It's funny, I've worked in this general area for over ten years, and I'm still surprised by the restaurants and shops just a few minutes' drive from the office. Pailin Thai is in a shopping center that absolutely gets bonkers during busy hours, mostly because of the obnoxiously skinny parking spaces and the incredibly large cars trying to cram their way into them. We ordered our lunchtime meal online, taking advantage of their lunch combo specials. I got the See-Eyew Noodles with chicken ($13.95) and my husband got the Spicy Noodles with pork ($13.95). Because these were the lunch combos, each meal also came with a small serving of the soup of the day, a small salad, an egg roll and a fried wonton. The menu said you're also supposed to get steamed rice, but we did not. I'd rank the items in my lunch combo this way: the soup (not sure what kind it was, but it was coconutty and citrusy and there wasn't enough of it, in my opinion); the fried wonton; the salad; the noodles; the egg roll. Not that I didn't enjoy the noodles, they were just not the best I've had (and those who know me know that Pad See Ew noodles are my go-to Thai entree.) These noodles were lighter - in color and flavor - than I prefer, and too sticky to easily shove in my face with a plastic fork. The flavor was okay, if a little lacking. My husband's meal was supposed to be spicy noodles, but the container was labeled "Drunken Noodles", which I'm pretty sure is a different dish. But, he ate it all up and said he enjoyed everything about it. Though he did say the serving size was smaller than expected (I reminded him it was a lunch combo, not a full entree, and for what we paid, it was a good deal. I think he agreed haha.) I'd be willing to give them another try, because I love Thai meals and we seem to be lacking in good Thai restaurants anymore. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Drunken Noodles with pork lunch combo, with soup of the day, egg roll, fried wonton and small salad ($13.95) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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We ordered lunch special and the soup that x a me with it is ok. Better than what we've had before. They have authentic interior design and a lot of tables. Good for large groups. The food taste good and thr price is reasonable. The service is also very good. I'll give this experience 4.4 read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Indoor dining area - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Hidden in a small strip mall, this local Thai restaurant is the perfect spot for a low key date night. Ordered pad thai with shrimp - very flavorful, perfect balance of tangy and savory flavor! Enjoyed the fresh bean sprouts for added crunch! Highly recommend this dish! Second dish we ordered was a Panang Curry. Normally I am used to this dish coming out as a deep red flavorful curry, but this version served was thick with coconut milk, and just a hint of the curry. Probably would not order this again. We definitely recommend the yellow curry if you come! It's our typical go to, and we will definitely order that next time! Nice interior with some accents that make you feel like you are in Thailand! Recommend a stop next time for lunch or dinner. read more

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We got hungry. After my mom finished her doctors appointment. It has been so long since I have been here. This time going to the the bathroom the walkway, looks as if there was some flood read more

So I've been coming here for probably over 10 years. The place inside is huge! My mom introduced me to Thai food at a young age and ever since then, it's been one of my favorite foods. This place is a little bit farther from home, however it is definitely worth it to make the drive for their dinner specials. Eating out can get pricey now and I'm so thankful they offer smaller portions for dinner. That's never the case anywhere. I hope that they get more foot traffic in order to push for the remodel. It's very tasty and while obviously the plates differ from place to place, this place is pretty standard. Giving a 5 star review in hopes that it helps bring more people in. read more

In Bernardo center there is a row of restaurants, amongst them is Pailin Thai cafe. The inside is very quaint, and the service started out attentive. We arrived for lunch and ordered off lunch menu, Tom yum soup and the cashew chicken. The prices for the lunch were very reasonable, and the food was tasty but the lunch portion was very tiny. Once the food arrived all the wait staff disappeared and until we stood up and found someone we'd have never left. Although good the tiny portions and the service made this place an okay place to check out. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - 4. Cashew Nuts - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Wanted some Thai food for guests from WA. Was in Poway and thought of this place. Lunch special like $14. Soup salad small, egg roll and won ton plus main dish. Three of us had Pad Thai and one fried rice. Spice level 0-5. Was very tasty and filling. Roast pork and duck was very good. Recommend read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

