Pad Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Castro Valley

By far, the best Thai food in CV. I had a dinner and ordered the namesake dish (Pad Thai-dinner). I had the prawns. There were about 10 of them in the scrumptious noodles and that's a good helping (even for a dinner). It was a very plentiful serving and was medium heat. Ask for the pepper tray to spice it further (red chillis in a fish sauce were hot and yummy).

My only beef was with the hotness of the dish. I asked for it "hot" and the waitress nodded in agreement. But it wasn't that hot. I 'needed' the pepper tray to spice it up a bit more. I was the only patron in the place and service was spotty. An employee was eating and facing away from me. So, I had to get her attention anytime I wanted my water topped off or anything else (like the bill?). I took a star off because of the lack of service and my wanting my dish hot/taste.

Make no mistake, this is a good place. But the service was a bit lacking. I'm sure eating a lunch here would be better, since there are more wait staff. The food itself was very good. The place has a homey feel to it (probably a former residence, I believe). Parking is a bit of a challenge but you'll figure it out.

Edit (2/22/23): ate lunch here today. Food is still very good and very reasonably priced. While most restaurants have increased prices 25%-35%, these folks have raised prices .50-cents on most plates/meals. You still get a small salad with a lunch special too. Their food quantity is still great as well (I barely finished my lunch special plate). I ordered their pad thai/hot and it was delish. It was a bit awkward/communication but I think my waitress was asian (english was probably not her 1st language). One of the very few thai places that still have a pepper-condiment tray. They keep their...

This is quite honestly the worst Thai restaurant in the Bay we’ve tried so far in terms of quality. The service wasn’t that great but it wasn’t as bad as the food. We ordered the Tom yum soup with tofu, which wasn’t at all fragrant and was severely lacking in flavor. The tofu in the soup was fried (?? not sure why tofu needs to be fried if it’s going into a soup, it would make more sense if the tofu was soft straight out of the cartridge). And the tofu was over fried to the point of tasting bitter and rubbery. Not good. Then the spicy fried rice with chicken came out and it was… soggy! Like laughably soggy. They must have run out of cold rice; nevertheless the quality could be described as something similar to a newbie making fried rice for the first time. The only things that were decent were the shrimp rolls and the Thai tea, but that’s not enough to make this place good. Big X...

My sister & I highly recommend this family- owned local gem. I love their Thom Kha (coconut soup) with shrimp or tofu. I always request they add extra green veggies (& they gladly accomodate) which after splitting the chicken satay skewers, the cucumber salad & a side of white rice with my sister, we always have enough to take home for a 2nd or 3rd meal. My sister loves their yellow chicken Curry. Adding extra green veggies also extends her dish for at least one more meal. We always add the Thai Ice Tea as a treat. But if you're in the mood for pad thai, trout, catfish or mango shrimp, you also won't be disappointed. Great prices, large portions, kind and supportive service. Eat in or take out. Simple, nutritious meals that are light on the tummy, great tasting & gentle on the budget. Eat in or take out, it just...