Every once in a while, a restaurant opening screams Holy Smokes. As in, this could be Portland’s next big thing. Right now, the honor goes to the highly anticipated Yaowarat. Opening date is Friday, October 6 in the former Lazy Susan space at 7937 SE Stark St.

Expect a Thai Chinese joint like no other. One reason: it’s hard to find this cuisine, much less an entire menu devoted to it, outside of Thailand. Bangkok's Chinatown, also known as Yaowarat, is a teeming haven of decades-old vendors and neon-lit shops—and home to Thailand’s large Chinese community. Why the dishes of this street-food paradise rarely make their way stateside is a mystery.  

Nothing will be invented here. Yaowarat aims to serve food as close as possible to the night stalls, side woks, and noodle shacks that inspire it. Think Thai food vibrancy meets the rich, mellow, comfort of Chinese cooking, from noodles to curries. But the drinking will be positively Portland: Thai beer towers, nuanced cocktails, and what the house calls “a baller Champagne list, just because it sounds like fun.” 

Behind the project are four of Portland’s top restaurant thinkers, starting with indie Thai food mogul Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom. Yaowarat was Ninsom’s hangout through high school and college, the place he still returns to, guiding friends on impromptu tours.

He’s teaming up once again with Eric Nelson, his partner at Eem, Langbaan, and Phuket Café. Nelson brings the art of goofy-good drinks and merry vibes.  Already, the duo's hot spot resume includes two former Portland Monthly Restaurants of the Year. Ninsom’s portfolio extends to popular neighborhood spots Hat Yai and Paadee. Yaowarat will be his sixth Thai restaurant  in Portland, and no two are alike.

Partner Kyle Linden Webster shares their love of SE Asian flavors at Expatriate, a beloved bar since 2013, which he owns with his James Beard medaled wife, Naomi Pomeroy. Webster is as much a musicologist and vinyl collector as a heady, methodical cocktail ace. He and Nelson will share bartending and hosting duties, which alone makes Yaowarat an instant intrigue.

Another food explorer, chef-partner and Sweedeedee alum Sam Smith will be a fixture in the kitchen. His Instagram feed doubles as a go-to guide for off-the-radar restaurants.

But mostly, Yaowarat is a chance for four close friends to work, nosh, and create together. Dishes reflect weeks-long food benders in Bangkok, where they ate until they “bent over in pain” in search of Thai Chinese dishes not typically seen in Portland or America.

Their collaborative spirit extends to the 70-seat space. Walk in to what feels like a Thai Chinese surprise party. Eye-popping paper lamps, emblazoned with Thai and Chinese prosperity messages, hang over the snug tables like planet-sized balloons. The bar glows film-noir red. In the “chaos bathroom,” a red lantern blinks and spins over handmade wallpaper, which Webster collaged himself from Thai movie posters, photos, and old book graphics.    

Yaowarat will open for dinner to start, Wednesday through Sunday, walk-ins only. Expect roughly 20 dishes, $9 to $17, inspired by the whirlwind of flavors found in Bangkok’s Chinatown: traditional Chinese to straight-up Thai, and everything in between. “It’s a spectrum,” says Smith. “It’s the mixed-use of ingredients, what Chinese immigrants brought and what they found. It’s spice-forward but not spicy.” 

Ninsom provided the early road map, but soon they were lurching at anything that looked amazing. “Earl opened a lot of doors,” says Nelson. “We had the benefit of the secret handshake. As friendly as he is to everyone here, he knows 10 times more people in Bangkok. He knows where to eat, what to get.”  They ate day and night, pounding through entire menus to find hallelujah moments, returning to eat favored versions over and over again, just to make sure. “The more you go to Thailand and dig deeper, the more you realize that Thai Chinese food is where it’s at,” says Nelson.

Meanwhile, Webster, known for manning two turntables at Expatriate, scoured Bangkok’s record stores and carried back some 100 albums along with a scheme to create unique playlists for the restaurant. “Every song will be ripped from a vinyl record,” promises Nelson. “Thai disco to Thai indie rock, plus lots of traditional music.”

Their biggest challenge: scaling the menu. “We wrote ‘we have to have this' on at least 50 things,” laughs Nelson.  A few that made the opening cut? Crispy bean curd dumplings; stir-fried noodles with pork gravy and Chinese broccoli over crispy chow mein; and the famed hoi tod seafood omelets with Thai sriracha.

The menu’s Chinese black olive pork encapsulates a common path: A dish of stir-fried minced pork and salted Chinese olives was born in mainland China. Then it made its way to Thailand, where lime, shallots, Thai chilies, and crispy garlic jumped on top.

“I feel lucky to be part of this, to be brought into someone else’s culture,” says Smith, who will sharpen flavors with Thai Chinese cook Kanokwan “Nok” Jinuntuya and Hat Yai alum Taweesak “Tee” Teesompong, who Ninsom met in Bangkok 2013, when Tee was the “wok guy” at the one-Michelin-starred Nahm. “Tee and Nok are teaching me what they know. It’s an awesome relationship. My experience running kitchens, their experience with food,” says Smith.

Cocktails are meant to match the mood, alongside zero-proof beers (Nelson is a sober bartender) and lots and lots of Champagne, a Webster obsession—from Dom Pérignon to small producers. I’ve got my eye on the Tingling Daiquiri, spiked with Szechuan peppercorn syrup.

The ups and downs of Portland's food scene do not discourage them. Yaowarat is a hands-on, all-in project for all of them. 

“Yes, there’s stress,” says Webster. “That said, we’re not on the Supreme Court; we’re not surgeons. But we do take it seriously. We’re here to host and care. I got into this business to share my sense of hospitality with everyone who comes in the door. It’s why I’ll be in every night we’re open.” 

Yaowarat, 7937 SE Stark St