Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Sovereign Thai Cuisine is located on the ground floor of one of the ketchup and mustard buildings in San Diego’s East Village where, until recently, the rantings of the homeless were front and center in the adjacent park. Good for rent in these hard times, bad for customers trying to walk to your front door.

For anyone who mourned the pandemic-driven closure of Thai Papaya, as I did, the opening of Sovereign Thai from the same staff was welcome news.

While the other place was about as unassuming as a restaurant could get, pretty much a dive tucked into a tiny strip mall a few steps from a liquor store, the folks running Sovereign Thai have noticeably stepped up the ambiance while not skimping on quality. I’d consider this my current go-to when it comes to Thai food in San Diego.

I still dream about the spicy crazy crispy basil chicken from Thai Papaya, a dish I ordered time and time again, and one that packed an insane level of heat, even when ordering a 4 or a 5. The spicy thai basil beef scratches the itch, though the textures aren’t the same and the added egg can sometimes be a bit overcooked. 

Anything with eggplant brings me happiness and the stir-fried eggplant here hits the spot, cut in thick circles and wonderfully tender topped with bright basil and singing of the salty umami tones of the marinade in which it sits. Sometimes all it takes is a little eggplant on a plate for everything to be right with the world.

The peppercorn chicken noodle, like pretty much everything here, is oodles of spicy, and is Sovereign Thai’s rendition of the Americanized classic drunken noodles, kicked up a notch with peppercorns that are still on the vine. The shrimp pad thai is much better than anything else you may have had by that name in other places, a dish I don’t normally enjoy for a very, very odd and awfully specific reason: it tastes like a pasta that somebody smeared with peanut butter. But here, it is wonderfully complex and rich, and the plump shrimp spritzed with lime add a nice balancing effect.

The salads are wonderfully fragrant and bright, like the lao papaya salad that brings together green papaya, fresh chilies, long beans, tomatoes, and roasted peanuts. Lots of delicious, crispy raw things, sometimes counterbalanced nicely with prime meats or fish on top, depending on what’s on the menu, like bluefin tuna or slices of New York steak.

This is also an excellent place for some day-drinking if you’re into that sort of thing (I am), with drinks like the thai basil gimlet and blueberry mojito which are every bit as refreshing as they sound and match the levels of zen of the place you’re sitting in.

Getting here can be interesting and will require some careful planning in terms of time and personal safety. The musings of the city’s homeless population were often part of the experience, though some recent cleanup has significantly improved the area to the point where you might be able to walk from your car or the train in peace. I hope that’s helping business, since I would assume the lack of parking is not, though the trolley is nearby and convenient.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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