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Thep Lela Thai Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
615 Strawberry VillageRedwood Hwy Frontage Rd
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 383-3444
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
95 reviews for Thep Lela Thai Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...rice with mango and fried banana with coconut ice cream."
(in 3 reviews)
"I'm a big fan of the Pad Basil with seafood."
(in 6 reviews)
"The best Thai I've found in Marin."
(in 18 reviews)
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95 reviews in English
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Review from Helen L.
San Francisco, CA
10/16/2011
I enjoyed the atmosphere and dining in the special tables with seat cushions to the right of the restaurant. I thought it was a nice added touch. I think the vegetable pad thai was the best pad thai I've had to date. I was disappointed with the attitude of the owner who was seating our large group. She did not appear friendly and it seemed like we were irritating her as we decided where to sit despite the fact that we were giving her good business.
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Review from Matt B.
Mill Valley, CA
9/21/2011
"Thep Lela" anagrams (for real):
Late Help
Tape Hell
"Thep Lela Thai" anagrams (for real):
Ape Hit Lethal
Hate Heat Pill
Hell, that a pie?
And now for something completely different (and not humorous).
I have seldom patronized a business (dine here three times in the last five months), where my business was so unwelcomed. Perhaps they did not like my 10 year old daughter. Perhaps they don't like my African American friend. Perhaps they just have a level of attitude that far exceeds what a run-of-the-mill Thai restaurant should have.
Admittedly, I never lost my cool when:
* My daughter and I waited for 6 minutes to be seated, and when we got tired of being transparent to them as staff just walked right past us. We sat ourselves at a table only to finally have the owner come and say "that table is for five". We got up and left and dined at Harmony.
* Invited my African American friend and his GF (caucasian) there, and were never told any of the usual words you teach a five year old. Words like: thank you, you are welcome, please..... Everything was with attitude. It was as if they hated us, or my evil twin had not flushed his #2 in their WC. I promise we did not stink, and were well dressed. Any worse, and you you'd swear the food and check were being thrown at you. I thought it was me, but my guest too were shocked.
* To Go: My wife ordered red curry with beef, but when we got home, it was red curry with chicken.
* The green papaya salad was limp. It was impossible that we did not get the old stuff -perhaps everyone got the old stuff.
HOWEVER, I did lose my cool when the waitress knocked my fork to the ground when trying to place their best curry (Penang) on the table, and looked me in the eye and asked if I need a fork when all there was left on the table next to me was a knife. I didn't quite understand if she was 1) too lazy to look under the table to see which utensil she had knocked under it; 2) too rude and expected me to eat with the dirty fork; or 3) too stupid to realize if all that remains on the table next to me is a knife, the one that dropped must have been a fork -is the sense of deductive reasoning too much to ask for?
And for that reason, item 3 in my fork experience -no deductive reasoning- I will not go back again. I've finally lost my cool.
If you do end up in this joint, order the Penang Curry. It is their best dish.
And for all the positive review, just check the reviews on other Thai restaurants. The flavors are good, and very few bad Thai joints exists because the cousin is delicious. With all those fats, shallots, salt, spice, sugar (yes Thai food is very high in sugar), it is tough to make it come out wrong.
If it was just the rude owner, I'd live with it. If it was the two rude ladies who do most of the table service, I'd live with it. If it was arrogance, or the wrong dish, or even stale salad, I'd live with it. But I hold my line at no deductive reasoning.
And, now back at the top, you see the anagrams in a different light.
...and back to fun, an anagram of Thep Lela Thai Restaurant:
Rat at plates, unhealthier! -
Review from James H.
Mill Valley, CA
2/5/2012
Not a huge fan. Sucks because I love Thai food and they are a few feet from my house. I've gotten to go a few times to give them a second chance but the prices in relation to their food is a bit off. Seems a little too Americanized. The staff isn't always that friendly but that could have been because I went in a little late...still.
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Review from Mikaela K.
