Sawasdee Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Capitola

TLDR: Food was disappointing and didn't taste freshly cooked. If you have eaten authentic Thai dishes from a reputable Thai restaurant elsewhere, you're not going to enjoy the food experience here. If you have a refined taste for Asian food, this place isn't it.

My party of 6 and I were passing through town and decided to stop by for lunch before making our way up the coast. The restaurant and service were a positive experience. It is clean and well decorated. Staff are friendly and communicative. The food, portions, and cost of dinning was a total let down and here is why.

On food alone, we spent over $160, which by the end, we all felt it was not worth it at all. The portions alone were small which wouldn't be a big deal IF the food actually tastes close to being freshly prepared and resembling what was described on the menu.

For example, we ordered the prawns hot soup, which was brought out without the burner candle, and was given the excuse that "it would be to dangerous for our large party" even though we were all within reach of the pot at the center. This wouldn't have been a problem if the soup was actually HOT, and not luke warm. We could tell the broth and vegetables were not boiled/cooked together because the vegetables were not completely blanched and lacked the texture of being cooked in the same pot. If you've cooked soup, you'll know exactly what I mean. It was like the broth was added to the chopped veggies, not the other way around.

Next, the meat. For example, our beef dishes contained the same cut of meat. There is no variety to the cut and preparations. The beef salad on the menu stated it was grilled beef. The beef served weren't grilled and was the exact same cut as the beef we gotten in the mix veggies and noodle dishes. The only difference was the sauce or seasoning that covered it. It lacked any texture and variety to the dishes. One dish basically chews like the other.

The rice, specifically, the sticky rice. Like come on! As I unwrapped it onto my plate, it fell apart like regular steamed white rice. Look, if you had decent sticky rice before, you'll know its short grained and real sticky. This rice was not that. This was not southeast asian sticky rice. I asked our server if this was sticky rice and if yes, what was the variety, because I have not been served this type of "sticky rice" at all the asian restaurants I have patronized. The server then tried to convince me this is "sticky rice" and it's the only rice he knows that is "sticky".

By the end, we left unsatisfied. None of the dishes have met our expectations for Thai food. If you're from an area where the asian community is dense, and you frequent their restaurants, especially if they're Thai, you're not going to like the food here. If you have a refined taste for Asian food, this place isn't it and you should look to...

I'm surprised it took this long for me to finally try Sawasdee. They are undoubtedly one of the best Thai restaurants in town, with a wonderful indoor dining area and great service.

Almost everything on their menu can be made vegan which opens up more options for vegans and vegetarians.

My friend and I shared their fresh Spring Rolls, Green Curry Tofu, and Ginger Stir-Fry Tofu. On the side we had two bundles of sticky rice.

The spring rolls were amazing! A half order gave us two large pieces and they were filled with veggies including alfalfa sprouts, an ingredient not commonly found usually! The peanut sauce was 10/10.

We ordered spicy for both main dishes and boy, these were SPICY. I enjoyed the tongue lashing but be careful if you are sensitive to spice. Both were fantastic and complimented well with the sticky rice. Wish there was more tofu in both dishes but it was still a fabulous selection. I would get all of these options again in the future.

Service here was fantastic. Very friendly and made sure that our waters were filled especially after all the spicy food...

Excellent service, amazing thai food, wonderful employees and wonderful ambience thanks to the employees. We arrived on New Years Day and got seated almost immediately.

Thai food quality was very well done. We got the curry dishes and those were exceptionally well made, especially since it's one of the very few Thai restaurants in the entire town of Santa Cruz. The spring rolls were VERY unique as there are spring rolls that are just filled with noodles, salad and other veggies. The spring rolls here were tastefully rich in greens and well balanced with protein and the sauce.

The ambience of the area is good. We usually don't mind how the restaurants look but the entire place was very well maintained, clean and organized.

Parking is extremely limited, maybe 7-8 spots if you're lucky. We parked around the block so it wasn't that bad at all.

Overall, great Thai food, excellent service, and would...