Good Tai food in Novato? Yes, there are some good Asian restaurants in Novato. Thai Smile is a small Tai restaurant but the taste is big. We ordered the shrimp pad thai, tofu pad see mow and fried tilapia. All three dishes were very tasty. However, the rice fun noodles were a little too overcooked. The service was fantastic. The waitress was very attentive. The dining area was very clean too. So, if you're looking for some Tai food, come check out Thai Smile! read more

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Hole in the wall type of restaurant. They were open on July 4th. The staff is very friendly and easy-going and the restaurant has nice indoor and outdoor dining areas. My friends and I ordered many dishes: yellow curry, pad see ew, pad kee mow, pad Thai, salad, and mango sticky rice. We shared all our plates; we couldn't get enough of each. So happy we stopped here. We were literally scraping the bottom of our plates :) read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

My car broke down on Highway 101 during rush hour. After having it towed to an auto shop I called a friend to ask if he could give me a ride home from the mechanic's. When I told him where to pick me up he said "Ooh... there's a really good restaurant right near there". This was my introduction to Thai Smile Cuisine, an unassuming little spot near Highway 101 in San Rafael whose walls are plastered with yelp awards. What took me so long? The friend who helped me out is a regular to-go patron of Thai Smile and said that he always gets the "yellow curry noodle soup with chicken". I don't know how it's listed on the menu but say it just like that and you'll get a bowlful that's big enough to last for several meals. It is delicious and had my friend not already been helping me out I'd have fought him over those leftovers. Another dish we tried, eggplant, was ordered "lightly" spiced to which my friend later remarked "not sure why I did that". It was fine, but would have benefited from some zing which I'm sure it was meant to have. Thai Smile has a handful of indoor seats and a few outside as well. It's intimate, casual, and satisfying and based on a single visit and a single dish I'm thinking it might be the best Thai food in Marin. I'll certainly be a return customer. read more

Thank you Thai Smile for nourishing our stomachs and our spirits. We so appreciate the generosity. We are a group of ~10 artists. Thai Smile donated food to fuel us for an evening of rehearsals. Nearly everyone went back for seconds of the Chicken Pad Thai. Delicious and so appreciated! We will be sending audience members your way before and after the show read more

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All great - food, service, and venue (ambiance). We went there after a very long hike in Cataract Falls. This small Thai restaurant is a gem in San Rafael, Ca. We received a very good service from the owner herself and the place is very cozy. The foods are great from the soup to the main dish which we prefer to be spicy. read more

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I ordered takeout here with a friend when we were visiting San Rafael for the weekend. It's a mom and pop shop and they have a parking lot in the back, score! Ordering by phone was quick and easy. Unfortunately my friend found some egg shells in her shrimp pad Thai. The color of the pad Thai was more brown than reddish orange than I'm used to, it didn't taste as sweet and salty as I've had at other Thai restaurants. It did come with a good amount of shrimp. My jungle curry was not bad, it had a good amount of vegetables, but it was too soupy and I was craving a coconut milk based curry so that was my error. I learned my lesson, coconut based curries only for this girl. read more

We are coming to Thai smile almost every Friday - it's our favorite place. We are coming there like visiting old friends. They know our taste and even bring my wife a big mug with ice water who likes it without even asking. We would strongly recommend Thai Smile for your family. read more

love love Sandy! and their delicious authentic Thai! Sorry I'm not living closer or I would be there weekly! Absolutely cannot go wrong with anything we've had through the years! Service is on point, husband and wife team in a tiny place so be patient cause it's well worth every cent! Reasonable prices for the quality, simple ambiance with fun decorated restrooms by their talented daughter! Must support this local gem!!! read more

Both food and service were great!! Best Thai food in town. I have been coming here for years. Jim

Lovely waitress and great service. Food not de great bet definitely eatable. The papaya salad was small, and lacked flavor. The pad kee mao lacked flavor did have nicely cooked green beans and chicken was good-ish, but noodles all mashed up and not enough spices. The soup was very basic. Your answer is so so there is a lot of clutter on one side of the restaurant and the restrooms are not that clean. read more

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Thai Smile is such a cozy local gem. The food is consistently delicious, and the family who runs it is incredibly sweet, kind and generous. I love their green curry--and their extended hours are a huge plus. They're actually open during the slightly off-normal times when I usually want lunch or dinner, which makes it even better. read more

