Papaya Bay

Okay food and service. I don’t care about the odd décor but it was not the cleanest place. Carpets and bathrooms were really dirty.
Service was weird but not bad. Ordered a beer I never got, but didn’t ask for it a second time. Food came out quickly and as ordered.
Spring rolls tasted like the frozen kind you get at the grocery. Pad Thai was really sweet, shrimp were not spoiled but not fresh either. Cashew chicken was better, with lots of fresh veg.
Unilocal reviews are usually reliable. Definite miss this time.

This place has to be a money laundering place there’s no way people like the food or service here. We sat down empty restaurant the waitress had no clue what she was doing didn’t even speak English. The food was horrible no joke. The owner must be a drug dealer or something OR PAYING people to leave good reviews.

Food is ok. The service is really good. The decoration is odd.
It’s definitely worth a try incase this place is for you.
But for us, we felt it was too overpriced for the quality/​quantity

I don’t know whether the food is bad during the day or what, but the food was over priced for the small portions we got, and I ended up eating my wife’s food because it had a really funny smell and she didn’t like it. I’m not a very picky eater and I didn’t enjoy it. I would have like hot dogs and ramen better.
Decent atmosphere, but I would recommend the food.

Excellent Thai food. The staff are all college students and very friendly.

The food was delicious especially the Southern Pad Thai and Hotpot. We had fried banana with sticky rice and it was fantastic! Their service was the best. Really recommend this place if you’re looking for Thai restaurant with the real Thai taste

This restaurant is awesome!!! The foods tasted amazing!!! The workers are friendly. The chef Nat customize a special menu for us even though it was our first time being there. Whoever loves Thai food have to come and try it!!!

This Thai restaurant is one of the best ones I have been. The service is really good, and the food was really tasty. I came here with my girls and we had a few drinks here as well. Recommend the pad thai, tom yum soup, curry chicken, and garlic pepper chicken, soooooo yummy!!!

As a frequenter of Thai restaurants. I can confidently say their pad Thai is on point! Their medium was a bit spicier than the normal medium so watch that if you don’t do spicy well :)
We had the tum yum, Gyoza, and Pad Thai and garlic beef. Everything was good.
They entertain questions about the cuisine and will explain the different dishes to you if asked. I learned quite a bit tonight :)

This is the first time I’ve ever taken time to write a review. Usually my wife and I will read a few of the best reviews and a few of the worst. We usually assume most places are in the middle. And for the most part, we are right.
Tonight, we decided to order take out from this Thai restaurant. We opted for the delivery because we didn’t feel like leaving the house. We decided what we wanted and gave them a call. We got their green curry, orange chicken and shrimp pad thai. The Mrs’ isn’t a huge fan of white rice, so for the green curry we got the vermacilli noodles. We figured since i had to get up early in the morning and go to work, there would be plenty of left overs for 2 people. It cost $ 42 for this. Which is a little higher than we expected, but we figured since we now lived in Oceanside and things are a little more expensive than we are used to it was ok. The store did not have their debit card machine working, no problem we had cash. They charged a $ 4 dollar delivery fee. No problem, the way I looked at it, they said we were sitting on a 45 minute wait whether we ordered take out or delivery. Considering it was playoff baseball and I had a few beers, the drive is just not worth the hassle.
So about right on time it gets here. Not a problem. We open the bag and look inside and the portions are really small. We paid $ 15 for the green curry because we opted for the noodles and it was barely enough for one person. I am by no means a «complainer.» but it was definitely substandard. The food was not bad, not the best, but the cost is ridiculous.

