Eastside Thai Restaurant

The Tom Yam and Sesame Chicken were delicious. We were in the area and looking for something Thai and happy we came across this place. Will definitely be back if we are ever this way again. Was not very busy in the restaurant, but they were doing TONS of takeout.

I wish they didn’t have such bad service because their food is actually ok. I dined in and asked for Thai style papaya to go. They brought out Lao style papaya and the ticket even said it was Lao style. The server took the papaya, walked to the kitchen, then came back with the same exact container of papaya and said it was Thai style papaya. Lol. I was in a good mood so I didn’t press them any further and just took the papaya. I returned a week later and ordered Thai style papaya for pick up and lo and behold! They actually gave me Thai style papaya. You can tell the Thai style is a lot lighter than the Lao style. They’re both good, but some people just prefer the less fishy Thai version.

Appetizers: cream cheese wontons (I’m not a fan of cream cheese but my friend rates them 10/10) Spring rolls w/ no lettuce. (I loved this, I don’t like lettuce because it’s always being recalled. The peanut sauce really complimented these). Main: Combination pho (Fair warning the shrimp come with tail on, so I recommend removing before you start eating. The broth is rich and flavorful, you won’t even feel like you need to add anything to your pho!)

We’ve been here a few times for lunch. Bathroom is downstairs. Limited parking. They do have Pho and tri color even though this is more of a Thai place. Pho is probably better elsewhere but it’s not terrible.

This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants. The food is fabulous and big portions. It's not close to my house so sadly I don't get there often. Love the Loa Green Salad. The Drunkards Noodles were wonderful their pork belly. Family also loved the shrimp fried rice and Pad Thai.

As a pho lover, a good friend brought me here to try something different (Thai/Hmong style) from the classic Vietnamese pho. Ordered combination pho which includes beef slices, beef meatballs and pork belly. Very tasty. Doesn’t need any other condiments besides lime or mint according taste otherwise maybe a bit too salty. Would definitely come back again.

I've been going here for years. If you are tired of sweet, light pho and need something beefy, this is the go-to. Small, family-friendly restaurant.

I've been going here for many years. Food is always wonderful, flavorful, and served in proper temperature

We went to Eastside Thai for the first time last night. I had high hopes but they were not met. We were so disappointed with the food. The Thai egg rolls were the only decent thing. I had the red curry with beef and my husband had the pad Thai. I have never had curry like this before as it seemed like it was thickened way too much with flour (or something similar). If the food is great, I rarely am bothered by the ambiance. But it is cramped and dirty. I can not recommend.

Great services an amazing food . The egg rolls were steaming hot with great flavor and the cream cheese wontons were thick and creamy . The Pho had a great flavor but my favorite was the pineapple curry chicken it was tasty . Will definitely be back sooner than later

Food is way to salty Pad Thai has no flavor Egg roll stuff is to wet The curry taste like every other Hmong restaurant curry and the PHO taste like they add to much paste in it

My favorite Thai restaurant. I always get the chicken Thai red curry. I've driven 30 minutes just to eat here! Best red curry in the twin cities. No one else compares!

The red curry is great. A friend has recommended for me to try Laab or Larb and so I did. The fish sauce is definitely an acquired taste but over all I liked the laab served here. The appearance could use some work such as walls could use new paint, some cleaning near the floors on the walls, and reupholster some cusions. But otherwise the aesthetic would be nice.

I was on the lookout for the best fried rice in the Twin Cities and I've found it! I've heard great reviews about their fried rice before so I had to try it for myself. Went to this restaurant a week ago and am ready to go back already! I ordered their Crispy Pork Belly Fried Rice and the flavors blew me away!! The pork belly was crispy and the fried rice, just wow (honestly lost for word because of how great it was). I would highly recommend this or their Thai Holy Basil Fried Rice. The service was slightly slow but understandable due to how busy they were. The food definitely made up for the slow service. The bathroom is located downstairs (unisex). Decent size and well maintained. Well stocked on toilet paper, paper towel and hand soap! Cannot wait to go back there!

Ordered the pork belly fried rice (through Grub Hub). I wish the pork belly wasn't chopped up in huge chunks and less dry. Other than that - still taste the same from back in 2010!

We loved it. We started with the Thai Spring roll, fresh and tasty. The red curry was delicious and my wife's cashew & vegetable stir-fry with tofu was super tasty in its simplicity. The service was very attentive and the place had small and family operated all over it. We really liked it. Thank you, Eastside!!!

