Finally!! A place worthy of a review!! ALSO YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH TO ENJOY IT (scroll to the end for more context) In a central shopping area so lots of parking! We were passing through Salinas on our way home from the mini cow farm and decided to stop here for dinner based on their high rating and while we were skeptical because were unfamiliar with the area, this place delivered!!! No restrooms! We hopped into Pollo Loco, used them, and headed back over. The place is small with multiple two top seaters. We were the only ones in there and ordered the fried chicken over fried rice, beef pad see ew, and thai teas. While we waited, multiple people who all seemed like regulars came in. First, it was someone who came here to order on their WORK BREAK to be sure it would be ready for come pick up when they were off work. Then it was an ol timer who the cashier greeted by name! A young woman with an older relative came next and the elder greeted the cashier in Thai! By this point, we had gotten our food and it was so good that I had one of those Ratatoullie flash backs to the first time I ever tried fried rice in my childhood!!! The pad see ew was more of an 8/10 for me but I do think it would be a 10/10 with chicken. The fried chicken over rice was a perfect 10/10. Im pretty sure they use corn starch to fry their chicken instead of flour because the breading stayed on the chicken and didn't slip off the way others can and also, you cannot deny the crunch of this dish!! Thai tea was also very good. Crisp and flavorful without being too sweet. I love thai tea but sometimes their so sweet I can see my prediabetic diagnosis on the cup. I think adding boba would really elevate it but still recommend it! Now, while we were eating, a family of 4 came in and after completing their order, they asked if they could add a mango sticky rice to their order. The cashier apologizes and said they were sold out for the day. It was 5:30 pm. They close at 8:00 pm. I was immediately sad I never got the option to try a dessert so delicious it sells out before closing. I mentioned going before the end of the month at the start and thats because the cashier took a call where he told the customer that "no they were not closed yet" and that "they would be here through the end of the month." The cashier then mentioned to a regular that they were handing over the restaurant to his cousin and while they will have the same recipes, he is not sure if the food will be the same. I also think I heard him mention something about getting a spot in Monterey and you can bet good money that if they do, ima be there. read more

This place is a hidden gem. The food is hot and so fresh. They pay attention to spice tolerance. I'm a fan of their Praram, yum!!!

I just want to say what an absolute masterpiece! This was my first time ever coming here! The moment I walked in, I was greeted with a very welcoming smile and "happy to have you". The gentleman told me he had a full menu for me to review, and I was able to look through it. The entire restaurant was very clean, and well maintained with beautiful decorative art, and clean floors, windows, and doors. The gentleman working the front gave me so many options to choose from, explained the entirety of the menu, and even gave advice on which dishes to choose from based on my flavor pallet. He was very informative, patient, and so helpful in choosing my first tai experience. The fried appetizers, wonton and dumplings were so crispy and fresh. The filling inside both was fair, and the sauces given had a wonderful flavor. The pad Thai was perfectly spiced and very filling. I do wish the pork itself was seasoned prior to the sauce, and maybe it is, but it seemed a tad bland with the sauce on top! Great prices and great portions. I do highly recommend you come try this place! They had so many great options including drinks! read more

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Service is always great and the lunch specials are so good! We have tried all the different lunch special combinations. Freshly made all good. read more

Checked this place out while we were making a pit stop in the area. I was deciding between this and Hawaiian food, but since I love Thai food, this won. The gentleman working there was friendly, and our food came out quickly. I ordered the Pad See Ew. It was decent--the flavor didn't really stand out to me, but it still hit the spot since I was hungry. Overall, it was a solid meal with fast service and friendly hospitality. read more

Love the friendly service and the spicy food . Started bringing my teenagers and they also love the spicy delicious food. Today was special as I finally ordered the Beef noodle soup. Beef had real flavor, the soup base was rich and the noodles on point. I wish I could comment more but the smell of the food is so distracting. I also bought some cookies and a jar of chile oil to take home. read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Awesome and delicious - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

