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Amarin Thai Cuisine - CLOSED
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Amarin Thai Cuisine
22 reviews in English
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Review from Notorious B.
Palo Alto, CA
9/28/2009
Directly across the street from The Aquarium. I thought it was a new museum since the wait staff were robotic - attentive but expressionless. Food was really good. Had the Panang chicken, Clay Pot chicken and shrimp pad thai all of which were tasty and decent portions. Price was a bit steep even by SF Bay Area standards. Could easily get the equivalent elsewhere at two-thirds the price. Dishes were $12-15 for lunch (!!!).
The breakdown:
Food: 5
Service: 4 (Attentive and helpful but they could pretend to actually like working there instead of collecting a paycheck...maybe their father owns the joint, maybe that's why...)
Decor: 3 (Beautiful wall hangings and artwork from the homeland but furniture run-down and dirty. With the amount that I paid for lunch, they could get 10 new chairs from IKEA)
Price: 2 (typical tourist trap pricey-ness)
Overall: 3+ -
Review from Anna K.
Milpitas, CA
6/15/2009
For lunch after the aquarium we decided on some Thai food since we couldn't find a sushi restaurant within walking distance of Canary Row. We were promptly greeted, seated, handed our menus and served water.
My husband and I decided on...
- Po-Piah
- Chicken Satay
- Pad Thai
- Pad Kee Mow
- Tom Yum
- Pineapple Fried Rice
The chicken satay sauce, pad thai and tom yum was on the sweet side. Pineapple fried rice was bland. The pad kee mow was by far the best as it was spicy and flavorful.
We thought it was weird that they didn't have papaya salad on the menu. ALL the Thai restaurants we've been to have it. The service was good but for $83 not including tip we've had better food elsewhere. I won't be coming back again. -
Review from David L.
Fremont, CA
12/29/2008
Its location along Cannery Row (close proximity to the Aquarium) makes Amarin Thai a good choice for tourists wanting to take a lunch break. They have a decent selection of lunch specials in the $10 - 13 price range, though the dishes are quite petite even for Thai food standards. I didn't feel completely satisfied after my BBQ pork rice plate ($13).
Service was so-so. Mandatory 18% gratuity added anyway since our party was larger than 6.
Bottom Line: Not the best place for Thai in general, but could be the only Thai place along Cannery Row. -
Review from Elise H.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2009
So right after my, now fiance, asked me to marry him in Monterey, we went here for dinner because Thai food is basically easy to get it vegan.
They were pretty nice here. Ok food, no bad experience really, but it's in a great location at a decent price and the food wasn't terrible. -
Review from Tim H.
10/20/2008
I came here the other day for lunch with my long time buddy Gateau Man.
We were seated in a table looking out on to Cannery Row. If the folks wandering past had only known, they could have hung around and watched us eat lunch; we'd give those cute sea otters in the aquarium across the road a good run for their money for feeding time entertainment.
First, we shared a fresh spring rolls appetizer. Lots of carrot, noodles, bean sprouts, warm fried tofu (wasn't expecting that) and lots of mint - freshens your breath as you munch away!
Of course, Gateau doesn't really munch his food, he just consumes it - those rolls disappeared down his throat in such a way that he'd be in high demand if he was gay.
Me, I gave an entertainment appetizer to anyone watching by spilling some of the peanut sauce on the table.
Next the main courses arrived. Gateau had his Thai staple Pad Kee Mao - I can't remember if it was chicken or beef, but he inhaled it in near record time, so I assume it was good.
I had the Panang Curry, seafood style - lots of squid, quite a few shrimp and some scallops - all very tasty. It came in two pieces, a plate with rice on it, and a bowl with the seafood curry in it. Now I'm originally a northern lad, and us northern lads like our gravy, so I carefully arranged the rice on the plate and proceeded to pour the curry on.
This is where I made my big mistake - I looked up to marvel at Gateau's course vanish off his plate, and by the time I looked down again, curry had breached the edge of the fortress of rice I'd built on my plate and proceeded to flow over the edge of the plate on to the table.
Thankfully I noticed there was a paper doily under the bowl, so grabbed that and managed to stop the curry from escaping any further.
After reinforcing the fortress of rice where it had breached, I poured the remaining curry into the fortress, causing various splashes of sauce to land on my clothing.
Finally, the bowl was empty and it was time to dig in - I managed to get plenty of curry on my face and hands (the latter thanks to the shrimp tails) to help the stains on my sweater look like they were some deliberate fashion statement.
