Awards

Thank you Monterey Herald Readers for selecting us ‘Best Thai Food’. We are most honored that you have selected us for this honor.

Thank you Monterey Herald Readers for selecting us ‘First Place Winner – Best Thai Food’. We are most honored that you have selected us for this honor.

Bangkok native Tasani Anderson opened Baan Thai restaurant in 1997, and from the moment the first customers walked through its doors, it’s been known for authentic, affordable and fresh Thai cuisine. Translated, Baan Thai means, “Thai House,” and that’s what Surut and June Somboonsam — Anderson’s son and daughter-in-law, who took over the restaurant in 1998 — strive for: giving their customers genuine Thai cuisine and hospitality. The couple and their staff treat guests like family and want them to feel at home. Lunch specials are hard to beat in value and quality, and Baan Thai is the perfect place to take a fun group that likes to share, so everyone gets a sample of the wide range of flavors and dishes available.

Voted First Place by Monterey Herald Readers’ Choice

Thai culture is all about respect. Here that philosophy shines, with deeply held respect for fresh ingredients, vibrant flavors and kind service. Anyone with a self-respecting appetite for zesty textures and generous spice knows at least a few of their specialties, like the tom yum kai soup, pineapple curry, fried whole trout topped with golden apple relish and stir-fried barbecue duck with chili, bell peppers, onions and deep-fried Thai basil. #respectgame

Baan Thai is one of several Asian eateries in the Fremont Street district of Seaside that are raising the standards for cuisine there. Classic dishes like pad Thai and yellow curry are carefully seasoned to please the unique palate of each individual patron. Beef oyster sauce over rice is a surprisingly balanced and savory marriage of meats. Baan Thai consistently serves top quality poultry, beef, seafood and veggies.

The pad Thai and the green curry are great for beginners. More experienced patrons swear by the powers imparted by a fire pot of tom kah kai. But those who’ve graduated from the basics trust in the house specials. The spicy fish is a portrait of fragrant, complex vegetables tossed over deep-fried whole trout. The hoi todd enfolds green mussels inside a Vietnamese crepe that brings spice, crunch and savory fluff together in each bite. Go paleo with pra-ram, a bed of steamed spinach topped with meat and peanut sauce. Then come back and try something new. Baan appétit.

A locals’ favorite soon after Bangkok native Tasani Anderson opened the restaurant in 1997, Baan Thai is known for its authentic, affordable and fresh Thai cuisine. Translated, its name means, “Thai House,” and that’s what Surut and June Somboonsam — Anderson’s son and daughter-in-law, who took over the restaurant in 1998 — strive for: giving their customers genuine Thai cuisine and hospitality. The couple and their staff treat guests like family and want them to feel at home. Lunch specials are hard to beat in value and quality, and Baan Thai is the perfect place to take a fun group that likes to share, so everyone gets a sample of the wide range of flavors and dishes available.

At Baan Thai, the waitresses make a sweet fuss over the messiest babies, lunch options under $10 abound, and a plastic cat waves to you all meal long. Regulars come in for tom yum soup and happily dine solo. The spot is tucked into a nook in a strip mall, but nowhere in the county can you find a tastier panang curry. New menu specials include the Baan Thai trout: a deep fried whole fish with a golden-apple relish. Come as you are; leave happy.

Let’s just pick one reason this laid-back, tucked-away place is treasured by those who know it: the fresh curries. Red, green, yellow, pineapple, panang, pumpkin, massamun, jungle. Vegetarian or with chicken, duck, seafood. Best sopped up by the most robust brown rice in town (be sure to request it). And if you need more convincing, we can move on to the soups, like the hot pots of sour-sweet, spicy-salty, coconut-creamy tom kha kai. But you don’t need convincing. You already know.

Located in a not-so-fashionable strip mall, Baan Thai churns out authentic, flavorful food for reasonable prices. Baan Thai offers a wide variety of regional Thai specialties, most notably the crispy half-duck on baby bok choy, panang curry, tom kha gai soup and khao tung (crispy rice cakes with ground-chicken curry sauce). While the menu features no shortage of meat and seafood, vegetarians — and even vegans — will be right at home here.