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Thai House Express
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
599 Castro St(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Castro
(415) 864-5000
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
370 reviews for Thai House Express
Review Highlights
"my fav's are the pad kee mao and chan pad poo."
(in 11 reviews)
"TOM KHA GAI( hot and sour chicken soup with coconut) is..."
(in 10 reviews)
"I recently had a green curry there and it was addictive."
(in 24 reviews)
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370 reviews in English
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Review from William C.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2012
One of the better Thai restaurants i have been to in SF, and it helps that it's close to my house. The service is not the most personable, but their food makes up for it. They also have a pretty quick turnaround, so you can eat and get out in a hurry if you need to.
Now I am a bit of a nut for a good Pad Thai, and most places don't do it right. This place DOES. So that's a few extra points in my book. Also the other noodle dishes are very good too, especially the Drunken Noodles and the flat wide ones.
I have been here on my own and also with a large group of friends, and each time the food has been tasty and impressive. Not quite spectacular, but also not far off. Hence the 4 stars.
if you are in the area, or even if you aren't, this place is worth a shout if you want a tasty, dependable, affordable Thai meal. -
Review from Randy M.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
I have to say I have gone to this place many many time over the years its been there and I honestly have had no problems and the food was up to par. This time and its been 4-5 months since I have been but so many new face working there and yes it was at 630 pm friday night BUT there was only 2 other table there and 7 service people working , the sad part is they seated up or I should say we walked to the table we wanted and then the server brought water and well 10 minutes later we r sitting and sitting watching these servers walk by us going in and out of the kitchen eating and chatting with each other and seeing that we were just watching them and still NOT ONE came to table to take order, I got up when they all were huddled around the front computer area and I said can one of u take our order we have BEEN ready! One came over and took all our orders and after that they brought the food which honestly was OK not really anything special even tho the menu had change which most would think that would mean more flavor or better quality.but all in all I was pretty disappointed in my used to be fav Thia house here in the hood. I will think twice about going when there r so many options in the hood.
NOTE to SERVERS please pay attention to your patrons esp when u work on tips due to myself I will not leave one when i can get better service at Burger King.
Randy Scorpio -
Review from Ramon T.
San Francisco, CA
1/15/2012
This Thai House has the most awful thai food. Don't even try to order food to go because if you do, the to go food will be even more awful!
There is better Thai food in the Castro. Thai Chef has better food. -
Review from Earlene C.
East Bay, CA
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
We came because the wait at Anchor Oyster was at least an hour.
Service at Thai House was great, the food however was just alright.
We had the Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Seafood Combination Red Curry and Tofu Eggplant.
The Salad and Curry would be most enjoyable. The soup was super salty and the tofu in the eggplant had a weird taste I've never had before. -
Review from Len M.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2012
Especially enjoyed the sautéed eggplant and pineapple fried rice tonight. The food is pretty decent here overall. Not the most personable wait staff, however. I've come here a couple times for lunch to get food to go, and haven't been disappointed.
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Review from Pablo C.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2012
My favorite Thai restaurant in SF. Not that I'm en expert on Thai food, but I really enjoy it everytime I swing by. My fav, #21, beef salad, the sauce is just spectacular. It's also a great place to go with friends if it's a big group. I've showed up with parties of 12 and always been able to make a reservation just a few hours ahead and there's never been a problem.
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Review from J O.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2011
Be warned: the "vegetarian" soup is NOT VEGETARIAN!! All their soups, including the "vegetarian" options are made with chicken stock. Some of the wait staff will try to claim it is totally vegetarian, but it never is (I have confirmed this with several people who work there).
Otherwise, the food is great, but I am always disappointed that they lie on the menu about their veggie options! -
Review from Ellie F.
12/3/2011
Don't let the name fool you! The establishment is both fancier than I was expecting with the word 'Express' tacked on the end, and our service wasn't very 'Express' either.
The food was SCRUMPTIOUS as I wolfed down all my Pad See Ewe after eating most of the selections on their appetizer sampler as well. Yummy yummy yummy thai food. Spicy (if you ask for it) and wonderful.
I have to knock off one star for the service. While polite, it was difficult to get our server's attention, and we had to ask twice for the check. On a date or something, this wouldn't be a big deal - but we had a show to get to. Don't worry - we made it on time.
Thai House Express will definitely be in my back pocket next time I'm in the Castro. -
Review from Susan S.
Castro, San Francisco, CA
12/6/2011
Thai House Express has VASTLY improved in the past half year to year since it got slapped on the wrist for a health code violation (you read it right!).