Haven't been here for a long time due to slow service. Service was slow again. Bad idea coming back. I guess the only good thing about this place is the food.

Fried rice and pad Thai are my kids favorite and they don't disappoint. Love the yam beef and the Thai style pho which is delicious with pork belly. Love this place and I've been coming here for over 15+ years.

I ordered delivery so can't speak to the current ambience or service. Pad see ew with tofu was disappointing. Bland flavor; thin noodles; hardly any egg, tofu, or broccoli; and they use American broccoli instead of Chinese broccoli. I was very underwhelmed and will probably not return. Can't remember what my partner ordered but she was also not impressed. Overall impression: very meh.

I was anxious to return to this restaurant after a year since my last visit. I ordered a simple dish of Chinese broccoli and crispy pork belly. The food itself was delicious and I was enjoying it right up on the point I found the hair in my mouth from the last bite I had taken. My server was apologetic enough and took the meal off of the tab. But it was the intestinal distress I suffered approximately an hour and a half later that prompted this review. The combination of the hair and the diarrhea screams dirty kitchen and I will not be back

Love love Eastside Thai food! The crispy pork with the pho is amazing and their pad see yew always taste delish! This is definitely the place to go to.

This food was atrocious. The meat was overcooked. This rice is very greasy. Omfg I will never eat their food again even if was free next time. This is poor quality ingredients and if you're the type to look at nutrition labels this place ain't for you. This is for people who don't know any better and that's ok. PLEASE DONT LET THE PHOTOGENIC PICS TRICK YOU! THIS FOOD IS TERRIBLE! Usually I won't say anything but don't waste your time.

I got drunken noodles. First, the food was very good and a large portion. Not to mention, the price was lower than most comparable dishes at other Thai restaurants. The vibe is dirty and the service is slow. So if you want really good food for a great value and don't care about the aesthetic and service, you will love this place!

I'm a lover of Thai cuisine, and often feel there's two tiers of Thai in MPLS. You have On's Kitchen (On University Ave), and everybody else. With that being said, Eastside Thai is the next best thing that I've experienced. The gamechanger is their crispy pork belly. It appears on many different dishes, but I ordered it on the fried rice. It is VERY good. It has the texture of bacon without the saltiness. It's served in big chunks too! They didn't offer/ask what spice level we wanted our dishes and they were served very weak and semi-bland. However, the spice rack is at the table and that filled the gap and also allowed shared plates to actually be shareable.

I was excited to try this restaurant because it has so many rave reviews, unfortunately I was sadly disappointed. The Thai eggrolls had minimal taste other than the oil they were fried in and the pork belly fried rice was greasy, the pork belly was very tough and hard to chew. I had my order to go thankfully, because the restaurant was unkept and dingy. I will not be returning to this establishment.

I've been here many times because it's near my workplace and overall think it's good but definitely not the best Thai food in the Twin Cities. Although I like the papaya salad (both Thai and Lao style), lately I've been finding it inconsistent. The appetizers like the papaya salad and egg rolls are pricey compared to other places but I like the fish curry the most and chicken pad thai (although it's not sweet, sour and salty like traditional pad thai should be)- the pad thai is more like just oily fried noodles). Another downside is that rice is not included in some dishes like the curry and laab so you'll have to order if separately if you want it. I say don't bother ordering any of the drinks like the Thai iced tea and tri-color dessert because they're usually watery. TIP- They have a mini parking lot in the back, which usually isnt full, otherwise there is street parking. There is also a gender neutral bathroom but it's downstairs and kind of creepy.

Nice place for a quick fix on southeast Asian food, specifically the noodle dishes. What shines here is the salad section. Laab and papaya salads are not common in most Thai restaurants and is pretty good here. Pork belly is also a feature in their best dishes. Something I enjoy myself. It is a small space and like everything else on the block, parking is limited to the street. Take out is not a bad option here.

Nope not for me. Inside is very small, food 2 thumbs down. Just hope you don't need the restroom when your there.

We have been loyal to Eastside Thai for years. Absolutely love this place. This is our go to take out. Portions are big enough that you can order dinner and have lunch for the next day. I usually order the red curry and am never disappointed. They have lots of vegetarian and vegan options, and all full of flavor! My friend is addicted to their pad Thai and recommends it to everyone.

