If you're looking for quick, cheap Thai(definitely not a bad thing), this is the place to go. Came to ND for a night and was looking for a non-chain place, so me and the boss went to Cambodian Thai per hotel recommendation. We almost missed the place, it's tiny and probably serves better as a carry out or lunch spot. Don't come here if you're looking for "finer dining".
Typical (in a good way) Thai menu with a lot of choices. The food was hot and fresh and was delivered pretty quickly. The spicyness was adequate and overall was pretty authentic. Definitely left happy and belly full. $7 for a good portion of good food.
Overall a quality quick spot for Thai in South Bend, at least from a visitor's perspective.
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Really rather disappointed after hearing several people recommend this place. Â It would not pass muster in other cities.
I ordered a Panang Curry - the huge plus (and since there aren't many other Thai food options in South Bend, it will probably earn them my repeat business) - was the curry sauce, tangy with herbs and spices.
I was really surprised to see that Cambodian Thai's Panang Curry only consists of meat, green peppers, rice, and sauce. Â No other vegetables; no lemongrass, no red peppers. Â The green peppers were still crunchy and thick cut like you find in Chinese pepper steak dishes.
As far as the dine-in experience, another disappointment. Â It is on a lively block in downtown South Bend, but the small storefront is dingy and old. Â A decade or more must have passed since it's last been painted, and there isn't much room to breathe when a large party comes in. Â
The positives are the price, the convenient hours, and the curry sauce. Â But if there was any competition, I don't think this restaurant would stand a chance.
I'll give it 2.5 stars. Settled for two since this place is overrated. Someone wrote, "Best Thai from here to Seattle." - No way.
There are places in Seattle that blow this place away. Â
I ordered the following:
Spring Rolls: Â Terrible. Weird rice wrapper, not your typical thin translucent wrapper. It's thicker, almost closer to a tortilla. Â Filled with sprouts and a sliver of cucumber. Garnished with green onion and shredded carrot. Sauce was honey- based, I guess...thick and sweet, not a good compliment. I threw this appetizer away.
Red Curry Chicken: Â Simplistic. Coconut milk with bamboo, chicken and ONE piece of basil. Not much flavor, but pretty spicy.
Basil Fried Rice: Â Also simplistic, but the best of the three. Rice drenched in soy sauce, fresh broccoli, fresh basil. Chicken was almost nonexistent. Big proportion for $6.95.
I doubt I'll be returning here when I come back to South Bend. Hopefully there is something better out there.
The food at Cambodian Thai is excellent. Â Very fresh, bright flavors. Â Despite misgivings about the service, I think South Bend is fortunate to have this restaurant as it is very good, inexpensive Thai food. Â
I almost always get the Panang Curry when I eat here, but really like the larb salad, and pad see ew as well.
The restaurant is almost always busy at lunch time so it can be difficult to get a table. Â We primarily use Cambodian Thai for takeout, unfortunately for takeout customers, we appear to always be low priority for the staff and kitchen resulting in long waits for food.
In the words of my dear husband.. "well, that was a F****** bust"!
I am both proud, as well as slightly embarrassed to say that Erin and myself probably eat Thai food once a week. Â Though we have our favorite restaurants, due to our work schedule where we travel through different states we end up trying new places all the time. Â Today our travels took us to the exotic destination of South Bend, Indiana. Though I love me some steady flow of cornfields alternating with the occassional stripmall, I sadly have to say I was less than enthused about the South Bend scene.
Pictures this. Me, ready to settle for any chain restaurant salad. Erin, "soooo any good food in SB?". Me, *sighs* "let me see". Well, imagine my surprise when my search for Best Thai shows a hole in the wall type restaurant with 4.5 stars over 75 reviews!
We walk in and immediately notice a few things. Such as the small diningroom~ which appears to be a combination between a Cracker Barrel (with a down-home type of country chicken scene wallpaper)- and a silk flower shop. Dafuq!? Not one to judge, and still anticipating an amazing meal we eagerly place our orders. Crab rangoons, pad see ewe and panang curry. Since I took note of fellow Yelpers mentioning the heat levels, we opted for medium which supposedly should be of inferno level.
