Phenomenal food, exceptional service! Kham took such great care of us and was so knowledgeable about the food. Tom Kha was outstanding. Spring rolls were fresh (ordered a second round), papaya salad was like homemade. Fish cakes with fresh relish were tasty. Fresh young coconut—enjoyed every drop. Mango sticky rice and fried bananas were tasty desserts. Can’t wait to go back.

This place is a hidden gem! Our group of four ordered Fried Tofu, Sour Pork Ribs, Lao Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Seafood, Fried Fish Laab, and Mango Sticky Rice—every dish was bursting with authentic flavors, just like being back in Thailand.
(I wpersonally prefer Lao-style Papaya Salad, so I ordered that, but given how authentic everything else was, I’m sure their Thai version is great too.)

At first, we weren’t sure what to expect since the restaurant was empty and the decor wasn’t impressive, but the food far exceeded our expectations. The staff was friendly, and parking at the rear was convenient.
Highly recommend!

Best thai restaurant in the metro. I haven't been to every thai restaurant, but I've been to dozens, and this mom and pop shop is doing something special. I implore you to eat here.

Service was great! The server was attentive. We were greated as soon as we got in. Water was brought out fairly quickly. Ordered our entrees which came out pretty quick. A cozy Cafe to enjoy a quick meal. Only reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars is it seemed like the spring rolls were pre-made because the wrap was cold and a bit hard---not overly hard. It would've tasted better if it was made fresh as soon as we ordered it. The spring roll was a bit small compared to other spring rolls I've had at other restaurants. I wanted to give this cafe a try. Overall, it wasn't so bad.

My husband and I had the Laos papaya salad (4/5 spice), dried noodles (3/5 spice) and beef laab (3/5 spice). The food was amazing!! The spice and flavor was on point! The service was excellent!!
The owner was very personable and met our needs to the best of his abilities. My husband wanted raw laab, but he couldn’t serve it raw, so he made it medium rare.
The atmosphere was casual but a little small; if I would’ve brought my family there, it would’ve been difficult to seat everyone.
Lunch hour. Reasonable price. Parking was not an issue.

Thai Café is the best Thai food in the Twin Cities area. Every entree and appetizer I’ve tried is delicious (and they have the best bubble tea). The staff are genuine, kind, and sweet. The service is great too. I could not recommend this restaurant enough!

Do not let the unassuming storefront presentation fool you. This is some of the best Thai food in the Twin Cities. Our family has now eaten in or been there a half dozen times in the last year or so. The quality of the food and the taste is always outstanding. Low marks for atmosphere, but I find that to be part of the charm. The early closing hours are a bit of a bummer, but if you find yourself on University Avenue, this is an outstanding place to get a great meal. The Panang Curry and Ginger Stir Fry are standout dishes.

Went for a late lunch. Greeted by the owner; super friendly and inviting. Ordered 4 main dishes to explore. Everything was superb! Great flavors well balanced. Sour pork is incredibly succulent. Easily the best Thai in the metro! Excited to get back for more adventures! Thanks for everything

This place is a hidden gem! Our group of four ordered Fried Tofu, Sour Pork Ribs, Lao Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Seafood, Fried Fish Laab, and Mango Sticky Rice—every dish was bursting with authentic flavors, just like being back in Thailand.
(I wpersonally prefer Lao-style Papaya Salad, so I ordered that, but given how authentic everything else was, I’m sure their Thai version is great too.)

At first, we weren’t sure what to expect since the restaurant was empty and the decor wasn’t impressive, but the food far exceeded our expectations. The staff was friendly, and parking at the rear was convenient.
Highly recommend!

Best thai restaurant in the metro. I haven't been to every thai restaurant, but I've been to dozens, and this mom and pop shop is doing something special. I implore you to eat here.

Do not let the unassuming storefront presentation fool you. This is some of the best Thai food in the Twin Cities. Our family has now eaten in or been there a half dozen times in the last year or so. The quality of the food and the taste is always outstanding. Low marks for atmosphere, but I find that to be part of the charm. The early closing hours are a bit of a bummer, but if you find yourself on University Avenue, this is an outstanding place to get a great meal. The Panang Curry and Ginger Stir Fry are standout dishes.

