White Lotus

Owners are very nice . Their Thai tea is very good! My favorite dishes was the duck in red curry and the pumpkin curry. Highly recommend!

Munched with a friend for her birthday. Found this place on Yelp! Did not disappoint. Food was fresh, cooked to perfection. Everything was delicious! Bravo to the chef and the server. I would definitely put this place on my radar, next time I'm in Albany! Did I say delish?!!!Deep Fried Corn Cake is a must try!

We've been coming here for years. It's a genuine family run restaurant with a sophisticated menu. In the years that we've been eating here, I've never had a bad meal. The dishes are not only delicious but also beautiful. The chefs have an amazing style and take on traditional Thai dishes. I highly suggest giving them a try, this place a hidden gem!

White Lotus is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants and definitely my favorite Thai restaurant. The food is beautifully presented and can hit different notes. Some dishes are subtle and delicate, and other dishes are fiery and complex. Hot dishes are hot, if you are into that. I usually order a salad, a noodle dish like Pad See Ew, and a curry dish. I think these are some of the best noodles around! However, everything on the long menu is great. Kind, attentive service. My impression is they do a lot of to-go orders, but I usually eat in the dining room.

Love the fried fish and green mango lemongrass sauce. I get the pompano. They fry the bones which you can eat. Just be careful. Also a big fan of the fish in curry mousse, not a common dish at other restaurants.

I dined at White Lotus for lunch on Saturday and it was INCREDIBLE! We ordered the green papaya salad, thai sausage, basil fried rice, hor mok, fish fried #5 style and pad woonsen. All the dishes were so fresh and flavorful. I was pleasantly surprised with the hor mok because the curried mousse description initially turned me off, but we ordered it anyway because my fellow diner said it was her favorite dish. And it did not disappoint!!!

Love this spot, one of my favorite Thai spots for over 10 years. Proportions are generous. I love how much variety of vegetarian dishes they have, great tofu. Also the catfish is fantastic- a must try if you like fish.

Don't overlook this great place just because it's not on Solano, but rather around the corner on San Pablo. Food is consistently fresh-tasting and well prepared and the people are friendly. The noodle dishes, in particular, are better than at other Thai places, in my opinion. For something fancier, try the bass fillet with fresh mango sauce. Their storefront is more spacious inside than it seems from the outside, so there's usually no wait for a table.

We come here all the time! Food is delicious and the service is always good. Love their noodles and fried rice, my husband likes their peanut-ey entree. I also appreciate that they don't use plastic bag for the takeout, get a cardboard box tray instead.

White Lotus Thai Cousins offers an inviting and cozy atmosphere that instantly makes you feel at home. The family-owned vibe shines through in every detail, from warm greetings to attentive service. The menu features authentic Thai dishes, each bursting with fresh flavors and vibrant spices. The presentation is appealing, and the portions are generous. The ambiance combines a relaxed yet lively feel, perfect for both casual dinners and special occasions. Overall, White Lotus Thai Cousins delivers a memorable dining experience with its friendly staff, delicious food, and charming environment—truly a hidden gem for Thai cuisine lovers looking for a authentic, family-run spot.

Authentic, traditional, local Thai style. The Pad Thai is the best I have had outside of Thailand. Rare items like the pomelo salad, the steamed fish curry “Hor Mok”, are exceptional. Can’t find a menu like this outside of Thailand. Warm, friendly Thai staff.

This has been my favorite Thai restaurant for years! I’ve probably had everything on their menu and can say that everything is delicious here. What I love is that everything can be made vegetarian, which is not the case for many other Thai restaurants. Highly recommend a visit :)

I found my favorite Thai Restaurant in Albany, California. There are many choices in the east bay that are so excellent, and I love some of the other Thai cuisine styles and regional flavors, but the freshness, blended spice flavors in her special sauces, and beautiful presentation at White Lotus is just superb. To'i has a gift and her staff are wonderful too.