Pretty quickly our rangoons arrive to the table, delivered by a young thing whom seemingly had somebody piss in her Cheerios this morning. Â Like two fat kids in a candystore we rip the paper of our chopsticks, and are ready to attack the flavorbombs which are bound to make me very happy. Â
For the love of God, do not order the crab rangoons!! They taste like little nuggets of dry, fried flour. Â Curious about these sad imposters, I decide to investigate and pull one apart. Â Less than 5 shreds of crap (nope, no typo!) were to be found. Â We quickly try to get the attention of our waitress, but sadly she also fullfills the duties of buss girl, hostess and phone-answerer, all while skillfully looking like a sourpuss and flatout ignoring customers. When she finally comes over, we try to explain the problem at hand about how are crab rangoons are 100% rangoon and 0% filling. Â She mumbles something about her mom, and how she makes Chinese rangoons (in a Thai restaurant? go figure). She proceeds to tell us she will be right back, and up and leaves in the middle of our sentence. Ten minutes later she returns with our entrees, no mention of our appetizer fail. Â You know it's pretty messed up when the only crab to be detected in this place, is walking around serving customers.
To make my dinner even worse, more fail is ahead since the only way I can describe the Pad See Ewe is as follows; "let's pour a shitload of soysauce over chewy noodles, sad brocolli and a few pieces of beef, and fool these suckers into believing that we know how to cook!". At this point we are ready to give up, and after sharing my decent curry dish we ask for the bill.
The owner (dad of crabby girl..it is all starting to make sense now) comes over and is appaled we did not like the appetizer. Â "Well why did you order it then?!" was his brilliant comeback. LOL. I am still laughing at that one.
We are presented with an adjusted tab (finally) by our ray-of-sunshine waitress. Â When we ask to please speak with her dad again she laughs and walks away. We remain nice and proceed to try to once again explain our problem with the appetizer and service, (we dont have the energy at this point to bring up the noodles), and get an arrogant set of responses in return. No wonder his daughter laughed, the real problem is that this fool doesnt care about his customers, thus his own business!
Never again.
We were on our way to chicago from ohio and wanted to stop to eat so we yelped Pho places around the area. Saw that this place had great reviews so we decided to try it.. Horrible! The pho wasn't all that great and way too sweet. Service was not great either. Never asked for our drink orders and I had to get another server to get our drinks. And when our food arrived he put it down and walked away. we went up to the cashier 2x and had to ask for all the condiments. Overall, I would not go back and would not recommend this. And the  restroom was like 10 miles away through a maze in the basement...
Review Source:Best food in South Bend.
Admittedly the bar is set pretty low but Cambodian Thai would stand out as great food in any city. As has been previously mentioned the decor isn't great but what it lacks in decent furnishing it more than makes up for in high quality, great value food. Every dish I've had here has tasted amazing and the portions are very generous.
I love the family atmosphere of the staff here also. It's clear that this place is a family operation and this lends the restaurant and extra dimension that puts it far ahead of chain/high end places.
Proves that you can get great food in places outside big cities but makes you wonder why everyone else in South Bend feels it's acceptable to serve rubbish.
One of the Gems of South Bend and really anywhere when it comes to Thai food.
Catfish Curry and Coconut Soup are must tries. The Drunken noodle is a great flavor that you wouldn't expect when looking at the dish but also fantastic.
I find myself hankering for a taste that only Cambodian Thai can please.
Maybe it was because I was stuck in South Bend for 3 years and so anything that wasn't McDonald's tasted delicious.... Or maybe I have a bad memory.... But from what I remember, Cambodian Thai was DELICIOUS. Â I used to go once a week with my roommate while in graduate school at ND.
It was authentic, great Thai food. Not just for the South Bend Michiana area, but for anywhere really. Affordable, too! The yellow curry was my go-to. Just coconut-y enough, although sometimes a little too much on the spicy side, so beware. Â I also loved the eggplant basil dish - sooo tasty, and i'd always have leftovers for the next day's meal. Â
I don't miss South Bend, but I miss Cambodian Thai...
I never expected to find good Thai food in South Bend, but this place has it. Â Eating in the restaurant itself is a bit challenging because of the small size, but my near-weekly take-out run is a must. Â The green curry is excellent, but when ordered medium or hot you'd best have a good beer close at hand. Â Their duck curry or yellow curry is a bit milder... still, water doesn't usually cut it with a meal from here.
The only shortcoming this place has, if one can call it that, is that the seating area is TINY. Â My friend and I usually run in after the lunch rush has tapered off, place an order, and go lose ourselves in a coffee shop for half an hour or so before returning to pick it up. Â I hear that they might be moving into a larger location in the near future, however.
When my husband and I feel like curbing our Thai-food cravings this is where we go every time. The setting may not be great, but the typical "hole-in-the-wall" joints tend to be the mark of authentic asian cuisine. Also, you really can't beat the prices. We love everything from their curries to vegetable pagoda. I never go without a delicious thai ice tea. If your looking for fun time out, this is the spot!
