Red Chili

I was a bit skeptical at first when I heard Thai and Vietnamese fusion. However, my friend recommended this place to me so we came here together. We got a bowl of phở, vegetarian egg rolls, roti bread, and pad prik-​khing (which is basically stir-​fried meat with hot chili sauce).
For me, my favorite was the phở. It definitely exceeded my expectation since phở was not the restaurant’s specialty. What stood out to me about the phở was the al dente texture of the noodle. It was the perfect firmness. The pieces of steak were superb because of how tender they were. The meat balls were pretty good too. They were well-​seasoned. What I did not like was the brisket pieces. A lot of pieces just had too much fat attached to it.
The vegetarian egg rolls was a slight let down. The stuffing was completely mushy. It just tasted like there was only potato in it. No signs of any vegetables. For the pad prik-​khing, I thought it was too spicy. I specified to the waitress that I wanted it mild. So be careful about the spicy level when ordering this. I also thought the dish was too «saucy». The stir fry was very wet from the hot sauce. I did like the flavor though. The roti bread met my expectations. It came with some cucumber salad which paired really well with the bread because the bread made my mouth sort of dry and the cucumber salad is very moist.

Pumpkin curry is the best, no longer lived near by it, but when I am in the area, I make it a point to go.

Service is way to slow! Food is average. My younger brothers like this place only for convenience of living close to it. However, I never enjoyed the food. The crab fried rice is decent but the phở lacks depth and flavor. I always have to dress it up with lemon and hot sauce. Not going back. One night we made it to the place at 9:12, they close at 9:30 and they would not serve us. I guess they make too much money. Lol

I LOVE THIS PLACE! The one of 2 thai restaurants that doesn’t give me the runs after eating their food. Lol
My bf and I are always greeted when we come in, there isn’t ever a wait because they have a lot of tables. Never seen this place get busy. It’s a hidden gem.
We get the roti bread with curry sauce as a starter and for our main dishes, we get the pad thai and yellow chicken curry with rice. We can never finish our food bc they give so much, which is a plus in my book! The pad thai has a lot of flavor. I hate when I eat pad thai and all you can taste is the noodles and theirs is PERF. Yellow chicken curry is PERF too, delicious! Can’t go wrong! We’ve tried their Tom Yum soup, it was ok. Heard their phở was ok too, nothing special. I only deff come here for their thai food.
The service, I have no complaints, they are all sweet and make sure you’re taken care of.
Only thing is parking is bleh. Out front, theres none unless you get lucky with someone leaving. Theres only like 6 parking spaces and they share with neighboring small stores but there is additional parking in the back. Its kind of sketch and I hate parking there but… when you do park there, make sure you don’t have any valuables in the car just in case! And if you do happen to park in the back, they have a back entrance.

My favorite Thai place south of Oakland. The owner is super nice and the staff is friendly and efficient. The food is BOMB. A few highlights.
1) Mango pork — typically don’t like my fruit and savory flavors together but this one combined the two so well. So many flavors packed in a simple dish!
2) Tom yum shrimp — hot pot size to share is good for a big group. Flavor and aroma is bold and fresh.
3) Panang curry — Panang curry is my favorite so I’m always super picky about the consistency, peanut to cream to spicy ratio, etc. This Panang curry was on point! Served with extra coconut milk slightly swirled in. What I love is you can distinctly taste all the flavors but they all still integrate so well. Definitely recommend!
Love this place, parking can just be a little tough so if you have a bigger group, carpool!

It amazes me with how popular this place is.
Located off Mission and Industrial in Hayward, it’s in a bit of an oddly placed lot. But there’s a parking lot behind the building and spaces in front of the building as well.
Continuing on to the restaurant, there’s plenty of seating available for couples to parties of a dozen people. The staff is friendly, not really attentive because usually when I go – phone is ringing off the hook for to-​go orders and there’s plenty of dine-​in patrons as well.
Although it is a combination Thai and Vietnamese food, I absolutely love there Tom Kha and their pad thai. Their tom kha is the right amount of spicy and sweet to help ease a cold/​flu or just enjoy on a day you crave soup.
I often order from here whenever I crave some good yellow chicken curry as well. New combo my boyfriend and I added together to order from here. Their yellow chicken curry and an order of garlic noodles. If you have not discovered that yet, I suggest you go or order from Red Chili and do so! It is DELICIOUS!

