Ben Thai Cafe Reviews

A few friends and I found this place on trip advisor and decided to give it a try. It was a good decision. It's not a terribly fancy place but the food was quite good. I would highly recommend it.

Checked out some Thai restaurants on TripAdvisor to visit while on Honeymoon. This place popped up with excellent reviews so had to be experienced. The place definitely lived up to the recommendations. Quite a small and basic setup but the service from the outset was just right. The presentation and explanations of the food were excellent. Could the food be matched! Oh yes, it was amazing. The flavours were superb. Make sure you ask for the kind of spice level you like. If you like Thai food, then you just need to visit this place

Having spent a month in Thailand and having a Thai town in my home city I have eaten my fair share of Thai food, this restaurant does Thai very well. The taste of their dishes is very authentic and other than it being less spicy than the food there this is the closest restaurant I have found in the States to real Thai. The Khao Soi is great there (northern Thai dish with noodles in red and yellow curry topped with wontons, onions and lime to squeeze on), the curries in general are very good as is the tom yum soup, but even their house spicy basil rice is delicious. Overall a great casual restaurant for a decent price in an fairly expensive city

We enjoyed our food at Ben Thai. We went as it was recommended for gluten free options. There were several gluten free options, but not the Pad Thai. I enjoyed the other dish I ended up getting and my husband enjoyed his yellow curry. Service was a little slow with drink refills, but otherwise enjoyed it. They do have happy hour drink specials which was nice.

Had the most amazing eggplant dish. Was fresh and cooked just to perfection. Spice was hot, but flavorful. Was a joy to find. You won't regret it.

Great service and tasty food! We went on a Monday night at 7pm and it filled up quite quickly. There are about 15 tables. We had the prawn rolls and paradise wings for starters. For mains we had spicy eggplant and a red curry. I'm not great with spice and both were not spicy which is how I like it. If you like spicy Thai food then I suggest you ask to dial up the heat.

We went as a large group of adults and kids for a late lunch. The servers were very nice, though it took quite some time to get our order in. The rolls were great, and so was the pad kaprow and the green curry, but the soup was not good at all - steer clear. One child in our party can't have gluten and they have a special menu for that, very nice.

Friendly, fairly clean. Great green curry! I will definitely come back the next time I am in San Francisco.

Attention is a little dry, but correct. We ate Pad Thai and Kao Soi and, they were spectacular! Accessible prices compared to other restaurants.

I had the crispy rolls with extra peanut sauce (to die for), plus the green curry with veggies and beef. An excellent meal in a cozy place with more than friendly service.

Delicious food in a charming place. We went twice over our 5-day trip, in a city with tons of good food...that's how much we liked it! Prices are reasonable and again, the food is just wonderful. Go here!!!

We found this place on TripAdvisor having gotten off the streetcar before the COmmercial street line. What a great place... the service was spot on and the food excellent. Rarely do I give a fill 20% tip in the US, but I felt more than happy to do so here. Both the red and yellow curries were excellent and both of the noodle dishes we had taste fresh and flavorsome.

We visited at 6 on Sunday night and were able to get a table in their overflow room. The food was delicious and we noted there was a constant stream of takeout going out. The service was quick and friendly, the food was piping hot and they had some great local beers on tap. We were very happy with the food and the prices, we highly recommend it.

Had a delicious take out meal for two, we ordered the Karee yellow curry dish (with sticky rice), vegetarian spring rolls and the murder wings. We were told our order would be ready for pick up in 20-30 minutes, we got there roughly 8 minutes after calling and everything was ready to go. My favourite would be the spring rolls!! Great curry as well. We had a 12 minute walk home after pick up and everything was still piping hot when we got home. Will definitely be back!

We happened upon this little place after a long day of sightseeing. Both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised by both the meal and service. If you like Thai food you’ll love it too!

very good and tasty food . excellent service. they give lots of food for pad thai and curries . Dessert with coconut ice cream and fried bananas are so good . Staff are nice and the restaurant is clean. you do not have to reserve but they are always full .

Had an excellent dinner. Prices were good. Meals were good sizes and everyone enjoyed their meals. Particularly liked the Panang curry.

