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Chang Thai Bistro
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
614 S Myrtle AveMonrovia, CA 91016
(626) 357-9658
Announcement
Chang Thai Bistro celebrates Chang Beer.
2 for the price of 1. Mention Yelp.
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
112 reviews for Chang Thai Bistro
Review Highlights
"their lunch specials are fantastic."
(in 12 reviews)
"Tom Kah Gai - I always order it with chicken, and I love it."
(in 3 reviews)
"For dessert, I had the mango with sticky rice."
(in 6 reviews)
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112 reviews in English
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Review from Annie P.
Monrovia, CA
12/13/2011
I was very excited to come and try this restaurant! I had very high hopes and actually walked away pretty satisfied.
When I come to a Thai restaurant, I like to enjoy it family style because I always want more than one dish, but can never finish it by myself.
We chose the window seat to look out at the pretty streets with Christmas lights and and all that jazz going on with the Farmer's Market. Like what everyone else have said, the decor is exceptionally beautiful. Well designed and perfect lighting for that romantic, cozy setting. The service was very attentive, prompt and friendly. I knocked a star because they never went by to refill our water glass. I had to call them over at the END of the meal. =(
However, I loved that they were consistent with when to bring out the next dish. They have perfect timing to when we were done and was very swift in clearing the table and presenting our next course. I love it!
We started with the 6 pieces Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce. The chicken was PERFECTLY cooked! It wasn't dry. It was juicy and tender and very flavorful! I loved that they gave us a nice big plate of peanut sauce. The complimentary cucumber salad, I gave to the boyfriend because I hate cucumber. *VOMITS*
The Tom Yum Kung soup was a little on the citrus side. However, the boyfriend loved the zesty taste, but I could of done with a little more Tom Yum paste to spice it up a bit. We ordered the small bowl and it was just enough for us both (one serving each) as they gave us each a smaller individual bowl to ladle our portion. The shrimp was nice and plump and they weren't stingy on them either!
The Pineapple Fried Rice is my absolute favorite Thai dish! It was soooooo good! It was hearty and loaded with juicy shrimps, cashews, sweet pineapples and skewers of shrimp and pineapple on the side. It was a beauty to look at! Too bad, I devour it in a blink of an eye!
Also, I always like to order the Thai Tea at a Thai Restaurant to compare and I must say, it was pretty damn legit! Enough amount of Thai tea to taste the strong caffeine, but enough milk to lightning it up and the right amount of sugar and sugar condensed milk to sweetened it to perfection! Mmmm!
Shame they had to serve it in a small, narrow glass that doesn't give you much.
I would definitely come back. We were going to order the Catfish that's sliced and served in a sauteed red curry sauce and the popular reviewed item, Pad See Ew. Me love some flat rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, soy sauce and eggs! However, we're glad we held off on them because it was a lot of food that we had and now we actually have something to come back to.
Yay!! -
Review from Hello M.
Monrovia, CA
12/17/2011
I really wanted to like this place. It's Thai food. It's close, right on Myrtle Ave. And I get 10% off all of my purchases here through my work. But the food just isn't that good. It suffers the same problem that most restaurants on Myrtle face: high rent and fees lead to higher menu prices and lower food quality.
Drive 5 more minutes and go to Spices Thai kitchen in Arcadia, or a number of other good local Thai places. Your taste buds will thank you. -
Review from Teeny W.
Kew Gardens, NY
My friend recently moved into the area and wanted to check out Old Town Monrovia. We both love Thai cuisie and decided to eat here. When we walked in, the waitress yelled at me for not placing my umbrella (it was a rainy day) outside. I guess she asked my friend if she brought in an umbrella with her and she answered no. Which in her case, she didn't. Maybe the waitress thought she was answering for the both of us. I don't know.
Anyway, we ordered soup and pad see ew beef.
The waitress was super nice after that. Maybe it's because she felt bad for yelling at me. In any case, the food was delicious, the prices for them were reasonable, and the portions were filling. I'd dine here again. -
Review from Lexi F.
El Cajon, CA
1/23/2012
The food was good and the staff was friendly...The chicken was soooo good and the peanut sauce had a good flavor to it. I would come here again :)
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Review from Kevin K.
