Lemongrass Plates

I ordered chicken pad thai and it was okay. They just put the different things on the plate and served. Thai ice tea was also just okay. I wish I would have tried Panda Express instead.

I went here for the first time and ordered the famous Chicken Grilled Plate with peanut sauce. It was very delicious and quite filling. I also got the iced thai milk tea too, which does not have boba but tasted very authentic still. This place is up to standards. Will definitely come back again.

The food is pretty good. I enjoy the chicken plate which has a good amount of white rice, a generous amount of grilled chicken and several pieces of zucchini topped with a peanut sauce. I eat here often because the place is very consistent and seems to be relatively healthy.

Really delish!
My son is gf and it was the only place at price center with Gluten free food, he adored the chicken red curry! I had the chicken plate with zucchini. Love zucchini. So many places want to give you broccoli, which I can’t stand. Sauce is spicy. I got it on the side. Amazing flavors in both dishes. Huge portions. Too. Recyclable containers. Very pleased!
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Portions sizes have improved immensely since when this spot first opened on campus. It’s probably the best Asian food in PC albeit not entirely authentic. I’ve only tried the grilled chicken with peanut sauce and curry and would definitely recommend both :) the grilled zucchini balances the meal and is a better vegetable option than the measly salad at tapex.

Definitely a solid place to grab food when you are on campus. Lemongrass Plates originated from the stand that was always grilling and had extremely long lines on those busy Tuesday farmer’s market days. Makes sense that they would want to stay on campus if they were doing so well coming out every week.
I’ve tried the Red Curry and the Grilled Plate with Chicken.
Red Curry: definitely way more worth it than the Grilled Plate with Chicken, in my opinion. Comes with a better rice: sauce ratio, and you get succulent pieces of chicken that are not, at times, overly burnt as in the grilled plate. The other vegetables that come with the dish also work well with the rest. It’s similar to Thai curry, so imagine that, but with a thicker texture.
Grilled Plate with Chicken: of course, this was the dish that was the most popular. I agree, the peanut sauce that they use is great. However, they skimp so hard when it comes to this. Really? Can’t you just add a bit more? Honestly, if they just did that then this place would be racking up 4 – 5 stars and a lot more happy customers. It’s a simple change. But alas. They give so much rice in comparison. The chicken pieces, at times, are also slightly burnt, which gives it a nice crisp but it can be a bit too much. The grilled zucchini is an excellent pair with it though.
Overall, the prices are okay and the flavors are there, but I think that they could definitely improve the rice: sauce ratio. I feel like they just try to crank out as much as they can and get away with the minimum.

this place sucks, school needs to stop letting trashy food like this have a place in pc. Completely pathetic food, bad tasting, lackluster content, stingy portioning. I had some better expectations from the recommendations of others, but it did exceed my expectation in the worst direction, disappointment beyond belief.

It’s a hit or a miss. First time i got it– i was SUPER disappointed. The chicken was almost burnt and there wasnt enough sauce. Second time, though, chicken was good! But still, very little sauce and they charge $ 0.75 for extra. Which honestly is a lot for one spoonful of sauce. I almost feel like they only give you a little bit so you would pay more for that extra sauce. In any case, the peanut sauce tastes really good– has a bit of a spicy kick but not too bad. Chicken plate was $ 8.10. The guy at the cashier was super efficient and friendly!

Love that they opened a shop up here in UCSD price center. This is my go to place and I always order the chicken plate. Male cashier always so nice, never remember his name unfortunately. Needless to say, service is always great.
I always order extra peanut sauce for my chicken plate and it does wonders. I generally don’t eat zucchini but man is it great. Problem I have with the plate along with many others it seems is the inconsistency of portions of chicken and rice. But whatever it always fills me up so I don’t care much. Never tried anything else on the menu, maybe I’ll try the chicken plate with teriyaki sauce?