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Food was delicious. Fresh ingredients, hot off the pan, with perfect spiciness and flavor. The service was really good too! Would recommend for a quick, tasty dinner or take out. read more

Great curries and sauces. Very friendly service However pad thai does not taste like traditional pad Thai , very mid and Thai tea super sweet. Wouldn't order that read more

We ordered the tom yum soup and sauteed mixed vegetables. The tom yum was a bit one-dimensional, with mostly sour flavor without much in the way of spices. The vegetables were a bit bland and watery. It's an OK place to stop along the 101 for a quick meal, but IMO it doesn't deserve a 4.7-star rating. read more

The VERY best orange chicken ever!! Large portions, real silverware, sit down comfortable, fresh, friendly and we loved our lunch! Definitely going back! read more

This place almost seems deserted at times but man oh man does it deserve to be BUSY. This is our favorite spot in not just Salinas but Monterey county. I will never go anywhere else for Thai in this area , not willingly anyways. Be careful of spice level. The chef here truly hits the Thai level spices. I ask for medium but am always dying half way in. If you can't handle the heat, ask for zero. Don't mess around. We have yet to try the whole menu but it's hard to stray from our favorites: - green curry - panang curry - pad thai - pad kee mao (drunken noodles) - beef salad (loooooove this with some extra rice on the side - super saucy and can get really spicy. Highly rec if you like that funk from the fish sauce) The ambiance is definitely take out vibes. Lighting is very bright and fluorescent but clean. I can't praise this place enough!!! read more

I doordash their green curry and papaya salad all the time. And its always my favorites from them. But the papaya salad is a hit or miss. Sometimes the Mild is too spicy for me to eat. But sometimes i get it just right with more nut taste. 50/50 chance of either spicy or just right mild. Maybe it depends who makes it. read more

Ordered takeout through the phone. By the time I got there, everything was prompt and correct. I ordered pad sew ew, Tom yum soup and green Thai tea. If you come here, you HAVE to get to tom yum soup! The flavoring is insane and incredible! The pad sew ew was good but a bit oily. Overall everything was great! read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Pad Se Ew Noodle. Tom Yum Bowl Soup. Thai Green Iced Tea - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

Thai food is more on the sweeter side compared to Cantonese food. I prefer Chinese chow fun to Thai pad see ew. Good to have a change once in a while. Fried chicken wings with sauce on the side was fine. Enjoyed the tom yum soup. Would come again if I wanted Thai food read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Pad see Pad Se Ew, fried chicken and tom yum soup - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

I was in town for work and staying at a nearby hotel. I ordered takeout to bring back to the room. VERY impressed with this place. The service was top notch, they knew I was going back to a hotel so they ensured I had plenty of utensils and a bowl. They also added a bonus app to my order. The food was AWESOME and the portions were hearty. Good flavor and spice level. Would highly recommend. read more

Probably the best Tom Yum soup I've ever had. They will ask you the spice level so be prepared. The shrimp were juicy and cooked perfectly. They didn't skim you there or give you baby shrimp. The flavor of lemongrass is so prominent and gives it the perfect touch... along with the spices. I was so impressed how they were able to make this so flavor packed and I loved how many mushrooms were in it. I didn't have time for a bowl which I got one to-go back home. Will be sure to return. Oh, and their veggie fried spring rolls are amazing! Super good. I enjoyed the friendly and welcoming service and the quality flavors and ingredients in the soup. I can't even tell you how bomb this was. Whenever I'm in the area I will be sure to return. read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Front entrance to Khao Thai Food - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

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Huge fan of the coconut soup, had it on spice level 4. Could've been spicier but I have my own theory on why it wasn't. Definitely a must visit spot read more

The food was delicious and so savory! The service was exceptional, our cashier and server was so kind and helpful with our order. read more

