This place still has the same great quality of food and service after my last review. When I'm craving some good Thai food in Downtown, I always end up at this spot. Anyone attending conferences, game, or concert in downtown? This is the spot to go. Everything is good here this restaurant. My favorites are the curry and pad Thai! If you are to thirsty, make sure to drink some refreshing Thai tea! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Beautiful interior, good food, and great service.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Came on a Saturday night around 630pm and were seated right a way. The sampler appetizer platter was a great start to get a little bit of everything. The fried rice and pad see ew were good as well. Prices are a bit higher than most Thai places in SD, but this restaurant is right in the middle of Gaslamp so it's reasonable for the location. Also bear in mind there's a small (3%?) fee if you pay with card. Overall a nice option if you're looking for something other than bar food in the area. read more

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Fun dinner last night on our walk through the Gaslamp District while on vacation! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Beautiful decor and great waitstaff![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I got a Singha Beer and my husband had an iced tea. We shared the Veggie Tempura and Drunken Noodles with Tofu. Everything was delicious and hit the spot!! read more

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After a failed attempt at trying to get Thai food the previous night, we decided to try Sab Lai Thai Kitchen! Service was great - the staff was super attentive and quick. The food was great too - I ordered the Panang Curry with duck and my partner got the yellow curry with chicken! Portions are a bit smaller but flavor was great. The Panang curry has a night little kick to it but it's not too spicy! Will definitely be coming back! read more

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We had dinner here after visiting a nearby cocktail bar, and this was absolutely perfect! I had the pad see ew with chicken. I ordered it medium spice level and it was flavorful without heat. The flavor was excellent and the noodles were perfect; they were all nicely coated in the sauce and the noodles and other ingredients were nicely combined vs the frequent experience elsewhere of the noodles being kind of clumped together. The food was fresh and came out fast. Prices are extremely reasonable for this area. We arrived around 7:30 and were seated right away; they filled up fast after this time and so we were glad we arrived when we did. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Atmosphere is casual and relaxed.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad See Iw with chicken - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Delicious Pad Thai with chicken. Friendly and courteous customer service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Very comfortable restaurant with nice relaxing music and lighting.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] A very pleasant experience. read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai with chicken - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Walked from our hotel, centrally located. got the eggplant and bamboo shoot mock chicken, the texture and taste of mock chicken so gooood. papaya salad delicious. Great broth flavor in tom yum. garlic edamame and pad Thai were also good. friend got chicken yellow curry and said there was not a lot of flavor. Also had thai iced tea which was good and not too sweet. only downside for me was the spice was not spicing. asked for a little under thai spicy or 8/10 spicy and it was more around 4-5/10 spicy (as someone with a high spice tolerance). servers seemed busy possibly working between here and the bar next door. [[HIGHLIGHT]]sounds like we came during karaoke (sunday evening).[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] still food and service was great and id come again. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Super vegetarian friendly and beautiful space.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Top to bottom: bamboo shoot and eggplant stir fry with mock chicken, tom yum with tofu, yellow curry with chicken, pad Thai veggie/tofu - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Had been to convention center and was walking through downtown .. there are so many restaurants around and we chose to taste Thai food .. this had a good review in Google and we had to try the food here . [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambience inside was good... the place was definitely crowded and it took some time for us to get a seat for 3.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant was big inside . Lots of tables to sit and eat ..[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] service was the big letdown.. for the size of the crowd they should have had more employees helping the customers.. there was one woman running around taking orders and then going inside to the kitchen and comes back late . Took about 10-15 minutes just to get a beer and a menu card. food was good .. We had pad Thai and it tasted good.. my friends tried a few other stuff and they liked it . .. I had drunken noodle and it was average . Could have been more spicy and flavorful. Again.. food wise it was good overall , but for the wait time and the service , I'll give a 3 star . read more

