I almost don't want to tell people how good the food here is! We visited for the first time tonight, and the service was friendly and kind, but the food was amazing. The duck special was the best duck I've had in the 10 years I've lived in the US - I would happily eat it for a week. And the red curry was very well balanced -- I had it at the "hot" level of spicy, as you can choose. Lovely fresh vegetables, really delicious. Our starters were great too, and the little free dessert was a great touch! We will very much be back. My only criticism is that I wish they'd had some background music on! Wonderful!

Enjoyed a fantastic meal for the price! 🍛 Opted for the red curry special on the lunch menu—unique presentation over a bed of rice. Personally, I'd prefer the curry separate from the rice because serving it on top of the rice makes it so that the rice absorbs the sauce. Pad see ew was tasty, but a bit more noodle would've been perfect. When the check came, the waitress gave me a beautifully presented dessert 🍨 which was tasty.

Two dishes for less than $20! It was a great deal and a delicious lunch.

Loved the second-story setting with a street view. It was chilly inside on a cold day, but overall, a satisfying experience.

The curry at Sawooei is the best I have ever. EVER. ever had. They know my order just how I like it, and I have never
been disappointed. Even after moving to New York, I still come back to get green curry from Paula and Art whenever I come home to the bay. This is a family owned business that makes everything from scratch- some ingredients grown personally in their garden. Support them, they make amazing food and are amazing people!

My new favorite Thai place. Fast, super fresh, lots of veggies and live herbs. The service is fantastic, our waitress was from Thailand and very sweet. The location is second storey, with views into the Berkeley hills - not a common restaurant view by any means. Yes, they serve beer and wine. Yes, the menu is flexible to be gluten free and vegetarian friendly.

Ordered 4 items. I know... too much food but at least I can have leftovers (YUMmmm)
The food was quite tasty.
I would recommend this restaurant. The prices are so much more reasonable for the amount of food you get compared to in the city (San Francisco).

BBQ pork has a nice marinade and flavor to it.
Pad see ew, big noodles and it was good.
Gang panang nuer (med spicy) am glad I just did medium spicy. It was good over the rice.
Thai fried rice, it was ok by itself. The rice is a bit soft but with that panang sauce, it tasted good.

Very authentic, with plenty of delicious options and lowest prices you can find around. My new favorite Thai place, going here at least twice a week.

I haven't been here for a while but just moved to this area. I recall this place being really good so I'm looking forward to trying it again.

When I first found out this place, it was a go to Thai restaurant (we mainly do take out). After this visit, I am not so sure if I will return. It was too salty for me and we did not get much services. If I do choose to go back when I am out of options, I would probably just order to go.

I haven't been here for a while but just moved to this area. I recall this place being really good so I'm looking forward to trying it again.

Pretty good!
Sometimes the pork is all fat! Yuk! But usually fresh and good value(not pricey)!

Authentic Thai Cuisine.

The curry at Sawooei is the best I have ever. EVER. ever had. They know my order just how I like it, and I have never
been disappointed. Even after moving to New York, I still come back to get green curry from Paula and Art whenever I come home to the bay. This is a family owned business that makes everything from scratch- some ingredients grown personally in their garden. Support them, they make amazing food and are amazing people!

Outstanding to say the least! Impressive flavors with every bite, highly recommend! 🔥🔥

Nasty!

I've eaten here a handful of times. The prices are very agreeable. The food is quite tasty and varied.

Enjoyed a fantastic meal for the price! 🍛 Opted for the red curry special on the lunch menu—unique presentation over a bed of rice. Personally, I'd prefer the curry separate from the rice because serving it on top of the rice makes it so that the rice absorbs the sauce. Pad see ew was tasty, but a bit more noodle would've been perfect. When the check came, the waitress gave me a beautifully presented dessert 🍨 which was tasty.

Two dishes for less than $20! It was a great deal and a delicious lunch.

Loved the second-story setting with a street view. It was chilly inside on a cold day, but overall, a satisfying experience.

Coming back for more of this

I almost don't want to tell people how good the food here is! We visited for the first time tonight, and the service was friendly and kind, but the food was amazing. The duck special was the best duck I've had in the 10 years I've lived in the US - I would happily eat it for a week. And the red curry was very well balanced -- I had it at the "hot" level of spicy, as you can choose. Lovely fresh vegetables, really delicious. Our starters were great too, and the little free dessert was a great touch! We will very much be back. My only criticism is that I wish they'd had some background music on! Wonderful!

