though because the food quality had slipped. We had heard that the old chef at the Sandy location had moved to the Alberta street location, but with so much Thai around, we had not made it up here.
We used to come here when this was the Vita Café space, yeah, it’s been that long. Anyway, the inside dining area is spacious and could accommodate large groups. The patio is great when he weather is good. Being seated is a somewhat informal affair, and the service may take a while to get going, but they are attentive to your needs.
We sat on the patio, as the weather was really good. The menu is still the same Chaba Thai I remember. There was a coconut tofu special that my youngest son wanted to try, so we ordered those, some salad rolls, the Pad Eggplant, and the Pad See Ew for the boys.
The salad rolls came out first. Now my wife and I are always on the search for great salad rolls, and while many place have good salad rolls, Chaba Thai is still the reigning champion of salad rolls in my book, with the peanut sauce they come with, they are simply divine.
The coconut tofu was also, truly delicious. They have a coconut based breading and were deep fried, served with the plumb sauce. So good, I ate more of them my son, they were delicious.
Next came our entrees, the Pad Eggplant was exactly what I remember. The sauce is so good, the eggplant perfectly cooked. This is the best Pad Eggplant I have ever had, and still holds that title.
The Pad See Ew had to be sampled, also delicious. It is hard to stop eating this food it is so tasty.
So the rumors are true, the chef at this location is the one. The menu here is extensive, everyone can find something they would like. If memory serves me right, this is one of the rare places where the stir drys, noodles, and curry are all excellent. I will say that I mostly order vegetarian here, even though I am not a vegetarian per say. But for Thai food, I am hard pressed to think of a place that all around has such consistently delicious thai dishes.

I have a hard time keeping the Thai places in NE straight. This restaurant is no exception.
The salad rolls came with a delicious peanut sauce, though I don’t feel they were worth the $ 7.00 price tag (I admit it was my fault for ordering them over the phone without checking, I admit). Their red curry with chicken came with plenty of delicious, sweet curry but the rice was mushy, over-​cooked and I ended up requesting my boyfriend make me a fresh batch at home to complete my curry leftovers. I vaguely remember the first time I went, the pad thai was pretty good. But not mindblowing.
They’re worth a shot. But I’ll agree with some reviews — they need to make better rice!

MMM. The best Thai food I have EVER had, in any city, and I’ve eaten a LOT of thai food. I usually order the vegetable fried rice with tofu, or the pineapple fried rice. So good. I’ve brought many others here and everyone agrees it is the BEST.
About once every five or six times I go, however, its not as good as normal. It seems like they might have one cook who uses a different recipe or something. The only other thing I would change is that I wished they had clear to-​go cups for their Thai Iced tea. Its just too pretty to be in a dixie cup.

Cha Ba Thai is, hands down, my favorite Thai restaurant in Portland. Pad Thai can be a hit or miss experience — but here, it is exceptional — as is everything I’ve had the pleasure to order and eat. This evening, it was shrimp salad rolls, a red curry dish with veggies and tofu and a Thai iced coffee. Yum! :-)

We had two Thai restaurants we selected from among Unilocal reviews a couple of weeks ago, because they had both good reviews, and were an easy walk to the Albert Rose Theater.
We came in the area early, and found great on-​street parking, directly across from the theater. Even though we showed up before «doors opened», the helpful folks in the Theater lobby gave us our wrist bands. We asked about the Cha’Ba Thai, the Thai restaurant next door. «Many of our artists love it,» was the reply. Good enough for us.
Cha’Ba Thai welcomed us in, and sat us at a window table — fun to watch «the world go by» along NE Alberta Street.
Okay, let’s get to the food and service …
We started off sharing two Cha’Ba Thai Fresh Rolls. These featured bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, mints, steamed rice noodles, and fresh lettuces wrapped in soft rice paper served with peanut plum sauce. They were quite tasty, very fresh, and a fair value at $ 4.50.
We really like a good peanut plum sauce –and Cha’Ba Thai’s was great — so we quickly asked for an extra dish — well worth the $ 1.50 to us!
Sweetie ordered the Pad Woon Sen — this is a dish featuring «glass noodles», stir fried with egg, cabbage, baby corn, snow peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers — and in her case, shrimp. She loved it, she said; and a good value at $ 10.50.
I ordered the dish by which I judge all Thai restaurants, their national dish, Pad Thai. Yes, just rice noodles stir fried with egg, green onions, bean sprouts, with special Pad Thai sauce. I didn’t order the chicken version; so often, I’m disappointed by the «old» smell. Maybe I should have this time — the dish was tasty, spot-​on delicious. At $ 9.00, a bargain.
Neither Sweetie nor myself had lunch that day, so yes, we consumed our entire meals. For those not so peckish, a couple could easily split an entrée and be satisfied.
The service wasn’t really speedy, but we agreed we received prompt attention, had water refills, extra napkins — in short, our needs were met. And, we had plenty of time before the show started, so we sat back and enjoyed the meal.
Only one negative for me. I don’t like eating off black plates. I could have asked for another, but I lived with it. Next time, I’ll request a light colored plate!
We’re now keeping our eye on what shows are coming to the Alberta Rose Theater — a good excuse to come back and again dine at Cha’Ba Thai.

