Best Thai Food in Austin, 2018

It's time again for the Austin Food Blogger Alliance's City Guide (currently links to the 2017 guide; 2018 guide coming soon)! I'm so excited for you all to see the full Guide this year. Our members and especially our Technology Chair, Peter Tsai, have been working hard to put it together, and it's chock full of useful information to please your palate.

I'm writing three guides this year, and the first one I have for you is Thai food. I wrote about my favorite Thai spots on this blog in 2013, and a few more great spots have cropped up since then to help satiate your appe-Thai-te. Here are some of the most notable ones:

Muangthai, 13945 Highway 183 North, Suite C-80, Austin TX 78717.
Few people I've told about this strip mall Thai joint up north near Lakeline Mall have heard of it. Yet, it's one of my favorite Thai places in town, and worth the trip. My very favorite dish here is the Chu Chee (SP4), a fried catfish fillet topped with the most amazing red curry sauce. We usually order the sauce on the side so the fillet stays crispy longer. Also, word to the wise: they are not afraid of heat, here, so we usually request our dishes mild so that the less-heat-loving folks in our group can still eat the food. But if you like it hot, they'll be happy to oblige.

I'll be brutally honest - the service here is frequently overwhelmed and, therefore, often not particularly attentive. The space is nothing fancy. But I've liked all the food I've eaten here, and particularly that fantastic catfish dish.

Please excuse this photo, which I took in 2012. We usually get takeout from here when we go! This is the marvelous Chu Chee (fried catfish fillet served with coconut red curry sauce and lime leaves)

Sip Saam Thai, 6309 West Parmer Lane #505, Austin TX 78729.
I haven't yet made it to Sip Saam Thai, but have heard a number of raves about it from trusted foodies, including one of my favorite foodie 'grammers, @myw13, and my friend and neighbor with whom I'm frequently lucky enough to share food, Jackie of Studio Stence (who took the photo below).  Jackie tells me they are like Muangthai in that they are more than willing to bring the heat if you so desire. I can't wait to check them out!

Sip Saam Thai - photo by Jackie Stence

Madam Mam's / Sap's (multiple locations for both)
I'm sure the owners of these two establishments prefer not to be linked to one another anymore (the competing restaurants are the product of the couple's split - her locations are Madam Mam's; his are Sap's). But it's hard not to link them when they still share a common menu. I'm hard pressed to order anything here other than the Pad Kee Mao (F5)(note that you have to ask for flat rice noodles or you'll get a version made with spaghetti noodles) or what is basically the rice version of the same dish, Pad Ped Ga-Prao (P8). For an appetizer, I love the Thai rice cakes (Kao Tung / A3).

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Pad Kee Mao - wide rice noodles stir-fried with your choice of protein (I always get pork), mushrooms, Thai basil, and Thai peppers

Thai Kun, Two locations: 

Brick & mortar at Rock Rose at the Domain, 11601 Rock Rose Ave., Suite 110, Austin TX 78758.

Trailer at Whisler's, 1816 E. 6th Street, Austin TX 78702.

The hottest thing I ever remember attempting to eat was the larb at Thai Kun in the Domain (pictured in the cover photo for this blog post). I seriously wondered if I might need an esophageal transplant afterwards. Luckily, their offerings include more sedate dishes, too, like the crab Thai fried rice or the chive cakes.

Crab Fried Rice at Thai Kun

Sway, 1417 South 1st Street, Austin TX 78704.
Ah, Sway. Your food is so good that I can almost forgive your terrible tables. I love most every dish I've had at Sway, but my favorites are the son-in-law, the jungle curry, the tiger cry, the kai yaang, and the salt & pepper tofu. For dessert, the Thai tea affogato or the jasmine tea panna cotta. Sway is really a fusion restaurant and purists may lament its inclusion here, but it's so wonderful that I think it deserves a spot in this guide nonetheless.

The Son-In-Law - braised pork shoulder, crispy farm egg, thick soy, chili vinegar

Dee Dee, 2500 E. 6th Street at Pedernales, Austin TX 78702.

Feeling a little grouchy? Dee Dee's website is sure to cheer you up. And their food will cure your worst bout of hangry. They operate out of a trailer, so either dress for the weather or get something to go, but definitely try them out - it's good stuff.

