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Mon. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 1:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Walking into this Thai find I knew I was going to have a great experience; there was a "People like us on Yelp!" sticker =)
My friend who lives a few blocks away heard such great things about this place but never tried it out so we ventured out on a ladies dinner night here. It is a huge plus when 4 ladies who love to talk and can sit at a table for hours find a great restaurant that is BYOB - saves us much money!
The decor was awesome with vibrant, warm colors including thick red-orange curtains and a ton of chinese lanterns. The space was not that large but the way the tables were set up was intimate enough and not too crowded. There were 2 levels and we sat on the 2nd level by a window looking right out to the street which was a nice backdrop.
We had the sample appetizer platter to start and it was not that big, not enough for 4 of us but it was delicious. However, this did leave room for amazing dessert!
For dinner I went with my staple Thai dish of Shrimp fried rice, jasmine rice of course. The portion was perfect and everything was so fresh and delicious. I could eat this dish each and every meal of each and every day for an entire year if needed. So Yummo!
And for dessert we all shared some of the coconut ice cream and all I can think of to explain it was silk heavenly ribbons of amazingness delivered in an actual coconut shell. It was so creamy and tasty!
Overall this was an awesome dinner with some awesome friends, a GREAT find!
We don't often venture over to Manayunk because its such a pain to park there.. But on the occasion when we are going to a movie at the Main St theater, Chabaa Thai has become our go to place for dinner.
Chabaa Thai has a lot going for it. The upstairs room is nicely decorated with soft lighting and background music. Food is fresh tasty and well prepared. Some items we have especially enjoyed at Chabaa Thai are the fresh spring rolls, green curry, and the seafood soup.
So if you are headed over to Manayunk, I recommend dinner here. Don't forget to bring your beer or wine, because its BYOB.
I've finally found a thai restaurant to go toooo! YAH!!!!!
I bumped into this place while on a leisure stroll through main street. I was starving and after looking at a few restaurant's menus I walked up to Chabaa and the aroma just grabbed me. My stomach was like "we'z eating here today massir".
Initially my friend and I sat outside since it was a beautiful night but we thought we felt a drizzle so we moved inside.
I had the sampler appetizer (by myself) so you know I was hungry. I then went with the spicy tom yum soup after wards. I figured I should scale down a bit since I already ate the sampler appetizer all by myself.
My friend went with a rice dish as her main meal.
Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food; giving ideas about what goes best with what...etc.
My tom yum soup (I ordered the spicy) was super good. I mean it was SPICAAAAAEEEEYYYY. The waitress suggested I get a side of rice with it to cool things down - GREAT IDEA. Went well with a spice of jasmine rice. Everything appeared and tasted freshly made not warmed/microwaved up.
I took my soup home with the rice and I'm finishing it up as I type this. It's soo spicy and delicious. When winter rolls around, this soup and rice combo will be a staple.
There is an upstairs area that I didn't get to see; i was seated downstairs. Next time I'll bring my bottle of wine ($3 cork fee)...
I've only been out to Manayunk a handful of times but this is the best Thai place there! SUPER YUMMMM! Sat outside on a beautiful summer evening and I had pad Thai (my favorite). The service was good and the food was even better. Loved it =]
Best Thai food in Philadelphia. Love their pad thai, green curry, and house salad! BYO = the best too. It is good for take out as well which is nice. It is on the pricier side for thai but the portions are huge. Kind of a pain to park if the lot next door is full (as is true for all of main street)
Chabba Thai definitely hit the spot.
Definition of the spot:
A. stew-like, rich curry in which your mind doesn't have to reach for the flavor, but the flavor comes to you.
B. The flavor doesn't just come, it swarms your taste buds!
(Order Red Curry)
C. Deep chewiness of noodles that makes you close your eyes along with bites of crunchy vegetables. (Order Crazy Noodles)
I found this place a tad overpriced ($22 for pad thai? for reals??) but in compensation, they really do put that tropical flower in the website photos on top of some dishes.
