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Ladda's Thai Cuisine
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
54 reviews for Ladda's Thai Cuisine
Review Highlights
"Hubby likes the pineapple fried rice."
(in 3 reviews)
"Red curry with roasted peanuts, pineapple and potatoes."
(in 5 reviews)
"The chicken satay was excellent--good flavor, good quality..."
(in 5 reviews)
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54 reviews in English
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Review from Angelique D.
Montara, CA
1/11/2012
Best green curry chicken I've ever had. I rarely order anything else it is so delicious.
Not high on ambiance -- you can still tell it used to be a bad Mexican restaurant. Not great for large groups at lunch since there is usually already one there that beat you to being seated. -
Review from Stasha P.
Redwood City, CA
1/2/2012
For the last 10 years this has been my secret little hole in the wall place to visit. Usually if I go downtown by myself I'll stop in here. I just noticed that they have painted the outside of the building and it is gorgeous too. The food is wonderful and the portions are great. I always get the yellow curry with chicken.
Last time I popped in they were closed between their lunch and dinner hours but I poked my head in and asked if I could just get something to go and she kindly agreed. The family that runs the business is very sweet and friendly. Although if you are sneaking around on your spouse don't go here because when I took a guy friend along she made sure to ask where my husband was and the next time my husband and I were there she asked if he knew my guy friend. LOL.
When she has the banana dessert you should order it and then you can die and go to heaven. -
Review from Mark H.
San Mateo, CA
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have gone by this place for years so today, I decided to check it out.
It's a family run business that are very friendly and accommodating.
The decor is quaint and basic. There are free standing tables with chairs and 1 large booth that will accommodate 6-10 people.
The menu has a lot of good offerings to choose from. I ordered the chicken satay as an appetizer and it was very good with good sized portions.
For my main course I ordered green curry chicken. It was perfect. The spices were just right to get a little bead of sweat going on my forehead.
I also ordered a side of chicken fried rice for the table to share. It looked really good but for the most part it was pretty bland. I ended up dumping my green curry sauce on it to give it some flavor.
When it was all said & done, I had a good experience here, the food was good, the price was right and I'd definitely go back again. -
Review from LinLin L.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2011
This is a small little hole in the wall place.
Went to lunch here and I just ordered the sticky rice and mango. It was okay but they do give you a lot.
My friend ordered Basil Beef which was a nice lunch portion and there seemed to be no complaints from my friend.
This place was just okay. The service was nice. -
Review from Henry Y.
6/18/2011
Funkified place with great service. I had the pad khee mao which one of my standard litmuses for a thai place. It was OK, and not much more. I'd be willing to come back and try something else though, cos I like the ambience..it's like a cute little cubbyhole.
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Review from lilli g.
Oakland, CA
1/2/2011
This is a hole in the wall that you will miss if you blink. It's completely dead at dinner but busting out the seams at lunch. avoid it at lunch and go for dinner if you don't mind eating alone or can excuse lack of ambience.
Now the food: it's pretty decent! We've eaten authentic Thai food in Thailand so we're not complete ignoramuses about food standards and it's certainly superior to krung Thai in Mt view...
Green curry with any protien is good. Hubby likes the pineapple fried rice. It's good, but not my favorite. Their pad sew and pad Thai are great but sometimes the noodles are soggy but I can forgive it for the great flavor. Basil chicken and basil pork are hot (you will perspire) but oh so good and you can always cool the heat with the Thai iced tea.
Like I said, not a great ambience. Don't take your "first date" here, fool. But good for take out or after like the 300th date. Good prices, large portions. 3.5 stars really but rounded up. -
Review from James L.
8/22/2010
For Thai food in RWC neither Ladda's nor Erawan can hold a candle to Bangkok Bay (or Thai Time in San Carlos), but if forced to choose between Ladda's and Erawan, I'm choosing Ladda's hands down. The food is more generously portioned and not as heavily salted at Ladda's, and the prices are much fairer.
