Kin Khao

Authentic Thai food, fast food style. We had a quick lunch - Som Tum Papaya salad fresh & vibrant, Yaowaraj noodles - a rustic street-style fare, Khao Mun Ghai - perfectly made Singapore (steamed) Chicken-Rice style dish served with Thai sauce. Didn't care much for the Salted Duck Egg, the whites were bitter!Service is fast & friendly, and the location within Parc55 hotel near Union Square is nice. Definite try for Thai food afficianados.

I was excited to try a Michelin star restaurant. Reservations are limited, even on a Wednesday night, but definitely has a nice interior ambiance. Our table was definitely loud, but it had a lively atmosphere still. I am rating this place as a vegetarian who doesn't like mushrooms and eggs as much, so take it with a grain of salt. But did I feel the experience was worth the price tag and hype of a Michelin star? No.There was one dish I liked, which was the roasted delicata squash. You can eat it on its own with it's thai peanut sauce on the thicker side, or with the rice that you can order. Will I come back again for it? No. The yaowaraj noodle felt like a less flavorful drunken noodles, maybe more like pad see ew. I think the quality was there, but the taste could have been elevated better for a Michelin star. The gaeng hed? Why was this dish the most expensive? I get it was rich and creamy, but I could still taste the powederiness from the spices. I didn't feel it was that special. The black rice pudding was interesting, but just felt like a dessert porridge. I might have been really harsh with my review, but never did I feel like I wasted $$$ for four people with these dishes. I think there are many other Thai places without a Michelin star that would be much better to eat at.

SALTYThe service was good BUT the consistent thing across all of our dishes was that they were way too salty! I understand that these Thai dishes are more unique when compared to your typical pad Thai, but for what the food tastes like, not only would I not come back, but I definitely would not give it any Michelin recognition. We ordered all the top dishes that our waitress recommended. Pretty hot wings - good flavor, not too spicy but way too saltyPlah pla muek - the actual squid was delicious and cooked very well, but the sauce was just pure ocean salt water! It made the dish really difficult to eat at all and we couldn't finish it Yaowaraj noodles - our noodles were BURNTKhun yai rabbit green curry - maybe the flavor profile didn't fit well with our group, but it was average Massaman nuea braised beef cheeks curry - definitely a more herb forward curry. This dish was probably the best of the mains but overall was just alrightI think the cocktails were the only stars of the dinner

With 2.6K reviews on Yelp at the time of this review, this restaurant is probably one of the most well-known Thai eateries in San Francisco. Located inside the Parc 55 Hotel, Khin Khao also holds 1 Michelin Star.After our not so stellar tea experience across the street at another hotel restaurant recently, we decided to come over to Khin Khao to try the lunch. Located on the first level of Parc 55 Hotel, you will need to walk just a few steps up to the entrance. Because this area also borders TL, you may also see some colorful characters. On the day we visited, a person was outside throwing a fit (plastic bottles were thrown and luckily no one was hit) and then left an empty (?) suitcase behind near the entrance. Once inside, you feel like you are transported to a fancier version of street food stalls in Asia with tight sitting. We got the Yaowaraj Noodle (Bangkok Chinatown stir-fried noodles), and the Khao Soi (Northern style chicken curry broth with egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, cilantro and lime). For drinks, I got the Suan Lum, an alcohol free cocktail. The food is flavorful (tad salty) and very spicy, so the cocktail really helped. Service is not up to par to what we would expect from a 1 Michelin star restaurant. Staff seem a bit indifferent.Located inside Parc 55, restaurant entrance on corner of Ellis and Mason St.

High-end Thai restaurant located in the PARC55 Hotel near Union Square. There is validated two hour Valet parking available also in the PARC55, a sensible choice considering the crime in the area. Sad to say that the downtown area is devoid of shoppers and conventioneers - the lobby of the hotel was practically empty with card key necessary to use the restrooms for hotel and restaurant guests.We went for a weekday lunch and ordered the works: non-alcoholic drinks, appetizers, individual entrees (not really family style although you can ask for extra bowls) and desserts. The service was helpful offering suggestions and more in-depth descriptions. Also checked on us multiple times while filling our glasses with water from the carafe on the table.We had Thai Iced Teas and Coffees which were not overly sweet with our appetizers of Mushroom Hor Mom, which is a spicy mousse cream that you put on a rice cracker (you can ask for more rice crackers) and Laab Tod which is a fried meat football that you wrap with veggies. Both appetizers were unique and very good.For entrees we had the- Khao Soi, a soupy dish with crispy noodles, It was good but not the best that we've had.- Khao Mun Gai, a chicken rice dish that is similar to Hainan Chicken, it was ok.- Yaowaraj Noodle, a sweet soy flat noodle dish that is similar to a Pad See Ew. The best of our three entrees that we had.For dessert we had the Panna Cotta with Huckleberry Jam and Black Rice Pudding with Banana slices. Liked both of the desserts.Overall, good quality Thai based food with excellent service, and modern ambiance. Probably the most affordable Michelins 1 Star restaurant in California. Suggest Valet parking, the appetizers and desserts and the Yaowaraj Noodles.

