I would give a zero star if I can - the guy (who claimed to be the owner) was a total d*ck to us today. We have been frequenting this place, mostly dining in, leaving 20%+ tips, and today my wife and her friend went for a take-out. The owner said they had to wait outside due to Covid restrictions. My wife asked again if they could wait inside because they both had masks on, and the restaurant was more than half empty. The owner then raised his voice and said "get out" and yelled at the waiter to cancel the orders. My wife said I'm here often why can't I have a seat while waiting and the owner shouted "I don't care, get out" before she could finish the sentence. My wife and her friend left the restaurant in shock. Against her advice, I went there to have a conversation with the owner, which turned out to be eye-opening. I said (1) you could have explained it more patiently why they couldn't stay inside, instead of jumping to "get out or you're not getting your food", and (2) what's wrong with inviting a frequent customer inside with a seat, on a cold day, while waiting for a take-out? That's not against any Covid rule. To which he replied: (1) I have a loud and strong voice and am often mistaken as rude/angry, and (2) the tables can quickly fill up at any time so I can't afford a seat for take-out customers. He also offered the I'm-sorry-that-you're-upset-but-I-can't-do-any-better apology. This is when I realized that the restaurant is so popular that he is constantly concerned that seating 2 customers waiting for take-outs will block the 30% full restaurant from profiting off of a sudden influx of imaginary dine-in customers, and it is totally worth it to yell them out of the premise to preserve the precious tables. Needless to say we won't come back here again. read more

Nice Thai food right in the heart of Monterey. We went here for lunch last weekend. They have nice ample seating and good amount of street parking. The decor was nice and service was very good. We ordered the Tom Kha Gai Soup with coconut base, egg rolls and Vietnamese rolls. Everything tasted really good. The soup was so wholesome with mixed blend of spices, rolls were also tasty. I would definitely recommend it. read more

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Gosh I have to speak up on this one! I eat in this awesome little restaurant often. Regarding the woman who gave this fabulous establishment a "1 star?"... I have to ask, did she inform the owners when making her reservation that she needed an area as big as a table for an oversized stroller? I have raised "5" children and would NEVER think of rolling in a stroller the width of the isles between tables as that is very inconsiderate and selfish! I would not want to have a stroller sitting next to me when trying to enjoy my dinner. My baby days are over! There is a little thing called a car seat that pops out and becomes a carrier for your infant -that you hand carry 1-8 month old babies in and place them on a restaurant booth or strap in a chair. Gosh, I am stunned? Maybe its a first time mom??? And better yet, hold your child as I am sure your friends would have all pitched in?!! But either way, you as the parent, need to come to a small restaurant prepared for your children -not to inconvenience others that are there to enjoy their meal as well. Think about your actions and maybe take down your comments. Reflect on what you did that caused this issue... (Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Travel with Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler) An Amazon book that might help you in future. read more

I absolutely love Thai food! But unfortunately was terribly disappointed with their food. It was extremely greasy and flavorless. I probably would not stop by here again. I was truly shocked when we were told that the wait would be about 30 minutes. After hearing this I had high expectations of the restaurant because the restaurant was full. I don't know why anybody would be willing to wait 30 minutes to eat this food. The customer service however was excellent! read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

What a RUDE establishment! I called in advance and they said yes for 2 people. We arrived 15mins later and the Mgr or owner was SO incredibly rude to us turning us away with a very nasty tone saying he had to no tables. I told him he could be sweeter and kinder and at least say "sorry". He replied with a mean look on his face: "I have no sorry!!" Supporting the other Thai establishment now. Please go to Siamese Bay Restaurant instead of here. Don't support rude nasty people. There are too many issues in our world for someone to be nasty and cruel. read more

Got a to go order from this place. It was close to my hotel. I enjoyed how they asked how spicy you want each dish. The peanut dressing for the salad was fire. The Pad Thai was spicy and I ordered it medium. The curry had good flavor. I'd go there again. read more

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Always delicious food! I've traveled the world and spent six months living in Thailand in my younger years. Been living in Monterey for the last two years and always come here when I am craving Thai food. My favorite dish is their Duck over rice- spice level 4, their food is spicier than other local Thai restaurants. I eat and cook with Thai chilies in almost every meal so spicy is a way of life for me. You've been warned! Compared to other local Thai establishments, Krua Thai is number one! I've tried them all and this is the only restaurant (all food genres) that I've been to many times. read more

I am so fond of this place. I've been coming here for close to a decade. The food is amazing and by far one of my favorite Thai food restaurants. The quality of food and service is always incredible. We have a lot of love for MJ and his wife. Must try the yellow curry, beef salad, angel wings.. everything! So yummy!! read more

Food is ok here, not too tasty but does the job when ur hungry. Not too appealing when you wait and look in the kitchen and see a guy slicing a block of meat with his bare hands The wait for ur meal is pretty long too... read more

Very good and fresh Thai food. Extremely spicy (avoid level 5). Friendly staff and delicious food. read more

I went there for lunch today. The atmosphere is nice and the service was very good. But I don't know about the food; I thought it was average or below average-- probably because I've had a lot of good Thai food in my life. The vegetables and shrimps tasted very fresh though. read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Vietnamese rolls - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

