If you have ever googled Thai food in New Orleans, you’ll see a disproportionate amount of Thai restaurants Uptown. This odd clustering of similar eateries leads to two unfortunate outcomes: 1. a 20-minute drive between many New Orleans residents and their favorite curry house, and 2. many wonderful noodle distributors get overshadowed by their neighboring competitors.

Pad Kee Mao from Chill Out Cafe. Photo by Jenny Sklar.

One such restaurant is Chill Out Café (729 Burdette St.). This Maple Street restaurant serves up Asian fusion and breakfast cuisine. The combo sounds odd but is actually genius. For starters, it opens up the restaurant to many folks who are not too fond of ethnic cuisine, giving diners the option to stick with familiar American flavors, while allowing their dates to try something a little more foreign. Moreover, it is an awesome way to cure the inevitable black hole syndrome that comes along with many people’s hangovers. What better way to coat your stomach than with some maple syrup and coconut milk curry?

But the best things on the menu are their fabulous Thai noodle dishes. Chill Out cooks up some of the best pad see ewe and pad kee mao in the city, and all for under $10. Both of these dishes are composed of wide, rice noodles, vegetables and a meat of your choice. pad see ewe is served with hearty broccoli and carrots and is the sweeter of the two, making it a great choice for people who are new to Thai food. The pad Kee mao is a spicier noodle dish made with chili and aromatic Thai basil, an excellent combo. Both are delicious and super affordable.