11/03/08

Pumpkin Curry, Who knew?!

by ksjjj

I was down the street having my hair styled and was totally craving Thai food, so I asked my stylist what Thai place near by she reccommended and all signs pointed me to Thep Phanom. She said that I had to have the Titanic Shrimp...When I got there I was so surprised to find the most adorable Thai place and some of the best service I have had in awhile. Both my husband and I selected from the prix fixe menu and I had this pumpkin curry dish that was incredible...Yummy!

• Pros: prix fixe
• Cons: parking

The traditional cuisine and convenient Lower Haight locale have made this one of San Francisco's most popular Thai restaurants.

by Contributor

In Short
The small dining area is almost always crowded, with one rectangular room ornately decorated along the walls by gilt highlights leading to somewhat noisy acoustics. The atmosphere can lean from festive to frenetic, and the crowd is a constantly shifting mix of all walks of city life. The menu includes lemon grass salad, crispy fried calamari and boneless crispy duck. Creative dishes like filet of catfish in thick curry sauce and complex seafood options are also available.

10/20/06

Check your bills!

by megankell

This restaurant offers good enough Thai food and is one of better places in Lower Haight. However, they have overcharged me twice! I caught it the first time while I was still at the restaurant and they fixed it. But the second time, it seems as if they added a tip on my takeout bill. My receipt says $33.50 but my credit card statement says $40.20! Beware.

• Cons: Double-check your receipts!

08/04/06

Lousy, overly sweet food for westerners who don't know what Thai food is supposed to taste like.

by joe1234568

It amazes me that Thep Phanom keeps getting rave reviews. It's just not good. The ingredients are just okay (they use lots of canned vegetables) and the cooking is way below typical Thai standard.

But they do have a secret ingredient: sugar. They sweeten up all the dishes and for some reason westerners who have no idea what real Thai food should taste like eat it up.

If you like sugar noodles, go to Thep Phanom. If you want real Thai food, go somewhere else.

05/16/06

Sweet Ambiance & Tasty Food

by lizsong

Thep Phanom definitely has some great dishes! The portions were a bit small and a bit pricey for what we got, but it made do. We ordered a soup, but they just added another order of it b/c it wouldn't be enough for the number in our party. The server should have told us prior to making that executive decision, which I thought was a bit inappropriate.

I loved the ambiance of this place. It was clean, sweet, art was nice, bathrooms were clean, the server staff were well dressed and they had small touches of elegance in unsuspecting places.

I would recommend going to this place with a small intimate group if you plan on going family style with the food. Overall, I enjoyed the food and service.

04/24/06

Yummy~

by yujo

Thep Phenom is one of my favorite Thai restaurants. The food is excellent, the service is good, and restaurant is nice and cozy. I like how the restaurant provides an extensive menu selection with over 90 different dishes. This place is definately a locals hidden treasure. I highly recommend making reservations if you do not want to wait long for a table. The only negative part is that parking is very limited and hard to find because it is in a residential neighborhood. However, I always go back for the food!

• Pros: Authentic thai food, Good service
• Cons: Parking, Tight seating

03/13/06

Good food but not that authentic

by luckymfocker

I just got back from a 3 month trip in Bangkok. I've always liked to food at Thep Phanom but I realize now that the food is quite bland compared to traditional thai food. The curries tend to be quite sweet and lacking spice. The Tom Kai Gai is also creamy and sweet but lacking in spice. That said, very few people I've taken there have disliked the food. I especially recommend the basil mushroom - breaded and fried juicy mushrooms in a tangy sauce garnished heavily with basil. Quite delicious.

If you are looking for authentic thai food, try somewhere else. If you are looking for a tasty thai meal, this place will hit the spot.

• Pros: tasty, reasonably priced, good service
• Cons: Lacks thai spicyness

12/27/05

Good food

by yummy4mytummy

Although I am of Asian decent I have never really eaten Thai food. It always smelled and looked funny to me. Then came Thep Phanom. My boyfriend (who was not really a fan of Thai food) loves it too. We always get the Yellow Curry with chicken, potatoes, and onion. I recommend anything chicken-bbq is great too. The seafood dishes are not so good and a little too pricey. Their rice is always perfectly cooked and I love the cozy decor. Always crowded though so be prepared to wait and make sure you wear deoderant-very little elbow room!

• Pros: taste great, cozy decor, service
• Cons: parking, seafood

08/20/05

My I wonder why it is so crowded?

by donunder

This restaurant has a reason to be crowded. It is outstanding and always has been.

The staff actually seems to suffer with the guests as they wait and always volunteer

to bring some appetizers. Crowded at Lunch and Dinner any day of the week and rightfully

so. It is excellent - I learned long ago to avoid the word "authentic". This and no other place outside of Thailand and only for the region the dish originated can claim to be authentic with all of the substitutions required, That said this could fool most people.

• Pros: Traditional styling, well done, sympathetic staff
• Cons: I guess -crowded, but understandable

06/22/05

used to be good

by gschmoll

I used to go here several times a month when I lived a block away. I was always excellent. However, I was there recently after a year or more absence and was disappointed. The food is still pleasant, but hardly mind blowing like it used to be. I also think the portion sizes have gotten smaller. Combined that with the noise and the very crowded space, I can't recommend this place any more.

• Pros: food
• Cons: noise, price