I'm a huge fan of this place. Homey, great food, awesome service. The music kinda throws me off (think Richard Clayderman piano hits and 80's remakes) but it's ok. The hostess (adorable little woman btw!) who so graciously seats us every time must recognize me by now. As a warning, avoid the meat dishes here, and you'll love this place. Beef, generally, even in the curry, comes out a little chewy. So avoid the beef. However, what kills me is the the eggplant. Yes, that everlasting Barney-colored veggie. I think it's especially underrated and easy to cook, but hard to make delicious. But here, it's awesome. Big chunks of eggplant slathered in this peanut-y spicy sauce with extra onions. The pad Thai, pineapple fried rice, and curries are all very good. Also, I love the duck red curry here. I don't see many stores serving this, so extra plus. There's a coupon for this place (buy 1 entree, get another 50% off) in the local Irvine mag. Great steal! read more

The ever famous Gordon Ramsay would have a complete heart attack if he stepped foot in this place. I wish I had him on speed dial...the dining experience was horrific. Let me clarify one point: the food was actually pretty tasty. If you tell them you want it spicy, it's spicy. Unlike so many of the Irvine Thai restaurants, they see a petite little white chick and her boyfriend and they think we're whimps and give us mild food. So frustrating! So yes, the food is decent. We had the Tom Yum hot and sour soup, which was spicy, but missing that PUNCH IN THE FACE that I love so much. The Pad Kee Mao was actually really well flavored, had some good heat, but the noodles were a tad on the sticky side. The green curry was BOMB. I usually really dislike carrots and peas in curry, but I have to say this was probably the best green curry I've had in CA. Food aside, I can just barely bring myself to give it 2 stars. The service WAS HORRIBLE. We got there, and there were only maybe 5 or 6 tables. We waited for 45 minutes before receiving our soup. Then when we got it, it was the wrong soup. Mind you a table of 4 was sat a good 15 minutes after us, and they had already received their appetizers. Turns out the soup was theirs too...so it left our sad, naked table and headed over to their bountiful one. The waitress asked if we wanted the soup with the rest of our food. I told her, yes at this point since we have been waiting over 35 minutes. The soup still took about 10 more minutes to come out. The waitress was missing in action for most of the meal. Did I mention the decor? Ew. Hello 1980's diner vibe. I wanted to take a sledgehammer to the place. And what the heck is with the elevator music? Sorry Thai kitchen, as an avid Thai lover, I just can't subject myself to such mediocrity. I'll continue the trek to good ol' Thai Nakorn in Westminster and get better service, better food every time. read more

I am always on the quest for delicious Thai food, and unfortunately, I didn't find it at Thai Kitchen. I typically get Pad Thai and the sticky rice with mango, neither of which was very good. The Pad Thai was completely saturated with oil and sticking together, so I can only assume it wasn't very fresh. The sticky rice with mango was a little too sticky, and I practically had to alive through it with a knife to take bites! The only reason I'm not giving this place two stars is the fact that the ladies working there were so smiley and friendly. They were the only redeeming quality of this establishment. Don't waste your time or money. The food here is not appetizing. On to the next Thai joint! read more

Thai Kitchen proved to me to be a huge disappointment. I work down the street from this restaurant and had noticed so many people eating here so I decided to give it a try. My mother had called me to pick up some pad Thai for her since she's a huge fan of it. The lunch portion ended up to be about 10 bucks and it was TINY. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and decided to not make any judgements until I actually tried it. It definitely looked alot better than it tasted. Super bland, no flavor, extremely dry- the list goes on. Majority of the items on the menu were pretty pricey so I wouldn't want to come back here considering how the pad Thai tasted. On the flip side though, the staff were extremely friendly. I came in to pick up my order and was immediately greeted by the friendliest lady I had ever met. Even on the phone, she was very helpful to explain the items that I had questions about. read more

Thai Kitchen. WOW, this has to be my all time favorite place to eat. I've never had a selection that I didn't like or finish. read more

But if a mixed bag. Crab fried rice was excellent, perfect. Chicken satay was inedible and had pink juices coming out of it. Pineapple fried rice had too much curry powder. read more

Update 5/22/07: Pad thai was so plain and gross...blah... I'm not really too familiar with thai food. So I thought it was ok (I had the Ruby Siam and the Pad Thai). Although the menu said it was spicy, I found it really mild. I loaded on the chili flakes and hot sauce all over my food. The food was overpriced-- $10.50 for pad thai- but it tasted yummy. The service was friendly but a little slow and hectic. Thai iced tea was good--not to sweet, which is how I like it. I don't think the dinner is worth it, but I might come back for the lunch specials. read more

I went their with a friend at late night...... uh..yeah...I mean I really did not have that much experience from Thai food, but I've found better tasting Thai food at a cheaper price..heck I dunno, maybe they've marked up the price more than other cities...because hey.....it's Irvine...... This place is quite expensive...when I saw the menu....... ....................not bad.........just a bit pricy........ read more

Its sad how you go to a restaurant hungry but when you get to the restaurant you wished you had eaten something before you arrived. You dont get the food in a timely manner. Service is really slow and bad customer service. We waited for our appetizer, OUR APPETIZERS for more than 40mins. Yea I understand we came on a saturday but seriously not worth the wait. read more

Definitely a big fan of this place. This is a staple Irvine Thai restaurant and I come here at least once or twice a month. I come here almost exclusively for their Tom Yum Noodle Soup. They are pretty consistent with this dish and the only variable seems to be the fried wontons they put on top (sometimes they taste like they were cooked up hours ago, sometimes they're hot and fresh). I like to get my soup extra sour, with flat rice noodles. For about $7 bucks, you can't beat that price with a stick Only possible drawback is the prices for the other dishes can be a little steep, you'll be expecting to pay around $11 for the Pad Thai or curries. This restaurant is also featured in the Irvine Coupon Magazines. You'll usually find a coupon for 10% off as well as a buy one get one 50% off, those are always a nice find whenever I see them :) read more

This is one of my favorite places to get Thai food. I've been coming here for years. I usually get food to-go. My go-to orders are the red curry and yellow curry. Sooooo good! Be sure to order rice on the side, though.... it doesn't come with the curry. read more

Coming from San Francisco to Irvine was quite the shocker... food wise. Everything in Irvine was SO horrible and overpriced! But after finding this Thai restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised. The Thai food here is probably the best in Irvine! It is actually flavorful and doesn't rely on spiciness to kill your taste buds like many of the Irvine Thai places. The curry is so good and the service is really great! Although dinner is way overpriced, the LUNCH specials are such a steal! It is around $8 for curry, rice, fried appetizers, and soup (or salad.) Perfect for a starving college student like me! Now whenever I have guest or family visiting, I always take them here. If you are craving Thai food for lunch, come here for sure! read more

Showed up after an online order and they quite clearly forgot about it but wouldn't admit it. Overpriced for what you get, and while the food is solid, it's nothing special for Thai food. I've come before for dine-in and service was sloooow. read more

What?! I haven't written a review yet?! This is my NUMBER ONE go-to place for Thai food! I love it! Everything I've ever gotten here has been AMAZING. Pad Thai, Pineapple Fried Rice, Panang Curry, Pad See Ew, mango sticky rice, Tom Yum soup etc etc! The people here are soooo nice and are always there when you need them. I don't recall ever having to flag anybody down. My water cup is never empty! Boyfriend claims to know a better Thai place, but I'm skeptical! He's yet to even take me to his Thai place! Haha probably doesn't exist. (: I think I'm here often enough that they remember my face hahaha. Nice place to catch up with friends, good for small groups (~10), and nice ambience for a date (; wink wink read more

My family and I love this place. Our go to place for Thai food in Irvine. We always order the Massaman which is not in the menu but they would gladly make it for us. Great customer service and great tasting food. Minus a half star because the place is a bit old and there is that "old smell" that comes with the restaurant. We don't mind though because we get a fill of our comfort food. read more

My parents were in town from Oakland to help me move into my apartment and after all the labor we were starving and craving Thai Food. Not wanting to drive to far, we came to Thai Kitchen since the reviews seemed pretty good. Which I don't understand why because the experience here was horrible. YELP usually doesn't fail me, and this was actually the first time that it did. When we first walked in, the atmosphere seemed decent and the waitresses were welcoming. But once seated - it was obvious that they were short staffed which I don't know why since it was dinner time on a Friday night. It took a while for us to get our menus and our waitress always made it obvious she was in a rush. Everything was really slow. We waited really long for our food and it was clear that all the tables around us were waiting really long as well. But it is the food that really deserves a one star. We ordered our favorites and some recommendations from our waitress and couldn't wait to eat. The Tom Yum soup came out first and it was horrible. Note: My family is Southeast Asian (Cambodian/Thai) and we LOVE southeast asian food - but that doesn't make us picky about it at all. But this Tom Yum Soup was the worst I have ever had - it was sweet (even though it's supposed to be sour) and it was SO spicy, not good spicy, but liquid pepper spicy. A majority of our dishes was too spicy for my mom and I - it was like torture because we were so hungry but it was like the most burning spice I've had. Although we usually handle spice at Thai Cuisines really well, this place was using something else - I don't think it's pepper!) Papaya Salad is another regular dish we always get and this was also the worst I have ever had. It was straight Papaya and Vinegar. As plain as can be. Overall every dish was really bad. I can say that the only thing that prevented us from leaving mid-meal was the fact that we were starving from not eating all day. It was really bad, I don't know why there are good reviews for this place, did I just come on a bad day? I still feel really disappointed that this was the last meal my parents had before they left the city. read more

Thai Kitchen - Tom Yum - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Another of Irvine's old establishments. What we need is a few more authentic Thai competitors. Don't get me wrong. The food here is good. Its better than a fast food place like Thai Spice... But its just average. But it is way too expensive for the small portions you get. For those of us who love Thai food and have had authentic Thai food in L.A. and Hollywood, the price you pay here for what you get is kind of outrageous. Thai Kitchen serves authentic Thai food in a clean relaxed setting. The service is generally fast and friendly. You find all the usual dishes priced from $12+. Not bad if you use one of their coupons from the local paper for buy one get one dish at 50% off. read more

This is my fave Thai place in Irvine.. That's really because there's not too many other options, but truly it's sorta a great little place to grab a bite. The food is good.. Love the Pad Thai or Basil Chicken.. Mmmm.. But mostly it's because the of the cute little waitress ladies that work there. Always smiling, so adorable. Kinda reminds you of your sweet little auntie. Usually it's kinda dead on weeknights, but there's sometimes where they get slammed. And the waitresses are always rushing around trying to smile and help people.. Whenever it's busy you end up not getting mad about the poor/slow service, you just have this compulsion to want to get up and help them clear plates. Ambiance is pretty cool. Bits of charm and feels like a real family owned place, not some spiffed up Irvine chain restaraunts.. boo on those.. read more

I've been here twice and both times the service was awesome- very friendly and prompt. The food wasn't overly salty, sweet, or greasy for no reason. Honestly, I don't know what authentic Thai food is, but I enjoyed the food here and will be going back soon. -First visit: (Dinner) Pad thai, Basil chicken, rice, Thai tea Entrees were served in family style in big plates with heaping pile of food. Pad thai was delicious, shrimps were cooked just right. (I can't stand overcooked shrimps.) I really liked basil chicken. Awesome with rice (It doesn't come with entrees). -Second visit: (Lunch) Spicy shrimp & scallop, Pad thai Lunch Spicy shrimp & scallop came with a small salad or soup choice, a fried wonton and egg roll. It was as good as basil chicken, all the vegetables and shrimps and scallops cooked just right with good flavors. Pad thai was as good as the first time. read more

I am a gringo when it comes to Thai food and contrary to the devout followers of Thai I am not well versed in the intricacies of this cuisine. However, I do like what I like and I know like this place. In no particular order I have enjoyed their: Mongolian Beef Imperial Beef Garlic Beef Ginger Pork Red Curry Chicken Bamboo Royale (how can you not like something with Royale in it) Spicy Mint Chicken On Tuesdays they have a type of chicken soup that my friend loves and the dressing they use for their salad is superb. (the lettuce could be better) I think it has a honey base which actually came in useful, as my mouth was on fire with the Red Curry Chicken, when I dipped my eggroll in it to help quell the inferno. One thing though chapped my hide. I ordered a Pepsi, consumed it and when I asked the waiter for another the conversation went something like this: Me: I'll have another Pepsi. Waiter: Unintelligible gibberish... Me: Excuse me? Waiter: Unintelligible gibberish... Me; Yes, okay I looked at my friend who is fluent in gibberish and asked what I agreed to and he translated that they charge you for refills. Look ,a Pepsi out of the machine costs about 4 cents- the profit on bevs is huge and to charge for a refill?!?! Good grief. This won't break my budget but free refills is a goodwill gesture and keeps people coming back. Enjoy. read more

If you are after the ambience, not so much, but if you're after great Thai food, this is the place! Our family's favorite! We eat here at least once or twice a month. My kids prefer it over any other restaurant in Irvine (probably OC). The service is fantastic, a short wait for your food, and now they even know our preferences and take great care every time we're in. Can't recommend it enough!! read more

Get the coconut chicken soup and mango sticky rice! Beyond incredible. Rich flavors and large portions. The staff there are also very friendly. Thai kitchen is my Thai food staple in Orange County. read more

I'm surprised that this place doesn't have higher ratings! The service was AMAZING! I wasn't expecting too much because the decor of the restaurant was a little odd, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone here was extremely nice and accommodating. I had a lot of (possibly obnoxious) questions about certain entrees because I couldn't make up my mind on what to order, but the waitress/hostess was very understanding about it. I ordered the tom yum w/ chicken and the basil chicken for lunch. The tom yum wasn't anything too special, but it was definitely abnormally spicy (I had asked for a medium spicy level). The basil chicken was TO DIE FOR though! Quite possibly the best basil chicken I've ever had! read more

2 stars sums it up: "Meh, I've experienced better." This was my first time ordering from Thai Kitchen. As a vegetarian/vegan, Thai is a pretty regular staple. I ordered Thai Vegetables with Tofu, a $9.50 entree. The flavor was good, a perfect light brown sauce. Here are my gripes: 1) It didn't come with rice. For nearly $10, and a bowl of vegetables in a light sauce, throw me a bone with the rice, Thai Kitchen. 2) The bowl of vegetables was pretty bleak--they pulled The Classic Fruit Salad Bait-and-Switch. You know, one chunk of strawberry or pineapple atop a ramekin full of stale green melon and soggy red grapes. In my case, it was 3 broccoli florets, 4 carrot chips, a handful of those weird-ass mushrooms I eat around, and a smattering of soggy cabbage and bitter greens. I mean, pretty flavorful for a side dish, but not filling as a dinner, and way overpriced. Might want to hit up Shizuma Ramen next door instead. A $7 bowl of spicy miso ramen, chock-full of fresh veg, really hits the spot. read more

Took them 10 mins before they brought us a menu and took our order. 40 mins in and all I have is a cup of water and thai iced tea. Empty soup bowl in front of me still waiting on my soup and my noodles. Bummed cuz this place had the best recent reviews in the area and their service has really let me down. Hoping their food is good. 45 minutes! Got a water refill! :/ 47 minutes, soup arrived. Tom kha Kai. Eh, it was alright. 10 being authentic soup in Thailand and 1 being the time I got food poisoning from a Thai place in Chino Hills I'd say this was a 6/10. 1 hour 5 mins before pad see ew arrived. Growling stomach aside, I'd rate it a 2/10. They're watery, have a strange taste to them that's not normal. Like... Weird sauce or something. Actually, halfway through my meal I figured out what it taste like. Those $1 microwaveable Chow Mein boxes you can find at Walmart or the grocery store. Not returning to dine in or take out which looks like a popular option here. read more

I have been coming to this restaurant for years and really like the food! I will normally get the spicy mint chicken on the medium spice level. The chicken is always fresh and the vegetables are a great combination. I hate bland food so appreciate the flavor of their dishes. The gals working here have always remembered me throughout the years and they are always so nice and friendly, so I really appreciate that. My go to Thai place to be sure in Irvine! read more

I absolutely love being here! This place is always so comfortable to be in and it's very charming. The layout is definitely interesting but I actually love it! The waitress here is so nice and friendly and that's part of the reason this place is so perfect. The atmosphere is friendly and calm. It's so calming to be here and I also love the food! I'm actually here as I'm typing this review. The spicy mint chicken tastes so flavorful and so amazing. They have a decent amount of desserts, such as the classic fried bananas and mango with sticky rice. Overall, love this place and will definitely be coming back. read more

Thai Kitchen - Spicy Mint Chicken! So delicious! - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

