Sang Dao Restaurant

This was my first experience having Thai food, and I was not disappointed. I was greeted at entry and seated immediately. The staff was kind and friendly, and happy to answer any questions. The food was amazing and I will be back for more. They offer vegetarian, vegan, and healthy options; everything is served in large portions and at affordable prices.

Delicious food. Friendly staff. So much food for a low price. Would eat again.

I was there for take-out twice, so I have more experience w the service and food. About the food, it's fantastic. I felt like Laoatian has a ton of similarities with Thai. But even the, this was some of the best I've had, even in Thailand. I'm sure I picked the wrong places.

My son took me yesterday, never eaten Loation food before. I don’t what was better the food or the service. It’s a mom n pop place which I love. The prices are decent also. Very friendly a will be back taking my sister there today. That’ll be my go to from now on.

Delicious and fresh food, generous portions. Fast and friendly service. I loved all the Laotian authentic snacks for sale. We loved it!

Love this place. Food is absolutely 💯 amazing. Dined here with family twice during our visit. Thom Kroung Nai was on fire 🔥. A must eat place!!

This place is really good! The atmosphere is great and the people who run this place are really friendly! I've only had a couple dishes so far but I will make sure to come back and try more! The mango sticky rice is a must try when you get here.

Authentic, delicious and generous offerings of Laotian and Thai classics. Service was prompt and polite. Waiter/co-owner(?) Mike was knowledgeable, personable, and efficient. We've traveled all over the Orient, love Thai and Laotian cuisine, and will add this to our list of favorite local restaurants. Fine dining, it's not--authentic Thai/Laotian, in generous proportions at very reasonable prices, it is! Give it a try--you'll like it!! Otherwise, stick to Mc'y D's...

This quickly became our favorite Lao spot. More than just the usual offerings on their menu, and the food is much more flavorful than what you usually find in SD. There is a real homemade quality to everything we've had, and the service is always extremely friendly. The sausage, fish cakes, and Phad Lao are some of our go-to favorites.

Chill mom and pop Thai place. There is no other Thai spot in San Diego as far as I’m concerned. The fried pork is 10/10.

This family owned restaurant is great! Our server Mike was so kind and had amazing hospitality and really made us feel right at home. The food was incredible. We had drunken noodles and Pad ped No thrills Lao / Thai. With nothing but smiles and cares from the whole family. They’ve been around for years and I can tell why! The portions are big, the flavor is bold and perfect amount of spice. We will be back! Thank you to the mom (chef) son Mike and his whole family who took great care of us!

This place is up the street from where we live and its one of the best Thai food places we know. All the food is excellent and has huge portions.

Larb (with chicken) and sticky rice were excellent. As were the tapioca balls with pork inside (sakoo yat sai). People were very friendly and patiently answered my questions about the wide selection of prepared foods and sauces at the front.

My bf brought me take out from this place and I was so happy. He said it was super busy with a lot of people and great ambiance. It was my first time trying it and everything tasted so good. He brought me the Drunken noodles with chicken, Golden Wings, and fried rice. I love that they served us such big portions. The rice was good and spicy, noodles were flavorful, and wings were crispy and tasty. I can't wait to go back and actually dine in and try more stuff.

I'm a very judgemental person, so it's rare for a restaurant to get everything right. They got everything right, especially the som tum! Keep in mind while ordering that the portion sizes are huge!!!

This is a chill and casual restaurant with excellent authentic Laotian and Thai dishes. I got drunken noodles and they were perfectly spicy, full of color and fresh veggies, and tasty noodles with tofu. I had to take a few breaks to cool my mouth down (that’s a good thing). The dish was also very generous portion for the price of $13, plus great service too and kept my cup filled with ice cold water. Menu has many options- I want to go again and try the curry fried rice.

Stopped in here for lunch and was pleasantly surprised with the quality taste and portion size of the plates here. The server we had was very nice and attentive and the others sever came to help and they work in a team. Nam Cao dish was delicious with house made sausage chopped up. Had the drunken noodle with beef and it was mild as requested. What made this dish so tasty was the balance of the flavor not too sweet, spicy, acidic or bland. Lots of Thai places kind of skimp on the vegetables and this place does not. Was super impressed with how fast dishes came out. The spring rolls with shrimp were very fresh delicious and crunchy and were the largest portions of nearly anywhere else I’d ever been to. Parking wasn’t bad but the spots are small you will get a door ding more likely than not. It definitely feels homey and like you’ve been to a foreign land, it’s very family friendly; highly recommend this place order to go if you want but eating in will also be very good.

