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"One of my favorite Thai places in our neighborhood for lunch and dinner. They have these awesome big noodle soups which are great in winter…" read more »
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This is to counterbalance the guy who gave this place a one star and wrote this:
"learn better service, learn better English, learn that customers are first priority and please smile for ones!"
Criticizing other people's english abilities when yours are obviously so poor... not classy at all, man.
Tasty and Cheap!
It's a dim dingly place, but that's what I was expecting. From the cilantro to the onions, everything tasted fresh. Service sucked pretty bad at first, but then the waiter changed halfway through and it was all good. You don't go here for the dining experience, but it's perfect if you want some good food on the cheap.
Dim lights. Sticky tables. Run-down feel. My initial reaction was: their food better be hella good! And after our meal, I'm a fan.
Their food is so flavorful and authentic in taste and ingredients. Most of the dishes were oh-so spicyyyy! Had ask them to hold back some heat and even then my tongue was on fire!!
Papaya Salad with Salty Crab: So delicious! Love the crunchiness of the papaya. Its appearance is simple, but with all the ingredients combined, there were different layers of texture and flavors altogether. I would say I can eat this all day, but its soooo spicy that I needed a 5-minute break between each bite. LOL.
Pork Shoulder: Can you say MmmMmmMmm? The meat is actually the part closer to the neck running down to the shoulder. Thick little strips with bits of fat on each end. It may sound a bit unappetizing, but one bite, sold! So tender and nicely grilled! Did not need the dipping sauce. Yummy!
Green Curry with Chicken: OMG spicy!!! I thought this dish was a bit plain compared to the other ones. But maybe it was because my tongue was numb from all the spicy stuff!
Great spot overall and especially if you like spicy Thai food! =D
looks good, tastes ok, cheap but both my date and i ended up with stomach aches. I would try it again but stay away from the "crab
" in the salad it doesn't seem like crab at all... the peanut tofu is great though.
Sai Jai Thai isn't the greatest thai food I have had in the city, but its price completely makes up for it. I am a vegetarian so I can only speak for the vegetarian items but all of them have been well worth what I paid for. They offer brown rice too which is always a plus in my book. Their pad thai isn't the greatest of dishes, but their tofu pra ram, pad sai roong, and tofu himapran are all mentionable. It's a bummer though because every single time I go there the service seems to get worse and worse regardless of how busy they are.
Sai Jai is my favorite new discovery of 2009.
I first visited this Tenderloin restaurant while serving jury duty at Civic Center. Noticing that they had delivery menus, I grabbed one and ordered the next week.
Sai Jai has some of the most flavorful - and it seems authentic - Thai food I've tasted in the city. And can I repeat again? THEY DELIVER!
Favorite dishes:
- fried rice w/ pork shoulder
- wonton noodle soup w/ pork or duck
- basil eggplant w/ pork
- green curry w/ chicken
- papaya salad (be careful, sometimes it's really spicy when you ask for it medium spicy)
I have been coming here for YEARS. Even before the hype and before they remodeled the restaurant to an orange color. The food has since became a tad saltier, i guess to suit the American taste. However, overall I still love their foods. Their grilled pork is a favorite of my family and boyfriend. I love their soups!
What brings this review a star down is the poor service. Over the years, their service has been attentive and friendly to now's uncaring and forgetful. I suppose its because they have so many customers that they have became jaded. However, the waiters/waitresses are not the same as before.
Absolutely delicious. Absolutely authentic. Definietly worth braving the not-quite-so-bad edge of the tenderloin in which it sits.
whether you like medium or "Thai" spicy, you will be impressed at the nuances you can detect rather than simply "I'm on fire".
Surface is quite attentive, but they do not hold your hand. This is a place to eat when you are already familiar with Thai food.
Excellent value -- -- one of the best in San Francisco for Thai.
I've come here on multiple occasions and ordered in on others. I love Sai Jai because it is a most unusual kind of Thai food that you won't get in the thousands of "clone" Thai restaurants all around the country.
Don't come for the pad see ew, don't come for the pad thai, don't come for the red curry (honestly; you can make this shit so easily, see my page for the recipe I use: http://triplehelix.org... )
Most of their noodle dishes are meh, and they do sound quite good on paper, so watch out.
Come for what they do best! Pork shoulder, seafood, papaya salad with crab, 'roti' dessert, fried coconut on leaves (dunno what it is called anymore..). I know it's a standard, but their tom yum goong (shrimp) is quite good as well. Many places will have a weak soup with very little lemongrass and spice. If you ask for a spicy tom yum soup at Sai Jai, you will NOT be disappointed.
