- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Lanna Thai Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
1245 Noriega St(between 19th Ave & 20th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
(415) 665-8080
- Hours:
Mon 11:30 am - 9 pm
Tue-Sat 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
85 reviews for Lanna Thai Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...any of the dishes and especially love their peanut sauce."
(in 12 reviews)
"...coming back to try out their pad see ew and panang curry."
(in 9 reviews)
"The owner was really nice as well and his service was quick..."
(in 3 reviews)
Loading...
85 reviews in English
-
Review from Killer B.
San Francisco, CA
12/31/2011
A great place to get Thai food in a casual setting. I ordered the Friday Special, which includes Pad Thai and some curry. Both of them tasted high quality.
Prices are great, usually below $20 per person. The restaurant is clean and the waitstaff friendly. They will fill your water without even asking. +++ -
Review from Jackson W.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/14/2011
This is my favorite Thai place in the city for several reasons. The owner is very friendly, and I have gotten to know him a bit, since I started have been coming here. The place is small and rarely is it crowded. It's very clean and the atmosphere is tasteful. I would take a date here.
I have no complaints with the food. It's all delicious, from the noodles, to the curries, to the appetizers, to the desert. Don't come here if you are looking for the most authentic Thai food. They will make your dish less spicy and more "Americanized" than true authentic Thai food. Still, I take my friends here all the time, and we are never disappointed.
The prices are reasonable. I always leave a large tip, because this place does not appear to get as much business as it deserves. The couple who owns the place are very friendly.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
5/25/2011
This is my favorite Thai plance in the city. And that is saying a lot for me, because I love Thai… Read more »
-
-
Review from Sheila J.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2012
I chose the $10 special of Pad Thai and BBQ chicken as well as the soup. The coconut soup was the best part of the meal, but the chicken had an "off" taste. Perhaps it was old or maybe had been frozen. The BBQ chicken also tasted "off" and the pad thai had all of one prawn on it and basically nothing else but sauce and the obligatory bean sprouts. It was served with a sweet sauce that drowned out the awful chicken flavor. I had a stomach ache afterwards. After some Tums, I felt better.
-
Review from Natalie S.
San Francisco, CA
12/27/2011
Prices are definitely reasonably during lunch, but my yellow curry dish was uninspiring today. They put peas in it, which I have never seen at a Thai restaurant. My friend's pad thai looked better.
-
Review from Jill Y.
San Francisco, CA
12/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is my first time in this restruant Order 3 items, the best one is called the Pad Kee Mao. Spicy and very good.
-
Review from Victor G.
Oakland, CA
5/27/2011
Lanna thai has been around for ages. (saw it here decades ago. may have dined here once.) the sunfaded wallpaper is a tell. this doesn't detach from the homespun ambience of lanna thai. an annoyance is the flatscreen constantly flashing pics and numbers of items on the menu.
many items on lunch special, hard to choose one.
sampling: lunch special: panang curry with chicken (6.25)
-generic green onion and veggie soup: ok
-curry pronounced, good flavored, chicken tender not tuff, eggplant and pea kind of mushy, zuchinni and bamboo shoots ok.
-jasmine rice generic, ok though, lunch 3 stars. regular menu probably 4
(you get what you pay for for)
leftovers:
-service excellent, refilled water 3 times, no msg problem, just thirst.
-service leisurely, heartell it's mom & pop.
-def return when i finish noreiga st. -
Review from Kris Q.
Washington, DC
Updated - 8/1/2011
STILL one of my favorite Thai joints in the city. It's a lovely couple owned and operated business and, after a trip down to Anaheim, one of the reasons I love living in the city -- for delicious, unique food made by pleasant people.
Came here with a foreign friend that was allergic to dairy as well as a vegetarian. Didn't realize just how many vegetarian options Lanna has to offer. Even though she couldn't drink the house soup (chicken broth!), we got pad see ew and pad thai vegetarian dishes, as well as the coconut soup and a vegetarian curry. All were quite delicious and I got the stuffed chicken wings to satisfy my carnivorous side :).
You really can't go wrong with Lanna's specialty, stuffed chicken wings. I just need to emphasize just HOW good they are, plus you can have them almost every day of the week paired with a curry or noodle through the daily lunch specials.
As like most Thai joints, lunches are relatively cheap and dinners are considerably pricier. Lanna is like this, but like GOOD Thai joints, completely worth it. The menu has something for everyone from classic dishes to more unique ones that you WON'T be able to find just anywhere.
