This review is 1 year overdue! LOCATION Sketchy! Who could imagine a restaurant right around the corner from the ghetto gas station on San Leandro Street. But hey at least there's parking! FOOD A bit heavy on the salt. Portions were a little small but overall great taste. SERVICE Don't remember it being bad or good. Nothing memorable. AMBIANCE I felt like a family friend was cooking for me. The TV was flipped to a cartoon channel and the owner's kids were running around from the kitchen to the TV. Couches were in front of the TV for the kids to watch. Not a place I would bring a date. In summary, definitely one of those hole in the wall places that you don't want to judge without at least trying for your self. 3.5 stars read more

I live right next to this restaurant and it is AMAZING! I lived in Thailand for a year after college and I am very grateful to have access to delicious, authentic and affordable Thai food. The owners are incredibly welcoming, silly and kind. The chefs are from Lomsak and Phetchabun Thailand, which is in the Thai countryside located in the north between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. A lot of times, I will go to Thai Restaruants and the chefs will be Chinese or some other non-Thai race, here the chefs are FROM THAILAND and are incredibly talented at making a plethora of tasty foods. The cuisine here is scrumptious and the place has a communal, homey, non-pretentious feel. I eat here about once a month and love it. Thank you for existing so close to my home. Ca pun mak ca! Ah roi mak! read more

I seriously love this place. If you are looking for a small, quiet, hole in the wall spot for Thai, this is it! Extra points for being away from the hustle and bustle of the more gentrified areas of Oakland. The food is always bomb and on point. Depending on the time, you might be the only folks in there, but the food still comes out pretty quick. the price is right as well! They even have an outdoor patio - somehow I always come here when it's raining but I look forward to dining out there at some point. A head's up the area for parking is small. read more

There has been a change of ownership about six months ago and the new owners are great and very welcoming. The food is good and the service is great. They have made great improvements to the place and the overall atmosphere is nice. read more

Ordered thru ubereats.. I ordered fried calamari which i seen of the other people's pictures its supposed to be rings!! What i got was like 6 pieces of the tentacles! NOT HAPPY FOR $8!! are you kidding me?! No wonder your prices are cheaper than the other restaurants listed. Will NOT be ordering from again. read more

The Vulcan Cafe - "fried calamari for $7.95!??? " - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

This review is strictly for the delivery experience for the restaurant and not the dine experience. With that being said my partner and i decided to have a lazy sunday and we ordered out mainly because we wanted some thai ice tea more than anything. The ordering process through yelp was simple and straight forward and we figured the food would come pretty quickly as Vulcan cafe is a few blocks away from my partners house. We ordered our meal at 7pm and got our food an hour later. We wondered what was taking so long but theres many factors we don't know about (busy night, multiple take-out orders, not enough drivers etc.) but we got our meal. Our delivery driver seemed very nice and even waited at the front door instead of in their car like most of our delivery people. He informed us that they ran our of thai iced tea (which was the reason we ordered from this place) and gave us a refund in cash and i wish the restaurant would have called us to inform us they were out of Thai Ice Tea and if we wanted to substitute that order with another beverage. The food was okay and i had better but, hey, it's take out food right?/ We ordered the beef salad, pad kee mao and pad thai. The food came to us luke warm with most of the sauce in our pad kee mao and pad thai absorbed by the noodles leaving it dry, with the pad kee mao being the highlight of our meal in flavor where the sauce for the beef salad was a little too salty. The take out food was okay, I wish the restaurant would of called us about our drinks and the delivery was a little wait but, the driver was really friendly! Would i order take out again from Vulcan? Probably not but, i would like to stop by and dine in to see how the food really tastes fresh out of the kitchen. read more

The Vulcan Cafe - Pad kee mao - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

Still the best Thai Restaurant in the Bay Area. Their crab fried rice is a must try. Chicken BBQ is phenomenal and comes with this amazing sauce that just goes really well with the dish. read more