First time at Eastside Thai and it wasn't bad. There are so many Thai restaurants to choose from so I chose to come here to try it since reviews were seem good. I wasn't the most impressed by the quality of the food. Taste was there in the drunken noodles, but I could tell it wasn't the best quality. Maybe I would come back to try their pad Thai or their other dishes. Their prices were average but I've been to cheaper restaurants with better food too. Thai tea wasn't good, watered down and you only get a small cup. Don't waste time and money on it. Their staff was extremely patient with my friend's strict diet and were super accommodating. Usually you don't see service like that at some Asian restaurants. Overall, not terrible but not amazing.

Terrible terrible service. I've tried to support local businesses during the pandamic, but it is 2022 and the two times I've ordred through them it is delivered at least an hour late. Cold. Never again

My family and I had a late lunch today. We are from Virginia. We ordered Pad -See-Euv beef, Pad Thai chicken, Drunken Noodle beef, and Drunken Noodle chicken. This foods made for Americans. The taste was not what I expected delicious Thai foods. I am not recommended this restaurant.

I've tried this place a few times and every time I am always disappointed. We want to support local businesses which is probably why we keep giving this place another shot, however this will be my last. My order of pho was absolutely disgusting. The aroma was overwhelmingly strong and the broth was just bitter-- definitely not edible. The only thing we like from here is the spring rolls. I will add that their customer service is amazing though. I've never done done-in and only do take out but every time I am greeted with a smile.

Had vermicelli salad.... so good... lots of crispy lettuce... noodles... on the side dressing... meat... diced egg rolls... AMAZINGLY TASTY!!!!

Sometimes when you go to a sketch neighborhood for food you find a diamond in the rough... this was not the case. When you walk in you're greeted by the smell of mildewy basement and something I can only describe as 'public restroom stale urine' odor. Somehow this first impression wasn't enough to turn me away. I ordered the Thai egg rolls and Pad See Yew (the owners' favorite dish according to the menu.) The egg rolls were nice and crispy but incredibly greasy and some of the vermicelli was inedible like hard plastic. The Pad See Yew was one of the blandest dishes I've ever eaten. It literally tasted like boiled chicken and steam in the bag broccoli tossed with flat noodles in the most flavorless greasy brown sauce. I ate 2 bites of each and dropped them in the garbage. No idea if this was just a bad day or I ordered a bad dish but I likely won't go back to find out.

Wow! First time coming hear last night after seeing good reviews and being curious. It's a small little space, PACKED with big, delicious flavor! Ordered the loaded chicken fried rice, along with egg rolls and cream cheese wontons for the apps. Bro got the pad thai and was equally impressed with the food. It was the first time I actually enjoyed an egg roll in my life; I find most are dense and tasteless. This light, airy, crispy, crunchy egg roll they make hear was incredibly good. What really blew me away though was the AMAZING amount of flavor and multitude of notes within each bite of my loaded fried chicken. Flavors on top of flavor, lawdy it was good. Only downside was the service was super slow, and was getting hangry waiting for an waitress to arrive to take our order. But can't really complain because they were busy and hustling, and weren't standing around. Will be back (possibly today!) P.S. Glanced at the previous snobby review of the "Creepy" "Gender neutral" bathroom by the self important reviewer..and I used the bathroom and found it to be clean and functional; the only things that should be required of a bathroom, (unless you're a nasty, virtue signaling slob).

Looks can be deceiving. I was a bit suspect of the restaurant as it appeared small and an older space. My family and I stumbled upon Eastside Thai for a weekend lunch option. Our goal was to find a place with vegan and meat options. We succeeded! Eastside Thai is conveniently located on Payne Ave. There is street parking and a public lot nearby. Everyone in our group was very satisfied with our entrees. We had egg rolls, pad Thai, noodle soup, and cream cheese wontons. I loved the cream cheese wontons and the pad Thai! I also love the option of being able to customize the spice level to any dish. The service and overall experience was great!! I'd definitely go back to Eastside Thai! Support locally owned businesses and eat at Eastside Thai! St. Paul has yummy food!! You just have to be open!

Okay. I am SO happy to have finally found a delicious Thai restaurant. A few months back, I ordered from a restaurant, Sawatdee (DONT EVER ORDER FROM THERE) and it was atrocious. I was a bit skeptical to order from a Thai restaurant here in Minnesota after being spoiled in California. But Eastside Thai did NOT disappoint. The flavors are authentic and it reminded me of the Thai restaurants I used to go to back in CA. The portion size is fantastic. It has lasted my husband and I a few days now, and for the price? Can't beat that. Looking forward to trying more of the menu items!

