Yaowarat

Never had Chinese Thai food before and was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and well done the dishes were.This place gives red room vibes and it can get pretty loud in here. While The place was packed with 20 and 30 something year olds, it was easy for us to find a table and there are a good amount of vegetarian friendly dishes.Their chive cakes, chilled tofu and fried rice (all vegetarian friendly) were really great.I ended up trying the meat version of their noodle dish (chicken) and it was also delicious. I hear they also make a veggie version so I'll have to come back to try that next time. Our favorite item however was their toasted buns and custard dessert. That Thai tea custard was amazing and we finished it way too fast.

What a hidden gem to find, a big thanks to all the other lovely reviews. The inside decor is much prettier than what the outside would lead you to believe. And it is a lovely escape from the rain! They get full pretty fast here with a number of reservations, so if you're coming with a bigger party make sure to call ahead! When you do get seated, the service is pretty efficient and friendly. We ordered a number of items, and they come out super fresh. I love that you can eyeball the kitchen and how hard they work to service their customers. I have to say that the food here is a little unique to other conventional Asian dishes, and they definitely pull it off well! I highly recommend the chive cakes and noodles, but don't forget the pickled cabbage salad as it is a great palette refresher for any fried items! You can easily miss this place, and parking can be tough, but it is well worth the effort! I'll definitely be back.

My partner and I are big fans of Eem, so Yaowarat has been on the shortlist to try while in Portland. We made a lunch reservation at 11:30AM. The decor is so cute and playful! Lots of elements inspired by traditional Chinese diners with subtle Thai twists.We ordered:- Crispy bean curd dumpling- Chive cakes- Kuay Teow Kua Gai- Mapo TofuDESSERT- Toasted buns- Milk pudding We loved everything! There was so much familiarity in the dishes but also flavors that we haven't tried (at least mixed in with Chinese cuisine) before. The crispy beancurd dumplings were very similar to bean curd dumplings/wraps in dim sum restaurants, just deep fried. The surprise favorite for us was the chive cakes. These were SO good, please order them. I loved both the mains - kuay teow (rice noodle) was so well done and flavorful, and the lettuce was a nice change in texture. It is probably their best selling dish, so ordering it is recommended.Get both desserts if you have room! They were both really good satisfied my sweet tooth :)))Service was wonderful. I got a little bit of food on my sweater and was quickly offered baking soda water to help get the stain off - everyone was wonderfully attentive and observant to what we needed. Thanks for a great experience!

I've been enjoying regular visits to Yaowarat this summer - it's become my go-to for a special treat, either by myself or with friends. Perfectly situated on an east-facing corner of Stark in the Montavilla neighborhood, Yaowarat is at the center of everything and is the perfect place to see and be seen! If you're a fan of authentic Thai street food, this place is a must-visit. The restaurant is inspired by the Yaowarat Chinatown of Bangkok, with small plates of dumplings, noodles, and delicious treats. Be prepared for some spice - two of my favorite dishes, kuay teow kua gai (stir-fried wide noodles with chicken and a soft egg) and Road Squid both packed enough of a punch to bring tears to my eyes and a case of the sniffles. If you visit with friends, I'd suggest ordering family style and just going for it! Order everything that sounds good because you can't go wrong with this menu. If you're dining alone, go for the chive cakes and kuay teow kua gai - the latter is an amazing dish.The restaurant offers a few outdoor tables, plus lots of cozy seating inside the vibrantly decorated, red and yellow dining room. The wait staff are incredibly helpful, offering great explanations of the dishes they serve. If they tell you a dish packs some heat... you better believe them! I'm a big fan and can't wait to try new dishes as Yaowarat eventually introduces them in the future.

