Cha Yen Thai Cookery

The waitresses here were really nice, even though we came close to 8:20pm (they close at 9pm), they didn't rush us to leave right at 9pm because the food came around 8:50pm. I had better papaya salad elsewhere and the corn cake was interesting but worth trying. However, the entrees were really good. Got short ribs curry as recommended by another reviewer and did not disappoint. Serving size was big too. Kee mao was a smaller serving but still good, they allow you to ask for less spicy but I think the 3 chili signs really wasn't that spicy.

The atmosphere is so comforting and cozy, perfect place to unwind. Our server was so nice and attentive. The food was delicious and I am most definitely going to come again.

Great Thai food - I had to exercise some serious restraint to not finish my green curry because I wanted a portion for leftovers for the next day. The inside is not very big so if you don't want to wait for a table, suggest coming during the early hours. We tried the corn cake as an appetizer. It was pretty good, though the individual corn nuggets got stuck in my back molars. Loved the spicy peanut dipping sauce that came with it. My green curry was seriously one of the best iterations of the dish I've had in a while. Good coconut flavor, packed with veggies (eggplant, string bean, carrot, zucchini), and the tofu I ordered as a protein soaked up so much of the flavor. They offer lunch/dinner portions for the curries. I picked mild for spiciness because I'm a total wimp and it was still pretty spicy for me (so just know their "regular" may actually be quite a kick). The pepper signs on the menu are pretty accurate. I also can't pass up homemade ice creams, especially with black sesame as an option. It nailed the black sesame flavor (i.e., not too sweet) but the texture was a bit too icy and hard to spoon. Next time, I may skip the ice creams and save the stomach room for more of the appetizers/entrees. Next time: the tom yum noodle soup, the crab fried rice. Parking: street options available.

What a great find! Located in a quiet residential neighborhood, Cha Yen Thai Cookery was a nice surprise! Great Service and Hospitality; Great (authentic) Food! Highly recommended!Note that this is a rather small restaurant. We were shocked that my party got the last table for 3 on a late Tuesday evening! We didn't expect it to be so busy at 8pm. They also do a bustling takeout service!On this evening, the 3 of us each chose an entree each and dined family style:- Roti ($6.50): a large roti was cut into 8 pcs, and served with a chicken peanut sauce. This was a very good dish; just wish there were a tad bit more chicken peanut sauce though.- Larb Salad w.Pork ($9.75): the portion size was huge and the Larb was tasty! - Green Curry w.Chicken ($16): this dish came with a bowl of jasmine rice. This was a good dish but I wish the chicken wasn't all white meat. The chicken was a little overcooked and hard. I think dark meat would have been more tender and moist. However, the green curry was very good.- Short Ribs Curry ($19): this dish came with a bowl of jasmine rice. Hands down, this was the best dish of the night. GET THIS!!! It was so unusual to see Short Ribs in a Thai Restaurant. What a pleasant surprise! There were 4 large pcs of short ribs, which were very tender. Great flavor and just delicious. A Must Have Dish!If I'm ever back in the neighborhood, I look forward to a return visit! What a hidden gem!

I was really craving Thai food and decided to go to Cha Yen, even though it was slightly out of the way. I think it might be my favorite Thai place in the Boston area so far, even more than Sugar and Spice (which was recommended by an employee at my favorite Thai restaurant ever in New York). There were all the Thai staples on the menu, but I was intrigued by the corn cake and the poh piah for appetizers. The corn cake was really nice and crispy, with corn inside the fried outside as well. The poh piah reminded me of a few Vietnamese dishes, and was light and refreshing. The pad thai, which I always get at Thai restaurants, was delicious and not too greasy like other places. The tom yum noodle soup was also surprisingly delicious, flavorful, spicy, and sour! The thai tea was refreshing as well. We had to try their homemade ice cream at the end, which was Thai tea and tasted even better than the actual Thai tea to me! I'll definitely go back here again. (note: the seating area was darkly lit because of the location of it behind a wall separating the kitchen)

Cute mom and pop shop and the server was so nice running after a customer that forgot his kid's bottle. Food was good and portions were perfect for the price! We also tried their homemade ice cream (black sesame and coconut) which were really good and textured - you could taste the black sesame really well and the coconut had small bits in them. Would definitely return when in the area!

Food was good. The kee mao wasn't that spicy even with 3 pepper signs so not a real need to go non-spicy. It's a small place so not a lot of tables. The papaya salad wasn't spicy and a little heavier on the sour side than what I've had at other places. The short rib curry was very good.

I was really really sad to write this review. It totally could have been an off meal or just the foods we got but the meal was sub par. We did go pretty late (8:30) and the restaurant closes at 9 so that could play a factor. For appetizers, The crispy rolls and tofu soup were good. For main dishes, we ordered the see ew, massaman curry, cashew nut stir fry. All we're just okay. The curry was really thick and there wasn't much actual curry. The cashew nut tasted okay, and the see ew was a little flavorless. The service was good and kind and helpful in assisting with finding and ensuring we had meals that were vegetarian and vegan!

Probably one of the best Thai restaurants I've been to in the US! In terms of both taste and value. KEE Mao: super fresh and flavorful. Not too greasy. Good balance of noodle, meat, and veggies! Short Rib Curry: such a good value for money! The curry tastes incredible!! Service is very friendly! $20pp

I rarely rarely give a 5 star ratings to any restaurant. I am doing so because last night we ordered some food to be delivered and the food came 20 mins earlier than they said it was coming.As for the food it definitely satisfied everyone of us. The temperature of the food was still hot and the Cole's stayed cold. We had ordered papaya salad, massaman curry, pad se ew, and pad thai. The salad was cold, the papaya and green beans were crunchy offset by the tomatoes and the dressing was perfectly seasoned to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes! All of the salad was on top of a big leaf of kale. No way I would eat the kale.. I guess it is there for the look but as I think about this maybe next time I am going to ask to not have the kale!! Don't want to waste the veggies just for decoration sake!! The massaman curry was seasoned perfectly. The carrots were cooked but had a bit of bite - nice touch!! And the chicken were tender and well cooked. As for the pad see ew our friend are it and didn't offer to give a taste and he was done with it quite quickly. He said it was delicious!! My pad Thai was very well seasoned and definitely the meat to noodles ratio was generous with the protein (pork). Love that!! The whole dish was delicious and definitely satisfied my hunger. Thank you to the owners of this restaurant to deliver impeccable and tasty food and the delivery top notch!! It is definitely not easy to manage a restaurant but to deliver with such great food and service has to be recognized and celebrated!! Toast to you all for an excellent meal at home and we didn't have to go and get it!!