On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Loading...
I deeply appreciate how clean this place is.
They've got a wide menu. Alligator? Rabbit? Sure!
Couldn't order it for lunch because i'm in a rush, but I had the pad thai and it was very flavorful.
I'd definitely come back, especially since they are open till midnite, accept ATM cards AND DELIVER! Not many joints do so in the TL..
Some of you may know that I've been looking for a new "go to" Thai place for some time http://www.yelp.com/bi... and I think I have found it at Lers Ros.
First off trust all of the reviews and order #62 the pork belly with crispy rind. In English it doesn't sound all that appetizing but it's one of the best things I've ever had. Even if you aren't supposed to eat pork and you only try it once in your life this is the dish to get because God will understand.
At the beginning of the meal I was sorely disappointed. I've traveled extensively in Thailand and the dish I use as my test of all Thai places is the Thom Ka Gai (Chicken, Coconut milk, and lemongrass soup). I figure if a place get's that basic dish right they have potential. Lers Ros fumbled the soup; it was too watery, too lemony, and even though I ordered it "Thai Spicy" in Thai it was very bland.
We also ordered the whole Tilapia, for under ten dollars a real bargain, and duck red curry. Both dishes would have been very good on their own but were totally eclipsed by the pork belly.
The seats aren't very comfortable, the lighting is bizarre, and they brought all the food at once but even with those complaints this is still a five star place.
This place is great for large groups! There was about 15 of us and we probably tried about 15 different dishes that were scrumptuous and authentic. Some of the dishes are labelled "spicy" in the menu, and they are not kidding, and mmM mm MMMM they put just the right amount of thai chilis. It's not a high end, up scale, fancy, modernized place as the plating and photos may seem, so there is no need to dress up at all. But it still does not discount how amazing the food was. I definitely recommend the place.
Also, for such a large group, we got away with only spending $15 per person including thai iced teas and heinekens!
Oh, and it is in the Tenderloin so... if you get scared easily... travel with a buddy...
Lers Ros Thai activated taste buds on my tongue in areas I didn't know existed. Thank you for that. The starting larb salad was deliciously SPICY, flavorful, and zesty to the max.
But the fun didn't stop there -- the pork belly was DELICIOUS as everyone else has raved. Even though Michael Bauer has recently talked about being tired of pork belly, the pork belly with crispy rind at Lers Ros Thai is SO GOOD.
In fact Michael Bauer gave Lers Ros Thai a good review recently on his blog Between Meals: "I was impressed by the spirit and execution of the food prepared by Tom Silargorn. The various dishes were distinctive, a vast improvement over places such as Manora Thai where most dishes are washed in sweetness." Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/...
Liberal use of roasted rice powder, flavor, and spice at Lers Ros Thai. Best Thai food in San Francisco, hands down. Great open hours and super nice staff to boot.
I really thought that LRT was going to knock out THE (Thai House Express) as king of late night Thai food dining, when they first opened last year. THE was open until 1am, while LRT decided to stay open until 2am. LRT has an extensive menu and many unique items, plus the place is new so decor is nicer & cleaner inside. But in the end THE steady cooking consistency prevailed.
Please note that they both have since revised their hours, to close at midnight.
When I first dined here some time ago I would have given LRT 5 stars, but after months of late night (after 10pm) dining I have to say that the late night kitchen crew just doesn't measure up. THE's late night kitchen cooks are more experienced, so food consistency is way better than LRT. Some of the irregularities I found were that:
1 - the chicken meat on curry dishes was a little dry. Meat cooked in coconut milk should not be dry, unless it was precooked and combined later - I think that the night kitchen crew precooked the meats to save time. Chicken green curry dish http://static.px.yelp....
2 - also, the night cooks just don't know how to do stir-fry noodles right. I ordered a few stir-fried flat noodle dishes during several days, and they always came out clumped, even the soupy Rad Na dish had clumped flat noodles. Worst version of a Pad see ew dish I've ever had - edible, but with mushed and clumped flat noodles. http://static.px.yelp....