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Good Thai food. Prices reasonable for area. I ordered green curry with beef and it was very nicely spiced. Could have had more beef.. My friends ordered panang curry with chicken and it was good too, but spicy when panang is supposed to be mild. Also heard chicken fried rice is good too! The service was really slow. The waters and food took forever to come out. The server was nice and apologized that he was the only one that night. Check was slow to come out too. But they should hire more staff! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place looked pretty budget but still typical ambiance for the area.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Love Sab Lai. We're here for 4th of July having an early 4pm dinner. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It has a pleasant and calm atmosphere where you can actually have a conversation, and the place is spotless clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service is excellent, very polite and quick. I got the ginger stirfry and it's wonderful with chicken. Hubby got the drunken noodles with chicken and it's amazing. We totally recommend this place. read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Ginger stir fry - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

We eat here when we come to San Diego Comic Con ever year. It is the ONLY restaurant that is consistently good in both quality of food and service. All the food is so fresh and the sauces do not mask or cover the flavor of the food they are paired with. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is right down the street from the convention center in gaslamp, and allows for either indoor or outdoor seating to enjoy people watching.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I recommend this place with all my heart, even knowing my wait will be longer since everyone will want to try it. read more

So glad our group chose to have dinner here during Comic Con weekend! Even though the line looked long, it moved faster than expected, we waited about 30 minutes for a table of six during the peak dinner rush. The staff was incredibly friendly and patient, which we really appreciated after a long day at the con with no food. We ordered a variety of dishes like stir-fry noodles, curry, satay, and salad. My chicken pad thai with tofu was flavorful and hit the spot. Everyone cleaned their plates in record time. The service was great, our water glasses were refilled without us asking, and they even split the bill five ways, which is rare for a small restaurant. Gratuity was included for the con weekend, so we didn't have to think twice. Huge thanks to the team at Sab Lai for a great experience, it's officially my go-to spot whenever I'm in the Gaslamp Quarter! read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai chicken - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

This is one of the few Thai places that for lunch they don't do the soup and I really like the soup so I missed that. I got the pad see ew which is a staple for me to try across different restaurants. The lunch plate here had a large variety of things including more salad as a proportion than other places I've been to. They also gave an eggroll which was fresh fried and delicious. The flavors are all really good the noodles really good, but know that even mild has a little bit of spicy chili flakes, but I was totally fine with it. I just wish there were more noodles instead of a lot of salad. My issue, that I admit I didn't notice until partway since I had gone with a group and I was talking to everyone, is that I had ordered it with beef, but I got the dish with chicken. By the time I noticed it was too late to say anything other than put the tiny bit left in a box home. Definitely wasn't worth saying anything about at that point because the flight was good and I ate it most of it already. The ambience was nice that there were a lot of noises and smells from outside. The day we were there there was a very strong smell of pot not sure how much that is some thing that restaurant can control but something for people to be aware of. Even if you're eating inside, you can smell or hear all kinds of things since it's a restaurant downtown. read more

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I went here and ordered the pad Thai with beef and a tom yum soup. The tom yum soup was delicious. But the pad Thai was okay, they didn't provide lime so I had to ask for it and it made it a bit better. Service was okay. Street parking only. Interior was pretty though! I think this place is a bit pricey for some Thai food! read more

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I stopped by this location with a co worker of mine, and we were greeted and seated promptly. The ambiance is quiet with nice dim lighting. I ordered a ginger lemonade and it was very refreshing and had a healing kind of energy to it. I also ordered Tom Yom soup as an appetizer and it was warm, delicious, and fresh! Loaded with fresh veggies and lots of flavor. For my main course, I ordered the crab fried rice! This was luscious and decadent! It really brought me a'lot of peace with each and every bite! Yum! Check this spot out! read more

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Pleasantly surprised to find a good Thai restaurant in the Gaslamp. Our waitress was very friendly and checked in on us often, which made the experience even better. We ordered the chicken egg rolls, pad see ew, and Panang curry. Everything was tasty, fresh, and served in generous portions. A little pricey compared to other Thai spots but not surprised due to the location. Would visit again in the future read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Panang Curry Pad See Iw - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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My friend took us here for lunch on a weekend. It wasn't busy at all and we were seated right away in their beautiful restaurant. Our waitress took great care of our group. We took advantage of their lunch specials. I ordered the vegetarian drunken noodle and it was delicious. Lots of flavor with the right amount of spiciness for me. We would definitely return! read more

