The Best Thai Restaurants in Portland

Eem

This mash-up of Thai food, Texas-style barbecue, and Polynesian cocktails started as a collab among three local chefs at a food festival. An instant hit, Eem swiftly grew into a brick-and-mortar, local hot spot, and critical darling. The silky white curry, accented by smoky brisket burnt ends, lives rent-free in my mind, and weeks after ordering, I’m still craving the addictively crispy chunks of sweet-and-sour fried chicken, deftly spiced with red curry powder.

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

Chef Nong Poonsukwattana immigrated from Bangkok at age 23 with just $70. After honing her skills in Portland's top Thai kitchens, she launched a wildly popular food cart that quickly drew spiraling lines around the block. Whenever guests come to town, my first priority is treating them to a plate of Nong's Khao Man Gai — tender chicken served with jasmine rice cooked in an aromatic broth. It’s simple yet perfect. Each order comes with a side of the gingery, tangy signature house-made sauce. If you're a condiment maximalist, you'll want to add a full bottle of that sauce to your order.

Thai Peacock

A local favorite since 1999, Thai Peacock masterfully blends Pacific Northwest flavors with homestyle Thai cuisine. Born in Bangkok, restaurateur and chef Chookiat “Ham” Saenguraiporn embraces West Coast ingredients in noodle dishes and curries topped with crispy fried local trout and salmon. On rainy nights, I gravitate to the tom ka, the platonic ideal of sweet and sour coconut soup, followed by a plate of smoky khao pod fried rice, enlivened with heaps of garlic and Chinese broccoli.

Hat Yai

Named after a Southern Thai city known for its street-side fried chicken vendors, Hat Yai offers Malaysian-style curries, fresh roti, and coriander-crusted chicken wings. Order all three in a combo meal so you can rip off a piece of buttery roti, wrap it around a crispy-skinned bite of chicken, and dunk it into the thick gravy-like curry. Hat Yai consistently ranks among Portland’s best restaurants, and chef Earl Ninsom is frequently short-listed for awards, a testament to his undeniable culinary talent.

Khao Moo Dang

Owner Chookiat “Ham” Saenguraiporn’s favorite childhood dish from Bangkok is unsurprisingly the restaurant’s namesake: khao moo dang, with its juicy slices of star-anise-forward pork loin, crispy pieces of pork belly, and savory hunks of salty sausage on a bed of rice. This spot is Portland’s unofficial epicenter of pork, but I counterintuitively often find myself craving an order of their tofu curry noodle, with its springy fried tofu and bright green stalks of yu choy.

Kati

Long before it was a trend, Kati has been a haven for plant-based and vegetarian Thai food seekers. Owner Sarah Jansala, a pharmacist turned restaurateur, was raised in Thailand, where her family owned a vegetarian restaurant. Family is central to this operation, with Jansala’s mother, Renoo Jansala, leading the kitchen as executive chef. I keep coming back for the creamy gang dang curry, with its wedges of deep orange pumpkin, and the garlic and pepper tofu — each square of fried tofu features a flawlessly crispy, seasoned exterior.

Paadee

Acclaimed chef Earl Ninsom has found a home in Paadee for re-creating memorable childhood dishes like khao soi, with its sunny-hued coconut curry broth and toothsome egg noodles. Peek gai tod rivals any chicken wing in town, but I can never decide between the saucy, sticky tamarind glaze and the dry rub of laab spices. Inevitably, I end up inviting a friend over and ordering both to share. In Thai, paa dee means “to bring good things,” and Ninsom is clearly committed to that promise.

Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine

This small chain of unique Thai spots landed international culinary accolades for its quirky spins on Thai curries, noodles, and street food. The Volcano Cup Noodle is served in a red and white styrofoam container made to look like the iconic Nissin Cup of Noodles vessel, filled with spicy fried noodles and topped with a beef short rib that falls off the bone. With menu options like lobster tail pad Thai and a Smurf-hued side of rice, Farmhouse Kitchen is a playful departure from traditional Thai dining. For dessert, I can’t think of a better option in town than their coconut soft serve with crunchy toasted coconut flakes.

