Hed 11
Thai restaurant · Japantown
1800 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115
Highlights
Elevated Thai tasting menu with 11 courses, Michelin aspirations
Elevated Thai tasting menu with 11 courses, Michelin aspirations
"Perched in a swanky space at the corner of the Kimpton Hotel Enso, this ambitious Thai project from Chef Piriya "Saint" Boonprasan and owner Naruephon "Billie" Wannajaro gives a hint to its concept right in the name: an 11-course menu that celebrates regional Thai flavors with a contemporary style. The price point doesn’t lend itself to dining on a budget, but despite its variety, the meal won’t over-tax your schedule, with most of the courses arriving together as a sort of miniature banquet for the main. Sweet and savory are blended throughout the menu, whether in bites like a coconut pancake with lime and caviar, a take on khanom jeen sao nam with seared scallop paired with chilled rice noodles, tangy pineapple, and garlic, or even a Thai-style cheesecake with crispy fried onions and passionfruit syrup." - Michelin Inspector
"Prince range: $$$ An ant salad cracker paired with a seven-day fermented yadong to let the spice bloom. Escargot with red pepper tucked throughout the shell adorned with a luxe “Thai pesto.” A beef carpaccio encircling a bouquet of pickled vegetables, all of it a nod to both the aromatic coriander rising from the plate and the beef salads of Northern Thailand. This is typical fare while dining at the Kimpton Hotel Enso’s hotel restaurant Hed 11, overlooking Japantown below. Owner Naruephon “Billie” Wannajaro and chef Piriya “Saint” Boonprasan prove to diners why the Michelin Guide recognized their talents overseas before praising them in San Francisco. The 11-course dinner tasting menu, running $111, is the main attraction. Best for: Getting a look at what the future of Thai food in the United States looks like from two of its most thoughtful entrepreneurs and cooks." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Naruephon “Billie” Wannajaro, who opened Hed Very Thai on Hardie Place in early 2023, is on a spree. Her newest venture Hed 11 showcases a rule-breaking generation of Thai chef-owners. The tasting menu restaurant comes from chef Piriya “Saint” Boonprasan, seasonal flavors on brash display. The move here is to take advantage of the ultra-reasonable $111 menu for a whopping 11-course dinner. Just do so on a weeknight or off-season; tourism in Japantown can get crazy parking- and food traffic-wise." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Naruephon “Billie” Wannajaro, the owner behind Union Square-adjacent Hed Very Thai, teamed up with chef Piriya “Saint” Boonprasan to bring multi-course Thai tasting menus to Japantown. The new restaurant, Hed11, serves fine dining fare including young coconut caviar sticky rice pancakes, banana chicken curry, crab salad dip, and cabbage salad with tiny fried shrimp. Much of the food happens to be gluten- and dairy-free making this an accessible tasting menu option in the city." - Dianne de Guzman, Lauren Saria
"The team behind Hed Very Thai has launched an 11-course Thai tasting menu in Japantown. At the Kimpton Hotel Enso, this dimly lit upscale spot (with just one circular window letting in natural light) serves dishes from across Thailand. Some plates to expect are grilled Hokkaido scallop coconut curry noodles and sour and spicy grouper fish soup. " - ricky rodriguez
