{"id":437511,"date":"2026-08-19T18:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/437511\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T18:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:26:10","slug":"is-san-francisco-hotspot-saam-the-most-important-new-thai-restaurant-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/437511\/","title":{"rendered":"Is San Francisco Hotspot Saam the Most Important New Thai Restaurant in America?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just in the past year, I\u2019ve been to Bangkok twice<\/a> and eaten my way through the Thai capital\u2019s astounding dining scene. These visits and previous ones have convinced me that Bangkok is one of the world\u2019s most compelling destinations for high-end dining, and it seems I\u2019m not alone: The city has six spots on the World\u2019s 50 Best<\/a> restaurants list and nine on the Asia 50 Best<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which is why I haven\u2019t been this excited about a new restaurant opening in the U.S. in a long time \u2014 maybe ever. On July 24, Bangkok-based chef Thitid \u201cTon\u201d Tassanakajohn opened Saam<\/a>, his first-ever U.S. restaurant, in San Francisco. If you haven\u2019t heard of Tassanakajohn, you might\u2019ve heard of his two Bangkok establishments, Le Du and Nusara, both of which hold one Michelin star and occupy rankings (No. 30 and No. 35, respectively) on the 2026 World\u2019s 50 Best list. As soon as I could, I jumped into my car and drove six and a half hours to visit Saam in its second week of operation. I managed to get four friends to help me dine through nearly the entire menu, and I came away quietly astonished by what Tassanakajohn and his team are cooking.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a bit surprised this opening isn\u2019t getting more coverage in national media. (I guess the European chefs earning Michelin stars with pricey Bangkok restaurants \u2014 Alain Ducasse<\/a>, Anne-Sophie Pic<\/a>, Mauro Colagreco<\/a> \u2014 have more name recognition stateside among fine dining aficionados.) At Saam, Tassanakajohn echoes other ambitious Thai restaurants in the U.S., like Anajak in LA, Kalaya in Philadelphia, and Bangkok Supper Club in New York, by serving an approachable menu at an attainable, but certainly higher-than-average, price point.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

Saam means three in Thai, referring to the trio of partners involved \u2014 in addition to Tassanakajohn, Tee Atthapon and Ty Choosuwan \u2014 as well as the three essential elements of Thai cooking, spicy, sour, and sweet. While many restaurants in Bangkok lean sleek and chic,<\/a> Saam\u2019s room has a lived-in, analog feel that greatly improves the former Sun and Moon space<\/a>. Warm wood details boost the homey charm; one wall even features faux clay stoves. Walking up to the second-floor space right around golden hour, I found it bathed in soft, misty light. Aim to dine here right as the sun\u2019s setting, if possible.<\/p>\n

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Just eight days after opening, the kitchen was in excellent stride. Unlike Le Du and Nusara, Saam serves an a la carte menu, with dishes that would surprise even avid Thai food fans in the States. In lieu of the usual pad Thai, for instance, there\u2019s a shareable plate of khao soi, its thick wheat noodles topped with shrimp, squid, mussels, and a gentle curry sauce. The sweet, familiar flavors of som tum (papaya salad) come through here in a minuscule mound of diced local peaches hiding chunks of marinated raw shrimp.<\/p>\n

Spice-averse diners will have to endure some intermittent moments of intense chile heat, as everything comes preset by Tassanakajohn. Thin-sliced duck breast from Root Down Farm gets coated in a curry of shrimp, ginger-like fingerroot, makrut lime, and young coconut. Tassanakajohn\u2019s secret weapon is his attention to the curries and pastes made every day from scratch with local ingredients.<\/p>\n

For mains, you can get a salt-crusted baked fish (in our case, a good-sized branzino that might be enough for two to share) with spicy salsa-like pla ra and milder peanut sauce, plus lettuce and mint leaves we used to wrap individual bites, ssam-style. The grilled pork chop from Snake River Farms came with a dark au poivre-esque Northern Thai om sauce. Our table fought over the gaeng kua Manila clams with a red curry sauce that was marvelous simply spooned over jasmine rice. Desserts played on beloved Thai flavors: a bruleed meringue over ripened mango and sticky rice, a soft Thai iced tea cheesecake. A German riesling\u2019s soft, round sweetness and tartness paired wonderfully with everything.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

After dinner I sat down with the chef for a few minutes, and he told me that many visits to San Francisco with his wife over the years had given him an appreciation for the local produce and especially the breezy, cool weather. \u201cI worked in New York, but it would be very difficult to do this there. You cannot easily buy [fresh] lemongrass or coriander root like in California,\u201d he said. And LA\u2019s hot weather is \u201ctoo much like Bangkok,\u201d he added with a laugh.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s hopeful for the success of Saam in San Francisco, given his long relationship with the partners. \u201cIt\u2019s [challenging] because you have to train the team, and have the staff understand how I cook Thai food,\u201d he said. Managing places on both sides of the Pacific won\u2019t be easy, but you can tell Tassanakajohn cares about representing the best of his brand at Saam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to give San Francisco something different,\u201d Tassanakajohn said. \u201cI want people to feel that there\u2019s so much more flavor to Thai food.\u201d While San Francisco already has two Michelin-starred Thai restaurants \u2014 Kin Khao and Nari, both from chef Pim Techamuanvivit \u2014 Saam brings a welcome infusion of top-tier cooking from one of Thailand\u2019s most renowned chefs. In Los Angeles, even with its sizable Thai population and diverse Thai restaurant scene, there\u2019s really nothing approaching the sensibility, execution, and creativity of Saam.<\/p>\n