Racha Cafe

Fantastic Thai food, quick and friendly service. A bit crowded due to its location but worth it. This was the first place I ever tried green curry many years ago, and it is still just a good now as it was then.

Racha offers great food and wonderful service!! There's also many options for vegan/vegetarian dining, so I would definitely check it out. There is plenty of indoor seating (for non-pandemic times).

While it's not the absolute best Thai food I've ever had, this small family business servers delicious food at reasonable prices in an unassuming space. Crispy tofu salad is especially interesting and delicious.

You must try the khao soi curry noodle soup with egg noodles. It’s divine. Also love the green curry fried rice with chicken. Not sure if it’s still on the menu but they still make it

Easily the best Pad Thai in Berkeley, and I have tried at least a dozen thai restaurants in Berkeley. A go-to place for quick meals and take-out. Also a great place for large groups!

Underrated gem in Berkeley that offers some of the best Thai food! I absolutely recommend their Khao Soi. So flavorful and delicious. They also have other great options which are all so flavorful. I loved their Tom Yum soup and they have a great Green Curry, although it is less spicy and creamy than what one might be used to, they use fresh vegetables. Unlike other Thai places in Berkeley, there is plenty of seating. The staff are very friendly and give it a family-friendly vibe. They can adjust spice for all dishes and really do make it a lovely dining experience.

I found this place by accident and im so glad I did. I got pad Thai with Thai spice level. Oh my goodness I will def be back. This was an amazing surprise.

Quick, affordable, and delicious place! Most definitely my favorite Thai place in Berkeley. I recommend the pineapple fried rice and any of the rice dishes!

First time trying out this restaurant. I usually take bus to Imm Thai but recently found out about this one which actually is closer to my house, 2 mins walk. Guys it’s worth a try, I ordered Pad Kea Mao for the first time and it tasted so goodddddd, the cashier was super nice explaining the ingredients in every dish. I came at 8:55, they close at 9 so… they could have been annoyed instead of nice.

Great food, large quantities, and not too expensive considering the area. Probably the best deal in town with a great selection of items. I ordered the tom yum noodle soup with rice noodles and it was AMAZING the staff was super nice too I highly recommend stopping here for food if you are in town!

I've always had consistently great food. The service is usually pretty good as well! They got a nice variety of dishes, and the portions are always perfect.

Delicious! Chicken skewers, springrolls, Yellow curry, duck soup! All tasty

Food is amazing but little service. I love the crab fried rice. Definitely would come here

Twee

Quick, affordable, and delicious place! Most definitely my favorite Thai place in Berkeley. I recommend the pineapple fried rice and any of the rice dishes!

Dang Dang

First time trying out this restaurant. I usually take bus to Imm Thai but recently found out about this one which actually is closer to my house, 2 mins walk. Guys it’s worth a try, I ordered Pad Kea Mao for the first time and it tasted so goodddddd, the cashier was super nice explaining the ingredients in every dish. I came at 8:55, they close at 9 so… they could have been annoyed instead of nice.

Vivian B

Great food, large quantities, and not too expensive considering the area. Probably the best deal in town with a great selection of items. I ordered the tom yum noodle soup with rice noodles and it was AMAZING the staff was super nice too I highly recommend stopping here for food if you are in town!

Jonas Katona

I've always had consistently great food. The service is usually pretty good as well! They got a nice variety of dishes, and the portions are always perfect.

Leticia Lopez

Delicious! Chicken skewers, springrolls, Yellow curry, duck soup! All tasty

John Fang

Food is amazing but little service. I love the crab fried rice. Definitely would come here

James Wang

Underrated gem in Berkeley that offers some of the best Thai food! I absolutely recommend their Khao Soi. So flavorful and delicious. They also have other great options which are all so flavorful. I loved their Tom Yum soup and they have a great Green Curry, although it is less spicy and creamy than what one might be used to, they use fresh vegetables. Unlike other Thai places in Berkeley, there is plenty of seating. The staff are very friendly and give it a family-friendly vibe. They can adjust spice for all dishes and really do make it a lovely dining experience.

