Are you craving Thai? If not, you should be. And if you are, I’ve got good news for you: Hang Out Thai in Orcutt.
It’s been around for nearly 10 years, but I just had my first meal there recently. I became a fan of the place as soon as I stepped inside: It was big, airy, and riddled with personality, its walls covered in sprawling messages and vandalized dollar bills from past patrons.
I was the only customer there at first, but I’m chalking that up to the fact that I arrived at noon sharp. (Most people probably aren’t dying for Thai food at noon sharp. But I’m not most people.) And I ordered what I always do at Thai restaurants I haven’t tried before: pad Thai and a Thai iced tea (two must-have staples of the food genre, in case you aren’t Thai-savvy).
To get you newbies up to speed: Pad Thai is a noodle-based dish, pan-fried with goodies like shrimp, chicken, egg, chili powder, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, and green onions. It’s one of those dishes that you order thinking there’s no way you’ll finish it, and then you finish it anyway (and hate yourself a little bit as a result, but deep down you know it was worth it). Pad Thai is arguably the most common and essential piece of any Thai place’s menu, so I feel it’s a relatively good measure of the establishment. And at Hang Out, it was perfectly portioned and delicious and cheap ($6.50).
If you’re not familiar with Thai iced tea, give yourself a chance to get used to it. It’s insanely rich, and even now that I’ve developed a taste for it, I usually can’t finish a full glass (my Hang Out experience was no exception). Traditionally, Thai iced tea is made from strongly brewed cardamom tea topped with condensed milk and mixed with spices and sugar. The flavor is bold, warm, and creamy, and it’s a treat all on its own. (I’m not sure why I keep insisting on trying to drink it with a whole meal.) Hang Out’s Thai tea was excellent, in my opinion: intense without being overly sweet.
But my favorite part of Hang Out was, in fact, the graffiti. As I waited for my food, I paced around and read the walls, on which customers from years past had penned messages. Food recommendations and positive service reviews account for most of the writing, but if you read closely enough, you just may get a good laugh or gain some unexpected insight—at least, I did.
So I’ve got a special treat for you: my 10 favorite pieces of prose from Hang Out Thai’s walls. You’re welcome.
• “Smile. After all, you’re only as happy as you let yourself be.” Aw. Pinterest-worthy.
• “Good music: Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, Mumford and Sons, Otis Redding.” You must be the coolest seventh grader ever!
• “Hi the food is totes amaze, like so adorbs.” Whoever wrote that should have my job.
• “Good thing I have Sharpies in my purse.” Yes.
• “It smells good in here!!!” OK.
• “I <3 Edward Cullen! Love him!” To which someone else responded, “You have bad taste.”
• “I am so full. Can’t write anymore! Burp! Burp!” Good use of the onomatopoeia.
• “Your mom.” Ya got me.
• “Who is Jim?” I don’t know.
• “Happy anniversary Mom and Dad.” This one was just cute.
So if you need some noodles and a laugh, I highly recommend Hang Out Thai, located at 4869 S. Bradley Road in Santa Maria.
Brenna Swanston agrees that Hang Out is both totes amaze AND so adorbs, and she can be reached at bswanston@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2016.