Point and choose from the food spread in front of you. A menu is also available. Grab a free map at the bus station, the restaurant is labeled as pure vegetarian food. Previously operated as J-In Pai Restaurant on Th Raddamrang. Open Mon-Sun 8:00am-5:00pm. Buffet ends when the food runs out.
Category: Vegan, Thai, Buffet
Reviews (28)
First Review by kool_kitchen
Contributions +16
Cheap and delicious - Edit
From 8am to 5pm you have a selection of tasty curries and different vegan options to choose from. Water and ice is free.
Free wifi and some plugs to charge too.
Pros: Good value, Really tasty , Calm environment
Cons: No paper in the toilet
Contributions +98
so good! - Edit
They did oil free high carb food for us.
On the same street as Pai Vegetarian.
Contributions +32
Only tried the buffet food though. - Edit
So haven't had a chance to try the menu dishes yet, only the pre-made food from the buffet, which was nice and very very cheap - a full plate of rice & 3 different 'foods' added plus a big spring roll & big fried mushroom came to only about 60 bahts.
Contributions +134
Very good. Two great places in the same street. - Edit
I came here because Duang's amazing 'Pai Vegetarian' over the road is closed on Sundays. While the owners here aren't Thai, they make very good Asian vegan food. I had the glass noodle salad and pumpkin curry, and big were delicious. Anyway you've got two great choices on the same street. Duang's is the best of the two. Try both!
Pros: Vegan, Tasty , Not expensive
Cons: Service was slow despite my being there early and
Contributions +63
like vegan fast food ;) - Edit
So much good food, and all vegan! I had the Khao Soi, which was so good! The fake meat was very real, but made out of mushrooms or something like that... They also have a buffet with lots of vegan fast food stuff...
Pros: cheap
Contributions +13
BEST food I've had in Thailand! Eat here! - Edit
Honestly the tastiest food I've had in Thailand. The pumpkin curry was amazing. Two of us ordered four dishes and rice each for just under 300THB. Every dish was absolutely delicious and we had an absolute feast. I would 100% recommend this place!
Pros: Lots of delicious vegan options, Large portions, Very well priced
Cons: Nothing bad to say! Absolute 10/10
Contributions +26
friendly - Edit
friendly people, nice vibe in the restaurant and good food. not qo expansive and you get enough food for the price
Contributions +18
Best in Pai - Edit
After visiting most of the Vegan restaurants in Pai, this is definitely the best and cheapest. Don't expect a detailed description of what each dish is, but be safe in the knowledge that they are all good!
Lots of fake meats on offer if that your dig. Eggplant curry is my fav.
Contributions +201
really yummy place!!! - Edit
Things must've changed since those other reviews said it was largely mock meat - there is some, but there are plenty of other choices too. I definitely don't like oily food but didn't find it too greasy at all here. Delicious pumpkin curry and very nice rice. A great find and very good value. Would definitely recommend.
Pros: yummy food, quiet , great value
Contributions +78
Cheap & Delicious! - Edit
I LOVE these kinds of places! Getting to try four different incredibly delicious vegan entrees for 55 baht is the best!
Contributions +89
Cheap but standard veg chinese food. - Edit
Pretty standard Chinese Veg sorta place ive encountered else where in SE Asia. So much mock meat stuff. but the price is amazing if your looking at saving some money compared to other veg food in the area.
Pros: all vegan, cheap
Cons: average tasting
Contributions +20
Cheap, oily and over cooked. - Edit
The place has a nice set up, but I'm not a fan of the food. Very oily, too many mock meats, stingy brown to white rice portions (1:5 I'm guessing). I've eaten here more than enough times to give it another chance, but won't go back again, my partner and I, as well as other people we've spoken with don't feel of after eating here. Bloated, reflux and generally uncomfortable. Maybe there's a lot of MSG, not sure. Regardless, wouldn't recommend. Owner isn't entirely friendly.
Updated from previous review on 2016-07-31
Pros: Nice set up , Peaceful
Cons: Oily, Sick feeling post eating , Too many mock meats
Contributions +60
Tasty food, can't beat the price! - Edit
We got the buffet (3 items per plate and rice). The food was flavorful, but all of it (except for the rice) was cold. I think that they do not have burners of a method of keeping the food warm after making it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed eating it. We didn't order from the menu, which includes food freshly cooked and likely served hot.
