A friend brought me here for dinner. The ingredients for the Pad Thai was generous. The Thai fish was absolutely delish, although I would request mild spice or more to bump up the flavour.

Decor- 4/5 Cute and like the decor Very cozy and small Service-4/5 Attentive and kind Food-3/5 Tom ka chicken soup- 5/5 I loved the mushrooms and chicken, could skip tomatoes A bit sour but delicious Steamed spicy whole fish- 2/5 asked for it nonspicy Fish was tender and cooked well but the amount of garlic was SO overpowering I couldn't taste much else

3.5 Stars...the reason I'm pushing this to a 4 stars is because I grew up in the SGV where there are more Thai options available with in a small area. This place is good, but I've definitely had better without going to Thailand. I have been getting take out from this place for years and have actually never dined in until recently! The service was great and attentive even though it was somewhat busy. What surprised me was the the dining area was really well lit. All the dishes were delicious, especially the green curry which is something I always get when I see it, I was told it doesn't come with rice, I responded with a WTH look, she then said, "You can eat it with the pineapple fried rice." I think that would just be weird. How does a curry not come with white rice automatically, that's just nickel and diming customers on a whole different level, It's like going to Jimmy John's and they say the bread is a separate order Portions seems slightly larger dining in than when I get it in a box, might have to dine in more often now.

We just moved to OC and trying to find a new go to spot for Thai/Lao food in Irvine. We arrived at 8:30pm and were seated upon arrival. We knew it was going to be good when we realized it was a full house. It was very homey and between the two of us, we ordered four different entrees. The portions were generous and arrived in a timely manner. We totally forgot to ask for the name of the server who closed us out but if you're reading this..thank you for the recommendations for authentic Thai/Lao food in OC. We look forward to coming back again!

tl,dr: good Likes: + Wide range of yummy Thai food. I like their curry options. + The rice goes well with their various meat curries. + Nice that it's located at Arbor Village Shopping Center. Idyllic place for a peaceful stroll or some nice shopping or dining. + Ample parking. + Ample indoor seating. + I like that their restroom uses a paper towel dispenser. Non-likes: - Bummer about the extra charge for a side of rice. Neutral: . I was starving, so adding extra meat and the side of rice made my total a bit expensive but about fair.

Thai Cafe is a tiny restaurant located in a plaza right off the 5 freeway in Irvine. CHICKEN YELLOW CURRY ($16.45) - for the price I'd expect it to come with rice but it didn't. This was a standard yellow curry. 4/5 PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE ($16.45) - there was no spice from this and I think it could've used it. However, the spice from the other dishes lingered in my mouth so it felt like it was more spicy than it was. 4/5 BOAT NOODLES ($13.95) - the broth was so flavorful, rich, and I loved this dish. My first bite in the meal was a sip of the broth and it was the perfect way to start the meal. My only complaint was that the flat rice noodles were slightly overcooked and too soft. 5/5 PHAD KEE MAO ($16.45) - the sauce was so good and very flavorful. We also got this as mild but it still had a kick. This was probably 1A/1B as my favorite dish. 5/5 For drinks we ordered the Thai iced tea ($4) which was standard. The dishes had lots of flavors and my favorites were the boat noodles and the phad kee mao. We thought about ordering medium spice but we were glad we didn't because the mild was enough for us.

Our friends rave about this place so we decided to check it out. It was empty around 2pm on Monday. Service is quick and the portions are easily shareable. The water tasted like cucumbers. The yellow curry was chicken with a side of curry. Very yummy and spicy even though it was mild. The potatoes and carrots were perfectly cooked as well. Rice also comes with the curry. The pad see ew was so flavorful and savory. The beef was too meaty for my liking but nonetheless we still enjoyed it. They also give you spices upon request. I'll definitely go back to try their pad thai.

Glad that it's getting busy again - both take out and dining in. The Tom ka gai always hits the spot! It's good both in-restaurant and take out. Parking is never a problem.