Sabai Cafe & Bar

Have yet to find anything I don’t like here. Everything is good. Like everything. The drinks are great, although I like a little larger beer selection. I could also use some more outdoor seating. I like the food here to much to really complain about those though.

Before I could write this review, I had to check how many stars I had given Ta Ra Rin Thai, to make sure these two places got the same rating. They’re both so good. I personally favor Ta Ra Rin, because Sabai can’t make their stir-​fries gluten free (pre-​made sauces). I wish Sabai would compete a little and match Ta Ra Rin’s celiac accommodations, but Eugene businesses seem to lack competitive drive…

I absolutely love this restaurant. By far my favorite spot in town for dinner and drinks. White Angel on Fire is amazing! Pairs nicely with the Confession… if you like Jameson you should check it out. Service is a bit slow but everything is well worth the wait. Some things are worth waiting for… this isn’t «fast food» after all. Staff is super friendly and attentive. Great place for date night.

Atmosphere, service, food were all excellent. Crap puffs were awesome. Spring rolls and Tom Kai Gai also top notch!

I’ve come back a good handful of times and wanted to add that the service is often slow due to how busy they are, but the food has felt like it’s been on the up. It was already quite good, but it’s approaching great. New cooks? Tweaked recipes? Not sure… But it’s a great spot with good vibe to it.

My friend and I came here for dinner a few nights ago. I enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant as well as its location– an easy to get to shopping area with a beautiful and well maintained courtyard. For a Tuesday evening Sabai was quite busy but after about ten minutes of waiting we had a table.
To eat, I had the pockets of love and the white angel on fire. The pockets of love were just what I expected. Warm, crispy, and delicious. I ordered the white angel on fire mild. I just don’t do spicy well. After a few bites, I could not take the heat of the dish. My lips were tingling because it was so spicy. I sent it back… something that I hate to do! Our waitress came back after she took it back to the kitchen to say that I wasn’t crazy. They accidentally gave me a different person’s order of the same dish (only more spicy). They had another order out a few minutes later. It was mild and absolutely delicious. I was so grateful for their positive attitude about me sending the dish back, and to make a point to let me know that it was indeed more spicy than it should have been.
Our waitress was friendly and outgoing. She was very good at making suggestions about drinks and items to try (and what their spice is normally like). I will definitely be back to try different things off the menu… or just have the same thing. I was really impressed with this café despite the mix up my main course.

I have some mixed emotions about this place, I don’t love it! But yet I don’t hate it! Let me start off with the fact that my loving son wanted to take me out to a nice dinner. I wanted to go to one of my other favorite places, he has never been here and he wanted to try something new. I warned him it was expensive, he didn’t mind he wanted to try it out.
Upon entering we were greeted by a couple of younger girls, college age maybe? Anyhow my son told her table for two! She told us all that was available was a small tall table across from the bar, that looks like it is in the way of everything. We said sure! As we sat I noticed that there were other tables open. They were open for a while before people came in. The thought did cross my mind that it was possible for people with reservations. I surely hope it wasn’t a judgment call on clothing maybe? I had my Fox cloth purse, and a beanie. Sorry I forgot my name brand hand bag at home to fit in here with the customers. At least that’s how the front girls made us feel.
The service from our server was beyond 5 star! He was very on top of everything! And so was the rest of the staff that comes by every 2 minutes to refill your water. No where else in this town is like this!
We had the crispy spring rolls, and I was not overly impressed. They had a different flavor than I’m used to. Was not bad. And they do use quality ingredients and you can tell. I just don’t think I am a fan of the flavor. Now for the drunken noodles, some call this ke mo. My son and I both ordered it. He likes his hot and most places can’t touch how hot he likes it, and when I ask for it mild it is usually too mild. But not here. In fact quite the opposite. The hot was way too hot, and mild was med– hot! Now I know traditionally this is a spicy dish, as I have ordered this for many years at many places. It’s amongst my favorite things in the world to eat. It took away from any of the flavor that the drunken noodle might have had. I can’t say I want to come back here. A. Because of I am not sure I want to be sized up when I am not wearing my flashy garb! B. It’s too spendy to eat for something that doesn’t taste up the greatest! Sorry, not sorry! But I do want to thank our server for being beyond excellent, especially when baby was put in a corner! Or in this case the middle of the walk way!

Met friends for dinner on 12÷3÷2015 at 6 pm. Had reservations so was seated immediately. However the restaurant has crammed as many booths in the back area as they can. Very noisy and tight! Don’t let them seat you there. Also called ahead about corkage fee. Was told if bought a bottle at the nearby wine shop, The Broadway, the corkage would be $ 5 so we bought two bottles at shop. When the bill came was charged $ 15 per bottle. When wait staff was alerted they did charge $ 5 for first bottle but $ 15 for second. Evidently a «new» policy no one there was aware of until we showed up with two bottles. This is not the first time we’ve encountered «new» policies regarding outside wine. Really? Not sure if we will go back again.

Along with Ta Ra Rin this is the best Thai food in Eugene. It’s got real heat to it and the quality of ingredients is high. Great wine list as well.

Let’s just say… I’m defiantly coming back! The vibe, décor, service, food and drinks were spot on!
Started out with Pocket of Love order per the recommendation of other Unilocal reviews… they were right. DELISH! The Avocado Curry Noodles and the Crispy Thai Basil was perfect! The service was awesome… thanks Nikki!

