Shai Yo Thai — Restaurant in San Marcos

We got into San Marcos late Friday night and the only Thai restaurant open was Shai Yo Thai, but Google said they require reservations. Thankfully that was not the case. When we arrived, the first thing we saw was the Magic Drink, a dark blue colored beverage. This reminded us of the tasty, sweet pea flower tea that we got in Singapore and Thailand on a previous trip. Sure enough it was, so we ordered it. We really enjoyed it, then the server, Alex explained what ingredient to add and watch the magic happen. The drink was completely transformed and I'll leave some mystery for you to try it yourself. It was very good before and after the magic and very fun to experience. Next Alex recommended a wonderful appetizer and several main course options. We choose the Kanom Jeep (steamed dumplings) and Khao Man Gai (deconstructed chicken, rice and ginger soup with special sauce on the side). We finished this wonderful meal with the Thai tea creme brulee. Words can't describe how truly wonderful this treat was. I'm so thankful that I have an annual conference that brings me back to San Marcos, I will be back to enjoy Shai Yo Thai! Saving the best for last, Alex is the most amazing, interesting and attentive waiter and with his personal travels to Thailand he was able to explain the authenticity of the food and give good guidance...

I shared Tom Yum (spicy chicken) with my boyfriend. It was really good. The best Thai soup I've had in town. They serve hot pots which I love! I feel their menu is a little pricey but there aren't a lot of Thai places in San Marcos. My only complaint was our server Eric. I'm pretty sure he tried to get us to "order to go" instead of dinning in since he repeat himself three times. Then he tried to upsale the hot pots by saying it was a portion and a half. Also that he ate one by himself alot. Hot pots are big enough usually to serve two people 2 servings. Even more depending on the bowl size. 4 people could easily have a bowl of soup with some left over here. After he left our table he stopped by the counter and ate some food. It seems our arrival interrupted his lunch with his girl friend. Also I'm not certain he washed his hands after any of the times he sat down or stopped to eat food. My hanger left me mumbling about this throughout our meal about this. Again the soup was great and worth $13 .. I just don't like being made to feel like an inconvenience for dinning in. Otherwise I would've...

I got the Pad Thai and Fresh Spring Roll. I forgot to take a picture of the food since I was super hungry. I let the server know I have a gluten allergy, and as per the menu stated, most dishes can be made without soy sauce. The person cooking the food didn't seem to know since I was served peanut sauce, which is typically made with soy sauce, so I didn't eat that. The food was DELICIOUS. Most Pad Thai dishes I've had all taste a bit different, but this one was less greasy. The Fresh Spring Rolls were so good as well. They had pineapple, which I've never had in them before, but it complimented the rest of the ingredients really well. I asked for sweet chili sauce to dip them in, and I highly recommend that if you don't like or can't have peanut sauce.

The only thing that was off-putting was the restroom. It needs some maintenance and TLC. Regardless, I'd dine here again and again.

The server was a bit overwhelmed due to some rude ladies, and he was the only one there. He did a great job keeping his composure and assisting everyone in a...