This update is for phone-in orders. I still stand behind my review of the food! I was at H Mart buying some groceries, when time escaped me. How could it already be less than 30min until Thai & Chinese Express closes?! So I asked my girlfriend to call in our orders to be picked up in 20min while I rushed to the cashier. We got to the food court in 20min (10min before they closed), and we still received a warm welcome from the Thai lady, and our food was ready right when we paid. They really had their timing down solid! Food tasted incredible (as always) and was abundant enough to have a small snack bowl later on! read more

To keep it short and sweet: tasty, quick and affordable. I've been looking for a few good Thai places around the area that wouldn't hurt my wallet too much as a college student, and this place popped up in my search. It seems to be promising, delivering your classic Thai and Chinese noodle dishes, with some veggies and curries as well. The place is located in a little strip mall plaza, and is inside of a mini food court in the corner of the plaza. I ordered over phone and picked up in person. I ordered the Veggie Tofu Pad Thai without egg and with medium spice and it was just what I expected. Nothing life-changing but definitely cures the craving. I also added in a Thai Iced Coffee and my entire meal came up to just under $10. For a box full of Pad Thai that can last 3 or so meals, and a strong, rich and bitter Thai Iced Coffee (think Vietnamese Iced Coffee--are they similar?), it was worth my $10 considering this will last me a while. I was debating on ordering the Shrimp Pad Thai and/or the Curries since they seem promising as well (maybe another time). But, this is a convenient, local, quick and affordable stop playing up your Thai/Chinese food cravings. Won't crave unless I want a quick fix. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Veggie Tofu Pad Thai with Thai Iced Coffee. ~ $10 - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

This establishment is a small family owned business so first and foremost lmk say that, while saying the flavors here are anything but small. The pad Thai is a family favorite and we often order two different types (tofu and chicken). It's always perfect. The red curry (I get it with tofu) is very flavorful and isn't JUST spicy like a lot of other curries I've encountered. We also love the cream cheese wontons which I liken to some addictive drug. I love the mango sticky rice and really appreciate it that they will tell me when and if the mangos are ripe and sweet rather than just letting me order it to be disappointed by a hard yucky mango. I literally drive 30 miles just to buy THEIR food because I know it's going to be good and consistent quality, flavor, and service. This place is definitely a hidden gem in an area dominated by corporate chains and expensive (but not good) food. read more

Food is good, the thai dishes are better than the chinese dishes. Service seems slow but understandable as the owners are a senior couple. They are nice though. read more

We always search for authentic Thailand food and hands down, Thai Chinese Express is the best! The Pad Thai, the Curry dishes, the Mango Sticky Rice, pineapple fried rice, etc! Everything we have tried has been so perfectly done and delicious! The customer service is amazing as well! Wonderful food, wonderful people!! read more

Their options are bad because you only get to choose one item and they give you rice with it, I got the orange chicken which didn't taste at all like chicken they just smothered it in the sauce and every piece of "chicken" was very crunchy. The service wasn't the best either the lady at the register was kinda rude and just ignored me the first time she came out (she stays in the back) and the food is pretty expensive for what you are getting. All of this and you're packed into a little corner food court with limited seating and there isn't special seating for this restaurant so you kinda have to get lucky and find a seat somewhere with four other restaurants around you. Overall I wouldn't recommend it because of the service and food you get for the price. Never coming back. read more

This place is Bomb Dot Com! Welcome to Flavor Town, baby! If you don't think this is the best Thai food you've ever eaten, you and your family should be ashamed and executed by a firing squad. This is pretty much the only restaurant that I will eat at. Well except for Taco Bell when I'm feeling depressed and hate myself. read more

This is my go-to place for Pad See Ewe. It's so good! The lady at the counter is really nice. It doesn't take long for my order to be ready. The plates are always packed and taste good. I love this place and parking is usually good. read more

2nd time coming here and the food is really good! I had their pad Thai, sticky rice with mango and their chicken fried rice. Price is cheap too... authentic food read more