Van Nuys, CA
10/3/2011
Nice decor
Good service
Good tasteful food
The music soundtrack of covers of 80s and disco songs done in surreal unexpected arrangements is surreal at best and disarming at worst but in balance is interesting.
Check it out ...open late on Sunday night was a plus. -
Review from John B.
Santa Clarita, CA
9/28/2011
Flavorfull food, beautiful decor, sidewalk seating and a patio out back. The place is pretty solid though the back patio would sure be cuter if you got rid of the huge bags of recycling out there.
And if you'd like to throw away an entire afternoon these guys offer a 3 liter bottle of beer for only $30! -
Review from A M.
San Gabriel, CA
10/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
After walking and looking at things at the Farmer's Market, we stopped by this cute thai restaurant. Ate outside but service was horrible and food took forever to come out!
Ordered thai tea, water, and thai beer.
Started off w the appetizer: soft shell crab wonton basket. - it tasted burnt. Not that great...
-spicy beef salad: delicious and not too spicy.. The smell and taste of the cilantro, brought out the flavor in the salad.
-pad thai w chicken: freshly cooked and the noodles just perfect!
-spicy fried rice w beef- very good!
Overall it was good but needs a lil improvement on service. -
Review from Leslie R.
Duarte, CA
11/27/2011
I finally decided to dine at Chang Thai Bistro after hearing wonderful reviews about it. My former Manager highly recommended it to me. I met up my date for lunch and we were instantly greeted and walked to our table. We ordered appetizers, main course, and dessert and all three were delicious and served within a timely matter. The two things that i did not like was that my fork was not washed properly....it had some food still on it. Secondly, the waitress brought us the wrong wine and was a bit hard to understand. Other then that, Thai food lovers should definitely give this place shot, delicious food!!!
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Review from Jacqueline K.
San Gabriel, CA
12/19/2011
What did you put in my food?!
I tried this restaurant for dinner on a beautiful winter's night.
Now to be fair, the food is pretty solid, flying high over my expectations from a Thai place sitting squarely in Old Town Monrovia.
The food had a mildly spiced flavor and was cooked well. And that's said with relief -- it was without the overly sweet tastes that overpower dishes served from most restaurants with a non-Asian demographic.
Decor is dark and modern. Bold colors and dramatic lighting play off of fanciful bamboo chandeliers.
My hot tea came in a whimsical elephant pot.
Three people, thirty dollars.
I actually left the restaurant pretty full and pretty content.
But that evening was wrought with the most delirious sleep, like a really weird, spiraling-out-of-control dream that left me super groggy in the morning. In the morning, my husband shared that he had a similar reaction. Dreams about rats running all over and whatnot.
MSG overdose? Special herbs? Who knows, but I don't really want my entree with a side of psychadelic. -
Review from Sam S.
Arcadia, CA
11/28/2011
Old town Monrovia has become an alternative to Pasadena for locals, especially with the opening of several new restaurants and the movie theater to tie it all together. Chang's Thai Bistro has only gotten better over time. The decor is upscale and hip, and the food is downright delicious, and yet the prices are very reasonable. It is quiet and romantic and has a full bar. The service is friendly and efficient. They even have vegan alternatives for meat and seafood. Definitely worth the drive, just 10 minutes east of Pasadena, on a lively street, with a weekly fair (every Friday), live musicians and quaint stores.
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Review from Joshua L.
Updated - 7/13/2011
Went back....or rather we ordered in. Free delivery with any order of $10 or more. Nice!
I had the Thai BBQ chicken lunch special w/ brown rice this time. Superb. Different then BBQ chicken plates from other Thai places. This places uses a lot of garlic which gives it a much more pungent flavor. I love garlic and use it a lot myself in my own cooking but beware of the aftermath. :()~~~
I added some spicey sauce and chowed down. Delish. I don't know if it was intentional but the only caveat is that they don't give you soup when you order for delivery. Hrmmm.... still very tastey though and all for $8 bucks!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/11/2011
Just introduced to this place and I'm a fan. They have a pretty expansive menu including… Read more »
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Review from Olivia K.
Arcadia, CA
7/18/2011
This is one of my favorite thai food places. I usually come for dinner, but I do know that they have lunch specials which are typically $6.95 (up to $9.95, more if you order seafood) and comes with either white rice or fried rice and an egg roll. Some lunch specials also includes a salad or a soup-- neither of which are anything special.