I slept on this place for many years and all I have to say is Roti Roti Roti! The Roti appetizers, are perfectly cooked to golden perfection, crunchy and chewy, served with a small bowl of yellow curry that just makes the whole thing pop. Really yummy. The Khrik King (sauteed meat with green beans), is next level, Smokey, savory, and sweet all at the same time and generous portion size. The Larb salad was fresh, herbaceous, (Herb-y), with lime juice and mint leaves, and all together, incredible. This is Thai food to step up from the norm, in a beautiful open environment right near the corner of San Pablo and Solano in Albany. Highly recommended. UPDATE. I recently tried the Tom Kha Kai, (coconut lemongrass mushroom chicken) and can say without a doubt, it is one of the best in town

This is by far my favorite Thai restaurant. Their White Lotus noodles and fried rice are my favorite dishes. They really know how to spice it up if you ask as well

We come here a lot and there’s hardly ever more than two or three parties in here... I’m sad that they’ll close down... the food is absolutely incredible! The servers are wonderful and they’ll even let you practice Thai with them! I always get the Khao Soi, but I’ve had other items and they’re all delicious. Please patronize this wonderful restaurant. I can’t stand to see them go!

bijay Gurung

White Lotus Thai Cousins offers an inviting and cozy atmosphere that instantly makes you feel at home. The family-owned vibe shines through in every detail, from warm greetings to attentive service. The menu features authentic Thai dishes, each bursting with fresh flavors and vibrant spices. The presentation is appealing, and the portions are generous. The ambiance combines a relaxed yet lively feel, perfect for both casual dinners and special occasions. Overall, White Lotus Thai Cousins delivers a memorable dining experience with its friendly staff, delicious food, and charming environment—truly a hidden gem for Thai cuisine lovers looking for a authentic, family-run spot.

Yishan

This has been my favorite Thai restaurant for years! I’ve probably had everything on their menu and can say that everything is delicious here. What I love is that everything can be made vegetarian, which is not the case for many other Thai restaurants. Highly recommend a visit :)

Lowell Harrison

Authentic, traditional, local Thai style. The Pad Thai is the best I have had outside of Thailand. Rare items like the pomelo salad, the steamed fish curry “Hor Mok”, are exceptional. Can’t find a menu like this outside of Thailand. Warm, friendly Thai staff.

Renee

I found my favorite Thai Restaurant in Albany, California. There are many choices in the east bay that are so excellent, and I love some of the other Thai cuisine styles and regional flavors, but the freshness, blended spice flavors in her special sauces, and beautiful presentation at White Lotus is just superb. To'i has a gift and her staff are wonderful too.

P. I.

I slept on this place for many years and all I have to say is Roti Roti Roti! The Roti appetizers, are perfectly cooked to golden perfection, crunchy and chewy, served with a small bowl of yellow curry that just makes the whole thing pop. Really yummy. The Khrik King (sauteed meat with green beans), is next level, Smokey, savory, and sweet all at the same time and generous portion size. The Larb salad was fresh, herbaceous, (Herb-y), with lime juice and mint leaves, and all together, incredible. This is Thai food to step up from the norm, in a beautiful open environment right near the corner of San Pablo and Solano in Albany. Highly recommended. UPDATE. I recently tried the Tom Kha Kai, (coconut lemongrass mushroom chicken) and can say without a doubt, it is one of the best in town

Austin

This is by far my favorite Thai restaurant. Their White Lotus noodles and fried rice are my favorite dishes. They really know how to spice it up if you ask as well

Daniel Wright

We come here a lot and there’s hardly ever more than two or three parties in here... I’m sad that they’ll close down... the food is absolutely incredible! The servers are wonderful and they’ll even let you practice Thai with them! I always get the Khao Soi, but I’ve had other items and they’re all delicious. Please patronize this wonderful restaurant. I can’t stand to see them go!

Oh heaven! How many times we had gone to White Lotus before the pandemic -and we came to know Toi (the main server)-- always loving it...but then moved and just haven't been there until this afternoon. It is HANDS DOWN some of the best Thai food I have had anywhere. Everything so fresh and beautifully spiced. While the ambience has changed from white table cloths before the pandemic...to simpler easier to clean tables...the food is SO GOOD -- it doesn't matter. We had fresh summer rolls, just unlike what you get elsewhere. not stuffed full of noodles, but instead with wonderfully fresh dark green lettuce, the shrimp cooked just right and the dipping sauce...perfect...not too sweet. One of us had red curry (#30) with shrimp and rice noodles... One of us had the Pumpkin Curry /red curry with beef and rice... with lots of vegetables.. Both VERY fresh..sorry not to have pictures/will send next time... Toi remains the main server...and the owner,and chef remains Vilai Singto (who is a culinary trained chef -- just wonderful)..

I was in the area for an appointment that was delayed, so I decided to get lunch. White Lotus was the closest restaurant near the location of my appointment so I decided to order food from them. I ordered the mango and prawn salad and samosas. Both selections were AMAZING!!!!! It was literally the BEST Thai food I ever eaten. I live in SF and unfortunately am only in Albany approximately once a month, but I will DEFINITELY order food each time I am there. The person who took my order was polite and friendly, and the order was processed quickly. The price was reasonable. I would STRONGLY recommend for anyone in the area who likes Thai food to stop by White Lotus Thai Cuisine. I can't wait to go back for another Mango and Prawn Salad, Samosas.

