I recently had the pleasure of dining at Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine, delightful Thai restaurant that has earned a Michelin Gourmand rating, and I must say it lived up to every bit of the recognition!

From the moment I walked in, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The ambiance perfectly blends modern touches with traditional Thai elements, creating a cozy yet sophisticated space. The soft lighting and soothing background music only added to the overall charm, making it the perfect setting for an evening of indulgence.

Our server, Rey, was absolutely fantastic! He was attentive, friendly, and took the time to explain the intricacies of each dish with a passion that made our experience even better. He guided us through the menu and made excellent recommendations, ensuring that we had a memorable meal.

Now, onto the food—wow. Each dish was a masterpiece. The flavors were authentic, bursting with freshness, and perfectly balanced. From the aromatic curries, it was clear why this restaurant has earned its Michelin Gourmand status. The ingredients were top-notch, and every bite was a testament to the skill and love the chefs pour into their craft.

One dish that stood out was the steak —a perfect blend of spicy, savory, and sweet, rice was Incredible. A combination that I won't soon forget. Every dish was a celebration of Thai cuisine, elevated by the care and attention that Rey and the rest of the staff put into making our dining experience exceptional.

If you're in the area, Sovereign is a must-visit. Great food, fantastic service, and an inviting atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. Highly recommended!
❤️❤️❤️

Amazing experience! The food was absolutely delicious – Fresh flavors, and perfectly balanced. Beautiful presentation of each dish, making the meal visually stunning. The curry was rich and flavorful, and the dessert with mango was a perfect end to the meal.
Bonus points for the Lucky Buddha beer bottle adding a fun touch to the dining experience! Highly recommend this spot if you’re craving quality Thai food with a modern twist.

Their steak w/ marrow fried rice tastes great. Packed with the unique aroma from char-grilling and the flavourful marrow. As a side note, I heard they tend to overcook the steak a little bit, and it happened in mine too, so I'd recommended to keep that in mind when ordering it

Stop what you’re doing and go now, you won’t regret it! Their Pad Thai and Thai tacos are absolutely phenomenal, words can’t even do them justice. We also tried the clams, which I’d rate a 6/10 (a bit too salty for my taste). This spot is perfect for a romantic date night with its relaxed, intimate vibe. The service was attentive, and the food came out quickly, making the experience even better. A heads up…it gets busy, so be sure to make a reservation. Even if you’re not a fan of downtown (like me), this place is 100% worth the hassle of finding parking.

Very delicious food, and good service.

Food: We had the duck curry noodles and charred pork fried rice. The duck curry was by far the best as it had much more interesting flavors. The second dish was okay, though flavor profile wise it wasn’t as exciting—if I’d recommend one over the other I’d say go for the duck! But both are good. We also had fried wings as appetizers, that was also amazing and the sauce was great.

Service: A bit slow. They were really accommodating about us changing our reservation time to move it up earlier in the night. This we appreciated. But it looked like there was only 1 server and two bussers(?) servicing the whole place. Even though it was a weeknight, it still felt understaffed. Even though the service provided by our server was amazing when we had him, unfortunately he was busy half the time. And food took 30-40 minutes to come out, so I suspect the kitchen had the same issue. If this is a common occurrence then I believe the business owner should have more people on staff if they want to improve the service. I don’t blame our waiter, moreso whoever’s managing the schedules.

The 3-year Michelin restaurant at the downtown SD area. Different from the other Thai restaurant, it’s more like a combination of traditional Thai food and the western style. The Lao Papaya salad allows us to choose from the spicy level so that the mild one is crispy and be a good appetizer. The sweet and spicy Thai Chicken wings are juicy, the taste is special of the siracha sauce while the chicken wings are crispy and tender. The Duck Curry Noodles are great, as the duck leg is deeply fried while the curry is such a tasty one. I would suggest to order extra rice to be with the curry soup. The mango sticky rice is a good dessert as they gave much mango with hot sticky rice and crispy coconut. They have a really dancing dining environment. As the leaves are really good for the sunshine shadow near the bar area. They also have outside dining area as a dog friendly one. I would mention that as we came the day, they do not have any seafood as rockfish and mussels are all out of stock. Other thing to mention is that the parking is pretty difficult nearby as there are only spots for street parking while there would be homeless nearby.

The food here is fantastic, specifically the Beef Panang Curry and the Duck Curry Noodles. It was some of the best Thai food we have had. We weren’t huge fan of the wings. We went again the next night and tried the Pad Thai and Lamb Curry (which was a special). The pad Thai was tasty, and so was the lamb curry. One downside to this place is that it doesn’t have any spice levels so in that regard we thought the food was catering more towards Americans. I think if they offered 3 options of spice per dish while maintaining the same flavors, this would be even better than it already is! Will definitely come back when in San Diego! The Beef Panang and Duck Curry were the gems.

Food was OK, appitizers and curry dishes were excellent beef dishes were very oily. Definitely understaffed. Only one server for the entire resteraunt. Otherwise not bad.

מסעדה תאילנדית בדאון טאון שמומלצת ארבע שנים ברציפות מאז 2021 על ידי מישלן.
האוכל טעים ומוקפד והאווירה נעימה.

Very good Thai restaurant, we ordered veggie noodles, beef curry and fried rock fish. Every thing was good and the price was reasonable. Highly recommended.

Very good food...shared a couple plates and although and little pricey, portions were enough for two of us. Several items look yummy for next time!

