Cha Ba Thai

I read a review of Chaba Thai on Sandy Blvd in NE Portland and was shocked! Many times I drive past as the crowd is flowing out the door, even in ... more

Bad Service, horrible food. Unfriendly staff. If you meet a nice waiter you'll get lucky. Make sure to do... more

Bad Service, horrible food. Unfriendly staff. If you meet a nice waiter you'll get lucky. Make sure to do your own calculations as they are very sn... more

My wife and I frequent this restaurant and have tried most of the menu including desert not listed on the menu. Everything we have tried is excellent. It can be very busy as with any great restaurant and the service will slow somes when there are many 'to go orders' but that is the same with any good restaurant. Their service is excellent on the few occasions the restaurant is not full. Ask for the coconut ice cream and sticky rice (not on the menu). They will garnish it with chocolate and whip cream if you prefer. Pros: The entrees taste as great as they look. Cons: It is popular and therefore busy. more

great food and so delicious more

it amazes me that i don't see this place in more local mags and restaurant reviews when they rate good thai food in town. i guess thats good. more for me. however, the place does have a good following regardless and is usually busy. more

I looooooove the yellow curry dish here. It's one of the city's best. The salad rolls are also delicious. I always get it to go so I've never dealt with sit-down service. But this restaurant is continually packed for a reason. It's grand! Pros: Great food Cons: Need a branch in SE! more

Used to be a regular at Chaba Thai, however, my wife and I have noticed that the service has gotten worse over the years. The last time we dined at the restaurant, the server brought us (dinner party of 6) the wrong dish and actually argued with us over what we ordered - I was a regular patron and got stuck eating something not ordered and highly mediocre. This was not only rude and embarrassing but not professional. The wait can be very long and the tables are close enough to make your feel like you are sitting on top of each other. The food is good and prices are reasonable so if you are going to dine at Chaba take my advice and get your order TO GO. Otherwise try another Thai place that believes that service is as important as food quality - believe me, there a lot of them out there just push search. Pros: Food is good Cons: Service is awful more

Service can be a little offhand, but that's typical for Thai places. As usual, make them wait until you're done with your apps before ordering entrees unless you want everything squeezed onto the table at once. Pros: Awesome food Cons: None, but I usually get take-out more

Contrary to other recent reviewers, I found the service stellar. We stopped there for the first time, on a recent Saturday afternoon. I had a curry dish with a side salad. It was almost more than I could eat, but I managed, because each bite was like a kiss from heaven to my taste buds. Also, for me, it's important a place at least ""appears"" clean. This joint is virtually spotless. My test for cleanliness includes the immediate surroundings -- dining area and floors -- and then a sneak look into the kitchen, and a survey of the washroom. These folks are keeping a high standard on all counts! There are plenty of large windows in front, so the entire place is flooded with a nice bright ambience. The staff were spot on with our orders, and they were prompt with refills of our drinks. Pros: everything Cons: I can't eat there every meal more

This has been mine, coworkers and all my friends #1 place for years, but it seems to have changed managers or employees. Ever since then the turnover, service is very slow and not as good. I get the pad se ew and doesnt seem to be as fresh anymore. My friends and I are dissapointed that it is not like it used to be. I wish the old crew were back!!!! I miss the service. Its pretty average compared to its competitors but before they were several steps above and really stuck out. Pros: beautiful on the inside Cons: service more

The food is great; I always get cashew chicken. However, tonight they messed up our order and gave us something with broccoli and noodley things. Even though we live in Gresham, my husband decided to go all the way back to the Hollywood district to make things right, since it is my birthday, and I had been looking forward to cashew chicken all day. The staff were completely unapologetic and made us pay for both the broccoli stuff that we didn't want and my cashew chicken. Apparently, the customer is always wrong at Chaba Thai. Pros: tasty food Cons: terrible service more

Just went there for the first time and it was great. The outside didn't seem like a fancy restaurant but the decor inside is very pleasing. The prices are very reasonable for a highly recommended place. It was pretty loud at lunch time, but it kind of added to the ambiance. Pros: Inexpensive and delicious. Cons: Loud at lunch. more

Nothing better than a Chaba Thai curry with a tall (literally tall) glass of Singha. Our preferred choice... more

Nothing better than a Chaba Thai curry with a tall (literally tall) glass of Singha. Our preferred choice for carryout. more

My wife and I often order take-out from Chaba Thai, as we live less than a mile away. We've had numerous different dishes and have never been anything less than satisfied. More often than not, we order two dishes and get two meals each out of them, which makes the price per meal unbeatable. Any of the dishes can be spiced to your taste (although the ones with asterisks on the menu apparently come hot no matter what), so be sure to specify mild, medium, or hot spice. My wife likes very spicy food but find the medium is plenty hot for her. We learned after a few times that nearly all the curries come in a bowl, and are more like soup than the curry we are used to. That may be a Thai thing; I don't know. The Emerald is a great dish for people who like spinach and broccoli, and you can top it with whatever meat you like. I had one of the dishes recently with fat rice noodles; it was delicious. more

I think anyone who has ever been to this restaurant likes the food as much as I do. The ambience in there is not so pleasant but a lot of customers keeps flocking in there everytime I visit. It seems like a place where people with a big family or party like to come and have dinner. I don't know why????!!! Pros: good food, good price Cons: ambience more

My husband and I have dined at Cha Ba numerous times because we love the food. However, seems as though everytime we return, there is a new face within their wait staff. And each time, the service gradually becomes worse and worse. Recently dined there for lunch and I must say this was the straw that broke the camel's back! While we were waiting patiently to place our order, we tried to obtain the attention of one of the staff members without success. When we finally did (after about 5 mins. give or take), the waiter did not even acknowledge us-- just sprinted by and said, ""In a minute..."" I was dumbfounded. If the dining area was busy, I may have allowed it to pass, but it was not by any means. The other waitress finally came and took our order and made it known with her body language, tone of voice and lack of eye contact that she was not pleased to do so. When we finally received our entrees, we overheard the two staff members talking about the other customers that had just left. Although they were speaking in their native tongue, I too, speak the same language and understood everything they said. I could not believe what was being said. My husband and I agreed to quickly dine, pay, leave and never return. The food is fantastic, but the restaurant owners should really invest on putting their staff through some customer service training. Not up to par whatsoever. Regardless of how much I love an establishment's cuisine, I refuse to return due to bad service. Very unfortunate. Pros: Great Food Cons: Horrible Service- needs major improvement in this category. more

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT! Fresh, tastey, and nice...great prices. What more is there to say? Pros: Great food!! more

Good food, horrible service. in a group of four, not one person got there food at the same time. the first entre came before the appetizers! the last entre was received a full 25 min. after the first. all of our food was cold by the time we ate it. after fininshing our meal, we lingered to finish our wine about 10 min. they actually asked us to leave because they needed the table. we were flabergasted. i suggest ordering the food to go & eating in the comfort of your own home. Pros: amazing curry Cons: horrible service more