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I visited Sab Lai Thai Kitchen while attending a conference in the Gaslamp District of San Diego. The Thai food was good and the location is convenient if you're in the area. I had the Pad Ka Pow with mixed seafood. I asked for it spicy, but it only came out medium. I requested prik nam pla on the side, which added the extra heat I wanted. After 6:30 pm, you can order drinks from the Irish pub next door and have them with your meal. Overall, it's a solid option for Thai food downtown. read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad ka pow w/mixed seafood - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Good ambience, great staff, great menu with options for vegetarians and vegans so it's great for a big crowd and picky eaters with mock chicken and other substitutions available[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food is flavorful and portion sizes are good Summer spring roll is nice and fresh and the tom yum soup is very welcoming on a cold evening. read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice servers very patient and accommodating. Hot thai basil is flavorful and fragrant. Not a very spicy restaurant. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Modern decor.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Outdoor seating available.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Can seat parties of 20 easy.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Large couches along side.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Lunch special Thai basil - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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10/10 Sab Lai Thai Kitchen is hands down the best lunch special ever. This was my third time coming here, and they are consistently amazing. I ordered the chicken green curry soup, which comes with a green salad, vegetarian spring roll, and jasmine rice. The curry was super rich in flavor, packed with veggies, and had just the right amount of spice -- spicy but perfect. I even added a little extra heat, and it took it to another level. I also had a mango lemonade, which was amazing -- refreshing and full of real mango flavor. On top of that, I ordered a Thai chicken spring roll, and it was absolutely delicious. The staff was amazing and very attentive, making the whole experience even better. Everything about this place is a 10/10 -- food, drinks, and service. I'll definitely keep coming back. read more

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Great lunch specials. I especially like their curries served in this stylish spot. Brick walls. Excellent service. The huge chunks of eggplant in the green curry are a highlight. The lunch specials come with a salad, an egg roll, main dish and jasmine rice (brown rice for $1 more). I got pork green curry and my lunch partner got Panang with chicken. And the spice levels were on point! read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Green Curry - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Review # 11 of 2025 I came here and ordered to-go during Comic Con. Being this place was downtown and in the Gaslamp area, I honestly was not expecting much but I wanted some rice for my baby boy to eat because that's what he loves. I ordered online and it was ready a lot faster than I was expecting for it being so busy. I ordered the pad se ew, yellow curry, and fried rice. I also got a Thai coffee. Picking up food was a breeze, even though there was a crazy line of people waiting to be seated to eat. [[HIGHLIGHT]]So glad we ordered to-go instead! It would had been very hard to navigate a small restaurant with that many people with my toddler in his stroller.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] But they seemed to be able to seat people in a timely manner. The line seemed to move at a decent speed. For the food. The Thai coffee was okay. That item I could pass on for next time. For the food, I was pleasantly surprised that the portions were pretty big! The pad se ew was very tasty and addicting. My baby LOVED the fried rice. He's only 16 months and ate more than half of the fried rice!! We saved that other half for the next day. I ordered with the combo of meats and they sure packed on the meat!! The fried rice was tasty but a bit more oily than I would like for my son. The curry was also very good... and definitely a bit spicy! It came with one white rice which was not enough for the curry! We had enough curry left over to eat with another portion of rice! I know for next time to order and an extra side of rice because the portion of curry is so big that the rice it came with was not enough! So would I come back here? Yes! I was very impressed with this place and decided that this would be one of the places we come back to eat at while downtown during Comic Con. The priced are a bit higher than average, but being downtown and that the food was actually good and the portions were good, it turned out to not be all that bad. I mean you could pay like $15 for some overcooked chicken strips at the convention center or pay $20 here for some real food. I'll take the real food lol. read more

