A little gem! So happy I finally got to try this place. I went during lunch and ordered to go. Walking in the restaurant is small but there are tables for people to eat there both inside and outside as well. The cashier was friendly and I only waited about 10 mins max for my food to be ready. Their lunch specials are amazing! I ordered the yellow curry, which so far is the best yellow curry I've had! The special comes with a soup and an egg roll. I also ordered a Thai tea, so yummy! I'll definitely be coming back to try their noodles and explore more of the lunch menu. Would recommend if you're looking for authentic Thai cuisine. read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Lunch special - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

I think I found my new thai restaurant in north county ! It's a small shop with maybe about 6 tables but to me that means it's going to be really good food because they can focus more on a smaller group. We got sat right away and they gave us sometime to look through the menu but when we were ready, I order them fried chicken rice plate and the sweet chili sauce was really delicious. We also had the tom yum soup, I would recommend letting the soup keep a bit as it took sometime to heat up and our food started to cook after a few minutes. The soup was really good, we got a spice level 5 and it had a good kick to it. I think it went well with the fried chicken and rice. My wife has the pad thai and we got a 4, the spice level was good for that and the one thing I did really like the sauce on the pad thai wasn't overly sweet like some other places. I will be for sure coming back to try other items ! read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Tom Yum seafood - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

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A True Hidden Gem in San Marcos! Easily the best Thai meal we've had in a long time. We were starving, and this family owned shop absolutely hit the mark! Tucked away in the San Marcos Plaza, it's a total hidden gem. While dining in, we noticed a steady stream of pickup orders, which is always a good sign. The interior is cozy with only a handful of tables. So glad we were able to dine in since it makes the food feel that much fresher and hotter. Since there were maybe two people working, it took a moment to be greeted when we stepped in as they were busy in the kitchen. A lady eventually came out to ask if we were dining in and let us know it was open seating. Shortly after, an older gentleman greeted us and took our order. What we ordered: Tom Yum Seafood Soup (Hot Pot Style): We went with a spice level 4/10 and the medium spice was spot on. The mushrooms were plentiful and once it cooled down a bit, it was easily the best-tasting soup ever. 59. Khao Gai Tod ( Fried Chicken with Ginger Rice): Served with sweet chili sauce - so simple yet incredibly flavorful. 36. Pad Thai Noodle with Beef (Spice 5/10): The highlight of the night! Most places make the sauce too sweet, but this was the perfect balance of heat, sweet, and savory. The meat was very tender. We were too stuffed for dessert, but we overheard the table behind us raving about the Mango Sticky Rice. We grabbed a to-go menu to check out their lunch specials and will definitely be back for that dessert next time. read more

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Food is pretty good. I almost did not sit down for dinner as the restaurant looks and feels grungy. The waitress brought over the waters and never said hello to any of us or made eye contact. When standing at the counter facing the kitchen, it's apparent that it's dirty and messy. The place needs a makeover. New flooring, front door, paint and nicer servers. read more

Love that it's a mom pop shop but it's not the Thai food we were needing. The drunken noodles uses these smaller noodles which are not fresh rice noodles. The also include a lot of bean sprouts which is not typical of drunken noodles. The tom yum soup also had really uncooked mushrooms just chilling on top. Service was great tho just not my choice foe good authentic Thai. read more

Chicken Pad Thai ($14.95) - I loved the balance of sweet, savory, and spicy in this Pad Thai. Their spice levels are great and I look forward to trying more dishes here! read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - 36. Pad Thai Noodle - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

Got the yellow curry and a peanut vegetable dish. Both were exceptional: fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with quality ingredients. The staff was professional and personable, which made the whole experience pleasant. Prices are definitely on the high side for the portions, but honestly, everything is these days, so what can you do? I ordered a level 7 heat for my dishes and it was PERFECT. Got the eyes and nose going just a tad, but it was exquisite! Hearty, perfect for a winter night, like curling up on the sofa with a cozy blanket. The only thing that makes me cringe anymore (and this is everywhere lately, not just here) is being prompted for a tip when ordering takeout or counter service. In my opinion, tipping should be reserved for full service... when someone takes your order at the table, refills drinks, clears plates, etc. I'm just tired of being asked to tip for pickup orders. It's a trend everywhere, and it feels like over-tipping culture getting out of control. That said, the food was excellent, and I'd definitely order again... just venting about tip fatigue. read more

