Chaba Thai Kitchen

Best Thai food I've had in San Diego! Spring rolls are really fresh and delicious. The pad Thai was fantastic.

This place was delicious! The chicken and rice was like a party in my mouth. Even the cucumbers were cut up to look fancy. But what put it over the top was the soup. They served a spectacular chicken and garlic soup that was delectable. They served a surprise desert at the end which we didn’t pay for. 100 percent 5/5 stars.

I like beef and plenty if veggies. I got the steak salad and I liked it. The place was kinda dark tho. Didn't distract from food and ppl.

We loved that this place is very clean and refreshing. Service staff knows when to show up, and when to leave you alone. It’s a laid back atmosphere, lots of parking, and central to Clairemont. The food-ok, so, this wasn’t the ‘best’ Thai food we’d had, however, surely not the worst. The portions were in the smaller side, and it seemed as if we didn’t have enough food even tho it was just two of us. We will go back, as stated, the atmosphere is peaceful and very clean. The staff is welcoming and friendly, and we did enjoy the hospitality. We’d recommend this place-larger groups seem to be accompanied easily, and they have a good menu selection. Enjoy!

Great food, pleasant service. Clean restaurant. Reasonable prices, a great place for Thai food!!

Chaba Thai is a San Diego gem. The food is really good and equally matched is its service. My sister and I were initially going to order two tom yum soups and the waiter recommended we go with one instead since the portions are quite big. Not only was the soup delicious but I also found this to be such a sweet gesture since other restaurants would take any opportunity to get more money out of a customer. He also gave us desserts at the end. The kindness we were shown was a bright spot in what had been a hard week for both of us and I felt really grateful.

This is a great place for good food, a decent sized menu, whether you want to sit down or order takeout. The food is always served fresh and hot!! I've been coming here the past few months and I get the same service each time with consistency, the food hot, the service on point and my order and food being taken and arriving in a fast and timely manner. It is a small place, however the servers never disappoint, as they are always attentative and welcoming into their establishment, the parking can get a little troublesome at time, but the food here is definitely rewarding and worth the time if going!! Even though I order a meal here, I always have the tendency to buy food for home!!

Simple restaurant with very pleasant, delicious food. I ordered the 3 flavor fish and was satisfied. The flavor was delicious and surprisingly refreshing, not oily tasting like I’ve had elsewhere. Service was to the point and the food came out quickly.

We go here a lot and it’s always good! Best Thai food in San Diego in my opinion .

This place is so good I’m in love with their khao soi. I come here with friends and tried a bit of everyone else’s stuff (pad see ew, pad thai, pandan curry, tom yum, etc) and everything is incredible. This place is such a hidden gem with incredible staff. They are on the spicier side, which I personally love but just a heads up to everyone, even a 6 is pretty spicy 😮‍💨 I love this place so much, glad I decided to check it out on a whim 🫶 you don’t need to focus on decorations when your food is this good 🔥 if you don’t know what to order I recommend their Khao Soi!! But honestly everything is so tasty you won’t find anything bad here.

Great food and a wonderful service. Be careful what spice level your order because it's pretty spicy. Some very nice lunch specials! The only downside is they don't have beer to go with my spicy Thai.

This restaurant has great reviews on Yelp and Google, and it’s clearly popular—my husband said it was packed when he picked up our order. We tried the Tom Yum Soup, Coconut Curry Chicken, and Green Papaya Salad. All three were good, but the standout was the Nyonya Coconut Curry Chicken—slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and perfect over rice. The Tom Yum Soup had large shrimp and a rich, flavorful broth (a bit too rich for me). The Green Papaya Salad was fresh with a nice mix of ingredients, though it could use a bit more fish sauce.

This place is really good! I’m obsessed with their crispy catfish salad. Every time I’m in San Diego. I have to stop by and get it at least once! It’s best if you order it there, but if you get it to go, they keep the sauce on the side so that it doesn’t get soggy. This dish may sound odd if you’ve never tried it, but it is so tangy flavorful and delicious. You can choose your own spice level, but they take spice seriously I typically go with a level three or four. Everyone working there is super sweet and sometimes they’ll give you a free dessert with cantaloupe and creamy Sago. That dessert is so good.

This is one of the best Thai food spots in San Diego. It’s a small, family-owned restaurant with excellent food and great service. The dishes are fresh and not greasy like some other places. Every time I’m in San Diego and craving Thai food, this is my go-to spot. All their food is great, but I especially love the drunken noodles and basil eggplant. Their curries are also amazing. They also have lunch specials for 13.95, which are a great deal. Just a heads-up, the spice level is no joke. On their scale from 1 to 10, I usually stick to a 3, and it’s still plenty spicy. Highly recommend!