Their steak w/ marrow fried rice tastes great. Packed with the unique aroma from char-grilling and the flavourful marrow. As a side note, I heard they tend to overcook the steak a little bit, and it happened in mine too, so I'd recommended to keep that in mind when ordering it

Wow! We dropped in here tonight as a group of five and were blown away by the food. We ordered the chicken wings, beef Panang curry, duck curry noodles, and the pork belly. Everything was so impressively good. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. The service was also fantastic and our waiter gave us great recommendations and really knew the menu well. I can’t wait to come back and try more.

LOVED! Exceptional service! Great atmosphere, easy going and not loud. Food was delicious. Will visit again asap!

DELICIOUS! Each of my friends and I got different dishes, because everything on the menu just sounded too good to not try. The food was so fresh and the portions were definitely big enough to share. We loved our waiter Zaki, he broke down the menu for us and continued to check in with us throughout the night, congratulating me on my wedding engagement! It was an overall great experience coming here!!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine, delightful Thai restaurant that has earned a Michelin Gourmand rating, and I must say it lived up to every bit of the recognition!

From the moment I walked in, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The ambiance perfectly blends modern touches with traditional Thai elements, creating a cozy yet sophisticated space. The soft lighting and soothing background music only added to the overall charm, making it the perfect setting for an evening of indulgence.

Our server, Rey, was absolutely fantastic! He was attentive, friendly, and took the time to explain the intricacies of each dish with a passion that made our experience even better. He guided us through the menu and made excellent recommendations, ensuring that we had a memorable meal.

Now, onto the food—wow. Each dish was a masterpiece. The flavors were authentic, bursting with freshness, and perfectly balanced. From the aromatic curries, it was clear why this restaurant has earned its Michelin Gourmand status. The ingredients were top-notch, and every bite was a testament to the skill and love the chefs pour into their craft.

One dish that stood out was the steak —a perfect blend of spicy, savory, and sweet, rice was Incredible. A combination that I won't soon forget. Every dish was a celebration of Thai cuisine, elevated by the care and attention that Rey and the rest of the staff put into making our dining experience exceptional.

If you're in the area, Sovereign is a must-visit. Great food, fantastic service, and an inviting atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. Highly recommended!
❤️❤️❤️

Everything was so perfectly prepared and served. The only problem was they were out of ribs. I guess I’ll be forced to go back, the sacrifices one makes. This is one of those places where you wish you had multiple stomachs.

Really enjoyed our meal! Zaki was our server and he was super nice and helpful! I would I would definitely recommend for a delicious and lovely evening.

Ray was incredible. We got the steak and the chicken and broccoli with side fried rice. The steak is always good, but the winner today was the chicken and broccoli!! Omg. The flavor was to die for. And it was very hot when it came out the kitchen. Love this place!

Man, was this place delicious. Everything we order was spot on. 3 dishes and 2 drinks. Definitely go again and try other items on the menu.

Great food and anazing service. Ray was an amazing host and bartender.

I can not say enough about Ray! What a beautiful soul. Totally made our night one to remember!! So sweet and welcoming!! And the food …. Omg!!

I had an incredible experience thanks to Zaki's great service. He was attentive, courteous, and ensured we had everything we required. The meal was also great, which contributed to the overall enjoyable eating experience. I highly suggest Zaki's service and the meals!

Food was OK, appitizers and curry dishes were excellent beef dishes were very oily. Definitely understaffed. Only one server for the entire resteraunt. Otherwise not bad.

Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine - Great Food but Poor Customer Service

I recently visited Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine and was impressed with the delicious food. However, my experience took a turn for the worse when I got food poisoning and was bedridden for two days. It wasn't good so i’ll save the details for a horror film.

I reached out to Ray, the manager at Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine, to explain my situation and request a refund on my American Express. Unfortunately, Ray refused to provide a refund and instead offered an appetizer on my next visit. While I appreciate the gesture, it did not address the seriousness of my food poisoning experience.

I am disappointed that Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine did not take my health concerns more seriously and handle the situation with greater empathy and professionalism. While the food was excellent, I cannot recommend this restaurant due to the lack of customer service and accountability when it comes to food safety.

I love leaving positive reviews and honestly enough people don't leave positive reviews when they have a positive experience. I called the restaurant a couple times to resolve the matter but that didn't matter. If they personally experienced what happened to me they wouldn't think 🤔 twice about doing the right thing!

Great food. Atmosphere was nice apart from the tvs which cheapened it. Service was fast and friendly. It took forever to park and the area is sketchy - full of homeless people walking around - but worth going for the papaya salad red curry and spicy beef which were delicious.

Sovereign Thai is a hidden gem in downtown San Diego. While the location isn’t the best, the food is incredible - easily one of the best Thai spots we’ve tried. The Thai Taco was better than many Mexican tacos in SD (no joke lol) the Duck Curry Noodle (Khao Soi) was rich and creamy, flavorful and the Steak Fried Rice was perfectly cooked.

The service was outstanding, even on a busy Saturday night. Our waitress was attentive, handling multiple tables inside and on the patio, yet still checked on us often and provided thoughtful recommendations. She even explained how certain dishes are traditionally eaten in Thailand, which added a personal touch to the experience.