This is between a 2 and a 3. The food is lack luster. Somehow the smell of them grilling the meat (available to be smelled from around the atm area) is nothing compared to the actual taste. The meat is somewhat bland. The salad is kind of sad to look at and the peanut sauce is an ordeal. Like really, make sure it’s not stuck in your teeth after you eat it. The rice to meat ratio seems confused and somehow the rice just doesn’t seem to be good. The grains are supremely flavorless and are pretty congealed together. Maybe I had a bad batch… the three times I went there.
Unfortunately the worst part is the ordering process. The line is arduous and the times I went, there seemed to not be an ounce of urgency up at the register. Perhaps it’s because the cashier couldn’t see the entire line which was one beast of a conga line by the time I got to it. Out of sight, out of mind I suppose. It was definitely the longer I’ve ever had to wait for food in PC. It’s okay though.
Oh! The lemonade is standard. Nothing to write home about. Obviously something to write here about. But it was pretty whatever. Simply lemonade.

After all my friends at school raving about this, I finally tried it after 5 months later. There were a lot of people in line, and lemongrass seems to be the most popular one in price center
I ordered the signature plate which is the red chicken curry. It wasn’t bad ! But it wasn’t …superb either. And I feel like a $ 9 plate should at least put some side salad or small dish in it? I don’t know, it just look kind of sad when I opened it.
My friend told me I ordered the wrong thing, so I probably need to go try it again.
First try: ³⁄₅!

Decided to give them a second try because they were probably just getting their bearings when I first reviewed them.
I have never had food poisoning in my life. Ever. And I’m the guy who’ll eat very questionable things, be it something that fell on the floor, or something that’s been sitting out a little too long. Now I’m sitting here in my room miserable as hell because I decided to give them a second chance

Got the sandwich with beef topped with peanut sauce. Lotta bread, beef was alright, sauce is what made it taste much better.
I also ordered a ginger green tea. Bland with barely any ginger. If you want a good ginger flavored drink, I’d suggest Tender Greens for their Ginger Brew

Pretty much the only thing I’d come back on campus for… This used to be a Tuesday only place at the UCSD Farmers Market. There was always long lines, and over the year they increased the price and decreased the portion. Though the quality stayed the same, just as delicious! I guess from that they have saved enough money to open a shop on campus.
They have way more options on their menus now with different kinds of protein (chicken, beef, pork, tofu, and salmon), and you can have them not only in rice, but also a salad, a wrap, or a sandwich! I love having options! Although I have always gone with the good ol’ Grilled Chicken Rice with Peanut Sauce. I tried the steak once before because they were out of chicken, and it was not bad as well!
Yes, their portions are very inconsistent, it’s like winning the lottery when you get a full box of food, but we all know that they’ve worked hard to give UCSD students another affordable option on campus. Plus the cashier guy is super nice!
Don’t forget to try their drinks, my personal favorite is the Ginger Green Tea!

I don’t get what is so hyped up about this restaurant. A plate of grilled meat and veggies with some sauce that makes this place unique but they don’t even give you enough, and its extra charge for more. I actually don’t like the flavor of actual lemongrass but you don’t taste it that much in the chicken. The best part IMO are the zucchinis!
It’s A-​OK. Good and healthy, a little expensive but healthy food is always expensive. I hope those with peanut allergies know that the sauce is peanut sauce! Extra sauce is an additional charge, but does it really cost them that much to give us another serving of sauce? The meat in my experience has always been fresh, warm, and grilled perfectly. Definitely going to try to salad and Pad Thai next time.

So happy that I don’t have to wait til the Tuesday farmers market to get my fix! I know they’re still working out the knots, because the wait can be long and the food pick-​up confusing, but give them some time. Seems like the food quality hasn’t suffered from the permanent move. The thai tea is great and the grilled chicken plate just as tasty.

Grilled chicken plate with zucchini and peanut sauce is still as good as it always was at farmer’s market. Chicken still has that nice grilled/​slightly charred flavor. The zucchini is grilled perfectly. Relatively healthy and tasty option for under $ 10 in price center. Definitely one of the better places to get food at UCSD. The concept for their grilled plate is pretty simple and not super unique, but they execute it well. I used to always use to line up for Lemongrass during farmer’s market during my time at UCSD. On my most recent visit to Lemongrass’ PC location, the line wasn’t bad at all during lunch time and moved very quickly and efficiently. I haven’t tried anything else on their menu and probably never will as the grilled chicken plate has always been their staple, so I can’t vouch for any of the other items here. The portion of the grilled chicken plate seems to have gotten larger, but so have the prices. I think they have been raising the prices slightly every now and then at farmer’s market, from about $ 6 dollars when they first opened to now $ 8. Overall, Lemongrass is probably more like a 3.5 especially with the price increases, but it’s still one of the better food options on campus, so for that I bump them up!

