Honestly, some of the best Thai food I've ever had! Everything was executed perfectly. The char on the grilled pork appetizer and the accompanying sauce were masterful. Chive pockets have a delightful interior texture, sort of like cross between mochi and Japanese potato salad, with a crisp exterior. The pad see ew tends to be sweet, but it's perfectly sauced, and the Chinese broccoli crisp. Very sad that I don't live in the area, so am not able to enjoy this level of cooking more frequently. read more

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A few friends and I came here, and we genuinely had an amazing time, thanks to the incredible service from Nancy and the delicious food. From the moment we sat down, she made sure we were taken care of, which made the experience even better. We went all in and shared a variety of dishes, including the brussel sprouts, Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Zapp Beef Soup, Braised Beef Panaeng Curry, Thai Coffee, and Thai Iced Tea and let me tell you, everything was on point. The Zapp Beef Soup and Panaeng Curry were the real standouts for me, packed with rich, bold flavors and the perfect amount of heat at medium spice. Definitely got that kick, but in the best way possible! Also, if you're debating on getting rice, do yourself a favor and try the Roti instead, it had that soft, naan-like texture with a great flavor that paired perfectly with the curry. And don't even get me started on the Thai Tea and Thai Coffee--just the right balance of sweetness without being overpowering. Overall, this place is a solid win, and I'm glad we found another go-to Thai spot! If you're in the area and craving some seriously good Thai food, I'd 100% recommend checking it out! read more

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First off, they do not have restrooms, with the Thai coffee and other beverages, I think it's unreasonable to not have a restroom. Secondly, all dishes are extremely heavy on the sugar, I understand sugar in Thai food can bring the flavor to another level, but holy god, the curry tasted sweet and even the pad Thai and the papaya salad, it feels like at least 2 big scoops of sugar per dish. Last but not the least, the portion is overall low but the ratio of protein is well below average. It's worth the try , but I would not recommend. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Pad Thai with chicken - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Amazing Thai food with fresh ingredients, rich flavors, and super friendly service. The pad thai and curry were both excellent, and the atmosphere was cozy and welcoming. Definitely coming back again! read more

We went mid-renovation, with plastic all over, but it looks like it will be really pleasant when it's done. The food is quite good for the area, but in no way is this, or will it ever be, a 5-star Thai restaurant, as any trip to a Thai restaurant in a decently-sized town will demonstrate. It's not particularly distinctive, and it's not a tremendous bargain either. But it's really pleasant, and I do like that they have some touches that elevate it beyond its suburban industrial park area strip-mall status: its inclusion of a couple of unexpected "fusion" meat variations; its honestly-flavored iced teas; the excellent grilled shrimp in the otherwise-ordinary papaya salad. Steamed chicken was true to what you'd expect; broth for the melon soup was disappointing. Still, in the area, it's about as good as you can get, reasonable price and atmo, and a lot better for a night out than a $100 seafood restaurant in Laguna Hills. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Papaya salad - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Came here after church and it wasn't too busy. One thing to note, they don't have a public restroom - so make sure you don't need to wash your hands or need the bathroom when you go. Food was pretty good, but pretty small portions. I got the boiled chicken, which I really enjoyed. But, I just wish I got more of it. I know... the picture doesn't look appetizing, but it was good. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

One of the best little Thai cafe's I have been at in a while. It's a bright and clean space a decent amount of seating. The service was so friendly and welcoming. She was so helpful in assisting us with vegan requests. Everything we ordered was delicious. I love pad see ew and they had one of the best I've ever tasted. The noodles seemed like they were freshly made and had the best texture. The sauce was light and delicious. The chive cake was another great surprise with its light fluffy pillowy bite. The green curry was also tasty and a bit spicy. I'll be back to try some of the other meat dishes when my vegan daughter isn't in town. read more

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The food was delicious! The service was great and friendly. Tha ambiance was nice. I'm definitely coming back to this place !!! read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Hanging out with family - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Our family has loved Plern Thai Cafe since the kids were babies during COVID! Their comforting Thai dishes have been part of our takeout memories for years - always fresh, flavorful, and made with care. our kids favorites are the Pad Thai and they can't get enough of the Shrimp Fried Rice. Everything is consistently delicious, and the staff is always so kind. Can't wait to come back soon! read more

