Oh lord, YES. I have been converted. I can't walk by without ordering a large amount of gooey coconut milk pancakes. The authentic irons makes them taste even more delicious. Sweetest chefs behind the magic always a treat to run into! read more

Walking around the Little Italy Farmer's Market on a Saturday and we found their booth between Union and State street. We tried their coconut pancakes (khanom khrok) which were so reasonably priced. They were light, fluffy, and had a hint of coconut which paired really well with their homemade syrup! Overall, we were pleased by the small treat as the made it fresh and in front of us in a few minutes. read more

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Stood and waited over 30 minutes for a single order of $18 Pad Thai, the line was not even long. Somehow people who ordered after me were getting their food before me. The lady who served orders knew I was first. Did not understand why. No explanation, no apology. Food is very not worth the wait and the price. read more

The coconut pancakes are my absolute favorite. Every trip to San Diego I would make sure to stop at Hillcrest Farmers Market to get me some!!! This trip I will only be there mid week. Are you at Little Italy's Wednesday market! I would be the happiest ever if so!!!! Thanks. read more

Went specifically for those coconut pancakes. Never had anything like this before. Very interesting and tasty, yet very simple. Would buy again though. read more

Thai Chef Saranya - Caterers Near Me

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I've tried their coconut pancakes at the Hillcrest location some years ago. We were at the Little Italy market this weekend and friend wanted to try the pancakes as she's never had them. You can order 4 pieces for $2. So that's a decent price to pay if you want to finally try these little coconut pastries. You see a guy making them right in front of you and others. We were lucky to have gotten a freshly made batch (waited like 5 min or so). The coconut pancakes were just 'ok'. They could have been crispier on the bottom. The top tasted too gummy and mochi-ish to us. Regardless, it was a fun dessert to try that early morning with a few friends. read more

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Kanom krok! The first time I had these delectable little goodies was in Washington DC at this excellent Thai restaurant we stumbled upon. I marveled at how good they were and was sad I wasn't able to find them in Arizona. Imagine my surprise when I saw the Thai Chef Saranya booth with the pancake iron all ready and fired up to take orders! The stand here calls them coconut pancakes. You have the option of getting 5 or a huge order (I think 28). I just wanted a little taste to bring back the food memories so I got the set of 5. It only took a few minutes to make them and it was cool seeing them being made in action. The little pancakes were similar to the ones I had in DC. The center was custard-like, creamy, and I could taste the coconut flavor. The outer "dome" was lightly crispy and caramelized from being heated in the metal mold. It was a tasty treat to snack on while we were at the Little Italy Mercato and I might be tempted to get the larger size for next time! read more

Thai Chef Saranya - Kanom krok/coconut pancakes - Caterers Near Me

I was curious because there was a mob of people surrounding this booth. What are those white little circles everyone are eating?! Coconut Pancakes! Coconut Pancakes = 4 for $1 - Pancakes made of coconut wth a splash of coconut milk on the top. Slightly crispy on the outside. I have never had these before & OMG, were they absolutely incredible! As I left, I purchased an entire pan for $6. Highly recommend! read more

Thai Chef Saranya - Coconut Pancakes - Caterers Near Me

Just picked this place out while exploring the Little Italy Mercato when the mid morning hunger bug bit me. I had seen the stand before but never stopped to look much so today that would change. I got the Thai omelette which was 3 eggs cooked in a wok and then filled with carrots, peas, onions and hot (mild imo) chili sauce. I chose diced checked as my protein add in. I also got the fresh Thai shrimp spring rolls which were your basic carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts and rice noodles wrapped in with shrimp via a rice wrapper. Crisp veggie freshness with a nice chew of fresh shrimp in each bite of the spring rolls. The Thai omelette was also a hit in that I do not like cheeses of any kind really, lactose issues mostly. So an omelette made sans cheese was nice for once. The filling was chalk full of the veggie and meat and the level 4 heat I asked for had a kick he but a 5 or 6 will be an oder for next time I visit Saranya Thai at the Marceto. read more

