It had been a long time since we had seen our friend, Mary. We picked her up in Castro Valley and drove her back to San Leandro. We had been looking to try SL Kitchen for a while but one reason or another, never got around to it. Today was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot and catch-up at the same time. The restaurant is large in size. The temperature was perfect for us. The spacing of the tables is excellent in that they aren't too close together. We were the first guests of the day and were allowed to choose a table. Menus and glasses of water were presented. The fourth place-setting was removed. Drink orders were taken. When they arrived, we ordered two appetizers, then ordering our lunch as the appetizers arrived. The entrees came as we were still working on the apps. We may have been a bit slow because we were so chatty. What did we order? Roti with Curry Sauce - 3 - Good flavor but the sauce could have been a little bit thicker. The Roti was fine however my favorite type of Roti has Egg sandwiched between the layers. Stuffed Chicken Wings - 4 - Excellent flavor. Two wings cut into thirds. Pad Ke Mao with Prawns - 4 - A bit on the sweet side but still delicious with nice crunchy vegetables. Basil Eggplant with Pork - 4 - More crunchy veg with lots of Pork and a decent amount of Eggplant. Mok Pa - 4 - Steamed catfish in banana leaf with dill, enoki mushrooms, pepper flakes, and fresh herbs (sorry, I forgot to take a picture) Service was good. Our server checked with us several times to make sure that everything was to our satisfaction. She refilled our water when needed. Overall, a very good experience and we'll be back to try more flavors. Mary is considering asking her lunch group to try a family style meal here as they usually order individual entrees. read more

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Food is ok, ordering take out is another story, add 30 minutes to the expected ready time. This is the second time this has happened.

The front was very clean. The Pad see ew was so delicious. When I first went in my order wasn't ready so I waited in my vehicle. The hostess brought my order to my car which was above and beyond. Amazing customer service and very much appreciated. read more

This is NOT authentic Thai food Trader Joe's frozen dinners are more flavorful than this. The pad Thai didn't have the fresh veggie toppings you know like the bean sprouts, green onions or carrots. Don't waste your money folks. read more

Good food and service. Restaurant is clean. Pretty quick at serving my order and I love that i can call and order to go.

Came here at first with my husband. I've lived in the area for years and didn't even know about this place. Food is flavorful, service is great. Fast, very polite. I've come back a few more times since then with my family. Worth it to check out. Just note that spicy is really spicy. I normally can eat medium spice level but here, it's a bit too much for me. I go for mild now when I eat here. Then the food is more enjoyable without needing to wipe the sweat off every few minutes. Lol! Decor is very nice, too! Clean and aesthetically pleasing. read more

I consider SLK a neighborhood gem but it's definitely worth the drive from around the bay. Situated next to Starbucks on MacArthur right off 580, this location has struggled over the years to find a fit. I think we have a keeper The stand-outs - Yum Neur, a cool beef salad with a nice vinaigrette with heat - Money bags, their twist on egg rolls with plenty of filling. It actually reminds me of shepherds pie - Laap Salad, fried rice ball salad - Angel wings appetizer, generously stuffed chicken wings - Curry crab special!! This dish requires notice and is MP. We call in the morning to reserve for dinner and it is so worth it. The crab is served on top of rice noodles but we added rice to soak up the delish curry sauce. Our fam of four devoured it. They provide disposable gloves so don't be shy and use your hands! SLK knows how to turn up the heat! We learned the hard way and always ask for MILD spice level. Ambience is nice and service very attentive read more

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I hate to do it, but the food we got was just not worthy of 4 stars. We got a basil fried rice with chicken, the SLK Sampler, and a Lad Nah with beef. The fried rice was by far our favorite - flavorful with a little kick and seasoning well distributed. While I appreciated the thoughtful packing of the Lad Nah, the sauce lacked flavor and was just a bit flat for us overall. SLK Sampler was kind of just meh...egg rolls and money bags were fine. Sausage was okayish. Papaya salad was underwhelming, but tasted a lot better the next day. We don't think we got their best showing today and will be back for more traditional items (pad Thai, pad see ew, curries), but we won't be doing a deep dive into the menu any time soon. read more

SL Kitchen - Thai basil friend rice w/ chicken. Thai papaya salad (top right) that comes with SL sampler (bottom left) and a Lad Nah with beef. - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