Second time visiting and first time dining in. It's a small restaurant but don't let that deter you. The dishes are legit and flavors are solid. The panang curry is best with a little spice. If you get spicy #1, it will be a little too sweet. I don't eat a lot of spicy food so #5 is not too spicy and offers lots of flavor. The pad thai is also really good. Their lunch specials are filling - side salad, egg roll, and entree. If your entree comes with white rice, portions are very generous. Parking wasn't a problem. The service is very friendly and attentive. This place will be in our rotation for lunch. Looking forward to coming back. read more

I love this place. The food is awesome and they are the nicest people. It's so hard to get Thai food (which I love) due to several allergies in the family. They make it so easy to know what's in what (gluten and fish) and what can or can't be modified. They go out of their way to make it easy for me to get to eat Thai! And it's great Thai! read more

The food was delicious and the service very attentive. My friend and I had two (2) different lunch specials; she had the yellow curry and I had the pad Thai noodles (w/ your choice of protein; we both had chicken) and I had a Thai Coffee w/ coconut milk. The lunches include a small soup, salad and fried spring roll. IMO, a generous portion for the entree ! read more

Small no frills Thai restaurant in a strip mall. Food was delicious. Plenty of parking. No atmosphere.There were several "To Go" orders while we were dining in the restaurant. Prices are reasonable. Server was attentive. Very tender chicken in both of our dishes read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Tasty chicken dishes - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

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Tiny place, only 6 small tables inside. The owner is nice, but the lady seems short and not warm or friendly at all. We ordered the spicy chicken lemongrass, medium spice, a lunch sized pad Thai with chicken and added veggies, level 10 spice and a papaya salad, medium spice level. $42.94 The lunch pad Thai comes with a small cup of their Tom Yum soup, which is quite good. The papaya salad is more sweet and has a bit of heat, tastes good, not too fishy either. The pad Thai is good, hot for sure. A bit off there's cauliflower for the veggie added, would have expected broccoli instead. The spicy chicken lemongrass is quite bland. I see the lemongrass in it, but it's not a prominent flavor and tastes like every other Pad brown sauce dish. I realized after the fact that I was so disappointed with my dish that I failed to ever get a picture of it it at all, only the aftermath of eating the chicken off the end of cabbage was all I was able to get. The spring roll that came with the pad Thai lunch dish is an afterthought, mostly the wonton breading and empty. read more

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This little place did not look like much, but my husband and I decided to give it a try , because we love Thai food . And let me just say , it was delicious, we definitely recommend it and we will be going back . The service was great too. read more

Delish. Great little take out spot with legit Thai and great service. Love the pad see ew, fried rice, broccoli and rolls. So many choices! Can't wait to come back. read more

There isn't one thing I have ever ordered from this place that I don't absolutely love. The food is so good!

12/31/24 6:30 p.m. Dine In Hot Jasmine Tea Papaya Salad Add shrimp ~$21 before tip Service: excellent. The young woman who was handling the front of the house was very pleasant and extremely efficient running the entire place. In the 30-45 minutes I was there she handled a 5-top, 3-top, 3 take-out, and me dining solo. Hot Tea: good. Your choice of Jasmine or Green. I chose Jasmine. It is a single tea bag served in a giant mug and the hot water tasted good (no weird calcification taste). ~$3 Papaya Salad: good. The extreme and bright flavors of the sauce along with the fantastic texture of the salad made the dish satisfying so that I really didn't miss "eating til I was full." If you're starving, you may want to order something in addition to the salad. ~$12 Shrimp Add-On: good. The shrimp were quite large and were cooked to order. They were butterflied and deveined, and had zero shell/tail. ~$3 Seating: very limited. There were 3 tables. 8-top, 4-top, and 6-top. It looks as though the 6-top is often broken into a 4-top and a 2-top. It was freezing in that dining area every time the front door opened so dress warm if you're there during cold weather or call ahead to reserve the 4-top that isn't blasted by cold air when the door opens. I know you can reserve a specific table because that table was reserved for a part that was sat while was there. Cleanliness: good. From what I could tell from my table, the room seemed clean, my table was clean, the flatware was clean, and the plate/presentation was clean. Both employees I saw were clean and had hair pulled back. read more