This place has taken over as my favorite Thai restaurant in the East Bay. The food is authentically Thai. It's spicy as you would expect Thai food to be so. The flavors remind me of the flavors I've had in Bangkok with fresh peppercorns and other Thai spices. All the dishes that we ordered were very good from the Pad See Eew to the fried fish, deep fried so well that you can eat the crunchy bones. This place is not usually busy. I hope that it would be so that it could stay in business because we need a good Thai restaurant like this.

Probably one of my all time fave restaurants in this area. We've frequented White Lotus for years!! I had dinner here with my now husband 12 years ago when we just started dating and this restaurant is just as good *if not better* than it was then! Their service is always so great too! You can't go wrong with anything on their menu but our faves are the red duck curry, pad thai, and chicken satay skewers!

My cousin and I live in Santa Cruz County. We had never been to Albany prior to 3/12/22, my birthday, when we attended a gig at the Ivy Room across the street. We hadn't eaten all day so we were STARVING. The White Lotus was nearly closed but served us an ample meal, plus kept the kitchen open for our dessert orders an hour after closing time. We had Pad Thai with Tofu, Sweet & Sour (sauteed) Shrimp, fried calamari, egg rolls, and took plenty of food home. We had mango sticky rice and fried bananas and coconut ice cream for dessert. Forgive my menu choices but I loved fried food. They had pages and pages of other choices. Service was excellent and our orders were delivered quickly and accurately, i.e. "no green pepper" on the sweet & sour shrimp. We were there until 10:20 even though they closed at 9pm, and never chased us out. Awesome staff, clean restaurant and facilities, food was presented beautifully with large wedges of fresh oranges. Delightful! Now we know where to eat in the East Bay.

I love this place, it is always my go-to when I'm craving Thai! I always get chicken pad-Thai, spicy, and it is always delicious. I highly recommend! I've also tried most if not all of their non-fishy appetizers, and those were also delicious 😊

The food was authentic no fusion, and the menu was extensive, the only problem is reading all the options, there's a lot. If you're looking for an authentic Thai food restaurant then this is it, I know because I went with an actual Thai critic.

Johanna Ferman

Oh heaven! How many times we had gone to White Lotus before the pandemic -and we came to know Toi (the main server)-- always loving it...but then moved and just haven't been there until this afternoon. It is HANDS DOWN some of the best Thai food I have had anywhere. Everything so fresh and beautifully spiced. While the ambience has changed from white table cloths before the pandemic...to simpler easier to clean tables...the food is SO GOOD -- it doesn't matter. We had fresh summer rolls, just unlike what you get elsewhere. not stuffed full of noodles, but instead with wonderfully fresh dark green lettuce, the shrimp cooked just right and the dipping sauce...perfect...not too sweet. One of us had red curry (#30) with shrimp and rice noodles... One of us had the Pumpkin Curry /red curry with beef and rice... with lots of vegetables.. Both VERY fresh..sorry not to have pictures/will send next time... Toi remains the main server...and the owner,and chef remains Vilai Singto (who is a culinary trained chef -- just wonderful)..

Krizta Riformo

Probably one of my all time fave restaurants in this area. We've frequented White Lotus for years!! I had dinner here with my now husband 12 years ago when we just started dating and this restaurant is just as good *if not better* than it was then! Their service is always so great too! You can't go wrong with anything on their menu but our faves are the red duck curry, pad thai, and chicken satay skewers!

hock yeo

This place has taken over as my favorite Thai restaurant in the East Bay. The food is authentically Thai. It's spicy as you would expect Thai food to be so. The flavors remind me of the flavors I've had in Bangkok with fresh peppercorns and other Thai spices. All the dishes that we ordered were very good from the Pad See Eew to the fried fish, deep fried so well that you can eat the crunchy bones. This place is not usually busy. I hope that it would be so that it could stay in business because we need a good Thai restaurant like this.

Gale Rosboro

I was in the area for an appointment that was delayed, so I decided to get lunch. White Lotus was the closest restaurant near the location of my appointment so I decided to order food from them. I ordered the mango and prawn salad and samosas. Both selections were AMAZING!!!!! It was literally the BEST Thai food I ever eaten. I live in SF and unfortunately am only in Albany approximately once a month, but I will DEFINITELY order food each time I am there. The person who took my order was polite and friendly, and the order was processed quickly. The price was reasonable. I would STRONGLY recommend for anyone in the area who likes Thai food to stop by White Lotus Thai Cuisine. I can't wait to go back for another Mango and Prawn Salad, Samosas.

