Thai House Express
901 Larkin St
(between Cedar St & Geary St)
San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 441-2248
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
332 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"I love this place for any day of the week dinner and drinks. Besides that its down the street from where I live, they have a friendly staff…" read more »
221 Reviews for Thai House Express
Pork leg noodle soup is the best soup in SF. Anise, tender pork falling apart, pickled veg - perfection.
Pumpkin curry also very good. Stir fry dishes are well done but forgettable.
I've been to Thailand and really loved the food there, but I still can enjoy just about any mediocre or better Thai food here in the US. My boyfriend is a different story, though. His visits to Thailand (2-1/2 months or so total on 2 separate trips) left him so enamored of the cuisine's subtleties that he is a super-snob when it comes to Thai restaurants. So far, this place still qualifies as his fave in the city. And I think it's pretty great, too. Definitely a cut far above the average amid the ubiquitous Thai joints in this town. That makes it worthy of five stars in my book. Well, that and the freedom from arguing and/or cajoling the bf to get him to accept it as a meal destination. This place has great food and supports relationship harmony. (Sure hope that what I just read here about the chef leaving for the east bay doesn't mean the food will suffer...)
Love love love this place. Inexpensive, convenient, and always hits the spot. The po tak soup is SO SPICY. Even the "medium spice" had me coughing with the first sip. The next time I ordered mild, which was perfect for me since I can't handle it too spicy. The red curry is my other fav. This is a place I am not reluctant to try everything on the menu because I know it's going to be good.
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You Yelpers love this place. Can't get enough of it. Say it's one of your favorite Thai restaurants in the city, even.
Clearly, my experience was unlike the rest of you. Pity.
Now, I'm not expecting fine-dining, white-tablecloth service at a place like this. Far from it. But it could be described here as lackadaisical at best. I wasn't given a menu when I sat down, and waited and waited for one to appear. Finally, I gave up and got one myself. My water glass sat empty for a long time, and nobody ever came back to check on me once the food came out. All this in a near-empty establishment.
I ordered the Pra Ram, which is a dish that comes with vegetables, peanut sauce, and your choice of meat. I ordered the chicken. Unfortunately, it was very unappealing visually. The chicken had been cut into thin strips and then boiled, which lent it a disturbingly pale and rubbery appearance. On top of these snowy white strips was a gluey, orange-brown sauce. A few vegetables hid beneath the chicken. I took a bite and was overwhelmed by the sweetness of the peanut sauce. I had to add heaping teaspoons of dried chili flakes to make it tolerable. Obviously, I ordered the wrong thing here.
The final straw came after I'd eaten maybe one-third of it and found a hair in my food. Blech.
Not wanting to start any kind of hassle - clearly, the staff here could care less about my experience - I paid the bill and left.
So here's the deal. Anyone who knows me knows that my mom is Thai. I was born in Bangkok, and have spent a lot of time in Thailand. While that doesn't make me an expert by any means, perhaps I'm more critical than some. Besides the obvious fact that there was a hair in my food (and let's be fair, it happens sometimes), I didn't like my dish at all.
Thai House Express earns an extra star because I'm guessing that it was all just a fluke. The hair, the dish, and the service.
Am I willing to try again and find out?
Meh...
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Head chef took his menu with him to Chai Thai Noodles in Oakland http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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08/07/2006
Update 5/10/08: Tried the Pork leg stew noodle soup. This is sort of like a Thai Pho but with pork.… Read more »
I have become all about this restaurant these last few weeks. It's a new favorite. I still particularly adore the Tom Kha Gai. As a child, I ate tons of this stuff called Lucas. It's a little shaker full of chili powder, citric acid, salt, and a little sugar. The overwhelming sour/salty flavor gave me this visceral flavor high when I ate it. Same with the Tom Kha Gai. The intensity is almost too much, but it's exquisite.
Pad Kee-Mao (#66, spicy noodles with Chinese broccoli) is another favorite of mine. I just tried the Gang Panang Nuer (#52, beef in red curry) last night. It was fantastic. The beef had zero fat or gristle. I've also tried the Roti dessert with ice cream. It was flaky and wonderful, but I thought the ice cream didn't really mesh with the pancake. I think it would have been better with some sweetened creme fraiche or as an appetizer with curry dipping sauce. On its own, however, the coconut ice cream totally rocked. I've only tried about five different varieties, but this was the best. The only thing I haven't liked was the Por-Pier Pak (#4, vegetarian egg rolls).
When you consider how cheap they are, Thai House Express absolutely deserves five stars.