Channy70

I found this place by accident and im so glad I did. I got pad Thai with Thai spice level. Oh my goodness I will def be back. This was an amazing surprise.

One of my favorite Thai places around Berkeley! Came back for the first time in a while, and was not disappointed at all. Highly recommend their pad thai or their pineapple fried rice.

The pumpkin curry is the most pumpkinest curry I’ve ever had. It’s like they puréed a pumpkin into the curry sauce. Based purely off of this rendition of pumpkin curry I give 5 stars. I’ll come back for more food. *just had the mango sticky rice. I’m stoked this place exists. This is awesome. Glad I found this place before global warming or WWIII killed us all.

I have been coming here for years with friends and family, and the food is always loved! Love the taste, and service has gotten better over time. Love Racha Cafe!

How do you get the taste out of pineapples completely? I don't know but this place sure does!

Very good price performance ratio. The food is great, has depth. I got the pad thai and it was delicious, the sauce was excellent. I asked for medium spice and it was actually spicy, which was nice. It does get loud inside when there are a lot of people.

Yoooo if you’re a Cal student and have not ate at Racha yet, what are you waiting for?! Their plates are delicious! If you’re new to southeast Asian cousin, start off with “pad-see-you” lol that’s how you pronounce it. If you eat meat get it with their thinly sliced beef or opt in for vegetarian OR you can always go with the pad-Thai plate. Bon-appetite. Oh their plates are large so come with an appetite. Enjoy #Cal 🧸

Melanie Muñoz

I have been coming here for years with friends and family, and the food is always loved! Love the taste, and service has gotten better over time. Love Racha Cafe!

Curo C

Very good price performance ratio. The food is great, has depth. I got the pad thai and it was delicious, the sauce was excellent. I asked for medium spice and it was actually spicy, which was nice. It does get loud inside when there are a lot of people.

Marwa Ibrahim

Yoooo if you’re a Cal student and have not ate at Racha yet, what are you waiting for?! Their plates are delicious! If you’re new to southeast Asian cousin, start off with “pad-see-you” lol that’s how you pronounce it. If you eat meat get it with their thinly sliced beef or opt in for vegetarian OR you can always go with the pad-Thai plate. Bon-appetite. Oh their plates are large so come with an appetite. Enjoy #Cal 🧸

Shea M

A bit expensive, but very good. Pad Kee Mao is great. And they pass the Thai test of having a picture of the king on the wall.

Andrew Vaughan

The pumpkin curry is the most pumpkinest curry I’ve ever had. It’s like they puréed a pumpkin into the curry sauce. Based purely off of this rendition of pumpkin curry I give 5 stars. I’ll come back for more food. *just had the mango sticky rice. I’m stoked this place exists. This is awesome. Glad I found this place before global warming or WWIII killed us all.

Jaewon Lee

One of my favorite Thai places around Berkeley! Came back for the first time in a while, and was not disappointed at all. Highly recommend their pad thai or their pineapple fried rice.

solid pad thai and seafood soup!

Ordered takeout. They skimped on the portions. I’ve eaten in person and the plate serving was much bigger

It looks like a really small spot from the outside, but it's actually huge inside! The ceilings are high, and it's very bright and beautifully decorated. The prices are pretty reasonable for how large the portions are (I went with a friend, together we ate about half of the 2 dishes we got). All of the food we got was vegan, but I feel like the options we chose to make the food vegan made it better! We got tofu pad kee mao and khao soi with fat rice noodles. The fat rice noodles are really delicious here, and I would recommend getting at least one dish that has them in it. The tofu in the khao soi was put in straight, which I don't really enjoy if it's not silken, but in the pad kee mao, the pieces of tofu were really cute and tiny, and had a lot of color on them.

One of the reasons why I go to this place is that it opens until much later than most of the other places in Berkeley. Overall, its good, but I've definitely had better Thai food around Berkeley. They have a great variety of hot sauces if you ask for it, and the staff is super friendly.

