Thai Juan On — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

Decided to try a new restaurant. Upon entering we were greeted but had to wait for a few tables to be cleared. After about 5 minutes we got seated by the host. We waited for about 15 minutes and were greeted by our waitress. She wanted to know what we wanted to drink, and then we placed our order at the same time. We ordered Pad See Eww (not sure of spelling) along with a chicken fried rice dish which we asked if they could add fresh pineapple. We must have waited at least 15 more minutes as we getting impatient for our drinks. No water was brought to us while waiting. The people who sat behind us had issues with their food order. The family that sat across from us kept waiting and waiting for someone to take their order too and they sat down way after we did. Yet, all the while this is going on, we noticed two male workers who were just passing time talking with other patrons oblivious. Our drinks finally arrived. Then we waited for our two dishes. Woo hoo they arrived and were nice sized portions. On the table your dinner plate is that of a bread plate. So, we served ourselves and realized they never brought the chili pepper/vinegar/dried chili condiments. So, we try to find our waitress, but got another worker there. We are brought a small saucer of red chili paste. Not exactly what we wanted, but okay. We both found the noodles bland and the chicken had zero flavor. The rice was good, it was fluffy, but again - not enough flavor. They also used bland canned pineapple chucks l - we asked for fresh as the dish was a special order. For Thai food you want flavor! Spices, citrus, heat, sweetness...our food had none of that. The Chang bottled beer was good. The wine my partner had was good. The check was dropped off and we asked for to-go boxes. We were brought them. The people behind us had still not been served their food and the family across from our table - half had been served and were eating and the other half still waiting for their food. We paid our bill and left. One hour and 40 minutes later. Don't think we will be back to...

Not sure why this restaurant has such a high rating? We were excited to try something new and the Google ratings were 4.5. The food was bland, lacking in both spices and any heat whatsoever. Their equivalent to a fresh spring roll (Handroll Salad ) was cabbage, bean sprout and tofu with a peanut sauce. The cabbage was all you could taste; tofu was almost nonexistent. On its own, very dull. So, they add a ton of peanut sauce which overpowers the dull roll. I give it a 1 out of 5 for fresh spring roll. Next, we ordered Old Macdonald / Kao Phat and Veggie Veggie / Pak Phat. Again, both lacked spices. The Pak Phat was a little overpowering with only the taste of fish sauce, that is, no other spices to balance it out. I give that a 2 out of 5. The Kao Phat, took on the taste of the wok, which I like in a fried rice. The chicken was, as expected, dull. No spices or character. I give this a 3 out of 5 only because I like the flavor of the wok when it comes to fried rice. At this point, my rating is balancing to a solid 2 out of 5. Two other factors. Bathroom was discussing, the toilet needed cleaning, badly. My wife decided to wait until we got home. Also, this morning the food was still in our stomachs, which is unusual Thai is usually easily digestible. We were hoping this was going to be...

Nice enough staff, and a good looking spot to dine in although a bit of a maze. The meals we ordered were not good however, completely overcooked shrimp almost beyond what you could call edible, poorly prepared and mushy vegetables, overly salty/underseasoned gravies, and shockingly small portion sizes. Portion size to cost ratio is terribly skewed, I would be unhappy paying half of what the dishes cost, a frozen version at Trader Joe’s would cost far less, be more authentic, and taste infinitely better. I am not certain what I ate was Thai food at all, which may reflect the seemingly nonsensical menu options littered with puns to the point of being nearly incomprehensible. This place has quality wait staff, excellent location, and the area attracts foodies, now the kitchen only needs to rethink their baffling interpretation of food. I don’t think I can stomach going back anytime soon, but I wish them well as I ponder why Google can’t allow me to give 0/5...