Similan Thai Restaurant - Solana Beach, California

BANGKOKBANKS

Beautiful restaurant. Decorated the old-style way of Thailand. A nice menu with easy understandable English descriptions of the food along with good pictures, always a help especially when unfamiliar with a particular exotic dish.

The Thai Singha beers (pronounced “Beer Sing”) are 7 dollars each, served in a can along with a tall cold glass and brought to your table, however you must open and pour it yourself. It felt a little casual considering the beautiful restaurant environment. Lol.

We noticed a lot of take-out food that the staff were bringing to the front of the restaurant for customers to pick up. The restaurant prepares the packaging well, in nice reusable plastic rectangular containers, stacked in a sturdy paper bag.

Food:

I try not to leave negative reviews. I want every establishment to thrive, do well, my reviews are not meant to be unkind. This is my opinion of what we experienced. Having lived full time in Thailand for many years, perhaps my standards are different, yet that should not be an excuse. Good food, even if not authentic, is still "good food" and deserves to be celebrated. There are good Thai restaurants in San Diego that serve near authentic Thai cuisine. My wife is (from Chiang Mai) we enjoy seeking new Asian places to eat. Similan's food didn't work for us. At least on this night it wasn't what we expected. The drunken noodles (a favorite of mine) were soggy cut in tiny pieces, as if stir fried roughly, the sauce the noodles were cooked in tasted the same as the ผัดกะเพราหมู Padt Gapow Moo, “stir fried pork.” I ordered a fried egg (common practice) to go on top, the staff acknowledged my order but didn't bring it. There was something odd about the meat in all the dishes, we were not sure exactly about the texture and taste, but the meat was rubbery and identical in taste to each other . The pork and chicken were indistinguishable from one another. I did not want to eat the meat in any of the dishes, that's saying a lot because I love meat. The green curry แกงเขียวหวาน was okay but not as flavorful as one would expect. One couldn’t help but notice a taste similarity in our three dishes, is it the same sauce?  This may not be important: it's something unusual I noticed. As a cultural rule, Thai people pride their country on having the best rice in the world, called "Cow Hom Mali" ข้าวหอมมะลิ “Fragrant Jasmine Rice.” The rice we were served (sorry) didn't taste like Thai Rice. It was dry and not the same quality, as if scooped from the the bottom of a rice maker that was left on for a long time. There wasn't the sense of pride one expects when being served the 'staple food' as important as Thailand grown rice.

To be fair, this restaurant is busy with take out, and for a Monday night, there were 4 tables with customers that were enjoying their food. I did not see any Thai people here, always a good indication of authenticity, but it may not have been a good night for dining out either.

That they are busy with the dining room and take out, makes this review counter to reality, yet I had to be truthful of what we experienced. Go see for yourself.

Rick Sam

We dined in there for a party of three and the food was outstanding. The portion is very generous as you can see in the pictures and the taste is great for all dishes we ordered. Similan Thai restaurant may not be the most authentic Thai restaurant, but it has a lot to offer! I can say it is one of the best Thai restaurants in the area

Kunhyuk Kang

Nice Thai place, good location, good parking space (store front). Tried noodle, curry, and specialty dishes. Generally well cooked, full of flavor, okay portion. I'd like to see more fresh seafood ingredients for the specialty dish, but can't complain per inflation... Not a perfect spot, but can't go wrong for sure.

Nik Novak

Wow what an amazing hole in the wall. Marianna runs the place and does an amazing job. All the staff are so friendly and polite, the place is quiet enough to run business meetings. And the atmosphere is amazing for a date.

Burrito

It was a nice place and a nice meal.
I came on a Saturday night around 9pm.
The place was really relaxed but not nessesarily empty.
The food came out quickly and tasted wonderful. I had Pad Thai with a side of steamed rice.
The pad Thai was sweet, though I can imagine someone might want spicier.
Pork Padthai was really good, flavorful and nicely cooked.
The host and waiter were awesome too! Very polite and courteous.
I enjoyed the place and hope to come back to try the rest of the menu.

Kim Ung

This is one of the best local restaurants I visit when I want authentic Thai food. It is a cozy place, has a reasonable price, and the portion is plentiful. The meals are prepared fresh and hot. The waiters and waitresses are friendly and helpful. The parking is tricky to get to, but it's worthwhile. I genuinely enjoy eating my lunches or dinners there. This place is somewhat of a hidden gem. The food is that good.

Nubs

An expensive experience.

The money bag appetizer was avg for a $12 appetizer. I wouldn’t get that again.
The ice tea was $4.50!

I ordered spicy panang curry and got mild curry. The spice tray helped. The unseasoned meat was tender, the sauce was creamy and savory.

The service was good, the place was empty when I sat down.

mai

The food was very good and reasonably priced. The lunch special meal was $15 and it came with a large portion as well as soup and salad. The waiter was also very nice and everything came out quickly. The dining area and the bathrooms were also very clean. I really enjoyed eating here and I would definitely come again ☺️