The only downsides were that a few items were unavailable, and the food took a while to come out, but the server had let us know in advance. Overall, the great service and amazing food make Sovereign Thai a must-visit for authentic Thai cuisine!

service was awful. the restaurant was not busy by any means, maybe five tables in total. our waitress didn’t come to our table once and was literally walking around the restaurant doing almost nothing. we ordered apps and entrees but they’re came at all separate times. one person would get an app, then about 7-10 min later an entree and from there the pattern would keep going until everyone got their food. normally I would expect the apps first - together and then the dinner together. not one item at a time in a random order. the cleanliness, aesthetics and food were phenomenal though. poor management makes me feel bad for the kitchen.

We had the Beef Panang, which our server, Zaki, recommended us. It ended up being the highlight of the dinner.

really good

Owner screamed at me in front of staff when I told her my sister had an allergic reaction to her food, even thought I explicitly asked if there were peanuts in the dish prior to ordering for my sister and they said it did not and I mentioned the allergy. The dish had MANY peanuts in it. My sister threw up the entire night and they heard it on the phone and yelled that it wasn’t their fault and offered no condolences or refund or anything and laughed that my sister probably got “drunk”?? And that’s why she was sick? We had no alcohol that night. These people are vile and they clapped at us leaving after the owner screamed at us. If you have allergies DO NOT risk it. Worst experience ever.

Edit here based on response:
This occurred last year but based on how viciously I was yelled at and the fact that the friend I was with when she yelled at me lived above the building I waited some time before posting to ensure she didn’t deal with anything from the staff here. It was not a mixup at all, I have the receipts and it’s unfortunately the truth. I spoke with the owner and multiple staff were present for the interaction and did nothing but lie and laugh. It was truly incomprehensible that a business would run like this.

The duck noodle and steak are to die for😋

Very delicious food, and good service.

Food: We had the duck curry noodles and charred pork fried rice. The duck curry was by far the best as it had much more interesting flavors. The second dish was okay, though flavor profile wise it wasn’t as exciting—if I’d recommend one over the other I’d say go for the duck! But both are good. We also had fried wings as appetizers, that was also amazing and the sauce was great.

Service: A bit slow. They were really accommodating about us changing our reservation time to move it up earlier in the night. This we appreciated. But it looked like there was only 1 server and two bussers(?) servicing the whole place. Even though it was a weeknight, it still felt understaffed. Even though the service provided by our server was amazing when we had him, unfortunately he was busy half the time. And food took 30-40 minutes to come out, so I suspect the kitchen had the same issue. If this is a common occurrence then I believe the business owner should have more people on staff if they want to improve the service. I don’t blame our waiter, moreso whoever’s managing the schedules.

Worst service ever, we ordered a steak medium cooked and it was overcooked, when I told the waitress she said she was busy 2 times and took away the plate. And when we talked to the manager she responded “that is medium here” and that we had to pay half the dish because we ate it, but we barely tried it, and if they brought another one we had to pay the new one and half the first one, then they kept wanting to try to charge us without even giving us the food back. Finally after a very nice guy Ray came to help us they said they couldn’t make the steak again because they weren’t able to cook it to the standard medium term so after a lot of time we had to order something else.

报吃！

Great food. The ribs were delicious and so soft the fried rice was great also.

Expected authentic Tai food, but food tastes like fusion. Design for American taste

My new favorite Thai food spot.
They even gave me a gum when my mouth was on fire after the delicious meal. Service and food equally awesome.

I can confidently say this is the best Thai food in San Diego. We got the Spicy Thai Basil Beef, Duck Curry Noodles and the Char Grilled New York Steak and everything was delicious. The New York Steak took the cake as the best dish as well the curry. I recommend sharing these dishes with friends and experiencing as much as you can! Highly recommend checking out Sovereign.

Very mediocre and overrated food. Service was decent though. Ordered the famous “food network DDD” ribs, nothing Thai or Lao about it at all just a normal American bbq ribs with an average bbq sauce. Don’t get the hype

Impossible to get back 70 dollars of an online order on a day they were actually closed (27th, day before Thanksgiving now 2+ weeks ago). We have been flexible and understanding, and in absence of them giving a refund asked for the same order on a different day. Even this was impossible. It should not be this hard to either get a refund or the same order on a day that you are open. We have been here 5+ times, and honestly the food is good but this makes me feel so disappointed. Unnecessary.

We really wanted to like this place but unfortunately felt short on every aspect. We ordered their papaya salad, spring rolls, coconut soup, Thai-style hot wings, duck curry noodles, chicken fried rice, Lao Angus steak and Hat Yai fried chicken. Every dish was not better than your average Thai restaurant with the exception of their Hat Yai fried chicken that was perfectly crispy and tender. Portions for the prize were super small for the asking price when the prices are so high. The espresso martinis were good but the ghazal puree drink had no complexity and just tasted straight up like ginger beer. The servers seemed to be rushing us to order and didn’t even bring out a courtesy dessert for one of the people in our party that was turning 60 after waiter made a big deal expressing how much of a special day this was. Overall the place was a huge let down and did not match the reviews or food photos.

Stop what you’re doing and go now, you won’t regret it! Their Pad Thai and Thai tacos are absolutely phenomenal, words can’t even do them justice. We also tried the clams, which I’d rate a 6/10 (a bit too salty for my taste). This spot is perfect for a romantic date night with its relaxed, intimate vibe. The service was attentive, and the food came out quickly, making the experience even better. A heads up…it gets busy, so be sure to make a reservation. Even if you’re not a fan of downtown (like me), this place is 100% worth the hassle of finding parking.