Thai Fresh

This sweet restaurant and coffee bar on West Mary is a favorite of mine for many reasons. I love that they source locally and use humanely-raised meats. I love that the owner, Jam Sanitchat, teaches cooking classes at their store (which I highly recommend), passing on her passion for cooking and her secrets about her favorite Thai ingredients. And most of all, I love the food. Fresh Thai flavor abounds in every dish. And you can cool things down afterwards with a scoop of their housemade vegan ice cream. The ice cream flavors are marvelous (everything from mint chip to ginger lemongrass), and you won't for a second miss the dairy.

Spicy Basil Fried Rice

Krua, 2024 South Lamar Blvd, Austin TX 78704.
I've experienced some long waits for food and some other service issues here, but on balance, Krua is pretty good as Austin Thai food goes, especially in the south part of town where good Thai spots seem to be a little harder to come by. These mussels swimming in red curry are fantastic; order some rice to go with it, as you won't want to waste a drop of that sauce.

Titaya's, 5501 North Lamar Blvd, Suite C101, Austin TX 78751.
Titaya's has been around for a really long time, and boasts a solid 4 stars on Yelp with over 1350 reviews. I haven't had a ton of luck there myself, of late, but I'd love to be proven wrong, as it's one of the closest Thai restaurants to my house. If you have a favorite standout dish here that you think I'll like, please let me know!

What are your favorite Thai places in town? I'm Thai-ing to know - please share in the comments!

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Learning to Cook Thai Food at Thai Fresh

Hooooo boy, that was a bit of a break! It seems like summer always saps my will to blog, but this went much longer than usual. Anyway, good to be back - thanks to those of you who are still here reading! And for those of you who want a more consistent dose of food porn, even when I'm off the blogging wagon, I tend to keep up my food-centric Instagram feed.

It was a cooking class at Thai Fresh that got me invigorated to write again - this was, hands-down, the best cooking class I've ever attended. I came away feeling excited to cook the dishes we made - and, more importantly, now I feel confident that I can make every one. A big part of this was due to the fact that the class was hands-on - we split into groups of three, and each of these groups got to make every single dish that was taught in the class. And once you've made a dish once, it's easy to picture yourself doing it again.

With the possible exception of pad thai, I've always felt like there was a giant gap in my knowledge when it came to making Thai food. I've muddled my way through a curry or two, but just never really had a handle on the spices involved and wasn't really sure how to go about finding out what they were. But Thai Fresh's owner, Jam Sanitchat, took the mystery out of every step. She generously shared tons of tips for making great Thai food, and when we sat down to eat our handiwork after the class, everything was so delicious that it built up our confidence.

We started out making papaya salad. It is so easy,  especially if you buy the inexpensive shredder Jam sells at Thai Fresh for this purpose (note: Jam sells the large majority of the ingredients and tools you'll need for recreating her dishes at home, including hard-to-find ingredients like keffir lime leaves). Jam's papaya salad dressing recipe was perfect; not too too spicy, with just the right umami flavor shining through. We took a break after making this to taste our creation.

Papaya salad

After eating our fill of papaya salad, we headed back into the kitchen to make drunken noodles (pad kee mao), which is one of my favorites; a phenomenal green curry with chicken and sweet potatoes; and pad prik king with red curry paste.

Our group's pan of pad kee mao

Finally, after making all three of these dishes, it was time to eat!

Dinner time!

I can't recommend Jam's cooking classes highly enough. We had so much fun, and I can't wait to put my newfound knowledge to good use!

Thai Fresh

909 W. Mary Street

Austin, TX 78704

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AFBA CityGuide 2014 - Walk This Sway

Back when Sway Modern Thai was still a curry-scented rumor, my friend Erica said to me, "I think we should make it our mission to becomes experts on Sway." I took those words to heart, and visited the restaurant seven times during the first two months they were open. I've cooled my jets a bit since then, but remain enthusiastic for Sway. If I were crazy enough to try to create a top ten list of my favorite Austin restaurants right now, I feel quite certain that Sway would make the list.