My friend and I ended here "by accident" as it was in the neighborhood of our hotel. Busy, nice interior and all guests seemed happy and they all looked to be familiar with the place. Amazing food with fresh ingredients and well blendes spices. In fact, it was so good we went twice in one week!

Small, intimate place on Polk st. Coconut soup and pad thai were both good. The beef salad was delicious. Lots of locals and return customer shows consistency in both service and food quality.

Amazing Thai food in a small but charming and friendly atmosphere. Had excellent standards like raw papaya salad (with just the right amount of sweet/sour/spice and crunch, and more inventive Thai home specialities like the fantastic Khao Soi with chicken or tofu (homemade hand pulled noodles with a coconut curry spicy broth) and the crab pancake, which was very nice as an appetizer.

Popped in for a solo dinner while visiting San Francisco. Loved the varied menu with Indonesian, Thai and Chinese influences. The sweet and sour squid, was sweet, sour and deliciously spicy. Wine was reasonably priced too. This place was super busy on a midweek night, and no wonder because the service and food are spot on!

This Thai restaurant is located in the Polk Gulch neighborhood, north of Geary and just east of Van Ness. Not a very large space, nor does it have an overflowing menu. But it seems popular and prepares tasty dishes. It offers lunch specials, a happy hour list and, if you inquire, the chef's specials. I like curries, so I went for the yellow, called Ka-Ree here. The appetizer list is interesting. I had some chicken wings. They also offer a couple of traditional soup dishes - Tom Kha and Tom Yum. If you're still hungry after, they have a dessert menu with several variations of ice cream dishes. Except on weekends, they close down for a couple of late afternoon hours each day.

The menu is eclectic and little adventurous rather than traditional thai, but the specials menu is filled with fabulous family dishes - the crab pancake was terrific. We spent a month in Thailand earlier this year and we had nothing near as tasty as this crab pancake. The steamed vegetables are cooked perfectly (a bright greens color and with a little crunch) and good assortment - try them with the chicken and peanut sauce main course dish. Pair dinner with a perfectly chilled fresh young coconut instead of the coconut water that you buy at the store.

We had the Ben Thai Platter, which is a good apetizer for four, some things will be shared. I had the only IPA they had and got a 10oz tumbler (no bueno) The Pa See Ew was good if you like the big soft noodles. We had is low spice and medium spice. Chicken Green Chili was great (medium spice, my favorite), crispy veggies and soft chicken in a great sauce. Strange tipping (for me) in that they added in a tip and asked if you wanted to add more to it in 3, 5 & 7 % increments. I did not see what the baseline was, so I tipped extra at 3. I have had better, is the bottom line.

We accidentally discovered this gem of a place tonight and we couldn't have been more pleased! The wings were a delicious starter and entrees had great flavor. The staff was great and patient explaining the menu. We'll be back!

We were recommended by the hotel that we were staying in so we had a wander along to it. It was very busy. The staff were polite and very attentive. My husband ordered the house fried rice after recommendation and told that it wasn't dry, only to find out that it was dry and an enormous portion! I had the green thai curry which was pleasant enough. It was reasonably priced and service was fast. Wouldn't rush back

Relaxed atmosphere, stunning authentic food, reasonable price and good service. The place is packed and one should may bring some time before a table is available. But it is worth while!

We had an enjoyable night here. The food was fast and very very fresh and tasted very good. The staff were excellent. I will be recommending this place.

Both of our dishes were delicious. Very friendly and helpful staff. The craft beer selection was moderate in quantity but quite superb in quality and variety, especially for a Thai restaurant! Very impressed.

This is great tasting thai food. The portion sizes are good. My wife and I had leftovers both times we ate there. The food isn't expensive at all.

Excellent tasty Thai food & a great big portion. Fantastic value for money. Friendly efficient service & a nice atmosphere. Would definitely recommend!

Neat little cafe on Polk Street. They don't take reservations, but we four adults got a window table on a very hot (88 degrees!) June Sunday evening. We shared Murder Wings and Golden Bags appetizers, as well as a Thai crab pancake. The murder wings were spicy hot and especially good. Service was super and the food was very good. We'd go back if opportunity arose -- in San Francisco, there is so much good food available! Service was very good and the place had a very good feel to it.