Service is usually very good unless there's a surge of customers. The food is consistently delicious. And best of all, the restaurant is VERY clean (look at those scorecards!!). Bonus: I love drinking the water out of the wine glasses like I'm a huge deal. Score!
Parking: Noriega isn't as horrible as Irving but not as good as Taraval. When I go for lunch, I try to parking across 19th avenue near the more residential side (no meters). Beware of street cleaning!Listed in: ¡Viva la recesión!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/14/2008
The restaurant is small, the decor is dated - but still cute and charming. It's nice and clean, the… Read more »
-
-
Review from Paz R.
San Francisco, CA
5/16/2011
*slow motion* OHHHH YEAHHHH.
The owner is really nice, in my experience he has been consistently pleasant. He works with his wife, who cooks and is equally sweet. The food is good, and not too expensive. I mean, kinda but there's a lunch menu, and even daily specials where you get a bunch of stuff for under $10. I like the panang curry (it's a red curry) with prawns. The pad thai is good too and I like that you can heat it up afterwards and it's not like eating rubber bands. I'm just gonna warn you though, at times I've felt the pad see ew was a little bland. Just sayin.
Oh yeah, and if you are ordering pick-up and you call in with your order, it will be helpful for you to know that they don't really answer the phone like a business, so there's a potential for confusion. They'll be like "hello?" so you think you just called someone's house or something. One time I really did call someone's house and started ordering thai food... but that time was my fault. :/ -
Review from Connie C.
4/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm glad yelp can be my trusty sidekick whenever I'm out and about and need to pick up something to eat. It hasn't failed me yet!
I found this place when i need to pick up some lunch for my boyfriend and I. I found out about this place because of the cheap lunch specials. I was also attracted by the fact that they offer rice plates with pad thai on the side? AND chicken? AND soup? wow and for only under $7, it's a wonder why they don't have more ratings.
I ordered the daily special ($6.50 rice, pad thai, bbq chicken, soup) and the Saturday special ($6.95 rice, panang curry, stuffed chicken wing, soup). Doesn't it already sound mouth watering? All my favorite dishes combined into one plate, unique indeed!
The owner was also very sweet. He could tell I was in a rush and tried his best to get me my food. He was welcoming and hospitable and made an effort to check on all his customers. Loved the service!
I got my food and took it to my boyfriend. We definitely enjoyed the food, though it's not exactly the best I've had, I love the fact they offer the unique lunch plates and for that, plus the service, I'll definitely come back for more visits! -
Review from S. D.
San Francisco, CA
10/11/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Great neighborhood eat! I love this wife and husband duo. They're always in the mood for conversation if you want, and the food is not bad. Nothing fancy but definitely still worth your while. My favorite thing on the menu? Fried ice cream! Probably the best I've ever had. Honey over a crispy doughy shell over ice cream.... can't ask for more *drool*
-
Review from Julia B.
San Francisco, CA
5/18/2011 1 photo
Mmm...*really* good chicken pad se ew! (how is this pronounced by the way???) It tasted amazing, ate the whole plate, however at one point I ate a little chunk of brown sugar that must have not disintegrated...
My friend and I told the owner we were in a hurry and he was very nice and our food came out quickly. The restaurant is clean and I recommend the coffee with pearls! (bubble tea I believe it is called?)
Overall good place for lunch! -
Review from Ed U.
Lanna is not a place I would have found on my own. San Francisco is not one city but a cluster of culinary micro-climates like the heavily Asian fog bank that makes up this stretch of Noriega in the Outer Sunset. My massage therapist (yes, I have one...sometimes...don't judge me!) recommended it to me a while ago, and he looks like a very healthy eater with a penchant for spicy Southeast Asian by way of his Malaysian-bred wife. So I convinced Jamie W. to make the trek with me to try it on an evening where we felt the need to try something healthy. We didn't accomplish "healthy", but we managed to have some surprisingly good eats for the drive.
We started with a hearty $6.95 bowl of Tohm Kah, the coconut milk soup with chicken, mushroom, baby corns, green onion, lemongrass and lemon juice (see photo). Perfect starter on a cold night. The $6.25 order of Chicken Satay came with a couple of skewers marinated in curry paste and accompanied by the all-critical peanut sauce with a nice consistency (see photo). Entrees were solid. We went even more predictable with the $7.25 Pad Kee Mao, which offered the thick chow fun noodles mixed with chicken, broccoli and bok choy (see photo).
