Ban Chiang House

My favorite little spot in JP. The steamed dumplings and pad Thai are the best around. The more authentic items are very good as well. The tofu is very tender and flavorful. Definitely a nice quiet and quaint dinner spot!

Very very dissappointed tonight. I ordered a grilled seafood dish under specials. It was tiny! Literally consisted of 3 small shrimp, 2 scallops, 3inches of squid and no muscle. 7veggie pieces. Cost $ 16. Very dissappointing.

Came here for lunch and couldn’t decide between this place and Wonder Spice. The tamarine duck is TO DIE for! It was so tender and flavorful. I’ve eaten at many Thai restaurants but I’ve never had duck that tastes this great.
The pad thai was okay, I wouldn’t order that again.
The tom yum soup was very good.
The Thai coffee was not that great.
Would come back to try other dishes.

Having traveled in Thailand and lived in NYC for many many years (where there are at least 2 thai restaurants on every block) — I have to say this place is great… try many different dishes, they vary — I love the green curry. nice and light (not heavy on the coconut milk). so if you don’t like one thing, try another… service is fast. almost too fast. however, if it is not what you want (as one time our dish came with chicken when we didn’t ask for it) no questions, we sent it back and got what we wanted. another note on service — on valentines day we received complimentary cupcakes… lastly, we typically come with our 2 year old. we didn’t come for about a month and when we did. the server brought out her little yellow truck toy she usually plays with. they actually saved it, remembered us, and returned it. Enough said.

Mediocre. I hate slamming restaurants on Unilocal,but the food and service were both below par for me. The waitress seemed to rush me since we had sat down, and ended up bringing out the wrong order for me. I don’t know if service is usually like this, but it was somewhat disappointing. The food itself wasn’t flavorful and it seemed expensive for the size portions. I ordered the vegetable/​tofu sriracha stir-​fry and my partner had a tofu stir fry with peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was drizzled over the veggies and tofu, so it wasn’t cooked in — thus, the flavor was lacking. For much cheaper, I could have boiled some veggies, fried up some tofu, and poured some peanut sauce over it in the comfort of my own house.
I would rather go somewhere else next time I’m craving Thai food.

My boyfriend lives in JP and when I visit we often grab a bite. I love Thai food and thought I would give this place a try. The spring rolls were barely warm and tasted microwaved. I was hoping for crispy and hot instead I got soggy and lukewarm. The Wonton soup tasted like sewer water.
I spit it out right away. My boyfriend made a joke that I was probably exaggerating on how bad it was so I made him taste and he agreed with me! It not only didn’t taste good but it tasted spoiled/​foul and smelled bad. The sprouts were obviously not washed and the Wontons had an equally gross texture and taste not to mention the shrimp had veins. It was probably one of the worst dishes i’ve ever had. There was no one in the restaurant so there is no excuse for food being rushed, cold or just plain bad. They had plenty of time to make a fresh meal.
I will never return!

An unexpected detour due to a power outage that had closed JP Seafood led us to this unexpected find.
The restaurant is nice and cozy, seating can be a little tight, especially when they get busy but that is no big deal. the have sake (not much choice there other than hot or cold, but it was ok). The menu offerings are quite good. For apps we got an order of the steamed dumplings and they were very good. We had the mango curry with Tofu (vegetarian) and the Pork and Peppercorns which we shared. The food had good flavor. The only problem we had is that it took forever to get our order taken, it seems there was only one waiter, I am not sure if this was one time thing or if they were just shorthanded. I would deff go back

OK, not the best Thai food I’ve ever had. But, cheap (ish), easy, and they deliver to my neighborhood. Can’t complain.

I was HIGHLY disappointed in this place. So much, that I really had to send my food back and leave.
First of all, this place is not Thai. It’s a fake chinese restaurant disguised as a Thai restaurant. Trust me, I’d know. Also, almost everything is cooked with fish sauce and they don’t write that on the menu. It’s disgusting.
I almost wanted to throw up after I took a two bites of my food.
I know what Spicy Tofu at a Thai restaurant tastes like, I know what Spicy Tofu at a chinese restaurant tastes like.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Chinese food. But what I hate, is this restaurant.

I’ve been to both Wonder Spice and Ban Chiang House, and I must say Ban Chiang wins this battle! As many have mentioned, the quality of the food is great.
We ordered the Mango Curry with chicken, the Kee Mao noodles (similar to Drunken Noodles), and Basil Leaves stirfry with Pork. The portions for the three entrees were just right for three people. We finished everything up and felt just the right amount of full.
The staff there was very attentive (but then again, there were only 3 tables filled at that point), and the food came out lightning fast when we were there at 6:30pm.

Delicious.
The service is fast and friendly, the atmosphere is casual and relaxed.
I got the pad woosen and thai spring rolls and both were delicious. I like spring rolls that aren’t all cabbage in the inside. The pad woosen was flavorful, the shrimp was cooked nicely, and it was exactly what I was craving at the time.

