Tara Bemidji - Thai food and craft beer — Restaurant in Bemidji

I first want to share a little bit about Tara. I have seen some reviews complain of poor service and hours, but it is extremely important to note, this is advertised as a limited service eatery.. that beaing said, do not expect a sit-down restaurant experience. Tara's service style is designed more like brewery; craft beer, limited menu, and the only table service the staff provides is bringing your food, and busing your dishes. With that out of the way, we can get to the meat of the review.

First, the food. Freaking fantastic. I will admit, I do not have a lot of Thai food experiences to compare to, but this is definitely authentic Thai. They don't throw an American twist into it to make it more acceptable to the uninitiated. The food will either be mild, or very spicy, as is traditional Thai. There isn't much in between. I've tried nearly every item on the menu, but the red curry and drunken noodle are hands down my favorite. The drunken noodle definitely needs a cold beer to wash down the spice, but oh so worth the pain.

I have yet to receive a poorly prepared dish, with the exception of one red curry dish. The vegetables are usually par-cooked to remain crunchy, but on one occasion, the bamboo shoots we're not cooked at all and were unpalatable. However! Mistakes happen. No body is perfect. I won't let one sub par meal ruin my experience or prevent me from returning.

The beer menu rotates regularily and pairs extremely well with all foods. They feature craft local and domestic beers.

The one thing that trips most people up are the hours. Their hours can be a bit strange, but that is no reason to knock the restaurant. They established the hours from when they first opened. Hours are posted on the door, Facebook, and Google. If you are unsure, just check up on them, or give them a call before going. 😊

In summary; fast service, friendly staff and owners, fresh GOOD food, and a truly wonderful addition to Bemidji's ethnic foods scene....

It seems to me that anyone can throw together a pad thai and make it passable. But a green (or red) curry requires some work before you convince people that it did not come from a jar. I don't know if Tara Thai uses jarred curry paste but if so, they sure fooled me. I ordered online and checked the box for 'extra spicy' and chose mock chicken as my protein. I was very pleased. First of all, they did not hold back with the spice, it was like a punch to the gut. Which was what I asked for, so no complaints there. But the coconut milk still shone through as well as the complexities of the curry. The vegetables were fresh and the mock chicken was something else! They did not have any soy products even as an option (I am not a vegan, or even a vegetarian). I have had seitan before but never mock chicken, though I am familiar. I do believe this truly would fool most meat eaters. Very good all around. I also got an order of satay. The portion was a bit large per skewer, though it was perfectly cooked, juicy and not dry, and the dry rub was subtle but excellent. It isn't that I am complaining about getting too much chicken, I just think it loses sight of the purpose of the dish a bit and it was also unwieldy to handle. The peanut sauce was excellent though I am a bit of an addict when it comes to such things. Great all around experience. ...

I write this complaint not to warn fellow customers but, to challenge the owner and cooks. This restaurant has great potential but falls very, very short.

First experience :Saturday night during rush food service. Dining area is packed and chaotic. The area is small which makes it crazy loud. The seating arrangement is tight and seats are very uncomfortable... I wanted to leave right away but my dining partner wanted to give the food a try. The menu got my hopes up, all the classic Thai dishes. Service is very poor, I did not feel welcomed by any staff, almost like I was in there way. The food arrived quickly... To quickly. I was suspicious and my suspicion was confirmed by my first bite... A reheated meal. Wow! I paid a fair price for left overs. It doesn't stop there the food is blad and cooked with little effort. The meat is chewy and tastes like it's been boiled in water. My guess is this is due to the meal being heated in a microwave. Thai food is a an explosion of intense multi-dimensional flavors and Tara Thai food is a multidimensional disappointment.

Unless I hear of changes being done I will not be back and make sure everyone I know to not waste their...