Rohnert Park, CA
1/28/2012
This place was really mediocre. I went for lunch with my mom and boyfriend. The food was flavorless. It was very bland and Very expensive for what we got. The salad was bland, the noodle dish was watery, the soup was not great.
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Review from Lily K.
Sausalito, CA
12/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Meh...that was my feeling about food here, just meh. Pad thai had an odd flavor that wasn't right and the noodles were sticky and weirdly textured. They also kept forgetting things that I ordered. Not a fan of the pad thai, the others in my group seemed to really enjoy their food though.
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Review from Kater C.
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
1/15/2012
Great little destination. Nice atmosphere, friendly service and tasty food. Have eaten here many times and never been disappointed both with take out and dine-in.
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Review from Rayna A.
San Francisco, CA
7/30/2011
My favorite Thai spot in Mill Valley. Portions are good for sharing with another, the quality is fresh, and the flavors are on point. I've been going here for years and have yet to be disappointed. .
I recommend:
Chicken Satay
Wrapped Fried Prawns
Salad with beef
pad thai w/ chicken
Thai Iced Tea (yummy)
Green Curry
Eggplant in Basil Sauce
sticky rice
brown rice is good too -
Review from Luis S.
Santa Monica, CA
8/16/2011 1 photo
Amazing service and food.
Some serious savory standard Thai dishes and killer Black Rice Pudding with Coconut cream -
Review from kajal p.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2011
Yummy yummy!! Food is great, I love eating here and they have happy hour. The service cant get worse. Our waitress/bartender could not wait for us to leave. She was VERY pushy, wouldn't even give us time to look at the desert menu. With our bill in her hand she stood by our table and waited for us to ask for the check as I was asking everyone (party of 7) if they would like to order desert....really?!? such great food and such pushy waitress! disappointing!
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Review from Charlie C.
Sausalito, CA
10/21/2011
Good food. Slow service. Not a good place to stop in at lunch time. If you do have time to stop by and get some freshly made Thai food, DO IT!! Also some nice spicy dishes...
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Review from LH D.
Mill Valley, CA
Solid Thai.
Good lunch.
Love their brown rice.
Portions are small side or more laden with vegetables than the protein you ordered yet, it's all fresh and delicious.
Not as strong as Arawan in Sausalito or even Royal Thai in San Rafael. But if you're in MV and there's freeway traffic and you're hungry this is going to be fine. More than fine. -
Review from Kelly G.
Mill Valley, CA
1/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Their curry is always on point. I try not to stray too far from the curry dishes because I'm usually disappointed.
Last time I went, I tried the pad thai... it was alright, but the prawns were tasteless.
If you go here, stick to the green chicken curry. -
Review from micah f.
San Francisco, CA
6/14/2011
Really good lunch. I had the tofu yellow curry. It was fresh, and delicious. Jessica had Pad Basil, which had a delicious, hot spicy kick. The two kinds of rice are great, the little pre-lunch salad was delicious and light. The after meal watermelon garnish was delicious. The side of cucumber salad was so fresh and so clean-clean. Super nice. Not really cheap, but delicious, healthy, fresh, and quick. What's not to like?
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Review from Mariam H.
San Francisco, CA
4/12/2010
My prawn pad thai tasted like ketchup.
This was my third time here during prior visits and i've usually ordered the dinner specials which were excellent. Fusing classic thai flavors with an updated presentation and freshness.
The interior updated and modern warm orange colors and dark wood with a Asian flare.
But my prawn pad thai tasted like ketchup!! (shaking my head)Listed in: Marin Eats
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Review from J n B G.
Los Gatos, CA
11/21/2010 1 photo
I used to be a regular when I lived in Sausalito several years back, and I always loved it. I just visited again last night, and I'm happy to say that it's as good as ever.
I had:
1) Tom Kha with prawns: delicious. Flavorful, although it could've used a bit more heat (spiciness) - it wasn't spicy at all. I like a little bit of kick to my tom kha.
2) Mango salad: super fresh & yummy. Not particularly large, though, so don't expect it to fill you up.