This place was so good we came back again during our trip and got the exact same orders! Staff was so friendly and even during the busy times it wasn't too hard to get a table. The food comes out pretty quickly and the portions are large. The pad Thai is so good! 10/10 recommend and will definitely be back next time I'm in town! read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Ordered padthai shrimp to go, handed me padthai egg without shrimp. Waitress didn't even apologized. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Its a 'sab-lai' place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Had a pretty solid dinner at Sab Lai. I was in the mood for some thai on Thanksgiving and stumbled across this cozy little spot. The service was superb. The workers were super friendly and attentive. It was wonderful. I had the sweet and sour chicken. The server asked how spicy on 1-10 I wanted it and told her a 7. I appreciated the scale so that way it didn't get too hot, but I do love a good amount of spice. I would've went higher on the scale but did not want to overwhelm myself. the 7 heat level was perfect. The chicken was cooked really well. The spice did a great job of balancing the sweetness of the sauce. The medley of vegetables were also cooked really well. The interior was cozy. A solid, casual date night or solo dinner spot. I would definitely recommend. No qualms with the food. It was solid, a much enjoyed meal! read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Sweet and Sour - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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We had a full dinner here with dessert. Everything was on point had a great meal. Super tasty with a classic top level Thai taste. We also finished it off with a classic Thai dessert, fried bananas with coconut ice cream. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We had a great time.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I recommend this place. read more

We ordered the red curry and pad Thai. The red curry paste is spicy so if you can't handle spice, don't order this. This entree came with rice. It was very tasty! The pad Thai was good, too. They mandate a 3.5% non-cash fee for credit card payments. They partner with Blarney Stone Pub (next door) so you can order drinks from their menu. read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Red Curry - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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My coworkers and I strolled into Sab Lai Thai Kitchen pretty late on a Monday night. We showed up about an hour prior to closing, but the restaurant's kitchen was still open and staff members were delighted to seat us. Sab Lai Thai Kitchen was a beautiful restaurant. It felt modern like a lounge, but the interior design was influenced by Thai roots. I wasn't that hungry, so I got an order of chicken satay. The chicken breast skewers were flavorful and moist. This was refreshing, because I've recently had chicken satay elsewhere with its meat being dried out. Loved the pickled cucumber side and the sweet peanut sauce that complimented the chicken. I got a bite of shrimp tempura that my coworker ordered, which was delicious. It was lightly battered and not oily. I'd go as far as saying that this was better than shrimp tempura I've had at Japanese restaurants. Wish I was hungry to try more items, but I'll look forward to coming back. read more

Coming here to eat after bar hopping in Gaslamp is a great move. The food comes out quickly, they have little tables outside for you to eat at, and the food tastes amazing. I ordered the Spicy Fried Rice which tasted so fresh and packed with so much flavor. I also might have gotten my spice level too high because my mouth was on fire, but it didn't stop me from enjoying my food. Love this place! read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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The spot was really cute & nicely decorated, there's also a 2nd side setup as a bar so that's cool. We came in the afternoon during comic con & fortunately we got there right in time because they filled up shortly after. The staff was very nice but seemed a bit overwhelmed with the crowd as we had multiple servers that would check on our table & not realize someone else already came to take our order, etc. The Thai tea was pretty good & their lychee lemonade was super refreshing but really sweet, so I'd water it down if you didn't like sweet stuff. Overall their food was good, but could use more flavor on their drunken noodles. read more

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First off, customer service is always over the top. Beyond the pleasantries, they typically have a full house. The seating is appropriately spaced so that our costumes, bags, props, and equipment don't get in other patron's way "too much". The Pad See Iw with beef is always delicious. Whether we are in or out of costume, they deliver. The Thai Fried Rice with chicken hits the spot every time. This is our go to spot for Thai when visiting the Gas Lamp District. This is our fourth time visiting this joint since 2015 and they always deliver on flavor and service! read more

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Great Thai in the Gaslamp District. The unassuming and historic exterior opens up to a warm, classy, modern interior with tables welcoming small or larger parties. As the staff smiles and welcomes you, you will notice others, sitting wall to wall, enjoying beautiful dishes that have been carefully prepared. This made us excited for our meal. We were not disappointed and enjoyed our dishes which were flavorful and delicious. We would recommend San Lai Thai Kitchen. read more

Had a nice lunch here, it was mostly empty on a weekday. It was relatively quiet. We were surprised that everything came on the same plate including the spring roll, sauces, and the fruits. It seemed a bit crowded on our plates and we would have preferred separate plates for these sides (specifically the fruit since the rest of the dish was quite oily) Both dishes were delicious but not outstanding. The crispy spring roll was absolutely delicious and came out nice and hot. read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Pad See Iw tofu Pad Thai shrimp - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

