Chao Praya

The food is good, satisfies Thai cravings. Definitely worth the Unilocal recommendation but personally I thought some dishes were expensive though.

Delicious! I had the Pra Ram Long Song ~ spinach, broccoli, tofu (beef or chicken too) over rice with peanut sauce. Very well prepared, friendly and professional service.

The appetizers were good. But we had much better Thai food at other locations. Did not enjoy our main courses.

We love Thai Food & this restaurant didn’t disappoint! I went for my usual chicken satay. The small salad was tasty with just the right amount of sweet & sour dressing. The chicken was cooked perfectly & moist and tender. The peanut sauce was great along with the amazing Chai iced tea! Would for sure go back!

We ordered take out, they had my favorite yellow mild curry with pumpkin and chicken on rice. Fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce. Good portions and just right. They were fast too.

Still the best Thai food in Marin County. I love Thai food and I’ve been to most restaurants in Marin. This is the best and freshest food you’re going to find. Highly recommended.

Ate here and the food was as lousy as the owner… use to be really good when Paul owned the place… male owner was super rude… even almost ran over a friend on the curb of his restaurant. didn’t apologize and said that was his curb and that he was loading there. he jumped the curb and almost ran over a friend and didn’t even apologize.. wow.. To think we patronize this business… hey business owner… learn how to be respectful of the people who supports your business!!!

Best Thai food I’ve had since I left Thailand! And in Marin! Eeeeeee! I will be back!

Nice little Thai joint in Novato. Great selection of diced chili oils of varying heat and consistency to add kick to the food, which was fresh and delicious. Prices reasonable as well.

This place has become a great go-​to dinner option. I like to get the pra ram with tofu; the peanut sauce is delicious. The veggie spring rolls are also tasty. My only suggestion is if you are vegetarian, make sure to request no fish sauce; I once got the pad thai and it was quite fishy tasting. The atmosphere is nice enough to enjoy a dining in experience, and the service is always good.

I came here because it was very highly recommended as being very authentic. From the outside, you’d never guess that inside was fairly big and very beautiful! The décor is very Thai… Dark wood work, flowers, display cases, linens covered with glass on tables.
The food was amazing! We got the very mild yellow curry with prawns which my 4yr old said was very sweet. And the pad thai was good. Well balanced, not too dry, lots of prawns and tofu. Just needed a tab bit more lemon. For dessert we got the fried banana with coconut ice cream. Omg can I come here just for dessert!!! The banana was perfect! Sweet, not too much fried crust. 4 pieces of banana and 3 big scoops of ice cream.
The downfall? I didn’t really like how they just place a pitcher of water on the table. Much better service if they poured the water at least initially.

I love this restaurant! I have eaten here a couple of times now. Today, I ordered fried rice to go– my food tasted fantastic and the waitress was very nice. Great food, service and price. This is the best place I’ve been to in Novato! Especially compared to Arun thai — which I had the absolute worst experience at. You can go read my review on them in comparison for more details.
So I will be returned to this wonderful restaurant, thank you !

I’ve never been to the Novato area but my man-​friend decided to take me out on a cute little dinner date to Chao Praya and I was not disappointed at all, even with the super far drive!
The restaurant is somewhat on the small size in terms of space but it’s decorated to feel very home-​y. We were greeted and seated right away around 4:45pm on a Saturday so it wasn’t busy at all. However, about 15 minutes into our meal, people started pouring in.
The service here is amazing. Everyone is extremely attentive and very helpful in terms of giving recommendations. Katie, I believe, and her trainee, Darla, recommended what I will post photos of (because I am so bad with names of plates) and we loved everything!
— Started off with this coconut chicken soup, tom kha kai, and it was absolutely divine. It was a great mixture of sweet and tangy which really kicked off out meal well. The chicken wasn’t tough or too chewy, cooked very well.
— We got this sampler appetizer dish with chicken and beef curry skewers (usually you get to pick which one but we asked for half of each), golden sack which was like this fried wonton-​like item with yellow curry potatoes and veggies and these thin eggrolls. This came with three different types of sauces. Yay variety!
— Sam kasat was our next dish; an eggplant, chicken and beef (I believe) plate with special chef sauce. So. Amazing. Goes so well with rice, which we got of white and brown rice. One thing I usually dislike about restaurants is that their meats are too chewy or tough to chewy but this place was fantastic. Both meat and eggplant was soft and well marinated into the creamy, coconut (?), sauce.
— Lastly, we ordered the fried fish special. I usually don’t eat fish, except for sashimi, so I was a little bit skeptical but I’ve been converted. The presentation alone could bring you to your knees but let’s talk about the taste. Can I just say «party in your mouth» and everyone just trust me on this one? Fish was fried to perfection. Crispy, even with sauce drenched over, and soft on the inside. Sweet and tangy sauce with a kick of spice.
Needless to say, we were stuffed and I think we should have been wheeled out. In all seriousness though, this restaurant has a future of rising and expanding, on their own terms of course, but I live in San Jose and this probably set the standard for Thai food. Hands down — the best!