YOU NEED TO READ THIS REVIEW. This is the first time I've experienced this kind of discriminatory practice. We arrived with 2 kids (Baby and 5 yr old), and my 80 yr old mother. This guy/waiter (I'm assuming he is the owner due to his assertiveness) proceeds to say (no tables available and at least a 40 minute wait) when there's clearly 2 tables available and at least 2 other parties almost finished with their meals. Keep in mind that there 2-3 other parties in line - but he came straight to us and didn't deny the others in line. I'm assuming the way we were dressed/looked and because we had 2 kids/senior that we were denied. We are in 2023 - We shouldn't be having these kind of issues and there should be repercussions to discrimination like this. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE. If I can prevent one person to spend a single penny and more people refuse to be treated like this.... then this piece of &@!* individual will rethink his discriminatory ways. Check his other 1-star reviews - He has a pattern of behavior that's very consistent of the discrimination we experienced. read more

I opened my tofu pad thai to a scrumptious little hair on top. I was so let down by this spot. The pad thai was so dry & stuck together on top. All the sauce was pooled at the bottom and it was way too sweet. It was gross. My boyfriend's chicken pad thai didn't have any veggies which he was pretty bummed about. Barely any bean sprouts too, just a sad plate of noodles. The papaya salad was alright, it was definitely missing something. The only decent part of our meal was the mango sticky rice. Safe to say we're never coming back here. read more

Authentic Thai in my books. Coming from Hollywood (the biggest city outside of Thailand with Thais), I had Krua Thai over the weekend when I was up in Monterey for the Spartan Super race. The restaurant was busy on a Saturday night. We had to wait for about 15 minutes. A bit disappointed as they were busy so the service was a bit slow and the food service was a bit slow as well. The food did make up for the slowness. Tom Kha Gai soup (chicken coconut soup) was good and spicy! Be careful as they have a 1-5 level of spicy. The pad Thai was decently good. There were plenty of items on their menu. Decently priced appetizers, dishes were around $9-10. The bathrooms were a bit subpar. They were using an outdoor portal-pottie bathroom in the parking lot. Granted it was an highend portal-pottie with AC, working handwash, it wasn't locked. The guy before me using the bathroom wasn't a customer but a local transient. I think he took a shower in there!! :( Good Thai food for Monterey standards. read more

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Chicken pad Thai was plain but okay. Beef pad see ew was not very tasty and beef was chewy and not tender. I wouldn't get it again Chicken satay skewers were fine read more

It wasn't a good experience. Our first there and gentleman at the counter mention it's an hour wait for food to come even though restaurant was half empty which is understandable. However, while we were making decision on whether to wait to sit or go some other place, we heard something very unpleasant - "please make your decision or go out as you are making me crazy and nervous" . I expect better client dealing in future. read more

Wow! This place was absolutely delicious - and the people running it were so welcoming and kind. We had pad see ew with beef, red curry with tofu, and Vietnamese rolls with tofu. Everything tasted great and they were super accommodating to vegetarian needs. Overall a fantastic place with great customer service - will definitely go again next time we're in town! read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Vietnamese Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Red Curry - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

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We had the Pad Thai, Panang Curry with chicken, and Spicy Eggplant -- all were very good. Definitely give this place a try!

Good food and value. The ambiance is spartan. Good flavor and soups. Papaya salad is worth trying

We ordered the papaya salad, the golden chicken fried rice and a tofu pad seew. The food was great in general, good portion size, good service and nice ambience! read more

I love Thai food and trying different Thai restaurants so I figured to stop by, it was really good, I had two Thai teas, my server paupi (sorry if I spelt it wrong) was so sweet I'll definitely be back for the great service. inside is a tad small but food is worth it! Bathrooms are very clean and they give out little candies when you pay. THANK YOU read more

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I'd say it's probably the best Thai Food in America. Reminded of Thailand. They take much pride in the food they serve. Highly recommend great family atmosphere. read more

Found them on Yelp. Not bad. Food taste great. Good customer services. I really liked the chicken curry served with the rice crispy. Will totally come back. If you need to use the restroom, it's in another room outside next to the restaurant(code is needed). read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

Absolutely our favorite restaurant in the entire area of Monterey. Outstanding service, gorgeous and clean restaurant, and best of all - DELICIOUS food. We have such high standards - which can be such a let down when dining out. This restaurant supersedes all hopes and expectations for the perfect dining experience. They have the best Thai food around with so much flavor and fresh ingredients! Definitely excited to be repeat customers. read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

Stay away if you are vegetarian. I was excited to eat here after seeing all of the vegetarian options on the menu but EVERY dish smelled and tasted fishy. The horrible after taste lingered forever. After having a few bites, I had to leave my vegetarian green curry and vegetables in ginger sauce dish. Would not go again read more

Food and service was awesome! Tried the pumpkin curry because all of the rave reviews; it did not disappoint. Delicious! Also got chicken chow mein. Spicy! My husband loved it. read more