Review Source:Why did I come back? Â Egg rolls had some very old, very odd cuts of pork in them, made my breath smell like ass. Â
Crab rangoon were just little pieces of fried stuff with about a quarter gram of cheese tucked into the corner. Â
Pad Thai didn't even have fried eggs in it.
Tofu was nasty as hell and flavorless. Â
I hope these people have made lots of money selling their garbage to over-enthusiastic morons.
I don't think that there is more delicious meal for the money in downtown South Bend. You shouldn't go to Cambodian Thai for the decor, it's all about the food. Their space is very small, the lighting is too bright, and it looks more like a late night coffee shop than a Thai restaurant. Because they make every dish to order, it make take a while to get your food when they are busy. It's well worth the wait and the gals serving will let you know how long it's going to take to get your meal. Here are the dishes that i have found to have loads of flavor and taste extremely fresh
-cucumber salad
-Thai spring rolls
-any of their curries (panang is my favorite)
-pad Thai
Be sure to not order hot if you don't like it extremely hot. First time I ate there I ordered hot and the gal taking my order warned me it was extremely spicy. Since I thought I was a though guy when it comes to spicy food I ordered hot any way. I proceeded to sweat through my entire meal and drink no less than 10 glasses of water. Last time I do that. I order medium now.
If you are into fresh Thai food then Cambodian Thai is the place for you in south bend.
I dream about their Panang Curry. I always order it with (fried) tofu, but if you're nervous, go with the chicken instead. It's mind-blowing. Or, if you're of the noodle persuasion, try their Drunken Noodle. D-lish. The medium spice on most dishes there is hot-hot-too-hot for me. The brave order medium and I'm a wimp.
My advice: Call ahead and order takeout. The seating isn't great or plentiful, but the food...THE FOOD....is amazing.
Easily one of my top places to eat in South Bend. The drunken noodles comprise a pretty flawless meal in my opinion, and the red curry is dang good too. Sometimes service can be a bit slow but it is well worth the wait, and the waitresses are always nice. The prices here are also excellent.
FYI - The spice level works on a scale from 1-10, and even those of us who like our food spicy should not order above a 5. I usually get a 2 or a 3, and trust me, that is quite spicy.
Big fan of Cambodian Thai!
   Their food is always very fresh and delicious, I love Pad see ew, drunken noodle and Lard Nar (probaly the stuffs they got ordered most of the time). There is NO Thai restaurant in town that have higher quality than them, even much nicer looking Thai restaurant (like Siam - Ugh!). I love the litter place, very warm and cozy in a snowy day in South Bend. I'm come from a country with street-food culture and this restaurant always remind me of little delicious food shops in my country.
   Actually they have an nicer-looking dining space at the back of the kitchen but I guess it would be too cold to sit there during winter and that's why they don't use it during winter? But personally i still prefer sitting upfront at the smaller room though.
  If you're craving for a perfect delicous Asian appetizer, try the fish cake, it's the best!
So I've been to Cambodian Thai a few times since my first review, along with several other Thai places. Â Cambodian Thai is my favorite Thai restaurant. Â I've never ordered anything but the Chicken Panang and I don't plan on ever ordering anything else. Â AWESOME!
FYI--the medium spice is VERY hot, so go with mild if you are not a fan of heat.
We decided to try this local joint after reading the reviews on Yelp. Â The prices were right, really right, borderline insanely cheap. Â The food was good and authentic, I tried the Pad Thai with Beef...it was pretty good but sadly I think Noodles and Co. make better Pad Thai. Â I'll have to try something else next time. Â I also had the crab rangoon...I think it might have actually had real crab in it where most chinese restaurants have imitation crab. Â They were pretty tasty but served with honey instead of a sweet and sour type sauce. Â
Seating is kinda bad. Â It's a small place and extremely popular. Â When we first went in there were a ton of people waiting for a seat at lunch...we left and went to the Chocolate Cafe for a drink and then came back and immediately got seated but I think it was just luck...at 2pm people were still having to wait for a seat. Â There is also only 1 door so every time someone comes in or out you get blasted with cold air. Â I also don't think there is a restroom. Â I will eat here again and try something different, maybe something to convince me to raise my review to 5 stars.
I so wanted to find that little 5 star Thai place tonight. Â Cambodian Thai is sooo close. Â Three despised words I have promised myself NOT to let determine my Yelp ratings ought to be stated here: Â "for South Bend." Â In other words, I do not want to rate things higher just because they are here in the Bend. Â South Benders deserve the best, like anyone else.
This place is more for carry out. Â The lines of people ordering and picking up their order tend to leave people hovering over the diner's, so dine-in on the off hours.