The exterior of this restaurant in no way reflects the beauty within. Found in a small strip mall that needs a desperate facelift, the interior is ornately decorated with warm colors, clean linens, and Thai artifacts. Delightful aromas float in the air and make your mouth water just as you enter! Usually, you can just choose your seat and the waitress knows when to approach, ready to answer questions or offer the day’s specials. Their menu is extensive with very reasonable prices. I love their spicy curry, spring vegetable rolls, and Pad Thai. Their Thai ice tea is my favorite drink, too! All the while, the ambiance is tranquil and allows you to indulge in your food. There is never a rush to finish. Usually the portions are so that I have lunch on the morrow. This is such a lovely nook amongst Novato’s many restaurants.

This place has never disappointed. I have tried a ton of different dishes and have always been pleasantly surprised.
I suggest the satay, Pad Si Ew, Tofu, and Tom Ka soup. Deelish !!

Ordering from this place is always such a treat! My go-​to dish at any Thai restaurant is Pad Kee Mao, which Chao Praya absolutely kills. The flavors are delicious, the portions are generous, and the heat is always just right.
Literally the only thing that stops me from ordering here every night is the price, which is a little steep when compared to other local take-​out options. But that’s probably a good thing since I’m not sure what a noodle-​exclusive diet would do to my body.

Affordable lunch menu. Tasty curries. My favorite spring rolls. Always a delicious meal and one of our favorite spots in Marin for Thai food!

Maybe I ordered wrong? Or, they just like everything thick upon thick.
The Pad Kee Mao dish was a total bummer — noodles heavy, thick and saturated in sauce, fried tofu (I ordered instead of chicken) and a few slivers of red bell peppers. The 100 other times I’ve ordered it at other restaurants, the noodles are wide and light, lots of vegetables and lightly but succulently sauced, just dee-​lightful.
Peanut dipping sauce for summer rolls was tasty but greasy and clumpy.
Even the tea was really thick and residue-​y.
Nonetheless, it seems really popular, getting a crowd late around 2pm on a Friday, and the staff are really nice.

While it is located in a rather unassuming strip mall, Chao Praya more than does the trick for a romantic evening. The pace is relaxed, the culinary options plentiful, and the price reasonable. Just overlook the fact that some of the prices on the menu have been hiked — I can tell you that because they’ve been altered by a black Sharpie.
My wife and I went there with my parents last Saturday night, arriving right at 5 o’clock in the pm. We were the first to arrive, and even though we were there until about 6:30, only three other sets of customers were to arrive. However, the restaurant does seem to have a healthy takeout/​delivery service, as evidenced by a slightly unhinged woman picking up giant bags of food on her way out. At least that’s what I hope she was doing.
I had salmon on brown rice, and didn’t have to eat anything until the following morning, while the rest of my party was similarly satisfied. Thai Ice Tea and beer were succulent, as was the more pedestrian mineral water.
All in all, a solid semi-​ethnic option for Novato. I only ask that they spend a few dollars to actually update their menu.

I had chicken satay. It’s the closest to satay in Bangkok I’ve tried so far in the USA. (Even in NYC where there are hundreds of Thai place. Most of them are just big pieces of grill lightly marinated chicken on skewers.)
Deep Fried Pompano with spicy sauce is also great. It is a whole fish dish. But it came fillet and placed back on the bonefish for presentation. I didn’t have to maneuver with the bone at all. It is their special. So it might not last long. Hurry!