Street to Kitchen

A group of 8 of my family and friends went to try this highly acclaimed Thai restaurant for lunch and had a wonderful time. The food is flavorful, beautifully presented, and one talented chef's proud version of authentic Thai. The restaurant is quirky and attractive with a nice energetic vibe and the service is friendly, attentive, accommodating, and knowledgable. If you love Thai food, this restaurant should be on your list of places to visit for a delicious meal in an upscale ambiance.Dishes we tried include:Massaman curry - Excellent flavor and one person's favoriteGreen curry - Very creamy, excellent flavor and two people's favoriteChicken with cashews - Excellent, sweet and spicy and liked by allDrunken noodles - Spicy with perfectly prepared noodles, liked by allPad see ew - Not spicy with perfectly prepared noodles, like by allPork sticks - Very flavorful slices of pork with a chewy texture, a group favoriteSpecial: Fried pork meatballs - Very tasty with crunchy outside, a group favoriteGarlic green beans - Good, but we didn't find them specialGreen papaya salad - Excellent, tart, spicy, and well balanced with crunchy peanuts and cucumberSticky rice with mango - Loved by all; not too sweet, ripe mangoThai food is spicy! People who say they are familiar with Thai spice levels or that they lived in Asian countries and like spice but complain about the mild level of spice at this restaurant are not, in my opinion, as accomplished as they claim. Our group of adventurous eaters - and lovers of Thai food in particular - ordered mild for almost all of our dishes and found them to be perfectly delicious. If you can't handle the mild, then true Texan levels of heat will also confound you.People on Yelp have also claimed the restaurant is expensive and pretentious. Some complain about the 22% surcharge being hidden and unfair. The restaurant provides a living wage for its employees and tries to present its guests with food that reflects an authentic taste of Thai. If you want cheap and Americanized, please skip this establishment. It will only disappoint you.

Fancier than your average Thai restaurant and yet still very authentic! The menu loudly proclaims "unapologetically Thai," and the spice is for sure unapologetic. My friend and I have fairly high spice tolerances. After a warning from the waitress, we ordered the drunken noodles as mild. It wasn't too bad at first but the spice built up quick! The flavor was delicious and bold, with a nice strong garlic kick. The massaman curry was classic and delicious. The garlic chive pancakes were interesting, they tasted great but I didn't like the texture - I couldn't get used to the rectangular shape, nor the bumpy exterior. I also ordered a frozen Thai tea toki-yo, which was essentially whiskey with thai tea. I've never had alcoholic Thai tea before, and it was tasty! Definitely very strong though, and I wish I had gotten the non-alcoholic Thai tea to balance out the spice of the meal. The interior is dark and moody, perfect for date night or if you're feeling fancy. However, it is very small -- prepare to make a reservation if you're coming at peak hours.

Why 5 stars? Because despite being the spiciest food I've eaten in a long time, it was delicious. --- --- ---The website warned us. The server warned us. Fellow Yelpers warned us.The food here is much spicier than a normal Thai restaurant. Their mild is like medium at other places. And I am a total wuss when it comes to spicy food. This is not by choice - I just can't handle it, unfortunately.But before we reached the main courses, we tried a couple of appetizers, and they were not spicy. They were just amazing. Garlic Chive Pancakes: These are not visually appealing. But they are a party in your mouth, and that's what's important. Slightly crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside and full of unique/delicious flavor. Do not come to this establishment without ordering these.Pork Sticks: My brother wanted to order these and I'm glad he did. These were beef jerky sized bites of pork, with a perfect dipping sauce that accompanied. Another home run.We both ordered drunken noodles and then shared some green curry. I don't recall the last time I ate anything as spicy as these dishes. And I ordered the mild drunken noodles. Flavorful? Check. Delicious? Check. Perfectly prepared? Check.But my God, my physical body is just not meant to ingest anything remotely close to that level of spice. At first, I felt like the drunken noodles were the spicier dish, while the green curry was cooling me off. Then it reversed. I ended up finishing the noodles, but just couldn't handle one more speck of heat in the curry after we ate at least half of it. Our server was great - I am kicking myself for not getting her name. But she offered to bring me a big shot of half and half to help cool me off, and that worked wonders. I also had two Thai Teas, but the half and half by itself was a lot more helpful. We finished with Mango Sticky Rice, and this was the only thing I would give less than 5-stars. It was just okay, but again, very needed for mouth cooling purposes. I'd come again for the appetizers, but might have to stick to Pad Thai or something else with zero spice.