Service very quick and friendly. Nicely spiced and very tasty. Would highly recommend this to anyone staying in the area

A friend set the meeting there. Had lunch special. Food was served fast and was very good. The price also decent. The place is small so the feeling is very "homey".

I went here for dinner based on a friend's recommendation while in San Francisco on business. The place is somewhat small, but I actually like places like that. The service was good and the food came out fast. I was surprised that the food was served so fast and so fresh. I ordered the Khao Soi. The broth was spicy, but the dish was delicious and a large portion. This place is definitely worth going to.

Good not great. Small restaurant feeding locals. Fast service, hot food. Wife really enjoyed her curry dish, pad Thai was OK. Others liked their meals, but overall not a 5 star place. Good dinner at reasonable price with attentive service. Would go back.

The family specials, including crab pancakes, were not the usual Thai fare. The three dishes were all different, properly prepared, and filling.

I ordered the Green Curry with Jasmine Rice as takeout. The food was delicious and perfectly spiced for me. It was ready quick and still hot when I got back to my hotel. Only negatives: you have to pay for rice separately and they gave me no utensils or napkins. I will definitely order from Ben Thai again.

Ben Thai was recommended to us and we wanted to try it out. When you arrive you really feel like this is it! Not a high end feel but more of a hole in the wall kind of place. Yet the waiters were on point and the food speaks for itself and it says delicious! It says Authentic Thai! It tells you not to judge a book by its cover! This place is special if you want Thai food. Congrats th the team they do a great job taking care of you. I recommend the Kaisao and Oxtail soup! Wow delicious. Ended the meal with Mango sticky rice. Loved it all!

We had a take away from Ben thai tonight and we couldn't fault it. Highly recommend it. We are from Australia and love our thai food.

Okay, the Panang could have been more "creamy/nutty" in my opinion, but overall very good food. Also the prices are fair. They have bottled Coca-Cola, yay. Definitely a place to visit. Will recommend to everyone...

Whilst on business I ate here and food was so good, I returned 3 times. Food was delicious, service was exceptional and good value for money. Would definitely recommend.

The food here is fresh and delicious. The premise is petite & perfect for a casual dining experience . Prices are reasonable and the staff are friendly and the service quick. Definitely worth taking a look at.

Recommend from a local, delicious food with generous sized portions. Would definitely recommend a visit

Excellent Thai food, just like you get in Thailand. The flavours were amazing, very home style cooking. Large portions, had us very content afterwards. Really nice staff and clientele.

Chai Yo has changed ownership and is now the Ben Thai Cafe. A lot of the staff are the same and the standards continue to be high. I ate the yellow curry with pork and it was delicious. The portion was generous, presentation was attractive and service was excellent. It was good value too.

Visited for dinner. We started with the chicken satay, 4 large skewers of tender chicken with a delicious peanut dipping sauce. Then for main course, I had the pad Thai with chicken and my husband had the Penang curry. Both were large servings and the pad Thai had plenty of chicken and tofu on it. The Penang curry had several vegetables in addition to the chicken. For dessert, we had coconut ice cream with coconut shavings. Overall, a delicious meal and the servers were on point with water refills, plate clearing etc. They were also professional about the leftovers (and you will have leftovers, nice big portions) packing everything up neatly for us. The food was also very affordable. Overall, great experience and will definitely visit again if in the area.

Great service, relaxed restaurant- good place for solo dining. Nice back story, family run - chef cooking in the background. Good value for $$

We went to Bens Thai Cafe for lunch. The owner , I suppose “Ben”, was more then friendly and the food was exceptional delicious. Will go there probably today again.

let's get to the bottomline. if you like thai food and know what you like, you will not be doing yourself any favor by not going to ben thai. this quaint small and unassuming place is a real gem. no reservations accepted, but the wait time is not that long. start with a glass of California cabernet sauvignon. you will not be disappointed. for starters, go with corn fritters, murder wings, prawn rolls, and the papaya salad. follow that up with pad thai with shrimp, gra pow beef, spicy eggplant with shrimp and beef fried rice. ask for spicy. each dish has its own distinctive taste and flavor. your palate will hum with the medly of taste that perfectly balance the sweet, sour and hotness of the dishes. during 4 nights of our stay in san francisco, we visited this place twice. it is that good.

