Thai food is wildly popular in the US, ranking in the top 10 favorite restaurant cuisines in the country. We love the fresh ingredients and big portions — sometimes so big that dining solo at a Thai restaurant can feel like a mistake. The hallmarks of Thai cuisine, like crispy noodles and Pad Thai, haven't always been a staple in the American restaurant industry, though. Thai food arrived with Thai immigrants in the 1950s and stepped into the US restaurant scene in 1961 with the opening of a restaurant in Denver, Colorado called The Chada Room. It's called Chada Thai today, and remains true to its Thai roots, standing out in the middle of cattle country, where the food scene is dominated by grills and steakhouses.