I am a little bit obsessed with this place and I think it's probably one of the best Thai restaurants in philly. To start, their fresh spring rolls are quite amazing and are filled with shrimp, cilantro, and mint...what a great flavor combo. The three curry flavors (red, green, and panang) are all good but I am a sucker for the red; it has the perfect balance between sweet and spicy. The spicy basil with chicken is also an excellent choice. The only downfall is that it only comes with bell peppers and onions, it could use a better variety of vegetables. The pad thai options are also a good recommendation, especially the crab pad thai which is a nice twist on a somewhat "ordinary" thai dish. The place is small so reservations are a MUST on the weekends. The waitstaff and employees are SUPER friendly so be patient if there is a long wait...it is well worth it!
Probably the best Thai food in the area but you'll probably spend a little more than you want to on Thai.
Brought a bottle of red (why hasn't anyone mentioned the $3 corking fee?) and swung by here with my new roommate for dinner. We were seated and the waitress came by promptly to fill our water glasses and open our wine. My roommate ordered the special: grilled lamb with bell peppers ($23)and I ordered the beef red curry ($15). The waitress asked if i wanted it spicy, I looked up and said "very spicy" -pause- "extra spicy" and I swear I saw the twinkle in the waitress' eyes. Our dishes were presented beautifully and flavorful. Something about their curry felt like silk in your mouth. The spice level made my lips tingle and my nose run (attractive, I know). Since the curry has milk in it, it was not as spicy as my roommate's dish. His was so spicy that Im pretty sure he ate the flower garnish because the waitress couldn't keep his water glass full. We skipped out on dessert and they gave us some ginger candies with the bill. yeah it sounds nasty but it was actually tasty and settled the tingly sensation from dinner. I'd definatly come back. . . anyone up for some Thai?
I went here this past weekend for a friends birthday. There were about 10 of us and we were seated comfortably in the front of the restaurant about 20 minutes after our actual reservation time.
We ended up bringing a ton of wine (like 6 bottles!), luckily they only charge $5 corkage fee for 2 or more bottles.
I ordered the red curry. Everyone else pretty much ordered a curry or the pad thai. The curry came out in a HUGE bowl which made me happy, however they only give you a small amount of rice to go with it (ensuring you pay for an extra side of rice to actually have enough to finish your meal). I will say though it was delicious and spicy! One of my friends ordered the scallop pad thai and he said it was awesome. The only complaint was another friend of mine got the green curry...I also tasted it and it was overpowered by one particular spice (not sure what it was) but it completely killed the dish.
Overall a great place, a bit on the expensive side though. Our server was very nice too :)
This restaurant is hands down my favorite place for Thai in Philadelphia!
The green curry is excellent! Chabaa will modify the spice, adding extra pepper if you request. This curry is served in a bowl and has the consistency of a rich stew. There are always tons of fresh colorful bell peppers, sweet basil, bamboo shoots and baby corn in the dish.
Ask to substitute brown rice for white - their grains are a beautiful rich reddish color and never over steamed.
My boyfriend isn't a fan of Thai spice, but has raved about the Salmon Pad Thai from Chabaa.
This BYOB restaurant is open all year for lunch & dinner - and has a few outdoor tables. The owner just opened a new Thai tapas restaurant down the street called Mango Moon that I can't wait to try.
Food's good. They had me at "pineapple".
Service is ok.
Sitting outside is unfortunate. Manayunk - we aren't in Europe...your cafes aren't equipped with proper outside seating. Get a clue. It sucks to be right in the traffic flow, or to have someone's dog all up in your business when you're trying to enjoy your pad thai. Sit inside, friends.
They have good menu options, but I agree it's a lot more expensive than NYC. I've had better Thai food for a much lower price.
I wanted to love Chabaa so much. When I looked at the menu, I thought it sounded great. When I walked into the place, I thought it looked so cool. I couldn't wait, I thought it would be great. When my server greeted me, she was so sweet and did a good job serving me, I thought it would be so great. I ordered one of the specials, which was a game fish wrapped in banana leaf with peppers and onions, mushrooms, baby corn and rice with a sweet and sour chili-lime sauce.