They also have coupons in the Arcadia Quarterly magazine. If I remember correctly the dine-in coupon was 15% off total bill and the take-out coupon was $5 off any $25 order.
The place is very clean. I also really like the decore. They have elephants on nearly everything down to some of the plates! I also like all the bamboo that decorates the restaurant. The colors really create a good ambiance for dates.
My typical order is Tom Kah Gai and Pad Thai. But I have tried a few dishes, so here goes:
Tom Kah Gai - I always order it with chicken, and I love it. It's sour, sweet, spicy, creamy, and with a touch of mintyness. It has carrots and mushrooms in it along with the meat of your choice.
Tom Yum Noodle with Chicken and Shrimp - Very strong pungent smell to it (acquired taste?) probably from the shrimp paste. I ordered it during lunch time, and it was a decent sized bowl. I only recommend this if you like sour foods, because otherwise you will not like this noodle soup at all. I enjoyed it, but I think it's definitely something you either love or hate because it's got a very strong flavor and scent to it.
Panang Curry - Too sweet for my liking. It was sweet and spicy. I ordered it with beef. I wouldn't order this again, but if you like sweet and spicy this curry is good!
Green Curry - I remember this being on the sweet side too-- so maybe I'm just not a fan of my food being sweet. But I did like this curry dish. I ordered it with chicken.
Thai BBQ Chicken - Definitely has a really good smokey flavor. It's also got a bit of a sweetness to it. Not my favorite, but if you enjoy Chinese BBQ pork, it's got a similar sweetness to it.
Pad Thai - The pad thai is always delicious! It's the one dish I always end up ordering for dinner when I come here. I've had it with beef and chicken, both so delicious! Yummm! I would recommend this dish.
Thai iced tea - Delicious! No refills though. :(
The service is pretty good. They're fairly good about refilling water and taking away plates. The food comes out pretty fast too. The wait staff is very courteous and pleasant. I've never had a bad experience with service here. -
Review from Ayana J.
Monrovia, CA
8/2/2011
We went here for an early evening dinner to try this place out because it is the closest Thai restaurant to our home.
Very small, stingy portions, especially for the hefty prices. The Pad Kee Mao was good but it wasn't enough. The Barbecue beef was dry and also tiny. It consisted of a couple thin pieces of meat each smaller than a playing card that was so tough it had to be cut with a knife. We has an appetizer....a soft shelled crab thing that was partially burnt and hardly memorable.
We recommend President Thai on Rosemead for superior service, large portions, excellent food and fantastic lunch specials.
Chang is for people who don't know any better. The music is one strange 80s basso nova cd that is looped and distractedly bad. The ambiance is okay, but the music kills it, especially since they keep playing the same thing over and over again.
In summary, we were annoyed when we left because we spent almost $50 for two people and were still both hungry. -
Review from Christopher S.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
10/28/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Great food and very friendly service... Love this place. It my weekly staple.
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Review from Carissa E.
Monrovia, CA
9/26/2011
yep. just eh. 2 stars because...
1. i tasted bits of salt in my pad se ew...EWWW. Ok, i get it, if you're rushing to get an order out and you need to be fast about it---some things won't dissolve right away---but seriously, it was a lot of salt. no thank you.
2. my pineapple fried rice had raisins...BOOO. who does that. i wish people would realize raisins are not meant to be eaten HOT. no thank you.
3. service on a friday evening (during the street fair) was a bit slow. i mean, i get it you're busy...blah blah blah---but seriously, how long does it take to get a refill for my drink?
overall, i probably won't ever come back here--prices are steep for so little and quasi good quality. if you're in the mood for thai food i suggest going to Thai Nary in Azusa. Much better quality food and service--although if you're looking for ambiance, you're outta luck.. -
Review from Melissa N.
Rosemead, CA
2/15/2011
Located in Old Town Monrovia, its the only Thai restaurant I've seen down in this area, so come here if you are really in the mood for Thai food and can't settle for a Panini or a burger somewhere else.
