Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Late-night options

Despite the hour, the kitchen doesn’t slack

The Yummy Sticks, fried veggie egg rolls served with a plum sauce. Careful, they arrive lava hot.
The Yummy Sticks, fried veggie egg rolls served with a plum sauce. Careful, they arrive lava hot.
Place

Asian Bistro

414 University Avenue, San Diego

Though I appreciate many of this town’s 24-hour taco shops, it’s nice to have options for when David and I — hungry after a long event — are looking for late-night dining. Plenty of events provide food, but I tend to miss the offerings — either I’m too busy talking, or I don’t want to deal with juggling a drink in one hand and a napkin or plate in the other.

Having an agreed upon go-to place in advance allows us to skip that tedious and time-consuming back-and-forth: Where do you wanna go? I don’t know, where do you wanna go? If it’s after 11 p.m., our latest go-to for a late dinner is The Asian Bistro. Despite the hour, the kitchen doesn’t slack when it comes to generating fresh Thai dishes. The official “late-night” menu, which has plenty to choose from, doesn’t begin until 1 a.m.

Sponsored
Sponsored
The best thing about the Tangerine Chicken is that it is not overly sweet

I always order a glass of white wine, the Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc ($8 each), and David tends to go for sake, either Yuki Nigori or Kikusui ($12). We begin with the Yummy Sticks ($7), which are fried veggie egg rolls served with a plum sauce. David, who has a tongue made of asbestos, takes a bite immediately while I chide myself yet again for ordering a lava-hot appetizer that I must wait on to bite. Still, once it cools, I’m glad for the satisfying crunch and flavorful vegetable mixture.

Everything works on the BBQ Chicken, from the sticky rice to the black char of the grill

My two favorite items on the menu are the Yellow Curry and the Tangerine Chicken, which is among the chef specials. This is the only place I have ever eaten the curry sauce like a soup, just the spicy, savory sauce itself by the spoonful. It’s a classic style, with giant hunks of potato and carrot, along with onion and my choice of chicken, which is tender and white.

But more often than not, when it’s late at night I go for the Tangerine Chicken ($13). With both dishes, the white rice is served in the shape of a heart and garnished with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. My favorite thing about the tangerine chicken is how — unlike many similar, orange- or lemon-flavored entrées elsewhere — this one is not overly sweet. There’s a light citrus acidity and a perceptible crunch to the breaded and fried meat that is satisfying.

Of the two of us, David is the most likely to order something different upon a return visit. The Asian Bistro is an exception. Once he tasted the BBQ Chicken, another of the chef’s specials, he was ruined for anything else. He likes everything about this dish, from the sticky rice to the black char on the grilled chicken, which is glazed with the house teriyaki sauce. It’s served with a red pepper sauce into which he dips each forkful.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mary Catherine Swanson wants every San Diego student going to college

Where busing from Southeast San Diego to University City has led
Next Article

Bringing Order to the Christmas Chaos

There is a sense of grandeur in Messiah that period performance mavens miss.
The Yummy Sticks, fried veggie egg rolls served with a plum sauce. Careful, they arrive lava hot.
The Yummy Sticks, fried veggie egg rolls served with a plum sauce. Careful, they arrive lava hot.
Place

Asian Bistro

414 University Avenue, San Diego

Though I appreciate many of this town’s 24-hour taco shops, it’s nice to have options for when David and I — hungry after a long event — are looking for late-night dining. Plenty of events provide food, but I tend to miss the offerings — either I’m too busy talking, or I don’t want to deal with juggling a drink in one hand and a napkin or plate in the other.

Having an agreed upon go-to place in advance allows us to skip that tedious and time-consuming back-and-forth: Where do you wanna go? I don’t know, where do you wanna go? If it’s after 11 p.m., our latest go-to for a late dinner is The Asian Bistro. Despite the hour, the kitchen doesn’t slack when it comes to generating fresh Thai dishes. The official “late-night” menu, which has plenty to choose from, doesn’t begin until 1 a.m.

Sponsored
Sponsored
The best thing about the Tangerine Chicken is that it is not overly sweet

I always order a glass of white wine, the Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc ($8 each), and David tends to go for sake, either Yuki Nigori or Kikusui ($12). We begin with the Yummy Sticks ($7), which are fried veggie egg rolls served with a plum sauce. David, who has a tongue made of asbestos, takes a bite immediately while I chide myself yet again for ordering a lava-hot appetizer that I must wait on to bite. Still, once it cools, I’m glad for the satisfying crunch and flavorful vegetable mixture.

Everything works on the BBQ Chicken, from the sticky rice to the black char of the grill

My two favorite items on the menu are the Yellow Curry and the Tangerine Chicken, which is among the chef specials. This is the only place I have ever eaten the curry sauce like a soup, just the spicy, savory sauce itself by the spoonful. It’s a classic style, with giant hunks of potato and carrot, along with onion and my choice of chicken, which is tender and white.

But more often than not, when it’s late at night I go for the Tangerine Chicken ($13). With both dishes, the white rice is served in the shape of a heart and garnished with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. My favorite thing about the tangerine chicken is how — unlike many similar, orange- or lemon-flavored entrées elsewhere — this one is not overly sweet. There’s a light citrus acidity and a perceptible crunch to the breaded and fried meat that is satisfying.

Of the two of us, David is the most likely to order something different upon a return visit. The Asian Bistro is an exception. Once he tasted the BBQ Chicken, another of the chef’s specials, he was ruined for anything else. He likes everything about this dish, from the sticky rice to the black char on the grilled chicken, which is glazed with the house teriyaki sauce. It’s served with a red pepper sauce into which he dips each forkful.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Next Article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader