Pad Thai Stand is one of those places that proves you don't need a fancy restaurant to get amazing food. Everything is cooked fresh to order, so your pad thai comes out piping hot straight from the wok, and you can really taste the difference. One thing I loved is that they offer regional styles of pad thai from different parts of Thailand, which makes the menu feel unique and authentic. The flavors were bold, fresh, and unlike the typical pad thai you find at most Thai restaurants. One thing to note is that the spice level is no joke, so choose carefully if you're sensitive to spicy food! Even the lower spice levels can have a good kick. The only downside is that there isn't really a place to sit and eat, so it's more of a grab-and-go spot unless you find somewhere nearby or take it home. But honestly, the food is so good that it's worth the extra effort. If you're looking for authentic, freshly stir-fried pad thai with incredible flavor, this place is definitely worth checking out. I'll absolutely be back! read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Central (Bangkok) Southern (Chai-Ya) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is a gluten free review: If you go to The Pad Thai Stand, you will be having the Pad Thai. That's all they serve. But which one? Northern style? Southern style? How spicy? Do you want egg? Which protein? There is a lot of variety at The Pad Thai Stand. My companion and I had different styles of Pad Thai and they tasted completely different! (My fork might have wandered over to his dish.) Be aware that this really is a stand- you order at the window, there are no tables. So take your to go box to the beach, or just down the block to the matcha spot and order a matcha to go with your Pad Thai and use their tables. Because The Pad Thai Stand makes every dish to order, there's not much chance of gluten cross contamination IMO. There's one sauce very clearly marked that is not GF. read more

I ordered both the central and old style. The central one is light and delicious, it has a sweeter taste, and is less peanuty. The other one is darker and more classic style of pad Thai. I got both with spice, it's it's perfect for me, I actually ended up adding some siracha and that may have over powdered it. I do with there was more chicken or more egg,, but it's a great portion size. But my food came out piping hot and since it's so close to my place I do think I would order it again. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Old Style (Boran) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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A hole in the wall kinda place, The Pad Thai Stand is literally what it says it is. It's a food stand in the middle of PB that sells Pad Thai, and that's pretty much it, and it's really good at it. The people are pretty friendly, and you can see them making your food right behind where you order. You can customize your spice and pick which "style" of Pad Thai you want, and if you don't know, they have pretty good descriptors to help you decide. The favorite I've gotten is the green curry version of the Southern Pad Thai with chicken, and it's absolutely delicious. I was skeptical of curry flavor in my Pad Thai, but it's done really well--the flavor mixes with the Pad thai flavor and adds an extra spice to it. I personally went for medium spice, and I don't think I could go any further without pain. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Green Curry (Hybrid Pad Thai) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

DELICIOUS!!! The pad Thai was so delicious and super hot (temperature wise) until we got back to our air bnb, which was super nice. It was easy to order and didn't take very long. The pad Thai was fresh and flavorful, will absolutely be back. Managed to save a little for tomorrow, was hard not to eat it all! So yummy!! read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Southern (Chai-Ya) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Ack forgot to do a review on this place while we were in SD. Went here on our last day in SD. Good portion. Made fresh after you order in a little store, no seating, only takeout. Prices reasonable. Overall liked it but don't remember being super impressed. I think I am more of a drunken noodle or pad see ew person. read more

Once upon a time, I had pad thai in passing some place somewhere that I do not recall that had me hooked in an instant. For years I have tried many variations of this dish, seeking to replicate the flavor rapture of that first experience. Many were good, but they all had that one tiny thing missing. Until now. Finally, I have found a worthy suitor in Pacific Beach, San Diego. Hands down the best Pad Thai I've ever had. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Northern Style (No Spice) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Not sure if they changed ownership or their cooks as the Pad Thai is no longer as good. The portion size has decreased as well. The noodles were rubbery, hard to chew and cut. Made it messy, and the overall dish was overly gooey. Not authentic Thai anymore. I travel throughout Thailand on business so I've experienced the sublimities between the regions. Even at the international hotel, they serve better Pad for breakfast. Won't be coming back. read more