Dance Thai was a special find. We wanted Thai food and our usual restaurant was closed. We thought we would give this restaurant a try. We ordered spring rolls, pineapple curry chicken, and spicy noodles with chicken. All dishes were some of the best Thai food we have ever eaten. Considering we have eaten Thai food throughout the USA, that says a lot. We will definitely go back! read more

We ordered delivery. I requested a 9/10 for my eggplant and tofu dish, but I'd say it was maybe a 3 or 4/10. Still tasty, though. The lemongrass chicken had many giant chunks of lemongrass in it, which were inedible. And they forgot to send our coffee, which was a bummer. My favorite item, however, was this tapioca dessert!! YUM! Overall, I'd go back. Maybe we'll dine in next time. read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Tapioca Dessert - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

Will never come back here again ! Came with a friend for takeout and since we were running short on time we decided to eat our food outside in front of the restaurant. After we finished our food we threw out our leftovers in a trash near by but forgot to throw out the lid from one of our plates. As we were driving away the cashier comes drastically banging on our car for which we did not stop. We checked for phones/wallet and we proceeded to leave. Soon after she called my friend 3 times to her cellphone. When we finally answered she stated she took pictures of our lid and wanted us to come back to help her clean. We were shocked that they would do all this for just a lid. Such poor customer service. read more

I recently popped into this unassuming spot. There was only one other table of diners and I wasn't sure what to expect. But we were welcomed in at 2:15 even though they end lunch service at 3. I ordered the red curry lunch special that comes with a bowl of Tom Yum soup, an egg roll, salad and rice. I was blown away by how flavorful the curry was. I could tell they used very fresh ingredients. My daughter enjoyed her duck soup as well! The staff was pleasant and the older man said to take our time. I will definitely come back when I'm in the area! read more

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This is a solid Thai restaurant. At this time, they are only doing takeout. The place is very small and is located in a strip mall. Service was very friendly. There's plenty of free parking in the lot. The tom kha soup with shrimp was very good. There wasn't a lot of shrimp but there was plenty of flavor. It's a little sweet, a little sour, and a little spicy, depending on how spicy you want it. It's perfect on a cold night. The dumplings appetizer comes with a sweet soy sauce and is a nice starter. The see ew noodles with chicken was also solid. Prices are very reasonable and the portions are decent. It's not amazing food but I have no complaints at all. Everything tasted fresh and had plenty of flavor. I'd be happy to try them again. The food was ready almost exactly at the time promised and they seemed pretty busy at the time with lots of phone orders. You could see how hard they were working to get the food out. It's appreciated. read more

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As most people say, it's a hole in the wall place with 4 tables. Hmm it's also not really good Thai food. People say good price decent food but what that equates to really mean not so good. I have searched for the best Thai in San Diego and was hoping my new year review would be a good one since this has gotten great stars. Growing up in NYC, with the option to have tasted excellent Thai, unfortunately this place is basic. Just when you walk in looks like a kitchen nightmares scene, the aesthetics and walk you walk into just looks messy. Even if it's cheaper than the other Thai restaurants in the area I still shelled out $73 of not that much food for something that really should of been worth $40. Steak salad - meat looked dry and odd grey color no taste Orange chicken- tasted breast and floury Tom Kha- maybe vegetables used made it thick and powdery Vegetable Eggs rolls were the best thing on the menu!! Thai Iced Tea- made by throat rough and felt congested- sign that there was MSG. read more

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We love this Thai restaurant. It is one of our favorites. I always feel like they invited us into their home for their excellent cooking and service. read more