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Cute little restaurant in Lake Forest but be aware that there are no restrooms for customers so plan accordingly. Crispy Tofu starter Fried tofu served with spicy sweet dipping sauce topped with crushed peanuts. The tofu squares are shallow and unremarkable. Thankfully, it comes with a sweet and sour syrup but could use a little more spice. "Plern signature" Thai purple rice berry served with grilled marinated pork jowl, assorted vegetables and signature sauce. The pork is sliced paper thin and overall is a small portion, it's a healthy dish, with alternative rice. Pad See Ew Stir fried rice noodle with egg, Chinese, broccoli, black soy sauce with chicken. Savory/sweet noodle sauce, tender chicken, classic pad see ew flavors. Grilled Steak "Ribeye Nam Tok" Ribeye not cooked medium rare like I had confirmed and rather dry, side salad with lime dressing adds in an unnecessary tart flavor that doesn't compliment the steak protein very well. Too many onions too. That's all... read more

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Warning: This place has no bathroom, but the food more than makes up for it. Cute smallish restraunt with excellant staff. Pad See Ew: 5/5 The noodles were tender nice and thicccc and perfectly chewy. The pickled vegetables and vinegar were a fantastic complement to the meal, adding a tangy and refreshing contrast. Pad thai: 4/5 I dont like pad thai but i liked the flavor of this one. Lime thai tea: 3/5 A little too tart for me but good thai tea flavor. read more

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We like that they have a working website where we can order foods online. That's a big plus. We ordered to go multiple times and always pleased with the foods. The pork jawl is a must...whether it's the appetizer or salad. Papaya salad has the right balance of flavors. Pad see ew is phenomenal! I normally avoid this dish at other places but they do it very well here. When we think of Thai foods, this place comes to mind first. We will keep coming back. read more

The Panang curry is my favorite thing on this menu! Like soooooo sooo delicious, you can tell the quality of meat. The sauce is for the chicken and rice was great but it wasn't my favorite. I also felt like the coconut soup was delicious but maybe should have been tofu as a protein. However, unlike a lot of places, the chicken was actually still moist in the soup too. The service is great as usual. There is always one waitress I see and she does an amazing job. I will be back and specifically to get the panang curry read more

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Really freaking good! Rivals hanuman as the best Thai restaurant in OC no doubt. Their pad see ewe is not quite as good but their yellow curry is better. The beef shanks with roti is incredible. HIGHLY recommend this place is you live or spending time in south county. read more

The food at Plern tastes fresh and clean. My favorite is the Pad See Ew. It is a little on the sweeter side, but it totally agrees with my taste buds. The steam chicken was juicy and sauce was tasty. The chives pancake was really good. It was moist but crispy. I love the taste of galanga. I could probably just eat the galanga soup with rice. The servers here are really kind and hospitable so I'm giving them a 5 star. I didn't care for the swimming pig. Most dishes are 5 star. Some dishes weren't 5 star but overall everything has been great. HAPPY GALANGAING!! read more

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There are plenty of parking spaces. I ordered the Plern Signature and it was really good! The Grilled Marinated Pork Jowl was soft and delicious. It does come with their Signature sauce, but that sauce was wayyyyy too spicy for me. I was able to ask for a sauce that has no spiciness to it and that one tasted a lot better. Everything was well-flavored and delicious. Recommendation(s): - Plern Signature Service: 5/5 Tip(s): - Plenty of parking spaces - Restroom available read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Plern Signature - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Plern Thai Cafe is a gem of a spot in the Lake Forest area! This spot is showcasing the complexity and tasty flavors of Thailand. It is located in a pretty big plaza with other food places and a good amount of parking spots. Once you walk in, they have about 4-5 tables for seating. They have so many great selections of items to choose from on their menu that it was hard to pick! Wifey and I ended up getting the Wagyu Roti Mataba, the Beef Shank Panaeng Curry, and the Chicken and Rice. Everything was so beyond flavorful and delicious! The spices were on point and the flavors harmonized so well together. Overall, this spot stands out compared to other Thai eateries. You can tell they put thought and detail into their menu and the items they serve. The staff here are incredibly welcoming and accommodating. We will definitely be back for another delicious meal! read more

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Came to Plern Thai Cafe after seeing the good reviews on Yelp! We got the pad see ew and tofu lemongrass soup (which came with a side of rice). The pad see ew ($12.95) was the best I've had a in a while - nice supple noodles in a slightly sweet sauce. We ordered the soup ($12.95) spicy, which was a little too spicy for me but perfect for my husband. They have some interesting dishes like pork jowl and pork Brussels sprouts that I don't normally see at Thai places. Would love to come back and try more of the menu! Plenty of parking in the lot. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Pad see ew - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My wife and I ordered this for delivery. Everything was amazing. We had the mango sticky rice, the chicken curry forgot which one, and padsee ew i think its called. either way, recommend. Food came hot as well! read more

First time trying this place. Excellent quality & tasty, reasonably priced. We had Pad See Ew with shrimp and lamb shank red curry and desert we had a Roti bread like dish with condensed milk and coconut flakes---delicious and light for a desert. Will be back. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Pad See Ew with shrimp and lamb shank red curry. - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