My review for this place is LONG overdue. Thai Smile has quickly became one of our favorite thai restaurants in marin. We have tried almost everything on their menu. The owner is the sweetest and I love that I can actually get food in Marin past 8pm and feel welcome and not like i'm closing the place down (don't go to a restaurant at 745 if they close at 8 come on). Not here! she stays open for takeouts orders. saved my night MANY nights. Love!!!! read more

As we seated after 5:30 PM, it took about 25 minutes for me to get my chai tea before I got that the other tables got their drinks and their appetizers even though we had already put our Mail order in 15 minutes before they even placed their drinks. My guy had to get up and go ask for our drinks as we seen her seating. Another couple she had four packs of saran wrapped frozen rice. The next thing we heard was the microwave go off and I knew where you're in trouble we almost left and then when we got our pad, broccoli dish with pork, the pork was tasteless so tough and the broccoli had ages of old looking broccoli on it. Carrots was OK. The rice was very mushy and oily needless to say it was a tasteless dinner and I will never return there. The chai tea was good though. read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Pad broccoli and fried basil rice worst dinner in my life hostess walked out to seat a table and had 4 packs of frozen rice - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

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The absolute sweetest woman owns this place. It's a shame I don't live here or I'd love to come by all the time. It's a cute spot with good indoor and outdoor seating. The food was very satisfying- only ordered Tom Kha and mango sticky rice. Both good. Generous with the mushrooms in the soup. read more

We've lived in San Rafael for over 30 years and last night was our first visit to Thai Smile. I wished I had gone earlier! The food was delicious. I had the yellow curry chicken, which was spiced exactly as I wanted. Mild with a slight zing. Smooth, flavorful sauce and big chunks of chicken, potato and carrots. My husband, daughter and her boyfriend all thoroughly enjoyed their meals too. The restaurant was slow the night we went, so it was easy to get good service. What we enjoyed, was how friendly the server was. She was the daughter of the owner/chef. The prices are very reasonable for the quantity of food you get, which is rare nowadays. Cute little restaurant inside. We will definitely be back. read more

We came here on a Tuesday night feeling in the mood for some Thai food. Some friends recommended this place and said the food was really good and had to try it out. We tried the Pad See Ew (Beef) (2.5/5), Pad Thai (Chicken) (4/5), Yellow Curry (Chicken) (5/5), and the fried tofu (3/5). The service was amazing. We didn't like our original order which was 2 pad see ew beefs and called the restaurant to see if it was possible to exchange the food for a different meal. The lady who answered was super sweet and said that it was okay and allowed us to choose something else from the menu. The menu items were fairly priced and they give large portions. We ended up paying $39 for 2 entrees and an appetizer. It's a very small restaurant with a comforting feeling to it, not many people were dining inside but I would definitely come sit down here The pad see ew wasn't our favorite, the meat had a very strong meaty taste to it and lacked the qualities we normally like in pad see ew. We prefer a slightly sweet taste to our pad see ew but felt like the dish was not meeting our expectations. The pad Thai and yellow curry WERE SUPER GOOD. We recommend getting chicken at this restaurant and avoiding the beef. Our favorite was definitely the yellow curry. The fried tofu tasted good as well, but nothing too special. It was still a comforting appetizer that tasted good and we had no complaints about it. Please come support this local business, the lady is the sweetest! read more

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Best Thai food that I've been to the Service is always great. They always make sure that you need everything or anything. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone that really wants really good Thai food. read more

Loved my kung pao chicken, great appetizers and service was good despite a staffing issue that night.