The Panang was hot as Hades, so unless you can suck on a raw harbinero, get the mild.  Besides the heat, the sauce could have used more coconut milk, or  a touch of coconut cream.  Otherwise it was simply and attractively presented and the aromas and flavors were right on.  The fried rice was half way between Chinese and Thai.  In other words, in needed a bit less soy and a bunch more garlic, lime and fish sauce to my liking.
The matriarch of this Cambodian family escaped to Thailand like so many in the 70's. Â As a refugee before coming to the US, she learned Thai cooking and has brought the culinary fruits of those hard years to eventually share with us South Benders. Â A family operation, the service is offered with care and interest though without much fanfare.
Cambodian Thai is well worth the trip, but give yourself time during the busy dinner hour. Â For take out, definitely call ahead.
Small little place near downtown South Bend. Â I was in SB for a business trip and needed some real none commercial like my co-workers wanted. Â I can say i found it. Â Big bold flavors and fresh.
Food:
Tom yum - i got a 3 out of 5 and it had a real heat kick. Â but i loved each and every spoon full.
Drucken Noodles - wide rice noodles with a light flavor. Â
Service: The one women show was very good.
This is the BEST thai food I have ever had, and the environment is phenomenal. Â It is true that it can take some time to get your order, but that is because it is run by one family, from the cooking to the serving to taking the orders. Â If you want to take out quickly, call ahead. Â Seriously. Â Don't show up and expect the food to be ready as soon as you order it. Â It's not McDonald's.
My favorite dish is their drunken noodle. Â I'm told to warn you that it's a bit sweet, which is true, but I like it that way. Â The pad thai is better than any other I've had, and I also recommend the red, green, or yellow curry, the beef and broccoli, and the pad see ew. Â But honestly, I've never tried anything from there I haven't liked, and neither has anyone I've taken.
Watch out for taking big groups during key hours. Â It really is a tiny place. Â I mean three tables of four and two tables for two. Â TINY.
Cambodian Thai is a well known secret in South Bend. Â I was delighted to discover through Yelp when I moved to the area last Spring. Â
The Red Curry is cravable and incredible. The Basil Fried Rice is a hidden gem on the menu. Â Great addition to any meal (or as a meal on its own) its slightly sweet taste is a great after-bite when enjoying the spicier items. Â Other things to try: Drunken Noodles, Tom Yum. Â I have never had a bad meal from this location. If you are a tofu fan, please note the tofu is always done perfectly. Â As other yelpers have noted, be advised when ordering, as HOT is HOTTT here. Â Be prepared to wait, the service can be a but slow, but it is very much worth the wait.
Having read all the glorious reviews of this place (especially compared to the Siam place that's closer to my hotel) I thought this place sounded great. I was excited to give it a shot. I travel a lot and have had Thai all around the country, and these hole-in-the-wall places usually have the best.
The first problem is that when I went to the counter to look at the menu the server was in the back. It took her 5 minutes to come back out front. It didn't seem like 5 minutes, it WAS 5 minutes. There was only one family that was seated and myself standing at the counter. She finally came out and took my order. I ordered the Pad Thai with tofu and the Drunken Noodles with chicken.
It took 35 more minutes before I was able to leave with my to go order. 35!! So far this experience was not going well.
I get the food back to my hotel and dig into the pad thai. First I should tell you that when others say the medium is really a hot, they mean it. I always order my Thai hot and this was hot by any other standard. This pad thai was pretty mediocre. It was overly sweet and the tofu had been sliced thin and fried almost crispy, which when added to the dish it soaked up just enough sauce to become jerky-like. The dish was sweet enough that during the stirfry process some of the noodles had actually hard candied. Then there was the copious amount of onions. Easily half a large softball sized yellow onion cut into (mostly raw) 1 inch squares.
Next I tried the Drunken Noodles. This was much better than the pad thai and while not as sweet, it was still too sweet for drunken noodles. And it, too, had waaay too many onions. The chicken in this dish was actually pretty tasty, however. The noodles in this dish were pretty mushy, but in all fairness this could be due to it being the second dish I tried and their having absorbed more moisture while sitting.
All in all I would avoid this place, or at least avoid the two dishes I had. But frankly, if a Thai restaurant can't make a decent Pad Thai or Drunken Noodles, it can't bode well for the rest of the menu.
In South Bend there are just a couple of places for ethnic food that are worth going to and this is one of them. The tiny dining room is often packed at lunch and for dinner on the weekends for a reason. They prepare some of my favorite Thai and Cambodian food and sell these at super cheap prices. Most people I know order take out because the dining area is so small, but I often go here with small groups of friends and wait for a table if need be.
