Thmor Da

3.56789 stars

Family style Cambodian in Revere that is affordable and tasty.
The people are friendly and the prices are too.
The spicy heat was there but on some dishes they pulled their punches, but not on the standout Tiger Tears, best dish we had here.

The room is small but they have a couple one big table, it isn't really cramped. At the peak times you might not get a seat. The clientele was at least 60% Cambodian/Asian.
I would wager they do more takeout business.

* parking: lot across the street. pretty tight on the street, dense residential area.
* Tiger Tears, Meat salads (Larb!) and noodles are the standouts.
* If you like Thai(and I mean spicy Thai) but haven't tried Cambodian, this is good place to start.

Please see my glowing 4-star review from December 2022 below. There. you'll find all the reasons you need to visit THMOR DA. But, here is an update, from my dinner last night:

Had some sticker shock at THMOR DA last night... Some menus, including the one I have from last year does have written in "Add $1 to prices" in the app category. So, when I went to get lemon soup with shrimp for $11, I knew it would really be $12... except, it wasn't. It was $18. He said they hadn't been $11 in 10 years, but that is vastly overstated (by 9 years). These were not 8 plump, chewy shrimps as you get in a typical shrimp dish at nearby Happy Garden Chinese Restaurant. These were 8 mini shrimps, tails on, absolutely limp. In taste, there was lemon, although the soup was not at all sour, probably as chicken broth is the other main ingredient. A few button mushrooms were quartered and tossed in. They were still essentially uncooked, by the time I got the soup home and served it up.
Then I had their beef mint salad. On the old menu there was one called Beef With Mint Salad, the other, Beef Salad Thai Style. I asked on the phone which was spicier. He said, "Either spicy if you like", and I said I'd have it medium spicy. I got the Beef Salad, which is now described on the new menu (which is absolutely NOWHERE online... not facebook, menuguru, tripadvisor, google, yelp, etc.) Beef with peanuts and green peppers. Bland, boring. Absolutely no spice. Some lime juice, some fish sauce. Otherwise, basically American pepper beef with green peppers, an appetizer for $18 (old menu price $11). So, at $38.55, I managed to have soup and a salad. Below is the QR code for their current menu.

Years ago someone said my review of the light rail could be a TV show. On other occasions, my reviews struggle to hit two sentences.

Thmor Da is outstanding, but I wish I had more to say about the menu. The Tiger Tears appetizer is such a knockout that I haven't diversified. My last two trips here were solo, and it's large enough to be an entree (if you add rice which is a must because of the sauce), so I didn't get other things.

It features grilled beef, peppers and onions, in a spicy, citrusy concoction that gets more fiery as you go along. I'm unclear if there's a formal spice paradigm but I got "medium". (I haven't uploaded my official Spice Tolerance Documents yet but as a benchmark I usually go for medium at legit ethnic restaurants and was pleased with the "two pepper" level at Dan & John's Wings in Brooklyn). I was fascinated by the chili paste, dry chilis and jalapenos that adorned the tables but they're not necessary in this dish.

Also I think this was my first-ever durian shake, which provided an intriguing counterpoint to the spice.

The guy who was working here was super-friendly and helpful in explaining the options to newcomers. We talked about his favorite restaurants in Chinatown and the relative absence of Cambodian food in NYC.

Food : it's tasty. Very good and fresh.
Price : good $$
Service : very good
Restaurant : ok need a little update
Food is always wonderful here. Family style restaurant not a fancy one.

This has been one of my favorite Cambodian restaurants in the area for years. Busy or slow, the workers always greet me with a smile.

My favorites are the meekathang (chow foon), crispy yellow noodles, and spicy ground beef dishes. Years ago, they all used taste out of the world with the original chef but has since retained most of their essence.

Highly recommend especially to support the local mom and pap shops!

I think my foodie expience here was okay, just not quite what I had hoped. The restaurant is very small and due to covid, you are not allowed in; all orders are placed at the shielded entrance and picked up there when ready.
The papaya salad for was a little over dressed, the Prahok, fermented fish sauce, was quite strong for my taste and didn't seemed to acheive a harmonious balance with the other ingredients. Mind you, there are distinct flavor difference between Cambodian, Vietnamese, Lao and Thai papaya salads. This one just didn't hit all my personal flavor notes. On the other hand, the Pork Pad Thai was very good with a generous amount of pork and balanced flavors.
Over all it was a good experience and I am sure there are other dishes prepared there that are equally as good as their Pad Thai.

On Revere's Shirley avenue, a revamped street full of Asian and Latin markets, Thmor Da holds its own, as the king of Cambodian Cuisine. Most of the time, I never get past the soup and salad, when the soup is their delicious, sweet Crab Meat soup, and the salad is their tangy, funky, Green Papaya salad. A note to the faint of heart, that salad has been sometimes "medium spicy", but other times, I had quite the fire on my lips and tongue.

At various times, my dining companions and I had the Fried Fish with Ginger sauce, the Chili Quail (I warned him he'd be working around those tiny bones, but does anyone ever listen?), the Beef with Ginger, the Shrimp Tom Yum soup, the lemon soup with fish, the Thai style beef salad, and the Pad Thai (which they spell Pat Thai). Only on this final one did I find the Cambodian touch not quite on the money, for a Thai dish, although the menu is very much a merger of the two cuisines. (For me, they are Pad Thai noodles, or they are some other noodle.)

There are a few tables, one usually occupied by their children, who are extremely well behaved. A TV overhead plays Cambodian music videos. Of course, if you are just getting your feet wet with this cuisine, go in for Tiger Tears and Loc Lak. If you are just getting your feet wet after a life time of Chinese food, these are staples that won't scare you too much, one being essentially pepper beef over tomatoes and cucumbers, the other being seared steak with a spicy nuoc cham dipping sauce. Sometimes either can be served with rice, or lettuce wraps of Thai basil. Scared of your younger eaters? Good ol' spring rolls, egg rolls, Chow Foon noodles, and fried rice dishes are here too.

So, take a little trip on the spice wagon, and give Thmor Da a try!

Phenomenal service and food! We were greeted with the kindest and most adorable, professional young man server. He had glasses and was the son of the owner. He was very helpful with the menu, polite, professional, and brought out the food and tea on time.
The food was delicious as well. The mango salad was unique, delicious, and a perfect balance of flavors from sweet to umami. Also, we LOVED the beef drunken noodles. Every dish we had was amazing but those two were the stand outs.
Back to the service though!!! Our server even greeted us on the way out and held the door open. It was the best service we've ever had and were even talking about it after dinner when we were headed back to our hotel.
This was also our first time trying Cambodian food and the flavors enhance the natural ingredients and everything was seasoned so perfectly. Perfect amount of spice, saltiness, and sweetness. Would highly recommend this place to anyone!!! I wish we lived close so that we could come often and try more dishes.

Beef Loc Lac,Egg Rolls,Rice Noodle Soup,egg soda,coke,my husband and i were passing through on our way back to Connecticut and we found this little restaraunt everyrhing was delicious when we come back out this way this will be our new go to place to eat loved everything

Only been to Boston a few times and this is my first time this restaurant. Each time I visited this city, I had to try different khmer restaurant. As there's are few to none where I'm from.

Pricey for nasty. $6 spring roll, not so bad of a price if it's good quality. Unfortunately, not the case here. First time experiencing frozen shrimp in spring roll. Presentation was not ok.