I've come to this restaurant quite a few times over the years. During COVID, the dining area was always closed, so it was nice to come back recently after about two years and see the seating area open again. It was pretty quiet when I visited, with only a few employees eating at the time. The food is still good, and I usually order the Pad Thai. It has great flavor, but I do wish it came with a bit more sauce. The noodles tend to look a little dry and could use more color. I love spicy food, so I usually add a generous amount of sriracha, which helps bring it to life. I also ordered the spicy chicken wings, which used to be one of my favorites. This time, they seemed a bit oilier and not as crispy as I remember from my earlier visits. Overall, I still enjoy the food and am happy to support this business. While a couple of items weren't quite as good as I remembered, it's still a solid spot that I'd return to. read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Chicken Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Don't ever order food with them on DoorDash they canceled my order and told me that I had to pay an extra $43 for my order. The price prices were set prices on the menu when we placed our order so why were we gonna get charged for $43? They told the Dasher to pay for it. Terrible customer service. I wouldn't order from here again. read more

Love the inside decor the most the woman working was sweet and fast. The prices were great and affordable . Would go back again read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Windows look out to the street - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I am so happy that this family owned business is still thriving! The prices are reasonable and the food is always delicious! I appreciate that the flavors of the dishes are not overly sweet. Servers are always friendly. Looking forward to my next meal here. read more

Our favorite Thai eatery for years. The owners are warm and make fabulous Thai cuisine.

Very warm and welcoming place, has a great view of the hills. The service is very friendly and efficient and food is delicious. We ordered chicken skewers, red curry and Pad Thai. Very generous portions and flavourful food, reasonably priced. I would dine here again. read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Chicken skewers - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Ordered delivery this evening this is the second time my Thai sausage was delivered under expectations vs going in during lunch time! The quality of the food is literally like night and day! The day is good when the mom cooks I go in frequently sit down and eat but once I place a order for delivery in the evening time my thai ice tea is not sweet, my thai sausage is under cook my rice is super bland no seasoning my chicken wings under cooked smh.....I usually love this place but not sure what is going on when ordering in the evening time/or delivery vs going inside to eat during lunch time! My thoughts are "who's cooking what's changed" I've been going here for YEARS.... read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Very bland veggies uncooked none of the extras I ask for threw door dash - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Food was great! Lots of flavor and great price! Staff friendly and grateful. Cute building on the 2nd floor above a motel parking lot, easy parking, cute building and decor. read more

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The food here is so incredible. You can tell it is made fresh with love every time. 10/10 must check this place out!!

To summarize, OUTSTANDING ! Couldn't have been any happier to enjoy a very tasty and authentic flavor with every bite, friendly service made this place comforting :) Thank you! read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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Been to this restaurant for a long time as we no longer live close by. I was so excited to see that the same people I've on this restaurant for 35 years. The daughter is now running it and mom is still cooking some yummy Thai food. They are such a sweet family. We had great service. The food was delicious. We had fish cakes. Yum soup the eggplant dish was very good and our favorite was the Pra Ram with shrimp. Good size portions and good value as well. I love that. they have kept the traditional Thai decor we had a great time. read more

This place is definitely the real definition of a hole in the wall!! It's located on top of a "dive" motel lol! I've passed it so many times and just finally got a chance to check it out with my family and we're glad we did! We ordered the sweet and sour chicken (yup. Seriously there is this Thai dish thst my hubby likes lol), pad see ew with pork and #44 which is a version basil beef but they out more veggies (e.g eggplants and bellpepper). Everything came out fairly quickly and they were YUMMMMMYYYY! My picky toddler ate a lot and did not mind the tiny bit of heat from the #44 lol. The pad see eew was a bit wetter than what I would.like, but the portion was sooooo generous,.not just the noodles but also w the meat and veggies (broccoli). Actually, all three dishes were generous in portion. The BEST part, their prices were soooooo affordable! Most dishes were $10.99 unless you order them with premium protein (e.g. shrimp, fish, duck) for dinner!!! What a steal! It is NOT a fancy spot, but certainly a local gem! They even gave us a small dessert complimentary! We will certainly come and dine here again! read more

Sweet little home-feel restaurant located above a motel. Ran by the sweetest lady, she'll definitely take care of you! The food was great, tasty and homey! read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Fried 4. Spicy Chicken Wings - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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Such a kind staff that put love into all the food. Everytime I come here, they treat us like family. We put in order in advance for the stuffed eggplant which takes longer so you need to order it in advance. When me and family tried it, it was one of the best things I had ever eaten. The overall ambiance of the restaurant was amazing and felt so warm and cozy. Definitely a five star restaurant. I believe they deserve a Michelin Star read more

Very delicious and authentic Thai cuisine. Super friendly staff as well. A little hard to find due to it being in front lot of a motel with stairs on both sides of the building which made entrance challenging to figure out. Overall, will go back for the food and friendly staff. read more