Thai/Laotian very close to Oakland Zoo and convenient for those who go to the zoo early and don't want to eat there. Plenty of parking in the lot right next to it. We got there at 11 am and the worst thing about eating there was it was freshly cleaned and smelled strongly of cleaning products. It was also abnormally warm inside and it made the smell worse, at least you know they really clean the restaurant. H5 Crispy Fish: Battered and fried fish fillet served with house special garlic sauce. Fish was delicious, very well cooked with a nice crunchy outside and tender inside. We normally ask for the sauce on the side so the fish doesn't get soggy but it comes by default like that at SL. E2. Pad Se Ew w/ Chicken: The noodles were well cooked and there was a nice flame taste but the chicken was a bit dry. The worst thing was it was heavily oversauced and very rich, we mixed plain rice with it to cut down the taste a little. A7. Money Bags: Minced chicken, onion, and corn in egg roll wrap served with sweet & tangy sauce. Very cool and fun presentation that we ordered for the kids, it tasted fine to us but they didn't like it and ended up eating a lot of our fish. read more

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This is a wonderful neighborhood spot with consistently great food and gluten free options!

Who would've thought to find authentic Lao/Thai food hidden in the outskirts of SL? Service was great. Interior is clean and cozy. PSA: they close daily between 3-5pm. Don't come here 20 mins before the kitchen closes like I did lol read more

SL Kitchen - B1. Lao Papaya Salad - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Everything was so good . Love it so much . My favorite restaurant No.1. The food is authentic and delicious read more

SL Kitchen - I love there food too much . Everything was so good . My favorite restaurant No.1 - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

I was in Oakland and wanted Thai food but did not want to drive to downtown Oakland to look for a Thai food place. On my way to Starbucks in San Leandro. I stumbled upon this place. I purchased the Pad Thai noodles because I had never been here before and was not sure how the food taste. I went to my truck and tasted the noodles. I got out of my Truck and went in and ordered the Pad Se Ew. While talking to the cashier she talked about how good the Curry was and so I ordered the Yellow Curry. I also told her how I loved spicy foods. She gave me the spicy peppers to put on my food. I went home and my husband who is a very picky eater Love the Food especially the Yellow Curry. Went to work the next day with leftovers and told most of my co-workers about the restaurant. This is my New Favorite spot. read more

Came here 2 days ago and the money bags with Thai fried rice hit the spot! Me and my boyfriend got some food to go and ate it the second we got home this is my new to go spot! read more

Excellent Thai takeout near my house in Oakland! I had a go to place in SF that made the best yellow curry but SL Kitchen's comes pretty close! I love that you can choose the spice levels. Went with medium and it was perfect. The pad Thai was also delicious and filled with plenty of the good bits like the fried egg, tofu, flavorful pork and sprouts. I'll definitely be ordering this again and again! read more

SL Kitchen - G2. Yellow Curry and E4. Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

Staff provided a warm greeting when I walked in. Food was ready and nicely packaged when I arrived. So well packed that my driving toppled the soup over in car and it stayed sealed! They included a hot chili oil with the soup as well! woohoo! I ordered takeout but I would like to come back and eat in person. Seems like the staff are very attentive in this small restaurant. Glad my search brought me here - I've been driving by for the past few years not knowing there was good food close by. read more

Consistently great food. The pad Thai and crab fried rice is phenomenal. The best I've ever had. I've only got their food on delivery apps but look forward to trying food inside the restaurant soon. read more

4.5 Stars. I don't normally order appetizers, but I highly recommend their Angel Wings and Lao Sausages! They're just as filling and delicious as entrees and I'd 100% order those again. Angel Wings were perfectly crunchy and had plentiful filling with tender meat. The accompanying sweet chili glaze was good too, but there just wasn't enough of it. And the Lao Sausages were plump, juicy, and really flavorful. The aromatics like lemongrass really comes through and there's a nice kick of spice as well. I tried the Lao Sausages from their SLK Sampler and unfortunately that was the only one that stood out for me. The Papaya Salad (Thai Style, Mild) was refreshing and had good texture, but the cabbage head was cumbersome to eat and the dressing was a bit too much on the higher end of spice for being "mild". The Money Bags had a good presentation and crispiness, and some savoriness from the ground meat, but it tasted mostly of corn. The Egg Rolls also had a good crispiness, but they were pretty standard. read more

SL Kitchen - A1. Stuffed Angel Wings - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I just moved to the neighborhood and had high hopes for this place since Thai is my favorite cuisine. Customer service is so so and it seems like a language barrier depending who you get. I've been here four times already and it seems always dead. It's never packed like a how restaurant should be. The food is decent, but the prices are high for the area. It's not even fancy or nice looking inside to be charging the prices they do. This place has so much potential if they had a lunch special like most Thai restaurants. I've been to so many Thai places where they're packed during lunch. They would charge $14 for appetizer of your choice, entree, rice, salad, and tom yum soup. I'm hoping this place makes improvements to bring in more customers or else it will probably shut down. read more