Jamie went back to his Kentucky roots when he was drawn to the $8.50 Barbecue Chicken, which came with four big pieces slathered with a sweet curry sauce that wasn't too overwhelming (see photo). It didn't seem like a particularly Thai dish but who cares. We should have been sated, but we decided to try the desserts since we made room. The $2.75 Flan was delicious enough, but the standout was the $3.75 Fried Banana with Coconut Ice Cream. Fried with a crunchy crust and a nice contrast to the bracing coconut flavor of the ice cream (see photos). Definitely worth a trip out to the far reaches of the Sunset for us downtown types.
FOOD - 4 stars...excellent Thai dishes, well priced
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...compact place, could do without the lotto boards
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...good though attention wavers when big parties come in
TOTAL - 4 stars...barbecue chicken and fried bananas almost give this Thai place a country twang -
Review from Erin T.
Glendale, CA
3/21/2011
I really wish they moved Lanna to my hometown in LA because this place is quaint and cozy, while still having amazing food. The little old man who served my friend and I was so kind and gave amazing recommendations.
Because of him, my friend got the pad see ew and friend ice cream while I got the heavenly "mansa munsa curry"... I know I probably slaughtered that one but it is the first one listed under curry! I don't really eat spicy food but I love curry and he told me that MANSA MUNSA was the curry for me! It was so simple yet amazing! Just a little sweet with a tad bit of salty and carrots, potatoes, onions, and chicken speckled throughout the curry sauce. However, the chicken aspect wasn't very good (too fatty for me) so that is why Lanna doesn't get the full 5 stars!! It had only the slightest bit of spice and you get an adequate amount of rice to go along with your curry so you aren't left with a heap of left over rice or loads of excess curry sauce!
You also get free cabbage soup, which is very light and delicious!!! I loved the broth!!! So I definitely give this place ... 4 thumbs up :D SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES!!! -
Review from Leanna Y.
Las Vegas, NV
1/11/2011
1st time: I got the special with Yellow Curry Chicken and Pad Thai during lunch. It was yummy! The curry is not spicy which was fine(I'm sure you can ask for it to be spicy) We ordered two Thai Tea tapiocas. For a restaurant, their tapioca is not bad.I knew I would come back here, I forgot the price..sorrry.
2nd time: I came here with the same friend from the 1st time and we got 3 dishes: Yellow Curry w/ Vegetables, Pad See Ew, and Beef Fried Rice. All three dishes were good. I definitely liked the Beef Fried Rice and the Yellow Curry w/ Veggies. The Pad See Ew had a couple of burnt noodles, but was okay. It was not bland but a little more seasoning would not hurt. My friend and I were satisfied in the end and we knew we would come back. We also ordered the
3rd time: I came here with 3 other friends, haha! I'm bringing them business, you know you know! We ordered:
Pad Thai w/o Veggies (cause originally that was just my own dish, but when all the food arrived, we all decided to do family style versus individual instead HAHA): $7.25
Garlic Porkchops (comes with rice)
Yellow Curry Chicken(comes with rice):
Pad See Ew w/ Chicken: $7.25
Everything was delicious. Me and my three other friends loved the food, and are planning to come back in May again for our little reunion.
This place is an okay size, you would have to push tables together for a big group though. They close at 9pm as well. This place will totally satisfy my Thai cravings...this beats King of Thai and is closer as well! Price is the same -
Review from Scott B.
San Francisco, CA
5/28/2011
I'm borrowing from Yelp, but "meh, I've had better."
I went on Saturday afternoon and there were some tables filled, but not enough to be super busy by any stretch. It took close to 50 minutes to get our very simple orders. The reason that was such a problem is that the meters on Noriega are capped at 1 hour, which necessitated a mid-lunch meter refill. It looked like there was only one guy serving, so I'm not docking them too much for it, but still that was a long time for a Saturday afternoon when the restaurant wasn't full.
I didn't like the TV with rotating pictures of the dishes. Frankly, it would have been better to be some random show than just the pictures of dishes.
Biggest problem though is that my veggie pad thai was just boring. Very little tofu, maybe 5 carrot chunks, maybe 5 pieces of cooked cabbage, and maybe 5 slivers of celery. If it hadn't been for the raw cabbage on the side, I'm not sure I would have noticed any texture other than the noodles.
