Eat. Drink. Repeat. From neighborhood gems and food trucks to Michelin star restaurants, “Feast Your Way Through the East Bay” during the 10 days of Oakland Restaurant Week 2023.
The name of Jo’s Modern Thai comes from Kao’s wife, who before meeting Kao, was unfamiliar with Thai cuisine.
Jo’s Modern Thai founder and Oakland-native, Kao Saelee, is so excited to welcome you to his restaurant! He has spent the past 16 years working with his family at the popular Berkeley restaurant, Racha café, and Jo’s Modern Thai is his debut into the food scene.
Jo’s Modern Thai is inspired by Kao introducing Thai food to his wife, Jo, to Thai cuisine. At Jo’s, we offer an engaging and lively spot for Oakland natives and Bay Area residents to enjoy together in the Laurel district.
Kao hopes that through the incorporation of familiar local ingredients, guests will be able to confidently order any dish on the menu and enjoy the taste of Thailand.
In his quest to do this, Kao has teamed up with Chef Intu-On Kornnawong (formerly of Khin Khao & LA Night Market) and Tayler Sampson (formerly of Starline Social Club). By utilizing nostalgic and traditional Thai ingredients and culinary techniques, they have designed a menu that seeks to share the most delicious and special Thai flavors.
We are so excited to welcome the community into the space and share what we have to offer!
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking
The path to this Laurel District hotspot began when owner Kao Saelee, an Oakland native with Thai roots, first introduced his wife Jo to the cuisine, and it’s precisely that spirit of cultural exchange you’ll find embodied here. The menu, designed by Chef Intu-On Kornnawong, displays the bold, balanced flavors typical of Thai cuisine, but isn’t overly concerned with hewing to tradition. That creative, irreverent approach is exemplified in dishes like a signature take on drunken noodles, which features smoky barbecue brisket, or a pork burger seasoned to resemble the complex herbaceous flavors of laab. Diners with delicate palates, fret not: the kitchen offers varying levels of spice. Choose from the unique, mouthwatering cocktail list to round out the meal.
