Exotic Thai Restaurant

This review is only for the food. We did pick up. The inside service looked pretty slow and it isn’t nicest place. But the food is good! Light and authentic. Not too spicy. Pad see ew and pad Thai were both very good as well as the fried rice. The spring rolls were weird a little — mini and fried.

I used to like it here. They used to have good Tom Kha Gai soup — kind of. But then there were too many incidents of food poisoning. My parents were laid up for days with food poisoning a couple of years ago. Time goes by though and you learn to forgive and forget and we ate there again, and it was ok. There is a paucity of decent food in Ojai so you get stuck making desperate decisions when you are hungry.
We ordered take out last weekend. The curry did not look like curry; it was more of a curry beverage than a soup. A lot of the food had a slimy quality to it, more so than Thai normally does. The Tom Kha Gai went right through me and I was ill for 24 hours. I get it that coconut milk is a natural laxative, but this was something else, this was food poisoning. It was even hard to write this review because the mention of Thai food now makes me feel queasy. I want this place to be good! They charge a lot of money for some pretty questionable food and small portions so it should be damn good; but, it is always disappointing and you may end up on the toilet.
It has been a while since I’ve sat at the restaurant to eat, but I recall the service was hot or miss.

I used to eat at Exotic Thai when I lived in Westlake Village over 10 years ago. Was up in Ojai at lunch today and someone suggested Exotic Thai here. I was pleased to find it part of the same chain.
The sizzling plate Chicken (my prior favorite at the chain) was delicious. Wife loved it too. So was crispy lemon shrimp. Service was less than perfect, prices were fine.
Altogether I was glad to have stopped here and would come again when wanting Thai.

Good food. Didn’t take long to get the order. Food was not prepared with enough spice, but additional spice was provided on the side.

Excellent food. We had fresh spring rolls that arrived with a lovely presentation. Followed by tom kha soup that was delicious. The beef platter with spinach, broccoli, cucumber, and cashews was awesome and arrived on a sizzling platter. We also tried shrimp and scallop curry which was perfectly cooked.
We will return.

I googled «Thai food Ojai» and found this hidden gem while on a mini road trip.
We spent about 15 minutes driving past it, as there’s no clear sign on the street for it.
Interior was absolutely lovely! Very well decorated, clean, and classy place. However, if you’re not a local, it’s quite hard to find.
Food was great. I was pleasantly surprised.

I had a very good experience here eating a late lunch after going to the Lavender Festival. Having had some not-​so-​good experiences at restaurants, in general, in and around the Ventura area, and feeling a bit resigned to that, I stood outside for the longest time, looking over their menu and trying to decide whether or not to go inside. I finally stepped in and asked one question, to which the cheery response was «We can make anything vegan!» This is music to my compassionate ears and heart!
I sat right down and once again perused the menu, this time knowing I had many options! Despite all the options, I was craving an old favorite, so I settled on the pad see ew and to say I was pleased is an understatement. When I eat at restaurants, I usually eat about half what they serve and take the rest with me. I was so hungry by then, and the pad see ew was so delicious, I practically ate the plate it was served on!!! I know for sure I licked it clean. I am not kidding when I say that I have had some very strange experiences and reactions in asking for vegan food in and around Ventura, but none of that happened here. They were very nice, efficient, and offered a variety of food. I don’t go into downtown Ojai that often but I will make an effort to go here again!
P. S. I hope other restaurants will take a hint from this. Be prepared to change your way of doing business, or get left behind in the coming food revolution.

Ordered the lunch special about 11:40. When I arrived I walked up to the counter so I can pay and get my food because I ordered to go. I can see my food on the kitchen counter in the back. The server, who was an older Asian lady, had only one table inside and one in the patio. I stood there for about 10 minutes before she told me «not yet». Another 10 minutes went by, in that time two other take orders came and went who’s orders were ready as well, still i see mine sitting there. Finally she brings me mine and hands me the bill. I pay and say thank you, the lady says nothing back. Very rude attitude and I have no idea why. I’ve been there several times before for takeout cuz I work close by. The food is decent but not anything to keep going back for, especially with a rude server. Customer service should be number one and my review is well overdue. They just lost a frequent customer.

Great place. Nice servers and lovely outdoor seating. Large menu and everything is great. Highly recommend.

