Last week a friend and I met at Terra American Bistro for lunch - turns out they are now closed Mondays and I wasn't sure where to go. I remembered Tamarind Thai from when I used to live in East County so we made our way there. We had lunch specials that were quite good. I had a veggie & tofu dish, she had the Pad Thai. My dish was excellent though my friend's Pad Thai was probably a bit average and since I had plenty of food I gave her some of my veggies, which she enjoyed thoroughly. Service was great; the folks that work there are so nice. Note they do have some outdoor sitting but it's really close to the parking lot and probably a bit noisy being at a major intersection. Normally I would choose to eat outdoors, but it wasn't such an attractive option here. read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - A - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

Local favorite! Terrific food! Top of our family's choice for any meal or occasion! Take out is great.

Want a fan on the pineapple fried rice, something about it just didn't taste right, possibly the type of rice used

Amazing food and reasonable prices. Plates are definitely sharing size. Staff is very nice also read more

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Spring Rolls were fresh and tasty! Ordered the Spicy Fried rice #3 spicy.... because I can't handle thai spicy...... absolutely delicious, but I think they mistakenly took my request for 3 as 10-3..and gave me a 7! Either way I enjoyed it through my tears. We also ordered the Jungle stir fry and that was on point. If we weren't stuffed already we ended with Mango Sticky rice!!!!!! Yummmmmmmm read more

Good does not taste authentic, waiters seem disorganized!! This place usually has a crowd of people.. maybe no other Thai place in the area ? Hot basil chicken was mediocre. Tom yum was OK.. taste like they use frozen veggies. Will not return read more

This is long overdue I just came across to receipt. I want to give many many many shout outs, to Erica and Summer . They were fabulous ladies that to care of us there at the delicious yummy yummy restaurant Thai food at its best. Also a shout out to the Fabulous cooks in the back do yourself a favor and go and eat there it's heavenly. read more

I come here waayyyy too often to not have reviewed this place - what a disgrace I am :P First off, this parking lot is medium-sized, but we've never had a problem finding a spot in the last 739382784 million times that we have gone :) #KnockOnWood Appetizers are about $6 each. Some of the our family's favorites are the CREAM CHEESE WONTONS and FRIED FISH CAKES. No matter the weather, we always order the TOM YUM SOUP (shrimp is the best, but chicken ain't too bad either). Entrees are about $10 to $15. They make a great PAD SEE EW - I usually pair it with chicken. My best friend loves the Pad Thai with Tofu. Here's the important thing to note - spice level 3/10 is actually MILD. At one point, my brother was struggling with the THAI FRIED RICE at a level 5. Please keep that in mind, so you don't get overdosed with SPICEEEEE! oh & love their THAI TEA! As always, service is nothing but excellent! read more

Just had a late lunch/ early dinner here and food was awesome, but even better is the service. We will definitely be back. read more

I love this place! They have really great lunch specials for $10. I just had the mock duck with yellow curry and it comes with those yummy cream filled wontons too. The service is fast and great! read more

I was in the area for a work related workshop, so I came it to try one of their lunch specials. I ordered the Spicy Noodle which consisted of stir-fried wide fat rice noodle with egg, Thai seasoning and soy sauce, fresh Thai chili, garlic, onion, cabbage, broccoli, carrot and basil, but I axed the egg for only $7.25 (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#-a4f9_0q2dq_i9_iPq9vgw) which included sweet and sour soup, a small salad, and a couple of fried wontons filled with cream cheese and herbs. Great deal. The first thing that came was the soup. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#eXucHuBOeTqJ3YNeOcGGyw) The soup had a great balance between sweet and sour that kept me wanting another spoonful. It was filled with tender mushrooms, vegetable, and tofu. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#z11Bf8_rNtsLVFIvX33mVg) Next came the salad. It was small, but the dressing was packed with a great peanut flavor. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#AcwZii0piMEfkju_xgtmWA) The greens were simple, but they were enhanced by the great flavor of the dressing. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#dwU0-SQG6FkhOUIhukTNtQ) The spicy noodle with chicken was a delight to eat. I asked for the #4 spice level. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#UsOP57zE1G7B_y9oAeZpbw) The noodle were wide and flat and perfectly cooked. The dish was filled with al dente healthy vegetables and tender well seasoned chicken. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#Z6SXUBMKlb2zuc96luK2oQ) The spicy sauce that surrounded all the vegetables was a perfect spice level. I felt the slight heat, but I was still able to enjoy the meal and taste the garlic and soy sauce. The little fried rice paper filled with cream cheese and herbs were very good. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tamarind-thai-restaurant-la-mesa?select=hoDPS7QZzYi3_ZRrgsdrTA#lulKR69u7MAYc8cp1d9Ubg) I was treated well and the employees are quite friendly. My server was very attentive and polite. If you live in La Mesa or nearby, and you are craving Thai food, this place is worth a visit. read more