This is located in a plaza with a food court. Parking was pretty tight at lunch hour and so it might take a while before finding a parking spot. This place happened to be located at the corner entrance, and was pretty hard to miss. I ordered the Spicy Pad Thai here and I didn't really find it all that good, I felt it was lacking and the noodles were cooked poorly. It was a decent price still though, and there were other menu options including a lunch specials section a la Panda Express. My friend loves it here though, I have no idea why, maybe because the portions are pretty large for what you get. They filled up the "to-go box" pretty well and you can use the hot sauce to cover up a lot of the taste... Either way I don't think I'll be back unless I am dragged here again, though the other places in the food court looked interesting. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Pad Thai (Spicy) - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Such good Thai food for a great price! I loved the chicken pad Thai that I got. The chicken was most and the noodles weren't too soft! For a small food court area, this place is making some bomb food! Chicken pad Thai: $6.99 (4- a little too salty) Mango sticky rice: $4.75 (4- the mangoes were a little bruised but still yummy!) Definitely my new place to go for Thai food, I can't wait to try their curries! It's not too far from UCI so it's perf. the service is a little slow but nothing awful. The lady at the cash register is so cute! read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Medium chicken pad Thai. Beware! It's spicy! - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

I ordered the Pad See Ewe witch I Love But I ordered it from this Restaurant and it was Awful it looks like scrabble Egg I will Never go back to this Restaurant again read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

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This review will be based on the two different dishes that I've tried here. I've come here on multiple occasions after school to pick up the a la carte Chicken Pad Thai before going into work. The pad thai is always cook to order which I appreciate knowing that it is freshly made and hot. The noodles aren't too saucy like some other places and there's a pretty good blend of sweet, sour, and savory in this dish. I came in just now in time for their 1-item lunch special and opted not to go with the orange chicken on the warming table because I saw that it looked way too saucy mixed in with excess batter/coating on the chicken. I decided to get the black pepper chicken right next to it. The black pepper chicken itself was also very saucy with overcooked celery that was mushy. Also, the chicken definitely wasn't freshly cooked and had a chewy texture to it. The chicken tasted like it was repurposed from a fried chicken that could've been purchased at a Ralphs or Stater Bros. It had the spices and a slight crunch from the breading of a fried chicken, but the chicken wasn't fresh so it was chewy. The fried rice that I ordered also didn't taste very fresh and the peas and corn I think it was were a mix of stale and chewy. Overall, not a bad place if you get something cooked to order, but definitely stay away from the lunch special or anything off the warming table. read more

I don't understand how this place has more than 1 Star. Service was horrible. I placed an order on the phone and had to repeat myself 4 times:chicken pad Thai mild. Once I got there, the cashier was not approachable at all. Eating the dry and tasteless pad Thai, with questionable chicken did not satisfy my craving for pad Thai. I also got "hot sauce" to go, it was sweet and sour sauce. Never going there again. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Is this chicken? - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

It just tastes bad. Like stay away. Probably sick now. If you want to get sick. Eat here. read more

1st time ever coming to this restaurant.. here is the reason why I am rating it a 2 star. 1st - Called an order for pick up. When they answered the phone the lady simply said "Hello" nothing else.. It threw me off guard that I had to confirm with her that I was calling the Thai restaurant, once she confirmed I said, "I would like to place an order for pick up.." her response was "What do you want" in an aggressive way.. Once I told her what I wanted she hung up the phone, I ended up calling back as I thought we got disconnected.. Nope, she just hung up. 2nd - I arrive to the place and there is not really a clear direction to go however it was fairly easy to figure it out. Once I go inside it is multiple restaurants combine together like a food court in the mall. I waited at the front for about 3 minutes before shouting in the back letting someone know I was there. 3rd - The lady finally comes to the front and I informed her I have a pick-up order.. she sticks her hand out for a form of payment.. I gave her my card and he swiped it without informing me what the amount is or anything.. 4th - I get my food (Tofu Pad Tai) and not only is it SUPER oily but the Tofu I got was overcooked and the veggies were extremely old (as in spoiled/expired) The reasoning I am giving it a 2 star instead of a 1 star is solely due to the price this place offers for their dishes. I think it is extremely reasonably priced for the dishes.. just the quality and overall cleanliness of the place is not up to par. I more than likely will NOT be returning to this place. read more