After taking a nature walk in the hills high above the Bay, we were chilly and hungry. My brother suggested we go for some Thai food at a fantastic little place he found. He has a knack for finding the best eateries and so I eagerly agreed. Winding our way through the litter strewn streets of East Oakland and into a very industrial area I admit I found myself feeling rather dubious. I had to remind myself this was my brother's selection and to have some faith. There was a kind of grubby looking sign on the side of the road leading into what looked like an alley. All of my doubts washed away and I began to feel excited as I took in the surroundings. It seemed as if we stumbled into some sort of artist colony. My brother lead the way towards a little patio with a huge amount of lovely potted plants, up a couple steps, and through an unassuming little door. Once inside I could see that the artist colony vibe continued. We found ourselves in a warehouse room that looked like an art studio - only there were restaurant tables everywhere. There was TV - normally I hate that when I am eating, but this was tuned to the Science Channel! On to the food. We selected Vulcan Hot Pot, a spicy eggplant dish (with chicken), and pumpkin curry (also with chicken). You can choose brown or white rice or a mixture. We opted for the mixture. We also ordered Thai tea and coffee. The drinks were refreshing and not overdone with the condensed milk. The food arrived and with the first few bites I was already regretting the fact that I lived over an hour away... this was some of the best Thai food I've eaten! The hot pot had a tasty brown gravy over chicken, shrimp, and veggies. It was the kind of dish needed after a long chilly walk. The eggplant - well I don't like eggplant, but I picked a few bits of meat and other veggies from around it. So delicious! The pumpkin curry... oh wow. Scrumptious bite-sized bits of pumpkin, thin slices of chicken, and some veggies in a creamy curry sauce. This dish was so good I wanted to lick the plate. The service was great. I will admit that the food was so good that even if the service sucked I wouldn't care (much). Luckily, though, the service was friendly and helpful. If you find yourself in East Oakland (or feel like making a trip over that way) seek this place out. You might just end up licking a plate or two. read more

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I've had Thai food at the fanciest and diviest places from NYC to SF and holy hot damn this is the best Thai food I've ever had. Fresh ingredients, the right amount of spice, no greasy ick to be found and I swear it tasted like the mushrooms in the soup had been gotten fresh from the farm today. Pumpkin Curry is stupid good. I cannot say enough good things. I maybe want to eat here every day. OMG. The decor inside is clean, simple, and nothing to write home about in the plus or minus column. The staff is friendly and straightforward. There is plenty of parking and the neighborhood is industrial and just fine. Really this is my new favorite Thai place in all of the Bay Area. Comparable to Basil in SF but even better. Honestly the household consensus is that if this place was in SF there would be lines out the door at all hours. A true Oakland gem. read more

Don't get the pad thai here, it's overly sweet and soggy, two qualities that do not get well together let alone by themselves. I wouldn't recommend eating lunch here during lunch hours either, the service is sporadic. The soup they offer on the house is good though, I'll give them that. The environment is super casual and even a little run down, when I walked in the waitress didn't even stand up and assumed I was going to order take out, something this place is known for I guess? To their credit two business men who walked in and looked like regulars ordered some pretty good looking dishes. Pad thai is supposed to be the flagship and standard from which to measure a lot of thai restaurants by though, I think it's why I defaulted on it because it's one of the most well recognized dishes in thai cuisine. Would I come back here? Probably not, there are a few other thai places off my mind in the area that puts away this place. read more

One of my favorite Thai restraunts by far. The food is always amazing, and the woman behind the counter is incredibly friendly and willing to answer questions. I have dined in restraunt, ordered for delivery and ordered for pickup and every time I am extremely happy with the service I receive. read more

The Vulcan Cafe - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

So it's been a few years and they've changed management when the previous owners moved to Hawaii. The new owners have kept the Vulcan name (though it's been taken off the sandwich board for some reason). Same menu, same funky ambiance (sans children) and same peculiar parking lot, but less busy and the food is maybe not quite as tasty as it had been in the past. That is, it's still pretty tasty but I have noticed a difference. It's an average Thai place now but I will continue to come here because yum, Thai food! read more

The absolute WORST Thai delivery I have ever had. It's unfortunate that there are so few good Thai delivery places in Oakland, but this place definitely takes the cake for being the worst. Waited over an hour for the worst yellow curry we've ever seen. The curry was literally all water - no substance whatsoever. Save ourself the trouble and AVOID this place at all cost. read more

The Vulcan Cafe - The WORST yellow curry I've ever seen. Looks more like chicken swimming in pee. Horrible - avoid this place. - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

Came here around 3pm because this is the only Thai place that doesn't close for break around this time. We really liked the waitress who was nice and helpful with picking out our food through the menu. Thai tea was authentic and also ordered pad s'ew and also the chicken over rice and it was delicious. Everything here I give 5 stars, and love that there is a lot of parking. read more