This is a solid Thai place. My party of 4 adults got 4 dishes and it was just enough. There is plenty of parking. Service was good. Waitress was very friendly. The only slight downside is that I don't think there's really good ventilation in the restaurant. Once there were more ppl in the restaurant and the cook started cooking, it got pretty stuffy. Regarding food, I liked the pad sew ew the best. The pad thai was also very good but the chicken was very overcooked. The beef basil with rice was ok. Something that I knew I could make so I didn't think it was worth the $20 price tag. It says waygu on the menu but I'm pretty sure it's American waygu (as they sell at Costco) which is very different than Japanese waygu. Our 4th dish was the pork jowl. Meat was delicious but overall I thought the dish itself was a bit mid. read more

The food is great and very authentic. Everything we ordered tasted amazing. Very friendly service as well. It's a small place but there is plenty of parking. No restroom available. And there's a weird curtain hanging at the door so you will have to duck your head to go in and out. read more

The food here always hits the spot, it's absolutely delicious and so flavorful. It's a great fusion place with lots of different flavor combos that go so well together. I love this spot for their rotti and the basil wagyu. I wish they had more noodle options tho and more spice but overall no complaints. I think pacing for food was a little slow but it could've also been because of how busy they were. Overall though: super cute interior decorations and attentive staff; great spot for a quick dinner and yummy food! read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Wagyu Rotti - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Solid Thai dinner. Pad see ew had really good flavor. Loved that they use Chinese broccoli. Pad Thai was good. More sweet than tangy. Not your typical pad Thai. It was very good. Portions were not that too big. Staff was super friendly. Restaurant was very clean. Note...not bathroom. Parking was super easy. Would definitely go back. read more

Such a gem! Loved the interior and the food was good. We opted for a Wagyu Roti Mataba as a starter, green chicken curry, and grilled crying tiger steak salad. I really enjoyed their wagyu roti mataba and all the sauces. Loved that they mixed the right amount of spiciness and acidity, very appetizing! Service was super friendly as well. Honestly, I came with zero expectations but ended up leaving pretty satisfied. I recommend this place. Note: no public restrooms read more

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Came for an evening meal. Thought the food was just ok. Sauce for curry's were very good but the chicken was that poor quality then chicken that tasted par cooked since it was chewy. I was stunned they charged extra for steamed rice that I would have got with the meal. Been to many Thai restaurants and this one seems that maybe it caters to hotel crowd that are stuck here vs locals. To bad read more

With so many Thai spots to eat at in the lake forest Dr/ el toro Dr area, Plern takes #1 spot for me. Very authentic flavors reminiscent of my time spent visiting Thailand. The staff is very friendly and welcoming and the restaurant has a nice family friendly vibe to it. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Papaya salad - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The food here is the best Thai food I have ever eaten outside of Thailand. And it is closed to me so I do consider myself lucky . The food here is superb and authentic. Quality ingredients with friendly staffs and Chefs . I love their food and their services . Highly recommended read more

Delicious! Good for family, and kids and adults alike enjoyed the tasty dishes. Thai milk tea is also a delight. Will return, thank you! read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Delicious dinner! - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Amazing service and food. I placed an online pickup and they accidentally served me the egg roti instead of the regular sweet roti. We called and Nu, our server, was able to help out and replace it for us with no charge! Feel bad because shes the only server on floor, but super sweet and helpful. She also threw in a free thai tea!! So sweet will be coming back :D read more

Super tasty food and friendly fast service. I'll be back even though it's not too Close to my house. read more

Plern Thai Cafe - Shrimp Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Hidden gem tucked away in a random strip mall in Lake Forest. Don't let its unassuming appearance deceive you. The food is delicious. My mom and I came in at 7 pm on a Sunday and were promptly seated. Our hostess was so pleasant and attentive, constantly asking if the food was good and refilling our water. Everything we ordered was a hit. For our appetizers, we started with the gui chai tod and the wagyu roti mataba. Gui chai tod is my favorite appetizer, and Plern's version is delicious and chock full of chives. I loved the sweet and spicy soy they serve it with. I think they steam the chive cake a little longer before frying, so it was a tad softer, but it still had a great crisp to it. The wagyu roti was probably my favorite dish of the night. Super flaky and buttery roti wrapped around this perfectly-seasoned beef and potato mixture. The pickled cucumber, jalapeño, red onion on the side is the perfect accompaniment. For our main dishes, we split the salmon tom yum and this curry dish with pork and morning glory (the name was like three pig something I think? I'm totally blanking). The Tom yum was well balanced in seasoning and had ample salmon in it. It could have been a tad bit more tart, but that's just personal preference. The curry dish was spicy and like a soupier curry. Loaded with tons of pork belly and morning glory. I've been to Hanuman and Manao, but Plern is now my favorite Thai restaurant in OC. Will most definitely be coming back to try all the other menu items! read more

