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Hug Thai Express

4.7 (566 reviews)
ModerateThai, Noodles, Salad
Closed 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 4:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Updated 3 months ago

Order Hug Thai Express Takeout or Delivery

Hug Thai Express Photos

Business Info

HUG THAI EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Intimate
Quiet
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Hug Thai Express

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Mango sticky rice
Leslie R.

Everything is always sooo good! Never disappoints. And the service is top notch. Very friendly people.

Green Curry with vegetables
Erika S.

As a disclaimer, I ordered this as delivery. The star of our order was the Green Curry. Lots of veggies and great flavor. The Thai Wraps (4) were fine. Good taste but pretty pricey for what you get. Ask for extra sauce! The loser was the Pad Thai! We usually get drunken noodles and opted for Pad Thai because of the stellar reviews. It was the driest noodle dish I've had at a Thai restaurant. I'll definitely try them again because the curry was that good. But I likely wouldn't order the wraps or Pad Thai again.

Yazen H.

The food here is absolutely amazing! Authentic and great taste. The seasoning and freshness is superb. I recommend everyone try this place! Staff is wonderful too!

Egg Rolls
Kathy B.

Tucked away in a strip small, this tiny place serves generous portions of good Thai food in unassuming surroundings with great service. My daughter especially loves Kala's Crispy Chicken. The egg rolls are very tasty and the Pad Thai noodles were also good.

Drunken Noodle
Gwyn C.

Where's the shrimp? On the plus side, this place is full charm. Everything is made fresh and there are inspirational signs giving it warmth. Dad and I ordered the same dish - drunken noodles combo except I asked that rather than fish they add mores shrimp. Meanwhile mom ordered a different noodle dish also a protein combo. Since we all had the combo (shrimp, beef, chicken and fish - with me being fish less) I became obsessed with knowing if they did double up on my shrimp. The answer was yes - there were 4. Mom had two and dad had only one! Portion size is moderate as is the price. Food was ok. Were we to try it again, it would be for our usual go to, Pad Thai - to give it another chance and see how that rates. In summary, it's ok for food in a pinch.

Kala's Crispy Chicken and vege pad thai
Emily Z.

Great spot for Thai food in east county! The parking lot is small and most of it is 15 min parking, and the restaurant itself is very tiny with 3 tables so I think most people do takeout orders. I've been here twice and the pad thai was flavorful both times and nice and saucy. I tried the Kala crispy chicken for the first time and it was still pretty crispy even though I got takeout and didn't get to eat it until about an hour later. The flavors are also a nice balance of sweet and sour. Their spice level goes from 1-10 and I got a level 2 for both the crispy chicken and pad thai, but the pad thai was spicier. While eating I couldn't feel the spice that much but after I was done I felt the spice lingering in my mouth. I don't think I could do higher than a 3 or 4 here and my spice tolerance is decent lol.

Yellow Curry

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Always a great spot for take out. They have excellent customer service and delicious food.

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Had some problems with my togo orders, the owner/manager reached out and fixed them right away. They really take care of their customers.

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Tanapat T.

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2 years ago

Food was on point! Staff was friendly, food was quick and fresh and warm. We will be back!

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

The food was great and was delivered quickly. Serving sizes were generous, and we had tasty leftovers the next day.

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2 years ago

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Tanapat T.

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Third time eating here & it was amazing again. Best Thai food in San Diego. Super fast, delicious and great value.

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

This is my go-to spot when I wanna order Thai take-out. They've always hit the mark on my order. The flavor is on point.

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Greet place for coffee and Thai food. I am definitely coming back for another visit. Customer service is warm and friendly.

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Yummy yummy yummy! Ohm is nicest server here! The place is a little small but smug. Cute little place in San Diego.

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Page 5 of 15

Hug Thai Express Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Hug Thai Express

Do they serve wine or can we bring our own?

We’re very sorry that we cannot allow our customers to bring their own beer or wine into the restaurant. Under California law, it’s illegal for us to permit alcohol on the premises without the proper license. Thank you for your understanding.… Read more

How clean this Hug Thai restaurant is any one can answer please I read about how good the food is so happy to find good Thai restaurant and do they used good quality ingredients please?

It's very Clean! Has an "A" rating. Love this place😁

Thai wraps aren't listed on your website for order any more, but they are on here. Are they still available?

Does anyone know if they have vegan options?

Our sauce base is completely vegan

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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Signature Thai Cuisine

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4.6(729 reviews)
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Whenever I try a new Thai restaurant, I order the drunken noodles as a litmus test for how good the…read morerest of menu probably is. And yes, the drunken noodles at Signature Thai Cuisine is the best I've had. The FBI (fried bananas and ice cream), which I get without ice cream, is perhaps even better than the already dreamy drunken noodles. If you think that you've had fried bananas, you haven't had Signature's rendition. The coconut in the FBI elevates what would otherwise be a cliche dessert. I will be back to try the rest of the menu!