Food was so so amazing and service was incredible!! The servers were so sweet and the food tasted incredible with generous sizes. We will be coming here again.

Experience the authentic taste of Thailand at this remarkable establishment, complemented by a warm and welcoming staffs. Enjoy a diverse selection of dishes and indulge in the rich flavors of coconut milk, particularly in the complimentary evening dessert (Tapioca w/ coconut milk), available on weekends. It is a truly satisfying culinary experience.

This is not a fancy restaurant, but I don't go for the cute decor, but for the fantastic Thai dishes. The yellow curry, pad Thai, chicken satay and Tom yum soup are all A+. Really good prices too.

We were visiting my son at UCSD from the Bay Area and was in the mood for some Thai's food. We found Chaba Thai and the food was delicious. Every single dish was spot on. Each dish has a different flavor. Must be one of the best Thai's food I had in a long time. The beef salad and the papaya salad were full of flavor and refreshing. The pad Thai and the fish cakes with the yummy sauce. The service was very friendly and they even gave us some tapioca dessert on the house. Highly recommended and we will be back!

I haven't been here in years. There are so many places that have gone down in quality after the pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised to find the food here has gotten better! I got the pad see ew and it was the best ever! My boyfriend really enjoyed his Drunken Noodles. The tapioca dessert they gave us at the end was really great as well. We'll definitely be coming back.

Very delicious Thai food. Seasonings were perfect...I didn't have to add anything, spiciness was great. It has been a while since I had good Thai food. Service was awesome! Prices were reasonable. We'll definitely be back.

This has been our second time here, the first being my first trip to San Diego. This time was a happy accident that we stopped in. Both times, the food has been very good. The ambiance is a little lacking, but the cheap prices and good food make up for it. Just don't expect a nice, polished theme when you walk in. We ordered the Tom Kah with Shrimp and the Drunken Noodles with Chicken. Both were delicious and huge portions. I was able to take half of my noodles home with me. I also had a Thai Tea with ice and was not disappointed. The glass was large and I had tea to drink through the entirety of my meal. We will definitely be remembering to come here more often as we both were able to eat for under $30 and it was very good food. Upping to 5 stars. The staff has always been very friendly and attentive without making you feel rushed. We finally took my kids and after they finished their curry, they brought them out a free desert. It was a very nice surprise and our first time trying it, and it was delicious. Still have not once been disappointed. And they're now open all week long.

Ashley Hudson

This place is so good I’m in love with their khao soi. I come here with friends and tried a bit of everyone else’s stuff (pad see ew, pad thai, pandan curry, tom yum, etc) and everything is incredible. This place is such a hidden gem with incredible staff. They are on the spicier side, which I personally love but just a heads up to everyone, even a 6 is pretty spicy 😮‍💨 I love this place so much, glad I decided to check it out on a whim 🫶 you don’t need to focus on decorations when your food is this good 🔥 if you don’t know what to order I recommend their Khao Soi!! But honestly everything is so tasty you won’t find anything bad here.

Jimmy James

Great food and a wonderful service. Be careful what spice level your order because it's pretty spicy. Some very nice lunch specials! The only downside is they don't have beer to go with my spicy Thai.

Marina Donaldson

This place is really good! I’m obsessed with their crispy catfish salad. Every time I’m in San Diego. I have to stop by and get it at least once! It’s best if you order it there, but if you get it to go, they keep the sauce on the side so that it doesn’t get soggy. This dish may sound odd if you’ve never tried it, but it is so tangy flavorful and delicious. You can choose your own spice level, but they take spice seriously I typically go with a level three or four. Everyone working there is super sweet and sometimes they’ll give you a free dessert with cantaloupe and creamy Sago. That dessert is so good.

LULU LIVE Art

This restaurant has great reviews on Yelp and Google, and it’s clearly popular—my husband said it was packed when he picked up our order. We tried the Tom Yum Soup, Coconut Curry Chicken, and Green Papaya Salad. All three were good, but the standout was the Nyonya Coconut Curry Chicken—slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and perfect over rice. The Tom Yum Soup had large shrimp and a rich, flavorful broth (a bit too rich for me). The Green Papaya Salad was fresh with a nice mix of ingredients, though it could use a bit more fish sauce.