The restaurant is small, dim lighting even in the afternoon(maybe they are going for a more intimate setting) and looks pretty contemporary inside-not bad. They have some pretty good lunch specials with most dishes in the 6.95 range which includes your entree, rice, soup and an eggroll. Green Curry is part of this special, I have yet to try it here but I generally love it at most other places.
I ordered:
Shrimp Pad Thai-it was really different...the peanuts tasted old and they only sprinkled like 3 pieces on it. I had a good portion of noodles and shrimp, however my noodles were a bit bland and I had to dump a bunch of chili paste on it to add flavor. It was meh.
Beef Pad Kee Mow-a little better tasting than my Pad Thai and was pretty spicy but again it was lacking in flavor in comparison to the same dish served in other Thai places I've been to before.
TIP: You're going to get mediocre Thai food, so if you want to try this restaurant, come during lunch(order before 3:00pm) so you get more for your money, its not going to be that much more, but better than paying regular price and you get a free eggroll, soup and rice! Street parking only. -
Review from Chester C.
Arcadia, CA
5/9/2011
This place has really gone down in quality.
We had the Thai BBQ Chicken, and it tasted terrible. It was so dry and felt like it was food from last night that was microwaved.
We requested another chicken dish, and it came out and also was super dry. I don't remember what type of chicken this other dish was, but it was quite terrible.
The restaurant was not crowded but the service was still very slow.
Will NOT be coming here again, very disappointed -
Review from m c.
Pasadena, CA
12/5/2011
decent Thai food overall, but not good enough to order again. In spite of the coupon, the serving size and overall yummyness is lacking. Much better choices out there for sure.
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Review from Heather J.
Baldwin Park, CA
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not bad but not great either. I will probably come here again if I'm in the area and the mood for Thai strikes me, but West Covina has some better places. The avocado egg rolls were decent but needed something more, plus the avocados were kinda brown. The pad thai my friend and I split was good. And the service was great.
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Review from ayami h.
1/3/2011 6 photos
Of all the Thai food I had in Monrovia, this is the best. Only because this is the only Thai place I have ever been in Monrovia. It is not bad but it is not great. If I am in a craving for Thai food, I may try this place again.
Me and my friend ordered
Chicken stuffed chicken. We were laughing at the description but it actually is fried chicken stuffed with ground chicken. It was pretty good. A
Pad Thai. There was something different about this... it was dry, light on flavor... C
Pineapple curry with shrimp. I cannot rate this because I don't like coconut = dont like Thai curry.
Service was good. The girls were friendly and nice. Food arrive without having to wait too long. A
Atmosphere was really nice. Quiet and cozy with a fake candle. (LOL). B+
Food quality - B
Price C (price for the quality) -
Review from Jsayz L.
Arcadia, CA
3/9/2011
Cute little place in Old Town Monrovia close to my work! This is my go to lunch place on a beautiful weather like today so I get to sit outside, enjoy the sun, and feel like I am some place else even for just an hour!
I love their lunch specials....whatever you pick and it comes with soup and egg roll. The food is consistent. Only thing is...if it's a full house, they're kind of short handed so expect a wait.
The staff/service is alright....they have good and bad days. Bad when they are busy.
The food tastes pretty fresh and healthy to me so I do go back especially since it's so close to my work. I think if they hire more staff, service would be a lot better.
Definitely give their lunch menu a try...you might like it!! -
Review from M R.
Pomona, CA
1/22/2011
As I sit at breakfast pondering my review of Chan Thai it dawned on me that this is one of those times where letting some time pass before a very mixed review is sometimes a good thing.
So first things first. Chang Thai is a nicely appointed and clean place. The wait staff was very attentive despite the fact I was just getting a to go order. At first I was decieved by the size of the dining room but then I realized they had a huge dining space in the back in addition to the few tables out front. Despite the rest of my review it is a very good value. The amount and quality of food for the price is great.
My dinner there was simply Mee Krob and Pad Thai. When I am going to a new place my first test is the basics, how well can they do what the cuisine they are serving is known for.
Good news first. The me krob was terrific. The noodles were crunchy and sticky like they should be. The whole dish was just sweet enough but not cloying or distracting. There was just enough chicken and perfectly cooked shrimp. Suffice to say I could have gorged myself all night on just the Mee Krob.
