Tangerine Cafe
| Address: | 2422 SW Cary Pkwy, Cary, NC 27513, USA |
| Phone: | +1 919-468-8688 |
| Site: | tangerinecafecary.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | Closed 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 5–9:30PM 12–9PM |
Location
Photos 66
Reviews 9
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Jenny Estes
I do not give negative reviews often. Ill start with the positives: I got the correct take out orders and it was ready in 20 minutes just like they said over the phone. The texture of the drunken noodles was good. My fiancé said the chicken in his pad Thai was good. Negatives: I got drunken noodle with tofu. There were odd vegetables in it: broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn, burned green beans. The flavor of the sauce was WAY off. Im not sure what sauce they use but it tastes gross. The tofu was very chewy. And there was a hair in my food, but considering that I didnt like the dish anyway, it wasnt that much of a disappointment. My fiancé also said he had mushrooms in his dish (who puts mushrooms in pad Thai?) and the flavor was off. I understand the concept of Asian fusion restaurants as having different menu items inspired from different locations in Asia. It doesnt mean you dump mismatched flavors into a disgusting dish. You need a new chef! Also, the older waitress who rung me up at the register was rude to the younger waitress in front of me. Very unprofessional. I have yet to find excellent drunken noodle in the Triangle, but there are lots of places that are WAY better than this one. Way to ruin my favorite dish, Tabgerine Cafe!
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ben moy
Great lunch prices, filling portions, and a very diverse menu. The Tom kha is on the salty side, likely from fish sauce, but quite good. The macadamia chicken comes crisp and on decadent massaman curry. The chicken tika masala is aromatic and delicious. The rice pudding is good, sweet. The flan came with a watery sauce I would skip, but I enjoyed it otherwise. Our waitress was great and I get the sense that the staff care about their jobs. Looking forward to going again. Been back 5 times. The Macadamia Chicken and Crispy Fish are the standout dishes for me and a must order. Sometimes I add a lunch (1/2 size) portion of Pad Thai. My family has tried another 5-7 entrees and been pleased. At this point, I feel like you cant go wrong with the entrees. Cons: The dumplings are fairly average, with the pan fried version sometimes overdone. The calamari were thickly battered and overcooked and definitely not like other tempura Ive seen.
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A Private User
Across the street from where I work (I walk there) so it used to be very convenient and have visited the cafe about once every 2-3 months since it first opened. I hate to see the cafe come to such a sad state of affairs. It isnt the food, which IMO is at best standard or the price, which is fair. It is the service and atmosphere. A barnhall conversation atmosphere makes it hard to talk and it is just a dark, unfriendly tomb of a room. The great server, mentioned in many other reviews, carried this place single handedly. Sadly I havent seen him in months or maybe even years now. The new staff just doesnt care and service has really deteriorated. Have been late or barely made it back to work in time despite the close location. Last time we visited (12/6/2011) we didnt so much as get a glance from the waitress. Left after 15-20 minutes. They have forever lost me as a customer unless I find out something has changed.
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Liane Albert
We were excited to try this place because of all the good reviews and we love Thai so we decided to try takeout. The pineapple fried rice was one big heap of over cooked mushy rice with a kind of sauce that made it look red. It looked more like Mexican rice than a Thai fried rice. They must have started out with hot rice from the cooker... I wasnt impressed. We also ordered the spicy basil tofu and vegetables. Very skimpy with the tofu but flavor was just ok - not wow but just ok. The Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp was a big pile of bland, gelatinous rice noodles with over cooked rubbery chicken and no familiar Pad Thai flavor that Ive ever had. Ive never seen Pad Thai that was as colorless and bland as this was. Should have wondered about how authentic it was when they had Indian food on the menu as well but I just hate that we just wasted money on this and were left really disappointed...
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David Collins
High quality food! I took the family there based on the google reviews. We were actually surprised at the quality and tenderness of the meats in all our dishes. Tangerine Cafe outdoes a lot of "single focus" asian restaurants, and provides excellent tasting dishes with their own twist. We had the appetizer sampler (best example of chicken satay Ive had in recent memory), the pad thai (not traditional, but very tasty), and the "korean-style beef" (which was excellent, and Im a bit of a bulgogi snob)! We tried all of their desserts, with the coconut rice pudding being my favorite (but their current special: mango cheesecake, was excellent as well). We are definitely adding this place to our rotation. The restaurant isnt very large, but they had highchairs for our toddler, and a steady stream of customers for dine in and takeout. If you have a large party for dinner, Id recommend getting there early.
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A Private User
I love the food at Tangerine Cafe. I am a big fan on well done spicy thai food, and this place delivers. Too many places just add a junk load of red pepper flakes and that destroys the flavor. For the spice lovers out there, ordering your dish "thai spicy" is a magical experience - this is some serious heat with great flavor. Dont be deceived after your first bite, the punch is on its way and will hut you in ways you would never expect. There will be a party in your mouth and a tear in your eye. You will be releived when you finish the spicy goodness, but thinking about the experience and counting down the days until your next order.
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Amanda Barnett
This used to be my fiancés favorite restaurant. We would eat here very often, and considered ourselves regulars. Once I ordered the macadamia chicken and my chicken was not done. I told the waitress and they refused to fix it for me. The owner never returned my calls and we stopped eating here for a year or so. Recently we went back and gave them another chance. I didnt order chicken, because I didnt want a meat that could possibly make me very sick if undercooked. Our waiter was really nice, and the food was really good as it was all the times before. Im really hesitant about going here still, considering the past experience.
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A Private User
After visiting 4 or 5 times, I cant complain at all! The food is delicious, inexpensive, and just as spicy as you could want it. Portions are very generous. I am eagerly trying out every item on the menu. The location is cozy, yet we never have to wait for a table. Service has always been great for me. The guy waiter (pictured on the review from google maps) is the best waiter Ive had (and seems to be there all the time). Hes attentive, amicable, and remembers my girlfriend and me whenever we come in, despite months having elapsed since our last visit. Gotta love the mailing list coupons, too!
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Jeremy Albert
Really liked my lunch here and its very reasonably priced for the high quality of food you get here. They have a fish tank which my kid was a big fan of and theres plenty of parking since its in a strip mall. The drunken noodles were some of the best ive ever had anywhere and comes with a mixture of shrimp and chicken which is very cool so you dont have to pick one or the other. The waiter was awesome and real patient with me and my little guy who thought it was best to decorate the floor with cheerios. Cant wait to go back and try the rest of the menu, ill be going here alot!