This place has to be my favorite restaurant even though I've only eaten there once. [[HIGHLIGHT]]When I came, the ambiance was very peaceful and calm which I loved.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered the Pad See Ew and the Crab Fried Rice, which were absolutely mouthwatering. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I enjoyed the experience and all the cool decorations.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] At the end, the waitress brought us complimentary watermelon and orange to refresh our palates. I'm looking forward to going back. read more

Such fresh ingredients. We were a party of 6 and all of our dishes were delicious. To top it off, the service was fantastic. If you love mango sticky rice, be sure to leave room for dessert! read more

Pros: -they have a good selection of vegan items here, which is why we chose this location Cons: -although we ordered at the same time, our food came out at such different times. I was done eating my food before someone else in our group even got their order (which we had to check on because it was taking so long). It seemed like they kept bringing out one dish at a time and we had a group of 5. -the service took a very long time. We kept waiting for our check and it seemed like our table kept getting overlooked. Other: -18 percent gratuity automatically included (probably due to our group size) read more

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Chicken drunken noodle ($18.00) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - Very Thai, Very Tasty, Very Tremendous! Listen folks, I've eaten a lot of Thai food. From Manhattan to Mar-a-Lago. And let me tell you--Sab Lai Thai Kitchen in San Diego? It's tremendous. So good, you'll start saying "Pad Thai" the way I say "China"--with power. First of all, the ambiance--so beautiful, so peaceful, I almost forgot the fake news even existed. Great lighting. Elegant decor. It's like Thailand, but with better parking. The staff? Incredible people. So polite. Smiling, hardworking, probably not fans of CNN. They brought me my Thai iced tea faster than Joe Biden forgets what room he's in. Perfect drink. Orange, sweet, creamy--just like success. Let's talk food. I had the Drunken Noodles--and folks, I wasn't drunk, but I felt high on flavor. Spicy, bold, total flavor explosion. I also got the Panang Curry, which was so good I considered adding it to the GOP platform. Creamy. Nutty. A little spicy--just like me on Twitter (before they shut it down, very unfair). The Pad Thai? Probably the best in California. Maybe even the world. I don't know. People are saying it. A lot of people. Prices? Very fair. Very smart business. You leave full, happy, and not feeling like you just bought a gold toilet. And the portions? Huge. We love huge. In summary: Sab Lai is the real deal. Beautiful food, beautiful people, beautiful place. If you haven't been, go. If you've already been, go again. Tell them Trump sent you--they'll probably give you extra chili oil. Five stars. Zero regrets. Lots of noodles. Absolutely amazing. -- Donald J. Thai Food Champion read more

FYI for plant-based folks: Sab Lai Thai Kitchen has a notable number of vegan and vegetarian dishes if you're on a plant-based diet. I tried the drunken noodles with chicken. It took about 20 minutes for me to receive my food. The restaurant was busy and packed on a Monday evening. They had no seating indoors, so I was seated outside on a bar stool facing the streets. The food was spicy, but not unbearably spicy and it was flavorful with the basil. Since I was dining solo, I had eaten about half of the plate and asked for the rest to be packed to go. The staff were nice and checked to make sure I had utensils when I was packing my leftovers to go. I personally won't be returning since I experienced an allergic reaction with outbreak of hives. read more

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After eating here a few times I'll say that this is one of the better Thai places in downtown. The space is dim and moody which I loved. Service was friendly and dishes came out quickly. We've ordered quite a few entrees and overall the taste, freshness and quality have been consistent. Though they aren't breaking into any new territory with their offerings, think typical Thai dishes, they are done well. Drunken Noodles were chewy and flavor packed. Thai BBQ chicken was moist, though I wish it was on the bone. Som Tum was really good, stepped up with additional chili took it to the next level. Prices are decent and portion sizes are sharable. If you happen to be in Gaslamp, I'd say they're worth a try. "NASA asked me to create meals for the space shuttle. Thai chicken was the favorite. I flew in a fake space shuttle, but I have no desire to go into space after seeing the toilet." -Rachael Ray read more