Now for the not so good news. The Pad Thai had the potential to turn this into a far better review. However this is where things went horribly wrong after the first few bites. Up to that point it had been a good though not great Pad Thai. Then the wheels fell off as I dug into bitter and totally burned to a cinder peanuts, over cooked to the point of being rubbery chicken, raw purple cabbage (a diatinct WTF moment cus really raw purple cabbage in Pad Thai??), and horribly fishy and salty noodles. It was as if they dumped a gallon of past its prime fish sauce on the noodles and made a half baked attempt at covering it up.
Needless to say the disconnect between the two dishes was more than a little disconcerting. Now that being said I am more than willing to give them another shot based on the Mee Krob, what the Pad Thai COULD have been, and the other reviews. I have the feeling it's a really good place and I just caught a fluke bad dish. -
Review from Xian Shane H.
Royal Oak, MI
It's a pretty chic little place a block away from home.
The service is nice.
We came here on a Monday night. So it's pretty quiet, except for the big table away from us had bunch of drunk asian business men harrassing the poor waitress.... like seriously, why can't they go to hooters.
anyways so i assume monday nights are quiet for them which could be a nice place to talk and hang out. -
Review from Siao J.
Los Angeles, CA
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
not much to complain about this place, but nothing to particularly rave about either.. it's a good local thai place, the service is good and the place is clean too.. but then again, it's not anywhere you would particular go out of your way to check out..especially in monrovia!
to summarize, if you're in the monrovia area, and feel like thai for a meal, swing by.. good lunch specials and kudos to having mussam curry on the menu :) -
Review from Brian U.
Monrovia, CA
8/25/2010
I love Thai food and I love Chang Thai Bistro! I have tried many Thai restaurants, and this is one of my two favorite (along with Soladang in Pasadena).
The restaurant decor is beautiful and its in the heart of Monrovia's Old Town district. The staff is always friendly, and we have had good service.
I think they key for excellent Thai food is the sauces, and their sauces are truly excellent. Next up is ingredients, and their seafood and fish dishes especially are loaded with high quality stuff (real scallops, large shrimp, real crab claws, etc.). My only slight complaint would be with the beef in dishes - sometimes the beef is chewy - and I am an old Ohio butcher shop owner's son, so I am picky on my beef.!
I am very glad they deliver locally. They are my "go to" restaurant for dinner at home. Last testimony - I have taken many friends there and never had one that was not impressed! -
Review from Jerry W.
Arcadia, CA
9/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
I went to Chang Thai Bistro with my brother on a Sunday for lunch. Place was deserted, when we stepped in the door the only people there were two waitresses folding napkins onto utensils on the table at the corner. But we sat down either way and was pleasantly surprised at our waitress (she was good looking). We started off with some drinks, my brother got the thai tea (of course...) and I was going to get water but I saw the thai green tea and I wanted to try how that was like so I got it. They were good but SOOOOO sweet (i guess most thai teas are overly sweet to me though) but yeah I was like "damn that was a bad call". But anyways the food later came.
We got two Weekend Lunch Specials for around 9 dollars each. My brother got the Panang curry and I got the Shrimp and Scallops lunch special. Both were very good to our surprise! Very flavorful, very fresh. Shrimp and scallops were not briney tasting which means they were quite fresh, and the coconut milk based sauce they were drenched in went very well with the white rice which was placed on the plate in the shape of a heart (awww, NOT. i just want my food...)
Oh, and I forgot to mention, there was a tangy soup and green salad that came before the course too. Those were also very good, we devoured those of course.
So all in all, great place, great food, good prices (at least for the weekend lunch specials), and you can earn mileage with Rewards Network by dining here as well. That's a winning formula for me right there, I will most likely come back to this place. -
Review from joanna e.
Pasadena, CA
Updated - 3/9/2010 1 photo
WOW, how time has changed this place. After not being here for at least a couple of months, it was about that time to check out another one of my favorite restaurants in the area. Well, I was wrong. This place is horrible!
First off, we walk in. The place is half empty. The rude waiter tells us to sit at the smallest table to ever exist, I ask if he can move us (mind you, it's 130pm - way past lunch hour peak time) and he forces the small table on us. Ok, fine. I'll let him win.