We showed up without a reservation so really appreciated hostess finding us seats at the bar!The mango sticky rice, pad sew ew and cold Thai tea are a must. The red curry is ultra spicy so proceed with caution, if you can tolerate the spice then the flavor is rich and yummy. The ambiance is sultry, dark, and loud! As mentioned in the other reviews - we often couldn't hear bartender unless he significantly raised his voice. That was only downside for us that we couldn't really converse because of the noise - the food was great though and I'd go back when I'm in town!

When they say they are unapologetically Thai, they mean- food, service, and all! I have been trying to get a reservation for almost a year now, and I'm glad to have finally been able to get one to celebrate my dad's birthday. We sat at the bar until our table was ready, and the bartender was a cool and friendly guy, but the best part was my Frozen Thai Tea Toki-Yo. It was creamy, had the aroma of black tea, and did I mention that it had Japanese whiskey?! An amazing, yet unique blend that I can't stop thinking about. To add to the coolness, our menu was created to imitate a vinyl record with the chef displayed front and center!Our waiter was super sassy, but I dished it right back, making our Thai dining experience realistic lol. We ordered the Tom Yum soup, Massaman Chicken Curry, Pad Thai Shrimp, Crispy Pork Belly, Garlic Soy Veggies, and Tom Yum Soufflé. Every dish was flavorful and well presented. The Tom Yum Soufflé stole the show with its uniqueness. It even tasted better the next day! Imagine a light, fluffy egg soufflé infused with all of the flavors that you would expect from a Tom Yum soup- AMAZING. Also, shout out to Chef G for the ultimate hospitality. I had been begging to try her Thai Grilled Cheese for over a year and when I let her know, she informed me that she didn't have the ingredients. BUT... she surprised me with a similar creation with what she did have. Thank you!!

Our new favorite Thai in Houston! The pad see ew was deliciously flavorful, with the pork almost sweet! The red curry was delicious- but should definitely have a spice level warning! I love the garlic veggies - who knew kale and mushrooms could taste so good?We ordered takeout; it was ready early and we managed to get a parking spot in the back too quickly run in.

Absolute favorite Thai place in Houston! Great vibes, great service, and delicious food!! Overall favorites and must haves: drunken noodles and Tom kha. Both dishes were perfectly seasoned and incredibly tasty Pad Thai was good but it really reminded me of mi goreng instant noodles - which I LOVE but they're also like 50 cents so I was a little sad The pork belly dish was really delicious and reminiscent of Japanese dishes. We also got two of the three specials of the day - the pork meatballs and the yellow curry. Both really delicious.

First time visit this month and I loved the vibes! Really small but quaint spot with great music. The staff was kind and welcoming. Due to the wait, we decided to sit at the bar and do not regret it. We got the following:-shrimp pad Thai (4/5)-garlic chives pancakes (0/5) due to the really awkward taste and texture -Frozen Thai Tea (5/5) I'll definitely return

Holy smokes, this food was amazing. Got the pad see ew and dang it was possibly the best noodle dish I've had in my life (one of top dishes overall as well). Incredible, wish I had come here sooner. Haven't tried the massaman curry yet and eager to go back in person (this was to go) to try more dishes like the tom kha kai and mango sticky rice. Great job team.

I am a Thai Gourmet fan minus the wrong and drama that occurred there. I was missing my Thai until I found something more phenomenal. I love eating and I love food. Not sure of awards of sorts other than Michelin star restaurants that defy common man's dinner pricing where taste actually can be easily distinguished. Last James Beard award nominated or won steak restaurant I went to left me wanting more. Not tonight. Whoever handed the award did the right thing. Hands down best restaurant I've been in many years. The food is special. Every bite has extra in a good way. Classic elevated I didn't know it could. The complexity of flavors is decadent. One note. Their spice level is also elevated. Mild is other people's medium. It's don't mess around Thai spicy. I was first hesitant about the mandatory 22% tip. However, unlike post COVID 22-25-30% tip requests for doing minimal order taking, the wait staff worked as a team and all were pleasant. There is also $30 per person charge for 15 min or greater delay or less than 24 hr cancel. Both I understand. Interiors is clean with old school hints. Music is expected heavy base music. Parking space is limited on premise, but plenty of street parking. The door is on the west side and easily missed if you are not looking. Don't try to go through the scan keypad.