Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Palm Sugar's spicy noodles among best food near Davis Square

9276868085_74c0040097_o
The Drunken Noodles are especially flavorful at Palm Sugar, a Thai wonderland right outside Davis Square.

Just past Davis Square, across from a toy store, lies Palm Sugar. This unassuming Thai restaurant has all the endearing trappings of a hole-in-the-wall, with a few too many tables to actually be one. The food is fast, cheap, authentic and delicious. The menu is extensive without straying too far from its Thai roots -- it does not dilute itself with crowd-pleasing dishes from locales outside of Thailand. While the appetizer section contains some dishes that hail from neighboring countries rather than Thailand, there are only a couple such items, and they can be overlooked. In short, everyone can find something to enjoy on a menu as diverse as the one at Palm Sugar.

Palm Sugar is one of the few restaurants in which appetizers are almost completely superfluous. These little dishes are good to share, but they pale in comparison to the entrees, which are definitely the main attractions of this little eatery.

The satay is nothing special -- it is, after all, just sautéed meat with a couple of sauces on the side. That said, the peanut sauce is above average. For the uninitiated, the "Golden Triangles" make an excellent dish to ease into unique flavors that comprise the palette of Thai food. The triangles are fried puffs with a golden curry colored mash inside (typically of potato), and are very mild. All the appetizers cost between $5 and $7, except for the unbelievably reasonable sampler, which costs just $12.

There is a ridiculous number of main dishes available; in fact, there are seven categories from which to choose. A few dishes, however, stand out from the multitude offered.

The "Drunken Noodles" may be a contender for the best dish near Davis. These noodles are stir-fried with carrot, broccoli, zucchini, egg and onions, as well as a protein of choice. While the noodles themselves look plain, they pack an unbelievable amount of flavor. The dish is labeled as “spicy,” and one can order the dish with his or her desired level of hotness. Beware, though, that if you tell the server you want the dish “spicy, not medium,” you are in for the most overwhelming dining experience of pain and pleasure.

The "Massaman Curry" is another notable offering on Palm Sugar’s menu. This dish brings together tomatoes, onions, potatoes, peppers and a smattering of other supporting vegetables, combining them in a rich and earthy sauce. Just as with the "Drunken Noodles," one can choose a protein to add to the dish. Additionally, all the curries on the menu come with white or brown rice. Each curry has its own distinct character, with the Massaman’s being a rich earthiness. One of the great things about the curries is that if one contains an ingredient that sounds unappealing, that ingredient will not break the dish -- curries tend to harmonize rather than simply pair up flavors.

All of Palm Sugar’s dishes are no-frill affairs. The food is hot and fresh, coming to the table seconds after it comes out of the pan -- sometimes too hot to eat, in fact. For example, the sticky rice comes in a bamboo container. At first this seems like a nice extra touch given to an otherwise plain dish, but inside the bamboo, the sticky rice is wrapped in Saran wrap. Regardless of the presentation, the food is excellent.

The restaurant is dimly lit but clean, and almost always has seats available. On a Friday night, a party of 10 had no trouble getting a table without a reservation -- actually, the hardest part of getting a table was finding one big enough to seat everyone. The kitchen is open to the seating area, so the smell of one’s order often reaches the table before the food does. Service is pleasant, fast and attentive enough. Overall, Palm Sugar is one of the best deals in the vicinity of Davis Square and among its best restaurants food-wise, offering great flavors at amazing prices.

Palm Sugar Thai is located at 95 Elm St, Somerville, Mass. 02144. It can be reached at (617) 718-1759 and on its website. It is open Monday 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Friday at 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m., Saturday - Sunday 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. 

Summary Overall, Palm Sugar is one of the best deals in the vicinity of Davis Square and among the best restaurants food-wise, offering great flavors and amazing prices.
4.5 Stars