Had a great experience at Plern Thai. We had a party of 6 and they reserved a table for us when I called without me asking them to. Panang curry with beef was excellent - I loved that we could order it with roti instead of rice. Service was great. Ambiance is very casual. One negative is that there are very few vegetarian options and they can’t do any of the curries vegetarian. I would come back!

Decent Food, But Comfort Could Be Improved

I recently dined at this Thai restaurant and had a mixed experience. On the positive side, the food was good, offering authentic flavors that reminded me of Thailand. However, there were a few downsides that affected my overall experience.

Firstly, the lack of restroom facilities, even for customers, was a significant inconvenience. This was particularly problematic because it made it hard to wash hands before and after eating, which is essential for hygiene.

Additionally, the restaurant’s air circulation was poor, leading to a very hot and somewhat uncomfortable dining environment.

While I enjoyed the food, these issues with basic amenities and comfort made my visit less enjoyable than expected.

This place is right by my school and I have been there twice now.

The food is absolutely delicious and filling. Both times, I got the basil wagyu and I will continue to eat it forever. My boyfriend had the pad kee mao, which was so refreshing, perfectly spicy, and had whole branches of peppercorns. I've brought coworkers here before and they also loved it.

I will continue to come back!

This place is delicious, everything is so flavorful and aromatic! The crispy chive cake is soft and fluffy inside and goes well with the sweet soy sauce. The Basil Wagyu is my go to but I tried over half their menu and they're all tasty!
I recommend going after the lunch time rush (after 1 pm) so that you don't have to wait as long for the food. The place can get packed and there's usually only one server.

Who the hell made my food??? 😡😡😡😡😡

I ordered their pad thai with shrimp togo after checking out the reviews.
Very disappointed with the quality and taste.
Noodles were way way overcooked and tasted like they forgot to add any sauce.
Just lots of noodles and was lacking the rest.
Shrimp was fresh and that was all.
I never like to waste food but I threw away almost half of the noodles cuz it was BAD.
I checked what other people posted and the color looks so different!

I liked how they used the box instead of plastic container and that's why I uploaded the 1st pic.

We had the grilled pork jowl salad and the beef shanks panaeng stew. The food tasted great, the flavor was intense. We enjoyed both entrees very much. The waitress was friendly and helpful. Two things we didn't like though: 1) the food came out very slowly. I didn't time it, but it was long enough for us to keep wondering if they've forgotten us. But we looked around and noticed that other patrons didn't have their food either. Then after my wife's entrée came out, we still had to wait for some time for my entrée to come out. If my wife had started eating right when her entree came out, she would've finished by the time my entree came out. 2) No public restroom.

Food was good, service was fast. Good lunch spot.

My date ordered pad Thai and I got the wagyu rice dish. Was super delicious. Not super busy luckily.

The wagyu rice dish was well seasoned, and there was a Thai style egg on top of the rice with some veggies on the side. And they gave us spicy chili sauce on the side.

Good casual spot for Thai food.
$$

Wow, the first two times I had food delivered from Plern it was a little light on portions, but the food was great.

I recently ordered 5 items:

- 2 orders of the crispy chive cakes
- braised beef panaeng curry
- grilled steak naam tok (steak with salad)
- pork toro

The food was tasty, but I was DISAPPOINTED with the portion size.

I felt like someone ate half the curry in the bowl before delivering it to us and there was about a palmful, if that, serving for the pork toro dish.

I wasn’t really expecting a massive portion size, but you couldn’t even feed half of a person with the amount of food in these dishes.

I have eaten here and ordered to go many times and the food is always amazing. The Thai tea is always good and I never wait to long to get my food. One of my top Thai places to eat at!

Had a great experience at Plern Thai. We had a party of 6 and they reserved a table for us when I called without me asking them to. Panang curry with beef was excellent - I loved that we could order it with roti instead of rice. Service was great. Ambiance is very casual. One negative is that there are very few vegetarian options and they can’t do any of the curries vegetarian. I would come back!