Good, flavorful food though I would say their food is more on the sweeter side. The restaurant is small and compact--very busy during lunch hours so go early or later. Other cons to this place is the limited street parking and slow service. Other than that, one of my favorite dish is their pho.

Despite only ending up with a bowl of lettuce, boiled beef, and a few pieces of boiled shrimp. I have to give this place 5 stars because their customer service was exceptional! I recently started to do the KETO diet so what I can eat is very limited. I knew going to an Asian restaurant would be quite difficult for me to find anything to eat. Since many Asian dishes have some type of sugars/carbs in them whether it's the sauces they use, noodles, or/and rice dishes. They were very accommodating and tried to help me in anyway so that I could actually eat something. I will go back here again when I can eat more things because everything looked delicious. The prices were very reasonable and portion sizes looked big.

I've tried this place about half a dozen times hoping to experience what folks are giving high marks for but have been disappointed. My noodle dishes (pad kee mao and pad see ew) have all been bland each time. Ordering a lot of takeout because of pandemic so it's discouraging when establishments like this use styrofoam containers which are known to cause risk for cancers. By the time I get home, the box is warped and you can see how the heat has melted the foam into the food.

The simplicity and modest size of this restaurant do not reflect the cuisine. Firstly, you'd better have a HUGE appetite when you arrive. The Pho portions are enormous and while the textures dance on your pallet, the bouquet of flavor in the broth complements with a robust and oily texture. Even though the place was packed my party of three didn't wait more than a minute. As soon as group left their table it was immediately cleaned and placed. I was very impressed with the efficiency and quality of the staff overall. They were all constantly running around and still stopped by our table frequently enough. I will definitely be stopping by again whenever I'm in the neighborhood. I only wish the area was better for small businesses.

I frequent this place often. Prices are fairly cheap and I'm always trying something different on the menu. Today? Thai iced coffee. It was delicious. As in, I sipped the whole thing and didn't even realize I had until I hit bottom--which I don't normally do for any drink. Will definitely get this again! Now a few quips... They must have new staff in the back? My last visit (early January 2018), the kitchen staff forgot the vermicelli noodles in the Thai Vermicelli Salad that I ordered... Easily fixed though. One other issue I have: for some reason, they almost never have mint leaves in stock... which is supposed to top the salad mentioned--makes a big difference in taste. EST, get your act together and make sure your dishes match the descriptions in the menu! Also, if you don't enjoy sudden and cold drafts, don't sit anywhere near the register (where the door opens) during winter.

The service was really good and fast but the Pad See Ew with crispy pork was not good. It was bland and the noodles were thin. They also used American broccoli instead of Chinese broccoli. Highly disappointed as I looked at the reviews and thought this place was legit. My search continues for a good Pad See Ew in the area.

Recent ratings were iffy on this one, but I wanted pho on Monday and our usual spot was closed. We decided to try the beef pho and curry. While the pho was decent but unmemorable, the curry tasted fantastic! Would try them again.

Hunger got you down? Pho-geddaboutit! Eastside Thai rocks. I am surprised it doesn't have better reviews because everything I had was delicious and I can't wait to return to try more! The Massaman Curry (level: spicy) is SO good; the flavors are wonderful and rich and the spice level is perfect. The Pad See Eew is good as well although "Mild" is non-existent in the spice world so I either suggest getting is Medium or get some chili oil on the side to spice it up yourself. Finally, the Lemon Chicken Soup (basically Tom Kha, lemon = lemongrass) is phenomenal. Oh, it was so creamy and delightful and you get a gigantic portion with a side of rice. This could last you days if you decided to pour a little over rice as an entree. Oh, and the straw mushrooms are friggin' MAMMOTH sized. And oh so good. I LOVE straw mushrooms and these babies fit the bill. Prices are comparable to other more popular Thai restaurants - you're gonna fork over about $11-$13 per entree but I think it's totally worth it.

I've ordered so many times from this place. The quality has gone down. Costumer service, in terms of manner is always great. (I've only done take out.) However, packaging for take away needs to be improved. I ordered pick up for me and a couple coworkers this week. One coworker ordered a dish I'd never had, so didn't know what to expect. It had so much juice or broth, it was basically like a soup. They packaged it in a paper fold up box, inside a plastic shopping bag. By the time I got back to the office- the box was coming apart- bottom giving out. The juice was already leaking into the bag. As she went to put it in a bowl, the food spilled into the bag! No common sense to package it that way. That, along with the food itself starting to become not so great (Spring Rolls aren't what they were), and credit card fees, I'm not likely to continue to go there. Unfortunate, as I really like to support neighborhood restaurants.

