Pailin Thai Cafe
Pailin Thai Cafe
Spring for these crispy Thai rolls. You won't be sorry.
Tom Kha: A wonderful alternative to the traditional chicken soup on a chilly spring night.
Inside
Yellow Curry
Yellow Curry
Eggplant with steam fish - flavorful but unexpected a little sweet for 6/10 level
Panang Curry with Shrimp
Lunch Specials
Dumpling chicken, shrimp & crab
noodles, ramen, noodle dish, ramen and noodles, food, noodle soup
Dining area
Exterior of building
Outside
Dining area
Storefront
Spice tray (chili pepper oils & powders if you want to add even more spiciness).
Garlic and Pepper Calamari
Spicy curry noodles
interior
Chicken 15. Tom Kah Kai
Pad Thai Noodles lunch special
Mixed Veg with Shrimp in Red curry - Flavorful
The Thai art beckons
Nikhil U.
May 18, 2024
Another solid dependable Thai place. Food was nothing that wowed us but it's good Thai food to keep in rotation. The ambience of the place is really nice. The food is good enough that I would take someone here just for the decor and service. Thai dumpling appetizer - pretty okay. Tom kha chicken soup - less sweet /coconut milky than you usually get. Felt like a dash of Tom yum in there which was a pleasant change. Mixed Vegetables with shrimp in red curry - Flavorful curry with generous shrimp portion. Eggplant with steamed fish - I expected it to be more spicy but maybe I ordered it less at 6/10. It was very flavorful and the eggplant and fish were cooked perfectly however this was unexpectedly a little sweet.
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Genevieve S.
Apr 25, 2024
Thai culture is never short on service and 27-year-old Pailin doesn't disappoint. I was immediately welcomed by the owner with a smile and greeting. He seated me within a couple of minutes and in an instant I had a refreshing Thai iced tea while I enjoyed an e-book.I love the inside of this restaurant. Golden art, brightly colored umbrellas and Thai furniture transport you into what you would imagine could easily be an eatery in Thailand.I ordered the coconut milk-based Tom Kha, which had a lot of mushrooms, chicken and flavor. A generous helping, I highly recommend ordering Tom Kha at Pailin. The crispy Thai rolls were the right side to have with the soup and especially yummy when dipped in the accompanying sweet sauce. (I really wanted to stop eating them so I wouldn't get so full , but they were THAT delicious.)After dinner, I would have sorely regretted it if I missed the restaurant's bestselling Rainbow Ball dessert. Soft mochi-like balls in warm coconut milk were the perfect way to end the night.Living in East County, I don't come up to Poway very often, but Pailin presents a delicious reason to venture north.
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Emma S.
Feb 14, 2024
OMG the dinner special of the Pad Thai is exactly the portion that I wanted. Most places I go don't offer a smaller portion and I can never finish it.The Pad Thai that I had was very tasty (I got mine with tofu).The gentlemen working the evening that we got to go at Pailin were so nice!!I loved the decor of the restaurant and would definitely go back when I'm in town .
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Nupoor B.
Jul 1, 2024
Pailin is a family favorite! We have been coming here for years and love the food. They have plenty of vegetarian options and great lunch specials! Extra love for the spicy curry noodles that have been my go-to for years.Also, they are accomodating for my mom's food allergies and are receptive to any changes you may want in the dishes.
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Hannah M.
Jun 4, 2024
I'm obsessed with this place! Some of my favorite Thai food that I've ever had and I keep coming back for more. Pailin has amazing quality food for such great prices. My boyfriend and I love to get their kai chicken curry. It's a curry with a whole chicken and lasts us 2 meals each (it could basically feed 4 people if you wanted) and it's only about $20 which is so nuts! Love coming here for dine in and takeout, restaurant is so big and has nice decor. service is always amazing and food comes out so fast!
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Edith S.
Dec 6, 2023
I came here on a weekday to meet up with past coworkers. It wasn't crowded and there was plenty of parking. The restaurant was neat, had nice decor and properly staffed. I had the Yellow Curry with Chicken and requested it to be mild. Their mild for me was a little spicy. If you can't handle a little spice, I suggest you request NO SPICE. Their baseline is different from other Thai places. Overall, their food was excellent and tasty. I would prefer more rice but it was sufficient.
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Saleen D.
May 29, 2023
Lovely Thai restaurant in RB!The restaurant is beautifully decorated & wheelchair accessible. Staff was very attentive & friendly. & the food was great! Their lunch special is a steal & the fact that they have a lunch special is amazing! All of the Thai places I used to go to, & the new ones that I have tried, do not do lunch specials. The lunch specials consist of the soup of the day, tossed salad, spring roll, fried won ton, & steamed rice. Then depending on what type of protein you add, that will be the price of your meal. Panang Curry: Added chicken. Panang was flavorful & slightly sweet. They are generous with the protein & they give a good portion!See-Eyew Noodles: Added mock duck. The noodles were very tasty.Phad Thai Noodles: Added BBQ pork. Their sauce was slightly sweet which I liked.
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Allyson R.
Jun 1, 2023
Paid by card. Pailin Thai is located in the same plaza as DaBoba and Hoorah and offers plaza parking. I've ordered pick up from here a few times during lunch on weekdays and it's usually packed. Sometimes the lunch takes 20-30 minutes before it's ready so plan ahead. Lunch specials start at $12.95 and come with a dish, wontons, soup, and salad. (Not really a fan of their soup but everything else is good.) The servers/ cashiers are nice but they seem understaffed. I've gotten their spicy noodles with shrimp, green curry with shrimp, and see eyew noodles with chicken, level 7. So far I think the spicy noodles and see eyew noodles have been the best. The chicken was a little dry though and the green curry was lacking enough veggies. Portions are OK sized and I can eat a whole lunch special in one sitting. Overall I'd recommend this place and would go back and try more lunch specials.
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Swan L.
Mar 15, 2023
I stopped by here when I was in the area to pick up a quick Togo weekday lunch. Luckily I was able to place an order online ahead of time.I ordered a pad Thai with BBQ pork. The online estimate was about 30 minutes until the order was ready. I got to Pailin maybe 15 minutes early and thought I would just walk in anyway to wait. I saw a bagged order with my name waiting at the hostess stand already. It's good that they were fast, but would have been nice to also be a bit more accurate in the estimated time.Flavor wise, it was ok, the pad Thai was this weird orange color and was generally bland. There were very scant pieces of BBQ pork and it was dry. The texture of the noodles were fine though.
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Stefano S.
Jul 3, 2024
Unfortunately, I doubt that we will be back for a second time at this Thai restaurant. There was nothing wrong with the service here. It was prompt, very cordial and everything that it should be. However, both of us just thought that the food was just lacking in real flavor. Thai is one of our favorite cuisines and this just doesn't hit the mark at all. The Pad See Ew had very little flavor of black soy which gives it that kind of a smoky flavor. We also had Som Tum, or Green Papaya salad. While it was pretty good, the lime juice flavor was just not there, nor were the papaya shreds bruised, as they should be when making this salad. All in all, it was just okay.
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