This is my favorite Thai restaurant. The food was fresh and delicious. The service was fantastic. We loved our experience and will definitely come here again.

Delicious (and quite filling) Thai food, and a welcomed new addition to the Woodcroft shopping complex!

We've been in need of a good Thai restaurant for some time in the area, and being a smaller hole-in-the-wall place, this cozy restaurant provides a great service for the neighborhood. The menu is simple, with mostly soup or noodle based dishes, but still has plenty to choose from. We got the fried chicken wontons as an app, and Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai for our main, and everything was so flavorful and very well portioned. I loved the Thai iced tea as well (right balance of sweetness).

The owner was very kind and attentive, sharing about his family and wanting to open the restaurant in the area. We'll definitely be back (helps being just down the road)!

The food was so delicious!! I ordered the pink noodle bowl and it was so good! Will have to come back again and try different ones!

The owner was present and was very welcoming and attentive to my experience. He let me know that this was their 7th day of operation, which was also fortuitous as I just walked in right after they had unlocked the doors. Within 5 minutes I had a plate of Pad Thai and a Thai tea, hand delivered by the owner, who I can tell takes pride in his business. The Pad Thai is really good with a deep flavor owing most likely to using the correct amount of fish sauce, and the Thai tea was the vibrant orange color I've come to look for in good Thai tea. The flavor was good, with notes of black tea and marshmallows, with a great balance between the sweet and bitter.

All in all, if you're craving the cuisine, Hope Cafe is a great local restaurant to support and eat at!

Excellent. They have a few things on the menu that I have never seen at other Thai places. The khao soi (curry noodle dish) is my favorite so far. The Thai tea is becoming a near daily thing for me. The owner is in there all the time and has great customer service; love to see that.

I was thrilled to discover Hope Cafe, a new Thai restaurant in town, and it certainly exceeded my expectations! I was warmly welcomed by the owner. The owner is very kind and personable. I ordered the Pad Thai, and it was nothing short of spectacular—rich with flavor and perfectly balanced. It’s nice perfect spot for a casual meal, located near a pub and bar, and conveniently set up not too far from I-40. I can't wait to return and explore more of their delicious menu. Hope Cafe is a true gem!

I love this place for some authentic Thai cuisine. The food is very delicious and plenty full and not stingy with the servings. The restaurant is very clean, nice and cozy. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. This will be a favorite spot for me to go and eat.

I had a wonderful experience here!! I lived in Thailand for 10 years, and I consider it my home. Often I look for restaurants that remind me of home, and not the Americanized version. I met Paul (I’m sorry if I spelled that wrong!) and he was so incredibly friendly and hospitable! The food was delicious, he had wonderful energy to be around. I found out that they are new, which shocked me! I would absolutely recommend this place, great food, service, and price! I look forward to seeing their success!

I have been in Durham area so many years and I have tried many Thai restaurants in RTP, this new Thai restaurant surprises me. I ordered the red soup noodle (Yen Ta Fo), one of my favorite Thai dish which is very hard to find the good one and drunken noodle. Both dishes are perfect and very delicious. I didn’t even need to add more seasonings to it. The cook and the owner were very friendly. I definitely recommend this place and will surely come back to try more of their menu.

I had the Tom Kha with chicken and Pot stickers, and the Drunken noodles. It was all so good! I originally stopped here for Thai tea and it smelled so good, me and bf couldnt resist ordering. Im so glad to have a good Thai place near my home now. The person attending us was so kind and generous.

Update: Owner replied to this review, claiming I did not pay for my meal, so I had to check my debit card records, and it shows that I paid on Feb. 13. I've attached a screenshot from my bank to prove. I don't know why owner is accusing me of not paying when I did.
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| Overview

+ Easily customize spice levels with available sauces
+ Fast & friendly customer service
+ Chicken in Drunken Noodle is tender
+ Authentic Thai noodle dishes
- Owner claimed I did not pay in reply to the original draft of this review but I paid (I can prove with debit card records)
- Menu is limited; no Thai curries
- Drunken noodle is not worth $16+ in my book
- Thai tea is served in cheap glass

| Full Review

Hope Cafe is a newly-opened mom-and-pop Thai restaurant located in the Woodcroft shopping complex. The owner was super-friendly; we had a good conversation about Thailand.