My family ordered mango sticky rice to go and received a complete disaster of a dish…read more The container was filled with coconut milk and the rice looked visibly tampered with. We called the restaurant to resolve the issue, but were initially told that this could not have happened. It was not taken seriously until we provided photo evidence. Even then, they asked us to bring the food back for evaluation despite the fact that we were already home. They said they needed to speak with a manager and did not follow up, so we had to call them again ourselves. We were then offered restaurant credit, which we declined. They told us we would need to bring the container back in if we wanted to pursue a chargeback. When we returned, staff members stared at us while we explained the situation. At one point, a female employee called over three additional staff members from the kitchen to look at the container, as if that would resolve anything. They offered to remake the dish, but we requested a refund instead. In the end, they only refunded the menu price and did not include the tax. Not only were our concerns not taken seriously, but the entire process was unnecessarily difficult. Even though this was only a $12 item, they still pushed back over something as small as the tax.

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Phra Ram 9 - Fish!

Phra Ram 9

4.3(400 reviews)
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I've ordered from here before, but usually just stick to the pad thai which, for the record, is…read moredelicious. This time I branched out and tried the Thai sausage fried rice and the fresh spring rolls for a takeout dinner, and I am so glad I did. They were absolutely right when they said my tummy would be happy. The experience started with a phone call to place my order, and the person who took it was immediately warm and friendly. When I came in to pick everything up, the ladies behind the counter were genuinely enthusiastic, not in a performative way, but in the way that people are when they're truly proud of what they're serving. They guaranteed I'd love it, and they delivered on that promise completely. It's rare to walk into a place and feel that kind of energy -- a team that's happy to be there and happy to feed you. That warmth is just as much a reason to come back as the food itself. And I will absolutely be coming back to keep working my way through the menu.

My boyfriend and I were on a long drive and stopped at the first restaurant that popped up on…read moreMaps--and I still can't believe how lucky we got. From the moment we walked in, we knew it was going to be good; it felt like everyone there was a regular. The service was wonderful, with friendly faces all around, and the food was truly exceptional. I ordered the Khao Soi (I'd never had it before, but I saw curry and pickles on the menu and thought, "Yup!"), and it absolutely blew my mind--hands down one of the best curry dishes I've ever had. My boyfriend got the Spicy Noodles, and they were just as amazing. He had to force himself stop eating so he could enjoy the rest for his lunch the next day, haha. We finished with mango sticky rice, and unsurprisingly, it was incredible. You can't really go wrong with mango sticky rice in general, but this was warm, sweet, and fragrant. Can't wait until we are back in the area to stop by again!

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Phra Ram 9 - Interior

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Phra Ram 9 - Cream Cheese Wonton

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Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Ranked No.1 in the world " Panang curry "

Tamarind Thai Restaurant

3.9(534 reviews)
1.1 mi
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Always great. I've been coming to this restaurant for years. The food is always great, the service…read moreis always great! My personal favorites: Spring rolls Cheese Wontons Yellow Curry

Came here for lunch on a Monday at Tamarind Thai in La Mesa. We were seated by Sam and given time…read moreto look over the menu. From the start, I could tell he was a little flustered. The lobby was filling up quickly with dine-in customers and pickup orders, and he was literally doing everything -- cleaning tables, taking orders, running food. Whew. When we asked what was popular on the menu, the responses were short, like "It depends on what you like." He wasn't rude at all -- just clearly overwhelmed and didn't have time to connect. I get it, but when you're dining in, you do hope for a little more guidance. It took about 25 minutes to receive our appetizers, and we didn't get drinks at the beginning. About 10 minutes into eating our appetizers, our entrées came out. I ordered the Spicy Noodles with beef, and my husband ordered the Pad Thai. His plate looked beautiful and tasted fresh and delicious. Mine, on the other hand, looked like the noodles had been sitting -- a bit dry -- although the veggies were vibrant and colorful, which helped presentation-wise. Unfortunately, I kept tasting a bitterness and realized some of the noodles at the bottom were burnt. I'm not one to complain, but I definitely needed water at that point. My husband had to go to the counter to ask for drinks, and Sam apologized and brought them about five minutes later. When we checked out, Sam still had a smile on his face, which I truly appreciated. He mentioned we came at a very busy time and day. I hope that wasn't meant to excuse the hiccups -- a simple apology would've been perfectly fine. Still, I respect that he kept it together and did his best. The dining area inside is small, but they do have an outdoor table option if requested. I'm not sure if this experience reflects their normal standard, and I hope it doesn't. There's definitely room for improvement with food quality consistency and front-of-house support. Sam was kind, and honestly, I'd probably give them another try simply because he handled the pressure as best as he could. But they really need another staff member up front to help with orders, cleaning, and running food instead of having one person juggle it all. Room to grow for sure.

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Tamarind Thai Restaurant - Inside from the far wall.