The one plus is that the price was good. -
Review from Angela T.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2011
I really wish I could give Lanna Thai more stars but I just can't do it. It is actually surprising to me that this place has a 4 star average. Maybe I went on a bad night. Lets start with the positives, the man who served us was very nice, there was no wait (on a Friday night) and the place was peaceful (mostly because it was pretty empty.) And of courses, we can't forget the cheap prices.
But, the food was subpar. I can forgive horrible service and uncomfortable environment, but I can not forgive bad food. After a long week with little sleep, I really just wanted some good food. I will say that the Tom Kha soup I started with was pretty good, but that was it. The filling in the spring rolls was pretty mushy, probably because of the yams. The Pad Thai was not good, it didn't look appetizing to start. It wasn't really bad, but just not good. My friend had the special with a chicken curry, he wasn't happy with it.
To be fair, friend and I were very tired so that may have effected our mood and judgement. But overall, great service, but not great food. -
Review from Emily C.
Brisbane, CA
2/26/2011
Very tasty and fresh. We came here for late lunch/early dinner while our car was getting serviced a few blocks down at Sunset Service. The Tom Kha and Tom Yum soups were both fantastic, we each got a cup and traded back and forth. The soups deserve 5 stars alone.
We then got the veggie tofu version of the ground rice salad like Larb which was also really good. They use lettuce with it here; I have had it other places with cabbage which maybe is a little more of an acquired taste, but still this was very very good.
My friend and I then shared orders of the Rama Tofu and Green Curry Veggies. The Rama Tofu is a peanut-curry dish that comes on a bed of steamed spinach - almost had a flavor of a Japanese Gomae. We both felt that there was maybe too much sweetness/sugar though. Would like to see it with the sweetness toned way down, because the dish has great potential - I'd even see if I could order it less sweet, and maybe do some hot sauce with it. The flavor and consistency of the fried tofu in it was excellent, as was the spinach, which is why I might see if the sweet level could be modified.
The green curry we ordered with just veggies and it was full of them all cooked to perfection. I ordered it hot, which was maybe one degree too much for my friend, but I didn't even have to ask for water so I had no issues with it. It was great.
Complete dinner including a Thai Iced Tea for my friend and my diet drink was under $35 including the tip.
I will go back, for sure. -
Review from Chloé N.
Mountain View, CA
11/18/2010
Steps away from my house, order takeout there often~simple, pretty cheap, but good thai food.
Love their Lanna Fried Rice, Tom Yum soup, and stuffed chicken wings!! -
Review from Chris S.
San Francisco, CA
7/20/2010
So after moving into my new apartment, I had to see if there were any worthy, nearby restaurants I can walk to. Unfortunately for me, I'm pretty much in between Taraval and Irving and closer to Noriega than ever before. And sure, Noriega has the reputation of being the lesser of the three main restaurant streets in the Sunset/Parkside area (fourth if you count the last two or so streets of Judah, but I'm not,) but now, it's part of my neighborhood and I had to give it a chance.
So with friends, we started looking for a restaurant on Noriega that WASN'T Wasabi. My friend and I had all ready tried Green Bamboo and we wanted to see what else was there. Fortunately we were in the mood for Thai and Lanna was right there, looking us straight in the face. So we decided to try it out to see what it was all about.
Long story short, I really like the place. For some reason, I think it's better than King of Thai. There's just something about it that I prefer. The food is pretty good. I think I might have had better Thai food elsewhere, but it's rare. The service is great; the man who usually greets everyone is really nice and polite, at least to us. The prices are affordable and you can get a good amount of food without having to dig too deep into your wallet.
The only problem I have with the place is that the place is a little bit too small. Granted, I think that's what gives it its character because it's a small mom and pop place and it's pretty comfortable in there. That is unless there's a huge, loud group taking up a third or half of the restaurant. Other than that, it's not too bad. Taking that step outside of the place can be a bitch if you're not looking, too, but I've never fallen flat on my face so it's not bad.
Personally, I think it's one of the better restaurants on Noriega. Granted, I don't have too much experience with Noriega, but I've been to enough restaurants both on the 19th side and closer to Sunset to know it's pretty good. I've been here multiple times after my first visit, and I'll definitely come here again when I feel like Thai. -
Review from Mona C.
San Francisco, CA
4/7/2010 18 photos
[M]ona: 4 Stars
[W]ayne: 4.5 Stars
Average: 4.25 Stars
+ Excellent Service
+ Accepts Credit Cards
+ Inexpensive
+ Extensive Menu
+ Daily Specials
+ Quick Service
[W] So tonight me and Mona had a craving for rather Thai or some other Asian spot and I'm really glad we came here. Mona has a knack of dragging me to places where she HAD eaten before but she just procrastinates so much that she forgets how everything was so she takes me to review it first haha.
[M] That's why I have you baby! XD
The food here was actually pretty good. We had the Yellow Curry with a side of white rice http://www.yelp.com/bi..., Veggie Pad Thai http://www.yelp.com/bi..., and a Banana Fritter with Green Tea Ice Cream http://www.yelp.com/bi.... The owner was really nice as well and his service was quick too.
[W] We were just 1 of the 2 couples in the restaurant so it wasn't that busy. Parking was extremely easy today; basically we got a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. There was really nothing bad to say at all with this restaurant dispute the Caucasian couple behind us was speaking Jesus and talking VERY loudly.
The curry didn't taste pasty or sandy (if you ever had bad curry) and the pad thai was very saucy and smooth. It was funny because when the other couple left, the owner was cleaning the table and he looked at us and he was like "wow you guys are so clean!" My bad was to their table so I looked back and mannnnnn, they were pigs lol. Crap on the table, crap on the floor.....aiya lol. Anyways, yea this place is awesome and the owner was awesome also. JUST AWESOME!! lol (Relating to I Love You Man). -
Review from Tara T.
San Francisco, CA
2/17/2011
I went here with 3 friends last week for dinner. Prices pretty cheap for a Thai place. We got an appetizer, 4 main dishes and 2 delicious fried icecream desserts for around $60 including tip.
Everything was good, just not blow me out of the water good. We had pad see ew, shrimp fried rice (good quality shrimp), some kind of soup that my friend's bf ordered (which i think was my favorite main dish), and roasted chicken. My favorite by far was the fried icecream....battered and fried vanilla icecream drizzled in honey. It was really sweet, so I think it's best to split between 2 people.
I think my rating of this place may go up once i try the curry because my standard for a Thai place is their curry.
Overall, a low key place that I would definitely go to again. -
Review from kristi l.
CA
10/24/2007
My best friends and I (ie: the dog and boyfriend) took a stroll up and down Noriega after picking Mochi up from daycare. We came across Lanna Thai Restaurant and I had to get some Pad See Ew. After the distaster that was King of Thai (on Sloat) I was praying for a good serving of noodles.
I was supposed to share...But I didn't. I did, however, leave a to-go box full of broccoli for Joe to eat (: Can you tell he's lucky?
The noodles were considerably good after having stopped several places before heading home to enjoy my food. It was a little more peppery than I'm used to, which was weird because I didn't see any pepper on the noodles, but I was definitely pleased. I'll most definitely be back!
The restaurant itself is too cute. A very homey feel, and the help seems very kind. The lady that took my order at the register complimented Mochi who was outside patiently waiting for me (:
The rating is more like a 3.5 for to-go. I'll definitely update again once I have time to sit down and eat. Maybe we'll go again on Monday before we pick up el perro from daycare.
mmmm pad see ew...*drool*Listed in: Is it Lunch Time Yet!?
-
Review from b b.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2009
Daily Lunch Special: Pad Thai and BBQ Chicken (also served with soup and rice for around $7).
I've been here several times. Service is always wonderful and their food is always great. I'll definitely be back. -
Review from Hugh B.
San Francisco, CA
9/17/2007
A tough choice the other night: Pizza delivery accompanied by the 1,427th showing of "The History of Bricks" on the History Channel, or get off our butts and follow our appetites towards something we might actually enjoy. We chose the latter, and headed west, drawn by the siren song of Lanna Thai peanut sauce, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding culinary wreckage of Noriega street.
The Rhama Thai with tofu was a sure thing, with tofu and spinach drenched in the revered Lanna peanut sauce (buy some pre-packed to take home). Vegetarian egg rolls were also terrific, crispy and flavorful. Can't say the same for the prawn curry, which tasted something like pineapple soup with shrimp, not quite a crime against nature, but a head-scratcher nonetheless.
