Tempe Conventions & Visitors Bureau

Tempe is known for it’s many great restaurants serving tasty and diverse cuisines.  Among the many excellent chain restaurants you can find a number of fantastic independently owned places serving delicious, authentic food.  One that has been a true local favorite for several years is Yupha’s Tai Kitchen, which just moved from it’s old location at Elliott and Hardy to it’s new location next to Pollack Tempe Cinemas on the Southeast corner of McClintock and Elliott. 

I had heard about Yupha’s, but just tried it for the first time on a recent Friday evening, when four of us decided to have dinner there before taking in a terrific independent foreign film at the OneNightCinema next door.  We were glad we arrived early and found a table easily because in a short time, the place was packed. And, it was obvious that many of the diners were regulars.  You could tell by the way they greeted and were greeted by the gracious and friendly staff.

The menu is huge and it took a while to decide what we wanted to order.  This was made easier with a glass of a delightful white Tai wine. We shared an order of the light and crispy spring rolls and each ordered a different entrée and sampled each others. I loved my dish, the sautéed vegetables with chicken, medium hot, with brown rice. The veggies were crisp and delicious and served in some kind of wonderful savory sauce. Everyone ordered something different, so we all could sample four different entrées and everything was absolutely yummy. The portions are generous, the prices so reasonable and the service was terrific.  I can say for sure that I have joined the ranks of Yupha’s regulars.  I can’t wait to return.