It’s lunch time, so what better place to go to than a place with lunch specials? President Thai in Pasadena has lunch specials Monday to Thursday from 11:30am-4:00pm and Friday to Sunday from 11:30am-3pm. Such a long time frame! The restaurant has a pretty small parking lot, but if you arrive at the beginning of lunch, you shouldn’t have an issue grabbing a spot. If the lot is full, there’s also plenty of street parking. There’s seating both indoors and outdoors. I’ve only sat indoors, which can sometimes be loud if there’s a large party nearby.
I really like how the menu has photos of every dish. This was very helpful, especially if there were any dishes I wasn’t as familiar with. The lunch specials are also served with steamed rice (if it’s not a noodle dish), fried wonton, and soup or salad. The soup and salad are both good! I liked how fresh the salad tasted. The lettuce is so crunchy and has the perfect amount of moisture. I also enjoyed the soup, which looked a bit oily on the surface, but I liked the sourness and spiciness. It also has mushrooms and a small piece of chicken!
Each dish also comes with two pieces of fried wonton! You can also order that as an appetizer if you want more. Here are some of the dishes I have tried:
Pad Thai
Pad Thai – traditional Thai style pan-fried rice noodle with egg, soybean tofu, radish, bean sprout and green onions, served with crushed peanuts – I’ve always loved Pad Thai – this was my go-to meal on Tuesdays when there was band practice in high school. I ordered the Pad Thai with Beef. It came in a big portion, and definitely brought back memories of the meal I used to eat all the time (but better). Make sure to give it a good mix! Next time, I want to get it with chicken.
Garlic Shrimp & Squid
Garlic Shrimp & Squid – with our house special garlic sauce, fresh mushrooms and carrots – I love garlic and I love shrimp. I was not a fan of this dish though. I didn’t really like the sauce and would have preferred the dish to taste more like a stir-fried dish.
Tom Yum Noodle Soup
Tom Yum Noodle Soup – chicken patty, shrimp, fish ball, fish cake, imitation crab, bean sprout, scallion, in flavorful lemony and spicy broth – I got the Tom Yum Noodle Soup with flat rice noodles! I didn’t find this to be too spicy, but it definitely tasted pretty sweet to me, which I was not expecting. I did not prefer the sweetness, but the dish tasted good overall. I am interested in trying another one of their noodles next time.
Three Flavored Fish Fillet
Three Flavored Fish Fillet – golden fried pompano with sweet and sour sauce with fresh diced bell peppers and garlic (lard prik) – I was debating on whether to order this dish or not, but I am glad I did because I loved it! The fish fillet was fried well, with just the right amount of breading to fish ratio. I also loved the sauce – sweet, sour, and a bit of spicy! This went very well with the rice. I’d definitely order this again.
Pad Kee Mao
Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Noodle) – pan-fried flat rice noodle with bell peppers, lettuce, basil leaves with our signature sauce – I always love a good Pad Kee Mao, and this was just what I needed! I ordered this with beef, and it was my favorite dish out of all the dishes I’ve tried here so far (although the Three Flavored Fish Fillet followed very closely behind). I’ll get this with another type of meat next time for sure!
This was a great meal! I really liked the food selection (there’s so many dishes you can choose from) and the lunch special is a pretty nice deal. Their iced water is great on a hot day too. There’s still other items on the menu that I want to try, so I’ll be back!