Then I tasted it.
And it tasted like what can only be described as the food equivalent of water. Evereything but the chili-lime sauce was completely tasteless and bland, not to mention cold the minute it hit the table.
I was very disappointed, but I still see the potential and hope to one day return and be swayed to a positive review.
This is a nice thai restaurant. Pretty authentic. I've had the thai fried rice, green curry, and pad thai. no major deficits really. This is where I usually get Thai food when I'm in Philly.
I've lived in Manayunk for 4 years and Chaaba has been my favorite restaurant consistantly. Wiatstaff is great. BYOB is amazing. Curry dishes are phenominal. Soups are lovely. Nothing greasy about this meal. Jasmine Rice is off the hook. I would recommend anyone who wants to try Thai food for the first time to go here... just be warned, you might cry or have a runny nose after eating their spicy food.
I'm pretty much in love with the place. It's got a relaxing atmosphere and great food. I wish I was there right now eating their crazy noodles...Please go!
Only complaint...you know there has to be sooommeethinnngg...and that is that if you're waiting to be seated there's no place to really wait, and you feel like you're in the way..so go when it's not busy, or make a reservation.
Also! It's BYOB so, don't forget to pick up some wine on your way!
Chabba lived up to its reputation! I did visit the place again, and this time things went wonderfully well. The food tastes wonderful the atmosphere just perfect! Try their starter platter, soup pot for two and of course the pineapple flavored fried rice.
Inspired by the high ratings here, wifey and I decided to venture out to this bistro in the main… Read more »
Coming from the land of Thai food (aka Williamsburg, Brooklyn) I was quite pleased with the quality of food at Chabaa. Although the prices are more than triple what you would pay in the Burg, the food was overall very good. We made reservations, which seemed to pay off as the restaurant was getting very crowded towards the middle of our meal.
Most of my friends live in Manayunk so I go out to eat there quite often. I find the food is pretty tasty but usually more expensive than what I would normally pay in the NYC. Which seems weird to me....
I'd like to think of myself as rather knowledgeable about Thai food having tried most Thai places in Philly and South Jersey and having been to Thailand. Working in Bala Cynwyd, there's not much ethnic food, so I was excited to find a Thai place I could go to for lunch. I should've known better than to trust Manayunk. Although the food is decent, it is far from spectacular or "authentic." This is obviously Thai food catered to the white people that frequent Manayunk-- low spice, small servings, and high cost.
I ordered the Pad Krapao (Spicy Basil) which is supposed to be one of the hotter Thai dishes. On top of that I ordered it extra hot (they give you the option of mild). When I received a small plate with mostly bell peppers and about 6 pieces of beef I was shocked. But I thought, well if it's good it'll be worth it. There was almost no spice in it. Since I was seated in a corner it took a while for the waiter to come back. When he did I asked for some chili flakes and he came back with Maggi sauce (for those that don't know it's a sweet, very mildly spiced tomato based sauce)! What kind of Thai restaurant does not have chili flakes?! That says it all. Thai food is SUPPOSED to be very spicy. If you go to any decent Thai restaurant they give you a heat range of 1-5 so that you can get it the intended way or the mild way. This place didn't even try. I know that you have to cater to an audience who doesn't eat foreign food very often, but at least give the rest of us a chance.
For a nearly $20 lunch with no chili flakes, I'd recommend staying away from here. If you want good Thai food try Tamarind on Front and South in center city. It is the best place I've eaten with ample servings, reasonable price, and spicy Thai food.
*Pros: Great if you are new to eating spicy foreign food and if you generally only eat Pad Thai.
*Cons: Don't expect anything to actually be spicy unless you beg for chili. Expect to spend too much money.
AWw I love this place and I will be coming back.
It's a little on the pricey side for Thai. However, I think their service is what really did it for me.
