5 R Cha Thai Diner

So for starters, this is my first time here. I am a Thai food fanatic… especially for Thai Hot Pad Thai. I have eaten over 20 different ones yet this one blew my mind. It was so much more tasty than I have ever had Pad Thai before. The mix of flavors and heat was perfect. Since then I have been back many times and every time I am so happy I went.

New ownership?
Big time meh!
This place is counter service.
I ordered a LARGE chicken dynamite/​dynamic (don’t remember the specific name) fried rice, with $ 2 drink and egg roll combo.
$ 11.62 total. OK, kinda stiff. Let’s see if the food justifies the cost.
NOPE.
Portion was small. There was, get this, the smallest portion of rice that I’ve ever seen in a fried rice order. I couldn’t believe it.
Anyways, I will not be going back. Thai Elephant, I never should have betrayed you.

This place was amazing! SO sad it closed!

Fantastic food, good service, $ 8 lunch specials

This place is great! I went here for lunch and the food was delicious. It was kind of empty though, which was a shame. It should be more popular! But I enjoyed the quiet. I’ve also gotten food from 5 R Cha Thai Go and it’s great. I’m only giving this location four stars because I have only gone one and would like to try it again.

Very good Thai food! I had the lunch special — Chicken Panang! Yummy! I will be back since it is so good, so close to work and so affordable! Thanks again to my server, she was great!
NOTE: Bring a few quarters for parking during main meal time hours, the parking lot is reserved so you have to park in the coin parking but really close, not a long walk or anything.

Review 150… and it is all because of the Unilocal Mobile App!
Just when I thought I had tried all of the Thai restaurants in reach of the Valley Metro limosines that run by my apartment, there are MORE!
5 R Cha is very well located in relation to the Tempe Transit Center and the ASU campus, as has previously been noted. My travels had me at the door at 11:15. On walking in, I was the only person in the restaurant. I was greeted by someone who walked out of the kitchen. He advised Waitress would be along directly.
I perused the menu and saw Som Tom, the yardstick by which I measure every Thai restaurant. Putting the menu down, I took in the décor, multiple big screens with no volume and the best of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s on the radio. The walls and floor are dark, the light shades in a variety of colors. It is cool and comfortable, with room for what I would guesstimate is 100 people.
Waitress came, picked up a menu and asked me where I would like to sit. I chose a bench seat near the window on the west side. As Waitress handed me the menu, I advised I already knew what I wanted. In ordering Som Tom, I asked that the shrimp and green beans be omitted and asked for a preparation spicier than the chef had ever prepared, and a side of steamed rice.
Waitress took my order to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water and the soup that apparently is part of the lunch special. She asked if I wanted my salad Thai hot. This is usually a good sign that the preparation will come out with a bit of heat. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Waitress came with my salad in about 7 minutes. As requested, no green beans or shrimp were present. The preparation lacked heat, and I requested some chile. Portion size was decent, about 1 ½ cups. On returning with the chile, I doctored up to about a 5. The requisite flavors were all there, but they were surprisingly muted. It reminded me of a preparation of the seasoning, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar, that was poured onto the shredded papaya instead of preparation with mortar and pestle.
The steamed rice never appeared… and I came to being OK with that. There was not enough of the seasoning for me to use to extend the savory bliss a few minutes more.
In speaking with Waitress at the register, she said next time I came in, she would be sure to have the salad prepared with more heat.
I will be back to try other options.

The food here is amazing! No really, I am not kidding.
I came here to try a curry dish. It’s been awhile and I wanted to satisfy my craving. I chose the red curry, medium spice with chicken. Vegetables had a crisp, fresh taste which I appreciate. I can’t stand it if the vegetables have been cooked for too long!
There was just enough spice to have some bite but my mouth did not feel like it was on fire!
There was just enough basil, plenty of chicken and rice. Hands down, the best red curry I have had.
Moving on to the Thai iced tea. It’s amazing! You will want seconds and thirds of this drink. I actually, went back to work and made my co-​workers try it so they would believe just how good it was.
This 5 R Cha Thai diner is the location next door to Thai Elephant which I originaly wanted to try but I accidently came in here. Probably the best accident I have had.
I will be back here again and again.
Did I mention, service here is wonderful? Food was ready in probably about five minutes. The lady behind the counter was very sweet and took the time to help me choose a curry dish.

great for your lunch thai food fix! they always have it ready in 10 minutes. I have never ate there but it seems nice enough. i usually get the yellow curry with tofu. very large helping for only $ 7!

*Simply the greatest Pad Thai I’ve had so far!!!*
**** It was FANTASTIC! Also the Thai BBQ Chicken was delicious with steam brown rice and veggies. The BBQ Chicken breast just need a bit more flavor, they seemed a bit dry and maybe even over cooked, other than that the service was great and the place looks wonderful inside. I loved the colors!
**** See ya again soon! :)

I found this place one day while wandering aimlessly during my lunch break. I’m glad I did, as it’s tasty, fresh, and a hit with friends. In an area swamped by Thai cuisine, 5 R Cha stands out with surprisingly delicious food.
The only thing keeping me from dropping a fifth star up there are four large-​screen TVs tuned in to American sports or news channels. While the food is faboo, the place lacks any sort of atmosphere and that takes something away from the overall experience.

Today I got the «Pad Z U» lunch special. While the noodle texture is delicious (and super thin) the seasoning was a bit lacking in my opinion. None the less, the meal is satisfies my Thai cravings and the portion size is not bad.

I went here tonight with a friend and it was totally empty. The woman who worked there was nice enough, sat us, and took our order. My problem with this place is the same problem I have with a lot of Thai food restaurants in the area… it’s lacking flavor! I had the drunken noodles. I ordered my food medium spicy and it was lacking spice. Additionally, the noodles just didn’t have a lot of flavor in general. When it came out, the outside portion of the noodles were luke warm like they had sat for awhile… and we were the only customers there. It just wasn’t worth the 10 $ when I could go to other Thai places and get more flavor for less money.
PS the place is very cute inside so there’s that.

First time visit and hoping for good times. Stopped in to do a simple lunch (takin it slow!) and it was just what I had in mind. Got the Oriental Eggplant dish #3 spicy (med) heat, with chicken. Vegetables fresh and crisp, and mild sweetness to the eggplant. Good size lunch portion for $ 8 too. Have never had the dish, but loved it, and already a favorite! Not really fair to give it 5 stars on one lunch, but will be back!

Went for a second time– Excellent green curry. Probably one of the best green curry I have ever had. The presentation was beautiful (see picture), the service was good, there were several other customers there this time, and the place is new and clean.