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Categories: Chinese, Vegan, Vegetarian, Thai [Edit]
2337 N Oxnard Blvd
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This place looks kinda like a run-down, cheap take out place, but don't let the appearance fool you. I was told that this was some pretty darn good Thai food, so I was excited to try this place out.
The first thing I noticed was the outstanding service. The waitress was extremely friendly and patient, and she brought out our drinks and food VERY quickly. I ordered the Pad Se Ew which came out in a good sized portion (I only finished half) and was the best I've ever had in my life (granted I don't have too much experience with Thai food, but still :D). And I know the others that I dined with loved their food also, which is probably why they keep coming here.
At the end of our meal, the owner came out of the kitchen to talk to us. He was so happy and friendly and even introduced himself to me (since I've never met him). I don't know about you, but most owners don't give a crap about interacting with me, let alone any customer, so I really appreciated that. And I know he does it with many customers, as he was talking with another as we were leaving.
This place is GREAT overall and if you love Thai food and are in the area, you should definitely make this a bullet point on your to do list.
Note: There aren't free refills on drinks, there is a small refill fee, but still, booooo....
their food is phenomenal andd cheap! I love it. the lady who owns it is really nice too (:
I don't know what to say other than I have never had better Thai Food anywhere. I have eaten there for over six years and I have never gotten anything different ..seriously never.
Garlic Tofu W/Half Rice, Half Noodles
Thai & Chinese Food No.3?
That's news to me... We folks call this place Cham's. This place is the bomb de la bomb. I always, and I mean ALWAYS, get the Garlic Tofu, half noodles, half rice, and veggies.
It's big enough for lunch and dinner-- you seem to get a little more if you take-out instead of eating there. The decor is pretty boring... I'd call it simple but even that implies some sort of creative effort. Alas, no. Fortunately Cham and his wife are sweethearts and their food is delicious so we'll let them slide on the atmospheric snooze-fest.
The only other downside? Cash only. Eeesh... That can be a real pain in the tookus for the swipe-happy plastic generation so make sure you hit the ATM before checking this place out. You'll be glad you did!
nevermind the name or appearance of the restaurant.
yummy pad se ew. (It's a broad noodle)
Saw the good reviews on yelp, and it really stood up to its reputation.
The pad thai is ADDICTING, I always want to order another plate to go but that's the tummy talking. I always get their teriyaki beef which is simple yet tasty. And the spicy sauce they have in those red bottles on the tables, I don't know what's in it but it is GOOD on EVERYTHING!
Their curry is so not the business, but the pad thai, teriyaki beef, & whatever is in those red bottles keep me coming back!
Cham's rocks. My new favorite dish is... is... fried meat on rice with carrots on broccoli with some sort of weed or something thrown in there with green peppers. I don't know how it's spelled, but Cham pronounces it like "Pad KaPow!" I like it with Pork instead of Chicken.
Cham just updated all the posters on the wall.
***UPDATE!! UPDATE!!***
I had a heart to heart with Cham today. He said the dish is Pad Kaprow; that the secret ingredient is Thai Basil, that it's also good with beef and that he may get a credit card machine if users are willing to pay $1 to use it.
My Mother in Law has never heard the term "Hole in the Wall". Even though I patiently explained what it meant, when we got to Thai & Chinese Food No. 3, she said "I thought you told me this place is called 'Hole in the Wall'". Sheesh.
It was pretty easy getting there and plenty of parking. The interior was a little blah but the place was clean enough. Lots of seats open on a Friday evening at 7pm and the staff is very friendly. It was busy with people ordering take-out rather than sitting inside.
It was our first time there and my husband allowed me to do the ordering since I suggested going there. It seemed like a lot of Yelpers enjoyed the Chicken Curry and Garlic Chicken. My husband and I are both Vegans so I ordered Yellow Curry with Tofu for him and the Garlic Tofu for me. Both were delicious! We ended up swapping plates a couple of times, but my husband usually needs to be fed more than me so I only ate about half and gave him the rest. We also had 3 egg rolls. One for me, two for him.
On the other side of the table, Mom in Law wasn't happy. She ordered a combo plate that had Skewered chicken, fried rice, chow mein, and fried wontons. She said the fried rice and chicken was dry, the chow mein was undercooked, and the fried wontons didn't have anything in them. She gave her plate two thumbs down.
For dessert, I ordered Fried Bananas. Delicious. They were fried in bite-sized pieces with a heavy sprinkling of powdered sugar (don't inhale when you take a bite - you might have a coughing fit). Even Mom liked it. Phew!