My search for exceptional Thai food in Oceanside has been a struggle. The closer alternatives on Oceanside Blvd have always been convenient enough, reasonably priced and pretty darn tasty (shout out to you — Thai Table), but there was always something lacking.
Papaya Bay’s got it all. My name in their name, for starters. Ha. Each of the three staff members I’ve talked to have brightened my day and really facilitated a quality experience. I have also had perhaps one of the most delicious dishes of my food-​loving life here:
Spicy Catfish. Holy crap. That’s what I kept saying to myself after every bite. Red curry, snow peas, onions and carrots (also bell peppers if you don’t despise them as I do) stir fried with crispy catfish filets (sizable chunks!) in a well-​rounded red curry sauce. I had asked for mine to be a little less spicy, given that I’m a major spice wuss, and the spice level was absolutely perfect. My goodness, the spicy catfish.
Nat, the owner, was my initial Papaya Bay ambassador. I called to order delivery and somehow ended up talking about beer and other such pleasantries for a brief while. What made this an even more incredible first experience was to have the owner personally deliver my tasty Thai dindins right to my door (less than an hour before closing, no less!). Man– now that’s service! Note: delivery usually starts around 6pm — call to check!
Jazzy was my liaison the second time, when I called in an order to pick up. This was when I met the love of my life — Spicy Catfish. Jazzy was so sweet and personable over the phone, she even called me back 20 minutes later as the Thai Goddess in the kitchen was finishing up my order. Amazing. The incredible takeout box doodle also made me smile when I got home — guessing that was the work of Miss Jazzy.
All in all, I friggin’ love this place. I am moving in a few weeks to Seattle, and I only wish I had found them earlier. The reviews concerning their décor are bogus. The heart and soul of a place is the people that run it, the love they put into their food and service, and how the guest walks away feeling. The décor is classy, casual and tasteful — don’t be fooled by negative reviews. Give these guys a try– you won’t be disappointed!
Also — they brew their own beer!

Do you like good Thai food, amazing customer service, and adorable Sailor Moon doodles on your to go boxes? Then Papaya Bay may be just the place for you.
They are vegetarian and vegan friendly. The customer service is stellar. The food is delicious. The décor is adorable.
Go here whenever you get the chance!

Great service and good food. Ask the chef to introduce you to different Thai dishes if you are willing to explore the cuisine. However, the grounds need some improvement on the cleanliness though.
It was our first time here and we tried their Thai iced tea, papaya salad, Ayutthaya noodle soup and the Southern Pad Thai. The flavors and quality of ingredients were all great with reasonable portions. Two of us finished everything. Thai iced tea was flavorful and not too sweet. Good drink. I really appreciate that they sliced the cabbage in the papaya salad to make eating easier. Most papaya salads I had just included a chunk of cabbage and you had to peel it yourself. The flavors were good but honestly not the best I had, still delicious though and we finished the whole thing! The Ayutthaya noodle soup had a flavor we never tried before; it was nothing like the boat noodle soup or phở or any kind of soup base we had before. It had a greenish color so it didn’t surprise me when I found out it was a vegetable-​based broth. The chef said that way they could accommodate vegetarians too; it’s very nice of them! We are not vegetarians so we did appreciate the tender slices of beef in our bowl :-) The Southern Pad Thai was different from regular pad thai in that they used coconut milk to finish it off so it’s a bit more moist than the regular version, however we both enjoyed the coconut flavor and a more creamier texture.
The staff who work there are college students and the business helps fund their education which is a very noble idea. Education is always a good thing. All the staff were very friendly and attentive.
One big downside is the cleanliness and the overall feeling of the restaurant. It looked and felt run-​down with the dirty carpet, chairs and window sills. The empty, dim-​lit bar area at the back of the restaurant right in front of us when we walked in did not help improve our impression either. I understand current financial times might be tough for small business owners, but it really doesn’t require hiring an extra person to vacuum the carpet, keep the chairs free of food debris, wipe down the tablecloths and the window sills. It’s really not that hard. Doing this simple task can immediately improve the impression of first-​time customers. And any abandoned or seemingly abandoned section in a restaurant is always a bad idea. They could’ve decorated the bar area at the back a little even with just empty bottles of wine or whatever. I don’t know if it’s always been empty like that. It’s just weird and never a good feng shui idea to leave things empty in a business location…
It’s great that they put their efforts and time to create good food and provide good service, but it’s a dining establishment after all and the presentation of the place does matter. Nothing fancy is necessary, just some regular cleaning maintenance work like our weekly house chores would suffice. I hope they can work on it and appreciate the importance of a clean, well-​kept restaurant.
If you are concerned about dining in, ordering to-​go is definitely a great idea because their food and service were great!

Wow, I’ve been reading some of the reviews and I don’t agree with the décor. The carpet is very dirty and the windows are bad, you can see spider webs at the lower part of the frame work. The mens restroom hasn’t been cleaned in a while, no paper towels, burnt-​out light bulbs.
Now my cury of the day came after a short wait, not bad. The red cury is delicious.
I wish the place was more presentable (cleaner).