We ordered fish cakes, tum yum. Both fine. Ordinary. The steamed dumplings were sickening. Not dumplings, but cakey. A terriblte taste. The massaman curry was overflowing with carrots and mealy potatoes. Yuck. Pad see yu was eatible. Overall we had our first and last meal here. Must be better thai in pdx.

We came here after a long hiatus and were pretty disappointed. While service was still friendly, the food has gone downhill. The fresh rolls were loosely wrapped, filled with only noodles and lettuce, and the wontons in the wonton soup were like little rocks– next to inedible. They also forgot to bring a drink we ordered. We mentioned it when they brought the check so we wouldn’t get charged. They kindly offered to bring one to go… and then charged us. It was a two star experience, but the pad see ew and the peanut sauce served with the fresh rolls added a star.
It’s such a shame, but there are just too many other tasty Thai restaurants in PDX for us to return.

Loved the pad Thai! Service was pleasant and attentive. Colorful napkins add to the pleasant atmosphere.
I ordered tofu and chicken in my pad Thai and the tofu was big rectangles of perfectly cooked goodness. Just the right ratio of crunch, chewiness, and soft insides. I always ask for cilantro (why don’t Portland Thai restaurants use cilantro in pad Thai?) and they gave me a nice amount to sprinkle into my dish.
Thumbs up!

Fun and welcoming ambiance, great place for a good local Thai fix. Food here is on point! If you’re not from around NoPo, it’s well worth the drive!

This place is hit or miss. Sometimes very good and sometimes meh. Good pad thai and curries.

I’ve always been a fan of Cha Ba Thai and everytime someone asked for thai food recommendation, i always point them toward this place.
However, i have been disappointed lately. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I came in right when they open for lunch. We order crab fried rice, our favorite dish. As we ate, we could clearly tell there was something wrong with the rice. It was hard and dry. We knew it was either undercooked or old rice taken straight off the fridge (without heating up with moist, like putting a wet paper-​towel on top and microwave it). So we asked if they can cook the rice a little more… But it came out to be the same. Then we were sure that it was old rice… But the waitress insisted that it was new rice straight from the rice cooker. My boyfriend and I grow up eating rice almost everyday, and both of us have been working in restaurants for awhile. Not to mention that we like to eat out a lot, trying out different places. So we felt a little deceived this time…
It has always been a nice experience at Sandy one, but the Alberta one just slowly losing in me… Another time i came in with a party of 20 for my friend’s farewell party, and ordered pad kee mao. It came out with too much sauce, making it too salty. I can tell because i normally order it and it comes out perfectly. I didnt want to tell the waitress because it was busy, and she was rude with me when bringing the food out (maybe cuz i just got out of class and looking crappy in my sweat pants n stuff and look like i dont have money?), so i didnt want to bother. I wonder if they have new cook?
Anyway, i might come back another day and give an updated review later. I hope it will be a better experience because we visited this place 20+ times and it has always been nice until recently.

The food tastes very fresh and well prepared.
Best pad see ew I’ve had outside of Thailand.
I would prefer more tamarind in the pad thai.
Enjoy!

I went there for the first time today.
I had Thai Ice Tea, 2 Steam Dumplings, and Tofu Pad Thai. The food tasted great and was super fresh!
I had so much I had to get a take-​out box.