Love their grilled plates! If you’re a vegetarian, you can substitute chicken/​pork for tofu! Also if you don’t like the peanut sauce, substitute it for teriyaki sauce!
The grilled chicken plate is amazing! Although my only complaint is that the proportion of rice to meat ratio is off. I always finish the rice and have just the meat left over. They also normally give you 3 zucchini slices, wish they gave more though but it’s delicious!
The line is usually pretty long during lunchtime but the wait time isn’t that bad.
Grilled chicken plate: $ 7.50
Extra peanut sauce: $ 0.75

I’m really happy to see them have a permanent spot at the Price Center — it really adds a nice new option to the mix. I’ve had three of their dishes so far — the classic plate, the sandwich and the Pad Thai, all with chicken. The grilled chicken and zucchini on the plate and sandwich and the delicious peanut sauce are as good as ever. I’m not sure if they’re doing the grilling in the back or bringing it in grilled, but it still has the nice char taste and yet we’re not standing in a smoke cloud like when they were outside. The sandwich is a good value — it’s sort of like an overgrown banh mi. Loads of meat and veggies, in a really nice French roll. I had to get a start on it with a fork before I could even pick it up. I wish they would use some marinated cucumber sticks instead of the lettuce, but it’s very filling and I’d rather have the good bread than white rice. The fact it costs a little less is just a bonus!
The Pad Thai is interesting. I think it’s better than it was when they were outside, and it’s better IMHO than the one at Hi Thai — the chicken is better quality and there’s more fresh sprouts in it. But it is definitely a smaller portion than you get at Hi Thai for a similar price.
Right now they’re a little bit of a victim of their own popularity — if you go during the lunch peak time they just can’t keep up with the demand and you wait quite a while. But at other times they move right through.

I’m so glad that Lemongrass has finally opened their place on campus! It’s nice to be able to get their food any day of the week and not have to wait until Farmers Market on Tuesdays. The line wraps around and down the hall during lunch but it moves really quickly. Their grilled chicken plate with the peanut sauce is definitely the best thing to get.
Pros:
— Consistency — it’s always delicious and fresh
— I didn’t even know that I liked zucchini until I tried theirs with the peanut sauce
— Service is relatively quick, even when it’s really busy
— Good price for the quality of food
Cons:
— The portion size could be too small if you’re really hungry
— Their peanut sauce is so good but they don’t give enough with their regular portion
Overall:
— Definitely worth a try

Yes, UCSD, it is true. What was once only a Tuesday Farmer’s Market special is now an everyday possibility.
Let me start off by saying: I didn’t really «get» the hype about this place, except when it comes to their peanut sauce. They KNOW they have a winner with that stuff, and they are right. That sauce is amazing. They should sell bottles of it. I’d buy it by the case.
They had a bit of a rough start (super long lines and not enough staff to accommodate), but are smooth sailing now. The menu is pretty much the same as when it was at the farmer’s market, so that’s nice.
All things considered, this place is aight. Definitely one of the better campus options, but if it wasn’t at UCSD, I wouldn’t come here just because it’s not too special. The chicken itself is grilled and tastes just fine, and the vegetables as well. I love a good grilled zucchini, so I am glad they offer it!
Stick to the rice plate with extra sauce. This is the classic, this is the thing. I sometimes get the pad thai, which is also just okay, but sometimes I just want the noods, so there ya go.
I welcome them to their new home at UCSD, and appreciate their hard work and dedication to bringing some dang good sauce.

