Oriental Express

The food is fantastic. The people were friendly ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would eat there again. Try the phở it’s phenomenal

The food and service here are top notch. Will definitely return. Try the fried chicken!

Shady… hard to find, and I absolutely love this place.
Doesn’t matter the food you know, you’ll always know comfort food that’s made with care and love.

Excellent food and great prices. You do have to know how to get here because it is not marked from the road. Will definitely return!

Amazing food but needs to stay open later, 6:30pm close is not enough time to make it there and eat after work.

Bottom line (b/​c you need to move your arse and get there now and not waste your time reading reviews!): Awesome. Pinch me. This now officially our favorite new resto in Murfreesboro.
Here’s why.
It took me a bit to get here. B/​c a long, long time ago, in a Murfreesboro far far away, this place served phở and it looked completely different. It was a dark rabbit warren. But that was maybe 15 or so years ago.
Now, it’s clean, mostly open with one wall separating two small dining areas. There’s an aquarium. Two TVs. Lots of light.
The menu is short, cute, concise and full of enough favorites to sate that Lao/​Thai food jones you might have.
It’s not easy to find and you’ll doubt yourself until you finally arrive, over multiple huge pot holes and what looks like a chop shop (notice I didn’t assert that it’s a chop shop – just looks like one).
Find International Grocery on Bradyville Pike – Oriental Express is across the road and behind Noi’s, tucked in the back. Don’t look for signs or smoke signals of Oriental Express. It’s part of the charm.
Parking is, well, flexible. Just find a spot where your rear is tucked in amongst the rest. Some folks carve out their own little daring niches.
Ordered today for takeout:
«Fried» chicken & sticky rice
Lard na-​shrimp
Red curry shrimp (darn it, out of green curry)
Beef larb
Chicken larb
Thai seafood salad
I bundled this all up and took it to Grandma’s for a feast, where awaited a bevy of ready, willing, and able critics.
We tore into the lot and … freaking awesome. The larb is as good as I could make – almost. And in my humble (not) estimation, that’s darned fine.
The lard na is neck and neck with the lard na across the street at International Grocery.
Sticky rice was hot and fresh.
Seafood salad had that sharp Thai balance of sweet, salty, sour and barely cooked, not boing-​y seafood. Well done – could use some Chinese celery to give it that grassy fresh counterpoint.
The «fried» chicken isn’t really fried. But it’s good. It is marinated and then baked or stir fried. Thigh meat – yum. Everyone loved it.
Red curry was just right and creamy. Even fished out a kaffir lime leaf. Now THAT is authentic and we appreciated that so much! It’s such a lovely and delicious touch.
Grandma sat back and patted her tummy – very happy with it all. And that makes everything right.
All the critics loved everything they ate. Next time – phở and papaya salad.

The first time I went here I was with my daughter and her husband who generously guided me through the menu. That meal was the best Asian meal I had ever eaten. Perfect soups. Lovely noodle dishes. Our table was covered with soon to be empty plates. The atmosphere is bright and welcoming. The server was pleasant and full of information and attentive without you feeling rushed. I was so happy that my darlings brought me there.
We went back again, the three of us plus my son and his bride. My son is the definition of foodie. He is also one of the best cooks ever. He loved everything he ordered and everything we were willing to share. Perfection all over again.
Do not be put off by this humble location. It is a hidden gem. Enjoy!

Sooooooooo good!!! The location is hard to find, but the phở and service are super AWESOME!!!

Traditional and delicious. Generous portions and a homey atmosphere.
Park behind the market/​gas station.

Loved this place and would definitely go again… Thai tea was amazing and so was phở soup!!! Worth the money and time to drive! A little place but great service!!!

One word; AMAZING!
They have a simple menu, no need to google menu items. They provide a mini description of each dish and if you’re still confused on what to choose, just ask! The employees are very friendly and always help me out when I’m ordering for a picky eater. I order the «Signature Noodles w/​Beef» to go, and by the time I get there the food is already ready!
Warning; the Signature Noodles w/​Beef is spicy. I mean spicy as in peppers are in the dish BUT it’s really good.

Seriously amazing :) this place never disappoints with food! A must to go eat at in murfreesboro.

Best place in murfreesboro hands down! It’s hard if not invisible from the road. You have to turn in an alley by a tire shop to get to it. It looks scary from the outside but what is a small hole in the wall if it doesnt? I have been coming here for about 2 years now and 1 thing they have MASTERED is food consistency. Everything is great but whether I order it on a busy thursday night or a slow late lunch on sat, it comes out exact! It’s like a chemical equation that doesn’t change molarity. It stays the same. Crazy! I’ve had everything being that I’ve been a customer for 3 years and it’s all equally delicious. The fried chicken is perfect, the eggrolls are heaven, and the phở as well as the signature noodle are my favorite. May, the server there, as well as the owners daughter does an excellent job and has an incredible sense of urgency. Consistency, urgency, and great food is 5 stars in my book. Maybe next time I’ll grab a set of tires on the way out.

Best place to eat in Murfreesboro. Hard to find behind nondescript building. Reasonable priced and excellent service.

This is the only phở restaurant that I know of that serves their phở in a metal/​silver bowl! Awesomeness ! That really sticks them out, because to me that represents there restaurant and it’s their signature look. Besides that, their papaya is so good! Lao and Thai style is both delicious and I think you should try both styles of papaya. Their customer service deserves them a star. They are so friendly and family oriented. This is definitely a little restaurant that can be a hit or miss, since it’s in the back of a oriental market, so if you were driving by you wouldn’t even know that there was a restaurant behind the oriental market. So i’m assuming all their business comes from word of mouth. Which can tell you a little bit about their food, since it’s a hidden jewel.

This is the best kept secret in all of Middle Tennessee. My boyfriend & I went to school at MTSU, and we heard about this place through word of mouth in the art department. We have lived in Nashville for several years now, and we continue to drive back every month or two to eat dinner here. It’s super hole-​in-​the-​wall behind an old convenience store, but do not be deterred. It’s one of the reasons we love it so much! The owner is a doll, the sweetest person ever. We looooove the sticky rice. We order as much as possible and take it home & eat it for days. They know us by name here, we typically order the same thing every time, and it’s always just as good as the last time. We’ve introduced several of our friends to this place. It is SOOOOO affordable. You can easily eat for under $ 8. All fresh, authentic Thai food, and you don’t want it to end… we usually eat until we’re miserable. ha. I kid you not– if I found out I was dying today, this would be my last meal. Yeah, for real.

So all I can say is Delish!!! So this little place in the store is so surprisingly great! Cute and clean and the service was awesome! I have had Thai at lots of places but this was the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had!!!

This is the best Thai food I have had in my life. We take everyone from out of town to this location. The outside looks pretty sketchy but the food is amazing. I would suggest the chicken on a stick or the dumplings (or both) as an appetizer and the signature noodles (identical to what other restaurants refer to as drunken noodle) as your meal. Though the Phở is absolutely amazing as well.

Another great authentic place to eat in Murfreesboro! So far I have had Phở and Kow Soy and they have both been great. The service is very friendly and they also accept credit cards. This is also convenient to mtsu students as it is located at the corner of Minerva and Bradyville Rd behind Noi Market