I was initially going to just have these two things, but I was still hungry, so I also went for the
3) Red curry with brown rice: the best of the non-dessert items I ordered. Flavorful with a medium amount of spiciness.
The main reason I am giving this place 5 stars is because of dessert and the service. Check out the attached picture of our dessert. We ordered the fried banana with coconut ice cream, and they turned the ice cream into a little snowman! It was adorable, and I was charmed by the presentation. Plus it was super delicious.
Finally, the service -- I am surprised at all of the complaints. I don't have enough recent experience to provide a well-rounded commentary, but I had a great experience. I came into this place solo, and then my husband called to say he was done with his errands and wanted to join me. I had arrived at around 6 and was almost done eating when he called, so I was concerned they would want me to vacate my table, as it was a Saturday night and things were getting busy. However, when I told my server, she graciously told me I did not need to leave -- I could sit and enjoy my tea and just wait for my husband to show up. When he did, they let us order more food for him. I thought this was well above and beyond normal courtesy for a Saturday night, since we held the table for quite a while.
In summary: big two thumbs-up for Thep Lela! -
Review from Julia V.
Los Angeles, CA
6/22/2010
The atmosphere here is really nice. The restaurant design (the "booths" in particular) have some Asian elements with a modern flair. Don't let the cushions on the wood benches fool you, they're comfortable yet good for posture! And I love the way the waitresses are dressed in semi-traditional Thai attire.
The food is heavily spiced - what I'd imagine Thai food is supposed to be. Everything has a strong smell - microwaving leftovers can make a room smell like a Thai kitchen, so it may not be for those who like their flavors less spice-ful.
The curries are very thick, well-portioned, and flavorful. Definitely not Thai-level spicy, but spicy enough, I suppose.
Service was good also, our water glasses were filled in a timely manner without a waitress hovering over our table. -
Review from gwynnie p.
San Francisco, CA
7/2/2008
I like Thep Lela, don't get me wrong. The vegetables and other ingredients always seem very fresh.
Where's the heat though? Even when you order and specify "spicy", the food still seems too mild.
Pretty scattered service and 40 minutes for them to prepare takeout orders just kinda puts them at a high 3. -
Review from Uncle Fishbits Aeneas X.
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
1/31/2011
Decent Thai, great friendly service. The staff and warm, hospitable environment they create is what gets them the extra star. Great menu, decent simple wine list, too. I like Arawan in Sausalito's food, but this restaurant is a REALLY nice addition to Strawberry Village. It needs it!
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Review from lynnie p.
Richmond, CA
2/9/2008
A friend was visiting so I took her here for the yummy lamb curry special. The restaurant is small (part of a shopping center). There was a little bit of a wait, but as soon as we were seated, the wait was all but forgotten.
We ordered fried tofu (nice and crisp), spicy wings and chicken satay to start (good peanut sauce). For the meal, we had the special lamb, pad thai and pad eggplant. Dessert was, of course, sticky rice with mango and fried banana with coconut ice cream. Oh, we ate until we couldn't eat anymore. The staff was a bit slow, but I think it's because they don't have enough people working. It took awhile for Jeff to get his water refilled. My friend and I stuck to thai iced tea so that was a non-issue. This is a good place to bring visiting friends!Listed in: Mill Valley eats
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Review from Kimberly H.
Sausalito, CA
5/4/2009
WOW, I've been to this restaurant so many times I can't even count, yet - I just came back from there and was floored by how rude the waitstaff was that unfortunately (for them) yet fortunately (for me) I will never go there again. I don't care how good - and overpriced - their food is!!!
My friend and I got there at 9:30pm and I asked if we could sit and have some tea. There were only 2 other customers there. The waitress said that they close at 10pm but yes we could have tea.
However, she got really annoyed with us and did not hide her annoyance. She said that if we wanted food we had to order right away because the kitchen closed at 9:45pm, so I ordered Tom Ka Gai and tea. When my friend walked in she brought her hot tea and my friend asked for Thai iced tea and the waitress said, "you don't want hot tea?" Then she rolled her eyes, took the hot tea away and brought my friend iced tea.
When she brought the tea she exclaimed again that kitchen was closing and we could not order anymore. We said we understood. Then the man from the kitchen came out, brought the soup and told us again that the kitchen was closing and we could not order anything more. We nodded and said we understood - AGAIN.
15 minutes later the man came back and told us we had to leave. It was 9:45pm and he stood there waiting for us to leave when we had been told we could stay till 10pm. Honestly, I was floored by how rude they were! On our way out there was a guy with a high powered water thing cleaning the sidewalks and windows - in the rain - and we were sprayed with water. I could barely get to my car. I just got home and my jacket was wet, but the rain had stopped - my jacket was wet from the water spray. Ahhhh, the rudeness.
Usually I don't complain, I don't write many bad reviews but their bad attitude could not be overlooked. So yeah, I won't be going back there. There are TONS of good Thai places in Marin, as a matter of fact - Arawan in Sausalito ROCKS - and they're really nice there!!!!
Boo hiss for Thep Lela Thai!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps a year ago when I was still into being abused I would have been OK with it or even thought that somehow I deserved such rotten treatment - but those days are OVER!!! To get treated like crap for trying to give someone my patronage when the economy sucks says a whole hell of a lot!!! -
Review from Gabrielle J.
San Francisco, CA
12/18/2009
Atmosphere, decor, and service are all remarkable.
I haven't seen a menu with so many Thai seafood options in quite awhile- I love! The dishes we ordered, however, did little to stir my spice taste buds... even the dishes labeled "spicy." Prices, also, were steeper than most thai restaurants (most likely due to area).
All in all, the exotic yet romantic location made a great getaway out of the city- definitely worth experiencing if you're in the area. -
Review from Marz W.
San Francisco, CA
6/21/2006
Another place I worked in walking distance for years. Everyone at the place I worked were ELATED after trying the food here. My fav was the Pad Basil with chicken or shrimp...spicy. WOOOO! Spicy here is really spicy. I loved it.
Strawberry Village, despite its sort of run down appearance has consistently had some really good places to eat. I have to recommend this one. Its another place in Marin that if you don't live there is worth the trip over and if you do live there and haven't been, I ask you WHY NOT?
Far and away this one is the best. -
Review from Carol B.
Pittsburgh, PA
2/2/2008
I should rate this restaurant with five stars, but I'm holding back one star because I think they could have had a little more of a variety on the menu.
As for the food that was served, it was worth all five stars. We had veggies with chicken and peanut sauce, and also a plate of sweet and sour pork with veggies. Both excellent.
The atmosphere was excellent. Too bad it was a rainy evening, or I would expect that the large sliding windows would be open to enjoy a wonderful open evening inside or on the patio. -
Review from Narendra R.
Mill Valley, CA
2/24/2006
This is some excellent Thai food, a welcome addition outside of SF.
The Red Curry is the best I have ever had. -
Review from emy b.
3/17/2008
Probably one of the best Thai restaurants I've been to, and it's in Marin. I find it a little hard for me to admit that too...like I'm betraying all the Thai places I've been to in the city. Maybe because this small place is beautifully decorated in a simple way and seems worth taking someone who is visiting the bay area to. Maybe I just like that I can park "right outside" of the joint and not circle 1/2 an hour like I always do at my usual Thai place in the city.
Their menu is a bit restrained compared to other Thai places, but I like the fresh quality of their food. I also like that you can take a nice stroll around Strawberry Village when you're done eating. -
Review from Eric T.
San Francisco, CA
2/6/2009
Came here last night to try out a different place in the shopping center, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. My girlfriend and I are pretty big into Thai so when we saw this place, we knew we had to try it.
We ordered three dishes; BBQ Pork, Pad Thai with Prawns, and Green Curry. All were great dishes, and all were pretty delicious, especially the BBQ Pork. I've had pork chops before, but these were tender, seasoned perfectly, and overall the best dish on the table. And don't get me wrong everything else was great, the pork chops, very tasty.