What was I thinking in 2012? We are obsessed with this place. I admit, its not top quality Vietnamese and Thai foods, but for the flavors, portion, and price, this place cures all of our Thai/​Viet foods cravings. We frequent this place every 2 weeks or so.
The foods here are pretty dang good. Each dish has yet to disappoint us. The menu is very extensive, I thought the wide selection would hinder the quality of the foods but to my amazement, each dish I ordered became the best *insert dish* I had in the Hayward/​UC area.
Tom Yum Soup with seafood: The best tom yum we’ve had in the East Bay. The soup is flavorful and they don’t skimp on the spice. The medium is Thai medium and that’s enough for me. It’s spicy but not spicy enough that I can’t taste the flavors. We always order a huge pot for less than $ 10. We pack half of it as leftovers and eat it for a meal the next day with rice. So that’s like $ 5/​meal? Steal!
Pad Kee Mao: I think I like this better than Sala Thai’s. The flavors are all there and the portions are huge! Lots of vegetables and it’s a bit oily but it didn’t bother me as much. If you’re hungry, this dish will surely fill you up. I think I ordered hot on the spice and it was perfectly spicy for me. Definitely cleared up my nostrils.
Phở: It took me awhile to try their phở since I’m always skeptical of any place that doesn’t specialize in phở. However, today I decided to try their phở and here I am so eager to share my experience… Best phở we’ve had in Hayward. For $ 8.75, you get a large with either a combo or choose 3 types of meat! I couldn’t find any phở spots that let me get just the beef balls, rare steak, and beef brisket in one bowl! I killed the entire phở bowl since I was starving, but light eaters may want to stick to regular. The broth was flavorful and noodles were plentiful. Only thing I wish they changed is to provide fresher vegetables; the jalapenos tasted so dull.
My bf ordered their roti and pad see ew and he very much enjoyed his meal (he’s a tough pleaser). We’ll be back here!!! Also, I saw on their menu «real fruit smoothies». The other day I was venting about a phở place that served syrupy overly sweet smoothies and here is my chance to finally get fresh fruit smoothies for less than $ 4 with pearls… I’M COMING BACK!

We had a great meal on a Saturday night. loved it so much that I have a Thursday lunch club that we have been doing to about 3yrs now! So I took the boys here. I was on a curry kick, needed it so yellow on Sat with my FAM. Then I had some red spicey curry on Thursday with my buddy’s. Both are amazing. Best curry in Hayward so far! Rolls combo sampler was great. But they had the mango with sticky coconut rice and OMG loved it! I recommend this place good for Vietnamese food also. I was just on a curry kick. Enjoy peace be with you!

I just love this place! I’m in here at least once or twice a month.
A big fan of the pad Kee Mao Kama as well as the chicken yellow curry.
I have a hard time handling spicy food Kama so I tell them no spice. But it is full of flavor. Once made the mistake of saying mild and it nearly burned my tongue off. But you know when the food is just so good you finished eating anyways!
Seen a variety of food being ordered and do I rarely see a plate left unfinished.

F**king disgusting.
Ordered food to go last week and all of it tasted like it was sitting for a long, long, LONG-F****ING-TIME. We ordered the garlic noodles that were practically noodles with garlic powder sprinkled all over it. Noodles were old and dry, gross. We also ordered the grounded beef and eggplant basil dish — the meat was hard as if it were overcooked or a day or two old. The pad Thai lacked flavor and was hard… like a damn brick (house, lol). The Panang curry lacked flavor. gag. DO NOT EAT HERE EVER. This place has lost its quality and food safety. Fml and fyl. RUN AWAY!!!

I really love love love this Thai spot. Everything I have ever ordered has been quality filled and tasty. Papaya salad is on point. (If you’ve read my other reviews, you’d know I order this dish at every Thai restaurant I go to). Green curry is now my favorite. When I’m feeling especially splurgy (lol), I add shrimp to the curry. Prices aren’t bad, and the curry is damn good.
Lately, most of my orders have been to go. Every time I’ve ordered, the food has been ready before the 15 – 20 minute suggested wait time. Gotta say, I can’t complain. Service has been good, but at some point, I have to sit down and test out the service inside the restaurant.
It’s always busy during lunch time, which is a good sign, but it means that their parking lot in the back is probably packed. Sometimes, I have to sit in my car until a party leaves and I can take the spot. But it usually works out, since I get there early for my to-​go order, and then as soon as a space has opened up, I park, get my food, and head out.

I used to love you. You were the best Thai option when I was at Cal State Hayward, but you changed your ways. Quality went down, and service went alllllll the way down.
When an Asian person orders STICKY RICE for dessert, don’t give me a friggin plate of STEAMED WHITE RICE and tell me it’s the same thing. Are you kidding me? I’ve eaten steamed rice with my meals every day for the past 30 years. I KNOW the difference. Let me see you eat plain steamed rice for dessert and see how you like it.
This happened over a year ago, but I’m still bitter about it. Goodbye forever, jerks.