I had the best waiter who was really friendly and thoughtful. He overheard me telling my friend about mango sticky rice and came over to ask if we wanted to order it because there was only one order left. He really didn't have to do that and I thought it was super sweet. However, by the end of the meal it ended up that another waiter accidentally took the last order or mango sticky rice for their table. The head chef came out to personally apologize and made a new dessert for us to try on the house. She was the sweetest thing and she felt so bad that we didn't get our mango stick rice. Aww
I thought the food was also really good. It wasn't anything to blow me away, but .. sometimes it's not JUST about the food.
I'm not a Thai food aficionado but I thought the food here to be excellent and the service was great as well. BYO as well was great, they charged a $3 corking fee.
I have lived in the Philadelphia area for about 10 years now, and it was my first time driving beyond the Restaurant Depot at the very tip of the Ridge Ave, so my eyes were wandering around alot while looking for Chabaa.
So I know nothing about Thai food. I can say for sure is that I have gone to a bunch of Thai restaurants and I have enjoyed all of those places. This also applies to Chabaa... I believe.
I went to Chabaa for a Friday lunch around 1pm with my friend to welcome him back to Philadelphia after a long time of not visiting me. When I walked in, it was a bit dark, but very cozy looking with cute decors. There was another table occupied, and I wanted some privacy so I asked if the 2nd floor was available, but nope; I hope to go up there one day.
As for the food-- We ordered the crispy spring rolls; I thought they were small, but satisfactory with the chili sauce. My friend ordered the kao pad with beef, which looked pretty delicious, and it was actually delicious [duh] when I tried some. I ordered the green curry with beef. I thought it was rightfully spicy! The only disappointment would be that in that deep bowl, beef was sparse, and not too much rice. I didn't end up finishing the meal, but that was only because I had something earlier.
Service-- The waiter was a very pleasant looking guy who seemed quiet, not too enthusiastic; he came around one time to make sure everything was okay.
Overall, for the price I paid for, four star-- I could have gotten a totally fattening cheesesteak at Geno's or something, but the atmosphere and the spiciness made up for it.
Best thai in the area in my opinion - the décor is nicely done, the host is friendly and it's a BYOB.
We went on a weekday night and it was fairly busy (most of the tables were full) which is always a good sign.
Started out with the chicken satay and it was perfectly cooked and very moist with a typical peanut sauce and a great cucumber salad including a few pieces on the spicy red peppers. For my meal I had the crab and shrimp pad thai which was very tasty with good spice (I like my food tongue searing hot and it was dead-on) and lots of fresh crab and large succulent shrimp. My friend had the green curry that was also very good and we both had enough leftover for lunch the next day and it wasn't too expensive compared to some of the other places on the Mainline and KoP.
Overall, a great experience in Manayunk.
I love this place. I have been on dates, dinners with friends and have given gift certificates there....everyone that I recommend this place to---loves it!
Most times I get the Scallop Pad Thai....but have tried numerous other entrees as well! I never have a bad experience! I can not wait to try their new restaurant-Mango Moon (down the street on Main St in Manayunk)
Heyo, why the hype for this Thai place Yelp? Located in the always very charming and quaint Manayunk Main street, I'll agree that the atmosphere and flavor of this BYO restaurant can be romantic. This is despite an interior designer who seemed to have attacked the walls with little regard for thematic unity. The two level restaurant was packed on a weekend night; fortunately I had made reservations.
The food is creative, and tweaked slightly from the standard Thai fare. But the changes didn't add deliciousness to my experience, and seemed to be "change made for change's sake." It's like Chabaa has the yearning to be a fusion restaurant, but just can't commit to becoming one. Overall, if you're in the area, Chabaa can be a pretty end for a Manayunk adventure, but don't make the trek out there solely for this restaurant. Oh yeah, parking in this area sucks.
You'll have to take my review with a grain of salt because having grown up in a Thai family and eating a lot of Thai food my whole life, my review is a little more biased than most.
