Bangkok Patio

I've been visiting this place periodically for the past 4-5 years and decided to eat there again last night. I almost forgot how amazing it is! I ordered the papaya salad and Pad Kee Mao, and both were incredibly delicious. They also started making their own hot sauce, which was very authentic and really hit the spot. My mouth waters just thinking about how good the food was.

The place isn't too fancy, and it can get quite hot in the summertime, but it reminds me of some suburban areas of Thailand, so I don't mind. I'm surprised by some of the negative reviews; I guess it really depends on what you order. Yes, the dishes can come out a bit slower due to limited staff and lots of takeout orders, but it's not too bad. I highly recommend checking out this place. It's one of my top two Thai restaurants in San Mateo County.

Bangkok Patio, a charming Thai restaurant nestled in San Mateo, offers a delightful dining experience that immerses you in Thai culture. As soon as you enter, the warm and welcoming atmosphere, accentuated by the thoughtful decor, transports you to Thailand. The restaurant manager, who was exceptionally kind and attentive, added a personal touch to the visit, making us feel right at home.

We started our meal with the fried tofu appetizer, which was a standout. The tofu was amazingly crispy on the outside while remaining soft and flavorful inside. It was served with a house-made dipping sauce that perfectly complemented the dish, enhancing the tofu's taste with a tangy, savory kick. You really can't go wrong with fried tofu, and this preparation was particularly satisfying.

For the main course, I opted for the chicken with rice, a dish that did not disappoint. The presentation was particularly notable--the rice was molded into the shape of a heart, which was a lovely and whimsical touch that enhanced the overall dining experience. The chicken was flavorful, although I found the rice to be a bit on the dry side. However, this was easily remedied by pairing it with the house-made chili sauce, crafted by the manager. The sauce added a zesty kick that complemented the dish well.

For dessert, we enjoyed a serving of Thai tea, which was notably sweet. If you have a preference for less sugary beverages, you might want to dilute it a bit with water. Despite this, the tea provided a satisfying end to the meal.

In summary, Bangkok Patio is a great spot for those who appreciate authentic Thai cuisine and a genuine cultural experience. The warm hospitality, the crispy fried tofu with its delicious dipping sauce, and unique touches like the heart-shaped rice and house-made chili sauce make it a worthwhile visit for anyone who enjoys Thai food.

Service was very slow -- we ordered fried tofu as an appetizer, crab fried rice, chicken pad Thai, yellow chicken curry, and an iced Thai tea. To our surprise, the iced Thai tea came out last.

The fried tofu was very nice and crispy, but nothing super special. My favorite out of everything we ordered was the crab fried rice -- it was very flavorful and the crab flavor really stood out. The yellow chicken curry was my second favorite as it was seasoned well, though the chicken was a bit dry.

The pad Thai, though, was a completely different story. I have to say that it didn't really taste like pad Thai at all. One of my friends said the dish reminded them of Filipino spaghetti (but superrr sweet). We tried squeezing the lime on the pad Thai to see if it'd help with the taste but nothing really changed.

Overall, the food was just okay.

The place is nice. There are some tweaks they could work on, like the amount of delivery orders they take. Our food was pretty delayed and took awhile because they were working on those outgoing orders. The only way i knew was because there were a bunch of drivers waiting to pick up and complaining.

Once our food arrived it was okay, I think if they were rushing i think the food would be a lot better. The larb I got was too sweet. The Crab Lagoon was alright nothing extraordinary. The fried shrimp wrap i hated, they wrapped it with like chow mein noodles and fried it, the consistency of the noodle was to starchy to fry, it gave it a chalky feel when chewing. The soup was amazing!its the shrimp Tom Kha, it was great. The rotti with curry soup was good too.

Overall i think the place had potential to be a lot better if they took more time cooking the food and less time rushing on deliveries. There are great elements that could be invested in.

The two dishes we order were only ok or not good. The 3 prawns were way over cooked for pad see-eu and the duck in the curry was either not fresh or rancid

Probably will try another place next time

Came here last weekend to meet up with old friends. Restaurant was relatively empty around 1pm on a Saturday. It turned out to be the perfect spot for my friends and I to catch up and take our time eating. I would definitely come back again to try other dishes if I'm in the area.

Food 9/10
I always start with the basics. Chicken Pad Thai. It was very flavorful and packed with spice. I requested medium spice and it had a nice kick! We also had the vegetarian egg roll appetizer which was also good.

Service 10/10
Very attentive and answered all of our questions and gave recommendations.

Environment 9/10
Spacious interiors. They have a small parking lot but there is plenty of street parking around the neighborhood. I found a spot quickly.