3.5 stars. I gotta disagree with others about the generosity of the portions...my Pad Thai could NOT feed 4 people (or maybe I'm a pig). I could have eaten it all in one sitting, but I had froyo to attend to immediately after. I would probably not be impressed if I were in the bay area, but eh. What the hell, rounding up to 4 stars for cheap, fast Thai food...in Irvine. The Pad Thai was tasty, though a little boring (not many ingredients--just sprouts, chicken, noodles, and peanut bits). Mostly I thought that the noodles were a bit too al dente, which is weird for a Thai dish. That being said, I would not pick this place to go to with a friend. It is the grungiest food court I have seen in this city. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - pad thai chicken - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

3.5 stars. I ordered the pad thai for $6.99 with extra egg (which I always get) for a total of $8.63 for lunch. This is a very unassuming place in a food court in Irvine which food court has been there for decades. When you look at this place from the outside, with all of the pre cooked entrees under heat lamps, you think: not so great of a place. But, you can order entrees freshly cooked including the pad thai. As you can see from my photo, the portions are very generous. The pad thai was above average with chicken that was fairly fresh. The dish had pretty good flavor and spice. It was a tad on the greasy side. The noodles were nicely cooked. All in all, the place served its purpose giving me fairly good pad thai fairly fast for a quick lunch break. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Pad thai. - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Whenever I crave pad thai, I come here. When my friend first took me here, I was skeptical that they could have good pad thai because it was located in a food court, but as soon as I tried it, I was hooked! It's about $7-8 for a lot of food. I was introduced to this place about 3-4 years ago, and I still absolutely love it! I highly recommend! Oh, when you order your spice level, I'd be a little cautious about getting medium or hot because it can get pretty hot. It varies depending on when you go, but more often than not, mild is pretty darn spicy (trust me, I love spicy food but their mild gets to me sometimes). read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Chicken pad thai! The best ever - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Stopped by at dinner time to get food to go. Chicken pad thai and yellow chicken curry. Both are as fantastic as ever. The pad thai is really good in that they use real tamarind in their sauce (I could smell it as soon as I open the container at home). Still doesn't have enough bean sprouts for me, but that's an easy fix, I just quickly stirfry some and mix it in. $5.99 The yellow chicken curry is to die for. I get mild, and it's spicy enough for me. They make their own curry sauce which is why it tastes so good. If I can handle spice, I'd get the green curry (at mild - the green curry is spicier). I like their blend of spices for the yellow curry. I haven't found another yellow curry that tastes like this. $5.99 I love this place; it's easy on the wallet and they give you great food. read more

Good for what you get. Located in a small shopping plaza inside the food court. Nothing else really there to go to besides the food court. Parking sucked when I went, but it was lunch time. The lot is small and the spaces are a little tight. I ordered the chicken pad thai (~$8) and the portion size was huge. Two or three servings depending on how hungry you are. Maybe even four servings if you eat small portions, unlike me! Nothing extraordinary about the pad thai but it was good and I'd definitely get it again. A good spot to pick up a quick lunch or dinner if you're craving Thai or Chinese! read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Chicken Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

working a few streets down from this place, i never knew this food court existed! haha... i'm very glad i stopped by to get lotto tickets at the liquor store in the corner, since there's a lot of different restaurants to choose from in this food court. i felt like dirty thai food today, and luckily this place solved all my hunger needs. i got half noodles and half rice with a 1 item combo of curry chicken. they also add an extra layer of sauce on top of your noodles/rice... making it extra bomb! damn it, just looking at my picture makes me want to get more thai food. lol if you don't know what you want, simply ask the person working behind the counter and they'll help you! i wished they gave me a little more chicken curry, but beggars can't be choosers! they also have thai iced tea, which i'll try next time i'm over here.. finding a seat might be a little problem during the lunch rush. read more

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What a nice place for corperate citizens to get their fill. I ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice (~$6-7) and it fed me for two meals. It's a tad greasy but I enjoyed the ample shrimp and cashews they threw in there. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wkfEExvZP1-ejWlYoqYPvg?select=YBYfn_08tl9JIhTZAwPKkQ Thai & Chinese Express' Score - 84+ Points read more