This is a restaurant that I have had the pleasure of enjoying for the last 15 years! This was my first introduction to Thai food as a child! I loved that their options cater to vegetarians, since I have a meat intolerance. Give the place a try (: read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - 12. Spicy Noodles 1. Thai Spring Rolls Jasmine Hot Tea - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Trying out a Thai restaurant not in our usual area. The food is okay. Hubby had the veggies with mock dock and peanut sauce. There was a nice assortment of veggies. The peanut sauce was good. The mock duck was just okay. I had the orange tofu. The orange flavor was lacking. Would have preferred a battered tofu that was deep fried. We shared the crispy fried rolls. Hubby enjoyed them. I thought they were lacking in flavor. The dipping sauce was good. The prices are reasonable. The restaurant is clean. The staff is friendly. With so many Thai restaurants in the area, not sure if the food was good enough for our taste to bring us back. read more

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Another solid dependable Thai place. Food was nothing that wowed us but it's good Thai food to keep in rotation. The ambience of the place is really nice. The food is good enough that I would take someone here just for the decor and service. Thai dumpling appetizer - pretty okay. Tom kha chicken soup - less sweet /coconut milky than you usually get. Felt like a dash of Tom yum in there which was a pleasant change. Mixed Vegetables with shrimp in red curry - Flavorful curry with generous shrimp portion. Eggplant with steamed fish - I expected it to be more spicy but maybe I ordered it less at 6/10. It was very flavorful and the eggplant and fish were cooked perfectly however this was unexpectedly a little sweet. read more

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OMG the dinner special of the Pad Thai is exactly the portion that I wanted. Most places I go don't offer a smaller portion and I can never finish it. The Pad Thai that I had was very tasty (I got mine with tofu). The gentlemen working the evening that we got to go at Pailin were so nice!! I loved the decor of the restaurant and would definitely go back when I'm in town . read more

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Recently found this place as it is across the street from where I get my spray tan and I am so glad I did! Mango sticky rice is my favorite and they do a great one and only serve it if they have received or found ripe mango. I've also had their Thai fried rice that was delicious and a huge portion, enough for several people or one person wanting yummy left overs. Pad Thai was good as well. And my boyfriend has tried their specialty halibut dish and Pattaya Pineapple. He absolutely loved both! Servers are always very friendly and service is overall very good. Will be back to try more! read more

I came here on a weekday to meet up with past coworkers. It wasn't crowded and there was plenty of parking. The restaurant was neat, had nice decor and properly staffed. I had the Yellow Curry with Chicken and requested it to be mild. Their mild for me was a little spicy. If you can't handle a little spice, I suggest you request NO SPICE. Their baseline is different from other Thai places. Overall, their food was excellent and tasty. I would prefer more rice but it was sufficient. read more

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Lovely Thai restaurant in RB! The restaurant is beautifully decorated & wheelchair accessible. Staff was very attentive & friendly. & the food was great! Their lunch special is a steal & the fact that they have a lunch special is amazing! All of the Thai places I used to go to, & the new ones that I have tried, do not do lunch specials. The lunch specials consist of the soup of the day, tossed salad, spring roll, fried won ton, & steamed rice. Then depending on what type of protein you add, that will be the price of your meal. Panang Curry: Added chicken. Panang was flavorful & slightly sweet. They are generous with the protein & they give a good portion! See-Eyew Noodles: Added mock duck. The noodles were very tasty. Phad Thai Noodles: Added BBQ pork. Their sauce was slightly sweet which I liked. read more