All meals, drinks, and even dessert, with tip was just $36 for the 3 of us. Nice!
Except for Mom's bad combo plate and the unenthusiastic decor, everything else was great!
4.5 stars...25 reviews, I wonder what the big deal is about this place. I finally found some people to go with, my hs friends! We came here, ordered 3 dishes, and 4 egg rolls, came out to $27. Portions are pretty small, so I was still hungry afterwards shared amongst the 4 of us. Outside, this place smells better than a tastes. Not sure if this is a good thing. The food is pretty good. Solid flavor, it taste very home-cookin' and exactly as the name says, Thai/Chinese, it's a hybrid, not really tasting like authentic of one or the other. Most people get take-out here. A solid 4 stars, but not a 5 quite yet (where I'd come here repeatedly). I will have to come back to try the garlic tofu though.
Garlic tofu. Amazing staff. Apparently the dead animal was good too. Only reason to go to Oxnard. You'll thank me later
My husband and I came here for a casual birthday dinner, because I loove love love thai food and have been craving thai tea for weeks. I chose this place solely from it's reviews and was not disappointed! I got the garlic tofu: sooo good! My husband got the war wonton, which was also absolutely delicious. The service was fast and friendly, even after we didn't have cash and had to run to the atm (because I apparently can't read and didn't realize they don't take cards).
One thing, the portions are not small (perfect for my husband and I) but they are not the huge portions thai lovers might be used to at other places. However I will say that I came in hungy, and left satisfied. I love Cham's, and will definitely be back!
Gotta love Cham's! (aka Thai & Chinese Food No. 3)
The Garlic Tofu is delicious, as is the Cashew Tofu. Seriously good. Crisp veggies. And they will go pretty darn spicy if you want them to. The noodle dishes are not my favorite, but you cannot go wrong with the rice dishes.
Service is super speedy.
Bound to run into someone you. Impromptu lunch party...
It's really hard to find good Thai food in more suburban areas. From reading other's reviews, this seemed to be the "It" Thai place in Oxnard.
My uncle got the shrimp combo, and he seemed satisfied with it. We also ordered the pad see ew, rad naa, garlic chicken, and teriyaki bowl. They all tasted pretty much what I would expect from these dishes, but there was an underlying theme for all of them: overly salted and too much sauce. My noodles were just swimming in sauce and it was hard to differentiate the noodles from the sauce. The chicken dishes were overpowered by their sauces as well.
In terms of pricing, I think the dishes were overpriced. I've had Thai dishes that have tasted better, and were larger in portions for the same price as this place.
best place in oxnard for chinese food and thai ice tea! I took my friend today and she says this place has the best egg drop soup she's ever had. i had the shrimp fried rice which was good, i just wish they would give you more shrimp with it. i also had the pad thai which is the best pad thai i have had since i moved to oxnard, although my only problem with it was that they didnt not give me enough meat with it! its supposed to come with shrimp and chicken but i only found one piece of chicken in it and 3 small shrimp mixed in! WHAT THE HELL!!! i tasted so good though.
i guess i'll just ask for extra shrimp and chicken next time i go..
do not let the cheesy name, whole-in-the-wall appearance & strange wall paint color combination fool you; this place is legendary.
the pad thai is literally second to none. I drive to LA for the bomb papaya salad (hey, don't judge me) but this place takes the cake when it come to pad thai. not sure what they put in it, but it's very addicting. oh good god & their hot sauce? I've offered to buy the bottle.
also, once in a while when Cham has fresh basil he'll knock out the most amazing pad krapow. it's not even on the menu. you just gotta spend enough time here for the staff to hook you up.
oh, one thing: cash only. luckily there's a liquor store around the corner and a bank in the same shopping center.
If you were to only choose one place for Thai food in Ventura County, this would be it. Pad Thai? They got it. Pad Se Ew? Yup. Panang? Kang Ka Ree? Pineapple fried rice? Yes. Cashew nut chicken? Yes.
In most Thai places you can get your orders at variable levels of spiciness. Other places have their most spicy option being barely edible; however, here at Thai Chinese, you can order extra spicy and still be at ease that you'll be able to eat it.
I've been eating here since 1999 and nothing has changed. The menu looks exactly the same, everything on the wall has been there for years and years... and years.
My personal favorite is their Kua Kai, which has those fat noodles that you can get in Pad Se Ew, and it's stir fried with carrots, sprouts, chicken, and calamari. As opposed to Pad Se Ew which tastes sweet, Kua Kai tastes more barbecuey, and it's delicious.