Unfortunately, there are too many missteps and "meh" moments at Ladda's for me to recommend it over Bangkok Bay or Thai Time. The seafood soup is a disappointment and a lot of the other dishes I've tried (eggplant, green curry, papaya salad, etc.), while okay, are done much better at places that are just a few minutes away. It's not terrible the way some of the one-star reviews are making it out to be, but when you're here you definitely find yourself wishing you'd gone to one of the better places instead. The main reasons I'm still giving Ladda's three stars are that the prices are attractively low and that for a casual, low-key lunch it isn't a bad option. Hopefully they can step it up. -
Review from kool d.
San Jose, CA
9/13/2011
I agree with someone's review - "...Is a hole in the wall that you will miss if you blink. It's completely dead at dinner but busting out the seams at lunch..."
By far the best Thai food I have had here in the SF Bay Area. Period. -
Review from Jen H.
7/20/2010
My amigos and I were walking down Broadway, trying to be spontaneous and figure out what's for lunch.
We found this hidden gem, kinda hole in the wall. Ladda is tiny. It seats about 30 people max? At around 12:30, this place was almost 80% occupied
I ordered basil chicken (which was a little spicy), and it came with a choice or white or brown rice, and soup, and a slice of orange! Delish!
Great portion and great price! -
Review from Stacy K.
Roseville, CA
6/16/2011
Went to this place during lunch with a co-worker. We were trying to avoid the rush that other people mentioned. We ended up being the only people there. Service was HORRIBLE! Some new guy was working there and he sucked at taking orders properly. My co-worker ordered a dish w/ Duck and when she got it, it had chicken instead. Luckily they didn't charge for the price of the duck. We had decided that we'll never be back to this place after this experience.
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Review from Shannon L.
Fremont, CA
1/18/2010 1 photo
Tiny little place down an alley way.
If you work in the area and want to have a group lunch here, don't bring more than 7-8 people. You'll be sitting in one of those long, cozy booths at best.
Lunch is pretty decent. I always get Pad Thai during my first visits to new Thai restaurants just so I can see if they can make this generic dish good. If not, why even try the other things? But lucky for them, it was not bad! Good flavor. Smaller portion than normal (but still a lot) probably because of lunch but it does come with a small bowl of sour soup that's tasty.
Food for our group came out staggered so if you are too polite to eat right away, then your food will get cold.
Looks like they have some Chinese dishes on the menu too. I found an egg noodle dish with green onions, bbq pork, and a light sauce (oyster sauce?) - something my mama made me growing up. -
Review from Christina F.
Belmont, CA
5/20/2007
I'm pretty sure I'm rating the right restaurant....this is the Ladda's in downtown RWC, right? The one across from Savvy Cellars and close to the movie theater? The address here matches the one on my credit card receipt. But if it's the same restaurant, how in the world can I account for the 4 star ratings underneath me?
This place was awful. Just awful. I've never been to a Thai restaurant I didn't like, so even when I came in and saw one displeased looking couple in the corner and a waitress who was sitting at the bar watching TV, I still thought it might be good. We ordered the chicken satay and angel wings to begin. The satay sticks looked more like skewered butterflied flounder, not chicken. The chicken itself was dreadfully dry and tasteless. Luckily the peanut sauce was thick and hearty and was able to give it some flavor. The angel wings were hard lumps of mystery meat with Shake and Bake seasoning. It tasted really strange - not angellic at all.
Based on the lackluster appetizer round, we decided to have only one main course to split among three people. I believe we ordered a pork dish - I say "believe" because after biting into it, we weren't sure if it was pork, chicken, or beef. Whatever it was, it was dry and tough to chew. But this was not a completely wasted trip - good news for all you white rice lovers - that was definitely fine and edible!
Highlight of our meal was walking over to Beard Papa and getting some vanilla cream puffs. Now THAT is good food. Mmmm. -
Review from Chris B.
Milpitas, CA
5/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for lunch. Ordered number 34. Red curry with roasted peanuts, pineapple and potatoes. It came with soup the Thai version of sweet and spicy. While not the best Thai Red curry I've had, this is well worth the price. I plan to visit again.