Paid by card. Pailin Thai is located in the same plaza as DaBoba and Hoorah and offers plaza parking. I've ordered pick up from here a few times during lunch on weekdays and it's usually packed. Sometimes the lunch takes 20-30 minutes before it's ready so plan ahead. Lunch specials start at $12.95 and come with a dish, wontons, soup, and salad. (Not really a fan of their soup but everything else is good.) The servers/ cashiers are nice but they seem understaffed. I've gotten their spicy noodles with shrimp, green curry with shrimp, and see eyew noodles with chicken, level 7. So far I think the spicy noodles and see eyew noodles have been the best. The chicken was a little dry though and the green curry was lacking enough veggies. Portions are OK sized and I can eat a whole lunch special in one sitting. Overall I'd recommend this place and would go back and try more lunch specials. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Spicy noodles with shrimp - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

I stopped by here when I was in the area to pick up a quick Togo weekday lunch. Luckily I was able to place an order online ahead of time. I ordered a pad Thai with BBQ pork. The online estimate was about 30 minutes until the order was ready. I got to Pailin maybe 15 minutes early and thought I would just walk in anyway to wait. I saw a bagged order with my name waiting at the hostess stand already. It's good that they were fast, but would have been nice to also be a bit more accurate in the estimated time. Flavor wise, it was ok, the pad Thai was this weird orange color and was generally bland. There were very scant pieces of BBQ pork and it was dry. The texture of the noodles were fine though. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Pad Thai with BBQ pork - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Excellent visit! The yellow curry was so flavorful and the combo of potato and chicken (which we added) made it even better. You can choose your level of spice (1-10). The phad thai and (phad) see yew were both great, with different shaped and flavored pan fried noodles. Big fan of Pailin Thai... used to be called something else, but same people running it. read more

We have frequented this restaurant for years, for both dinner and lunch. Ambiance: Well kept, nicely decorated. Staff - Courteous. Sometimes a bit tough to flag down the staff for more water or the check. Food - Never had a bad plate. That's saying something since we have tried many of their offerings. The curries, the pad Thai, the sweet basil, fried rice, the drunkin noodles, the Thai tea... have all been good. It is a great place to bring a family or group of friends who want to order something they enjoy, yet have the ability to share and try what others have ordered. The lunch specials are price competitive with other restaurants in the area. Recently brought my folks from the East Coast to Pailin Thai Cafe. My father, age 81, walked out stating that it was the best Thai he had ever had. read more

Great service and tasty menu. I love the spicy mint leaves with scallops. Pete and Jenny are phenomenal owners that really know how to take care of their customers. I highly recommend this spot to all my friends and clients read more

Food was delicious and good sized portions for the price. We did the lunch special Spicy Noodle and Pad Thai, both with chicken. They came with coconut soup, salad, egg roll & sauce. Everything was really good across the board. Service was good. Things came out quickly and server stopped by often. Ambiance was relaxing. Lots of Thai touches like soft background instrumental music, umbrellas, wallpaper, shelf decor. Also free wifi is good to have if needed. read more

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Thai culture is never short on service and 27-year-old Pailin doesn't disappoint. I was immediately welcomed by the owner with a smile and greeting. He seated me within a couple of minutes and in an instant I had a refreshing Thai iced tea while I enjoyed an e-book. I love the inside of this restaurant. Golden art, brightly colored umbrellas and Thai furniture transport you into what you would imagine could easily be an eatery in Thailand. I ordered the coconut milk-based Tom Kha, which had a lot of mushrooms, chicken and flavor. A generous helping, I highly recommend ordering Tom Kha at Pailin. The crispy Thai rolls were the right side to have with the soup and especially yummy when dipped in the accompanying sweet sauce. (I really wanted to stop eating them so I wouldn't get so full , but they were THAT delicious.) After dinner, I would have sorely regretted it if I missed the restaurant's bestselling Rainbow Ball dessert. Soft mochi-like balls in warm coconut milk were the perfect way to end the night. Living in East County, I don't come up to Poway very often, but Pailin presents a delicious reason to venture north. read more

