Green Papaya in Alhambra

[critical]

Just came back from lunch at Green Papaya and was totally blown away. Like most Thai restaurants, it's got alot of stuff on the menu, and it's hard to weed out the restaurants specialty. So I'm sharing my review of this restaurant, but I'd also like to hear from other people the other things they've tried on the menu so I can order something different next time.

Since it was called the Green papaya, we could only assume that their papaya salad was going to be awesome....and it was. My favorite GP salad thus far has been from Ruen Paar in Thaitown, but this one beat it out.

The papaya was so fresh and crisp, the salted shrimp weren't too funky, but with just the right bite of brine, and the peanuts were freshly roasted. The lime dressing was an excellent balance of tart and sweet.

Also had the glass noodles with Shrimp and my favorite, chicken and basil. Some restaurants use white meat and the chunks get really dried out....but this one was superb, not too finely minced, with a right balance of heat and basil.

For dessert, we couldn't pass up mango and sweet coconut rice....and it was supberb. The mango was so perfectly ripe, and the sweet rice had the perfect bite...not too mushy (as it sometimes get when they cook a giant batch and then just nuke it before serving). I'm not sure, but I'm pretty convinced the rice was fresh cooked, and the salty/sweet coconut sauce on top was the exact balance one would expect from such a dish served in Bangkok.

I'm so bummed I live so far away...I'm looking forward to going back and trying other things on the menu. Look forward to hearing menu suggestions from fellow Chowhounds....

Thanks!

[RobL]

Ok I was going to keep this a secret, but oh well. Green Papaya..this is a good place for good and reasonable priced Thai food. To me the menu items have a bit of a Chinese "spin" to them. The restaurant is located in the lesser congested part of Alhambra on Valley Blvd between Atlantic and Fremont. Inside, it is a fairly open space, but nicely furnished. Those of you living in SGV are fortunate to have this new place nearby. It is especially nice that they are open until 11pm every night except Friday and Saturday open until 1am. Everything I have tried as been fantastic. Crab Rolls for appetizers are great; fish/crab rolled up into a spring roll wrapper, then fried and sliced up. If you're a noodle lover, you won't be disappointed. Pad Thai (good old stand by) is good better with chicken than shrimp, Lad Na is made with wide noodles, slices of chicken breast, nice pieces of broccoli, and tossed with a sweet and garclicy sauce. Drunken noodles is their house specialty, this is made with wide noodles and an extreme garlic sauce, chicken, and a few veggies tossed together...it really will wake your senses as they claim. The BBQ Chicken is very good and extremely tender, you just don't get much to accompany it when you order the dinner...could use more cucumber salad. Order any Satay and you will be pleased, though they could use more peanut sauce. Portions on all items are generous and honestly there are very few dishes with a price of more than $8.00. Order fresh coconut juice and you will receive it in your very own coconut for $3.00. Friendly service plenty of parking.

Green Papaya Restaurant
1800 West Valley Blvd Alhambra
[phone]

[Ed]

Hey all,

The Green Papaya is owned by... MY FAMILY! You know, our restaurant is something you're not going to see too often in Alhambra: a Thai restaurant that's actually owned by Thai people with chefs who are actually from Thailand!

Anyways, it was great to come to this site and see that people had such positive things to say about our food. Thanks for your input; we're really happy to hear that people are enjoying the restaurant.

Even though I have a day job, I'm usually the one behind the cash register during the evenings. Be sure to say "hi" next time you stop in!

Ed T.

[DavidT]

Thanks for coming to our restaurant. So glad that you had a positive experience and hope you'll return real soon. As first generation Thai-Americans my brothers and I are hoping to offer our customers a departure from the typical mom and pop Thai restaurant by offering Thai food prepared the way we ourselves like to eat. You wouldn't believe how many people have told us to make things sweeter because that's how Americans like it and did you know that if you go to a Thai restaurant and order it "Thai Style" you'll often get a dish far different and more authentic than normally served!? What's that all about? Thanks for noticing the Chinese "spin" to our dishes. Thai food is heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine and you'll find that a lot if not most Thai people are half Chinese like our family. Thanks again for the comments, your suggestions are very helpful.

Just a note, we're not open till 1AM anymore. It's 11AM to 11PM everyday and our phone number is 626-282-1291. Come back soon!

Cheers

David

[Terahertz]

Based on reports here on Chowhounds, my wife and I decided to eat at Green Papaya last night. Needless to say we were not disappointed by the food. The prices are quite reasonable, and the food is excellent. We orcered the fried wantons, Tom Ka Gai, Green Papaya Salad, drunken noodles, and had mango and sticky rice for desert. Of the dishes, the noodles were good, but the least noteworthy. The soup and salad were both exceptional with lots of clean spice flavors coming through. We ordered our food "Medium" spicy, and that was plenty hot for us. Unless you really like your food hot and spicy, I would stick with Medium or less.

The ambiance at Green Papaya is offbeat; it is in an old McDonalds. They have done a fair job of remodeling, but it is far from upscale. The staff was all very friendly, but the waiters were not exceptionally well trained. The end result is you don't feel like you are eating fine cuisine despite the quality of the food. This may bother some people, but my wife and I found it very relaxed and enjoyable.

One last point I really liked. Between the old McDs counter and the main dining area is a truly spectacular salt water aquarium. They had the best collection of invertebrates I have ever seen in a private tank including corals, anemones, mollusks, and sea fans. Not to mention beautiful shrimp, little crabs and beautiful fish.

Two thumbs up from my wife and I

Cheers

THz

[Ernie]

Glad you liked it. Green Papaya is one my favorite Thai places right now. I've been going since they first opened and consistently enjoy the authentic flavors and reasonable prices.

[monkey]

We went a few months ago with our Thai friends and felt everything was sub par compared to Thai town. But considering there is no good Thai in Alhambra it is an option....

[Ernie]

Really? I've been going to Thai Town for years and Green Papaya's quality of meats in particular is better than what I have had elsewhere.

In particular GP's BBQ Thai chicken does not taste old or gamey which I find is very common in Thai Town and beef quality is generally superior.

[cant talk...eating]

Just wanted to do a mini update and say that this place is still going strong. Went in last night to try an alternative to Thai Paradise in SG. Very impressive. As noted, the bbq chicken is outstanding - perfectly done, char-grilled, no dry edges, etc. We also had ong choi, which can be hard to locate even in Thai Town (often on menus but then they run out). Strong flavors - fish sauce, garlic, chilis. Also had a more Chinese-y stir fry that was fine (not my choice). They whipped up a fresh lime soda for me (not on the menu).

Only annoying thing were the enormous big-screens on each wall showing, of all things MMA fighting. Mmmm, good!

[Johnny L]

I've been meaning to try this place out for over a year now but I live on the far end of the SGV and theres plenty of Thai around me. Still another place to add to my list.