An endearing and enduring feature of Lanna, aside from the lovely family that owns the place, is the ongoing Lotto Hot Spot game and ceiling-mounted video monitor for your playing enjoyment. Thai food enthusiasts who also happen to be gambling addicts will surely enjoy the never-ending 5-minute lotto cycles, where players can play to win anywhere from $1-$20 a round. Sadly, no one was enjoying this novelty during our dinner.
We hadn't paid particularly close attention to the menu prices, and were somewhat shocked to get out the place for $30. I can't remember the last time I had any dinner that cheap, let alone a good one. Such a nice experience, a great dinner, a night out, and secure in the knowledge that "History of Bricks" will undoubtedly be airing for the 1,428th time sometime soon. -
Review from Eric W.
11/2/2006
Lanna was one of my favorite lunchtime locales when I used to work at the Providence townhomes right down the street. However, if you are looking for a quick bite, you should head somewhere else because this place was designed with atmosphere in mind. Remove the photographs of former Kings of Thailand, and you would think you just stepped into some French or Italian cafe. This is the type of place where you are supposed to sit for awhile, and soak it all in.
The ironic thing is that Lanna is merely a mom and pop shop (not a knock on it by any means), with only two employees - the wife cooking in the back, and the husband serving. However, I think most restaurants in the City should take some notes from this dynamic duo, as they are some of the most efficient I have ever seen!
Now, I am extremely inexperienced with Thai cuisine (this is the only Thai restaurant I've ever been to), but from what I gather, my taste buds seemed to approve. I can't vouch for the authenticity, but in the whole scheme of things, does it really matter? All that I care about is that it tastes good, and that it does.
However, with the good, comes the bad, although they are rather minor, nitpicky things:
*It's too dark. I'm the type who likes to see what I'm eating. Also, being the klutz that I am, stabbing my nose with the fork is no fun, indeed.
*The California Lottery Keno screen ruins the whole mood. I can see how the owner would like it though, since it brings in additional income, but I rarely see anyone playing.
*It's a bit pricy. $7.50 for a lunch combo is on the upper end of the spectrum, considering all the cheap Chinese eats for $5 or less right next door.
Overall, if you are in the upper Noriega region, Lanna is a nice place for a relaxing lunch. The clientele here during the lunch hour is mostly older Caucasian ladies, with the occasional Asian (surprisingly so, in this 60+% Chinese neighborhood), but I have never felt uncomfortable.
P.S. Do Thai people not use chopsticks? It feels weird eating Asian food with a fork.Listed in: Sunset district
-
Review from Corey C.
San Francisco, CA
8/24/2006
Two words: PEANUT SAUCE!!!
I've been to a number of Thai restaurants over the years, and none have had a peanut sauce that has met my standards that Lanna has set. Try it with the chicken skewers, or as a main dish with the "Pra ram long sam," beef over spinach with peanut sauce.
That said, the other dishes are also very good, in particular the prawn lemon soup (which BTW is fantastic if you've got a sore throat).
A pleasant restaurant, generally not very packed, and the staff is always very kind.
Huzzah for Lanna's! -
Review from jesiree b.
Daly City, CA
Since we were in the area, my family and I decided to try this spot for dinner. The staff was very attentive, which is probably the only thing that was memorable. I'm saying this because every dish we had was just OKAY...not bad, but just okay. Our entrees didn't really look too presentable and there was just way more sauce on the dish than there was meat or vegetables - we didn't have enough to share amongst 6 ppl.
I made sure to order the peanut sauce (which we had with tofu as an appetizer) since it was one of the highlights of Lanna on Yelp. They even sell their sauce for $5 a jar! When I finally got to taste it, I was pretty disappointed because it tasted like they just melted spoonfuls of Skippy.
Other dishes we ordered: The Pad Thai and the Beef w/ spinach were probably the best out of everything we tried; Panang Beef (okay); Yellow Curry (okay); And Chicken Satay (super dry) -
Review from Marsha Z.
San Francisco, CA
7/24/2007
Lanna Thai sits nestled along with other family owned businesses on Noriega. Inside is cozy; the mirror makes the dining room appear larger than it actually is. Even though I'm already set on what to order before stepping foot in the door, their menu with full color pictures was tempting enough to flip through. Service is provided by the friendly proprietor. As others have mentioned, their peanut sauce is one of the better ones around.
