Tamarind Thai Restaurant

Elite '08

38

209

MaryLou D.

San Diego, CA

We have always gotten generous portions and quality food here.  This is the place my daughter now compares all Pad Thai to.  It is a restaurant that worked for us when she was vegetarian and when she was not.  I think the wait is a little long so don't go if you need to eat fast and the prices are not as go-there-often reasonable as they used to be.  So we don't go there as often.  We always have leftovers and we always do some sharing so we can taste a variety of dishes.  I love the chicken satay and spring rolls!  We had the green tea ice cream once and I was surprised at how good it was.  Also the mango sticky rice.  We usually don't have room for dessert unless we just get one and share it for fun.  I debated whether to mark it cheap or moderate--it depends on what you get.  It's on the border

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9

6

liz l.

La Mesa, CA

Damn I love this place.  It is one of La Mesa's hidden gems, although if you live here you probably know about it already.  

When I was addicted to red curry I would get it here ALL THE TIME.  It is so good.  One of the best I've had.  The yellow is not bad either.  And the rice that comes with it is absolutely delicious.

I have a problem with Thai in that the things I love, I love a lot so I always get the same things.  I have eaten a lot of their pad thai which is pretty good.  Satisfies the pad thai craving.  I wouldn' t mind if it had more vegetables in it though.  Their mixed vegetables are delicious, the sauce is just...mmmm.  You can't seem to get just a side order though.

My husband is a bit more adventurous and branches out sometimes.  Everything he's gotten that I've tried, I liked.  

Yeah it doesn't have the most gorgeous interior/ambience, but the food is great, the service is great and it is always packed.  With good reason!

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34

126

robert b.

San Francisco, CA

I found this place thanks to my GPS. I saw that it was a hole in the wall, which is usually a blessing.

We ordered: spring rolls, fried chicken, the fish in a tamarind sauce, pad thai and the hous friend rice.

The portions were huge, which I should of known before ordering the appetizers. The spring rolls were decent, but the chicken wings were not worth it at all.

the fish in tamarind sauce was so good, that it was just perfect. The sauce was on the plate rather than on the fish culets. I loved the fish, which is saying alot.

the pad thai is pretty authentic as far as I know...the taste of the pad thai was just the right side of spicey. The house fried rice was perfect, as it was a curry sorta mix with some medium spice that I felt was just perfect.

It makes my mouth drool thining about this place, because of how deliciously authenthic the food here is...

The portions are huge, not because its cheap and disgusting, but because the owners know how to keep thei customers coming. Large portions, great value, and super quality.

I will eat here again....most definitely.

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30

56

Chris B.

San Diego, CA

San Diegans will find this place by heading east on University, past that neat looking Southeast Asian building on 52ND, past that nice massage parlor on 56Th, until entering a place called "La Mesa". It is there you will find Tamarind Thai.

I like my Thai places run by Thai folks and this fits the bill. I also like me some take out, so I got Phad Thai (the standard by which to judge any Thai restaurant), some laab (curiously made with chicken here) and fried fish in an egg dropped tamarind sauce. The Phad Thai noodles were nice cooked and seasoned just right. The laab light and refreshing. The tamarind fish was off the hook, yo.

But what could one expect from a restaurant named Tamarind? A common Thai dish is whole fish fried with a sweet/sour sauce fashioned from the namesake tree pod. This boneless/headless version did not disappoint. It seemed to me the epitome of what Thai cuisine is all about: highly flavored but BALANCED between sweet/sour, and salty/spicy. It is a balancing act that can go awry when attempted by culinarily inept individuals. They got it right on all counts.

Second time, I wanted to return not only for the food, but to find out what that neat looking building on the hill is: its a Buddhist temple ( I was hoping it was a restaurant with like super traditional food-sad face)  

This time, the place was quite busy. I had to get more of that fish in the tamarind sauce. I heard good things about the pineapple fried rice, so an order of that, and one order sticky rice with mango. "To go please." As expected: the fish was on point. The fried rice was, how do I say....had a bit much of the "wok hay" for my taste. Wok hay is a term used in Cantonese cookery to describe the "breath" or flavor the super hot wok adds to the food cooked in it. One might call it a smoky, grilly, burnty flavor that makes the food "alive!"

