Kin Khao (1 Michelin Star restaurant) Reviews

Arrived on time for our reservation, host said they had given our table away and the next wouldn't be available for another 3 hours. Terrible customer service!

First-rate vibes and super affable service. The food was crisp and yummy. Will absolutely recommend this spot to friends and family. Convenient rates and big meals. Great work.

thai food and the scene here is above par. I should have took a photo of the food but it was too good to interrupt. Really nothing but enjoyable experiences here, I'll be back. Bring your appetite because portions are large.

Excellent and tasty dishes that are comparable to what you can find in Thailand. Marking down a star simply because I do think this place is a little overpriced.

This is my 4th time going to this place I actually live in Toronto but come to San Francisco for business quite frequently. I really love the menu here also the staff is friendly and courteous and quick! Every time I've gone in here I've been very happy with the fast friendly service and delicious food.

*** In Short ***

A hotel restaurant with solid cocktails and surprisingly enjoyable, albeit extremely salty, atypical Thai cuisine. Be sure to order lots of rice with your protein dishes!

*** In Depth ***

Is it chic? For sure. Is the service good? Definitely. Is the food enjoyable? Yeah, with some caveats. But a Michelin star? REALLY?! Having been here twice now, my trust in Michelin ratings is shaken even more. But, what do I know, I'm just a Yelper. I'll leave the famous ratings to the paid critics. Now, ignoring that...

Across my two dinners here, I've tried their yum kai dao, nam tok beans, pretty hot wings, caramelized pork belly, and kua kling ribs. You know, things I wouldn't normally find at the usual run of the mill Thai place. And, without getting into them all, I'll say this: they've all been very enjoyable, but the folks in the kitchen are NOT shy about their seasonings. I'm usually not one to speak on this, because I know I eat lighter than most folks, but the friends I've gone with have also commented on how the meat dishes tend towards the too salty (ribs and belly), spicy (ribs), or sweet side (wings).

So, unless you've killed your taste buds, be sure to order lots of rice on the side. Or, do as I do and bring the leftovers home, to stir fry into something else: the ribs make for an excellent fried rice. Or, perhaps, try asking the kitchen if they're willing to cut the seasoning in half. The place is way too classy for me to do something like swishing my food in a cup of tea.

***Accessibility Info***

Venue - It's a modern hotel restaurant, so, not surprisingly, the place is ADA compliant, as far as I can tell. The main/direct entrance to the restaurant is up a flight of stairs, with a manual wheelchair lift to the side. This has been known to not work at times, however, so you may need to head to main entrance of the hotel and wind your way through the back.

Bathroom - The restaurant itself doesn't have bathrooms, which are instead located outside, as part of the hotel. And, like the venue, these are also accessible.

Highly recommend getting a reservation to avoid the long wait times (even for communal tables.) We waited about an hour, but the hostess was doing the best she could and even gave us free drinks to make up for the wait. Loved the hip, buzzy, but not too fancy vibe of this place! Not every dish was amazing (the pork cracklings and the salted duck egg were very plain), but some were incredible! The hot wings were such a flavorful adventure! The laab kua was spicy, but not impossible or overpowering, just a little on the drier side. The noodle dish was spot on- flavor and texture were both on point. Thai iced tea was the best. Would go back to enjoy specific dishes again for sure!

The goodness was there, but not greatness. Definitely more balanced flavors then other Thai restaurants where sweetness is the prominent profile. I appreciated that Kin Khao was never overly sweet.

The right level of spice. The lamb curry is a must try

Great Thai experience. Loved the Mushrrom Terrine and the Pork Belly!

The phad kee mao was AMAZING. Another dish we tried was nice but not awesome (some ground pork with numerous types of chili).

Expect 30-50 per person for lunch. Very good but I wouldn t get the Khao Soi again - have had better elsewhere.

Located in Parc 55 Hotel. The restaurant is clean, modern, and small.