Great thia food. The noodle soup is excellent and my personal favorite is the pineapple fried rice.

Phenomenal food, exceptional service! Kham took such great care of us and was so knowledgeable about the food. Tom Kha was outstanding. Spring rolls were fresh (ordered a second round), papaya salad was like homemade. Fish cakes with fresh relish were tasty. Fresh young coconut—enjoyed every drop. Mango sticky rice and fried bananas were tasty desserts. Can’t wait to go back.

Service is great and the food is very tasty. Would highly recommend. The restaurant is smaller with limited tables.

Consistent caring and I love rhe green curry soup I have it wen I feel sad it's like an inside hug

WILDLY delicious!!! The tendon soup tastes so healthy and decadent at the same time. The sour pork is so well spiced. Amazing! (Ordered takeout and it all stood up well to the journey home!)

The Yellow Curry reminded me of Thailand. A certain richness that isn’t always tasted in America

Love their food and the owner customer service. He always smiles, greet, and ask how can he help you. Went there during Mekong Night Market. I would say you must try his food. I got prad-kao-pao, thai papaya, and pork belly laab. The pork belly laab was my favorite (not on their regular menu, but was on the mekong night menu, u would need it special request, also to the owner - please add this pork belly laab on to your regular menu because it's so delicious & addicting that it might just become the popular dish).

Also, their peppers 🌶 don't lie. When I say it's hot, it is hot and not like other restaurants where peppers aren't hot enough. Thai Cafe has the very special pepper level that meets your asian expectations spicy level if you request for your food to be very spicy. I will come back again! Thai Cafe is a hidden gem 💎!

Best pad kra pao I've eaten!

Thai Café is the best Thai food in the Twin Cities area. Every entree and appetizer I’ve tried is delicious (and they have the best bubble tea). The staff are genuine, kind, and sweet. The service is great too. I could not recommend this restaurant enough!

Best Thai food around and there are a lot of option for Thai food in st paul. Atmosphere is lacking but the food more than makes up for it.

My husband and I had the Laos papaya salad (4/5 spice), dried noodles (3/5 spice) and beef laab (3/5 spice). The food was amazing!! The spice and flavor was on point! The service was excellent!!
The owner was very personable and met our needs to the best of his abilities. My husband wanted raw laab, but he couldn’t serve it raw, so he made it medium rare.
The atmosphere was casual but a little small; if I would’ve brought my family there, it would’ve been difficult to seat everyone.
Lunch hour. Reasonable price. Parking was not an issue.

We are still taking about our lunch here. It was so good. Try the Panang curry. Sooooo delicious!

An amazing journey to Theiland for the tastebuds! Absolutely delicious food, made with love and fresh ingredients! Everything was spot on, highly recommend the sour pork, boat noodle soup, and mango sticky rice... Can't go wrong with Massiman curry or pad ka prow either, we will be back!

What a gem! If you like flavor, comfort, Thai food, and supporting local--you must go to this cozy cafe!

The signature pan-fried sour pork ribs paired with garlic, lime, and chilis are exquisite! This is authentic and amazingly flavorful food. The array of curries (creamy massaman), Thai staples (pad ka prow), Noodle soups (Boat Noodle), to fresh spring rolls and succulent mango sticky rice. Every dish has been excellent.
I can't decide to order something new or have the great flavors I've already tried! Thanks to the families that created and sustain this restaurant!

Update 2/23
They had a review in the Tribune, such a great shout out to the owners. Still amazing, delicious and meals cooked with love!

Update 1/24
Still a local favorite

Ignore the slightly divey ambiance. Food is perfect and delicious. Service is ideal.

Food is good. In my opinion, I really like their Thai Boat noodles because they have morning glory(water spinach) in it.

Excellent food and customer service. All of the dishes I've had here were amazing. Very authentic flavors.

Food is either salty or plain. It takes 45 minutes to get our food and water was served 25 minutes after we got seated. You have to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. Kitchen area is just not it compared to dining area.

Stumbled upon this hole in the wall and the food was delicious. The owner was nice and the dining area was clean. We will be returning customers.