This is one of the best Thai restaurants I've ever been to, though I am sad now because every other restaurant I go to with my coworkers just kinda pales.
But again - don't fall into the trap of ordering what you usually order at every old Thai restaurant.
Ew! I seriously would never recommend anyone go there. I was a bit turned off by the reviews of "sticky tables" and "bad service" so I decided to get take out. I ordered plenty more than the $15 min., yet the girl on the phone told me I needed to order one more thing because my address was too far. That was ridiculous considering I am in Russian Hill and the restaurant is in the Tenderloin. Whatever...I ordered anyway. I only ordered because I wanted to get the famed, Papaya Salad with Salted Crab but ended up with an extremely soupy, soggy, salty mess. The Angel Wings were bland and the Tofu rice dish came dry and crusty. Three strikes, Sai Jai Thai is out on my take out list.
Disclaimer - this review is very limited because we stopped in here just to try the papaya salad w/ salty crab per 7x7's Big Eat list.
The papaya salad itself was not bad, but not extraordinary.
The salty crab was extraordinarily bad.
How it is one of the 100 things to eat before you die is beyond me.
If you don't believe me, try it yourself - but get it with 'mild' spiciness unless you've got tastebuds of steel. They're a little heavy-handed with the chilis there.
I've been before, but my latest experience with SJT put me over the edge to write a review.
Service - I had a birthday dinner on Saturday with 10 friends, and the waitresses were great sports putting up with our loud and overly-boisterous table. When 2 more people showed up, they had no problem to quickly get another table and chairs to accommodate. They even brought us a huge plate of fried bananas and ice cream. Great service with a smile!
BYOB - 'nuff said (I need to find more BYOB places in SF)
Food - Delicious. After living in Thailand for a few years, I know and appreciate good and authentic Thai food. SJT's dishes are exactly what Thai food is meant to taste like, without the frills. Get the full steamed tilapia - it might unnerve some of your friends, but it is very, very good. If you're the typical American who thinks that Thai food begins and ends with pad thai/satay/panang/tom yum soup, this is the place to branch out and try something new. The food will not disappoint!!
Please remember to order the pork shoulder, it is simply the best.
I also ordered the pad thai and papaya salad. They are both decent but the portions are not huge, and a bit pricy. Even then I will still come back to this place. The pork shoulder is worth the price and super delicious. totally recommended!
I started twitching today and I knew that meant I had the Thai Food withdrawal something fierce. This restaurant has been next on my Thai hit list for awhile now so I made it happen.
I was intrigued because I just really can't understand how two Thai restaurants can survive almost completely side by side. The entrance to Sai Jai is literally 20 steps away from Bang San, I could spit from one to the other it's so close. They're both Thai, they're both 4 stars on that Yelp site I've heard so much about, it's just odd.
I went vegetarian pad thai and it did not disappoint. I hit a rough patch of pad thai awhile back and had been scarred, but I was confident this place could deliver. I hate it when places over/under cook veggies and these were cooked just perfect. Everyone knows soggy overcooked brocoli makes baby jesus cry, so I'm glad that was avoided. The tofu was on point too.
Inside has a nice vibe, not a lot of tables but I prefer the cozy feel, and the kitchen is semi-exposed so you can see and hear a little of the hustle and bustle of you're food coming together. I like the smells, sizzles, and general energy about a kitchen, so restaurants like these make me feel involved.
Good place, thank you Sai Jai for healing my faith in pad thai.
I'm writing this review purely based on the desserts.
I had a crappy dinner at a restaurant and I was feeling really underwhelmed. I needed something to make up for the night, and so I decided to come here in hopes of pad thai or chicken satay.
When I opened the menu, I saw that they offered the sweet sticky rice with mango. I immediately ordered it. My boyfriend opted for the coconut ice cream, so that we would have two yummy desserts to share.
The sticky rice was warm and gooey from the coconut milk. The mango was perfectly ripe, not too firm... but soft enough to melt in your mouth. We decided to be naughty and added a bit of coconut ice cream to each bite. The warmth of the rice and the coolness of the ice cream melded together harmoniously.
I left the restaurant happy, totally forgetting about the awful dinner that was experienced less than 30 minutes ago. The power of those desserts was that great.
My bf is a great guy because he can cook.
By that I mean, he knows how to prepare 7 dishes total. One of them is Pad Ka Prow. It's funny that he always orders that whenever we're at a Thai restaurant just to compare it to his own.
