This Tiny Restaurant In Portland Quietly Serves Some Of The Best Thai Food In Maine
There's no shortage of restaurants to grab delicious food across the city of Portland. From the hub of activity in the Old Port to the far edges of town, there's an incredible selection of restaurants that serve up every type of cuisine you can imagine. With so many choices, it'd be easy to drive right past one of the best Thai food restaurants in Maine, a tiny little hole-in-the-wall called Esaan.
Located along a crowded stretch of Forest Avenue that includes mainstays like RSVP and Ameera Bread, Thai Esaan is the brainchild of a mother and son duo that own and operate the business. Their secret comes from family recipes from Northeast Thailand perfected by chef Siwaporn Roberts. Esaan has great speciality dishes like Khao Men Gai, which is steamed chicken on top of seasoned rice served with a delicious homemade sauce. If you're not willing to get too crazy with your choices, all the classic dishes you'd expect are on the menu as well, including pad Thai, drunken noodle and moo ping.
If you visit Esaan, you'll most likely be greeted by Ben Boonseng, half of the mother and son duo. Esaan's dining space is small, but there's usually a seat at the table if you want eat your food fresh from the kitchen and listen a baseball game in the background.
There are plenty of other great Thai restaurants throughout Maine but chances are, you'll fall in love with this dive. Bring your appetite.