Jhan Thong

Good… but a little off from what I remember. I had the Pad Thai, Eggplant and Red Chicken Curry. Everything looked and smelled like I remember but when I finally got home and dug in, it just seemed a little flat. The Curry and Eggplant didn’t have that rich flavor that I loved and the Pad Thai could of used more sauce? and more crushed peanuts.

i only order one thing here… and thats the roasted duck over rice. CRAZY GOOD!

Tasty food, lots of vegetarian options, and they really worked with our requests around food allergies and needing to leave in a hurry for an appointment. Kudos!

Really went downhill since they left the mall. I ordered chicken satay which I had many times before when they were at the mall. It was so incredibly tiny that the person I ate with said he felt sorry for me cause I was going to be hungry. Talk about downsizing the portion, it was literally a tiny thin little triangle, and the sauce did not even taste like peanut at all. My dining partner received something completely different than what he ordered, and we never received our drinks at all. Which was funny cause the place was empty and there were 3 employees. We asked and were just ignored. Need help with the food and customer service. The décor fools you into thinking it is a nice place. You are better off at Arun Thai in Novato!!!

I’ve only eaten there once, and what I ordered was so-​so. But my friends like it.

This is the best Thai restaurant in Marin. I have tried almost everything on the menu and have not been disappointed. Can’t see how others can complain about the reasonable prices! If you compare to other restaurants in Marin that serve excellent food, this is a very low price. Another nice touch — pleasant music (not the usual thumping, obnoxious stuff) and although there is a tv over the bar (one of my pet peeves), it shows lovely scenes of Thailand or underwater shots (not the usual fox news or annoying sports).

5 Stars for the food and price when they’re still at the Mall.
1 star after they moved.
Because, it seems that they don’t care for their long loyal customers from the mall. Especially $ 2 — $ 3 price hike !! and I know they make the portion smaller. Been there several times, before writing this review, for the sake of fairness.
Everyday, especially lunch and after working hours, I see long line of people to get Thai food, take out or eat-​in. Again, it’s EVERYDAY.
It doesn’t make any sense from many business points of view. More revenue and profit when they’re still at the mall. Food court rent can not be higher than a restaurant at Northgate One. Parking is more limited there. Exposure is also more limited, cause there are more people go to the mall than to Nortghate One. I can go on and on about many factors to describe what a stupid move they made, based on business point of view, to change from the Mall to Northgate One.
Now the mall has developed, with BJs, Panera Bread, Chipotle and many others. I bet they regret it too.
Well, if they read my review, I’d suggest them to make the move back. Forget the sit-​down restaurant. Just make it like Chipotle. Maybe a lil better atmosphere. And most of all, reduce that surprising $ 10 for a take out food.
Chipotle should be afraid if they did move back to the Mall.
Oh ya, the taste has changed as well. Maybe not so bad, but definitely NOT the same. Even for the simple dish as simple as Pad Thai.
My fave now is Indian Food at 4^th Street. It’s sit-​down resto, buffet, you can eat as much as your tummy can handle it, and it’s healthy, many veggies on their buffet.
Sorry Jhan Thong, but taste is not the only factor about a resto. But all of the change you did, shows how you don’t care for your long loyal
local customers. I vote for change, but should be good change, isn’t it?

They’ve moved from the food court to a sit-​down restaurant. Same menu, and the food is still great, but smaller portions and more expensive. Sigh! However, still the best Thai restaurant in Marin.

Wow. Just ordered 5 dishes to go of different kinds (veggie, chicken, shrimp, beef) and 4 out of 5 were absolutely terrible! The curry container had 2 inches of oil on top, the shrimp was way overcooked, the only ok dish was the spring rolls. Sorry but that’ll be the last time. If you’re in San Rafael, try Royal Thai or Thai Smile.
It’s like a budget chain Chinese restaurant tried to make Thai food. Oh that sound in the background? That’s my wife about to puke…

I have been going to Jhan Thong for over 17 years now since they first opened at the Northgate mall and I worked there! Hands down still the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten at a lot of Thai restaurants all over the Bay Area. Super friendly staff and generous portions, they also have a good variety for vegetarians. Can’t wait to try the new location in Northgate One.

Finally tried their new location, and along with the price increase (from $ 7 to $ 10), there was a portion increase, so I still think it’s a deal! Unless the server was just being especially generous (I’ll have to do back and find out).
Was with a friend so we went to the buffet bar (just like they had at the mall) and did my usual favorite 3-​item combo: curry chicken (extra spoonfuls of sauce please), spicy eggplant, and spring rolls. We got everything to go (the styrofoam trays even seemed larger) and used the 10% off card I had got months back before they moved.
The restaurant seemed spacious and was full of diners of all kinds (families, couples, solo) who seemed to be enjoying themselves. We didn’t have time and didn’t want to do the whole sit down, pay a tip thing, so we actually drove over to the food court at the renovated Northgate mall and ate our meal at their former location!
P. S. They take cards now — yay!

This review reflects my familiarity with the old location (Jhan Thong) in the Northgate food court and my recent experience at the new location (Cal Gang by Jhan Thong) at Northgate One:
This is excellent Thai food made by super-​nice people. I especially love the wide selection of creative and well-​prepared vegetarian foods.
There are slightly higher prices at the new restaurant (I mean *slightly*– lunch for 2 in the food court ran us ~$ 17, at the new restaurant ~$ 20). The slight increase in price is so worth it– now one dines in a tastefully designed, quiet, pleasant sit-​down restaurant with very attentive wait service. And now one can have a nice glass of wine or beer with the meal too.
The reviewer Tatian G. from Berkeley has totally unreasonable expectations regarding pricing. The food is excellent and creative, the portions are hearty, and the dining experience is pleasant and restful. To complain about spending less than $ 10 for such a large plate of such delicious food in such a pleasing environment is just nonsense.
I’m so glad to have Jhan Thong/​Cal Gang open again– excellent vegetarian Thai food at a completely reasonable price. Plus, the sweet people running this place deserve all the best success. Go to Cal Gang– you won’t be disappointed.