We have been here many times and have never been disappointed. Good service and great food Their preparation is close to food in Thailand minus the intense heat (unless you ask for that). The curry and soups have a depth that is unusual in Bay Area Thai resraurants. This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants.

Good curry, would definitely pass on fried rice. Last time the drunken noodles didn't impress me either. Service is meh, but few places in Berkeley can accommodate large groups, and this one can.

Out of all of the dishes I tried at Racha, the best hands down was the PAD SEE EW!!! The noodles were perfectly cooked with just the right amount of sauce. I'd say this was the best pad see ew I've had in the bay! Service can be a bit on the slow side, so I'd suggest take out if possible.

I've tried many Thai restaurants around the area but this one definitely stands out. Walk a little further down Telegraph for a shorter wait, better service, and better ambiance. I've been here for dates, small group outings and large group birthdays and it has never disappointed. I'd recommend their Pad-see-ew and Pad-kee-mow.

Nice place! We were craving pad Thai and this place delivered. I wish the sauce had more peanuts in it though. Tasty Thai tea too.

Good selection of popular Thai dishes. Good service. Food came out very fast so was a little hesitant. However the food was fresh, hot and tasty. Reasonably priced for the portion you get. Would eat here again.

I ordered a chicken pad kea mao (drunken noodles) and it was really good although… they gave me pork instead of chicken. And I didn’t know about that until they came over to the table with the plate that had chicken. Thankfully I am able to eat pork but… be careful if you are not— ask twice to make sure you get the right dish. Otherwise, they were very accommodating to our very large group.

Love Tom Yom & papaya salad! The curry was much stickier than we thought. Nice and cozy place

I gave a sigh to see that they've raised prices and shrunk portion sizes down from when I was a student a few years back, but the beef pad kee mao still tastes as delicious as I remember it. Be forewarned that it IS a little spicy and rather oily. When I'm not feeling the flavorsome spice bomb, I spring for the beef pad see ew (a milder affair with broccoli, eggs, and a savory soy sauce base) instead! Both are supremely tasty!

Alethea D

Nice place! We were craving pad Thai and this place delivered. I wish the sauce had more peanuts in it though. Tasty Thai tea too.

Dennis Phan

I ordered a chicken pad kea mao (drunken noodles) and it was really good although… they gave me pork instead of chicken. And I didn’t know about that until they came over to the table with the plate that had chicken. Thankfully I am able to eat pork but… be careful if you are not— ask twice to make sure you get the right dish. Otherwise, they were very accommodating to our very large group.

Grace Lin

Love Tom Yom & papaya salad! The curry was much stickier than we thought. Nice and cozy place

Clare Lin

I gave a sigh to see that they've raised prices and shrunk portion sizes down from when I was a student a few years back, but the beef pad kee mao still tastes as delicious as I remember it. Be forewarned that it IS a little spicy and rather oily. When I'm not feeling the flavorsome spice bomb, I spring for the beef pad see ew (a milder affair with broccoli, eggs, and a savory soy sauce base) instead! Both are supremely tasty!

Mark E

Good selection of popular Thai dishes. Good service. Food came out very fast so was a little hesitant. However the food was fresh, hot and tasty. Reasonably priced for the portion you get. Would eat here again.

Nice and clean inside, very reasonable price, u the taste is only so so.

Rice plates are overpriced for how little of the entree they give you (about one cup’s worth, next to a heap of rice). The prices in the photos are outdated and have gone up by about 30%. Ingredients in the Prad Pak were fresh and tasty, but the cucumber salad was flavorless. Huge chunks of plain cucumber with no sauce/marinade. A pretty meh experience, despite a very kind employee.

Pineapple fried rice was very bland, and a very small portion. definitely not worth the $25 I spent for a to-go order @ 2pm. very disappointed.

tiny portions, mediocre ambiance. even for a middling casual place, it’s nowhere near even the best option in berkeley. the food was chewy and turgid.

