Khob Khun Thai cuisine & breakfast — Restaurant in San Francisco

As soon as I walked in, the low budget chairs and tables plus oddly arranged working area tipped me off that it was either going to be incredibly awesome or really bad. Fortunately, this place turned out to be absolutely amazing. I think they topped my favorite local places, which are excellent.

First, service was superb. ‘Fern’ greeted kindly, offered suggestions and patiently described some differences in how they make the Tom Yum more traditionally. She sold me on it, and it blew me away. I’m almost always a Tom Kha kinda person, but I would come here every day for this style, it’s not just clear broth but it has milk (and probably other secret ingredients) added to have a delicious circus of flavor. She asked how hot and I said ‘Thai medium.’

I felt like noodles and although Pad Thai isn’t usually my favorite in the States, I felt like trying it. To my amazement, Fern asked me about how sweet and how spicy I prefer- these questions are never asked with Pad Thai- usually it’s just served here bland and without much depth of flavor. I was excited to see if I got something other than the few 1-star reviews reported.

Soup came first. Oh my god, this Tom Yum was so perfect to my taste and loaded with all sorts of colors and mouth feel, I couldn’t believe it was so good. I kept taking spoonfuls to see if I was just imagining but it kept blowing me away with awesomeness. Just the right amount of heat, chicken, broth balance, tomatoes. I’m always playing with adding spices to my food but the whole bowl went down without any extra culinary encouragement.

Next, Fern brought a huge plate of Pad Thai. And wow, what struck me next after the size and beauty of the portion was just how colorful and extravagant the presentation was. Most mediocre Thai places serve 2/3 of this amount for a few bucks less, and seem nothing much more than glorified fettuccine noodles with some tamarind. What Khob Khun brought to my table was nothing less than a loving work of art, probably better than any Pad Thai I’ve eaten in Thailand (and I’ve had a bit of testing there). There was even a beautiful flower on top, of a simple noodle dish. And once I started into it there was no looking back, this was not going to need a doggy bag. Fantastic, fantastic cooking.

So thankfully I didn’t get anything close to a 1-star experience here, all 5’s from this first trip. Definitely many return visits to come.

I love Thai people and really dig it whenever I visit a genuinely “family run” restaurant (of any nationality) that seemingly forgot how to cut corners and ‘Americanize’ their cuisine. I understand they offer an American breakfast here, doesn’t really entice me because I could eat Thai food forever, but if it’s anything close to the quality of what I had tonight then I’d be open. Fern was so kind and intelligent, and attuned to preparing the food perfectly to my preferences, really touched my heart. They deserve the current 4.8 stars as far as I’m concerned, and I hope they continue to keep the quality and service at or above this level (if that’s even...

When I walked into Khob Khun Thai, I felt like I was stepping into a different world—warm, welcoming, with a lot of energy in the air. You could say it had that classic Thai charm, but with a bit of a kick, like a well-timed roundhouse!

First up, the Pad See Ew—let me tell you, this dish was like a perfectly choreographed fight scene. The noodles were smooth, but they had some serious flavor moves. Sweet, savory, all perfectly balanced, just like in a good action sequence. Every bite was a punch of deliciousness!

And those meatballs? Wow! Tender, flavorful, and packing a punch of their own. It’s like they were training with the best! You can taste the skill that went into making them—definitely not your average meatballs.

Now, the service was good, friendly, but just like in martial arts, timing is everything. There were a few moments where I was ready to strike, but had to hold back and wait a bit longer than I expected. But hey, when the food’s this good, a little patience is worth it!

The portions? Big enough to fuel any adventure, and the prices were just right—no need to break the bank to enjoy a good meal here.

Overall, Khob Khun Thai really knows how to bring the heat! It’s a place I’d recommend to anyone looking for flavors that’ll kick your tastebuds into high gear. I’ll definitely be...

Lots of paid metered parking on Geary, and the place is open late afternoon on weekends.

Service is super friendly and the ambience is minimalist. The server suggested that for vegetarians in our party there were limited options. Only 1 of the curries (yellow curry) was truly vegetarian without shrimp paste.

The sticky rice is on the starchy, super sticky side, and needs the curry to soften it up. Brown rice is cooked perfectly.

We ordered a tom kha soup with Coconut milk soup with lemongrass, galangal, onion and mushroom. It was the perfect blend of Thai flavors with just a little sweetness and it was packing in heat.

For the mains, Sweet Basil with Stir Fried chili, garlic, bell pepper, onion and sweet basil was a huge hit.

We ordered both the sweet basil and the yellow curry with lots of veggies and tofu.

This place is solid. Value for money. Fast friendly service. And while not the very best Thai of your life, it’s good enough to satisfy...