Charles Wong

Munched with a friend for her birthday. Found this place on Yelp! Did not disappoint. Food was fresh, cooked to perfection. Everything was delicious! Bravo to the chef and the server. I would definitely put this place on my radar, next time I'm in Albany! Did I say delish?!!!Deep Fried Corn Cake is a must try!

Deborah Joyce Windisch

My cousin and I live in Santa Cruz County. We had never been to Albany prior to 3/12/22, my birthday, when we attended a gig at the Ivy Room across the street. We hadn't eaten all day so we were STARVING. The White Lotus was nearly closed but served us an ample meal, plus kept the kitchen open for our dessert orders an hour after closing time. We had Pad Thai with Tofu, Sweet & Sour (sauteed) Shrimp, fried calamari, egg rolls, and took plenty of food home. We had mango sticky rice and fried bananas and coconut ice cream for dessert. Forgive my menu choices but I loved fried food. They had pages and pages of other choices. Service was excellent and our orders were delivered quickly and accurately, i.e. "no green pepper" on the sweet & sour shrimp. We were there until 10:20 even though they closed at 9pm, and never chased us out. Awesome staff, clean restaurant and facilities, food was presented beautifully with large wedges of fresh oranges. Delightful! Now we know where to eat in the East Bay.

Jaime S (Das Pookinator)

I love this place, it is always my go-to when I'm craving Thai! I always get chicken pad-Thai, spicy, and it is always delicious. I highly recommend! I've also tried most if not all of their non-fishy appetizers, and those were also delicious 😊

Malcolm Malaowala

We've been coming here for years. It's a genuine family run restaurant with a sophisticated menu. In the years that we've been eating here, I've never had a bad meal. The dishes are not only delicious but also beautiful. The chefs have an amazing style and take on traditional Thai dishes. I highly suggest giving them a try, this place a hidden gem!

Good food. Green Pumpkin curry was supposed to be the really spicy curry it was tasty yet not spicy hot. The temperature of the curry was not hot either. The sticky rice was steaming when I removed the top. Nice. We came in around 830pm so not too busy. More people strolled in after 9. Main objective of this outing was the pumpkin curry and it was not spicy even after asking for super spicy. Nonetheless, I finished all my curry and all my sticky rice and was satisfied.

Good Thai food; it was our second visit. We will definitely go back, but it's not a place I would feel completely comfortable recommending to friends. The restaurant space is too large, and the wait staff person is sometimes hard to find when you need her. Good value, large selection, dishes arrived rapidly.

Based on watching them hustle, they're quite popular. Lots of takeout orders. I love everything I've had here, and after 4 visits I've sampled quite a bit. My only complaint is that several times I've come in and waited at the cashier stand for several minutes without anyone popping out to notice me. So I've left. They really need some loud bells on the door to alert them to customers coming in.

Spicy no frills eatery. Nice owners & great 4 groups and family sharing. Great date spot. Beer n wine.

Jacy Hendrix (Jacy)

Spicy no frills eatery. Nice owners & great 4 groups and family sharing. Great date spot. Beer n wine.

Food was good, service was good, clean and pretty popular place. We had a group of about 18 of us and they accommodated us pretty well. Food was served hot and drinks were served cold. No issues with this place at all.

I like this little place on San Pablo as it is the closest to authentic Thai food even though it caters to the American palette. The Nam Tok with sticky rice is my favorite. Phad Thai was a disappointment and did not meet my expectations. Chicken satay was good but the peanut sauce did not compliment it. There should be a balance between quantity and pricing.

Service was SOOO slow, and there was only one other table. Made no sense. Food was fine, but not good enough to make up for the ridiculously slow service. Red curry was the standout dish at our table. Other food very mediocre for Thai.

My bf and I went there on a Saturday evening, there was only one waitress and it was a little busy. The waitress was a little messy and forgetful, but under that amount of stress on a Saturday, the waitress tried her best. The food: I am a big fan of lao papaya salad, however the one i had, it was salty. The crab paste was excessive. The chicken thai basil with rice plate was good but i would prefer a little bit more of the thai basil leaves. I wasn't tasting the thai basil flavor. The green curry dish was salty. We had to add water to the dish.

We wanted to try a spot, but will not return here. Seems like a nice casual spot... dishes were okay, the pad Thai was descent. Crispy spring rolls seemed a bit undercooked. Chang beer and Thai iced tea were cold, that was a major plus. The servers(owners?) might not have been in a good mood. We were out on a date night, it makes it uncomfortable when staff is rude. I left her a 20%+ tip to cheer her up.

