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    Sawaan Thai kitchen

    4.6 (66 reviews)
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    Updated 3 months ago

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    Sawaan Zaap Fried Chicken
    Cathy T.

    Stopped in for a quick bite before a concert. We had the Sawaan Zaap Fried Chicken which came out piping hot and very crispy. It's fried chicken packed with chili, lime, and Thai herbs. It was the perfect blend of flavors for me. I can't handle spicy foods but I found the chili packed a lot of flavor and not too much heat. We also had the Grill Me Softly. I felt like this one didn't have the same "wow" factor as the chicken wings. They were LA-Style short ribs that is used for Galbi. I didn't expect the bone in cuts based on the pictures I saw on Yelp. The dipping sauces really carried the dish. One sauce tasted like a tamarind sauce while the other was closer to a fermented shrimp paste style sauce. The shrimp paste sauce had a great spice level and the flavor profile really elevated the flavor of the short ribs which without the sauces fell a bit flat. This was a great protein packed meal with a side of rice.

    Dark Soy Dream aka Pad See Ew w/ Chinese broccoli, egg ($18) - add beef (+$4)
    Cherylynn N.

    4.5 STARS *Places order* "How spicy?" "Thai spicy, please." *Staff check in* "Is it spicy enough?" *Nods* while face is flushed AND snot is running. Love it when Thai spicy = SPICCCCY! There's no shortage of Thai restos in the city so what makes Sawaan different? They serve authentic Thai food with bold flavors and playful, modern twists. And, they have yum pu ma...I believe they're the only place in the bay that offers Thai spicy marinated raw crab. For the vegans, they have plant-based beef and chicken. F O O D * Cloud Ring: Crispy Shrimp Donuts (3 pc-$18): https://tinyurl.com/3c8ejr2z A play on tod mun goong, the panko crusted shrimp donuts were hot and crunchy, tho the shrimp paste was more dense than bouncy. Served with two sauces: nam jim ga (sweet chili) and nam jim jaew (spicy and punchy). * Claw & Chili: Raw Blue Crab Salad ($22): https://tinyurl.com/ysfb54fm - Requested Thai spicy A flavor bomb - salty, sweet, sour, and hella spicy, with delicate, creamy raw crab that contrasted nicely against the crisp veggies. It hit that raw crab craving! * Grilled Tongue of God: Chargrilled Beef Tongue w/ Thai dipping sauce ($26): https://tinyurl.com/5n7c9w8j Another hard to find dish in Thai restos, the beef tongue was sous vide then finished on the grill - tender and beefy with a delicious smoky char from the grill. Served with spicy, punchy nam jim jaew for dipping. * Dark Soy Dream aka Pad See Ew w/ Chinese broccoli, egg ($18) - add beef (+$4): https://tinyurl.com/3z72a5yu Savory sweet and spicy, the noodles were soft and slippery, the beef was tender, and the gai lan added a crisp bite. I wish there was more of a wok hei tho. * Hatyai Crisp: Southern-style Thai Fried Chicken w/ crispy shallots, turmeric (2 pc-$17): https://tinyurl.com/2ed3yjds The marinated chicken was juicy and flavorful with a thin, crispy caramelized crust. Served with nam jim ga, a sweet chili sauce. We forgot but def order a side of sticky rice to pair with the hatyai chicken. S E R V I C E Warm, gracious Thai hospitality. The staff was so sweet and attentive. We visited the Friday before V-Day and they gave all the ladies dried roses as a keepsake. Prompt food service; we visited after the lunch rush. A M B I A N C E Cozy, casual indoor dining area with an open kitchen and counter seats to watch the chefs in action. There's a larger dining area in back. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Sawaan and appreciate that while the dishes lean modern, they stay rooted in bold Thai flavors. With the awesome service and low-key atmosphere, it feels like your quintessential neighborhood resto in The Mission...great when you're in the mood for something beyond the ordinary pad thai or chicken satay.

    Andrew R.

