Friendly service, amazing food, great prices! The lunch specials are great, but the main menu is where it's at. I have not had a bad meal and I always look forward to going back! read more

So Saap - Garlic ribs - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

One of my go to Lao spots! I typically order DoorDash because Parking could be tight and difficult. We occasionally had issues with quality and wait but overall it is a good spot. Prices are pretty high compared to the others. One of the few that has better vegan options. Nam khao can be a hit or miss. Sometimes not enough fermented pork. It's usually better than most Lao spots. Khao piak is usually pretty good and consistent. Has more flavors than the other Lao restaurants for sure. read more

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Lily was our serve today and she was sooo nice and sweet. She recommended the pork neck and we loved it. I also keep dreaming about their basil fried rice and get it everytime!!! read more

So Saap - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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I came here with a group of friends and we ordered a bunch of things to share. Nothing disappointed! The papaya salad (we ordered Lao style) was fresh and pungent. The 1 fish platter came with delicious sauces, vegetables and rice noodles to be able to make your own combinations and the fish was crispy and tender. The Laos famous plate was also a hit; the jerky was a particular favorite at the table but we also enjoyed the Laotian sausage and hot sauce. We also tried the Nam Khao pork, which was probably our favorite among the dishes. Spicy and flavorful pork was mixed with crispy rice and served with lettuce leaves; delicious! We also had their fresh coconut water to drink, served in a young coconut with a spoon to scoop out the meat. We will be back to try more! read more

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This review is for my experience ordering from So Saap via a delivery app. I got the yellow curry with chicken and it was delicious. I ordered it with no (zero) spice and thankfully, it was not spicy. The biggest negative was the rice. The rice was hard & inedible. That was a bummer because the sauce with the rice is the best part:). read more

Good food, good vibes, and a really nice atmosphere. Everything we tried was delicious, full of flavor, and served fast. The service provided by Nary and team was great and made the experience even better. Definitely a spot we'd come back to! read more

Very tasteful and delicious food. I think I found my favorite Thai restaurant. Very nice services too. read more

So Saap - Yummy - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Their vegan appetizer platter was good especially the drum sticks which is made from mushrooms. Great consistency. Plus, vegan duck plate was spiced so well. The service was terrific! She was so informative in what we wanted to know. Great ambiance. Only thing, parking was But hey! It's all about the food . Definitely planning to go back next week to try another of their vegan dish. read more

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Absolutely amazing, the whole thing was amazing. I had the crab fried rice with an order of pork belly, the sauce they provide with the pork belly is so good I wish I asked for more. They used real crab in the fried rice and was portioned for two. Was able to taste the Thai basil rice and I don't know what I enjoyed more. The staff were all so friendly and welcoming their recommendation were spot on. Nice clean and friendly place. It has a good feel to come and enjoy great food. read more

So Saap - Crab meat fried rice - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

The food was amazing and the inside was a vibe. Great for a dinner with the family, no long wait times and the service was fast.

We loved our dinner at So Saap! The staff was so personable - took the time to learn our names and even brought me a surprise mango sticky rice for my birthday. The food was delicious (Saap!)! I'll be back for Pla LIU Chan again soon! read more

I'm extremely disappointed with the recent service I received from So Saap. I want to support local Lao/Thai businesses, and I have always told my friends and family to come here. I take my friends here all the time. I'm Lao and I love the food here, but I was left stressed and felt like they were trying to mediate the mess that they started. I placed an order for two papaya salads at 4PM to pick up by 5PM. I even called the restaurant and talked to one of the girls working there to see if it was possible to move up my order to a 4:45PM pick-up window. She said that was totally fine and that makes sense that an order placed like 40 minutes ahead. I got to the restaurant around 5PM because of traffic, but I assumed that the order was done by now. I got there and the server told me that they were still working on it. I was a bit frustrated because I was in a time crunch and now my partner had to leave me to go grab their food for a party. Now waiting for an order that I placed over an hour ago, the server came up to me and started mansplaining why my order was taking so long. They told me that "for future reference, pickup order time = the POS ticket will print out at that time". That makes absolutely no sense. I've worked at (Thai) restaurants here in San Diego and when an order is said to be picked up at a certain time, that means you should have that order ticket printed at a time PRIOR to make sure the food is done AT THE PICKUP TIME. At this rate, it just felt like they were making me feel stupid for picking a pick-up time that I CHOSE so I just told them I do not want to talk to them anymore. At this point, they started doing damage control and gave me a free mango sticky rice and sugarcane juice. I was crying because now my plans were ruined and I got my food much later that I anticipated. They kept saying they were sorry, but I just didn't want to be there anymore. I just wanted my food and I wanted to leave. Like they probably wanted to check in with me and say sorry, but I'd rather have my order than some words. I want to give them another chance because their food is extremely good and at a great price point, however if even take-out services is an issue because of blaming the customer for picking an "incorrect" PICK-UP time, I don't want to be spending my money here. I know what it's like to work in food service and to ensure the customer doesn't feel belittled like what I faced. It just sucks when it's your own people treating you like this. read more

