Traveling With Spice

Enjoyed the food. Ordered pineapple fried rice, tom yum soup, spicy chicken fried rice, dragon noodle, authentic Thai food. If you like real spicy, ask for 7 or 8, i ordered vegan pineapple fried rice, very very tasty. Staffs were nice. Definitely going to try next time.

Place is clean, staff was friendly and the food was felt pretty authentic Thai food. The spice level is spicy!!! I have pretty high spice tolerance but this spice really was next level. The reason I gave it a four star is because I was extremely thirsty after the meal and the next day which leads me to believe a lot of MSG.. I am not sure just speculation. I have no issues with MSG but based on how thirsty I was , might have been a bit much. But was the food delicious, it was very delicious haha. Price was typical price of Thai food. They were busy but we had a lot of dishes on the table and it would have been nice to have some of the dishes cleared. Overall, I still recommend the place.

Weon Lee

Spicy level 3 is middle. I tried level 4, but it was very spicy. I ate a Pad Thai, and it was very tasty. Also, I tasted Crab fried rice. It had a unique taste, and I enjoyed it.

+17

Vijay Shankar Balaji

This restaurant shows great potential with flavorful dishes and attentive service. I enjoyed Panang curry, a personal favorite whenever I dine Thai. Our party ordered delightful green curry and drunken noodles. It was a bit disappointing to have to order rice separately from the curries, but overall, I enjoyed. A noteworthy tip: their spice scale is imbalanced, with 3 being medium on a scale of 0 to 10. However, they do clarify this on the menu. Stick to orders around level 3 or maximum 4; anything higher might be too intense for most.

+1

Pelumi Olaleye

The food is really good. Four stars for really good food. I wish the staff Up at the front as well as servers smiled & relax their faces so they’re more approachable. I ordered the deep fried rolls & shrimp pad Thai. Both were made fresh & very yummy!

+1

DongHyun Moon

I went there on Sunday by myself since i would like to try Thai food at this restaurant because whenever i go to wonderful sushi which is next few steps away, this spot is always busy. Finally I ordered thuam yum soup which is one of my favorite Thai food. A server asked what level of spicy I want for this soup, I said medium spicy which is level 3 I found after talking with another server during my complaint of food being too spicy. Anyway, food was ok and very large, but I skim most of spicy part of soup off and put them on my plate. It is ok to be trying spicy food as long as you are expecting it. But when you order the food there is expectation on the taste of the dish being served because you have tried the same food before. But with this kind of spicy level, there should be more detail explanation and at least warning post on the table since I almost got my stomach burned and upset after the first taste. Also I requested rice to smooth the taste but server forgot and had to tell again although they must see me remove the spicy part and struggle to eat.

Mei Lee

First time at this location, I've only been to the Linda Vista location. I've had many of the dishes at Sab-E-Lee. It's funny because when my finance and I sat down the table right next to us said "the Linda vista location is better!" I didn't want this to deter us. Plus I've been craving Thai food! Don't forget cash only! We split a Thai tea boba which was great! Can't mess that up. I went with tofu pad thai, level 2... I wanted to 3 but it's hard to get the right spice level here. I know there is no measurement in the kitchen it depends on who is cooking it. I've ordered 3 before and could handle it but other times I'm uncomfortably dying. This time the 2 had no spice but it was still really good pad Thai. It hit the spot, I cleaned off my plate. My fiancé ordered drunken noodles with tofu level 10, he's really into spice. The waitress did a double take and asked if he wanted 10 for sure. The dish came out and he wasn't even sweating! He even gave me a fork full of his noodles to prove it wasn't spicy. I was able to handle it! It was definitely not a 10, it was spicy but it didn't kill me as a level 10 should. The noddles were good though and flavor was there. Overall other than the continued spice issue at both locations the food is so legit. This is one of the Thai restaurants I would always think of when I crave Thai. Will be back this location is very convenient to me now.