Lydia Chu

This is one of the best Thai food spots in San Diego. It’s a small, family-owned restaurant with excellent food and great service. The dishes are fresh and not greasy like some other places. Every time I’m in San Diego and craving Thai food, this is my go-to spot. All their food is great, but I especially love the drunken noodles and basil eggplant. Their curries are also amazing. They also have lunch specials for 13.95, which are a great deal. Just a heads-up, the spice level is no joke. On their scale from 1 to 10, I usually stick to a 3, and it’s still plenty spicy. Highly recommend!

Feifei Zhao

Food was so so amazing and service was incredible!! The servers were so sweet and the food tasted incredible with generous sizes. We will be coming here again.

Rotphannee Rose

Experience the authentic taste of Thailand at this remarkable establishment, complemented by a warm and welcoming staffs. Enjoy a diverse selection of dishes and indulge in the rich flavors of coconut milk, particularly in the complimentary evening dessert (Tapioca w/ coconut milk), available on weekends. It is a truly satisfying culinary experience.

Darryl Gordon

This is not a fancy restaurant, but I don't go for the cute decor, but for the fantastic Thai dishes. The yellow curry, pad Thai, chicken satay and Tom yum soup are all A+. Really good prices too.

Manali Palwankar

We love Chaba thai and we order from them regularly. Eating in is the best option though because the staff is super sweet and they gave us free tapioca dessert every time. My favorite is Khao soi and Panang curry. Although all of their dishes are awesome and authentic. Just be careful with the spice level as they use potent thai chillis haha

deadchannel

We were visiting my son at UCSD from the Bay Area and was in the mood for some Thai's food. We found Chaba Thai and the food was delicious. Every single dish was spot on. Each dish has a different flavor. Must be one of the best Thai's food I had in a long time. The beef salad and the papaya salad were full of flavor and refreshing. The pad Thai and the fish cakes with the yummy sauce. The service was very friendly and they even gave us some tapioca dessert on the house. Highly recommended and we will be back!

Fantastic Thai food Great place for take out Thai…restaurant is little but very cute. While we waited several customers were picking up to go orders very popular place One chicken yellow curry dish lasted me 3 meals! I stayed on the safe side & ordered a # 3 spice level which was perfect for me Looking forward to going back Totally recommend this place if you’re in the area

Despite its modest aesthetic, this place is highly underrated given how outstanding the food truly is. My favorite appetizer was the curry puffs. Main dish the Khao-Soi & for dessert tapioca pudding. Will be coming back to try more dishes!

So happy we stopped in. Live nearby, but had never tried this place. Ordered Thai tea, egg rolls, drunken noodles and spicy fried rice with mock duck, spicy fried rice with chicken, mango sticky rice, and fried bananas. The staff was so attentive, food was yummy, was reasonably priced. We'll be eating here often.

Would definitely recommend. We ordered the chicken pad Thai & yellow curry, both were very good. The service was great, felt very family oriented & they were so sweet & accommodating to my toddler. We will be back!

The food and service were great. We tried the Khao Soi and a fried rice dish. They had some different items on the menu that I haven’t seen elsewhere. We will definitely be back to try other dishes.

Sara

The food and service were great. We tried the Khao Soi and a fried rice dish. They had some different items on the menu that I haven’t seen elsewhere. We will definitely be back to try other dishes.

Jordan D

Would definitely recommend. We ordered the chicken pad Thai & yellow curry, both were very good. The service was great, felt very family oriented & they were so sweet & accommodating to my toddler. We will be back!

Mytzuky Lopez

Despite its modest aesthetic, this place is highly underrated given how outstanding the food truly is. My favorite appetizer was the curry puffs. Main dish the Khao-Soi & for dessert tapioca pudding. Will be coming back to try more dishes!

Jennifer Cathcart

So happy we stopped in. Live nearby, but had never tried this place. Ordered Thai tea, egg rolls, drunken noodles and spicy fried rice with mock duck, spicy fried rice with chicken, mango sticky rice, and fried bananas. The staff was so attentive, food was yummy, was reasonably priced. We'll be eating here often.

Andrea

Simple restaurant with very pleasant, delicious food. I ordered the 3 flavor fish and was satisfied. The flavor was delicious and surprisingly refreshing, not oily tasting like I’ve had elsewhere. Service was to the point and the food came out quickly.

David Beasley

This is a great place for good food, a decent sized menu, whether you want to sit down or order takeout. The food is always served fresh and hot!! I've been coming here the past few months and I get the same service each time with consistency, the food hot, the service on point and my order and food being taken and arriving in a fast and timely manner. It is a small place, however the servers never disappoint, as they are always attentative and welcoming into their establishment, the parking can get a little troublesome at time, but the food here is definitely rewarding and worth the time if going!! Even though I order a meal here, I always have the tendency to buy food for home!!