Lao-Thai food heaven!!!! First time here and the Funky Papaya Salad was as close as I have had in the USA! Could actually taste the fermented fish sauce!!! Lao style is different than Thai style. Try the Lao Funky style. Very authentic. Loaded w papaya, long bean and tomato! Very flavorful and brings me back to Asia!! The beef salad was a step up from Thai Beef salad. Lao style is very similar w the addition of Toasted Rice Powder!!! It gives it such a unique flavor bomb!!! You must try!! The Mok Fish steam in banana leaf its so flavorful and tender. Hard to explain but the taste is similar to Cambodian Fish Amok. Galangal, turmeric, curry, spices and coconut milk with fish in banana leaf and steamed. Get a side of STICKY rice to eat w the Mok! If you want the next best thing to eating food from Laos and Thailand give So Saap a try. The service is quick and friendly. Highly recommend you give this family run restaurant a try!! Be aware they stay open till midnight. If you arrive after 8:00 pm you will have to wait. But its well worth the wait! read more

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Finally made it, great menu....lots of options. Our starter was a meal in itself. Not even sure the name but it was a starter of my favorite dish, with various jerky, Laotian sausage, sticky rice and papaya salad. Yummmmm! Great wait staff, family feel. Will def be back. read more

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The food looked great, tasted amazing. The drink was beautiful, but it could've tasted better. The restaurant was so cute and staff wearing Santa hats for the holiday. The service was mid. read more

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I've been rooting for this place since it just started in a small space with only 4 tables--but now that they've moved to a bigger space, it feels like they've lost what made them great. The biggest disappointment was that it took almost 1 hour for us to get our food. We ordered a Khao Piak noodle, chicken laab, and thum Khao poon. I received my noodles within the first 15 minutes and 30 minutes later we got our next dish. I had to ask our server if we were getting the last one and she seemed confused. Finally we received our last dish 20 minutes later. By that time they were already closing up and my boyfriend was pretty upset. We ended up getting our food Togo right away. The food was great, but the portion for the Khao Piak was really disappointing. There were barely any noodles or meat--just a big bowl mostly filled with broth. I finished it in under 10 bites. For $15, I expect a much more filling portion, especially for a noodle soup. If you look at their recent Google and Yelp reviews it's very inconsistent. You have 1 stars and then 5 stars and then 1 stars again. As someone who has worked in restaurants there is clearly a huge operations issue. Either they do just fine on their slow days but they can't handle it when they're slammed. The restaurant was full when we came in and they only had two servers. There were a ton of people coming in for to-gos and everywhere I looked was just people waiting...and waiting...that was the theme of tonight. I don't know what the issue was. Was there only two chefs? One chef? Did the server forget to fire the orders? I don't know but I wish they would have told us. We would have appreciated at least an apology for having to wait so long to eat. But the servers didn't express that. I think they should retrain their staff to better handle these type of situations. I really hope they can get it together, especially since they promote the restaurant heavily on Instagram. For many people trying Lao food for the first time, this might be their first impression--and right now, it's not the best representation of the culture. I came back expecting the same great experience as last time--but this visit was a huge letdown. If you want Lao food with no frills I would recommend to just to go to Sang Dao only a few streets down. Food is just as good and they have never let us down. read more

So Saap - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

I checked out their happy hour menu after seeing it all over social media. They've got a few $6 specials on the HH menu, which I think is a good way to sample different dishes since the portions are mini. I tried the Boat Noodles and the Kao Poon. The Kao Poon has a rich, coconut milk broth, while the Boat Noodles are just as rich but without the coconut flavor. Both were tasty, but I personally preferred the Boat Noodles. I'd go for the full-size next time though, since you get more protein and toppings with it, the mini size is more like a taster. We also got the Duck Larb (not on the HH menu) which was so good. We did level 3/5 spicy and it definitely packed heat, and I usually handle spice pretty well so if you can't eat spicy, maybe stick to a 1 or 2. One note about drinks: happy hour pricing only applies to the drinks listed under the HH section, not all drinks, which was a little confusing based on how it was advertised. Overall, I'd definitely come back to try more dishes from them! read more

