Thai cooking in Oakland, California, can take a meal in two very different directions. In Laurel, Jo’s Modern Thai places local ingredients inside preparations that retain a Thai vocabulary. At Jack London Square, Farmhouse Kitchen Thai adds a waterfront setting to a menu whose regional references range from Southern Thai fried chicken to fermented Isan sausage. The question is less which restaurant has the longest menu than which kind of meal you want to build from it.
Jo’s founder Kao Saelee named the restaurant for his wife, whose introduction to Thai food helped shape his approach. The dinner menu makes that idea concrete in pad kee mao: ramen noodles meet Smokin Woods BBQ brisket, Thai basil and green peppercorn. Pork belly takes a porchetta-style form before joining sweet-and-sour red curry. These are deliberate points of contact between familiar ingredients and Thai seasonings, giving newcomers a way into the food while offering experienced diners something distinctive to consider.
Sharing at Jo’s can begin with crunchy catfish and mango in lettuce cups, or coconut cakes carrying scallop and shrimp ceviche, tom kha and trout roe. A panang-braised short rib gives the table a larger main course. The cocktail list follows the food’s aromatic direction with makrut lime, lemongrass and pandan, alongside drinks without alcohol. Lunch follows its own menu, including khao soi with fried chicken, so the two services offer different routes through the kitchen. Laurel matters here because the cooking takes a recognizable Oakland contribution and makes it part of the Thai conversation.
At Farmhouse, Hat Yai fried chicken is a useful anchor for a meal: turmeric and herbs, fried shallots, cucumber salad, curry, roti and blue jasmine rice create several contrasts in one preparation. Sai Krok Isaan brings fermented pork sausage into the order, while an herbal rice salad turns toward green mango, lemongrass, toasted coconut and tamarind. The larger dishes include Panang Neua short rib and whole fried branzino. Chef Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang’s presentation gives these substantial preparations a celebratory character, and the location makes it easy to pair dinner with a walk along the Jack London waterfront.
Jo’s fits a meal driven by contemporary combinations and a bar that speaks the same aromatic language as the kitchen. Farmhouse fits an outing where regional dishes and the waterfront belong to the same occasion. In either case, a thoughtful order can balance something rich with something herbal or acidic. That is a more useful starting point than treating heat as the only measure of Thai cooking, or defaulting to the same noodle dish on every visit.
Explore the profiles: Jo’s Modern Thai · Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine — Oakland
Recommended restaurants
The profiles below explain each restaurant’s cooking and give practical details for planning a visit.
Kao Saelee’s Laurel restaurant connects Thai regional flavors with California ingredients, pairing coconut curry noodles and wok dishes with an inventive cocktail program.
Contemporary Thai cooking; khao soi with fried chicken, pork-belly red curry, Thai Caesar salad and regional-inspired cocktails.
A Jack London Square Thai restaurant where Hat Yai fried chicken, fermented Isan sausage and short-rib curries meet the waterfront and a vivid presentation style.
Thai regional cooking; Hat Yai fried chicken, Sai Krok Isaan, Panang Neua short rib, khao soi and herbal rice salad.
Sources & references
Sources for the information and reporting discussed in this guide.
- Jo’s Modern Thai: origins and Laurel neighborhood ↗ Primary source www.josmodernthai.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Jo’s Modern Thai: lunch, dinner and drinks menus ↗ Primary source www.josmodernthai.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Jo’s Modern Thai: location and hours ↗ Primary source www.josmodernthai.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Jo’s Modern Thai: Google Maps listing ↗ Primary source www.google.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Farmhouse Kitchen Thai: Oakland location and hours ↗ Primary source farmhousethai.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Farmhouse Kitchen Thai: Oakland menu ↗ Primary source farmhousethai.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Farmhouse Kitchen Thai: culinary identity ↗ Primary source farmhousethai.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Farmhouse Kitchen Thai: official social links ↗ Primary source farmhousethaievents.wixsite.com · Accessed September 28, 2026
- Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine — Oakland: Google Maps listing ↗ Primary source www.google.com · Accessed September 28, 2026