Having both sides of the Sunset covered, I'm sure many people flock to Marnee when they've got a hankering for Thai. Next time, trek down a few more blocks...Lanna deserves a lil lovin', too.Listed in: Thai, Thai, and more Thai!
-
Review from Kylie L.
10/5/2009 4 photos
Made a date with Mona C. last week for today. I chose the restaurant because I wanted something not too far from home or school, because I have school right after, night classes really suck. After reading and finding this on yelp (maybe half a year ago) I really really wanted to try this place, that's why it's been bookmarked FOREVER on yelp & Mozilla. I came here once before, but I think I came too early on a weekday for lunch, so ended up going elsewhere. I FINALLY had the chance to go today.
I was reluctant to go because she always takes pictures of EVERYTHING, and it's so embarrassing...I guess it informs the yelp community by taking pictures of everything. I sometimes do that too, I wonder if it's embarrassing for others. She takes pics of the place and the FOOD. If I'm starving, she has to take a perfect picture (and the first shot is never good enough) of the food before anyone can eat, so I always try to mess it up by eating the food before she remembers to take a picture, I'm so evil. She even took a picture of my water today. It wasn't so embarrassing today, since there weren't many people.
I looked at their website prior to coming and it showed that everyday had a special, except Sunday (I guess they rest on the Sabbath Day). Today for lunch, it wasn't crowded, only another group of people were there.
Today is Monday, so I had Monday's daily special which is Pad Thai & Panang Curry with Chicken. Out of all the specials, I would say Monday's seemed the most appetizing to me, you get PAD THAI & PANANG CURRY WITH CHICKEN, a good deal to me since I probably would have gotten that anyways. Both items were good. Curry came with rice and pad thai was yummy too. Lots of variety for only $6.29.
I would come back during other days to see what all the other specials are like. -
Review from Ash A.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2007
Wow! One of my favorite tom kahs in the city, and the curry is generous and rich. Lanna is a mom & pop restaurant where every meal is made fresh and well worth it. The dining atmosphere in the restaurant proper is never crowded with a cozy, homey vibe, and hey - they sell lottery tickets, to boot!
If only they were open on Sundays... -
Review from Phuong N.
San Francisco, CA
6/5/2011
This is so far one of the best Thai restaurant in sf :) whenever I come here I always order the chicken Satay, spicy angle wings ( it's spicy and the sauce is really really good) the soup with the coconut is really good too because u can actually taste the coconut inside (sorry don't remember the name). Overall the food is really good. I come here often because the service is outstanding, always very nice and friendly :)
-
Review from Jeff W.
Updated - 10/25/2008 1 photo
special noodle dish today was the chicken curry noodle soup.
WOW!
wider egg noodles in a curry broth that was incredibly awesome.
think about the best yellow chicken curry you've ever had and turn the curry sauce into a curry soup.
here it is.
order it and walk away completely satisfied.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
3/14/2006 First to Review
i like the chicken curries offered here. service is friendly mom and pop style. much more intimate… Read more »
-
-
Review from carlo m.
Emeryville, CA
8/23/2008
My friend Derrick took us to this place cuz he swore that their spicy angel wings were the greatest food since the invention of steak.. Well.. Close..haha..
Those wings were sweet, savory, and then had this heat on the way down.. I would say.. Asian Buffalo Wings..
The thai was normal and adequate, but damn.. Those wings.. hhmmm.. -
Review from MishEddie G.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2007
My BF and I went to this restaurant last night. We were looking for a new Thai restaurant to try in the Sunset and decided to give it a go. Service was pretty good. Our server (owner/husband) was very nice and hospitable. However, at times, it was a little slow waiting for him to take our orders and to give us the check. But overall, his service was the highlight of our dining adventure. The two stars are for the service...not the food.
Unfortunately, I did not like the food. We started off with a salad that consisted of bean thread noodles, dried shrimps, black fungus, lemon juice, lettuce, fish sauce, and some other things. It was good, but was a little too tangy. Also, in comparison to some other restaurants it was not as good as I thought it would be. For our entreees, we shared the Peanut Sauce Chicken atop a bed of spinach and a Seafood dish with Bamboo Shoots, Bell Peppers, and Basil in a medium spicy sauce.
The Chicken dish was too sweet and I like sweet things, so for me to say that, it was pretty darn sweet. Also, the seafood dish was sweeter than I thought it should be. It actually needed more salt. Also, I did not like the seafood in the dish...the mussels were not fresh, the calamari looked a little odd...etc. The Thai beer was pretty good and the rice was hot and plentiful.