Talk about going to flavortown! I had to do a return visit order the same thing cuz I I couldn't shake the memory of the Choo Chee dish, I left for some yummy rice crackers I have watermelon syrup all over them and some chicken skins. I feel like I always have to hit this place whenever I'm in the San Diego area Incredible servers here ! They deserve so much love

Hidden gem near city heights/ college avenue. This hole in the wall Thai/laotian establishment offers quality food and service at an affordable price. I went here with my Gf and ordered the drunken noodles, red curry and lard salad. Everything came out fresh and portions were reasonable for the price. I believe it’s family owned and the servers are part of the family so you can tell they take pride in delivering quality customer satisfaction!

Great Thai restaurant We order vegetarian dishes You can ask them to make it spicy if you like

Our favorite joint for Lao food.  We ordered the khopiek sen, bitter beef laap, and innards soup for an early lunch around 10:30AM.  At first I thought the bowl of khaopiek was pretty small, but I ended up getting a to-go box because there was so much chicken, pork blood, and noodles I couldn't finish it (less soup, more stuff!) I also noted that the noodles are cut by hand, not machine 👍 The innards soup was also hooked up with a lot of tripe and intestine.  The laap had tripe too, so you know its legit 🔥🔥🔥 Nothing was lacking in flavor, my husband said it was perfectly to his taste--lots of umami flavor if you know what I mean.  If there was anything I would change I would ask auntie in the back to chill on the salt/msg but thats just me 🤣 We also bought some kiep moo/pork ears from the ready-to-eat foods.  The skinny kind which was well seasoned, crunchy and not too hard! 10/10 will buy all the bags next time.

5 stars. You can't get much better than this place and I've had Lao food in Laos and Thailand. The raw larb was delicious with a solid amount of delicious tripe. The papaya salad was funky and spicy; just how it's meant to be eaten. Service was prompt and efficient.

Wonderful tasting food. Not too spicy but could be ordered spicy if you'd prefer. We ordered Pineapple fried rice and Pas Woon Sen. Excellent and quick service for our lunch. Wonderful decorations for Lunar New Year. Small and cozy, clean and neat inside. Parking lot is small and could be an issue during busy times. Located just next to El Pollo on the corner.

I recommend this restaurant because the food is very delicious, I will come again next time. I ordered Pad Thai and boat noodles and fried tofu and BBQ and Thai tea❤️❤️

This place is legit. I eat here at least once a week and I stick with the same order every time. It’s a sure shot good meal every time. My girl and I split the Ka Pao and drunken noodles. We order the Ka Pao to be extra spicy so when we mix the sauce with the pad Thai it is just about perfect. If you are in City Heights you gotta eat here.

Kai Shaikh

Larb (with chicken) and sticky rice were excellent. As were the tapioca balls with pork inside (sakoo yat sai). People were very friendly and patiently answered my questions about the wide selection of prepared foods and sauces at the front.

Hannah Marquez

I'm a very judgemental person, so it's rare for a restaurant to get everything right. They got everything right, especially the som tum! Keep in mind while ordering that the portion sizes are huge!!!

Nicole Steen

My bf brought me take out from this place and I was so happy. He said it was super busy with a lot of people and great ambiance. It was my first time trying it and everything tasted so good. He brought me the Drunken noodles with chicken, Golden Wings, and fried rice. I love that they served us such big portions. The rice was good and spicy, noodles were flavorful, and wings were crispy and tasty. I can't wait to go back and actually dine in and try more stuff.

usijon18

This is a chill and casual restaurant with excellent authentic Laotian and Thai dishes. I got drunken noodles and they were perfectly spicy, full of color and fresh veggies, and tasty noodles with tofu. I had to take a few breaks to cool my mouth down (that’s a good thing). The dish was also very generous portion for the price of $13, plus great service too and kept my cup filled with ice cold water. Menu has many options- I want to go again and try the curry fried rice.