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Review from Delicia S.
Newark, CA
9/20/2007
What happened to this place? Is this the same restaurant I ate at 6 months ago?
I used to enjoy coming here for Thai food at lunch and have a nice walk around RWC downtown after wards. I haven't been here in a while, and today I couldn't believe how bad the food was during my lunch. The Pad Thai was hella sweet and tasted like noodles in ketchup. The tom yum soup was sweet and weird. My catfish red curry was bland, and the catfish tasted old & unfresh. I ended up having to put in a bunch of red chili paste and peanuts to give it some taste so it was edible. At the end I was full, but so not satisfied. What a big disappointment compared to my good experience with this place in the past.
Does anyone know if they happened to change their cook or owner recently? -
Review from H C.
Bay Area
1/9/2007
I didn't care much for the complimentary cabbage soup (sweet and sour) but... Great massaman curry with chicken - very generous portion! Everything was cooked tender and flavorfully. My lunch mates had the pad see ew and it looked awesome. It's a little out of the way (meaning difficult to find) but the place was pretty full around 12:30 p.m. I love the prices - $6.95 for the curry, $5.95 for the noodles. Wow.
Btw, the decor didn't bother me - my eyes were on my food!!! -
Review from Hrag C.
San Jose, CA
10/11/2009
This is my favorite Thai restaurant. It is small... I'd say almost literally a hole in the wall. I try to come here just about every week or two for lunch (I work around the corner). So far I have not had a bad dish. Service is fast and the prices pretty reasonable.
The place is clean and the staff is friendly... I always walk out of there pretty stoked :) -
Review from Lolia S.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2007
I am laughing so hard over the review that said they messed up Coke in a can. I can believe it. This place is horrendous and the day after, we're still talking about how bad it was. As for the five star review, it proves that even the worst places can get five stars.
We didn't order Coke but my friend said that their Thai iced tea was the worst that he ever had. The milk was sour and he returned it.
My chicken noodle soup was awful too. If the noodle soup is over $5 at an Asian restaurant, I expect it to be meal sized. I didn't get much (but then it tasted awful, so I didn't want to order more food) - lots of broth, some rice noodles, bean sprouts and very few pieces of bland chicken. The broth didn't taste homemade.
This meal managed to start badly and end badly. Even the Wrigley's gum wasn't as chewy (must have been old gum). They messed up the gum that they didn't even make. Ugh.
The place was cute. It looked like it used to be an Italian restaurant judging from the wine barrels and wine rack. I liked the exposed brick look. The service was fine too but oh, was the food awful.Listed in: Downtown Redwood City lunch…
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Review from Harry N.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is really a small place with great thai food. My co-worker suggested this place. The service is really fast. We went here on friday for lunch. Whatever dish we ordered, it was really good. We would be back here soon.
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Review from l s.
San Mateo, CA
10/13/2011
Had lunch this afternoon and food was just warm with lots of msg. Service very poor. A very poor choice. Better eateries in the immediate area.
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Review from Rocio O.
Redwood City, CA
8/3/2007
Ladda's Thai flavor was good. Didn't really care for the pineapple veggie fried rice...rice was good, but I don't know about the pineapple. With the Tom Kar Gai soup I cant complain, flavor was good. I enjoyed it so much I had seconds.
I do have to say that on one of our yellow curry dishes with chicken the flavor was real good, but the potatoes had this funny taste. It was that familiar taste when something has gone sour:( .....if it makes you feel any better, food didn't make me sick...:)
Even with that funny taste, I will go back...
It's was a nice cozy environment. -
Review from John F.
5/21/2007
Ladda's is to Thai Cuisine what Chef-Boy-R-Dee is to Italian Cuisine. I have had Thai food all over the country and in Thailand... and this had to be one of the most disappointing Thai dinners I have had.