Tips and Pointers;
-Service is fast and friendly
-Prices were moderate
-Food was delicious
-Not too shabby at all
[APPROVED] -
Review from Cameron M.
Tiburon, CA
11/24/2009
This was one of the first places we ordered food from when we moved to Tiburon from Chicago 3+ years ago. And my first experience was a disappointment. I ordered Pad Thai (it is the yard stick I start all Thai restaurants off on), and it was not that good. We had just moved from Chicago and I was worried about missing the great food.
However, Thep Lela has grown into one of my favorites in the area. The atmosphere truly is remarkable. It is a great way to be transported from strip mall to cozy, but still a touch exotic. The food is beautiful and the service friendly and attentive. They have lovely spring roll specials.
We mostly do carryout now, especially when we have friends over - so we can get one of each of the curries: yellow, red and green - which are always delicious and plentiful. Mary usually gets her favorite, the pad eggplant - which is quite tasty and unique. Pretty good sticky rice as well.
The price is high for Thai, but typical for the area (unfortunately). A nice standard - won't blow you away, but a sort of Marin comfort food. -
Review from Lindsay Z.
San Francisco, CA
4/20/2009
Came here for a yummy dinner. Started with Green Papaya Salad, then came Sticky Rice, Brown Rice and Jasmine Rice (yes, we ordered all three). Duck Curry, Panang Curry with Chicken, and Stir-Fry Vegetables. Service was a bit abrupt, and not exactly friendly, but we had a pleasant meal except for having to ask for water refills a million times.
The interior is nicely decorated, which was surprising to me given the outside appearance. On a hot day it was a pleasant temperature inside, despite not having air conditioning.
For dessert we had a Mango and Sticky Rice, which was SO good! Super fresh, big pieces of non-stringy mango atop warm sticky rice, with warm coconut sauce drizzled over the top. Mmmm....next time I'm def saving room for a whole order of that to myself! -
Review from Leslie A.
Sausalito, CA
7/21/2009
We walked in on a Sunday afternoon and didn't have to wait.
Our server was very sweet and attentive, as were the other folks we saw working.
As an appetizer we had the fresh spring rollls. Delicious and fresh!! We each ordered a lunch plate - I the Chicken Thai Basil and my husband the pork. The rice was perfect and not too sticky or gooey and the portions were just right.
They were kind enough to bring us water and a small cup with a lid and straw for our eleven month old without us having to ask.
Thank you - we'll be back! -
Review from Madeleine R.
Cotati, CA
2/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best way to describe the food here is orgasmic. After a long day of shopping, my friend and I were jonesing for some Thai food. I looked on yelp and our options were limited, but Thep Lela sounded good. Oh my god, talk about an orgasm in my mouth. We ordered spring rolls, tom ka soup, and veggie green curry. EVERYTHING was delicious! Plus, the service was quick and friendly. Sure, it was a little expensive, but what do you expect? It's Marin. And it was sooo worth it! As if we weren't full enough, we ordered dessert to complete the perfect meal. We couldn't get the mango sticky rice because it was out of season, so we got the black rice pudding with coconut cream. SO FREAKING GOOD! But, also, incredibly filling, so we had to leave half of it behind; otherwise, we would have been crawling out of the restaurant from being so full.
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Review from Andrew K.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2007
Chicken Pad Eggplant - eggplant nicely cooked, chicken was ok
Pad Thai Vegetables - overcooked noodles, average dish
Tofu Red Curry - very nicely spiced, definitely hot
Thai Ice Teas - average at bes -
Review from Sophie D.
San Francisco, CA
6/21/2007
Ahh so good!
I completely disagree with the reviews that say it is mediocre or bad. I am in LOVE with Thep Lela. I would drive out of the city to come here, easily. It's just that good (in my opinion any way.)
It's a cute little restaurant with really nice servers. It's a family-run restaurant and it's the kind of restaurant that attracts a cult following (aka my family, and a lot of the kids I went to high school with).
The curry here is insane. My typical order usually consists of yellow curry and chicken skewers that I dip in a glorious peanut sauce.