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Visited Plern Cafe yesterday as a party of 4. I ordered the Tom Yum soup as my meal and added shrimp instead of tofu for an extra $3 (6 fairly large shrimp were included), making the cost of a bowl of soup about $19, which may be reasonable nowadays, but still seems like a lot of money for one bowl of soup. Other's in the group ordered the Wagyu Beef, the Pad Thai, and the Green Curry. Everyone enjoyed their food and all felt it was very tasty and high quality. I would recommend the place. I'm reducing my rating by 1/2 of a star because the restaurant has no public restroom. I cannot understand a sit-down eat-in restaurant that refuses to have a restroom (which in many cases my family may wish to use during a meal). We did not have beverages other than complimentary ice water and the bill was only $70 before tip. read more

Every time I am in Lake Forest, I always end up getting either the shrimp pad thai or the basil waygu beef entree. I've tried both dishes at many other Thai restaurants, but for me, this is the best. What I really appreciate is that they accommodate when I request light sauce when they cook the pad thai. I've also tried the chive appetizer, and that's delish too. Also, the shrimp yellow curry with vermicelli noodles, so yum. The waitresses have always been helpful, nice and accommodating. read more

Yum, yum in my tum! My wife and I met here for a date night. I was craving Thai and my wife suggested we hit up Plern. The food was fantastic! We order the chive cakes, pad Thai, crispy chicken w/ rice and beef Panag. Our server was very attentive and super sweet. She asked what spice level for the panag and I ordered a 7 and it was the perfect balance of not being overly spicy and still flavorful. As you can see, we ordered a lot of food and we were happy to take it all home! The menu is small, and doesn't have much but their offerings were still very good. I only knocked down 1 star due to the AC. It was so hot and as the sun sets, it is directly hitting all the windows. But overall, our experience was great. Looking forward to our next visit! Thank you! read more

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Plern is always my go to for great single meal Thai food. I've had every item on their menu and everything is delicious! The Thai Milk tea is also excellent. The staff is great and always accommodating. Definitely check it out! read more

Friday night and we're slummin' it. Don't really feel like dressing up and I don't feel like cooking. So we decided to head to a Thai place that we hadn't tried yet. This popped up on my yelp and I decided this was the place to eat at tonight. The service was exceptional. The servers were very friendly and they were always checking on us and bringing us whatever we needed promptly. Unfortunately, thats where the good stuff ends. The dining room was ok. It was pretty ordinary. Well lit. Capacity of about 30 people or so. But the food was ordinary at best. It's hard to make thai food meh. But congratulations Plern! You have done quite a feat. The main issue is they have made thai food bland. I'm not talking about the heat level; I'm talking abut not adding enough spices. The chicken is just boiled meat thrown into the soup. The tofu is not fried. The pad thai was a very small amount of noodles and mostly other fillers. They even substituted the normal amount of soup with side of rice. But, the prices are the same as most other nice thai places. I won't be visiting here again; even to slum it. read more

Food 4/5 Ambiance- 3/5 Service 5/5 We loved all the dishes we tried. They were unique and refined. My only complaint is that the portions were on he smaller side. The Panang Beef curry was extraordinary. The crispy chive cake appetizer was also very good. Also really loved the beef salad (forgot the name but it was beef and arugula). Took a couple stars off for ambiance bc the air conditioner was broken on a super hot day and it was a sauna inside. I'm sure under normal circumstances it would be very pleasant inside. The staff was super friendly and made it a memorable experience despite the heat. Will try it again soon, read more

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I knew that the menu was something very different compared to the hundreds of other Thai restaurants in Southern California. You must try the Wagyu Roti Mataba as it doesn't appear, at first glance, to be a Wagyu pastry which melts in your mouth. The Wagyu is very tender and the mild spices will excite your taste buds. The chicken satay is pre cut barbecue chunks of chicken which are much easier to eat than biting a larger piece of chicken skewered on a bamboo stick. No messy snack here! Finally, I had the Drunken Noodles with chicken. They were good and not too much Thai chili (medium heat recommended). The staff were friendly and the restaurant was clean, even though they had many customers coming in and going out while I was there. read more

Tried out this spot during lunch during the week. Depending on what you order, or can take a very long time for food to come out. I was on an hour lunch break and it took over 30 minutes for an order of chicken to come out. The Tom Yum Soup was good but didn't taste authentic like other Thai food spots. It was a bit on the sweeter side. The basil beef was the most flavorful and Probably the best dish served there. It's definitely not your traditional Thai food spots with a variety of main dishes to order. Make sure to look at the menu first, to ensure that your go to dish is served here. read more

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