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Date Night! Husband And I never get out. We have 3 beautiful kids and I don't like a large crowd scene. Perfect small place with a BIG flavor town in their food! Loved it all! We got The chicken mixed veggies, mango curry ( my fav! ) eggplant with shrimp.. chicken wraps! Wontons and more. We took plenty home to our babies! Well big babies lol. Delish! Very good food and amazing staff. Fresh and HOT just the way it should be! We will definitely be back! read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

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I just got back from eating this & seeing as I still have time left on my lunch break right now, I'm going to yelp it! This isn't your average Thai restaurant. There are at least 3 or 4 other Thai restaurants on University, but this one definitely stands out. Here's why: FAST SERVICE I dunno about you, but many Thai restaurants I've been to in La Mesa, or in general, are quite understaffed. There could be 1 cook and 1 server for the entire restaurant. This is something I wouldn't mind for dinner, but for my short lunch breaks, I need to be in and out in about 45 minutes. This place will do that and understand that many of their hungry clients have short lunch breaks. Props! VARIETY This Thai place has a lot on the menu and even has those yummy "money bag" appetizers! I can't name everything this place has that the others lack, but the menu is great. On top of that, many curries/noodle dishes are customizable which is awesome, especially if you're vegetarian or prefer chicken over beef, etc. PRICING Lunch specials are very affordable (starting at $7 I think) and come with a DELICIOUS soup. Tom kha I think? So rich and just simply, perfect. For the ambiance, friendly service, cleanliness, etc. the prices are totally worth it. FOOD OMG the food here is divine. I loved everything I had here. Money bags & chicken skewers as appetizers, a pad see ew, & spicy garlic chicken dish that came with 2 fried goodies, brown rice, and a slice of orange +soups (no, that wasn't ALL for me ok!). I decided to try some different dishes (I'm a Panang curry fanatic) and am so glad I did! FRIENDLY STAFF People working here smile and genuinely ask you how your meal was. Love it and will definitely come back here again because having lunch at Tamarind is always a good experience for me! Keep it up! My fave Thai food place by far in this area! Definitely come check it out! read more

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I've had take out from here and recently dined in the restaurant. This place has AWESOME food . The tamarind fish was fantastic! I've been thinking about it since I was there. Crunchy, flavorful sauce and flaky fish. The green curry with shrimp was also amazing. Drunken noodle with vegetables was solid and I'd definitely order it again. I've seen the negative reviews but I would highly recommend this place. read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Green Curry, Drunken Noodle/Spicy Noodle - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

Love the food but not eating it in paper plates ! Are these restaurants tired of washing dishes ? It is not appetizing to eat your dish with a sauce in a paper plate! read more

I love this spot. They have great service, large portions, good prices, and quality food.

I haven't eaten here for years and always remembered how good it was. Went back for dinner with a girlfriend and it was just as good as I remember. The mock duck melted in my mouth! had that with the mixed vegetables. My friend said she's order that next time as her beef dish was tough. Great service by Erika too! read more

Best Thai in SD County. Tom Kha is excellent! Only downside is the break in hours between lunch and dinner leaves us waiting sometimes.

We were enjoying our meal until we found a really long hair in our noodles. Definitely ruined our appetite!!!

Today I had One of the best thai food in San Diego! The food was super delicious and staff super friendly! They were super nice when we asked to split our check in 4. You guys are awesome! read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Flavorfull Wonton soup - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

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lived in La Mesa 25 yrs. with in 2 miles of Tamerind and never been there till tonight, now it's going to be my go to Thai, two friends had a rice and chicken and the other had the Salmon salad, wife had spring rolls and i had Thai spicy rice with shrimp, a hit all the way around, service was great, atmosphere was great, easy parking AND the $ was reasonable, a wonderful evening. read more

I had an errand to run in La Mesa on Wednesday night and so I thought I would try this restaurant because of pretty good reviews on Yelp and because when I drove by and looked in, only one table was occupied in the very small dining room. So I ordered take-out pad see yew and was told by the woman who took my order that it would be 10 to 15 minutes. I do not like to wait indoors with people I don't know who aren't wearning masks, so I went in, according to my phone, 18 minutes after making my call, hoping to be in and out in one minute. I had exact change for my order. The young woman who was the cashier told me my order was "in the wok" and would be ready very soon. I didn't get the meal for another 20 minutes. It wasn't "in the wok" at all. The pad see yew was OK. Even if it was great, though, I'm not going back. read more

Consistently quality food. I've ordered from here many times and it's always delicious. Staff is always pleasant and courteous too.