The sweet and sour was delightful. There's not a lot of flavoring to the rest of it except the medium spicy that made our nose run, but the other medium spices were fun

Delicious food, good process and friendly service

Food is decent.
Price is on lower end for Thai.
Portions are generous.

Remember to mix Pad se ew before eating.

Ordered noodle soup with chicken, yellow curry and pad se ew. It was $45.

The noodle soup was incredibly bland. No flavor at all. Chicken was tasteless. And it came with a long hair in it.

Curry was good but the potatoes were severely undercooked. They were inedible. No rice came with it. Had to eat it like soup.

Pad Se Ew was also flavorless. The noodles were all stuck together in a clump.

Won’t be going back.

Been coming here for almost 30 years, always excellent!

Sweet lady that took my order. She was very kind and polite. Very cozy here, it felt very comfortable. What caught my eye was the location that is right in front of the hotel. So I was curious enough to try it. Prices & food are good.

My family and come here at least three times a month. I think we have tried the entire menu and nothing disappoints. I highly recommend this restaurant owned and operated by a husband and wife, absolutely delicious!!!

The food was absolutely delicious and super fresh AT A LOW COST. I got the spicy chicken wings and the duck over rice and I did not have any leftovers. I also got to meet the owner, she is a wonderful lady who has been helping people in this community for over 30 years. I don’t get why this place doesn’t get more traffic but I’ll be back definitely!

The woman who helped us was really great, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for me to give this place anything more than one star. I ordered the medium spicy pad kee mow with chicken and my wife ordered the same but with the tofu. The vegetables were cut too large, the chicken was really overdone, and some of the noodles were not fully cooked. The food had a spice kick to it, but other than that, there was no flavor to the dish. Sadly, we had to toss out our food and heat up a frozen pizza. I’m really hoping we just caught this restaurant on a really off day, but we will not be coming back to find out.

Great food and atmosphere with awesome service! We really enjoyed our server, very nice lady!

Glad to see this place survived Covid. My favorite place for Thai food in the east bay.

The Best Authentic Thai restaurant in El Cerrito.

I enjoy returning to Sawooei and ordering my favorite dry noodle soup every time. The chef has remained the same since 1995, when I first started eating there. Less people came in after the Covid-19, but that is about to change, and I will continue to help them as they have continued to support me throughout my childhood.

the only thing is that. very, very disorganized in front. but good food

Food was quite good, though it was a surprise that my masaaman curry doesn't come with rice. Kinda takes some of the fun out of ordering out, if I then need to cook rice and reheat the curry

Gotta say, the food's pretty good and authentic and the prices are much better than what you'll find in all the other Thai restaurants in the area. Super friendly, too. Still take out only unfortunately. Quirky location, that's for sure.

This was not good. Ordered drunken noodle and it was very bland, the food was also not very fresh tasting.

I’ve been eating here since I was a kid, I love it. Nothing beats the price, portions, and quality of this Thai food. I personally recommend the eggplant basil with tofu, it’s delicious.

The tom yum soup was beyond phenomenal and the gang garee was so beautifully made that it almost made my stomach cry tears of joy!

Real ThaiFood by real ThaiChef

Lovely, charming place. The staff is so friendly. We had the stir fried eggplant and pad Thai and it was delicious!

Honestly gotta say, I hate giving restaurants bad reviews but I got the pad Thai and pad see ew and it just was not good. The portion size is generous but the area has so much good Thai food. It’s hard to recommend this.

We needed four large trays of food for 30 hungry high school students. We stopped by in advance and the Sa-Wooei staff helped us figure out a menu within our budget. The food was ready as promised, warm, well cooked, all delicious The kids loved it! We're grateful.

Very authentic, with plenty of delicious options and lowest prices you can find around. My new favorite Thai place, going here at least twice a week.

A solid C+, tho the service might rate a B+, or even A-. Not where I would go for a satisfying Thai experience.

Ordered 4 items. I know... too much food but at least I can have leftovers (YUMmmm)
The food was quite tasty.
I would recommend this restaurant. The prices are so much more reasonable for the amount of food you get compared to in the city (San Francisco).

