Sabieng Thai Cuisine

I used to eat at this place when I was in college over a decade ago. I always remembered having good food and good service. When I went to visit Santa Cruz over the past weekend, they did not disappoint me. The food was just as good as I remembered it, and the service was amazing. I definitely recommend this place a decade later.

Sabieng Thai Cuisine is a fantastic spot in Santa Cruz if you’re looking for authentic Thai food. The restaurant stands out for its warm, welcoming atmosphere and a staff that makes you feel right at home. Every dish I’ve tried here has been fresh, flavorful, and true to traditional Thai recipes. One of the standout dishes for me is the Samsahai, a perfectly balanced dish that’s rich in flavor and texture. The Yum Woon Sen is another favorite—light, tangy, and refreshing, with just the right amount of heat. And, of course, the Somtum (green papaya salad) is a must-try! It captures the essence of Thai cuisine with its combination of spicy, sour, and savory flavors. If you’re craving authentic Thai food in Santa Cruz, Sabieng Thai Cuisine is a top choice. Whether you’re a fan of Thai classics or looking to try something new, this place won’t disappoint.

For all the times I have been here and absolutely enjoyed every meal..I am shocked I have not done a review before now. They always provide wonderful service, great quality food, and a clean environment! This time, I had the mango fried tilapia (I will say the fish seemed more like pollack because if it's meaty texture, which I enjoyed) and was divine. The mango was perfectly ripe and juicy. The fried banana did not taste like a banana but had the look and texture of banana. (Tasted more like plantain, and I was glad as I am not a huge fan of banana flavor) Parking can be a bit challenging on occasion, but it is worth figuring it out.

We got in right as they opened up just in time. They got our orders and even saved us some money with reccomending not getting too much rice. Great and courteous service!! Usually pad thai is too soft or flavor isn't that good in other places. This restaurant got it spot on. Food was good, prices are lower spectrum of bay area restaurants. Hole in the wall place, nothing fancy. Please don't mind thr pictures as they were in the middle of being demolished.

We went for a birthday dinner for my nephew. Food ordered included Pad Thai, drunken noodles, chicken satay, tom yum soup, yellow curry, basil fried rice, boba Thai Ice tea. Everything was delicious. Great service.highly recommend

I love love love this place, have been going here for a long time. Delicious food and everyone is so nice. A few days ago though, I ordered takeout pineapple fried rice, and when I opened it, 25% of my to-go container was EMPTY! $20 for veggie fried rice, and the container wasn't even full. Super sad about this experience and will not be ordering takeout from here again.

Just stopped at the restaurant after looking at google reviews. The restaurant was fully occupied and it took time for us to get a table. The service was quick and good. Tried Shrimp Tempura and Chicken Rice. Tasted good and amazing. Definitely worth trying in Santa Cruz.

Had a wonderful time at Sabieng Thai! Food was authentic and phenomenal. Was better than a lot of other places! The spicy thai fried rice was exquisite! Must-go!

I came to Sabieng Thai Cuisine for dinner on a Thursday night, a day before the 4th of July holiday. It wasn't too busy that day, but the waiter said they are usually busy, but it was slow because of the holiday. The restaurant was clean with modern wooden furnishings, and it was nicely decorated with large Thai figurines. My husband ordered Yellow Curry Chicken (Kang Ka Ree Chicken) with a bowl of rice. I couldn't decide between ordering Pad See Ew Pork or the Drunken Noodles Pork (Pad Kee Mao Pork). I wasn't sure how they were different so I asked the waiter. The waiter was friendly and explained that both dishes had the flat wide rice noodles and the same sauce, except the Drunken Noodles was spicier and had more variety of vegetables than just broccoli. Being that I love vegetables, I chose Drunken Noodles. The food was very good! Sometimes Thai food can be too sweet for me, but Sabieng Thai Cuisine's sauces were just right! It must have been good, because my husband and I ate all the food! No doggy bag this time. The waiters were attentive and always kept our water glasses filled. Also, a tip for those of you who like spicy foods like me, ask the waiter for the three spicy condiments of hot sauce, pickled spicy green chili peppers, and red hot chili flakes. I think the one thing missing was some soft background music... But all in all, we enjoyed our meal and we plan to dine again at Sabieng Thai Cusine the next time we are in Santa Cruz. *** I almost forgot to mention that they are closed for the 4th of July this year.

