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Categories: Vegetarian, Thai [Edit]
Neighborhood: Loma Portal
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Food was good and vegetarian friendly. Fast service and generous portions.
Not a likely area to find a "fine" restaurant but the price is find and there is plenty of parking.
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I always see this restaurant but never was willing to go eat there, since I usually go to Taste of Thai in Hillcrest and didn't think it could be as good, but I was wrong. I had the Yellow Curry Chicken lunch special and I loved it. It was just the right portion size too. It was very busy when we went in, which surprised me, but the service was pretty fast. Almost too fast, we had just started our soup and the food was already at the table. The service was ok.
I will definitely be back since it is so much closer that where I usually go.
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Who would have thought you could get serenity and beauty in a strip mall?
This was originally the second location for Amarin but they sold it......
The food is great, well presented and they kept the beautiful decor. Service is great as well.
Dishes to try:
Mad Crazy Fish
Masamam Beef
Thai Half Chicken
Drunken Noddles with Chicken
Angel Wings
This place is a well kept secret but I am willing to share.
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The kiddie comedy film, 'Night at the Museum' and fighting movie, 'Ong Bok' fused together is the setting for your dining experience at the Antique Thai restaurant.
Be prepared.
When you step through the doors, you feel an urge to drop a few dollars in the donation box to take a tour of the place. I guess there is a good reason why the call the place Antique. The glass enclosed cases of ornate displays, the hanging paintings lighted by track lights, glittery curtains, dark wood chairs and panels certainly have an aged, archeological quality to it. So much so, that my eyes kept on darting around in earnest fascination studying the decor that I forgot to eat.
Okay, that was an overstatement. I ate.
I've been to Antique several times to endorse the quality of the food. It's good. I think the the Red Curry (Gang Ped) and Garden Delight are certainly top notch dishes. The starters: Thai Fresh Rolls, Egg Rolls and Chicken Satay and Calamari are equally outstanding.
The prices at Antique are moderate. It's not as expensive as some of the other fine dining Thai restaurants like Taste of Thai in Del Mar, but not as cheap as Spices in Carmel Valley and Mira Mesa.
So if you wanna get quality food for a great value and want to enjoy your surroundings, take a trip to Antique.
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My wife and I eat at Antique Thai Cuisine monthly. Occasionally we cheat on Antique Thai by sneaking off to some other Thai restaurant, but we always return to Antique Thai for the best in town.
A basic plate of curry with steamed rice costs about $10 (evening dinner price), and you have your choice of curry color (red, green, yellow, etc.) and meat (pork, beef, chicken, duck, etc.). You may specify how spicey you want your curry on a scale from 1 to 10.
The extensive menu offers more elaborate, artful, and expensive creations which we try on special occasions. The same meals elsewhere in the city always seems to cost more.
Our favorite appetizer is mermaid shrimp (a delicate, deep-fried rice wrap), and our favorite dessert is mango sticky rice (my wife and I do NOT share this dessert -- we each get our own portion).
Thai iced tea rounds out a meal. For a brief period they had a delicious, sweet palm nectar(?) on the menu but dropped it because their supplier was unreliable.
The service is personable, and servers are often "just off the boat" from Thailand yet well-supervised by experienced shift managers. The servers giggle at my attempts to say, "hello" and "thank you" in Thai.
The restaurant is decorated beautifully with a tasteful array of Thai art. A couple of years ago the serving staff stopped wearing Thai-style native dress and shifted to looser-fitting and practical attire. This costume change occurred at about the same time as the restaurant changed names from Amarin to Antique.
The restaurant, restroom, and neighborhood are very clean.
While my wife and the rest of my family love peanut sauce, I'm allergic to peanuts, and servers steer me away from peanut-laced dishes helpfully.
This restaurant is not visible from either Rosecrans or Midway. It's located in the Henry's Market shopping center, in the food court area, tucked behind the car wash in the same building as the ATT store and GNC. There is ample parking available within 200 feet of the front door.
Good for kids? I say, "not sure." It depends on how your kids are behaving, and if you allow your kids to eat on carpeted floors. Certainly children age 4 and up should be able to fit in. If you have nerves of steel, high chairs are available for age 1-3.
My aunt lives nearby and took me here for dinner once. We split the Pineapple Shrimp dish (or at least that is what she called it). It was served in a real half-pineapple shell and was delicious. The spring rolls were excellent - incredibly fresh and flavorful for an item that tends to be bland. I too was impressed or shocked just how nice the restaurant interior was in the context of Sports Arena Blvd. It is so stunning and the service pleasant and prompt. They put fresh orchids on everything. My aunt and I felt like we were on a date, which is why I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a peaceful and romantic dining experience prior to rocking out at whatever local show the Sports Arena has that night (a little bit of sarcasm because this restaurant certainly seems out of place and there really isn't much else going on in this part of town). Still, I will suggest this place next time she and I meet again.
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I liked the Thai food here...it was yummy and the price was descent. It is kinda tucked away in the shopping center but a cute little place to check out if you are in the area. I would notice the place everytime I went to Figaro's or TJ Maxx but it wasn't until recently that I checked it out.