BBQ pork has a nice marinade and flavor to it.
Pad see ew, big noodles and it was good.
Gang panang nuer (med spicy) am glad I just did medium spicy. It was good over the rice.
Thai fried rice, it was ok by itself. The rice is a bit soft but with that panang sauce, it tasted good.

Food is always great!

Very good, slightly spicier than other Thai places. Inside is charming and comfy, the location below is a little sketchy, but head up...it's worth it. Good prices! Tried dishes we've never had before, and the chili and sauce jars... their recommendations for one curry dish were authentic and perfect to add the flavor I was looking for. "FBI" fried banana with icecream! Try it!!!!

My favorite Thai restaurant in the area. Great flavors, healthy portions, friendly service and great prices. Even a little food art with most dishes. Can't beat this place. You'll be screaming "Sa-Wooei!"

The food was excellent! The satay, beef salad and the red curry was very yummy. Like the other posts, the elevated building and location in front of a motel is odd. Once inside the waitress was super sweet and the place is nice. I’d come back!

Give it a try! Your dinner will be a topic of conversation with others. As I said, the food was delicious.

Nice place, lots of options and great food.

Very authentic

My new favorite Thai place. Fast, super fresh, lots of veggies and live herbs. The service is fantastic, our waitress was from Thailand and very sweet. The location is second storey, with views into the Berkeley hills - not a common restaurant view by any means. Yes, they serve beer and wine. Yes, the menu is flexible to be gluten free and vegetarian friendly.

Very good food, and good nice service. They have lunch menu and the price is very affordable.

Closest to actually dining in Thailand that I've been able to find, and almost as inexpensive. A regular for our family.

That was the worse Thia food I have ever had. Soup, had chicken that tasted horrible and was slimy. There was hair in my noodles. The papaya salad, I couldnt finish because it tasted old. Seriously save your money.

A hidden gem that you must go to if you like Thai.
Amazing soup. Curry is wonderful.
And to top it off, cheap cold beer that comes in a frozen mug.

This place holds a place in my heart!❤ 💘
I really enjoy their food and service and the decor is heart for going on a date!

Good food , fast nd friendly service

Two people team. They work really hard. Really cheap price. The food is just okay, not worth returning

My husband and I love Sawooei

Amazing food and people that work there.

Small place but awesome food. Quick and friendly service as well.

Oh my gosh! I travel the world with my tv show and eat Thai almost every single night OF my life and let me tell you it’s not easy to come across a place as good as this one. They know what they are doing when it comes down to the Thai noodle soup. Praise Jesus. Coming back everyday while I’m in this part of California. Thank you

My wife and I go here all the time and we love it. The food is good and pretty inexpensive, and the service is very fast. The Tom Ka is especially yummy!

Our family's favorite Thai eatery. Family run restaurant that's been bringing real Thai food to the area for many years. Never disappoints. Curries are great, our son loves their beef noodle soup.

When I first found out this place, it was a go to Thai restaurant (we mainly do take out). After this visit, I am not so sure if I will return. It was too salty for me and we did not get much services. If I do choose to go back when I am out of options, I would probably just order to go.

Excellent curry.

Real good food and pricing. Service is great. Warm bowl of soup comes with lunch special! 😛

Love this restaurant so much. They are always so friendly and the food is wonderful. Truly a neighborhood gem.

A new favorite. Lovely service and really good food. We get everything vegetarian; the tofu eggplant, pad prik khing, and green curry with bamboo are particularly delicious. High quality vegetables.

Gremble

The Yellow Curry is a FANTASTIC dish. This place has great prices, great food and friendly people, plus and interesting view! I love it here!

Serves Thai food with flavors toned down to suit a mild palette. Good place to bring the grandparents for a dinner out.

I've been going here for many many years. I've never been disappointed.
I support local restaurants when they are good

This is some of the best thai food I've ever had and I just got back from a month in El Cerrito. The wine list is great and very affordable and the specials were delicious. I can not wait to go back here. It is also a nice date spot since the decor is so pretty and the prices are very reasonable for top notch thai cuisine.

Nice place for a sit down.

We love this little place. Friendly efficient wait staff. Food is nicely presented and tasty. Not exceptional, but certainly fresh and delicious. We will continue to support this cozy little place. The first Thai coffee I've had that is not overly sweet.