Love Thai Dara, green chili chicken or vegetable Pad Thai are my go to every time we visit Dana Point

Came here on a chilly Tuesday evening in Sept 2025 with my father figure - it was nice and cozy on the inside, and I liked the decor. We ordered the tom yum and yellow curry with chicken, and they were both lovely and hearty on a cold day. The servers were very hospitable and pleasant. Overall a very solid Thai restaurant in the Dana Point area. If I come back I'd love to visit again! read more

Thai Dara - Yellow Curry - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Trying out a different Thai restaurant for us was a little bit of a challenge. The parking above the restaurant is called the row. It's one way in and the same way out. It's a little bit difficult. The restaurant is very tiny but it's also very popular. Lotta people love coming here. We enjoyed the chicken pad Thai we had the Tom Yum shrimp soup unfortunately it was a little bit too fishy. The service is very good. They do aim to please. read more

Thai Dara - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Coconut soup was delicious . After the e that we order chicken with yellow curry , tasty but you barely could find any chicken on it . We also ordered eggplant which was not good either . Maybe 3 prices of eggplant snd several vegetables. "Jasmine rice was not jasmine rice " it was just a regular rice . I don't see me coming back and will not recommend it . read more

We have been to this location 7-8 times now, and it's always fresh and tasty. The staff is genuinely kind, and the food is served piping hot with generous portions. We've had several different items all over the menu, and it's been consistently delicious. We go at least twice a month. read more

Easily some of the best vegan Thai options in Dana Point! I've had the papaya salad, ginger stir fry, and pad thai--everything was super tasty. The service was warm and attentive, and the dishes felt very authentic. Highly recommend! read more

Last-minute food choice, which turned out to be an amazing food choice. I hadn't had Thai food in a while, but speaking to a friend over the phone earlier in the week brought it to my attention. So when finding myself close to a Thai restaurant, I said why not. Love the tea. The ambience, was low light, soft music, and serene. Highly recommended read more

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The best Thai food I ever had everything so fresh and restaurant very clean service fantastic

I order from this place very often since I am so close. today i ordered some dinner, yellow curry, i've had it a bunch of times from here and it's above average, nothing special but still good for the limited options in the area. anyways, i ordered the yelllow curry with no spicy. it tasted like they put EXTRA spice in it so now i can't eat it. the broth was watered down so much as if they're trying to save on costs or something.. never eating here again.. not sure if they were intentionally giving me a bad order since it was ordered through uber but usually i have no issues with this place... read more

This was the worst Thai food I've ever had. Watery green curry The Pad Thai was thrown in the trash. Mushy, tasteless and meat inedible. Never order again . read more

Very cute decorations and cozy. Had the yellow curry with a side salad that came with a sweet vinaigrette dressing. The yellow curry was delicious it had a bit of a kick to it but I promise it's not bad at all. It came with egg rolls on the side and they were delicious. The staff was quick overall good experience Paid $14.55 read more

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We ordered food to go, I don't know if the person in the kitchen was new but the food tasted sub standard. We couldn't finish it and had to throw it out. read more

My son, who is six and has an aversion to spicy food, said this place was "bigger than next level." He assured me that was a good thing! He loved the beef with broccoli lunch special. My wife and I both had the spicy noodle lunch special. All three were fabulous deals, and we thought it was the best meal value of the entire trip to Southern California. The service was also excellent. My water was refilled no less than four times, which is the sign of an extremely attentive and friendly waiter! read more

Thai Dara - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

Really great local Thai! My go-to is the Penang but the pineapple curry is also awesome!!

Great food! We love the flaming Tom Kha soup bowl and spicy basil tofu eggplant! It's a smallish place so make a reservation on weekends

Not worth it! Save your money and go elsewhere. I ordered chicken fries rice today and it was so tasteless, not to mention the poor amount of chicken and egg. I feel I wasted $20 on just tasteless rice. read more

Awesome Thai food! Good portions Nice restaurant get there early as seating is limited. To go orders also hit the spot! Parking available nearby. Enjoy the great service too! read more

Thai Dara - Tom Yum - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Great food in a very tiny restaurant! We ordered a bunch of food including salad, Massaman curry, beef glass noodle and pad Thai. All dishes are delicious! They also brought a big bowl of rice to share for the table, which is convenient rather than having individual bowls. The tables and the restaurant itself is on a small scale, so you would need to be a bit cozy read more

Thai Dara - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Terrible customer service. I went there for lunch on 2/12 with my 87 year old mother. Upon sitting, we were just one of 2 tables. Soon thereafter a table of 5 sat down. I had to get up and go back to the kitchen to request that our order be taken. The order for the table of 5 was taken before us. Soup/salad came out first. It was left with no utensils or napkins. I had to go to the server station to obtain them myself. read more

The BEST Thai food I've had ever! We are from LA and happened to be in the area. I dare say the food is worth the drive to go again!!