But don't get me wrong, I still consider this restaurant a favorite (2nd best Thai place, behind THE). Friendly and pleasant service, in addition to an extensive menu (can be overwhelming) that includes many unique dishes not found elsewhere, plus items like rabbit, frog, venison, alligator, etc. http://static.px.yelp....
My favorite appetizer is the pork shoulder (#9), although the sauce can be a little gritty. And it takes some time to make, so it often arrives after the entrees. I don't mind since it's that good (when done right). http://static.px.yelp.... http://static.px.yelp....
The chicken satay was tender and good, standard stuff, and the Thai curry puff appetizer was okay, similar to a samosa. http://static.px.yelp....
The herb sausage appetizer has good flavor and was not greasy.
http://static.px.yelp....
Garlic & pepper rabbit was deep fried too long (dry), and has a lot of small bones. http://static.px.yelp....
Pad ped pla lai (eel with peppercorns and spicy chili) is somewhat difficult to eat because the eel has not been deboned, but sliced cross section. http://static.px.yelp....
One of my favorite entrees is pork belly with crispy rind (#62), delicious! http://static.px.yelp.... http://static.px.yelp....
Venison pad prik thai had the potential to be a winning dish, but it contained too many whole black peppercorns that had no flavor or spice (maybe too old, or not stored properly). http://static.px.yelp....
The deep fried trout special was very good, crispy and tender. It was deboned, so you could eat everything including the crispy small bones.
http://static.px.yelp....
Similar to THE, the restrooms are upstairs but u don't need a key.
Really excited to try this place. It seems like a lot of the hype about this place comes from the numerous non-traditional Thai items on the menu, rather than the acutal quality of the food itself.
Got the crispy pork belly, which, while was very good itself, needed more flavor in the dish.
My friend got the green papaya salad, which was inedibly spicy, and once you got past the spiciness, all you tasted was fish sauce. He also said he wanted to add chicken to the salad, so they gave him two obscenely large pieces with it.
I guess I'll go to Thai House Express next time, which, even still, isn't great.
Finally came here to try this restaurant. I have bookmarked this restaurant for half a year..........well almost. Fellow yelper, Derrick V, have told me about this place to try.
This place is located in one of the toughest area in the city, the tenderloin. I personally don't mind the elements around here because I have lived in the city for a long time and I have a pretty thick skin.
This is probably the cleanest Thai restaurant in this area. It's as authentic as it's going to get and their menu is very extensive. They have frogs, boars, fresh fish, etc. The sauces and ingredients are fresh and vibrant. Their food is probably on the more refined and higher end, upscale Thai cuisine.
We had the fried talapia and the green curry and pork. Both were very tasty and good. Coming here, you feel as though you were at a different part of the city. It's a real eye opener.
So I've been craving lemongrass fish. I've tried several places in the city but none could compare to the yummy dish I had in Thailand.....until I ate at Lers Ros.
I would recommend Lers Ros to anyone that is interested in eating great Thai food.
In general I like Thai food, but I LOVE the Thai food from here. I dined with a party of 15 and we ordered over 20 dishes, so I tried a lot of their expansive menu.
The highlights were...
#4: Thai Sausage, the most unique sausage I've ever had, very light and fresh tasting.
#62: Thai style pork belly, crispy rind and succulent meat
#112: Whole Steamed Sea Bass: strong lemongrass flavor, fresh and the meat, literally melts in your mouth
#114: Whole Fried Tilapia: It's the opposite of the steamed fish, but just as delicious, crispy and spicy.
So where oh where could one find some decent Thai in the city by the bay? Well, thanks to the almighty power of Yelp the Dynamic Duo of J. Drew decided to hit a popular choice, Lers Ros Thai. In a nutshell (how did I get into this nutshell?) we thoroughly enjoyed what Lers Ros had to offer. Quite flavorful and boldly spiced, both dishes were spot on and we will definitely return.
