Sawasdee Thai Cuisine

I love Sawasdee Soquel. I’ve been going here for years and the food is consistently good. The vegetables are always very fresh and the flavors are very tasty. I especially love their fresh springs rolls and drunken noodles!

Best Thai food in town. Well seasoned. Not excessively sugary. Some of their pieces of vegetables are unusually large. Whatever sauce they use on their drunken noodles is really super duper yummy. Sometimes they are really fast. Once, when they were really really packed I waited 25 minutes more than they said my order would take, which didn't seem entirely unreasonable given how busy they were.

Mmmmm!! Yum! I'm very spoiled when it comes to Thai food. I've traveled all over and had some great eats! This is the best Thai restaurant south of downtown Santa Cruz. We loved the Penang Curry, Drunken Noodles and Thai spring rolls. Definitely a new favorite!! Also, there's a cheery vibe there. Good people 🙏

It was a quite good Thai restaurant! I definitely want to try new dishes!

This restaurant was unexpectedly good. I’ve never been and overall it was a really good experience. The prices are reasonable the service is incredible and very accommodating. They remade two of our dishes because they were too spicy for me. I was very appreciative. Great food! Definitely recommend.

This is my favorite Thai restaurant in the Santa Cruz area. The food is consistently delicious, the staff is extremely friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is super cozy. 10/10 recommend. 😍

The best Thai food ever do yourself a service and go here! Best staff Eva.

Excellent service, amazing thai food, wonderful employees and wonderful ambience thanks to the employees. We arrived on New Years Day and got seated almost immediately. Thai food quality was very well done. We got the curry dishes and those were exceptionally well made, especially since it's one of the very few Thai restaurants in the entire town of Santa Cruz. The spring rolls were VERY unique as there are spring rolls that are just filled with noodles, salad and other veggies. The spring rolls here were tastefully rich in greens and well balanced with protein and the sauce. The ambience of the area is good. We usually don't mind how the restaurants look but the entire place was very well maintained, clean and organized. Parking is extremely limited, maybe 7-8 spots if you're lucky. We parked around the block so it wasn't that bad at all. Overall, great Thai food, excellent service, and would highly recommend!

I'm surprised it took this long for me to finally try Sawasdee. They are undoubtedly one of the best Thai restaurants in town, with a wonderful indoor dining area and great service. Almost everything on their menu can be made vegan which opens up more options for vegans and vegetarians. My friend and I shared their fresh Spring Rolls, Green Curry Tofu, and Ginger Stir-Fry Tofu. On the side we had two bundles of sticky rice. The spring rolls were amazing! A half order gave us two large pieces and they were filled with veggies including alfalfa sprouts, an ingredient not commonly found usually! The peanut sauce was 10/10. We ordered spicy for both main dishes and boy, these were SPICY. I enjoyed the tongue lashing but be careful if you are sensitive to spice. Both were fantastic and complimented well with the sticky rice. Wish there was more tofu in both dishes but it was still a fabulous selection. I would get all of these options again in the future. Service here was fantastic. Very friendly and made sure that our waters were filled especially after all the spicy food we consumed.

Food from this restaurant is an easy 10/10! I loved the Fresh Rolls, the Kao Lao Beef soup, and the Mango Sticky Rice. The flavors are big and fresh. I will definitely be ordering more food from here in the future. Delicious!

This is our go to Thai Restaurant. On Sunday, we actually drove by another Thai restaurant, and just turned around and headed to Sawasdee. The place was busy, but the service as usual was excellent. We got all the attention we needed. We ordered the Fresh Roles, the Tom Kha soup, Green Curry with tofu and vegetables, and the Eggplant with Thai Basil. And all the food was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed ourselves and had a great time. We usually get to go, but it was good to be there and connect with the staff and other customers.

My sister in law lives locally and loves this place! My husband said it was the best pad thai he has ever had. The service was great and they explained everything on the menu. They have a lot of gf options and can make most things vegan. This was my first thai experience and it was great. Everything tasted super fresh!

I had my food delivered. I've been wanting some good Thai food and this is the 1st time I've eaten at this restaurant. I recently moved to Capitola so I've been trying out a few places. Let me tell you Sawa's D is absolutely the best large quantity of orders. Everything perfect full of veggies not just water everything absolutely excellent. I will definitely be ordering from there again and again and again thank you.!!!!!

So good! Fast, cheap, and delicious 🥰 got the devil duck and the beef pad see ew, both were very good! Egg rolls were so hot and fresh we actually had to wait before eating them. Will definitely be back!

