Bencharong Thai House - Arcata

To make matters worse, the pineapple fried rice was completely lacking in flavor, with an odd fishy taste, and the chicken in both dishes was incredibly dry. Overall, we were extremely disappointed.

This is the best Thai restaurant in Humboldt County. They offer a great variety of entrees, and I've never had a bad experience with anything I've ordered during my many visits. I give it a perfect score: 10/10. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5.

However, we didn't rate it 5 stars due to a rather awkward experience upon our arrival. When we walked in, we stood at the entrance waiting for a table, even though four were available. We waited without any acknowledgment. The waitress walked by, gave us an up-and-down glance, but didn’t greet us. Assuming we could just seat ourselves, we found a table, but then waited even longer for menus and a friendly greeting, which we never received. Eventually, another family arrived, and she greeted them warmly and provided them with menus immediately. At that point, I really considered leaving, but I managed to make eye contact and asked her for menus. She brought them over and just dropped them on our table. Meanwhile, the other family was being attended to with kindness, particularly towards their daughter, while we were left feeling overlooked. I couldn’t help but wonder if the difference in treatment was due to our being Latino, as we were the only ones of our background in the restaurant. Just when we were about to leave, another waiter approached us and checked if we had been taken care of. He was extremely pleasant and attentive, which was a refreshing contrast. We placed our order and were very pleased with the food. However, the original waitress returned with the wrong appetizers, and when we informed her of the mix-up, she rolled her eyes as she took them back. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she might have been having a rough day, but it was evident that she was only unfriendly towards us. She was cheerful with all the other (white) customers. Towards the end of our meal, a Thai woman, who appeared to be the owner, came by. She was very nice and accommodating, which made a positive impact. Reflecting on our experience, I almost felt compelled to rate the restaurant a 3 since we travel frequently and have never encountered such discrimination. Yet, I recognize this would be unfair to the owners, chefs, and the wonderful waiter who provided great service. It seems the waitress could benefit from some customer service training, and I hope she receives support, as no one should feel unwelcome in a restaurant.

I’ve only been in Humboldt for two years, and tonight was my first visit to Bencharong with my wife. We moved from Virginia in 2021, and we can’t say enough good things about Bencharong. The food, service, and atmosphere were all fantastic! Greg made us feel incredibly welcome—thank you so much! We will definitely be back! Mel and Jody

The appetizer that caught our attention was the Meing Komm, which I’ve never encountered anywhere else. It arrived on a small platter with little piles of Thai chili, roasted shredded coconut, peanuts, chopped red onion, and a few other ingredients accompanied by a sauce and a selection of small leaves. The idea is to take a leaf, add a bit of each ingredient, and pop it into your mouth – absolutely delicious! And as someone who isn't usually fond of coconut, I was pleasantly surprised. For my entrée, I opted for the grilled Pacific cod. It was well-cooked, firm, and just bordering on being too dry. The dish came with steamed vegetables, its own sauce, and garlic rice, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed as well. I paired my meal with a glass of Cabernet. At first sip, it felt a bit overexposed, but after letting it breathe for a few minutes, it transformed into something very drinkable. Had I not been driving to San Francisco, I would have ordered a second glass. The servers were friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. My only criticism would be their attentiveness when it comes to clearing dishes. Since the tables are quite close together in the compact space, it made my table less accessible. I don’t blame my server for not clearing my plates — perhaps he could have asked me to pass my appetizer plate to him instead. However, at the table next to me, the server delivered the entrées without clearing the appetizer plates first and didn’t ask the diners to pass them over, opting instead to let them set their empty plates aside before inquiring if they wanted her to take them. That seems like a no-brainer! While I’m sure the desserts are delicious, I opted for an espresso to go and headed to the Finnish sauna/café for a cappuccino and some chocolate-covered baklava. All in all, I’ll definitely be returning to Bencharong every time I visit the redwoods.