We came here as it was round the corner from our hotel and we’re so glad we did! The food was incredible and the service was excellent! Would recommend for anyone in the area!

We made reservations because this Thai restaurant gets pretty busy. We were seated to a very nice table. The waiter came within minutes to take our orders. The menu is quite extensive and they also have specials of the day. They serve beer on tap and in bottles, wine and a great selection of “thai” teas. The appetizer and all of our individual meals were done to perfection and delicious! Parking can be a challenge but always manageable. Thank you to your awesome team for making our get together as a family a memorable one with great Thai food!

On a wet and rainy night, I dropped into Ben thai cafe on Polk , this is the second time I’ve eaten here. I ordered the pad me mao with prawns $16 rice noddle, broccoli, red peppers, snap peas , thai basil and spicy soy sce . Also the bbq chicken thigh marinated in lemongrass curry then bbq. All sounded great, the food came out in about 10-15mins ish which was great, service is friendly and quick in the small 25ish seated restaurant/ cafe. The chicken thighs are tasty but there is only 4 small thigh half’s on a bed of undressed lettuce with a small mixed salad garnish at the top of the plate with a squeeze of possibly Brought dressing as it was bland and mayo thickness. Things got worse with the pad me mao which was bland and missing flavour besides the very few eg 4 broccoli pieces and a few strips of rep pepper and a couple of basil leaves in the pile of rice noddles, there was 5 prawns within. Soon after the arrived the friendly waiter asked how my meal was. .... I told him I wasn’t very happy with the lack of ingredients in the noodle dish and the small portion of bbq chicken, he quickly said he would talk to the kitchen but never returned with an answer , Tonight wasn’t busy in the restaurant and the lack of flavour made the $50 for 2 mains and 2 beers over priced and I’m not likely to return, It’s a shame as the restaurant has a warm feeling, staff are friendly just don’t be so tight on your food costings especially vegetables and flavouring ingredients

Claiming to be the first Thai restaurant in San Francisco , this restaurant serves authentic Thai food. The papaya salad and red curry pork was exceptional. Ending with mango and sticky rice completes a delicious meal. A must to visit.

We had 2 appetizers, spicy soup one noodle stash and one SEA food red souce feast with white rice. The have great ipa Black Hammer and they also serve coconut drink... over all nice small local place with nice atmosphere! We ate well and great time. Recommended!

Walked in because it looked busy...and what a find. Authentic Thai flavours and beautiful food. Prices are fantastic value especially with such great food.

After a good day walk from the financial district to the lombard street to the Fishermans wharf we went to Bens Cafe for some Thai food. Food was excellent, I had the red curry with duck, my girlfriend had the chicken green curry, we were both rolling out of the cafe. Very good food, nice local atmosphere and good service.

So me and the girlfriend love Thai and we're looking for some good food reasonably priced.......and thanks to trip advisor....we saw the reviews and decided to take a lyft to the restaurant..........first impressions we impressive......a tiny little restaurant with a constant flow of locals and tourists like ourselves........the menu had a great selection......and we chose the murder wings (massive flavor and a decent amount of spice/hotness) as our appetizer..........for main courses we got the duck curry and Singapore noodles......both dishes were amazing in flavor and spice.......and reasonably priced for the quality and quantity of food served. I'll just say that if I was a local.......I would eat there once a week for the rest of my life......it was that good

We had an evening with nothing planned except to eat dinner. Luckily, we walked a few extra blocks to Ben Thai Cafe to enjoy a bouquet of flavors. We started out with the Golden Bags (I think) to start. Delicious chicken deep fried in a very fine pastry. Nice dipping sauce to mix it up. We shared a yellow curry with pumpkin and purple potatoes. Great flavor combinations here. We also tried their special fried rice which was good, but not as good as our other 2 dishes. I enjoyed a Thai Iced tea which seemed to be a bit watered down. My wife had a Pineapple Cider which made her very happy. Our service was phenomenal. It seemed as if everyone working in the restaurant jumped in and made sure that everything was taken care of. This makes you feel as if you matter. Great meal. Fun night.