I live across the street, so had many opportunities to study the health inspector document that was taped to the their front door for many weeks. The slap on the wrist came because Thai House apparently set a pot of curry on the floor -- in all likelihood the commonest of occurrences in Asian, and non-Asian, restaurants -- and were caught red-handed.
Anyway, I've never, ever gotten sick from eating at this restaurant, but for the past 4 years, it's been quite mediocre in terms of food yumminess, ingredients and service.
2011 is definitely this restaurant's year to start over.
So far they've done a nice, 4+ star job:
Food:
+ Standard Thai restaurant items with better-than-average-quality ingredients. Veg curry doesn't just mean napa cabbage, but chock full of long beans, big chunks of pumpkin, broccoli, carrots, finely diced lemongrass, and whole leaves of Thai basil.
+ Pad Thai is not flavored with ketchup (as some really lame "Thai cooking at home!" cookbooks advise), but actually fairly complex -- fishy, seared, sweet, and tangy -- for what started out in this world as a humble street food.
Ambience:
+ Patrons of this restaurant are always some of the LEAST annoying :) people in San Francisco, even when they're drunk, which they're usually not. Go Castro.
+ Nice corner spot on the quietest end of the village, so a good place to chill out before or after the busier hangouts of this neighborhood.
Service:
+ Staff have become sweeter since their wrist-slap.
+ Always nice, and never condescending, about special requests like bringing my own containers for takeout, ingredient substitutions, etc.
Give this place a first, or second, try -- it's one of the Castro businesses that's NOT resting on its laurels, and appears to be trying hard to change, and improve. -
Review from Jose R.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
First visit here and very pleased.
We were greeted and sat promptly with menus. The food we ordered was delivered in a timely manner and all of it was delicious. Started with the coconut chicken soup - had a touch of lime which made it even better. My friend and I had the chicken pad tai and green curry pork.
To anyone who hasn't had a good experience, give them a another try. -
Review from scott h.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012
Descent food.
HORRIBLE SERVICE. Overpriced.
They charge for Diet Pepsi refills.
Service is so bad that the goodness of the food is irrelevant. Despite being seated in the main traffic flow of the wait staff all drink glasses stayed empty. Worst of all, drink refills aren't free.
Too many Thai options to waste your time hiking up Castro Street for this place. -
Review from D H.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2012
Food was really good. Spicy tofu and green beans are a treat. Tofu crisped up just right and delectable sauce.
Service was reasonable, though they do tend to do a lot of other things.
Nice atmosphere. Reasonable prices. I'll be back. -
Review from Flix N.
Sacramento, CA
12/19/2011
service was neglectful, despite being nearly empty.
ordered the catfish, the waitress explained they don't stock catfish anymore.
ordered the drunken noodles, they were out of flat noodles.
ordered the sukiyaki....it was vile.
had the the coconut soup, very good.
also, the house beef dish, also very good.
i remember eating some really good thai food here years ago. i'm assuming it has changed hands since then. -
Review from Peter W.
San Francisco, CA
8/6/2011
I have been eating there for 17 years in both locations. Between carry out & dine-in I spend around $3,000 each year. I live a block away.
Lately the staff has gotten my order wrong a lot- I have seen several customers complaining too. The staff has been seems inflexible.
There carry portions have change from container that we have now is 24oz and the old one was 32oz/ I used to love the Green curry A La Carte $9.25, but with the smaller portions it is not worth the money.
On 6/18/2011 & brought hand delivered it. I wrote Paul Meeriyagerd, the manager of the restaurant -the staff said he would be off for 5 days. I gave him my email which he responded to on 6/23/2011.
I asked if they were under new management several times & about the staff screwing up my order - with no response. He did apologize.
This is no way to treat once loyal very local customer. I am allergic to cabbage that is why I didn't eat any; it was not supposed to be in there anyways to begin with. I have always paid & tipped well & not complained about anything until now.
per Paul "Giving more to take-outs wouldn't really make any sense because we would rather encourage people to eat in."
per Paul "Plus the prices of food are going up everyday and I think our prices are still reasonable "
He never offered any anything for my trouble.
I have made a decision to not eat there again.
Pete -
Review from Joel G.
Lincoln, NE
12/20/2011
Good Thai Food. I was really hungry and got the Green Curry and the portion was a little bit too small for me so I ordered a second plate, this time Pad Thai, and it was awesome and I was super full.
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Review from Andrew C.