This #ThankYouThursday - Today discovered the best Thai place very close to me. Called Thai Smile to see if they were open for sit down lunch. Abs yes they were . Walked into a beautiful cozy restaurant that had all the Thai themes in it felt like a little home . Were greeted by a lovely little grandma who was very enthusiastic. We ordered the Tom Yum it was very spicy but delicious. Got the pumpkin curry with chicken and the curry noodle soup with chicken and shrimp, Omg everything was delicious and to the point . Flavorful and just good for the soul especially with the cool weather. Great pricing as well and worth coming to check out if your close by. read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Tom Yum Medium - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

Thai Smile is the first Thai restaurant that my partner and I decided on trying in San Rafael area. The restaurant is adorably intimate with limited seating and a lot traditional decorations! I felt like I was back home in Thailand. We ordered the lard-na (stir-fried noodles with gravy), mu-yang (Thai BBQ grilled pork), som-tum (papaya salad), sticky rice, and Thai iced-tea. Everything was made to order and tasted like a home-cooked Thai meal. Absolutely loved the portion sizes and my partner and I both left feeling full! The BBQ pork stood out the most to me. Any time I go to a Thai restaurant, I'm always looking for this specific dish. The grilled pork was deliciously tender and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite that I took of it. Each dish is definitely worth the wait, which wasn't too long. I believe that the owner of the restaurant served our table, and she was incredibly sweet-- even helped correct me on some terms I didn't know how to say in Thai/Lao. She was also notably warm and friendly with every customer that arrived! It looks like the customers who frequent this restaurant also love talking to her. I definitely recommend giving Thai Smile Cuisine a chance if you're in the area. read more

Delicious Thai! I called in a late lunch takeout order and it was ready 15-20 minutes later. Here's what I ordered: 46. PAD KEEMAO (HOT) MILD OPTIONAL! Stir fried flat rice noodles with garlic chili sauce, egg, green bean, basil, and bamboo shoots. -vegetarian with Mixed Vegetables - $9.95 When I called, they confirmed that I was ok with spice. I love spice/heat but be warned that the chili sauce is HOT! Specify MILD if you're not up for the heat! The noodle and veggie portion was large and fresh and flavorful! And the price reasonable! A very hungry me could eat the entire portion but I was being good today and was satisfied with half now, and will eat the other half later. I really enjoyed my flavorful and satisfying lunch! Look forward to trying their other menu items! The website says 'Pick Up Orders Only,' but I did see people dining outside at the few front tables. The inside is definitely closed/not open to diners (so imagine the bathroom is off limits too but I didn't ask). If you're in San Rafael and craving tasty Thai, give this family-owned biz a call. read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Small parking lot behind the restaurant but I found afternoon street parking - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

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Food fresh and delicious. Fresh Roll appetizer is huge and oh so fresh. I had Pad Thai with Prawns if so good, owned and operated by a charming friendly family. read more

I rarely ever give 5 star reviews, but this place ticked all the boxes. As a vegetarian, you will be well taken care of here. My partner and I ordered the red tofu/vegetable curry and it was delicious! It had just enough spice and was smooth and packed with flavor! The portions were perfect. I left completely satisfied. Yummy! For 2 Curry dishes I paid $28, so the prices are great! The service was impeccable. My waters remained filled, the food came out fast, the lights were turned on when it began to get dark, and were even offered hot water to keep warm after we paid our check. I was even told to stay as long as I want and continued being checked in on after the tab was closed out. Even during COVID, they allowed their bathrooms to be used. I am very impressed. They had 97 items on the menu, I believe so you should definitely give this place a try! You are bound to find something that satisfies you. read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

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This is my favorite Thai restaurant in Marin because 1) the food is exceptional, 2) the atmosphere is cute (who doesn't love a wall full of flowers) but most importantly 3) the family atmosphere and incredible service. My boyfriend and I always feel like we're going to Auntie's for dinner rather than just to a restaurant. A big bonus is that the prices are really reasonable! read more

Great food, good service, happy to modify ingredients, and made fast! What else do you want? Loved the silver noodle salad and yellow curry. Roti bread for appetizer was so good I didn't stop to photograph before it was devoured. Been here many times- never had a bad meal. read more

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I love to come to Thai Smile and visit with Sandi the owner and waiter. Her warm welcome helps you order the perfect items to enjoy. The interior is slightly different with a garden feel with succulents placed around the tables, restaurant benches, and exterior. When I drove up to the restaurants I noticed inviting twinkle lights. I have been coming here for over 10-yrs and food is wonderful. The service is relaxed, this gives you enough time to have a conversation with friends. The patio is defined with a small fence and the patio is even more charming. read more

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Okay service and atmosphere. But the food is very good. The curries are thicker and full flavored. Only issue is curries have no bell peppers or any other types of chiles. To me Thai without peppers / chiles is like Italian without pasta. read more