Normally Sabieng is my favorite Thai spot in Santa Cruz! I've loved everything I've ordered... until today. The pad Thai was very sweet and one note, it needed some heat, or more peanuts, or lime, just something other than sweet. My noodles were also extra al dente, which made it difficult to chew. The prawns were great though as usual though! I wouldn't recommend this pad Thai. Hoping it was just a one off.

The thai tea tastes sooo good. probably the best one i've had!! i would definitely get it again. seems fresh and it's a good size

My wife and I enjoyed Sabieng Thai. We came on a Monday at 12 p.m., and customers were slowly trickling in and by the time we left around 12:40 PM it was full. The staff was very attentive and nice. I ordered a Pad See Ew and I believe my wife had the Pad Poi Sian. We enjoyed both dishes; we haven't visited many Thai restaurants so we can't really compare. Overall, we we're satisfied with the amount and price.

Thai fried rice and pad see ew were delicious. Portion size isn't bad but price is a bit steep for what it is. Food quality and service are good. One of the better and more consistent thai restaurants in my area in my opinion.

We ordered fish Penang curry. It tasted as good as any Thai restaurant. The tialpia was succulent and meaty. Serves 2. Super quick service.

Visited this place with my family on a quite afternoon and this place blew our minds. Probably one of the best Thai places I have visited in California. The flavors were authentic and the service was impeccable!

TLDR: I would go here again for soup or a vegetable dish, but no chicken or beef ever again. Never! This was a takeout. No issues ordering online and pickup was fine. Spring rolls were reasonably priced with a nice peanut sauce. Tom Kha with tofu was tasty. The eggplant plate with tofu was good. The issue that I had is with "412. PEAK GAi KROB, (CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS) Deep fried chicken wings, sauteed in sweet and sour sauce-chili oil, topped with crispy sweet basil." I ordered them because I wanted deep fried crispy wings and I associated the $16.95 price with decent wings. I don't think they were deep fried and they weren't even close to being crispy. Sauce was fine, but clearly these wings were either pre-cooked or from the day before. They were probably tossed around in a wok to reheat, but not a fryer. Not rotten, but day-old off chicken flavor that you might get at home but should never get at a restaurant. Unfortunately, previous to this, I hadn't been to Sabieng for a long time because I had a beef dish and the beef had an off flavor. I thought it was time to try again. My guess is that they precook things, maybe to help build up their broths and the dishes cook faster with precooked meats. Don't know, but just a guess!

Great menu of classic Thai seafood. Popular among Thai tourists, which is the best endorsement you could have.

Food 3/10 We waited a long time to be served Service 3/10 We were served the wrong order Ambience Very outdated and mixed of furniture Summary You are lost and are starving, go here instead of McDonalds

Being around the corner from where my relative lives in Santa Cruz, myself and a group came here for dinner. We were seated right away. One of the first things I noted about the menu was how great the prices were! The Thai restaurants around where I live tend to have entrees with a minimum cost of $15, but here there was more variety. To start, my group and I got spring rolls and Thai teas. The food came out pretty quick and we dug in. Everything was really delicious -- a strong start! For my main meal, I decided to order a Pad Thai with chicken. Everyone's order came out after a few minutes and we ate everything right away. It was really great. During our meal, the power happened to go out at the restaurant. It wasn't too dark since it was day time but the one bad thing is suddenly we had to try to pay the meal in cash since the register couldn't work without the power. We pooled together and were able to cover the bill. It didn't take away from the experience but if I were to return I'd probably have cash on me just in case. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here and even my mom pointed out that I would mention it a lot. Service was quick and the food was delicious. Highly recommend!

First of all the THAI tea is 10/10. SO yummy! Service is amazing and they get you seated super fast and are very accommodating. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. I get the vegetable pad thai and it's so yummy.

