Situated in a land by the sea, when grains were kept whole and the elderly are allowed to roam unsupervised is a slice of Thai Food heaven. Mongkut.... I'm working on my catch phrases for businesses. You should read the one I wrote about Folsom Prison. Mongkut is a well-above-average Thai food joint. They manage to make their curries stand out. I simply had the Panang Chicken curry. Delish (there it is again)! I also had their mee krob here, with chicken and shrimp. Yummm!.. Such good stuff. It should go without saying, but they do cook all their items to order... except rice. What, you want it fresh? Go get some minute rice and shut your mouth, cabbage head! Go to Mongkut Thai and I won't cut you!!! read more

I've been going to this restaurant on Del Mar for years, and it has never disappointed. With economic ups and downs, it's so good that this restaurant survives and thrives. Imagine how I laughed when my teenager came home this summer saying how there was this great Thai restaurant on Del Mar...I just never took her with me. She's a vegetarian and likes the drunken noodles, so I ordered them (open New Year's day and very busy that night), along with our usual pad thai, chicken sate, and a delicious soup (I know I can't remember the right name: kum thom kai maybe - coconut milk, cilantro, lemongrass, chicken, cabbage). As always the service was attentive, detail oriented, and excellent. Kitchen was slower than usual, but they were busier than usual. With the exception of the Bangkok (multiple locales including Crystal Court in Costa Mesa) restaurants, this is the best Thai food in south Orange County. read more

Friends knew that I had traveled in Asia and enjoyed the cuisine, especially that of Thailand. I have found a few good Thai restaurants in the South Orange County area, but none that would keep me coming back 2-3 times a month or more. A couple of friends suggested I try Monghut Tai. I knew of it and had seen it many times, but never went in because of its lack of ambiance as seen from the street. Well having played out most of my local Thai options, I thought I'd give Mongkut Thai a try. We were greeted and seated without much (any) enthusiasm, niceties or pleasantries. After a bit the server came over and asked if we were ready. We ordered a two or three Thai favorites including the Tom Kha Kai w/ shrimp soup and Pad Thai Noodles w/ chicken. The soup arrived quickly. Tom Kha Kai soup is most often very favorable and spicy, this needed extra help. When the entrées arrived, they too, were unexciting and in need of enhancement. So no ambiance, indifferent staff and characterless cuisine means my search for the true taste of Thailand continues. read more

The absolute WORST Thai place I have ever been to. Horrible service. They messed up my order, which is no big deal at all, and when I asked for a replacement they said that they wouldn't do it unless I bought the entree again. DONT RECOMMEND. Would rate less than zero if possible. Please don't give these people your money. read more

I have only ordered take out and door dash from here. Absolutely amazing food. Their spicy jade rice dish is addictive. I ordered three nights in a row when my wife was out of town I just recently met the owner when I was walking by the farmers market. He is super nice and loves his restaurant. I try to only eat where food is made with love. I'm confident this food is made with love. read more

The staff is very sweet and it's close to home. Pricing and portions are average, which is fine. I so wanted to like this little place, but my experiences have been lukewarm at best. We're really familiar with Thai food (not just the basic dishes that we've tried at Mongkut) and used to dine regularly with Thai friends so we do know what it's supposed to be. I'll start with Panang curry (chicken), which I have ordered twice. This normally flavor-happy curry was sadly bland and tasted mainly of coconut milk both times I have tried it. The first time the dish was slightly more flavored than the second time. The second time, there was barely any color to it at all. It was as if they'd run out of curry and tried to stretch the last cup of it till the end of the night. It was quite sad, tasting only of coconut milk and accompanied by a puzzling recipe for brown rice. The first time I had the Thai brown rice with my bland curry, the rice was perfect, nutty and tasty. The second time it was a disaster, cooked in some kind of odd vegetable broth. It tasted and smelled like celery with bits of tomato, carrot, parsley in it. This is not how Thai brown rice is meant to be. Pad See Ew was bathed in oil and brown sugar only. No spices and gooey, gooey noodles. Pad Thai Jae was quite bland as well. I've also tried the Tom Yum Kai. I love this sort of spicy, lip-smackingly sour Thai soup. It's comfort food to me. On the menu, it has one pepper next to it so I didn't expect it to be hot, but in real life is really rather one-dimensional and didn't quite even live up to it's one little pepper reputation. It may have potential if requested "Thai style"... The Thai Wraps are the bright spot in my experience here. I did find the spicy lime sauce to be a little on the sweet and not particularly spicy side, but a pot of peppers on hand balanced things out a bit. This I would try again. Overall, I'm still searching for an authentic Thai experience closer to home. Perhaps the issue here is not a lack of know-how, but a catering to American palates, which seems to be the norm in Orange County. Sheesh. When I go back East or to L.A., I joyfully eat nothing but authentic Indian/Thai/Pakistani/Ethiopian/Turkish food and savor every bite as if it were my last. I'll be heading to Anaheim this week for another shot at some serious Thai. We'll see how it goes. If you see a gal driving down the 5 wearing a great big smile and hair on fire, you'll know it was good. read more