Ok so I am recanting the negative review that I wrote on the their second day of re-​opening. I think they just needed a few days to get back in the swing of things.
I went in and had the Eggplant and Gang J and it was pretty much how I remembered it, still not quite as good, but pretty good. I also asked my server to put the rice on the bottom of my to go container so that it would be flavored buy the sauce, I definitely recommend doing this.
The reason I did not give 4 or 5 stars is that I agree with Tatian that the 3 item combo should not be over $ 10. I understand that they are renting a full restaurant now and the space is likely more expensive. However, I had gone to the Jhan Thong in the main mall for over 10 years and gotten so used to the takeout style of it that I don’t think I will ever actually eat there so I don’t think this cost should be passed on to me. Also the food is not quite as fresh as it used to be, maybe because they are not having as much overturn of the food now that it is not a buffet only take out type spot. If they made it $ 9.50 tax included they would definitely earn another Unilocal star in my book and I would be there a lot more often.
I don’t want to give the impression that the food is not good, it is delicious, I am just biased because I know from experience that it could be a little better. I am also pretty sure that I may need to delete this portion of my review when I go back in a few weeks and the food quality is back to exactly how I remembered it at the original Jhan Thong.

I stopped by Calgang (they’ve only been open for 5 days) to sample the new menu. It’s definitely different from their Santa Rosa restaurant menu, concentrating on rice, noodle and salads. Very little entrée-​type dishes.
The restaurant is decorated in a earthy-​modern style, with small bistro-​type tables lined in rows and a large granite bar counter to one side. Part of the kitchen prep area is actually in the dining area (pre-​cut individual ingredients bins), with the main kitchen toward the back.
They’re only taking cash and checks the first month (I guess they don’t have their merchant account stuff setup yet).
I think they still have to tweak their dishes — the stir-​fried eggplant that I ordered was a little on the greasy side and had almost too subtle flavoring compared to the duck curry that the husband and I got. The curry was also a bit off, with at least a ½ inch of chili oil floating on top. Hopefully they’ll be able to get their kitchen straightened out.
Pricing is a bit higher than their old food court location (small eggplant dish was ~$ 7, large duck curry was almost ~$ 12), but then, they’re also trying to offer a better dining experience with the new place.

The new restaurant is open at 194 Northgate One, near Kinko’s and Safeway. They are taking cash only for the first month.
It’s a nice looking restaurant and seems to be immediately popular (no surprise based on the number of people who frequented their stand in the mall.
I was disappointed when the woman rang up my 3-​item combo and it came to over ten dollars. The combo was $ 7.50 and has been increased to $ 9.50. It’s the same (large) portions and taste, although I think the quality of the food has increased slightly.
I hope they do well, but they may have to adjust their combo prices.

Search the world all over, but I guarantee you will never find better mall food, vegetarian OR meat. They have a great deal of options for both. My personal favorite is the vegetarian curry. If you’re vegetarian and you think you just ate a bit of meat, it’s really not. Just feels and tastes like it a little.
The green tofu curry is quite good as well, but when you come here, you HAVE to try their pahd thai. The only reason it’s four stars instead of five is because I’ve been coming here for ten years and the staff STILL doesn’t remember me… but the food is great, and that’s all that should matter. It’s mall food, so don’t expect service of any sort. Don’t give them a bad review for service either.

I eat lunch here at least once every 2 weeks. I always get the fish cake, pad thai, satay and rice combination. I never get sick of it. They are nolonger located at Northgate mall and Im not sure what the exact address is for their new location; however, once it opens, I will make sure to update my comment. =D

Am I really giving four stars to a food court place?
Yes. Let’s lay down a major ground rule here: Judge something on its own terms. If it portends to be a five-​star restaurant and falls short, it’ll get burned. if, on the other hand, like Jhan Thong, it appears to be a ½ star dive located in the hell that is Northgate Mall in San Rafael, it deserves high marks.
Jhan Thong is incredible food. You wouldn’t believe it by seeing it, but this is great thai food… TO GO. Trust me, it tastes better if you leave the mall.
But, If you find yourself trapped with mall zombies at Northgate (like I did the other day while out Christmas shopping), and you need a bite, this is a cheap and delicious treat in the midst of a dirty little mall.
Who’da thunk it?

Look, Tom S. is pretty right on with his review, but clearly our criteria differ.
For a reference on my review philosophy check the first few paragraphs of this review:
Jhan Thong is the Universe’s King of Shopping Mall Thai!

This place has actually been positively reviewed by the SF Chron, Zagats, Gayot’s, etc. Taken in context this Shopping mall food court cafeteria is superior to all expectations. The items are Spicy! And they can be a little gloppy if left in the steam table too long. Owners have the premium Thai restaurant in Santa Rosa. Curries predominate here. Usual selection is 12 items. They can cook you up a special order in the back that will take 8 minutes longer. If you need a hot spicy chili Thai fix after shopping at Mervyn’s then you are in luck. Grab your plastic tray and begin!