Service was great food was delicious and prices súper affordable will deck let come back again

First time ordering takeout here via phone and I so happened to pick a busy day. The lady on the phone said it would take 30 minutes, when I got there my order was waiting for me already! I was in and out really fast! I ordered the following items: (1) Yum Woon Sen: this would've been good if they included the chili lime sauce, but unfortunately, they forgot to toss the salad in the dressing. Without the dressing, it was bland and dry. (1) Pra Dok Pad Ped - deep fried catfish with chef's special spicy sauce: thus was spicy indeed, but I couldn't tell what was in the chef's sauce. It wasn't bold in flavor as I imagined. A bit disappointing to be honest. (2) Thai iced tea: love! Very refreshing and sweet - might not be for everyone, but it perfect for me! Can never go wrong with Thai iced tea! Even though I was not satisfied with most of my orders, I would pay this restaurant another visit for their curries and noodles. Not to mention, everything on the menu was really affordable! Parking: street parking only, but not difficult at all, I was able to park right in front! read more

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My husband and I have been coming to this hidden gem for the last 13 years! I was worried when I saw a review talking about new owners, however, the food and Thai Tea tastes the same! I spoke with the woman who runs this place and she said that they have been in business here for 33 years! If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping by! The yellow curry (Gang ga ree) is our favorite, we always order a side of jasmine rice, and of course we can't leave without not only Thai Tea with our food, but also one to go! read more

I almost don't want to tell people how good the food here is! We visited for the first time tonight, and the service was friendly and kind, but the food was amazing. The duck special was the best duck I've had in the 10 years I've lived in the US - I would happily eat it for a week. And the red curry was very well balanced -- I had it at the "hot" label of spicy, as you can choose. Lovely fresh vegetables, really delicious. Our starters were great too, and the little free dessert was a great touch! We will very much be back. My only criticism is that I wish they'd had some background music on! Wonderful! read more

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Great little Thai spot in El cerrito. It has that local hole in the wall vibe with the food having a home made taste. Service was friendly, and the food is very affordable in comparison to what prices are these days at a lot of restaurants. Will definitely be back read more

The new owner is nice and good at cooking. Love their spicy fired rice and beef noodle

I got food poisoning. The restaurant was empty and nobody was there. We came in and drank water and we got tom kha soup With chicken, pad thai with shrimp And a pork curry dish. The pad thai didn't really ,taste like other pad ties i've ate at other places. read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - I got food poisoning from Tom kha soup, shrimp pad Thai and a pork curry dish. - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

It is the best authentic Thai food I have ever had. The service was great, and the place makes you feel at home. I like that both owners are hard-working couples; they deserve five stars. read more

This spot is my go-to for Thai food. The service is always good and the food is really delicious and authentic.

Gee, I was so excited that this El Cerrito place served Kao Mun Gai that I think I skipped up the stairs to the strangely elevated restaurant. I'm not sure why it sits on posts in front of an anonymous motel, but there it was, a purple shoebox of a place behind a black door where the first inclination of a Thai restaurant was the decor inside. When I ordered the Kao Mun Gai right off the menu, I was devastated to find out they stopped serving it a long time ago. Fighting back the tears, I saw it on the menu plain as day. But then I noticed they put first-aid tape over the prices and there was no new price for the dish. Damn. Double damn. I told the server she needed to come back while I perused the rest of the lunch menu. She came back with a complimentary cup of what I believe was a cabbage soup which frankly didn't have much body to it much less flavor (photo: http://bit.ly/2OqAkKj). I finally settled on the $6.95 Kao Gai Yang. It consisted of grilled BBQ chicken over a mound of rice (photo: http://bit.ly/2RzlgMc). The poultry was chewy, and let's face it, would it have been so hard to poach it? FOOD - 2 stars...rubbery and not what I wanted anyway AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...dining in a motel SERVICE - 3.5 stars...the server did her best TOTAL - 2 stars...motel chicken doesn't do it for me RELATED - Looking for other dining options in El Cerrito? Here's a list of places I've tried and reviewed: bit.ly/2L1UCrN read more

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Recently went here for the lunch, hoping this was just a bad moment but they food was really bad. Maybe it's because I came in during the lunch time around 12 and no one was in the store. I ordered a curry that was more rice than anything else. The chicken was grey and really tough, there also never seems to be any difference in the meat if I'm ordering chicken or pork. It's all the same look, color and texture. I know that lunch menu has different pricing so maybe they also cut the quality. I think I'll just avoid this place for a while. I normally don't want to travel sure far but I'll take the extra drive to Thai table in Berkeley since I've never had a bad dish from them. read more