Service was great but the food was not. The papaya salad was drenched in too much fish sauce and so was the Tom Kha soup. The Tom Kha soup did not have any coconut milk. It was a clear broth with a ton of fish sauce. The egg rolls were too dense and the money bags were a little over fried. The meat in the curry was a little tough. read more

This place is probably one of the best Thai places I've been to in the Bay Area! The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is nice and clean and we were sat immediately. We ordered the Fresh Spring Rolls with Tofu and Peanut Sauce, Pad Thai with Tofu and an order of Mango Sticky Rice to share. The Spring Rolls were simple but amazing. The vegetables were all fresh but the peanut sauce was the real star of the show for me. The Pad Thai with tofu was very flavorful and not like traditional pad Thai. It was less sweet with more of an umami flavor that was amazing. The tofu, egg and vegetables in it were cooked perfectly. We ended the dinner with the Mango Sticky Rice and it was the perfect amount of sweet! The mango was ripe and sweet and the rice was cooked perfectly! I did not anticipate coming in and having my mind and tastes buds blown but it was a pleasant surprise! Will definitely be coming back here the next time I'm craving Thai food! read more

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Customer service - friendly, courteous & fast Dining area - clean Food - just ok, could be better. read more

We came here for dinner as a group of three. They have a moderate selection of items ranging from appetizers, to salads and soups, rice plates, noodles and other protein + veggie dishes. We tried the money bags (minced shrimp+pork filling inside crispy wonton wrappers), fried chicken over fried rice, pineapple fried rice, green curry with pork, and pad kee mao, as well as Vietnamese coffee and Thai tea for drinks. The food was good but the drinks were super watery. They tasted like the instant packets. They service was ok. They do not have chili caddies on the tables and it is disappointing to not have that customization available because I love tweaking the spice on my food. I would like to come back to check their lunch specials. read more

SL Kitchen - Money bags appetizer - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

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great spot for lunch when visiting the island. We stopped by on a Monday afternoon and were greeted and seated immediately. The staff was extremely polite and attentive. We decided on their crispy rice salad and tofu pad see ew. Both dishes came out within minutes. The crispy rice salad was a nice change from our regular order of papaya salad. Combining the crispy rice with the leaves of lettuce made for a nice contrast in textures. The salad was good, but I wish there was some kind of sauce we could have drizzled over the crispy rice to make it less dry. Their pad see ew was incredible. The noodles were cooked perfectly with a nice chewiness. Overall, a very good experience. We will definitely return. read more

SL Kitchen - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

Tried SL Kitchen awhile back, they're located right behind the 580. Parking can be a bit challenging in the area on a busy weekend, so I opted to get food to go for dinner. The menu seems to be a mix of Thai and Laotian food, but leaning more toward Thai? The menu is simple, but the pad thai was good. Will update this if I end up dining in. read more

Although my order was takeout, I thought the ambience was lovely, warm and that SL took the time to adorn their space. The staff were friendly and hospitable. I thoroughly enjoyed the pad se ew; savory and generous with the protein. I asked for spicy. I got spicy! The panang curry was rich and coconut-y and I appreciate them accommodating my request to add eggplant. Although I'm in Alameda, I will happily drive back to San Leandro for another meal. Thank you read more

Tried this restaurant out as my uncle said it was good! There's a small parking area up front but it can be a bit busy during dinner/lunch rush since there's also a Starbucks next to it! The restaurant itself was nice, very clean and the staff was great! My mom and I ordered the stuffed Angel wings, Tom yum with seafood, pad Thai, and mango sticky rice (since the banana and ice cream was out), to share. The portions were good compared to other restaurants and they're not stingy with ingredients. It's nice to know there's a good Thai place near my work when I'm craving it and want it nearby! read more

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It's hard to find good Thai food in this area. We usually have to drive to Oakland or San Ramon. This place has the best Thai food in the area. The owners and workers here are very kind; we love the panang curry... so creamy and peanut buttery. Son loves the pad see ewe. Hubby loves the pad Thai and curry. Can't go wrong with any dish. read more

Late post- SL Kitchen just hosted our annual Post-Thanksgiving Dinner. We were a party of 30. So much amazing food, and the service was wonderful. There are some special dishes we ordered that needed to be pre-ordered. "House Special Crab and Curry Crab" did not disappoint. We will definitely be back to try more dishes when we are in town. Can't wait to try more dishes. read more