The place was packed upon our arrival with a young, hip crowd present in the dining room (BTW, where do the old farts dine in San Fran?). We quickly were seated at the last available table and tried to make some sense of the immense number of choices available. If you are adventurous they do offer quail, boar and frog. (Pass, pass and um, yeah pass).
The beautiful J. of our tandem went with # 76, Pad Kee Mow with zero meat, all veggies. (She is a vegetarian after all, well except for bacon, pork carnitas and all forms of hamburgers). She loved it and devoured her dish with great aplomb. She ordered it medium spicy and reported it as being perfectly spiced. Her cleared out sinuses have never been happier!
Myself, I went with the #114, the whole fried tilapia. I saw a few other diners had ordered it and it certainly looked divine. It was indeed ripe with divinity and enormous in size! My tilapia was just slightly smaller than a large pizza. Either that or in a tragic accident they actually caught Charlie the Tuna the mascot for StarKist and fileted the poor bastard. Regardless it was very good but the secret ingredient that totally kicked it over the top was the Chili sauce that came on the side. It was awesome! It looked good, smelled great and tasted even better. I think it would be the perfect companion for any food : nachos, popcorn or tilapia. It made the dish and gets the highest possible recommendation. After the meal both of our noses were running faster than a scalded dog. In a good way!!!
Service was very good and efficient. Our waitress took good care of us despite having to work with a huge party of 15 hot twenty-somethings (Wassup Rose K.) And to top it all off the place was pretty damn cheap. Two meals for under $25, in San Fran???
Rock on wich yer bad self, Lers Ros Thai!
I only have a brief review of this place because I ordered take out. I ordered the pork belly rice plate (#62) and the 5 spice duck with rice. Between the 2, I would say the pork deserves 5 stars and the duck gets 3 and therefore, I give this place 4 stars.
Reasonably priced and I was generally impressed with the quality of the food, I'm definitely going back.
The only reason I'm not giving a 5 just yet is because I haven't dined here enough to give it a 100% and I'm stingy with my compliments. HOWEVER, Lers Ros is on its way there. No doubt.
Pretty authentic Thai food. Good portions. Beautiful presentation. Spicy IS spicy here (just a heads up). Everything here is super flavorful, just the way I like it, so it's probably not very healthy. I always try to standard signature ethnic dish from a restaurant to get a sense of what the food is all about. For Thai food, I suppose Pad Thai is it? I liked it and would order it again when I'm not feeling particularly adventurous in the palate.
I have yet to try the alligator and rabbit and venison here...
I am so excited to have found this place! You know that I am always looking for something sublime to stick in my mouth and this place has amazing food. Each dish is carefully made and well balanced and I love all of the unusual ingredients- alligator, frog, quail, venison-awesome!!
You must go try this place. And best of all, it won't make a hole in your wallet;-)
Thanks to Daniel L's recommendation, we decided to check this place out this afternoon.
I think this is my new favorite Thai restaurant! The place is a bit sterile and it's not in the best neighborhood, but the food is fantastic and it's closest thing to the food I had in Thailand in the Bay area.
After some research online, we ordered:
#25 Larb Phed Yang ($7.95) - a spicy duck salad with lime & chili dressing. The duck is slightly fatty with onions, cilantro and lettuce. The flavors are bold which reminds me of the salads in Thailand. Fantastic!
#62 Pad Kra Prow Moo Krob - Pork belly that's deep fried with crispy skin. The pork belly is then cubed and stir fried with basil and bell peppers. The pork belly itself is a lot like Cantonese suckling pig. Again, the flavors are very bold. It's outstanding!
#80 Pad Woon Sen - Stir fried mung bean noodles with eggs and prawns. It's a nice dish to go with the spicy pork and duck.
