Lotus Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in San Diego

There are many Thai restaurants in the San Diego area. The very best that I have been to is Thai Lotus. I go there often. Sometimes I have to drive around a bit to find a place to park, but it's worth the walk if you have to walk far. There are so many delicious dishes on their extensive menu, including vegetarian selections. I have my favorites that I always get; if you try them, you will agree. I always start with the steamed dumplings. You get 5 in an order with dipping sauce. It is the very best ever. The best soup is tom kha. It comes with your choice including vegetables, chicken, or shrimp. You can get a cup or a large hot pot with a little flame. If you get a dish with shrimp, the shrimp are very fresh and large, not the little bitty ones out of a box. Pad see you is one of my other favorites. You can ask for the degree of spiciness that you want. The spring rolls are also made there fresh; they are delicious and come with a dipping sauce. Also massaman curry is another favorite. All of these dishes can be made vegetarian. There's a large choice of drinks also; one of my favorites is Thai iced tea. Another great thing is the waitresses and waiters. They know the menu, the ingredients, anything you want to know about an item, they are well informed. If you are fortunate enough to pick the right day and time, you might get to meet the friendly owner, Tom. Their prices are very good too. You can also get your order for takeout. Since everything is made on the premises, give them enough time to have your order prepared. I have gone there many many times and will continue to go there. Enjoy your meal; I'm...

We visited San Diego in March 2018 as tourists. Thai cuisine is one of our favorites and we chose this place for dinner. Right off the bat, things were off. The hospitality was missing, no host stopped by to pour water, give menus, make small talk. After about 15 minutes, the kids were getting restless so I waived to the host who came across but only after spending 5 minutes not doing anything in particular other than hanging around the almost empty bar.

When the host arrived, I inquired if our order would take long. The response was yes and we can wait or go to another place. Being tired from a day of walking around, I didn't have any motivation to find another place. So we asked for the menu and placed our order.

The food was okay - more assembled rather than cooked - nothing to write home about. Waiters in general seemed to be slow, serious and didn't smile much.

The worst part came after we paid our bill and left. The whole family got sick within the hour and I spent most of the night throwing up my dinner. Most of next day was also lost.

Easily the worst Thai food encounter and service I have experienced. Thanks for ruining what otherwise would have been a good trip. Still loved what we saw of San Diego and wouldn't mind visiting again.

I would give negative stars...

Excellent spicy Thai food! I'm a big fan of @SpicyFoods and it's hard to find a Thai place that doesn't Americanize flavors and tone down the spice. Lotus Thai delivers the spice, they'll make it as mild or spicy as you want! I enjoyed #10 spicy with the lunch deal of green beans and pork (Pork Prik King.)

The side of TOM KHA soup that comes with it is delicious! An order of this on its own would make a good meal. It's coconut milk based which is great to balance spicy food. It also came with a side salad with Japanese style carrot-ginger dressing and crispy egg roll.

The manager was very nice, attentive and knew his stuff. When I mentioned I liked extra hot, he brought over "the real stuff," which was a Thai chili oil - very tasty!

Be warned, if you order like I did (#10 spicy ++ chili oil and pickled chili) you won't just get your food, but a roller coaster ride for your mouth as well - Just like I like it! Great for those of us that believe food should be felt as well as tasted :)

Covid: They distanced well and staff wore masks. Customers were spaced about every other table. Tables were very clean and disinfected. Menus are virtual on your phone via QR code. I appreciate and support restaurants taking...