Was in the area dropping off a friend to UCSC and they recommended this Thai place. I would say overall the food was good and satisfying in the moment since we were super hungry. It fed our little party of 4! We also came right at 8:17 when dining services closed at 8:30. They allowed us to still be seated and were super accomodating. Looks like this place was pretty popular as well with the amount of people who came through! Def would satisfy your thai cravings if you lived on campus or in the area :)

I love this Thai restaurant. I have been coming here for years and it's delicious every time. There is plenty of parking in the plaza and the location is right off mission street. The service was pretty quick, it took about 10 minutes from ordering our food until it was brought out. The ambiance inside is pretty quiet, you can hear others' conversations but the vibe is welcoming. I ordered the vegetable pad Thai and it was good size serving and good flavor. I also ordered a Thai tea and it wasn't too sweet or bitter. I will definitely be coming back!

Service was good. Ambiance was ok. Food was ok, chicken panang curry was short on flavor, lacked creaminess of coconut milk. Grilled pork was a little salty.

Ordered a chicken satay and there were 6 pieces which was a generous lunch portion. It was not spicy at all and the flavor was good. The cucumber salad on the side was not fresh. Good to have different cuisine options in Santa Cruz. My friend ordered beef pad see ew and drunken noodles and the lunch portion is enough for 1 person.

Thai restaurant reviewers LOVE their larb and now they has gotten me craving larb too. i thought i'd kick'd my larb addiction. I don't go to many days without a larb craving but ya take it one day at a time in the program. Oh but now after seeing these review i must larb again!! praise be upon you Seibing Thai and praise be upon your larb! The ambience here is amongst the best in which you can larb. Servicing larb eaters is their specialty at saebing. Nothing is delivered to the table faster than their larb!!

This food here has been hitting for 12+ years for me at this point. My question is, why does Grumpy Juan still work here? I can't bear to see generations upon generations of fresh banana slut innocents be subjected to his tyranny.

The food is really but the attitude from the server/owner needs to go. When I order food, I like to order a lot to feed my family to make sure they're full. There's a total of 6 of us and I ordered 8 dish and two appetizers. I asked the server/owner politely of how many dish I ordered already and that was only about 5 dish, so she responded, "5, That's enough". I was shock when she said that. That's really rude to say that, it's common sense. Besides that, service was bad. We waited 15-20 minutes for to get her attention that we needed water refills. I tried to get her attention as she walks by near us but she just ignore us. So I got irritated and decided to be rude and raised my voice to grab her attention and explained to her that we would like water refill and we waited over 15 minutes. I was loud that all the customers in the restaurant looked at me. I'm always calm and polite if the server does their job correctly. But if I'm ignored and spoke to negatively, I will make a scene to make sure customers around will know what's going on.

So good!!! Service was super fast and the food was absolutely amazing. Def would come back here. They have parking as well.

first time here and will say place, ambiance, staffs, and service are just ok. they have lunch special which comes up with rice and soup. they also have lunch combination which is same as lunch special but adding appetizer on your choice. for noodle and fried rice, they will not give any extra rice. anyway... 1. pad ka prow: 7/10 ~ i almost cannot taste the basil leaves while as far as i know the basil should dominate the flavor. i order with bbq pork and will say the meat is a bit difficult to be chewed and the sauce is too sour 2. pad ma kuer: 7/10 ~ again, the beef is a bit hard 3. pad kee mao: 9/10 ~ this one is recommended!!! little suggestion: give a bit more wide noodles if possible...

My to-go Thai place at Santa Cruz, relatively cheap and mostly delicious. Food consistently good for a non-Michelin star restaurant lol -- I would say 8/10 times it is absolutely delicious and 2/10 it is okay. Here are some recommendations based on my 10+ times dining experiences. My favorite appetizer items are the chicken satay skewers (one of the best I ever had), the chicken pieces are so tender! All the stir-fry noodle dishes are delicious, we usually go for pad kee mao, pad see ew, or pad Thai (their pad Thai are one of the better ones in the area). They must have a stellar stir-fry chef. Their Thai tea is good but boba can be hit or miss. Avoid curry if you can, meat and potato pieces are humongous and the curry is not even that good. Owner is pretty friendly. It is nice to support small business like this and I would say it is more fun coming as a group and ordering multiple appetizers! Gonna miss here a little bit after I moved out the area :-)

Food was amazing and service was fantastic! Our server was very attentive and happy to answer questions. We will definitely be back when we are in the area.

Love this restaurant! We come everytime we are in Santa Cruz. Our usual order is Pad Kee Mao with pork - spicy.