I am very excited that there's a Thai restaurant that serves authentic Thai food. I cannot wait to try their other menu items.
Thai in the Tenderloin is only a good idea when the restaurant has 4 stars. Even then, its always an adventure worrying if someone will bash your car window, if a tranny will solicit you, or if a crazy bum will yell at your face for no reason. Luckily, my friends and I escaped these threats along the way.
The restaurant is organized and clean and the waitresses are very nice people. Menu has a huge selection; it took awhile just to look through the items. It features very traditional dishes and some I have never even heard of. They have weird meats like rabbit but they also got the typical Pad Thai. I went for the seafood curry which was very mediocre. The curry itself had great spices and flavors but the seafood sucked. It consisted of mostly fishballs and like a shrimp. Osha Thai still has the best one in my book. The sticky rice was cool; it comes in a little cylinder box and was sticky as hell. Pad Thai was also legit, doesn't taste like ketchup like at other places. Being more adventurous with the dish selection (ie. ordering something you have no idea what it is) will lead in better results.
This is a great spot for a food adventure.
Nestled in the Tenderloin's asian corridor, across the street from all sorts of Vietnamese sandwich, pho restaurants, hostels, and Asian massage parlors lies Lers Ros Thai. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
I brought my boy Calvin here to catch up since he just got back from the Dominican Rep. He wanted to eat something different and this was the perfect place. Thanks to good Yelp friend Daniel L's for this authentic Thai suggestion.
Here you'll find some of the tenderest loins the TL has to offer and I don't mean massage parlors. I do mean tender "boar" loin from the "#105, Pad Ped Moo Pah - Boar stir fried Thai Style". Well, I'm not sure if it exactly the loin but the boar meat was chopped in bite sized pieces stir fried with Thai chillies and galingale - which is a type of Asian ginger. (http://static.px.yelp....) Not too spicy but the flavors - like most said are purely Thai and unique.
Also ordered the 5 spice duck over rice with chili sauce.(http://www.yelp.com/bi...) Delicious. the duck was fatty. I really liked my roasted pork leg It was super tender and juicy. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
I really like the flavors and I'll definitely be back to explore the rest of their overwhelming for a first timer menu.
This is a good spot to take a date, because if you can take her here to the TL and she's still wants to be with you after dinner, then she's a keeper.
I came here last night after a short night at Holy Cow. I left for Holy Cow RIGHT after getting off of work... needless to say, I was starving the whole night. I was suffering and I kept thinking about food while my drunk buddies were drinking their lives away. I somehow convinced them to leave Holy Cow and join me in a food adventure. :)
My buddy yelped "Thai" and with Yelp's handy-dandy "Open Now" option...we found Lers Ros. Lers Ros is nestled in such a shady area. I'm not from SF, but I know how TL gets down. Right when we parked our car, a bum approached my friend and said, "Gimme $2 and I'll watch your car... I been getting $2 all night!" My buddy says, "Nah, it's cool. We got it, but thanks." THE BUM THEN SAYS, "GIMME $2 AND I WON'T BREAK INTO YOUR CAR." My buddy says, "Damn, here's a dollar... it's all I got." The bum then takes the dollar and shouts out... 'I'M GONNA BREAK INTO YOUR CAR" and walks away. Oh, and he took the dollar.
Okay, now for the food review...
We ordered:
Pad Thai: SUPER freakin' flavorful, but really on the salty side. Pad Thai doesn't need explanation. Almost everyone I know knows what Pad Thai is.
Pad Kee Mow: Same as the pad thai. Full of flavor, but leaning towards the super salty side. The menu didn't indicate that it would be spicy, however the Pad Kee Mow had quite a kick to it.
5 Spice Duck over rice: I didn't get a chance to try this, however my buddy ordered this and seemed to really enjoy it.
Red Curry: Bleh. I was really unimpressed with this dish. The vegetables were still hard as if they were undercooked.
