J.J. Thai Street Food

J.J. Thai is a small BYOB Thai restaurant in West Town. It’s also very busy, which means there’s a good chance you’ll need to wait for a table. That can lead to some hard questions like “should we go get more beer?” and “where should I stand so my bag isn’t in this woman’s face?” We can’t answer those questions for you, but we can tell you that this place is worth the wait.

That’s because J.J.’s serves excellent Thai street food. So you’ll find dishes like sai-krok e-sarn and crispy khao mun gai tod - which is so good we usually end up ordering a second plate. The soups here are also excellent - they’ve all got flavorful broths and springy noodles. There are less than 30 seats, so no matter where you end up you’ll be within seeing distance of the open kitchen. This is great, because if you see something that looks delicious, you can always add it to your meal (or just remember it for next time).

Food Rundown

photo credit: Sandy Noto

ไส้กรอกอีสาน (Sai-Krok E-Sam)

These are our favorite starters here. They’re sausages made out of pork and sour rice shaped into little meatballs. The casing has a great snap, and the meat has an enjoyably funky flavor.

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำสูตรโบราณ (Guay Tiew Nam Sood Boran)

This excellent chicken noodle soup has a broth that reminds us of herbal tea, and is the first thing we’re picking up the next time someone in our office sneezes.

photo credit: Sandy Noto

บะหมี่เกี๊ยวหมูแดง (Bamee Moo Daeng)

Another chicken broth soup, but with BBQ pork on top. We get the broth on the side to keep the noodles bouncy for as long as possible.

photo credit: Sandy Noto

ข้าวมันไก่ทอด (Khao Mun Gai Tod)

This is thinly-sliced fried chicken served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. These are so crispy and delicious, that even if you’re eating alone you’ll probably want a second order.