    Came here for dinner with a friend and overall enjoyed my meal! The restaurant is cute and has plenty of seating. The menu is enormous and filled with things that all sounded amazing. I ended up getting the plant based lemongrass chicken, as I came here on meatless Monday. I definitely need to come back on a non-Monday to try some of the meat dishes, but my meal was still pretty good! Definitely a unique twist on Thai food, and I will definitely be back!

    Spicy Drunken Heaven
    Shikha S.

    Some of my favorite Thai food in the city! Loved trying new dishes or spins on the classics I've loved. I went with a party of 6 - we got seated at their few large tables in the back (parties of 2-4 more ideal), but it wasn't too crowded on a week day. We ordered the Tofu Cloud, the Purple Fries (eggplant), the Drunken Heaven (drunken noodle flavors with instant thin noodles), the Dark Soy Dream (rice noodles), the Massaman Curry, and the Wok Greens. The appetizers were amazing - the Tofu Cloud had incredible texture - crunchy exterior with the softest tofu inside. I've never had anything like the eggplant fries - the eggplant was melt in your mouth and the crispy batter was deliciously sweet and salty. All the dishes had great flavor - the Drunken Heaven was packed with flavor and spice. The service was prompt and friendly. I'll warn that we asked for everything medium, and both the Drunken Heaven and Wok Greens were SPICY (due to some red chilies) while others were mild/medium. Delicious, but some roulette with how spicy the dishes turn out. The drink menu is very fun, with extensive loose leaf tea served in a cute mug / coaster. Excited to support this restaurant, the diverse menu, and its creativity!

    Green & Dreamy with rice
    Emily F.

    Fun place to stop in and try. It wasn't busy when we arrived and got seated right away. Service was friendly and timely. We ordered the shrimp donut ring for an app and then green curry and lemongrass fish for mains. The donuts were filling and great. Nice crisp to the outside, a fun was to present and eat them, and dipping sauces were delish. Had a lil left over and threw it in the air fryer the next day and still delish. The green curry was tasty and love that it came with rice. We chose jasmine rice with one dish and sticky rice with the other. The curry was a bit thin in texture/sauce but still good. The lemongrass fish was flavorful but for some reason didn't think it would be fried. It was still good but probably would've preferred it more fresh or not fried. I'd come back to check out other dishes and a nice addition to the neighborhood!

    Cheesecake
    Areeta W.

    SERVICE 5/5!! They're so attentive and friendly!! They're also very accommodating to allergies. They gave desserts like a pandan bread and a cheesecake! Highly recommend for service and affordability! I made reservations for 13 people for 6:30PM on a Sunday for my birthday dinner. We were actually kinda late but I called ahead and they were super chill with pushing it back 30 minutes. We did family style and shared: - Purple Eggplant fries - (4/5 - $15) unique and perfectly salted/peppered but wished it was fried longer - Crab on rice - (4/5 - $25) full of crab and yummy - Green curry w/ pork + Massaman curry w/ chicken + Panang curry w/ beef (3.5/5) - Chicken was super well cooked but pork and beef were kinda rough to eat - Pad See Ew + Pad Thai - (3/5) noodles were too al dente and not enough flavors coming through (soy sauce/fish sauce) Overall, I would come back and try their other things! Their meat quality and noodles was kinda meh BUT everything else was yummy. For 13 people, it was $30ish per person which is amazing for a birthday dinner where everyone was full!

    Caili C.