The portions here are also really small, however the prices of the dishes here are low so you're really getting what you're paying for. Also, the lady who was helping us (Oct. 9th at 1am) wasn't as friendly as I wanted her to be.
I have to give this place another star, and it's certainly not because this place has been discovered by 7x7 and all the rest of the flock of sheep.
The standard Thai staples in American Thai restaurants are so much better here. I never liked Pad Thai before trying it here. Tom Kha soup at Lers Ros puts other restaurants to shame. It's less sweet, and more flavorful. The lunch specials are fantastic. The beef salad is one of the most delicious things I have ever had. The deep fried fish is really tasty and great.
I think my earlier review was harsh because I was trying too many different animals and other things that are very new to me. It's a delicate balance finding the right dishes that are not too Americanized (their Pad Kee Mow is mediocre and bland, as is some spicy basil shrimp we ordered).
Lers Ros, please don't Americanize your dishes! And, I'm still mad about that woman ruining my dessert!
I think this place is more authentic than any other Thai restaurant I have been to, but I am still… Read more »
this place is amazing. the food i had was so delicious
open till 2 AM in a sketchy part of town but smack dab among many other tasty eateries along Larkin, and a clean ambiance with pop music that does not match the surrounding neighborhood -- in a good way
outside thai sign = good sign, thai run kitchen too
so many items to pick from...shared #62 Pad Kra Prow Moo Kro (Pork with crispy rind and basil leaves) -- excellent flavor with the perfect crispy skin and fatty texture, mix with rice
#114 Pla Rad Prik (deep fried tilapia in house chili-based sauce with red peppers) -- only $10...delicious and spicy, demolished it but your mouth will be burning at first
also tried #69 Kuay Tiew Rua (beef), since was looking for a boat noodle dish
can't wait to go back
Probably the best Thai food I've had in SF, and here's why:
- They have a HUGE menu, with all the usual curries and noodles you'd expect, plus some really unusual items -- quail? alligator? frog? pork shoulder? Yeah, they've got that. Awesome.
- Prices ranged from impossibly low to totally reasonable. Most entrees were in the $7 range. We managed to have dinner for 5, including appetizers and beer, for under $75. Nothing wrong with that.
- Everything we ordered was flavorful and delicious. Everything.
- Service was quick and friendly.
So why not five stars?
- A couple of dishes we had were unexpectedly spiiiiicy. I like spicy, but I also like a little warning, or the ability to opt-out. So, buyer beware.
- The decor is a little dire. Not terrible, just kind of... functional. And the two huge TVs on the wall just seem kinda out of place and distracting.
Overall though, tasty and affordable Thai, at great prices. Hooray.
Still my favorite Thai restaurant to go with my Thai boys. I LOVE the soup here...Just wanted to write an update that you don't have to dine here...you can ORDER pick up or DELIVERY...Just wanted to open up the options for yelpers out that ;-)
In the past week, I've been to Lers Ros 2 times. One of my Thai friends recommended this place as… Read more »
Four stars for the great food, another one for unusual selections on the menu (not your typical Californian Thai).
We came to Lers Ros because our friend, Leslie told us, "there's this hole in the wall place, kinda ghetto, but the food's awesome, this is where Thai people go..." well, before head in, I had this image of a "ghetto restaurant' in T-district of SF, which is TOTALLY not the case.
You can't call a restaurant with beer & wine selection like theirs (not massive, but come on, we are not in a French or Italian restaurant) and TWO flat screen TV a ghetto place. The dinning room is clean, contemporary and easy to fit large party.
Menu items include all the standard and typical things you expected, plus some exotic selections like venison, alligator, frog and such. There's also a section of "rice soup" with tapa like dishes, which is similar to Chinese congee except the dishes are flavored in yummy lime, chili and peanuts. I would recommend you try that at least once for the experience.
Parking is actually not a big problem for me there since there are small st like Olive? (or Olivia) which I can always find parking, just make sure you bring enough quarters with you.