As soon as you walk in, you will fall in love with the decor and vibes of Yaowarat. It is bustling with energy due to the view of the kitchen, but it's not too noisy to have a conversation with the people lucky enough to be sharing this meal with you. The food comes out fast, but the servers are perfectly attentive and will course out the meal so no dish is going to get cold. I'm thankful that I joined two of my food loving friends who live in Portland and knew exactly what to order again as well as try new dishes together. As for the food, Yaowarat absolutely lived up to the hype. My favorite dishes were the chive cakes and the kauy teow kua gai. I did not expect the chive cakes to be in more of a cube form va the traditional flat pancake style and the shape absolutely made a difference! It was crispy on the outside and the inside consistency had a slight chew but also incredibly soft, which you wouldn't get in a flat form. As for the kauy teow kua gai, it is so simple yet perfectly executed and the egg yolk covers the noodles in another layer of fattiness that helps cut through the spicy chilis. Now I'm hungry...

This resto was listed I'm on with top 50 in the country by the New York Times recently. It is a great place. Highly recommend chive pancake.Cute location in the walkable Montavilla neighborhood. Leave time to find parking and enjoy looking at the cute boutiques. This is probably a good place to bike to also.

Service was good. Liked the chive cubes and the toasted buns with pandan and Thai tea dip. All the drinks were great! Didn't realize Guinness went well with Thai tea. Ambience was dimly lit and lots of tables.

Ambiance: 5/5 the vibes here is immaculate, their attention to details of the decor makes the restaurant so unique and I love everything about it. Service: 5/5- staff are attentive and very knowledgeable of what they're serving up. Food: 3.5/5. Food comes out fast, appetizer will come out first and then 2nd dish and then 3rd, the staff informed us everything will not come out at once. Ordered: Salty Limeade- this drink was surprisingly good, taste like the name lol. Yaowarat Squid- this was a good appetizer they weren't kidding with warning us about the pepper, it was indeed very spicy- but delicious!Kuay Teow Kua Gal- the fried wide noodle had a good chew to it, i like the sauce that comes with on the side, this dish was okay it didn't really wow me and there was barely any chicken inside. Mapo Tofu- the szechuan peppercorn was very overpowering, I wish it would come with more tofu because the sauce to tofu ratio was not right. Chinese Black Olive Pork- texture was crumbly/ dry, this would be good to have lettuce on the side to eat with like a wrap. Toasted Buns- Hawaiian rolls??? Lol each bun were soft and airy, wasn't greasy. The thai and pandan custard were a highlight of the night.Tables were close to each other and its very loud inside so just a heads up if you're not a fan of that, theres option to dine outside as well. It is pricy for its portion, for a group of 3 we ordered an appetizer and 3 main dish and dessert yet we still left the restaurant hungry. The food were just okay ish not the best, you'll definitely not get a bang for your buck at this restaurant but it was a pleasant first time dining in. Not sure if I'll be back tho.

This Thai/Chinese place has some new dishes that you won't see at most typical Thai or Chinese places which is why I liked it. The road squid was pretty good, I liked the cilantro-limey spicy fish sauce it was in, although it was the thin sliced prepared one instead of fresh squid. Also the name is not very appetizing, makes me think of squid you accidentally ran over. The wide rice noodles served w/ poached egg was pretty good. Chive cakes were just ok, they were cubed and a bit doughy, I prefer the thinner pancake style that has more bits of green onion and other things. The char siu special was quite delicious, soft but w/ a nice char still and served w/ a tasty mustard & chili oil and rice. It was a bit pricey for a kind of small portion tho, & I wish they served it w/ lettuce wraps. The toasted buns are very silly, literally just buttery Hawaiian rolls but the Thai tea and pandan flavored sauces were quite tasty.Service was a bit rude and brisk. They seem to be very busy a lot. A lot of their seating is the crammed bench style seating where you're within elbow bumping distance of the next table and u get the server butt in ur face when they are taking the next tables order. However, I may still come back to try the mapo tofu which we didn't get to try as it looked delicious.

This was the best oriental food I've had in many years. We sat at the food prep counter and every dish that passed our eyes looked wonderful. The chive cakes melt in your mouth. They are worth the trip if that's all you have. I will definitely be retuning time and again. Jean.