Awwww man...$5.99 for a dinner special pad thai with chicken? And it can feed four people it's so much food? And the fried rice is so tasty that my man finished it all in one shot? And did I mention there was enough to feed four people? WOW! Made is fresh in a few minutes. This place is bomb for quick and fast Thai and Chinese without breaking the bank. It's sooo good. You would never think this place was in a food court if I put it on a nice plate and a crystal glass. Definitely the best Thai in Irvine so far. And that's sad considering it's takeout in a food court. read more

Due to all the positive yelp reviews, I decided to try this place out one day for lunch. I called in to make a pad-thai order and by the time I got there, my order was ready for picking up, + that I didn't have to wait. However the way they do the phone order was a little weird, didn't ask for my name or number so I guess they just base it off of what you order. There were a lot of seats available in the cafeteria so I just sat down by the window to enjoy my lunch. The spice level was good and the noodles were cooked well. However I think this place is just a-ok. My pad-thai was a little dry so maybe it was just an off-day. To be honest, I rather go to Thai Spice... If I do come back, I think I'll try the curry next! read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Pad thai - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Located in the Main Plaza food court I came across this place after reading reviews of "Pickup Stix" on Harvard. I just wanted something tasty and not too pricey. This filled the void. I ordered Thai Basil Beef and I definitely could smell the basil (which I love) thru the container, I knew I was in for tasty goodness. About expected... Didn't pay an arm for simple good tasting Thai dish. Simple and flavorful, this place will have me coming back for more. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Spicy Basil Beef - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

I used to go to this restaurant 8 1/2 years ago to eat their shrimp pad Thai. So excited that it's still here and the shrimp pad Thai is as delicious as I remember. Update been going for a year again now, almost always just get a wonton soup...it's that good. read more

I have been coming to this palace for quite a few months now. As a big fan of Thai food and how rare they are, I was happy to find this place. I usually get the chicken basil over rice or their pad Thai. I suggest getting the lunch special: either one item or two items! It's a pretty good deal. You usually have selection of a varieties of curry (green, yellow, red curry), eggplants (very bomb), and other types of this flavored chicken. The reason I give this place is that I recently returned this place to get food and realized that their food taste changed a bit. I got the chicken pad Thai but it was too sweet. There were not that many pieces of chicken at all. I was surprised what made this big change. I'll be returning in the future to try their lunch special since I think it's more consistent! read more

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Been coming here for years. Love their pad see ew and pad kee mao. Great Thai food at a reasonable price.

I had the chicken pad see ew and mango sticky rice. Very tasty and authentic. It's literally a mom and pop place operated by a nice and friendly elderly Thai couple. Highly recommended. read more

Came here a few times. Tried the Pad Thai, Spicy Fried Rice Combo, and the Yellow Chicken Curry. Pad Thai - A BIG portion for the price you pay. Definitely hits the spot and I have leftovers for a midnight snack. Spicy Fried Rice Combo - Strangely addicting. Not the typical fried rice but kind of has a taste of pho? Got medium spice which had a nice kick but I think I'll get it spicier next time. Yellow Chicken Curry - Super tender chicken! Curry goes so well on a rainy day. Those three items keep me coming back! Feeling like some Pad Thai right now actually, too bad they're closed on Sunday. read more

I regret not coming here more often when I lived down the street from this place. Now I crave it! The FOOD: Best pad thai ever. Not too greasy, good balance between sweet and salty, and a generous portion. Their panang curry is authentic! It is hard to find good panang, and this place nails it. I haven't tried much else, but it all looks delish. The AMBIANCE: I was shocked to see this place in a dinky business strip mall. No one has to know where you got this bomb food from. The PRICE: Good cheap prices, and great tasting, authentic Thai food. Need I say more? I am contemplating a drive up from San Diego back here for lunch today. DO ITTT! read more

I ordered pad thai with chicken, egg roll and fried rice. The pad thai was dry , the chicken was dry and taste like its been cooked and reheated again. The bean sprout looks like it was a week old. I had to throw it away after several bites. The dish was sour . read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Save your money - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