~Food~
For three pieces of wings called Pretty Hot Wings for $12 was not worth it. The chicken was crispy, sticky, and savory but nothing special about it. Next dish is the Salt Cod Fried Fish was definitely salty but too salty for me. It had egg, green onion, cilantro, and seasoned with namprik relish. The dish I liked the most is the Pad Kee Mao. I enjoyed the spicy flavor. The portion was small for the value but it was good.

~Customer Service~
-Friendly on the first visit. Second time, it was a long wait to be noticed I wanted a table.

~Notes~
-Located inside the Parc 55 Hotel
-Indoor Seating
-Parking: Street and Garage
-Take out food only available during lunch.

One Word - AWESOME
Kin Khao stands out as a special restaurant in a city known for outstanding Asia cuisine. It is completely different from anything you ever had. Do not go in expecting the same old Thai. It is unique & fresh. Excellent service, great food. I can't remember what we had but do remember that we all left saying we had to go back again. When it comes to Thai food in SF, there are a lot of good options. But without question, Kin Khao is one of the very best of them.

Had green papaya salad. It was too spicy hot.. good but so hot! I absolutely loved grilled pork belly! That was the best thing I had in a Thai restaurant!

Excellent food, khao soi was very flavorful. Desert was exquisite and unique

Fast lunch service and just the spice level I was looking for.

Cool spot. Went towards the end of the night and were accommodated. Service was good and attentive. Cocktails were fantastic. Food brought some interesting and delicious ideas! Wish I had a place like this close to home!

Spectacular food... great flavors and intriguing concoctions. Attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly service. The cocktails are unique and very well balanced.

Busy Thai restaurant in the Park 55 hotel. Serving authentic Thai cuisine. The portions per dish are small. The ambiance would be great if the noise level was not so loud. Takes walk in but I recommend making reservations.

This restaurant was in our hotel (parc55 hilton), and so we gave it a try. The food was fine. The drinks were fine. Online it seemed like it might be especially spicy; the food was flavorful for the most part, although not very spicy. The waitstaff was fine for the most part. They forgot one of our items. I pointed this out, but they didn't take it off of our bill. We had kids with us, and they charged an extra $12 to make a plain noodle version of an existing dish, which brought the price from $19 to $31 for a bowl of noodles, which was pretty ridiculous. Personally, I'd recommend going to the rundown Thai restaurant across the street. It's not as fancy, but you can get some real spice at about a third of the cost.

I came here for a team lunch with my coworkers after one of them gave Kin Khao a stellar review. It was easy enough to make a group reservation online (needed to provide a credit card though :/), but in the end we didn't really need one. For lunch on a weekday, the restaurant wasn't too busy - maybe it's juuust far enough away from the bulk of offices and other people-concentrated areas. I ordered the Yaowaraj Noodle dish - "Bangkok Chinatown stir-fried rice noodles with chicken, XO sauce, egg, green onions, cilantro". IMO, it ended up being very similar to (if not the same as) pad see ew but with thicker noodles; it was sooo good! Very tasty, and it came with chili vinegar on the side to add a bit of a kick. Some of the other dishes the group ordered (all with positive feedback) was Khao Mun Gai, Khao Soi, Bangkok Posh Salad, and the Pork Bowl. I admittedly haven't been to many Michelin Star restaurants so I'm not sure what expectations to have; for lunch at least, Kin Khao was definitely a fab place to go and I'm sure I'll be back soon to try some of their other offerings.

tl;dr (+ pros, - cons)
+ Delicious food
+ Fast service
+ Easy to make reservations
+ Convenient location
+ Reasonable (lunch) prices
- Lunch menu is limited (I had a peek at the dinner menu online)
- Need to provide a credit card to hold the reservation

The food was good, but not worth the wait. It s also way too loud. I d rather go elsewhere.

Amazing food, lovely workers, and such nice decor inside.

Excellent flavors. Bit of a narrow choice for vegetarians. Great service and clean cheery decor.