One of the best, probably the best Thai food place in San Diego! Only been here twice but leaving the place always satisfied and full. Their signature rockfish is spectacular!! Lots of flavors. This place is also Michelin recommended!!

If your date wants to try South East Asian cuisine, make this your next stop! Parking is mostly easy on a Sunday night, street parking, though I'd hide valuables left in the car given its a bit seedy around downtown. Visiting from Seattle and this hit all the right notes and more. Juicy crispy fried chicken, and aromatic chicken rice (khao man ghai). Wait was a bit long despite a not so busy crowd, but worth it! We wanted to try the beef tallow fried rice as a side to the fried chicken (hat yai) but that was only available with a NY strip steak which was a bit out of budget (in terms of $ and stomach capacity) for 2. Fancy decor as well, would come back for more!

I have been coming here consistently for the past 2 years. It is my favorite spot in Downtown San Diego. The staff here are extremely welcoming, especially Rey, Santiago, and Bon. The staff takes the time to get to know you and your family, provides exceptional service, and always helps with a smile. Not only is the service exceptional, but their recipe for steak and fried rice is something I have not found anywhere else. If you are in downtown san diego you have to try this place

Our group of 4 went for lunch. We had the papaya salad , the sizzling eggplant, the loa BBQ ribs, and the beef panang curry. All were flavorful with many subtle spices. The service was attentive, the prices were reasonable . I was probably the best Thai restaurant I have visited . I definite recommend and will return!

Excellent Thai restaurant! We enjoyed the service and the decor and especially the food! Highly recommended!

I wanted to love this place but it just did not deliver. We went on a Thursday night and there were only 2 people to serve as host/server/food runner/bartender. Not their fault, but therefore we sat for a good 20 min before being waited on. The Thai tacos were the best part of the meal, the beef Panang curry was good but the majority of the beef was so tough it was hard to chew. It was a real let down given all the hype I had heard.

The food here is fantastic, specifically the Beef Panang Curry and the Duck Curry Noodles. It was some of the best Thai food we have had. We weren’t huge fan of the wings. We went again the next night and tried the Pad Thai and Lamb Curry (which was a special). The pad Thai was tasty, and so was the lamb curry. One downside to this place is that it doesn’t have any spice levels so in that regard we thought the food was catering more towards Americans. I think if they offered 3 options of spice per dish while maintaining the same flavors, this would be even better than it already is! Will definitely come back when in San Diego! The Beef Panang and Duck Curry were the gems.

Amazing experience! The food was absolutely delicious – Fresh flavors, and perfectly balanced. Beautiful presentation of each dish, making the meal visually stunning. The curry was rich and flavorful, and the dessert with mango was a perfect end to the meal.
Bonus points for the Lucky Buddha beer bottle adding a fun touch to the dining experience! Highly recommend this spot if you’re craving quality Thai food with a modern twist.

The food here is AMAZING. Surpasses LA Thai Town level. Very impressed.

It was super good and they had the best dishes. They were super good and they had the fastest service out of any place I’ve ever been to. They live up to their name, staying in their own league sovereign from other restaurants that are not as good. They have the best Thai iced tea I’ve ever had. Some things were spicy, but that is part of the culture. Fast, speedy service, and great food. A true masterpiece of food. I would come here 7 days a week. Best place ever.

Great service and food. I wish I could have tried more of the menu.

Nothing special.

Dined here on a Friday evening after making a reservation just a few hours before. We were seated immediately upon arrival, which was great because we were hungry.

Heads up—the menu on their website isn't the full menu. To see all the options, check the photos section on their Google listing.

Food: To start, we ordered the stir-fry mussels special (chili jam and basil), and they were super yummy! They give you about a pound of mussels, which is nice, but $26 felt a bit steep.

For entrees, I got the spicy Thai basil beef, which was flavorful ground beef served over jasmine rice with a sunny-side-up egg. The egg was severely undercooked to the point the whites still had a snot-like consistency (sorry, lol), so if that isn't your thing and you order this dish, maybe ask for your egg over-medium to ensure it's properly cooked. Aside from that, it was delicious and I totally cleared my plate.

My brother got the shrimp pad Thai, and he wasn’t crazy about it. The shrimp were plump and perfectly cooked, but the dish itself was way too sweet and tangy—more one-note. I don't typically like pad Thai and never order it, so I do not have baseline to judge it on, but I gave it a taste and can agree that it was quite sweet. My brother also felt the noodles were a bit too al dente for his liking and would have preferred them cooked a touch more, but I thought they were fine, so YMMV.

Service: Service was really good—prompt and friendly. I think our server's name was Jess, and he knew the menu well, sharing some of his favorites. This isn’t on him, but the kitchen did get busy halfway through our meal, and they forgot to bring out the vegetable medley side we ordered. We had quite enough food between our entrees and the mussels, so we didn’t even realize it until we reviewed the check at the end of our meal. They had no issue removing it from our check and were quite apologetic.

Overall: I'm still thinking about the food several days later and will definitely be returning to try other things on the menu, including the cocktails. I enjoyed my dining experience, and I would recommend it to others.

Dinner was fantastic. Can’t go wrong with anything on the menu!