Just wow. Stumbled upon this place walking down Del Mar with a friend and decided to try it. Definitely some of the best Thai Food I have ever had. The chicken and beef satay were bursting with flavor, upon the first bite I knew this was going to be an outstanding experience. The Tom Yum soup was seasoned to perfection loaded with fresh ingredients. The beef in the crying tiger salad was sublime. The lettuce wraps were perfect, as was our duck; the duck meat was practically melting off the bone. The level of spiciness ranges from 1-4, the 4 was not too intense. If you do end up getting the duck, get the honey sauce on the side it's very sweet! The staff was very friendly and accommodating, and you can tell that the ingredients were fresh and cooked traditionally. Me and my friend shared the above dishes, and even though we were full, we easily finished the rest of the duck. Afterwards we still felt great. When you are completely stuffed after a meal, and don't feel like crap, you know you are eating quality food. read more

Legit authentic Thai food that has never disappointed. Warm, friendly and family owned, you're also treated as family. Including the food; think eating at your Thai grandmothers house if you had a Thai grandmother. And the ingredients are always absolutely the freshest. A tried and true San Clemente gem. read more

Great service and excellent food. The portions are very generous and the prices are reasonable. If you are in the area looking for a place to eat and enjoy great Thai food, try this restaurant you will not be disappointed. read more

Solid Food. I have beef salad and chicken satay for appetizer and both were delicious. The pad thai very good one of the best pad thai ever. yellow curry very flavorful and delicious. The service was really great we only waited about 15 minutes for our food but server even apologized to us for the wait. In short, I highly recommend This restaurant and hope to see them stick around for a long time. read more

The food was just okayy. Fortunately the main meal was much better than the appetizers. The appetizers lacked flavor, whereas the main meal had good flavor? Weird. Took a long time to receive our food. read more

This used to be one of our favorite Thai restaurants in south OC but no longer. The food is still good but I can't get past the lousy service. On a recent visit we were charged extra for a refill of a generic beverage. Instead of taking the charge off since it wasn't clear on our menu, she proceeded to produce a second menu and point to the section about refills. I told her it wasn't clear on our menu and she continued to argue about how that's the way it is. Very lousy customer service. She spent most of her time wandering the restaurant yawning. It's sad when restaurants would rather argue over a drink that cost them probably 2 cents and risk losing a long term customer and all of their friends for life. They just don't get it. Needless to say I took the difference off the tip so it's their loss in more ways than one. Service like this speaks to the fact that so many restaurants have gone out of business lately. If you're treated like an inconvenience instead of a valued client, you won't be back. read more

AWESOME! Very friendly staff. Good food. Good prices. And great names for the dishes (e.g. "Three Sevenths of the Rainbow")! We will definitely be back soon. read more

Hands down the BEST stir fry I have ever eaten in my entire life. Also the coconut tofu soup was on point. I will be eating here again!

2.5 stars Came across this place when we were taking our mini-honeymoon in Downtown San Clemente and were craving thai food. We saw it had good reviews on Yelp so we went in. It was completely empty on a Saturday at 2pm which we thought was a red flag, but we went in anyway. We only ordered the thai tea, drunken noodles and golden cups. Everything was ok. The tea was good but not spectacular and was brewed slightly too strong. The drunken noodles were a bit oily but spicy like we requested but overall it was okay. The golden cups were interesting... it was curried chicken diced and placed into deep fried wonton paper-like cups and served with a cucumber salad/salsa concoction. I probably liked this best because it was something different but I felt like everything tasted a little cold and the wonton cups a little stale. Who knows, maybe they were having a bad day? Also, the prices were a bit high but I guess thats not a surprise for the downtown area. I definitely won't go out of my way to come eat here again but maybe if I am in the downtown area and craving thai food I might. read more

Mongkut Thai Restaurant - Golden cups - Thai Near Me - San Clemente, California

Terrible service. Poor quality food. Their Thai recipes are terrible. Just not a good place to eat. Thanks.