Love this place. Delicious food, great selection of cheeses, cold cuts, wine and pasta. Friendly staff. Wish they had a few more fresh produce items.

Absolutely yummy. Don't miss the tasting prix fixe if you can help it and go hungry!

Great food, as described on menu so you won't be surprised. A bit loud when it is full.

Menu looked awesome. Came for lunch. Food was good, but not stellar. Had curry and noodles.

I ate their yesterday and got violently ill. Had the Chang Mai noodle dish. Either the chicken or eggs were bad I think. You'd expect more care from Michelin star place. Ive never gotten sick eatinstreetg food in Thailand and I spend at least 2 months a year there. Many of staff here are not thai and that's a problem. Mexicans making Thai food? Need I say more? $20 noodle dish that costs 100 baht in best restaurants in Bangkok. Give this place a wide berth if yiu don't want to ruin your stay in SF

Wow, what a Thai restaurant. Everything's shareable and I suggest you to do that, this way you can try more things. The place was packed and you should make a reservation before going, just to make sure you get a table. Overall it's not expansive and worth going

Tried the prix fixed menu. The pork belly and the beef were amazing. Wasn't a fan of the soft serve.

Thoroughly good Thai food. We got some cocktails to start (which were fantastic), followed by a rice salad, the rabbit curry, and the catfish/pork belly/shrimp paste entree. All were excellent -- particularly the rabbit curry. The meat was so tender, while the sauce complemented everything so well.

This is certainly somewhere I would return, as I believe they have a rotating menu.

it's delicious. It's a little sake ... I can cook rice without rice and eat it together.

We had high expectations considering the many good ratings for this restaurant. Unfortunately, we ate and left pretty disappointed. While it's an interesting take on Thai food, it did not satisfy our Asian taste buds, nor our craving for Asian food. In fact, it was rather overpriced and a little on the salty side. If you are looking for authentic Thai cuisine, I would not recommend this place.

It's more of like fusion thai cuisine rather than authentic, but the food is really delicious. Should have a reservation ahead. I hope they have more noodle options for dinner menu as well.

Did not disappoint! I had an amazing duck soup for lunch along with a couple appetizers (mushroom and beans; I was expecting a little more out of the mushroom).

Tight seating, slightly pricy, menu is a bit hard to read if you're not familiar with the cuisine.

Excellent elevated thai food spot! Each dish is very flavorful and the drinks were good. They accidentally gave us a dish that we didnt order so they didnt charge us for it and we got it for free! The lobster noodles, pork belly, and buns were absolutely heavenly, I was so content and full by the end of the meal.

Good ambiance and look.like they have good Thai cuisine. We have no chance to dine due to waiting time. We want to order to go but no take away. Will be back and try next time

Attracted by the fame and here we were. The restaurant space was intimate and causal - even noisy as you may. The service also made one feel at home. We were cautioned about the level of spiciness regarding some of the items on the menu (that did not turn out to be a problem for us at all) and the portion of the food was more generous than we expected.

I personally found the mussels not very appetizing - there's something about the flavor that did not invite you to take another bite. The rabbit green curry tasted nice (not creamy fyi), but the meat was not very tender or juicy. What we really liked turned out to be the stir-fried rice noodles, in particular the texture of the noodle and the refreshing taste of the sauce - no doubt the best of that kinds I've ever had.

Food was alright. Not much value in their plates though.

Kin Khao deserves NO Michelin stars. Having dined at various 1,2, and 3 star Michelin restaurants, Kin has fallen far from its touted grandeur. Unaccomodating service, dingy decor and food that is not even close to the standards actual Michelin starred chefs present leaves one wondering why they had their hopes high when booking a reservation. And a note about reservations, don't be one second late or they will unapologetically give your table up. Happened to a pair of friends that we learned of after our disappointing dining experience.