This restaurant was just around the corner from our accommodation and was a local suggestion by the hotel. The service was excellent, and the food we ordered was outstanding; Murder Wings and Paradise Wings. We also chose to BYO a bottle of wine, as the corkage of $15 was cheaper than two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. We would definitely come back here. A superb intimate restaurant.

The food was very fresh and excellent. The service was awesome as well. We ordered the pad Thai, red curry and green curry and every dish was delicious. Would definitely go here again.

Opted to try Ben Thai because of the numerous options not typically found in other places. Street parking, although not the safest of areas, was relatively easy on a weekend. The food came out quick which was appreciated since we were quite hungry. The staff was friendly and offered strong recommendations and I ordered the Khao Soi Deluxe with Oxtail. That dish wasn’t what I expected. The soup was creamy and sweet with a slight kick to it. The egg noodles were chewy enough. And the fried noodles and pork skin gave additional texture to the dish. But the oxtail pieces were IMO the star of the show. They were roasted, tender, and so flavorful. I would definitely come back just for this meal. The rest of the dishes we ordered were good but just average. There is a Yelp check-in offer for 50% off non-alcoholic drinks. The aesthetics of the place was nice and the bathroom was also nice and clean.

Outstanding food! Extensive menu. Friendly staff. If I lived in Nob Hill I would be a regular! Good to dine in or take out.

Really tasty food, cozy atmosphere. Looks like small family owned place, very friendly hosts. It's highly recommend!

We were seated right away at outdoor seating. The waiters were friendly and attentive. They have gluten free options and the food came quickly. Everyone enjoyed their meal but it could have been a bit more spicy. Other than that, everything was delicious!

Perhaps I had high expectations, but I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't bad, just not great. Service was OK.

Great little restaurant with absolutely delicious food. The service is very friendly and attentive. Would absolutely return on my next visit to San Fran and will recommend to visiting friends / family!

Authentic Thai food from Ben! It was amazing. My wife and I ordered through Caviar delivery and it was at our hotel within 15 minutes. And it did not disappoint at all. The spices and flavors are making my mouth water now. My wife’s go to is the Pad Thai which as amazing. I loved their Gra-Prao with pork which was outstanding.

The food was awful, why ! Because it was delivered cold ? That was the noodle dish , and the BBQ chicken Thai was raw??? And both had to be sent back, this rest reminded me of eating at a food stall, won’t be going back

Small restaurant. Staff friendly and the food was good on the whole. Portions are pretty generous and the food is tasty.

Beautiful thai food at reasonable price. Getting vegan option was no problem and the service was fast and the food delicious! Can only recommend

Just had the most amazing meal at Ben Thai! The food was delicious, really authentic Thai food, and the service excellent. We dined with our 2 small children and the staff were so wonderful and helpful with them. Thanks!

Four of us had four different items, all very good. The menu is easy to navigate. The place is small (so common in San Francisco), neat and clean. The service was very good and prices are average.

Authentic tasting food. Our favourites were: Green curry, Pad Thai and Duck noodle soup. A laid back atmosphere. Excellent beer. Try Unicorn Dust! For non-alcoholic beverages the Thai iced tea and Honey ginger limeade were great. It was so good that we returned, spending two of our four nights in San Francisco at Ben Thai.

Took the family here and the food was great freshly prepared, reasonable priced and we had good service. Highly recommended.

Small place with a handful of tables, only two wait staff so service was slow. But the food was outstanding! Murder wings and Khao Soi were our favorites, amazing flavors for both. Go for a quick awesome meal!

Ben Thai is a great find. It's a small place and it gets packed easy so if you want to get seated right away you need to get there earlier than the normal lunch or dinner time, otherwise you will wait for quite an amount of time. The food is excellent. "Murder by wings" is a must. A little pricy for Thai food, but worth it. Great service too.

We found Ben Thai to be a pleasant place. We needed a light dinner and we were satisfied with salads, paradise wings and the potato/chicken bags. The service was great.

After a quick search, seeing the great reviews and menu, we headed for this place. Immediately greeted, we were comfortably sitting at a small table. I ordered a spicy and delicious Ginger Honey Lemonade and chicken Pad Thai. Super fresh! My guy ordered the Khao Soi, at the recommendation of the informative and polite waiter. The. best. soup. ever. Wish we could be regulars here! Until next time!