Came here on a sunday afternoon and it wasn't crowded, but for how friendly staff is and for how YUM the duck curry was... you would expect it to be packed! I got the duck curry with rice (yum), flavor was fantastic! I do wish there was more duck meat, but I was still full after my meal so I really can't complain! They sell mitchell's ice cream if you have a hankering for some dessert post-meal. Coconut flavor is yum. Space is very well decorated. Will be back!! read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Roasted Duck Curry (front), something else my friend got in the back was also good but i forgot what it was - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a great spot to get Thai food if you're in the area. There is indoor and outdoor seating available, which is nice. We ordered: - Chicken Pad Thai: the flavor of this noodle dish is savory and sour and really good, the noodles that they use are a little bit thinner than the other pad thais that I've tried from other places, but still really good. It also came with a few pieces of fried tofu, which was a nice surprise for me since I love tofu. - Chicken Pad See Ew: again, the flavor and texture of this noodle dish was amazing. They have happy hour daily from 5-7pm! $1 off appetizers, $1 off bottle beer, $2 off draft beer, $1 off mimosa or sangria. Street parking only around this area! read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The khao soi here is quite flavorful and authentic. I got the mild flavor and it had a decent amount of spice to it. I did feel like the soup was a tad watery, I wish it were slightly thicker. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Delicious food! Really loved the Eggplant and Hong Kong Style Noodle. Service and ambience is very nice. Also, I'd definitely order the Hot and Sour soup and the above stated again! read more

We went here on our lunch break. Our food came out very quickly we were in and out the door in under and hour. The ginger honey limeade was absolutely delicious and refreshing. The sticky rice and curry was amazing I asked for it spicy and it was the perfect amount of heat. My friend got the beef drunken noodles: 3/5 she wished she would've asked for it spicy. Portions were good. The restaurant is clean and there's a fair bit of seating. read more

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Time & Date: Friday, Oct 7th 2022 @ 7:40pm Crowd: not packed, a few empty tables The Pad Kee Mao comes in a generous portion, and tastes as expected. You get a slight spice, a bit of tang & sweetness, and a whole lot of savoriness. The noodles were soft but still had a good chew to them. The chicken was breast meat so it was a little dry, and I didn't get too many pieces of chicken in my dish either. I was so surprised at how fresh, crunchy & sweet the snow peas were though, I wish there were more! The dish would be perfect if there were more veggies to balance out the rather carb heavy dish. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Pad Kee Mao with Chicken - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very casual and very good. They have a counter which I like as I often dine alone and don't want to take up a table. Everyone was friendly and I will definitely go back. read more

Service and ambience was amazing! Had a really good time, got the pad see ew, pa naang, and the tom kha. Overall the taste was excellent just next time I would ask for medium spice or more, will be back! read more

Super yummy Thai food! Everything tasted fresh and the Murder Wings especially had sooo much flavor. Pretty good portion sizes for the price as well! I would eat here again if I was in the area :) read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Murder wings - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love love love this place. It's our go to. Everything is reasonable priced and very yummy :) read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

All the dishes we ordered were very good. Especially Roasted duck curry, and Pai Thai. The papaya salad was perfectly balanced, very fresh. The eggplant was pretty good, so the murder wings. The service was good too. We definitely will be back. read more

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Food is good. I think to order dishes with rise is taste better. Pad Thai noodles are not so good. They taste like soy sauce.

Food was tasty. Beautiful atmosphere. Great service. Cute setting. Busy, popular place.

Food was good and came out fast. Pad thai is not too salty or too sour . Tom Kha is just the right flavor . Curry is savory and not too spicy . read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Spectacular food. Everything I tried was delicious. Food took a while to come out, but that's how you know it was made fresh! Pretty roomy restaurant on a busy Polk street, not too busy around weekday lunch time. Street parking a couple blocks away. Lots of lemongrass flavor in the wings and the bbq chicken, but the Khao Soi stole the show. The curry was super flavorful. I got medium spicy, but it felt very mild. I think that's a good thing because the flavor is the star of the show. read more

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Food was delicious and curry flavor was exactly what I was looking for. The heart shaped rice is a cute touch and overall presentation was great. I also love the interior, and table set up; perfect for a casual dinner. Wait time wasn't long and they continuously asked if everything was to our liking, which I appreciated. If you go, don't forget to check in and get 50% drinks! :) read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Chicken Satay Ka-ree Keow-wan Thai Ice Tea - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

The food was great, the service was amazing. The restaurant was clean and welcoming. Ordered the emperor Kao soy, fried rice, and seafood curry. All great dishes! 10/10 recommend! Sweetest host in SF! read more

Food: dank - I think I've had all the curries on the menu, 10/10 Service: impeccable - Water cup never goes empty, everyone is friendly and welcoming Ambiance: chef's kiss - Comfortable, casual, good for celebrating you're not at work anymore at the end of the day read more

Great food and reasonable prices. Cozy ambiance, although I haven't been there since it was renovated.