Hole in the wall Thai place in a strip mall. Street next to it has been under construction for 2 years so it can be a little challenging getting in and out of here. 4 tables inside and 2 out, they do a lot of takeout business. We are there and it was freezing - everytime the door opened (often) the a/c unit above our table whooshed on. Great value lunch specials. Soup of the day plus a plate of your entree, rice, tiny egg roll and cabbage slaw for around $13-$15. We also tried the Thai dumpling appetizer. Ok, with a very thick dipping sauce. 3.5/5 The soup seemed like it wasn't quite ready to go when we were there - usually it's a bit better. We had a range of entrees, Pad Ka Praw (me), Hawaiian Fried Rice, Green Curry with shrimp, and Eggplant stir fry. Mostly good. I have a hard time not getting the spicy noodles. While I liked my entree I missed the noodles! Thai iced teas were a hit with those in the party that like them. read more

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Dirty shrimp that smell bad. I'd give a zero but I can't. And I've spent a lot of Monty there in the past and had no issues but I almost tossed my cookies. Smh read more

Worst Pad See Ew I have ever had. Also they don't advertise the right pricing. I paid $20 for just Pad See Ew. Barely any egg & broccoli, no carrots, or nuts, and the meat was boiled and soggy. Literally overpriced garbage. read more

It's been a while since I've dined here and was craving Thai food. Was in the area, so decided to stop in. It's located in a strip mall along busy San Marcos Blvd. A small sign above the restaurant to help guide you to them. They have some good lunch special combos, which is what I had gotten in the past. However, it was dinner time this time around. I ordered my favorite Tom Yum soup with shrimp and added an order of Thai fried rice with tofu. Both being mildly spiced. I asked what scale they used, being 1-10. The person on the phone mentioned that 5 would be like a jalapeno. So went with a 4. Both the soup and the rice had the perfect amount of heat and flavors. Loved the lemony hot flavor of the soup! It hit the spot on a rainy day! The price is right here at Darunee Thai and the quality is right up there as well. Enjoy! Keep on Yelp'n! read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Tom yum w shrimp (hiding underneath the mushrooms) - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

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More like a 3.5. The place is tiny! Probably only seats less than 10. And 2 tables for outside... last resort. Anyway, the yellow curry was great! The curry had great flavors... but lots of potatoes and not much chicken. The Tom yum soup was a little too sweet for me. Good flavors though, need more lemongrass and fish sauce. Then the spicy noodle aka the pad kee mao was very bland. I had to add a bunch of sauces and spice to it even though I got a level 7. Probably got a few chicken slices... not that generous on meats. Was not impressed. But it's North County so maybe this is as good as it gets? read more

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Quick friendly service. The food is good. The place is tiny but clean. Ambiance for a quick lunch or dinner. Lots of items on the menu. I usually get it to go since it so Conveniently located across from restaurant row. Awesome place. read more

This is our go-to Thai place! You're going for authentic, not fusion or for the service so I think that's something to consider when you're looking at these other reviews lol. The food is excellent and feels homemade! read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - We love this place! Our go-to Thai food. We get Panang curry and pad see ew and both are great! - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

This place is awesome and has some standard and really unique dishes as well. I mean unique in the sense of flavors and spices. Today, for example, I ventured away from curry and garlic/pepper dishes and tried the spicy mint made with garlic and chili. I'm so glad I did because this is now my new favorite dish. The quality of ingredients and friendliness of staff are so refreshing. Give them a try! read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Lunch special with spicy mint chicken- amazing! - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

Picked up dinner the other week while in San Marcos. Super fast turnaround for food, we got the red curry with tofu, tangy orange tofu, and spring rolls. Probably will skip the spring rolls next time, no herbs/mint inside, a little plain. Would only recommend for takeout, it's a tiny place and has had to take over more tables in Covid for prepping takeout orders. read more

The most delicious Thai food I have ever had. Very homey and the chef and servers so nice.