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I absolutely loved the pork belly pad Thai here! The noodles were perfectly cooked, the pork belly was flavorful and tender, and the entire dish was beautifully garnished. Staff are very attentive throughout our meal. They have some delicious soups and sweet drinks as well. Brightly light dining room. read more

So Saap - pad thai - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Great food and sauces! Really unique dishes you don't ordinarily find at a Lao or Thai restaurant

Walked in and they were playing Lalisa on the speakers so I knew i was in for a treat. Came with a small group of friends and the staff made sure there was a spot for us even before everyone had walked in. There were so many options for the vegetarian folks in our group as they had a whole separate menu for veggie and vegan options! I ordered the drunken noodles and they were very good. Definitely had that spicy kick. Loved the food, ambiance, layout, and staff. My friends all loved their dishes and drinks. Would love to come back again! read more

So Saap - Drunken noodle with veggies - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Fantastic food!! Well worth the visit. Very welcoming vibe. Service was super! Will definitely be back! read more

So Saap - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Lots of vegan options and attention to detail made my takeout So Saap experience a good one. I'm not vegan, but appreciate spots that try to accommodate folks looking for non-meaty options. For lunch, I chose the vegan hat yai and dragonfruit cane juice. The hat yai was appetizingly presented--a full vegan chikn cutlet with sticky rice, roti triangles and a small side salad. It's great that the included curry dip side has veggies in it, so I felt like I got a wide variety of appealing items in this one dish at a reasonable price. Another reason that I chose to try So Saap was due to their cane juice drinks. So sweet and refreshing! I got the dragonfruit cane, and it was also both visually pleasing (pretty purple top layer) and wonderfully free of any artificial additives. read more

So Saap - Vegan hat yai plus dragonfruit cane juice - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Best Cambodian/Laos & Thai food I've had in San Diego bar none. Allan our server was on top of our every need and boy we were needy. The Laos platter was the best of everything with the wonderful Thai Boat Noodle Soup! We ended up buying their chicken skins and throwing it in the soup for some extra crunch. The interior was a lot nicer than expected don't let the area or exterior sway you. Great diversity of people all ready to try some great cooking! read more

So Saap - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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I had a reunion with a friend that I haven't seen in years and she was down to try this Lao/thai spot. This menu is pretty extensive and they even have happy hour specials. I tried not to get carried away but got the Lao famous plate and Northern Lao Kao Soy. I can't get Kao Soy in West LA so when I can find it, I'm definitely getting it. The soup tasted authentic and flavorful. I definitely would come back for more when I'm in town. Staff were friendly and the ambiance of the restaurant felt trendy and warm. The robot kitty was a cute attraction but it got stuck at one point which was pretty funny. Parking is shared in a small lot. It can be a bit challenging to find a spot when it's busy. read more

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To start off, this place has a cute vibe and the staff was super nice. In terms of the food, my friend and I ate family style and got 2 calamasi cane drinks, one yellow curry, one pork laab (recommended by the waitress), and the Thai boat noodle soup (also recommended by the waitress for soup). I've had better sugarcane before but I think it was decent, a little more sour than I typically prefer. The best food we got in my opinion was the pork laab. I will definitely be back to order that again because it was sooo good! The yellow curry was good, solid but nothing to rave about. This was my first time having the Thai boat noodle so I have nothing to compare it to- it was good, but it kind of tasted like pho to me. I don't know if I'd get the curry and soup again, but I will definitely be back to try some of their other menu items because everything looks delicious! read more

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I've been to many restaurants specializing in vegan food here and in the OC yet I have never been impressed like this before. (This restaurant isn't vegan only) I'm not vegan but it wouldn't be difficult with food like this. The vegan chicken drumsticks had perfectly caramelized skin and tasted of thigh meat, definitely better than any real drumstick I've had. The Laab salads and pork sausages here are incredible too. They have lovely house made dipping sauces that are next level. 'Best of San Diego' status. Service is warm and welcoming, the restaurant is clean and beautiful inside, hidden in a nondescript strip mall. Love seeing a grandma's special selection on the menu. Looking forward to eating here again soon! read more