Sadly, I was surprised to see how limited Hope Cafe's menu was - just mostly Thai noodle dishes headlined by Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles. When I asked the owner if they have any Thai curry dishes, he said they are planning to eventually add them, but I was upset that they didn't have them when I went. To me, having at least 2 choices of Thai curry dishes should be a standard in any authentic Thai restaurant, and the best ones I've been to, serve them delightfully. This is the first purely Thai restaurant I've been to that doesn't offer curry dishes.

I went during weekday lunch time; there was one other customer there, and I noticed the small ambiance lacked decor; no visuals to remind me of Thailand's rich culture. This restaurant didn't have any lunch specials.

I asked the owner his recommendation; he said the Drunken Noodle, so I ordered that with chicken as my protein choice ($16) and a glass of iced Thai tea ($4). Other protein choices for the noodles are beef or shrimp ($17), and mixed vegetable or tofu ($15).

* Thai Iced Tea

The glass of iced Thai tea arrived to my table right away. I've seen taller glasses with more Thai tea in other restaurants that are worth about the same price; the taste of this one was typical and balanced with the right amount of sweetness and ice. The cheap-looking glass kind of ruined my mood to enjoy one of my favorite drinks. Compare that to Thai Station's slender glass (which I previously reviewed with 5 stars), and it just made me think that Hope Cafe didn't seem to care about the visual details of a customer's dine-in experience.

* Drunken Noodle

As someone who's tried a good amount of pad thai and drunken noodles from various Thai restaurants, Hope Cafe's version failed to meet my expectations for a $16 noodle dish. The serving amount was surprisingly little; there was no complimentary appetizer or soup, and the taste wasn't special to justify that amount for that price. I liked how the chicken was tender and the flavors were well-balanced. I got more value from a $12+ lamb & chicken over rice from the Tasty Halal food truck (I know totally different types of food but this comparison proves a fair point).

The owner placed 4 small sauce containers for me to adjust my Drunken Noodles' taste: chili, chili sauce, vinegar, and sugar. I added a bit of chili sauce, but didn't use any of the other ones.

If you really enjoy eating drunken noodles or pad Thai and don't mind the lack of value from Hope Cafe's noodle dishes, you might think this is acceptable, but I'd rather spend that amount in a Thai restaurant that could offer more in terms of both quality, quantity, and menu choices.

When I was about to leave, the owner was kind enough to give me a small takeout cup of iced Thai Tea for free. I thanked him for the meal. As much as I wanted to spread the word about a new Thai restaurant in Durham, this one failed to give me hope to return.

| Overall Score: 1.7/5

Service is really fast and friendly and the food is really really good

very delicious tom kha and drunken noodles, i appreciated the big chunks of chicken! not flat chicken like some places. and the service was very heart warming 💕💕 khap kun ka!

Delicious and sure to become a neighborhood staple. Excellent larb chicken and tom yum soup!

This is the go-to spot for authentic Thai noodles in town! The owner is super thoughtful and provides great service. The yentafo with egg noodles was amazing—definitely coming back for more

Our meal was outstanding - the Khao soi in particular was excellent, and the Tom yum noodle soup was great. We are lucky we live around the corner and we will definitely be back!

Great food. Paul, the owner, was very friendly and talked with us about soccer, his family, and his plans for the restaurant. The pad Thai was excellent.

This is my favorite Thai restaurant. The food was fresh and delicious. The service was fantastic. We loved our experience and will definitely come here again.

I love this place for some authentic Thai cuisine. The food is very delicious and plenty full and not stingy with the servings. The restaurant is very clean, nice and cozy. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. This will be a favorite spot for me to go and eat.

One of the best restaurant The food was absolutely amazing 👏.
The atmosphere is very chill, and the service is excellent. If you are thinking of visiting this restaurant, go and enjoy it.
10/10

Very good food, service, and fast! I ordered Thai iced tea, drunken noodles, spring rolls. The drunken noodles were a perfect balance of spiciness. The staff is very welcoming and kind. Nice addition to the Woodcroft/Hope Valley area. 💯

Excellent. They have a few things on the menu that I have never seen at other Thai places. The khao soi (curry noodle dish) is my favorite so far. The Thai tea is becoming a near daily thing for me. The owner is in there all the time and has great customer service; love to see that.