Great food and service

Nice folks. My brother and I had lunch here in part because of the Strib review. The sour pork ribs were really interesting and delicious. The fish cakes were good, and the little cucumber chili condiment was bright and tasty. We ordered panang curry with chicken, and this was not good. The chicken was rubbery and mushy. There were a few sad slices of bell pepper, and two makrut lime leaves. No spice, very bland and sad.

The mango sticky rice was delicious.

This is not on par with On's imo.

Delicious food. Amazing staff. I recommend the sour pork and the green curry fried rice (chicken is a must for that dish). Soooooo yummy!

Lived in TH 2 years and I always ate the stir-fry Chinese broccoli with fried pork dish. I have been looking for a similar dish here in MN and finally found the closest to it!
I ordered fried banana as well.

Will be back!

Come once a week for the sour pork ribs and boat noodles.

Their food is very fresh and very flavorful. If you haven't tried their tendon soup. It's a must try. Customer service is great. Me and my little family will be returning customers and I recommend to others to go enjoy their food.

Seriously. So. Good. I especially love the noodle dishes but really nothing is going to disappoint. Love how friendly the staff is too!

Excellent food and cute little place.

Great food but a lousy location and not much of an ambiance. Otherwise, it would be 5 stars.

Good Food, Great People ! My cup of water was never Empty !! Highly Recommanded !!!!!!

This is a hidden gem. So welcoming to everyone who walks in! We came on a Friday at 6 pm, an hour before closing. We ordered Pad Thai, Spring rolls, Boat Noodles, and their signature Sour Pork Ribs. The food was hot and delicious. If you are someone who prefers a more sour pallette like me, this place is a must! If I were to critique one thing, it would be that I prefer my noodles more firm, so the noodles here were a bit too soft for my liking. I loved my experience here and this may be my new favorite place for Thai cuisine in St Paul.

Service was great! The server was attentive. We were greated as soon as we got in. Water was brought out fairly quickly. Ordered our entrees which came out pretty quick. A cozy Cafe to enjoy a quick meal. Only reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars is it seemed like the spring rolls were pre-made because the wrap was cold and a bit hard---not overly hard. It would've tasted better if it was made fresh as soon as we ordered it. The spring roll was a bit small compared to other spring rolls I've had at other restaurants. I wanted to give this cafe a try. Overall, it wasn't so bad.

Rubbery jello chicken as an add on in red curry and fried rice. It was disgusting 🤮. Their chicken needs to be inspected and investigated. It is very suspicious. Rubbery, jelly, no flavor, chicken.
Boba tea wasn't even blended properly and filled to the very top.

Small shop with some great food

We stopped at 1 pm on a Saturday, a week or two after this place was raved about in a local newspaper. We love Thai food, but we weren't impressed here. Only 6 tables, all full and people standing around waiting for takeout and tables. Told not to bother to wait for a table and that takeout would be an hour. We placed a takeout order and left, getting a call it was ready in 45 min. The spring rolls were good, but I was glad I had leftover dipping sauce from a different Thai restaurant. The "signature" ribs order didn't have a lot of meat for the price. They were spicy, which we normally would have liked, but all three of us agreed was "strange" and wouldn't order again. The red and green curries were both thinner and with much less curry flavor than we are used to. The price was narginally less than other Thai restaurants, but the servings were smaller as well. Clearly not how others feel, but "a swing and a miss" for us.

Went for a late lunch. Greeted by the owner; super friendly and inviting. Ordered 4 main dishes to explore. Everything was superb! Great flavors well balanced. Sour pork is incredibly succulent. Easily the best Thai in the metro! Excited to get back for more adventures! Thanks for everything

The food was disappointing. The pork ribs were just OK. And the spring rolls were a little fishy.

Great food and great service. Gluten-free options available.

Amazing food and service

This place is terrible. I saw it get "Best Thai Food in the Twin Cities" from the Strib. Not worth it at all.

I've been to Thailand numerous times. My sister in law and brother live there. She is Thai as well. I eat Thai food every week at restaurants and make it at home with relatives.

This place took 20 mins before I got water, 10 more for a menu, and just wontons took 45mins after I ordered. After what was more than an hour of waiting, I asked for my food to go.

I was told "bad news, they haven't even started yet. Here are your wontons though."