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When I say hidden gem this is it! We walked in and were immediately greeted and seated. The restaurant was lively and there were several patrons there. We came in for the boat noodles and laab, we also ordered a platter with a little if everything so we can taste more. All of the dishes were great! The beer salad was my favorite, I was nervous about the spice level but medium was perfect! The meat was tender, the pieces were cut just right and the flavor was out of this world! The drinks were good and we also tasted the sugarcane drink and that was really good too. Please make it a point to go and try the food, it won't disappoint! read more

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This spot serves authentic Lao food! They offer so many traditional dishes I remember eating when I lived in Lao for a summer internship. The parking lot and area is a little run down but as soon as you step into the restaurant, they transport you to a whole new place with a cool vibe. I used to come eat at this spot before So Saap took over and I have to say, their remodel is phenomenal! The place gets a little busy during peak eating times but that just adds to the fun vibe. There is plenty of seating for big and small groups as well as bar seating. I was excited to bring my friend here because I saw their expansive vegan menu. She was really enjoying the flavors of her Vegan Thai Boat Noodle Soup and Vegan Chicken Skewers. The fresh tofu spring rolls we got also came with a unique peanut sauce that is to die for! They should consider bottling it, it's so good! My Chicken Kao Piak truly brought me back to Vientiane and was just what I was looking for. I want to go back and try my favorite dish Nem Khao and Papaya salad. Unfortunately, my friend will not be joining me because she found a piece of metal in her Thai boat noodle soup. The kitchen manager was really nice and accommodating about the mishap but my friend already had trust issues from finding staples in her pad Thai from a place back in Colorado. He offered to remake the dish, give us free dessert, and even take the dish off the bill. Sadly, she no longer trusted any of the food and just accepted the food being taken off the bill. Hopefully I can convince her to come back because this spot is great!! Sadly, I only got pics of the spring rolls but the portion sizes here are also very filling!! read more

So Saap - Fresh Tofu Spring Rolls - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

The food here is authentic, delicious, beautifully presented, and one of the better vegan-friendly spots around -- which makes the ongoing service delays and long wait times even more frustrating. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is cute for date nights, but when you end up hangry and waiting far longer than expected for food, it really ruins the vibe. I've experienced very long waits both for dine-in and pick-up orders. Unfortunately, there have also been multiple issues with orders being incomplete or messed up during pick-up. Waiting over an hour only to realize food is missing -- and then having to wait even longer for it to be remade -- is incredibly frustrating. Today was another example. I was told my food would take about 15 minutes, but it ended up taking nearly an hour. When dining in, it often feels like they simply don't have enough staff to keep up with the volume. What makes it more disappointing is the lack of acknowledgment when these excessive waits happen. Even just checking in, apologizing, offering an update, or providing a small discount or gesture of appreciation for the inconvenience would go a long way. Again, the food itself is great and that's the reason I keep coming back, but the consistency of the service and timing really needs improvement. read more

The food is fresh, flavorful, and filling. The staff is so kind and friendly. They treat you like family. And the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Highly highly recommend! read more

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Had better. While the kaOpiak noodles itself were phenomenal, perfect texture cooked just right , the broth was entirely different than what I'm used to , different is not always bad however in this case it just didn't go together it wasn't your normal chickeney tasting broth it was a bit sweet and herby... came with two sad pieces of pork blood almost no cilantro/ green onions and almost no fried garlic and two sad pieces of beef ball which threw me off also would have been fine if the broth didn't miss . It was a busy Sunday lunch however we wouldn't have minded the wait if food was better read more

My Laotian coworker sent me here and he was right to do so. The Lao food was absolutely to die for! Staff was very friendly and I couldn't get over how pretty the place was decorated. My guy and I got the Khmer Beef Skewers (super flavorful and tender! One of my faves from the meal), Laos Famous Plate with Laos Style papaya salad (great dish to try a bunch of foods at once. I loved the papaya salad, seen lod and seen savanh the best, followed by Lao sausage and the meatball came in last for me), and Drunken Noodles (these were only okay. Nothing special to either of us). Overall, the Lao food gets 5stars from me, while the Thai food only gets 3stars = average of 4stars. I am definitely planning on coming back here, but I'm going to stick to just the Lao food from now on. read more

