San Jose Thai restaurants abound. Here are five of our favorites.

Blue Mango
Blue Mango is known for its vegetarian food, but the meat dishes are not to be missed either. Try the “spicy waterfall beef salad,”  a specialty of Eastern Thailand made with grilled slices of beef tossed in a tangy dressing and served over lettuce.

House of Siam
A downtown San Jose institution for nearly two decades. Try the larb: ground chicken, toasted rice powder, shallots, chile powder, and mint in a lime dressing. Wrap it all up in lettuce leaves and eat.

Krung Thai
Krung Thai might be better known as King Thai given the restaurants’ devotees. There are two Krung Thai’s under different ownership, but both are good.

Thai Orchid
Thai Orchid is a north San Jose favorite and quite a deal. Check out their lunch special—$8.95 gets you chicken, pork, tofu, or vegetables with a wide range of sauces to choose from. They’ve got a Campbell location, too.

Thaibodia
Solid menu of Thai standards and some lesser known dishes like hor mok. Hor mok is like a giant fish cake bound together with coconut milk and egg whites. The cabbage, basil and spicy red curry give the dish texture and color.The sweetness of the mild fish and coconut milk combined with fiery curry sauce and redolent kaffir lime made me want to come back for a second visit to see what else I might find on the menu.