The Orient Thai Cafe

This place is a secret hide away with amazingly authentic Thai food. We have a knack for finding off the beaten path spots with traditional (read fantastic) dishes. This one might just rank top for Thai in SD. Located next to a yoga spot, and a Taco shop, sharing a parking lot with 7-11, you would not see this place as the Mecca it is. (Did you see there is a parking lot, in PB!?! It's unheard of!) But since you got this far in my review, you trust me right?! So yes, next to a convenience store but once you walk thru the front entrance you are transported via all the senses to a quaint , family run restaurant deep in the heart of bustling streets of Thailand. The decor is ornate and purposeful. A mix of quirky English signage and Thai language, buddhas and shrines adorn the walls. Deep rich colors, shiny bits mixed with natural wood decor, it is truly eye catching. We eat a lot of Thai food, so we felt like we knew what to expect. But our goal in 2022 is to branch out of our typical choices, so while we were still at Thai, we forced ourselves to order something different than our standard fair. We were SO GLAD we did! The rice paper wraps were soft and pliable, obviously made fresh! Our first entree was the Panang Curry with chicken, it was delicate and delish! I literally drank the sauce like soup! Added the Hot Basil with beef, which was over the top great. Fresh crunch on the veggies, perfect cut on the meat, and overall flavor was deep and rich without being too heavy. We had to wrap with the mango sticky rice, because, did you even go to Thai food is you didn't order the sticky rice!?! The mangos were perfect, not overly ripe but sweet, my only suggestion was to use less sticky rice ;) but it's not really a bad thing to get a giant portion of that yummy gooey sweetness! This place is a gem, a perfect little spot. Give it a try, you won't be sorry! Pro tip: eat at the restaurant! they seem to be using delivery services which overly complicate their ordering system. Other reviews mention similar issues but in person, the customer service was fantastic!

This place was delicious!! I am very mad I forgot what we ordered but it was so delicious! Tons of fresh garlic and fresh veggies. I have been wanting to come to this place for years, sad it took me this long. I will definitely be back!

Cozy, flavourful Thai dishes. Great prices and convenient location on Garnet. Standout dishes include the green curry, spicy eggplant, and green beans. A nice example of Thai food in San Diego.

Very well decorated place. Nice atmosphere. Small dining room and a nice patio, but a little bit cold this time of the year. Nice waitress with a very attentive attitude. Very good food. Excellent fried Thai rice. The kitchen was finishing some plates not in the right order. It didn’t bother us but some people don’t like to see that.

Stumbled upon this place on a walk and figured I’d give it a chance. It is quaint and beautifully designed. I feel like I’m in Thailand. The dishes my fiancé and I ordered was beyond delicious. Best Thai food in San Diego and vegan friendly! Food is affordable and very good, will be coming here more often!