This schitz is delicious yo, from the yellow curry to the yellow happy noodle Thai 69 style soup sexy time deliciousness it is absolutely banging off the chain yo. Endless options endless ways to chow. Best Thai in town yo, like I said this scwhiz delicious. read more

One of my long time favorites in Marin, certainly the best Thai place in San Rafael. The lovely couple who has owned this place for many years makes all the difference, the food is family-fresh and all at very reasonable prices. Eat here, you will be happy :) read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - So much good food here, I order something different every time :) - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

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My visit today for lunch.. after awhile not been. The taste of the food had change. Did they change menu?? It was all lunch plates.. which we never order . We always get full portion orders.. fried spring rolls was jus ok.. chicken satay good but it's not a appetizer??? Also came in a rice plate form.. hmmm.. the red pork curry the meat wasn't tender ..yuck..!! I notice every visit I don't seen Asians come eat here.. mostly non Asians eat here.. I rather go to BAY THAI few blocks up.. read more

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Thai Smile Cuisine is a quaint little restaurant near downtown San Rafael. They serve delicious made to order traditional Thai dishes. The restaurant is pleasantly decorated with Thai cultural influences and fresh flowers. They have limited seating inside. So be sure to call ahead before your arrival or go early to beat the crowds. However, there is a decent size parking lot behind the restaurant. The service was a little slow during our visit, which was later in the evening. It's possible that some of the staff went home already since it was close to closing time. But the delicious, freshly made food was worth the wait. Plus, they serve big portions for a reasonable price. If you feel like eating some amazing Thai cuisine, you should definitely check out Thai Smile Cuisine! It will make you smile! =) read more

The staff was incredibly friendly, the food was delicious, and the value was incredible. I ordered the green curry to go, and if I make more rice at home, I'm sure I'll have enough curry for 3-4 meals! read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Green Curry with Chicken, enough to last for multiple meals - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

Great food - small place and takes time to get food - chochee curry delicious- the steak bbq not awesome

The meals here are made with quality ingredients , very fresh vegetables and cooked with care. I often buy dinner to go and have never been disappointed. Home cooking feel. read more

It pains me to leave a not-so-great review for a local business but I definitely won't be back here. Plenty of great Thai places in our area and this isn't one of them. While the food itself came out quickly after we ordered, the service was otherwise slow, even though it was not busy at all (which doesn't surprise me). I asked repeatedly for a glass of water (once when ordering and once when the food came) and it never showed up - when the check came I asked again and we got two. Uh, what? Oh, and the food... well, the portion size was reasonable for the price but it didn't taste fresh at all. Both my coworker and I agreed the side salad was nasty. My pad-see-ew was mediocre at best - the chicken and noodles were OK, if not a little bland, but the, like, five? vegetables were oddly chewy. Besides the lousy salad my coworker said his dish was OK, but nothing worth talking about. I read all the other reviews and there are many complaints about parking. Had no trouble with that - parked literally right in front of the restaurant. Worth mentioning is that the interior of the restaurant was clean, but the appearance of everything was similar to the food and service - it was lacking passion. read more

Thai Smile Cuisine - Thai Near Me - San Rafael, California

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Very good food. This small Thai restaurant is worth a visit when in San Rafael, Ca. Thank you.

Estaba muy delicioso a pesar que llegamos un poco antes de que cerraran fueron muy amables de verdad se los recomiendo100% read more

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Is 6 stars out of 5 an option? I tried, but it wouldn't work. ThAi smile deserves 6 stars. The best Thai food in the Bay Area. We would travel again from across the Quentin area bridge to eat here again and again. Hospitality- 6 out of 5 stars Quality of food- 6 stars Bang for your buck - 6.5 stars COVID precautions - all the safety stars you can award Thanks, Thai Smile for all the amazing, fresh tasting, delicious food. Our bellies and mouths smiled! read more

The noodles were bland and mushy. The curry was overly sweet. I wanted to support this restaurant but I would not recommend it. read more

Hands down the best Thai cuisine in Marin and San Rafael. The food was delish! Their salmon curry is cooked just right with a hint of spice. Their bbq beef and combine with sauce was yummy. Pad thai noodles taste so authentic read more