We went day before for Father's Day. Ambiance: While the place appears a little tired, in need of a face-lift, don't let that sway you from eating here. Food: hot (not too spicy), fresh vegetables, tasty. Service: good. We had 2 small children, food came timely. Owner: we would have had a second beverage; but, we're not asked.

Looks are deceiving with this dish because it is SOOOOO GOOD and you just can't tell from the photo. If you love peanut butter or peanut sauce you have to try the Pra Ram. Everyone kept taking bites from mine because it's just that good. Definitely think it would be easier if they cut it up into cubes the way other restaurants do but you definitely have to try it. The restaurant itself was really spacious and our waiter was accommodating.

Amazingggg. This day my sister and I tried like 5 dishes from here and everything was super good! The staff was super nice and the place filled up right as they opened for lunch time. Craving it so will go again soon!

No question but that this is a fine restaurant but excellent food. But its style of Thai was not to my taste. Too fussy is the best way to describe it.

My good friend and I both grew up in Santa Cruz and have loved coming here since we were kids. He always gets the pumpkin curry and I usually order the pad woo sen noodles, and we share the Tom Kha. The menu has ideal dishes for vegetarians (like him) and also meat dishes. Friendly service and the atmosphere is always cozy and comforting.

Great service and great food! It's always a must stop when I'm in Santa Cruz, also the mango sticky rice is the best:)

Sabieng lived up to its repuation as one of the best Thai restaurants in the area. Our UCSC tour guide was Thai and recommended Sabieng so we had high expectations. The highlights were the duck curry, corn fritters, and BBQ pork loin. Less extraordinary was the tom kha soup (a tad bland and one-noted) and the sticky rice with mango (unripe). Service was very friendly. We arrived at the 5 pm opening which was fortuitous as when we left at 6:30, there was a line out the door. We will happily return or may try @Thai which was also recommended.

This place was really great! Portions were good for family style sharing . Thai iced coffee w/boba and Thai iced tea w/boba, both excellent. Everything was very fresh and delicious. Service was excellent. Try this place .

Maaaaaan, I really wanted to like this spot. It didn't stand apart from other mediocre thai spots in the area and I think there are much better options nearby. Found the food to be lacking in flavor, acidity, herbs and authenticity. I rate places in santa cruz relative to other places in the town just cause it'd be unfair to compare to all the asian food available in the bay. But this place really doesn't hit that 4 star mark. If you're coming here, I would avoid the larb (underseasoned, ground chicken, big onions) and the fresh spring rolls and egg rolls were v basic and underwhelming. The best thing we got was the stir fried glass noodles. Thank you for the good and friendly service! Sadly, I will not be back.

The food is wayy too sweet overall , and everyone In my group got sick by the time we got home. We ordered pad Thai with beef and the beef is very dry and chewy. The Tom yum soup is also very sweet but not spicy at all doesn't have any lemongrass flavor, papaya salad is very sweet and no flavor whatsoever, last but not least the green curry is also insanely sweet and very watery. Feels like the chef mistaken salt with sugar

I must say the ratings are well deserved (except for the 3 and below rating); the high ratings that is. I visited on Sunday after walking and biking around the beach in the morning. Got there at noon when they were first opening for the day. A couple of other parties were right behind me. I ordered the papaya salad and drunken noodles with chicken. The papaya salad was a nice sized portion. Delicious! Nice lime flavor and not too sweet. The drunken noodles were tasty! Full of fresh fragrant Thai basil! Delicious! I wasn't asked about how spicy I wanted the dishes and I forgot to specify. I will return next time I'm in the area.

We visited due to the good reviews on Yelp and it didn't disappoint us. The food was delicious, price is fair, great service and easy to find parking. The waiters were very friendly too. We will come back next time we visit Santa Cruz. Pad Thai was perfect and we love the satay chicken skewers.

Great food & great service. I recommend it. Ordered fried bananas & sweet coconut rice with mango to go. I can't wait to enjoy it later. Family is thai, so I know good Thai food when I taste it. If you're in town craving Thai food, this is the place to go. Enjoy!

Consistent and tasty food. Been going there for over 20 years. The panang with chicken is my go to. They have the best pad see ew.

