Thailandia — Restaurant in Bend

Review: Thailandia at Podski Food Truck Pavilion, Bend, Oregon

Before we even get into the food — which we will — it’s worth pausing to acknowledge something about Thai cuisine: there is no fast food equivalent. You can’t wrap this kind of depth in paper, shove it through a drive-thru window, and call it a day. Thai food is too layered, too lovingly built, too honest for that. It takes real work. Real time. Real heart. And one of the main reasons it can’t be reduced to the usual corporate goo is this: Thai food isn’t just one flavor. It’s all the flavors — salty, sweet, sour, spicy, savory — coming together in harmony like a literal block party in your mouth. It’s bright, it’s bold, and it refuses to be homogenized. That’s why no one at Yum Yum Global Holdings (or whatever cartoon villains run Taco Bell & KFC) has ever managed to bottle it. Because what Thai food is — at its best — is a marriage of skill and soul. And Thailandia is living proof.

From the second I stepped up to the window, I knew I was in for something special. Mali Camayo-I — the owner, chef, spice-wrangler, and pure light behind Thailandia — is warm, funny, and disarmingly sweet. Just before I ordered, I saw her juggling orders solo, and overheard a customer trying to return her food because she felt she’d “been yelled at.” What had actually happened was that Mali, working alone in a high-volume lunch rush, had simply called out over her shoulder, “I’ll be with you in a minute.” That was enough to apparently trigger someone’s deep, glowing-nuclear-level entitlement. If you ever see a review criticizing her character, please know it’s likely from someone whose emotional regulation skills were last seen in the wilds of a toddler playpen. Mali was one of the highlights of my entire trip to Bend — and if there were a tip jar for kindness and grace under pressure, I’d have emptied my wallet.

Now, spice. She asked me what level I wanted, laying out the system like a seasoned veteran:

1 for safe. 2 for medium. 3 for sweating. 4 for super sweaty. 5 for crying.

I told her, confidently, “I can handle a 3.”

She looked at me — with the gentle pity of someone who’s seen a thousand generic white guys make this same brave, misguided declaration — smiled, tilted her head, and said: “Oh sweetheart… you’re getting a 2.”

She was right. And I’ve never felt so lovingly corrected in my life.

Now let’s talk about the food.

It exceeds any possible expectation. This isn’t a portion — it’s a journey. It’s something you could pick up at the base of a mountain in Nepal and still be eating at the summit, fortified not just with flavor, but spiritual clarity. The recyclable container barely contains the joy packed inside. And the food? Fireworks.

There’s an old Brady Bunch episode (bear with me, I’m old) where Bobby gets his first kiss and the screen immediately cuts to fireworks. That’s what happened here — except the fireworks didn’t stop at my tongue. They shot to my heart and radiated outward, turning this entire experience into some kind of lemongrass-laced, basil-infused moment of transcendence.

This food isn’t just good. It’s transformative. It’s memory-making. It’s joy, handed through a window by someone who genuinely gives a damn.

And a word to the wise: this is authentic Thai food. So trust me — get your spice on the side. Let Mali guide you. That isn’t just kindness talking — that’s wisdom earned through years of cooking from the soul.

If you're in Bend and you don’t eat at Thailandia, you're missing out. But if you're lucky, Mali will still smile at you and hand you something that makes you believe, once again, in love, spice, and the quiet magic of a...

This is my favorite Thai spot in all of Oregon!!!! Their green curry is hands-down the best I’ve ever had. It’s loaded with fresh, perfectly cooked veggies and a variety of veggies not just bamboo like other cheap Thais places... They have green beans, broccoli, bamboo and carrots!!! Then they add the most fragrant and amazing fresh basil. The balance of flavors is spot on—rich, creamy, and just the right amount of spice. You can always ask for zero spice, or you can ask for the spiciest of spice you can get!!!

The service is always friendly and attentive, Molly makes sure to go around and find me in the food lot and asked if the spice level was up to my husband's liking... I have been going here for 5 years now... and it is hands down my favorite place in Bend Oregon!!!

If you're a fan of authentic Thai cuisine, this is the place to go. I’ll definitely be back for more! Highly recommend!

Also do not believe the hours on google at 11 am, it said that they are not open for lunch. I went to Podski anyways and the food truck was indeed open!!! So if you are craving some thai food on a cold day please come here you will NOT be...

Don’t listen to the 1 stars. I was reading through some of these and I can’t believe how entitled some people have become. If you’re a pedantic little brat who’s never had to wait five minutes for anything, do all restaurants a favor and just make your own food at home. The owner is so sweet, and the food is always good. I’ve only ever seen the owner in there working, and believe it or not, food can burn if you leave it unattended; if she doesn’t come to the window to take your order right when you walk up, it’s because she’s working on someone else’s order. If her card reader is down and she’s only doing cash, don’t blow a gasket. There’s an ATM 75 feet away at the pot shop.

And did I mention the food is amazing? I have to have a real hankering to order anything else in that food court. It’s the best food there by far, and I always have 1-2 extra servings to take home...