Thep Lela Thai Restaurant

I love it here. Great ambiance, DELICIOUS food, and good customer service. Will return again, and again.

A real Thai feeling atmosphere.
Impecable clean
Excellent flavorfull food
Good service.
Reasonably priced for the area.

We have been going to Thep for at least 20 years. Tonight was hugely disappointing, but this was not a food or service issue.
My wife ordered a Margareta and asked that it not be made too sweet (based on previous margs there). The owner («mixologist») came to the table to clarify with my wife what she wanted. She asked that it not be overly sweet and not to be a top shelf.
When the marg showed up, it was okay but the glass was overflowing with ice. Like a thimble of marg. Not a big deal.
But when the bill came, they had charged us for a top shelf (2 shot) marg which was clearly not what we ordered nor consumed. When we quietly and gently questioned it, the owner became absolutely belligerent, and took issue with what my wife had ordered (even though the owner took the order). She whined about her costs and asked what did we mean by «not so sweet» and on and on. It was sad.
So, the owner did everything wrong here. She also blamed the server for the problem which is just insane. She should have said hey the marg is on the house thanks for coming sorry for the problem.
We have loved this place for 20 years but will not go back.

What happened to this place?
Called in for early lunch, poor service and horrid food at a premium cost.
Won’t be coming back anytime soon.

I’m given this place 3 stars simply because of the price, the food was good but the portion for the curry was very lacking. $ 16 for lamb curry, $ 8 for 4 egg rolls? And my girlfriend got a calamari dish that in my opinion was actually worth the $ 15 price and Thai ice tea t. Was also offered rice (because what curry dish doesnt come with rice?) Only to find out we got got charged $ 4 for rice.
The service was nice, I’m just dissatisfied with my $ 51 check for 2 people.

Food was excellent. I did not like our server. She keeps asking the two tables next to me «is everything okay» but not once asked me and my friend how we are doing. Service did not match the price you are paying for your food. This is not cheap menu, they are a little pricey too. Maybe next time i will get a better service.

I was seating waited about ten minutes a another couple came was seated and was helped before me no respect for other cultures do not go if you are not white

I love thai food and this is my favorite thai restaurant.
Eat the panang beef. Absolutely delicious.
Just come for that!
Yum.

I live in Sausalito, go out occasionally in Marin to eat. Don’t have high expectations. I hoped that an established biz (ate here 12 years ago) would have evolved. Ordered duck curry and pad Thai very basic dishes. The duck curry had pineapples in it, which was odd flavor accent, and the duck was a bit old. Pad Thai had cherry tomatoes as garnish and the fish sauce was heavy handed. Will cross the bridge next time and head over to clement st when we get a craving for Asian. It seems a lot of restaurants in Marin don’t get access to Asian produce and improvise with what they get their hands on (miniature corn, American broccoli, jicama). We went in at 3pm was seated and waited to be given menus. After 15 minutes I got up and got my own menu from the bar. The ambiance is nice but give food quality triple value over the décor

Beef salad is amazing. Pretty much everything I’ve ever ordered exceeds expectations. It’s nice that Thep Lela Thai is open all day. Perfect for late afternoon meetings ~ late lunch or early dinner. Friendly, efficient service. Easy parking.

I enjoy their spicy lamb curry with sticky rice! Food here is fantastic. I come here more than I need to but I can’t resist myself. I have also tried their Yum Yum salad and chicken curry mind which are also very popular dishes. They serve sake but cold for those who like their sake! It is an easy place to park and enjoy your meal.!! Next time you are in Strawberry village, check it out.

I previously gave this place a 5 star review and I had really liked coming here but that has now ended.
The last time I wanted to order from the restaurant, the woman who answered the phone to take my pickup order was annoyed to take the order. She said she was the only one there and my order was delaying helping others. She should speak with her boss regarding under staffing and not take it out on a customer.
You know those emoji’s that show disgust? When I arrived to the place for pick up, I see on the receipt that she drew that emoji face under «guest.»
I’ve ordered a lot from them; dinning in, pick-​up, individual, small and large group. For pick-​ups, they say they can do what is requested but when pickup time comes, they don’t follow through with it. They have always been late with my pickup orders too. In my previous review, I was willing to over look these last two items then the above situation happened and that tipped the scale.
Customers are the foundation of a restaurant business yet this restaurant misses this fact completely. I cannot support a business that views all of this as acceptable.

$ 27 minimum order for delivery + $ 7 delivery charge take $ 34 just to get delivery that seems excessive

My experience at Thep Lela Thai Restaurant was actually more disappointing than I expected. When you walk into the restaurant, the ambiance is a lot nicer than your average Thai restaurant. You can choose to sit at the bar with stools, a standard table with chairs, or a table with wooden and fluffy pillows. The entire restaurant has a great layout and is appealing to the eye for first-​time visitors, something that you don’t get often at typical Thai restaurants.
What made me give this restaurant 3 stars includes the overpriced entrees and the small portion sizes. My Vegetable Pad Thai was over $ 11.00 and had the tiniest amount of noodles on my plate — it felt like the size of an appetizer. Plus, I felt that they covered my plate full of vegetables to hide the small amount of noodles. I would NOT recommend the Pad Thai at all. I actually had to order another appetizer to get full, which was the Chicken Satay. The Chicken Satay was one of the better Thai appetizers that I’ve eaten and I would definitely recommend this dish for a bigger party. The meat is tender and easily rips off of the wooden stick when you take a bite, and the complimentary peanut butter sauce is delicious. I also tried a bite of my friend’s Yellow Curry, which was pretty good. If I had to recommend dishes, I would say go for the curries here instead of the noodle dishes. In the end, my dishes probably cost over $ 20 for a dinner that didn’t fully satisfy me.
All in all, I feel that this restaurant is overpriced for the quality of its entrees and you can find better elsewhere.