Placed a walk-in to-go order at around 7:40 on a Thursday, very crowded, so may not have been able to get a seat to sit down. They gave us some thai tea to drink while we waited for our order, so nice!! I ordered a chicken tom yum and my partner got a duck noodle soup with flat noodles. The tom yum didn't come with any noodles, but had chicken and mushrooms inside, so I boiled some soba at home to add in which gave the soup some substance. It was sour and only slightly spicy, maybe would have liked a bit more spice. The duck noodle soup was super rich with flavor, and the duck was really nice and soft. Forgot to add photos, but was a decent amount of food, ate half and saved the other half for my next meal. read more

Went in there for the first time tonight. It really was amazing. Fairly busy, but food came out quickly. We got the salmon avocado curry (and rice) and the chicken pad thai. Every bite was amazing. Reminds me of our favorite Thai place in our hometown. Very friendly service, they were absolutely wonderful. 5/5 would recommend, would take parents here, kids, dates, etc. read more

Got takeout from here, and it was ready in 30 minutes! We got pad see ew (pictured) along with panang curry. Both are generous portions so we were definitely full. I love that the tofu is crispy. The panang curry was slightly spicy which I wasn't expecting. However it tasted delicious! read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

A delicious and cozy feeling dinner that I got to have here at Ben Thai. I was looking for a satisfying meal that could warm my belly, and after seeing a ROASTED DUCK CURRY on the menu (that was also highly rated), I knew this was my place. I came and ordered the roasted duck curry with jasmine rice, and a thai tea. I feel like rice should be included with the dish, and maybe I'm wrong, but I would think that everyone who orders curry would eat it with rice. If it was like $1.50 it'd be fine, but feel like the $3 charge for what felt like a necessity to my meal was a bit hefty. I do love that it comes in a heart though so that helped ease the feelings lol. Nonetheless, the curry was sooooo good. Delicious!! My one critique might be that it could be a bit creamier, but again, it was delicious as is. The duck was moist and they also gave a great portion of meat, I felt that there could've been a bit more of the veggies - loved the snap peas, but only had 2 in my bowl. On a day where I've had a bit of a rough time and need a pick me up, I'd definitely come to get this. My friend ordered the pad see ew, and I felt that it was average. The noodles were a bit over cooked so they were breaking as I picked them up to try. I really feel that if you come here, try out their specialties. The traditional are alright, but I think they shine with the specialties for sure. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Roasted Duck Curry - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was at the mall and searching see which Thai food around there looks good and i found this restaurant wanted to try. I ordered shrimp pad thai, duck noodle and fried shrimp appetizer i forgot what's the name for it. The food was just okay to me. I like new Krung Thai in san jose better. But the presentation here looks nice and the service is good. read more

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My first time here, fiancé has grabbed food to go a few times. Service was attentive and friendly. Indoor seating was nice on a colder day. We arrived hungry and finished both plates satisfied, no leftovers today (-: Overall, we enjoyed our meal and will plan to add this to our Thai food rotation. Thai iced tea- pro tip- check in to get 50% off on non-alcoholic drinks. Fiancé said this hit the spot but was tad on the sweet side (probably to be expected!). Duck soup- nice duck flavor in rich broth, fatty chunks of duck with skin. Flat rice noodles worked well. Good amount of veggies, duck was fresh and flavorful. Only complaints- soup could have been hotter, and noodles were a bit overcooked. Green curry with prawn and brown rice- fresh prawn, good curry flavor, nice veggie crunch and eggplant texture. Standout was the prawns. Only ask would be for a slightly larger portion of curry. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Logo - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Came by casually on a saturday noon for lunch with friends for some great thai food in Nob Hill, and this did not disappoint! We had the murder wings, beef pad thai, and beef pad see ew. The recommended murder wings were solid, strongly spiced (but not that spicy) with a slight crunch and interesting flavors that developed over time. The beef pad thai was great, on the slightly sweeter side with a citrusy tang with lime, and the beef pad see ew was a classic. Portions are BIG (likely have to take home). Great portions for the prices, great food that's comforting like home but with the sophistication of a restaurant, with a classy rustic setting suitable for casual dining or dates alike! read more