Our first clue should have been when we walked in at 7PM on a Saturday and the place only had 2 customers! It looks like this place use to be an Italian place that was converted to a Thai place... and by converted I mean, they put up a picture of the king and a couple Buddha's.
The food was non descript, the meets were dried out, and even the coke tasted like something was wrong with it! I am not kidding.. and it came in a CAN... they messed up COKE IN A CAN! -
Review from jubi l.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2007
When I'm craving for some thai food, I go to Ladda's.
This is where my co-workers gets our Thai fix. The price is affordable and food is yummy. Service is prompt and fast, that's what I like especially if you are working at the hospital. Decor needs updating.
I always ordered the Tom Young Gong soup & Beef Pad see Ew.
It's located in downtown Redwood city,so all the old school meters are gone replace by computer. For an hour parking, it only cost you 25 cents. -
Review from Wayne K.
Mountain View, CA
11/6/2008
AVERAGE FOOD:
Average Thai food at an ok price. The vegetarian green curry was a standout for me, but meat in the meat dishes was really hard to chew. The satay and the fried rice were both very average, nothing to complain about but nothing memorable either. The catfish was kind of weird-looking -- it was just chunks of unrecognizable meat mixed with vegetables rather than one big piece of fish -- and it didn't taste too fresh. And for a Thai restaurant, nothing here, including the "spicy" food, was all that spicy (I guess that's good for some people).
AMBIANCE:
The ambiance was pretty ghetto.. it reminded me a little of shops in Asia with its open doorway, paper place mats, and rundown entrance.
GO HERE INSTEAD:
If you're a local and love Thai food, Ladda's is probably worth a visit. You'll like it just fine. But honestly, if I had to pick between Ladda's and Erawan Thai, also in Redwood City, I'd go to Erawan. The ambiance is a step up and the quality's a bit better. If I was willing to drive a bit more, I'd go to Amarin or King of Krung in Mountain View. -
Review from Nazanin A.
Belmont, CA
7/1/2009
My friend and I had dinner at Ladda's last Saturday. The food was decent and the service was good. We had shrimp pad thai (it was mediocre), red curry with beef (it was tasty) and yellow curry with chicken (it was decent).
There was no ambiance but if I had to choose between food and ambiance, I would pick food. -
Review from zoe w.
Redwood City, CA
4/11/2009
I have never had a bad experience here. Friendly, attentive service and great food. Best fried tofu ever. Love the pad thai with tofu and the pineapple fried rice. I will admit, I haven't been here in awhile, so if anything has changed, I would be quite sad. I used to get to-go so often they knew our basic order. It was fun going in, chatting with the owner about her family and how the tofu was fresh from San Jose every day. Everybody I ever took here liked the place, even those of us who are used to hole-in-the-wall Thai from SF.
They have never messed up Coke in A Can or given me stale gum, either. -
Review from Kris R.
San Carlos, CA
9/1/2009
The only reason this isn't a 5 star for me is ambiance. Other than that, this is great food for a very reasonable price.
My favorite dishes:
Panang Curry
Pad Ma Mong (chicken with Thai chili paste, baby corn, zucchini, carrots, onions, cashews)
Pad Prik Sod (sautee with fresh chili, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, green onion)
I've never been with anyone who had bad food here! They do a very quick lunch take out as well. -
Review from Liz B.
Redwood City, CA
12/29/2010
My lasting impression of this place was that everything was just a little too fishy. I like fish sauce, but it should be used to enhance the other flavors, not mask them. While this restaurant would be passable if it were the only Thai place in town, RWC has other excellent Thai offerings.
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Review from J-Nine d.
Daly City, CA
3/24/2008
This is my favorite place to go for Thai food in Redwood City. They are a small hole in the wall restaurant with awesome food! I usually get pad thai or curry and i'm happy. They serve large portions and they are really friendly.
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Review from Karen F.