Ordered for carry-out. I got the shrimp soup with fish, it was tasty but a bit too much on the sweet side....I asked for med spicy. Also got a side of Jasmine rice. I would def... return n try other dishes.

Many selections you can choose from lunch special menu. Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Green Curry🍛 etc. are good.

+6

I've waited two years since moving back from Vegas to find a good Thai place. I had the spicy basil noodles with beef, great (just needed a little more sauce) and the Satay- awesome! The only reason not 5 stars is I'm waiting to try my favorite- Panang curry! Stay tuned

Enjoyed Khao Soi very much! Tom yum is slightly too sweet for me , but still very good. Good portions and prices. The service is nice as well. After food they give complimentary desert which is delicious! 👌🏼 They serve food only in disposable plates and bowls but it doesn't make the experience any less great

Got the pad se ew. Was my first time eating there. Also got a Thai tea but there was a hair in the drink which I didn’t finish. They asked if I wanted to take the drink to go but wasn’t about to drink it after discovering the hair. The Thai tea is much more sweet and sugary than other restaurants, doesn’t have the milkness but still worth the taste. Also got the coconut ice cream which was a great order. Overall great place to go, just a hiccup on the hair but recommend going!

Very good flavor. I had the fish cakes, nice golden brown and come with a fish sauce. I had the Khao Soi which is noodles in curry. I chose the chicken option. The noodles are crispy and twisty, which I liked because I wanted to try something different. The curry flavor was right on. Can't wait to come back and try some more dishes.

I was here on November 29, 2017 after class around 14:00. This is one of my friend's favorite places to order his Thai food and he wanted for me to try it too. We both ordered the same food, pad thai with chicken as it was his treat for being my birthday. However, my friend could not handle any spiciness so he specifically ask not to have any spicy flavor on his food. The order was made correctly though, but the server/waiter mistakenly handed me the one that had no spicy and handed him my order. Since it was my first time eating here, I liked the food but could not tell the spicy level. I actually had to add spicy since it was a bit sweet. I did not say anything about being spicy so my friend told me that his was spicy. I enjoyed my food and the broth, but had to watch my friend suffer. He said he was able to handle a regular spicy level, but about halfway, he started to sweat and could not finish the food. I ended up eating the remainder and noticed that he had my order. It was entertaining and memorable way to celebrate my birthday. Overall, the food and the service was good. Hopefully they will get our orders right the next time I visit. While I am being nice for that mistake, others may be more critical of mistakes. Unfortunately, with the mistake of giving the less spicy food to me and watching my friend sweat and suffer means a 3 star from me for this first visit.

That day was our first time enjoying their delicious foods. Foods's price are more expensive than other restaurant, particularly non-Thai. Service was great. Like other Thai rest, if you order fried rice or flat rice noodles, you should choose the meat : chicken, mock chicken(this is vegetarian chicken) duck/mock duck, vegetarian (might be tofus & vegetables), beef, seafood. Each meat choice has different or same price. And dont forget to mention the spicy level. Definitely they can cook non spicy. There are several types of chili on the side of table : powder, soaked with vinegar, sambal. If you visit at lunch time, they do have lunch menus in which less expensive than regular menus. This rest is located next to Fan Diego & Fusion Boba. But honestly, I’d prefer B. Thai in University height as our top favorite Thai in San Diego ☝️

Authentic northern Thai food. They even have Khao Soi which is very hard to find outside of northern Thailand. The only other Thai restaurant I've found that had it was Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. The portions and prices at Chaba are fair. The waitress Nari is very helpful and always cheerful. It is always a pleasure to dine at this small restaurant. My wife is Thai and very picky about authentic Thai food. Every entree we've tried has passed her authenticity test, except for the drunken noodles. Update: Prices have increased and the amount of meat and seafood in entrees has decreased. Quality is still excellent, but no longer a good value. Reducing to just 3 stars.

+6

Despite the positive reviews, my friend and I experienced extremely slow service over a 40 minute wait for our order. We were told they were busy, not for in-house service but for call-in orders. I would think being there in person would be priority for the kitchen, unfortunately that was not so. We shared the fresh spring roll which was adequate. She asked for the Thai salad which she saw online yet was not on the printed menu, the chef was accommodating and did create a special order for her. I had the eggplant stirfry with vegetables and it was quite tasty. Overall food okay and service pleasant yet super slow to get our food.

We were seated quickly and the food was served fast, which we really appreciated. However, the dishes didn’t quite match our taste. The green curry was a bit too salty, and the Pad Thai was a bit too sweet for our liking. On a positive note, they offered a free dessert at the end, which was a nice gesture. Unfortunately, due to the taste of the main dishes, I can't give more stars.