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Best coconut pancakes in the area! Be sure to stop here when you visit the Little Italy Saturday farmer's market. I haven't tried other things, but this place is my go-to for dessert when I'm at the market. read more

YES! I want more please! My fiancee and I stopped by during the Little Italy farmer's market and we absolutely loved the Thai Tea with Boba ($4 for a regular, $5 for a large). We weren't expecting much because it's a farmer's market but to our surprise, it was the best Thai Tea with boba we have ever had! The Thai tea was so delicious and the boba wasn't overly sweet. We also noticed them making coconut pancakes (4 for $1) and asked what they were and the guy gave us a sample. It was quite delicious! I don't like coconut and these pancakes were really delicious to me! I am now starting to understand why the line is always so long for this booth! The prices for food is a little high but I bet the food is equally as delicious as what we experienced today! We will definitely make it a point to stop by every week when we are around for the Thai tea with boba and some coconut pancakes! read more

Absolutely loved the food here but does anyone know where she went?! No longer at the farmers market and I can't seem to find anything online. Come back Saranya :( read more

Who knew a breakfast with such few ingredients would taste so good! I appreciate that the coconut pancakes are vegan and that they have a sugar-free option as well. You get a great price for a great breakfast and the staff are super kind. I'll have to try some of the other items on the menu sometime :) read more

Every Sunday I look forward to the amazing coconut pancakes! If you haven't tried them, it's definitely a must! The reason I come to the Hillcrest Farmers Market! read more

Thai Chef Saranya - Coconut pancakes, 28 pieces for $8! Best breakfast ever!! - Caterers Near Me

Food stand at Little Italy farmer's market. I had the shrimp pad Thai. I took about 20 minutes for my food so be prepared to wait. It was however worth it. Some of the best pad Thai in San Diego. read more

Came across randomly at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market! Had those amazing coconut rice dish, reminds me my mum recipe! I highly recommand to taste them! Delightful read more

Thai Chef Saranya - Caterers Near Me

I like coming to this place, the owner and his helpers are always friendly. I frequently come here when they are at the farmers market in Hillcrest or the Little Italy Mercato. The coconut pancakes are gluten free and vegan and delicious; I believe the owner himself made this recipe up, so i have to get like 8 of these bite size morsels. For only 2 bucks, what a great deal! The curry is delicious too and they will make it to your dietary desire which i think is a great concept with all the people who have food allergies or who want to eat more healthy. Everything is made fresh so that makes the meal even more special. Wash everything down with an iced Thai coffee, and woohoo!!! Now you can buzz buzz buzz your way around the market. Thanks Saranya's for a pleasant visit every time. read more

I eat at their hillcrest farmers market stand often. It is the best Thai food in San Diego. I was disappointed that the sit down restaurant didn't take off. I usually get an eggplant or veggie stirfry with chicken. The flavors are very unique. Most Thai food tastes pretty much the same everywhere. This one stands out. I got a stirfry yellow curry last time. Yum. They offer the option to cook in coconut oil, which is most like a better choice than whatever they normally use. I never asked what their regular oil is or where they get their coconut oil from. However, unless they are using hi oleic safflower or sunflower oil, you are probably better off from a health and flavor standpoint with the coconut oil. Here is a comprehensive article to help you make an informed choice: http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/what-type-of-coconut-oil-is-best-how-to-choose-a-coconut-oil/. They did recently raise their prices $1 on all entrees, which seemed steep to me. Complete Thai lunch specials with soup, salad, and egg roll are cheaper than that at many places. Perhaps they use very high quality ingredients and have been holding the price down as long as possible. Perhaps raw ingredient prices are spiking and they have no choice. However, I suspect they are jacking their prices to make up for the losses they no doubt incurred when the restaurant failed. I have noticed that many places seem to be doing the same thing, so perhaps people are just struggling to get by or feel they deserve more for their efforts. I am not going to knock them down a star for this but instead offer some friendly advice from a loyal customer. Unless they are experiencing changes in fixed costs necessary to run the current stand, this is a bad business practice. Raising prices over 10% at once when most of your customers have not gotten a raise in years and are thus unable to even keep up with inflation will lose you more in volume than than you make up in margin. To give you an example, I recently had to switch barbers after mine raised her rates to what amounts to over 50% in less than three years. I just can't afford a regular service that has gone up 50% when I have effectively fallen 10% behind in the same period. Now, I am not going to eat crappy Thai food just to get it cheap but I will have to eat at saranyas less often. I would also consider this a call to action. Small businesses are struggling due to lack of demand because so many potential customers make so little money these days. Don't support employers who don't pay a decent wage. Here's an article with a chart of the worst offenders: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-companies-with-the-most-low-wage-workers-2013-2 read more

