An Exciting New Restaurant Brings Crispy Thai Fried Chicken to Houston’s East End

A spread of Thai favorites from Street to Kitchen | Street to Kitchen [Official Photo]

Opening next week, Street to Kitchen will serve “unapologetic” Thai eats from chef Benchawan Painter to the neighborhood

Next week, Houston’s East End will score an exciting new Thai restaurant.

Called Street to Kitchen, the restaurant is set to make its debut at 6501 Harrisburg Boulevard in the East End on August 3. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant will open for delivery and takeout only at first. Street to Kitchen is the brainchild of Benchawan Jabthong Painter, a Thailand native who grew up cooking in her family’s restaurant as a child, and moved to Houston with her husband Graham about five years ago.

After arriving in Houston, Painter hosted a number of successful pop-ups showcasing her Thai cuisines. She also worked with chef Justin Yu at Theodore Rex and spent time in the kitchen at now-shuttered Houston restaurant Saltair.

Painter’s “unapologetic” menu for the restaurant will focus on “authentic” Thai dishes made with fresh curry pastes and other ingredients made from scratch. “We call it unapologetic Thai food because we believe people outside of Thailand deserve to be honored with real Thai tastes,” Painter says. “You won’t find pre-made pastes in our curries or chicken in our pad Thai.”

Outside of pad Thai and curries, diners can also look forward to crispy Thai fried chicken, drunken noodles, and a “meaty” omelet stuffed with ground beef, green onions, and cilantro. There’s also a “date night” meal-for-two option that includes massaman curry, pad Thai, garlic chive pancakes, mango sticky rice, and Thai iced teas that’s a real steal at just $45.

Street to Kitchen will officially open its doors on August 17, but stay tuned to the restaurant’s Instagram account for details on a “soft launch” that’s set to kick off in the first week or two of next month.