The Vulcan Cafe - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

Nice tucked away gem in Oakland. (Go Oakland Go!) When we arrived today it was busy and there was a good sized lunch crowd. Waitress kept up with everyone's orders, drink refills, was very nice. Sorry I forgot your name. Both: Angel Wing (stuffed chicken wing). Good sized appetizer. Not sure exactly what was on the inside of this...sorta meaty, sorta mushroom-y, some cellophane noodles, veggies. Me: Spicy Eggplant w/ shrimp, chicken and bell peppers (with rice) was very good. Eggplant was still a beautiful purple. Can't say how many times I have ordered an eggplant dish and the eggplant has arrived looking like it was a prop from the Seventh Seal (ie grey and lifeless). Spicy enough to make your nose run a bit but not so spicy that your head will burst into flames. Good portion size. Nice fresh rice. Him: Tom Kha Gai (with rice) Lots of mushrooms, onions, lemon grass. Good portion size. Nice fresh rice. read more

Hmm... I feel bad dissing the Vulcan, but the last couple times we've been there (only twice in the past year) it seemed like they were cutting corners on the food, and it just wasn't as good. We used to live for the spring rolls, and now they don't have any mint in them. The seafood soup seemed simpler. Nothing quite tasted the same. But the folks running the place are still friendly, and it's still got its charming funky vibe. My sense is that they are working hard to keep their prices low. So they're still a great value, just not quite as tasty as they were. read more

Food is delicious here, the only thing i would say I don't like is that the yellow currry shrimp portion is ridiculous it was only 4 pieces. But other than that the crab fried rice is my favorite from here. Love it read more

Loved it. Food was absulutely fantastic, which more than made up for the nonexistant atmosphere. In an ally and feels like its off the beaten path, it's a great place for date night or even with the family. On a Saturday evening, we sat outside on the small but slightly charming patio. Weather was perfect, and not sure that there was a/c inside. Ordered pad thai, spring rolls and the pumpkin curry. All was great and priced quite well for the thrifty dining experience. Service was adaquet. Only downside: bring cash... we were a little suprised with the sign stating that they temporarily couldn't take credit cards. read more

I'm reviewing based on delivery through Eat 24. Delivery took over an hour and the food was lukewarm (at best) when it arrived, despite the fact that the restaurant is less than 2 miles from my house. There was no napkins or utensils included either. From what I can gather delivery is a new thing and I assume they're working out their kinks. The portion sizes were also very small for the price, in particular the chicken with green beans (pic included). However, the flavor of the food was decent, hence the three stars. Overall I prefer Tie Food or Banana Blossom if you live in the East Oakland area. The main reason I didn't order Tie Food in the first place was because I wanted soup but their hot and sour was definitely lacking. All that said I would potentially give them another shot dining in. read more

The Vulcan Cafe - $9 for this... - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

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I thought we were lost when we were heading out for this place. The movie "Shuttle" came to mind since it felt like we were going to a warehouse. Surprisingly, the place had a nice home-y feel to it. It almost seemed like I was invited to a family member's house and my aunt was cooking food for all the cousins. The food was good, but the service was better. When we were eating, my son was getting restless and making loud noises. The cook then came out, took him out of his high chair and carried him around so that we could all finish eating. Now that's some service. Only problem was that his poop overflowed while she was carrying him, and I think that may have been the reason why she gave him back to us. read more

I feel like people get sketched out by the location of this restaurant, so if you're expecting candle-light, tablecloths, or even matching chairs you can just stay at home. The restaurant has the most delicious soups ever. I crave them all the time. I'm actually working up a little crave right now just thinking about them... almost everything else I have had there has been top notch (not a fan of their "fresh" spring rolls, I prefer the Vietnamese style) and they are very quick and nice. read more

Idk what the other reviews are all about, but the food here were delicious and authentic to me. My family and I dined in and ordered so many dishes and paid a decent price. The owner, cook, and server were so welcoming and very nice people. It was our first time here and we left satisfied and full and even took food to go. It's great that this place is open til 12am as well letting you know they are willing to open late for when you want good food besides the taco trucks and fast food in Oakland. read more

A few weeks back I stopped in for some Thai food during a lunch with some co-workers. The owners were very kind and welcoming. We ordered the calamari, pineapple fried rice, spicy eggplant, panang curry, and the pad Thai to share, and all of it was delicious! A few of us got Thai teas too, which were delicious as well. This restaurant is a little hidden treasure and if you want affordable authentic tasting food, this is your place. read more

Yum Yum Yum. I love this place. It's kinda in the middle of nowhere, it's totally a hole in the wall. Every time I come here. There's a lot of people I really like their grain rice. I've tried the Panang Curry and Pad thai. Both delicious. They are great for take out. Parking can be a pain though. read more

This place must have good reviews because there's not much else around. I work a mile or two away and usually end up eating In-n-Out, or something I packed. So I really, really wanted to like this place. It's ... CostCo food, warmed up for you! My "spring rolls" tasted freezer burnt. Nothing special about it, really, except I guess where it's located. The TV and the magazines are weird. Is this a hair salon? So confused. The plants out front are nice but attract LOTS of bugs, so if that weirds you out, beware. read more