Came here with a large party at the recommendation of someone in our group who knows Nat (the chef). The friend was very persistent the entire day that we needed to come, and after having dinner there we all experienced why.
Nat was super friendly and knowledgeable about his dishes. He told us that he cooks his food with love and I believe him!
They’re well-​known for their pad thais, but I got the Yellow Curry. Some of the dishes others in the group got were the Southern Pad Thai, Northern Pad Thai, Panang Curry, and Green Curry. Both pad thais were flavorful and delicious. The Yellow Curry was also good, not too rich. Those that tried it really liked it. Two guys in our group actually ended up ordering a Yellow Curry after finishing their pad thais because they liked it so much.
We got mango sticky rice and fried bread banana for dessert. Both were really good! No scraps left behind.
Ask about the decorations around the restaurant if you get the chance! Lots of cool stories about them.
I’ll definitely be coming back if I’m in the area!

Do I give five stars often? No. Would I come back here? Yes! The food was amazingly flavored.
The restaurant is kid of hidden. We were the only customers on a Saturday night — you ate definitely missing out!
The prik keen was yummy and the pad Thai was not your typical one. It had mucho flavor. I loved the coconut flavor!
Come come come! Plus the owner is very friendly and puts mucho love into his cooking!

Yum! Yum! Yum! Somewhat hidden inside the plaza and with just the white and black banner you might miss this little gem of a restaurant. They are fairly new I believe.
I met up for an early dinner with a friend after she got outta work around 4:30pm on a Friday. Was quiet. With only a couple other people.
Been on a healthy vegan kick, so I ordered the Green Curry with Tofu. It was superb! Sooo yummy! Flavor was excellent with lots of veggies. Portion size was good. Prices were average. Paid $ 11 sumtin for my curry dish.
When Im off this diet I’m definitely coming back and trying the Thai tea and some of there other curry options, fried rice, noodle options, etc.
The service was pleasant, always checked on and very personable. Got some background on the place from our server saying how the owner was a college student who decided to open his own restaurant and hires college students to help them out.
I really liked this place but think it’s just a little hidden. Happy to support this little start up!

After the glowing Unilocal reviews I thought I’d give this place a shot. I called in for delivery. The person who answered the phone was polite and helpful and I placed an order for Chicken Satay, Pad Thai with Pork, and Breaded Bananas. Total came to 33 dollars, which I thought was a bit pricey, but I figured there was a delivery fee somewhere in there.
When the food arrived the driver was a very nice girl and she came within the time quoted. This, however, is where the good part ends.
I opened up my Pad Thai and it looked a bit.drab. It was a solid dark brown everywhere and the bean sprouts were almost non-​existant. My first couple of bites were terrible. The noodles were like rubber and I could not bite down on them had enough to tear them. The sauce was REALLY salty and the fish sauce was overpronounced. I couldn’t eat it, had to put it aside. So I thought maybe the chicken satay would save the day. Nope. It was dry, lacked flavor, and lacked the cucumber salad that was supposed to accompany it. Unsatisfied I moved onto the breaded bananas. They were okay, at best. Greasy and flavorless. And for some reason they piled a bunch of crunchy bits in one corner instead of on top the bananas.
Maybe I just got a bad batch, or they haven’t quite figured out deliver, but I will not be coming back. Overall I paid for 33 dollars in food and I’m left still hungry.

My best friend Elsie brought me here when Nat first opened up, and let me tell you, you can’t pay for the above and beyond customer service they all provide. The staff is so friendly and knowledgable, so they’re willing to help you decide what to order.
The art all over the restaurant is fantastic and hand picked by Nat (he’s got stories, just ask!) The bar area wasn’t quite finished when I was still there, but I’m betting it’s amazing.
I love having the Duck Pad-​Siew (duck with veggies and noodles), my favorite! You must also have their desert! He put a different twist on the traditional Thai Mango Sticky Rice dessert and serves it with ice cream! YUM!
And last but not least, Thai tea, because why not and theirs is so great!
So if you’re ever in Oceanside, definitely stop by this amazing place. The food is made with so much love and care for their customers. You will not regret it!

I ate here last week with the boyfriend and the décor, price, service and food was top notch!
Best Pad Thai I have ever had and Pring King my boyfriend had was Amazing.
Best Thai Restaurant in the Oceanside area!!!