Their staff very knowledgeable on GF and Soy-free diets, which is always a great and welcomed reassurance when eating out for us.
We absolutely loved the food!!! The caramelized pork belly, the street favorite Khao khan (blood sausage) the dry fried spicy ribs, and the simple yet flavorful chicken broth are to die for!
Great wine selection.

Very good! Some dishes are spicy, ask them if your heat tolerance is not high...!

Amazing food and drinks! There was a line waiting outside half an hour before the place opened. When I came back there were several large groups waiting for tables but solo dining has its advantages. The rabbit green curry was delightfully spicy and well balanced.

It's not the easiest place to find, but when you do, it's well worth it. Bookings are highly recommended unless you're solo and then it's easier to find a seat. They have signature dishes like the duck, chicken green curry with sticky rice or if you're so inclined, brown rice. The portions are large so share the starters and the main meal. Service is great here.

I had the green rabbit curry. It was one of the best curries I've ever had. Server asked if I was okay with hot food. It was smooth and fragrant and went really well with the rabbit. Rabbit was cooked perfectly. I was eating solo so sat at a communal table. Ending up listening to and then joining an interesting conversation. Service was great. Never ran out of water or beer and also didnt feel harassed, just taken care of.

Great experience all round. I'll be back.

A nice Thai eatery with amazing list of drinks (check amaros!)

Really bad service. The waiter was unhelpful and basically not nice

Spicy, but delicious. Go for the fixed menu, everything there is amazing, particularly the beef and the fruit salad.

Noodle and pork belly meal. It doesn't seem like it doesn't taste good, but it's so steaming that you can't eat it without rice. One of the foods I ate in the United States was gel salty, and salty foods made me hard in the United States. But the atmosphere seems decent. Waiting.

One star Michelin resto just outside the edge of the Tenderloin, non-descript both inside and out. But the food was anything but non-descript! The cocktails were awesome, according to my family. I had the oolong hot tea and it was really good. The kitchen sent out a couple of complimentary dishes when they learned we were celebrating my son s birthday - very nice touch. The tables were a bit close to each other but that s one thing that makes this place unpretentious. There was not an ounce of snobbery in this place. Our server, Tan, was very knowledgable about the food and guided us through the experience seemingly enjoying this part of her job. The place had a local neighborhood vibe which belied the urban chaos and decay just outside its doors.

Wow! Simply the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever had. Reasonable prices too. You can substitute mac n cheese or cole slaw for the french fries.

When I first heard about a Thai restaurant with a Michelin star, I was wondering a lot of things... When i tried it for the first time, I understood why.

Don't come in here thinking you're going to try their Pad Thai and Pad See Yew like me. They don't have that here. And don't ask for it either! HAHA

I started off with Tom Yum cocktail. Yes, cocktail, not soup! LOL. It was very delicious although it didnt taste anything like Tom Yum soup but since it was so good, I'll let it not taste like the soup and be ok with it. My wife had the Butterfly Collins which was also very delicious. She doesn't drink cocktails and she doesn't like them when she does but she loved this one. She took a picture of the ingridents so she could make it at home she said. She won't ever even try but it was that good!

We tried the Mushroom Hor Mok, Plah Pla Muek, Caramelized Pork Belly, Massaman Nuea and Jasmine Rice. The pork belly and massaman is the best I've ever had anywhere. The Plah Pla Muek (squid) was also very good but not quite as highly recommended as the pork belly and massaman.

Jasmine rice was probably also the best I've ever had. It was "sticky icky icky" like Snoop would say with slight crispy texture. Amazing combo with the dishes we got above.

I personally really enjoyed the mushroom hor mok but that's because i really like mushrooms. My wife is not a big mushroom fan and she wasn't too fond of it, neither my friend and her husband. I would personally order it again but I could see how others would not enjoy it as much.

Lastly, our service was impeccable! Our waiter was a bald gentelman with a mustache and beard and he was absolutely amazing! Definitely made our experience special.

Amazing Thai. Great, great, great food.

- Traveled Asia 6 months and spent 7 weeks in Thailand. Highly recommended!

