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Are you in the mood to enjoy delicious, authentic Thai cuisine, made from locally sourced, fresh ingredients? Do you like your meals served quickly, by friendly staff? How about a relaxing lunch, served outside on a comfortable patio, as you watch everyday life on Lincoln Way? Amazing Thai cuisine, served by friendly staff happens at Thonglor Thai Cafe, located on Lincoln Way in downtown Auburn, CA. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just past the 11:00 morning opening time, Saturday, October 10, 2026, and I've arrived at Thonglor Thai Cuisine, located in downtown Auburn, CA to enjoy a genuine Thai beer and a light lunch.
Photo: The entrance to the restaurant is inviting, as it looks out to the sidewalk, and the friendly appearance makes you feel welcome even before you walk in. The restaurant is located just up the street from the famous Auburn Clock Tower, which adds a little touch of Big Ben to the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted by the friendly staff who will seat you, give you a meal, along with a refreshing glass of ice water.
Photo: The dining room is bright, clean and comfortable, and the friendly staff will make you feel at home.
Photo: The first page of the menu showcases appetizers, known as "Starters," along with soup and salad selections. The complete menu lists all of your Thai favorites.
Photo: I got the late morning started the right way, by ordering a Singha beer, which is the quintessential lager beer of Thailand. My server, Nam, brought my beer to me with a friendly smile and a frosted mug.
Photo: 330 ml of Singha beer, a premium lager, brewed in Bangkok, and the best know Thai beer. I recall during my Navy days, the first time I hit the beach in Pattaya Beach, like most sailors, the first thing I did was head for a bar to enjoy a beer, which hit the spot after weeks at sea. My first taste of Thailand was a Singha beer, and ever since, I've been in love with the Country of Thailand, and Singha beer.
Photo: The small patio, featuring two tables, is located in front of the restaurant, and offers a elevated view of Lincoln Way, which is the main street of downtown Auburn, and makes for relaxing people watching. The patio is simply delightful, as it's clean, comfortable and decorated with potted flowers and plants. Delicious food always tastes better when enjoyed outdoors, and this patio was a delight for fine dining. The temperature was in the upper 70's on this beautiful Saturday morning, which made for delightful outdoor dining.
Photo: Meet Nam, my amazingly friendly server who brought my lunch to my table with a smile. Nam provided wonderful, efficient service, and treated me like family. She remembered me from my previous visit, and offered welcoming hospitality. This fine restaurant is a member of my Facebook forum, Gold Country Dining, and it's always a pleasure to visit a member of our group.
Photo: I toast Nam, and the friendly staff at Thonglor Thai Cafe with my glass of Singha beer, as I prepare to enjoy my lunch, on the beautiful patio.
Photo: From the top of the "Starters" section of the menu, I went with an appetizer of "Pot Stickers." The menu describes this delicious "starter" as, "Filled with seasoned ground pork and vegetables, deep-fried and served with ginger soy sauce." This wonderful menu selection is listed as an appetizer, but it's quite robust and worked for me today as a light lunch. Isn't the presentation stunning? Each pot sticker was filled with deliciously seasoned ground pork, along with chopped Thai vegetables, and deep fried to a perfect, light golden brown. Both the wrapper and the filling were soft, tender and delicious. To strengthen the artful presentation, and for added enjoyment, the pot stickers were placed on a bed of finely diced vegetables, and beautifully trimmed with an orange slice. Do you savor the combination of soy and ginger? You got it, both in the pot stickers and with the dipping sauce, which added an extra dimension to this amazing appetizer. The pot stickers and the dipping sauce were simply delicious! I cut each pot sticker in half and dipped it into the soy/ginger sauce, and fell in love with my first bite. It was Thai serendipity! Between the plate of pot stickers and the Singha beer, this was an amazing lunch, and a Bangkok treat!
Photo: I cut one of the pot stickers in half, so I could see all of the juicy goodness before I took my first bite. Each pot sticker was delicious by itself, but after dipping each half into the soy/ginger sauce, it was a slice of Thai heaven! Back on Saturday morning, August 01, 2026, I enjoyed my first visit to Thonglor Thai Cafe, and enjoyed a delicious lunch of "Spicy Basil/Pad Kaprow."
Photo: I couldn't resist a taste attempt at the HOT sauce, and I flunked the test, as it was WAY TOO HOT for me. Yes, those are Thai "Bird's Eye Chili" peppers, starting at green and maturing to red, complete with seeds and stems. Removing the lid of the jar almost brought tears to my eyes, and as I tasted a bite of rice with a little bit of sauce, it burned like fire. Thank goodness for the iced tea!
Photo: From the "Stir Fry" section of the menu, I went with "Spicy Basil/Pad Kaprow," which is a signature dish of the fine cuisine that Thailand offers. This delicious offering includes onion, bell peppers and basil over rice, topped with a fried egg. My choice of meat was beef. This fine dish is advertised as "medium," when it comes to the spice level. This delicious stir fry featured a bed of seasoned, white rice, with fried onion and bell pepper, ringed with tender, marinated bites of beef, so juicy and tender that you didn't need a fork. The rice and beef were topped with marinated basic and a fried egg. The basil and egg helped to create a stunning presentation, and to create a multi-dimensional taste. This stir-fried dish was so deliciously flavorful that it didn't need any of the sauce for additional flavor, but since it was on my table, I couldn't resist trying a little. I first attempted the hot sauce... I'm great with hot sauce, but the sauce was HOT... way to hot for my blood. The medium sauce was perfect for me, as it added lots of flavor, but it would most likely be too hot for your Aunt Dorothy from Kansas to enjoy. Whatever the case, the "Spicy Bail/Pad Kaprow" was standalone delicious, and it didn't need enhancement from any of the sauces brought to my table. With my first forkful of goodness, I was transported back to Thailand, during my visit when I served with the U.S. Navy. The beef was tender, savory and delicious, the rice was cooked perfectly, and the basil, onion, bell pepper and fried egg brought it all to life. Such a delicious, authentic lunch to enjoy in downtown Auburn! As an aside, the sunlight filtered by the red umbrella lent a pinkish tinge to the food. I could have worked some photo magic, but I decided just to post using the existing light.
Photo: One bite of tender, marinated beef, along with rice and fried egg made for a delightful first taste of this dish, which would shape my "foodie" opinion to enjoy the rest! When you're in the mood to enjoy some of the best Thai cuisine in Placer County, stop by Thonglor Thai Cafe. You'll Jove this fine restaurant! Take a trip to Thailand without leaving downtown Auburn by enjoying the amazingly delicious and authentic Thai cuisine served at Thonglor Thai Cafe. You'll love the delicious food, and you'll appreciate the super friendly staff and the super fast service. For fine Thai dining, six days a week, I highly recommend Thonglor Thai Cafe, located in beautiful downtown Auburn, CA. Thonglor Thai Cafe Copyright(c) 2026 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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