The 3-year Michelin restaurant at the downtown SD area. Different from the other Thai restaurant, it’s more like a combination of traditional Thai food and the western style. The Lao Papaya salad allows us to choose from the spicy level so that the mild one is crispy and be a good appetizer. The sweet and spicy Thai Chicken wings are juicy, the taste is special of the siracha sauce while the chicken wings are crispy and tender. The Duck Curry Noodles are great, as the duck leg is deeply fried while the curry is such a tasty one. I would suggest to order extra rice to be with the curry soup. The mango sticky rice is a good dessert as they gave much mango with hot sticky rice and crispy coconut. They have a really dancing dining environment. As the leaves are really good for the sunshine shadow near the bar area. They also have outside dining area as a dog friendly one. I would mention that as we came the day, they do not have any seafood as rockfish and mussels are all out of stock. Other thing to mention is that the parking is pretty difficult nearby as there are only spots for street parking while there would be homeless nearby.

This place is such a gem! Very creative menu. The NY Steak Beef Tallow Fried Rice is unreal. You will go back for it. It feels like fine dining in a laid back setting. Great spot for a date.

Food was out of this world. Some of the best Thai food I've had. The meats were tender and flavorful. That fried fish was crispy and most. The beef stew flavor was bright, savory, and crisp. Well worth what you pay for it. I would definitely be interested in trying some of those cocktails next time!
My friend had the Beef Tallow fried rice and the NY steak on that was epic... Tender, juicy, and cooked to perfection. Order it Medium Rare at the very most.... But rare if you can handle it. You will not be disappointed.
Plenty of gluten free and vegetarian options if needed.

Super slow service which is not uncommon nowadays and maybe they're understaffed, OK fine, but a guy came in and looks like he's friends with everyone there so he got his order taken super fast, got a 2nd drink super fast, got his food super fast, and even got his check and checked out super fast, meanwhile I'm waiting forever for a little water and my check. It says they want you done in 90 min on a reservation but it took me 87 min just to get 1 dish (not marked in the menu as needing extra time) and 1 dessert. If I had had a drink and appetizer, would it have been over 2 hours? Waiter never even once came by to ask how I was doing. It was shortly after they opened on a weekday so not very many customers at all.

Got the lamb curry which was really tasty but really oily, and the fried bananas which was surprisingly dry and nowhere near as good as the typical Thai place. Inside ambience is OK but outside is not very good, if you have to walk a few blocks to get here you have to walk over homeless through some really nasty smells.

The server was pleasant. We ordered the Spring Stick appetizer which was good but one stick was completely hollow and empty. I ordered the Pad Thai which was mediocre and was tabled eight minutes prior to my companions entree and had obviously already been sitting at the pass for some time. As is customary and polite I waited to eat my entree until my friend received his food at which time my dish was cold. How Sovereign made the Michelin listing I have no idea, a star is most definitely well out of reach. Chances are your local average Thai restaurant is just as good as Sovereign.

Food is good, but be prepared to pay over 100.00 dollars for a few dishes!

Steak with rice is amazing. Duck noodle is a little salty. Dessert is awesome.

Good Thai. Very enjoyable meal.

Nice atmosphere, especially at the booths. Friendly team. Nice cocktails. Exquisite modern Thai food!

If you're visiting San Diego and want to venture beyond the usual tourist hot spots like Little Italy and the Gaslamp Quarter, Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine in the hip East Village is a must-visit. This Michelin-mentioned gem offers an unforgettable dining experience where every bite is a delight worth savoring. The flavors are impeccably balanced, making each dish memorable. The owners and staff (JuMi, Rey & Santiago) are not only friendly but also extremely knowledgeable, enhancing the overall dining experience with their insights and recommendations. Plus, their drink selection is top-notch, and the hot teas are perfect companions to the exquisite meals.

Food is phenomenal. Best steak and the coconut ice cream I have ever had. Every time I visit San Diego, I have to dine here! The only downfall is that there are barely any vegetarian options so its hard to pick this place when I am with someone who is a vegetarian or vegan

Everything was delicious and service was great!

Great staff

Overall ambiance was very nice and food was all delicious. Good selection of drinks and dishes. There arent many places that we repeat but this one definitely makes the list and we will be coming back. The host was also able to get us a table last minute on a Saturday night.

Drinks:
Blushing Geisha - well balanced, fresh raspberry puree is the primary flavor, not very spirit forward
Island guava - very sweet, somewhat sour, not spirit forward

Apps:
Thai chili wings - amazing, perfect amount of sweet and spicy. Came out piping hot, beware!
Avocado spring rolls - very good and fresh, especially with the wings. They do not skimp on the 2 sauces (one thai chili and one peanut sauce). I do wish they had a shrimp spring roll option.

Entrees:
Shrimp pad thai - the flavor of the pad thai is a classic and very good. I personally felt the shrimp were a little over done but I did wait a while after serving to eat it (while waiting for my partner’s dish) so it’s possible that this affected it.
New york trip steak - so good, cooked perfectly the way we asked. It tasted charred in the best way and was very crispy. Its served on a bed of fried rice. My only critique was it was a bit salty to eat the whole dish, i only had a few bites of my partners and it was very good.

Street parking only but parking is free after 8pm

Lovely

Food was decent but overpriced and small portions, I never see so small portion in my life for a Thailand restaurant.

Food was decent, but you could definitely get a better bang for your buck. I got beef in peanut curry, it was decent - wife got Thai tacos, I would not recommend those. Danny (our server) was great and personable. Talked to us kindly and offered to help us with everything! Highly recommend Danny as your server. Music was pretty odd for the restaurant. It was 2000’s pop, which I felt like didn’t fit the vibe.