I said no nuts. She said "in the papaya salad?" I said "no nuts" in a firm voice. There were many peanuts in the pad see ew and they gave my girlfriend an allergic reaction. They also messed up my order with spicyness. The papaya salad was supposed to be spicy and the pad see ew not spicy. It was switched and no one can eat anything. Never again! read more

Good food, generous portions and friendly host. But do dress warmly during the winter. read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Menu-Rice Plates - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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Really love this Thai restaurant. The people there are humble, gracious, and appreciative. We've had several dishes there. Some that stand out are the panang curry and fried rice. It's our family's go to Thai restaurant. read more

Great food! Service was fast and food was delicious, I would recommend this place if you love Thai food

My new favorite Thai place!! Don't let the negative reviews fool you! It's a place where you should try it yourself and make your own choice. I went here the other night for dinner. I thought the building was really interesting, since it's an upstairs restaurant in the parking lot of a motel/apartment place. For parking, there's only street parking so keep that in mind! The inside of the restaurant feels very homey, and not like a restaurant at all. But I actually liked it better! It felt like a real mom and pop shop. I love how cozy this restaurant is and the prices are super good too. I just moved here from San Jose and compared to there, the prices are incredibly cheap for the quality of the food! I'm not sure why people are complaining about how they taped the new prices over the menu or other weird things. I got the pad see ew, the duck with plum sauce, and red curry. I got Thai spicy for the curry and pad see ew and oh my gosh, it was burn-my-bootyhole type of spicy. I love spicy but that was next level! Despite the spiciness, I loved all the dishes. The red curry does have a strong coconut milk taste - which I loved - but if you're not a lover of coconut that's something to mind. The pad see ew was so delicious as well! For the duck, some parts were a bit tough but it was still good. I'm not a fan of sweet foods, so the plum sauce was slightly sweet for me. My husband devoured the duck though! The lady was super nice as well. She saw my husband dying from the spice and gave us a Thai tea on the house. She also gave mini cups of dessert for us too!! This is gonna be my go to Thai place!! read more

I'm a bit torn on how I should revise my rating on this place. To be fair, their food is still amazing and this restaurant is easily one of the best for Thai food in the east bay. Their shitty customer service, on the other hand, has convinced me to quit patronizing their business for good. It's amazing how much you can learn about people if they assume that you can't understand their language. I don't want to go into details since this isn't a jerry springer show, but the short story is basically that despite my loyalty to their business, these people just don't appreciate my visits. In fact, they were pretty much talking shit about me to my face without the knowledge that I could understand them. With that said, I'd much rather take my dollar somewhere else from now on. read more

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Popped in since I was in the area, and was VERY LUCKY to have found this hidden gem. Got the Gang Massuman curry and Thai sausage. The curry was amazing very authentic. Reminiscent of my time in Thailand. The Thai sausage was very flavorful and captured the rich Southeast Asian flavors. It came with nuts, shallots, lime, and peppers to eat with it which was prepared very traditionally and was a nice touch. The prices are VERY affordable and the staff is very hospitable. Will definitely be returning! read more

Bought the pad-kee-mow and a chunk of noodles was not fully cooked. Not much flavor either. The woman who assisted us as we picked up our order was sweet though. Maybe we came in at a bad night but I prefer other restaurants in the area. read more

Super impressed by the Thai on stilts place. Strangest location connected to a forgettable motel. Nonetheless, it is so yummy and tasty, the food. Not to be confused with Sawadee, which is further north, on the EAST side of SP Ave. Sawooei is the word for "eating to surfeit, as if a royal", which was so interesting to learn. To-go order seared Thai beef salad, tom kha gai, and gang dang red curry with chicken. Large portions, great flavor, no skimping on ingredients, and a nice medium spicy bite. Could be the new go-to Thai place. Like its uniqueness. read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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This place is always so good. Favorite: Coconut soup medium spicy; mushrooms, chicken, it definitly is my favorite. Pad~Thai is delicious is big enough to share between 2 people, sometimes can be a bit too dry for my taste. Bathroom: very small at the end of the restaurant. Siete 15 once read more

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I'm not sure if I ordered the wrong thing or caught them on a bad day... but I was not impressed with the food that I had at all. I had a pickup order of Pad Kee Mow, medium spicy, and it was really bland and boring. Seemed all I tasted was the sensation of spice and no real flavor. Not sure that I will be coming back to give it another try. read more

Sawooei Thai Cuisine - Take out. Pad Ke Mow - Thai Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Surprisingly authentic Thai place in a very weird location - in the parking lot of a motel and in a raised trailer. We ordered takeout and the food was pretty good! read more

Overall good value. The Thai fried rice was flavorful. I would skip the shrimp next time as its texture was too soft. read more

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Lovely, friendly owners (husband and wife) making delicious, authentic Thai food. Very fair prices. Lots of delicious homemade sauces. They will be open for dine-in in a few months and we look forward to coming back. read more