When the craving for a piping hot bowl of Pad Thai strikes, look no further than the Pad Thai Cafe in the International District of Albuquerque. Located next to the Talin Market is this quaint family owned Thai restaurant. The name alone speaks to one of their tastiest dishes, Pad Thai, but if hot, sweet, sour, nutty, goodness is not what you are craving they have a number of authentic options from you to choose from including Tom Yum Soup (a hot and sour soup), Pad See Ew (a sweet noodle dish), and Laab (a fresh minced meat salad).
I love Pad Thai. It reminds me of when I first met my husband. He used to work at a Thai/Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado. He introduced me to the national dish of Thailand and I’ve been hooked ever since. Pad Thai is a stir-fry noodle dish often served as street food in Thailand (but is a restaurant and home staple). It is made with rice noodles, tofu, beansprouts, scrambled egg, additional meat (my favorite is chicken, but beef, pork, and shrimp are common too), lime, and peanuts. It is tossed together with a tangy sauce made from a few core ingredients: fish sauce, tamarind paste, and palm sugar (chili is also added at times). All together you get a dreamy noodle dish that is ready to satisfy your cravings.
The Pad Thai at the Pad Thai Cafe in Albuquerque speaks to all of that and more. The chefs serve large portions and their sauce is perfectly balanced to be not too sweet or sour. This combination (and a little added dried Thai chiles) make for a stir-fry noodle that warms you to the core. My favorite part of the dish served here is the caramelized shallots. They offer a savory, garlicky, oniony, note that is hard to replace and really ties together the dish. I often order chicken, my husband beef, either protein source works and tastes delicious. The portions are generous, so there is almost always leftovers. I say almost because I often don’t have self-control and eat the entire thing with no regrets. At the end of the day, try this dish out and you won’t be disappointed.
pad thai cafe
Pad Thai Cafe opened in 2015 and is still open even through CO-VID. They take extra precautions, the staff all wear masks and keep a clean and safe restaurant. I recently enjoyed take out where I ordered Pad Thai and Pad See Ew that my family thoroughly savored. In addition, I purchased hand sewn masks they were selling. If you are interested they are selling them at $7 for adults and $5 for children.
Now more than ever it is important to support the local businesses that surround us and shape our community. I hope you are able to try some fabulous Pad Thai (or anything else off of their menu).
ABQExpert 