Tom Yum Thai Cuisine

A fixture of Southeast Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood, this is my ride-or-die Thai spot, where I can always count on the sauciest drunken noodles and thick yellow curry with generous amounts of potatoes and carrots. Highlights of the menu are often their simplest dishes, like pineapple fried rice that has a surprising amount of char in each bite, and a pad Thai that perfectly balances sweet, sour, and peanutty flavors.

Beau Thai Restaurant

After twenty years in Northwest, Beau Thai recently shifted gears, leaving their dine-in spot to focus solely on takeout and delivery from their new kitchen in SE. A Portland institution, this is where I can always satisfy an egg roll craving; they’ve mastered the filling-to-wrapper ratio. I follow that up with nom jeeb — tender chicken dumplings served with a sweet sesame side sauce (and sometimes the egg rolls get dunked in that, too). For my main course, I opt for their heaping portion of summery basil fried rice.

Sweet Basil Thai

As an unabashed vegetable enthusiast, I’m always impressed by Sweet Basil’s extensive offerings of produce-centric dishes. Owner Supree Smithynuntha is a self-taught chef from Bangkok who learned to cook by rigorously replicating family recipes. For more than two decades, he and his small team of Thai chefs have embraced local vegetables in their Northern Thai-style menu. The khou kai noodles are stir-fried with sturdy lettuce leaves and slivers of green onion, while the avocado noodle curry comes crammed with broccoli and spinach. The stir-fry section of the menu features hearty portions of blistered green beans, a bok choy sauté, and a mélange of veggies aptly named “I Love Veggie.” Same.

Mee Sen Thai Eatery

North Mississippi's beloved Thai spot is renowned for its exceptional pad Thai, zesty herbaceous salads, and customizable noodle soups. Guay tiew rua, featuring thick, chewy strands of flat rice noodles, swims in a tamarind-rich broth that hits every note on your palate. Whether you prefer your noodle dishes stir-fried and saucy or soupy and brothy, Mee Sen’s always hits. Each dish includes bouncy noodles with texturally thoughtful garnishes like crunchy garlic, fried crispy wonton squares, or crackly pork skin.

Kinara Thai

Specializing in Northern Thai cuisine, Kinara’s menu is full of inventive and unexpected dishes. The Kinara Rolls are a deviation from rice-paper-wrapped summer rolls, made instead with crepe-like flour tortillas that envelop shredded duck and crunchy veggies, and served with sweet hoisin for dipping. (Think moo shu, with a Thai bent.) There’s also the khao klloong, a mash-up of fried rice and laab, with stir-fried ground chicken and crispy bits of fried rice grains all bathed in a limey, gingery sauce.

Thai Chili Jam Restaurant

After years of honing her culinary skills in restaurants across Thailand and the U.S., owner Sureewan Allahverdian finally opened this restaurant downtown, thereby realizing her dream of sharing her family’s recipes with the great city of Portland. I’m thrilled by the wide variety of seafood options on offer: drunken noodles topped with sweet, meaty scallops; stir-fried squid in chili jam; and a thick filet of panang curry salmon. Portions are generously sized, so I make sure to invite a few extra guests to my table when ordering from this top-rated Thai restaurant.

Tara Thai

From its busy corner in Northwest Portland, this family-run establishment offers both Laotian and Thai dishes, setting it apart from competing Thai restaurants in the neighborhood. The Lao-style larb features an entire filet of buttery salmon, while the tofu is skillfully batter-fried and encased with flakes of crisped coconut. You’ll also find green curry atop spaghetti; the heft of the Italian noodle works surprisingly well with the assertive chili and ginger flavors.