This is my favorite food stand at the farmer's market and also one of my favorite places to get Thai food - period. I LOVE that they have health conscious options; cooked in coconut oil, gluten free, sugar free ,msg free, etc and you can customize your meal to fit your diet regulations. Extremely sweet service, been coming here for almost 8 years. Some of my favorite items include; 1. Pad sae ew ; super fresh noodles, not over cooked. Al dente Chinese broccoli that is crisp and sweet. 2. Shrimp fried rice; perfectly fried, not at all soggy. Make it as spicy as you'd like, very flavorful and is higher qualify than many fried rice dishes elsewhere. Other favorites; coconut pancakes (which everyone has mentioned) they'll even let you sample some freebies and you can't beat the price. Pad Thai (obvi), any of the curries, etc. I'm not sure if they still do this but they also use to do Thai cooking classes on Meetup also. Love this place ! read more

So amazing!! The food is delicious and the owners and worker bees are kind and knowledgeable ! I go every week for lunch if I possibly can. I bring all my friends over to the stand and try to take as much time as I can at the market breathing in the wonderful coconut aromas. I love getting the coconut pancakes and sharing them with friends. I am a vegetarian and I adore their plentiful options- most (if not all?) dishes can be made with tofu. They are okay with my quirks (which is a super big deal for me). They take out bean sprouts and add in extra basil and keep the spice level super low for me ( I'm a 0 in a scale of 0 to 10). There is so much well-rounded flavor even without the heat. They have a lovely place to sit outside their stall and sometimes they even bring me the dish when they see me perched on the grassy hill by the church behind their stand. The portions are large so I often share them with my sweetie if she can take a break from work. Yesterday she was so excited to see the familiar takeout container in my farmers market bag - from hours before- that she audibly sighed when she realized I had eaten the whole thing without her. Sorry honey. :( Last week , I even learned that they give cooking lessons! How cool is that ! I think that would be a fun party to host. And my home would smell so yummy! I'm a fan! Go there. Hire them. Be kind to them. Thanks for reading my review. read more

Her food is really AMAZING, AWESOME, DELICIOUS, EXCELLENT..... I am, honest to god, only motivated to go to the Hilcrest or Little Italy Farmer's markets because of her food. I hate the parking, but I will bite my tongue and go there because I am craving her awesome: Pad C U (Pad See Ew), Pad Thai, Papaya Salad and her heavenly coconut pancakes (khanom krok). These coconut pancakes just make me want to eat it till I gain about a billion pounds. It's that good! Why do I love her cooking? Because she seems to try and use the best quality and the freshest ingredients. She doesn't skimp on food and gives a generous portion. The flavors are well balanced, not oily, not too salty or sweet. Lastly, she gives special attention and love to each dish and doesn't rush through it. I wish she would go to the La Jolla or Mira Mesa farmer markets. Hilcrest and Little Italy are beautiful and big, but too far and parking is just dreadful. Seriously, I only go because I LOVE HER FOOD!! Does anyone know if she owns/works at a restaurant somewhere. I will be her loyal number 1 fan/customer. read more