Recommend eating in person or ordering online if you are ordering delivery. We called in first to make sure they would deliver to this address. Yes, they do. OK, so we planned what we all wanted and called back. A different person answered and the person ordering nearly gave up placing the order more than once. At the end of a LOT of back and forth and confusion, she was told that they don't deliver where we are. She said we had just called and was told they do. THEN her credit card was taken and the person said she would call back once it went through. She never called back. So my friend called again. They don't take that kind of card (Am Ex). Sigh. A long time spent giving a new number with lots of repeating due to mis-understanding. So ordering over the phone was supremely frustrating. We wondered if the food would actually arrive. It did! They arrived early, the person delivering was INCREDIBLY nice and polite, and all of the food we got was flat out amazing. Seriously good. All of it. The size of the salad was smaller than we expected, but the flavor was to die for. We got 6 people's worth of dishes and all of the food was incredibly tasty, perfectly cooked, and completely satisfying. I would give the phone ordering a 2 (it would be lower, except that she did get everything correct including leaving out the ingredient that there was an allergy to). I would give the delivery person/experience a solid 5. And the food itself was definitely a solid 5. If I order online or in person then I expect I would up my rating to a very solid 5 star. read more

I'm giving the two stars strictly for the fact that the food was eatable. The green curry was terrible, bland and only had three tiny pieces of beef. The Thai iced tea, was by far the worst I've ever had. The shrimp were also not deveined which is, in my opinion, gross. read more

Did I catch it on an off-night? Did I order the wrong things? Or is Vulcan Thai Cafe just not good? I'm a vegetarian -- plenty of options -- but could it be that Vulcan Thai excels in foods that are never likely to parse these lips again? Somehow I doubt it. I seem to be developing a sensitivity towards MSG. I can taste it in everything. . . . like the so-called vegetarian "fresh spring rolls" I ordered here, which were fresh only in name. They were among the worst I've eaten, marinated in a vinegar/MSG solution. The dipping sauce was MSG in liquid form: flavorless, salty, disgust. The entree -- a Thai basil dish -- was edible, but it wasn't fresh. It also reeked of MSG enhancement, despite that I asked and was told that they wouldn't use it. Pre-made sauces, perhaps, brimmimg with MSG delight? The dish had a kick, which was nice, but so what? The quality was not there. On a bright note, Vulcan Thai serves delicious red rice (listed as brown rice on the menu). Without a doubt, that was the best thing I had. If I go back, I'm getting a large order of that red rice. That's it. 1 star for the red rice and the unusual location off of 45th Avenue. I can't believe I'm saying this: after eating at Vulcan Thai, I see the allure of Champa Garden. read more

I have a serious case of 'food coma' after some seriously delicious food. My friend swears by this place -- even after her recent visit to Thailand. She suggested the pumpkin curry to me, and I could kiss her for it. It was amazing, delightful, stunning to my senses. Everything curry should be. I'll never order anything else from here, and I will probably dream about it at night. It is a true hole-in-the-wall. You probably couldn't find it if you weren't looking for it -- but trust me, look for it. read more

Perhaps I should have ordered a pad see ew or something stir fried from Vulcan, because the two orders of curry we got today were really disappointing. Tried a penang curry w/ chicken and the pumpkin curry w/ tofu, and both of them were super watery thin with no depth of flavor and as mild and bland as can be. It's a Thai curry, please throw some chiles in that sh*t! Also tried their Thai coffee, which was mediocre and disappointing as well. The curry orders don't come with rice, and I was told over the phone (got take-out) that it's because their curry portions are large. What I got was one of those medium take-out sized plastic container (usually for soups) with the curry. And white rice was $2.50 per serving, so $5.00 for 2 orders of white rice with my $9.00 bland curry. Would like to support this little family joint as it's tucked away off San Leandro Blvd., but would avoid the curry next time. read more

The food is great, good portion; and doesn't extremely fill you. You can really enjoy this food without the fear of feeling too full later on. Restaurant people are vary nice. Try it, enjoy. read more

Best Thai food in the East Bay - hands down. The prices are very reasonable. My favorite meal is the Cashew Chicken with Iced Thai Tea. The food is very authentic. They do have a problem with flies - both inside and outside on the patio. Some days are worse than others, but if you can't handle a fly landing near your food, you're probably not ready for the Vulcan Cafe. The area is rough. I only go here for lunch. I would not likely go here for dinner. I would never go here after dark. read more

