I'm a San Jose state student. I started a series of Tik Tok of walkable distance restaurants near SJSU. This one is only 4 minutes away walking, and it's truly one of my favorites !!! The food is amazing every time I go I always order the same thing. Not sure if it's because I'm starving that this place just hits the spot lol, but it's definitely one of my top favorite Thai places. The workers are very kind and very fast! I recommend this place if you want to get a quick meal. read more

One of my favorite place to get Thai food in San Jose. There's also a lot of hot dishes that you can get as well. It's a small store and you people usually order to-go. Their Drunken Pad Thai is so good. read more

Thai Chili Express - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Quick and easy takeout Thai food with ready to assemble dishes. I got the 2 item combo with white rice, spicy fish, and the green curry chicken. The food is pretty good, certainly for takeout thai food. The staff are pretty generous with the curry and make an effort to give you a variety of ingredients while serving. I'd recommend it for a workday lunch! read more

Thai Chili Express - 2 Item Combo with Green Curry with Chicken and Spicy Fish - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

I frequent Thai Chilli Express several times a month as it's a quick and consistent option for lunch during the work week. My usual go to is their tofu pad see ew. It's always made to my requested spice level and has plenty of flavor. I've also tried their ready to go curries and side dishes which are also a great choice if you're pinched for time. Their staff are friendly and helpful. I sometimes bring my own beverage container for their yummy Thai Iced Tea and they will fill it as long as it's clean. There's limited seating inside, maybe 5 tables at the most. The only thing is that it can get quite busy noon and you may need to wait 15-20mins, if you order off the menu vs the ready to go items. read more

Thai Chili Express - Menu - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

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This is such a great spot by SJSU. The price and portion size make this a great deal for students. Our food was packed with flavor and they are always so fast with their service. There's a couple tables on the inside but most people just grab to-go. They do a special combo version called "drunken pad Thai" that y'all must try. read more

Thai Chili Express - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

This place is a solid grab and go type of restaurant. Workers here are friendly and the service is good. They already have most of the food out in the trays so you would just need to pick what you want. There is not much seating inside. The garlic noodles are flavorful and go well with the variety of different dishes they have there. They have different types of curries as well as different types of Thai noodle dishes. The sugarcane juice is also very refreshing, and they make it fresh. Everything I've tried here has been enjoyable. read more

Thai Chili Express - Garlic Noodles with Large Panang Curry with Beef and chicken - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

I've come here a couple of times with a friend whenever we felt like getting some quick Thai food. The woman serving is always friendly towards us, and there's decent ambiance and a small amount of nice, clean seating that we can usually sit at to enjoy our food if we're not in a rush. There's no bike racks nearby, however, but you can park your car in the parking lot for the grocery store across the street or pay the meters on the side of the street. I usually find the food to be good, but I think today might've been an off day. Normally I get the rice with either spicy or tamarind fish because the strong flavors of the fish usually go well with the rice, but I decided to try getting the garlic noodles this time with tamarind fish. The garlic noodles made the food a bit too salty in my opinion, but that's something that I could normally look past. The issues I had was with the texture, which felt rougher than last time, and the flavors did not make up for it. I enjoy the mild flavors that they had, which was also present here, but the fish felt like rough tofu and I questioned if it was indeed tofu before feeling something that vaguely looked like a small bone. I'm not sure if it was, however, and I guess I probably should've been more careful, so I'll give them a pass over that. On a lighter note, the food is cheaper compared to some other places and is pretty fulfilling, though that's not saying much when most other places in the area are over ten dollars. I think I'll probably have to take some time off from this place before I'm willing to try again. read more

Thai Chili Express - Garlic Noodles with Tamarind Fish - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Dawg... pad see ew and crab fried rice.... Happiness guaranteed. Go here all the time love it!! Epic! read more

Thai Chili Express - Pad See Yew with beef - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

I went for dinner takeout and I think it was their last batch so my meal wasn't satisfying at all. I got 2 combo boxes for $30. First box had garlic chicken (too sweet) and green chicken curry (salty and not much flavor)+ rice. The second was slightly better with tofu red curry (carrot slices way too big) and spicy fish (fish wasn't freshly fried so the crispy-ness had become had to chew). As the name suggests, it has very fast food vibe. But the prices are not for fast food so I expected better quality. I would go back again at an earlier time and hopefully I'll update my review to more than 2 stars. read more