Here is a pic of the rude waiter, so you can avoid him at any cost:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Second, we're sitting at the Kids table and the other waitress sprays her toxic cleaning agent onto the table next to us just as we're about to start eating. You can only imagine how potent the smell of this lysol type product is.
Third, I get my tofu and my fried tofu is breaded in some crazy tempura looking batter. I tell the waiter that this is not how they usually cook this and he WALKS AWAY FROM ME! He continues to talk to me from a distance, but i'm completely irked. So I call the other lady over and I was like this is not how you usually make this and she LIES TO MY FACE and says yes, for as long as we've been open we've made it like this. At this point I'm irritated b/c I know that's false. She ends the conversation with 'So are you just saying you don't want it?'
The rude ass wait stuff needs to learn a thing of two about customer service. Best believe, they will never see me or any of my coworkers at their restaurant again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/9/2007
I work up the street from this place, and I'm surprised I didn't try it sooner. It's not great thai… Read more »
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Review from Melissa L.
Sierra Madre, CA
7/20/2010
My favorite Thai place so far. Its very clean unlike most Thai places I have been too. Its easy to overlook but go inside and try it for yourself.
The staff is always very friendly and they make good suggestions if your not familiar with Thai food. Its very pretty inside, Asian looking with bamboo interior. Best Panang Curry I have ever tried.
Would Recommend:
Panang Curry with chicken or shrimp
Spicy Seafood
Pad Thai
Sticky rice w/ mango -
Review from Nathan C.
El Monte, CA
3/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I used to love this place. Got hooked on it from a sister restaurant they have in Pasadena, so I thought I would try this location. I would have to concur with most of the critics here, the food is pretty good (well, most of it anyway), but Changs does have its DOWN side too.
Inside: Decor is nice, nothing to write home about, but not rundown.
There are a few quirky things that are a bit of turn-off, and then there are a few positive things that make this place pretty special. Here's the rundown...
Positives:
Most of the food is very good. I've never had a bad dish; their consistency is something that keeps me coming back for more.
They do have some of the best spring rolls I've ever had.
I like how you can vary the spiciness of the food.
The best Panang around.
Negatives:
The Spring Rolls are good, but at 6 bucks for 5 measly little rolls?? The value is clearly not there.
During dinner, not only are the plates $8-$10 with no sides, but they charge you an extra $3 for white rice!!! WHAT THE!
One thing I found out about this place on my first visit, is that they nickel and dime you for EVERYTHING! For example, if the meal comes with salad and you want soup instead (or vice-versa), it's gonna cost you $4. If you want a side of sauce, it's gonna cost you a buck or two. Everything additional cost more! And beware, they don't tell you until you get surprised by the bill. At least they have free refills on their fountain drinks and tea.
While all this stuff is pretty quirky and disheartening, that's not the worst part about this place! The absolute worst part about this restaurant is the service! THE SERVICE IS HORRIBLE. The waitresses are rude and not friendly at all. There's only like three or four of them and ALL 4 are very rude and unhelpful. On my first visit, I was asking questions (not 40, like 2 or 3) about some of their menu items, and the waitress looks at me like I'm suppose to know the answer already! What in the world??? Are serious?
They're very snooty. This is almost a deal breaker for me; because of this, I typically get it to go, and I def cannot recommend this place to anyone...
Overall: It's good Thai, but at a cost more than just the expensive dinner prices! I wish there was another place around with comparable food that had friendlier staff; I would switch in a heartbeat. -
Review from Hosie T.
Monrovia, CA
7/20/2011
Great flavors and great service in our quaint little town. A foursquare check-in will get you deals, beer was on our list this day, but we passed. Each of our meals had a lot of flavor, but the grilled pineapple was bland. This didn't distract from the meal at all.
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Review from Dennis L.
Monrovia, CA
7/19/2011
Average. The good stuff is in Pasadena.
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Review from Jeff L.
Long Beach, CA
6/22/2009
Chang's Thai Bistro offers a variety of fresh and tasty Thai food. We went with 3 appetizers as follows: Angel Wings, Crab Rangoon and Fresh Salad Wraps. All three appetizers were perfectly prepared and pretty tasty.