A bit too salty, but good service and generally nice flavor. Sticky rice is a bit too chewy. The atmosphere is great.

The food was exceptional rich, flavorful, dimensional, engaging. The service and general atmosphere, however, were subpar for a Michelin Star restaurant. I ve been served and afforded a far better dining experience at many other restaurants and was genuinely shocked by the snobbish and cold attitude from our server. I did not feel welcome or like I was an important customer.

All told, the food was fantastic but Kin Khao will not be earning another Michelin Star until their service and atmosphere are greatly improved.

Thai fine dining. Cool space, solid food. Doesn't quite stack up to other Michelin rated places.

Brutal experience. This place has one Michelin star and I was accordingly expecting a lot. The menu is super small, however, with many items seeming like a Thai version of a sports bar and other items seeming like Thai standards. The salad we ordered was excellent a d well executed, as was the Monterey Bay squid Pla Muk. The green curry is both boring and lacks authenticity and the Beef Massaman curry was awful. The beef was overcooked to the point where the meat was indistinguishable from the fat...I would even call it liquified. And the massaman sauce was anything but authentic. We travel to Thailand frequently and eat lots of Massaman. This wasn't even close to the real thing in terms of flavors. And the curries run $36 per dish. Service was efficient but unfriendly. The overall impression I got was that the execution at this restaurant is lacking, that the menu and flavors lack direction, and that the service seems like they are doing you a favor for letting you spend a lot of money for overhyped food. Give this a wide berth. There are so many better restaurants in SF that you can spend less money in, why waste it here?

Very nice Thai Fusion restaurant! They are creative with the food yet it retains the traditional thai flavours! Highly recommend you reserve your table as the restaurant don t have much seats!

If you are looking for a unique thai food experience, then this is the place to go. I am not a huge fan of thai food but this place has definitely won me over. They have some delicious vegetarian options! I always recommend this place to my friends! Tasty food, great service, cozy decor, and little expensive!

Really nice place, delicious food, good vibes! It is not the typical Thai food though. A little on the pricey side. There is always a long wait line, we had to wait for 1&1/2 hr but it was good. Would def recommend doing a reservation ahead of time!

I recommend the massaman nuea ( beef curry cooked in coconut milk). This dish was HYPNOTIC!

I didn't know this charming Thai restaurant had a Michelin star until recently....it's so worth going and having the experience!!

Michelin restaurant with sane prices, tasty and interesting food and respectable size. Highly recommend the uncorked uncorked along with Sticky Rice. Excellent and succulent.

Great authentic Thai Food

The Butternut Squash Curry is a masterful blend of textures and tastes..

And so is the Khao Yum salad .

Everything else including the drinks andand and was good too...

Definitely a place we will go back to.!!!

Was nice, I felt that the price was a little too much for what you get.. either tastes or amount..

Really good food. Highly recommend the special house salad with duck.

This sort of place is up my alley, so to speak. The menu has a basis in Thai cuisine but is in no way confined by it. I didn't try any of the signature cocktails, but the Boulevardier I ordered was excellent and the staff very professional. Noisy, weird and fun.

I have dreams about how good the food here is. Bold flavors ranging from funky, to sour, to spicy, to umami. The dips and curries are especially unique and delicious.

I really wanted to love Kin Khao, but alas, I have to just say its okay. What I love about it is that it pushes the boundaries of thai food that people are comfortable with. The northern Thai Sausage is great. The Khao Tung Na Tung tastes like my mom would make (a bit less spicy though). What I am unsure about is that while I like the concept, there is a LOT of salt in the dishes. The ribs, the wings, it just has a lot of salt. The Plah Pla Muk was good, but again, I found it a bit too salty. I wish it would cut down just a bit on the salt and I'd be a happier man.

Clearly one of the best food experiences in the city to date

The taste is a little expensive for real.
It's really delicious.

Great food and a good location. Staff was helpful was easy waiting for our table as we were staying in the hotel at the time.