It's been awhile since I've checked something off my Big Eat SF list so we went to Sai Jai Thai. We tried the:
#27 Green papaya salad with salty crab
We requested the salad to be made mild, since the cooks in the back look authentic Thai people. That salad was deliciously light and blended well with dried shrimp, garlic, chili, lemon and fish sauce. It was spicy alright! Glad I had that Thai iced tea to tame down the spiciness. I didn't like the tiny crab claws at all (blue crabs?). I imagined my salad topped off with crab meat but this was still in its shell.
However, the fried Angel Wings were so good! Breaded with panko crumbs, it was stuffed with minced chicken and silver noodles served with sweet chili sauce.
Although the Pad Ka Prow was tasty, I liked my bf's version better. This one was made with ground chicken, Thai basil, red bell peppers and garlic. Sweeter than what I'm used to and not enough Thai basil.
Overall, Sai Jai Thai offers Thai food that's a great value for your buck! Our lunch total came to $22 (without tip) and that is some cheap eats!
Their tilapia, and this silver noodle shrimp dish is gooood.
My only problem with this place is that, most of their dishes have meat in it. I don't eat meat. But there is MeKong Thai Restaurant next door that's great for vegetarians, they have mock meat and real meat for the others.
I go to sai jai for particular dishes. Their service are always so so, not oh to joy friendly.
$15 minimal for credit cards
When you saw the 'special' board written in foreign language (in this case, Thai, of course) and most of the people around you speaks Thai, you know you are in the right place! Since I'm with my vegan bf, I couldn't try its all time famous pork shoulder dishes..but both red curry and pad sai roong (black mushrooms, silver noodles, cabbage and tofu is really good, and dessert is great too (mango with coconut sweet rice).
The only thing is we had to brown bag our beer from the liquor store next door since they don't have beer/wine license. So make sure you bring your own if you want some adult drink with your meal!
Strayed from lers ros to try something new but ended up regretting it. The only equally good thing was the grilled pork shoulder.
The pad kee mao wasn't spicy at all and was served with broccoli carrots and cabbage, cmon. Steamed filet of fish seemed to be frozen pieces of fish thrown together. The shrimp paste fried rice, which I've heard good things about at Thai house express, was flat and I think the kitchen omitted the shrimp paste. No funkiness at all, and the dish is tossed together at the table, where's the wok char?
I had to ask for extra chilies in fish sauce to get any excitement from the meal.
This meal affirmed that lers ros is best in town.
This place is by far the most authentically Thai restaurant I have found in the Bay Area. Immediately when you walk in you can see a board of the day's specials written in Thai. Aside from this though, a funky smell greets you when you walk in....I was set on overlooking that though since I was really craving real Thai food.
My family and I ordered the BBQ pork salad, somtum (papaya salad), pad ped pla dook (spicy catfish), pla neung manao (steamed lemon fish), and the gai yang (BBQ chicken). The first three were pretty good, full of flavor and quite authentic. The pad ped pla dook was one of the best I've had in my entire life actually (almost as good as in Thailand itself) so that was very enjoyable.
However, the pla neung manao killed it for me. I took one bite and stopped....the fish was so old that the meat was hard and gross. I HATE seafood that isn't fresh. The mediocre flavor of the dish didn't help at all. As for the BBQ chicken, it was way too dry.
Service wasn't anything special...not many smiles =(. Overall I'd give it 3.5 stars, would've been 4 if the fish was fresh and the people were friendlier. Maybe I'll give it another try but until then....
Dinner with my roommate here last night. Had the pork shoulder over fried rice, shrimp pad Thai, and minced spicy pork with white rice. All were delicious except the minced pork can use more salt or fish sauce. Pretty good service. Took a little long to get us water and to take our order but after that... it was smooth sailing. Good deal too! 3 dishes for $22 and some change! Will recommend but may not come back because the neighborhood is sketchy.
I live right around the corner-and in the last year Thai has become a little pricey for my late faggy lunches. We tried this place a yr ago with some suggestions from here - one beef salad that was actually too spicey and i hardly ever say that and have been to Thailand-this was like ground jalapeno seeds and a fish thing that was meh!
BUT we came back this week and just got regular old gringo-fare (bb1 chicken-a massive portion for like $7-enuf for 2) and a red curry with pork and both were really extraordinary. $20 for two of us!! (Angel chorus). Thai House Express is cute and all but we can't seem to get outta there for under $38, so Sai Jai Thai takes the prize for the moment. We were the only white ppl there (which I consider a compliment to the food).
The pork shoulder with the sauce is so tender and juicy. -1 for a fried fish topped with salad that should be called papaya salad topped with fish flakes. My go-to thai place.