[The term wok hay is said to originate in the Guangdong province of China. Story is that it gets hot and humid there, so chefs want to spend a minimum amount of time in front of the hot fire. The solution? Crank it up and cook it fast! Note how in northern China, stir fry dishes have a less pronounced "wok flavor", with more braised, simmered dishes on the menu. It's cold there, and chef's don't mind spending time in front of the warming flames.]

Even though the term "wok hay" is strictly Cantonese, the hot climate of Thailand has led to a similar phenomenon that just doesn't have a name yet. Call it what you want, you can still experience it at Tamarind Thai. Oh, and the sticky rice with mango turned out to be another great balancing act. Drizzled with sweet coconut syrup, it is the thing dreams are made of.  I might just have to go out to "la Mesa" more often!

Cultural note: I have been told that in Hong Kong, folks can be superstitious. If a person gets a stir fried dish devoid of wok hay, it is considered a bad omen, and no investments or wagers are to be placed on that day.

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1

25

Maria A.

La Mesa, CA

4 1/2 stars...

Hark!  Finally, a Thai place that's always spot on each time I go.

The food is always tasty and full of spice!  Thai hot #10 for me.

All the way...great peanut sauce and curries.

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3

8

D S.

La Mesa, CA

I brought a friend here. He thought he didn't like Thai food, now he loves it.
Enough said.

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0

6

Andrew B.

San Diego, CA

One of our favorite Thai restaurants.  Small, unimposing, great food, quick service.  (Although we have never gone during prime time on the weekend.

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3

13

Elizabeth H.

San Diego, CA

Love this restaurant.  We've eaten here a dozen times, and every time it's great.  The service is friendly and quick.  The only thing I don't like about it is trying to decide between cashew chicken, peanut sauce (love this), curry or one of their other yummy choices.  You can choose chicken, beef, shrimp or calimari or vegi--then pick from their choices of ingredients.  Chicken is my favorite,  calimari not so great.  Lunch specials are a good deal--include soup and are big portions.   I always ask for "mild" since that's plenty hot for me.  Even the coconut ice cream is surprisingly good.  They do have outdoor seating, but no atmosphere there.  Outdoors would be ok for larger groups.  What they don't have in ambiance they make up for in taste.

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16

22

Nick C.

San Diego, CA

This is my favorite Thai restaurant. The pineapple fried rice that I've eaten there is probably the best thing I've ever eaten. The restaurant feels very fancy because the service is so good and everything in the place is of high quality, but the prices aren't ridiculous. They are also open until 9:30pm on weekdays and later on weekends, which is nice if you need to eat late.

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1

4

J M.

El Cajon, CA

It's hard enough to find good Thai food in S.D., and it's even harder to find in the East County. I stumbled across this little gem a few years back and fell in love. The atmosphere is great and the food is top notch. Good portions and fair prices, if you're trying it out for the first time go for the Pad thai with mixed seafood and a thai iced tea. The wait can get a little lengthy sometimes but there's a haircut place right next door so you can look your best when you finally get a table.

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0

4

Sierra S.

El Cajon, CA

My favorite thing about this restaurant is that the menu includes a photo of each item...I love that I can see what I'm gonna get. Good lunch specials with only slightly smaller portions that the entree size. The vegetable soup was very tasty, and really good Pad Thai.

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Elite '08

38

156

Vanessa D.

San Diego, CA

This is one of my favorite thai eats.  It's small and quaint.  They have a lot of options that are really healthy and the tastes are exotic.  Pad thai, spring rolls, fried tofu, chicken satay, curry.  And if you are really into the hot and spicy stuff they make it hot.  And if you are not into the spicy but the ethnic tastes you can opt out for mild, or medium levels of spiceiness.  It's a pretty moderate price too. Not too expensive, but not utterly cheap.  The people are really from Thailand so when you eat it, you know it's authentic.  Ha ha, remember if you eat spicy bring some tissues because your nose might get a little runy and your eyes a little teary! Great!!!

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