I really liked this place and the coconut pancakes are amazing; however, I recently had a bad experience. I just flew home from New York and went straight to the farmers market because I had been craving the pancakes. When I went to the stand, they would only sell 8 pancakes because other people will want them too. "So make more!!!" I thought they were joking. So 4 stars for the food and 3 stars for the service. read more

I have been coming here for years! Food is FRESH and yummy; and those little coconut snacks are addictive!! The staffs are super friendly and made a point to get to know you. It's easy to get jaded as they are very busy in he farmers market but they are always so nice and friendly! Highly recommended! Also ask for the protein glass noodles! When I am on my diet that is a wonderful rice noodle substitute. Oh of course don't forget to try the little coconut snacks :) read more

Do you like Thai food? Look no further, Saranya has got you covered! Their menu, from the Coconut Pancakes to their Pad Thai and fried rice dishes never disappoint. If you like spice, you can specify form (1-10, 3 being American Spicy) or go with one of their several curry dishes. The Thai Tea is also a favorite, especially with Boba adding just the right level of sweetness and flavor. You can also top off a great meal with their Mango and sticky rice and ask for extra sweetness if you desire. Everything is tasty and the prices just right. I also heartily recommend them for catering if you get the chance. Their prices are reasonable, are punctual to the dot, and will satisfy your guests. I frequent them every Sunday at their Hillcrest Farmer's Market. Be sure to say hi to Marty and Chef Saranya if you go! ;) read more

Most weekends, I stop by to see Saranya, and her husband, Marty at the Little Italy Farmer's Market, or the Hillcrest Farmer's Market. It just would not be a weekend if we did not see them and have some coconut pancakes. We have the farmer's market errand down to a science. The first stop is always Thai Chef Saranya. We get two orders of thai coconut pancakes, chat with Marty and Saranya, and order our breakfast. We snack on the pancakes while we shop for groceries and by the time we are done, our breakfast is ready and waiting for us to take home. By the way, the thai omelette is amazing, and the pad see u is the best I have had in San Diego. I have to keep gluten free due to allergy, and Saranya takes good care of me. We'll see you next weekend, Marty and Saranya! read more

This is the Thai food stand that you see at the Hillcrest and Little Italy farmers market every weekend in San Diego(well at least where I see them) they are well known for these little coconut pancakes made in a cast iron mold, they are extremely good and people go crazy for them! That's not what this review is for though hahah. Today I got the Thai Fried Rice w/ground pork. It was extremely flavorful and fresh, with tomatoes, gai lan and more. It was one of the best Thai fried rice dishes I've ever had. They are very nice people and always give you great service. read more

Amazing food the flavors were out of this world the chef genemo had a awesome personality and knew what he was doing in the kitchen

We live in Scottsdale Arizona and visit San Diego quite often. We discovered the small Coconut Pancakes a few years ago and we were hooked. Delicious bite sized and yummy. We always buy a full pan full and bring the rest home, if there are any leftover that is. We go there as often as possible and crave them when we're not here. If you decide to open a location in Arizona, we'll be there. All the food items we've tried there have been excellent. And the owners recognize us as the two older folks with the tiny white dog named Roxy. Thanks again. read more

This review is for only 2 items: the coconut pancakes that the friendly cook was doing by the hundreds that day I'm sure, and the Thai iced tea. The coconut pancakes were purchased on a whim - it is awesomeness personified into these tiny little balls of delicious batter cooked in a specialized pan. Fluffy, doughy, sweet, and with a hint (only a hint) of coconut, these coconut pancakes are to die for. And I'm not the only one - consistently at the truck, there are tons of people that line up in order to order 1 thing - the coconut pancakes. In fact, when people order more than 3 dozen, everyone in line gives them the stink eye because they know that they will have to wait even longer for the cook to make some more. Also purchased on a whim - the thai iced tea. Oftentimes, we, the people in America, suffer from inferior Thai iced tea because we don't know what good Thai iced tea tastes like. I have had the privilege of tasting smuggled tea leaves from Thailand and even when made by amateurs, the Thai iced tea heavenly. As such, half of what I taste in America tastes overly sweet and creamy - like the sugar and crème are attempting to cover up and make up what the actual tea lacks in flavor. You will find none of that here. The tea here packs a full-flavor profile, is full-bodied, and very tasty. Add in the moderate sugar and crème and you got yourself a small slice of heaven. So good. TL;DR - I only get 2 things here and only two things. Pancakes and tea. read more

