Koon Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in San Diego

4.5/5... pad see ew.. (almost went with pad kee mao but many reviewers mentioned Koon Thai had arguably the best pad see ew they have ever had, some mentioned 'smokey' (in a good way) from the wok, black soy sauce I presume... I got some smokiness which was a nice complex level of depth in flavor(s)).. maybe best i have ever had.. TOFU (& VEGETABLES): I was drawn to the 'Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Noodles)' because the vegetables & spicy in the title, (and that's normally what I order at thai restaurants), but decided on Pad See Ew because of other reviews claiming how good it was and the 'smokeyness' was to me compelling.. I was concerned there would be little vegetable amount (due to some reviews claiming they received very little vegetables) but i ordered Tofu and was VERY PLEASANTLY surprised with the look & quantity & quality of the vegetables (bright, fresh, looked healthy), the 'bite/cut' size, the portion, the level of cookedness, and this was ordering Tofu (of which there was an abundance of Tofu too.. I nearly could not finish my meal which is a wonderful feeling when ordering takeout... money well spent). FLAVOR: nice complexity in different bites, and at the same time some bites were less flavorful (this was a pro and a con... most thai food i have had has a consistent flavor level with every bite.. i wouldnt say this was so much 'hit or miss' as it was dynamic flavor load (each bite was different)).. SPICE: ordered 7/10 spice.. hoping for spicy and okay if too much spicy/'heat' that overpowered the flavors.. hoping for extra spice as my body was fighting off symptoms of allergies or a cold... First bite was spicy but did not take away any flavors.. after that the spice level was on par with a 3 or 4 at other thai restaurants at which i've eaten consistently.. I'd probably try an 8 or 9 spice level next time, even if I only wanted heat without sacrificing flavor (say a 5 or a 6 at other thai restaurants in my experience... enough to maybe just start to clear the sinuses or feel the beginnings of a sweat building up in the face under the skin).. Tho when I walked in the restaurant they had a sign disclaiming they (in my words from recollection): 'use thai chilies and so their food may be spicier than other thai restaurants' that was not my experience. It could have been an off night for me (higher spice sensitivity than typically) or for them (7 that night was less spicy than their typical 7)... SERVICE: Friendly and clear on phone, and very friendly and prompt and personable in person. DECOR: The vibe inside was very welcoming, kind of low-light classy but also high-energy(?) Just good feeling clean feeling uptempo but relaxed atmosphere.. def would dine-in here.. when i arrived a large party of (presumably Thai) people/family were leaving which seemed like a good sign.. and there were a few small parties I presume waiting to be seated (seemed busy/popular) on a Saturday night around 830PM..

This place was mentioned by a local for 'spicy thai' in the area, and I'm glad I checked it out. I did not feel let down by the price of takeout relative to portion/quantity (bang for your buck) as I often do with restaurants.. Great food, good+ portion size, great customer service, Spice level I'll add +3 (here) to what I normally order at other Thai restaurants next time I dine...

There is no other Thai restaurant I like more right now than Koon Thai Kitchen.

LOCATION / PARKING Koon Thai Kitchen is nestled in Kearny Mesa on Convoy St between the 805 and 163 - just south of Balboa. It is located in a busy plaza with shared parking. I would not recommend driving a large SUV here - or anywhere on Convoy.

AMBIANCE / INTERIOR One section of the restaurant has festive carnivalesque paintings on the wall, while another section is plain black lined with mini tiles. They have several private booths and tables in the restaurant but no outdoor dining. I’ve eaten here mostly during dinner time and the sound can be louder than average, which I don’t mind.

FOOD If I’m visiting a Thai restaurant for the first time, I’ll usually order Panang Curry - I base their food off this one dish. If it’s creamy and the flavors are cooked to my liking, I know I’ll most likely enjoy the other dishes they offer. And I was right! I loved most of the dishes we had here: Beef Panang Curry - We requested medium spice. It was perfect, creamy, and irresistibly delicious! Pad See Ew - This is the best pad see ew I’ve had in So Cal. A close second is President Thai. I loved that it had some charring (wok hei) from the wok. The noodles were bouncy and chewy, and it had the right amount of sauce. So so good! Crab Fried Rice - Always a staple when I order. Good! • Pad / Yum Woon-Sen - It’s already in the name: Yum! Crystal noodles that are bouncy and sautéed with lots of crunchy veggies. So perfect! Calamari - Although I wasn’t a fan of the breading, I did enjoy it with the sweet dipping sauce. Fried Pot Stickers - Nothing that stood out. Not bad. Pad Thai - Loved how saucy this was. The chewy noodles soaked it all up and it was oh so delicious!

We really enjoyed the food here because you can customize the spice level. The portions are generous too. And the food came out piping hot!

CUSTOMER SERVICE The staff are all so wonderful here. Very kind and attentive. They checked in on us to make sure the food was to our liking.

Overall, I loved the food at Koon Thai Restaurant. I only wish we had more people in our party so we can try more dishes. I’ll definitely be back again! And I’ll happily recommend them to anyone open to try...

What happened to the old Koon Thai?! Been coming here for several years as a student and recently came back with family and friends and the whole atmosphere feels different (and not in a good way). I was going to write a raving review back then, but this latest experience compels me to write one fresh off the bat.

I called in to make a dinner reservation for 7:30pm on a Saturday night. When we walked in a 7:30pm, there was NO ONE greeting us, no one invited us in and no one offered to seat us. Terrible first impression. The female servers were just chatting amongst themselves, clearly ignoring that there were customers waiting to be seated. Uh..hello?? They saw us party of 6 and walked us to a booth table next to the window. Booth tables? When did Koon Thai ever get booth tables? First off, you couldn't lean back against the booth otherwise it would move. They were too tight and close to each other, it really felt claustrophobic. Simply uncomfortable. So we requested to be moved and ended up seated next to the kitchen door opening. Not the most pleasant of spots but we didn't want to dispute again.

We ordered: Tom Yum with seafood - spice level Mild Crab fried rice Crab omelette Pork boat noodles (small portion) Thai Green vegetable curry - spice level Mild

I have no idea what mild means to them but it was damn SPICY!! My dad choked on his Tom Yum soup because the chili peppers hit really hard. I'm a little better at handling spicy food, but this Tom Yum was not good - the color of it was white, not orange-reddish. I prefer the Tom Yum soup at Turmeric Thai Kitchen.

The crab fried rice, crab omelette were better, and the pork boat noodles was surprisingly delicious in its salty but flavorful soup broth. The Thai Green vegetable curry, in the same Mild spice level, was just too spicy for us. Simply put, their mild = 6 or 7!

If there is any indication of a restaurant quality, more than it's food, it's their bathroom. The female bathroom was not properly cleaned, was out of soap, paper towel dispensers didn't work and there was only one hand dryer. Just goes to show the lack of care and upkeep on management's part. After this experience, I don't think I will return. Better get Thai...