Definitely an overdue review, I’ve been a fan of Red Chili’s food for a long time and over the past few visits, I’ve noticed that their service has been getting a lot better. They used to be a bit short-​staffed, but now they’ve hired more servers and their kitchen has become more efficient at pushing out food. There are glitches still now and then, but the improvement has been significant. The caliber of food is still amazing, especially for the savory noodle dishes such as Pad Kee Mao and Pad See Ew, as well as the Tom Yum soup and the avocado spring (summer?) rolls.
A recent discovery, I absolutely adore the avocado spring rolls here (
). This is an alternative option to the traditional spring rolls (
) where the vermicelli is replaced by creamy avocado. I was a little hesitant to try this version initially, but the avocado balances the basil and mint perfectly. It’s a very simple appetizer dish overall, but a really tasty option while waiting for the main course.
The Tom Yum soup here is pretty darn good, and there are two size options. The larger comes in a hot pot and serves multiple portions of four. I always opt for the version with prawns, as it comes laced with a generous portion of prawns as well as mushrooms, tomatoes, baby corn, and of course lemongrass. The lemongrass is fresh and fragrant, and the actual sprigs used definitely make a difference instead of just having the muted flavoring of lemongrass there. The heat is definitely prevalent, and I always opt for mild because the lemongrass intensifies the heat quite a bit.
Out of all the Thai restaurants I’ve been to, I still prefer Red Chili’s version of Pad Kee Mao the best. The long, flat noodles are cooked perfectly and sauteed in a way so that they are whole. Many other restaurants tend to have versions where the rice noodles themselves retain good flavor but are physically mushed by the stir-​frying. Here, the noodles are elastic and add an element of pleasing texture in addition to the spot-​on flavoring. The spiciness here is definitely at a spicier level than most other restaurants, and I haven’t ventured further than a medium for that reason (I usually order mild). The bell peppers, egg, and basil all sport a really nice smoky flavor, and my favorite option of meat to get with this dish is definitely the beef. The meat comes out extremely tender and well-​seasoned, and they offer options of chicken, pork, or vegetarian tofu as alternatives to beef (but trust me, get the beef).
As a slight aside, I’m not a huge fan of the Pad Thai because I prefer my Pad Thais more on the saucy, vinegary side. The version here has nicely cooked noodles, but it veers sweet and a tad dry, and I adore the Pad Kee Mao so much that I always have trouble ordering any other noodle dish.
I also like the Thai fried rice, but it comes in as a second choice to the Pad Kee Mao. It’s tossed with chunks of tomato, egg, a choice of meat, and somewhat subtle but tasty seasoning. It’s hard to describe exactly what makes the fried rice good because it’s more of a pairing dish than anything else, but I have yet to find another version that does such a good job of not overwhelming the palate while still providing an aromatic dish on its own.
Last but not least, I’m a fan of the fried eggplant dish (I forgot the specific name). It does veer on the slightly salty side so it’s nice to pair it with rice, but the eggplant comes sauteed with a choice of ground meat (I usually get pork for this dish), bell peppers, basil, and various spices. The eggplant is always cooked to perfection so that it’s soft but not mushy, the sauce is aromatic and really tasty paired with rice, and I believe it’s offered as a smaller lunch portion for a less carb-​intensive option.
As if I didn’t have enough data points from coming here on my own, I took my parents here recently and my mom, being the most picky eater I know (yes, pickier than I am), loved the dishes I mentioned above. I can’t remember the last time she actually wanted to go back to a restaurant so soon after the initial visit, and I can’t argue with her palate. It looks like I’ll be back sooner rather than later.

This was one of my favorite spots in high school. After moving to LA 8 years ago, I hadn’t been back.
My old dish of choice was the red curry chicken. After having it again, it’s still the best I’ve eaten. It’s so packed with flavor that you’ll want to lick the bowl afterwards. The green curry, which my dad ordered, is also really tasty.
My girlfriend got the Pad Thai, and it was just okay. I told her to get the Thai curry, but she insisted on the Pad Thai and ended up not liking it very much. I had heard it was good, so maybe this was just a fluke.
The prices at this place are fantastic. My curry was only $ 10 and they give you so much food! If you order rice, they give you large portions also (brown rice is an option).
The honeydew pearl drink is one of the best. My girlfriend got that, but I opted for the taro – which is also good.
Our waitress wasn’t exactly the friendliest lady – she just didn’t smile much – but the food came out promptly and hot.
After years of not being back, it looks as though Red Chili hasn’t skipped a beat. They’re still a great choice if you want some amazing Thai curry.