It's not my favorite Thai place but this place has good, flavorful food.
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I was pleasantly surprised by this place. Tucked in behind the Sizzler, I wasn't expecting much. My brother suggested this place since he goes here for lunch occassionally with is co-workers.
I like Thai food, but in general, I have a sense that it is getting to be played out. That being said, they did it up right. Decent spice, balanced sweetness, good serving sizes.
Plenty of parking and you can go to CVS and Circuit City without having to move your car!
The service was ok. Lastly, it wasn't too expensive. Very reasonable. I'll be back for sure.
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I was visiting San Diego on a conference and had the Mango Chicken Curry. It was fantabulously delicicious. I also had the Tom Kha soup (with shrimp) - it was good, not the best I've had, but really good. The service was wonderful and the restaurant itself was adorable inside (not so much from the outside.
OMG - the mango chicken curry is sooo good. You must order it - you won't be disappointed. The soups are great, more traditional tasting that other places. They use only white meat chicken, so no need to inspect each bite for "unpleasant meat." My favorite Thai in all the land. I recommend the "specialties" on the menu. Some of them are totally original, which is cool. The appetizers are good, nothing to yelp about though. The pad thai is excellent, if you're scared to try something new. MMmmmmm mango chicken.
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this place rocks.. good prices too
EXQUISITE. From the sleek design and decor, the gorgeous Thai artifacts and the prompt, obliging service to the highy quality of the food and presentation, this is one of the best Thai restaurants I've been to. I don't love that it's in a shopping center (Loma Square at Midway and Rosecrans), but once you get inside, it really is another world. A very relaxing experience.
Lunch specials are very reasonably priced ($6.95 - $8.95) and include entree, rice, soup, salad, wonton and spring roll.
Menu includes both traditional and modern Thai cuisine as well as a number of interesting desserts.
Examples:
Green Tea Salmon
Pan-seared salmon, served on a bed of fresh spinach with green tea curry sauce.
Chu-Chi Duck
Red duckling resting on roasted vegetables in a delectable chu-chi sauce.
Sweet Rice & Mango
Sticky rice steamed with coconut milk and served with fresh mango
Attention to detail here is amazing.
I had the green curry chicken lunch special with jasmine tea and was very impressed. The presentation was immaculate. I'll be back to try more...
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I have been here a few times and it is pretty good. Nothing too special but it is elegant inside with low prices.
I dont think the menu does justice for diners because they offer a lot more than what is shown. You will be pleasantly surprized by ordering something random than the usual pad thai (which includes undercooked noodles the two times I ordered it).
Most people come here randomly because you would never know its there by driving since it faces away form rosecrans (what a great idea on their behalf...).
After hearing about this place from a friend I finally tried Antique Thai, located near the Carl's Jr. off of Midway and Rosecrans. It used to be a Chinese restaurant up until about two or so years ago. My only memory of that place was when my Italian friend, Riccardo, was starving and poor at the time and he needed to eat something and ordered some white rice in a box to go for a dollar. Those were the good old days back in the late 90's of being super young and green.
Anyway, this place gets a solid four stars. We started with the fresh spring rolls with tofu, a favorite of mine at Thai places. Here they serve them with two sauces - the traditional peanut sauce and a spicy oil sauce.
Next course my Mom had the Tom Yum soup. She asked for a seven out of ten on the Richter Spicy Scale. It was definitely a real seven, compared to most places that are mostly like a five when you ask for spicy. She was coughing and sweating a lot.
I asked the waiter for his recommendation and he suggested the Thai steak. Seared and sliced, then topped over pan-grilled cabbage, broccoli, carrots, etc. and it is brought out all sizzling and fiery and then they present it like that (think fajitas at a Mexican-American eatery) and top it with a kind of teriyaki sauce. It is served with this spicy pepper and lime sauce that is really good but deathly spicy. I enjoyed it a lot.
My mom had some salad with glassy noodles. She dug hers too.
No room for dessert.
The decor is pretty elegant with white table clothes, track lighting, dark walls, and various adornments in glass cases. The staff is respectful and helpful and I found no faults at all.
Only thing was this crazy African dude with a big belly who flipped out while we were there for lunch and yelled at the staff for taking advantage of him for charging him ten dollars for his coconut rice plate. He was acting like they were pulling a scam on him but I honestly thought that it was the other way around - that this guy pulls this trick every place he goes to get a free meal or something. But the crew at the restaurant was apologetic for the outburst and we were totally understanding.
Definitely worth a visit and definitely worth trying some of their specials that they have, which was one very nice thing about the place, in that they had a large number of unique dishes that were apart from the typical Thai fare that one finds in any Thai restaurant nowadays.
Enjoy!
Food was very high quality and was delicious. Nothing too interesting or breathtaking, but great Thai food and a great atmosphere.
A great place, and definately not befitting its spot in a mini-mall. If you like pad thai, go here and find get your fix...