The wontons weren't even cooked through. The outer shell was mushy and the cheese inside was cold.

Never go here. This place deserves to be on a remake of Kitchen Nighmares

The food here has never disappointed. I almost always get fish and it's very tasty. Their Chinese broccoli is very well made
The menu has a good variety of vegetarian and non veg dishes.

Stop in on a Thursday for brunch. Service was fast and staffs were super friendly. Every dish we got was amazing! Will definitely come again when I'm in town.
Favorite dish is the tendon soup!!!!

excellent food, awesome flavors. definitely recommend.

Very friendly service, but the food was bland.

Good establishment for a small place.. good food n tasty.. try the sour pork

The best.

Best fresh spring rolls in town! Top notch massaman curry too!

I’m thai and this has to be the best thai restaurant in the twin cities. We always come here for thai food.

Had an amazing time there! Food was fresh and delicious with flavors. The only thing I wasn't too big of fan of was the Papaya salad. It was too fishy for me. Customer service was great and prices were good too. Highly recommend!

The food is great and the staff is very friendly! I love this place.

Best Thai around. Boat noodle soup could be the best deal in town.

Great food good service

Their sour rib n fried fish are amazing. It a must get dishes.

Really good Thai food. I got the green curry soup with complimentary small bowl of white rice. It was delicious. Got an order of egg rolls (4 finger size egg rolls) which was alright. I'm sadden that they don't have the esan sausage balls anymore.

My ginger stir fry was delicious and fresh. A nice menu and selection and friendly staff!

Came here with a party of 5, place is small but has a homey feel to it. Sour pork is their goto item. Sour and spicy. The boat noodle is spicy and has a good umami flavored. The chicken wings are ok not the best. Owners are really nice people.

Cozy decor and service was splendid. Food was delicious and I would definitely recommend trying the sour pork ribs and chicken laab!

Frequent this small cafe very often due to their delicious food and amazing services.

Great food and wonderful service!!

The Thai Cafe is my favorite Thai restaurant in the Twin Cities.

Right now they only do takeout but it’s worth it.

Today I had the pad ka paw and it was perfect. It’s a common street food throughout Thailand, but is rarely prepared well in the States. The Thai Cafe does it well with Thai chiles, holy basil, minced pork, and a fried egg. They perfectly balance the heat of the chiles, the sweetness of the dark soy, and the saltiness of the fish sauce. All of this topped with a beautiful Thai-style fried egg (soft yolk and crispy edges on the white)…. It’s a wonderful dish delicious and simple. If one ingredient or flavor is out of balance it doesn’t work. There’s nowhere else (that I’ve found) in the Twin Cities where you can get pad ka paw that’s worth eating.

It's frustrating to try understand how a restaurant says they open at 11 am, put it on their door to call their contact number to order for take out, but never answers their phone when you call 5 times, and they don't bother to return your call when you leave a message. Very terrible service!!! 😞

Thank you for the amazing food and dining experience Thai Cafe! It almost felt like a quick trip to Thailand and back The sour pork, laab & curry deep fried fish was delicious and spot on! No other restaurant can replicate it's flavor and taste! The 3 types of pepper available on the table was an added bonus!! Will be trying other dishes next time for sure!

A business is often reflected upon by its owners and those who surround it. Sometimes amazing and sometimes amazingly bad. Thai Cafe is without a doubt the former, simply amazing! If your a food goer or just looking for food in general to eat and have never been to Thai Cafe, then you must go and give it a try. Before Covid and even after, Thai Cafe continues to cook up some of the best food in Minnesota. From their fish cakes and sour pork ribs all the way up to their special entrees, everything will hit home. Awesome down to earth owners and staff who continue to make positive vibes in the food community. Go and give them a try, you won’t be disappointed!

I lived in Thailand teaching English for a year and Thai Cafe makes food that tastes just like the food I ate when I was living there. Definitely the most legit thai food in the Twin Cities. Don’t miss out on their sour pork ribs and the pad gra pow... yum

Best Thai food in Saint Paul!

We ordered from here for everyone in our office today. The food was spectacular! Red Curry, Fried Rice, Chicken Cashew, chicken & broccoli and more. Everyone loved it. This will definitely be in our lunch rotation! Location is easy to find, and the service was friendly and prompt. Thank you Thai Cafe!