    Loved this spot for Thai food in the Mission! We came by for a late lunch and between 2 people shared the: - Cloud Ring: Crispy minced shrimp donuts with a panko coating, this was the dish I was most excited to try and it was so yummy! When I first saw the drawing on the menu, I thought they were onion rings at first but minced shrimp rings sounded so fun and they were very tasty with a nicely fried panko shell and super flavorful with the Thai dipping sauces on the side. - Papaya Salad: Made with shaved papaya, I enjoyed the tangy fermented fish sauce but texture wise I still prefer the traditional shredded green papaya for more of a crunchy texture - Tom Yum Hot Pot: Spicy and tangy tom yum soup with your choice of protein. We got shrimp with ours which was great and the hot pot serving pot kept the broth sizzling. - Crab Fried Rice: Really flavorful fried rice with crab meat, loved how fragrant and garlicy the rice is. I would come back just for this and a soup! I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant as it's fairly small and unassuming but the flavors are bold and I loved browsing the more unique dishes they have - really creative and fun! I'll definitely be back to try the other dishes off the menu and would definitely recommend if you're looking for a new restaurant to try.

    Spicy Drunken Heaven
    Thu N.

    My friends and I loved everything we ate at Sawaan! The well-designed menu features Thai dishes that I haven't seen at other restaurants. recs: avotum, chewy fried rice, sawaan wings price: ~$20-$30/person - Spicy Drunken Noodles: Noodles were a similar texture to Mi Goreng (yum) and topped with a protein of your choice (shrimp for us). At medium spicy, this was really solid, but some friends got hit with an extremely spicy pepper - Avotum: I'm a fan of sweet and savory + textual combos, and this fit the bill. This dish features avocados, nuts, and lychees that you wrap in lettuce and cucumber. Double-dipping in the sauce is a must. - Cloud Ring: Highly instagrammable and delicious, but fine to try just once - Chewy Fried Rice: Everyone loved this (and I liked it even better after adding the crunchy fried bits from the fried chicken dish). We ordered this with veg, but it also comes with your choice of protein. Dishes came out super fast, and service was attentive. We would totally come back to try other dishes here!

    Decor
    Ying Z.

    I visited Sawaan a couple months ago now and I still remember the fondness I felt after leaving the meal. They are a new modern Thai restaurant with a fresh take on a thai cuisine menu and trendy decor. The staff here are so sweet and considerate. We ordered the tofu cloud, spicy drunken heaven, and the lemongrass catfish. The tofu cloud came with this thick and sweet peanut sauce. I enjoyed the aromatics in the drunken noodles. Our favorite was definitely the catfish. Make sure to eat everything while it is hot! You can taste the freshness in the catfish. Food is most important at a restaurant, yet I'd like to highlight how well decorated Sawaan is. They put a lot of effort in the design choices from the ceramics to the light fixtures to the menu.

    Golden Massaman with rice
    Shelley P.

    Love the wave of modern Thai places popping up! We tried: - Som tum berry: thought the flavors sounded interesting, but for me it was way too strong of a shrimp/fish flavor unfortunately. It did say that it was bold though! - Tofu cloud: so fluffy and I loved the peanut sauce - Purple fries: yummy option and good seasoning/sauce, but not super crispy/a bit limp - Golden massaman: loved this one - tender chicken in a thick fragrant curry Not sure if this stood out for me among the other similar places in the city, but it was fun to try dishes with some creative twists!

    tom yum specials
    Norases V.

    Amazing food, friendly service. The super zaap soup (northeastern tom zaap spicy and sour soup) with tendon was our favorite. Flavorful, spicy, fragrant, the tendon was super yummy, soft and well cooked. Medium spicy is spicy enough for us. Other dishes were great too, very generous serving of crab fried rice, I recommend replacing pad kee mao (drunken noodles) instant noodles with flat rice noodles. It comes with your peppercorn, generous serving of noodles to share. The pandan toast was steamed and it was nice and moist, the pandan sauce (sangkaya) is not too sweet. We got to try their piak poon (testing new menu) and it was amazing! They also have ube cheese cake special. Note that they only have one high chair for the restaurant but they also have a booster seat. The restaurant is small so I recommend making a reservation. Will be back!

    Sorry for the empty plates. I wasn't planning on doing a Yelp review when I started eating, but was blown away so I changed my mind midway.
    Jimmy S.