Basically, I didn't like the taste of the food. I've eaten at other restaurants and based on my preferences I like them better. It looks like a lot of people like this restaurant, so I would advise you to check it out and make your own judgement.
As for me, I thought the price was not consistent with the food. I thought the $30+ bill was a little steep considering I didn't like what I ate. For me, I personally prefer Osha, Marnee Thai, Thai Cafe, and some other restaurants. I recommend you try those places as well. -
Review from jeff c.
San Francisco, CA
8/19/2008
Are you serious!? How is this place even averaging four stars? I must have come in on an off day or something because this was one of the worst Thai joints I've ever dined at.
A few friends and I came here for lunch a few days ago. I was pretty excited to try the place out because I used to eat at a Lanna Thai out in Oklahoma when I lived there for a little bit. Thai food in the Midwest? Yeah I know...I was blown away too because it was the best Thai I've ever had. I was hoping that by some small chance this Noriega one was part of a huge chain. Let me tell you...shit didn't even come close.
Here's what we ordered:
Pad Thai- Strangely discolored, and painfully bland
Chicken Satay Skewers- Tasted like they were microwaved
Pad See Ew- Discolored, bland, with weeks old broccoli
Spicy Angel Chicken Wings- Only thing that could pass as edible
Lanna Fried Rice- Supposedly their specialty, but once again was dreadfully bland, overcooked, and looked like cafeteria food.
I would have given this place a one star, but the fact they had video Keno to keep me entertained bumped it up to two. If you're looking for bargain Thai in the Sunset, do King of Thai--it's quick and decent. If you're in the mood for something a little more high end, drop on by Marnee Thai. Whatever you do, though, I'd advise you to stay away from this place. -
Review from Zach P.
New York, NY
9/5/2008
In a neighborhood where your choices are limited to Northern Chinese and Southern Chinese, Lanna is like an oasis. Don't get me wrong, I like Chinese food - just not all the time.
I've been to Lanna twice now, and I've loved it both times. The service is great and the food is delicious. The presentation could be better; most of the dishes I've had there look kind of the same: greenish brown sauce with something in it. I know that doesn't sound appealing, but the portions and the taste more than make up for it.
The wood paneling and Keno keep this place from being classy, but that's not what I'm looking for in a restaurant. If you like Thai, you'll like Lanna.Listed in: My Neighborhood
-
Review from Chris I.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Portions were plentiful and this place is cheap. The food is good, but there are a few things that bring down it's rating. You have to ask for water; sure it's not a big deal but something I always notice. If you have to ask for water, there's already a service issue. They were really slow and took their sweet ass time, but what was odd is that it took even longer to get my check. We must have sat there 20 minutes after putting all of our plates together and showing that we were done to get a check. Lastly, it's extremely quiet which might be good if you want a cozy place but you could hear a pin drop. Makes conversations a little awkward; we found ourselves whispering. When I did finally receive the check, I was pleasantly surprised.
-
Review from A W.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2008 4 photos
A gem in the rough...
My bf and I have been here several times for dinner individually and with friends and family. We've never been disappointed with any of the dishes and especially love their peanut sauce.
The restaurant is small and cozy reminding those of us who live in the Richmond/Sunset districts of our own 2 level homes. The owners are a husband and wife team with the wife in the kitchen cooking and the husband out and about mingling with the customers.
Overall, this is a great restaurant where you can sit, relax, and enjoy an authentic Thai meal at an affordable price. -
Review from Katie Anne N.
San Francisco, CA
11/30/2008
Wow, this place is good. The decor looks like the inside of a 1970's single family home. It is cute and quaint. The food is excellent. The vegetarian Pad See Yoo and the green curry are a definite must. Filled with fresh veggies. The green curry is spice and they can't make it mild for some reason. The coconut soup is super good for one of those cold nights. Medium fills 2 tummies.
Great Thai place for the Sunset District. Parking can be tough but is do-able with patience. -
Review from Blah B.
San Jose, CA
3/23/2009
I am not fan, I had better thai food in the city before. The stuffed chicken wings are nasty, the place is always empty and the prices are pretty high. I rather go to King of Thai.
I just can't believe all the 5 stars review here. But then again, it might just be me.