My friend wanted to eat thai food...so i Yelped it! I had the most amazing thai food @ pa-ord in LA (see my other review for this!) so...I was pretty lukewarm about eating thai food. This place seemed to have good reviews so I gave it a shot. I actually didn't even know that this food court place existed, even though I get my dry cleaning done at Piccadilly. Fail @ being observant. We went around 7p.m. & the food court was basically empty. The lady was really nice! My friend ordered the pad thai & I got the yellow curry and mango sticky rice (i can't resist! I love Mangoes!) My friend seemed to really like her pad thai. I wasn't too interested in trying it. As for my chicken curry, I guess it's good..for a food court. It's a little bit too sweet for my liking. and definitely not spicy enough. but it is yellow curry... the chicken however was cut into large,lean pieces that were SO tender. and I love that the carrots had little serrated edges..a really nice touch. The price is good for what you get. I took over half home. I got the mango sticky rice for dessert...SO DELICIOUS. Gosh, how can you go wrong? And it was only 3.99. I'm definitely going to come back here for dessert...everything else..I think I'll stick to LA. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Mango sticky rice :) - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

A good amount of food for the price. Not the best pad thai // pad see ew that i've ever had but for $6.25 with enough to almost feed two people, pretty darn good. Additionally, the woman working in front is really nice :) and big ups for having asian food in irvine! read more

FINALLY tried their mango sticky rice & beef pad see ewe... And T&C, you definitely didn't disappoint. I think my favorite dish at T&C is their beef pad see ewe. T&C does it differently than other Thai places, and does it BETTER... They have a mixture of broccoli, Chinese broccoli, & bok choi mixed in with the noodles. They also add carrots, which I don't care for, but they still give color to the dish. The beef is super flavorful and is tender. The noodles are tender & not overdone. My favorite thing about T&C is how hot their noodle dishes are when they come out. It's amazing. I take it to-go normally, and the dish is ALWAYS piping hot still when I open the container. Mango sticky rice--I liked it, but it wasn't the best I've ever had. Mango wasn't ripe enough, and the sticky rice was a little overcooked. Still good, and definitely very affordable. Quality, inexpensive food. Great taste. Love it. read more

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Was craving Thai wanted it to go. So after reading the reviews and raves about this place I figured I too will try their Pad Thai chicken. It was good, nothing out of the ordinary. Flavors were good untill I smelled the eggs. Don't get me wrong I love eggs but it was too strong. Nice owners by the way ps. had the Pad Se Ew and it was good too. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Chicken pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Called in an order for Chicken Pad Thai, and Chicken Yellow Curry (6pm, Thursday). We indicated NO SPICY (thank you Yelp reviews), since the food seemingly is known to be overly spicy. Picked up the food, and went home. This is why were always order TOGO, the person at the register didn't really seem to care about us. Since we only rate based on quailty of food, we're just going to note that the counter customer service isn't "friendly." Chicken Pad Thai was delicous (see picture). Plentiful, cheap ($7), and feeds 2 easily. No different than what you'd find at a thai restaurant that you'd pay $12-14 for. I'd rather eat out of a TOGO box than a fancy bamboo plate anyways. Everything on exactly as you would expect from Pad Thai. The Chicken "Yellow" Curry was good. It was not your traditional thai coconut yellow curry -- it wasn't reall a yellow color. More brownish than yellow. Flavor was very good though. Rice included at no extra cost -- thumbs up. Why 2 stars off? We asked for NO SPICY! They even confirmed, "No Spicy?" NO SPICY! (please) WHY is the curry spicy? And it wasn't like, "they don't notice a dash of spicy..." it was like, "why is my tongue tingling..." We'd come back for the Pad Thai and maybe try the Pad See Eww next time, but only if we're not lazy to drive to Thai Pepper in HB. read more

Thai & Chinese Express - Chicken Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm Thai and I do not get why some people hate on this place. The food is reasonably priced and does well in a pinch if you need Thai food in Irvine. Your best bet is to order something from the menu and not the steam table. I usually order Pad Gra-Pao (stir fried basil with fried egg) or Pad Thai with shrimp. The portion is enough to feed two people or to keep for next day's lunch. I wish they would have more condiments like Thai chilis in fish sauce or Thai chilis in vinegar, but I can make that at home easily. Other than that, don't judge a place by outward appearance. read more

Perfect place for lunch, good food, quick service and reasonably priced. I also liked that each item is made to order. I've been here a few times and never disappointed. read more