TinaEh VangLee

Excellent service, amazing thai food, wonderful employees and wonderful ambience thanks to the employees. We arrived on New Years Day and got seated almost immediately. Thai food quality was very well done. We got the curry dishes and those were exceptionally well made, especially since it's one of the very few Thai restaurants in the entire town of Santa Cruz. The spring rolls were VERY unique as there are spring rolls that are just filled with noodles, salad and other veggies. The spring rolls here were tastefully rich in greens and well balanced with protein and the sauce. The ambience of the area is good. We usually don't mind how the restaurants look but the entire place was very well maintained, clean and organized. Parking is extremely limited, maybe 7-8 spots if you're lucky. We parked around the block so it wasn't that bad at all. Overall, great Thai food, excellent service, and would highly recommend!

Andy Ng

I'm surprised it took this long for me to finally try Sawasdee. They are undoubtedly one of the best Thai restaurants in town, with a wonderful indoor dining area and great service. Almost everything on their menu can be made vegan which opens up more options for vegans and vegetarians. My friend and I shared their fresh Spring Rolls, Green Curry Tofu, and Ginger Stir-Fry Tofu. On the side we had two bundles of sticky rice. The spring rolls were amazing! A half order gave us two large pieces and they were filled with veggies including alfalfa sprouts, an ingredient not commonly found usually! The peanut sauce was 10/10. We ordered spicy for both main dishes and boy, these were SPICY. I enjoyed the tongue lashing but be careful if you are sensitive to spice. Both were fantastic and complimented well with the sticky rice. Wish there was more tofu in both dishes but it was still a fabulous selection. I would get all of these options again in the future. Service here was fantastic. Very friendly and made sure that our waters were filled especially after all the spicy food we consumed.

Beach Town Traveler

Food from this restaurant is an easy 10/10! I loved the Fresh Rolls, the Kao Lao Beef soup, and the Mango Sticky Rice. The flavors are big and fresh. I will definitely be ordering more food from here in the future. Delicious!

John Mukhar

This is our go to Thai Restaurant. On Sunday, we actually drove by another Thai restaurant, and just turned around and headed to Sawasdee. The place was busy, but the service as usual was excellent. We got all the attention we needed. We ordered the Fresh Roles, the Tom Kha soup, Green Curry with tofu and vegetables, and the Eggplant with Thai Basil. And all the food was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed ourselves and had a great time. We usually get to go, but it was good to be there and connect with the staff and other customers.

Candice Miller

My sister in law lives locally and loves this place! My husband said it was the best pad thai he has ever had. The service was great and they explained everything on the menu. They have a lot of gf options and can make most things vegan. This was my first thai experience and it was great. Everything tasted super fresh!

Victoria Lester

I had my food delivered. I've been wanting some good Thai food and this is the 1st time I've eaten at this restaurant. I recently moved to Capitola so I've been trying out a few places. Let me tell you Sawa's D is absolutely the best large quantity of orders. Everything perfect full of veggies not just water everything absolutely excellent. I will definitely be ordering from there again and again and again thank you.!!!!!

Ashley Benson

So good! Fast, cheap, and delicious 🥰 got the devil duck and the beef pad see ew, both were very good! Egg rolls were so hot and fresh we actually had to wait before eating them. Will definitely be back!

Went out for dinner, wife, son, granddaughter, my self and a good friend. Had not been there for many years. We had a great Thai style meal! The servers, Che and Jan made great suggestions and the food was so fresh and flavorful! We will definitely be returning again!

I had the duck curry while my buddy has the green curry with fish (IIRC). Both were good and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of duck, as most places will give you like a handful of small pieces with a ton of veggies. I believe that it was the second time I've been to Sawasdee, and both times were enjoyable.

Had a choice between a few Thai restaurants on new years and this one looked the best. Ordered to go and the place was packed. Food was great. Always order rice with curry, I thought everyone knew that nowadays.

Sawasdee Thai is our favorite in Soquel! It’s like a warm hug on a cold night. Atmosphere is inviting, service hustles, and food is great. I’m picky but I’d give it 5 stars every visit and I’ve been many times. Thanks, Sawasdee!

What amazing food. We are vegetarians and they were conscious of our needs. The spring rolls are to die for. The curry and noodles was also really good. They definitely have some secret sauce that I will be coming back for. I am told that they run about 40 rolls in a day so you can imagine their popularity. Highly highly recommend. Dessert was really good as well

Che was our waiter I wish somebody had noted that this place can make anything vegan. The food is very good not too much oil full of flavor and very fresh. The customer service is exceptional and what a friendly crew. I would love to come here more if I was closer. I must try and they had also 1 awards from the Santa Cruz Sentinel for best Thai Resturant !!!