Very yummy thai. 4 Stars. But as a foodie and strict vegan with food allergies too, usually only vegetarian or vegan places get 5 stars from me. Great ambiance. Great server. Very clean place in the heart of Ojai.
I got the Pad Se Ew with some variation to accommodate my food sensitivities and dietary choices. It was satisfying and made fresh. Also an order of «egg rolls» that actually don’t have eggs at all. Pretty good. Too bad they cant make the curries without fish sauce though– thought I would mention. They have wine and beer and well decorated outdoor seating

I regularly eat at Exotic Thai, and the food is decent — better when the owner cooks. It might not be the best Thai food I’ve ever had, but it’s consistently adequate. Tip: I find ordering my favorite dishes with extra herbs added makes a great improvement!

The veggies were moldy the shrimp dry — service slow! :(
Too bad for me ‘had to pay full price with that complaint.

I was blown away by the food here. I had no idea Thai could be so good. Me and my friend were driving home with a friend after a sweat lodge in Ojai. We started with a small Vegetable & Tofu soup, plenty to share for 2. Then we had the Kai Kua noodle with Chicken, ordered to a medium spicy, and the Karee Gai, a sweet chicken yellow curry.
Without asking, all the chicken was white meat and cooked perfectly, not overly done. The noodle dish had a perfect balance of noodles, chicken, and vegetables. The curry was lightly sweet, as described by our server, that was in balance with the savory.
The Thai ice tea my friend ordered was a nice balance of the taste of tea and the sweet milk. Most thai places have an intensely sweet ice tea.
The interior was simple and plain. mostly tables with a few tables that run along a wall with padded bench seating. Dark, basic, simple, but still has a ‘restaurant’ feel. Would have loved to have leftovers, but licked our plates clean. And everything was resonably priced. Our whole tab was less than $ 40.

Excellent service, delicious food and lovey ambiance. I could have eaten a billion little crab cheese delights! Yum.

My to go dinner spot in Ojai. I always make sure to stop before I hit the road.
Eggplant dish is my favorite. I can never get enough. Tom Ka Gai with shrimp is always a crowd pleaser. Last time we ordered the steamed pompano with ginger and it was amazing.
You’ll find me sitting outside on the patio chowing down.

Service takes forever sat about 30 mins at my table before they finally decided to serve us. Expensive but the food is alright.

We ordered their pad thai without shrimp and it should be called fishy chicken noodles. It was not good. My girlfriend sent it back and the lady insisted that they «sell it all day» as if she was wrong for not liking it?! I ordered the sizzling chicken which was covered in peanut sauce. It was delicious, however their service was not very good and the patio seats werent very comfortable. The overall vibe looked good but it was too cold inside. Wont be going back anytime soon.
Pros:
* Only Thai food in Ojai
* Sizzling Chicken
* Overall Vibe
Cons:
* Service
* Pad Thai
* Hard outdoor seats
* Inside temperature freezing
* Gave us weird burps/​indigestion.

This restaurant was the best value of all the restaurants I tried in Ojai. Their Crab Rangoon appetizer was a generous portion and really tasty. Panang curry was also delish. Service was really good and the restaurant had a nice ambiance.
Another good sign was that while we were dining, they had a lot of carry out orders. So I guess the locals must like it too.

**REALLY GOOD AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD**
We haven’t been able to have good Thai food in awhile.
So we were so happy to eat here.
PARKING
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Lot or street.
AMBIANCE
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Older white people.
Sprinkle of peeps in their 20 – 30’s.
Indoor and outdoor seating.
FOOD
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**GREEN CURRY (KIEW WAN) — $ 11 — WINNER
My all-​time favorite curry made right. Made with green beans, bamboo shoots, squash, and sweet basil in coconut milk. Flavors were excellent.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
**PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE — $ 13 — WINNER
Stir-​friend Jasmine rice with pork, chicken, shrimp, egg, raisins, cashews, pineapple, and curry powder was one of the favorite dishes. Perfectly cooked and flavored.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
**SPICY EGGPLANT — $ 10
Stir-​friend eggplants with chili and basil sauce. Flavorful and tasted great with white rice.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
**TOM YUM GAI — $ 6 (small)
Hot and sour with chicken and mushrooms. Was very flavorful. Good combo.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
Service was not too good in the beginning since it was packed and the staff was not staffed appropriately.
Definitely enjoyed the authentic Thai food here.
Will return on our next visit to Ojai.
RECOMMEND.

Loved the Tom Yum Gai! Actually everything was really good! We had the following dishes for 4 girls:
–large Tom Yum Gai
–Pad See Ew with pork
–Spicy eggplant (with Tofu) — so good! Thai restaurants do eggplant right!
–yellow curry with potato and chicken
All 4 dishes were amazing. Love!