Ocha Thai - Waterbury Center

Excellent food every time!!! 5 ????????????????????

The restaurant is located in a small complex off of Waterbury Stowe Road, opposite the Fairfield Inn. The complex is at the bottom of a steep driveway going downhill. There's signage on the street but between needing to concentrate on the road and small lettering, very easy to miss. Once you make it to the restaurant, the ambience is inviting, with traditional paintings, decorations and motifs. It has limited seating, maybe enough for 20, with a few 2 person and a few 4 person tables. The kitchen is partially visible from the dining area. The menu has all the traditional items, with plenty of options. In keeping with my preference for vegan food with avoidance of added oils, I opted for the following: Green Papaya salad. I ended up not getting this because I wanted the dressing on the side, but it was already mixed in the shredded papaya Thom Kha soup with vegetables Green curry with vegetables and brown rice I asked the server if oil was used in either items, and he indicated that it wasn't. I forgot to mention how spicy I wanted my food and the server never asked. This led to me getting food with no spice. When I got the check, I discovered that there's an up charge for brown rice. The soup came out quickly. It was pretty hot. I was surprised to find fried tofu in it. Firstly, I had ordered the soup with vegetables, not Tofu. Secondly, I confirmed that no oil was used, but clearly it was used to fry the tofu. I decided to just leave the tofu out and had the rest of the soup. The flavor was not bad, but nothing to write home about either. It was missing tomatoes, which I was expecting based on the description in the menu The entree came out shortly after I was done with the soup. I had several issues with it. First, the curry was pretty much a replica of the soup same base, same vegetables missing tomatoes), and fried tofu even though I ordered the curry with vegetables. Second, the brown rice had hard grains on the outside; seemed like it was cooked to a point where all the water had evaporated. I ended up having taking off the outer layer; the rest was fine. Third, the curry had no spice to it. Much like with the soup, I took out the fried tofu and had the rest. The flavor was not bad but also nothing to write home about. For dessert, I asked for the mango with sticky rice item but asked for just the mango and no rice. A few minutes later, I got mango with some sort of sauce drizzled on and around it, a sprinkling of sesame seeds, and a dollop of whipped cream with a cherry on top. I asked about the sauce and was told it was coconut milk that was used to sweeten the dessert. I sent it back and reiterated that I wanted just the mango. The server did that without fuss. A few minutes later I got what I had asked for. It made for an expensive half mango $5.50 for it) but it was what I wanted. Overall, I left with unmet expectations. The food was mediocre, and there were several mistakes in the food I got compared to what I ordered. The degree of letdown was increased by expectations formed from the good reviews and high praise. If you like Thai food and expect familiar flavors, I'd skip this restaurant. Otherwise, it's a unique spot in rural Vermont. I personally will not be going back

The food and service were pretty good. I ordered the pineapple fried rice. The meal was fresh and the portion size was very filling. The prices were fair for the quality of food. I will definitely come back when in town.

The food at this restaurant is delicious and I highly recommend it.

While it may appear quiet at times, I often visit this restaurant because their Thai food is some of the best I've had. It exceeded my expectations for a small town in Vermont. I recommend trying their fried rice or curries. The staff is friendly and very accommodating to any food requests.