Martha Zamora

Great Thai restaurant We order vegetarian dishes You can ask them to make it spicy if you like

Michael Nazarinia

Stopped in here for lunch and was pleasantly surprised with the quality taste and portion size of the plates here. The server we had was very nice and attentive and the others sever came to help and they work in a team. Nam Cao dish was delicious with house made sausage chopped up. Had the drunken noodle with beef and it was mild as requested. What made this dish so tasty was the balance of the flavor not too sweet, spicy, acidic or bland. Lots of Thai places kind of skimp on the vegetables and this place does not. Was super impressed with how fast dishes came out. The spring rolls with shrimp were very fresh delicious and crunchy and were the largest portions of nearly anywhere else I’d ever been to. Parking wasn’t bad but the spots are small you will get a door ding more likely than not. It definitely feels homey and like you’ve been to a foreign land, it’s very family friendly; highly recommend this place order to go if you want but eating in will also be very good.

Vanessa Maldonado

Talk about going to flavortown! I had to do a return visit order the same thing cuz I I couldn't shake the memory of the Choo Chee dish, I left for some yummy rice crackers I have watermelon syrup all over them and some chicken skins. I feel like I always have to hit this place whenever I'm in the San Diego area Incredible servers here ! They deserve so much love

Kevin Garcia

Hidden gem near city heights/ college avenue. This hole in the wall Thai/laotian establishment offers quality food and service at an affordable price. I went here with my Gf and ordered the drunken noodles, red curry and lard salad. Everything came out fresh and portions were reasonable for the price. I believe it’s family owned and the servers are part of the family so you can tell they take pride in delivering quality customer satisfaction!

allison

Our favorite joint for Lao food.  We ordered the khopiek sen, bitter beef laap, and innards soup for an early lunch around 10:30AM.  At first I thought the bowl of khaopiek was pretty small, but I ended up getting a to-go box because there was so much chicken, pork blood, and noodles I couldn't finish it (less soup, more stuff!) I also noted that the noodles are cut by hand, not machine 👍 The innards soup was also hooked up with a lot of tripe and intestine.  The laap had tripe too, so you know its legit 🔥🔥🔥 Nothing was lacking in flavor, my husband said it was perfectly to his taste--lots of umami flavor if you know what I mean.  If there was anything I would change I would ask auntie in the back to chill on the salt/msg but thats just me 🤣 We also bought some kiep moo/pork ears from the ready-to-eat foods.  The skinny kind which was well seasoned, crunchy and not too hard! 10/10 will buy all the bags next time.

David Lee

5 stars. You can't get much better than this place and I've had Lao food in Laos and Thailand. The raw larb was delicious with a solid amount of delicious tripe. The papaya salad was funky and spicy; just how it's meant to be eaten. Service was prompt and efficient.

Ms Aiyana

Wonderful tasting food. Not too spicy but could be ordered spicy if you'd prefer. We ordered Pineapple fried rice and Pas Woon Sen. Excellent and quick service for our lunch. Wonderful decorations for Lunar New Year. Small and cozy, clean and neat inside. Parking lot is small and could be an issue during busy times. Located just next to El Pollo on the corner.

Alina Chen

I recommend this restaurant because the food is very delicious, I will come again next time. I ordered Pad Thai and boat noodles and fried tofu and BBQ and Thai tea❤️❤️

Rudy Murillo

This place is legit. I eat here at least once a week and I stick with the same order every time. It’s a sure shot good meal every time. My girl and I split the Ka Pao and drunken noodles. We order the Ka Pao to be extra spicy so when we mix the sauce with the pad Thai it is just about perfect. If you are in City Heights you gotta eat here.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ First come, first serve with no reservations, and they still managed to accommodate our last-minute group of 17. That alone says a lot. My family came down from Sacramento to visit, and this was the first place I wanted to take them. We’ve been coming here for many years, and the experience is always consistent. The customer service has always been superb. They were incredibly welcoming to my kids, nieces, and nephews. The staff went out of their way to make them feel special with small gifts and complimentary items, which really meant a lot to our family. Even with a large group, the service never felt rushed or chaotic. The food was bomb as always. Fresh, flavorful, and exactly why this spot has been our go-to for years. Great food paired with genuine, family-friendly service is hard to find, but this place delivers every time. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a place that treats you like family and keeps you coming back.