Hands down my favorite restaurant in Eugene. Love the food, atmosphere, design and staff. Highly recommend getting their THAI 71 drink. It’s sweet but strong. It’s a bit on the pricier side but I think it’s worth it. The design is elegant but chic. Their curries have a thicker consistency than other Thai restaurants in the area. If you love Thai food, definitely recommend coming here!

Lucky we found this place… I would say that it is one of the best Thai place in town. I order crispy calamari salad. It is the best fried calamari I had and it goes great with salad. Don’t forget to pair it with Chang beer because taste of its sweet and sour are going well together. Cheers!

Food is pretty decent, but I got to mark them down based on customer service which is awful. We had a new born baby and as the sun went down and it got cold, we asked for a disused heat lamp to be brought to out table.
We were told not only could the heat lamp not be used but we could not move tabke near a heat lamp or inside as it was against policy.
SERIOUSLY? A new born baby in the cold over an inconvenience for sabai? Wow.
You should be ashamed of yourselves, I hope the manager or owner reads this.

Food was good, employees were friendly.
Thai food wasn’t the best I’ve had, but better than most Thai restaurants in Oregon.
Won’t make a special trip back, but will come again if I am in the area.

Thai food meets a modern sleek atmosphere. Sabai is most definitely in my Top 5 for places to eat in Eugene. The environment is calm and inviting, the décor is minimalist and professional yet styled for the occasion.
I almost always get Pockets of Love and the Vietnamese wings when I visit. The flavors of both are extremely delicious. The Vietnamese wings are the first I’ve ever had that I felt absolutely 0 urge to require a dipping sauce. The flavor is that good.
Service is simple and sweet. They’re not overbearing and they don’t seem to ever forget anything either. I have yet to have a single issue ever, in the many visits I have had at Sabai.
The price is just right, I never feel like a dollar was lost here. If visiting on a week day for lunch, they can fill up, so be warned. They also have a great patio area during the warmer months.
I love Sabai! Can’t you tell?

Great atmosphere! Loved sitting in the courtyard with all the flowers and potted plants. The inside of the restaurant is really nice too. Very clean and modern looking.
The pockets of love were delicious! Lots of raw green onion in them though so my husband couldn’t eat them. I got to eat all of them, ha!
I ordered the crying tiger beef salad. I asked for medium steak. It was mostly well done, with a tiny tiny section inside with a little pink colored juice. I didn’t like that the steak was a big hunk and not already sliced. I asked for mild but there were some seeds that were quite hot. I tried picking them out but it was difficult. The greens on the bottom of the plate also seemed a bit soggy already by the time the food got to the table.
My husband ordered the pad see ew. I thought the noodles and sauce were good. I didn’t try the others elements of the dish. It wasn’t a ridiculously huge portion either which was nice. Much smaller than what a lot of restaurants bring you.
The drinks were good! Very strongly flavored and beautiful colors and garnish. I got something with rose, lemon and bubbles, and husband got something with basil, mint and cucumber. His basil leaf did have a few small black spots on it though.
The staff were very nice!
While I wasn’t super super impressed with the salad I ordered (I’d probably give the dish 3 stars and wouldn’t order it there again), everything else was nice.
Great place to go for a nice lunch or dinner.

I know lots of people love this place. I’ve tried 4 different dishes, though, and found them all to be mediocre. Add in indifferent waitstaff, slow service and prices higher than average… well, it’s not a place I choose to go and when friends suggest it, I try to dissuade them.
Outdoor seating is nice. Indoor setting is unexpectedly loud and public feeling. It’s in a shopping center so ample parking but definitely not the ambiance to back up the price and style.
That said, my friends who love the place have mentioned good food and had better luck with waitstaff. Maybe try it once. Me, I felt like my money spent was wasted.

I just could not find one thing that was not top notch. Really great service at the bar and in the restaurant.
Food that is prepared with skill. Flavored that keep you interested, spices bring you back again and…
Well you get the idea. Eugene is coming of age thank you Mon and crew.

I love going to a beautiful restaurant that’s not trying to hop on that old reclaimed-​wood-​and-​industrial-​steel-​pipe-​tables-​with-​overpriced-​mediocre-​food-​that-​you-​bus-​yourself-​but-​pay-​a-​tip-​for-​anyway-​typey thing. Over it! Enter: Sabai.
All you need to know is that Sabai serves the best Thai food in Eugene — they are consistent, their service is consistently good, and the atmosphere is great for dates and nights out. Inventive cocktails, and a menu that’s diverse, yet pared down enough not to be overwhelming. Lots of Thai places make the mistake of trying to offer everything. Sabai does not, and the result is some fresh ingredients and great plates.
Minus a star because you now have to call to get reservations, even on week nights, in order to score a seat in under an hour. Come on people, stop rating Sabai so highly on Unilocal so that everyone wants to go. Let’s knock it down a star or two.

My previous «re-​review» wasn’t very fair. Whereas that was my experience at the time, there’s some foods you just dont order «to go». I’m considering Sabai a «dine in» only dinner spot.
I’ve ate here twice in the past month. Both times I had the White Angel on Fire. I really, really love this dish. Veggies, Rice, Calamari, DAAAAAYUM. So flavorful, the right touch of heat, great presentation, I’m quite the fan of Sabai.
On my most recent visit, I sucked down about 3 of the Silver Monks. It’s a tequila drink that is one of the most refreshing, flavorful cocktails I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying. They have a great list of cocktails, I just couldn’t move past the Silver Monk.
Our service was great, food was fantastic, and I can’t wait to come back.