I first met Chef Saranya at the little Italy farmers market. I had just moved to San Diego [and I mean literally "just", I had parked the car and was waiting to move in to my apt. so I went here something like 30 mins after I got off the highway] and was walking around the farmers market because I had to kill 2-3 hours before moving in to my apartment. I smelled her cooking and stopped by. I love thai food so I thought it might be good. When asked how spicy I liked it I told her "As hot as you can make it." She was hesitant to spice it up because I am an American. I asked her to bet me whether or not I could handle it. If I couldn't finish it, I'd pay for it, if I could I got it for free. Well I was able to finish it with no problems, and we did pay for it anyway as it was just that damn good. And I've been a loyal customer ever since. I will make it a point to go to a farmers market where she sets up just for her thai cooking. Like today, I didn't "need" anything from the market, but wanted her currie for breakfast. I consider myself to be an ethnic food snob, and will tell you that Chef Saranya does not disappoint!! On a side note I do not give out 5 star reviews easily.... read more

Wishing this place had a restaurant. So delicious I look forward to my farmers market days.

Saranya's has amazing food made by amazing people! Not only is everything delicious but talking with the staff is always a positive and enjoyable experience. Their Coconut Pancakes are insane delicious! read more

Every Sunday possible we walk to the Hillcrest Farmer's Market just to get the Coconut Pancakes from this booth! Hot and crisp on the outside, sweet, warm and creamy on the inside - they are the perfect way to start a Sunday morning! And everyone working there are as wonderful as the food. Get the pancakes, walk around a bit, and then come back for your lunch! read more

My girlfriend and I met Chef Saranya and Marty at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market. Their Coconut Pancakes are delicious!

Just DELICIOUS! Probably my FAVORITE food vendor at the Hillcrest Farmers Market, I don't eat at the market often but when I am craving something this place hits the spot. Very authentic, affordable, and flavorful. I wish they had a restuarant but it is so convenient they are right there at the farmers market. Their small coconut pancakes are tiny goodness that I absolutely love and can't go wrong with some thai iced tea. If you are cruising the farmers market and get hungry try them out they don't dissapoint. read more

I'm in love with this place! The man that was serving us was really nice and the food was great. There are a lot of vegan options which was awesome! I highly recommend!! read more

This place is delicious, price is reasonable and affordable. The coconut pancakes are awesome and they are always giving out samples, if you buy some make sure you get the crispy ones. You can pick exactly how you want to order whatever you want, they never make mistakes on custom orders. The pad thai was perfect, and you can pick how spicy it is too. Too bad it's not there every day! read more

This is the best Thai food in San Diego. Everything I've tried has been amazing. The service is great, anyone working is willing to help you, and very friendly. Food is all fresh cooked and absolutely delicous. My only critique is that I can't get it often enough! read more

I always get my Thai food from Chef Saranya, Marty, Carla and Courtney every Saturday from the Little Italy Mercato. Last Saturday, Carla and Courtney served up the best batch of coconut pancakes I've ever eaten! Perfectly golden and soft like pudding in the centers! They were like coconut pillows from heaven. Snack on! read more

We have enjoying their curries for almost five years. we keep them in the freezer and use them with veggies, pasta, meat/tofu... anything! Very fresh and flavorful. The little coconut pancakes are also amazing. Very nice people working there too. It's a must stop on our farmers market trips!! read more