Supannee House of Thai by Suree — Restaurant in San Diego

Last week, I had a great lunch experience with my family. Despite being the only waitress on duty at the time, the server was incredibly friendly, efficiently greeted everyone, took our orders, and checked in with all the diners with such warmth. That positive experience is what brought me back today.

Unfortunately, today was quite the opposite. There were two waitresses on duty, and the shorter one with shoulder-length hair, appearing to be in her early 50s, was noticeably unfriendly—not just to me, but also to a couple nearby who had ordered several dishes, including the large fried fish with mango. When they asked for a sauce that’s typically served with the dish at most restaurants, she responded with visible irritation and attitude.

In my case, I wasn’t given a lunch menu despite arriving during lunch hours (1:30pm, ChatGPT shows they normally serve lunch special between 11:30-3pm). That matters to me because the lunch special includes a salad, and I’m trying to eat more fiber. When I politely asked for the lunch menu, she responded with attitude and walked away. Later, when I asked if I could order steamed tofu—a dish I enjoyed during my last visit—she curtly said they don’t offer that. When I mentioned I had it just last week, she insisted I must be confusing it with another restaurant. As a local who frequents area restaurants, I know where I’ve eaten and what I’ve ordered.

Also, I decided to order To Go because they took long to greet me after seating me. When my food came out, there were no utensils nor napkins in my bag. The long hair gal then gave me an attitude for asking for it.

This kind of dismissive and rude service impacts the overall experience and discourages customers from returning. genuinely hope management addresses this, as no one wants their meal to be overshadowed by poor service.

** I'm now genuinely nervous she spit in my food just because, even though I remained friendly and charted it down to her...

Upon entering for dinner my party of four were immediately greeted and sat. The lighting was dim, there was still some Christmas decor up. There were families and couples. The staff were neatly dressed to match and very kind and attentive.

Our drinks came immediately. There were Thai Iced Teas everywhere but I opted for a hot green tea.

I saw the Esarn Classic had a meat choice of “Crying Tiger” (marinated steak) which I always get at any Thai place that offers it. It’s my favorite. But I also love duck. Both dishes are more common at restaurants in SoCal than places in Washington state so I have to take advantage. Someone in my party got the Crying Tiger which I tried and recommend. I added a photo of that dish as well.

I ordered the “Duck Three Ways” which I couldn’t find on the online menu to add to this review, unfortunately. But it was divine. It is a gluten free dish that comes with three sauces: a spicy lemon-grass, sweet chili, and tamarind. They were all so flavorful and amazing. The duck was on the bone but abundantly meaty. The skin was crispy and salty while the inside was slightly tough but juicy. The vegetables were bright and added great color and texture. Each sauce complimented the duck so well. The spicy lemongrass (see photo top left) was my favorite. I loaded the pulp on and could put that on pork, steak, chicken, or fish; anything. The sweet chili (top middle) was made in house similar to the bottled but the flavor was more intense the sauce was also less dense and gelatinous which I preferred. The tamarind reminded me of the plum sauce I would normally get with duck just more tang and less floral. It was slightly sweet and what I would compare more to a variation of hoisin. If it had more garlic I might have taken it home with me. But I actually enjoyed it more with the vegetables.

Aside from parking, my experience was definitely satisfying and complete.

I...

Supannee House of Thai & Catering Shelter Island San Diego, California

Yesterday while we were out by Shelter Island we decided to have lunch at our favorite Thai Restaurant Supannee House of Thai & Catering. This really is a fantastic place to dine for lunch and dinner. It's always nice that the restaurant staff remembers who you are and gives you a great welcome. I'm glad we decided to have lunch there since they had new menu items and we were willing to try them since we have had some delicious dishes here before.

Chuck and I orders our usual Appetizer which is called Nom Kao Tod which is our favorite appetizer. Its always delicious.Next we decided to order their new dish Khao Soi

You won't find khao soil in many Thai restaurants because it's more of a Northern Thai Dish. The dish is more of a soup that is served with both egg noodles and fried noodles along with a Coconut curry base and served Thai condiments.

I had my Khao Soi with Shrimp and Calamari and Chuck his with Roasted Duck. The curry base was rich and flavorful and noodles were cooked perfectly. The shrimp, Calamari, and duck were tender and absorbed the curry base nicely. This was the best Khao Soi we have had in San Diego.

Overall we always have a great experience here and we always...