My friends and I visited this fine establishment late at night (30 minutes before they closed) and the staff was very friendly and served our food within 5 – 10 minutes of our order. Overall, the food was warm, scrumptious, but did not «wow» us in any particular fashion. The pricing was just a little high for a typical Thai place, which is why I gave it a 3-​star vs. 4 stars. But, I gotta admit, with the ambiance, good service and good food, I’d come back again.
Their spicy meter needs readjustment (2 chillies is… mild at best0

My boyfriend and I were running low on energy, we had already driven around for an hour deciding on what to eat. We stood in front of Ban Chiang looking over the menu and noticed that no one was dining inside, still we took our chances.
Décor: It has a cute asian theme going on that makes you feel a bit comfortable with the place.
Service: Only one waitress was around which was ok since it was just the two of us at first, but then a couple of people started coming in. Poor girl had to deal with take out, customers in the diner, phone, etc. We weren’t in a rush, but if we would have this review would have been a lot worse.
Prices: They’re moderate, I thought the portions were just perfect but my boyfriend feels it should have been a little cheaper, so you decide what that means.
Food: We started with the fried tofu served with peanut oil as appetizers and boy were we glad! Tofu was spectacular with the peanut oil. I had the Barbecue Chicken served with sticky rice and steamed vegetables and my boyfriend had the Siam Skewer Beef served with the same sides. They were fresh, they were nicely portioned, they were NICE. The sauces that came along with the entrees were spectacularly spicy, good thing we had the lemon water the waitress served us when we were seated and our awesome iced tea to cool down the fire.
We were afraid to enter in fear of seriously bad service and we got a very nice waitress, we were also afraid of eating there and instead we got healthy and delicious food. We were satisfied and we will come back!

The Pad Thai is to die for. The tom yum soup is great too.

Im not big on Thai but when I want it, I come here. I love their chicken apppetizers and their Thai Iced Tea. I also love any restaurant that carries Orangina soda. I usually end up getting the pad thai which is cool. I tried some basil dishes before and I wasn’t a fan. The tables are snug and it feels like a date place so I have been doing takeout lately. I really like their presentation (even in the takeout dishes)
Solid takeout food. ANd prices are pretty consistent with other Thai spots in Boston.

Went there on a weekend night and had the tamarind duck and chicken kee mao. The flavor was not so bad, the duck decent, small but appropriate portions, but in both dishes everything was soaking in sauce and grease which left a sad and heavy feeling that stayed with me for another full day at least.
Décor needs serious help and was distracting me from my meal.
Prob won’t come here again.

Love the food. Good for takeout, very quick. We enjoy the shrimp shumai, and pad kee mow.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant could be improved upon. Strange music playing and christmas lights which only halfway function. And noisy refrigerator noises.

Bang Chiang (or insert the dirty inappropriate non-​PC name I call it)
is where to go for Asian in JP.
Wonderspice is like the Wonderland stop on the T, misnamed, and sadly, overerrated. I am done with my copy-​cat flirtation with WonderSpice. The food is bland-​there I said it. Food Wall is, Food Wall. It’s food fight food, fast food to be eaten only in a drunken state, preferably at the Behan Pub.
Bang Chiang has fresh, spicy/​and or aromatic, original food from people who don’t know how to speak English. Now that’s how I want my ethnic food! Bang is also quieter, less well known. You don’t have the crowds of the overrated JP Seafood/​Wonder, yet you have the similar beautiful, exotic ambiance.
Of course I got the close-​to-​the-​top and freakier thing on the menu. The Kangped Pedyang baby. This duck was easily the best duck I’ve ever had. The fruity tomato coconut curry was well-​balanced– not a creamy coconut mess like some other mainstream curries about town. Tender slow cooked duck swimming in dishes that allows it to fly so gracefully south. Makes you want to add some more flying friends to your cuisine. A duck that makes Mickey Mouse jealous.
On a sad side note, I last enjoyed dining here at the Bang Chiang, the night of the JP Same Old Place shooting. :(Good thing we tried sit-​down at Bang Chiang and not the gang bang at the Same Old Place. :O :O :O
Bang Chiang. It’s straight up Thai. Not Thai Mongolian fusion, not Thai African Lithuanian fusion. THAI
Bow. End Report.

Ended up here on a complete whim. I was out with the family, we couldn’t decide what to eat. I suggested Thai, so we headed to Centre Street. I indicated that the place was «right there», but the gf said, «no, the one I’m talking about is over here». I wasn’t excited about trying the «new to me» place, as I am a Wonderspice girl, but I gave in, so we went.
VERY nice décor, spacious, airy. Server was quite attentive and pleasant, except that she kept referring to our toddler daughter as «the girl». No biggie.
The food was tasty, but WHERE WAS THE REST OF IT??? I ordered the beef drunken noodles, and the portion size was so tiny. I was hungry an hour after we left. I’m accustomed to having leftovers to pack up and leave with.
So, three stars. Nice place. Good service. Just not enough food– small portions.

Not the best gatdayum Thai i’ve ever had. (no that was NYC) But purdy darn close. I can swear by the red curry with any of the many choices (beef, chicken, tofu, scallops or duck’) I am partial to the chicken, because it is so tender! Every now and then I get duck when I feel gluttonous and happy. I kinda do like the atmosphere, but I can say that between 12−4pm there is NO ONE in the place and they SO DONT play music so no first dates unless you both LOVE Thai food! The Thai rolls I can recommend but the portion is small. Decent wine selection and friendly wait staff I am a fan, but it truly is a bummer that rice is an add on… WTF???
Oh well I guess you can’t have it all.
I often come here with a friend when they or I need to get something off the chest!