Jao Thai

I had the Chicken Satay and the Khao Soi Kai and it was so good I legitimately couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Also, killer service. I accidentally left my leftovers box with the two Chicken Satay sticks I hadn't finished on the table, the server ran the box out to me at the intersection! Unbelievably good. Big recommend.

Jao Thai Kitchen 914 W. New Haven Ave. Melbourne, FL 32901 4.5 Stars (I went again after this review and it was even better) Arg! I stared in disbelief at yet another Thai/Sushi combo place staring up at me from my random name generator. You have got to be kidding me. How many of these hybrid clip joints have sprung up as of late? They are beginning to look a lot like Starbucks...you know, one on every corner. This time, I was headed to Jao Thai Kitchen, located in a minuscule strip mall just east of Dairy Road in Melbourne, FL. My wait staff for this culinary excursion was none other than One. While I have it on good word that One is the loneliest number, I have to admit I appreciate the new identity of using a form or letter of their actual name instead of a random generic “American” name such as Mary or Sue. This is now the 5th Thai restaurant where I encountered this new nomenclature, which is a refreshing and positive change. I asked One for an order of their Jalapeno roll, some Chicken Panang Curry and a Tuna Hand Roll. One returned at a moment’s notice with our order and after snapping a few pics, I grabbed the Jalapeno Roll and commenced tasting. This exciting concoction consisted of tuna, salmon, hamachi, asparagus, cucumber, smelt roe, jalapeno and spicy sauce topped with avocado. Like all stuffed rolls, this one can trace its roots back to the California roll sans the obligatory fake crab center. I prefer this type of roll as I really don’t like paying for fish masquerading as crab. There was just enough kick with the jalapeno and spicy sauce to entertain one’s taste buds. Next up on the Big Boy’s palate was the Chicken Panang Curry. Panang Curry has to be one of my favorite of the Thai curries. It is mild, complex and sweet with a hint of heat. This was perfectly cooked, including the tender pieces of all-white meat chicken and Thai basil, carrots and bell peppers that were fresh and obviously sliced in the back. This brings me to my Sushi join barometer of the Tuna Hand Roll. I found this one to be better than most, but it's still not quite what you would find in a traditional Sushi Ya (shop/restaurant). The tuna was a lovely shade of red and the rice was steamed to perfection. However, I found it to be severely lacking in the traditional additions one usually finds in a Tuna Hand Roll, such as a slice or two of Gobo (Japanese Burdock root/carrot or, more often, plain carrot), watercress sprouts and cucumber. This was fine, just on the simple side. It would have been rather bland on the palate if not for soy sauce. The Big Boy says, “If traditional Japanese Sushi is not your thing, for whatever reason, or you are just hankering for a hunk of raw fish and are nearby, Jao Thai Kitchen can adequately fill that sushi void.”

My sons birthday celebration were great 🥳 the service the food was outstanding, they gave my son a very tasty dessert on the house 😋, we will come back for more thank you.

All and all a good experience with flavorful and fresh authentic food. My only hold ups from a 5 star ⭐️ was the timeliness on my wait, order, and getting my food. Alongside these points I received Tom yum instead of what I wanted and what I thought I order… Tom Kha 😞 That said the Tom yum was pretty good… The sashimi presentation and quality was good but I wished it had a better variety in fish / seafood as it was only tuna, salmon, and snapper ( I believe). Definitely would have been nice to have some mackerel, octopus, squid, or other textures in the sashimi offering. The Thai iced coffee was really good🤙 All and All I would come back.

Date night with hubby. Our service was friendly and upbeat. Food excellent and quick to table. We ordered edamame, rolls, and curry. We filled up on rolls and asked for our curry to go. No problem even added to our to the take home. Got dessert too. Will be back.