The portion is well worth the price!! The pad kee mao tasted amazing, and they are very generous with the chicken. I ordered ahead on Uber Eats to pick-up, and they cooked my order fresh when I walked in. Great spot! read more

This is my go-to place for Thai food in downtown San Jose. I usually order the Chicken Pad See Ew, but recently, I tried the tofu, and it was delicious. The service is always great here, and the ambiance is very casual. read more

Thai Chili Express - Pad See Yew with Tofu - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

I love Thai Chili Express. The Yellow Curry Chicken and Garlic Chicken are the best. The lady that works the counter is always nice. And the place is always clean. Looking for some fast Thai food, visit Thai Chili Express read more

Whenever my partner & I are thinking about getting Thai food, That Chili Express is our go-to. We have only ever picked up orders to-go, but they are quick and consistent every time and it's easy to call to order in advance. Plus you can easily customize each order for the protein you want (including making things vegetarian/vegan) and the spice level. He always goes for the pineapple fried rice with tofu, finding that other places just don't seem to do it as well as Thai Chili Express. Being a noodle fiend, I usually go for Pad Kee Mao or Pad See Ew, but I've also had the Thai basil fried rice. Being somewhat particular about noodle dishes, I will say I've had some that I prefer elsewhere, but it's still solid here, and again reliable and consistent. I enjoyed the fried rice as well. Portion sizes are good if you have a big appetite or want some leftovers. We'll definitely continue coming here! read more

Thai Chili Express - Tofu Basil Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

4 stars for the flavors and 2 stars for customer service. The elderly lady at the counter looked like she had a stressful day- she did not smile and didn't say hello. read more

Used to go here when I went to sjsu not gonna lie for Thai fast food it wasn't bad. They have some of their own dishes that aren't necessarily Thai but they make it work read more

I ordered pad Thai for pick up. Luckily I decided to take a few bites before leaving the parking lot because I found a piece of hair mixed in the noodles. I went back inside and asked the worker if I can get a new order made after showing them the piece of hair. They accommodated me and got it done within 10 minutes. Besides that the flavor of the pad Thai is pretty good. I got medium spicy but it wasn't spicy enough so I would get it spicier if I come back for some. Fast service, limited parking, and the portion size isn't bad. read more

Thai Chili Express - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

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It was an exhausting Friday and I need a quick take out dinner and found this place after looking for Thai. I called it in and 10 minutes later, my dinner was ready for pick-up. It is a a mom and pop type of joint with a fast Thai menu. Although it is a small menu, they have the popular dishes like Pad See Ew and Pad Thai which is what I ordered. I asked for mild because I was hoping I can give my toddler some Pad See Ew noodles, but unfortunately, they were still a little spicy. For me, I added chili oil and sriracha and found both delicious. My only critique is that I wish they had more veggies. Both had generous amounts of thinly sliced chicken. The staff was friendly and made pick up a snap! read more

Located right by SJSU, the interior is quite small. The ambiance is relaxed but the kitchen seems quite busy. Pad Thai (3.5/5): The texture of everything was superb. The shrimp tail was easily separated. The tofu and chicken were perfect. Both were good sized chunks. The noodles could use improvement. They were all stuck together making the dish mushy. Nonetheless it was alright. The price is a bit high too. Tap to pay accepted. Overall Thai Chili Express has some pretty alright food with a hefty price tag. read more

Thai Chili Express - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

I absolutely love Thai Chili Express!!! I try my best to find different places to eat for lunch when I'm at work and one of my coworkers absolutely loves it, so I decided to give it a try. I usually steer away from Thai food because I know I can't handle the spice, which is one reason why I love Thai Chili Express. You can say how spicy you want your food, so I always say mild! Another thing I love are the noodles. I absolutely LOVE thick noodles and love how flavorful they are here. You have the option of ordering off their menu or creating a plate, where you can pick 2-3 items they have out and ready. The only downside is I'd you do want to get a plate with different options, sometimes they have been sitting out for some time and get cold. I have come here so often for lunch and get the same thing every time!! I'm going to try some new things next time I go and want to try their sugar cane juice as well. Overall, I highly recommend heading to this restaurant!! read more

Thai Chili Express - Pad See Yew (mild) - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Favorite place to get eggplant tofu curry with rice! Delicious every time and it is so close to my downtown work!!!