We all had a variety of curries paired with a delicious Riesling from Central coast. The word Chang means Elephant. It does. I swear. Chang's Thai Bistro features a cozy dinning room with some abstract Elephant art work and bamboo. It's cute and romantic.
Service was fair.... it took a few askings to get some water and they were not all that busy but overall.... not bad by any means.
If you are in the Monrovia area and craving Thai food, give Chang's a try. -
Review from Donna S.
7/9/2008
Well, the Indonesian place I wanted was closed, so ixnay on the beef rendang and Shaved Ice. So, I figure some Thai curry may soothe my injured soul and cravings. It was a different place the last time I was there a year ago. We all tried the lunch special which included soup and fried springroll for only ~$6. And rice. Heart rice.
Well, it seems like a really good deal in writing, but I didn't get too much in my Green Tofu Curry. But it was good. And I scooped up every last bit of curry juice. The rice was so cute in the heart shape that I even ate some with the curry juice. But not much. I don't see the point in flavorless white rice. It's like eating chewy, nutritionless air. Blah.
The soup it came with was the Coconut Lemongrass soup. Tom Ka Gai? My favorite. So that was a big plus. I could live on that soup.
Now the Angel Wings were another story. I have never had them, so I thought I would try them since they had a little elephant icon near them signifying that it was a Chef's favorite, or specialty, or something. No. I see the end of the chicken wing bone there, but the rest is bloated and boneless and big and stuffed with what may be ground up very bad parts of the chicken. And are they supposed to be Angel wings? Cuz that is creepy. I am not religious, but why take chances and eat angel parts? No one really cared for them. So not very divine, but a bit more hellish. But I'm not docking them, since maybe I am just not a fan of Angelic meat.
But the environment is nice and staff friendly, so we will be back for a lunch hour excursion. They have beer and that weird fake Asian hangover vodka for spiked Thai teas and various cocktails.
Update: 2010- have used them several times to cater my workplace in Duarte. They have a handy catering menu wtih set prices. The $11.95 Packages come with choice of different appetizzer, salad, Wok dish, a curry, a noodle dish, and rice. They deliver and I have never had a problem with them and there are always leftovers. The co-workers all really like it. Except for the few freaks that hate spicy food. We don't care about them.Listed in: My Lunch Hour Eats in Duarte, Asian, Catering in Duarte
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Review from Tony Y.
Alhambra, CA
10/19/2007
Sawat-dee!
My mama took me here tonight. First thing she pointed out was the gaudy yet elegant decor consisting of bamboo, giant mirrors, and elephants. They have elephant tea pots, elephants on their plates, and they even give you a pet elephant to take home after your meal. At least I feel like they should.
So if you read my headline, you know avocado usually makes my lips/throat itch a little, but I'll eat it anyway. So we ordered the Crispy Avocado Rolls, and they didn't make me itch! I think it's because they also had fluffy potato mixed with the avocado chunks inside of the won ton. That may sound weird to some people, but trust me, it will be the best avocado egg roll you will ever have! The sesame sauce that comes with it adds a nice sweetness to the flavor. This is one of those things you HAVE to try here! Or else I won't let you leave. Seriously.
We also had the Pad Thai and the Pineapple Shrimp Curry. Pad Thai was good, but they put chicken in there when I said just tofu. Oh well, we picked it out. The Pineapple Shrimp Curry was MMMMSPICY! All the other Thai restaurants I've been to ask you how spicy you want it. Not Chaaaaang. Or at least not the guy who took our order. If you like the hot sensation of liquid dripping from your nose (or wherever you drip from when you eat spicy food), this is the dish to get. When they give you rice, it comes in the shape of a heart. Awww...
I broke it in half and tore it apart! Then my mom and I savagely devoured every bit of it!!! Muahahahaha!
What? It was a small heart... there wasn't that much to go around.
Anyway... another neat thing I saw on the menu was vegan shrimp for an extra 2 dollars. I'll have to try that next time. As for the rest of the menu, it's fairly inexpensive. Most of the dishes I saw were under $10.
If the guy who took our order/gave us the check wasn't so inattentive, I might have given this place 5 stars.Listed in: My Favorites, Asian Invasion!, Not a lover of meat?
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Review from Jairo B.
