D’O Thai Cottage

Late post* Sad to hear they’ve closed. We came here on a Saturday night and it was pretty empty inside. Located at the edge of Old Town, this restaurant feels out of place with all the Mexican restaurants nearby.
We ordered the Chicken Pad Thai and Beef Pad See Ew and a Thai Tea. The food came out relatively quick. The Thai Tea was really good, one of the best I’ve had in awhile! Lately, the thai teas I’ve had were too creamy but this one had a good balance of tea and cream ratio.
The Pad Thai was delicious, the noodles were cooked just right and they weren’t stingy on the chicken. I did think it was a little too saucy though. There was a puddle of sauce at the bottom of the plate. My boyfriend’s Pad See Ew was good as well, lots of flavor!
Overall, the food & service was good. Our server came to check on us a couple times to see how our food was and to refill our waters.

When this place first opened, it was fantastic!
But the last time we were there, it was very questionable. The table was filthy. The white table top was not really white anymore and was sticky to the touch. The walls and doors had greasy dark smudges everywhere. The food was decent, but the service was super slow.
There was a gentleman sitting by himself who scared everyone else in the restaurant. He was talking loudly to himself and acting erratic… obviously had a little too much to drink. He kept ordering more drinks and the waitress never cut him off even though other patrons questioned if she should be serving him more alcohol. Watched as the man finally stumbled out of the restaurant and attempted to cross the street. I seriously thought he was going to get hit by a car.
Very sketchy business practice and dining experience. Doubt I’ll be coming back.

We stopped by on a Saturday evening (May 9) during normal business hours and they were CLOSED. There was no sign, so not sure if it’s permanent or temporary.

We ordered thai samosas, and gyosas as an appetizer and they were both great. I really enjoyed the chicken red curry with jazmin rice. The service sas great, our server was attentive, yet not annoying. Our Food came out in a timely manner.
The only reason I dont give this place 5 stars is because the facilities need a little upkeep. The place looks a little outdated and some parts of it a little dirty, but dont let that keep you from enjoying their awesome food.
I will definitely come back to this place.

Probably the best panang curry I’ve had in san diego. but this place has gotten really filthy. If the dining area is dirty I can’t imagine what the kitchen is like. I watched a man who was overly intoxicated continue to be served beer even though i brought that to the attention of the waitress — she kept the beer coming. Not sure I’m coming back.

I have been eating here for years and it is still by far the best thai food in San Diego! It’s a pain in a** to find parking but worth it! If you like thai food, you will LOVE DO Thai!

Great food, be careful with the spicy levels a 7 is more like a 10! Still pretty good. The portions are big!

There is nothing a special…
My friend recommended me this place has great soupe. Than was true, this Thai food has nice soup and not expensive service also good!
If you wanna try the soups I recommend you Guys this thai food!

Nope. Should have trusted my standard ‘never eat anywhere that doesn’t have at least 4-​stars on Unilocal.’
We ordered the pineapple fried rice — terrible (it was super dry, and only tasted of powdered curry, and the shrimp was SUPER fishy) the Tom Kah soup — terrible, Gyoza — which wasn’t terrible I guess, but the sweet sticky dipping sauce was disgusting, and they threw in some crispy rolls — which were okay. We also ordered the green curry but never tried it and threw it out after we sampled everything else.
I’ve never thrown out food in my entire life. Trust the ratings on this one.

Homer Simpson said it best «D’oh!» Or maybe it was «D’ohnt!»
The restaurant is very musty and grimy. The white, rubber topped tables are sticky and tinted brown. Each time I picked up my beer I had to peel it off the table. While eating the bus boy was spraying bright blue windex on tables surrounding us. Instead of Thai Food smell, now chemical smell lingers.
The food is also not very good and most was plain bad. Usually I don’t have issues even with sub-​standard Thai Food, but I did not enjoy one dish. I wish I had something better to say. The more I think about the experience, I blame myself. The moment I sat down, I should have said, «I changed my mind» and submitted to Mexican food, or even the Italian place across the street. Safer bets in Old Town.
All very pleasant and friendly and I have no complaints with service, despite ordering Yum and getting Kha-​Not terrible, but Not well done. It was one of those few experiences that will prevent me from ever giving D’O Thai Cottage another try. Sorry.