Here's a few things you should know before going to Thai Chinese. First, bring cash. They only take cash. If you forget, there's an ATM machine at the Circle-K in the plaza. Second, don't be super super hungry and expect one order to satisfy you. Their portions are sound, not hungry-man excessive. Lastly, even if you don't see something on the menu, it doesn't mean that they don't make it. My favorite non-menu item is their Pra Ram, which has chicken cooked in a peanut curry on a bed of raw spinach (as opposed to other Thai places that have cooked spinach). My co-worker (whose uncle is Cham, the owner) told me that Pra Ram is one of Oxnard Police Department's favorite items.
So all in all, 5 out of 5. This place is not about presentation or atmosphere. It's about honest-tasting above-par Thai Chinese cuisine.
5 stars for this little dive joint..? Well, let's just check that out.
Miki L. invited me to join her for lunch (again) and wanted to try a place highly rated by other Yelp enthusiasts, so we made the drive over during the lunch hour.
Positives:
- I had a spectacularly flavored chicken curry with white rice - $6.50.
- Miki L. had the tasty Thai Special incl. beef, chicken, & veggies - $6.50.
Negatives:
- Unimpressive egg roll - $1.00
- Portion size was small and left us wanting.
- Beef in Miki L's dish was greasy, so she left it for me to eat. - :~)
- Small, unimpressive interior.
Even with the above negatives, I would go back in a heartbeat for that chicken curry!
Additional note:
If you're on the lam from the authorities, you may wish to consider going somewhere else as this place appears to be the cafeteria at Police Dept. headquarters during the lunch hour.
Amazing food. I have now been here several times and I just can't get enough. The food is consistently great, although I can't get away from the garlic tofu. My dad, who is not a vegetarian, and who I thought would never eat tofu, ordered it as well because he liked mine so much. I don't know how they do it, but the owners remember everyone who has ever come in there and great them with such joy to see them again. And this is not a "hole in the wall"... it is just small.
The Beef Panang and the Garlic Tofu will MELT YOUR BRAIN.
Ive tried many of the dishes from here but without a doubt these two are worth driving a distance for.
Chams is a sign that there might be a Heaven (but does it have a ghetto?) i hope so.
Honestly, this was one of the first Thai places I've ever eaten....and it created a difficult standard for ALLOT of places to meet. The vegetables are always crisp and fresh and the rice is never over dry or undercooked. The menu offers a variety of seafood, poultry, beef, and vegetarian dishes that are supremely delicious.
It is a great place to eat while on a budget because the portions can sufficiently feed two people! The place caters to a variety of clients and is really family oriented. Plus you know it's a safe place because of the amount of cops that eat there daily.
Best Chinese & Thai food in the Ventura/Oxnard area. I really like this place...super friendly service...very clean...tasty...looking forward to having it again soon!
mm.. i go here for pad thai with extra chicken. it's really good. i also order their thai iced tea. i think it's kinda weird that they charge if you want less ice o.O cuz yeah.. if you don't say anything they will fill 1/2-3/4 of your cup with ice and then pour in the thai iced tea. yup..
soo pad thai here is delicious. under 10 bucks. try it with the hot sauce. pretty good.
My wife and I moved to the Ox almost a year ago from Long Beach. We have found one place that we feel is unrivaled to any restaurant from our former home. It would be Cham's. This place is amazing for what it is not, just as much as what it is.
First things first, the food is outstanding. Bottom line good. I am a favorite of the yellow curry, my wife gets the #38 chicken and shrimp with glass noodles.
The service is friendly, always quick to greet with a smile.
Now for what this place is not.
1. It is not some run of the mill fast food Chinese joint with heat lamp food..although one might get that impression when looking at the strip mall exterior.
2. Pretentious, with food this good they could be total A-holes, but they are the furthest from there.
The restaurants of Oxnard could learn a lot from this place, on the fact that keepin it real with the food and the atmosphere is the way to be successful. Not some bad attempt at being a chic trendy place, where the food sucks and people think they don't live in Oxnard.
I will drive over an hour just to eat at Thai & Chinese Food No 3 (Chams) The food is amazing and so is the staff. Cham is hands down one of the nicest people you will ever meet and always willing to go the extra mile just to put a smile on your face. This family owned restaurant is always accommodating and has a great atmosphere for any age.
