Siam Station Thai Street Food

It’s not easy to find great Thai food in Irvine, so when Siam Station opened in late 2020 – a moment when restaurants were broadly hurting – the appearance of something new was immediately exciting. Even though there were no obvious signs inside of actual Thai street food (unless commonly available restaurant classics qualify), we welcomed the ability to order e-san sausage, crab fried rice, or red curry with catfish or roast duck without leaving the city, and know it will be consistently good.

Siam Station generally punches above its physical size in food quality and service. Parents seeking basics for kids can lean on familiar appetizers like rice paper-rolled shrimp and egg rolls, as well as entrees such as pineapple fried rice and Chinese-style orange or cashew chicken. More obviously Thai items include spicy beef salads, chicken satay, and yellow curry with khao soi noodles, all executed well, and served by people who seem to actually care about their customers’ comfort. This isn’t a place to find seven different types of Thai curry or test your spice receptors, nor is it large enough to host your next party, but it’s a good choice for a small, affordable, and largely familiar Thai meal.