Maricela Vazquez

We wanted to try a spot, but will not return here. Seems like a nice casual spot... dishes were okay, the pad Thai was descent. Crispy spring rolls seemed a bit undercooked. Chang beer and Thai iced tea were cold, that was a major plus. The servers(owners?) might not have been in a good mood. We were out on a date night, it makes it uncomfortable when staff is rude. I left her a 20%+ tip to cheer her up.

I hate leaving negative comments, but unfortunately the lettuce in the larb salad and the broccoli in the pad see ew tasted like they were stale or had absorbed refrigerator flavor. The chicken in the larb was coursely chopped and had large pieces of cartilage in it, and the flavor was overwhelmed by Vietnamese coriander leaves which taste like hand soap. The pad see ew was very sweet and not savory or smokey at all. We couldn't finish either dish. Overall cost was about $36 ($18 for two people) not counting the tip, which is cheaper than most restaurants in the current economy, but we're still very disappointed.

J Polito

I hate leaving negative comments, but unfortunately the lettuce in the larb salad and the broccoli in the pad see ew tasted like they were stale or had absorbed refrigerator flavor. The chicken in the larb was coursely chopped and had large pieces of cartilage in it, and the flavor was overwhelmed by Vietnamese coriander leaves which taste like hand soap. The pad see ew was very sweet and not savory or smokey at all. We couldn't finish either dish. Overall cost was about $36 ($18 for two people) not counting the tip, which is cheaper than most restaurants in the current economy, but we're still very disappointed.

The food lacked flavor. The fried rice was like mush. The Chili's weren't even spicy they sent us home with almost like they were watered down. The pork balls were tough and probably frozen. The silver noodle salad had absolutely no flavor whatsoever. It was expensive and I thought it should have been better.The chicken wings were completely and totally under seasoned although the sauces were okay they didn't hide the fact that the food itself was significantly bland

I have been coming to this restaurant for years. On Saturday I placed an order and picked it up, when I attempted to eat it, the order was wrong. I made a phone call to let them know. The lady said she would fix it. After I got off work. I went back, she quickly came to me and took my order. After I received my order a man came out with his hands folded and staring me up and down, like, how dare you complain. I didn't eat the food, because I didn't know if it was tampered with and the man behavior. I will never support this business again.

Walked in during open hours and no one greeted me as I stood there with my partner for several minutes trying to get someone attention. At some point we figured it was just open seating so we sat down, still trying to grab someone's attention (the place was nearly empty with waiters walking here and there). The menu looked great but we still didn't get any attention from waiters except one who caught my eye then turned away again. It was a strange experience, but we didn't feel welcome. Won't come here again.. I don't like the feeling of being invisible.

Dirty water glass with lipstick on rim. Ordered hot saki and there were dozens of dead fruit flies or gnats in the carafe! So gross. Disinterested, unhelpful staff. Yucky, unclean vibe. Stay away.

Sadly this was the worst takeout I’ve had. Very little flavor in the veggie Tom Ka soup or the tofu spring rolls. The papaya salad wasn’t bad, but there was very little of it since it was placed on top of a high bed of lettuce. I feel bad writing this, and I hope it was just an off night for them, but given that my mom paid $60 for this, I really felt like an honest review was called for here.

We ordered dinner for two here on Saturday night for takeout, the larb salad with chicken and green curry with veggies. The green curry was extremely oily and the chicken in the larb salad was gray and didn’t taste quite right. My partner ended up with gastrointestinal distress from this meal later in the evening. We really wanted to love this place since we live close by, maybe it was an off night but we won’t be going back.

Millie Calzada

We ordered dinner for two here on Saturday night for takeout, the larb salad with chicken and green curry with veggies. The green curry was extremely oily and the chicken in the larb salad was gray and didn’t taste quite right. My partner ended up with gastrointestinal distress from this meal later in the evening. We really wanted to love this place since we live close by, maybe it was an off night but we won’t be going back.

Most of the food was too salty to eat. The sticky rice was hard as a rock. The chicken satay, although not salty, was inedible. In fact, it was simply awful. I don't recommend this place at all. I cannot believe it has so many good reviews. Nobody was in there at 7:30 pm on a Wednesday night. Now I know why.

R

Most of the food was too salty to eat. The sticky rice was hard as a rock. The chicken satay, although not salty, was inedible. In fact, it was simply awful. I don't recommend this place at all. I cannot believe it has so many good reviews. Nobody was in there at 7:30 pm on a Wednesday night. Now I know why.