Even though I ended up spilling and wearing more of my lunch that I'd have liked, what I did manage to get into my mouth was might tasty, if a little Americanized (ie, not spicy).
It wasn't a cheap lunch, but it wasn't expensive either - and this place is a very pleasant change to the Cannery Row norm when it comes to food. -
Review from Matthew W.
Fullerton, CA
8/10/2010 1 Check-in Here
I arrived here with my parents on a day trip to Monterey (for the aquarium), and after the drive from SF, we were STARVING! First restaurant we see is Amarin Thai.
Given the tourist season, while I was at the restaurant there were always patrons waiting to grab a bite, but I don't know if it was an off day or if they were understaffed, but service was horrible. Waiting half an hour for lunch plates is pretty ridiculous. And it just frustrated me seeing other people just wait forever before their order was taken. They also were not consistently bus-ing tables, so people were waiting even when several tables just needed to be cleaned.
My parents got the BBQ chicken and Thai Basil chicken. I got the Pad See Eew. All dishes were subpar. I've had much better Thai food elsewhere. I guess there is the factor that it's a tourist area so the food may not be the best, but I'm not so sure that's an excuse to serve subpar Thai food to passers-by who maybe trying Thai cuisine for the first time.
Needless to say I was unimpressed, and it was a pretty bad experience. 2 stars for maybe being an off day for them, but I would not comeback. -
Review from Lance K.
Hawthorne, CA
7/17/2007
Order the Clay Pot. Mmmm. It's the best dish I have ever ordered from a Thai restaurant and Amarin is definitely my now all-time favorite Thai restaurant. It's americanized so it isn't spicy and the portions are large. Plus they use chicken breast instead of the usual dark fatty meat. Just about all of their dishes have vegetarian options.
But anyway, back to the Clay Pot. It's a perfect mix of garlic, black pepper, bell peppers, cilantro, cabbage, steamed vegetables, tofu, and chicken all in a bowl over rice. Now that is what I'm talking about. Comfort food. I could eat that every day.
I also want to praise the green salad because it was simple and had a delicious vinaigrette.
It's right across from the Monterey Bay Aquarium so there is a constant stream of tourists walking by. Which is good for people watching until your Clay Pot arrives. -
Review from L.C. C.
Marina, CA
8/2/2009
It was decent thai food but definitely not my favorite and if given the chance, i wouldnt pick it out of the other fine thai establishments in this area.
i ordered the thai bbq chicken and it was decent, I flet like it was lacking spices and the sauce was overpowering the chicken. The pad thai was not up to par either. The noodles seemed dry and inconsistent with the pad thai flavors.
Nice location, cozy ambiance, but food was just average -
Review from Raul N.
1/23/2011
Looks like Amarin Thai has closed up shop on Cannery Row, the latest hit to Monterey's restaurant scene. Honestly, I haven't eaten here in years--and I was never all that impressed with their food. If you're looking for Thai food around Cannery Row, head up the street to Thai Bistro II on Central Avenue. They serve up some tasty Thai food and have some great lunch specials for under $10.
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Review from James L.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2010
My girlfriend and I took a trip to Monterey looking to relax and have some great food. One of our favorite cuisines is Thai...and hearing that Amarin was there, we'd thought to give it a try.
The food came fairly quickly, but unfortunately, the flavors were not all there. We ordered spring rolls, pad sew ew, and another dish. The noodles were almost tasteless....the spring rolls practically fell apart when I picked it up. At the end...we didnt feel as satisfied as we hoped to be.
Althought, I love Thai cuisine, I don't think that I will be back. -
Review from Skye C.
San Francisco, CA
10/17/2008
Their spicy basil noodles dish was cooked to perfection, the pad thai was better than most and their curry dishes were amazing as well. The only grievance I had was that the placemats and tables didn't look as clean as they should be.
Overall, it was a good experience. Service was friendly and attentive. We must have been there on a slow afternoon, but, service was still great just the same. -
Review from Sarah S.
West Hollywood, CA
9/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
I used to really like this place when it was upstairs. Not sure if it's under new ownership or not. Tonight we had the laab gai, Tom kha gai, and Panang curry. All very good. Needed more heat but I understand they have to tone in down for the tourists. They did bring us some chili sauce to spice it up. The food was great but service was slow and our waiter seemed very disappointed that we were there. I'll try not to take it personal. Oh and they have their own parking lot! Nice.