We love this place! Just discovered it yesterday. People are so friendly and the food comes out super quick. Larb, shrimp fresh roll, tom kah gai, egg roll, pork phad lao, sticky rice 100% authentic and seasoned perfectly. Thai iced teas delicious. The beef tripe larb was tangy, savory, and spicy with toppings of fresh basil cucumber and sprouts: you even get a choice of a bitterness! We also loved the selection of “ready to go” items. We will be going back for sure. Thank you!

Kelly Sypraseuth

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ First come, first serve with no reservations, and they still managed to accommodate our last-minute group of 17. That alone says a lot. My family came down from Sacramento to visit, and this was the first place I wanted to take them. We’ve been coming here for many years, and the experience is always consistent. The customer service has always been superb. They were incredibly welcoming to my kids, nieces, and nephews. The staff went out of their way to make them feel special with small gifts and complimentary items, which really meant a lot to our family. Even with a large group, the service never felt rushed or chaotic. The food was bomb as always. Fresh, flavorful, and exactly why this spot has been our go-to for years. Great food paired with genuine, family-friendly service is hard to find, but this place delivers every time. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a place that treats you like family and keeps you coming back.

A & K

We love this place! Just discovered it yesterday. People are so friendly and the food comes out super quick. Larb, shrimp fresh roll, tom kah gai, egg roll, pork phad lao, sticky rice 100% authentic and seasoned perfectly. Thai iced teas delicious. The beef tripe larb was tangy, savory, and spicy with toppings of fresh basil cucumber and sprouts: you even get a choice of a bitterness! We also loved the selection of “ready to go” items. We will be going back for sure. Thank you!

Fast friendly service, lots of variety on the menu. Mostly Lao food, but a few other Asian options in there. Always lots of people here, but they turn food quickly!

+5

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars. The food was amazing, it was delivered fast by friendly courteous staff. The small deli counter has some great things to take home. The decor and ambiance we're comfortable. But one thing kept my rating at 4 stars. The condiment jars on the tables were dirty on the outside and tops. Oily, dusty. Not particularly appetizing. Needless to say, I did not use anything from those jars.

We looked at the menu and was confused with the mixture of Thai dishes so we asked the guy for Lao dishes. He said they are similar, that Thai dishes is more sour spicy and Lao is sweet and spicy. He helped us come up with the dishes below (the first three he recommends). Phad Lao ($12.95) - stir fried noodles with egg and already comes with ground pork. Sliced carrots and bean sprouts on the side. Red curry catfish ($13.95) - A few thick slices of fish in red coconut curry. Watch out for the bones. Ka pao ($11.95) - chicken hot and spicy in chili paste. Had a little kick. Beef with oyster sauce ($11.95) - BF was stuck in getting this dish. It’s more diluted and lighter than the Chinese version of oyster sauce. All the dishes were delicious. All dishes with the exception of the noodles had green and red bell peppers and onions. Parking in this lot can be tight. Be careful getting out of the driveway.

+6

Some of the best pad Thai I’ve ever eaten. The golden wings are also so delicious. We also ordered the bbq pork and fried pork entrees with special sauce and sticky rice. What can I say, we ate with our eyes but everything was so delicious down to the sauce. My only advice is if you plan to dine in, make sure you show up an hour and a half before closing otherwise they won’t seat you. One time we got there 1 hr before closing and the owner said they were only taking orders for take out and that last call for dine-in was at 6:45. So bummed! I’m sharing this because it’s not something I knew when I got here. But it’s not a huge deterrent for me so I’ll keep coming to this place because the food is amazing.

While in San Diego for the New Year, we visited Sang Dao for lunch this past Saturday and had a great experience! It’s a very casual spot, the interior isn’t the most modern, but the vibe is super friendly and the service is efficient. The food was honestly delicious. • Pad Thai: This was a highlight for me. The noodle texture was just right, and I loved that it had that tangy vinaigrette flavor and plenty of peanuts. • Tom Kha: Very good with a rich, creamy coconut soup base. • Dessert: We finished with the palm seeds and tapioca dessert soup, which was excellent. If you are looking for solid Thai food in La Mesa without the fuss, this is the place.

Someone recommended this Thai restaurant and we decided to give it a try. We ordered the Pad See Eiw with tofu and the Drunken Noodles with mock duck. Both were delicious. I also ordered to take home this green dessert treat that was green on the outside and had some mung bean on the inside. That was so gross. We threw it out after tasting it. The restaurant was located in a strip mall, was nondescript and had a bedraggled atmosphere. While the food was good, we would rather go to an establishment that looked cleaner and had more atmosphere, as that is also important to our dining experience. Otherwise, this would be a good place for take out.

