Stay true to the authenticity, Larb Thai is a hidden gem in a small strip mall along San Pablo. Their menu has not changed much because they don’t need to. All are very good. I do miss the specials they used to have which were incredibly Thai. Daily menu’s favorite for me are THE rice ball salad, larva, pad de ew, drunken noodle and boat noodle. Khao Soi, of course pad Thai. Although the lemongrass chicken was good too! Service was attentive. Dining area is tastefully decorated. It is my family’s perennial favorite since it was introduced to us by a professional foodie.Vegetarian options: All dishes that can be made to vegetarian are clearly marked.Kid-friendliness: high chairs
Lots of unique dishes here and really inexpensive. I don't really recommend the drinks and the service is slow, but still a great place.
Food: 5
Adithya Swaminathan
Local spot serving the absolute best Thai food you will eat. I eat here multiple times a month and the food is always consistently outstanding. It is a bit spicy so order mild if you're not sure. Great service, they are very polite and kind.Vegetarian options: You can get the curries and noodles veggie with tofu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles, Crispy Rice Ball Salad, Pumpkin Curry, Pad See EW
Naomi Alfaro
My go to spot for larb salad.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Larb Chicken, Calamari, Vegetarian Pad Thai
Adriana Perez
The green curry surpassed expectations, offering a burst of delicious flavors, and the eggplant was a standout with its perfect preparation. The white rice was just that, white rice, nothing spectacular While the Thai tea was enjoyable, a touch more sweetness could enhance the overall experience.The restaurant captivates with its beautiful and cozy ambiance, creating a welcoming atmosphere. I see where they were going with the posters but maybe should be bigger to fit better with the overall style.Additionally, attentive service and a diverse menu contribute to making this a memorable dining destination.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Akshay Jagadeesh
Outrageously good Thai food. Super flavorful, can be spicy if you want it, and feels very homey. Highly recommend the Khao Soi and the different larbs, all of which are super spicy fyi. Tons of vegetarian options including for the skewers and larbs, which is unique! Will definitely be back.
We eat here regularly and they have a few really hit dishes: fried taro, fried chicken wings, skewers, crispy rice ball salad, tom yum soup. You can't go wrong with any of those dishes. They're being authentic but I find their spice level to be way too hot. I've once asked for mild or not spicy papaya salad only for it to be, sadly, so spicy it's inedible for me. The other thing I'll ding a star is that all of their noodle soups and curries are way too sugary.
Sam X.
Love this little Thai place in a non-descript strip mall in one of those non-descript towns just outside of Berkeley. They can make anything on the menu vegetarian. We had the vegetarian small bites- both the fried taro and the fried tofu were tasty and greaseless and came with a flavorful dipping sauce.The Larb crunchy tofu is a family favorite- we like it better with Romaine than raw cabbage, which they sometimes use.Cute atmosphere, family friendly, local favorite and easy parking . Check it out
Orawan S.
So craving Thai E-san foods and this place popped up in my mind. Ordered too much food but can finished-'em all.Nam Kaow Tod(Crispy Rice Salad) is my favorite and recommended. All the foods taste good and the service was excellent.
Kendra F.
This restaurant is the best. The food is delicious, the place itself is cute, and the staff are absolutely delightful. Do yourself a favor and try it out!
Ordered to go Pad See Ew and Pad Kee Mao. Pickup was quick and easy. The noodles were cooked well and came with all the right veggies. Wish the flavors were stronger though. Maybe letting the noodles sit will give time for the sauce to get soaked up more…? Even though I got drunken noodles spicy, they didn’t taste spicy to me at all. Now I wish I ate in so I could get some Thai chilies!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Clifford W.
Ate here because of increased ratings. Restaurant is next to Thai grocery, so I expect food is fresher than normal Thai restaurants. Ordered 1/2 lemon roasted chicken. It was very salty marinated with soy sauce. Probably if Larb had bbq chicken with sweet chili sauce. The thai beef boat noodle was think brown gravy with overcooked noodles. Boat noodles are suppose to be blanch in boiling water al dente and soup with meats accompiments thrown in. After tasting, I think food is average. The interior looks clean. Service was relatively good. Ambiance none as this is a small diner in strip mall. Overall, 3 stars out of 5
Maggie W.
Great atmosphere and amazing food. I really like the drunken noodles and the lemongrass chicken. Everything I have had there is so good. Clearly quality ingredients. Really nice interior as well and the people who work there are great. Note - medium spicy is quite spicy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pete A.
I should've visiting my aunt I was hungry and I was hoping I would find a good restaurant nearby. Well I did. My servers name was Jee, she was friendly, fast and efficient. I ordered my food and it came out fairly quickly. I will say this I am glad I ordered mild because they like to put the flavors in here.Small parking lot but there's also street parking. Went in for lunch. Get seated fairly quickly. Not a large place but it's clear this is likely a local favorite
Michael Barragan
My gosh the food and ambiance here are amazing. Small spot so come through as a pair or small group for the ideal immediate experience. As a spice lover - this place knows what they're doing. The Khao Soi and pumpkin curry are fabulous choices. I enjoyed the wings and also the papaya salad. Highly recommend this fabulous El Cerrito establishment.
