Thaibodia Bistro - San Jose — Restaurant in San Jose

I just want to preface being Khmer (Cambodian)-American, my palate is partial to certain flavors and ingredients. I don’t expect a 5-star experience, but want to feel comfortable and enjoy good food! With that said, I recently moved to the Bay area and have been craving Southeast Asian fare. Thaibodia did not satisfy my craving.

Atmosphere: The interior decor is indistinguishable from any other restaurant of any other cuisine. There is some SEA decor but nothing too obvious as a lot was hidden toward the back of the restaurant. We were a party of two and opted for the four seater table directly to the right upon entrance. This faces parallel to the street with a nice sunny window. This window hosts a ton of plants - which as a plant lover I would typically be okay with ..but not here. There seemed to be lot of gnats and small flies flying around this table. I am certain I saw a fly trap as well. Behind the table is a wall outlet that has a Glade Plug-in. The fragrance was EXTREMELY distracting and smelled awful for a restaurant. I thought my entire dining experience would be ruined by the smell of “fresh linen” aka toxic, hormone disrupting fumes. If you are the owner/manager of this establishment and you are reading this - please remove the Glade Plug In, leave that for the restroom..not the dining room. Table was set with a pair of dirty/not completely cleaned dishes.

Food: As a starter, we ordered the Papaya salad with Salted Crab - It was just okay, but I would not order it again. Flavor was unbalanced. Too sugary sweet, too unbearably salty. The two soups for dinner: Salaw Kako with Squid - my partner said bland but edible. I can’t speak to it much. Salaw machu Ktiss with Chicken - acceptable taste wise, but I couldnt get past an early issue I found with the soup. My initial order had a dark hair that was found before I could dig in. See photo. I was offered a new order to which I obliged. At this point, I was ready to walk out but I was so hungry. I later learned I would regret this decision. We didn’t finish nearly half our food and it was a disappointment to spend however much we did on this dinner. That evening we spent walking down Santana Row and I became very ill. I am not sure if this was related to the dinner, but my experience at Thaibodia has led me to have an inkling it may have been a slight result.

Service was poor and the server did not seem to care or be receptive to my discomfort or their shortcomings that evening. I hope they can do better, but this is not the...

We’ve been to another spot in Milpitas and we had a great experience so today we decided to visit somewhere nearer. Food: overall, they taste good but the Tom Kha soup is way too salty, and we have to add some water ourselves to get it balanced. The chicken in all dishes is well cooked; very tender. We ordered medium spicy for all of the food and it’s just about the hotness we want.

Service: When we entered the restaurant around 8 we were told that they are closing at 9 yet the business hour on Yelp and Map is 9:30 so we were a bit surprised as there were no notice on the door even if it’s a day before the holiday.

Ambiance: clean and nice. Casual meal or family dinner is...

I recently visited Thaibodia Bistro and was blown away by the flavor and value. Every dish we ordered was under $20, super fresh, and packed with authentic Thai taste.

We tried: 🥘 Tom Yum Soup with Mixed Seafood – flavorful, spicy, and loaded with shrimp, squid, and fish. 🥗 Seafood Salad – fresh and tangy, with a very generous portion. 🌯 Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp – light and refreshing, perfect as an appetizer.

The menu has all the Thai classics like pad Thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, and mango sticky rice. You can customize spice levels and protein options, which is a huge plus!

💡 They also have free drink promos (like lemonade), so check for...