I picked Sway as a dark horse for the South Austin - Date Night category, mainly because the best seats in the house are at the counter facing into the kitchen, and counter seating works best for parties of two. Having a show unfolding before you that can distract you if conversation lags, but that doesn't demand your attention, is the perfect recipe for date night in my book.

Fair warning: most of the rest of Sway's seating consists of awful nine-top tables that make conversation with anyone but your immediate neighbors practically impossible.

Whoever chose these tables was an introvert.

They do have a lovely patio with more sanely-shaped community tables, though...

Of course, no date night would be complete without some amazing plates to share. I suggest starting with their fantastic oysters on the half shell. Good god, these are fantastic. Fresh and light with the perfect, breezy mignonette. I could eat these all day.

All. Day.

My other favorite dishes at Sway are very flavor-forward. If you shy away from intense dishes, this may not be the place for you. For example, the Jungle Curry - Texas wagyu beef with baby corn, eggplant, peppercorns, and a wonderful, dark curry sauce, the heat from which is expertly balanced by a large dollop of soothing coconut cream.

I think I wanna know ya / Jungle love

Another dish in the "hot beef" category is the delicious Tiger Cry. Hanger steak is char-grilled medium rare and covered with red chili nahm jim, Thai basil, Fresno chile, toasted rice, and a generous scoop of Sway's super-addictive, house-made nahm prik pao.

That's the nahm prik pao lurking over there to the left.

Don't think Sway is just a meat-fest, though; they have a number of vegetarian options, too. One of my favorites is their fantastic salt and pepper tofu. Crispy, perfectly salty, and served in a lovely bath of chile sauce.

Salt & Pepper Tofu

If you want a showstopper to ooh and ahh, over, how about the whole crispy fish? This presentation could not be more impressive.

It will leap into your mouth!

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention the son-in-law, a crowd favorite (and one of mine, too). Braised pork shoulder; a farm egg cooked crispy on the outside, but still runny on the inside; thick soy, and nahm prik pla, served over a bed of rice.

The only Son-in-Law I'll ever have.

I hope you left room for dessert. The sweet endings here are special. Two of my favorites are the Thai tea affogato and the jasmine tea panna cotta:

Thai tea affogato - condensed milk ice cream (condensed milk ice cream!!!) served with macadamia cookies and a little pitcher of Thai tea to pour over the top. Basically a solid (and very delicious) version of Thai iced tea.

Jasmine tea panna cotta topped with coconut-lychee sorbet and garnished with red grapes, lychee, palm sugar, Thai basil, shiso, and crunchy amaranth.

If you're looking for a date night that's more foodie than fuddy duddy, more sassy than sedate, head on over to Sway for an evening of flavor-forward fun that you're sure to enjoy.

Sway Modern Thai

1417 South First Street

Austin, TX 78704

512-326-1999

Open for lunch and dinner, Sun-Wed 11a-10p, Thu-Sat 11a-11p

No reservations except for parties of 10 or more

WiFi: Yes

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Guide to Thai-riffic Thai in Austin

My second post for the 2013 Austin Food Blogger Alliance City Guide is on Thai food. Thai food is one of my favorite genres of food, and I've long lamented the relative scarcity of outstanding Thai here in Austin. But a few spots stand out as being consistent winners in my book. Read on to find out which Thai restaurants have most curried my f(l)avor.

Sway
I had every intention of getting a full blog post on Sway up before now. I'm pretty sure it's the restaurant I've frequented most since its opening in December of last year (though Épicerie is close behind). I've long been a big fan of executive chef Rene Ortiz and pastry chef Laura Sawicki, the dynamic duo behind La Condesa, though I'll admit I was a little skeptical when I heard they were opening a Thai restaurant, too. Could they really be as good at Thai food as they are at Mexican?

Yes. Yes, they can.

What I love most about Sway is that their dishes are full of flavor, but still taste clean and fresh. Most everything is made from scratch, including their deeply wonderful nam prik pao. My favorite dishes at Sway include the son-in-law, the jungle curry, the tiger cry, the kai yaang, and the salt & pepper tofu. For dessert, the Thai tea affogato or the jasmine tea panna cotta. I still aspire to writing a full-length blog post about this fabulous place, so I'll reserve the long-winded dish descriptions for that day, but here are a couple of photos to whet your appe-Thai-te.