I got the northern pad Thai through the pick up option on Yelp. The ordering process was easy and I chose the chicken as my protein add-on. The food was ready a lot sooner than the estimated pickup time that was initially provided, which of course I was happy about. I thought that the flavor was really good and there was definitely a lot of noodles, but I did Feel disappointed with the amount of chicken I got because it really only seemed like there were a few small pieces in the whole dish, so it was very noodle heavy. It's a little hole in the wall spot, so not too many seating options but if you're craving pad Thai, I would definitely give this place a shot. read more

This is a great hole-in-the-wall spot that specializes in pad thai and offers many different variations of the dish. So far I've tried northern, southern, and red curry style pad thai, with southern being my favorite. The creamy coconut flavor really comes through and adds a complexity to the dish that I really enjoy. The service is friendly (with the staff remembering me & greeting me) and you get your food made quickly even though its typically a 1-2 person run establishment. There's limited seating (a few small tables meant for one or two people), so plan to take this home or take it to the beach down the street for a little sunset picnic. read more

Wowwwww I am in love. My mouth is on fire but I am loving this pad Thai. I ordered the spicy southern pad Thai and I am pleasantly surprised at how delicious this is! Love the amount of sprouts provided. Will be back to try more flavors :) read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Southern (Chai-Ya) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Found a gem in PB. This Pad Thai spot is legit. Flavors I've tried: -Northern: Total flavor win. My current favorite! -Southern: Really delicious. Perfectly balanced. -Old-School: Satisfying! Pros: -Generous sized portions -Fresh-to-order dishes -Super friendly service -Easy online ordering Cons: Parking can be tricky Seriously good Pad Thai variety. Can't wait to come back! read more

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This review is written specifically for vegetarians. I don't write many dissatisfied reviews, but I it would be irresponsible for me to not right an honest one here. I ordered the curry pad thai with vegetables, mild. I didn't taste the curry but tasted a ton of fish sauce. Also they went super light on the vegetables, and the mild spice tasted like a 5 out of 10. If you are vegetarian, you're better off going to a real Thai restaurant where you can ask for a vegetarian alternative to fish sauce without a $3 "vegetarian tax". Very disappointed. I had a small serving and threw the rest out. Will not be coming back here. I just donated $17 to a local business, this makes me feel better about my experience. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - pad thai curry with vegetables - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Best pad Thai I have ever had. My boyfriend and I were hungry and didn't know where to go. The place honestly looks like the kind of food stand where you are either going to taste the best food ever or get bad food poisoning. It was definitely the first option. We watched him make it all fresh and you can truly taste all of the good food in it. read more

Hello everyone, I try this stand food not for me at all. I tried but not good at all. Place looks sketchy, not clean ,service was ok, Food I didn't eat it ,price expensive read more

This place is LEGIT! The menu is simple: 4 styles of pad thai (Northern, Central, Southern or Old Style), pick your protein, and pick your spice level. That's it. No other apps, no sides, just nothing but true Thai style pad thai's. We had the northern (with chicken) and southern (with shrimp) styles, and I would order each of them again. Both were so flavorful and cooked to perfection. Which is even more incredible because there is only 1 guy who works the stand at a time, and he does it all! He takes orders and cooks the food. Watching him work was honestly super impressive, as by the time we got there he was already working on 6 other orders ahead of us. But even with being that far back in the queue, we got our orders relatively quickly, and it was worth it. I will absolutely be coming back to The Pad Thai Stand next time I am in Pacific Beach! read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

this is so far the best pad thai i have ever had. i love how they keep the bean sprouts nice and fresh. the service and food was absolutely amazing. the pad thai stand is really just a small stand with a few outside tables. perfect location, just 15 min walk from the beach. the stand offered four different flavors, northern, traditional, southern, and old style. I tried the southern and old style. No regrets going back twice in one night. I was so happy and satisfied with the flavors of both. the coconut milk in the southern style just made the flavor so much more satisfying. i was able to add extra tofu and they were very generous. i ended up saving one for when we got home and it still stayed just as delicious. i will never stop thinking about how good this pad thai spot is. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Southern (Chai-Ya) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Great suggestion of the northern style pad thai. Looking forward to try the rest. Quick service. Prepped to order. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Had a few bites. Whoops - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Cool spot! Took my wife and little ones. Food was delicious. All the servers and cooks were super friendly! We ordered the central style with chicken which was an original flavor and the old style with shrimp! Both were delicious but the old style was definitely top notch! read more