The flavor was good, however, the ingredients listed on their online menu did not show up in our dish like the slied cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and mint. Instead, we got sliced lettuce greens. The Drunken noodles did not have sweet basil and onions as the menu says. I called to tell them but barely got an apology. Will have to go to other myriads of Thai restaurants in our area instead of this one. Too bad.

The place is very small and dim. Our waiter was friendly and smiled a lot. The food was good, the fresh green papaya salad was delicious, probably the best papaya salad I've had in a while!

Loved it the first time so we went back again! Service speed has greatly improved so they totally deserve 5 stars!! We got the Pad Thai, Pineapple Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Fried Pork Belly Fried Rice. We also got a side of cream cheese Wontons. The rices were delish. Pineapple had a wonderful flavor. The pork belly was good, had a very strong pork flavor but if you love pork you will find it enjoyable. Pad Thai and SAS Chicken were very good too. I lived in Thailand for a bit and I can honestly say this is some of the more authentic Thai food in the cities. Everything was served very fresh and hot And to those who think the neighborhood is sketchy...its not. Its the cities, just as sketchy as in downtown MSP. Give this place a shot, you will be glad you did!

Drunken noodles with fried pork belly was delicious and plentiful. Enjoyed the eggrolls as well. Wish it was closer to home because I'd be getting take out all the time.

Best Thai in Saint Paul after Supatra! Low key setting, good portions, flavors spot on. We ordered the beef pad see ew and green curry chicken and both were bomb.com. The beef in the pad see ew was tender and plentiful. The kid loved the curry and the spice level was just right: fiery enough for a second refill of water, not too spicy that it drowned out the coconut base. Parking was plentiful on the side streets. This works as both a regular dine-in or takeout spot!

Pad thai was alright, I added extra lime, chili and fish sauce because I needed a stronger flavor. However, I did like the color and the noodle texture. I also ordered the Lao papaya salad and requested it to be extra sour, and it wasn't as sour as I had hoped, but I fixed it by squeezing in extra limes I requested. The papaya salad tasted really good, nonetheless--reminded me of the ones from back home. I'd like to come back and try their other dishes such as the curry and drunken noodles because it looked quite goood when I peeked at other tables near me. And maybe their pho (I usually always get pho from a vietnamese place but they have $5 small bowls here hmm). I will bump up to 4 stars if my subsequent meals trying the other items are tasty. Overall, okay pad thai and good enough papaya salad to fix my cravings :)

I ordered the laab beef salad and the Pad Ka Praw, the latter off which was fantastic. I'm not familiar with the laab beef isn't something I've ever had before so I wasn't expecting such an amount of mint. I pretty much don't like mint so that probably lowered my rating of that particular dish. Great friendly service and great food though

My husband enjoyed his sesame chicken a lot, claiming to give it a 5 star for rating. Wonton cheese was good, nothing too surprising about it. For me, I got the pad Thai and the Thai ice tea. When I travelled to Thailand a few years ago, I pretty much ordered pad Thai every meal. But pad Thai here didn't taste close to what I had before. Ice tea was good, worth trying out.

I don't want to review it and the secret out. Some of the best pad thai in the city (in my book) and they don't skimp on the spice if you're willing to be adventurous. However, while the food is delish, the rest of the experience leaves something to be desired. The seats are pretty rickety, and the building as a whole is drafty and chilly (esp in the middle of MN winter). We nearly always get takeout for this reason.

Very flavorful food! I have always enjoyed everything I have ordered on the menu. I don't recommend going with a big group or going during busy hours. If you can go before or after the busy times then wait is shorter. It just means food is good and that's why it's a wait!

The only downside to this place is it needs updates to the chairs/tables. Positives: the prices, food and service. This place was busy and filling up fast a few minutes after they opened at 11 a.m. on a Sunday, but we were seated right away and they took our order quickly. My husband had the Pho combination (he ordered extra large). It had amazing flavor, but there was just no way he could finish that big of a portion. :) I ordered the Vegetable Medley Stir Fry with Crispy Pork Belly and have to say the flavor of the stir fry along with the irresistible pork belly was addictive!!! Can't wait until my next visit to the area so I can nosh there again.