The dishes are tasty and delicately made but quite expensive and small portions. We spent $30-40/person. The service was nice. The specialty dishes were good including peppercorn chicken noodles and mushroom larb.

I can see why they were featured in the Michelin guide. Great Thai food. Make sure you get the steak fried rice!

Amazing food, great staff, nice atmosphere. Really the best Thai I've had, I believe. Would definitely recommend.

Truly wonderful food. Some of the best food I've eaten, and certainly the best Thai I've had up to this point. We kept saying "wow" as we took bites. Food was served hot and we weren't waiting very long.

Price wasn't too bad, and we didn't mind paying what we did because it was so good.

Service was very good and we had no complaints there. Staff were all very friendly.

Definitely would recommend.

Terrible customer service! Bought 3 meals and wanted to order another to go, waited over 40 minutes and they kept lying saying it was coming out. Another waiter tried to kick us out of our table saying they had reservations, we told him we were waiting on our to go order and it still DID NOT come out. Asked for a refund and they didn’t even care. Also someone was sitting at the bar with their dog off the leash, the dog kept wandering around the restaurant with the owner dragging it by its collar.

Sovereign is a small restaurant that serves fresh and delicious Thai cuisine. The flavors are vibrant with creative dishes that will leave you craving more. Start with their Crackling Thai sticks filled with shrimp and crab. Perfect! The Thai noodle curry with duck, homemade sausage, tender wide flat noodles and amazing Hat Yai Fried chicken with chili jam sauce were all beautifully executed. I can't wait to try other items on their menu. Lots of interesting dishes to choose from. If you have a sweet tooth, the sticky rice with mango is a nice finish. The only thing that fell short were the cocktails. The flavors mentioned in the titles did not shine through. But get a cold beer or nice wine and graze that outstanding menu. It's worth the visit.

Delicious food, good choice and variety, excellent ambience and priced reasonably.

Excellent dinner

Great Thai food! Bold flavors and dishes are well balanced. Ray the bartender took care of us and provided excellent service. Will be back to try the rest of the menu!

I got seated right away on a Friday night without reservation. The bar seating was perfect for a solo diner.
I love the passion colada mocktail- a total bomb of flavors. Chicken lard salad was amazing- medium heat gave it enough kick without killing my taste buds. I don’t understand why people are complaining about the service speed. This is not fast food. Just chill down, folks. The waiters and waitresses were bussing around attending to customers’ needs while expressing their interests in you.
Kudos to the staff. Well done.

4 of us went to this place on last Sunday, 3 of us had bad stomach and 1 person had heavy fever since then. The food quality is questionable...

The coconut martini and shrimp pad Thai are absolutely delicious. The service is excellent and the atmosphere is relaxing.

Fish of the day and scrispy pork belly are top-noch! If you have a larger party, be aware that they charge a cancellation fee $20 per person.

This was great — particularly the duck curry and mango sticky rice!

Featured in the Michelin Guide for the past 3 years, we couldn’t not try Sovereign. On our first day we walked to the East Village in San Diego where Sovereign is located to check it out. I’m glad we did as it tuned out to be in a not very nice area in San Diego. Armed with this knowledge when visited we did so by Uber.

When we arrived and we were sat in a booth, which I always like.

We ordered….

Thai cracking sticks.
Northern Thai Spicy Sausage. I know the clue is in the name but these were extremely spicy.
They had run out of the Golden Crispy Pork Belly so we had Hat Yai Fried Chicken with Tomato Chili Jam.
It had the most amazing crispy skin like Peking duck but even better. The chicken was so tender.
We also had Dry Turmeric Curry, which had a deliciously mild spice on the minced meat.
All in all we enjoyed the food here, particularly the mains which were fantastic.

It's my 5th time to visit here today. The foods were great and the service made me feel so disappointing this time. 😣😣Maybe there is not enough waiters.

Best Thai in San Diego, not even close.

Space was so open and spacious with lots of lovely lighting, they had some Easter eggs around the place for people to get some nice snacks. The meun looked so good and wished we could have ordered more things to try.

We got the shrimp pad Thai, curry and the crisps. Crisps were excellent and the shrimp was so juicy. Curry was spicy and had great portions in terms of chicken to vegetable ratio.

Inattentive service was the problem for us. Sitting for 30 minutes before a server comes by with water is not a good way to start a meal. Most of the food was just fine but the ribs were phenomenal. Other than that the spring sticks, wings and steamed chicken were just so so. Good not great. Would not go back for dine in but I would definitely order those ribs for takeout. Other dishes might also be worth a try.

Love the food. The service is awesome. Mai & Get make me feel very comfortable, and I got everything I needed on my first visit. I will definitely come back for more when am in the area

Such a cute restaurant! Great cocktails. Highly recommend the Thai basil gimlet. The beef panang was so delicious!

Interesting and creative Northern Thai. Cocktails v good and not too sweet: Thai basil gimlet and Pepino cooler. Sum Tom papaya salad quite good, but made with fish sauce rather than crushed dried shrimp. Spice good, slightly over on palm sugar. My partner loved the Tom Ka - it had something intriguing to increase body/unctuousness. Spicy Thai basil beef good taste and texture, but not amazing. Really wanted to try more dishes, including Thai Sausage, Chicken Larb, Spicy pork belly, and Sizzling eggplant - must go back soon! Friendly and helpful service. Sticky coated menus. Very cold inside.

Small portions! It’s expensive for what you get, we left hungry!

Delicious food!