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Best "hole in the wall" spot in PB. Bank and Steven cook up the best Pad Thai - this place never disappoints! Such a flavorful and large portion too. It's the best authentic Pad Thai you'll ever have read more

The Pad Thai Stand has expanded its base from Clairemont to this shack in the heart of PB which used to house a fried chicken joint. There were four styles of pad thai offered on the menu, but when I spoke to the owner (Nat) at the original location, he mentioned there were more than 30 varieties in Thailand. From the tablet stand, you pick a protein and one of the flavors to go with the basic ingredients which were gluten-free rice noodles, gluten-free house sauce, egg, bean sprouts, and chili pepper (mild, medium, hot). The available flavors/styles were the following... * Northern (Chiang-Mai) - House peanut sauce, peanuts, and massaman curry (non-spicy) * Central (Bangkok) - Basic ingredients only, no peanuts or shallots or extra flavor * Southern (Chai-Ya) - Roasted coconut cream, crispy shallots, and peanuts * Old Style (Boran) - Black (sweet) soy sauce, long beans, yellow bean paste, and pork rinds There were a couple of small tables on the sidewalk for seating, but they were already occupied by other customers during my visit. It's key to eat this pad thai as soon as possible because the kitchen uses no oils or preservatives. The product can dry out if it's not consumed quickly. I chose the Southern style for my takeout order. The coconut cream added a pleasant flavor to the mixture, and it was much cleaner and simpler than what I have ordered from other Thai restaurants. I never realized so many types of pad thai existed until after my conversation with Nat. With his assistance, I bought a small catering tray of the Southern style to bring to a recent potluck picnic. There was enough to feed more than six people. Leftovers were plentiful so individual containers were filled for folks to take home. The level of service was what boosted my rating of The Pad Thai Stand to the maximum. read more

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Came here with my daughter the weekend she moved to PB. We were looking for something convenient, easy with good food. The Pad Thai stand fit all 3. Food was delicious. Price was reasonable and food came out quickly. We ordered from her place, e asked over about 4 blocks and food was ready. Will definitely be back!!' read more

We noticed this new joint walking past because the smells emanating from the kitchen was tantalizing. Turns out this place is having a soft opening right now- set to officially open 8/1/24. The owner was working the wok by himself but still took the time to greet us and explain how to order. The store is small with just a few chairs/tables out front. The food however was super tasty. The noodles were perfectly chewy (though not too much). The flavors were great and the noodles were not overly oily- some of the freshest and tastiest pad Thais I've had in a while. The portions are also large enough to share with a friend. I'm looking forward to returning for some more noodles. I may try one of the other regions since I did north this time. read more

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Easily the best Pad Thai I've ever had by a long shot. It just hits different than regular old orange noodles at a lot of Thai restaurants; lots of bold, saucy flavor. I've tried all four flavors on the menu, and Southern is my favorite - it has a creamy coconut sauce. But all four are great and worth trying out. Price is $15 with chicken added. Staff at PB location are friendly, and they told me about their other location in Clairemont. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Central (Bangkok) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is quite literally THE BEST pad Thai I've ever had, I've had it 5 times in the span of 10 days the Southern is INCREDIBLE, and I love the northern as well! Everyone who works there is so kind and amazing too!! It's a true gem! read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Southern (Chai-Ya) - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

Definitely the best pad thai in San Diego! We have had all of the different varieties, but the Nothern and Southern are my two favorites. As someone with choice paralysis, I appreciate that it's a very limited menu. That being said, I do wish they still had their thai tea available. It is pretty reasonably priced for the huge amount of food that you get, and they are always quick, but I feel like it can be hit or miss on the amount of protein you get. One of our favorite quick spots in PB! read more