Great place but this felt like a hit and miss for me. My boyfriend and his family LOVE this place but my last curry tasted a bit off. I don't know if it was just because I ate it a few hours later so maybe it's my fault I waited too long but normally curries are tasty a long time after! I'll still come back and give benefit of the doubt and eat at this place since my boyfriend has been a loyal regular for years.

Ordered on DoorDash for pickup. Pad Thai is excellent as always. Probably my favorite in town. Meat was cooked perfectly and they gave a generous serving. Tried the Red Peanut Curry. It was good, but next time we'll stick with Yellow Curry. Tasted fine, just prefer the flavor profile of Yellow Curry. The spring rolls were fresh & tasty. Best part - they give lots of peanut sauce. Great option for take out. Have dined in before and they also have great service!

Delicious food. Every time. We are always seated immediately. The staff is quite courteous and helpful. The restaurant is well lit, and very clean from a diners perspective. The waits are a usual ten to 15 minutes. We've never waited longer. Enjoy.

Really solid food! Crab delight was similar to crab Rangoon without the massive amount of cream cheese. Mango fish was a panang curry. Mango was interesting but wasn't bad. But fish and the panang curry on point. They don't skimp on the rice! If I lived here I would go back and try different things

Playing at Davenport beach got us hungry! I searched for seafood, but most of the places were at the boardwalk. We didn't want to have to deal with craziness! Then this place kept popping on my Yelp app for some reason when I searched for restaurants nearby, so we had dinner here. Overall, it was alright. The appetizer from the Special Menu was strange, I'm not even sure what it was. They looked like cookies, but don't be fooled! It was meaty and tender. It was better when dipped in sweet sauce, the same sauce they serve with the Chicken Satay. I liked the Chicken Satay, especially dipped in peanut butter sauce. The Tom Kha soup was tasty since the broth was rich, creamy, and very coconut -y with lemongrass, but kind of disappointing. Too much mushrooms! I love mushrooms but I wish there were other veggies in there like tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. There were greens, that was a plus! It wasn't very colorful though! The Massaman wasn't very exciting either. There were a few veggies, but surprisingly not very colorful.The potatoes were good, the chicken was tender... I guess it just needed more oomph. Maybe the sauce needed to be a little thicker? The best dish of the night was Mango w/Sticky Rice. Unfortunately, everyone at the table enjoyed it too, so the mangoes were gone fast! D'oh! I thought the Thai Iced Tea was excellent, thank goodness it wasn't overly sweet. Like I said, food was alright. Nothing too exciting, but it satisfied our hungry bellies!

YUM Absolutely delicious Workers are really nice too. Get the pad see ew!!! They are not stingy with their meats which I appreciate so much. If it's your birthday, you're in for a special treat :)

Very bad stuff behavior. Almost to the point of rude. Food is good, good for takeouts. Convenient location.

A staple in local cooking here in SC. We love this place with a passion. Fresh spring rolls , red coconut curry with rice , so amazing. So so good please try this. Evan.

Best Thai food that I have found in Santa Cruz!! The pad Thai was flavorful and full of variety (chicken, tofu, and shrimp). The peanut sauce meat dish was super saucy and tasty. The red curry was my last favorite but nothing negative to say, just preferred the first two dishes. It had a lot of veggies in it which i liked. I found it to be reasonably priced too. Came to around $45 for three entrees before tip.

Great place for Thai food. Seems they just celebrated 20 year anniversary, so the food must be good. Good portion sizes at reasonable prices. Favorites - Golden wings, fish cakes and Pad Thai all tastes good. They share a car park with neighboring businesses and are located in the corner of Mission and Van Ness. Will come back again!

I've had meals at or from Sabieng a number of times over the years, but it wasn't until recently that pad see ew became my standard dish. This was when I started having an issue with Sabieng. The chef does not cook the broccoli in the dish . . . at all, which is especially frustrating because otherwise it's quite good. I've complained about it before, telling them that I'd rather give them my cool feedback in person rather on Yelp, but did they listen? Apparently not. Further, they put a negligible amount of crushed peanuts in their pad thai, so if you've ordered that to go and you like the crushed peanuts on your pad thai, you'll be out of luck. In conclusion, if you like raw broccoli in your pad see ew then Sabieng is definitely the place for you. Otherwise, you should go to a different Thai restaurant in town, like me.