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    Sab Lai Thai Kitchen

    3.9 (737 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Noodles, Seafood
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Sab Lai Thai Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

    Sab Lai Thai Kitchen Photos

    SAB LAI THAI KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Moderate noise

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    Reviews With Photos - Sab Lai Thai Kitchen

    Panang Curry with Duck
    Joseph C.

    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!

    Pad See Iw with chicken
    Ann L.

    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. Atmosphere is casual and relaxed.

    Pad Thai with chicken
    Dan V.

    Delicious Pad Thai with chicken. Friendly and courteous customer service. Very comfortable restaurant with nice relaxing music and lighting. A very pleasant experience.

    Top to bottom: bamboo shoot and eggplant stir fry with mock chicken, tom yum with tofu, yellow curry with chicken, pad Thai veggie/tofu
    Jehl A.

    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. sounds like we came during karaoke (sunday evening). still food and service was great and id come again. Super vegetarian friendly and beautiful space.

    Outside
    Raj S.

    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 . Ambience inside was good... the place was definitely crowded and it took some time for us to get a seat for 3.. Restaurant was big inside . Lots of tables to sit and eat .. 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 .

    Ginger stir fry
    Dawn S.

    Love Sab Lai. We're here for 4th of July having an early 4pm dinner. It has a pleasant and calm atmosphere where you can actually have a conversation, and the place is spotless clean. 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.

    Pad Thai chicken
    Doreen T.

    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!

    Pad See Ew lunch plate

    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.

    Pad Thai with Beef
    Vivian L.

    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!

    Tom Yum Soup (Small)
    Ronnie T.

    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!

    Panang Curry Pad See Iw
    Brian M.

    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

    Sharon B.

    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!

    Pad ka pow w/mixed seafood
    Rob J.

    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.

    Pad Thai

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    Page 1 of 19

    Sab Lai Thai Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Sab Lai Thai Kitchen

    Pets allowed in outdoor dining?

    Yes, on the patio. ! There was a dog there when dined in June.

    Do they have gluten free options?

    Yes. Please inform your server of any allergy and/or special accommodation. Thank you for choosing Sab Lai.

    View All 5 Questions

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    We love Blue Water! We like to get to the restaurant 15minutes before it opens to get in line. The…read moreplace gets so crowded. The staff will take your order and assign you a table, so do not grab a table without their approval. The seafood all taste fresh. We love the halibut plate with lemon garlic butter. For the fish and chips, the red snapper with panko crust is our family favorite over the beer battered. Tip: we went at 2:30p thinking it is after the lunch rush, but the line was out the door on Sunday. We will stick to 15mins before they open.

    I picked my folks up from the airport after their trip to Alaska and my mom was hangry because she…read morehad not eaten since breakfast. I asked her what she wanted and she said, "seafood", so I immediately thought of Blue Water, and we drove right over. We parked at a metered spot nearby & walked in at 5pm. Do note that there is no dedicated parking for Blue Water, so at busy times it may be tricky to find a spot, but we had no trouble today. In the main dining ordering area & on the side patio, there were a few tables that were occupied, but there was no ordering line. All of us wanted shrimp today apparently, so my dad and I both got a shrimp taco with lemon garlic butter & my hungry mom got the shrimp platter also with lemon garlic butter. The platter came with 8 shrimp, jasmine rice, and a lovely, fresh garden salad. The server who took our order and brought it out to us was very helpful & nice. They have a ton of fresh seafood on offer though so if shrimp is not your thing, there will likely be another delightful offering from the sea that will suit your fancy. We sat in the side patio area and it was very pleasant. We enjoyed our experience this evening very much! The tacos were big and had more than 5 shrimp in them, plus cabbage, pico, cheddar cheese & white sauce. One taco was pretty decently sized. If I'd been hungrier, two tacos would've been perfect, but today, I was happy with one taco. Yum! Mom enjoyed her platter. It was beautifully prepared. Blue Water also has a decent soft drink selection and beers and wine, but we all just had their water and it was very refreshing! :) By the time we left at 5:45, a line was forming out the door, so we really came out at a good time. Peace!

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    Water Grill - San Diego

    Water Grill - San Diego

    4.4
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    Chose this place after seeing the reviews. Great food, drinks, and the coolest vibe. We sat by…read morethe window which was open to the street, and had a great time people watching. The food quality was amazing. We had the oysters, calamari (so crunchy and light), scampi, and Chilean sea bass. It was all cooked to perfection. Giovanni was our waiter and he was fantastic. Anticipated our needs, made great recommendations for drink and food. We were never rushed. Will definitely come back next time we are in San Diego!