Cleanliness 10/10
Very clean interior. Gender neutral restrooms were also very clean.

Value 10/10
About average pricing for Thai food (nowadays). Generous portions as well.

Located a bit outside or downtown San Mateo. It's hard to find street parking on Sunday evening. There is a small parking in the back but very limited.
The service was good. Friendly and attentive staffs.
On Yelp app, it says free Thai milk tea but when I asked, the waitress said there is no such thing but still have us free one ‍.
Food were great but not authentic. We ordered papaya salad with small crap, samosa which is my favorite. We also had pad Thai.

We stopped by while passing by the area for dinner and were in the mood for Thai. Yelp led us here, which was a good choice!

The food was good. We ordered the papaya salad (5/5), green curry with chicken (4/5), and the drunken noodles (2.5/5). The papaya salad was amazing. The green curry was flavorful, however it was overpowering for us with the coconut milk flavor- I think they even add some extra on top at the end which looks nice presentation-wise but didn't help the overpowering coconut taste for the curry. The drunken noodles unfortunately were mediocre and didn't have much sauce so they were on the dry side which was disappointing.

However, I will say that we ordered a Thai tea and the server gave us one extra for free on the house which was so nice of him. He was working both the back and the front of the place (kitchen and service) and was a hard working sweet person! Service was stellar.

If in the area, I would return unless I was craving drunken noodles which I may venture elsewhere for.

Overall, worth a teyThe place is small, cute, and has an extensive menu!

We were going to see a musical put on by a non-profit nearby. We didn't want to take the chance of eating in a restaurant and arriving only to not be able to find a parking space. I saw Bangkok Patio and she checked the reviews. Sounded pretty good so I drove around the block and managed to get a parking space almost in front of the restaurant.

I placed the order from my phone while sitting in the car. The guestimated time was 25 to 75 minutes, which would have caused us to be late. She went in to check if those were real times and ask if anything could be done.

They kindly moved our order forward in the ticket line and said that it would be ready in 15 minutes. We switched places and I sat and waited while she went back to the car. When the order was ready, I got one plastic bag and drink carrier with two Styrofoam cups.

It was a nice surprise when we opened the cup lids and found that they had given us cups of Thai Iced Tea at no charge. It really hit the spot, cold and refreshing without being sickly sweet.

After we got our food, we drove to where the show was. Parked and proceeded to dig in.

Corn Cakes - 5 - Flavor was pretty good. Texture was a bit off because they came in a coated paper box. The ten minute drive allowed the steam to make the corn cakes a bit soggy and they started breaking up. Perhaps a vent hole cut into the box would have let the steam out and kept the Corn Cakes intact. Either way, the flavor was spot on.

Fried Chicken - 2 - Unfortunately, what we received did not match what we imagined based on the description from their ordering site. What we got were varying sized pieces of boneless chicken that seemed like it had been over-fried. The crust was hard, as was the chicken. Some of the pieces were bite-sized while others were tiny. I should have ordered Chicken Wings.

Pad Kee Ma Seafood - 5 - Never, ever have we ever had this dish with a 1/2 crab body and sea scallops before. We asked for mild but what we got was more like medium to us. The dish was very flavorful, and we would order it again. I'm not a fan of cold salads being boxed with hot foods. The best solution would be to use two boxes to keep hot, hot and cold, cold. Yes, this will increase their cost slightly, but the trade-off in value for the customer is well worth it.

All in all, we felt that this restaurant needs another visit. One where we can eat in and enjoy our food directly from the kitchen. I'm giving 5* in spite of everything not being perfect because two of our three dishes were excellent. Anytime take-away food is good, eating in house is usually 1* better. Service was also top notch. They stopped by a couple of times while I was waiting to let me know the status of our order.

Oh this place is quite the discovery! We were seated promptly mostly because we were the only ones at 5 PM when the restaurant just opened up for the evening!

Food:
1. Appetizer: paratha/roti with dip - the best I've ever had. The paratha was fresh, the quantity was more than sufficient for two people, the dip and the cucumber salad were other worldly.
2. Vegetarian entree: Tom Yum soup with veggies and tofu, spicy - was brought in a clay pot with an active flame below to keep it warm. So calming for the stomach, loved every sip and bite.
3. Non-Vegetarian entree: Pad Thai with chicken, spicy. Partner said this was incredibly flavorful as well!

On the house: spicy sauce - a mix of chillies, vinegar, and garlic - absolutely delicious!

The service was as exceptional as the food too! Ambiance is cool. The restaurant is decked up inside and has a lot of seating area. However, parking seems to only be on the street in the front.

We are definitely regulars at this place after trying the food! Highly recommend!