Thai lunch specials for $8? I checked out Placer County’s Auburn Thai Garden
Just off Interstate 80, nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Placer County is a cozy restaurant with a large sign black and gold sign that reads Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant.
The Thai restaurant, at 175 Palm Ave., is in a green-colored building near a local tattoo parlor.
Sacramento Bee reader Edward Swafford recommended I check out Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant as part of The Bee’s On a Budget series, which helps readers find affordable food and entertainment options.
In an email to The Bee, Swafford said he goes to the restaurant twice a week every week.
His email was so persuasive I took the drive to Auburn and was impressed by what I found.
What is Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant like?
I visited Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant on a sunny weekday afternoon to take advantage of the lunch special.
Two large signs are posted outside the entrance. The first advertises the restaurant’s name and the second larger sign advertises the lunch special in red and white lettering.
Inside, I was greeted by a kind waitress who immediately sat me and provided water and a menu. The restaurant is painted an earthy green with red decorative lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The dining area has more than a dozen tables for various party sizes.
The restaurant boasts a large lunch menu. It features Thai classics such as pad thai to newer dishes such as green avocado curry.
The restaurant serves a variety of meat-centered dishes, vegetarian meals and some gluten-free options.
What I got for $25 at the restaurant?
I spent a total of $17.05 before tip and tax at Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant.
Every lunch meal comes with a small crunchy salad that features a creamy and light peanut sauce. It is fantastic and something I plan to add to more of my salads at home.
For $7.95 I got a hearty plate of pad thai, at the recommendation of Sacramento Bee reader Swafford. It was savory, nutty and absolutely delicious.
I also ordered pad eggplant, made with Japanese eggplant, tofu and a variety of vegetables.
Is Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant affordable?
This restaurant has the most affordable lunch menu I have seen in a long time.
Though the dinner menu has more traditionally priced plates, the lunch menu is incredibly generous to patrons. Prices for food range from $7.95 to $11.95 and choices of protein include chicken, pork, beef, tofu, calamari and prawns.
Prices for cocktails, wines and beers range from $6 to $40 depending on volume of drink.
Auburn Thai Garden Restaurant does an amazing job at providing affordable and delicious food with kind service.