We Love Thai Cafe! The flavors and quality are amazing! Give it a try!

Very polite and efficient service, adhering high health standards. Food was excellent and very filling. Great prices too. New favorite, best thai ever!!!

Their glass noodles are the best thai dish anywhere. Also their chicken thai cashew is unbelievable. Never had anything that was less than fantastic. And they are a lovely family!!

Great food. Great customer service!

Real Authentic Thai Foods. The foods are super delicious.

My first time here, the food was absolutely delicious. The food has lots of flavor and the tasted very fresh, everything came out within 5-10 mins. The service was good, we got greeted and seat right away upon arrival.

Delicious food

Tum yum soup delicious

Great food good service

The Panang curry is the best curry of any kind I've ever had. Prices are lower than they should be considering the quality. The people who run the place are extremely attentive and hospitable. This place is punching above its weight.

Edit: TRY THE SOUR PORK RIBS. AMAZING.

My favorite little neighborhood spot. The traditional Thai noodle soup is fantastic.

Delicious! Expect to leave smelling like hot Thai kitchen! I tried the tofu laab for the first time it's so good! It's not completely vegetarian because of the fish sauce but the texture is so good! Sour pork is a must and if you haven't tried their boat noodle or Tom yum noodle you have to try it.

Love the Tom Kha soup and massaman curry! The staff are always very friendly and the service is pretty quick.

Friendly staff, noodle soup with chicken was good. Pad thai, not much flavor

First time going there. The place is tiny but has hreat food. We order 6 different dish to try out and alll satify our taste bud. I ran into some high school friends and they also had good things to say about this place

Their menu doesn't indicate what menu items are vegetarian, but my server (might have been manager) told me that most of the items had fish sauce. He was able to identify what items were vegetarian very quickly (none of the curries). If you are a vegetarian but okay with the fish sauce, then their are a lot of great items, and they can add tofu or mock-dock to most items.
My stir fry didn't look amazing, and some of the vegetables were a bit overcooked, but I was happy that there were a lot of vegetables and the food tasted good.

Best Thai restaurant in the Twin Cities. Food fresh and tasty. Just ordered enough food for 15 people for our Xmas eve dinner.

Brings me right back to Thailand! I've tried other Thai restaurants in town and none of them taste as flavorful and consistent as this place. Every single time I eat there it taste the same. It's so consistent that it taste like it was my first time. My only to go spot for Thai food in town.

Great little Thai cafe about 20 seats and cozy but a friendly crowd. Pad Thai was excellent.

Quantity was great but flavor was a bit weak. Staff was very nice.

This is our favorite Asian restaurant in St Paul. The owner is so friendly, and I haven't had a single dish that wasn't good. My personal favorite is the house noodle soup (tom yum noodle soup). I must have had it at least 10 times, and I've only lived here for about a year!

Super tiny so you almost miss it. Don't! It is small but mighty. Delicious food!

Food is rich and tasty! Especially love chicken pad se ew and egg rolls. Been ordering these two items for lunch every time I get a chance to.

it taste sooo good！ａ little sweet and ａ little spicy which ｉ can just handle，very flavorful。good service，waiting time around 10-15 minutes after order the food，ｉ feel okay about that。Definitely I will recommend to my friends，bring my friends to eat here again！ｉ very like the food here

Best boat noodles in the Twincities.

Amazing food !

I missed the place the first time by, but I'm so glad that I turned around to look for it again because the food was really good!

The place itself is fairly small and seats probably about 20-25 people.

They had a lot of great selections for food, and the menu had quite a few pictures to help in choosing your meal.

The waitress was extremely nice and helpful in determining which of the two choices I had narrowed it down to, to go with. I was not disappointed!

The food was excellent and tasted fresh. I'd definitely recommend going here!

A lot of people would call this a place a dive. Excellent authentic food.

Great hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a variety of vegetarian options, fast service, reasonable portions, and fair prices. We ordered the green curry and Pad Kee Mao - the curry was deeply flavored and full of delicious vegetables. The stir-fried noodles were cooked beautifully and seasoned well. We will definitely come back to try the 30 other menu items that looked irresistible.