Good place to have a good meal and talk with friends. Food was good and a decent price.
My second time here. Service can be slow if there is a lot of people.

Only negative thing is that there is no restroom available.

The food was flavorful but lacked substance. Very skimpy portion. Very little meat. Not what I expected for a $15 Pad Thai dish. Will not revisit.

Called to place a simple pick up order and was left on hold for a ridiculous and unreasonable amount of time. The person just placed the phone down and you can hear the entire restaurant. I hung up and tried calling back and kept getting “User Busy” error. Others probably couldn’t call in either. Seriously. It’s basic customer service.

Amazing authentic Thai food in socal! Recommend basil wagyu!

Very tasty Thai food in Laguna Woods, California.
The Swimming Pig Tay Po are really good 👍😊

This place is right by my school and I have been there twice now.

The food is absolutely delicious and filling. Both times, I got the basil wagyu and I will continue to eat it forever. My boyfriend had the pad kee mao, which was so refreshing, perfectly spicy, and had whole branches of peppercorns. I've brought coworkers here before and they also loved it.

I will continue to come back!

Seriously delicious and great service. Small quaint spot but come before the lunch rush!

The food is good, but there's no restroom which is a bit inconvenient

Really friendly staff. Had the pad thai. They make theirs with thinner noodles as some thai places do. The texture and flavor is awesome. I do like my pad thai spicy so I added chili sauce and pepper to mine. Enjoyable thai food experience

Good ingredients and well prepared, portions were small. Very friendly. No bathroom, used Wing Stop’s next door.

I’m Thai and Plern is my favorite Thai food from now! Real authentic Thai food.

I ordered pork toro and Green curry. I only found 4 or 5 pieces of veggies and another 4 pieces of dry chicken. Pork toro was fatty. The dipping source tastes kinda gross. No offense. I am a big fan of Thai food. Even travelled around Thailand.l for the food. I don’t believe they are good at Thai food.

We had the grilled pork jowl salad and the beef shanks panaeng stew. The food tasted great, the flavor was intense. We enjoyed both entrees very much. The waitress was friendly and helpful. Two things we didn't like though: 1) the food came out very slowly. I didn't time it, but it was long enough for us to keep wondering if they've forgotten us. But we looked around and noticed that other patrons didn't have their food either. Then after my wife's entrée came out, we still had to wait for some time for my entrée to come out. If my wife had started eating right when her entree came out, she would've finished by the time my entree came out. 2) No public restroom.

Amazing dishes.

This is the best Thai food I have ever had outside of Thailand! The flavors presentation and authenticity is unmatched! I am not exaggerating! We ordered NamTok (steak), the pad Thai tofu, brussel sprouts pork and green curry chicken with vermicelli noodles! Every dish was 10/10, no joke, the chef here knows how to cook. If you love Thai food, you'd be doing yourself terrible injustice if you don't eat here! The service was A+ too. The only small downside is there is no customer restroom.

Decent Food, But Comfort Could Be Improved

I recently dined at this Thai restaurant and had a mixed experience. On the positive side, the food was good, offering authentic flavors that reminded me of Thailand. However, there were a few downsides that affected my overall experience.

Firstly, the lack of restroom facilities, even for customers, was a significant inconvenience. This was particularly problematic because it made it hard to wash hands before and after eating, which is essential for hygiene.

Additionally, the restaurant’s air circulation was poor, leading to a very hot and somewhat uncomfortable dining environment.

While I enjoyed the food, these issues with basic amenities and comfort made my visit less enjoyable than expected.

Wow, the first two times I had food delivered from Plern it was a little light on portions, but the food was great.

I recently ordered 5 items:

- 2 orders of the crispy chive cakes
- braised beef panaeng curry
- grilled steak naam tok (steak with salad)
- pork toro

The food was tasty, but I was DISAPPOINTED with the portion size.