I got the Pad Thai and Mango sticky rice for the pad Thai I'd say not bad but not the most flavorful pad Thai I've had, it's very saucy so if you like saucy pad Thai or saucy things you'll like it. Has a slight taste of ketchup if I'm being quite honest... which was a bit off-putting, it is a pretty nice portion though extremely filling. mango rice: nice and sweet but not too sweet. You definitely get your money's worth with the amount of mango pieces (I actually finished the rice before I could finish the mango) and it was a good ripe mango I got. very delicious :) read more

A great SJSU student staple, I would highly recommend the basil fried rice. Staff are super inviting and helpful, they provide you with all the utensil and plate needed to eat in store. read more

An unpretentious place, clean, bright, airy, with a simple and complete menu and friendly staff. The food is just right (taste, smell, color, temperature) and you will receive good portions and very affordable prices. Oh! and you can see the people in the kitchen doing everything from scratch. Bonus point: THE FRESH CANE SUGAR JUICE, you have to try it! (also you see when they are doing it for you). Definitely give this place a try when you want to have a comfortable meal full of Thai flavor. read more

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Me and my best friend have been regulars for 4 years now. They always have good service, yummy food and reasonable prices. I absolutely love their tamarind fish with their garlic noodles, such a delicious combo. They always have ready to go food, and they also cook fresh dishes depending on what you get. They pack a lot of flavor for a good price ! read more

I had combo 2: rice with garlic chicken and coconut chicken. Garlic chicken was 10 out of 10. It is it. The service was fast. The place has nice seatings too. read more

This is Thai fast food. It's already prepared on warmers so don't expect freshly prepared delicious Thai food. But that wasn't the worst thing. The worst thing was that the woman serving the food put the rice and the curry chicken into the same plastic container. Meh! In Asian food, you DON'T mix the rice and the food. NO! The rice goes in a little rice bowl (at least in Chinese and Japanese food, which is what I grew up with). I think Thais also have rice bowls. In any case, you DON'T dump it all together. It makes it impossible to eat the rice with chop sticks, as it gets all wet and mushy and no longer sticks together. Also, the food is watered down with the rice, so you no longer have the full flavor of it. They are ti cheap to give you a separate container for the rice. Well they ruined the meal. To make it worse, the flavor was pretty meek. They call it Thai Chili Express, but there wasn't any chile in it. I had to ask for lime and chile to be able to eat the food (I was give lemon, what's up with that? It's supposed to be lime.) It was actually on the BLAND side, WTF?? Thai food is supposed to be a riot of flavor that explodes in your mouth. This food is appropriate for old people who can no longer take the heat. They are cooking for non-Thai customers (I didn't see any other Asians in there) obviously, who can't take hot food. They also are catering to folks who use forks, not chopsticks (see above). This is not authentic Thai cooking. They are catering to US-ers, to non-Asians. My advice is to pass this place by. read more

What an experience! I have been to plenty of Thai places and as such most of them are very good. This one is absolutely amazing. Although $12.02 is a bit much, the food here is high quality. I got the pad see ew, which is a sweet flat shaped noodle with various sauces of Thai cuisine. Service was quick and the lady was very happy, she means business. You get three different spices mild, medium and hot and I got mild because I'm a pansy. But it was delicious and very fresh. I haven't tasted their other items yet but I will try the drunken noodle as I always loved spicy. I just don't want to go to deep in the spice or I will have to drink plenty of water supplements. They have vegetarian options like tofu, broccoli and carrot or you can get beef chicken or pork. I chose the vegetarian because I don't want to be obese. No bathrooms inside and no WiFi but you get the bargain outlet across the street which is very convenient for the grocery shoppers. Area is very scary with homeless loitering etc. but they don't bother me that much they just sleep on the concrete. Bus station and other delicious places to eat nearby. Close to SJSU. read more

This review is for their garlic chicken and spicy fish only. I normally come here for pad kee mao or pad see ew, my favorite choices here. Today I wanted something different so I get the two-entree meal. Both of the entrees I got which were garlic chicken and spicy fish were super salty. I have to gulp in lots of rice to balance it out. I would not recommend these two entrees, unless you would want high blood pressure. I wish they had some more veggies dish, all of the entrees are either meat of fish. read more