Oakland, CA
12/14/2011
I read many of the reviews for this place and it seemed that the biggest issue people had was the attitude of the staff as opposed to the food. I needed to pick up some food to go and so gave this place a try. I walked in, went to the counter and ordered. The person who helped me was very nice and explained a couple of things I asked about. No problem with the staff. Got a smile and a laugh when I came back to pick up the food 20 minutes later.
The food itself was quite good. I would have given it 4 stars but for the fact that the veggies in two of the dishes (string bean chicken and prawn red curry) were pretty much the same, string beans, expected in the first dish but thought there'd be something different in the second. The pad thai was very tasty and the dishes themselves were good, just too many string beans. Overall, definitely worth a try. -
Review from Shreya G.
Fremont, CA
Not a bad place to stop by for lunch.
We were actually looking for a different restaurant to eat at for lunch, only to find they were closed and doing construction. Well, hungry as heck, we found this Thai place a few doors down. Glad that we stopped and ate here.
They have lunch specials for $10.95, which is a pretty good deal for the amount of food you get! You get Tom Kha soup, and a selection of entrees (shrimp, chicken, beef, vegetarian), along with salad, rice, and egg rolls. You will definitely find yourself struggling to finish all that food because there is so much. They give it to you on a skinny dish that makes it look much smaller than it really is, so don't let it fool you!
I actually don't like coconut, but that soup was amazing.
The service was also good! Everyone was friendly and they didn't nag us. They also didn't take our food away before we finished eating (which has happened to us before).
They also have REALLY clean bathrooms for a public place/restaurant.
Definitely would come back here again. -
Review from Jordan Z.
San Francisco, CA
8/4/2011
Fresh and delicious Thai food. I ordered pumpkin curry, with fresh spring rolls. The pumpkin curry was well balanced, with large chunks of kabucha squash, which added a nice sweetness. The curry was heavy on fresh veggies, and had an impressive kick to it. Which brings me to my final point...the pleasant surprise of Thai House Express's spice scale.
I think Obama's first action after winning the presidency should've been to standardize the spiciness scale in the U.S. How disappointing is it when you order a a vegetable curry with 3.5 stars, and it tastes more like 0 stars. Thai House Express has no such scale. When you ask for it spicy, it comes spicy. -
Review from Pete S.
Mill Valley, CA
6/19/2011
Why are there so many princesses writing reviews now?
You want to be dazzled every time you go out for a meal?
I've never had a bad experience here.. never. 2 stars only? GTFO -
Review from Jeph H.
San Francisco, CA
11/4/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I'm not sure why, but I adore this place. They had me with the money bags and cucumber salad appetizer, but when they added the lunch special - YAY! Soup, salad, appetizer, entree... so good, so reasonable, and just the right portions for lunch. GO THERE TODAY!
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Review from Will N.
Castro, San Francisco, CA
5/8/2011
I have eaten here twice and the food is incredibly unremarkable.
On top of it, the service is terrible. I stopped in on a day when the wind was whipping around it and was incredibly cold. They wanted to sit me at a table by the door.
I asked if I could sit in the back area away from the door and they said that section was "closed". It wasn't late and there were still people seated there. Clearly the waiter had no desire to walk another 20 feet to wait on tables in the back.
I walked out. I will never go back. -
Review from Alysha M.
5/23/2011
Delicious, affordable, authentic Thai cuisine. Great customer service. I especially enjoyed the Salmon wrapped in banana leaves served with a cilantro dipping sauce.
Good to come with a larger party so you can try a lot of different dishes!Listed in: Best of Thai
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Review from Claudia M.
Fort Shafter, HI
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
awesome place, awesome location, awesome food!!!!!
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Review from Jennifer W.
Berkeley, CA
9/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
What I thought of this place was just another Thai restaurant. I like the contemporary decor and dishware, but it's not fully elegant and coupled with the menu, it all tells me that this is another medium-priced, medium-tasting, medium-impressiveness establishment. I could've easily walked into another restaurant as easily as I walked into this one. The service was nice and friendly. The pad thai was good. The noodles were not too soft or hard. The currys are pretty mild. The fried banana and mango with sticky rice desserts are the stand out items. The drinks aren't bad. The lunch specials are great, so come here for that.
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Review from rox p.
Long Beach, CA
Authentic and delicious Thai food. I've not been able to find a good Thai restaurant where we live. When I'm in San Francisco I always make sure I go to this Thai restaurant.
We ordered the pumpkin curry with beef. The curry was flavorful and had just enough sweetness and savory note that blended really well. The Crab pad thai was cook just right. The noodles were cooked perfectly, the meat was abundant and the sweetness and spice were just the right amount. The green papaya salad, we ordered spicy, was fresh and crisp. My favorite the basil chicken - it was cooked with just enough basil to taste and the spice level was just enough to taste but not to burn the tongue. -
Review from Marcus B.