Who wouldn't love a place where the entire name rhymes! I was sold the moment I heard the name of this joint. But got skeptical when I saw the neighborhood it was in. The skepticism quickly disappeared when our food came and I was hit in the face with the gorgeously prepared dishes. A must try is the pork shoulder with fried rice. it is DA BOMB!!! mmm... can't go wrong with the pad thai. that's usually pretty good anywhere.. if it's bad, then they really need to stop making it. I also tried the papaya salad with salty crab... you'd think the name is a dead giveaway of what to expect, but... i didn't think it would be crab shells... i ate around that and the papaya part was great! i was told the crabs gave it a real sea taste. so if that's what you like, then order it. come early during lunch, because at the peak of lunch hours, this place gets packed pretty quick.
My go-to thai restaurant. Never disappoints me nor the people I bring there.
I go there about 3-4x a month. It was recommended by my thai friends and whenever I meet thai people and ask, "What's a great thai restaurant?" They all tell me about this place.
The grilled pork shoulder is to die for. I dont see it that much in other thai restaurants but it's definitely a world apart from the one they serve at Lers Ros on the other block.
Always ask the waiter/waitress to translate the specials on the board. You could find some great dishes like the som tum (papaya salad) with fresh shrimp. Way better than the som tum with salty crab.
I saw some people bringing their own beer. I guess it's ok. Maybe I'll ask the staff next time.
We went there this past weekend and walked out 5 mins after being seated. From our table, we had a clear view of the kitchen and to our horror - there was a lap dog (small breed) in the kitchen on the prep counter / table. Why is there a dog in restaurant? What's worse! In the kitchen and on the table!
I don't care how good the other ratings are but I will never recommend this place.
I think this is really disgusting, unhygienic and probably a violation of some food safety regulation. I think the SF Department of Public Health will be of the same opinion.
I told the really rude waiter that I was leaving and that I think that's a violation to have a dog in the kitchen. He didn't seem interested and we walked out.
The pork shoulder they serve here that everyone raves about tastes similar to pig's ear, minus the cartilage. Texture-wise, it's a fantastic treat.
They have a really good fish sauce and in general, I think the flavors here are powerful and satisfying, which stands out from a lot of the Peninsula and East Bay Thai restaurants (and will invariably catch some off guard).
I'd recommend going beyond the specific recommendations listed here (pork shoulder, papaya salad, angel wings, fried fish) and gathering a larger crowd, since the entrees are pretty big. What they lack in finesse and service are really made up with flavor, which edges considerably closer to what they dish out in Thailand.
This place attracted me because we parked close by and say the sign. We were in the TL and were thinking of heading to our usual spot Pogalac, but there was a line and we decided to try something new.
We didn't expect anything, but as we walked in the place is so cute.
There were only 2 of us, so we didn't order a ton of food, but the dishes we ordered were just ok.
1. Chicken Satay- YUMMY, can't go wrong
2. Some dish that is suppose to be the most traditional and basic.
3. Fried Talapia- was ok, the flavor was sweet and sour, but the fished didn't taste that fresh. We were hopong for Crispy outside and flakey inside... didn't turn out that way, but we ate it anyways, because we were hungry.
One thing I must say is: Everyone around us were happy and having dinner. Service was quick and they were very considerate.
I'd give it another try to have some other dishes.
They almost got another star, but I had a forgettable Pad Thai there recently. It was OK, but didn't rock-my-world. The Pork Shoulder with Fried Rice was excellent! Quick service, mellow decor and good food, so far.
My friend recommended that I come here to try the pork shoulder so I decided to come here for lunch today with my brother and dad. It is in the Tenderloin district but inside is quite nice and clean. We ordered the Sai Jai Salad, Pork shoulder fried rice and the Pad Ma Keur. The Sai Jai Salad consisted of fried tofu, eggs, lettuce, onions and chips served with peanut sauce (similar to the Gado Gado but without the spiciness.) This dish was big, sweet and light. The Pork Shoulder was really tender and tasty but the fried rice was kind of bland. I decided to add the peanut sauce from the Sai Jai salad and mixed it with the fried rice and I like it a lot. Next time I will just order the pork shoulder itself. The Pad Ma Keur (eggplants with chicken) was very oily but tasty. The chicken was too dry for my taste though so I might substitute it with grounded pork next time.
Service was good and the waiter kept on coming back to refill our water. Pricing was cheap three dishes with tips is $25.00. I would come back again for the pork shoulder.
Returned for another visit and I still give the food a solid four stars. We insisted that they make the dishes spicy they delivered.
We ordered:
Sai Jai Thai Salad
A mélange of greens, with boiled eggs, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and fried tofu covered in peanut sauce dressing. The portion was generous and it reminded me of an Indonesian gado-gado salad.
