Yes, pad thai might be a so-called basic order at your nearest Thai restaurant. But the perfectly salty, sweet, nutty noodle dish is basic for a reason.
You can find pad thai at numerous spots in and around Tacoma, but which pad thai comes out on top?
We want to hear from you, readers. Using the poll at the end of the article, tell us who makes the best pad thai in the Tacoma area. Since this isn’t a complete list, make sure to write in a spot that we missed.
After five years at Freighthouse Square, Nana Thai opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 773 S 38th St., in Tacoma’s Lincoln District in February 2026. Kristine Sherred ksherred@thenewstribune.com
Nana Thai | Street Food
This popular Thai restaurant, which moved into the Lincoln District earlier this year, offers pad thai for $15. Protein options include chicken, soft tofu, beef and shrimp, with spice level options like no spice, medium or very hot.
Stadium Thai
This casual neighborhood spot in the Stadium District sells pad thai for just under $16, with choices like chicken, veggies, pork and beef. Spice levels are on a scale from one to five, with zero meaning no spice.
Indo Asian Street Eatery
This semi-upscale restaurant, also in the Stadium District, offers a range of Asian cuisine like dumplings, egg rolls, banh mi and, of course, pad thai. Proteins for the dish ($18.95) include chicken, fried or soft tofu, pork, beef, or you can get veggie. For spice, you can request a side of sriracha or chili oil.
The pad thai at Silk Thai Cafe comes garnished with a carrot flower. Minnie Stephenson minnie.stephenson@thenewstribune.com
Silk Thai Cafe
The inside of this Sixth Avenue restaurant is decorated with Thai emblems, statues and more, whisking the diner away from Tacoma for a little while. The basic pad thai, starting at $16.95, comes with proteins like chicken, shrimp, beef and tofu, but for $22.95 you can get the dish topped with Dungeness crab.
Thai Pepper
This downtown Tacoma Thai restaurant has pad thai for $15.95, served alongside raw carrots and bean sprouts. Protein options include beef, chicken, tofu and pork belly. There are five spice levels, from no spice to very hot.
Chili Thai
Downtown Tacoma: 1129 Broadway, Tacoma, 253-272-3393South Tacoma: 3213 S. 38th St., Tacoma, 253-267-0779chilithai.com
This regional Thai chain, with locations in Tacoma, Puyallup, University Place and Silverdale, has pad thai for $15.95. Proteins include chicken, beef, pork and tofu, and there are five spice levels, 1 being mild.
Indochine Asian Dining Lounge
This spacious restaurant in downtown Tacoma serves a range of Asian fusion cuisine. The pad thai ($17) comes with either tofu, chicken or shrimp.
Loak Thoung Thai
This restaurant promises authentic Northwest Thai cuisine. The pad thai ($23.35) comes with the basic protein options of chicken, beef, pork, tofu and shrimp, with spice levels one through five.
Chang Tai
Tacoma: 1620 S. Mildred St., 253-267-1367Lakewood: 8215 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, 253-507-7696changthaicuisine.com
This regional Thai restaurant chain has both a Tacoma and a Lakewood location. The pad thai ($16.95) comes with quite a large range of protein options, including duck, squid and lamb. There are five spice levels, and you can also top it with pretty much anything, including pineapple, mushrooms or eggplant.
According to head chef Blue the original pad Thai noodles topped with crispy pork belly is one of the most popular dishes at Bloom Thai located in Lakewood, WA. Amber Ritson The News Tribune archives
Bloom Thai Cuisine
This small Lakewood eatery is one of TNT Diner’s favorites. The pad thai, $18.50, comes with proteins like tofu, chicken, shrimp or crispy pork belly.
Kamlai Thai Cuisine
This relatively inexpensive eatery, right off of I-5, offers pad thai for just under $15 with classic protein options like chicken, beef, pork and tofu. During lunchtime, you can get the pad thai, plus two sides, for just $13.95.
The pad thai at May Kitchen + Bar has garnishes mixed in at the table. Minnie Stephenson minnie.stephenson@thenewstribune.com
May Kitchen + Bar
You’ll have to take the ferry to this popular restaurant on Vashon Island, but this reporter thinks it’s worth it. The inside, kept moody and dark with curtains at the front, is fairly tiny, so you might have to wait. The hefty portion of pad thai ($20.88) is mixed in front of you, with protein options like tofu, shrimp and chicken.
Royal Thai Bistro
This Fircrest Thai restaurant has a number of more hard-to-find Thai dishes, but also boasts the classic pad thai. Starting at $19.45, protein options include shrimp, chicken, scallops, beef and tofu, with spice levels ranging from mild to super spicy.
Peanut Sauce Thai Cuisine
This casual Thai eatery, right by the Tacoma Mall, offers pad thai for $15.95. Proteins include chicken, pork, beef or shrimp with five spice levels.
@ Thai Restaurant
This Eastside Thai restaurant has relatively cheap eats. The pad thai clocks in at $14.95 with protein options like chicken, pork, tofu or veggies and five spice levels to choose from.
BT Thai Restaurant
This casual Thai eatery in South Tacoma serves pad thai for $18.95. Proteins include chicken, tofu and beef, and there are 10 spice levels. For a few bucks more, you can also add an array of extra veggies like broccoli, baby corn and cabbage.
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Minnie Stephenson
The News Tribune
Minnie Stephenson covers restaurant and business news in and around Tacoma for The News Tribune. She has previously worked for WBZ NewsRadio in Boston and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. Through the Howard Center, she worked on the Associated Press investigation “Lethal Restraint,” which was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2025. She grew up in Marshfield, Massachusetts and graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Maryland.
Dining and Cooking