San Francisco, CA
7/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Delicious pineapple and shrimp curry. I asked for spicy and boy did I get it!
Definately worth a little fire though! -
Review from Jimmy L.
San Francisco, CA
9/23/2011
Thai House Express has saved me a few times from decision fatigue. It's location makes it a easy choice and the food never disappoints.
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Review from Andrew C.
Manhattan, NY
1/18/2011 11 Check-ins Here
I can't recollect the exact number of times I've eaten at Thai House Express on Castro, but having lived less than 5 doors up on Castro street for over a year, I can assure myself that it's enough to write an honest review. And honestly, the service here is 90% 'go f*ck yourself - you're inconveniencing me by eating where I work.' The other 10% is from a nice lady, whom I assume owns or manages the place but rarely serves, or from a one-off server whom I never see twice.
In a city where Thai food is easily accessible, they need to understand the value of legendary customer service - even in a fast turning eatery like this. While the food itself is quite enjoyable, I've made a commitment to myself to enjoy dining out, and I've experienced equal quality food with much better service at neighborhood competitors: Nirvana and Thai Chef.
If you are here, and are looking for a recommendation, their curries are amazing as well as their flat rice noodle dishes. -
Review from Kristen C.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2011 3 Check-ins Here
If you're in Castro and want Thai...this is the spot :)
When i came in, the first thing i noticed was that I loved the decor. Especially the flower prints on the wall. Service was great and everyone was super friendly and helpful. We went around 7:30 on a Monday night, and it was surprisingly packed which is always a good sign. Their menu was extensive but definitely not overwhelming, and they have all the basics you want when you crave Thai food. Even better, they have a decent wine menu!
fav dishes of the night:
- tom yum goong soup
- pad thai
- som tum thai (green papaya salad)
- pumpkin curry
- ga prow (minced chicken w/ basil, chili, and bell peppers)
They get their 5th star because of their mango sticky rice dessert. I got some serious mango knowledge that night! Unlike other places who use semi-ripe or stringy fibrous mangoes during the winter season, these were SWEET and left no grossness in your mouth after biting into it. AMAZING FOR THE FREAKING MIDDLE OF WINTER!
I was told that mangoes that taste stringy are mostly from Mexico, but the sweeter ones come from Guatemala or the Philippines. It obviously shows they know their stuff even down to the last details ...like where to purchase good mangoes :) -
Review from Monica G.
Alhambra, CA
9/27/2011
Kind of an average Thai place with decent prices. I loved the mint lemonade and the Tom Yum soup (be careful, its spicy). The Pad See Ew was very bland and very nutty tasting but a huge portion. We didnt' experience any problems with service but the guys next to us were complaining about the menu changing and things not being the same as before.
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Review from E M.
San Francisco, CA
8/29/2011
Better than the other Thai House Express!
They make a "Neur Kem" (Thai beef jerky) which is really delicious. they take the beef into little pieces raw, marinate it in this lime pepper sauce, and deep fry it. then served with this spicy light dipping sauce, mmmm so good.
Now, let's talk curry. Curry should be neither sauce nor soup. Curry should be fresh and have flavor in every bite, not just at the top or the bottom. These guys do curry. Green chicken curry rocks. Fresh vegetables, served at a good hot temperature, and a nice kick of spice.
Also, the service is pretty good. -
Review from rob n.
San Francisco, CA
Well I went with a friend of mine on a Friday afternoon, when the place was pretty quiet and dead, and although the food was good, the service was kind of bleh.
We were seated right away, but we didn't see a wait staff member for a good 10 minutes. That's a real 10 minutes, and not the "it feels like 10 but was only 5".
So after 10 minutes of waiting, we were ready to order everything, so we placed our order, and the food started coming out pretty fast. However they forgot one of the things we ordered. We ordered 4 things, nothing difficult, and they couldn't even get all 4 things. It's called a note pad, write it down if you can't remember.
Now with all of that said, the food was ok. It wasn't amazing, it wasn't great, it was ok. Nothing special to say the least. If I want good thai food, I will definitely hit Basil Canteen on Folsom, otherwise I don't think I would go out of my way to come here if I am in Castro.
Overall, it wasn't bad, but it was great/good, it was ok. -
Review from tout le monde a.
San Francisco, CA
1/12/2011
I haven't been here in a few years. I've been hearing how they've gone downhill, but I had to find out for myself.