Original Thai Food, good quality and value for money

Best in the area, super friendly staff, even better food!

Excellent service and food. The Khao Soi is fantastic.

It slaps

Delicious (and quite filling) Thai food, and a welcomed new addition to the Woodcroft shopping complex!

We've been in need of a good Thai restaurant for some time in the area, and being a smaller hole-in-the-wall place, this cozy restaurant provides a great service for the neighborhood. The menu is simple, with mostly soup or noodle based dishes, but still has plenty to choose from. We got the fried chicken wontons as an app, and Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai for our main, and everything was so flavorful and very well portioned. I loved the Thai iced tea as well (right balance of sweetness).

The owner was very kind and attentive, sharing about his family and wanting to open the restaurant in the area. We'll definitely be back (helps being just down the road)!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Thai Pho dish that I ordered today. You can really taste and smell the ginger and cinnamon in the broth. It was delicious! I wish I had taken a picture before eating it all. Would recommend!

P.S. The Staff were incredibly friendly and charming.

I was thrilled to discover Hope Cafe, a new Thai restaurant in town, and it certainly exceeded my expectations! I was warmly welcomed by the owner. The owner is very kind and personable. I ordered the Pad Thai, and it was nothing short of spectacular—rich with flavor and perfectly balanced. It’s nice perfect spot for a casual meal, located near a pub and bar, and conveniently set up not too far from I-40. I can't wait to return and explore more of their delicious menu. Hope Cafe is a true gem!

I had a wonderful experience here!! I lived in Thailand for 10 years, and I consider it my home. Often I look for restaurants that remind me of home, and not the Americanized version. I met Paul (I’m sorry if I spelled that wrong!) and he was so incredibly friendly and hospitable! The food was delicious, he had wonderful energy to be around. I found out that they are new, which shocked me! I would absolutely recommend this place, great food, service, and price! I look forward to seeing their success!

The owner was present and was very welcoming and attentive to my experience. He let me know that this was their 7th day of operation, which was also fortuitous as I just walked in right after they had unlocked the doors. Within 5 minutes I had a plate of Pad Thai and a Thai tea, hand delivered by the owner, who I can tell takes pride in his business. The Pad Thai is really good with a deep flavor owing most likely to using the correct amount of fish sauce, and the Thai tea was the vibrant orange color I've come to look for in good Thai tea. The flavor was good, with notes of black tea and marshmallows, with a great balance between the sweet and bitter.

All in all, if you're craving the cuisine, Hope Cafe is a great local restaurant to support and eat at!

The food was so delicious!! I ordered the pink noodle bowl and it was so good! Will have to come back again and try different ones!

My first time experiencing food at Hope Cafe and I had the drunken noodles with chicken and fried wonton w/chicken and it was absolutely amazing!

Excellent foods and service.

wow this is the best Yen Ta Four in town

Fantastic customer service and food! We went with the Drunken Noodles with chicken and Tom Yum Noodle Soup with chicken, and both were tasty. Excited to have Hope Cafe in the Woodcroft Shopping Center!

The owner, Paul of Hope Cafe was so hospitable and Chef Ray an excellent cook of authentic Thai cuisine, that I will be back

This Drunken noodle is very delicious. I am glad that hope valley has a new Thai restaurant.

ประทับใจมากๆค่ะ

First time coming here.
Amazing noodles I ever had in NC.
Super delicious food & great service & good atmosphere.
Everything tasted fresh and full of flavor
Yentafo tasted amazing 10/10
Pho tasted good 10/10
Pad see ew tasted awesome 10/10

Absolutely will be back to try another menu 😋

Highly recommended.

This restaurant will surprise you, amazing noodles, Exceed expectations, recommendations^^

My friend and i went to today ,we ordered yentafo noodle ,it's so good ,i feel like im in thailand😍, i really liked the noodles. I will definitely be back to try the tomyum noodle soup. The inside atmosphere and cleanliness was amazing and the staff were very helpful and nice. I definitely recommend this place for good eats.