Food, drinks, atmosphere, and service were all superb with the Chicken Larb being the real crowd pleaser!

Not only the best Thai food by far in San Diego, but perhaps in the country, according to my New York friends. Great atmosphere, great service and authentic food from various regions in Thailand.

Steamed chicken under done.

Staff and service are only second to the amazing food. Everything we had was tasty.

True delicious authentic Thai food. Having traveled in Thailand and having the real authentic cuisine, most American Thai restaurants I avoid at all costs. But Sovereign's food is a step above anything I've ever had in the US. Parking is horrible near this restaurant, though, and our server disappeared after taking our order and no one checked in with us for the rest of the evening. We did family style and empty dishes were crowding the table and water and drink glasses went empty with no refill. The food might bring us back, but the parking and service will always make us hesitate a little.

This is my go to local spot for Thai or a drink. I’ve tried just about everything on the menu and my top two plates are, the local fried rockfish, which has a superbly flavored sauce and herbs and then I would have to say the Lao beef salad then the beef tallow fried rice.

Every dish is portioned and I would recommend getting a few items if you are sharing. The love and delicacy Chef “O” puts into every dish shows. Savor every bite and relish in the freshness & flavor.

Best cocktail: the Blushing Geisha
Best wine: the white on tap
Thai tea: ask for coconut flakes
Happy hour: 4-6 (get the satay slider)

I haven’t tried anything I don’t enjoy.
Service is bar non and the quaint, relaxed vibe is perfect for ANYone.
Dog friendly as well ❤️

The food here is INCREDIBLE! We had the dish with the Thai curry noodles with duck confit as well as the braised beef panang curry along with the sweet purple sticky rice. Everything was really amazing. In particular, the duck was cooked to perfection--crispy exterior and very tender inside and not at all fatty. Never had duck like that before. The sauces had so much flavor and were rich but not so much so that I left feeling overly full. The ambiance is really nice, too, with tall ceilings and a good vibe. The servers were all really pleasant and seemed glad to have our business.

Excellent Thai food! Maybe the best I’ve had! We ordered the pork belly on special, the shrimp pad Thai, the steamed chicken with ginger sauce, and the fried chicken. Every dish was excellent! The pork belly was crunchy and tender, the steamed chicken was cooked well paired with an excellent sauce, the friend chicken was cooked perfectly and was also served with an excellent sauce, and lastly the pad Thai was the best we’ve had maybe ever! Great experience!

The food was exquisite! Best mango sticky rice I've ever had! Thank you for making my husband's birthday special.

Excellent food awesome service had a great lunch

They tired to poison me.
I won't ever trust them again!

I'm tired of reading a "help book" that doesn't support gun rights.
I don't play school games.

Horrible food! Shrimp was bad in pad Thai! Very disappointed! Taste like old shrimp and couldn’t eat the dish!

Great food and excelent service.
Our server Dania suggested a duck Pat Thai dish and was delicious!!!

This is by FAR the best Thai food that I have had in over 5 years!!!

The lemongrass broth is so strong and NOT sweet — unlike the **** version from Boston!!

Yemekler iyi, servis kötü.

We got take out and other than difficulty with parking, this was a great choice. I have eaten Panang Beef at a lot of different restaurants, but Sovereign’s is on a whole other level. Absolutely delicious!

The steak and pork necks that we ordered were absolutely delicious. I'll definitely have to come back again the next time I'm in town. Justin was a great sever and recommended the plates to us and did not fail us.

The sauces were well done; however, at the price point, we expected better seafood quality.

The rock fish ($45), fried bananas, and peppercorn chicken noodles were good. Overall, this place is good but for me feels overpriced as it is nothing special. Not all that authentic (papaya salad not authentic and was not changed for a better taste). Not worth $18 at all imo.
We had a reservation at 7:30 and they had sold out of all pork belly.

Everything we tried was so good especially the beef with fried rice. Even the cocktails and mock tails were good. The only downside for this place is flies. Except flies, I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Love this place. Only drawback is parking.
Food is exceptional.
Skip dessert.

My sister and I ate here after a long day at Comic-Con and the food was really good. We ate outside - the music was a little loud which made conversation tough but overall it was an excellent dinner. We'd go there again.

The curry was excellent

Overall a good experience. We sat down at 6p (1800 if you wear camo) for dinner and i think we were the only people in the restaurant. Weird for a michelin plate/bib gourmand adjacent. Lots of things to order so I stuck with what I call the 'everything bowl' with noodles, duck, mustard greens, veggies, and fried bits. My colleague got the dried beef curry and sticky rice. Both were good. Mild here means mild so that's good if youre a member of the chili intolerant. I'm used to mild being secretly hot--should've just ordered it medium or hot lol.

Mango sticky rice was pretty and delicious. It was my favorite part of the meal--but the mango wasn't that cloyingly sweet nam dok mai that I've grown to love so was slightly saddened by that.

My favorite restaurant so far. New York Steak and Chicken Satay Slider are highly recommended. The crew is amazing, Ray is a great manager!

Absolutely bad first impression. Ordered take out, forgot the rice that I especially ordered.

Outstanding! We brought a group of 20 people and everyone was super impressed by all the flavorful dishes. The rock fish just caught the day before was really special. Pad Thai with big, juicy, very fresh shrimp was the best I've had anywhere. Loved the soup with tender meat and Thai lemon leaves. Homemade coconut ice cream was a perfect ending, not to sweet, just perfect. JuMi the owner is delightful. She shared some background and regional aspects of each dish, which made it a more meaningful experience. I have a new favorite Thai restaurant!

