In 2026, Thailand\u2019s Michelin Guide selection boasted 468 venues, two three-star restaurants (one of which leveled up from one), eight two-star appointees (two promoted from one-star) and a whopping 33 one-star eateries, including three newcomers and four promoted from the general selection.<\/p>\n
But what of its presence in the states? Is the nation\u2019s cuisine, regionally diverse, rife with immigrant influence and overlap from its neighbors, Laos and Cambodia, about to have its moment in America?<\/p>\n
Bangkok native Asawin \u201cA.J.\u201d Jockkeaw, chef\/owner of Meng\u2019s Kitchen<\/a> inside the Milk District\u2019s iFresh Supermarket, believes it is imminent.<\/p>\n \u201cThere used to be so many Chinese takeout places in Orlando,\u201d he notes. He\u2019s been here for decades, working in various eateries (not to mention bands; when he\u2019s not making some of the city\u2019s favorite Hainanese chicken, he is a regularly gigging multi-instrumentalist).<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like lately, there are less of these, and now, we\u2019re seeing lots of Thai.\u201d<\/p>\n He would know. And in fact, so would many of Orlando\u2019s other Thai chefs and restaurateurs, as they seem to hit up one another\u2019s venues on the reg.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d Jockkeaw half-shouts as we head into Lert Thai Street Food, a new spot near UCF. He waves at three people in a back booth. \u201cThose are my friends. I hung out with them last night.\u201d<\/p>\n They aren\u2019t restaurant people, but they easily could have been. He and his good friend, Jack Jone of the exemplary Sea Thai<\/a> and its even-better weekend pop-up, Tuun, hit up other Thai restaurants with astonishing regularity. Lert owner Timmy Peengoen says this is the way of things.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re off, we try to go to every Thai restaurant,\u201d he says (his wife, Anna Nilkooha, is Lert\u2019s head chef). \u201cTo make new friends, to have connection and cooperation. It makes starting a new business easier because everybody is so nice. Everybody supports each other. And then, when they visit us, it makes me feel good, because we are like a canteen for them, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s restaurant scene, like many cities\u2019, is a bit incestuous, as staffers jump from one ship to another, furthering their careers and sometimes opening their own places. As I gather intel for this story, it seems more pronounced.<\/p>\n The newcomers showcased here: Lert, Noods<\/a>, a brand-new spot in Metrowest where Thailand\u2019s noodle dishes, in particular boat noodles, are the stars, Sabai Thai Street Food<\/a> in SoDo, all have connections to the Michelin Guide-recommended Isan Zaap (itself connected to both Thai Super Bowl<\/a> at the Lotte Market, Charm Thai & Sushi<\/a> in Windermere and the gorgeous, resort-like Talay<\/a> in downtown Orlando\u2019s North Quarter).<\/p>\n Lert\u2019s owners both worked at Isan Zaap for a time. The same goes for Alex Pissara, who chefs along with his mother, Virade Pissara, at Sabai Thai Street Food in Orlando\u2019s SoDo neighborhood. Both hail from Thailand\u2019s northeastern Isan region, as well.<\/p>\n Sabai opened on March 19.<\/p>\n Tiny but bright and welcoming, co-owner Billy Spradlin (husband to Viradae, father to Alex) says it\u2019s been delightful bringing something to the table that the neighborhood\u2019s been looking for.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a few people who are coming in twice a day, which is great,\u201d he tells me. Meanwhile, I tuck into the Pissaras\u2019 incredible handmade Isan sausage, snappy, stuffed with pork and glass noodles with a beautiful hit of lime amid its garlic and cilantro.<\/p>\n \u201cThe food here is as authentic as we can make it in the States, and we do have some Isan influences in there,\u201d he notes, referencing the sausage, \u201cbut we\u2019re trying to be cognizant of not working from one specific area. We\u2019ll be introducing a few other special dishes in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n His wife, whose career took her from her hometown to the resort area of Phuket in the south, then on to Los Angeles, has given her a broad flex.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd on top of the food, we want everybody who comes in here to be like part of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n At Budsaba Thai Bistro, another area newcomer, server and supervisor Pat Olarikdej says theirs is a cozy, easy concept.<\/p>\n \u201cOur passion is sharing the true taste of Thailand through authentic recipes, fresh ingredients and warm Thai hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n The concept merges traditional Thai family cooking with the energy of the nation\u2019s street food culture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to create more than just a restaurant; we wanted to build a welcoming place where friends and family can gather.\u201d<\/p>\n When partners Fah Ponprapa and Tarny Putt\u00a0joined forces to open Noods, another brand-new spot (this one in Metrowest), it was serendipity.<\/p>\n Ponprapa, a realtor by trade, has connections to Isan Zaap, as well, and has harbored a desire to open a Thai noodle concept for a couple of years. She even had a menu in mind. When Putt showed up, asking for help finding a space for her own idea, the two began impromptu discussions.<\/p>\n \u201cI was looking for a partner,\u201d Ponprapa told the Orlando Sentinel. \u201cAnd when she told me she wanted to do a boat noodle concept, it was just a coincidence, but I said, \u2018Why don\u2019t we work together?’\u201d<\/p>\n She smiles over a beautiful bowl of boat noodles, piled with braised beef, sliced beef, tendon and meatballs, its broth made richer with blood.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be fun,\u201d she says. \u201cI like her energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Boat noodles are a star feature here, and get their name from the small Bangkok canal boats where vendors originally peddled the dish. The dish, made with beef or pork, then spread to the city\u2019s alleys, where it proliferated before branching out to other regions as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got so many herbs,\u201d she says. \u201cIt smells so good when it cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n Noods features other comforting carb-centric dishes, from khao soi to the beautifully charred kua gai, a chicken-and-rice noodle dish reminiscent of chow fun.<\/p>\n These are dishes Ponprapa says are relatively unique in Orlando, though yes \u2014 you\u2019ll find pad thai here, as well.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a beautiful space, one where she says visitors can come every day, much as they do to stalls in Thailand, to grab a quick lunch, then return when the pendant lamps are low-lit and sexy, to enjoy a date-night dinner.<\/p>\n Thai food is rolling in Orlando, as well. Case in point, chef Sirinapa Sittisomsub\u2019s Chada Thai, a food truck slinging all the classics from tom yum to pad see ew to roti canai off Lee Road in Winter Park. And over in the Altamonte Springs area, the latest location for Green Papaya<\/a>, with multiple venues in Jacksonville and one in St. Augustine, has been slinging its branded blend of Thai and sushi since late last year.<\/p>\n Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>, For more foodie fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thai \u2019em all<\/p>\n Budsaba Thai Bistro: 222 Neighborhood Market Road in Orlando, 407-273-2808; budsabathai.com<\/a><\/p>\n Chada Thai: 2626 Lee Road in Winter Park; chadathaiorlando.com<\/a><\/p>\n Green Papaya Thai & Sushi: 2480 FL-434 in Altamonte Springs, 407-853-8888; greenpapayaus.com<\/a><\/p>\n Lert Thai Street Food: 12084 Collegiate Way in Orlando, 407-340-7102; instagram.com\/lertthai.2026<\/a><\/p>\n Noods: 6433 Raleigh St. in Orlando, 407-522-9896; facebook.com\/noodsorl<\/a><\/p>\n Sabai Thai Street Food: 3333 South Orange Ave. in Orlando, 689-336-3384; sabaithaistreetfood.com<\/a><\/p>\n