I felt like someone ate half the curry in the bowl before delivering it to us and there was about a palmful, if that, serving for the pork toro dish.

I wasn’t really expecting a massive portion size, but you couldn’t even feed half of a person with the amount of food in these dishes.

This place is delicious, everything is so flavorful and aromatic! The crispy chive cake is soft and fluffy inside and goes well with the sweet soy sauce. The Basil Wagyu is my go to but I tried over half their menu and they're all tasty!
I recommend going after the lunch time rush (after 1 pm) so that you don't have to wait as long for the food. The place can get packed and there's usually only one server.

Excellent beef paenang curry, also don't sleep on the swimming pig!

Who the hell made my food??? 😡😡😡😡😡

I ordered their pad thai with shrimp togo after checking out the reviews.
Very disappointed with the quality and taste.
Noodles were way way overcooked and tasted like they forgot to add any sauce.
Just lots of noodles and was lacking the rest.
Shrimp was fresh and that was all.
I never like to waste food but I threw away almost half of the noodles cuz it was BAD.
I checked what other people posted and the color looks so different!

I liked how they used the box instead of plastic container and that's why I uploaded the 1st pic.

I want to gatekeep this place so badly but would also love to see them do well to continue business for many years so, reluctantly, I write this review 😅

First of all, it is one of the few places that serves a not overly sweet pad Thai WITH the dried shrimps, mini dried tofu squares, & rehydrated radish. I can't speak to authenticity (I'm not Thai) but they make an amazing rendition of pad Thai that makes my taste buds sing. I'm also slightly addicted to it and it may be a problem. Bonus points for huge fresh shrimp they use for the rest of the dish.

No pictures but their Panaeng curry is also a fav - tender braised beef, perfectly spiced curry, & their crispy thin roti is great, too.

Would love to speak more about their other menu items but unfortunately those two have had a chokehold on me so, maybe one day I'll actually try some other things!

I can't believe the absolute disaster that Plern Thai Cafe is! I decided to give it a shot since I live just across the street. What a massive mistake! The Shrimp Pad Thai noodles I ordered were beyond terrible. I've never encountered such dry, tasteless noodles in my entire life. And guess what? Not a single onion to be found, just an uncut stick of onions - seriously, who does that?

As if that weren't enough, the shrimps tasted like they had been sitting there for ages. Zero flavor, zero freshness - it was an insult to my taste buds. I had to salvage what little taste I could by dousing it with my own soy sauce and hot sauce. I mean, come on! I paid a whopping $17 for this culinary catastrophe, and I could have made it better at home with my eyes closed!

When I dine out, I expect something exquisite, something that I can't replicate in my own kitchen. But this disgraceful excuse for a meal was a complete waste of time and money. Maybe it's not just the establishment's fault; their so-called "chef" is probably the culprit behind this atrocity. Whatever the case, they can say goodbye to me as a customer forever. I will never set foot in that place again, and I'll make sure to warn everyone I know about the abomination they call food. This was the last time they'll ever see a penny from me!

Such a gem! Loved the interior and the food was great, I honestly enjoyed their wagyu roti mataba and all the sauces. So good!

Note: no public restrooms

We love this place and are return customers: really good food, very friendly servers and very casual - great place for a laid-back family dinner

The Wagyu rotisserie mataba is a great appetizer along with the crispy chive cake The Pad Thai is my go to favorite. Very traditional Thai street food. Great spot for authentic Thai cuisine! Topped it off with a Thai coffee!

Had fried egg and yellow chicken curry with rice.. superb..

* Order this combo: Pad Thai and Grilled Pork Salad. I have these almost every week.
- Pad Thai. I really can't decide if Plern Thai Cafe or Thai Avenue is the best one in Orange County. The Plern has better taste + shrimp, while the Avenue has better noodle.
- Grilled Pork Salad. This is their signature dish, simply unbeatable.