Lemongrass is the newest eatery on campus. For the first few weeks of it being open, the line was outrageously line. As I’ve read, this place used to serve at the Farmer’s Market, but it is now permanently on campus! The line was always so long at the Farmer’s Market, as well. I decided to eat there today because there actually was no line.
I originally intended to get a salad, but considering both a salad and chicken pad Thai are the same exact price ($ 7.75), I decided to go with the latter. I immediately regretted my decision afterwards.
Their pad Thai is better than Hi Thai, which is also on campus (and I will never go back because both experiences were eh), but it’s still not great. The noodles are very thin and dry and not the noodles I’m used to when eating (good) pad Thai. I think the noodles can make or break the pad Thai. From there, I realized how it wasn’t spicy whatsoever. Thai food should be spicy, but it should also be sweet. I guess no Thai place on campus follows this «spice» rule. This dish was a little too sweet, and too peanut-​y for my liking. At least they give a generous amount of chicken.
On the other hand, the Thai tea is good. I’m not sure if it is pre-​made or what, because right as I ordered it, the cashier handed me an ice cold one from under the counter. I would still prefer TapEx’s Thai tea, though.
I managed to finish my food because I was honestly starving, but I would probably not get their chicken pad Thai again. I’ll stick to a salad or rice dish. The aftertaste it left it my mouth wasn’t very pleasant.

If Lemongrass had a microwaveable version of their original recipe, this would be it.

I can totally see why this place is so popular– aka why there is a wrap around line that goes down the hall of Price Center when it gets really hectic. The food is delicious and fresh tasting, the service (at least for me) was quick, and I didn’t consider the price to be that bad!
Okay– so I got the Lemongrass Chicken Salad (since a girl needs her greens!) and I was really impressed with the speed, the portion, and the presentation of what I got. Though I didn’t really check if the peanut sauce cost extra (more investigation is needed!), I got it since I read some reviews that it is worth it. With the other choice being terayaki, which you can get ANYWHERE, I had to go for the peanut! And WOW– it was killer: though I have a sneaky suspicion that there is coconut milk in that peanut sauce that gives it a sweet and mellow base, there is definitely this heat packed in the sauce that builds up over time. Other than that, salad was not wimpy generic lettuce/​cabbage– it was fresh and crisp– and the chicken was succulent and juicy.
In my opinion and in the context of the other food establishments in the Price Center Area, this food place is definitely a great place to stop by if you are hangry and on campus! The price is ok, the food is great (that peanut sauce doh), and the service is pretty good.

Very disappointed with this place. It’s hard to believe these are the same guys from the farmers market. I ordered a salmon plate and the fish was scrambled up with skin mixed in between. Portion was also very small and the price is way too high. Peanut sauce is fire though.
TLDR; peanut sauce is fire, everything else about this place sucks

Overpriced compared to other options on campus but worth getting if there isn’t a long line. The chicken is incredible and I’m looking to try the pork next. Getting your order can take a while, so don’t get food here if you’re in a rush.
Also wish that they’d offer more options for sides, specifically brown rice in place of white rice in the plates.

I gave it five starts mostly due to it being the healthiest option on campus. Not only is it healthy but the food is damn good. I had a chicken plate with peanut sauce or whatever it was and it was on point. The only downside of this place, which you can’t hold against it is the wait. I waited nearly 15 minutes for the food, but it just opened so you can expect that to be a likely scenario for a while.
I’ll gladly come back if I have the time to wait for amazing food.

Chicken with peanut sauce is so good and so is the ginger green tea!

Their lemongrass bowl is to die for! I’m sad that they got a permanent location ON campus AFTER I graduate. Bummer! But the good news is that if I ever visit, I don’t have to come exactly on Tuesday during Farmer’s Market hours. Their orange sauce is soooo good. I usually don’t eat rice, but I have no problem eating most of the rice with the orange sauce

«Lemongrass Farm Fresh Plates» use to have a stand during the schools Tuesday farmers market. The line was so long (that’s how good the food is) that they moved into the UCSD Price Center (next to Rubio’s). I usually get the grilled chicken and zucchini over rice. Well now that they are in the PC they no longer give you zucchini its a salad :(
I hope they add the zucchini back to their menu. The peanut sauce they put over the sauce is lovely. Mild blend of spices with a little kick, DELICIOUS! Stop by and try any of their «grilled plates».