Went to Chabaa a month ago and thought it was OK. I was actually expecting it to be much better than it was from all the positive reviews I've read.
There are lots of different styles and ways to cook even the most traditional Thai dishes which is why you'll find variations in flavor at different restaurants all depending on what part of Thailand the chef is from. That being said, I thought all the dishes we ordered were good but not mind-blowing for Thai.
Final thoughts...
There are other Thai restaurants in Philadelphia I'd rather go to (Siam Cuisine on Arch St.) but for Manayunk, Chabaa isn't a bad option at all.
Chabaa's location makes it the Thai restaurant I visit most often when I'm in Philly, since my apartment is in East Falls. It's not the best Thai food I've ever had, but it's certainly solid. Some reviewers have commented about disliking the decor; I happen to like it. Nice photos of what I assume are locations in Thailand. The downstairs is particularly cozy, with pillows placed here and there. Service is always prompt, friendly, and helpful. A few comments about the food:
-Their spring rolls are truly delectable: just the right amount of crunch, with one whole prawn each. The only problem? They often run out by 7-8 pm! How a Thai restaurant runs out of spring rolls is beyond me.
-The salads are filled with fresh veggies, perfectly cooked meat, and light, flavorful dressings. The portions are generous, so one salad is large enough to share as an appetizer. Highly recommended.
-Crab pad thai. Amazing. Such tender little bits of crab meat, balanced with delicate noodles and a light, delicious pad thai sauce. The other pad thai dishes are good, too. I just had the crepe pad thai tonight--the portion was huge and the shrimp was plentiful.
Overall, I'd recommend Chabaa. It's a bit overpriced, but the atmosphere is charming and I've never been disappointed with my entree. When I get a craving for Thai, it hits the spot. PS: it's BYOB--always a plus!
All I have to say is this place has fabulous Thai food. I try to go as frequently as I possibly can, although living in Center City make it a bit harder to get motivated to go to Manayunk. Definitely worth the trip though. One of my favorite BYOBs. I especially like that you can pick your level of heat for many of the dishes. I normall get medium, but tried a hot dish when my date ordered it and it was a little too hot for me. I'll stick with medium heat, please. Try it, you'll like it. The artwork in the bathroom of the little girl picking her nose is a nice bonus too!
Amazing food! Went here with my parents for the first time this past sunday night. Interior is lovely and cozy, I especially liked the throw cushions. I had the green curry with seafood, and it was delicious, flavorful, with just the right amount of spice. My eyes were watering a little, but not too overpowering, and they can make it spicier on request. And enough for a doggie bag for lunch tomorrow.
Service was good, our server was quite knowledgeable, and another woman (server? manager?) asked us about our food and experience on the way out, making sure we had a good dinner. Can't believe I've never been here before since I live right up the street and love thai food... will definitely be back!
Everytime I go to this BYOB, the decor gets nicer and the service improves! I've been to Chabaa four times and the first time I went, service was abyssmal. Fortunately for them, the food cooked by the owner, Moon, was so outstanding we returned, to receive lukewarm service yet even better food. The third time was a charm and the fourth time was almost perfection.
The menu has evolved from a one-pager to a slightly refined one with phad thai selections with a twist (duck phad thai anyone?). Moon's seasonal desserts are a treat.
Dishes are tasty and can be made spicy (and are!). Try their green curry - they're not afraid to turn up spicy heat on it. Negatively, even if you request it to not be made spicy, it will come out spicy... of course, if you don't want spicy curry, don't get the green. The red or penang curries will do.
Could be romantic, depending on your tolerance for noise. Intimate and small. Highly recommended, make reservations.
Incredible. I live in the Washington, DC area, where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Thai restaurant, so I'm a bit spoiled. The owner, Moon, who comes out to talk to every table if she's in, was even a bit intimidated when I said where I'm visiting from.
