Since 1996, Brown Sugar Cafe has made a habit of getting to know their customers and feeding them well. Besides the personal attention that gives the restaurant its local feel, 'they stress the importance of buying fresh kaffir lime leaves, galanga, and other ingredients, although they're more expensive than the dried varieties.
The restaurant, with its broad menu, is a haven for Thai students longing for a home-cooked meal and welcoming to Americans experiencing Thai food for the first time. Having built a loyal following of repeat customers, Brown Sugar Cafe added a second location at 1033 Commonwealth Avenue in 1999 and are pleased to announce the opening of The Similans on 1st Street in Cambridge.
The restaurant, with its broad menu, is a haven for Thai students longing for a home-cooked meal and welcoming to Americans experiencing Thai food for the first time. Having built a loyal following of repeat customers, Brown Sugar Cafe added a second location at 1033 Commonwealth Avenue in 1999 and are pleased to announce the opening of The Similans on 1st Street in Cambridge.
Reviews (22)
Alexis L.
Jan 14, 2022
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The outside of the restaurant is beautiful. The location is in a nice place and the outside definitely catches the eye. Went here for a friend's birthday celebration, and we had made reservations beforehand.
Upon entering, we were greeted by a waitress who seemed nice but she was too eager to keep asking us to purchase more from the menu. We didn't want anything more than what we ordered, and I would understand a suggestion or two, but it seemed like she just kept wanting us to spend more money. The waitress also mixed up a lot of our orders and was not very helpful. I do not think she
Upon entering, we were greeted by a waitress who seemed nice but she was too eager to keep asking us to purchase more from the menu. We didn't want anything more than what we ordered, and I would understand a suggestion or two, but it seemed like she just kept wanting us to spend more money. The waitress also mixed up a lot of our orders and was not very helpful. I do not think she
Tianlang Yang
Dec 27, 2021
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Jackie N.
Nov 15, 2021
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Great atmosphere, good prices, okay food, and unfriendly servers. I ordered a coconut soup which was really good and the pad Thai which was good, but didn't have much flavor and no spice and had an interesting mix of ingredients (pineapple, cauliflower, peppers, corn). Asked for a menu because my phone wasn't loading and was told they had none despite a stack of them nearby and other patrons having them...
Nimisha Busireddy
Oct 25, 2021
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Worst experience ever! Got a metal wire in my chicken satay. When called the manager, she seemed very casual about it & said would have caught the chicken or the wooden stick while cleaning. I didn’t understand the reference. I’m pregnant & thankful for not swallowing the metal wire. Service was really bad & so was the food, no flavor!
Philip Greenspun
Oct 23, 2021
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These folks are super vigilant about COVID-19-prevention (but wouldn't it make sense for everyone to stay home instead?), e.g., requiring everyone who walks in to use hand sanitizer and wear masks until actually taking a bite of food. The flip side is that they don't have energy left to refill water glasses, remember to cook and serve dishes that are ordered, etc. (We ended up with 2 out of 3 entrees.)
Pavithra R.
Oct 16, 2021
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Allie S.
Oct 09, 2021
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I was looking for a new Thai place to try out for delivery and came up with Brown Sugar Cafe on my Door Dash options. I ordered the brown sugar spareribs and the scallion pancakes. The scallion pancakes were great and perfectly fresh. The spareribs were amazing, very flavorful and well cooked with the meat falling of the bones. I wish the spareribs came with more but then again I ordered everything from the appetizers menu as I was not looking for a very heavy meal. The meal arrived quickly so I would recommend them if looking for a good delivery option.
Devi
Oct 03, 2021
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Woo K.
Sep 16, 2021
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Thai food has been there for me when no one has!
So when I have Thai food, it's gotta be good.
I understand that there are.many different ways to have a specific dish. Different ways to make it....
But why is the padthai so runny!?!!!. And why does the padthai look so bland?? No color!? It's gotta have like a reddish hue to it.
I had to throw in a ton of hot sauce for my palette to feel something because it felt so bland. Chicken was dry. And honestly it didn't even feel like it was pan fried. It tasted like they boiled the noodles. Took sauce and threw it on a plate. No pan
So when I have Thai food, it's gotta be good.
I understand that there are.many different ways to have a specific dish. Different ways to make it....
But why is the padthai so runny!?!!!. And why does the padthai look so bland?? No color!? It's gotta have like a reddish hue to it.
I had to throw in a ton of hot sauce for my palette to feel something because it felt so bland. Chicken was dry. And honestly it didn't even feel like it was pan fried. It tasted like they boiled the noodles. Took sauce and threw it on a plate. No pan
Ante Bing
Aug 12, 2021
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Kate S.
Aug 01, 2021
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Danielle - A. Pseudonym B.
Jul 30, 2021
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Came in for lunch one afternoon on impulse. It was really good, I had the drunken noodles. The service was extremely attentive and the food was excellent.