I was in the area for work and was so sick of Mexican food, so I’m glad that there was this Thai restaurant in the Old Town area.
I came here for lunch, and they have a great lunch special with about a dozen different items for around $ 7 which comes with a small soup. I love Pad Thai, so I went ahead and ordered that along with a Thai Iced Tea (NOTE: check in on Unilocal and the drink is free!)
The Pad Thai was pretty good, but I did think the portion size was a little small compared to other Thai restaurants I’ve been too. There are vegetable side items that come on the plate too, but for me I didn’t care too much for that and just wanted more noodles.

My friend and I went here today only because Harney Sushi was not open until 5:30pm and we did not want to settle for Mexican food. So I «yelped» Thai restaurants in the area the D’o Thai Cottage was first on the list. Neither of us ever heard of it. So we took a chance.
ATMOSPHERE: considering it was 2:30 in the afternoon and 90 degrees outside, there wasn’t much atmosphere to speak of. There were only 2 other tables beside us, which was great.
DECOR: little to be desired. This place need a major cleaning and paint job. I’m talking’ about the «white» swing doors the wait staff use to go back and forth to the kitchen. Ever hear of Clorox Wipes to wipe down the grime!!! You can see it as soon as you walk into the place. They should also spend a little money to replace the «white» plastic tablecloths that are no longer white. Also, the toilet in the women’s restroom was not flushing. We notified our server of this.
FOOD: we ordered Tom Yum soup, Cheesy Crab, D’O Wok — Rama w/​chicken, Yellow Curry w/​vegetables, and Pad Thai. Everything was delicious and VERY flavorful and fresh. All this for $ 40.00.
I would recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves Thai food. I would go back. I took off 1 star for the cleanliness issue of the swing doors. That really bothered me.

Definitely recommend this place! Worth the parking wait. The place is clean and shabby chic.
We ordered pineapple fried rice, pork panang curry, seafood yellow curry, shrimp pad thai, yellow tiger, tropical fish, and garlic fish. All of them were good. They all taste homemade. I definitely recommend the pineapple fried rice the best.
The prices were reasonable. Definitely go during the weekdays for the lunch special.
And don’t forget to check in at Unilocal because the thai iced tea was bomb!
Definitely going back whenever I’m in SD.

Relieved to find something other than Mexican food in old town we decided to try D’O Thai Cottage. We walked in and there was no one to greet us. We waited a while until we almost walked out until someone came out and directed us where to sit.
We were the only patrons there which was kind of awkward when it took the server a while to come back and take our order.
I ordered the Drunken Noodle which was delicious and full of flavor. I also tried the Seafood Soup that was ordered for the table. It was perfectly seasoned with the right amount of spice. They have you choose how spicy you want things on a scale on one to ten.
Overall the food was great but the service was a bit slow.

I’ve never been to D’O Thai Cottage before but last night someone enjoyed a $ 75 carry out order that was paid for using my PayPal account (ordered through Eat 24). Soon as the order was placed I received an email confirmation & immediately called D’O Thai Cottage (from St. Louis) & instructed them to not release the order & that it was a fraudulent charge. Funny enough the criminal was there waiting to pick up the order & the employee who I was speaking with (due to a language barrier I presume) didn’t quite understand what I was communicating because she actually handed the phone to the criminal! So now I have this crook on the other end of the line & I hear him tell the employee «it’s just a wrong number» and then he hangs up the phone. So I call immediately back and in that 10 second window he was allowed to sign my name and take his order!!!
Totally not blaming D’O Thai Cottage for the actions of a criminal but businesses need to be better about checking ID on pick up orders… this goes for restaurants, retailers, etc. Unilocal requires a star rating so I’m just giving the neutral 3 star rating since this is more of a recommendation than a actual review.

