You might not have guessed that some of the best Thai food in Boston is only three blocks away from Fenway Park, but it is. In an area dominated by bars and Instagrammable chain restaurants like Sweetgreen, Rod Thai Family Taste brings a unique family-owned restaurant presence to Boston’s upscale Fenway neighborhood. 

You might already know Rod Thai as “Rod Dee 2” or have eaten at their other location in Brookline. After a rebrand last year, they changed their name to Rod Thai Family Taste. A winking gray bear now graces their logo as he mixes up a bowl of food. You’ll also find him on one of the baby blue walls in the restaurant, along with other playful illustrations of food and kitchenware.

The menu is quite extensive, with classic Pad Thai noodles to house specials such as Moo Gra Tiam, fried meat cutlets with garlic sauce. If the 50-plus options overwhelm you, don’t worry. The cashier who took my order at the counter was helpful and patient in answering my questions about various dishes. When I asked what the most popular dishes were, she smiled and pointed to a large chalkboard where they had written the top five options. Pad Thai topped their list, but I decided to try Tom Yum fried rice after seeing many online recommendations for their various Tom Yum dishes. 

Most of the items on their menu hover around $11, which is a couple bucks less than what I’ve paid for at other Thai restaurants. Thus, I was curious to see if Rod Thai was keeping their prices low by compensating with less food. 

My doubts vanished when I received my food within 10 minutes of ordering it. The server brought out a generous mound of Tom Yum fried rice on a plate decorated with flowers. The cashier told me when I ordered my food that the Tom Yum fried rice was salty, and she was right. The spicy, sour and salty taste was overpowering, but I had been warned. While the chunks of mushrooms, onions and cherry tomatoes added nice variety to the uniform salty taste of the dish, there could have been more.

  • A generous portion of Tom Yum fried rice and crispy chicken.

Even more satisfying was the ample portion of crispy chicken cutlet that came with the rice. Many restaurants load up on rice — which is quite cheap — and only give customers a couple chunks of meat. Rod Thai gave me more meat than I could eat in one sitting. You don’t see that sort of generosity these days anymore, do you? Well, at Rod Thai, you will. 

This chicken was the highlight of my meal. I’ve been disappointed far too many times with fried chicken cutlets in various restaurant cuisines. It’s come out way too dry, too oily or worst of all, too thin that there’s more breading than meat. 

But their crispy chicken was perfect. It crunched satisfyingly in my mouth and was just the right amount of fatty to make it tender, yet still meaty. You’ll know what I mean when you try it yourself, but it was chewy in a surprisingly pleasant way. And it still stayed crispy after I packed it up to go and reheated it for dinner. 

If you’re looking for some appetizers, I enjoyed the Chicken Satay. It came on skewers and was served with peanut sauce on the side. The sweet and tender taste of the curried meat balanced perfectly with my Tom Yum rice. If you get something that the cashier says could be a little salty, consider getting this to even out the strong flavors. 

  • Chicken Satay served with peanut sauce.

Don’t worry if you’re wondering whether Rod Thai oversalts all their food. I tried several bites of my friend’s red curry, which was a much milder dish. I particularly appreciated how balanced the taste and texture were. I’ve often found Thai curries to be too oily or too heavy on the coconut milk, but the sauce was blended well. I was happy to see that no oil floated about. I enjoyed the spicy curry kick and probably helped myself to a couple more bites than my friend would have liked. Again, they provided generous portions of chicken, bamboo shoots and other veggies, along with an ample serving of rice. 

Finding a table can be a little difficult, especially if you come with a group or during dinner time. They weren’t busy during Sunday lunch hour, but I still noticed a steady stream of takeout orders. They also had tables outside, which would be perfect in warmer weather. Perhaps you’ll even hear the din from Fenway Park on game days. 

You probably are well aware of how we shouldn’t expect both quality and quantity when we go out to eat. But Rod Thai doesn’t compromise on either. The next time you watch the Red Sox at Fenway Park, try exchanging that classic Fenway meal of a burger from Tasty Burger with… yes, some Thai food.

Rod Thai Family Taste
94 Peterborough St
Boston, MA 02215 
(617) 859-0969

Hours: 
Note the break from 3 – 4 p.m. 
 
Mon
11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 4 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. 
 
Tues-Sat
11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. 
 
Sun
noon - 3 p.m., 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.