Baan Thai Restaurant

We went for dinner, a lot of food choices at very reasonable prices. Food was presented beautifully and service was very good. We ordered seafood soup in coconut milk and it was excellent. My avocado prawn dish was in a wonderful peanut sauce and accompanied with steamed vegetables. My husband had the seafood curry and it was served with a lot of seafood and a very light spicy sauce. We will definitely return.

Pretty decent Thai delicacy. I’ve been here multiple times and all together have tried pad see ew, pad thai, tom kha soup, homestyle noodles and thai tea. The soup is a little too sour for my liking but still hits the spot. The pad Thai was a little too saucy but bearable. Pad see ew here would still be my go to.
Service is average, most of the servers seem really sweet and eager to please. I have never been here during a rush (either there is no rush or I just never come when they’re busy) but they do a decent job checking up on you and refilling drinks.
This restaurant is closed between lunch and dinner. I believe they close at 3 and reopen at 5. Ordering to go is easy too, orders are usually ready within 15 min.

Were do I start! The food here was absolutely terrible. The service was even worse than the crappy pad thai that I ate. I do not suggest this restaurant! I highly suggest you go a block and a half up the street to Siam Orchid. (In and out in 25 minutes, amazing every time). I also highly suggest that you cross this off the list of restaurants that you want to try before you die, because you will die from the 45 minute wait that you have to wait in order to revive your crappy pad thai.
The one decent thing that I will say is that the waiter was very kind. However, there was only one for the entire restaurant on a Saturday night.
Also, my stomach feels like a choppy ocean.
Dont.

1 star for service. I called for take out and the kid who answered put me on hold. 7 minutes later I could hear him in the background and they clearly forgot about me. I called back and he acknowledged he forgot.
I should have known then to forget about this place and order elsewhere. But hindsight is ²⁰⁄₂₀!
I ordered a salad and 3 dishes. The kid on the phone said 25 minutes. An HOUR LATER I was still waiting for my food.
Out of the 4 people waiting for their takeout orders, 3 had missing/​wrong orders.
There seemed to be no direction besides the 2 very young looking kids running around like their heads were missing.
As for the food, it was mediocre, 3 to 4 stars. The pumpkin curry was ok but the beef was very chewy. Pad Thai tasted more sour than we prefer. Chicken basil was pretty standard. Lemongrass prawns salad had a good taste but small for the price.
Bottom line, this place seems to be run poorly. Management needs major improvement.

We eat here at least once a week. The food is good and they have organic options. Good kids menu. They still make a dish for my daughter that hasn’t been on the menu for years. Thai crunch salad, curries, noodles etc are all good. We love this place. Also overlooks golf course so a little view of by the windows.

Worst phone demeanor ever experienced from a phone order. If you work in or own a Thai restaurant you should know good and well how to answer how many stars (spicyness) or what the scale of spiciness is on the food. It probably comes up a lot. Don’t make me feel like the A-​hole when you’re the one being rude. I love all cultures and certainly Thai people. That said perhaps a basic command of English would be helpful as well to give your patrons what they want over the phone. Thanks.

To all of those who may believe the negative reviews, STOP. I hope this review changes your mind. I just had one of the best Thai meals in the Bay area at this restaurant. I was somewhat worried when I read one on the negative comments written in the past, but was immediately convinced they were wrong the second I walked into the door. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. My wife and I were immediately greeted and sat at a very comfortable table. First, we ordered the sampler appetizer… PERFECT, and the crunch SALAD, PERFECT. Our main course was chicken eggplant… PERFECT, and spicy pork pumpkin curry PERFECT, white rice (not overcooked) PERFECT. The food quality and flavors were outstanding. Given the quality of service and food, I will be back. Great job.

We often eat at Baan Thai and find the food always fresh, well prepared to order and the service friendly and efficient, really couldn’t ask for more in a local hometown Thai restaurant

I came here recently for a parent-​daughter date night. We rarely come to Orinda looking for restaurants because we just don’t think of it. But this gem will help us to think of it more often for good spots. When we arrived for our 6:30 dinner reservation on a Saturday night, it was empty. We get a little silly for reserving the table, but better safe than sorry. Then, within 20 minutes, the restaurant was packed! Every table was full. They were very accommodating with vegetarian requests (ie — no fish sauce or broth.). We had vegetarian tom ka gai soup (rarely available in a veggie version) which was such a treat and had a bunch of vegetables and tofu in it. We shared veggie fresh rolls, pumpkin curry (veggie and very spicy), yellow curry and a mixed veggie/​tofu basil dish. Everything was really good. If you’re not a fan of spice, be sure to let them know as some dishes definitely come very spicy. Oh and I’ll fess up, we also shared mango sticky rice and fried banana with coconut ice cream that was super tasty.

Thai crunch salad all the way! Light and delicious. They chopped up chicken satay and used a light peanut sauce. Delicious!

Baan Thai provides high quality, fresh Thai food at a very reasonable price. The food is consistently delicious — our family has been eating here at least once a month for the past seven years and we’ve never had a bad experience. All of the dishes are tasty and the lunch specials are a particularly good deal.
Some of our favorite dishes are: Thai Crunch Salad (great peanut and oil & vinegar dressing); Papaya Salad (great traditional dish); any of the curries (the pumpkin curry is a special standout); Grilled Eggplant with Chicken (nice charcoal taste); Tom Kha Kai (chicken soup with coconut milk and lemongrass); and of course Pad Thai. Baan Thai also has a special brown rice that I’ve never had anywhere else — it’s almost purple in color and is slightly nutty and tasty. It’s a nice complement to the other dishes, especially the curries.
We are lucky to have such excellent Thai food in Orinda!