    This place is insanely good. I didn't plan on writing a yelp review so I didn't take any photos before I started eating unfortunately. I had the Purple Fries, Fried Chicken, Chili Shrimp with Watermelon, and the Drunken Noodles. I was blown away by the Purple Fries. They are french fries but with eggplant instead of potatoes. Whoever thought of that is a genius. You gotta try it. The chili shrimp with watermelon was unique and delicious. Both that and the purple fries surprised me, which is rare. The staff were extremely nice as well. Great service. All the food and drinks were top tier.

    Alice S.

    I've been wanting to try this place for a while because of its selection of dishes that you don't typically see at other Thai restaurants. For a Saturday evening walk-in, we got seated at the counter by the entrance. We ordered the cloud rings, crispy tamarind, and golden massaman. The cloud rings looked intriguing and were plated in a fun, unique way. But honestly, we weren't that impressed by the actual flavors and regret ordering it. The crispy tamarind, similarly, was also very pretty in terms of presentation but wasn't that memorable in terms of taste. I didn't want to go back for more bites of it. Both the cloud rings and crispy tamarind were just average. Now, the star of the show and the one dish that will make us come back for more was the golden massaman. This curry dish was incredibly flavorful, and we were so impressed by how tender the chicken was. The chicken's slow braised, and the meat just simply falls right off the bone. I highly recommend getting the golden massaman here!

    Cloud ring and purple fries

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Sawaan Thai kitchen

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    Khao Tiew

    Khao Tiew

    4.5
    (822 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $$

    What we ordered: * mun nuer with cured egg [5/5]…read more* duck curry [4.5/5] * pad se ew [5/5] * yum yum mushrooms [5/5] * Thai tea [3/5] [Taste: ] Everything was so good and nicely curated. I would get the same exact order the next time I come. I would not get the Thai tea again because it tastes like instant Thai tea. [Service: ] Decent [Comments: ] Homey interior and modernized dishes that still manages to be true to authentic Thai flavors. The dishes transported me back to Thailand.

    On a spurious moment, we decided to pop in for an early dinner as it was 3:30 PM and only 8 persons…read morein line before us. All 32 customers were seated when the doors opened, with 8-9 waiting by 4:30 PM. By the time we left at 5:30 PM, there were 12 waiting to be seated. Our fav wait staff was called in to work an extra day. It's always nice to see her as she takes orders and bustle dishes with a pleasant smile on her face. We ordered the same short rib beef fried rice but tried the curry chicken noodle soup this time which had a crispy fried ball of noodles topping a bowl of mild, spicy curry broth, soft noodles and chicken. It was very good. For the first time, we ordered their Chinese broccoli which was sliced into smaller pieces and surprisingly very good. We were full but decided to get the pandan kaya toast with large scoop of coconut ice cream to share since we've not ordered this in a long time. The chefs cooking that evening were doing a great job as the flavors were delicious.

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    Saap Ver Authentic Thai Cuisine

    Saap Ver Authentic Thai Cuisine

    4.0
    (922 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    Spent the day in the city yesterday with my two best friends to celebrate one of their birthdays…read more Went to De Young for Monet and were starving after so we stumbled on this fantastic Thai restaurant! Every bite and sip was delicious. We ordered family style and shared everything. The service was also fantastic, even though we got there late and didn't realize until the food was beginning to come out that it was last call, our server and all the other workers that came by were all so friendly and made us feel welcome. We ate quickly and boxed the rest so they could get home. What we ordered: Tom Kha soup - coconutty, creamy, a lil sour and a lil spice. Delicious. Fresh rolls - crisp and springy with lots of greens and tofu and a good peanut sauce to dip. Crispy pork belly sweet basil - the CRISP and flavor of this pork belly was to die for. Chicken larb - this was my favorite dish of the night. Heavy basil/herbs, just a little kick from the chilies, full on flavor explosion. I will be thinking of this dish for a long time haha. Beef Pad See Ew - chewy in the most delicious and favor packed way. Love pad see ew and this one was great! Pad cha scallop - Came out sizzling on a cast iron! This dish was fun and the scallops while small, were fresh and had lots of flavor. And finally, for dessert we ordered the black rice durian. It was all three of us' first time trying Durian and we loved it! Creamy and a little funky but the black rice and sauce emphasized its natural sweetness. Thank you to everyone at Saap Ver for adding to my besties birthday happiness! Can't wait to come back.