I went there for the first time a few weeks ago. The duck soup was savory and delicious but the waitress they have is RUDE. She would snatch my friend's menu before he was finished ordering and kept asking if we were finished or not when we were still eating. Food is nice but that waitress has GOT TO GO.

Had the seafood tomyum with shrimp and a steam rice Togo. Well it came out pricey and then when I got home I removed the tomatoes and bit of lemon sticks and now my soup was 1/4 empty. So that’s why I believe it was pricey. Taste was ok tasted more towards tomatoes then the sour lemon grass taste they say. Decor and customer service is good and many students come through. But nah I wouldn’t go again. Many items to pick from as well.

The food was pretty average. The service, however, was horrible. The waitress had a bad attitude and slammed the tray of waters on the table before passing out the waters. Towards the end of the meal, the waitress kept rudely asking if a friend was done with her meal, even though she was still eating. When we received the bill, we noticed a 18% service fee was added. We did not think that the service was worth 18%, and we brought it up with the waitress. She told us that was how it was for a party of 5 and that if we didn't like it we shouldn't come back.

I ordered a Tom Kha soup and it might just be the worst I've ever had. About a quarter of it consisted of hardly-edible ingredients (quarter-size chunks of ginger, entire rigid stalks of lemongrass, lime leaves, etc.) such that I had to spit out every third spoonful and pick through it. On top of that, they're the type of place that has paper straws but uses plastic for literally everything else - that is the worst possible way to reduce plastic use!

The food here is amazing. My favorite was the pad see ew with chicken and the thai iced coffee. However, the service (or lack thereof) pretty much ruined our dining experience and none of us will be returning. I do not like writing negative reviews but i feel it is very necessary in this context as we were wrongfully charged a 20% gratuity fee that, according to the menu, was mandated for parties of 6 or more—but we were a party of 5. Honestly, we wouldn’t have been upset about that if the service had actually been deserving of such a tip, but it definitely wasn’t! Feels quite unfair that they got that tip off us without providing the appropriate service. They left us at the table for a good 20 minutes after we had finished our food, and when the server finally came around to collect our plates we tried to order desert but she immediately shut us down because they were closing in ten minutes. Wouldn’t have been a problem if they had come around to our table sooner, as we would have ordered the dessert then. Honestly, mid or bad service generally isn’t an experience-ruiner for me when i eat out and I definitely wouldn’t be writing nearly this harsh a review if they hadn’t charged us a wrongful 20% tip. We really wanted to like this place since we live so close by, but I definitely won’t be returning. On another note, it gets quite loud inside so if you are trying to have an intimate dinner I would recommend choosing another place. But i have to reiterate that there were zero problems with the food—the whole table really enjoyed everything we ordered.

Spencer Browning

The food here is amazing. My favorite was the pad see ew with chicken and the thai iced coffee. However, the service (or lack thereof) pretty much ruined our dining experience and none of us will be returning. I do not like writing negative reviews but i feel it is very necessary in this context as we were wrongfully charged a 20% gratuity fee that, according to the menu, was mandated for parties of 6 or more—but we were a party of 5. Honestly, we wouldn’t have been upset about that if the service had actually been deserving of such a tip, but it definitely wasn’t! Feels quite unfair that they got that tip off us without providing the appropriate service. They left us at the table for a good 20 minutes after we had finished our food, and when the server finally came around to collect our plates we tried to order desert but she immediately shut us down because they were closing in ten minutes. Wouldn’t have been a problem if they had come around to our table sooner, as we would have ordered the dessert then. Honestly, mid or bad service generally isn’t an experience-ruiner for me when i eat out and I definitely wouldn’t be writing nearly this harsh a review if they hadn’t charged us a wrongful 20% tip. We really wanted to like this place since we live so close by, but I definitely won’t be returning. On another note, it gets quite loud inside so if you are trying to have an intimate dinner I would recommend choosing another place. But i have to reiterate that there were zero problems with the food—the whole table really enjoyed everything we ordered.