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Dara Thai
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 8:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Dara Thai
Review Highlights
"On this trip I had the Pad Thai and it was excellent."
(in 6 reviews)
"Their Tom Ka soup is excellent."
(in 4 reviews)
"The food is great, well priced, and plentiful."
(in 5 reviews)
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Brandon N.
Tempe, AZ
12/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Being such a fan of Dara Thai located in Williams, AZ, this was a must try. The owners of both locations are friends and really are awesome people. I was able to meet them both, at each location, and it was truly a treat.
My dining experience here was just as I had at the Williams location, it was awesome!
Restaurant appearance: it is a small place but there is extra seating in the back incase you want to bring a crowd along. Cleanliness is obviously a main concern for this place as it was super clean everywhere, including the kitchen and bathrooms.
Food quality: food was absolutely delicious and a notch above any other Thai food that I have had in my life.
Staff service: They were all super nice and was always an ear shot away. The owner, Peter, even came out and chatted with us. I had some questions about the artwork and pictures on the wall, and he was nice enough to let me take home a ginormous book about Thai culture, and to just bring it back the next time I return (which will be soon!)
Pricing: average to slightly above average. I feel it's a perfect match for the quality of food you are receiving.
No complaints anywhere.
You will be in my dreams tonight, Dara Thai Café. -
Review from John V.
Phoenix, AZ
10/2/2011
This little place is located in a shopping center in Anthem. It's very small but really cozy and comfortable. The place was immaculate. This was our first time here but will hardly be our last... I've added it to our short-list of favorites. On this trip I had the Pad Thai and it was excellent. My wife had a broccoli and chicken dish that she raved about. The Lunch specials are a real bargain. Since Thai food can be a bit on the spicy side I was very pleased to learn you could choose your level of "heat" from 1 to 5. I like my Asian food a bit spicy but my wife prefers mild: Dara Thai lets you customize that level.
There aren't many really great places to eat in Anthem (yet -- I still have hope) but this place is worth the visit. The service was also excellent. -
Review from Anthony E.
San Diego, CA
11/15/2011
They have the brightest neon "open" store sign I've ever seen. Located near the outlet mall and being from out of town I yelped this place and was glad to have found it. Food is great and the service is exceptional for a tiny restaurant. One thing we noticed was that it use to be an Italian restaurant if you look closely you'll notice Italian buildings behind the Thailand scenery on the walls... ;-)
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Review from Todd and Laurie H.
Phoenix, AZ
11/21/2011
Great place for a nice enjoyable dinner. Service was very polite and fast. Curry dishes to die for and highly recommend it since we eat Thai often and we feel this is the best place in town now.
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Review from Bad L.
Phoenix, AZ
8/12/2011
Very disappointing. We drove by this place many times and thought we would try something local. Not sure why it is getting such good ratings. The food was just so/so. Maybe people in Anthem are dying for any Thai so they think it is good. They didn't even have Thai Basil chicken which I thought was a staple in every Thai restaurant. We did take out and eat at pink pepper on bell.
I don't think we will be visiting again and will probably drive a few miles down to Bell road to get great Thai. -
Review from Greg B.
Phoenix, AZ
4/2/2011 2 photos
Okay, I'm home from enjoying a downright incredible meal at Dara Thai and -- guess what I'm doing? Eating leftovers! Pad Woon Sen rocks my house down. Also brought home some bright and flavorful Tom Ka soup, which I will likely have for breakfast tomorrow. The only reason I'm not giving a 5-star rating is that veggies are just SLIGHTLY overcooked for my taste. And, of course, there is the sad vegetable quality all of us in the Phoenix area have to deal with.
Okay, so the food is great. But this restaurant has something that has become quite rare these days ... serenity! That's right! No loud music! No dumb teevee. Just a good ol' fashioned, straight-ahead nice dining experience. -
Review from Arlin B.
1/11/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Dara Thai is probably the best place to dine in Anthem in regards to quality of food. They have an extensive menu with most of the traditional Thai dishes along with
Here are some recommendations:
For apps, veggie rolls, crab wontons are ok, but go with the Satay ~ slices of chicken marinated in curry and grilled. It comes with peanut sauce and cucumber dip which is not actually dip, it's yummy pickled cucumber slices in this ridiculous somewhat sweet sauce that may entice you lick the bowl and ask for more...
Soups; their Koew Num (wonton) soup is good however I suggest going for the Tom Ka Gai which is a hot/sour soup with chicken, lemon grass, mushrooms, something else not sure what is but taste good in a coconut milk broth served in a "flaming soup tureen".