    My friends had been hearing about this place in SF, and so when I was in town, we decided to give…read moreit a try! The inside of the restaurant was quite lively, even though it was pretty early in the evening. The decorations were very colorful, and the atmosphere felt lively. Service was fine, but the food did take awhile to get to us. We ended up ordering crispy pork, duck curry, pad thai, and fried rice (sorry don't remember which fried rice in particular). I think the pad thai and fried rice were a bit light in flavor, but the curry and crispy pork were really yummy! The duck curry kinda took me by surprise because of the lychee haha I wish the portions were bigger, but great taste.

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    Blackwood

    Blackwood

    4.1
    (2.3k reviews)
    2.6 mi
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    Locally owned & operated
    12 years in business

    Had such a great brunch experience, and Mark made it even better. From the moment we sat down, he…read morewas incredibly friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. He checked in at all the right times, gave great recommendations, and made sure everything came out perfectly. You can tell he really cares about providing excellent service without ever being overbearing. Mark's positive attitude and professionalism made our meal memorable, and he's a big reason we'll be coming back. If you're here for brunch, definitely ask for Mark--you'll be in great hands!

    Found this spot on TikTok and it looked Instagram worthy, so my cousin and I headed over on…read moreSaturday for a late lunch [def have to go back for brunch]. We decided to share a mimosa flight, spring rolls, and ahi scoops. Even though it wasn't brunch, they still allowed us to order a brunch flight, and they were so polite and helpful throughout 4.8/5. The inside is tiny, but quite stunning, clean, and gives a lot of opportunities for insta-worthy pics 4.9/5, I only wish there had been an actual photo wall. Now to the food. The crispy spring rolls were cooked perfectly, and seasoned well. The clear noodles and veggies were so yummy. I asked for soy sauce because that's what I prefer over sweet sauce, but honestly they needed nothing 4.8/5. The ahi scoops had the best seaweed salad on it that I have EVER had, the wasabi cream on top was the show stopper, and I don't even like wasabi 5/5. We shared the flight and was more than tipsy from two drinks each, flavors on point champagne delicious 5/5. Overall

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    New Thai Elephant

    New Thai Elephant

    4.3
    (614 reviews)
    2.9 mi
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    I enjoyed this spot with my son. I got the spicy seafood salad and it was extremely good.read more

    Cozy ambience that's great for meetups and long hangouts to chat and catch up. The staff was very…read morekind and the service was decently fast. The interior is well decorated with Thai culture and with the darker tones of the design, it makes the restaurant feel quite fancy. 4.5/5 - Crispy Pork (Moo Krop) Fried Rice - Very savory fried rice dish. Spiced well and very filling. We didn't expect the pork to be cut so large and mixed into the rice, but it was very tender and easy to still eat. We would've expected the pork to be sliced maybe in half or fourths to make the dish feel like a "pork fried rice" than a fried rice + pork mix, but it still worked well and if you love pork, this will definitely be your fix! 5/5 - Pad Thai - We thought the restaurant nailed this classic noodle dish. Filling portions and did not overcook their noodles. You can taste each component of the dish, which speaks to everything not being under or overcooked. We ordered nuts on the side but you would be quite satisfied ordering this if you like pad thai! 4.5/5 - Pad Gra Prow - Appropriate veggie to beef proportion and very flavorful. Minced well and great to complement with your carb dishes (noodle or rice). We thought the dish was slightly oily but it feels well absorbed when eaten with our pad thai. If you have tried the dish before and would like it, this will be satisfactory!

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    D07. Tom Yum Goong

    Sawaan Thai kitchen - thai - Updated August 2026

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