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Food is excellent, servings are generous and price definitely reasonable. Golden chicken fried rice was as described by other Yelpers. Came with lots of rice, enough extra to bring home. A bit disappointed because (from photos) I was hoping for Filipino style fried chicken. But this is a breaded fillet - more American not Asian. But breading was very light and crispy, chicken was juicy, so can't complain The pad thai is the best pad thai in Monterey County! Just perfect sauce. I missed the bean sprouts on the side (like our favorite TK Noodles pad thai(, but the it taste good and serving was generous. One big plus, we were able to dine in. (Only about 4 tables there, so not always an option) - and they serve you like a nice restaurant does! Ceramic dishes, real silver (not one use plastic- Yay!) and filtered water to drink. With the good food, good service, generous portions and price is right - definitely recommend Khao San! read more

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I will say what it lacks in ambiance it makes up in flavor. Absolutely delicious food, flavor was perfect and spot on. All the dishes cooked to order and the fried rice excellent. read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - The inside of the establishment. - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

wanted to also say. A+ = authentic cuisine, Thai chef in charge and cooking it! No side steps! read more

Great Thai food. I especially liked the coconut milk soup. This is a small restaurant. The young man who helped us was attentive. Khan San does a brisk takeout business. read more

Ordered online with their website, picked up a delicious order of egg rolls and beef curry to eat at home, also some Thai coffee delish, was ready as promised in twenty minutes, friendly service at the counter made it a quick tasty experience read more

*** Update after our second visit in three days. We got Tom Yum soup w/ beef (spicy) and papaya salad (medium). Tom Yum soup was delicious but not spicy enough, and papaya salad was just as wonderful, with a nice kick! *** So glad we found this hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Yelp! We placed a pick-up dinner order via phone and the food was ready in ~20 minutes. The front staff was super nice and considerate. Neither of us were very hungry so we got one Massaman Curry with tofu, one Papaya Salad for sharing, and one Chicken Wings (8 pieces). We ended up with 1/4 cup of curry and 2 chicken wings left over. The papaya salad was all gone. Since we read reviews that food here can be quite spicy, we got medium spicy level for the curry and the papaya salad. The chicken wings were sweet rather than spicy so there wasn't a spicy level associated with it. The papaya salad was our top favorite. There was sooo much texture and flavor going on in this little box - crunchy from shredded papaya and peanuts, chewy from string beans, soft from sliced tomato, refreshing from lettuce leaf, spicy from red pepper, and so much sour from the lime! Best part - they created much flavor without fish sauce, keeping this dish vegetarian friendly! My partner rated this the best Thai food he's every had. He's vegetarian so at most Thai places he never got to try the papaya salad, because they either added dried shrimp, or fish sauce, or both. Massaman curry got a super positive review too - lots of flavor with good variety of vegetables and delicious fried tofu. I also enjoyed the chicken wings - flavor-wise it's sweet with tad bit sourness. The wings were perfectly fried with the skin soaked in the delicious sauce. Both the white sesame and the cilantro added extra flavor. I'd prefer its seasoning to be spicy spicy spicy (not a typo) and much less sweet though. We love this place and hope to return soon! read more

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Wow. Chill place next to a miriade of other restaurants. However. Boy oh boy some of the best Thai food ever had by 4 of us! The only pic I could take was one of empty plates - so I'll spare you. This place is great! Great food! Great service! Great prices! You heard it here! Tell them Tony sent you!! read more

This place is legit and I can totally see why they have 5 stars! I got the golden chicken fried rice. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The rice was very flavorful. The spring rolls were very fresh and refreshing, the peanut sauce was awesome. The lady at the front was super nice and friendly. The service is always a key factor in getting to a 5 star and this restaurant totally deserves it. This is a quintessential hole in the wall, they don't even have a restroom. However, it is a true gem and I highly recommend it. read more