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    Wild Chilean Sea Bass with ricotta gundi and brown butter.
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    Best freshest oysters ever!!!
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    100s Seafood Grill Buffet

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    Came on a Thursday for the first time. It happened to be lobster night, which was more costly than…read morethe other nights. Arrived around 5:15pm, and there wasn't a line, but the restaurant had a good amount of diners. Pretty good ventilation at the front of the restaurant, but the back part of the restaurant, likely the overflow room was where my family and I were seated. It had a funky smell to the area and there was poor ventilation. I wanted to step out but I refrained. Everything felt stuffy in that section. The only nice person was the male staff member at the front for checkin. The rest of the staff were not very friendly. The hostess who walked us to our table was not very friendly and just rushed things. Took our drink orders, and didn't say much. Just walked off. I was surprised to see the pitchers with the beverages were sitting on top of a counter outside where customers are, without any lids. Anyone can just walk by and touch or spit in them. Thought that was not very hygienic... Different sections of food. I never expect food at buffets to be of good quality or taste excellent, so the food items were all mediocre. The teppanyaki grill was... well, let's just say they use the same spatula for everyone's entreés. You load up your plate and the cook throws everything on the grill. Uses the same spatulas to cook everyone's food. If you have allergies or sensitivity to spice, then probably avoid this section. He cooked the meat for someone else's plate and then touched the veggies for the other. Used mod spice level sauce for one, and then same spatula on my entreé. My order was non-spicy, but it had a kick since the neighboring sauce got onto my stir fry. Dessert section isn't even labeled.... meaning, the baked/dessert items aren't labeled other than the gelato flavors. Crab legs were very salty. Lobster claws in the cold section were OK though. The warm lobster they serve is limited to 1 per person per serving. Long line, and if they run out, you have to wait or return when they serve again. People were waiting in line while eating their food... the lobsters are tiny, dry, and with very little meat. It is definitely not worth paying the extra for lobster night. The amount of waiting time is ridiculous and there is no guarantee that you can even get a lobster. Some groups have 1 person waiting in line and then when it is their turn, the rest of the group members (5-7) cut the whole line to each get a lobster. I was trying to get 1 for my mother, and I didn't get to eat one, but didn't mind since it didn't even look good. Rest of the foods were mediocre too. I had 1 plate that wasn't even full... lost my appetite. Wouldn't return. Hygiene.... cross contamination... Some people say this place is like the old Pala casino buffet or Las Vegas buffet- definitely not the case. Parking can be compact. Gets busy around 5:45p it seems as more people were waiting in the lobby.

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    Pete's Seafood and Sandwich

    Pete's Seafood and Sandwich

    4.5
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    Today I brought my new baby out to try out our family's favorite restaurant. Baby-friendly with…read morespace to park the stroller next to our table. We put baby in high chair although baby kept trying to eat the table. We got our usual favorites (warm lobster rolls, clam chowder bowls, fried oyster, and fried clam belly). Surprisingly the clam belly was full of sand this time! Must not have soaked in water long enough, but when we told our server they swapped it out immediately. We substituted one of our coleslaw for potato salad, and one of our fries for onion rings. We definitely will continue doing so because it is nice to try out so many different dishes! As always, order the fries well-done for nice crispy fries. It's still on our to-do list to try the chicken parmesan since we've heard so many good things about it, but I really do like my Must Order dishes (listed below). Must Order (in order of ranking): - Clam chowder bowl - Warm lobster roll - Fried oysters - Fried scallops - Fried clam belly - Fried clam strips - Crab roll Pass: - Fish and chips - Calamari

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    LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! I've been coming here since they opened but haven't been here in awhile,…read morebut sure have missed it. Came here during HH with my daughter... which is the best time to come, but come early as it does get PACKED! You order right when you walk up to the register and then find a table. HH is 3-6pm DAILY!! Their HH menu is the best deal and so very tasty! My HH favorites...The poke nachos, chowder fries and shishito peppers! My daughter really liked the lemon pepper wings (on the HH menu too). Not on the HH menu but two of my other favorites are the (garlicky) brussel sprouts and the spicy poke and crispy rice! HH - Craft beers are $5... can't beat that! This place is great addition to Scripps!! The owners are super friendly as well as the staff!

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    Tom Ham's Lighthouse

    Tom Ham's Lighthouse

    4.0
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    Food: 5/5 Drinks: 5/5…read morePortions: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Cleanliness: 5/5 Customer service: 5/5 Speed: 4/5 Price: $$$ Outdoor seating: yes ADA access: yes Restrooms: yes, M/F Dogs: no Kid Friendly: yes Vegetarian options: yes Vegan options: yes Ambiance: yes Pros: stunning views, upscale experience, lots of parking, good food, good service recovery!! Cons: they only have one vegetarian meal option that can be made vegan- but that's okay! It's delicious and I'm glad they offer something for us veggies (:

    3.5 stars -- Come for the view, not necessarily the food…read more It's been about a month now since visiting and just got around to this review. Just because a restaurant has been around for 55 years doesn't necessarily mean it's great--it means it has stood the test of time. After our experience at Tom Ham's Lighthouse, I'd say the incredible location and view probably have a lot to do with that longevity. The staff was friendly, but the service was painfully slow. Our dinner lasted 3.5 hours, and not once did a manager stop by to check on our table. Even when a few stragglers of our group arrived a few minutes after we were seated, the hostess simply pointed them toward our table rather than walking them over. Details matter. The menu is surprisingly small, and the food ranged from mediocre to good. The short ribs were basic with a small portion over mashed potatoes and three asparagus spears. The fish was decent, the tenderloin appetizer was overcooked, and the lobster bisque was a definite miss. The chicken lollipops and calamari were good, although the calamari portion was small. The shrimp cocktail had five decent-sized shrimp. We ate indoors, but with the restaurant open to the outside, the flies eventually became pretty annoying. Overall, the prices were reasonable, the staff was friendly, and the view is definitely the star of the show. Unfortunately, 3.5 hours for dinner with slow service, average food, and no manager checking in made the experience hard to rate any higher. Great view. Decent prices. Average food. Very slow service.

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    Sab Lai Thai Kitchen - thai - Updated August 2026

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