Jo's Modern Thai

The customer service is top notch. The people from, cool Kao to beautiful Eylse, to peaceful Jack and the entire Jo Modern Thai family. Thank you for your mindful and heartfelt service. The eclectic music, wonderful chilled esthetics, and overall comfortable ambience. The cuisine was exquisite with texture, delectable flavors, and variety of spices. The drinks are mouth watering and full of life with unique colors and vibe that help sets the tone for a 5 star experience. Peace and Love, Greg (Chicago)

I have been to Jo's on a couple of other occassions and can say my experience was much more pleasant than this one...It seems like Jo's has had a few transitions in the last year or so & has not treated prior staff with integrity. I was not made fully aware of that before my last visit in January...My girls & I stopped in for a midweek catch up over drinks. Around 7pm on Thursday the small restaurant was pretty empty with maybe 4 tables occupied (including us). This made for a comfortable dining experience (or we thought so). My party of four were enjoying great conversation, laughing, & appreciating the R&B Playlist (Mary J./Lil Kim). We were interrupted by the manager whispering to us to "keep it down". This was appalling being that 1. There was no disruption to the almost empty restaurant 2. We spent a nice amount by ordering mutliple cocktails each 3. We were intentional about supporting a local neighborhood business and not venturing outside of our town.We felt that this interaction was based off the demographics of the restaurant & who they intend to attract. Although the staff was diverse the cliental was not. Gentrification has swept through Oakland like a plague. As an Oakland resident & business owner it doesn't feel good to have an establishment here in East Oakland & to not feel welcomed. An honorable mention was our super sweet, attentive, and knowledgeable server, Kendell. As well as the unique hand crafted cocktails. But that ain't enough to return.

Amazing appetizers and drinksI got some 2 of the cocktails from the to of the menu, each were unique and well balanced with a lot of different flavorsOysters- some of the best I've had, I believe there may be tamarind/ fish sauce/ strawberry that somehow balance eachother all out and was amazing. Would come back here just for thatCoconut cakes - definitely have not tried something like this anywhere in the world. It's like a fluffy coconut version of a bahn beo , with fresh shrimp. So yummyCatfish salad - a little on the salty side but refreshing, hearty and tasty, love all the flavors and texture in thisMassuman curry- a little on the sweet end, it was okDrunken noodles- Beautiful presentation, tasty, but not particular uniqueMango sticky rice- THE BEST , would come here just for this again. The texture was spot on, the taste was light and bright. This was perfectAtmosphere was clean and moderately elevatedService was top notch (Johnny?) With full explanation and instructions, extensive menu knowledge, and watching out for any of our groups needsOverall I would return for the appetizers and desserts, perhaps not so much for the mains

This place is such a hidden gem! Great drinks, food, service, dessert and hella authentic! Drinks - Makrut 3 Ways and Thai Garden were greatApps - Srimp toast and coconut cakes were great, som tam was just okayEntrees - Drunken noodles were excellent, I'll skip the brisket next time. Japanese fried eggplant was excellent as wellDesssert - Mango sticky rice, can't go wrong

I was very excited to try, after months of hearing about it. I dined with someone who has super high standards & Im taking her experience into consideration with this review. The food was odd, some dishes in a good way some not so much. Food 2/5 - we had to send back 2 items. Some of the food was just trying too hard to be different & not well executed. The only dish I loved was the shrimp toast. Its presented as shrimp toast but ate more like a savory donut. Service 5/5 - they were so patient, understanding and nice to us during our meal. They corrected everything & checked on us. She talked about her fav dishes & how good she thought it was but didn't ask if we liked it, we made sure to tell them. Decor 5/5- hella cute, clean concept with pops of color. It was modern & had a unique feel. I will say I am glad I tried it but still not sure if I would return. My friend said over all 2/5 but Im gunna give it a 3/5.

Joe's Modern Thai in Oakland is an absolute gem and well-deserving of its Michelin recognition. The Thai food here is nothing short of spectacular, with vibrant, bold flavors and fresh, high-quality ingredients that truly stand out. We ordered the drunken noodles, and they were fantastic--perfectly balanced with just the right amount of spice, tender noodles, and a generous portion of protein and vegetables. The dish had a great depth of flavor, showcasing the restaurant's ability to elevate traditional Thai dishes.We also took advantage of their happy hour, which runs from 5:00 to 6:30. The happy hour offerings are a great way to sample more of their delicious menu without spending too much. The portions were generous, and each dish was packed with flavor. The drinks were well-crafted, and the prices during happy hour made the experience even better.The ambiance is chic yet welcoming, perfect for a casual night out or a special occasion. The service was friendly and attentive, rounding out a memorable dining experience. Joe's Modern Thai is a must-visit for any Thai food lover or anyone looking for a fantastic meal in Oakland!