Gah, I'm so conflicted because I really loved this place. But the last time we came, there was a hair in my spicy noodle. Luckily, I noticed before I started eating and they made me a new batch. My coworker had nearly finished her meal and then found a hair also in her spicy noodle dish. Talk about feeling nauseated. Sigh. They offered to remake but she was already too grossed out. At least they took it off the bill. So we haven't been back. Sadly. Might take a while before we do. But last time we craved Thai, we hit up a different spot. read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Curry fried rice. It was too wet. - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

Unassuming quiet restaurant that reminded me of an auntie's kitchen. When I arrived with my friend for dinner, there was a man (like an old uncle) sitting at one of the tables prepping some kafir lime leaves for future creations. The vibe was totally relaxed and the decor was random in some places. There was a feeling that good things were gonna be coming out of the kitchen. Homestyle cooking aromas soon filled the air after we ordered our appetizers and main dishes. We got a sneak preview of what we were about to taste just by the scents filtering through our nostrils. It was mouthwatering. The chicken satay was good on it's own, but the peanut butter dipping sauce took it to another level. The stuffed chicken wings (angel wings) were packed with flavor. I could've had those for a main dish all night long, delish. The reason they get 4 out of 5 stars .... because we ordered a dish that was supposed to have chinese broccoli in it, but it had regular broccoli and more carrots than anything else. It was a noodle dish that was supposed to highlight the chinese broccoli but it was just forgettable, hence no photo. Aside from that issue, I still highly recommend trying out this place. read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine - Thai Near Me - San Marcos, California

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It's kind of weird - but there are actual advantages in this strange world we're living in at the moment. For instance, I would almost certainly NOT drive to San Marcos for great Thai.....but with UberEats, I can easily have it delivered. And that's how we discovered Darunee Thai. North County definitely has a shortage of good Thai - so one night, I'm browsing through Yelp, and see Darunee listed with great reviews. I pulled up UberEats, and sure enough, they're listed, so we placed our first order. Chicken Satay (doh), Yellow Curry, chicken, no onion (DOH), and Spicy Noodle, chicken....the two entrees with a spice level of 10 (in the good ol' US of A, this normally means a hint of spice). 40 minutes later, we got a knock on the door. Our meals were nicely bagged, which we prompted destroyed. The chicken Satay was the bom....PERFECTLY cooked, with a great peanut sauce. My wife's Spicy Noodle was declared awesome by my wife. The Yellow Curry was great....spice level was about a six on my scale....which is WAY better than most US Thai restaurants. There were way too many carrots (carrots? Really?) in the yellow curry, but it was definitely a spot on curry. We've ordered about five times in the last two months....definitely our new go to for Thai....a strong thumbs up. read more

Darunee Thai Cuisine has been my go-to Thai restaurant for ages. The food always comes out fresh, hot, and delicious. My favorites are panang curry, pad see ew, and of course pad thai. The service is amazing! Orders are always ready to be picked up on time and the staff is very kind. I recommend this restaurant to everyone I know and it has never failed to make a great impression. 10/10 YES! read more

I give this place 4 stars because this is a hole in the wall that can go down to the deal and provide real, authentic tasting street Thai food if you ask them to. This is the most important for me as I've been living 2.5 years in Bangkok, total 11ish years in Eastern Asia. I have a strong dislike of Americanized Asian food so I'm always happy when I can ask the cook to craft my food just like if I was in Bangkok! A big plus for the papaya salad (not sweet but super spicy please!). Very good value for money in general. They also have great lunch special that come with 2 rolls, salad and soup for less than $10. They also offer solid vegetarian options. Super friendly service. Very nice cook and manager :) Plenty of parking space! read more

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Darunee Thai is hands down one of the best Thai restaurants that I have ever been to. To start, the staff are all very pleasant and always greet us just as soon as we walk through the door. It is a very small restaurant but we have never had any issues with seating. There are a couple of tables outside too, which is nice. If you come for lunch, they have a condensed menu that is very fairly priced and comes with a delicious Tom Yam soup, small salad, an egg roll, and the entree. Their expanded menu has a huge selection. They also have a vegetarian section, which I am appreciative for. I don't live close by, but it's never a problem for me to come all the way across San Diego County for some good Thai food. It's definitely worth the ride. read more

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Coming here for the first time will let you know how I like it WOW Yellow Curry Thai Salmon Fried Rice Red Curry String Bean & Chicken Spring roll and the honey sauce Ginger tea What a fantastic place I will be coming back read more