Coming soon to Riverside....wait for it.....Thai food!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I still don't quite understand how small plates makes sharing better. Everyone gets a teaspoon of noodles.

I don't *hate* Hawkers but it does absolutely nothing for me. The price/portion ratio is awful and I realize getting good food is better than getting a lot of food but I don't think their food is particularly good or at least worth much praise.

I can see your point.  Come to think of it, maybe it's just asian food in general that I tend to pass around the table more than any other.  Whether it's thai, viet, korean, etc...  we seem to order a lot of apps and only a couple entrees and all the dishes get passed around.

But like I also said, Hawkers is typically more of a jumping off point for the night, so that plays into it as well.  I'm not raving about the place, but I'm not going to really hate on it either. 

[JFman00]

I highly dislike most chains, but I think Hawker's is better than most. If it weren't for PF Chang's I might not think so, but Hawker's price/portion is much better to me.

[ProjectMaximus]

I can see your point.  Come to think of it, maybe it's just asian food in general that I tend to pass around the table more than any other.  Whether it's thai, viet, korean, etc...  we seem to order a lot of apps and only a couple entrees and all the dishes get passed around.

But like I also said, Hawkers is typically more of a jumping off point for the night, so that plays into it as well.  I'm not raving about the place, but I'm not going to really hate on it either.

That's not strange, that's how we do it too. Asians typically eat family style.
And your point about it just being a good location/vibe for a night out makes perfect sense. My thing is just when I hear people talk about waiting 2 hours for Hawkers...I wonder...why??

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

My thing is just when I hear people talk about waiting 2 hours for Hawkers...I wonder...why??

I don't mind the wait because they allow you to call ahead and send you a text when a table is ready.  A 2 hour wait between Birdies and Rain Dogs?  Yes please.

There's not a restaurant that I can think of that would be worth waiting outside or in the lobby for 2 hours.  Fortunately, that's not the case here.

[David]

Most people do like Hawkers hence the hype, but I feel ya. I'm that way about some of the other hyped up restaurants in town. *coughMetroDiner'sbreakfast/45 minutes wait in the morning, cough*

Hawkers has that flame seared flavor going on, that's what pulls a lot of us in, but I digress. Pattaythai's great and is closer to the Thai flavor that we're all probably thinking of when we hear "Thai" That's where I had a first date with the mother of my newborn 4 years ago. Good stuff!

[Jaxson]

It's about thyme! AmIright??

Hawkers has a unique flavor to their padt thai, not bad. But a dedicated Thai joint will be a welcome addition for sure.

I have to be the only person in Duval county who absolutely hates Hawkers 

I cannot say that I hate Hawkers.  I have never been there before and I doubt that I will.  I dislike restaurants where they are crammed with people and the wait time is impossible for me to tolerate.  I feel that places like that (cough, cough, the original Metro Diner seems to have the layout from hell) not only border on being a fire hazard, they have a lot to live up to when the food finally arrives on my table.  LOL

[Jaxson]

One more thing.  I find it nice that they have decided to chill with the sushi mania that was taking hold of the Riverside-Avondale area...  While sushi is nice, it doesn't have to be the only dining option...

[JaxJersey-licious]

Great to see Riverside getting a Thai restaurant, but what I've always though would be great for that part of town would be an authentic hand-drawn noodle shop. Not talking about your typical broke student dorm ramen. I mean hearty fresh-made noodles nice and chewy simmering in a deep, rich, classic Japanese-style tonkatsu pork bone broth the consistency of gravy served with flavorful traditional Asian vegetables topped with some select cuts of marinated char siu pork that are melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Never thought a place like that could do well in Jax with its typical "beef and broccoli" Chinese food fans, but the way a place like Hawkers has been embraced, I think it would stand a chance (I think it would be a nice addition to the Elbow district).

[ProjectMaximus]

Great to see Riverside getting a Thai restaurant, but what I've always though would be great for that part of town would be an authentic hand-drawn noodle shop. Not talking about your typical broke student dorm ramen. I mean hearty fresh-made noodles nice and chewy simmering in a deep, rich, classic Japanese-style tonkatsu pork bone broth the consistency of gravy served with flavorful traditional Asian vegetables topped with some select cuts of marinated char siu pork that are melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Never thought a place like that could do well in Jax with its typical "beef and broccoli" Chinese food fans, but the way a place like Hawkers has been embraced, I think it would stand a chance (I think it would be a nice addition to the Elbow district).

I would kill for that. In fact, my wife and I wanted it so badly that we explored opening up an authentic ramen shop ourselves. But after lots of consultation we decided it wasn't financially viable, at least not at the moment, with razor thin margins for ramen at what I consider a fair price point for Jax. I think a place like that would do great (as in be very popular) in Riverside...but someone else with more experience would need to give it a shot to make the numbers work.

[fieldafm]

Big fan of Pattaya Thai. Russell is the man.

[ROAMER]

This is exciting. I ate at pattaya on baymeadows for the first time recently. Everyone really enjoyed their meals. It will be interesting for them to have a small shop there in riverside though. The one on baymeadows is considerably larger and was quite full for lunch. Takeout is fine with me though. So happy to hear this great news!

[joshuataylor]

sooo... a pattaya thai with four tables inside?

and i thought 13 gypsies was woefully undersized

[johnnyliar]

I'm ok with it being undersized! I've heard great things about the food, so I can't wait to eat in if there's a table available. If it's too busy, I'll just take a 2 walk block to the river or a park. It's in an awesome location.

[Dog Walker]

Big fan of Pattaya Thai. Russell is the man.

Russell's mom taught him to cook.  She could even make fried chicken better than my Southern mom. 

[riverside_mail]

Talked to Russell the other day. He's hoping to be open in the next 2 weeks. If you haven't taken a peek inside, he's done a nice job of renovating the space.