Waitress/bartender super nice and hard working. long wait for food and dessert. Food pretty good

Try the duck curry noodle. The best I’ve ever had. We will be back!

Really enjoyed the special — red (Penang?) beef curry. Not the normal menu but on the back. The fried chicken was also really good. Reasonable prices, really delicious food.

Me and my wife went here and we both loved everything we ordered and we will be back for sure. Best Thai around. Ray and the owner were amazing!

Really good spring rolls. Nice selection of drinks.

3.5, rounding up. my experience here has been inconsistent. first time i came here, we immediately loved everything we ate. the next visit was disappointing. had to show the server that the hat yai chicken was still raw and they brought us a new one. the beef fried rice was over seasoned— too sweet with excessive amount of crunchy flakes over powering the dish. the experience was completely different than what we had the first time and previous takeout so i had to ask our server at the end if there was a new chef and it turns out they were training on their first week. i can’t knock them for that so my rating is purely on my previous experiences dining in and getting takeout. it would have been nice to see the owner more involved in her restaurant and training her new chef than hanging out in the hall, but to each their own. i guess her customers will have to experience mediocrity until the chef improves cooking her menu

I love Thai food and my friends wanted to try this much-raved about eatery. We got the Avocado Spring Rolls, Thai Peppercorn Chicken Noodles, Shrimp Pad Thai and Isaan Spicy Beef Soup. We shared all the dishes.

The presentation of the food was very nice but somehow, the taste wasn't all that remarkable.

My friends thought the food was good but they couldn't rave about it. I thought the food was ok and wouldn't want a return visit. The service was great though.

Amazing experience. Everything in the menu is top notch. I got the recommended dish from the staff and it did not disappoint.

The restaurant is really nice and the staff is friendly. However they are not honest on their menu and to me that is unacceptable. While they have multiple items listed with a vegetarian option, all but one had some kind of meet or fish sauce added. Not only that, but as we are closing a different staff member tells us that the sauce in the “vegetarian friendly” has shrimp paste in them. Not to mention the incredibly slow service as all the staff and bartender are more interested in chatting amongst themselves than serving the customers.

Great Khao Soi

I love the traditional Lao/Thai fare with a modern twist! All of the food was delicious, beautifully-plated, and brought back wonderful memories! Service was quick and friendly. I love that even though they are Michelin-starred that they don't exaggerate the prices.

Everything we had there was perfect! We tried the Michelin-recommended chicken entrée along with several other dishes. Everything was perfectly cooked and flavorful as one would expect from SE Asian food. I can't wait to go back!

Innovative Thai cuisine with great taste and service.

Great Thai restaurant, but the Sea food soup always out. And the taste of Rock Fish is bad.

Ordered a papaya salad to go and when we opened it the portion size was insanely small for the price. It was nice and spicy but I couldn’t get over the small size.

The white shrimp pad Thai was amazing!

Make sure you get reservations, you can do it in the yelp app. It was incredible that there were only two servers in the whole restaurant, they handled it like champs. It was slow to get the orders in but great food comes to those that wait. The Pad Thai was incredible, the shrimp were full of flavor and the noodles were perfectly cooked and not too sweet. The Hat Yai fried chicken was just absolutely smashing, I won't try to quantify it but it's a must have if you go.

Spent a week in San Diego and had a lottt of really wonderful food, couldn't dream of picking a favourite, but... Sovereign really truly stands out, just soooooo straight up DELICIOUS. We had the avocado spring rolls (so fresh, so good), chive cake (crispy, perfect), steak w beef tallow fried rice (absolutely unreal, amazing steak, beautiful rice), Hat Yai fried chicken (soo good ahh), and my personal favourite, the curry noodles with duck confit - literally could not believe my mouth, absolute perfection, I'm drooling just thinking about it. AND the coconut ice cream with sticky rice, ooh my lord. THANK YOU - gonna be dreaming about this meal for a long time!!!

Loved it. Great food and service

While visiting our daughter and SIL we decided to eat at this restaurant after seeing it on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. We shared all the different dishes and were impressed with every single one! These dishes are on a different level from most restaurants we have dined at. Thanks for a wonderful experience!!

Wow! My wife had never tried Thai food before but this is no ordinary Thai food restaurant! The meals were fantastic--all of them and we will be back! =)

Fantastic food!!! Everything was absolutely amazing!

The sautéed eggplant was excellent. The curry noodles were just OK. No vegetarian proteins on offer. The red wines were not great. The people were nice, though the service was a little slow to get going.

Fantastic! Easily walked in on a weekday evening and got a table for two. We ordered the Avocado Spring Rolls, Hat Yai Fried Chicken and Grilled Angus New York Steak and shared the three dishes. Perfect amount of food for three people and it was all fantastic. Spring Rolls were fresh and light and the peanut sauce was phenomenal. Both entrees were fantastic, the sauce for the chicken was delectable and the fried rice with steak was full of flavor. Their cocktails and mocktails were both outstanding.

Staff were friendly and worked together to attend to the tables, bringing food and drinks. Definitely recommend!

Good Thai food. Good staff.

Superb

So good. Was visiting San Diego, and it's very hard (maybe impossible) to find Thai like this, and this good, back home. The Peppercorn noodles, chive cakes and chicken larb were all excellent. Service was so friendly. Caution: the larb is pretty spicy!