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05/28/2008
Obviously I've come late to the Thai House party. But just to get in my two cents worth- The tod… Read more »
This is def one of the best Thai places in the city .. I would actually rather give it 4 1/2 though.
Only bad part is that it's not the best location .. kind of ghetto over in the loin. I don't mind it but ... girls are never that happy when you take them there :)
Either way .. the pad see yu is amazing.... all the curries are great and there is some spicy beef dish I get like every time but can't remember the name of.
Don't forget to read the specials on the wall as well.
YUM! The restaurant was a happy surprise to me and a friend who stumbled into it while waiting for a show at the Edinburgh. The place is clean with huge windows to better see the flavor of Larkin St. Makes for amusing "people-watching" while waiting for your food to arrive. Trust me on this! You see all the action from the comfort of your seat.
Gai Ka Prow is always my test of a thai restaurant since there is a distinct flavor to it that cannot be altered and Thai House passed by a mile. Their catfish larb is an explosion of goodness in your mouth. I will go back for the pork leg stew and Pad Kee-Mao...
Most of all the Thai House staff is wonderful and the servers are fabulous!
When it comes to Thai, I am one picky mo-fo. Why? Well, I lived in Thailand for 7 months with Thais from all levels of society. I tried some of the best Thai food at places where even the King ate. For me, eating Thai in the USA has got to be one of THE most frustrating things, because most Thai restaurants suck. Yeah, they may taste superficially good, but the Americanization of Thai food is 'whorendous' [sic] and entire uncool. (In fact, the Westernization of Thai food is so extreme that there are many establishments in Thailand that cater to foreigners that NO LONG serve good Thai food.) While I will never give any Thai place outside of Thailand 5-stars, I have to say that this place comes pretty close in terms of flavor and authenticity of the food. I always feel good when I am here, and I have been entirely impressed with dishes like yam woonsen and larb. I will return again in the future, and I can say that about very few other Thais.
Ode to conciseness. We stumbled to this place because it was the least ghetto place on the street. Because we were in a rush, I didn't even look at the menu except to say to the waiter that I wanted Pad Thai (every Thai restaurant must serve that). It was 8:30 and movie started at 9:00, so as soon as the Pad Thai came, we got take out boxes and the service was very understanding about everything and were quick about it, too. We ate the Pad Thai in the movie theatre. It was okay, but a little too sweet for my liking. Is this the fairest review of the place? Probably not.
Great stuff! Cheap, quick, clean, and very tasty!
I recommend the pad ke maw (spicy noodles), beef jerky, fried rice, and most anything else. My girlfriend especially likes spikey-haired asian guy is "very nice," gives "good service," is "very cute," and always remembers her and her friends.
My favorite dish here is the Pork Leg Stew Noodle Soup. To me its the best noodle soup you can get in San Francisco. Better than any Pho, Ramen or duck noodle soup I've had. You even get to choose what noodle you want with it. I usually get thin egg noodles, but whatever floats your boat. The pork is reasonably tender but the broth is so flavorful that everything else is an accompaniment. I'm not sure I can describe what the flavor is like but its just a deep flavored broth that's not thick like Ramen but much more intense than any Pho I've had. Its good stuff on a foggy day.
This is one of my favorite Thai restaurants. I have not been disappointed with anything I've ordered here. I'm a noodle lover though, so that's what I'll usually order. When I want to eat rice, I like to get the Gai Grapow (Basil Chicken)...YUMMERS! Downfall...it's sooooooooo hard to find parking and the neighborhood is not so pleasant. Try it though, it really is good.
went for my second time here today. first time was great. but today it didn't taste like the same place. the flavor was gone ... what happened???
This place is awesome. We always come here for an authentic treat. Great food!! You can't go wrong with any dish. I personally like Kao-ka-moo and Kuaw-taew-tom-yum. It's cheap and fast (express). Highly recommended :)
If you love Thai food, as I do, you must experience this hole-in-the-wall dig. It is unquestionably the best Thai I've ever enjoyed. Forget the neighborhood (tender-nob), the atmosphere (bare necessities), just delve into the most fantastic food and you'll be as hooked as I am. Dishes you must try: Duck Larb (spicy shredded duck with rice meal, onion, cilantro) Cured Pork Sausage, and apparently everyone's favorite, the pork leg stew, always available on the chef recommendations list. I live in Sonoma and drive into the city almost once a month for this incomparable Thai fare.
Very very good food. I've been here a few times and the food has always been awesome.
The wait staff are also very friendly.