The service was very decent. The lady helping was very nice but the man that was there was a bit not so nice. When he brought the soup of the day he literally dropped the soup on the table it spilled and he didn’t say a thing, just walked off. I had to us the only two napkins they gave me to clean it up. The soup of the day lacked in flavor as well as the vegetables melody. I get the vegetables dish at other Thai places and this place wasn’t that good. My husband really did enjoy his green curry. It said he loved the flavor.the beef jerky was the best I ever had. It was the best part of the meal.

Nguyễn Thị Anh Thư

We were seated quickly and the food was served fast, which we really appreciated. However, the dishes didn’t quite match our taste. The green curry was a bit too salty, and the Pad Thai was a bit too sweet for our liking. On a positive note, they offered a free dessert at the end, which was a nice gesture. Unfortunately, due to the taste of the main dishes, I can't give more stars.

Racquel Bolton

The service was very decent. The lady helping was very nice but the man that was there was a bit not so nice. When he brought the soup of the day he literally dropped the soup on the table it spilled and he didn’t say a thing, just walked off. I had to us the only two napkins they gave me to clean it up. The soup of the day lacked in flavor as well as the vegetables melody. I get the vegetables dish at other Thai places and this place wasn’t that good. My husband really did enjoy his green curry. It said he loved the flavor.the beef jerky was the best I ever had. It was the best part of the meal.

Malka K

Despite the positive reviews, my friend and I experienced extremely slow service over a 40 minute wait for our order. We were told they were busy, not for in-house service but for call-in orders. I would think being there in person would be priority for the kitchen, unfortunately that was not so. We shared the fresh spring roll which was adequate. She asked for the Thai salad which she saw online yet was not on the printed menu, the chef was accommodating and did create a special order for her. I had the eggplant stirfry with vegetables and it was quite tasty. Overall food okay and service pleasant yet super slow to get our food.

I've been to this restaurant once in person and ordered takeout twice. All three times, I ordered the same thing: Pad Thai. It was completely different ordering to eat in the restaurant versus take out. When I was in the restaurant and ordering to eat it there, it was decent. I personally don't love super spicy food, so I asked them for "no spice", and then added some myself once it arrived at the table. Because I was fairly impressed with the quality and taste, even though it's not the best I've ever had, I was excited to order it to go on a night that I could not eat in the restaurant. Here's where it went downhill: I called to place the order and specifically asked for "no spice" again, and asked that they put the spice on the side. I repeated this request a second time to ensure that they understood - the person on the phone repeated it back to me so I thought I was all set. Unfortunately, I picked up my food and drove all the way home before I tasted it. It was so incredibly spicy that I couldn't even eat it. I even had someone else try it and they confirmed it was very spicy! I called the restaurant back and they assured me they would give me a credit for the next time I called to order since I didn't want to drive there again that night. Here's where it gets even more frustrating. A couple weeks later I called to place another pad thai order, and explained the situation from last time. I was directed to place the order through an app, again asked for no spice, and then called them to confirm. The girl I spoke with assured me it wouldn't be spicy. My order was delivered and again was very spicy! I was so frustrated so I called the restaurant, and the same girl I spoke to before essentially told me I was making it up. She said perhaps it was the paprika they used on the noodles that made it red and I just thought it would spicy when it wasn't. I assured her that I definitely tried it and it was spicy. She told me that wasn't possible because she had watched them make it and they didn't add any spice. I again asked somebody else in my house to try it, and they confirmed that it definitely was spicy. I do not appreciate being called a liar. I don't understand how I could order it in the restaurant and it come out perfectly with absolutely NO spice, but when I order it to go it's not the same! For those of you who enjoy super spicy food, this probably isn't an issue for you. However, I'm a self-professed Pad Thai connoisseur. I've had so many different kinds of Pad Thai from all over the country and this one was not impressive. Pad Thai should be a perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour (typically made with a blend of fish sauce, tamarind, and palm sugar)... it shouldn't burn my face off. (And paprika has no business being in pad thai!!) I will never order takeout from them again. It would probably take a lot for me to want to go to this restaurant again, simply because of the way I was treated over the phone. I'm not an idiot, I know when things are spicy.

The shrimp spring rolls had a piece of wood in it. I bit down on it and hurt my tooth. I will have to follow up with the dentist to see if there was damage to my teeth as a result of this.

Matt Rosenfeld

The shrimp spring rolls had a piece of wood in it. I bit down on it and hurt my tooth. I will have to follow up with the dentist to see if there was damage to my teeth as a result of this.