Great food and atmosphere

No thanks

This restaurant has definitley been added to my rotation. My husband and I love the sour pork. It's soo delicious. We always eat it all up. There's some garlic, lime leaves, and pepper in it and we even eat that up. Never seen this dish at any other restaurant. The owner is always really friendly. He always greets us with a smile and is super nice.

On's Thai Kitchen is the most popular Thai restaurant in the area, but is frequently overcrowded and food takes a long time to get out at peak lunch and dinnertime.

Thai Cafe is a much smaller restaurant but the dishes are just as good, cheaper, and some are even better! I highly recommend the Curry Fish! Best Thai dish I've had in a long time.

The owner is also a really nice and funny guy. Just be careful about the seating as the dining area is rather small, but still check it out!

I will go everyday. Heaven yeah

First time trying this place. Their fried rice was the best I've had in St. Paul(only other place that was this good was on the east coast.). Pork belly with greens was very good also. Girlfriend had the pad thai and said it was okay. 5 stars because a great cozy place to have a great lunch or dinner!!! Would recommend!!!(sorry I didnt take pictures before i ate some. I was hungry!)

We were visiting from out of town and this place happened to be nearby. The manager was absolutely wonderful, greeted everyone as they came in and clearly took pride in his job and loved it. Not to mention the absolutely delicious food!!! We were a group of 5 and we all could not get enough of the delicious food. Highly recommend.

Best Curry

Ordered a regular Pho (They only have one size) with extra meat and noodles. Got charged almost double for the extra noodles and meat (I did not mind), but when it came out, it looked like a small kids meal.

This place is like a hidden gem! My favorite is the Sour pork, like a carnival in my mouth.

Foods were good, must try sour ribs, red curry, fried rice, pad thai, they cook not too much oil like others.

Plus score: the only restaurant do not use MSG for their cooking (or just a tiny amount of MSG)

Minus score: they uses cheap rice (extra rice) hope the chef will consider to change kind of better rice to make their dishes more tastety and perfectly...

I go to Thai Cafe when I want to feel like a very congenial Thai couple adopted a large, grumpy white child, and I was that child, and that they fed that child meals made from love and delicious ingredients from a faraway land. Sure, the facade fades a little bit when I have to pay them, but if anyone including your real parents makes you pineapple fried rice that good, and you DON'T pay them... son, you're going straight to jail.

Best Thai place I have been to so far. The food was amazing!!!

Great service and good meeting place.

Great food but kinda high prices

The food is amazing, large portions, and authentic spice levels. The curries are yummy, soups are great, and the papaya salad is epicly delicious! Most places I have to tell them Thai Spicy and still add chilly, this place I did 3 of 5 spicy and it was plenty. :)

Super friendly owners and food is fantastic! Make time to wait if they're full, it's worth it.

Amazing food! Great service. Curry was fantastic!! Coming back when in town again.

Sour pork ribs. Eat them.

Pho broth is delicious, you don't have to add any condiments or sauce.

So delicious! I had the boat noodles, papaya salad, and fish cake. I reccomend getting it all, can't wait for my next visit 🤤

I go here on the regular because the staff makes you feel very welcome! Not only that, but the food is soooo good. I love the curries they make, and the soups!

Delish

Im giving this place a 3 star because the food was good, but its nothing special. I wish the menu was a little bigger. Service was ok, the server didnt give me my condiments.

Good was served promptly and very hot. The spice levels are actually legitimate. I ordered the Thai papaya salad at a level three and it actually had a nice burn. I will be going back for sure.

Great customer service, awesome food and orders got to the table timely.

Excellent food, really fresh

First visit in last. Two years. Waiter very helpful. Loved thai tea. Had 2 glasses. Pictures help you choose food. I spent 51.00 for 3 of us.

Fast, friendly service and the food was delicious. They had sticky rice available to go with the som tam

I was impressed at how this small place handled a lunch rush. Two large parties of 6+ arrived just before we did, still, our orders were taken quickly and food arrived quickly. The pho smelled wonderful and was full of Chinese cabbage, meatballs and shrimp. I will go back and try a while fish dish.