Good prices.
The menu is very large so lots of good things to choose from.
I'll def be back for more!
My friend who is a chef recommended meeting up at this place, so I knew it had to be good. Although, I have to admit...as I was driving up Geary through the Tenderloin, I was a wee bit nervous. But any worries melted away once I was inside and eating the delicious flavors this place has to offer.
Hands down, the best dish we had was the pork leg stew. So many interesting flavors, I can't begin to describe how good it was. The yellow curry was equally amazing. We also tried the papaya salad...it was good, but not nearly as tasty as the two main dishes we got. My friend said the soup everyone was talking about on here is to die for as well...so I can't wait to go back to try it!
The best part...our bill was $23.
Seriously.
Go there.
thank god for friends in the know. and yelp, of course, which is like the most knowledgable (but sometimes schizophrenic) friend ever.
one of my foodie pals dragged me to thai house express after we'd ODed on yuppiedom at bar americano. from $14 glasses of champagne along the embarcadero, straight into the loin - that's why i love san francisco!!
we had the friend whole pompono (divine!), chinese brocolli with salt cod, beers, braised pork, and a mixed veggie dish. everything was fantastic, and they even have brown rice. LOVE!
did i mention it's wicked cheap?
This is my favorite Thai place, EVER! I've been to quite a few places but this is the best. I always get the pad see-ew. They make the noodles extra oily and I think that's why it's so good. I also get the fried banana if I have room in my tummy. They give you TWO scoops of ice cream. I usually go to places that only give you one scoop.
My sister recommended this place to me awhile back and I'm so glad she did. She won't come back though. She said she found a bug in her food.
Also, the area is bad. One time I was here around 9 o'clockish and a homeless person came in asking people for money. One of the waiters escorted the man out but still. I don't want to have to see that when I'm trying to enjoy my pad see-ew and fried banana. I won't fault this place for either incidence bc the food is so good. You can judge for yourself though.
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according to my three criteria thai food analysis, this place only get's 3 stars becase:
1. their pineapple fried rice is mediocre and doesn't automatically come with shrimp as well as the meat of your choice. the shrimp should be a staple.
2. palm juice is on the menu, but very rarely in supply. my advice is that they should remove it from the menu so that i don't go in there and get my hopes up only to have them dashed to smithereens.
3. the mango sticky rice is on point, but not enough to make up for the misses on points 1 and 2.
i do give them cool points for being conveniently located close to my previous place of employment. honorable mention also for the television that always plays animal planet during the lunch hours and for the friendliness of the staff.
most of this review applies to their sister location in the 'stro, only they usually play tbs movies when i'm there and they are closer to all of my party spots in the castro...great for pre and post drinking munchies.
Yes, their food is great and following other people's advice I went for a mild on the spice scale and that was good. Thai iced coffee - yummy. Food really comes out lightning fast. Roti dessert with Thai ice scream. Yes, scream, it's that good...not just cream. You're on a bit of a sugar high afterwards, but it's what keeps you bobbin' past the bums outside.
The roasted pork leg stew (khao kha moo) is excellent. If you need it, you gotta come here (no one else serves it).
Yellow curry chicken is good too. I think it's cooked like a stew (unlike all the places in the south bay where the chicken is boiled in water until it tastes like shoestring, then thrown into the curry with parboiled carrots).
Down half a block is the Edinburgh Castle pub. Excellent place to hang out, get a drink and sometimes see a band.
Nicely spiced pad kra pao, enjoyed the soup as well. Lots of tables so didn't have to wait. Reasonably priced. Decent service.
If the neighborhood didn't feel so sketchy, I'd go more frequently.
On Sunday I asked myself "Do I really want deep fried chillied catfish head at 11am?" Um, hell yeh I did.
The salads are where its at. Super authentic. Downside is they're too small.
If you ask for spicy with a no-nonsense American Psycho stare, you'll get it.
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This is hands-down my favorite Thai restaurant in SF. I guess I'm somewhat of a Thai food snob being Thai, having grown up on Thai food and having lived in Thailand. Even my Thai parents, my Thai sister and my Thai husband love this place. We're all about authenticity and this place is it. The food isn't sweetened to satisfy American tastes. This is as close as I've found to good ol' home-cooking.
I also like this place because they have food that's difficult to find in America. My favorite dish here is Tom Kha Gai, Thai hot. I will risk getting an ulcer for a nice, hot bowl of Tom Kha Gai. And it's not overpriced, not overposh.