Though this place is right around the corner from us, we avoided it for so long due to poor reviews. Well I'm glad we finally gave in because this has been our go-to spot for Thai and it hasn't disappointed yet. One thing I've noticed is how fresh and flavorful their ingredients are. I've had their Thai spring rolls (egg rolls), yellow curry, pad see yew, eggplant basil and pad Thai - I would order all of that again! We've only done take out but they have a cutely decorated cozy interior and outside patio, perfect for dining in. Another testament to this place is a mutual friend of ours in passing talked about how amazing their Tom Kha is and regularly visits this place. He had no idea we also recently fell in love with the restaurant. Best of all, it's right on PCH and a few blocks away from the beach. Take your food to go and eat on the beach or in the harbor! read more

Thai Dara - Top: Eggplant with Fresh Basil (with tofu) bottom: Pad Thai veggie style - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

1st time dining inside this week. I've normally only done takeout. The restaurant itself is very small & casual, & our server was very nice. I loved the green curry as per usual. We also got the pad thai which was great. I'd say it ran sweeter than most pad thai dishes we have ordered, but adding the hot chili sauce in top made it a great combo. This place is overall very reliable if you are looking for some good thai. My recommendation is to grab takeout first the beach or park nearby! read more

Thai Dara - Pad Thai w/ Beef - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

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TRUST THOSE WHO YELP REGULARLY... 1st timers, just passing through. We love Thai food, but weren't sure. 1. Service was fantastic... very polite, knowledgeable, and attentive. 2. Food was delish. We ordered two Spicy Noodles (spice levels 2/5 (tofu) & 3/5 (chicken)) and one Yellow Curry (spice level 3/5 (chicken))... all from the lunch menu, and a pot of ginger tea (kinda watered down). 3. Ambiance was good, but not the traditional Thai music we expected, and we had to close the front door to kill the traffic noise from the street. We thought the service was great, food was good (great use of spicy basil), and overall a nice opportunity. Definitely a nice place. Recommended. read more

Thai Dara - Three lunch items for two people... and leftovers to take home - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

Great customer service and good food! The ambiance is also very relaxing The owner is super nice :-)) read more

The food was amazing and delicious. Authentic Thai restaurant family run and the people truly care for you. read more

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The server to take the order was so slow but the food service is very fast and good, definitely will come back when I travel to Dana Point read more

Thai Dara - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Ordered yellow curry emphasizing NO MEAT (for a vegetarian). Picked up take out order, then got home, and it had chicken. 3 weeks later ordered a noodle dish, NO MEAT (just vegetables). Arrived home and it had chicken at the bottom of the container under all of vegetables. read more

We ordered our dishes "mild" and they came SO spicy they were not edible. We like spicy food- but this was beyond anything I've ever tried to eat. read more

I don't like writing negative reviews and try to handle any issues with the server or manager if there is one anywhere within 10 feet of the restaurant. Today I came in here to order Thai food to go. The restaurant was open however there was no one around. I left then came back about 15 minutes later and 2 employees were inside the restaurant but didn't know how to interact nor did they make an attempt to find someone who could take an order so I left..hungry. read more

Thai Dara - Yummy - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California

After waiting for a response from "manager" from Thrs, friday , and its now Sat and following up with nothing, i decided to go into the resturant myself with the remaining food and finger nail in tow to discuss it. At this point, it's a principle thing. I spoke to a young gentleman, he was floored when i showed him the photos, the text exchanges and took screen shots of everything. It was during lunch, and its a small place. I showed him my receipt and was able to get my refund. He asked if i wanted food, and i declined. Honestly, im going to avoid this place. I appreciate him handling it, the older lady with glasses that initially helped me did the opposite . Did not help and no follow through. As a healthcare professional, it's unsanitary, and frankly gross. Stuff happens, i understand, but some accountability and follow through would be nice after you promised it. Id avoid this place. read more

