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Chalawan Asian Eatery, Cambridge, MA

Chalawan Asian Eatery

4.7
4.7
280 Reviews
$30 and under
Asian
CHALAWAN, therefore, has been founded to prove that Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine, including Asian style dining culture of sharing their food can be served in a leading international restaurant. With this belief, we have created a delicious and delightful menu in a restaurant decorated in traditional Thai style in a warm welcome atmosphere with a great service minded attitude of our team, including choices of wine to perfectly pair with our food.


Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 3 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Asian, Southeast Asian, Thai
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 11:30 am–2:30 pm Daily 5:00 pm–9:15 pm
  • Phone number
    (617) 547-8888
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Neighborhood
    Cambridge
  • Parking details
    Street parking is available for curbside pickup
  • Public transit
    The T: Redline to "Porter Sq."
  • Additional
    Beer, Delivery, Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Gift card

Gift card

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What 280 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Boston

    Neighborhood gem

280 Reviews
  1. KatherineK

    Greater Boston

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Delicious and unique food. Great service. Nice gluten free options. So nice to be able to actually be able to have a conversation and be able to hear my dinner companion. While I really like the unique options, would also like it if they had more traditional Thai options.

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  2. alicelittle

    Greater Boston

    31 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall5food5service2ambience5
    Food and drink were outstanding. For some reason, despite solicitous service from waitstaff, we waited almost 1.5 hours for our meals. Hopefully this is anomalous because the food is spectacular.

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  3. max919

    Greater Boston

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on October 22, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    Overall nice experience. Food was exceptional. Thank you.

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  4. LilianH

    Greater Boston

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 26, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    The food is always excellent, and different from other Asian restaurants, the service is friendly and efficient - I hope the place makes a go of it. I certainly intend to help them do so.

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  5. LilianH

    Greater Boston

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 22, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    the staff was friendly, the seating comfortable and sufficiently far apart - the dishes really interesting, have been here twice and hope to be back Lilian

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  6. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 16, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely delicious experience. The scallop dish is the best bite in the city. The fried tofu appetizer was perfectly cooked and delicious.

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  7. KImbellD

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This was our first visit. The people and the food were amazing. We will come back for lunch soon and another dinner.

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  8. Koko

    New Orleans

    25 reviews

    3.0

    25 reviews

    Dined on May 31, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience3
    Chalawan is a pleasant neighborhood restaurant. The chef caters to US taste.

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  9. KatharineA

    Greater Boston

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on May 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food and atmostphere! All the food was delicious from appetizers to dessert.

    1 person found this helpful

  10. GeKiPe

    Greater Boston

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on April 30, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    A wonderful surprise! This is a gem of a restaurant in an unassuming location. I must have passsed it by multiple times not realizing the deliciousness that I was missing. Went on a rainy Sunday night and it was quiet but still had a few tables occupied by a diverse clientele. Our party of four ordered four apps, four entrees, sides of roti and stirfried greens, and three desserts...too much, yes, but we ate every morsel and were completely stuffed and blissfully happy. The stars were: oysters, porkbelly and softshell crab apps, and eggplant, red duck curry and singapore chili beef entrees. Nothing was bad, but the snapper dumplings were a bit bland, so would skip those next time. Even the side of stirfried greens (so we could say we ordered vegetables) was flavorful enough to be a dinner. A nice touch, they offer both white and brown rice, which they serve tableside as needed so it never gets cold. Beer and wine only. Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu!

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  11. mickpro

    Greater Boston

    20 reviews

    4.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on April 29, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Lovely quiet room with top-notch Thai food. I’ll be back. Also great for take out.

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  12. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great place to try something new! Be warned that most everything is at least somewhat spicy, even though they don’t label it as such

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  13. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 15, 2023

    overall4food4service3ambience3
    Good food, would be really better if you had a full liquor license so could serve cocktails.

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  14. Adam

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 12, 2023

    overall3food2service5ambience5
    Great ambiance and service but unfortunately this night the food was off. Dumpling starter was good but the soft shell crab and eggplant mains each had bizarre textures and were not very flavorful.

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  15. CyntP

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 2, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great meal : an explosion of flavors! We had the whole fried fish and eggplant

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  16. JinheeO

    Greater Boston

    6 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on March 31, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    AMAZING food. Very courteous and attentive staff. Awesome ambiance.

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  17. Sarah

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 29, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    Chalawan was a pleasant surprise. I visited for the first time with some “foodie” friends from out of town. Was initially surprised when the restaurant was very empty, and it took a while for a server to come over. The space is very nice- thoughtful but comfortable- with ample seating that’s not too close together. Once we placed our orders though, the magic started! Every dish was unique and flavorful, and beautifully plated. Portion sizes were great and the dishes were very fairly priced. Our server became more attentive as the night went on and didn’t rush us at all. My guests can’t wait to go back. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone who’s looking for a great dining experience!