* Most of their dishes have a bit of Europe style. And I like most of them, but there is better option. For example, I like their Beef Panaeng Curry, but I prefer it from Siamese Express.

* Overall, the place is really worth a try. The ambient is refreshing. The combo is consistently good. The service is amazing. One single lady handles it all. Love her positive energy.

* Now, the bad: the peanut. I estimate ~40% of the time, I still get burned peanut with my Pad Thai. Just a couple burned pieces but those could ruin the taste. I have to pick those out each time before putting the rest in.

* My rating is a bit biased, but I am always pleased with the combo and the service.

Do NOT agree with the Bad Reviews, this place is AWESOME; some people are just NOT happy people. Every dish I have had is super delicious. Ingredients are fresh and made with love and super reasonable, Give This Place a try. Many have said a "Hidden Gem" in Orange County, I couldn't agree MORE!!!! Thank You!!!

I had the panang curry and it was excellent. Great service as well!

My friend recommended Plern Thai Cafe to me and I have to say, it was a great find. The interior was simple and modern with a yellow/white color scheme that was very appealing.

For my main course, I tried their Plern Signature dish, which included grilled pork, Thai purple rice, assorted veggies, and their signature sauce. The staff recommended that I mix everything together and pour the sauce over it, and it was a fantastic combination of flavors. I really enjoyed it.

We also shared the Zapp braised beef soup, which had braised beef, lemongrass, lime leaves, shallots, cilantro, scallions, and was served with jasmine rice. I've had beef soup before, but never a Thai version. The hint of lemongrass was a nice touch, and the beef shank was incredibly tender. Additionally, we ordered the pork toro, which was grilled marinated pork jowl served with spicy tamarind sauce.

I appreciate that Plern Thai Cafe offers a different take on traditional Thai restaurants. It introduced me to new types of Thai dishes that I haven't tried before. I'm excited to come back and try more items from their menu!

simple modern thai place, food is fresh and tastes good, salmon soup is a must try. they have a small menu, abd everything on there is good

Food was good, service was fast. Good lunch spot.

My date ordered pad Thai and I got the wagyu rice dish. Was super delicious. Not super busy luckily.

The wagyu rice dish was well seasoned, and there was a Thai style egg on top of the rice with some veggies on the side. And they gave us spicy chili sauce on the side.

Good casual spot for Thai food.
$$

The food tasted alright but was overly basic. They could include more ingredients like maybe mush rooms similar to zapp braised beef soup with lemongrass. Also, my sis ordered the green curry which was really underseasoned and not at all tasty. Also, the food's presentation is excessively depressing and unappetizing.The coffee was tasty and the service was too great. Not worth it for the price and portion to come again :(

I also tried the pork with Brussel sprouts it's so good 10/10 recommend

Waited for 40 min to get our food. Thought the food wasn't worth paying that much. Taste wasn't great due to too much fish sauce. Will not go back again.

Delicious food. Husband wife owned. Great service, quality and taste

The food is excellent! I've liked everything I've tried so far . . . chive rice cake, pork jowl salad, beef curry, chicken with rice.

The place is clean and cozy. Pad Thai was tasty and the size of the dish you can share between two. Tom Kha Kai was amazing. The staff is open, friendly, and smiley. I will come back. And most important, they are open even between 2:00 - 5:00 PM.

This is a great place to eat. The food is delicious, the place is clean and well organized, the service is excellent and the waitress is friendly and polite.

Excellent food, great service, reasonable price points. Can’t recommend this place enough! Also the thai tea is genuinely phenomenal I have not had better thai tea anywhere else.

Great food, great service, and inexpensive. We love this place. The beef panang curry is our favorite.

Not sure about the other food options but not a good option for people looking for vegan/vegetarian

My favorite Thai food experience, felt new and fusion style, could not have had a better main dish or Thai tea!!!

This place is delicious, I only regret that I found out about it too late. Highly recommend the Plern's Special along with the Chicken & Rice.