Service is decent, but not great, is what you kind of expected in the Asian restaurant. The plus side? they open until 2AM every night!!!!
Lers Ros Thai is really five stars but my Thai heart
is in Chicago at Sticky Rice,
Of course, I got the pork belly and crispy rind.
As good as yelp advertised.
I also got the Green Curry, which was spicy, creamy, and rich.
Portions were on the larger side. -and the price was affordable.
My new favoriteThai place in SF
I can't wait to try out everything else on the menu
and they deliever late!
Sadly have to drop 1 star. Usually I don't care about service, but this place is getting way too popular and the poor wait staff can't cope.
Came here on a Sunday night with a group of 7. Took about half an hour for our order to be taken because the 3 waitresses were busy clearing tables for those waiting outside and catering to the 10-12 other groups who had already ordered.
Then they forgot one of our dishes (our vegetarian friend who ordered her own dish). We asked where it was. 10 minutes later, we asked again, and she said that she had not written down the order. Eventually she got the dish. When we got the bill, they wouldn't even comp us for the late food, and even told us "not to start a fight"! In the end we just didn't pay a tip.
All they need to do is add one more server at busy times and they should be fine. Until the service issue is rectified, I sadly won't be bringing any more large groups here.
I've eaten here a few more times since my first review, including a couple of big group dinners… Read more »
I'd give zero stars if I could...because that's how much food I got. We ordered delivery over two hours ago and have nothing to show for it. After we waited an hour, I called and asked about our order. I was told the driver was on his way. 20 min later, called again, told driver was on his way. Another 20 min later, my boyfriend called and before he told her the address, she said, "it's on its way". Clearly the standard BS answer they give anyone calling about their order. After more than 2 hours, we called again and were told that they cancelled our order. Most unacceptable delivery experience I've ever had in the city. Now I'm starving and waiting for a pizza to be delivered. Sad, disappointed, hungry, and pissed.
Overall
Great Thai restaurant. Definitely worth a visit, if not multiple visits.
Advice 1
Please note this is not an American restaurant, so don't expect American level of service. Don't get me wrong, the service is good, but you have to understand that at most Asian restaurants, if you need something, you need to wave/flag down someone and ask. Don't expect the waiters to come by and ask how you're doing while they refill your water ;-)
Advice 2
Definitely try to call for reservations to avoid having to wait long, especially on a Fri or Sat evening.
Food
The food here was excellent. Nothing else is needed to say.
Price
Very reasonable
Decor
Not a fancy place, but not dirty either. They have 2 flat screen TVs, and cafeteria style chairs, but the place has a fun vibe and charm to it. Very suitable for a date, or a place to hang out with friends. The place maybe has 15 tables, so I don't recommend large groups.
I will definitely visit this place and try some of their other dishes in the future. I would have given this place 5 stars, but had to knock them a star due to reasons stated above.
My new favorite Thai joint. Yes, there are tons out there, but this one stands out! And trust me, in my 10 years living in the city, I've tried many, many others and have basically subdued myself to just Manora and Marnee since the rest never compared, or was just about the same.
DEE-LICIOUS! much thanks to jeremy h. below for the enthusiastic recommendation of lers ros, his (and now our) favorite thai place in the city! the menu selection here is crazy--they've got everything from the standards to more exotic things like venison and rabbit.
i am head over heels in love with the five spice stewed pork leg... how is it that they can make it so tender and delicious and still bring it out to your table in record time? the papaya salad and duck larb were also great... very spicy too so be careful! other yummy dishes we had included the SPICY green curry with real fish paste, rad na, and crispy chicken over fried rice (which was excellent!). will definitely go back in a heartbeat!
Wow, I haven't been this disappointed since... well I guess I don't have a specific example but yea, crazy disappointed. I'm sad that I'm breaking up with Lers Ros after such a short relationship but with all the Thai up in my hood there is no reason I'd ever go back here.