I happened to be in the Union Square area and was looking for a dinner spot. We were in the mood for Thai and stumbled upon Kin Khao. The restaurant was packed on a Friday night but luckily the bar seating was empty. Migi the bartender was amazing! He was super friendly and provided us his favorite recommendations from the menu. We weren't too hungry so we went with the Beef Cheek Massaman Nuea Curry and the Plah Pla Muek to share. The Plah pla muek was a squid dish and the sauce they use was loaded with flavor - it was a little spicy, tangy and delicious. The Massaman curry was my favorite of the two dishes. The curry was creamy and flavorful, and the beef was super tender and practically falling apart. We had no idea this was a Michelin star restaurant until halfway through our meal. It might come off a little bit pricier than the regular Thai restaurant but it's definitely worth it. The portions are generous and the quality of the food is really good. I can't wait to go back and try their lunch menu next time. I'll probably try to make a reservation, but I'm definitely sitting at the bar again.

My best friend recently took the LSAT, so we decided to celebrate with a meal at Kin Khao! We had a reservation and were seated immediately upon arrival. We ordered the Mushroom Hor Mok, Khao Kan Jin, and Mussels Gaeng Kua. I love that their menu offers dishes that you wouldn't fit at your typical Thai joint; it was super exciting to try new things and I loved everything we ordered. Each dish was unique in its own way and very well done--the flavors were all exciting and enjoyable. By far, my favorite was the Mushroom Hor Mok. The curry mouse was delicious, and the crispy rice cakes were such a fantastic vessel to eat it with. I think the only disappointments that we ordered were the beverages; both the Thai Tea and Thai Coffee were below average and can definitely be skipped. Aside from the food, the service was excellent. Our waiter was very helpful in recommending his favorite dishes and responsive when we asked to switch our drink choice. He also checked on us several times throughout the meal. The ambiance was also nice without being too nice--it would be a good spot for both friends and dates. I think my only gripe is parking, which was a bit difficult to find in the area.

Food: 3.5/5Service: 3/5Price: 3/5Atmosphere: 3/5TL;DR: It's a small, cozy restaurant in the corner of a hotel. For a michelin restaurant, it fell pretty short of my expectations. The staff wasn't super friendly and it felt like they were kind of rushing us through our meal, but the manager is incredibly kind -- he made us feel welcomed and made the experience more enjoyable. For the food, overall it's okay. The dishes are more unique and aesthetic but in terms of flavor, we weren't particularly wow'ed by any of the dishes and think that there's other thai restaurants in the bay that do it better -- especially for the price.Mushroom Hor Mok (*5/5*): this was really good, creamy curry sauce, bouncy mushroom, that went really well with the rice cracker; prob everyone's fav dish of the nightSaeng Wa (*4/5*): the shrimp was cooked well, I like the tanginess of the sauce & the roe that was in itPretty Hot Wings (*3.5/5*): chicken is well seasoned & juicy & coated with A LOT of sauce; it has a pretty strong fish sauce flavor but the tamarind cuts through it; pretty good but not amazingMassaman Nuea (*3.5/5*): the braised beef cheek was super tender & soft; the curry was quite thick & heavy; my group really enjoyed it but I wasn't too big of a fan of itBlack Rice Pudding (*5/5*): MUST ORDER, this is so delicious, i have no words

Thai restaurant with 1 Michelin star won't let you down. Celebrated my birthday last year!I tried:1. Mushroom hor mok 2. Caramelized pork belly with sticky rice3. Plah pla muek - squid in spicy + tangy seafood sauce 4. Pad see ew 5. Koh kood - pina colada 6. Monta - grasshoper 7. Black rice pudding

Tried the prix Fixe tasting menu for $95/person and was quite satisfied with the amount of food we received, especially for a Michelin star restaurant!Starters: Market oysters, yum hed, pretty hot wingsCourse 1: Plah pla muek, caramelized pork bellyCourse 2: Wok tossed snap peas in XO sauce, massaman nueaDessert: Black rice puddingMy favorites were the snap peas, massaman, and black rice pudding. The only downside is that by the time these dishes came out, I was a bit too full to fully enjoy them (no complaints though!). I do wish that there were some vegetables served with the first course, as eating a lot of meat dishes in succession began to feel a bit heavy. Dessert was one of my favorite dishes of the night! The black rice pudding topped with the coconut cream, crispy rice, and strawberries was so refreshing after the meal and was a perfect mix of sweet and salty.Service and ambiance of the restaurant were both amazing, our server walked us through the menu and each dish when it was served. I'd definitely come back, but probably would order a la carte next time since I know which dishes I like the best now!