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Came here on a Friday night for dinner and the place was packed! Luckily, we didn't have to wait very long to be seated and the staff was all very friendly. The inside of the restaurant felt comforting yet lively. Items ordered: - Pad see ew with pork ($15.50): Pad see ew is one of my favorite Thai dishes and I always have to try the pad see ew at every new Thai restaurant I go to. The pad see ew was delicious and I have no complaints of their dish! I thought there wasn't enough noodles in the dish but I was actually pretty full and couldn't finish the whole dish. - Khao Soi (Northern Thai) ($17.50): This item is found on the Chef's Special menu and it seemed like one of Ben Thai's signature dishes so we had to try it. Can say that we were not disappointed! I loved the egg noodles in the curry which was topped with crispy pork skin, cilantro, fried egg noodles, and other greens. The curry itself was very tasty and does not have a strong coconut taste to it. Again, it seemed like there wasn't a lot of food in the dish but we also couldn't finish the whole dish before we got really full. I'm glad I can add another great Thai restaurant in SF on my list! Would definitely come back! read more

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Good service and tasty. It was easy to make a reservation. Location on Polk St is convenient,

I ordered the tofu pad thai for pickup and was impressed with the plentiful assortment of veggies (green beans, sugar snap peas, cabbage, zucchini, bean sprouts, carrots) and all fresh! A slice of lime is also provided. I knocked off a star because there were only 5 pieces of tofu so this is more like a veggie pad thai. I would order again and request a bit more tofu next time and see what happens. I also ordered the thai ice tea which is okay. Needs a little more cream. Looking forward fo trying other options on the menu. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

First time here. Came here 6/3/23 Saturday (late doing my review) We came to SF and looked on yelp for places to eat. This place popped up and the pictures of the food looked really good! I got the kai soi (I'm not even sure if that's how you spell it) the flavors were delicious. The portion was very small. In the pictures on saw on yelp it looked bigger but when I got the bowl it was smaller. My partner got the oxtail soup. Again flavors were delicious portion wise- oxtails were good size but soup was small and only a little bit of vegetables. Again pictures on here looked big but when we got the bowls very little noodles for mine and it had a hard chunk of something. Not sure what it was. Everything was really good I only took one star off for portion. The ginger lemonade is good if you like the strong ginger flavor. read more

Really good Thai food. Very flavorful and high quality ingredients. Nice service. I will come back again.

Stumbled upon this place by accident on a Friday afternoon. Street parking is available. Greeted right away and was seated. They have a lunch special but me and my bf ended up ordering our regulars. Khao Soi, Pad kee Mao chicken and tom yum soup. Food came out within SECONDS. It was crazy. Everything was pipping hot and delicious. I will say that the khao soi was not my favorite that I've had, but luckily it wasn't spicy for me! The tom yum soup was delicious and to our liking. Lastly, the pad kee mao was a big portion and had good flavor! Everything was a hit! read more

Loved the atmosphere and the fast seating! Very friendly staff and delicious food, appreciate the vibes and the 50% off non alc drinks.

Food and service were outstanding. I wanted something different than the traditional Thai food and man this was impressive. The Khao Soi with duck was next level. Then topped everything with mango sticky rice that had fresh mangos and sticky rice boiled with butterfly pea water. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Khao Soi roasted Duck - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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very fast service and very tasty food. The waiters were very nice too. I am a huge thai fan and this was great read more

Came here for lunch with a party of 4 on a Saturday! There was no line, we were seated immediately. We ordered a bunch of items off the menu to share! Chicken Satay, Papaya Salad, Tom Kha w/ Prawns, Pad Kee Mao, Keow-Wan Curry with Roti & Sauteed Veggies. All the dishes were good and tasty but nothing stood out for me. Overall, the food is solid, would come back if I was in the area. read more

Got the khao soi and what was supposed to be a lemonade cider, but ended up being pineapple. It was still good so I didn't complain. It was $1 off because of happy hour. The khao soi was pretty good and actually quite filling, I eat quite a lot and couldn't finish it. Service was good. The place is cute. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Khao Soi - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Their service was extremely bad! Our waiter didn't think to tell us about extra charging for lime, and she completely continued to argue with us instead of asking if someone actually told us before the order. When we asked to get normal crushed peanuts- we got ridiculous amount of it... Oh and also we got charged of the take away boxes... very disappointing and unacceptable behaviour from a restaurant. We tried to ask for speaking with manager to resolve the unpleasant situation but again she decided to ignore and argued with us. I definitely ain't going back to this place anymore. read more

I came here for lunch on Friday. There was no wait to get seated. The server was pleasant. I got the lunch combo of chicken green curry and golden bags as well as a Thai iced tea. The golden bags were absolutely crispy and the filling was delicious. As for the green curry, the vegetables in them were cooked just right and it was not spicy at all. The Thai iced tea is also not overwhelmingly sweet. Overall a great experience. Would love to return to try their other dishes. read more

Ben Thai Cafe - Menu - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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restaurant was clean, bright, and comfortable. The service was friendly, and the food looked fresh and well-prepared. Everything had a nice shine to it, from the tables to the glasses. It's a pleasant spot for a casual meal, and I'd be happy to go back again. read more