Only ding is that they are often closed even though the sign says they should be open. They do have a help wanted sign so it's probably related.

One of the best Thai restaurants in the OC. I have tried almost every dish there and gone back a handful of times. A must try.

Excellent service. The signature plern platter was excellent! The Thai lemon tea was tasty as well. Reasonably priced.

This is a super cute little Thai place with great food. I was here at lunch and it was full. I got the Wagyu beef with basil and rice which was delicious. Decor is nice too.

This is such a cute little restaurant that has its own spin on thai cuisine. The crispy chicken rice is so good!

Short but tasty and reasonably priced menu. I really enjoyed the Crunchy Chicken Lemongrass Salad with a side of Chicken Sate. My son loved the Crispy Chicken Rice with Melon Soup.

People have already said this, but this place is special. The menu is not your typical Thai food menu. Check the menu yourself and you'll see the choices have a lot of unique elements compared to a lot of Thai places. Between my wife and I, we have tried everything. The quality is excellent, the flavor is amazing, and the staff are so nice. You can tell they have put their heart and soul into this place.

How can a place make Yelp's 10-best list after being open only five months?

My dish was so spice it was inedible, even though it was supposed "mild"

This place is a hidden gem in OC, and definitely one of the best restaurants I have had in a long time. You can tell every dish is prepared with care and fresh ingredients. The place is pretty cozy and allow up to about 20 people for dine in. There is no restroom in here (closest one is in the nearby 99 cent store). Came here for dinner on a Saturday night and it was not packed at all. Ordered four dishes and every single one of blown my mind. The peanut sauce complemented the sate really well, and the prok toro was to die for. The sauce was so sophisticated it's hard to decipher what ingredient was used and the flavor just exploded. The braised beef with panang curry was really tender and savory, and a fresh touch with the fried pancake. Lastly, the basil wagyu will make you chow down rice on bowl after the other. Will be back to try their other dishes soon.

Great service and delicious food.

Max flavor and great service!!!

Place is sparsely decorated, staff is really nice, food is good (not that great), portion sizes are small for the price. Menu is also pretty limited. Crispy Chicken is okay and boring. It relies heavily on the sweet chili sauce for flavor, but the rice was good. Basil Wagyu is pretty good, and possibly super spicy if you order it with more spice (we ordered it in mild and it was spicy enough for us). Egg on top of rice is a nice touch. Chicken Satay has nice peanut sauce, chicken is a bit dry. Still have room to improve and have high hopes for this place.

Came here for lunch on the weekend for the first time, had a great experience. Their menu offers some variety compared to other typical Thai restaurants.

The pork toro and chicken satay are very tasty, and the accompanying sauces are flavor bombs.

I also had the basil wagyu dish. Its packed with flavor and has a great spiciness to it.

I'll definitely be coming back to try out the other menu items.

This is a gem of a restaurant. I don't know how to judge the authenticity of Thai food but all the dishes here please my palette. When I eat here, I get the feeling that the chef cares about the output a lot because it is clear that good fresh ingredients are used and the food tastes clean and healthy. I particularly like the various sauces which compliment very well the dishes that they accompany. Service is excellent. Plern has become one of the few go-to places when I want to eat out.

Highly recommend this place! I’ve tried lots of Thai food in North and South OC and Plern is definitely at the top 3. I’ve only gone there once, and only ordered two things, which I split with my partner. The Lemongrass chicken salad and Shrimp Pad Thai impressed me. They also gave 7 large shrimps with my pad thai order, which is more than what most restaurants give 😉 Both dishes are packed with flavor, and customer service is great. I can’t wait to be back tomorrow and actually get full servings lol.

Definitely the best Thai Restaurant in South OC. The taste is authentic and bold, not watered down like some other restaurants we know. The wagyu basil beef is some of the best we've tasted. The shrimp pad thai is a must try! 5 stars all the way