A hole in the wall. If you like Fried Chicken this is the spot. The crunch the skin had was out of this world! The spring rolls are top tier. The rice has curry in it so let that be a warning if you don't like curry. The service is great. They do not receive card payments. Only cash or Zelle !

The Young Jackfruit salad was so good. The taste was like an original northern Thai dish.

This is a hole in the wall pace that you can just pass by if you skip this part of Elmhurst. They have indoor seating, but I don't recommend coming here with a large group as that wouldn't work. They have a wide variety of items here to please any palate. I decided on a medium spice level noodle soup with pork inside of it called Tom Yum. It does have a kick to it, so be careful. It was very flavorful. There is a bathroom downstairs, so if you need to use it, just know that it's accessible to the public. There's only 1 person manning the cash register, taking orders, cleaning and serving.

Likes - delicious foods - great service - simple decor - close to the train Dislike - soft shell crab chu chee a bit salty

The chicken pad thai here was excellent! Generous portions, with delicious garnish and toppings. Everything was prepared promptly and accurately, and my meal was ready with enough time to finish before I had to get to my shift.

I haven't been to Chao Thai in over 5 years! Why? Mostly because they're a tiny restaurant and do NOT take reservations. But on this Tuesday evening my party of 8 arrived super early at 5:30pm and scored a table, which took up half of their restaurant. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for large groups, unless you can get there very early. I'm so glad we revisited Chao Thai because the food is just fab. So flavorful! Service and hospitality is very welcoming and friendly. It is a one woman operation at the front of house, and she does an excellent job! Here is our menu (shared by 4 ppl): -- Crispy Morning Glory Salad w.Seafood ($16.95): Hands Down, my fave dish of the night. I could have eaten this whole dish and nothing else, and I would have been happy & satisfied! Get This!!! -- Curry Powder w.Beef  Stir-Fry ($15.95): I've never had this dish before and this was good! Very flavorful; with a good amount of beef. --  Raw Shrimp in Spicy Fish Sauce ($13.95): This is a typical Thai dish but somehow not typically found in NY Thai restaurants. The fish sauce was terrific, as well as the huge amounts of raw garlic included! -- Fish Filet w.Pla Basil Sauce ($19.95): Another very flavorful dish; my 2nd fave dish of the night. The Fish Filet is fried and delish. -- Massaman Curry w.Chicken ($13.95): Don't expect this to be like the Indian Massaman Curry (which I love). This dish is lighted in flavor; albeit still very good. Just not like the thick Massaman Indian Curries. -- Jasmine Rice: complimentary with each entree (not with salads). The bowl of rice is pretty large! If you want extra rice, it will be an additional $2.50/bowl. Looking forward to a return visit to try other menu items (along with the Morning Glory Salad!).

Chao Thai deserves all the accolades from all sides. I was introduced to this small hole in the wall wonder ages ago when we were all young, dumb, and kind of numb. It may be the best Thai food outside of Bangkok neighborhood night markets and all of Thailand non-tourist cuisine destinations. The Thai native kitchens and restaurants I tried several years ago would put Chao Thai right on par. Though nothing beats the ambiance off the back of a bike or tuktuk on a hot Bangkok night. My go-to items to order: Pad kee maw with beef - mild, be willing to sacrifice if you go over mild here. Green curry with soft shell crab (yes it's extra) Coconut rice I hope you'll make the trip out to Elmhurst just to try this place (call me). The seashells under the tables and tiny window into the kitchen are my favorite parts of the decor. Service is very nice, straight to the point. Specials are on the board, but I've had a few times when they were not available. Allow Chao Thai to change your world. - KOY

It's not much to look at, but Chao Thai has been a gem that has never let me down. It is definitely a mom-n-pop operation and exudes all the local dingy vibes one could want in a place like this. They're a bit off the beaten path from Elmhurst's Chinatown on Whitney Ave, offering bangin' Thai cuisine at affordable prices with zero pretense. The interior space is going to be tight and big groups stand almost zero chance in here. I think 15 people here might be a full house, but I could be wrong. Takeout and delivery have been a big part of their business, but barring any kind of long wait, it's worth coming in here and eating the food in its most optimal environment: in-house. Any of their noodles, be it pad see yu, drunken noodles, are going to be fire all around. With the pad see yu, each noodle has a wok-hei like char to it and is full of flavor with every bite. Pad thai lovers will love their simple and savory portion and their khao soi is also delicious. The curries are outstanding, the green curry has some serious depth of flavor and the massman is downright hearty. Their noodle soups, stir fried options have also been excellent. The salted fish fried rice is flavorful despite being mad funky and their crab fried rice is among the better ones I've had in the area. The fried small shrimp appetizer is like a crispy pancake that I've not seen in other Thai establishments. In fact a good portion of their menu focuses on regional specialties that are not typical in this neighborhood. Service is usually fast and furious. They're a small crew but they get the job done with crowd management, takeout orders, and serving folks inside. I'm extremely happy they've made it through the worst parts of the pandemic. They are strictly cash only still and are one of my favorite sleeper Thai spots in the borough.

TLDR: Chao Thai is one of those places you go when you just want tasty Thai food. Nothing fancy, just straight tasty. Papaya Salad, get a larb for sure and definitely grab a drunken noodle a/k/a pad kee mao. FYI, this place can get spicy. Finally visited after being recommended by multiple folks. Chao Thai is on Whitney right off of Broadway across from all the Viet spots in Elmhurst. The place is small so def try to come on the earlier side. We got the papaya salad, the pork larb, a side of sticky rice, the pad kee mao with chicken and the fish fillet with basil sauce. The papaya was so crisp and perfectly tender. Super refreshing, the peanuts were especially good. The larb. At first this didn't seem spicy but when you get to the bottom with the juice - this wlll light you up. In a good way though. Get a side of sticky rice to help soak up the flavor and soften the heat. Pad Kee Mao with chicken. Probably one of the better versions I've had. Savory, spicy, a tad bit sweet but not too much. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. This was fully eaten almost as soon as it got to our table. Fish fillet with Basil Sauce. Not bad, it was fried well but a bit salty I thought. Probably my least favorite out of everything we had. We will definitely be back to Chao Thai when we want to hit up a spot for solid Thai. PS - cash only.