I noticed they were running a promotion for free spring roles if you get two entrees, which is pretty awesome. I don't know if it's just for lunch, but I think that's a pretty sweet deal to run right now to get people in the door.
I always have a good experience here!
Glad to be back in the restaurants!
I noticed they were running a promotion for free spring roles if you get two entrees, which is pretty awesome. I don't know if it's just for lunch, but I think that's a pretty sweet deal to run right now to get people in the door.
I always have a good experience here!
Glad to be back in the restaurants!
Tiffany M.
Jun 05, 2021
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Firstly, the soft shell crab in the pad Thai was amazing. However, the pad Thai itself was literally soaked in sauce to the point where I could not continue to finish eating after a bit of it. If you held it up with a fork, sauce would drip, and it was too salty/much flavoring. The duck dishes were alright, but there were too much vegetable instead of duck in my opinion.
Dana Keniston
May 05, 2021
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Polly Y.
Feb 01, 2021
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One of my favorite Thai places! Really yummy yellow curry. I'm usually not a fan of sweet dishes, but this is just the right amount, and not overwhelming at all. I love getting a bunch of different dishes and splitting with others family style.
The service is friendly, and the restaurant atmosphere is unique, definitely a great place to go with friends or family, or even a casual lunch. The outside is super misleading. It looks tiny, but it's surprisingly spacious inside. Would definitely recommend!
The service is friendly, and the restaurant atmosphere is unique, definitely a great place to go with friends or family, or even a casual lunch. The outside is super misleading. It looks tiny, but it's surprisingly spacious inside. Would definitely recommend!
Rupa S.
Oct 07, 2020
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I would give negative ratings if I could.
The food was horrible. We tried Pad Thai, Vegetarian Red Curry and Fried Rice and they were all equally bad.
The curry was super watery, the fried rice and pad thai were not at all spicy like we ordered and tasted weird.
Would not recommend this place to anyone if they are thai food lovers like I am.
We threw everything out because we just couldn't eat it more than couple of spoons.
The food was horrible. We tried Pad Thai, Vegetarian Red Curry and Fried Rice and they were all equally bad.
The curry was super watery, the fried rice and pad thai were not at all spicy like we ordered and tasted weird.
Would not recommend this place to anyone if they are thai food lovers like I am.
We threw everything out because we just couldn't eat it more than couple of spoons.
MoneyMakerMac Eats
Mar 29, 2020
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Extremely disappointing service. Made a delivery order and on top of the really rude manager on the telephone taking our order, the delivery man was rude too because he was angry we didn't give him a bigger tip. He also wore no gloves or mask during the exchange, which should be mandatory at this time.
The food was cold when it was delivered even though we're right down the street from the restaurant. The biggest insult I can't get over is the LARGE Tom Yum soup we ordered. It came in a large container and half full... I've never seen a restaurant casually try to pass this
The food was cold when it was delivered even though we're right down the street from the restaurant. The biggest insult I can't get over is the LARGE Tom Yum soup we ordered. It came in a large container and half full... I've never seen a restaurant casually try to pass this
Anna Wan
Feb 01, 2020
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Nirav Dhamsania
Aug 12, 2019
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Peter C.
Feb 05, 2019
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From the name, I had no idea what to expect. The result was an excellent Thai food experience. The place is located on Commonwealth Ave, very close to Star Market and many other eateries. There seems to be something new there every time I look. It's also right down the street from a host of other restaurants, including Hot Pot, Dumplings, Korean, Chinese, etc.
There are so many choices in the area. I'd say Brown Sugar Cafe is a must!
The GF took had recommended it, and we decided to go one night. She ordered a crazy flaming dish that they lit up at the table. I'm sure
There are so many choices in the area. I'd say Brown Sugar Cafe is a must!
The GF took had recommended it, and we decided to go one night. She ordered a crazy flaming dish that they lit up at the table. I'm sure
Lurchie
Jan 24, 2019
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I had heard great things about the Brown Sugar Cafe, so I was pleased to be able to visit for the first time today. The place is much bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. The restaurant is decorated elegantly - very classy - especially so since it's the Christmas season. We were seated quickly and the service was very good, despite having a busy lunch crowd. I had Chicken Pad See Ew and sweet thai tea. The tea was very good, The Pad See Ew had excellent flavor, the noodles and vegetables were firm and tasty, but the chicken was just barely overcooked and so was a bit dry. I won
Jonathan Pun
Nov 06, 2018
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Best thai food I've ever had. Boston's food scene has been an absolute disappointment coming from NY but this restaurant has redeemed it. The balance of flavors was flawless. The soft shelled crab was cooked perfectly. The attention to detail and food quality is superb. The dessert used center cut mango pieces. The sticky rice was unbelievably fragrant. The pad thai was a perfect blend of sweet, sour, spicy, umami and salt. I would come here again.