+4

We have been a loyal customer of The Original Sab‑E‑Lee for many years, and we’ve always appreciated their food and the warm service from most of the staff. Unfortunately, my recent experience was extremely disappointing and has changed how we feel about the place. I placed a vegetarian to‑go order, and the order was prepared incorrectly. Mistakes can happen, and I understand that. But I had to drive back 6 miles to get it corrected. When I returned, one of the waitresses was kind and apologized, which I appreciated. However, the person who originally took my order showed a level of attitude and disrespect that I’ve never experienced here before. When I calmly said, “Let’s not make this mistake next time,” he responded with “I don’t care, now you can go.” No apology, no acknowledgment, nothing. On top of that, he told me I should know my order and check the website, as if the mistake was my fault. I had to remind him that I’ve been coming here for years and never had an issue like this—because the other staff know us well and have always treated us with respect. I’m honestly not sure how someone with that attitude ended up representing the restaurant. As much as we’ve loved this place for years, this experience was unacceptable. It’s disappointing to say, but we won’t be returning anymore.

Aren Avon

Food is ok enough but if you don’t include rice with curry then just say that when people order. So irritating to get all the way home and realize that rice doesn’t come with a $20 order of curry. Seems like a common enough complaint in your reviews that you could just start asking “do you want rice with your order?”

Michael Petrillo

Waitress was amazing. We had an order that was curry, with no meat and veggies. On the phone, we were told they would put us in the records for messing up. When we tried to use the credit, it wasn't in the book. Our waitress tried to help but the manager told me it was impossible. I showed the call log, but she said it could never happen with the curry. After debating, it turned out it did happen and the manager forgot to add the credit from the receipt and she was the person I talked to on 10/10/2025. It was extremely embarrassing as I usually love eating here.

Valerie Wan

I’ve given this place three tries, hoping to see why it’s so popular but I’ve decided it’s just not for me. Here are my main reasons: 1. The food is overly sweet. From the curry to the pad see ew, I could taste more sugar than any of the other flavors. It really threw off the balance of the dishes. 2. They charge extra for rice with curry. This one is mind-boggling. A small curry is already around $17, and yet rice isn’t included so you have to pay extra. No one eats curry by itself! Most Thai restaurants I’ve been to include rice in the price but here it ends up being close to $20 for a basic curry dish. 3. Service is hit or miss. Sometimes it’s fine, but during my last visit, my friend and I tried to redeem the free Thai tea promo they were advertising at every table. We both checked in on Yelp, but my friend had some trouble finding it after she checked-in. The server was dismissive and said, “Then just try Instagram.” We eventually did get the tea, but the whole interaction felt awkward…if you’re promoting something, at least be friendly about it. Overall, I wanted to like this place, but between the overly sweet food, confusing pricing, and inconsistent service, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

k b

Interestingly, in this day and time, in an ethnically diverse city to experience the subtle disregard for African American diners is unsettling. Yet, I also read reviews that Sab-E-Lee may have off-putting mannerisms with others while taking folks hard earned money. First, there is a younger server with a snotty attitude that only takes your order, puts the food down and then tries to force a tip. I pretty much was my own server because the purposeful ignoring was interesting to experience by several employees. Although I did observe favorable different interactions with other ethnicities. The waitress did everything possible subtlety to try to make us leave or act uncouthed. And I could have done either. But, I was pleased that my tween experienced this so she understands even if you are on your "A" game, bias still exists. And I've been eating at "the counter" of restaurants for many years and live right near this eatery. And the tofu drunken noodles are really good. And just as good at other Thai eateries. I would recommend that you don't patronize this eatery because of the racial behavior, lack of decorum, and pushy behavior for tips. And so when I did tip because the food and hands that prepared the food is simply worthy of good karma, I elegantly let the rude young server know she was quite unfitting. But actually the four employees that were working on June 23rd, 2022 between the hours of 800-900 pm were all unbecoming. Though they smiled graciously.

+1

Lily Yates

Came in for lunch and had the curry. I said level 1 in spice. I was unable to eat it. They don't offer lunch specials and the email was 20 bucks. I constantly had look for the waiter service was not good. When I went to pay the waiter asked why I wasn't tipping!?? Tipping is not required! Won't be coming back. Wayy over priced for mediocre food and service.