E-San Thai Cuisine

I’ve been getting curry from this location for quite some time. The first few times I ordered it, they were happy to make it vegan (no fish oil) for me. It was delicious. Lately, even when I ask for it vegan, it had a fishy taste to it but I trusted that they didn’t add anything animal-​based. I learned today that they add fish oil to EVERYTHING even though they advertise vegan options. I don’t know when this changed but it’s clear that they are lying about being diet-​restriction friendly and taking people’s money anyway. I’m extremely disappointed and angered. I won’t come here again. I wish I could give negative 5 stars.

$ 3 worth of totally unimpressive food for $ 9. That’s what I got: a tiny portion of flavorless chicken on plain rice with the equivalent of 2 – 3 slices of cucumber and a bit of overly salty, overly garlicky sauce. I will NEVER waste my money here again. I only am giving two stars instead of one because the food was not horrible tasting, nor have I gotten sick from it. There are so many good Thai places in Portland. Avoid this one.

Good flavor in the sauce but wasn’t crazy about what was in it. It looked like based on the pic i’d get green beans and few other vegetables with chicken. What I got was mostly mushrooms with 3 green beans along with few pieces of chicken. I hate mushrooms. Not a lot in it. Wasn’t worth the money.

I recommend the Pad Gra Prau. It’s just so nicely balanced with the sweet and salty. The onions are not over stir fried. I just gobble it up!

E-​San makes solid Thai food. It exceeded my rather low expectations, though it didn’t exactly blow me away.
I ordered the chicken pad Thai, medium-​spicy (4 on a scale of 5 in terms of heat). It took a while for them to make it, but I was impressed with the portion size when it came out, and with the fact that they provided a couple lime slices and a huge pile of beans sprouts to go with it. Chicken was plentiful in the dish, as were vegetables – it wasn’t just noodles with a chunk or two of stuff here and there. I was bummed that it didn’t have much spice to it, though – definitely cooked on the mild side. Plus, I felt it lacked some of the peanut sweetness I associate with good pad Thai. It wasn’t bad, just kind of bland.
The menu is pretty long, though, so maybe they have another dish that’s a bit better (kind of like how Diamond Thai was). That said, considering how popular pad Thai is, you’d think they’d have it down pretty well.
$ 7.35 is relatively cheap for Thai food, but it’s not exactly a bargain – that seems to be the standard for a meal at the SE 28^th/​Division foodcarts. With other carts serving better food nearby for the same price (and sometimes cheaper!), I don’t think I can exactly recommend E-​San Thai Cuisine, though I wouldn’t say it’s bad, either. It serves a purpose if you’re craving Thai food for a few bucks less than you’d find at the sit-​down restaurants nearby and don’t mind if it’s a little dull.