Note this review is for a meal we had before the news of the sudden departure of the chef. So sad to hear of this news, what a great loss for Oakland and this neighborhood. I read the article from former staff. I am shocked. I don't want to support a restaurant that mistreats staff. Sanitation issues, so many other things that show a lack of integrity from the top...you'll have to read the article yourself. I have to say, the customer service we received from staff was great, and the food was great...where it goes from here on out though, no one knows. Hope they can get it right, clearly many locals love this place. The food was so tasty! This place has been on our list to try ever since it opened and for my brother's birthday we finally made the visit! Our family of four shared everything family style (the best part about going out with a group is you get to sample a little bit of everything). And although we were a little shocked at the smaller than expected portions, we were actually quite full at the end! I do recommend family style for this place. Here's what we shared:-Crunchy Catfish Salad: shockingly small portion and the catfish was unexpectedly served in a crumble style instead of chunks of meat as I imagined it would, and a little too sour for me but it was still delicious and definitely earned it's name--crunchy! Due to the sour nature of this dish, I would not recommend anyone order this as their main, definitely share it.-Massaman Curry: vegan dish, sweet, sauce was so good we asked for more rice to finish off the sauce; although it was good I'd probably go for a meat curry next, as a carnivore I did miss my meat in my curry.-Drunken Noodles: loved the smokiness, sweet flavor, brisket was cooked just right (medium rare); glad I shared this dish because I think the smokiness could get overwhelming had I had the entire plate to myself-Stir Fried Japanese Eggplant: tasted great but the outer skin was a little tough, wished it was cooked more thoroughly although I can see some other people enjoying itFor dessert:-Blue Rice Pudding w/ Mango Sorbet: so good, my favorite of the two desserts we ordered! I really liked the variety of textures--blue sticky rice, crunchy sticky pandan rice krispies, sorbet, mango pieces. Can never go wrong with mango and really loved the unique pandon rice krispies (I'd seriously purchase a bag of those)!-Corn Sundae: very unique, sweet & salty flavor profile; don't order if you don't like any sort of bitterness (the mock fish sauce was a little bitter, similar to bitters in a drink). I'm a big creamy corn milk fan, less of a coconut fan. I felt like the corn part was a little overshadowed by the other flavors. But that might just be me, my brother said this was his favorite of the two.Birthday boy got the Samarai Sun cocktail, which he liked! I tried a sip, and it was really refreshing and light. Would make for a great summer drink. The cocktail menu is pretty expansive, so many flavor combos that I'd love to come back to try. Great customer service. No birthday specials, but they kindly put a candle on the dessert that we ordered. Seating is pretty limited, and busy even on a weeknight. Note that they do take reservations, so it would be a good idea to make one in advance. Since we didn't make one, we were given the outdoor patio seating, basically coffee table seating, but within 5 minutes of sitting down to study the menu another table opened up and they offered that to us! The place is very modern/hip, and the unique asian fusion flavors on the menu reflects that. Didn't realize it was in the 2024 Michelin Guide until we got there. It's rated Bib Gourmand, which means quality food for a reasonable price. Not sure what the future holds for Jo's now that staff and chef are gone. We will be following the head chef Intu-On Kornnawong and where she goes next (I hope she stays local)!!

I came here with my family on a Thursday evening for dinner, it was nicely decorated, and we were seated right away. The service was great, everyone was very attentive and our food came out pretty fast. The food itself was fresh, I could taste it in all the greens and herbs. The portions of the appetizers were a little on the small side in my family and I's opinion. If I were to order any of the appetizers again it would be the crispy catfish salad, it reminded me of nam kao which is a crispy rice ball salad. The flavors and texture were on point. The entrees were good, the drunken noodles had a nice spice, the pork belly curry had good flavor to it, and the crab fried rice was done beautifully. This was definitely an experience for Thai food and I thought it was good, definitely a modern twist on Thai food. I can happily say it was good and I enjoyed my time here.

I'm a huge fan of upscale Asian fusion & Jo's delivers. A great spot for happy hour, drinks, or dinner with a lovely interior & cozy patio. I love how creative their menu is when it comes to both food and drinks. Some of my favorite dishes are the fish sauce popcorn chicken, chicken sliders with papaya salad, laab tostada, house oysters, & the ramen drunken noodles, so creative! Service is always on point and they always recommend me something different. Can't wait to come back and try something new!

Really exceptional experience all around!They were decently busy on a Wednesday evening, but had no problem finding street parking and were seated right away. The ambiance was warm and elegant and our server asked about any dietary restrictions and let us know the specials.We shared a curry (which comes with a good helping of jasmine rice) between two of us and it was still pretty filling. Wanted to save room for the blue sticky rice which was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I said wow after every bite.Didn't know until after that it's a Michelin star restaurant, and I completely see why