Tangerine Cafe

I eat here often. This little restaurant in a strip mall actually has really great food. I only wish I lived a little bit closer as I’d probably get take out from here on nights I don’t feel like cooking. They have a good variety of regional cuisines here so I can order based on what I’m in the mood for, instead of being restricted to one type of cuisine. I especially like that they have plenty of gluten-​free options. They have a separate menu you have to ask for that denotes what is or can be made GF. If you want something hot here they don’t shy away from the spice if you ask for it. I especially like their curries and the pineapple fried rice.

Calamari was great. Can make their food very spicy if you like.

Came in for my late lunch and this is a great spot if you are looking for a decent Asian fusion place to eat. Staff is very nice and efficient.

So, here’s the skinny. The food is AMAZING.
My friend & I split the appetizer sampler to try some new things: Imperial Rolls, Mint rolls, Pakoras, and chicken satay skewers. All 4 were great and the 4 sauces (hoisin, peanut, fish, and tamarind) they came with were very flavorful. FWIW, the Imperial rolls were not as good as I wanted them to be, but they were still good.
I got the Drunken Noodle for my entrée. It was everything I wished it to be and MORE! It had flavors galore, the veggies were fresh, the chicken and shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the texture of the rice noodles was wonderful. I ate half of it and took the rest home. He ordered the Singapore Noodles and I tried them, of course! If you’re not a curry fan, this dish is not for you. However, the curry is not overpowering. It was crunchy, spicy, and had great flavors as well. He ate his whole meal and almost licked the plate.
You can tell them the level of heat (read: spicy) you want in your food from 1 – 5, with 5 being crazy spicy. I got 3 and he got 3.5. Both dishes had that wonderful building heat like Indian and Asian cuisine have and neither was over-​spiced.
The prices are reasonable and the ambiance is cozy, not fancy. It’s a good place to take a date who likes ethnic foods. The service was good as well. It might be my new favorite neighborhood local restaurant. They have a lot more dishes I want to try.

It was one of those days when I had a craving for a Mee Goreng and wanted to give this place a shot. We called in a Mee Goring and Indian Fish Curry. Since, they were in the luck menu, they both came with soup. The mee goreng was not the best I had but was still good. The fish has a hint of spice but was overwhelmed by the coconut flavor. On the whole, both the dishes were good but never stood out.
I had a bad experience waiting to pick my food, although they were already ready when I came in.
Bottomline. Good food. If you have placed a take out order, walk out to the counter and not wait. If you wait, if you wait indefinitely.

This is an amazing restaurant, it probably has the best fried rice I have EVER tasted. The waiter was great, gave recommendations, told us about the food. The spicy scale is one of my favorite things about tangerine café, so overall the food is amazing. The only thing I would change is the size and location. When me and my husband drove up we weren’t exactly sure where it was, because the sign wasn’t on and it was dark out. We walked in, and got seated, it was a Monday or Tuesday at about 7 so there were just some family’s leaving, but the place was pretty quiet. Then, a huge group of middle aged men came in and were seated next to us. This restaurant is so small that we could hear every single word that came out of their mouth, but that was partially the men’s fault. Overall a great restaurant, just a little bit cramped

Family member brought this over for Friday night get together. Had never heard of this place, but always willing to roll with Thai food. I figured I would order the Pad Thai to see how it stacked up. I had an order of Imperial Rolls also. Pad Thai was a little above average and the Rolls were as well. Transporting takeout to Holly Springs probably had something to do with the quality of the food. It had cooled considerably. I think if we were to eat on site the hot food would be better and garner a higher score. IF you like spicy food order a little higher than normal, their spice is little weak. I would definitely go back.

This place really surprised me. It is located in a pretty run down shopping center. The restaurant looks pretty typical of a low end Chinese restaurant. I noticed the prices were higher than a low end place and was intrigued. The service was excellent. The food was really really good. I asked it to be 4 out of 5 hot and it was done perfectly. We got 2 different dishes and both were fantastic. I wish this place was closer to my house. Probably the best thai/​Chinese food I have had in a long long time. Don’t let the look of the place throw you off. I will be back!

We enjoyed our lettuce wraps, vermicelli and the waitress was helpful and knowledgeable. There was no one in the restaurant when we arrived but it was very clean and prepared for sit down eating. It would hold a group but just one. It’s fairly small. People seemed to get more takeout than sit down. Prices were decent and big dinner portions. We will definitely go back. Good food and good service. They had quite a few vegetarian and vegan options.

We were craving Asian food for lunch and decided to check out this place. We ordered the Mee goreng & Indian fish curry. Both the entrees came with soup and we went with the Thai coconut soup. I like a slight hint of spice in it which balanced the sweetness of the coconut well. It was slightly salty though. I really liked the mee goreng. The Indian fish curry was good but nothing extraordinary.
Overall I may stop here again for take out and nothing more.

