Christopher Chung

This nondescript Laotian corner eatery is clearly doing something right. Stepped in on a Sunday at 5:30pm, with every table taken and a list of neighborhood regulars waiting to get their fill. Friendly and attentive service. The vegetable clay pot with silver noodles and a shrimp add on, served in a tasty and comforting ginger sauce. Lue Kaow Soy #30, umami heaven: a noodle soup with lightly pungent, fermented bean broth (think miso), served with bean sprouts, topped with sliced chicken and ground pork. Season to your personal taste, with wide assortment spice tray on every table. Peanuts key. Champs Sampler, a must when eating as a party. All the stars of the appetizer menu present: herbaceous Lao sausage, crispy rice ball salad, and fried spring rolls served with a heaping portion of lettuce wraps, rice noodles and fresh herbs.

+2

Trang Le

came here on a saturday night at 6:30pm without a reservation with a large party (7) and was seated after ~30 minutes, i lost track of how long it actually took. it was pretty cozy and the tables are not huge so a party of 7 was almost pushing it. from the get-go, it was really popular by the looks of all of their takeout orders! there were 5-6 people waiting on takeout orders while there were probably 6 bags already waiting. the food is remarkably affordable, we ordered two appetizer samplers, 6 entrees, and 2 mango sticky rices. we were stuffed and had leftovers! all for about $25 per person WITH tip! a steal!! food is delicious and fresh, my favorites were the sampler, duck curry, and champa fried rice. the dessert was also delicious! only complaint was the crispy pork belly was most chinese broccoli with some slices of pork belly. otherwise, would definitely order from here again, takeout or dine in!

Dennis Phan

I had been dying to try Lao food and this place was a great place to try it for the first time! I got the chicken Khao Piek, which is a rice noodle dish similar to Bánh Canh for those familiar to Vietnamese food. Although I was a little saddened by the fact that there was no pork blood cubes in the dish, I really enjoyed it anyway with a good amount of chili oil. Khaopoon curry noodle was also tasty. Lovely servers and cozy atmosphere. Nice and reasonable prices, as well. Def plan on coming here again!

Tee Ponsukcharoen

Amazing Thai & Laotian food at the right price point and flavor! The restaurant is quite busy so be ready to wait a bit. The food is definitely worth the wait. I particularly like the boat of Champa samplers and the rice noodle soup (Kao Piek). The duck curry with eggplant is not bad at all. I would love to come back and explore more in the menu!

Camelia Ward

We purchased the Basil Fried Rice, with beef, Pumpkin Curry with chicken, and the House Special which is fried catfish with eggplant, basil, and bell pepper in their house special sauce. Everything was delicious, and the service exceptional. Our water glasses we're not allowed to be empty. The dining room is simple. The only things I would've wanted different is for the Pumpkin to be a bit softer in the curry, and the beef softer and seasoned in the rice, but everything was still good, prices reasonable, and when I'm in Oakland I would definitely visit again.

+4

Brian Strauss

I love to take out of town visitors to Champa Garden. A trip here is a trip off the beaten path, away from the trendy parts of town, a trip to East Oakland, out of a lot of people's comfort zones. What kind of cuisine is it?? Is it Thai? Is it Lao? Is it Tai Lue? It's all of the above -- a cultural hodgepodge, hard to pigeonhole like the City itself. To further extend the metaphor, like Oakland, the flavors of Champa Garden are funky & fresh! The tables are covered in condiments inviting you to further customize these mashed up dishes. I haven't had anything I didn't like here. But don't miss the rice ball salad, or the Lao sausage. My son swears by their fried rice. Come take a trip to the avenues, be patient if you arrive at 7pm, over order (it's not expensive), and bring a few friends.

Great service, even better food at affordable prices. Simply the best. Shoutout to OG uncle that services the tables. I will never be dehydrated when he’s on shift. Felt very taken care of while dining in.

Adriana Perez

Hands down, the best flavors you’ll ever have. The Curry's are amazing and I come here every chance I get. My #1 choice for eating out —- 9/13/23 The duck curry with eggplant is mouthwatering, the pad se-ew is perfection, sticky rice is great and the Thai tea is magical. I have been coming here for years, with my family, and on solo dinner dates with myself. This is the go to place for flavorful Thai food in Oakland. Not to mention the space is beautifully decorated, clean and welcoming atmosphere. Shout out to the kitchen chefs and the great service from the servers. I’m a forever customer :0) — 9/20/23 Returned two weeks in a row, ordered the pumpkin curry, pad Thai, brown rice, and a Thai tea. Will say that the flavors were more potent with last weeks visit, but still good.