Ordered lunch, sat down to eat and found lots of hair in my broccoli. Ugh!!! I took it back for a refund and NO APOLOGY or nothing. I will never eat there again

Pretty good Thai restaurant. We recently stopped by Baan Thai late one evening when we were starving and craving Thai food. Thankfully, Baan Thai was willing to accommodate us even though it was near closing time. The service was pretty good — the waitstaff was friendly. We ordered the following; green curry chicken and vegetarian pad thai. Everything was tasty and well made. The restaurant is small, but tastefully decorated.

This has been our favorite Thai restaurant for many years. The staff is so friendly and professional.
I always order LEMONGRASS & PRAWNS SALAD or marinated PRAWNS SALAD and PO TAK (seafood spicy soup) to start. Then others order Pad Thai, Green curry, Grille Salmon, or any vegetarian or seafood sauteed dish, depend on the appetite that day.
We have been here many times and I have never disappointed. So we take friends when we go out for lunch or dinner with confidence.
I also like their brown rice (more like red rice) option for rice. And they are good!!!

Sadly this is not a good review.
I went to eat there around 3 times, but last time was the last one. It is sad, because the food is so full of flavor, but there are other things to be considered when you EATING at a restaurant.
Flies… There are flies everywhere and flies and restaurants DO NOT GO TOGETHER!
Last time, our food (and the couple next to us) were being «attacked» by flies. They asked to be moved to other table. I just could not take anymore and as soon as I finished my appetizers, I asked them to have the rest of my order to go.
When I got home, another disappointment was that my vegetables with tofu, had tons of tofu and only some vegetables…
This place needs urgently screens to be put on the windows and one screen door to keep the flies out.
It is kind disgusting…

I was going to attend a performance at the Shakespeare Theater late Sunday afternoon and was looking for a place to have lunch. I use to live in Orinda and often ate at the Siam Orchid but wasn’t open for lunch. However, Baan Thai was. So, I decided to try it out.
The main dining area was neat and pleasant; the additional dining room to the right was closed. Service was a little slow initially but not a problem. My GF and I shared 2 appetizers which were refreshing and very filling — the Meang Kum (served in lettuce cups) and Summer Rolls. My GF had a the Bangkok Street lunch combo w/​salmon and I had the mango curry with chicken. The salmon was properly cooked and the Mango Curry was tasty but the chicken was overcooked and chewy.
Overall, the experience eating at Baan Thai was ok, but not particularly noteworthy. I do not think it is better than Siam Orchid; they are really both about the same in terms of food quality but (comparing the menus) Baan Thai is cheaper and offers a better value. So, if you’re looking to save money, Baan Thai would probably be the better choice.

well i thought this place was great! i loved that they had street style thai food on the lunch menu. I had the green curry. it was nice and spicy, and a good sized portion for lunch.

Definitely a fan of this place. The people are friendly and we’ve always had good service, though we do tend to go during «off peak» times. The restaurant was remodeled this past year and the décor is modern yet comfortable.
Our favorite dishes are the red duck curry an beef salad. I also LOVE that you can get brown rice. The restaurant added a limited cocktail menu recently which is nice; especially when waiting for others to join you at the table.
Food — 4 stars
Atmosphere — 4 stars
Service– 3 stars
Cocktails — 3 stars (good value, but nothing special)

I’m lucky to live near this restaurant! I’ve been there three times and that’s enough to prove that it’s delicious. The place feels like you’re visiting a friend. Staff is attentive to make sure everything is right. You can order Thai Iced Tea for to go too: D

This place is so good!
I’ve been here a few times and everything was always good. There is street parking around the store front and also a lot close by. The menu has all English names. All the other thai restaurants I’ve visited have had menus with thai name titles for food. But, the food is pretty tasty.
My drink: thai tea-​the norm :) good.
My food:
Chicken Satay Lunch Plate– $ 9ish
4 skewers of yummy chicken satay with a tasty side of peanut sauce and good cucumber «salad». This included a salad and sticky rice (which was served in a ball in cling wrap). Good for plain people.
Lunch plate: Green chicken curry with tom kha gai soup. The curry had such a great flavor! I think their green curry is jalapeño infused, it’s a bit spicy. The chicken was plentiful and decent sized pieces. The veggies in it were glorious fleshy bamboo chunks, carrots, a few green beans, skinny eggplant, some peas, and some bell peppers. The Tom kha gai soup was also plentiful with veggies and adequate chicken. The flavors were right on point. I had this dish with a side of mixed grain rice. YUMMMM. Super delicious. And a great deal for around $ 10
Basil chicken lunch plate $ 10.55-delicious chicken cooked with a flavorful basil sauce (fresh leaves not dried flakes). There were slightly crunchy carrots, peas, luscious bamboo shoots that I adore, green bell pepper, some wonderfully cooked onion. It came with white or brown rice (brown rice has a $ 0.75 up-​charge) and salad. My salad had too much mayo-​like dressing. But it’s so negligible compared to how tasty the food and rice is.
A long time ago–
Duck spring rolls– dry and not too tasty.
Spicy noodle plate– eh. Sort of like pad kee mao, but I think it was called something else here.
I don’t remember. :)
BUT– the curries are SUPER AWESOME! I’ve had better chicken satay in el cerrito, but this one is good. I think the lunch specials are a great deal, so check it out sometime!

I love this place. Great food esp. if you like spicy (love it).
The staff are kind and friendly and food comes to your table fresh and quick. Two thumbs up
Ray
P. S. I’ve reviewing the Baan Thai restuarant on Irving in SF at 7^th!!!