Som Tam Jay So — Restaurant in Si Lom Subdistrict

Summary: A must-try for those interested in Issan food and willing to truly go local. The food here is really fresh, delicious, and as evident by the lunchtime crowds, popular. It may be intimidating for non-Thai speakers, but just relax, go with the flow, and enjoy the experience (and the food!)

Tips: Issan food is not for everyone; the som tam (papaya salad) typically uses a lot of fermented shrimp paste and crabs. That said, you can get a corn salad that is delicious and has neither. The grilled chicken, grilled pork, and laab (minced chicken/pork salad) are all crowd pleasers.

Few, if any of the staff, speak any English, but don't worry! Just be patient, stand near the food prep person, and point to what you want (e.g. photos from google or items already prepped). The staff are super friendly and if you are willing to help them, they will help you.

Quality: Fantastic, very authentic issan food. People love the som tam here, but it's a bit too fishy for my taste. That said the laab and grilled meats are fantastic and go great with sticky rice.

Value: Super cheap. I forget exact prices, but no item will cost more than a few dollars. Order a few things to try.

Service/Ambiance: As I said, almost nobody here speaks English, but it's fine if you're willing to be patient. If you stand around for a few moments looking (accurately) confused, someone will help you. It's basically a covered street food place, so it's definitely not fancy, not all things considered, it seems...

For Bangkok, tastewise, this is nothing special. However, I am compelled to write this review to warn you how extraordinarily dirty it is! You will see all kinds of pests, cockroaches, as well as rats running nearby. I could not find a clean spot in the whole restaurant.

There are 3 mains cooking area, and none of them looked clean.

The grilled meat were marinated in a very old, and very unwashed, plastic bucket that was placed on the dirty floor.

The spoons and forks given for each table were still greasy, and you could just use your hands to dig out the sticky rice from an old ice bucket. So, you will not only get the sticky rice, but also the sweat and hand grease of those that came before you.

Staffs were terribly unfriendly and were shouting at some diners. They seems to be more focused on serving the delivery men who were waiting for their orders outside the restaurants, while in house diners had to wait. We waited for almost an hour, and our orders were not served at the same time, as is the norm with Thai food. I was perplexed as to why grilled chicken and pork neck came to our table cold, even though it was grilled right there!

You won't waste your money here as it is relatively cheap, but you will waste your time, and it will not be a good experience.

If you are looking for decent somtum to try in the area, go to Somtum Convent located in Convent Road nearby. It is SO much cleaner, and at least their staffs won't shout at...

This place is overrated and very dirty and run down. Three of us the first time, arrived after 3pm, given the list of dishes upon being seated and told to mark down the quantity of each item we wanted. We handed over the papers and to our disappointment they crossed out all the chicken items we had hoped to have, saying they had already sold out. Went again the next day, this time at 1pm and alone, as it was on the same street as my hotel and I was keen to finally try the barbecued chicken. Before entering I asked the mother (salad master) and her daughter if there was Gai available and they said "Yes, Yes, Chicken" with big smiles and thumbs up. I thus marked down chicken breast and thigh on the list and gave it in, only to once again get disappointed and frustrated upon seeing them cross those items off saying all they had left were chicken wings. If the chicken breast and thigh are the best sellers, why don't you make sure to have higher quantities in stock to satisfy your customers and the demand at lunch time? Who wants to eat chicken wings, the worst piece of the bird? The salads we tried (with papaya, corn etc) were really nice and refreshing, but these are dishes best enjoyed together with grilled meats – what's all the hype about when this shabby establishment can't offer you that experience? If you're a chicken-wing enthusiast, enjoy. But if you're a real chicken lover and know what to eat, give this...