My four test dishes are things every Thai restaurant should do well. It's not fair to rate a place on one dish, or on the mood of the server.
Unfortunately, The Thai House Express on Castro managed to prepare all four dishes poorly, and nobody came back to say "how's everything?"
Som Tam - Green Papaya Salad (Limp, vaguely lime-flavored, no chilies at all, no dried shrimps, and generally lackluster)
Garlic Eggplant with Beef (heavy dark plum sauce gravy and very salty)
Green Chicken Curry (too much coconut milk and not curry flavor to make it hot and memorable)
Pad Thai (unremarkable, soggy, bland flavor)
Ouch! It really was painful to pay for an expensive meal that tasted so bad. Thai food should always be interesting, and never bland!
Maybe I should have asked for the dishes prepared Thai style? But I thought that would go without saying in a Thai place. -
Review from J S.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2011
Hey, Thai House Express On Castro, I don't need you to be a b*tch when I call in to place my phone order.
Who cares about the food when every experience involves one to three stuck-up employees? -
Review from Sin F.
San Francisco, CA
10/3/2011
I side with the other poor reviews. The staff seems to not care and the food is average. Last time I got beef with straw mushrooms in oyster sauce the beef was like rubber. This place has good hours and is super convenient location-wise for me. I just wish it were better.
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Review from Becca S.
2/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Having seen a movie at the Castro on a Friday night, I made the decision that I needed some tasty food in my belly to accompany the moving images still churning around in my head. Someone suggested Thai food as it is both tasty and veggie-friendly, and so we made the minuscule mosey over to Thai House Express.
Thai House Express is a trendy looking place. The decor is rather bare-bones, though the hip-looking people in their skinny-looking jeans and chunky-looking glasses tend to provide most of the visual stimulation. And we had a lot of time to look around, as the wait for a table was surprisingly long. We were given menus and were able to order ahead of time, which was nice. But another group of the same size was seated first, even though they arrived after us, which was a little less nice.
The menu was extensive, and very vegetarian-friendly. Pretty much anything can be made with tofu, and my friends ended up with piles of various vegetables on top of brown rice. They looked (and, I'm told, were) super good. We also got spring rolls and, perhaps to compensate for being so darn healthy, the corn cakes. Not being one to pass up curry, I got the gang koor goong: shrimp in red curry, pineapples, tomatoes, and basil. The spring rolls were deliciously average, the corn cake was deliciously fried (and a refreshing change of pace!), and the curry held its own quite well. It was creamy with a little heat as I was anticipating, but I was a little disappointed by the amount of delightful chunky bits in my curry - it looked a bit more like soup, though it did taste excellent over the rice.
The service was really quite alright once we were seated, and I'm mostly content with the prices - Thai House Express could charge for ambiance if it wanted to, but they don't and I appreciate that very much. If I'm in the Castro, I'll likely show up again and try some of the other dishes. It's legit and it's tasty, but it's no reason to make a pilgrimage across the city. Unless, of course, you just like taking pilgrimages. -
Review from Anthony I.
Vacaville, CA
9/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
loooove the older woman that serves here. she's engaging and brings the food out quick. they play great music during your meal service. best thai iced tea in the castro. the food rivals any of the other places nearby.
very good and i highly reccommend. -
Review from Tim Z.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/22/2011
Hmmmm well went back after a loooong time and was just picking up to go - which was delicious btw (hence the two stars) - but have to say some (not all) of the guys working were anything but welcoming. Will probably consider going elsewhere next time even if I do live 5 doors away.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/30/2007
Four stars for food, a half star for service (if that). I recently called for pick up and was hung… Read more »
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Review from Andrew S.
1/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Whenever I'm craving some Tom Kha Gai I know exactly who to turn to...[Enter] Thai House Express. There's just something about the warm broth of coconut and chicken soup resulting in a milky, aromatic, sour, salty, and super appetizing taste. A must try on a cool San Francisco night!
I'm also a fan of their #72 (Chicken Cashew Main) served either A La Carte (with a side of rice) or as a main. One thing is for sure, I never leave here hungry. There is plenty of food to go 'round.
A great place to start off the night clubbing with some good friends and good Thai food! -
Review from S B.
San Francisco, CA
6/20/2011
Why do people rave about this place? There's zero authenticity here (ever take a peek in the kitchen?), the staff is rude (unlike authentic Thais), and the food is a bunch of boiled-over who-knows-what.
You want to impress your date? Open a can of Chef-Boyardee and light a candle-it's much more impressive.
