Review: Thai Juan On

Thai Juan On is a new Thai place next to the Marshall's in San Juan Capistrano. My husband and I love Thai food, and try to eat as many local restaurants as possible, so we were excited to try it.
The first time we went was during the evening, about 8 pm, and it was slammed. I was happy to see that because I always like local places to do well. Unfortunately that resulted in very long wait times for both food and service. I assume that this is because the place is new, and they have some things to work out. The food was good, however, so we decided to give it another go during a weekday when it would likely be less busy. Last week we went back around noon on Monday. It was almost empty save three other patrons, so we hoped things would go better, and they did.
You can tell right when you enter that the owners spent a lot of money designing the restaurant. It's beautiful, with reds and earth tones, and a nice, muted light, which gives a cool ambiance. There's a bar area that's divided off the main dining room, and separate enough so the TV there doesn't distract those in the main eating area.


The menu has a lot of options, is well priced, and is chock full of ridiculous puns, carried over from the name of the restaurant itself. The alcohol list is labeled "Alchoholiday," the starters are "Appethaizers" for example. Some may find it a bit much, but personally I thought it was kitschy and hilarious. Again, somebody spent a long time on this, silly or not.
The food itself is good. Not the best Thai I've ever had, but very satisfying and tasty. We started with the Angel Wing/Pek Kai which they describe on the menu as "Boneless chicken wing stuffed with minced chicken, glass noodles and mild spices, cooked to golden brown. Served with nutty sweet & sour sauce, EXCELLENT!" And it was, golden and crispy and yummy, and a big enough wing for the husband and I to share. We were also served a soup of broth and some veggies which was nice as well. (Food pics aren't the best, sorry; the light was too dim and my flash makes it look a bit funky.)


We ordered from the special lunch menu, each entree being priced at about $8. My husband got a yellow curry chicken dish, and I ordered filet sweet and sour style with bell peppers and pineapple.


Each came with a scoop of white rice. He enjoyed his; said it had just the right amount of spice. My beef was cooked nicely, pink in the middle and tender. I liked it a lot, but it was more reminiscent of a Hawaiian dish to me than Thai. Maybe it was the ice cream scoop of rice that threw me off, I don't know.
All in all, TJO is a good option, for lunch at least. We'll definitely go back, though maybe not for dinner until they work their kinks out.