It’s official: I envy everyone working just off Oakbrook Parkway. I used to work there, but my job moved before this restaurant joined us. Kokai Thai Bistro is in the strip mall on the corner of Live Oak Parkway and Jimmy Carter, just east of I-85 and in the same spot that used to house Einstein Bagels and then later, Gaucho’s Grill. It’s cute outside, playing on the chick theme they use as their trademark, and more functional inside.
I’ve been looking for a Thai place to buy food on the way home, and this location is pretty accessible given my commute. This spot, new as it is, has had good reviews both from the AJC and Blissful Glutton. They emphasized a dish I hadn’t seen before, Thai boat noodles, and I found the descriptions intriguing. I found some spare time, and went to check it out.
Inside, Kokai Thai seemed very amiable, very much a family affair, with aunts, uncles, small children all gathered around a table, chatting. I was quickly seated and given a menu. It’s a pretty menu, but it looks as if it was printed it with an inkjet, as some of the black ink was smudging inside the plastic page protectors. But hey, it still worked, and I ordered chicken satay, beef boat noodles, and then later, a red chicken curry.
I liked it all. The chicken satay was good, with a lot of flavor, but a little oily. Far better was the red curry. Again, it had a lot of flavor, a decent amount of spice. The serving size was smaller, but it wasn’t expensive either. Almost everything on this menu, barring some hot pot dishes, is less than 7 dollars.
The star of the meal was the beef boat noodle dish. Again, it’s a smaller bowl of food, full of broth, noodles, meat, and a few curls of pork rinds. The broth is dark in color, opaque, rich in flavor. It has decent spicing, enough to let you know it’s there, not enough to overwhelm. The dish is served with a rack of things to add to the meal: salt, ground red pepper, red pepper sauce, and thin sliced green peppers. In all honesty, it didn’t need any of them.
I talked with an older man after the meal, presumably the owner, and he recommended another of his soups and proudly showed me his AJC review. It’s just an affable place. When people entered, there were polite bows, lots of smiles, lots of conversation, lots of visits from table to table. If the point of it all is to make everyone not just full of good food, but to feel at home, I think Kokai Thai is succeeding.
Veridict: Friendly, family atmosphere with very good, nicely spiced food. The Thai boat noodles are excellent, as good as their reputation. Recommended, especially for the adventurous.
Kokai Thai Bistro
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd
Norcross, GA 30093
(770) 409-9219
June 3, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I have always followed your post and decided to check this place out for lunch today. Like you, I drove by here several times. The place is pretty convenient considering that it is just off the Jimmy Carter exit. The place is clean and the chicken theme was very cute. I liked the little street cart counter that they have. Very cute. I enjoyed flipping through their picture menu. It was great to actually “see” what you are ordering. The waitress was very sweet and happily answered my questions about the items on the menu. I decided to order the Thai Boat noodle that was recommended by you and AJC and my friend stuck to her favorite which is the Pad Thai shrimp. She claims that she can tell if a Thai place is good just by tasting their Pad Thai
The Boat noodle was heavenly delicious. I have never had it in a Thai restaurant and it was under $5 and my friend ate every bit of her Pad Thai noodles. We give it four thumbs up! hahahahha. This place is a gem!
June 4, 2009 at 7:06 am
I wish it well. It’s a better restaurant than the two it replaced, and it has some unique food. Serving size is small, a perfect lunch spot and it doesn’t cost much at all. That location has been losing lunch options so my fingers are crossed.
June 4, 2009 at 4:39 am
[...] Originally posted here: Kokai Thai Bistro, Norcross GA « Food Near Snellville [...]
June 9, 2009 at 9:10 pm
The owner immigrated from Bangkok fifteen years ago and the food is very close to Thai street food, which is a stated plus of the restaurant. I work near Hartsfield and try to get up to Kokai at least once a month or so. Wish it were closer to the center of Atlanta, but what a treat to eat at Kokai! Very cordial staff and tasty food.
June 9, 2009 at 9:25 pm
I wish it well, and hope more people make the drive. It is very convenient for those of us who live in the northeast suburbs of Atlanta.
June 13, 2009 at 8:07 pm
We went there on Friday. The food was excellent. We had the Potak seafood soup. It came in a volcano hot pot. My mother ordered the chicken cashew nuts and loved her dish. My husband had the Pad Thai tofu. He liked it so much that he only shared a bite with me
. I had the KoKai Beef curry. Delicious! We had the sticky rice with mango for dessert. The mango was fresh and ripe and the sticky rice was just right. It was my mom’s birthday and the owner gave all of us free Thai Teas and fried banana for dessert. Very friendly and nice and relaxing place to hang out.
June 26, 2009 at 8:44 am
[...] about Kokai Thai Bistro. Lots of people have blogged about it (Chow Down Atlanta, Blissful Glutton, Food Near Snellville, AccessAtlanta) , some have even gushed about it. When I first saw it open, I had my typical [...]
September 7, 2009 at 12:51 pm
[...] a run down beach style bar on Jimmy Carter called the Checkered Parrot, in the same general area as Kokai Thai these days. The Checkered Parrot wasn’t trying to serve great food, I’m sure. They [...]