Zen Yai Thai Restaurant

Some Thai friends told me that this is the best Thai restaurant in San Francisco!

Zen Yai is the real deal if you're looking for authentic Thai food. The location isn't great, but I had no problem getting here during the day. I am not sure if I'd recommend coming here at night though.

The menu is half in English and half in Thai. We asked for the owner's recommendations, and he recommended:
- Green papaya salad ($12.95)
- Pad kra prow ($13.95 for rice plate)
- Kra prow moo krob ($13.95 for rice plate)
- E-saan sausage ($9.95)
- Boat noodle combination ($14.95)
- Bar-B-Q chicken (half) ($14.95)

The green papaya salad was super fresh and delicious. I would also highly recommend the combination boat noodles. Pad kra prow is delicious as well but I found the rice plate a little harder to share. It's better as an individual dish IMO. We ordered everything medium spicy and it was definitely spicy, so you might want to stay away from medium spicy if you can't handle spicy.

Overall everything was delicious and the owner was really nice. The restaurant wasn't full the entire time we were there (for lunch on a Saturday), and it was easy to grab a table.

The one thing to note, however, is that I suspect they use MSG in the food. All of us felt that our mouths were super dry after eating here, and we drank 5 carafes of water between the three of us. Other than that everything was super tasty and great!

I was recommended this restaurant and already nearby, so it seemed like a great idea to walk on over. It was not a great idea. I had never been in the Tenderloin before and it was the sketchiest walk of my life, but the food was good.

The menu had a lot of authentic Thai dishes that I have not seen offered at most other Thai restaurants I've been to. This place does not play with their spice levels. Medium was extremely spicy. I def should have gotten mild spice on everything.

I've been curating a list of Thai places in the Bay Area over the years and I visit them based on my craving because places often specialize or just happen to be good at something specific like Northern Thai / Isan dishes or Noodle soups or Curries or Salads or Desserts. On a whim I browsed Yelp and decided to give Zen Yai a try. I have to say I'm surprised I hadn't tried it earlier given it's very close to the Larkin/Geary corridor which has half a dozen places I frequent.

The Tenderloin location isn't great but that's where you're going to get good Thai food! If you're driving just don't leave anything in your car and you'll be fine. The restaurant is quite spacious for the location and also has a large kitchen.

As always, on my first visit I have to execute my Thai restaurant litmus test ... and NO it is NOT Pad Thai! It is Pad Kra Pow Moo or Thai Spicy Basil with Minced Pork over Rice. I always get it Thai spicy AND with a Thai fried egg (fried to a crisp on both sides). Places that don't have this dish with ground pork and / or don't have the option to add the fried egg are not very authentic.

The result.. Excellent and a clear 5/5 for the food - at least for that classic dish. I could tell they used real Thai Holy Basil as soon as the plate landed on my table from the aroma (it's different from regular basil). The basil was very fresh, the ground pork also tasted fresh and had just right amount of moisture / juiciness.

The service was great.. very friendly wait staff who were happy to answer all my questions about the secret Thai menu. Zen Yai is also great in terms of value. The portion size of the dish also with the fried egg would be $20 or more at most places (including in the same neighborhood) before taxes and tip. Here it was just under $16.

I can't wait to come back and try other items. BTW they have a secret menu that's written in Thai on the wall but they don't have an English translation of it. Word of mouth through the local Thai community is how you would find out about it! It includes things like Thai congee which is served on weekends and otherwise quite hard to find.

If you are brave enough to wander into the Tenderloin, don't miss out on Zen Yai. My Thai boss makes the trek into the city from SSF to get her fix of authentic Thai food!

We came for boat noodles, which are a sort of choose your own adventure menu item. I went with beef, with blood in broth, thick noodles. It was a great broth, rich with beef flavor and super quick to eat the entire bowl. It even has authentic pricing at $4 a bowl (albeit a small portion).

The papaya salad uses pungent fermented crabs and a good amount of Thai chilies, so I loved the flavor of this! But, it's not for people who don't like seafood or low-spice tolerance. The chicken rice was pretty standard. The crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli was great if you love pork cracklings.

The mango sticky rice was excellent with a juicy, ripe mango. We also loved the coconut dessert they had for sale at the register - one was make with black rice and the other some sort of jelly. Both were a delectable balance of sweet and lighted salted coconut cream!

The service was so friendly, although it helped to have a native Thai speaker to help us order the good stuff! If you want legit Thai food, come to Zen Yai (or better yet, Uber or do take about to stay safe!)

Great food overall. A little modernized Thai style dishes, but boat noodle and pad se ew was good and tasted authentic. Green curry was too sweet for my taste buds, would have liked more curry flavor. Servers polite and quick. Ambiance quiet and lovely. Neighborhood a little sketchy, but we went during the day. Lots of options. Would go back if in the area. Nothing outstanding.

Yummy and affordable Thai food! I got the catfish deluxe (pla dook pad phet) and it was delicious. The fish was nicely fried and crunchy and the sauce was so flavorful. I am Thai and this hit the spot for me :) We also got the fried calamari, and my boyfriend got pork belly basil stir fry (pad krapow moo krob). The calamari was tasty and crunchy, but I didn't eat much of his dish.

The service was fast and attentive, and the ambiance is no-frills and very chill. Great place for lunch and definitely looking forward to coming back.

Note: If anyone is interested, I am pescatarian and asked if they could do their tom yum without bone/meat broth and they said they could not.

I was looking for protein. Also, I been eating here for about 30 something years. I've ate here more recently and frequently. If you ask any Thai person they will agree that this is probably the most authentic Thai spot in San Francisco. The boat noodles are authentic and the pad see eww is quick and good too of cour

Best Thai food hidden gem in SF no cap. Despite being located in the rough area of the TL, this place serves authentic Thai food that's affordable and worth to dine in the city. Highly rated by my own Thai coworkers that vouch for this place as well. Thai flavors are just so good! Service is friendly and food comes out pretty quick. Casual dining, always love eating here.

I've been here a bunch of times over the years and it's consistent. Good food, good service, cute interior, and crappy surroundings (I'm in the neighborhood a lot and you'll need to step over poop and avoid inhaling crack on the way. That's just the truth).

But the food! They have a full menu of Thai classics at excellent prices, but I like to go for the combo for a fun feast. Find a whole section for those on the menu.

This time I got Zen Yai Combo 2: shrimp pad thai, chicken yellow curry, rice, fried wontons, and salad. Each component comes in a pretty large portion and it's all tasty, though they go light on heat. Luckily, you can request a condiment tray with several types of chili to Thai-it up. On top of all that, the combo is on the menu for under $14 right now. Unbeatable.

I love this Thai place! It's not in the best location but they have the best affordable and delicious boat noodles!
They have a variety of dishes and they are one of the places that are very authentic.

I recommend trying the boat noodles and the bbq pork with sticky rice!
10/10