Pad thai in St. Paul runs from strip mall counters to Grand Avenue dining rooms, and the sauce is the tell every time: tamarind pulled tight or gone sweet and flat. This lineup covers the city's range, from Rice Street to the East Side to the Cathedral Hill edge.
№ 01
Ruam Mit
St. Paul $$
367 Wabasha St N, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16512227871
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Pad thai here comes made to order, the tamarind sauce built fresh rather than ladled from a batch, and the kitchen backs it with fried tofu and mango sticky rice worth ordering alongside. Ruam Mit covers both Thai and Lao cooking in St. Paul, and the pad thai holds up as a portion generous enough to split between two people with food left over.
What to orderpad thai, mango sticky rice, fried tofu
№ 02
Thai Café
St. Paul $
371 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55103 · +16512258231
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A budget-tier Thai room in St. Paul running at the low end of the price scale, Thai Cafe keeps the pad thai in its lane: straightforward, inexpensive, and dependable for a fast weeknight plate. The dish stays the anchor for a menu built around quick turnaround rather than ceremony.
№ 03
Krungthep Thai
St. Paul $$
1141 Rice St, Saint Paul, MN 55117 · +16513408681
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The seafood curry draws the loudest praise on the menu, but the pad thai and green curry hold their own for a St. Paul room built to feed a table with mixed tastes. Service moves fast, the room seats groups easily, and the kitchen handles a family with conflicting orders without anyone leaving unhappy.
What to orderseafood curry, pad thai, green curry
№ 04
Friends Cafe
St. Paul $
1711 Rice St, Roseville, MN 55113 · +16514877696
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Friends Cafe runs a Burmese and Thai kitchen out of a strip mall storefront in St. Paul, and the pra ka pao, stir fried basil with a spicy kick, gets called out as often as the pad thai. Lunchtime turns busy fast, the curry dishes rotate reliably, and the takeout stays fresh past the drive home.
What to orderpra ka pao, curry dishes, pad thai
№ 05
Eastside Thai Restaurant
St. Paul $
879 Payne Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55130 · +16517766599
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On St. Paul's East Side, this small storefront room pairs Hmong and Thai comfort cooking, and the pad thai and drunken noodles anchor a menu built for large portions at a low price point. The catfish curry draws its own following, and street parking makes it an easy stop for a weeknight dinner.
What to orderpad Thai, drunken noodles, catfish curry
№ 06
HOT GRAINZ - Thai Street Food
St. Paul $$
882 7th St W, Ste 12, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · +16514000126
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Hot Grainz moved into a new St. Paul location built around a street food format, pad thai, som tam and Thai basil chicken served fast and casual, with a lounge area near the entrance for groups waiting on a table. The reputation runs ahead of the kitchen some visits, so expectations matter more here than usual.
What to orderpad thai, som tam, thai basil chicken
№ 07
YaiGu
St. Paul
526 Selby Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55102
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The duck curry is the dish to order at YaiGu, built with pineapple and rambutan instead of the standard red curry base, sweet where most versions run straight heat. Pad thai and mango rice round out a St. Paul menu that moves fast for groups, with orders arriving quickly even on a busy night.
What to orderDuck Curry, Mango Rice, Pad Thai
№ 08
Karen Thai Food
St. Paul
300 Larpenteur Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55117 · +16517712078
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Karen Thai Food runs a small St. Paul dining room built around Thai style pho and drunken noodles, and the broth draws real praise when the kitchen is on. The room seats few tables and can sit empty on a slow weeknight, and execution has drawn complaints on the green curry, so this one runs uneven.
What to orderThai style pho, drunken noodles, green curry
№ 09
Lanna Thai Restaurant
St. Paul
2295 Como Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108 · +16124707172
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Set in the St. Anthony Park area of St. Paul, Lanna Thai runs a small room with a full menu beyond the standard pad thai and green curry, som tam included. Service stays attentive in a cramped space, and the kitchen rewards ordering a protein add on to round out a plate.
What to orderpad thai, green curry, som tam
№ 10
On's Kitchen
St. Paul $$
1613 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104 · +16513309664
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On's Kitchen has built a following through repeat delivery orders as much as dine-in traffic, and the pad see ew comes back consistently strong across visits. The St. Paul room runs comfortable and spacious for a casual group, with pad thai and green curry holding steady on a menu that rewards regulars.
What to orderpad see ew, pad thai, green curry
№ 11
Basil Cafe
St. Paul $$
585 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55103 · +16514932893
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Basil Cafe draws a steady crowd into its St. Paul dining room, busy enough on weekends that a wait is normal before a table opens. Spring rolls and pad thai lead a menu built for a group meal, and the green curry rounds out a kitchen that keeps tables full well past the dinner rush.
What to orderspring rolls, pad thai, green curry
№ 12
Coconut Thai on Grand
St. Paul $$
720 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105 · +16513487250
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On Grand Avenue in St. Paul, Coconut Thai splits opinion more than most on this list: the pad thai and tom yum draw loyal praise from regulars who rank it above the Edina location, while other visits land flat on flavor. The curry and tom yum stay the safer order when the kitchen is inconsistent.
What to orderpad Thai, curry, tom yum
Frequently asked
What is the best pad thai near me in St. Paul?
It depends on which part of St. Paul is closest. Ruam Mit and Krungthep Thai post some of the strongest Insider Scores on this list for made to order pad thai, while Eastside Thai Restaurant and Friends Cafe cover the East Side and the strip mall tier with reliable, inexpensive plates. No restaurant on this list paid to be included.
Which St. Paul Thai restaurant has the most consistent pad thai?
Ruam Mit and On's Kitchen both show a pattern of made to order execution and repeat customer loyalty in their Insider Score history. Coconut Thai on Grand and Karen Thai Food show more variation between visits, which is reflected in their scores.
Is Coconut Thai on Grand the same as the Edina location?
They are related but separate rooms, and some regulars rate the Edina location higher for flavor. The St. Paul room on Grand Avenue has its own Insider Score based on its own record, and that is the score reflected on this guide.
Do any of these restaurants pay to be featured on this list?
No restaurant pays for placement or ranking. Every entry here is ordered by its own Insider Score, built from the public review record for that specific location, not from advertising or submissions.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Kou Thao
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Kou Thao is the St. Paul & Corridors Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born in St. Paul and raised in Frogtown, he grew up working the family egg-roll stand at Hmongtown Marketplace. He covers the marketplaces, University Avenue, the East Side and West Side, and every corridor counter worth the trip across the river.