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Love that they offer so many vegetarian options! The vegetarian pad thai and tofu spring rolls are delicious. I am always so grateful when the staff makes sure there isn't any fish sauce. I have only had take out from here but the inside is cute and cozy. A little pricy but worth it if you are craving Thai food! read more

Decided to try this restaurant out in Dana point area. When we arrived the restaurant wasn't busy. The restaurant is very small inside but they have done tables outside.We where a party of 6 people but only 5 people ordered cause my daughter wanted to get some fries from McDonald's. As soon as we sat we ordered right away. When my daughter came back with her fries and sat next to us the owner said she can't seat with us? She was serious and rude.bWe ordered a good amount of food and we dine in family style sharing. Customer service wasn't the best. The food arrived probably 45 minutes later which is too long with very few people. Food was ok nothing to make me want to eat here again. I can see beaded on the reviews they aren't consistent with their food or service. I hope they improve. My Rating:2.7 Food 2.5/5 Service 1/5 Price 4/5 Restaurant 2/5 Cleanliness 4/5 read more

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Great food! Food came out fresh and quick service. Would recommend. If you like spicy, try the Chicken Pad Thai spicy. Would go again!

GPS takes you to the upper parking lot. Park towards the center before or after the handicap spaces and you'll see stairs that lead you down. Then take a right. It's easier to park on the main street than up in this lot. There are a few tables outside for dining with a heater. Inside is tiny with 4 tables that seat four and one table that seat six. We ordered two dishes that were $18 each! Tom yum seafood soup was lacking sour flavor and lemongrass aroma. Flames blew out early so our soup was cold. Shrimp and seafood was chewy, it's like they just dumped it in right when it got boiled. Two slices of fish, bunch of mushrooms, carrots, a few calimari and six shrimps. Not worth $18 when it doesn't come with rice (extra $2). Also the seafood option only comes in large size not bowl. The other dish we got was seafood pad Thai for $18. It had peanuts, carrots, bean sprouts, noodles, shrimp, fish, same seafood as what's in the Tom Yum soup. This dish came out super sweet and needed to balance out with lime. Honestly it tasted like instant pad Thai not something crafted with quality and taste when it took a long time for it to come out. Prices here match Newport Beach which was super expensive for the quality and quantity. Charged extra for everything. They were reusing paper take out menus and the one I got had oil stains. However I do like that every table had a hand sanitizer bottle and wipes along with sauces. read more

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Didn't know where to go eat in Dana Point. So we stopped here. The lunch specials were good. I didn't care for their Thai Ice Tea. I didn't think it tasted authentic. I also think they don't use high end ingredients. But for $15 each for their lunch special, it was decent. read more

First off, very thankful they are opened on Christmas Day! A very small, yet intimate eatery, staff are super amazing and while it was chaotic, probably due to the only opened spot, they seem organized. Food was really, really good, and portion size is quite hefty. Kudos and will definitely be back! Also, to note, it says 3.5 stars in yelp, and 4.4 on google. Google is probably more closer to the experience. read more

A cozy and romantic little place with excellent service and the food is perfect after an active surf session. Jasmine tea goes down smooth. And I don't know what that shrimp broth is but omg is it delicious. read more

Ordered a yellow curry with chicken and a hot + sour soup! Food was ready quickly and the staff were friendly and helpful (both over the phone and in person). Wasn't a fan of the soup, though this may have been personal preferences. Overall enjoyed the experience and would go again. :) read more

5 Star Thai Food! 5 Star service! 5 Star location! I'm vegetarian and enjoyed the lunch special of Pad Thai noodles with tofu. Super healthy mound of deliciousness with vegetarian egg rolls and salad. I had to ask for a to-go box! I don't know why they have even one.low rating, this is my new favorite!! Oh the vegetarian sweet and sour soup was amazing too!! Nice ambiance with outdoor seating as well! I'll be back! read more

The food is tasty here. A bit on the stronger side but really flavorful. The servers did their best for accommodating both dine in and take out orders when busy. Really appreciate the business for operating in Christmas. read more

Thai Dara - Thai Near Me - Dana Point, California