Prik Pao Woonsen Goong
Stir-fried silver noodle with shrimp, egg, onion, basil, and Thai bird chiles. This was the spiciest dish and I liked the texture and flavor.
Red Curry with Duck
A rich and intensely flavored curry filled with duck, bamboo shoots, and pineapple. I liked the interplay of sweet and heat.
Service was fast; we received all three dishes at the same time.
AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD IN THE TENDERLOIN
Papaya Salad with Salty Crab
After reading the reviews here, I…
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Always a choice when it comes to where to eat. Its cheap, Its good and its hot.! Its a cute place and not that far of a walk from Van Ness. Best Pad Thai in my book! love love love this place. Damn, I want some now.
Get #41 (pork shoulder and fried rice). It's one of the best pork dishes I've ever had because the pork is so delightfully and unusually tender. The other dishes are fine though not unique. Prices are reasonable and service is fine.
some dish good, but some way too salty I like the fact ' if you 're lookin for real Thai food, find the place that most Thais hang out '
recommend : Look their chef special on the black board, some dish you can't find in others Thai restuarant. I like their cat fish special. Spicy but goood !!
not recomend : their Papaya Salad tasted so nothing, I can't finish even half
Everything here that I have tried are great!
Delectable Pork Shoulder and yummy Angel Wings. Those are my favorites! The Pork shoulder are like Char Siew, but I guess Thai-style.
Angel Wings are the kind that are stuffed which I believe should be the only kind of Angel Wings around.
I have also tried their Seafood Curry, which was excellent. Lots of fish, squid, and shrimp and the curry was flavorful enough to season those seafood. Papaya salad and Eggplant w Pork was good too.
Prices are very reasonable and excellent service. Authentic Thai waitresses and everything. They wrote the orders in those curly Thai letters....
Been on a Thai kick lately and this place is the most memorable. Here's the scoop....
"angel wings"/stuffed chicken appetizer: this is pretty original...haven't seen it at all. not bad. missing something, but can't place it. still has a lot of potential.
pork shoulder salad or over rice: DO check this dish out. salad version is spicier in my opinion.
* on a side note, I hate it when they ask me "how spicy" I like it. They don't ask me this in L.A......like this place http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I went here to try the crab papaya salad on the 7x7 list and it was so bad. I couldn't even eat it after one bite. The rest of the food was okay, not crazy good or anything, but okay. We just got a couple of dishes so I can't speak for everything else on the menu. I guess that people like the papaya salad though since it made the 7x7 list. I won't be venturing back to the loin to try more though.
For the place though...it was clean and everyone was nice and there was a good crowd with people that looked like they came from all parts of the city. So maybe I'm just the odd ball out here. Maybe worth the trip to try it and make your own judgement.
I have such a long standing love affair with this restaurant. When I worked evenings in the fidi, the cute little owner would deliver to us on her moped... rain or shine. I even watched her little boy grow up when they were allowed to come directly up to our floor...but I digress.
This is a food review right? So, let me just say that I personally think this is the best Thai food you can get in the city for a reasonable price. They have the best sticky rice I've ever tasted! And they don't give you that tiny little wrapped ball that most Thai places try to pass off as a serving. I'm also a big fan of their chicken satay, tom yum soup, and bbq chicken. They also have some great banana based desserts.
Tragically inconsistent in terms of preparation, interpretation of thai spicy, and oil levels but when they're on, they're really fucking on. When not, the dishes are at least three-star solid.
Very friendly wait staff and a great selection of specials. It almost feel like being invited to join a friend's family for dinner and grandma just so happens to be a phenomenal cook.
My best friend took me here today after raving about the pork shoulder dish and was he on the money! We found parking right away in front of the restaurant, were seated immediately and the waitress took our order after giving us just a little time to look it over. Fast and efficient, that's the way every restaurant should be run.
We ordered the papaya salad, the pork shoulder dish with rice and the wonton egg noodle soup with roast duck. The portions were huge, so we over ordered a bit. All good though cuz we chowed down. The pork shoulder couldn't be prepared any better....tasty, juicy, tender and each piece cut to the right size. The accompanying dipping sauce (tasted like fish sauce, lime juice, chilis and cilantro) was a great complement to the dish, although the pork was tasty enough on its own. The papaya salad was fresh and not too overpowered by the sauce, as some restaurants tend to do. The broth in the noodles was quite heavenly as well, not too salty and just perfect for a chilly San Francisco day.
After being in Europe for almost 3 weeks, it was nice to come home to great Asian food!
Free Dinner Delivery!
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
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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: Nob Hill
Category: Thai
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