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Ordered food at 5.30pm I called 5 times to check every time I was told it will be delivered in 30-40 minutes, and then they lied said already delivered at 10pm I was dying of hunger, never again order from this place read more

This is my favorite Thai place! I'm vegan and they have a few options for me. My favorites are the yellow tofu curry & the hot pot veggie soup. I usually order those 2 and two of us share both. Servers are nice and friendly. read more

Been going here for over a decade now, absolutely amazing food. Haven't found another place that could touch Thai Kitchen's Tom Kha Gai. The manager is very sweet and very nice, and the decor is lovely. Although I'm not in Irvine anymore, I will make it a goal of mine to come back here when I visit! read more

NO FREE REFILLS!! I am sorry but if I am going to pay $2.00 for a soda, I expect some refills for my soda! Not at this place, they charge you for each beverage and even better they don't tell you. The food was decent and the service was ok. I would explore other local Thai places before coming back here. read more

Food is pretty good, not anything to rave about, but, I mostly come here for the mango sticky rice (my fave!). Service is almost always terribly slow, which is frustrating when there aren't very many people in the restaurant. Decent Thai food for a reasonable price. read more

Haven't tried much of their menu, just their pad see ew and thai fried rice. But wow these two items are delicious and satisfy the craving big time. I always order to go with my roommate and they give you so much food it's great for the price. Takeout usually takes about 20 min and workers are very sweet! read more

I loved the red curry and pad Lee mao. Their coconut mango ice cream was also amazing.

First, I've been going to this place since high school. And yes, it was buy accident, but I didn't know how good they were until I started eating Thai food on a regular basis. Pad Thai and Curry and Cashew Chicken... they are all amazing. Even mango with sticky rice is amazing. This really is a gem. People in Irvine, you HAVE to go here. Actually, people in So.Cal... just go here and you'll see why this palce is such an awesome place. Also, the owner lady is amazing. Whenever I go (which isn't often)... wait.. back it up... there was a time when i went here after like a 5 year hiatus... THE OWNER lady not only remembered me, but also my mother and brother and she brought me extra hot sauce and jalapenos just like i used to ask EVEN BEFORE asking her. This lady is amazing!!! She knows her customers and makes sure you are satisfied. Yes, sometimes... you just want something cheap and go to thai spice, and don't get me wrong, they are good too, but Thai Kitchen... OMG... OMG... GOOOOO here!!! read more

I am not happy! The food here is usually great, and the staff is so nice. But tonight, my husband and I ordered take out. 2 pad thai, one medium and one spicy, along with an order of fried rice. We pick it up, and the boxes are labeled "Medium" and "Spicy." I hand the spicy one to my husband and dig in to mine. It was spicy. We compared and they tasted identical. They were both spicy. Our theory is that they got lazy and just wrote medium but scooped spicy in to avoid using two pans. I'm breastfeeding. Baby boy can handle some spice, but not as much as this, which is why I ordered medium. Thanks for making it difficult to feed my son, Thai Kitchen. Very nice. Also, my husband has an extremely high tolerance for heat in his food, but he said this was so hot, it was inedible even for him. I don't think we will be returning. You really let your true colors fly tonight, Thai Kitchen. read more

The sticky rice mango is delicious. Their food is on the very very spicy side, so if you usually ask for medium, tell them mild. read more

Thai Kitchen - Chicken soup - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

It was good. I had the duck red curry. Rice costs extra. Also had the tom yum soup. They will modify the spice level according to your request. Good service. Pad Thai tasted good too, not too dry. I would come back. read more

Let me start by saying the customer service here is excellent! I have ordered from here on several occasions for work meetings and it is everyone's favorite Thai food. My personal favorite is the spicy eggplant with basil. This dish is bursting with flavor! It has bell peppers and onions alongside the eggplant and the perfect amount of spice. They have the option to make things medium or mild in spice too which is very nice. Another favorite is their Pad see ew with beef. Great neighborhood spot! Only gripe is that the parking lot can be full around 12-1:30. read more

Thai Kitchen - Eggplant with basil, peppers, and onions. SO FLAVORFUL!!! - Thai Near Me - Irvine, California

Pad kee-mow is excellent, while their pad thai really isn't anything special. If anyone is really craving a great pad thai i suggest thai spice :) read more