I ordered a carrot juice (asked for no sugar, as carrot juice is naturally sweet) and they brought out what tasted exactly like carrot pulp and water. It had no taste of carrot and my husband and I took one sip of it and could not finish the rest. We are NOT picky eaters, so that is saying a lot.
In any case, I would still recommend this place- good food, amazing prices! I might return to try out items from the menu!
Pros: great price for buffet, flavorful food, menu items and buffet items
Cons: buffet was cold
Contributions +193
Cheap, awesome tasty food - Edit
We went there twice: one time for the buffet and one time ala carte. Both times the food was really great. Big portions for a extremely cheap price. We all loved especially the pumpkin curry. Everything seems pretty high carb and low fat. Really stylish place too for being so cheap, not a usual cheap thai eatery. Only downside is the staff, pretty unfriendly and not helpful at all.
Pros: unfriendly staff
Cons: cheap, all vegan, yummy
Contributions +14
great buffet - Edit
Great place with cheap buffet and additional menu with a lot of options. Different kind of fake meats that you can order are also available. I personally prefer the noodle soup and eat it every time. If you want to eat from the buffet better go at lunch time, usually in the afternoon there are not to many options available.
Pros: great delicious food, cheap prices
Cons: closing at 5pm
Contributions +403
Cheap and Delicious - Edit
Unfortunately due to allergies I couldn't order from the super cheap buffet (around 70p for a plate of food) but there were plenty of things on the menu I could eat. I highly recommend the Rad Pork and the Pad See Ew but I'd skip the Vegan Chicken with Rice as it was a little dry. This place is actually open until 7pm but the buffet stops at 5.
Pros: Mock Meats, Deep Fry, Cheap
Cons: Drinks aren't served cold
Contributions +46
good cheap vegan food... - Edit
The soup for 30 baht is really delicious and quite big. The soup is really tasty and made with a lot of spices, noodles and mock meat.
Also other dishes are really tasty.
Pros: cheap, vegan , tasty
Contributions +17
Perfect Lunchplace - Edit
The food here is so good, and so cheap!! Get there before 5pm and have the buffet, it is really good and ridiculously cheap. Really nice staff as well!
Contributions +167
Cheap, vegan and delicious - Edit
I like this place very much! I've been there 3 times with a group of friends and everything we tried was pretty good and not too spicy (quite rare in Thailand :p).
Staff was friendly and most of them don't speak english. But in a vegan place, all you need is a smile in your face and everything is easy to get :)
Photos and more about it: http://walkingvegan.com/chew-xin-jai-vegan-restaurant-pai-th/
Pros: Cheap, Vegan, Clean
Cons: closes 7pm
Contributions +14
Unfortunately you may have to eat here - Edit
The only vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Pai
Truly bad food
Overcooked veggies mixed with meat imitations.
White rice with tiny bit of brown added for color.
Unhelpful staff. Would not give me hot water for tea. I had to use warm water.
Would not make brown rice.
you are better off buying your own veggies and fruits in the market.
On the positive side, the place is clean and beautiful, and you can meet nice people there.
Pros: Clean, Vegan, The only vegan/vegetarian in Pai
Cons: Overcooked bad food, Artificial meat mixed with vegies, Unhelpful staff
Contributions +70
Chew Xin Jai - Edit
great food , buffet style , inexpensive , easy to find ,its in the road that runs between the post office and 7/11 street and the large Pai Police station building, you cant miss its' Chinese temple styled facade.
Pros: delicious, clean, inexpensive
Contributions +39
Aaah Vegan - Edit
It is so nice to go a place where everything on the menu is 100% vegan. We arrived after 5pm so had to order from the a la carte menu which was fine with us. We took the staff recommendation and had the Singapore style yellow noodles, spring rolls, and a curry. All were pretty good. The atmosphere in the restaurant was laid back; shoes off at the entrance, staff eating their evening meal together at a table near us. We felt pretty at home. The only awkward moment was when we had to interrupt their meal to pay the bill.
Pros: 100% vegan
Contributions +426
Amazingly vegan! - Edit
First of all the name is "chew xin jai". Located in pai this restaurant offers many vegan options as well as raw food and cheap fresh juices. Really cheap fresh and tasty with amazing vegan chicken!!! The vegan place to be!