    1 person found this helpful

  18. DanitB

    Greater Boston

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on March 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Delicious and lovely interior. Great for conversation

    1 person found this helpful

  19. Kate

    Greater Boston

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on March 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always great food, always good service! And quiet enough that we can have a conversation! Wonderful!

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  20. JenniferJ

    Portland

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on March 12, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Delicious! Flavors are just right and the ingredients fresh and bright. Cannot go wrong at Chalawan!

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  21. Jabe

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great ambience!! Perfect date spot. The food tasted great and the presentation was very alluring. Not super cheap but definitely not overpriced.

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  22. MilaC

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food is delicious, representing South East Asian cuisine that is hard to find. The servings - including the drinks! - were generous, the service was excellent and timely. A must-try.

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  23. Yvonne

    Atlantic Canada

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 25, 2023

    overall2food1service3ambience4
    Not a place for authentic Asian food and definitely not worth the price

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  24. AndyL

    Greater Boston

    16 reviews

    4.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on February 24, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Enjoyed the crispy pork belly, duck curry and shrimp. Service was very good. Not too busy for a Friday night so a mellow ambiance.

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  25. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Fanstastic restaurant! Very tender meat

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  26. OpenTable Diner

    Charleston

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 18, 2023

    overall2food1service2ambience3
    Did not like the food at all. The service was very poor and was extremely noisy.

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  27. KPET

    Greater Boston

    20 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on February 11, 2023

    overall3food3service2ambience2
    The quality of the meats and cooking was good. Service was average. I would have preferred that entrees included some sort of vegetable—it was all meat and rice and we did not know to order sides and it was not suggested to us. We all disliked drinking out of the metal beverage cups.

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  28. Kate

    Greater Boston

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on February 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This is a wonderful restaurant--it was quiet so we could have a conversation, and our food attendant was so helpful! He even filleted our crispy fish for us! All the food was spectacular. I'm coming back again and again.

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  29. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    29 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely delicious!

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  30. KarenV

    Greater Boston

    48 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    48 reviews

    Dined on February 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely delicious food! Starting off with a seared scallop was a great way to have an amazing mouthful and save room for the main course. Interesting spices and very different flavors in each of the four mains we tried. Desserts were also a delight, tasty and unusual- and a very nice way to extend the meal. We shared a reasonably- priced bottle of wine, and I also appreciated that there were several non-caffeinated teas. Service was prompt and attentive without being overly so. I want to return to try more apps and salads, along with reordering my favorites (beef cheeks and eggplant).

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  31. JaneS

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 27, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We came for lunch, but the food was so good we got takeout for dinner

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  32. LillieM

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Such an amazing meal, ambiance, and service. Thank you!

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  33. WineJim

    Philadelphia

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Innovative take on appetizers. Really great flavor combinations in the entrees

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  34. emg21

    Greater Boston

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was excellent and service was great! Will be back soon.

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  35. SoniaM

    Greater Boston

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 31, 2022

    overall3food2service4ambience3
    We got there before the dinner rush and so it was quiet. The food while being flavorful is overall quite bland. I expected the Asian flavors to be a lot stronger. We paid $100 for a dinner for 2 with no drinks. A tad bit pricey.

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  36. tarzaparza

    Greater Boston

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on December 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Gorgeous food, friendly and fast service, in a beautiful setting. Love the mural on the wall. Fried soft shell crab was beautiful—lightly battered and crunchy. The betel leaf appetizer was a great combination of savory and fresh flavors. The rendang was on the sweet side for me but the fish curry was to die for. Ask about the dessert menu! Both the black sticky rice and the banana cake with palm sugar were amazing, with generous portions.

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  37. JanineH

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We enjoyed a holiday meal at Chalawan. The service was excellent and the food was delicious - unexpected flavor combinations and super fresh. We will be back!

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  38. Chanigan

    Greater Boston

    46 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    46 reviews

    Dined on December 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food is excellent, very tasty, not spicy but perfectly balanced. The menu is interesting and varied, a refreshing choice, setting them apart fro other eateries

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  39. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on December 18, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    My 3rd time at Chalawan, and as before, it was great. Loved the scallops appetizers, chicken skins, and the stir-fry snapper. Great, friendly service. Definitely will go back again, very reasonably priced!

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  40. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 5, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience3
    First time visitor. Definitely a good experience. Will return.

    Is this helpful?

Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
    • Sealed or wrapped utensils used
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily
    • Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
    • Distancing maintained in common areas
    • Extra space between tables
  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks
    • Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Chalawan Asian Eatery using the Order Online button. Chalawan Asian Eatery also offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Chalawan Asian Eatery also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (617) 547-8888.

Chalawan Asian Eatery is rated 4.7 stars by 280 OpenTable diners.

Chalawan Asian Eatery does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 3 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Chalawan Asian Eatery

1790 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Cambridge
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 11:30 am–2:30 pm Daily 5:00 pm–9:15 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Asian, Southeast Asian, Thai
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street parking is available for curbside pickup
  • Public transit
    The T: Redline to "Porter Sq."
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Delivery, Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Gift card

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card
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