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Authentic Thai food can be buried by overwhelmingly amount of Thai-ish restaurants in the city. When I first saw the name, I would never think that it's something close to...say, Marnee on 9th ave. But since it's recommended by my boy and his foodie friend, I gave it a try finally. And the result : nodding my head non stop.
The green curry was SOOOO good!! Spicy, sweet, coco-milky, tangy, with lots of different veggies. For some reason the bamboo shoots taste great in the curry. The flavors of different ingredients blend so well in the dish that's so much fun to eat! However, it's SOOOOO SPICY!! Boy stopped eating after like the 3rd bite, I took over, as someone who are pron to spicy food. I had to stop about half of the bowl. Sooooo good. But we were both gassy and uncomfortable the rest of the day, not because there's anything wrong with the food, it's so good that we couldn't resist it.
The Pig's feet noodle soup that's recommended by a friend was pretty good too. It hit the spot on a cold day. The flavor of the soup is mild, but still flavorful. I'd like to have more of the soft, gummy, tendon stuff from the feet though.
The dessert: sticky rice with coconut milk and fresh mango was very nice too. Perfect dessert if you were only 70% full, but still perfect if you are 99% full like we were. It just that good that your stomach will make space for it.
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Its been a while since I had lunch here, but from what I can remember, the food was tasty if unremarkable. Service can be a little off and for some reason, the waiters here like to wear their tight, tight hipster jeans real low. Let's just say seeing a flash of underwear every time they bent over slightly (as in bending over to place dishes on the tables) can be a bit disconcerting.
We started off with their appetizer special of the day- deep-fried won tons that were crisp and filled with a delicious blend of pork and shrimp. As for the entrees, we had the Moo Prig King (old Thai style pork with green beans and chili paste), the Pad Se-ew (pan fried rice noodles chicken, egg and Chinese broccoli), Gai Yang (barbecue marinated chicken served with sticky rice) , and chicken Gang Dang (medium red curry sauce with mixed vegetables). The Gai Yang was probably the least tasty of the four because the chicken was pretty dry. The Pad Se-ew was okay, as was the red curry chicken. The best dish of lunch was the Moo Prig King, which was absolutely awesome- the chili paste added just the right amount of heat to the sauce and the green beans were tender yet crisp. Needless to say, we polished it all off.
I'd be back especially for the Moo Prig King if I were in the area again, though there's so many other choices in the surrounding blocks that I always forget about this restaurant. Prices were reasonable for the portions and overall, it was a pleasant lunch.
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I guess it's redundant but I love this place too. I've been coming here for 6 years now. In fact, I used to live in Sacramento and would drive to SF one Saturday a month to eat here. It's THAT good. My then bf would ask me to bring him here whenever he came to visit from the East Coast.
This place is one of a few Thai restaurants in SF that I would say serve "authentic" Thai food(I was born and raised in Bangkok). Here are a few dishes I recommend: Kao Kah Moo(Pork Feet Stew), Kuay tiew Rua(Beef Noodles), Kuay Tiew Tom Yum(Spicy Noodles), Kao Mun Ghai(Ginger Chicken??), Thai Suki Yaki(dry), Kao Soy(Curry Noodles), and Koi Si Mee(Pan Fried Noodles with gravy). Other dishes are good too. The Roti dessert is sooo yummy. The one dish I've tried I don't recommend is Pad Thai. It is not even close to authentic. In fact, I can never find authentic pad thai anywhere in the Bay Area. Let me know if you know of any place.
Lastly but most importantly, the food here comes so fast you think it's fast food. You order and within 5 min, your food is on the table. You take a bite, and life is better again.
Thai House Express has escaped my review for so long because it's become one of those standard neighborhood places where I often stop in for soup or quick dishes on the way home. I probably wouldn't have thought to review it until I took some friends there last weekend.
It was a weekend night and busier than usual, so we're waiting a few minutes for a table. While near the cash register, I happen to see a recent health inspection notice just barely peeking out from behind another piece of paper. 78! ("78," I laugh to myself. "But I eat here all of the time!") Not wanting to look like a jerk who takes their friends to less than clean spot in their 'hood (what can you expect in the 'loin?) I don't say anything to my dining companions.
Not ten minutes later I was desperately trying to dilute my hideously sugared mint lemonade with my water while biting into a hot, tasty string roll. Yes, I know what you're thinking: it's SPRING roll, Holly, not STRING roll. Perhaps you'd like to share that sentiment with the chef. I pulled a generous length of twine from the shredded veggies tucked into said "string roll," and quickly called over our waiter.