Hayward, CA
6/9/2007
I love this place! The food is so good...... I crave the yellow curry and the fried tofu! It's the best. Coming from eating all the Thai food in SF i was sad when i moved to the east bay and could not find a Thai restaurant i liked, but now i have Ladda's.. it's just across the bridge. The couple that runs it are really nice and friendly. We always have extras for leftovers for lunch the next day. The eggplant dish is yummy and my friend likes the pineapple fried rice.
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Review from Jenny L.
7/5/2007
Aside from slowing down the cook with a dozen dishes, food was served and delicious even if it's not known for quantity. Given that I can't eat spicy food and I'm at a Thai restaurant, the chef made my dish with less red curry and more coconut milk as I requested. The catfish was tender with the flagrant basil and red peppers cooked in the sauce. This cozy corner is next to a parking lot, which can be validated at the restaurant. If you want something nicer and yummier for the tummy, try Erawan a bit further on Broadway.
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Review from Pete C.
Milpitas, CA
8/25/2010
Good thai food, reasonably priced
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Review from Samantha R.
Menlo Park, CA
10/24/2006
I like the spicy stuff. The stuff that kinda makes you hurt. We ordered a green curry and asked for it to be "really hot." "Ok, hot," the waitress said. I figured that was the same as "really hot" in Thai restaurant language. But it was really just "hot." Nonetheless, it was tasty enough. The chicken satay was excellent--good flavor, good quality chicken. Ladda's loses a star for the dull, cavern-like space which made me feel I was spelunking through middle earth rather than going out to lunch on a warm and sunny day with my beloved. Not bad overall though.
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Review from Josie K W.
San Jose, CA
10/16/2007
God, I love this place. I have been to quite a lot of Thai restaurants in the city but the angel wings at Ladda is the BEST. REPEAT: BEST! Their angel wings are delicious. It could be crowded so get there early or past lunch hours.
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Review from Rachel W.
Foster City, CA
10/18/2008
the food here is great, this used to be my favorite lunch joint until I changed jobs.
anyway, highly recommend their fried rice, green curry, pad thai, and mango sticky rice. -
Review from Dylan C.
San Francisco, CA
5/26/2006
I have been eating here for almost 7 years, even before Ladda got there, when it was named Anh's Thai. I always get the basil chicken (pad kra pao?), and it is always great! I love the crushed peanuts and chilis that they have on the tables. It seems like they are not every very busy for dinner, and I always can sit down right away, but with the new movie theatre opening, it might get really busy again for Ladda. Great food, nice people.
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Review from Hao L.
Mountain View, CA
3/12/2006
3.5 stars really. Ate here once for lunch after contesting a ticket in traffic court; I lost :( Anyways, it's ok.
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Review from Liz B.
Redwood City, CA
1/28/2009
Reliable Thai food in Redwood City, my favorite's their rad na and the chicken satay. The venue's sort of small, going on normal lunch hours and odds are you'll find the place a little crowded.
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Review from Natalie L.
San Jose, CA
8/31/2010
small place, great food, great price. plus, they give you sticks of gum with your bill for your stanky garlic breath. how thoughtful! yay!
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Review from Deb T.
San Francisco, CA
5/28/2005
This little spot is a safe bet. The place has about a dozen tables in slightly dim lighting, the better to bring out the charming qualities of the animated waterfall "paintings" (the cheesy kind that are backlit images, you know?). They have quite a few vegetarian options and the lunch prices are reasonable. I often get the Mussaman curry, which always satisfies. I think they're a bit saltier than other Thai places so just drink more water to compensate.
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Review from David O.
Foster City, CA
3/15/2009
This is a great place for lunch, it is kind of small and has no windows with all of the walls brick and tile floors, and I think this was at one point a taqueria at any rate the food is good and the cleanliness of the place is decent and I particularly like Spicy Catfish though for me I usually ask them to make it mild, service is pretty quick, I have seen some bad reviews on yelp for this place so I can only speculate about their experience maybe came at night I don't know, I wouldn't recommend this place for a dinner as its just not attractive enough for dinner dining for me but for a quick lunch I recommend it, prices average between $8.00 & $11.00 for rice plates that also give you a cup of soup.