Although it seemed a bit pricy compared to what I'm used to, it was well worth it. The food was incredible, and I'd go again in a heartbeat. It was probably the best duck curry I've ever had, and it was served in a unique way. Appetizers were good, including some sort of Thai sausage that I've never seen before. Dessert was a coconut pudding that came out wonderful, and was a great substitute for the fruit ice creams that we had ordered, but they were unfortunately out of that night.
As a note, some Thai restaurants don't spice things up enough for non-Thai folks, but Chabaa is not one of them. You can choose your level of spice, and do not assume that hot will be on the low end of bland. My curry was at the high end of what I can handle (and I live on Thai, Indian, etc.), yet was still tasty enough that it could have burned my tongue off and I would not have minded.
Service was good, as not only did the owner show up, as noted before, but our server was very low key, yet quite helpful. We had plenty of requests for him, and he definitely earned his tip by filling all of them.
Overall, if I'm back in the Philly area again, I'll totally head out to Chabaa.
~EEE~
I really really LOVE this restaurent. Its a great BYOB. The only reason I am giving it 4 stars is because of the wait I had there the other night.
Fantastic Thai spot in Philadelphia/Manayunk. I travel the country and always try new Thai places. This ranks very high on my scale. Big fan of drunken noodles.
I live in California so we have an abundance of Thai and Asian cuisine..when I was out visiting my best friend who lives here in Manayunk, she suggested Thai, and I said sure.
She and her husband were raving about this place, and for a good reason too! The food was delicious. The shrimp in the mango chilie shrimp dish special were so big and fresh, WOW!
Tom Yum soup was really spicy, the pad thai great,..and the BROWN RICE!!! SO MUCH BETTER THAN WHITE....you have to try the brown rice...and then for desert the mango sticky rice, YUM YUM YUM...
PS Because of PA's weird liquor laws this restaurant is BYOB, the corkage is only $5 no matter how many bottles of wine you bring!
Love the food, service and atmosphere! Been here many times on dates with my husband and with my friends...great time by all.
The food is so good. The crispy duck pad thai and the kingcrab rice are awesome, good specials, nice atmosphere, and decently priced. Tuesdays seem to be ladies night because everyone except for one person and the server were guys.
I love it- finally a decent restaurant on Main Street! Chabaa is certainly not as good as any thai food that I've eaten in Thailand but its tasty and a pleasant dining experience. The servers are knowledeable and quite good. We usually order the yellow curry with tofu and always ask for super mild spice (I'm a wimp). Its always just the right amount of spice and very tasty. We also order the chicken satay, pineapple fried rice with shrimp, and Pad Krapao with chicken. Everything is delicious and well prepared. I always enjoy eating here. The food is great and the service is excellent! My only complaint would be the price. I can't believe how much Thai food is in this city. Where are the cheap yummy thai restaurants in this city??
first time we went was when it first opened. there was an hour wait to get in. the atmosphere and food was fab. And the noisy drunk patrons were a hoot.. made my night. I love it when people enjoy fine dining. condusive to Byob standard!
Well we went last tuesday and the owner wasn't in. big difference. The food was overpriced and nothing to write home about. For the money, it might be worth spending the gas, and cruise into town afterall. It'd be nice if there were a cool ethnic restaurant on Main street that doesn't pull so hard at your wallet for ok food. I'm waiting!
BYOB!!
we were excited to try chabaa thai and were very disappointed. it was a beautiful saturday evening and we sat outside, which was great. we had fresh spring rolls and thai sausages for appetizers then the house salad and a special pad thai. all of it was fine but totally unexciting and kind of tasteless. the service was slow and they made a mistake in our order. really not good for the price.
When I was traveling Philadelphia, I was looking for some Asian food.
Me and my co-worker accidental find one nice dining area called Manayunk. This area was really nice and small area, but full with nice dining. You can walk around the street to find small local shop and restaurants around the small river right next to it.
I order the Thai curry and it was so~~good.
I was seating outside during lunch time, and it was really great time to spending day or night to kicking back and relax.
Neighborhood: Roxborough
Category: Thai
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