I am not vegan and I made the mistake of walking in without realizing they're a vegan restaurant...in spite of this, the service was fantastic! I ordered their drunken noodles with chicken and pad Thai with shrimp. Both protein options were alternatives/soy. I was caught off guard. Josh was amazing! He did a quick refund for my pad Thai but the drunken noodles were too good I ate them. Great option for vegans!! read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Drunken noodles with chicken (soy) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

We want to support small local businesses and explore some of the restaurants that may not have a lot of reviews. We came here at Di Chan Thai Restaurant for dinner. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's a small Thai restaurant that does mostly to-go or carry-out orders because the dining area was pretty quiet when we visited.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered at the counter, and the person was very nice. The crispy tofu appetizer was very crispy, excellently fried. The sauce was sweet sauce on the side was so-so. The Pad wood Sen was the best dish. It's okay. I definitely had better at other places. The Spicy Thai Basil with squid was unfortunately very disappointing. The squid didn't taste freshly. It's slightly fishy. It's an okay Thai restaurant that unfortunately we had better at other places. read more

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Ordered the green curry and papaya salad!!! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Tucked away by the freeway in this strip mall is this cute Thai restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Very chill, casual - order at the cash register, pay first, and take a seat.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They were always checking in on us to see if everything was okay. The food was yummy! Highly rec the papaya salad spice 4. Wasn't too spicy but perfect zing. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Green Curry, papaya salad - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Outstanding Thai food, friendly service, quiet, cozy ambiance.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'm a fan of Thai food and the flavor, quality, and quantity of the dishes at Di Chan are excellent. I visited San Diego for two weeks and had dinner there 4 times (which tells you how much I enjoyed it). There is plenty of parking. The person we interacted with (Alice I think) was friendly and helpful. Some things to know: 1) if you like spicy, ask for the upper end of their scale (7-10); their lower end is not spicy at all (almost undetectable from my perspective). 2) [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's not fancy: you order at the counter and then they bring your meal to the table.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant itself is nice, clean, and quiet.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Absolutely disgusting food. Ordered food for take out and was excited since we used to eat all the time there before and during COVID. They said they were closing down but they never did. We ordered spicy noodle with fried tofu and broccoli with an order of fresh rolls. The rice noodles weren't noodles anymore but a complete sloppy mess, broccoli was over cooked, the dish was flavorless. The fresh rolls weren't so fresh and served with some sauce that I wasn't sure what it was so I didn't try it.. it was supposed to be peanut sauce but was a very off color. Definitely will not be going back ever.. eating a stale piece of bread would have been more fulfilling. read more

Been coming to this place for over 20 years. Best Pad Thai Everrrrr!!! The flavors are incredible. The service is friendly, and swift. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is charming, relaxing, and welcoming.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It's always a treat! Highly recommended! read more

There are many kinds of vegetables in the Duck Curry. It's healthy. You can select degree of spicy. You shouldn't choice level1. That isn't spicy. Spicier is better in a curry department. A server lady is very kind. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Duck curry - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

We've been going to Di Chan for 19+ years. We were happy to find out they survived the COVD years. Their dishes are fresh, authentic & delicious. We're selective & scrutinize our Thai dishes. Service is personable, like dining at someone's home. If you'd like to support a family owned, small, local business, (Clairemont area right off the 805), check it out. Their lunch menu portion is smaller than dinner but it's only $10 - 12 and it's a perfect size that comes with 2 side dumplings. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Pad Thai Shrimp & Spicy Basil noodles with beef. Fresh ingredients, authentic, delicious - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

I came at lunch because I was in the area and had previously noticed that they have a lunch special. I hadn't been to this small place in a great many years, and so I found it interesting that in its most recent manifestation the interior is almost identical to the way it was -- what is it now? -- 25 or 30 years ago. Same arrangement of the same kind of dark wood tables and chairs. At least that's my memory, and it's had at least two ownership (or at least management) changes over the years after the first Thai restaurant in that spot (which was really excellent) closed. The current approach to service is odd. You're seated and given a menu, but when you decide what you want, you have to get up and go to the counter to order and pre-pay, like you would for takeout. Your drink, utensils, and food are brought to the table, and that's that. I ordered basil stir-fried rice with chicken. For the price, it was a nice size serving. But the flavor was quite bland, there was little chicken, and it wasn't anywhere near as spicy as I'd expected for a requested "spicy level 9". The woman at the counter who took my order did say that their spiciness scale is on the "not-so-hot" (my expression) side. That was an understatement. I'd have called it a "spicy 3" at most. If you like bland and mildly spiced Thai food, this should probably be taken as a recommendation. For those who like full-flavored spicy Thai food, like me, no. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant itself is clean, and the one person that I saw and interacted with was very pleasant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