Delicious fast food Thai food. Lost a star cuz I walked in and there was no hot food out. Thought they closed for the day lol. But they ended up just making things to order, but unfortunately did not have soup or was not making it that day. Garlic chicken: I really miss SF's fast food Thai called Coriander at the Westfield mall, and this looked super similar to a dish called "Sweet Chicken w/ Crispy Basil". Unfortunately this wasn't like it much, and was much more soy garlic/oyster saucey. Not bad, but probably wouldn't get it again. 3/5 Spicy fish: So good. Big chunks of lightly breaded fish. Light kick. 4/5 Service: 5/5 - such sweet ladies who run this spot. read more

Thai Chili Express - Garlic Chicken (left) and Spicy Fish (right) - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Good, good, good. You can easily spend $100 and not catch it because everything is delicious. The lady working the front was good at her job. It's a small, little, don't want to say hole in the wall, but it's a lil shop, crammed between other lil shops, but We enjoyed our time spent. There was no pressure to hurry up and leave, and I love the ice-cold water available freely. read more

This place has really really great & consistent Pad See Ew (not ew.. YUM). I've never really cared about Pad See Ew all my life until trying it here. I've tried Pad See Ew at a few Thai restaurants, but man, this stuff takes the cake. It is GENUINELY FEROCIOUSLY BETTER than the Thai restaurants around here. It is GOD-TIER STUFF. My compliments to the chef(s). This is absolutely my favorite weekly lunch spot. I've gotten this dish probably near 25 times by now. read more

Thai Chili Express - Pad See Ew? NO, PAD SEE YUM! - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

I don't understand what took me so long to finally give this place a try, I'm glad I have and there's no way I'm eating at any other fast, to-go Thai restaurant in downtown until I find something as equally matched. The restaurant is a small "hole-in-the-wall", near one of the greatest photo print shops (one I would always visit for a university class) --- (but that's another story). You can miss it if you walk too fast and are not paying attention, true story this was mine. So far, the best menu item I've had here had to have been the pad see yew. The flavor was so rich, not so oily and was cooked with an amazing type of soy sauce; that I feel I have never had anywhere else. I recommend the pad see yew for anyone taking a taste of Thai food for the first time. After accepting the vast flavors of Southeast Asia in your taste buds, you are able to get more daring with your meal choice. In which, I would then recommend to try the Tom Kha soup (chicken coconut curry) and the Panang Beef Curry; both meals are great to go on top of steamy white jasmine rice. It's really great to finally find Thai food that actually tastes Thai, if you know what I'm trying to say here. I've made frequent visits on my lunch break from university and will definitely make a few more in the future. read more

Thai Chili Express - $24 for a overfilled box of pad kee mao and pad see yew. How ravishing. - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Uh yeah, this wasn't very good. Thai Chili Express's main selling point for me aside from being a Thai eatery was the cafeteria style because places like that tend to be more generous with their portions in my experience. I didn't really think this place was any more generous with their portions than Panda Express was. They were arguably even stingier which was a shame given that I wouldn't exactly call their combo prices cheap. I guess this place is meant to cater more so to the SJSU students that are on campus and don't want to go out of their way too far to get food. Fair enough, I'm fat and I despise walking and most kinetic activity in general so I guess there's something to be said about convenience. Unfortunately, I'm not an SJSU student so that doesn't matter to me in this case. The food choices for the combos were utterly lacking when I came in. Most of the proteins were more than half gone and anything that was left looked like they had been sitting out way too long and mangled by a chihuahua. Garlic noodles tasted absolutely nothing like garlic. More like stale Parmesan cheese. However, the biggest disappointment was the curry. I've never seen such watery curry in my life. The taste was sort of there but the watery consistency was so utterly bizarre and did not mix well with rice at all. If there was anything I did marginally like, it was the freshly prepared garlic chicken. Unlike the curry, it actually had some measure of flavor and spice though not nearly enough of the latter for my palate. I guess you'd probably be better off getting your money's worth by ordering menu items that aren't on the cafeteria line like pad Thai (its absence on the cafeteria line was utterly disappointing) or crab fried rice. Maybe. I doubt I'll ever be back to ever know. read more