There are two bittersweet reasons why this is not a one star bomb, saved just barely. One, the staff was extremely polite. Two, they listened to my request for my food to be made spicy. I'm usually Mr "Glass half full" but these are the only positive comments I have.
I started off thinking 3 stars because it was pretty standard yellow curry from the get go. Then, as I dug in, stuff started going wrong.
The broccoli was cooked to mush status. I'm talking like poke it with a fork and it just falls apart, soggy, and no longer tasting like broccoli. Somehow at the same time the potatoes were undercooked. I just got done shedding a few silent tears for the broccoli to find these hard ass potatoes. Lastly I encounter just what every vegetarian loves to find: a chunk of chicken in my food.
Uggghhh, so disappointed. How does a place that looks so nice come out so off? It's always got customers, I just don't get it. And no brown rice? Wtf is that?
Time to go back to treating Lers Ros just like the workin' girls on the same block: no eye contact, no hesitating, just stroll on by.
I'm still liking this place but now that I've tried most of their menu, I can tell you what's worth getting here and what's not.
Do not order:
* Any appetizers. We got the chicken satay, thai herb sausage, and some appetizer special puffs. Although they weren't bad, they were indistinguishable from any other restaurant. If you must have them, go ahead but there won't be any wow factor.
* The same hold true for the curries. I would go so far as to say you may want to avoid them. The curries are missing that pleasing blend of sour (lime), sweet and hot. Instead they rely mostly on creamy (coconut) and sweet.
* The Larb Moo is okay, but like I said in my original review, not as good as Ozone Thai. It suffers from the same flavor profile problems as the curry. My Thai friend was really not impressed.
Recommend to order:
* Any soups. Last time we ordered the Tom Kreang Nai and despite the oddness of the entrails (which I tried not to think about) it was delicious. The same goes for the less stomach churning Tom Yum Koong. The broth is perfection. Very lime-y and spicy.
* Yum Talay. It super spicy and sour (be careful) - very tasty.
* Rad Nah. My Thai friend said this was just like home cooking. High praise from him indeed.
This is really good Thai food!
My Thai friend always complains that Thai food in the US is not…
Read more »
Delicious Thai food AND they deliver. I was seriously craving some Thai noodles this weekend but did not want to leave my house, no worries, Lers Ros came to my rescue.
I had read some reviews about the wonderful exotic and some what unusual menu at Lers Ros, but I had no idea that they would deliver the standards to my home. I ordered the tofu pad see ew, which may have suffered a bit from the delivery since the noodles all seemed to clump together. But even through the noodle block, I could taste that the flavor was still spot on. My boyfriend had the yellow chicken curry and the portion was huge and satisfying. The best thing we ordered was the fried chicken over garlic/ginger rice. This seemingly simple dish was so flavorful, and even through the take out process the chicken kept it's crispy texture. Sooooo good. I will definitely be back.
One word: MOUTHGASM.
NEVER ORDER FOOD FOR DELIVERY FROM THIS PLACE!!! It's been two hours and three phone calls and still no food. They have had no explanation when I called and said "5 more minutes" each time. I will never go to this place in person because of this poor service.
The buzz for Lers Ros has been steady and strong so I gave it a go the other night. Excited to discover I was within the delivery range, I ordered the green papaya salad with grilled prawns, BBQ chicken with sticky rice and a Thai ice tea. Not the most adventurous choices when the menu is so full on with exotica, but such was my palate's desire that night.
Delivery took an hour (I was told it would be 40 minutes.) Not a big deal, I know things get delayed. I am happily delivered delights right to my door. Sweet. The portions were generous and packed intelligently so nothing spilled or collided. Nice.