This is my favorite restaurant in San Clemente. The food is always fresh and can be prepared as spicy or mild as you like. There are tons of delicious vegetarian dishes, and lots of healthy options. Entrees can be prepared without oil, and they offer brown as well as white rice. The staff is super warm and friendly. They always remember us, and know our orders by heart. Tofu Larb, Spicy Black Sapphire, Vegetarian Drunken Noodles, brown rice...yum!!! read more

Their soup here is my favorite! I have yet to find another place with a soup as good as theirs. It is so delicious I cannot get over it. I am going to miss it when I move back north. The only bad thing was that they forgot to give me my side order of rice to eat with my soup, but I had paid for it. I did not think to double check my to-go order, but I guess that is my own fault. read more

Great location in downtown San Clemente with decent Thai food. The curries are authentic and flavorful, with an extensive menu and friendly service. The Chicken Larb is a great starter - spicy with a burst of flavors. Use the lettuce to make yourself a Larb Taco!!! For noodles, check out the the Pad See Ew or Pad Thai. I also recommend a special they have from time to time -- a Panang curry with scallops, prawns and avocado - very tasty. I've tried the fish once and it seemed like it was frozen so we stick with the meat, chicken and shellfish. Enjoy! read more

Stopped by Mongkut Thai with my friend who praised this restaurant. Having eaten at many traditional Thai restaurants, Mongkut surpasses my expectations! Ordered the Drunken Noodles and Lettuce Wraps. My God, the lettuce wraps were pure genius! Had the perfect amount of crisp and spice! As for the Drunken Noodles, they were also fantastic. Wish it had more tomatoes and a bit more hot sauce. Thus I kicked up the spice by added some chili paste. (Note that I eat extremely hot foods). Lastly, the Thai Ice tea was delicious! Just wished it was mango season so I could have order sticky rice! Can't wait to go back! read more

We have been here more than once now and are never disappointed. We like spicy food and request our dishes Thai spicy, they are always afraid to serve it to us Thai spicy and serve the chili sauces on the side instead. They are funny and nice that way, concerned that we like our meals. I am not a Thai aficionado but I know that anything curried in a Coconut milk is going to taste great so that is what I always order, something curried with coconut milk. I was right again this time and even my wife ate rice just so she could soak up all teh delicious sauce. We will be back here again and again. The cost is very reasonable, a chicken starter that was enough for two and two mains with rice not booze though and total cost was $33. in Orange County Ca that's a steal. read more

Ate here our first night in town. Well, we got food here and ate it in the patio at the beach house. Food was excellent and the service was typical Thai, friendly and fast. No hassle regarding a to go peer either. Some places get irritated with to go orders but it was no problem and this way we were able to pick up a pizza next door for the girls and head home to lounge around. read more

Mongkut Thai Restaurant - Delicious - Thai Near Me - San Clemente, California

As we were driving from LA to San Diego, we stopped here for dinner. We were very pleased and will stop by on our next trip South. It was a Friday evening and lots of diners out and about, we passed the restaurant and found a public lot just down the street. All of the dishes were very good but the Salmon salad was outstanding, never had salmon that has a very unique thin crispy layer on the outside and moist inside, the flavor was awesome. I am surprised that it is fried as it was not greasy, and the coating is from the marinade. Excellent! read more

Probably some of the best Thai Food I have ever had! Amazing!!! The restaurant is on the smaller side, but it's nice like that! The Decor is beautiful, and the location couldn't be any more perfect! Lots of sites to see and about a mile from the San Clemente Pier! read more

Drunken Noodles were a favorite! Pad See Ew and Panang Curry were good choices too. Everything we ordered was delicious. Friendly & attentive service. Wish there were more vegetables in each dish. read more

Mongkut Thai Restaurant - Panang Curry & Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - San Clemente, California

Well done.... actually, perfectly done. Great quaint little hole in the wall in San Clemente. Amidst the charm in its subtley in decor and size, it delivers some excellent food. No meal here is completely without a sensible helping of the Green Curry... words can not explain the love I have for the goodness of that dish. Yet, all the dishes I've had there (from lettuce wraps to veggie noodles) have been stellar. The flavors are unique and intriguing. And there is SO much to order. Simply put, soooo good! read more