Whether you are vegetarian or not you have to try their garlic tofu at least once. Every single dish I have had there has been amazing. My personal favorite is the Pad Von Seen with tofu. Their meat dishes are really great as well. But whatever you get make sure to get a Thai iced tea and some fried bananas for dessert and you will leave that place a happy camper!
I must admit that I was skeptical when I read most of the reviews for Thai & Chinese Food. I went in and ordered the BBQ Pork Fried Rice, Pad See Yew, Pad Thai, and chicken curry w/ white rice (feeding three, not just myself :-)), I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The portions are fair when compared to the cheap prices. The staff was friendly and accommodating. I'd return, and I'd probably get all four items again (separately) and try others as well. Good find!
You have got to love these hole in the wall joints. I mean while people are out there eating panda express or some kind of massed produced madness, you are eating some of the best thai food in your county, gotta love it;-)
I started to come here from word of mouth that there is this place in downtown oxnard that makes good fried bannanas.. So I went, got the fried bannanas, and proceeded to give the roof of my mouth 1st degree burns it was soo good. Everyone who is anyone that knew about this place called it "Chams".
Almost like clockwork, I almost always get, the pad-thai(on occasion, pad-tofu), pad-se-ew( mmmmm... thick rice noodles) and fried bannanas(Old habits die hard). Ask if the Owner(Cham) can cook, he's the best, and it usually taste way better. To wash it down, is one of the most delicious Thai tea I've tasted, not too sweet, you can still taste the black tea, and super creamy. I've attempted to copy cat the recipe,(wich i got from a reliable source, who used to hang out at my friends house too.. well thats another story), although it came very close, no cigar :-( I bet it was the tea, it's all about the tea, dammit.
This place is great, very personal, servers are friendly, owner is in there,( hopefully cooking), 99% of the time, and if your the first of your friends to go there, you can now brag to them about introducing them to some of the best thai around( I know I have.. alot).
P.S.- This is a popular cop hang out, so leave your stash at home people! LOL, later, happy eating to all.
Can we get more stars here???
CHAM!!!!!
CHAM!!!!!
Damn it's so unfair Thai Chinese is so far away from me.
Go for delicious, fresh and inspiring food.
Stay for Cham.
Go back forever.
CHAM!!!!! CHAM!!!!!
I think every Thai place I've been to charges $7.50 (including tax) for pad thai to go. This was the 3rd place in a row, and probably the best of the 3. They are quick and you get plenty to eat here. The Pad Thai was good, and not too spicy, and I was wavering on either this or the yellow curry. The place isn't that great inside, but who cares. If you want fancy, go to A Good Thai & Peruvian Restaurant. If you just want simple, good Thai, try this place.
This is your place, if...... you don't mind small portions. The food was great. (I ordered a Pad Thai combo plate...)... well prepared. If only they had brought out a decent amount of food. Instead,
The cook brought out about half of what I would expect for a $7 plate of food. $3 for Thai tea and I paid w/ cash. The cashier, however, kept some of the change.
They could and should improve on quantity of food and accuracy in returning change back to the customer. Otherwise it was great.
This is without a doubt this is some of the best Thai Food you will ever have!!!
this is my first yelp review so bear with me, but i couldn't believe the world was being denied cham's.
oxnard thai & chinese #3 (we all call it cham's) is pretty much the best thing happening in ventura county. think i'm joking? try going here at 12:30 on a weekday, you'll see just how popular it is.
huge vegetarian selection, awesome staff, and the nicest owner ever, cham. the fried tofu here is the best i've had, worldwide. really. my meat-eating family loves it, too.
it's not a fancy place, located in a strip mall it has a few tables and counter service. great prices, a decent amount of food and you'll always run into someone you know.
garlic tofu is the veggie staple, but i love the cashew nut tofu, green bean curry with tofu and they have reallllly good panang. they'll also make your thai iced tea with no cream if you ask....
there's not much more i can say about cham's. it just rules.
Yummy, yummy! How cool that they offer tofu as an alternative for so many menu options. I had the "chicken" curry, with tofu instead of chicken. Delicious! I'll defintiely be back.
best of the best and if you are vegetarian you are in for a treat.
home of the most amazing tofu fried up for the perfect amount of crunchiness on the outside and pure perfection on the inside.
always smiles and very friendly. i can never get enough.
the owner cham is my favorite person in the world. hands down.
don't forget to pick up a thai tea, you won't regret it.
Ventura, CA
Category: Latin American
Oxnard, CA
Category: Chinese
Ventura, CA
Category: Thai
Ventura, CA
Category: Chinese
Ventura, CA
Category: Chinese
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