The food was standard thai. I really enjoyed the workers here though. Very kind. dichanthairestaurant read more

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Amazing place..Fresh Seafood. Pad Thai was Authentic and delicious.. Service is great as well.. Chef you are Amazing. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is welcoming.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Well be back again. read more

I had the cashew tofu here. The flavor was decent, but the spice level was very mild--definitely could've used more kick. I marked it down because the portion size felt small for the price, and most of the dish was just vegetables. I think I only got two or three pieces of tofu. When I'm craving Thai food, I'll will going to other spots around San Diego instead of coming back here. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Friendly small restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Easy access and plenty of parking. I came during the lunch and ordered Tom Kah soup and basil eggplant. I was really looking forward to the soup but it was so overly salty that I couldn't eat it. The eggplant dish was as well. I took both home to mix with unsalted broth and home cooked veggies. read more

I've been here on an off for the past 15 years or so and it still the same and that's what keeps bringing me back. My favorite is the lunch special (note: soup only available with dine in lunch special), but it's the perfect amount for 1 person. Tip: This place is a bit small and they must be cooking up a storm in the kitchen that the entire restaurant usually smells of curry. So if you don't like strong food aromas, you may want to order your food to go. read more

I love this restaurant even though I have never been there. It's my to-go Thai restaurant. They have the best me krob and that's how I know an authentic Thai restaurant!! I have been to Thailand but I haven't been to the actual restaurant because I always do delivery on door dash or Postmates! Lol Happy Easter read more

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Met up with a family group with a variety of dietary preferences & restrictions. We all found dishes that we enjoyed. After moving to North County, we hadn't been here in many years, but were happy to find that the food is still excellent. read more

This is a very strange place. The first time we wanted to try them (dinner on a Thursday), we discovered that they are only open for takeout. Ok, we ordered our food, waited 20 min, and picked it up. The food was really good. Next time (lunch on a Sat) we learned our lesson (or so we thought), ordered a carry-out ahead of time through Grubhub, received a confirmation, and about 15 min later the note that our order was ready. However, when we came to pick it up, the restaurant was CLOSED. There was a big banner on the door saying that they were now open on Sat and Sundays! But they were closed without any explanation. Of course, after a text to Grubhub, the order was canceled and I got a refund, but we were left hungry and confused. Not sure I'd risk it again... read more

A quaint space in the Madison Plaza, Du Chan is putting out some authentic Thai food. With just a handful of tables in the front of the restaurant , the staff does a great job to accommodate the demand of hungry customers. The food comes out fast, hot, and delicious. I ordered off the lunch menu, love the fact the choices are traditional and few, making easy to pick something in their wheelhouse. They do have some specials posted on the wall. I chose the Panang Curry with chicken. Came with a soup starter, rice and wonton. The Curry dish included a coconut based sauce with veggies and chicken. I scooped mine out of the serving bowl and onto my rice, making a soupy, ricey, plate of combined ingredients that work together. Totally recommend for a quick, authentic meal. You won't be disappointed. read more

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Wow thee service is great, the food is fresah and delicious. My favorite is Pad Thai. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Very confused as to how my lunch order came with a clothes pin. Not sure what's going on in the kitchen read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - a close up of the dish - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Our family gets take out here twice a month at least. It is always good and always fresh.. We love their drunken spicy noodles, noodle salads, vegetarian entrees, we've really had it all. Their shrimp is large and juicy every time and we got a large pot style seafood dish that was incredible. I would recommend if you get the salads, the dressing is incredible but they put a lot on it. So I always ask for it on the side. The dishes with coconut milk are incredibly creamy and heavy and overpowers the other flavors. The people are very kind and on top of everything covid related. Safe friendly and fast. read more