I'm always down for pad thai, so I thought I'd give The Pad Thai Stand a try! I ordered the Northern (Chiang-Mai) Pad Thai with shrimp, and it was quickly prepared and delivered to me ahead of schedule. The dish had a good amount of egg and shrimp, and I was glad that the noodles weren't too saucy. The curry had a nice creamy texture and nutty flavor, and the medium spice level was strong but not too overpowering. I do wish that the bean sprouts were mixed in with the noodles, but that is more of a personal preference. I'd definitely be open to trying a different pad thai dish from here in the future! read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Northern (Chiang-Mai) with shrimp - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

This place is the real deal. I wish they had other dishes, because the pad Thai was the closest thing I've had to legit Thai food in this city. I'd recommend requesting extra sauce, but otherwise it was perfect. read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Northern (Chiang-Mai) Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

The Pad Thai Stand - PB did not disappoint. I love that they have different types of pad Thai based off of region. The owner explained the difference between all four types. I ordered the southern pad Thai and I could only have been happier if there was an endless supply. SO.FREAKING.GOOD! It's always best to eat pad Thai right away otherwise the noodles will conglomerate. I cannot wait to try the other three types! Definitely give this place a try, maybe a few times read more

This little hole in the wall has some of the best pad thai in the area! I get either northern style or southern style. Cannot go wrong with either. So freaking good! The staff that works here is always kind. I get my food in under 5 minutes. read more

The perfect Christmas dinner Got the northern pad Thai this time with hot spicy level. And again, it didn't disappoint! Very flavorful with large portions. Service was fast and friendly and food came out in under 10 mins, what more can we ask for? read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Southern Chicken Pad Thai in Hot - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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Errmahgad...it's almost like they imported the pad Thai straight from the motherland! Best pad Thai I've ever had, trust me. Also a plus when the employees are literally the most kindest people on earth. You're missing out if you don't come here and if you do, you can thank me for recommending such a solid spot to you read more

I've eaten a lot of Pad Thai and this is truly delicious Pad Thai. Quick service and really nice owners. So good!!

Best Pad Thai I've ever had, and I've had a lot of good pad Thai places. My friend went to Thailand and said this is just as good.

That was, without a doubt, the best pad thai I've ever eaten and Steven was the culinary genius behind it. Thank you again! The portions are generous. You could easily make two meals out of the serving. I may or may not have eaten the whole thing. That coconut cream though... I live in North County and I understand there is a new location in San Marcos. I will definitely be checking it out. I highly recommend this spot. Grab a seat outside and enjoy! read more

Great food and very personable staff! Second time going was even better than the first. The food is best eaten as soon as it's done cooking if you can. It is on the spicier side, but you can get the chili peppers on the side if you ask. We'll be back! read more

Tried out this Pad Thai stand in PB last night and it did not disappoint! There are 4 diff variations of pad Thai offered here and don't fret if you can't decide because the owner (Nat) will explain each one to you and even choose for you if you want :) I got the southern one with the coconut and Nat made it perfect! As everyone else said, Nat mentioned you should eat it right when it comes out as the noodles are best and gets worse the longner you wait. Can't wait to try the others and in a few days the Thai teas will be available which he will also be making in house! Yum!! Make sure you give this place a try if you like pad Thai and even if you don't like pad Thai give it another chance!! read more

The Pad Thai Stand - Thai Near Me - San Diego, California

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I was excited to try the chicken Pad Thai from this spot, but was honestly disappointed. To be fair, I don't know if getting it "to go" had anything to do with the quality. By the time I got home to eat it, I opened the carton to see that the noodles had all stuck together into one large clump. It was also missing the peanuts that I had asked for. Pad Thai with no peanuts was a real bummer. The dish was more pale looking than I am used to seeing as though it lacked seasoning, although it did taste heavily of fish sauce which was a turn off. Perhaps it was an off day, but I've had a lot of chicken pad thai from different restaurants and this was not the best. read more

amazing pad thai but horrible customer service LOL luckily everything is good because they will get your order wrong and then give you attitude about it, but at least it all tastes good! read more

Noodles are springy, sauce hits that sweet-sour-salty balance, and portions are solid. I like that you can choose your style and spice level, and they cook it fresh to order. Quick service, casual window setup, and great flavor. Easily my favorite Pad Thai in San Diego. Highly recommend read more