This is a tiny spot in a cramped strip mall but well worth finding! Great and fresh true Thai. Nice ambiance. Pleasant staff. Made to order, they make the wait feel short by fantastic appetizers and a nice selection of adult beverages. Great for an intimate date. Perhaps a bit small for a large group. Their to go meals are packaged appropriately and fit the bill. Give them a try! You'll be back for more. read more

Great food! Reasonable price- still one of the best Thai places in East County in my opinion- all of their dishes are great - for dine in or take home. read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Pad See Ew Noodle level 4 Amazing as usual:) - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

I haven't tried enough of their dishes to rate them 5 stars but I was very satisified with the lunch special I got today. I came in right before they closed but felt completely welcomed. The food was plentiful. I ike the wild rice option and that I was able to get soup with my take out order. Everything seemed very clean and all employees had masks on. There are about 6-8? tables outside and hand sanitizer inside. It felt very safe to me. read more

TLDR: great service, even better food. I ordered and got my food in under 10 minutes. I ordered my food to-go, and the my food was still warm/fresh when I got home. The inside was well organized, spacious, and most importantly, CLEAN. 10/10 will be coming here again soon. read more

I would say the wait time was worth the food . The calamari was really crispy and flavorful . The Panang curry was savory and had a nice creamy flavor . The only thing I can say bad is that the pad see ew didn't taste fresh . The noodles were stale and only certain noodles had flavor read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

First off, the food tasted good. The problem was that they did not prepare my order correctly. I ordered online through the Yelp app. Requested Pad See Ew with mock duck, spicy level 6 and extra veggies. $12. The problem with getting an order to go is that you don't find out that they fucked up until you are already home or way down the road. So, I did get mock duck and pretty good mock duck at that. I did not get spicy level 6 or 5 or even 1. There was no spice AT ALL. Also, please see my pics. If that's extra veggies then the regular dish has no veggies at all. I paid $2 extra for more veggies. Now that we're on the veggies, I have never had Thai food with cauliflower and green beans in it. Those are not typical Asian veggies. I like pea pods, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, you know, Asian veggies. I really can't see why I would go back but if I do, I'll be sure to check and taste my food before I leave the store. Sheesh. read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

Placed an order from Uber eats. The pad thai was so dry and flavorless that we didn't even eat it. The gyoza and mango sticky rice were good. read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

My second time here and I always finished my dish even thought I'm a small girl. Lol This is the reason I'm lazy to cook now coz food is so good and tastes just like homemade. read more

Love tamarind! We order take out from here often. Food is really good, portions are generous, and the staff is always nice.

This is my favorite Thai place in La Mesa. The chicken larb, golden bags and yellow curry is delicious. The service is always good, Simon, is a great waiter and super attentive. read more

One of my go-to spots in La Mesa for delicious Thai food. The flavor is always on point there.

Such tasty food and a the service is also great. Our server was kind and gave us fair warning/recommendations about the level of heat everything had. Definitely a place I'll be returning too when I'm in the area. read more

Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. We ordered tofu fresh rolls, chicken satay, larb, and yellow curry. The sauce that comes with the chicken satay is so yummy! Honestly everything was so full of flavor and portions were the perfect size. Service was attentive, very kind, and welcoming. We will definitely return. Thank you Tamarind! read more

This place must have changed owners because the food is different and so are the portions. Not as good as it used to be. Another indicator was a change in the decor; someone decided to change that too. read more

I don't know how I've gone so long without writing a review for this restaurant. I've loved this place for at least 15 years, I even had a birthday dinner here a couple of years ago. Food and service is always excellent. I've tried most things on the menu now but I think the red curry is my favorite. I'm excited to now live just down the street, I'm getting dinner there tonight actually! read more

I hadn't been here in a few years. It's a shame too because Tamarind Thai has good food and great service. It's located in a tiny strip mall close to downtown La Mesa. I was feeling really poor one day and my lovely friend Michael E surprised me with delivery from here. He's a real sweetheart, but don't tell anyone ;). He knew I had taken anti-nausea medication earlier and thoughtfully asked for no spice in the soup he got me, normally I eat everything spicy. I received a huge order of glass noodle soup and an order of spring rolls. There was enough food for two dinners actually, which was nice since I wasn't up to cooking. The glass noodle soup was excellent. It had cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green onions, glass noodles, and tender slices of chicken. The broth was well seasoned and delicious. The spring rolls were also good. They were crispy and full of vegetables. The order came with four and included a dipping sauce. I'm definitely keeping Tamarind Thai in mind for soup again in the future. I know their curries are good as well. And thanks again Michael for the very thoughtful meal when I was not feeling good at all, you're the best. read more

Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Glass noodle soup - Thai Near Me - La Mesa, California

The food is good. Yellow curry is delicious. The place is really small though and parking isn't the best.