What is in a name?

Hug in the dialect of Northeastern Thailand translates to love and that is the name of the newer Thai food restaurant in La Mesa.

It is an “Express” restaurant, which usually means it is smaller, has fewer seats, and caters primarily to customers who order their food to-go. Hug Thai Express is just that. Their main business is take-out, especially since the restaurant began operation in the middle of the pandemic when most eateries converted to a take-out operation. The seating area is tiny with three tables indoors and two outdoors.

The lease was signed in February of 2020 and a month later COVID hit. They didn’t get to open until June. Owners Tanapat Thungkanapak and his wife persevered. “We’re still a new restaurant and building our clientele. We have a nice core of people in the surrounding neighborhoods who have supported us. We’d like to branch out further into La Mesa to let people know about our food,” Thungkanapak said.

“Our dishes are all created from recipes from my mother-in-law in Thailand who had a family restaurant for many years. She shared her recipes with us. Some of our most popular dishes are Pad Thai, Panang Curry, Yellow Curry, and Drunken Noodles. People also like Crispy Basil Chicken and Pad Grapow (which means fried holy basil) This dish can be in either chicken, pork, or beef with Thai basil, bell peppers, and garlic served over rice with a fried egg on top,” Thungkanapak said.

Some unique dishes are the Pineapple Chicken Curry cooked in coconut milk with a red chile paste, eggplant, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, basil, pineapple, and carrots. Crab Pad Thai is a Pad Thai with a healthy serving of crab.

Sweet Rice with Mango dessert is a perfect end to a Thai meal.

Look for Hug Thai to expand to a full-size restaurant with full service, and beer and wine. “My wife really wants to open another restaurant. It’ll probably be in Rancho Bernardo or Del Mar,” Thungkanapak said.

Hug Thai Express is located at 5575 Baltimore Dr, La Mesa. For take-out orders call (619) 613-9113. Open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. for dinner.

For a complete menu go to: hugthaiexpress.com.

– Robin Dohrn-Simpson is a local food and travel writer. Reach her at: robindohrnsimpson.com.