+6

Jason Wong

Pad Thai was pretty good, and big portion. Green curry was excellent. Thai iced tea also good, and they even put less ice when asked. Mango sticky rice just okay. Rice was a little dense, but coconut sauce is flavorful, and mangoes were rice. Friendly service

Talia Han

Was looking for a comforting meal around ~20 drive from Berkeley and didn’t want to spend more than $20. This homey neighborhood spot fit the bill exactly! Service was very friendly and fast. Food was delicious and well priced. The side of rice was perfectly portioned. Also had a nice array of sauces and condiments for those who like a little spice. Was delighted to see tamarind mix and pickled Serranos! We got the yellow curry and the pad see ew as well as the calamari. I would recommend eating the calamari first because it’s not as good when it’s cold. Also I got an empty calamari but it was prob a mistake. My one complaint was the soy sauce; I have a sneaking suspicion it was watered down, but then again my taste buds are particularly attuned to soy sauce quality.

Rahul Deedwania

Nestled in a highly residential neighborhood in Oakland, Champa Garden is a great local spot with friendly service, great food, and reasonable prices. The place has very homey decor and vibes, and the staff is very attentive and good at making you feel at home. Each of the items we ordered was great. The iced tea was among the most flavorful I’ve had. The basil fried rice is a staple. The spring rolls are fun to wrap and eat. The fish was brilliantly seasoned. Can’t wait to go back!

+2

Lynne Anderson

Been going to CG for years. I'm stuffed and sleepy so short review. All the food at CG is good you can't go wrong. Get the sampler plate that sausage will change your life the crispy rice that's a meal and a deal. I need a nap.

+1

Food was good. Love the crunchy fried rice! Definitely would come back. Staff are awesome 👌

Lara Taberham

Staff were kind and very happy to explain everything on the menu. Pad Thai was a bit too sweet for my liking, but the salads, platter, and curry was nice! Thai tea was authentic and well-spiced, although not for those who don't have a sweet tooth. Our company also recommended the mango sticky rice!

+6

David Pham

Review is for takeout via GrubHub. 5/5, they had the order ready early and handled several orders perfectly. They're very nut allergy friendly for a Thai restaurant! I added notes to my order and everything turned out fine. Pad See-Ew (Duck) (4/5): The noodles and vegetables were very tasty, but there was very little duck in the dish. Fried Wrapped Spring Roll (3/5): I could see this being very good in person, but in a to-go order it gets too soggy. I love that they serve it with vegetables and vermicelli to make small wraps. Larp Salad (4/5): Very tasty for a "salad". The lime adds a nice kick and the portions are very sharable. Lue's Noodle Soup (4/5): Nice kick to this, the noodles were very tasty in the soup. We added beansprouts for some extra texture. Overall, my advice is to try to be on time because I can imagine that their dishes are delicious fresh, but the fried dishes don't travel too well.

Niru I

Quaint family owned restaurant with yummy food. Good options for vegetarians and server was good about asking whether fish/ oyster sauce was ok or not which was much appreciated. Happened to be in Oakland for last weekend of Glowfari at the Zoo. Didnt snack in the park so I could enjoy a proper meal at Champa, have not been there in 7years or so it was a meal I was really looking forward to. The portions are good for the price which is super helpful in these times of inflation. I was shocked when I paid the bill and it was under $75 including tax and tip. We had 2 appetizers, soup and an entree. It was 2 in my party but was super happy to enjoy variety without breaking the bank and having leftovers to enjoy later in the week. I remember the food being more flavorful back in the day but it was still delicious and would go back if I am in the east bay.

Em Abdel-Ghany

Got the green curry with tofu. They confirmed it had no fish or dairy. Also got the mango sticky rice, confirmed coconut no dairy. Everything was delicious!

+1

This place has definitely gained popularity since we’ve moved here four years ago. It’s always busy and fortunately their take out ordering is pretty quick. But if they’re really busy it’s also hard to get them to answer the phone because it’s always busy. For vegetarians, the options are pretty good, most things can be made with tofu. The Thai fried rice is really good but sometimes it’s inconsistent with flavor. Other favorites Pad Thai & Pad Se-Ew noodles.

+2

I’m glad the staff are friendly and welcoming. Parking is very difficult and the food actually doesn’t have a lot of flavor, more so tastes like grease ( pineapple fried rice , pad prik king, won ton soup) For some reason I’d still be willing to give it another try and maybe go with something different.

D H

I used to frequent this place when I lived in the Bay Area, so when I have the chance to go back, I took my friends here. We waited over 40 min for 3 people on a Friday night. Unfortunately, most of our dishes fell flat - it was on the bland side and nothing spectacular. Even the sampler dish was just ok - nam kaow rice was not crispy enough nor was it well seasoned. The only dish we enjoyed was the wonton soup , which is the most flavorful. For comparison, Night and Song market in LA, or Sticky Rice Lao street food in Orlando, FL, blows this place out of the water. It definitely does not deserve the recognition it deserves. Or perhaps its quality has changed since I visited over 10 years ago. However, we did randomly run into an old friend we haven’t seen in 25 years here, so that was super cool.

+1