I have been going here for several years, but unfortunately my last few visits have been very disappointing. Taste and Quality of the food has down hill. Seems like they are using subpar ingredients. I did mention to manager, but she didn't care and tried arguing with me about it and did not want to fix it, so this place is officially off my list. There are plenty of other good Thai places near by, your best bet is to go somewhere else so you don't have to be disappointed as well. read more

A co-worker recommended this restaurant for lunch and said it was very good. We arrived at about 11:30 and there were only two other tables seated. The server told us to sit wherever we liked and we were brought menus. We ordered our food, soup arrived within minutes and our entrees arrived within 15 minutes. The soup that came with the lunch was not my thing. It tasted like water with fish sauce with carrots and tofu. I didn't care for it and it had a gross smell that was very off putting. For my entree I ordered Chicken Pad Thai level 6 spicy. The entree itself was a nice size, I wasn't able to finish all of it. The Pad Thai had more sauce than I like in it and also more fish sauce. It was quite a smelly dish. The spice level was perfect. I really loved the half moons they gave with the meal and that became my favorite part. The service was good, the servers were nice and refilled my drink whenever it was low. Also, I couldn't tell if the whole restaurant had a bad smell of fish sauce or if it was just because of the food I was eating but it made sitting there slightly unpleasant. Although the prices for lunch were very good if I ask myself if I would come here again I would have to say probably not. There is much better Thai in the area. read more

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Their food is very consistently flavorful in my opinion and I love that they are open til 10pm...that extra hour really makes a difference and I get off work pretty late. We regularly order their pad see-ew, eggplant basil beef, curries, pad thai and tom yom soup. Thai tea is always perfect. Just don't try to come in last minute (after 9:30pm), they seem to be very assertive at turning away people who want to dine in when they've just about closed down the kitchen and cleaned everything. read more

First time having Thai food so I can't base it off anything else I've tried but I really enjoyed this! The pad Thai was the best. The curry was good but there's a pungent flavor I couldn't pinpoint that took getting used to. The rice also had that same flavor as the curry. When I order again I will just get the pad Thai, half moons and egg rolls. The noodles were perfect and not sticky or over cooked. I can't say anything about the customer service as I ordered on DoorDash but they are on the dash pass list if that's something that you have. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Pad Thai, curry w/ rice, fried rice, egg rolls, half moons - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

A foodie friend of mine recommended that I try Di-Chan after acclaiming it as the best Thai restaurant she had visited in San Diego. After a long afternoon assisting a photo shoot, I was looking forward to my Thai dinner. However, in my experience, restaurants whose awning signs simply read "Thai Restaurant" tend to simply signal an amateurish ethnic encounter. While the food itself was actually decent, I certainly wasn't prepared for the half-hearted attempt at providing a pleasurable experience. Di-Chan's vast menu offers many delectable dishes, but upon reading that they actually made their own curry paste, I decide to go with their highly regarded Panang chicken curry with medium spice. The curry sauce was quite delicious and definitely had the fresh aromas of a freshly prepared paste, but the problem came with the contents within the sauce, or lack thereof. The healthy portion of chicken breast slices was somewhat tough and dry, which came from being cut way too wide. There was also nothing in the way of vegetables, except for the colorful red and green bell peppers and a dash of sweet basil. To really round it out, I would have liked to see a handful of zucchini or sweet peas added, which would introduce a whole new texture and flavor that would really compliment the dish. We also decided to give their Pad Thai with chicken and prawns a try, which my foodie friend said was delightful. However, I found it overly sweet, a mistake that many westernized Thai restaurants make to appease the palettes of their typical clientele. The noodles themselves were extremely over-sauced and the whole thing seemed inundated with bean sprouts. A proper Pad Thai should be much drier, with a less artificial sweetness, and a proper noodle to bean sprout ratio. While not difficult to prepare, it is very easy to ruin by a careless cook. This is definitely a dish that I would not recommend here. Finally, our rice dish was the yellow curry fried rice with chicken, a house specialty. The rice had a smoky aroma of the yellow curry, but also inherited smokiness from being burnt. The chicken had the same dryness as my curry and I felt that the onions were cut way too big and flopped about in the plate full of the tiny grains of fried rice. Di-Chan needs to stop cutting their chicken into half inch blocks and instead cut the pieces thinner to ensure that they will stay tender when cooked. Presentation of the food was uninspired at best. Most of our food was actually sloppily piled onto the normal dinner plates and there was no attempt at a garnish. Since my dining buddies ordered rice and noodle dishes, they did not order regular steamed rice. However, I ordered a bowl to accompany my curry. It was also unceremoniously dumped onto a small teacup saucer. I quickly polished it off and ordered a second serving since, at least according to the menu, rice was refillable at no extra cost. However, immediately after ordering, the waitress made a hash mark on our check and charged us for two orders! Service was also extremely inattentive and our water glasses remained empty for the duration of the evening. In fact, the water didn't come until well after we ordered our dinners and our waitress did not stop by our table a single time to check on us. To the staff's credit, the restaurant was busy for a Saturday night, but it was painfully clear that they were also extremely understaffed. While some took orders, others seated guests, turned tables, dashed for the phone, and attended to take-out orders. The scene was one of disorganized chaos in a very tight space. To be honest, the overall package of Di-Chan was lackluster at best, which is why my friends usually just order take-out from this Thai eatery. The portions are generous and the food is definitely decent for the price. My recommendation for this place is to follow my friends' lead and simply order to-go. That way, you can experience Di-Chan's authentic flavors while skipping the appalling service. Food: 7/10 Service: 4/10 Price: $ Atmosphere: 6/10 read more

