Southern Thai fried chicken, roti, curries, and creative cocktails
























"At Hat Yai's casual Belmont location I enjoyed the iconic fried chicken and flaky roti paired with a sticky, earthy Malayu-style curry for dunking, while alternatives like brisket curry, bracingly spicy Southern Thai ground pork, smoked duck curry, and stir-fried flank steak with red curry paste offer compelling variety." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden

"The only thing better than ordering Hat Yai’s fried shallot-topped, Thai herb-spiced birds — they come whole, halved, by leg, or by wing — is ordering them in the combo, complete with sticky rice, flaky layered roti, and creamy curry, a rich dipping sauce for all of the above. The combo is, in a word, iconic. Hat Yai’s chicken pairs well with cooling cucumber salad and cocktails such as the nutmeg-spiced coconut mango horchata or tamarind whiskey smash. Locations on both Killingsworth and Belmont are open for lunch and dinner daily." - Thom Hilton

"Mentioned as one of the Central Eastside's newcomers, Hat Yai on Belmont was cited among the spots that newly energized the neighborhood in the year under review." - Eater Staff

"Earl Ninsom’s counter service restaurant Hat Yai is probably best known for its Southern Thai fried chicken. When ordered in the combo, it comes with a Mary’s free range thigh and wing, pan-fried roti, and sticky rice, which all make stellar vehicles to dip into rich, thick, coconut milk, cinnamon, and clove-based Malayu-style curry."


"Opening Tuesday, June 11 on SE Belmont, the new Hat Yai location (605 SE Belmont Street) will be a bit of a departure from the original with more seafood and lighter fare, featuring spicy cured mussels, a shrimp paste curry with fresh bamboo (which Ninsom says is “one of the famous dishes in Hat Yai city”), chilled kanom jeen with fish balls, a chilled turmeric soup, and a cured mussel dish that debuted at Langbaan served with spicy herbs and the fermenting liquid; it will open with counter-service for now but may later add table service and some imported-charcoal-cooked fare." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden