Siam Imperial Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Imperial Beach

TL;DR - Good food, but slightly overpriced, and atmosphere is stark.

Came here to try it out this relatively new place as an alternative to my go-to Aroma Thai when I'm in IB. Siam was tasty, but the value isn't there like you can get just around the corner. This place seems to have spent more money on appearance, and charge for that in their prices.

Food - The entrees we got had pretty decent flavor (almost very slightly better than Aroma), but not enough to justify the higher prices and smaller portions. I got the special combo curry, but the ~$4 more got you some extras that weren't worth the tiny reduced portion of curry I got. Mid-meal, the server actually got my table confused with another, and was about to give us what looked to be a full portion of curry, and if I had known the portion size would be so different, I would have gotten it instead of wasting money on the combo. The cashew nut was possibly(?) a slightly better portion (more on that later), but still not worth the price, and was on the salty side.

Appearance - This restaurant seems slightly out of place. They are trying to go for some sort of pseudo-upscale, but this is a beach area, and patrons will likely be coming in swimwear or very casual clothing. The chairs are uncomfy with no padding (sit on the benches instead if you don't have much natural rear cushioning), decorations are sparse and minimalistic, the building seems too big and spread out, and the walls are a cold white.

Service - I think our waiter must have been new, and I'm not going to knock off points for that because he seemed like he was trying and was just nervous. However, the cashew nut my girlfriend ordered as an entree, but they the plate they gave us looked like it was part of the combo. Normally this would be nice (free upgrade!), but we didn't get the accompanying soup, she couldn't eat the fried shrimp (she's vegetarian, so I helped her with it like a good boyfriend), and she probably got a reduced portion of the main entree when she would have rather had a full one. The waiter also overfilled my water once and spilled on the table. He also was a total TEASE and put a full portion of curry and anther entree we didn't order in front of us before I had to (grudgingly) tell him it wasn't ours (I was still hungry).

I'll stick to Aroma Thai for now, but as this place is new, I may try it again down the road to see if their value has...

My good friend Jerry asked me out to lunch today. Now I enjoy good Thai food now and then so was curious how Siam Imperial would stack up because as with all cuisines, it can be hit or miss. Well, let me tell ya, the lunch I had was simply amazing! It was the grilled salmon mango avocado salad. The salmon was grilled to mouth watering perfection, complimented by asparagus, avocado, mango, chopped cilantro, shallot, bell pepper and strawberries with a lime juice dressing. Every single ingredient was fresh as could be and the variety of textures and flavors was something I rarely experience. It gave me, dare I say, a euphoric feeling akin to what those who dabble in illicit substances must feel, except I didn’t feel paranoid, just completely content and satisfied. Yes, all was right with the world and I will be back! Keep up the great quality and service Siam Imperial, you are...

My most favorite Thai place in San Diego! First of all, the restaurant is clean with clean restrooms available for customers. I also like how friendly they are when you walk in unlike their Aroma Thai competitor. Siam Imperial Kitchen blows them wayyyy out of the water by far! So, if you’re thinking about which Thai restaurant in IB you should take you’re family, CHOOSE SIAM IMPERIAL THAI KITCHEN! You won’t be disappointed! The flavors of anything you order are DELICIOUS and the food visuals are AMAZING!

If you don’t know what to order, here are my favorites! These are all great to share with a group of 3-5 people!

Appetizers: Siam Chicken Wings Fried Gyoza

Soup: TOM KHA - Hot Pot sized with Chicken

Panang Curry with Beef Medium Spicy - you may want to order extra white rice to go with this mmmm sooo addicting!

Pineapple Fried Rice

Pad Thai Noodles with Shrimp

Mmmmm...