Best Thai food, their fried banana is perfect and so hard to find just right anywhere, and I've been everywhere! Service is excellent too!
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Not consistent. I have had a few really good meals, and a few that were really not very good. Can't really recommend, but leave at three stars in case you get there on a good day.
I'm actually not a big fan of Thai food, but this place has my vote if I *have* to pick my favorite Thai place in SD.
The decoration is nice and the service has always been attentive, they even refill my hot water promptly - not too many places do that.
My red-curry-crazy friend told me Antique Thai has the best red curry she's ever had, and that is THE dish she orders everytime we go there. And I do agree with her, it has a nice balance of sweet and spicy. The drunken noodle has a nice (strong) flavor of basil, I like it a lot but some people told me it's too pungent. And my favorite dish? Thai grill chicken, salmon salad and green papaya salad. I really like the sauce they put in the salads, it's not too sour nor too "fishy". Remember to tell them to hold the garlic if you are like me (I don't like the taste of raw garlic).
oh, their spicy level comes from 1-10, I think even 10 is not too bad, but I grew up eating spicy food, so if you really LOVE spicy, just ask for the pepper tray they have and dig in those tiny peppers. =)
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yum.
I got the yellow curry and it was super good. I had some pad thai too and that wasnt half bad, the only bad part was that the waiters kept dropping all the utensils and stuff..oh and they gave me the red curry by accident and then they came and switched my plate, The red curry was a little too spicy for my taste but it was good too.
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My experience was above average but not excellent. My friend swears by their Red Curry - which has a little kick and we were never offered refills on our waters so she ended up getting up and pouring it herself - no biggie. I had Chicken Pad Thai with a level 3 spice. There was no spice on it whatsoever. Soup was good. Beautiful decor. I prefer Celedon or Taste of Thai but I will go back.
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pretty good for a hole in the wall Thai place. When we went in we were not expecting much, and got a pretty good dinner. The tom yum we had, had allot of pzazz, and the ruby scallop were good. I love lemongrass just not pieces of it in every bite. Still they spaced every course out properly, not really expecting it, so it was nice. overall exceeded my expectations.
Having gone numerous times, this place is really not too bad - exceeded my expectations. Their green curry was good - just as good as other Thai joints, and their drunken noodles was very good. Their prices are few bucks less than many downtown so overall a great value. Not to mention, if you need to buy a few groceries at Henry's or you've just finished playing SailHo, you can pop here for a bite or to pickup dinner!
Although I've been back a few times since I wrote my original review- and the service wasn't quite together - never brought our drinks and our pad see ew tasted a little bit like it mighta been spoiled....haven't been back since! Once you've had food that tastes suspect, it makes it hard to go back! I hope it as an off night.
So this used to be called "Amarin Thai" when I first started going. Once they changed their name I was worried the food would change, but it has remained exactly the same with some added modern Thai dishes.
The pad pik khing with fried tofu is my favorite! It's fresh green beans in a spicy red curry paste and kaffir lime leaves. Also amazing: fresh spring rolls, pad thai, yum woon sen salad (crystal noodles, chicken, shrimp, veggies, and cashews served slightly warm in a lime dressing) and green curry.
Even if you have to take leftover's home, DO NOT leave without trying their HOMEMADE young coconut ice cream! It has chunks of soft coconut in it, and is to die for! The mango and sticky rice is also delish!
They have wonderful lunch specials that go til' 3:30 which is somewhat unusual for lunch...great prices for the portions you get.
Oh yeah, their service is some of the best I've ever had!
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The spicy noodles $8.95: Stir-fired fresh wide rice noodles, special spicy sauce, egg and bean sprout was slightly better than average. The chicken was slightly dry. We got a 7/10 spicy level which was perfect.
The Antique Tom Yum Soup with Shrimp $9.95: (A special classic Thai hot and sour soup - prepared in a shrimp bouillon, with mushroom, lemon grass, lime leaf, and roasted chili paste ) was delicious and filling. I got the large portion and ate about half of it as my entree.
Overall bill for two entrees was about $20.
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pros...great place to get some thai food in point loma/sports arena area. the food here is great. this was once an "amarin" thai restaurant in the beginning but now they changed their name a while back. the decor is beautiful and the service is still great. the food comes fast and hot and they refill your drinks really fast too.
we usually order the same things, which to us are super tasty. i love the appetizers, the potato dumplings, fried and with that yummy plum sauce. also love the angel wings, which are my all time favorite, stuffed chicken wings which are breaded and fried. we also get the chicken pad thai, pad siew ew noodles, fried rice, creator chicken or fish, and some type of curry as well. all good stuff. i also love the thai iced tea, while the wife loves the thai iced coffee.
cons.. the parking is there, but is often full by the time we get there. but at least there is a lot available. the wait time for a table can be bad especially during lunch, and dinner time. so go early or late to avoid these peak times. english is not the first language here, so make sure they repeat the order to make sure it is right. otherwise it's all thumbs up from me.
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Good thai food with great service! They have take out too.
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