Los Angeles, CA
8/21/2007
Damn! I was too slow trying to become the first to review this place (i know i know frank)
Chang 's owner is the same owner of Chandra in Pasadena. Therefore when i went there for the first time i was very confident that they would have a good team both serving customer as well in the kitchen. I was right!
Service: very friendly and fast
Food: I had the shrimp curry--spicy! even for my bf!
Price: no complaints
Presentation: i still love the idea when you ask for fried rice it comes in a shape of a heart lol
Does this place stands out from other thai places? -so far no
Taste: very good!
Cons: nothing! expect my bf so a cockroach outside of the restaurant on the sidewalk! - he got all freaked out! lol -
Review from H.C. S.
Arcadia, CA
4/9/2008
Came here for lunch today -- in short, not particularly impressed. But I will disclaim that I'm basing this off on only one meal (a lunch special, no less) ~ so maybe I just ordered the wrong thing.
I got the panang (reddish coconut peanut curry) with tofu lunch special, the starter soup was pretty good (a broth with bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms & broccoli), as was the vegetarian eggroll and its obligatory (Americanized) sweet sour dipping sauce.
The curry, though, is where it fell short. It was unusually watery and something about the flavor is a bit off (not in a "something expired" way, just weird) - and they were skimpy with the tofu & veggies (a few strips of bell peppers). One would think that since I ordered it vegetarian (and it costs the same price as beef/chicken) that they would throw more vegetables in. However, the spice level is about right.
I didn't finish the curry or the rice, but was full enough that I bailed on dessert (was really eyeing that sticky rice with mango too). Oh well, perhaps next time. -
Review from Sue P.
Pasadena, CA
9/21/2010
Whenever I go to downtown Monrovia, CA, Chang Thai Bistro is my first stop. The indoor setting has a very comfortable atmosphere.
My usual is Pad Thai and Thai ice tea. These days I ask for less milk or half-an-half in my thai tea.
After a long weekend lunch, I would walk around and do some window shopping.
Parking is never a problem. I always seem to find a street parking space within a block.Listed in: Restaurant
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Review from Kevin S.
Valencia, CA
8/6/2007
My girlfriend and I were here last night for dinner before walking up to the Krikorian for a movie. Chang Thai Bistro is run by the same owners as Chandra in Pasadena, another well establish Thai restaurant in the area. This is also the previous location of Sweet Garlic.
We both found the food to be very much on par with Chandra here in Pasadena. We started with the "Naked Shrimp" salad, which was about 6 grilled shrimp on a bed of very fresh greens w/ a light and spicy Thai dressing. We really enjoyed this dish. We then split an order of Pad Thai with chicken and Green Curry Rice with Chicken. Bother of these dishes were very good - seemingly no different that what we get at most Thai places.
The service was very friendly. Our only slight complaint was that the order seemed to take longer that it should have to arrive.
All in all, I would definitely say this is one of the better Thai places in the Monrovia area. -
Review from Tracy L.
Arcadia, CA
Updated - 8/21/2010
I don't understand what happened to this little Thai place I used to love, but it's mysteriously declined.
After a year away, I went back and had my usual favorites: chicken green curry, pad kee mao, and tom yum soup. The curry and tom yum were fairly standard and tasted fine, albeit lacking pizzazz. The real problem was the pad kee mao. Once my favorite, it was completely disgusting this time. I've never had noodles in any restaurant that overcooked. They were congealed on the plate and soggy when eaten. It was a horrifying disappointment.
I guess when you've got mediocre+mediocre+terrible that averages out to a 2 star rating, right? I really hope this was a fluke incident and that if I ever go back or order out again, it'll be the old Chang Thai I knew and loved.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/16/2009
Today was the first time I'd ever been to the restaurant, although I'd ordered Chang's delivery… Read more »
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Review from Amanda V.
Pasadena, CA
11/30/2007
I want to give it more stars, and I am not sure why. I am just so torn on this place.
Last night I got soup and the crispy avocado rolls. The soup was great, amazing flavor. Their tofu is so good! The crispy rolls were okay, not great. Luckily we decided to stay a talk for a while after eating because I was in no shape to leave the place. Almost instant sick feeling! It subsided and I was okay, but it kind of tainted my experience.
I definitely won't go out of my way to go back here. But if someone insists on taking me there... I won't object.