Dinner/Lunch; Pad Thai, Kao Pad Kari, Panang Curry are all good and you would not be disappointed but I recommend either Pad Gaeng Pa Curry or Goong Gartiem Prik Thai ~ shrimp dish with garlic, snow peas, onions and broccoli. They also have a few nontraditional Thai dishes like Orange chicken and Beef with Broccoli in case your with someone that is not a fan of Thai cuisine.
Heat levels are somewhat conservative so you may need to order a little hotter than at other locations. Service is friendly and quick. Their prices are very reasonable and their portions are on the larger size, so you can share with someone if you choose to.Listed in: Asian Cuisine
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Review from Marco N.
Frankfort, IL
5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great little place. We were visting the local outlet mall from out of town and I found good ratings for this place on Yelp. We called 20 minutes before closing and they said not a problem. Low number of seats, about 75% taken, and still busy with local families having dinner.
Fast and courtious service, wonderful Thai Ice Tea. We had some yummy food, and the soup was served in this cool dish with some flames comming out of the middle..
Can't go wrong! -
Review from Tani L.
Phoenix, AZ
11/30/2010
They have the BEST Pad Thai! I've had many other dishes of theirs which are all delicious, but that Pad Thai haunts my dreams at night. (In a good way) I've recently had Touch of Thai which is a highly rated Thai Food restaurant. Of course, I had to try their pad thai. Honestly, It was just as good, but they used the thin, stringy noodles and Dara uses the wide, flat noodles. You wouldn't think that would make much of a difference, but that's what makes me drive 20 miles more to go to Dara Thai to get their Pad Thai than driving 5 miles to go to Touch of Thai.
If your not watching your calorie intake I highly suggest getting the cream cheese wontons and Thai Tea with your Pad Thai! Now that's what I call delicious! -
Review from Justin S.
Phoenix, AZ
8/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not that into Thai food so don't have much to compare too but was pleasantly surprised by this place. Had the Arizona heat wave and it was excellent. Got three star spicy and it was good but should have gone for the four star.
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Review from Pity D.
Compton, CA
12/4/2010
Satisfactory.
Good enough to dine here only because there's nothing else close. But I would not recommend going out of your way to eat here.
Their red and yellow curries are consistently watery, bland and disappointing. They don't have much flavor and it's next to impossible to see or taste any coconut milk in them.
Their noodle dishes are of average quality.
Chicken can often be over-cooked and dry.
Staff is very friendly. But not friendly enough to overwhelm the disappointing food.
Prices are somewhat reasonable.
If you're in the area and desperate for Thai, Dara will do. Just avoid the curries. -
Review from Jenn B.
Henderson, NV
9/3/2010
Being from SF, I have eaten at many Thai places & Dara Thai is at the top of my list! I have liked everything I've tried but my favorites are the Tom Ka Gai & Gaeng Kari. It's perfect every time & on top of the great food, the service is excellent. Peter, the chef always makes a point of coming out & saying hi to us & they always make us feel at home.
This is worth the drive if you live in Phoenix & are looking around on yelp for a good Thai place. Check it out, you will not be disappointed! -
Review from Jessica P.
Phoenix, AZ
7/31/2010 1 Check-in Here
Loved it! I've been looking for a Thai restaurant that was up north and my friend found it and we tried it last night...
We had the Keow Num soup (wonton) which was EXCELLENT. Mostly because it had cilantro in it, which is my favorite leafy green, being a Phoenix native. It was nicely spicy as well... it was pretty great. Presentation was awesome as well, just make sure to not light any napkins on fire.
For my meal, I had the Gaeng Keo Wan with chicken... EXCELLENT. I couldn't stop eating it. hahaha I love my curry and got a level three which was a perfect level of heat without blowing my head off.
I'm definitely going back.Listed in: Can't help but go back!
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Review from Mallory L.
Phoenix, AZ
11/29/2011
Please don't waste your time and money. The portion size was satisfactory, but the food was mediocre at best. The majority of people in Anthem seem to have fast-food taste, so of course they find this place adequate. This is a tiny restaurant; the evening we were there, a woman and friend were there with their 2 small poorly-disciplined children, who allowed them to run everywhere. Great. That's what we want on a night out - mediocre food and running screaming kids. The staff did nothing. We haven't gone back and will warn others away.
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Review from Lock L.
Phoenix, AZ
8/6/2007
This place is awesome. It's a little Thai restaurant in a strip mall (next to Safeway) in Anthem AZ. The food is great, well priced, and plentiful.