It’s not a very good idea to decide you want to get something to eat in Old Town if you’re not in the mood for Mexican food. But if you find yourself in this predicament, the D’O Thai Cottage was a nice alternative.
A friend and I went here on a Saturday night. The restaurant was quiet and cozy. There were only a few tables when we came in, and we were seated right away.
My friend ordered the Ginger Wok, and I had the chicken satay appetizer and tom kha soup with vegetables. My soup came out steaming hot, and the vegetables were crisp and fresh. The chicken satays came out a few minutes later. They were pounded thin and very lightly coated with what seemed to be a breading. They were served with peanut sauce and thai sauce. I thought the satay tasted fine, although the pounded meat makes for a lighter serving size than the chicken chunks found in other Thai restaurants in the area.
I thought the soup was delicious and really hit the spot. Nine times out of ten, I order a curry and rice dish in a Thai restaurant, because I just love the coconut and curry flavors so much. But lately I’m trying to eat lighter, so I very, very reluctantly ordered the tom kha with vegetables, and was delighted to find that it had all the flavors I love in my Thai meal, without the pound of rice. It was also served really hot. No lukewarm soup at this place.
Since we had checked in on Unilocal,we were also eligible for a free Thai Iced Tea, which my friend tried. He had a couple sips and thought it tasted funny. I don’t like tea, so I couldn’t corroborate his observation. But the tea was free, so how much can we really complain about it, really. He also thought his Ginger wok was rather on the mild side — but he hadn’t specified a spice level, and in a tourist trap like Old Town, I wouldn’t be surprised if they go light on the seasoning as a rule.
All in all, it was a pleasant meal. One of the better ones I’ve had in Old Town. The food didn’t blow my doors off (only because I’ve been to a couple restaurants in town that did) but it tasted good, came out quickly, and the price was very, very reasonable. I would not need the promise of free iced tea to eat there again.

Wow
Where to start.
This place was quite the surprise. As a Thai Restaurant in the middle of Old Town San Diego that is surrounded be many great Mexican Restaurant’s it was a refreshing breath of air.
To look at the place from the outside It might look like a run down joint. On the inside it isn’t much better looking either. (Clean but a little dated)
It’s the food that makes this place special. The dishes we tried for dinner were all four star plus.
The Appetizer Platter was a great starter with a little of each App on the menu to try with sauce for each.
Next came A Hot Pot of Tom Kah Shrimp Soup. (Coconut Soup) Very good.
We then tried A House Special. Pineapple Shrimp and Chicken Rice. Well worth a try if you are lucky enough to get by this treasure restaurant.
The service was outstanding as well.
Prices were not bad for a Thai Restaurant in So Calif.
Looking forward to trying this place agin soon and seeing how some of their other dishes are.
Perhaps next time I’ll give it Five Stars.

I enjoyed my visit to D’O Thai Cottage. While I was the only patron in the restaurant (which was slightly awkward, I must admit), my server was kind and attentive without hovering. I ordered the pad thai with chicken, which allowed me to select my desired level of spiciness. I like hot food, but didn’t want something that was ridiculously spicy; therefore, I chose a ⁴⁄₁₀ level of spiciness.
Oh boy, my mouth was burning after the very first bite! It was almost painful, which is difficult for me to admit, given my love of spicy foods. However, the serving size ended up being 2 ½ portions for me and even mellowed a little bit upon reheating. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and would return again.

The food here is okay in my opinion. I think there are other better Thai places in San Diego. I had the Pad Thai here and it wasn’t as flavorful as other places and it was kind of dry.
Parking is also bad because there is only street parking so during peak hours, it can be very challenging.
However, there is incentive to go here because with a Unilocal check in, you get a free iced Thai tea and it’s tasty.

Working in Old Town, I try to avoid the touristy Mexican food. D’O Thai is a great alternative and they have an incredible lunch special. For $ 7 you get soup, salad, won tons and an entrée. My favorite thing to get here is the green curry. I also like the Pad Thai, Drunken Noodle and their other currys.
The food always comes out quickly and the service is great.