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I went there for a quick solo brunch on a Wednesday and it was a really good experience with delicious food. Be careful about parking as it's a bit tight, but spots are available at the right time. I like this new location as it is a nicer area of San Diego, but definitely more busy area. Ambiance was great and the food came out in just 10 mins and ordered a few dishes. I really like the decor of this new location. There was only one waitress but she was fast! I ordered the Lad na noodle, Laos papaya salad, and Khmer Beef Skewer. My favorite was the beef Skewer as it's the closest to the taste I expected. The Lad na noodle was delicious, but because I have a pretty high bar for it having tasted it in other countries and locations in the world, I would say, the gravy was overpowering with a tad bit of soy sauce but overall delicious. The papaya salad was good, I got the level 3 and it wasn't spicy enough for me so I should have gotten 4. I was told 2 is considered medium. Oh and their sugarcane drink was spot on!! Overall great food, nice place, good service! I highly recommend!! read more

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A friend recommended this restaurant as my family and I are big Thai cuisine fans and we are so glad we tried this hidden gem! You are first greeted with such friendly and welcoming staff and the manager even came to our table to see how we liked everything! The fried salmon belly and sauce are off the hook! The dark and funky papaya salad was nice and fresh and the drunken noodles were delicious. I loved the twist on the mango sticky rice as it was topped with toasted coconut and the rice was green with a hint of coconut flavor. All the dishes were full of flavors so a must try! We'll definitely be back! Oh and the matcha cococane, yummy read more

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We were visiting SD and decided to give this place a try because it had good reviews, and also all the other spots were closed around 7:30. We were seated right away on a Saturday night, and shortly after us, more people came in (yay for business!) When ordering I asked if i could get chicken skin on the side with the kapoon (which was listed on the menu) but the server said there was only a big bag for purchase - which is fine. That ended up being the best thing there lol, for $14!!! We also ordered the kasoy, which the tomato and paste was separated instead of added into the soup, which was a little strange. My kapoon was missing chicken and bamboo! I did ask for no chicken feet, however when it came out, there was only noodles and broth practically. There was also no plate of veggies for both our kasoy + kapoon, which we usually come at every Asian restaurant. There was some cabbage + mint in the noodles. But overall it wasn't enough. Also you'll have to ask for chopsticks! The noodles in the kapoon were def overcooked. They took forever for the chicken + bamboo to come out, that I was already done with my noodles. The server also said they don't have bamboo included in the kapoon, but it is on their menu, so I was a little confused. They ended up giving me a refund on the kapoon. Even though this place has a nice interior, aesthetic, and servers are nice. The food took long, and all other guests after us were waiting for a while as well for their food. The food is definitely overpriced as well too read more

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As a person that travels to Thailand yearly for a month and married to a Thai girl that cooks the food daily my bar is high on what the food should taste like when we go out. That being said, nothing brought me back to Thailand. What I can say, the food was really good! The service though was not good at all. If I'm back in town I will go back to try other dishes read more

So Saap - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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It's a love hate relationship. Food is always good and full of flavor. It's what keeps me coming back. But the slow service is what doesn't make me feel I wanna come back. The Service is lacking terribly. Lunch/Dinner I came here a few times and its usually 1 server managing all the orders. So with that said, you're always trying to flag down the waitress for service. Taking orders is slow, getting food is slow, paying for your meal is slow. And sometimes food/drinks are forgotten or a mistake on your order. I hope management sees this and add extra staff to help provide a more prompt service. read more

I love coming here! The restaurant is so cute and the food is AMAZING!! Definitely authentic Laos cuisine & they also serve green Thai tea, which I absolutely love! The nam kao has the best crunch and packed with flavor! The best nam kao I've ever had so far at a restaurant. & they have many different options for papaya salad. read more

So Saap - Spare ribs, dark and funky papaya, nam kao - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

i literally always find myself coming back to so saap especially for their drinks. their sugarcane drinks are SO fresh and so good, like you can really taste the difference. the vibe inside is really nice too, it's always cool (like actually cold inside which i love lol) and it just feels super chill. also they open really late which is sooo convenient because i randomly get cravings at night all the time haha service is always great, everyone is super friendly and welcoming. i come here so often it honestly feels like every day at this point my go-to is the taro cococane, i would buy one to drink and another to go so i can drink it at home and it never misses :3 highly recommend coming here not just for drinks but also their thai food. everything tastes fresh and hits every time! read more

Amazing Laotian Exceptional Garlic Pork Ribs that are! I highly recommend So Saap in San Diego, my preferred restaurant in San Diego, Southern California, for a delight Laotian dishes dinner tonight with an authentic garlic Pork Ribs with baby back ribs deep fried topped with garlic butter which is absolutely delicious as well as the best of all time. Service is excellent to none, friendly service by Miss. venna, my host of tonight. The ambience and music are great too. Two thumbs up to So Saab , So Delicious ! read more

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