The menu is huge! I've been there over ten times and have ordered something different every time.
For you in the know it is an offshoot of the Dara Thai in Flagstaff AZ, but I don't know if it's a chain or family that moved down south.
If you are in the market for some awesome Thai but don't want to go downtown just shoot up the I-17 (bad traffic northbound Friday afternoon, and southbound on Sunday evenings) and give it a shot... You won't be disappointed.
Update: Consistently good. Added a star because I would be sad without them. -
Review from Stephen G.
Phoenix, AZ
4/7/2010
This is a great little Thai food place and its amazing its found in Anthem, or Stepford as we like to call it.
Looks like a couple run this but I am not really sure. The food is great, the prices are a little high for such a small place, but I go there when I need a few hits of the hot stuff. Their Tom Ka soup is excellent.
They only have about 6-8 tables in the restaurant, but that isnt an issue as it seems that most of their business is take out to the locals.
Its very much worth the diversion off the I-17 if you are going to Flag or coming back into town and need something besides fast food fair. -
Review from Ethan S.
Anthem, AZ
12/15/2008 1 Check-in Here
It's strange the memories you retain from youth. I remember countless Flagstaff road trips; to cool down in the summertime and to play in the snow in winter. Inner tubes... and Dara Thai.
I was disconcerted when I saw the signage appear in Anthem. A little restaurant in a strip mall squeezed between a smoothie shop and some investment banker. It _couldn't_ be the same Dara Thai. It didn't have the same highly decorated interior replete with rich colors and ornamentation. After waiting for the opening I ventured in as was assured it _is_ the same, and the food confirmed it.
A seemingly never-ending menu of delectable options. All of my favorites are done great justice and I've found quite a few new surprises.
I had wondered whether the food could stand up to my memories, and rest assured that it can. -
Review from Patty Z.
Phoenix, AZ
5/12/2011
Wonderful food and great service---we get take out about once a week and sit by the pool to devour each menu item, sampling each others choices. Very convenient location, lots of items to pick from.
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Review from Sarah F.
Phoenix, AZ
3/22/2011
I do not like Thai food at all, but this place had a few things on the menu that were normal enough for me to eat. I ended up with a pineapple beef dish, and it was actually excellent. They give you a lot of jasmine rice with your food, and they are some of the nicest servers I have ever had.
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Review from David W.
Anthem, AZ
1/19/2010
The Tom Kha Gai is to die for. I pick it up weekly to enjoy at home. I also love their Pad Thai, Crispy Shrimp and Cashew Chicken.
While many of the eateries in Anthem are sub-par, Dara Thai stands out among them. Even if I didn't live in Anthem, it would be worth the drive for their fantastic Thai cuisine. -
Review from Jake M.
Phoenix, AZ
11/3/2010
Good Thai cuisine owned and operated by a local Thai family. Typical Thai menu. Portion size seems to be getting a little smaller and unfortunately they removed the non-fried items from their $4.99 lunch specials. If you want authentic Thai for an average price and you happen to be in or driving by Anthem Arizona, Dara Thai is a good selection.
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Review from Kerri J.
Highlands Ranch, CO
9/20/2010
We love this place! The food is fresh, and we really like everything we have tried. The service is friendly, the prices are great, the place is clean...there is nothing negative to say! Thanks Dara Thai, we heart you.
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Review from John K.
Anthem, AZ
4/30/2009
After listening to the kids say "what's for dinner" and "eww, I don't like that" we started searching for something different for take out. There are not a lot of different take out selections in the north valley. We came across Dara Thai on Yelp and the 2 reviews where good, so we took a chance. And it was worth it.
Having 2 vegetarians for children makes it hard, but Dara Thai had a good selection of Tofu items. We got a Spicy Tofu, Sweet and Sour Tofu and a Gaeng Kari (Extra Spicy). All where excellent tasting and went over well with the picky eaters that my kids are.
The only complaint was that the extra spicy, could have been a bit spicier. The price was a bit high, but we will definitely order again. -
Review from Veronica M.
Phoenix, AZ
2/18/2010
Their chicken pad thai ROCKS! Beware of the spice though. They scale it from 0-5 and we never go over 1. We are sissy white folks, but 3 will leave you remembering it for sometime- if you know what I mean. (not good.. lol)
The kiddies get the orange chicken and really like it. We do order it easy on the sauce because they do deliver some sauce with it!
If you have room I highly recommend the chocolate mouse cake.
It is divine!
