I count seven Thai restaurants in the Charlottesville area, which is something to celebrate in a town of this size. But none is worth celebrating as much as Lime Leaf, the delicious gem tucked away north on Route 29 in the Rio Hill Shopping Center. I get a case of food rage every year when I read “Best of C-ville” and Thai ‘99 tops the Asian category yet again. I’m not sure how C-ville voters continue to prefer one of the least impressive Thai places instead of the obvious best, but I hope anyone who hasn’t yet visited Lime Leaf will make the trek north to give the true deserving Thai champion… Read More
Cuisine: Thai
Lime Leaf 
Jan 10
Tara Thai 
Sep 24
I am deeply skeptical about Asian chain restaurants. So while I was initially excited to hear that a new Thai restaurant was coming to town, my enthusiasm fizzled when I heard it was a chain restaurant. That was going into Barracks. Chain restaurant, shopping mall, meh.
We went to Tara Thai with lowered expectations and left mostly satisfied, if not awestruck. Outside Tara Thai is the typical madness of Barracks, inside it’s swanky nightclub meets aquarium. The ambience is much nicer than expected and definitely a welcome departure from the usual dependence on fluorescent in many local Asian joints… Read More
Thai 99 II
Aug 4
When I ask people where to find the best Thai in town, they almost always say Thai 99. C-ville Weekly has given them the “Best Asian Restaurant” award on many occasions in recent years, and the web site refers to its Gardens Blvd location as “exquisite.” So how can it be that I’ve almost never had better than a mediocre… Read More
