Yaowarat

"The latest debut from the Ninsom empire (Eem, Phuket Cafe, Langbaan) introduces the Thai-Chinese cuisine you’ll find in Bangkok’s Chinatown—a.k.a. Yaowarat. The prices (and portions) are pure 2020s Portland, though. While you’re not going to sweat on plastic chairs while prawns are wok-fired in front of your eyes, a trip to this fun, casual spot in Montavilla is your chance to enjoy street food that doesn’t hold back the seasoning for American tastes. Skip the Singha in lieu of one of the fanciful cocktails that change up often, like the Terra Incognita which is built around yogurt soju and tart calamansi. Food Rundown photo credit: Brooke Fitts Chive Cakes Sure, chive cakes don’t generally sound all that compelling, but their little fried cubes of chopped alliums mixed into tapioca starch batter have a crisp exterior shell and a mochi-like chew for added intrigue. Dip them in the sweet black soy sauce and then watch them disappear within minutes. photo credit: Brooke Fitts Mapo Tofu This familiar dish reverses the typical proportions and leans more on the ground beef and pork than the silky tofu. Both get stir-fried in a fermented bean paste sauce amped with szechuan peppercorns for a saucy version that’s more spicy and mouth-numbing than anything you’ll find at your run-of-the-mill takeout joint. photo credit: Brooke Fitts Black Olive Shrimp Shrimp (photo above features pork) is sautéed with salty preserved Chinese black olives, Thai chiles, and shallots, then hit with lime for an exemplary taste of the type of cross-cultural dishes found in the back alleys of Yaowarat." - Krista Garcia

"The latest debut from the Nimson empire (Eem, Phuket Cafe, Langbaan) introduces the Thai-Chinese cuisine you’ll find in Bangkok’s Chinatown—a.k.a. Yaowarat. The prices are pure 2024 Portland, though. While you’re not going to sweat on plastic chairs while prawns are wok-fired in front of your eyes, a trip to this fun, casual spot in Montavilla is your chance to enjoy grilled squid swimming in spicy dressing, some of the silkiest mapo tofu you’ve ever tasted, and bright curries like Yaowarat’s green version with springy fish balls and winter melon. Skip the Singha in lieu of one of the fanciful cocktails that change up often, like the Same But Prettier, which is built around Thai tea-infused rum and coconut-jasmine horchata." - krista garcia

"Powerhouse restaurateur Akkapong Earl Ninsom makes each new expansion of his restaurant empire a unique, daring enterprise, often serving as an opportunity to collaborate with other Portland talents. Yaowarat, Ninsom’s latest, conjures the tastes of Bangkok’s Chinatown in a vibrant dining room, drawing in the talents of seasoned chef Sam Smith and Expatriate’s Kyle Linden Webster. A shared dinner order might include crispy bean curd dumplings, egg noodles with pork gravy, shiitake mushroom fried rice, and roast pork with three spicy sauces. Here, the specials rotate frequently, cocktails are ingenious, and Sundays offer barbecued Cantonese duck." - Janey Wong, Nathan Williams

"We went to Yaowarat last week; it was our second time going. We had the celtuce salad and the chive cakes, obviously. We had our favorite thing, the black olive pork. We’ve basically eaten the whole menu at this point. The pickled cabbage salad, their road squid is so good and spicy. And their dessert buns." - Thom Hilton

"Yet another Thai restaurant within Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s larger Thai culinary canon, Yaowarat celebrates the neighborhood for which it’s named — Bangkok’s Chinatown. Here, Thai and Chinese flavors overlap: A single table may support bowls of gently spiced mapo tofu and a crispy noodle-topped rad na; wonton-looking bean curd dumplings bunch together for a crispy contrast to the the shrimp-filled parcels. For dessert, the toasted buns, served with cups of pandan and Thai tea custards, are a must." - Krista Garcia, Katrina Yentch