I’ve been coming here for a little while since i got a new job in the area. I’ve been going almost everyday for lunch, it’s great! Prices are good, food is great, service is awesome. Haven’t tried dinner yet. I just have to find a place to go on Mondays now.

I came here based on a recommendation from a friend of mine. I was glad to see that most of the dishes could be made vegetarian.
I ordered the Pad Thai, vegetarian, and while the dish tasted good, it was pretty oily. Later on, the greasiness of the pad thai caused me some stomach upset. It’s not Tangerine’s failure in any way; I’m just not too good with greasy dishes.
Service was top notch, but the food just wasn’t for me.

My husband and I often go to Tangerine Café, everything on the menu is delicious!
We appreciate the options the customer gets in regards to the spiciness of the dishes.
It would be nice if they added hot decaffeinated beverages to the menu, however.

Nice find via Unilocal.I don’t often stop in Cary. I ordered way too much food for lunch but it was all terrific. Dal soup, vegetable Pakoras, and a vegetable Thai curry. Highly recommended–

We tried Tangerine on the advice of a friend who had just found the spot and really enjoyed his meal… we’re always game to try recommended Asian food! However, we weren’t as jazzed by this spot as our friend was.
We ordered a few dishes, and the flavors were okay. I wasn’t thrilled with the execution of the honey walnut prawns — WAY too breaded (rice flour may help reduce the thickness of the breading) — but I will say the prawns themselves were cooked well. The noodle dishes we had were pretty much just okay. My husband ordered wrong (he’s not a wheat noodle fan, and of course he ordered a dish made with wheat noodles — whoops). The *STAR* of the meal for us was the appetizer of steamed pork dumplings — my toddler also chose these as a favorite, so we didn’t get to really enjoy them though… she did!
I do think if we explored the menu and were a bit more careful to order to our preferences, Tangerine has the potential to do some great things with food. I wouldn’t order the breaded prawns again just because of that too-​thick breading, but those dumplings would likely get chosen… and, if there is a next time, I’d have to make sure to get a Thai Iced Tea!

Food is really good.
try the Indonesia fried rice with chicken and shrimp… you can choose the spice level that you need… J

We live right around the corner and had not been here — wow — a great find for sure. We started with calamari, organic salad and chicken satay. All right on with seasoning — could have been dinner (always like leftovers for Sunday). Tried Korean beef (4 level was enough — dual back the spice to 3 if you’re not into spices). The honey walnut shrimp was terrific — could finish as the serve generous portions. Loved the veggies served with each. Very reasonable — and delicious.

Really liked my lunch here and its very reasonably priced for the high quality of food you get here.
They have a fish tank which my kid was a big fan of and theres plenty of parking since its in a strip mall.
The drunken noodles were some of the best ive ever had anywhere and comes with a mixture of shrimp and chicken which is very cool so you dont have to pick one or the other.
The waiter was awesome and real patient with me and my little guy who thought it was best to decorate the floor with cheerios.
Cant wait to go back and try the rest of the menu, ill be going here alot!

I decided to come back here even though my previous experiences were quite bad. I must say there has been some major improvement! The place has undergone some serious transformation making it roomier than before and hence more inviting. New servers are great and courteous. They have also updated their method of payment and now use a tablet. Sign up for their coupons which come every month like clockwork for great discounts.
A must try is the Chicken Satay, which is grilled marinated chicken served on skewers with peanut sauce and pickled cucumbers on the side. The Thai Green Papaya Salad
comes with shredded green papaya, tomatoes and cilantro tossed in a spicy tamarind dressing with peanuts on top. Yes, it is quite spicy, but tangy and sweet as well! The Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl is made of grilled pork and shrimp served on a bed of vermicelli, cucumber, bean sprouts, lettuce, fried onion, and mint. It’s also served with a house made fish sauce that is sweet and tangy. It’s quite heavy on the vermicelli and the pork is more boiled than grilled. Vegetables are at the bottom in quite a small bowl. Ask the servers for a bigger one with veggies on top for better eating. Finish everything off with a Mango Lassi, which is a yogurt based drink that is quite popular in India.
I’m so glad I came back, because Tangerine Café is better than ever!

Solid and tasty pan-​Asian eats is what you’ll get at Tangerine Café! Forget the drab spot it holds in a strip plaza. Forget the spartan interior. It’s all about large portions of delicious Thai, Vietnamese and S. East Asian dishes you can get for very reasonable prices.
I’ve eaten here four or five times for lunch and never been disappointed. Do the Thai catfish which is a large piece of tender whitefish in a spicy brown sauce and perfectly crispy. Or the dense pork spring rolls with sweet dipping sauce. Or maybe the lettuce wraps which come out as a very generous portion.
Along with the good food, the service here is always professional and attentive. Tangerine Café is easy to miss but very hard to forget. Check em out next time you’re in the neighborhood.