Nice place and good food I ate #Spaghetti Seafood its so yummy. But i think this restaurant is hard for find cuz the sign of restaurant is very small read more

The Vulcan Cafe - #Spaghetti Seafood - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

Honestly the worst Thai I've EVER experienced! I ordered no egg in my fried rice and pad Thai and they put egg. Door dash gave me 11 bucks for the mistake but that only covers one of the dishes. The chicken was weird! It was transparent in parts of it! The spring rolls had this white stuff in it that I cannot even describe. By far the worse! Monkey Thai and Jasmine Blossom have the best. They are expensive though...all of these cheaper places are horrible though. I guess you get what you pay for! NEVER again! read more

Spring rolls were filled with lettuce and not much else. It also was served with a vinegar sauce instead of a peanut sauce, but that may be a preference thing. The curry was inedible due to its sweetness! They had great customer service, but the food just needs a little shift. read more

The first time I tried to go here I was extremely scared that it was the building on the corner that was empty save for broken glass and scrap metal.. but when you go into the parking lot another 10 yards you will see this gem tucked away behind an archway of overgrown plants. Whew. This is a homey, off-the-beaten-path little nook. Don't be scared off by the slight "ghetto-ness"!! Everyone is really nice, you get a little salad before the meal (which I love because of the dressing, fuck all you who are against iceberg! haha), and I've become addicted to their Pad-Se-Ew. I know multiple others who are addicted to their warm peanut sauce. Once you find a couple dishes you like, you're hooked for life. read more

I just ordered to-go, probably 30 minutes ago and had to comment on it because it wasn't worth going to. I have no idea why this place has 4 stars consistently because it has obviously changed from when the place and the food had higher standards. I ordered the pineapple fried rice and it was around $0 so. I expected a big flat box. No. I got a small little 16oz box thats meant to put your left overs or side orders in... Next, the rice was okay, sweet. There was shrimp, raisins, cashews, onions, and slices of chicken. The only thing that had flavor and the right texture was the raisins...the pineapple chunks were obviously from a can because it was hardened, an unusual yellow, and was unnaturally sweetened. The chicken and shrimp had no flavor and crumbled to the bite. The cashews were mushy... It satisfied my hunger a little bit...the only reason this isnt a 1-/0- star is because I still have respect for a family run restaurant and they are very friendly. But in the future I wont be coming back... read more

I found a new local favorite. I've passed up this somewhat hidden family run restaurant and finally got the chance to try it out. I really like the location and the setup of the restaurant itself, the tasty food selection is a plus. The staff was very accommodating and friendly, especially when I ordered my food too spicy. They offered to bring me another plate. There's a reason why there's a "Thai Hot" category, which I probably won't try. The med/hot was already a growing heat. I will be back to try more staples with less heat to them. read more

We just moved into this area a few days ago. The day of the move, after everything was finally inside, we were so hungry you'd almost think we'd done the work ourselves. On the advice of our building manager we headed around the corner to the Vulcan Cafe. The best word I can think of to describe this place is "oasis". Imagine yourself in a grim landscape of warehouses, train tracks, and barbed wire. Over here, a homeless woman tries to sell you a bag of Lay's potato chips. Over there, abandoned furniture lies beached amid a tide line of garbage. Then you turn into a narrow lot between two buildings, and there it is: a patio with tables and chairs amid burbling fountains and pots of lush flowers. A pleasant woman brings you ice cold beer and hot delicious noodles and curry. Heaven! Their curry is lighter than the Thai curries I've had before; I don't know if they use light coconut milk or what, but it's a welcome change from the fattier versions. They have a lot of vegetarian options, and not only do they offer brown rice, it's fancy brown rice. The stuff that looks red. I don't know what it's called because this was my first encounter with it, but it's great. And they serve American breakfast! We stuffed ourselves, then went home to our towering piles of boxes. We've been back for lunch and it was just as good the second time. Can't wait to try the breakfast. read more

LOL this place puts me in a mind of Poor Red's in the town El Dorado in El Dorado County! Kitchen table decor, in a warehouse, with TV, music, children doing their homework at a table the dining room. The waitress was great both times I was there. One time she sat down at the table across from us to take our order. People came and did take out mostly, while we were there. But, I like to let somebody else clean up the mess. The food: I had the red curry pumpkin with chicken Rockin' over the rice! We had pineapple rice-WOW, very nice. We had some kind of sea food soup and it was wonderful and plentiful. We had some vegetable thing with shrimp, Lovely. Yah, the ambiance could be better, but then it would ruin the ambiance, if you get my drift. Will continue to frequent this establishment and surprize out of town guests with it. read more