Pok Pok, Thai restaurant in Northwest Portland, United States
Pok Pok was a restaurant with an enclosed patio lit by colored lights, serving Northern Thai food focused on the Chiang Mai region. The kitchen specialized in traditional preparations and cooking methods from this mountainous area of Thailand.
Chef Andy Ricker opened the restaurant in 2005, building it from a small food cart into a recognized establishment. The restaurant received the James Beard Award in 2011, one of the highest honors in American cooking.
The restaurant introduced Portland diners to authentic Northern Thai street food, particularly fish sauce wings and Khao Soi noodles prepared in traditional ways. Guests experienced cooking methods and flavors rarely found outside of Thailand's markets and roadside vendors.
During operation, the restaurant was open from lunch through dinner, with waits of around two hours common during busy times. Arriving early or visiting outside main meal hours helped avoid long lines.
The restaurant's name comes from the sound made when using a mortar and pestle to prepare green papaya salad in the traditional way. This rhythmic tapping is a familiar sound in Northern Thai kitchens.
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