The Son-In-Law - braised pork shoulder, crispy farm egg, thick soy, chili vinegar

Jasmine Tea Panna Cotta - served with coconut-lychee sorbet, red grape, lychee, palm sugar, Thai basil, shiso, and crunchy amaranth

Thai Fresh

This sweet restaurant and coffee bar on West Mary is a favorite of mine for many reasons. I love that they source locally and use humanely-raised meats. I love that the owner, Jam Sanitchat, teaches cooking classes at their store, passing on her passion for cooking and her secrets about her favorite Thai ingredients. And most of all, I love the food. Fresh Thai flavor abounds in every dish (in case you haven't been since they changed things up here, they now cook everything to order - no more reheating out of the cold case!). And you can cool things down afterwards with a scoop of their housemade vegan ice cream. The ice cream flavors are marvelous (everything from mint chip to ginger lemongrass), and you won't for a second miss the dairy.

Spicy Basil Fried Rice

Madam Mam's / Sap's
I'm sure the owners of these two establishments prefer not to be linked to one another anymore (the competing restaurants are the product of the couple's split - she got the two locations that are still Madam Mam's; he turned the south location into Sap's). But it's hard not to link them when they still share a common menu. I'm hard pressed to order anything here other than the Pad Kee Mao (F5)(note that you have to ask for rice noodles or you'll get a version made with spaghetti noodles) or what is basically the rice version of the same dish, Pad Ped Ga-Prao (P8). For an appetizer, I love the Thai rice cakes (Kao Tung / A3).

Pad Kee Mao - wide rice noodles stir-fried with your choice of protein (I always get pork), mushrooms, Thai basil, and Thai peppers

Muangthai
Few people I've told about this strip mall Thai joint wayyyyyyyyy up north near Lakeline Mall have heard of it. Yet, it's one of my favorite Thai places in town, and worth the trip. My very favorite dish here is the Chu Chee (SP4), a fried catfish fillet topped with the most amazing red curry sauce. We usually order the sauce on the side so the fillet stays crispy longer. Also, word to the wise: they are not afraid of heat, here, so we usually request our dishes mild so that the less-heat-loving folks in our group can still eat the food. But if you like it hot, they'll be happy to oblige.

I'll be brutally honest - the service here is frequently overwhelmed and, therefore, often not particularly attentive. The space is nothing fancy. But I've liked all the food I've eaten here, and particularly that fantastic catfish dish.

O' happy red curry day - Chu Chee (fried catfish fillet served with coconut red curry sauce and lime leaves)

What are your favorite Thai places in town? I'm Thai-ing to know - please share in the comments!

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Nom nom Nam Sod

My neighbor Jackie has a knack for putting together fun gatherings that prove that making delicious food doesn't have to stress anybody out. I'll never forget the time earlier this summer when our refrigerator decided to take its own vacation over a holiday weekend. Jackie decided that rather than letting all the food go to waste, we should cook it all and have a giant feast. And we did.

A couple of weekends ago, Jackie suggested that a small group of us gather to cook - and then eat - nam sod, a Thai dish similar to larb (from what little I can gather online, it appears that nam sod is always made with pork, whereas larb is typically made with beef or chicken...if anyone knows differently, please let me know!). Jackie and I headed to the grocery store to pick up ingredients, then we recruited the help of two other people and a mandoline (now on my wishlist) to assist with the task of preparing the dish.

We started out with this recipe, but like most recipes of this ilk, it is pretty much infinitely tweakable. Short on peppers? No worries. Got a little extra green onion? Throw it in. We were low on mint and instead substituted in some Thai basil, which was a lovely addition. The flavors are strong and get stronger over time (particularly the lime and ginger), so I definitely recommend a mellow accompaniment of some kind. We served ours with cooked rice stick noodles, but you could also do rice or even shredded cabbage. It makes for a wonderfully fragrant and fresh-tasting meal.

Fun with our food


Colorful peppers


This dish requires serious amounts of chopping. Enlist help.


Putting it all together. I wish you could smell this!


Add pork and rice stick noodles - it's summer on a plate.

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