Thep Lela is considerably my favorite place to eat in Marin. -
Review from Katie H.
Larkspur, CA
5/31/2010
This is my favorite Thai place around. I have loved it for year. My favorite is the mango with sweet sticky rice for desset. Don't miss it. And the Thom Ka Gai soup.
Yum! -
Review from Courtney M.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2011
A great place to grab take out Thai. Yummy green curry with chicken has tons of vegetables. They offer a delicious brown rice in addition to jasmin.
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Review from Roy C.
San Francisco, CA
4/28/2008
The Tom Ka Gai (Chicken with Coconut Milk Soup) is the best I have ever had. It's the perfect comfort food when you're feeling under the weather. If you add a couple of spoons of rice to it, it practically makes a complete meal.
The rest of menu ranges from pretty good to good.
Our Children really like the Montodd Sweet Potato with Peanut Sauce. -
Review from KC C.
San Rafael, CA
12/19/2009
This is absolutely a great tasking Thai restaurant & the atmosphere is quite nice. However, I will never eat there again.
Instead I go to Royal Thai in San Rafael - it is far superior in quality and taste & is my current favorite Thai place for the area (their only downfall is the very limited hours - see my review on that...) Even Bay Thai in San Rafael scores better than Thep Lela in my book. Why? Well, either they aren't using fresh ingredients (rancid oil for example) or they are either not understanding the importance of dietary restrictions or are lying about ingredients.
I say this because every time we've eaten there (8+ times or so...) I get a very upset stomach with unpleasant consequences involving extended visits to the WC (TMI - but I want to be sure you "get" the whole issue with this place...).
I always make a point of NOT ordering anything super greasy or with heavy cream and even verify with wait staff. However, the abdominal distress I get from Thep Lela is consistent with that I'd end up with from heavy cream (cow) or old grease. I always get Pad-See-Ew (Yum!), and either yellow curry or mussaman curry - all of which should NOT have cream (Yellow and mussaman should be made exclusively with coconut milk/cream - not dairy cream!). Sometimes Pad-See-Ew can be greasy, but theirs doesn't ever seem to be excessively so. So - the mystery of the abdominal distress persists.
Lucky for us we're now much closer to the oh-so-yummy Royal Thai and Bay Thai, so I can completely avoid Thep Lela (Yay!) -
Review from Evelyn M.
Petaluma, CA
9/7/2011
I've been coming here for years but always for lunch. I came for dinner a couple weeks ago and was a bit disappointed with the service. Food was still a hit but we had three servers asking us the same thing all night long and each one would try to take our menu and plates away even though we weren't ready. We had to repeat ourselves so many times it was getting to be ridiculous. They could use some restructuring of how they handle dinner service. One waiter/waitress is quite enough!
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Review from Cindy A.
Sausalito, CA
8/4/2008
This place is pretty good. The staff is friendly and we were seated and served right away. I had the yellow curry chicken lunch special. It came with a small salad, which was really good. The curry wasn't that spicy but still good.
As stated elsewhere, the menu is a bit limited but they have what I like, so that's okay ;)
Try the friend bananas with coconut ice cream for dessert! -
Review from craig j.
Corte Madera, CA
12/14/2008
We recently switched our weekly Thai take-out to this place because the place we used to go was pretty bland.
The food started off better here but there service both over the phone and when picking up really sucked, they were rude and often unhelpful.
Unfortunately we value our food more than our service so we kept going, now the last two trips have shown their foods is only slightly better - help someone help me find some good Thai in Marin otherwise I will have to pick it up in SF and bring it home for dinner.
They still get three stars because I just can't find something better in Marin and their food has been better than the last two trips. -
Review from missy l.
Mill Valley, CA
10/11/2010
The food is pretty good, but it is hard to enjoy it when the SERVICE IS SO BAD. I've been here 3 dozen times, and not once have I been treated like a customer should be! I finally threw in the towel and decided never again to support them and their business. I now go to My Thai in San Rafael. Pretty tasty - and the servers are so sweet - I have no problem tipping them 20% or more.....