Fine experience overall. Food came SUPER fast. So that was nice. A little disjointed who our server was, but that was no problem! But the food... Moo shoo was fair. Won ton soup was average. Drunken noodles were fair. They also didn't offer hot chili paste (sombal) and weren't exactly apologetic about it either. Hummmmmmm... I don't think I would hurry back because I think there are better places in SC with a lot more charm, better food and better value. It was $50 after tip for 1 app, 1 soup and 1 main dish (no rice ordered) and a hot tea. Seems very very very strong for average Thai food. read more

Happened to stop by today for lunch. Ordered chicken satay, drunken noodles and yellow curry. Every dish was great. My 9 year old enjoyed all of them too! Would recommend. Service was quick and friendly as well. read more

I've been coming to Mongkut for over a decade and through the years they have consistently surpassed my expectations! The food is always fresh and I've tried just about everything on the menu. The Tom kha kai is my favorite by far. The staff makes you feel like you're at home with their approach to home style Thai food. Whether you're dining in or grabbing your food to go they treat you with the same warmth and attentiveness. Thank you to the Laitipaya family for always taking care of me and the community! read more

We are visitors from the East Coast. Very pleasant surprise to discover the hidden gem old style San Clement downtown. Then even much happier to find Mongkut restaurant there with perfect Spare ribs and larb beef salads. Owner has been here since 1986! Awesome. read more

Cold food like it was sitting there in kitchen for a while. Servers full of attitude. Not welcoming. Food was everything but delicious. OMG, They served us curry in a soup plate. Not sure why this place has good reviews! Please avoid this place. Its a dumpster. read more

Great location. Unfortunately the food lacks flavor. Ordered a spicy tom kha soup, instead of chiles it had red pepper flakes on top and was not spicy. Also got the curry; it had zero curry flavor and tasted like cold coconut milk. read more

If you want the best Thai food in San Clemente you must come here it's always delicious authentic and service is excellent I highly recommend this place read more

My favorite Thai place in San Clemente! They have awesome lunch specials. Went here last night with my boyfriend and we both got the yellow curry. He got his with shrimp and I got mine with tofu since I'm a vegan. I really like their tofu, it had a nice smoky flavor, but I wish they would put it in the oven and make it crispy. They have excellent soups and salads too! I can't wait to come back again. Service is great too! They even gave me extra rice to take home! read more

Noodle and rice is pretty good, nothing special. We ordered the vegetarian floats and spit them out first bite. Tasted like they'd been sitting out for a long time. Besides that all good read more

Excellent yellow curry and eggplant dish too. Soup was yummy. Will order again definitely!

Great service... perfect 10 Brown rice eh, 3.0 had much better and the ribs were NOT good, pass on those- 1 star. everything else was superb. Beef Pad Tai, and Chicken curry.. Did I mention the great service? That friendly and great. It bumps it up to 4 in my book. read more

Hadn't been here in a while, but if anything it has gotten better than I remember. Had the Golden Floats, Dazzling Green Crystal Salad (the best!), Chicken Curry was outstanding. The service and the friendly attitude of the staff was the icing on the cake. So good! read more

Mongkut has really good Thai food. Started with the vegetable soup. Normally not my favorite but they did it right. Light broth with fresh cabbage, baby corn and thinly sliced carrots. Clean and fresh tasting. For lunch, I had the Ivory ginger beef and it was very good. Very fresh vegetables - mushrooms we're good, beef was tender and lean and the sauce was bursting with ginger and the right combo of spices. The side of white rice was cooked just right. You can tell this ain't no uncle Ben's instant crap. Good portion size. I got the "medium" spicy version and this stuff will still clear the sinuses. Not for the faint of heart. I think it actually may have singed the lips right off my wife's face! Excellent!! Make sure to have some ice water nearby. My only suggestion is to work on the name. What the hell is a "Mongkut" anyway? Should throw in some crazy animal name in there somewhere so I can remember this place and go back. Winner!! read more

Run by the sweetest (I'm assuming at least) couple. Extensive menu and nothing is average or subpar. Everything here is phenomenal. It's a very small and intimate restaurant so it can get loud at peak times but it's a small price to pay for truly amazing Thai. read more