I always found it difficult to find something decent to eat in DTSJ, especially during the coveted lunchtime. I didn't want to wait forever in line, and then wait even longer for my food - but also, I didn't want to go too far and eat fast food. I know, I sound extremely picky but there's a lot I have to consider before making my decision. I only get so much time for lunch that includes getting to the location, ordering, paying, getting my food, eating, and then heading back to the office - and I don't want to feel sluggish after eating or rushed to finish. Anyways, that got even more difficult when COVID hit since many places in downtown weren't even opened anymore. So, turning to trusty Yelp, I searched food in my area. A few things popped up and then there was Thai Chili Express. It was a quarter of a mile away of a walk and from the menu, it looked like a good selection and I mean, you can't go wrong with thai food for lunch option. So onward I went. Going around 1pm it was pretty dead on a Tuesday. Menu was simple and it was posted for you to see on their tv. They also offer an array of vegetarian options and steam table style food/curries for combo plate options. It didn't look terrible as if it's just been sitting there all day under heat lamps untouched. I however opted for the pad see ew which required them to prepare in the kitchen. It was less than 10 minutes to get my chicken pad see ew and the portion was definitely generous for the price and for being downtown. It was piping hot when I got it and I couldn't even finish half! The flavor was there - a tad bit too sweet for me. The noodles were fresh and not breaking into smaller pieces. The chicken was a little dry as it was so thinly sliced. The interior was EXTREMELY CLEAN - especially for downtown, I was MORE than impressed. They also take credit card, which is convenient. I'm a fan and its a good option if you're looking for something quick but fresh, and close by. read more

I ordered takeout from here last week based on the high reviews and relatively cheap prices that I saw on DoorDash. $12.50 for veggie pad Thai seemed reasonable, and when I opened the box, the portion was pretty large as well. The reason I'm not giving it higher ratings, however, was because of the taste. I order pad Thai fairly regularly at Thai restaurants, and this place didn't seem to have added tamarind to the noodles at all. In fact, it didn't have any of the typical pad thai flavors (missing peanut, tamarind, and slight sweetness). Kind of disappointing, after all the good reviews. read more

Came for lunch and was greeted by amicable staff. The pleasant taste of the chicken curry was very palatable and was had a balanced flavor. Paid Street parking nearby and in front. Quick service and clean establishment. read more

Thai Chili Express - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Located a short distance away from sjsu is this small cafeteria style establishment. I have came back over the past few years and have usually had their combos and thai tea. The employees seem nice and friendly. The establishment is fairly clean inside. Their Thai tea (4/5) is pretty good. It tastes about the same as any other Thai food places. I have always had their garlic noodles (3/5) and they don't actually taste like garlic but I do like the texture of the noodles since they are thicker. I had their pineapple chicken curry (2/5)and there wasn't a whole lot of flavor compared to their other dishes. The chicken is dry and they don't give you a lot of the curry itself so you can rehydrate the flavors. Their garlic chicken (4/5) is more fish saucy then anything, they have reduced the strong taste of fish sauce over the years but you still don't taste the garlic. The sauce for it is still good and it's chicken isn't dry. read more

Sa-wa-dee krap (Hello)... Aroy dee mak (The food was most delicious.)... Som tom (Papaya salad)... Kow pad kung Thai (Thai shrimp fried rice)... Kow-nee-ow mang muan (Sweet rice mango)... Kop koon krap (Thank you)... (See you again)... read more

We ordered: 1) Garlic chicken - this was excellent 2) Coconut chicken - good but slightly watered down flavor 3) Panang curry with beef - good but the beef wasn't the best 4) Pineapple curry with chicken - good but nothing amazing This place is easy, fast casual, and tasty for the price. Its nothing out of this world. I asked for a side of steamed noodles and they wouldn't go for it....saying they don't have that. I find that weird when they clearly sell pad Thai and other noodle dishes. If you're looking for something thing quick and easy it could fit your mood! read more

Thai Chili Express - Mixed curries and garlic chicken $9.85 per container - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California

Not bad for takeout/delivery, but also not amazing. I picked Thai Chili Express partially because of the great reviews, and partially because of the fast delivery time. I ordered the Pad See Yew (they only have chicken available, which is fine, because I wanted that anyway) through UberEats and it really was impressively quick! The portion size was huge and they give a very very generous amount of chicken, so I did appreciate that. However, the noodles just weren't that flavorful! There's no option to pick your spice level either, but it just felt like some flavor was lacking. Might order again eventually! read more

Thai Chili Express - Pad See Yew - Thai Near Me - San Jose, California