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Oishii Thai Japanese Cuisine - Cucumber salady

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I came by here for dinner after struggling to figure out where to eat and I am super happy I did…read more Besides the food these were some of the friendliest people I've met; basically only smiles, happy waves and checking up on me constantly through the whole dinner. I am unsure if they are all family but one of the workers daughters was also running around and helping out/interacting with the guests. I'd come back here just based on the positive vibes alone. Besides the service though I ended up ordering a spicy basil with chicken and I did not realize they'd give out the rice in a heart shaped but I thought it was nice touch. The dish overall was solid; good amount of spice, plenty of meat//veggies and a flavorful sauce that complimented it all. One of the workers also came by and just randomly gave me a Thai tea and said it was on the house. The Thai tea itself was good as well, just the right balance of milk, sugar and tea. If I still lived near SDSU I would definitely return here!

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Bahn Thai - Drunken noodles with chicken

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I came in person recently with 9 friends. They were able to accommodate us even though we were just…read morewalking in. The woman was super friendly even though it was a little chaotic. At first, she said the order only could be done on 1 bill. And then later she compromised with 2 bills, 5 people per table. That was nice of her! I just had 2 coffees before entering so I decided to skip ordering Thai tea. But they had a large drink menu, of fruit teas and more. My friend had the lychee tea which was very large and looked super refreshing! They also came by often to top off our waters which was nice. To eat, I ordered the $16.99~, Cashew Chicken Stir Fry with White Rice. It came with onion, green onion, carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, and cashews. The carrots were beautifully cut, but a little too crunchy for me to properly enjoy in the stir fry. Everything else was delicious! I think this could definitely be shared between 2-3 people. It was a lot for me, even after a large hike. The sauce was flavorful and not overly salty. I didn't ask for any spice level, but I think I'd choose mild or medium next time. My friends ordered-- - $12.99, Dirty Fried Chicken: This had a blitz coating of lime, mint, and spices. And it was decorated with thinly sliced green onions with a side of sweet chili sauce. The chicken was hot and plump, not dry, and very much mouthwatering! Would recommend. - $14.99, Thai Grilled Chicken Salad: Grilled Chicken Breast on a bed of mixed green salad, carrots, and cucumbers with peanut dressing. It reminded me a little of chicken satay~ it smelled and looked incredible. I think I might order it next time, when I want something light and fulfilling after a hike. - $11.99, Cream Cheese Avocado Wontons (6PC): These came out piping hot and when you took a bite they were oozing. It was very creamy and when you dip into the plum sauce it's a delectable bite. A nice appetizer to share with the table. - $16.99-$19.99 (depends on what protein you get), Pad Thai: This proportion was manageable for one person. The restaurant used thin rice noodles, but it didn't clump excessively compared to other restaurants. The prices are what you'd typically see at a Pan-Asian restaurant, a few dollars more than what you'd want to spend. But these kinds of restaurants, in my opinion, are for enjoying with others. So, if you're sharing food and all that-- the price is worth it (esp with the quantity that is given). Next time, I would probably order one of their noodle dishes rather than rice. Oodles by the Noodbar has such a large and diverse menu so I would highly recommend coming in to try them out.

Highly recommend Oodles. I often get the fresh Salad rolls (the peanut sauce is exceptional.)…read more The service is friendly. The location is quaint but charming. My personal favorite is Dan Dan noodles with extra Dan Dan sauce. Noodles are exquisite and the meat is perfection. My only hang up is the price for the product.

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Fresh Shrimp Spring Roll 10/10 - Vegetables taste really…read morefresh and have a good crunch - Nice hint of mint throughout the roll - Shrimp was fresh - Great peanut sauce to pair with the fresh rolls Som Tum(Papaya Salad) Hot 10/10 - Great spice flavor - Nice blend of sour, sweet and savory flavors - Fresh ingredients Pad See Ew 10/10 - Great blend of sweet and savory sauce - Beef was tender and soft - Vegetables are soft and absorbs the sauce nicely Panang Curry 9/10 medium spice - Curry is full of flavor, good balance of savory and sweet - Medium is not too spicy - soft sticky rice Thai Tea 10/10 - The perfect amount of sweetness - Does lean on the sweeter side - Large amount of Thai Mango Sticky Rice 10/10 - fresh cold sweet mango - Sweet condensed milk - Warm soft sticky rice - The right amount of sweetness Found this hidden gem in San Diego and was not disappointed! Went on a Sunday and it was not busy at all but had a steady stream of pickup orders. The food was absolutely amazing and tasted authentic. Every dish left us feeling satisfied and happy. The food came out really fast which was perfect because we're were really hungry. The waiter was very kind and really attentive to our needs. Brought out all our food and everything we needed to enjoy our meal. The atmosphere is very laid back and cozy. It had a mom and pop feeling to it.

Thai Kitchen delivers consistently good Thai food made with care. The flavors are well balanced,…read moreeverything tastes fresh, and the portions are solid. Nothing feels rushed or overly adjusted -- just straightforward, well-done Thai cooking. Service is friendly and welcoming, and the overall experience is relaxed and comfortable. It's easy to see why locals keep coming back. If you're looking for a dependable Thai spot you can return to again and again, this place is worth checking out.

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Little Thai Kitchen - Inside the restaurant

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Hug Thai Express - thai - Updated May 2026

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