We got our dinner from Thep Lela last night as take out, and it was okay.
I liked the way they put together the pad thai and the basil chicken in the to go containers. They added lots of extras, like a tiny salad and some fresh fruit around the main course which was in a foil pouch.
The coconut soup was pretty disappointing. It tasted very flat and I was really missing the punch of lemon grass and lime that usually comes with the soup.
The pad thai had tons of prawns. Unfortunately, my very first bite was a very ammonia like tasting shrimp. Yikes,
The basil chicken was quite good.

I can never get enough of this place! Their curries are so, so amazing. Perfect amount of spice, and their rice isn’t too soggy or too hot.
I usually order the red curry with shrimp, and these guys aren’t skimpy on the shrimp. At a recent visit here, we ordered the Curry Puffs, the Spicy Wings, and the barbecued pork. A yellow curry with chicken and a green curry with chicken was also ordered, and among the table were Thai iced teas. Granted, the teas were a little sweet, but nobody had any complaints on their meals, and no leftovers boxes were needed – we all cleared the table!
Granted, the portions are a little small, and the spicy wings taste a little like buffalo wings. But overall, the ambiance is fantastic, servers attentive, and food delicious.

Nestled away in the adorable Strawberry Village area, Thep Lela Thai is a delight when it comes to ambience, food, and experience. After hiking what my iPhone told me was 21,207 steps in Muir Woods, I got this strong craving for Thai food and headed over to the closest Thai restaurant I could find. I didn’t read any reviews or look at the menu, so I was surprisingly pleased when I saw the spacious and well-​decorated interior.
Now onto the food:
— Red curry with chicken: fantastic. It had the perfect amount of spice, and they didn’t skimp on the vegetables. Tastes great with the brown rice, which is actually more of a purple/​black variety.
— Kee mow with prawns: The noodles were perfectly chewy, and I really enjoyed the veggies/​sprouts/​prawns. I do wish it had a little more flavor, but it had a good level of spice and I’d probably order it again.
— Mango with sticky rice: I don’t think this dessert could ever taste bad. We were pretty full before eating this, but just had to get it. No regrets.
One of the better Thai establishments I’ve had in the Bay. I’ll definitely be back if I’m in Mill Valley!

The first impression is always usually an indication: the interior, the employees, how many people, etc. When we first entered, my first impression was «this place is nice!». The «booths» are connected low benches, nicely laid out making for a bright comfortable and fun experience all wrapped in a Thai aesthetic. The staff: very friendly and attentive. The patrons? Somewhat empty at first but then by the time we were leaving, pretty full. All good signs.
I ordered the Pad Thai — yes, the tried and true staple but that’s what I wanted and it’s a great dish to set the tone at the Thai place right? My friend had Satay. The portion was large and it was pretty good. It lacked a little punch from what I’m used to but they may be catering to the local clientele: Mill Valley and Tiburon. Need I say more (now, before you go wagging your finger at me, I live in Mill Valley and throwing myself into that «not too spicy please» white man syndrome).
I’ll visit again and up my star rating after getting a few more dishes under my belt (literally).

Dear Unilocalers,
As someone who grew up and lives within 1 mile of this place, has worked in restaurants my whole life, and has lived in Thailand, I feel I must chime in here.
This is some of the best food in Marin, and served by a real team that has carried this place forward for years, in the face of… well, let’s just say Mill-​Hatteners, i. e…they live in Millhatten, not the Mill Valley I remember. I’m not hating, just pointing out a shift in people’s attitude and expectations in this area towards instant gratification, more entitlement and less and less patience.
Now, take these stressed, impatient people and plop them in ANY city in Thailand… guess how the local staff will treat them? VERY VERY slowly, and in playful mess-​with-​the-​foreigner kind of way (the waitresses will literally sit around chatting with themselves while the white man steams with impatience).
OK, that’s in Thailand, but were in California, so the staff here should compensate you say? Well, the lovely staff, truly, has been inundated/​bombarded/​and-​now-​judged by our local yuppified riches for the last 10 years, and they are exactly as tired and worn down by it as you would be in their same situation.
Also, even the best restaurant makes mistakes, and brings out imperfect food — the solution is to ask them to recook it or give you a refund, it’s not the end of the world for either party.
So to summarize:
(a) please don’t come here if you’re in a hurry
(b begin your experience here by expecting to wait forever, and be pleasantly surprised when they seat you as quickly as they do.
© if they really are taking too too long with your food, raise your hand so the waitress sees you, and ask her about your food.
(d) learn some Thai -
Cheers!

Went here for lunch today on my lunch break. When I came in I kind of lingered around the front door because no one was around to help me, or so I thought. Eventually a lady stood up from a table and helped me, so I guess she was the waitress. Then she just pointed at a table, walked by a dropped off the menu. Didn’t ask if I wanted a drink or anything. A little off putting
I ordered the BBQ chicken off of the «luncheon» menu. It came with a choice between sautéed vegetables or rice (I opted for rice) and a side salad. The BBQ was probably the best I’ve ever had at a Thai place. The taste was AMAZING! Two lean thin cuts of chicken breast, marinated and grilled to perfection. The rice combo was great too.
I’ll definitely be back. In my book the food gets 5 stars but the service was maybe 3 stars if they’re lucky.