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Pailin is a family favorite! We have been coming here for years and love the food. They have plenty of vegetarian options and great lunch specials! Extra love for the spicy curry noodles that have been my go-to for years. Also, they are accomodating for my mom's food allergies and are receptive to any changes you may want in the dishes. read more

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The food was so flavorful and tasty! My boyfriend got the chicken Thai fried rice and it was so good. I got the panang curry with spice level 4 and it was perfect! We came here specially for the mango sticky rice and it was the star of the show, the mango was very sweet. The service was friendly and it seems like a family owned restaurant. The vibe was very cozy and warm, the energy was nice. It was our first time here and we will be coming back! read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Mango with Sweet Sticky Rice - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Randomly came across this restaurant and decided to get a lunch special to go. Quick service - only had to wait 15 mins. Ordered chicken pad see ew, and it came with an egg roll, wonton, and soup - all for $13. Great variety for the price, but the portion of the main entree (the noodles) was pretty small, hence the special I guess. I wasn't a fan of the soup, and the wonton was practically empty (had not even a teaspoon of filling inside). Pad see ew was good but not the best I've had. Overall, it's decent if you're just looking for a quick cheap bite for lunch. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

My partner and I were craving Thai for dinner, so we stopped in at Pailin Thai Cafe around 6pm. The restaurant was quiet and empty - we were the first customers of the night. The restaurant is clean, with cute decorations to bring in a cozy ambiance. The host took our orders quickly, and we decided on two dishes from the dinner special menu: phad thai and kra pao gai. It should be noted that the menu isn't super clear on pricing in some aspects. For the kra pao gai, it was a bit ambiguous since I wasn't necessarily choosing a protein. We also ordered a Thai coffee as well. The Thai coffee was good, strong and on the sweeter side. Our food was fresh and the portion sizes were good for a single person. The phad thai was cooked and seasoned well, although I felt it was lacking in bean sprouts. The kra pao gai was also cooked well, but it was definitely on the saltier side. I wish both of our dishes came with lime and perhaps chili oil to adjust the spice. Overall, the service was okay - I don't expect servers to check on their customers often, but I also noticed that the host really only stopped by to check on us when we had almost finished our food. He did not offer to refill water either. I would recommend this place for the price point and the ambiance, but the food was pretty average and could be improved. read more

The food is seriously the best Thai food I've found in San Diego. Pad See Ew with beef is my go-to and they consistently get the level of spice consistent. Recommend you stop by for good service and a good Thai tea. read more

I'm obsessed with this place! Some of my favorite Thai food that I've ever had and I keep coming back for more. Pailin has amazing quality food for such great prices. My boyfriend and I love to get their kai chicken curry. It's a curry with a whole chicken and lasts us 2 meals each (it could basically feed 4 people if you wanted) and it's only about $20 which is so nuts! Love coming here for dine in and takeout, restaurant is so big and has nice decor. service is always amazing and food comes out so fast! read more

So after I left this review the owner had called me later on that evening (i'm assuming he got my number from my phone order). He apologize for how the duck was and it was their fault they overcook it so he offered me to come back and try the duck again. I updated to four stars not because of the food but because of the customer service. He went above and beyond to reach me and to tell me to come back to give it another shot. Most owners would just let the review go but he wanted to make sure that I was happy. Unfortunately I came back but I was still not satisfied. The duck was not as dry but still the driest duck I've ever had. Maybe I should get some thing else besides the duck ‍‍‍‍. read more

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Thai food is one of my favorite food. Red or Yellow curry the best. My to go places the atmosphere is very cozy. Live it

if you want a delicious meal that's reasonably priced, go to Pailin Thai Cafe in Rancho Bernardo (I-15 and Bernardo Center exit across from McDonald's). The food is authentic Thai and prepared to your own "spice level". A family-owned business for 27 years, the ambiance is very attractive and lots of free parking. Their coconut soup is excellent as are their luncheon and dinner specials. my wife is Thai and tells me that Pailin Thai Csfe is as close to authentic Thai food you can get without going to Bangkok!! You won't be disappointed! Tom H. read more