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Weirdest order ever. Ordered Thai basil with ground chicken and a spicy calamari salad (exxxtra spicy) for delivery. Apparently there was some confusion because when it arrived instead of the calamari salad being exxxtra spicy it was extra hot, as in temperature not spice. Yes, I literally got a hot salad with cooked lettuce, cooked tomatoes and onion, and calamari all swimming in a still quite warm Thai salad dressing The funniest thing is that despite all that it still actually tasted pretty good, albeit quite mild, and the Thai Basil with ground chicken was excellent, albeit much spicier then the spicy salad and not quite as warm Lesson learned, next time I'll probably order the larb as a starter instead of the salad just to be on the safe side but I'll definitely be ordering again ! read more

UPDATE: Came in recently and ordered the chicken Pad Thai, sweet and sour fish and yellow chicken curry. The fish was good but the Pad Thai was not. Not sure what changed. I don't know what it is but it really didn't taste good. I also got an order of the yellow chicken curry and there was hardly any chicken in there. It was mostly curry soup. Not sure if I'll be back. ORIGINAL POST: A little hole in the wall spot located in the same plaza as Sipz Fusion Cafe and Guiltea Cravings. This Thai restaurant serves up some pretty decent grub. The lunch specials are reasonably priced and each entree ordered comes with soup, cream cheese wonton and a half moon which is a yummy vegetarian style mini hot pocket. I usually order the yellow chicken curry, chicken and shrimp pad Thai and my favorite of all....the combination spicy basil fried rice at a level 7. The curry and pad Thai aren't anything special but it's not bad either. I'd say it's average. The spicy basil fried rice on the other hand is delicious. I like to smother the rice with the Curry sauce from the yellow chicken curry....del. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Soup with the lunch special contains tofu, carrots and green onions. - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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My new favorite place for yellow curry and husband loved the Pad Thai! Definitely will be back soon! Wish we had come here sooner. Service was excellent. read more

It's been years since I've been to Di Chan and I'm glad that i came back. First time was for lunch about a month ago because my co worker wanted to go. Lunch special was awesome. For about $8 you get an entree, soup and these little curry-esque fried dumplings! I got the Panang curry with rice. Gets pretty busy during lunch, but the service was pretty quick. Just had dinner here with my bf. There were about three other parties eating in and quite a few to-go orders during our time there. There was only one lady working the whole front of the house. She was literally the server, food runner, cashier, hostess and buster! That being said our service was slow at some points but she was hustling. We ordered: Tom Yum bowl- super flavorful, has shrimp and veggies in it. Panang Curry w/chicken: my go-to for this place. It's also rich and flavorful. Very good portion size compared to other Thai places in SD. Spring rolls aka egg rolls: filled with veggies. good and kinda different because their filling has a little garlic in it. served with sweet and sour sauce. Spicy Basil Noodles with beef: my bf refused to share/let me try it. He finished the whole thing so i'm guessing it was good. This place is near my office so I would definitely come back! Good Thai food if you ask me. read more