Red Onion Thai Cuisine

Longtime chef and restaurateur Aut “Dang” Boonyakamol is celebrated for his texturally refined fried, sauced, and stir-fried dishes. The roast duck has a mahogany crackly skin against a lacquered tangerine sauce, while the “Three Flavors Halibut” features shatteringly battered fried fish atop a bed of saucy vegetables. The menu reflects Boonyakamol’s upbringing in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, showcasing regional dishes like stir-fried green curry beef, which captures all the flavor and juiciness of your favorite makrut lime leaf curry without any added coconut milk.

Phuket Cafe

Between Eem, Hat Yai, and Yaowarat, Chef Earl Ninsom is forging a formidable Portland Thai food empire. Phuket might emerge as his crowning glory, with some critics calling it the best Thai restaurant in the nation. The menu reflects Bangkok’s contemporary cuisine with dishes like crispy pork belly fried rice, a superlative prawn and mussel curry, and a striking side of potatoes with a roasty, toasty exterior, coated in yellow curry, and topped with the alluring combination of crumbled fried garlic and lemony Thai basil.

Full Moon Thai

With ten curry options on the menu, this is easily my favorite family-run spot for Thai curry in town. Each recipe has been passed down for generations, and the classic yellow curry is a highlight; it ticks all the comforting coconut and turmeric boxes. It’s also worth venturing over to the stew beef panang curry with its uniquely long-braised, fork-tender spicy pieces of beef in a ginger chili-laden curry sauce.

Mai Thai

I’m here for the appetizers. The Mai Thai spring rolls are delightfully delicate, and the deep-fried prawns are irresistibly crunchy, wrapped in noodle-like wonton skins. I’m obsessed with their take on crab rangoon: Instead of a pouch-like dumpling, the crunchy crab cheese rolls come in an egg roll shape, providing a superior ratio of crispy golden outer layer to creamy filling. Along with all the apps, order up Bangkok street food like the savory duck noodle soup topped with fresh herbs and chile and the khao soi (curried egg noodle soup).

Yaowarat

Opened in 2024, Yaowarat is chef and restaurateur Earl Ninsom’s newest hit. Here, he’s offering an ode to the often overlooked mash-up of Thai-Chinese cuisine from Bangkok’s Chinatown. Quintessential Chinese-style silky mapo tofu in a spoonable gravy pairs seamlessly with an order of fat, chewy rice noodles in the kuay teow kua gai. Toasted buns for dessert are a revelation; the buttery dough is reminiscent of the flakiest croissants and comes with grassy pandan custard.

Cha’Ba Thai

Chef and owner Aut 'Dang' Boonyakamol has solidified his reputation as one of the city's top Thai restaurateurs with both Cha’Ba and Red Onion Thai. Born and raised in Chiang Mai, he spent his childhood in the kitchen, diligently grinding chili paste for his mom instead of playing outside like the other kids. This foundational familial education in spice is evident in his soups, stir-fries, and particularly in the hot and aromatic gang pah. If you or your guests aren’t keen on coconut milk dishes, this stir-fried curry is a must-order.

Pinto Thai

As one of Portland’s most popular food trucks, Pinto Thai embraces the city’s tradition of serving exceptional food from tiny spaces. While the kitchen might be small, the menu is sizable, featuring both familiar Thai dishes and fusion options. For starters, the panko-breaded golden calamari holds up to any Italian version in town. For your main, their unique twist on pad Thai has garnered a local following for its nutty noodles topped with jelly-like slices of young coconut in housemade tamarind coconut sauce.

Sunee Thai & Lao Kitchen

Serving Thai and Laotian cuisines, this central SE spot offers a highly customizable menu that’s made them popular with both carnivores and vegans — fish sauce can be easily omitted in any curry or noodle dish if requested. As an omnivore, I'm drawn to the house specialty pad phet pla duk, with crispy bites of spiced catfish stir-fried with vegetables, lime leaf, and sweet coconut milk. Whenever I see wings on the menu, I have to order them, and Sunee's always maintain their miraculous crispiness despite being generously sauced.