While moving to Hayward, my husband and I drove up and down Mission Blvd. a bunch of times to move the rest of our smaller items. I noticed this place and tried it out sometime after we moved to the area.
This has become my go-​to spot for Vietnamese/​Thai — it’s not the best food, but it is definitely delicious, great menu prices, and a 5 minute drive from my house (can’t complain about that!). I have tried their Banh Xeo (Half moon crêpe on their menu), Egg Rolls, Cambodia Noodles, rice plates, fried fish with chili sauce, and eggplant/​tofu. I usually order their Cambodia Noodles, which I love — it has a chicken broth, thin slices of pork, seafood, and your choice of rice or egg noodles. Usually the hubby switches it up more often and we recently had the fried fish which I really enjoyed. All of the other items have been on the okay side.
Service is always good here — the servers are always friendly even when they are super busy and you might have to wait longer for service. This place tends to be packed every time I come.
I don’t need to say that I’ll return — gotta love my frequented neighborhood spots!

The Boyfriend was extremely craving for phở. We decided to have dinner here before the game which starts at 7:30pm. Man oh man, upon arrival at 6pm… there was no guidance of where to wait to be seated since we came in from the back. They definitely looked understaffed!
There was a sign-​in sheet, the host was oblivious of who was next on the list… makes you wonder why do you even have one…
Finally when we were seated, my boyfriend and I was told to changed not just 1, but to 3 different tables due to a big party waiting… Before the 3^rd change it literally took another 10 min. for them to take our order. Not a happy look on my face.
Food was good, I had their Chicken Panang Curry and the Boyfriend had their combo Phở. And you can never go wrong with Roti! If the food was not good, I would’ve just paid and walked out.

The service: poor.
The food: overall good.
The price: average
The restaurant itself: standard
We sat quickly, but we got serviced nearly 15 minutes to get water and even longer to get someone to take our order. I had to flag someone down, and even after that, the woman who came to take our order was a different person.
For the appetizers — We got the spring rolls. They weren’t anything special, and the peanut sauce was on the runny side. The roti canai was good, but it was a little small.
For the main dishes — I got the green curry, and it was really good. It had a good amount of stuff within the curry itself, so that was nice. The pad kee mao and thai fried rice were also good. PS: The restaurant uses red chili flakes for heat.

I’ve been here 4 times now & every time is a pleasant experience. This time, we came in around 7:30pm on a Thursday night. It was pretty busy, but we were sat pretty quickly. Parking is always a hassle here because their front parking lot is always full & their back parking lot isn’t that big either so we always park next door at Burger King.
We ordered within 5 minutes & got our food within the next 15 minutes. Even though it was busy, we got our food pretty fast. The food always tastes good no matter what we order. My friends and I have been here several times already & none of us have ever ordered anything we didn’t like. It’s a combination Thai & Vietnamese restaurant so there’s always something to satisfy whatever you’re feeling like having. Vietnamese iced coffee is always a good drink to pair with whatever you order.
I had the combination phở with your choice of 3 meats. The soup was hot & the food was cooked to perfection. Not too over cooked, but just right. Phở is always a good choice on a cold night.
The server was really knowledgable & knew the menu very well. It’s nice to have a server who is prompt & quick with service. Would definitely be back here again for my 5^th time!

I love this place. I have been coming to Red Chili ever since I went to the high school down Mission. I love this place because they have both Thai and Vietnamese food and both are really good and fairly authentic. They have everything from curries, to pad thai, to phở, to rice dishes, etc. All their food is fairly priced too and the portion sizes are good. They even have lunch portions for cheaper during the lunch hours. The one thing I wish they would add to their menus here is crab fried rice. Usually I get pad thai here and it’s really good. What’s nice about this place is unlike others, you get different types of protein. They both tofu, chicken, egg and shrimp. At most places you have to choose just one and this place does all of it without extra charge.
The service is pretty good here. The food doesn’t take long for the most part. I will say though that a few times I’ve been here it’s been so packed that there was no parking, no tables and it took forever to be served. This was during lunch time. I won’t knock off any stars for it though because it was just one time. They have their own parking lot, but if it’s full it’s really difficult to get in and out of and you might just have to park at the shopping area next door. It’s nothing too bad though. For the most part, you don’t have to worry about long lines or lack of parking because it’s not usually super packed/​understaffed. It is worth it though. There is a reason the place can get like that. The restaurant is also really clean. They keep the place nice and neat and the bathrooms aren’t terrible.
Overall, great asian restaurant in the Hayward area. The food is fairly priced and it’s really good quality.

3.5 stars I remember coming to this place BY (before Unilocal) when they first opened as a Phở joint. Since then I have seen pics of the Thai food on Unilocal so we decided to give it a try. Arrived at 7 pm and the parking lot in the rear had just one space waiting for me and the restaurant was ¾ full. We proceeded to order the following:
Pad Kra Praw ground pork with veggies in a sweet spicy red sauce very good
Seafood Combo Sizzling Platter. The platter was not sizzling but tasted OK
Chicken Larb the chicken was a bit dry and that’s probably why it was swimming is sauce.
Garlic Noodles were very good not greasy.
Service was excellent and the food came out fast.