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My boyfriend loves this place and eats here all the time. He would talk about it all the time, but it took awhile for him to actually take me here. Now that he finally has, I am totally a fan as well. Usually when we go here we get some kind of noodles and some kind of curry to share. Usually it's pad see ew and panang curry, both being delicious. I have also had their Tom yum, larb, and mango sticky rice, all of which have also been delicious. Everything that I've ordered has been good so far and hasn't disappointed me yet. I also really like their brown rice. I don't know where they get it from, but its really good and normally I don't like brown rice too much because I feel likes its normally too dry. The only thing I don't like is that you have to pay for the rice separately. I wish they would include it with the entrees since you usually eat the dishes with rice anyways. This is a great place and the prices are pretty reasonable. Whenever we crave Thai food, this is definitely at the top of our list and we have definitely brought some friends with us here to share in the yummyness. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Mango sticky rice - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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I really wanted to give this place 4 stars, but I knocked it down 1 star because of the disappointing lack of spiciness. I ordered my Pad Thai at a level 5 and it wasn't spicy at all, I should have asked for a level 10! Anyway, I enjoyed my non spicy chicken Pad Thai immensely. It had good seasonings with just the right about of peanuts! Lastly, the portion was very generous! I had lunch for the next two days ready! read more

I love this place so much. The food is amazing, the service is even better and the location is convenient with plenty of parking. Definitely a hole in the wall, located in a tiny shopping center in Clairemont. The Spicy Basil Noodles, Yellow curry fried rice, Larb with lettuce on the side are my go to items on their menu. However, their Tom yum soup with shrimp is also delicious as well as their appetizers such as their half moons, egg rolls & fresh shrimp rolls with peanut sauce. They are something you definitely need to try. Besides the delicious food, I go back for the service. The ladies/waitresses that work here are the nicest and I believe it is family run (I may mistaken). They are always on top of refilling your drink and making sure everything is great. read more

Solid, tasty Thai dishes and drinks! They even have mango rice. I have been eating Curry and Pad See Ew at Di Chan's since 2002! This place sustains and keeps good food coming. The staff is friendly no matter the day because Thai people tend to be the happiest and friendliest people. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - A yellow curry meal - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Very good Thai food. They have lunch specials which are appropriately priced and portioned. I typically get a curry but they have lots of options without coconut milk as well. I tried the garlic dish with chicken. My friends had the panang and yellow curry. Everything was delicious. They offer brown rice as well and have a nice selection of tea. The service was great as well. read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Garlic chicken - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Five stars all the way! I picked up food because we are all unwell and it's birthday time and it was just a gloomy day and boy oh boy, this place didn't disappoint! We got home and started eating and I swear, with every bite, my outlook on the day changed! It's SO good! My son had the glass noodles Pad Thai and I had the mock duck panang. Amazing!!! I'm picky with my Thai food but this one hit the spot! We will definitely be back! The panang was very coconutty and fresh, filled with fresh crunchy vegetables. My son is a child and ate more than half the portion - that says it all! He enjoyed it as well. Nice portions for a fair price, too! Thank you for saving my day, Di Chan! read more

Tried the spicy noodles/drunken noodles/ pad kee mao and the spicy basil fried rice. Both are ... wait for it... AWESOME! The spicy level is adequate, what I mean by that, is that if you do not eat spicy food, do not go crazy and decide that this is the place to increase your spicy-food comfort level. But, if you have desensitized 99.0123% of your taste buds like I have, then go all out and order a 10 (I kinda wished that I had ordered an 11 though. I will probably do that next time.) read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Yellow curry fried rice level 10 - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

I have ordered takeout food here many times. I have enjoyed the spicy basil noodles every single time. I have ordered heat level eight, I did not think that was hot enough maybe I'm just tough! The ginger chicken entrée was also very good, we also had the basil eggplant dish which was great. I recommend this place read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Spicy basil fried rice, spicy basil noodles - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Always good. Love the panang curry and the pad see iw. The people are always friendly and it's a cozy environment. Nice little hole in the wall read more

Di Chan Thai Restaurant - Panang Curry - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Been coming here for so long that I feel like part of the dysfunctional family of Di Chan. Sad that you can't eat in the dining room anymore as takeout is never a good. Food has become more salty and less quality over the last few years. Hope to find a better Thai place soon. read more