Pros: Cheap, Fresh, Tasty
Cons: Not easy to find, Not good English speaking staff
Contributions +116
Pure vegan Asian dishes = happiness - Edit
I was glad to learn that this gorgeous little town had a vegan restaurant. From the previous reviews I thought it was going to be a really sterile space with uncomfortable seating. While it doesn't have an interior designers touch, it did remind me of Taiwanese restaurants. Plus it was very clean.
The food was amongst the cheapest I've had in all my travels in Asia. Vegan curries with rice for $1..... Awesome. I had pumpkin with greens and a spicy tofu stir fry. I also added mushrooms and a spring roll. It was a lot of food!
Let me spend a second on the glorious mushrooms. I have given it a bit of thought and I can't figure out what they do to them to get them tasting that great. They are seriously, seriously good. :) very ugly to look at but they do taste like meat as far as my memory goes back 20+ years. Very tasty addition to my meal.
The next day, I wanted to try the soup as it's very hard to find vegan Asian soups. I'm a fan of mock meats and there are quite a few that go into this soup. Unfortunately, I spied the meals on offer and elected curries and noodles with rice again. This time I added a fried something or other to my plate. It was tasty and moist, reminded me of chicken a bit. Mushrooms again too. Happiness.
The staff are very friendly and helpful. There is complementary water to the right of the counter. On the table there are a number of bowls with saucers on them. These are the condiments, soy, chilli, sugar etc. I love condiments, so I added some spice and saltiness. For me the dishes needed them.
For anyone who has gone to Pai from Chaing Mai, they will know that there are 762 turns in the road in and the minivan driver may not care that you think he is driving like a maniac. There is a chance that lunch will not remain where it should for the entirety of the trip, but I still encourage you to grab a bag of those delicious mushrooms to snack on during the trip. Maybe even two :)
Pros: Tasty food, Very cheap, Clean & great staff
Contributions +452
Good, inexpensive nosh in Pai - Edit
This spacious, charming restaurant is well worth a visit. Meals are around the 30 baht mark (red rice and bain-marie dishes or soup), but if you've a Western appetite you're likely to pay double! The 'duck' noodle soup is especially good.
Pros: inexpensive, yummy, friendly service
Contributions +20
Try the mushrooms! great buffet also. - Edit
We have eaten at Char Xin Jai several times and have been impressed every time.
The first time I had the squash with mushrooms and Thai basil. It was perfectly savory, sweet, and saucy. My partner had the pad thai, it was sweet and savory with lots of faux meats intermixed, but the noodles were the thin glass kind, not the flat fettucini style.
The second time we had buffet plates, three items with brown rice for 35B. Everything was well-spiced, more so than the food the last time. We also tried these deep fried balls on a stick which are mock meats of the meat balls sold in streets. They were uninteresting and plastic-y tasting.
The third time I had a bowl of the noodle soup and it was phenomenally delicious. Wow. I think I could eat it every day. They quick steamed glass noodles, and greens, added crunchy bits, cillantro and spring onions, fried tofu, a sauce, and several other fake meats, then added soup broth. It was so tasty, filling and only 30B. My partner had the buffet selection of the day. He had a potato dish, noodle dish, and a sautéed morning glory with rice. He enjoyed it.
But really the claim to fame of this place are the fried mushrooms. they taste just like a meat, or so my partner tells me, I've never tasted meat before.
They have large yellow signs reading "vegetarian" on the corner of every street around it pointing the direction of the restaurant. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful as well. We were being tormented by mosquitoes and they immediately came over and lit mosquito coils and placed them near our feet. The mosquitoes immediately left. Nice.
Pros: cheap, tasty, MUSHROOMS!
Cons: mosquitoes at night
Contributions +299
Only pure vegan place in town. - Edit
They have good noodle soup daily for 25baht. Also, often have Khao Soi. Overall, I would say most of their dishes are Chinese in style/flavoring/preparation. Daily at lunch they put out 6 veg. dishes for lunch. 2 veg. dishes on red rice is 3o baht. Menu items are 40-60 baht. Basic good food.
Pros: pure vegan, good food/value, no msg
Cons: rustic seating
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