This place is small (as others have pointed out - it is obvious when you walk in that it is small), and the staff is a hard working family in a small kitchen so sometimes there is a wait for things, but the price is great and the food is excellent. Well worth a visit.
This place is soooo good! Surprisingly for a little restaurant in Indiana, right? This place is probably one of my favorite Thai restaurants in the US, the closest competitor is Thai Tom in Seattle... Since moving to Chicago, I have yet to find a place as good as this one. Weird.
My favorite dishes and what I recommend: Drunken Noodles, Panang Curry, Tom Yum (soup), and Curry Soup. There are only 3 levels of spicy: Mild, Medium, and Hot. Medium is the equivalent of Hot and Hot is REALLY HOT. So just beware!
So the seating is limited and the place is located in dowtown SB in an old abandonned mall, where there is nothing much else - but it is worth the try! I've waited 1 hr for a table before with friends, but it is still worth it!!
This place is cheap (dishes less than $10) and tasty, perfect for students! The owners are nice and friendly too. The food is amazing... just thinking about it now makes me miss it.... :'(
** Just to add, some of you might wonder where does the Cambodian part come in? Well, the owners are Cambodian and some of the dishes they serve have more of a Cambodian twist to it rather than just Thai. Pretty amazing huh?
When it comes to Thai food, past experiences have led me to believe the following assertions to be true--
   1.  It's pretty damn hard to find truly terrible Thai food  ... and  ... Â
   2.  It's pretty damn hard to find mind-blowing Thai food. Â
When you get down to it, Thai food is normally a low-risk / moderate reward proposition. Â
That said, from the outside (hell, who am I kidding, from the inside too), Cambodian Thai appears to be the rare Thai place that is going to completely ef up your dinner  ...  And perhaps the next 24 hours of your life as well.  I mean, come on - even the name of the restaurant suggests that those in charge don't exactly have their ish together (Owner1:  "Which country's cuisine do you want to go with for the restaurant?"  Owner2:  "Both?"). Â
But folks, do not be deterred. Â I could go on and on about the amazing curries ... soups ... noodle dishes... Â Yum. Â I could also go on and on about the closet-sized seating area (which I actually don't mind, unless I'm with a party of more than four total) ... or semi-tucked away supply of roach killer / fly strips you will stare at while paying your bill at the front counter. Â But I'm not going to go on and on about the latter, because I don't want to ruin this place for myself. Â The food is that good.
When you get to the heart of the matter, this isn't just the best  Thai food in South Bend ... It's the best "whole meal of food" you can/will pay for in all of South Bend.  (Which brings me to yet another highlight of Cambodian Thai - you won't be paying much!). Â
In a sea of unfathomably boring chains and depressing American pub fare, this is a safe haven for anyone living in South Bend & yearning for food that cannot be replicated at Houlihan's or "that other place" down the street. Â It's amazing. Â Go. Â And tip well while you're at it, you'll have plenty of change.
This is my FAVORITE place to eat while I am at school in South Bend! This little hole in the wall won't win for decor, but it MORE than makes up for it with it's great authentic Thai fare!
Their Tom Yum Soup is one of the best I have ever had! I spend a lot of time in San Francisco and Chicago eating out and this rivals the best of them. Other favorites until the Panang Curry and their Pad Thai. Their Chicken Satay is a great appetizer as well.
The ONLY gripe about them is I wish they were in a little bit bigger spot so we could go as a group together more. I do feel like though if they moved anywhere else it just wouldn't be the same place to me!
Thai Iced Tea was not great; didn't quite taste right to me.
Drunken noodles had excellent flavor and were cooked the right amount. They were nice and tender, but crispy.
Mussaman curry was quite good, although very spicy. We asked for it medium/hot. If you haven't been before, I would suggest getting things done medium spicy and adjust accordingly.
I would come back, but won't be getting the Thai iced tea.
When my friend suggested going for Thai food for dinner, I thought "ughh, but I live in Los Angeles now! I don't want to sit through dinner thinking snide remarks about the quality of Thai food in Indiana of all places," but how to say that to a friend you have been hunting out Thai food with for the better part of a decade? So, I acquiesced, and am glad I kept my pre-dinner potential snide remarks to myself, because alas, Cambodian Thai was pretty damn tasty.
The menu didn't include much out of the ordinary for a hole-in-the-wall (literally-- I think the place seats 12) Thai restaurant, so I'm not sure where the Cambodian factors in. I ordered the Drunken Noodles, on my friend's suggestion, and while they included a few items I would consider not typical in the dish (egg, some unexpected veggies), I can't say I minded. They weren't overwhelmingly oily, either. And, they actually honored my spicy request--chili in every bite.
So, way to go, South Bend. Sorry to have doubted you.
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