Josh

Had a choice between a few Thai restaurants on new years and this one looked the best. Ordered to go and the place was packed. Food was great. Always order rice with curry, I thought everyone knew that nowadays.

Wendi Peot

Sawasdee Thai is our favorite in Soquel! It’s like a warm hug on a cold night. Atmosphere is inviting, service hustles, and food is great. I’m picky but I’d give it 5 stars every visit and I’ve been many times. Thanks, Sawasdee!

E T

I had the duck curry while my buddy has the green curry with fish (IIRC). Both were good and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of duck, as most places will give you like a handful of small pieces with a ton of veggies. I believe that it was the second time I've been to Sawasdee, and both times were enjoyable.

clarissa osorio

This is my favorite Thai restaurant in the Santa Cruz area. The food is consistently delicious, the staff is extremely friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is super cozy. 10/10 recommend. 😍

Ashwin Menon

What amazing food. We are vegetarians and they were conscious of our needs. The spring rolls are to die for. The curry and noodles was also really good. They definitely have some secret sauce that I will be coming back for. I am told that they run about 40 rolls in a day so you can imagine their popularity. Highly highly recommend. Dessert was really good as well

P J

Che was our waiter I wish somebody had noted that this place can make anything vegan. The food is very good not too much oil full of flavor and very fresh. The customer service is exceptional and what a friendly crew. I would love to come here more if I was closer. I must try and they had also 1 awards from the Santa Cruz Sentinel for best Thai Resturant !!!

Our server was nice, but she never checked back in with us. One dish was too salty (inedible) and we never had a chance to ask for it to be made again. The other 3 dishes were delicious. It took a long time to order and to get our check as well.

Food is always great, I'm gluten free and they were really good about making sure all that I ate was gluten free. The service was slow and even though there were only two other people eating in the restaurant, they seemed a little frazzled and forgot to bring us some of our food. It all ended up at the table eventually though. My husband wanted very spicey food and said it was not hot enough but the flavors were very good.

Appreciate the overall quality of the food and service. I do wish it was a bit more authentic with some of the traditional tick. I did add my own heat but the papaya salad usually has more fresh papaya and chili flakes. But I will definitely return and try more items.

Food is awesome. The server seemed a little rude while taking the order. Everything else was fantastic.

Food was satisfactory. We arrived during lunchtime, and the staff was prompt and friendly. The food was decent, and I would consider returning if I'm in the area.

Love the green curry! Very pleasant place to dine in.

John C-Soy M

Food was satisfactory. We arrived during lunchtime, and the staff was prompt and friendly. The food was decent, and I would consider returning if I'm in the area.

Good Thai but not great. Ordered pad Thai and sautéed vegetables takeout and annoyed for the price they didn’t include white rice with the entree.

Food was good. We ordered Pad Thai, Pan-eang curry, red curry. Pad Thai was very tasty.

MS Mill

Good Thai but not great. Ordered pad Thai and sautéed vegetables takeout and annoyed for the price they didn’t include white rice with the entree.

Shikha Rai

Food was good. We ordered Pad Thai, Pan-eang curry, red curry. Pad Thai was very tasty.

I ordered the Pad Se-ew. The sauce is insanely good but the noodles were mush. Way way overcooked, took a picture, cannot even tell this is a noodle dish because the noodles are mush.

Food was hit or miss, pad see eww was great, but my seafood oyster sauce dish was rubbery and very bland. Parking was a nightmare. Prices were alright for the area, but I just wish it was more consistent in the quality 😕. Pad thai was ok, and they charged for a small side of rice that realistically should have been included with a curry dish.

This place has good service but the food was average. Eggs Rolls comes with 5 pieces and it was probably the best thing I ate there. The Pad Thai was not my favorite and definitely lacking favorite. They cut very huge slices of meat into your food which is harder to eat.

This place is usually very good or it can be mediocre. Tonight it was average. The pad ew had no spice and minimal flavor. The veggie pad Thai had some veggies that were almost raw, others were cooked perfectly. We still recommend this place.

We walked in on a Saturday evening. We were seated right away. Very friendly house staff and service. They turn over tables quickly and are very attentive. We ordered some Thai spring rolls and som tam to start. Spring rolls were yummy. I think the som tam had some sort of Italian dressing on it that I would ask to skip next time. You will need to add some of the Thai spices they bring to your table if you want any sort of spice level. The cashew chicken dish was yummy although it was a bit smokey flavored. The sawasdee curry was a hit. Definitely order that. We got two sides of white rice, but we honestly could have shared. For two people this was too much food for one sitting for sure. Left overs! I was bummed they were out of chang, but enjoyed a singha in a chang glass and pretended ;) Overall nice dinner.

