Jo’s Modern Thai

Jo’s Modern Thai makes its Oakland setting part of its cooking. In the Laurel district, the dinner menu puts Smokin Woods BBQ brisket into pad kee mao made with ramen noodles, Thai basil and green peppercorn. The combination connects a local barbecue identity with a Thai wok preparation. It is a concrete expression of founder Kao Saelee’s idea: use familiar California ingredients to bring diners into the flavors he grew up around.

The restaurant is named for his wife, Jo, whose introduction to Thai cuisine helped shape that approach. Its contemporary language also appears in porchetta-style pork belly with sweet-and-sour red curry and makrut lime. A crunchy catfish salad joins fried fish with mango, herbs, avocado, cashew and lettuce cups; kanom krok coconut cakes become a platform for scallop and shrimp ceviche with tom kha and trout roe. These dishes give a diner several textures and ways of sharing, rather than asking every order to revolve around a bowl of noodles.

There is room for a substantial main course, including panang-braised short rib or hanger steak with tomato-tamarind jaew and sticky rice. The drinks carry the same interest in Thai aromatics: the published cocktail selection uses ingredients such as makrut lime, lemongrass and pandan, alongside spirit-free choices. Lunch has its own menu, including khao soi with fried chicken, so the meal changes with the service. Jo’s is a strong fit for a table interested in Thai flavors interpreted through Oakland’s ingredients and an inventive bar, with the dishes themselves providing plenty to discuss.

Sources: Jo’s Modern Thai: origins and Laurel neighborhood · Jo’s Modern Thai: lunch, dinner and drinks menus · Jo’s Modern Thai: location and hours · Jo’s Modern Thai: Google Maps listing