Hug Thai Express — Restaurant in La Mesa

My partner and I were craving thai last night and we had been staying in a hotel in El Cajon and a lot of the the thai restaurants around there had little or no curve appeal and had wanting reviews. I expanded our location and found Hug Thai and was immediately drawn by their menu and pictures on Google Maps. The drive to Hug Thai was short and easily accessible from the highway. The restaurant itself was small and inside and outside seating was available, but not for parties larger than two. We ordered a few appetizers (the fried tofu and eggrolls), pad see ew (level 2 heat) and green curry with mock duck (level 3 heat). The fried tofu was tasteless and hard to enjoy until the curry came along and I drowned them in curry. The eggrolls were amazingly fresh and hot, especially with their sweet and sour home sauce. The win of the evening were the two main courses. I fell deeper in love with green curry that evening and could not stop myself from eating my partner's pad see ew. The green curry had a delightful coconut flavor with the right amount of curry output. The eggplant was perfectly cooked and the mock-duck complimentary to the whole dish. My partner and I will be returning to this charming whole in the wall Thai restaurant. It was good and for any Thai food enthusiast out...

Ugh! I used to love this place and had proclaimed them my favorite TomKha. Part of the problem starts with the assumption of the tip in advance. I prefer to tip cash, so I click, "no tip." Well, the formerly cute Hug Thai offers you a customer service kick instead of a hug. I am hard of hearing and couldn't hear the cashier's flippant greeting. I had to get close to the plexi glass barricade where she was arranging thin paper napkins. She then took care of the two other patrons who came in after me. I knew exactly what I wanted as I have ordered it before. Sadly, my salad was just a poor arrangement of untorn lettuce leaves, copious onions, lukewarm beef, and hot chili even though I asked for zero heat. My Tom Kha was supposed to be heat level 4 and it was hotter than when I had gotten a 6. The lemongrass stalks were left in. They are supposed to be seasoning; not an edible ingredient. I had tried to go three days prior, but they were closed for lunch an extended time period and refused to open on time. They looked at us, but the cook kept eating while staff were arriving late. That should have been my warning to never return. My mom was right to choose to go somewhere else. Mom really does know best. I will...

Highly recommended!! This was my first to-go order from Hug Thai, and I was very pleased. I ordered the basics this time around: pad thai (spicy level 7) and a large thai iced tea with boba. It was delicious, and there was good attention to detail. The spice level was on point with my request, and the lime and chopped peanuts on the side were a nice touch. Also, the portion was hefty! I will be coming back to try other dishes.

This restaurant is very well setup to provide to-go service safely and efficiently. My interactions over the phone giving my order and in person picking up my food were both friendly and efficient. They also thoughtfully and respectfully observed social distancing precautions. I felt secure picking up my food from them.

Finally, the main dish was packaged sustainably with a waxed paperboard box in a paper bag. During a time when to-go and delivery is so prominent, I am very appreciative of more sustainable packaging choices. I highly recommend this restaurant for their delicious food, their attention to detail, sustainable choices, and for providing transparent and safe food service. Check...