The first bite of my innocent looking green papaya salad was so scorching - stinging - scalding - spicy it almost took my breath away. It was a shock. I've eaten many green papaya salads (including some in Thailand) and never had one close to this degree of sizzle. I thought maybe I just had an odd bite where the chili had collected. No. Oh no, not at all. It was a ferocious, juicy-crisp, blister-inducing mouth conundrum. I was experiencing something delicious while beginning to feel real pain. And here is the thing. My tongue was actually slightly blistered the next morning, a little swollen and hurt for two days. Not what I am looking for in a salad. I don't know if someones hand shook and chili flakes went blizzard, but this was way over the top.
BBQ chicken was good. I found it a bit greasier than some other versions I've had. Pretty basic. They were out of sticky rice that night so subbed with plain steamed rice. That it was. My Thai ice tea was a sweet savior of lusciousness. Soothed my ravaged tongue and finished the meal on a positive note.
I believe a follow-up visit is in order. I may have only skimmed the top and managed to miss the real cream. I am enticed enough by the menu and other reviews to want to give Lers Ros another try. But no blisters this time, OK guys? Thanks.
Had Kao Kha Moo again. Can't get enough of it but it's my first time ordering it here at this restaurant. It was just OK. I liked the one in Thai House Express more. Their pork shoulder is not so good. THe cut of meat is too fatty and the smoke and spices are not up to par with Sai Jai Thai. I think the crispy pork belly with basil is their best dish. Wow, I've been talking about pork dishes a lot.
Despite the shortcomings, they still have a very extensive menu and they are open til 2am everyday. Soups come in a flamming pot which is very appealing. Som Tum with salted eggs are the best som tum variation I've ever had.
Never never order the mixed sweets iced with red syrup and condensed milk dessert. Absolutely horrible. The red syrup is way too sweet and artificial.
Excellent Thai food. It's a good mix of original and authentic cuisine with a western ambiance that you won't be afraid to take your white friends to. We had their special alligator dish, the fried frog appetizer and the beef sirloin entree. All three were excellent, and definitely something I won't be able to order at other neighboring restaurants. The service was good and quick, and any waiter would help us, which is always a plus. Highly recommended, just be aware that they don't give you chop sticks until you ask and if you get hot sake, they warm it in the microwave. :)
Hmm.... seeing Derrick and Wakako's five star reviews makes me think I might have been there on an off night. We just found the food to be too fish-saucy.
Right when you walk in it hits you smack in the face. This place is not shy about their use of the pungent ingredient and your nose knows it.
I really like fish sauce but appreciate it most when it's balanced against other flavors that bring out its mild sweet and umaminess. This doesn't seem to be the case here. The salty fishy overtone of raw fish sauce explodes and dominates in each dish in a way that prevented us from really enjoying it.
Maybe we'll try it again...
The BEST Thai in San Francisco. Completely obliterates previously conceived notions of Thai food. The only problem is, you leave spoiled.
The Larb is obscenely good, btw.
My boyfriend and I hit up Lers Ros Thai at about 1am on a Monday morning after a concert. As we were walking I noticed it definitely isn't in the best neighborhood, and it IS a bit of a hole in the wall, but the atmosphere once you got inside is fine. We were the only ones in the place, so our server was very attentive. My pad thai was perfect and just the right amount of spicy. The food definitely hit the spot, and was pretty cheap to boot.
I think it's just about the best Thai I've had. Very spicy, very fresh, pretty presentation and reasonably priced. Everything on the plate is just right...and then they seem to insist on stereotypically bad easy-listening tunes. Which is endearing and totally fitting, somehow. Celine Dion, anyone?
Free Dinner Delivery!
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Order Online for free delivery
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Thai
It may not be the prettiest neighborhood, but it…
You'll see that there are tons of Thai restaurants…
An institutional list of why the Bay Area is…
I used to live in Thailand, so I'm goddamn picky.…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
*A16, Absinthe, *Acquerello, *Ame, Aqua, *Aziza,…
If you want flavors that say BAM! on your palate,…
Some of my favorite dining destinations for asian…