Thank goodness this place closed hopefully not to reopen. Came here on a extremely hot evening. Every customer was complaining about the heat in the restaurant, the owner refused to put the ac on rather give us a fan on the floor. Yes rent is high but customer service and satisfaction is key! read more

This is my second time at Pailin Thai, and both experiences were satisfying and tasty. We were at table for four, but we ordered enough food they brought us over another little table to put all the food out. The stuffed chicken wings were my favorite, they are a starter, and could be an entree, they are delish. We order mussels, Larb gai, Ka Prow Gai, Tom Yum soup, a pineapple chicken dish, and a seafood plate that was one of their specialties, but I've forgotten the name. All dishes were tasty and will keep us coming back. The staff are all friendly, and the service was quick. read more

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Didn't have a great experience at Pailin Thai. We ordered the See Eyew Ew noodles and Yellow Curry. Noodle portion was smaller than at other places I've ordered and tasted kind of bland - I probably should have ordered it a little spicier. The Yellow Curry tasted good but the carrots weren't cooked all the way through and some of the chicken pieces had a weird texture. The vegan coconut ice cream we ordered for dessert tasted good. Atmosphere in the restaurant was sort of off. Half the restaurant was closed off for COVID and everyone dining in was cordoned off in the small part of the dining room. Service was just okay. Overall, our visit was average and we probably wouldn't return. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - See Eyew Noodles - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Good food, good service, family owned mom and pop restaurant. Very large and spacious so comfortable to sit inside. Food is delicious, especially the curries and the eggplant. Please do not skip their dessert. They have real green coconut ice cream that they get from a special vendor that I can't find anywhere else. Also, great mango sticky rice as well. read more

Delicious chicken fried rice! The egg was crispy and the flavor of the rice was excellent! My only complaint is the chicken was a bit plain and the rice was too oily, but overall one of my favorite fried rices!! read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Thai fried rice - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Great food and service! The owners are so very kind. While I was waiting for my food one of the brothers brought me a lovely Thai iced tea as a treat. I highly recommend this restaurant! Kindness goes a long way and the food is prepared with thought and love. Thank you for an outstanding experience. You never disappoint!!! read more

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It's an average Thai restaurant and its very hard to go wrong with Thai restaurants in Sd so this one is decent too. Not the best you've eaten but the food will not disappoint. Food: The soup they give before serving your food is the best stuff. It had mushrooms and hints of coconut. I loved it. The see eyew noodles were good too. What I liked about them is that they give everything in the form of a platter, so whatever you order it comes with a side salad, two wontons, and two egg rolls. I really liked this platter idea. Service: the food arrived pretty fast and the servers were very sweet and attentive. In-all: I would definitely go again and try more from their menu. read more

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I love the food here! I usually have green curry chicken spice of one, but Pailin serves many types of great food. The price is reasonable. The ambiance is appropriate, reminiscent of Thailand and the music as well. The service is outstanding. read more

This place is always a winner. No lines, but always busy. The food is really great, with a good selection to choose from. The service is friendly and prompt. We have gone as a couple, with family, and with friends. The experience and the food was consistently good. read more

Don't think I will go this place again. I showed the waitress the mango sweet rice picture on Yelp, and said I want the same thing. She took my order and later gave me the plate of mango sweet rice. I have no idea why I only have 5 pieces of mango?! Who ate another half of the mango? The waitress explained the photos I showed her was 2 years ago. I understand everything goes up, but this is unacceptable, they charged me $10.99 for 5 pieces of mango and some rice. If no one else order this, then what they will do with another half of mango? Save for tomorrow? Not fresh anymore. I am just confused why they have to do this? By the way, food and service is just ok, nothing impressive. read more

Pailin Thai Cafe - Mango Sweet Rice - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California