Cha Da Thai — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

MUST TRY THAI RESTAURANT

Cha Da Thai is the BEST Thai restaurant we have in Winston-Salem. I’ve searched for good Thai food over the past several years and tried several well-known Thai restaurants in the area - Charm Thai, Basil Leaf Thai, Thai Sawatdee, and Thai Harmony to name a few. Also, as an Asian-American, I feel like my opinions aren’t completely baseless either. You WON’T find a Thai restaurant that has a deeper flavor profile or higher spice level than Cha Da Thai. Their Thai Hot spice level will have you desperately reaching for a glass of milk while dripping in sweat, or tears. Honestly, their spice levels do not mess around. If you’re unable to tolerate spicy food, definitely stay away from adding any spice to their dishes.

WHAT WE ORDERED: Pad See Ew (10/10) - This is one of the best Thai dishes you’ll have here. Their sweet and sour, tart yet tangy sauce is guaranteed to make you clear your entire plate in minutes. Not sure why pad thai is so famous when its cousin is MUCH TASTIER! Pad Thai (8/10) - Your standard pad thai but immersed in a ton of flavors that bring forth the true Thai nature of the dish. Cha Da Thai Fried Rice (7/10) - Tons of flavor but the fish sauce was a bit too overwhelming for me. Otherwise, a fantastic fried rice dish! You won’t find their kind of flavor anywhere else. Tom Kha - I wasn’t able to try this soup, but according to my friend who LIVED IN THAILAND, he said it was the best Thai food he’s had in Winston-Salem. Take it for what it’s worth. Pad Prik Daeng (9/10) - It’s stir-fried red curry paste with meat and veggies, you can’t go wrong with this!

I highly recommend trying their Pad See Ew! It’s sweeter than Pad Thai and the noodles are thicker as well, so it just feels richer overall. You’ll thank me later!

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The Cha Da Thai Experience (Dine-in Edition). I have passed Cha Da Thai plenty of times in my travels and wanted to try them. Of course, when you have your favorite place to dine, you tend to stick with what you know. However, I was impressed with my dining experience. Upon entering, there was a slight wait to be seated as the server played dual roles as the host and waitress.

Once sitting down, I reviewed the menu. I knew what I wanted; the Chicken Pad Nam-Prik-Paow seasoned with Thai sweet chili paste sauce, broccoli, Napa cabbage, snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, and basil leaves. The meal came with a choice of soup or salad and a spring roll. I selected the salad that came with peanut sauce. While waiting for my food, I ventured to the restroom to wash my hands. The bathroom did appear clean at the time of my visit.

Once back at my table, the waitress brought my salad and spring roll. Again, everything was good, although the peanut dressing is slightly too heavy for my taste but still good. The food came to the table hot and fresh. I truly enjoyed my dining experience. The waitress was able to keep up with everyone's needs being the only server, which was commendable. I did not need or was waiting for anything. I will be back to...

Environment: Nice, clean, and inviting. The fish tanks are a nice touch, as is the pothos plant wall. I also enjoyed the wooden accent walls.

Staff: The two guys that helped us are the highlight. Very knowledgeable, courteous, helpful, and friendly. 10/10

Water: I rarely find a nice filtered water in restaurants these days, and this water was perfect. A nice touch.

As for the food, we ordered:

Chicken Panang curry - delicious and would definitely recommend. A nice and more enjoyable take on red curry.

Thai sampler: Enjoyable, but the rolls and the triangle bites were only "good" compared to the cheese rolls. I would get solely the cheese rolls next time.

Thai style papaya salad: This was good, nothing special, but nothing bad. A bit overly fishy for Thai style, so I would get the American style next time.

Chicken Pad Prik Paow: This was good, but nothing overly special. I would get the sweet and sour or sesame chicken instead (or just a curry...