One of the many delights about living on the southern Oregon coast is that we’re half way between Seattle and San Francisco, a day-long drive to either. What good fortune; it’s an easy drive to the many cultural and culinary events that make visits to both of these beautiful, world class cities so rewarding!
Given our proximity to the City by the Bay, it’s not unusual to find us in China Town, walking the streets, smelling the aromas, savoring the sights. Nor is it unusual to see us seated a few blocks away from there, in T2J Thai Restaurant, our all-time favorite Thai restaurant. We don't often go back to the same restaurants, at least not frequently; there are so many good ones in San Francisco, it's fun to try new places. We make an exception for T2J Thai Restaurant, and almost never visit the city without dining there.
T2J Thai was formerly known as the Little Thai Restaurant.
Don’t get us wrong: we’re not experts in Thai cuisine, we’ve never lived in Thailand, and we don’t speak Thai. T2J Thai Restaurant is our all-time favorite Thai restaurant because dining there is invariably an amazing and memorable experience. The serving dishes are piled high, their contents are scrumptious, and the prices are affordable, if not darned cheap. The staff is courteous and concerned about the welfare and satisfaction of their patrons. The kitchen is small (some might even say, postage-stamp size) and yet, the cooks send forth platters of extraordinary fare.
How did we find such a gem? China Town is the center of San Francisco for us. We often stay at a quirky and quaint hotel just on the outskirts of China Town so that we can easily walk into the area at our leisure… an early morning stroll in China Town is a treat not to be missed. We first popped into the nearby T2J Thai Restaurant, located on the corner of Polk and Broadway on Nob Hill, a number of years ago. The establishment didn’t offer a lot of ambiance, the atmosphere was casual, but it was crowded. Take outs were flying out the door and diners were lined up to be seated in one of the 50 or so chairs. By the end of our first dining experience at T2J Thai Restaurant, these two weary travellers knew that we'd discovered a treasure of a restaurant.
What do we recommend for your dining pleasure? Truthfully, we rarely order off the printed menu. The back wall holds chalk boards listing the daily specials, which often number in the teens. In fact, at times the selections seem almost limitless. During our most recent visit, we ordered several of these one-time items, including a lamb dish bursting with the complexities of fish and oyster sauces. It was served sizzling and packed with flavor. Steven and I are both savoring the memories of that experience even now and wondering when we can next have dinner at T2J Thai Restaurant. Come to think of it, T2J Thai Restaurant sounds like a perfect place to take XiYi, our dear friend from NanNing , China, who will be visiting us in September! What a great plan!
T2J Thai Restaurant
2065 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 771-5544