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Review from Annie W.
11/19/2009
In one word I would say this place was "blah".
We went to the Aquarium for members night and didn't realize we couldn't go in until 7pm so we wandered in to Amarin to kill time. Now, I will forsake the fact that the food was extremely overpriced because I know Cannery Row rent can't be cheap. But, I will not forsake the poor quality of food. I love Thai food, I would put it on my top 3 of ethnic food choices easily. This food seemed like something you would buy from Costco's freezer section to warm up in your microwave. The portions were tiny too! I just felt so disappointed with the whole experience and now am afraid to ever stray from the three thai places that I know to be excellent. The service was OK, there was one waiter and 8 tables. Another older guy came towards the end but he sat at the front desk the whole time leaving the young waiter to fend for himself. My stepson was making funny faces at the waiter to make him laugh and he totally ignored him, I found that odd....just humor the little goof ball will ya? -
Review from Maria T.
5/16/2010
love love love! Great location, great prices, delicious food, and friendly staff. I would definitely visit this place again when I'm in the area. If you are looking for a quick, inexpensive, and delicious food before or after the aquarium try this thai restaurant. so mmm good!
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Review from Christina W.
Emeryville, CA
4/26/2008
My boyfriend and I have gone here a handful of times, all correlated with trips to the aquarium. The food has been pretty solid and consistent (we are vegans, having been vegetarians when we first started coming here so we always get veggie-tofu dishes.) However, I will say I'm always a little disturbed by the fact that that there's always a couple of flies inside, making me feel like maybe it's not as clean as I'd hope in the back... let's hope I'm wrong. we unfortunately cannot go here any more because they put fish sauce and shrimp paste in things like sauce but still call it 'vegetarian' if it's just veg and tofu. Bummer, but good while it lasted.
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Review from Nicole D.
Augusta, GA
8/25/2009
My husband & I are local we went to the Aquarium then walked by this place since Thai food sounded good we decided to try it but oh what a regret. I didn't even want to give this place 1 star, it was sooo discusting!! My dish literally smelt like stinky feet & the taste was so bad... We will never go back!!
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Review from Lauren E.
New Orleans, LA
4/4/2010
After walking down Cannery Road we decided on Amarin Thai instead of the mediocre looking Italian places. Good food, we ate the Yellow Curry, Tofu Pad Thai and Sweet and Sour Chicken. I liked the tofu especially. Standard but tasty Thai food
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Review from Joren A.
Ashland, OR
6/28/2005
I have to say this is the worst Thai food I've ever had. The chicken parts were questionable and the Pad Thai was colored orange and didn't taste very good.
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Review from Kim N.
San Jose, CA
7/1/2008
It's ok ... nothing great ... The padthai was too mediocre !
I am a fan of Thai food so I have had my share of it ...
There is nothing bad to say about this restaurant but nothing great to say about it either.
The chicken satay was a measly ! -
Review from Aber M.
Pittsburg, CA
6/14/2008
My girlfriend and I wanted to eat at this restaurant the last couple of times we came down to Monterey, but the times we went, it was closed. So we came down on a Friday around 1pm to visit the aquarium. As we were walking, we noticed it was open. We knew we had to take the opportunity and also we're big on Thai food, so we thought this would be a great place to try Thai outside of the bay area. We ordered chicken satay, yellow curry, pork BBQ, and thai iced teas. The satay could have been seasoned a little more and its peanut sauce was too sweet. The BBQ was okay, maybe if it was marinated longer it would of been better. The curry was reeeaaalllly good but it was missing the usual carrots. My girlfriend also wants to mention that their place-mats were sticky. Also the prices were moderate. So finally after all the wondering of how this restaurant was...we've had better. It definitely does not beat the Bay Area.
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Review from Vishwas B.
Sunnyvale, CA
5/25/2009
Decent food at a reasonable price. Service could have been better. Have definitely had better Pad Thai and Panang curry, but the proximity of the place to the aquarium makes it ideal for a quick lunch.
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Review from Peter S.
Madera, CA
6/25/2010
Everybody boasts what a scenic and touristic attraction Monterey, CA is today. But some of the Restaurants there, particularly this one and others, seem to feel they have a right to charge you an arm and a leg for your meal and then serve you Garbage. Even a friend of mine who visited there, told me that she ordered a sandwich from where she ate and most of the sandwich was just Bread. Obviously, this Community isn't going to receive too much Tourism with these types of Practices and Behavior.