Our waiter didn't seem terribly concerned but dutifully gathered up my plate and disappeared into the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later and said the string rolls would be on the house. There was still one roll remaining on the table. I looked at my friends and dared them to take it. I told the waiter we needed a minute to decide if we wanted the rest of our order and he walked off with no apologies or other offers.
I'm well aware that there are many worse things to find in one's food than string, but the couldn't care less attitude of this place is striking (at least appear sorry -or shocked!- and appropriately compensate your patrons for a mishap.) I won't be back until the health inspector's score on this place improves: http://dphwww.sfdph.or...
Ate here last night, and had the Gang Dang = veggies, pork and red curry. It was very tasty and perfectly spicy. My girlfriend had the pineapple fried rice and she really enjoyed it also. Portion sizes were plentiful and I was happy with the meal. We had a couple of Singha's to cool off the spiciness and left with smiles on our faces, and our bellies full. I would definitely go back.
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Hands down for the chicken and rice. #44. Ok so maybe my girlfriends and I might be a tad obsessed. But nothing beats steamed chicken over garlic rice with extra sauce. Ok so maybe we just go there for the sauce but we do need to rice to go with it so we don't look crazy. Well that isn't the only thing that we order when we go. We do order another item like the larb (its a salad) with chicken. Beware though if you can't eat spicy ask for mild. Their medium is pretty kicking. Even though they didn't have the chicken and rice that last time I was here. They still get 5 stars.
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Another one of my Thai favorite restaurants. It's about the same to me as Marnee Thai, but not as expensive. I especially like how they have this common dish, "khao man gai" that's served in Bangkok, Thailand, but hard for me to find in a lot of Thai restaurants.
Just got back from a trip to Asia, which included Thailand and this place is very close to the Thai food I had on my trip. Of course, it's not an exact match, but it's damn close enough. Especially their papaya salad. The only thing Thai House Express can change to make it closer to authentic Thai food from Thailand would be to make their own noodles.
My favorite here is #69...the flat rice noodles with minced meat (choice of chicken, beef, pork OR vegetarian)...tossed in a curry sauce. You can order as spicy as you like. Just a warning though...the medium in their spicyness might be too spicy for most people.
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This became a fall back place after going to Lahore Karahi only to see that, of all days that they could just decide to close, it would be the one I would got there with a friend who hadn't had Indian food in the better part of two years. But I digress.
Food was cheap and tasty, portions were decent sized. Not over-flowing, but enough to fill you up by the time you left. The Pad-see-yew and Green Curry Beef that we ordered were both tasty. Service was quick and friendly. Decor was sparse, and the Christmas decorations sitting on the ledge were a bit strange.
Overall, a good place, worth going to again should I find myself in the mood for Thai food, or without Indian food. I think I basically like 'spicy,' 'sauce,' and 'curry' to be found on the menu, so this was a fine substitute.
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this place rocks. If you ask for spicy - it's real. no joke.
i think the non noodle dishes are the stand outs. Kao Ka Moo. This is the place to get adventurous. I did order the raw sausage - it was a bit too adventurous for me.
all in all best thai in town - marnee and osha are close seconds.
When the Yelp helium tank needs to be refilled, I no longer mind being the one to cart it down to SFParty - since I've discovered Thai House Express, right around the corner.
Thai House Express is quality eats. The atmosphere is low-key, the service quick, and the food never disappoints.
I highly recommend their pad-thai: delicious, seasoned and sweetened just right. Their pad see yu is true greasy bliss. And if you still have room at the end of your meal, their mango and sticky rice, of course, (should mango and sticky rice ever be doubted?) - is on point.
If you have time, check out Thai House Express' menu and scroll through it slowly. You'll have trouble controlling the rumblings of a hungry stomach, but the images in your head of hot high caliber thai food - will be worth it.
Tring a book, some friends, and grab a booth near their big windows
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Thai House Express is a good alternative to Osha. The staff is friendlier and the food is just as good.
Alloy! Alloy!
(delicious in Thai)
Great food and close to my house...good for me, but maybe not for you.
Love, love the food here. I'm fairly partial to the Pad See Ew, but really everything here is good.
I work nearby and we come here occasionally for lunch. My husband, who is Thai, couldn't possible believe I could have found a good Thai joint on my own and wouldn't come here. UNTIL he got a recommendation from some other local Thais and they told him to come to Thai House Express. Now everytime I have to work late, I get a phone call - - "You're bringing takeout from Thai House Express, right?" He's sold and you should be too.
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