Chang Thai

At this unassuming Milwaukie Thai restaurant they’re serving up homey stir-fries, curries, and fried rice. Head straight to the house specials section on the menu to order their gai gra time, deep-fried chicken pieces stir-fried in garlic sauce served over shredded cabbage with rice — it reminds me of a Thai take on Chinese sesame chicken in the best possible way. For something a little lighter, there’s the avocado salmon curry with plump pieces of fish in a bright green curry sauce.

Bang Bang

Bang Bang's menu, designed to be enjoyed alongside a well-crafted adult beverage, often inspires me to invite friends over for an impromptu mid-week dinner party. Order the drunken chicken wings, french fries topped with chili aioli, and a variety of meaty grilled skewers for a spread of handheld sweet and savory bites. Cocktails-to-go are part of the draw here, and I refuse to gate-keep their summery tart passion fruit daiquiri. For a sweet bite, I love the rich and creamy vegan rice pudding parfait with juicy mango preserves and cashew brittle.

Drunken Noodle

University of Portland students loyally line up at this local spot for the namesake drunken noodles — springy stir-fried rice noodles mixed with heaps of wok-charred broccoli and bell peppers. Golden fried tempura shrimp, a nod to Japanese cuisine, seamlessly complements any Thai-spiced noodle dish. The college crowd knows that the cure for a long drunken night is the best drunken noodles.

Khamdee

Beaverton’s buzzy Thai spot is an homage to the owner’s father, who still resides in Northern Thailand but continues to share recipes and guidance from back home. Loyal customers know Khamdee for its bubbly soups and creamy golden khao soi nuea, with its meltingly tender coconut-milk-braised beef topped with pickled mustard and fried egg noodles. I’m always on the hunt for great Thai stir-fries, and their Kraprao-Hang-Kai-Dow is now at the top of my list, with its staggering amount of bold Thai basil-smothered minced chicken.

Siam Umami

It's hard to ignore when a restaurant prioritizes fun, and Chef Tong's culinary POV is like a joyride into royal Thai cuisine: whimsical coconut milk mashed potatoes are piped into a soft serve ice cream-like swirl, and ethereally stuffed zucchini come wrapped in a paper-thin omelet package. I audibly gasped opening up my order of deep purple-hued chor muang dumplings, meticulously shaped into flowers and filled with pork. Even the less visually striking dishes have a wow factor, like the lush and subtly sweet pork belly, which is braised in coconut water and embellished with blossom-like rounds of pickled zucchini.

RukDiew

This perpetually crowded Belmont spot focuses on homestyle Thai food inspired by owner Poomipat “Pat” Thaithogsuk’s mother’s cooking. RukDiew means “one love” in Thai, and the menu features Thaithogsuk’s childhood comfort foods, like pineapple fried rice complexly graced with yellow curry spices and punctuated with raisins and cashews. I am also loyal to the trout pad Thai, with its peanutty noodles topped with a big hunk of crispy, thinly breaded, fried fish.

Nakhon Sawan

This Richmond neighborhood mainstay exudes mom-and-pop charm and delivers on classics like pad see ew and red curry. Look closer, and you’ll find elegant flourishes in the eye-catching butterfly tom yum noodle soup with its rainbow of ingredients, including Chinese-inspired red-ringed BBQ chicken, violet-dyed rice noodles, a halved egg, and chopped cilantro. Their larb holds the top spot for my favorite in town, with its assertive lime flavor mixed with nutty ground rice.

Ladda Thai House

Ladda Thai House has the vibe of an undiscovered neighborhood gem on the brink of blowing up. Whenever I'm craving crab rangoon, this is my first stop for perfectly crispy, pouch-shaped dumplings generously filled with crab meat and cream cheese. Their noodles and curries are consistently well-executed, but it's worth exploring the house specials, such as the crispy honey duck served atop a bed of greens and thick-stemmed broccoli or the fiery grilled King salmon filet topped with a red chili-forward curry.