Stay true to the authenticity, Larb Thai is a hidden gem in a small strip mall along San Pablo. Their menu has not changed much because they don’t need to. All are very good. I do miss the specials they used to have which were incredibly Thai. Daily menu’s favorite for me are THE rice ball salad, larva, pad de ew, drunken noodle and boat noodle. Khao Soi, of course pad Thai. Although the lemongrass chicken was good too! Service was attentive. Dining area is tastefully decorated. It is my family’s perennial favorite since it was introduced to us by a professional foodie.Vegetarian options: All dishes that can be made to vegetarian are clearly marked.Kid-friendliness: high chairs
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles, Crispy Rice Ball Salad, Pumpkin Curry, Larb Chicken, Pad See EW, Thai Boat Beef Noodle Soup, Lao Papaya Salad
Lots of unique dishes here and really inexpensive. I don't really recommend the drinks and the service is slow, but still a great place.
Food: 5
Local spot serving the absolute best Thai food you will eat. I eat here multiple times a month and the food is always consistently outstanding. It is a bit spicy so order mild if you're not sure. Great service, they are very polite and kind.Vegetarian options: You can get the curries and noodles veggie with tofu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles, Crispy Rice Ball Salad, Pumpkin Curry, Pad See EW
My go to spot for larb salad.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Larb Chicken, Calamari, Vegetarian Pad Thai
The green curry surpassed expectations, offering a burst of delicious flavors, and the eggplant was a standout with its perfect preparation. The white rice was just that, white rice, nothing spectacular While the Thai tea was enjoyable, a touch more sweetness could enhance the overall experience.The restaurant captivates with its beautiful and cozy ambiance, creating a welcoming atmosphere. I see where they were going with the posters but maybe should be bigger to fit better with the overall style.Additionally, attentive service and a diverse menu contribute to making this a memorable dining destination.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Outrageously good Thai food. Super flavorful, can be spicy if you want it, and feels very homey. Highly recommend the Khao Soi and the different larbs, all of which are super spicy fyi. Tons of vegetarian options including for the skewers and larbs, which is unique! Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles, Mushroom Larb
We eat here regularly and they have a few really hit dishes: fried taro, fried chicken wings, skewers, crispy rice ball salad, tom yum soup. You can't go wrong with any of those dishes. They're being authentic but I find their spice level to be way too hot. I've once asked for mild or not spicy papaya salad only for it to be, sadly, so spicy it's inedible for me. The other thing I'll ding a star is that all of their noodle soups and curries are way too sugary.
Love this little Thai place in a non-descript strip mall in one of those non-descript towns just outside of Berkeley. They can make anything on the menu vegetarian. We had the vegetarian small bites- both the fried taro and the fried tofu were tasty and greaseless and came with a flavorful dipping sauce.The Larb crunchy tofu is a family favorite- we like it better with Romaine than raw cabbage, which they sometimes use.Cute atmosphere, family friendly, local favorite and easy parking . Check it out
So craving Thai E-san foods and this place popped up in my mind. Ordered too much food but can finished-'em all.Nam Kaow Tod(Crispy Rice Salad) is my favorite and recommended. All the foods taste good and the service was excellent.
This restaurant is the best. The food is delicious, the place itself is cute, and the staff are absolutely delightful. Do yourself a favor and try it out!
Restaurantji Recommends
Ordered to go Pad See Ew and Pad Kee Mao. Pickup was quick and easy. The noodles were cooked well and came with all the right veggies. Wish the flavors were stronger though. Maybe letting the noodles sit will give time for the sauce to get soaked up more…? Even though I got drunken noodles spicy, they didn’t taste spicy to me at all. Now I wish I ate in so I could get some Thai chilies!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ate here because of increased ratings. Restaurant is next to Thai grocery, so I expect food is fresher than normal Thai restaurants. Ordered 1/2 lemon roasted chicken. It was very salty marinated with soy sauce. Probably if Larb had bbq chicken with sweet chili sauce. The thai beef boat noodle was think brown gravy with overcooked noodles. Boat noodles are suppose to be blanch in boiling water al dente and soup with meats accompiments thrown in. After tasting, I think food is average. The interior looks clean. Service was relatively good. Ambiance none as this is a small diner in strip mall. Overall, 3 stars out of 5
Great atmosphere and amazing food. I really like the drunken noodles and the lemongrass chicken. Everything I have had there is so good. Clearly quality ingredients. Really nice interior as well and the people who work there are great. Note - medium spicy is quite spicy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I should've visiting my aunt I was hungry and I was hoping I would find a good restaurant nearby. Well I did. My servers name was Jee, she was friendly, fast and efficient. I ordered my food and it came out fairly quickly. I will say this I am glad I ordered mild because they like to put the flavors in here.Small parking lot but there's also street parking. Went in for lunch. Get seated fairly quickly. Not a large place but it's clear this is likely a local favorite
My gosh the food and ambiance here are amazing. Small spot so come through as a pair or small group for the ideal immediate experience. As a spice lover - this place knows what they're doing. The Khao Soi and pumpkin curry are fabulous choices. I enjoyed the wings and also the papaya salad. Highly recommend this fabulous El Cerrito establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5