It was disappointing. I ordered a tom yum soup with tofu. The staff said we had to wait for 30 minutes prior arrival. They unfortunately forgot to put tofu and spicy powder. It ended up became watery sour vegetable soup. I don't think I will come back for that. :( Updated: thank you for the owner for attending to the matter, qppreciated it. read more

Such great food!! We had the Tom Yum soup and it had the best tasting broth!! We also had the pumpkin curry with fried tofu and it was delicious...although it still had a kick to it for this no spice person. For dessert we had the roti with vanilla ice cream...OMG!! It was delicious!! We were visiting for the weekend and our hotel was down the street. They were very busy due to a loss of power in surrounding areas, but they still had excellent service. Highly recommend this place!! read more

Food was very good and came out hot and fresh. We ordered sweet and sour with chicken along with Curry Shrimp. I travel and try Thai all up and down the coast and this one falls as recommended. read more

Just a few weekends ago, I came to the Monterey area to visit some close friends. Were lying around trying to decide what we want to eat when we came across Krua on Yelp. Looking through the photos of the food we immediately agree seeing how tantalizing the photos were. Upon arriving, parking was easy to find and it was nice to see that there were outdoor parking perfectly located where we can see our car. Right when we sat down, we noticed a QR code that contains the menu. My roommates and I thought that was genius! The online menu displayed even more delicious-looking photos all masterfully taken. While looking through the menu, the waitress came up to us and noticed that we have already begun looking at the menu. She informed us that if we had any questions to please be free to ask her. She took our drink orders and allowed us more time to look at the menus. While still perusing we overhear her talking to a table next to us, presumably a regular. It was nice to hear he talk to them so friendly and personable. The waitress, who we later learned is Pabi, is a super sweet woman whose clear goal is to ensure that all patrons that come to her establishment leave happy, not by just the meal but by the experience. Her kindness and thoughtfulness provided the perfect accompaniment to a 5-star quality meal! She clearly was the only waitress judging multiple tables without looking the slightest bit flustered. She is clearly able to operate in an efficient and graceful manner. Needless to say, my roommates and I had a wonderful time. With our stomachs and heart-filled, we make plans to return soon. read more

Never got to taste the food. The host was abrupt and rude. We were seated immediately. We started ordering our food but we were told we had to spend $13 per person, drinks did not count, per the host/server and that a 20% tip would be added to our bill since we were a party of 5. This is all before we even finished ordering?!?!? We felt rushed to order as if other more important things needed to get done. We couldn't take the blatant disrespect any longer. We got up and left. It's not surprising that they choose to add such a substantial tip...they would never have earned it on "service" alone. read more

Food great. The gentleman took the order not friendly at all, we came for lunch. He forgot the soup we have to look around for help condiments etc finally the young lady coming to rescue. I was reading about the reviewed seems the ownership. Didn't take it well. Wish you luck! read more

Excellent food! We came with a party of 6 and we all left with happy tummies! Will absolutely come back next time we are in town for this tiny gem! read more

The long closed Suraya Thai in the Mission in SF had been my favorite Thai restaurant in North America. Now I have a new favorite in Monterey, Krua Thai. Outstanding cuisine, presentation, and service. Easily the best Thai restaurant in Northern California! read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

Was in town for a work conference. This place was within walking distance of my hotel so I thought "why not?" Glad I did. The food was amazing and the portions were just right. Service was quick and the food tasted as if it were straight from the pot. Highly recommended. read more

Ordered Pad See Ew and Panang Curry. I've had these dishes countless times in many places and the flavor was so different. Panang tastes like all curry paste and no coconut milk. Not horrible but not what you expect. Pass. read more

My fiancé and I recently returned from a trip to Thailand and wanted to try this. It is a must have if you are in town! It took me back to riding elephants in Chiang Mai and canoeing through the waters of Phuket. We ordered Pad Kee Mao, Red Curry, and the Salmon. The food was incredible and the ambiance was wonderful. read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Pineapple Fried Rice Pad Ka Paow Panang Curry - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

We tried this place out because it was across the street from our hotel - glad we did because the food was amazing. They were very accommodating of our 8-person party and got all the food out in a timely manner. It's a cozy little space with 12-ish tables and good vibes. We went back the next night, that's how much everyone like it! read more

For Asian food in Monterey I'd say this place is pretty decent. A large group of us came in on a Saturday night and we were seated right seated right away. Only tried pad thai and pad see ew and both were good. I liked how you can adjust the spiciness scale for the dishes. You can get it SUPER spicy if that's your thing. read more

Krua Thai Restaurant - Pad Se Ew - Thai Near Me - Monterey, California

We came here to enjoy a meal , but when we arrived the man at the door treated us very poorly. We are not exactly sure why? We told him we are a party of 5 and he looked around the restaurant ( which was half empty) and told us that he was " very busy" and if he sat us it would take him a long time to serve us. We were 4 diverse adults and 7 year old child. He said "please don't eat if you aren't patient people ". We were completely in unclear on why he felt the need to say this to us and he was quite rude. So we turned around and walked out as it appeared he did not want our business. After reading some other reviews here it is clear that this guy discriminates against people with kids/ families as there are other reviews here that state the same thing ! read more