Got the pineapple fried rice with duck and Pad Prik Khing with beef. Both were good, however the duck was 90% bones. So I wouldn't order an entree with duck again.

Today was a bad day to get food here. Pad thai was super sour! I couldn't keep eating it. I asked for level 4 spice. There was no hint of sweetness like normal. The nam kao to go was not good. The rice was wet and soggy. It was spoiled! Very disappointed in this experience because this was one of my favorite Lao spots but the food wasn't the same. On October 6th around 11 am got takeaway. This spot has been one of my faves to get my Lao food fix. The food here is delicious and the prices are fair. I love that they have hot premade foods for takeout. Also the childhood Lao snacks available that bring me back memories. The Lao beef jerky, sausages, pork rinds, and jeow with sticky rice mmmm. I recently had their freshly made chinese donuts and it was the best I had. They sold out fast too.

regis kwong

While in San Diego for the New Year, we visited Sang Dao for lunch this past Saturday and had a great experience! It’s a very casual spot, the interior isn’t the most modern, but the vibe is super friendly and the service is efficient. The food was honestly delicious. • Pad Thai: This was a highlight for me. The noodle texture was just right, and I loved that it had that tangy vinaigrette flavor and plenty of peanuts. • Tom Kha: Very good with a rich, creamy coconut soup base. • Dessert: We finished with the palm seeds and tapioca dessert soup, which was excellent. If you are looking for solid Thai food in La Mesa without the fuss, this is the place.

Ruth Metcalf, Realtor

Someone recommended this Thai restaurant and we decided to give it a try. We ordered the Pad See Eiw with tofu and the Drunken Noodles with mock duck. Both were delicious. I also ordered to take home this green dessert treat that was green on the outside and had some mung bean on the inside. That was so gross. We threw it out after tasting it. The restaurant was located in a strip mall, was nondescript and had a bedraggled atmosphere. While the food was good, we would rather go to an establishment that looked cleaner and had more atmosphere, as that is also important to our dining experience. Otherwise, this would be a good place for take out.

Rod Gullo

Got the pineapple fried rice with duck and Pad Prik Khing with beef. Both were good, however the duck was 90% bones. So I wouldn't order an entree with duck again.

Stissy S•

Today was a bad day to get food here. Pad thai was super sour! I couldn't keep eating it. I asked for level 4 spice. There was no hint of sweetness like normal. The nam kao to go was not good. The rice was wet and soggy. It was spoiled! Very disappointed in this experience because this was one of my favorite Lao spots but the food wasn't the same. On October 6th around 11 am got takeaway. This spot has been one of my faves to get my Lao food fix. The food here is delicious and the prices are fair. I love that they have hot premade foods for takeout. Also the childhood Lao snacks available that bring me back memories. The Lao beef jerky, sausages, pork rinds, and jeow with sticky rice mmmm. I recently had their freshly made chinese donuts and it was the best I had. They sold out fast too.

We have been here a few times and the food tastes great but is inconsistent. This past time we ordered 2 curries to go and when I got home one of the orders was significantly less food then the other for instance.

The cuisine was truly authentic and with flavor! It felt as though a loving mom and caring auntie were behind the scenes, preparing the delightful dishes. However, the establishment could benefit from some modernization and improved cleanliness.

Got the phad pet and the boat noodles. The boat noodles were okay. The broth was too sweet and we got sick of it quickly. The taste of the curry of the phad pet was good. However, there was not a lot of protein in it and tasted lower in quality. Prices were decently cheap though so I guess it's a tradeoff there. Workers were really nice though.

Really liked the drunken noodles, not a big fan of the #40 fried tilapia, too fishy and oily.

Extremely friendly service. Affordable, extensive menu. Food wasn't bad but the sweet and salty contents weren't balanced too well, as some dishes were either too sweet or too salty. Chef was quite heavy handed that night, I guess. Will have to remember this place to return and try other items off the menu.

Huyen Nguyen

Extremely friendly service. Affordable, extensive menu. Food wasn't bad but the sweet and salty contents weren't balanced too well, as some dishes were either too sweet or too salty. Chef was quite heavy handed that night, I guess. Will have to remember this place to return and try other items off the menu.