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Pad kee mau with veggies is pretty good, veggies are crisp and flavor is good, but very little wok breath (that pleasant slight bit of char/caramelization) and pretty salty. If it weren't a noodle dish, I'd say it was made to be eaten with rice. The basil eggplant I got with tofu was ok flavor-wise but the sauce was super salty. The eggplant pieces had not flavoring so eating each bite with both made it ok. If you like to eat lots of plain rice with your main, then you'd probably be ok. It's pretty close so I'm probably go again but it's not on the top of my list. read more

SL Kitchen - Pad kee mau - veggie only, no meat. - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

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This restaurant was so yummy! Both noodles were so flavorful and chewy. I would recommend either of them! The fried chicken over fried rice so crunch and tasty! Lastly, the curry was amazing. This was my first time trying panag curry and i will definitely order again. read more

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Glad to see that despite the pandemic, SL Kitchen still has managed to survive! This was our second visit here, the first being when they had first opened up back in 2021. We again ordered the Stuffed Angel Wings appetizer, and it was yummy. Perfectly fried and stuffed pretty well with chicken, glass noodles and some vegetables. I ordered my favorite, Kapoun Noodle Soup, and while it was still pretty good, this time it was quite salty compared to how it should be. I think the chef needs to watch how much salt and other ingredients they are putting, because it was quite salty. The Kapiek Noodle Soup was also pretty good as well, very flavorful, nice chicken broth, served with udon noodles. While good, this was also a bit too salty as well. The basil eggplant with chicken was pretty good, freshly stir fried eggplant with chicken, good flavor. The customer service was decent, they were friendly and the food came out in a reasonable timeframe, with the appetizer coming out first and then the entrees. Would come back to try other dishes, but the chef does need to watch out for the tastes of the food, some of the items ordered felt a bit too salty. read more

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The food was great. My coworkers and I went there for lunch yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The food was tasty and portions are good size. Two of us ended up taking leftovers home. Definitely a treat! read more

My favorite Thai place in SL. Food is Delicious The service is great, very attentive and the ambiance is very casual. I always go when I crave Thai. Hidden gem. I recommend every thing. read more

Don't go! The restaurant dishonestly overcharged us for tips without our consent. Very disappointed by this lack of transparency and honesty. read more

Excellent flavors, quick and helpful service, cozy ambience. They do have a faulty AC vent that hums.

Parking lot: Street and a small lot Service was quick and friendly. I remember ordering to go and there isn't much that I remember except getting a dried crispy rice and mango sticky rice. I think I ordered about 5 dishes. I don't think the food was impressive to me but the mango sticky rice is worth getting if you have a craving. Would come back for sticky rice. read more

We came here on a Friday night and we were able to sit down right away even though they asked us if we had a reservation. The place is huge and really clean and nicely decorated (modern). There are two large rooms and the first room is where everyone was dining (the back room was super cold that night for some reason). We ordered the crispy chicken fried rice, the yellow curry with chicken, and the pad se ew with beef. The first thing I will point out is the smaller portion sizes. The plates were kind of small, especially the curry. The fried rice and fried chicken could have had more flavoring - Thai fried rice is usually fragrant but this dish was just so and so (tasting more like Chinese fried rice) but I would try their pineapple or basil fried rice next time. Their curry was good but a little on the watery side and it could have used more veggies. Their pad se ew was good but could have used a little more sweetness. By the time we tried to order dessert, they said it would be a 15 minute wait because the kitchen was really busy so we opted not to get dessert after all. We would come back and try different things here. read more

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I ordered to-go food on Saturday around 1:00pm and it was ready in 10 mins. I guess I beat the rush hours. I only saw street parking and all the parking spots were taken in front of the restaurant so I parked a little further down. Most of the food was good. The meats could be more tender. We ordered Pork Green Curry , beef Pad Se Ew, beef basil fried rice, Spicy Green Beans, Lao Papaya Salad, Roti with Curry Sauce (curry sauce was salty!). read more

SL Kitchen - Spicy Green Beans, Lao Papaya Salad, Roti with Curry Sauce - Thai Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Really great to have a good Thai restaurant open up in SL finally! And the proprietor is so nice and friendly. This time we came with the fam. We got the roti and money bags to start off. Then we got the pineapple fried rice, lad nah, crispy fish, and the special eggplant with fish. This last one we got spicy and it had a nice kick to it! Comes with lettuce and sticky rice to wrap. It's not for everyone but we loved loved it! Got comp ice tea and a special 10% discount for the promotion they're running right now -- sweet! We'll be back next week for sure! read more

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