For subscribersPublished Aug. 23, 2026at6:00am
Eat Here Now is a first look at some of the newest, hottest restaurants around – the ones we think are worth visiting. We dine once, serve forth our thoughts, and let you take it from there.
Sometimes, extreme measures must be taken when introducing a city to an unfamiliar cuisine.
Take nam prik num. Traditionally, the Thai “dip” (for lack of a better word) made of smoky green chiles, garlic, shallots, and fish sauce is served with vegetables and crispy pork rind for scooping. But chef Tar Watcharin Pintisuep, who opened Ka Kai in March in the Castro, initially added avocado to it. The logic was that California’s favorite green fruit could provide a guacamole-like gateway to the cuisine of northern Thailand.
Unlike the former establishment that occupied the space on 18th near Castro — an old-school Thai restaurant from which I used to get my delivery fix of pad see ew — Ka Kai is nicely decorated with bistro chairs, an abundance of straw flowers strung from the ceiling, and a cute, if cookie-cutter, collage of framed illustrations on the wall.
It’s part of a new guard of Thai restaurants in the city that includes Prik Hom, Khao Tiew, Song Wat, Sawaan Thai Kitchen, Hed 11, and the just-opened Saam. All venture to push diners out of their pad-thai safe space. But unlike its competitors, Ka Kai is hyper-focused on a specific regional cuisine.