Chef Big Nuttapang runs one of San Francisco’s most singular Thai restaurants. These days, there is a wide array of different approaches to choose from, but Nuttapang’s Bangkok Street Thai Kitchen brings a piñata of color and dishes right from the street of the Thai capital. It has become a key restaurant in the city’s Thai scene thanks to its zany, in-your-face approach.
A flotilla of paper lanterns hang out front; multiple neon signs flicker across the scene. It’s a crowd of young people who’ll take up most of the seats clutching mango rice-infused beers and IPAs imported from Thailand.
A trip to Japantown is squandered if a diner eats at only one restaurant. Super Mira Market is around the corner, home to Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop and that coffee crunch cake. If you’re looking for a nightcap, Hed 11 is across the street with a bar full of Japanese plum gimlets and smoked rice whiskey drinks.