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We were supposed to go to El Pollo Loco when I saw the sign. Suddenly I had cravings for Thai food so we ate here instead. Thanks to my cravings, this place is definite5 stars for food and service. Although we ordered only 3 types of food, I'd say their food is as good as a home cooked meal. I highly recommend the Tom Kha, just perfect! read more

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I'm in love with the green curry with chicken and he always remembers how I like it. I've taken my grandson and he too enjoys their food.. The young man at the register is so nice and he explains things that you don't understand a very professional very kind. It's a small restaurant but it's always very clean and the service is amazing and the food is delicious. I have stayed and eaten and seen and talk to people that have been there before whether I take it home or stay in the little restaurant it's always great food. read more

Wonderful little hole in the wall with great service and some of the tastiest Thai food around. I tired the stir fried bean thread with chicken one day and returned a couple days later for the pad se ew. With that said, it's obvious the food was good. The stir fried bean thread with chicken had a savory flavor which did not need any extra sauce or anything. The vegetables were cooked perfectly where there was still a little firmness to the carrots, cabbage, and celery but not too much. Celery never tasted so good! The chicken was tender and piled on top of savory glass noodles. The portion was big, therefore I was able to eat the rest the following day, and it was still good ... which was the reason I returned a couple days later. Lol Second trip I got the pad se ew, one of my favorite dishes. In one word, yummy. Again, the seasoning was perfect, the chicken was tender, and the wide flat noodles were flavorful. I guess it goes without saying that the food was excellent and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a quick delicious meal. read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Stir-fry bean thread - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

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I think my favorite food by far from Thai food would definitely be Pad Thai! This Thai food place in Salinas is the best in town IMO. Their pad Thai can feed probably 2 people! Seriously- I thought I could finish it all but it's way too much, which is good for its nice affordable price. I'm someone that likes my pad Thai spicy, but I wanted to see how spicy it would be given that I wanted to gage their spice level. I got the medium spice level and oooh was it hot! After 4-5 bites the spice started to kick in haha really curious how much spicer it would be had I gotten really spicy. The pad Thai is definitely gonna be my go to here when I'm in town. Expect to see me back! read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Combination Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

Customer service is amazing!! Gentlemen in the front is extremely kind and friendly. This is the best Thai food I've had so far!! read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Spring rolls, Thai Thai Iced Tea, Pad Se Ew Noodle - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

Great hole in the wall, we had the pad thai and chicken fried rice while on a roadtrip. We really enjoyed the food and the interaction with staff read more

The staff is very friendly and the food is great and tasty. Mostly great for to-go. Pad Thai and yellow curry is the best in area. Highly recommend to give it a try. read more

Great authenticity in Thai food. I would encourage to try spicy fish or noodles like pad woon sen or pad se ew. It's a hole in the wall so I would suggest take out. The service is really good with the limited servers. read more

Good flavors, good choices, thai milk green tea was good. Pineapple fried rice with chicken, fresh spring rolls, papaya salad. read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

Grabbed lunch on the go and it was great! Food is really good and customer service was awesome. Will definitely go back to dine in read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

Great service. Wonderful staff They ask how hot you want your food. We got basil beef. And pad si yu

Wow! I actually saw an ad on FB about this place. I had no clue it was there and let alone that it was opened about 8 months ago. Under the current shelter in place guidelines, it is take out only. I perfected the Pad Thai, spring rolls and fried chicken. It was all very good. I am hoping to go back soon to try the curry dishes. read more

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Deserves every bit of 5 stars. All of our favorites are expertly made with the heat of your choice. Natt, the owner used to work at Bahn Thai in Seaside which was our go to for Thai on the central coast. She was always friendly there and at her own place she's fantastic. Since her place is two miles away...I'm gaining weight. Try any of the currys with brown rice, delicious. read more

Khao San Thai Kitchen - Panang curry, brown rice in front. Green curry, brown rice in the back. - Thai Near Me - Salinas, California

Fantastic soup , Tom Kha with shrimp. Great noodles, Kee Maow with shrimp Friendly service read more