Pad Thai 2/5 - too sweet Thai fried rice - 4/5 flavourful Seafood in garlic oyster sauce - 3/5 Tom Yum Soup - 3/5 We could only recommend the Thai Fried Rice.

Jessica Smits

We walked in on a Saturday evening. We were seated right away. Very friendly house staff and service. They turn over tables quickly and are very attentive. We ordered some Thai spring rolls and som tam to start. Spring rolls were yummy. I think the som tam had some sort of Italian dressing on it that I would ask to skip next time. You will need to add some of the Thai spices they bring to your table if you want any sort of spice level. The cashew chicken dish was yummy although it was a bit smokey flavored. The sawasdee curry was a hit. Definitely order that. We got two sides of white rice, but we honestly could have shared. For two people this was too much food for one sitting for sure. Left overs! I was bummed they were out of chang, but enjoyed a singha in a chang glass and pretended ;) Overall nice dinner.

Nic Schaffer

Pad Thai 2/5 - too sweet Thai fried rice - 4/5 flavourful Seafood in garlic oyster sauce - 3/5 Tom Yum Soup - 3/5 We could only recommend the Thai Fried Rice.

Food is solid but they don’t include rice with the dishes and if you order out it’s almost default you will forget the rice….like every time. Drives me nuts about this place. I don’t really understand why a curry dish is sold without rice. It’s literally part of the dish. They could easily fix the issue and would be nice if they did.

Roberr Seatherton

Food is solid but they don’t include rice with the dishes and if you order out it’s almost default you will forget the rice….like every time. Drives me nuts about this place. I don’t really understand why a curry dish is sold without rice. It’s literally part of the dish. They could easily fix the issue and would be nice if they did.

Check your orders before leaving the restaurant...Wow! Got home with takeout, and the curry container was only about 2/3 full?! For $13.75, I really believe the container should've been full. Especially with no meat, just tofu (4 cubes)...oh well, maybe inflation?

Don’t ever try this restaurant,food were bad & same with the server,Complained to one of the male server about the The pad Thai for it was too sweet beyond normal flavor,satay peanut sauce was also too sweet, I’m Asian I’ve travelled to thailand many times, and I know authentic Thai foods,after hearing me the server just told me that we are in America which is prejudice for me.i’ve tried many Thai restaurants here in the US and they’re really good. This restaurant is a no no to go.

Just experienced the worst customer service in restaurant business I placed a phone call order of Tom Kha seafood noodle, I stopped by and paid $26 and some change for it, went home and there was no noodle in the soup. I phone called the restaurant and the lady said im sorry for that please come back to give the noodle and i was surprised she asked me to pay for it and insist to charge me and i left without the noodles dont deserve any star

It was an okay experience. Food was not up to par, as someone with lots of experience with different asian cuisine. The curry was like soup, veggies were slightly undercooked. Pad see ew was like eating a dessert, way too sweet. Service was poor. Many people waiting, including us, and one table (seemed to be friends with manager or owner), received all their food before other people around them. Overall poor experience, will not be going back. Also they charge $5 for rice, just make it at home and save yourself $5.

Used to be the go to spot for Thai. Unfortunately the owner’s husband is very rude. I called in a problem with a to go order and was asked to bring the food back, which I did. I was asked to sit and wait. I was kindly offered tea by the staff. And then I was unexpectedly berated by the owner’s husband, and he tasted the soup with his spoon, then stirred through my drunken noodles, then took the food away and did not give me a reimbursement. I honestly cannot explain exactly how bizarre this situation truly was. If he had been upfront on the phone, I would not have saved the food overnight and driven back with the promise of a reimbursement just to have someone yell at me in their restaurant.(There is a better option close by fyi)

Meg D

Used to be the go to spot for Thai. Unfortunately the owner’s husband is very rude. I called in a problem with a to go order and was asked to bring the food back, which I did. I was asked to sit and wait. I was kindly offered tea by the staff. And then I was unexpectedly berated by the owner’s husband, and he tasted the soup with his spoon, then stirred through my drunken noodles, then took the food away and did not give me a reimbursement. I honestly cannot explain exactly how bizarre this situation truly was. If he had been upfront on the phone, I would not have saved the food overnight and driven back with the promise of a reimbursement just to have someone yell at me in their restaurant.(There is a better option close by fyi)