Jinda' Cafe — Restaurant in Clarendon

I discovered Thai cuisine in the early '80's at Renu's on lower Westheimer in Houston. Thai food was still a polite, self-effacing visitor at the American table. In 1982, Esquire's John Mariani, always on the lookout for the unique -- well-executed and honestly presented -- named Renu's one of the top 200 new restaurants in the country. I became friends with Renu (Somaratne) and thought her food could never be matched, that hers was the only Thai ticket to heaven. Well, Renu was to return to Thailand for personal and family health reasons, but I kept looking and tasting and tasting and looking. Finally, I gave up the active pursuit. I quit grieving. And now!!! Patience will have its perfect discovery! Chantho Bouphaphanh, main chef, and her diffidently gregarious husband, Hong, and the eponymous Jinda (their daughter Laura "Jinda") have been at it in Clarendon, Texas, for about a year, having left the crazy world of San Francisco Asian cuisine. The food at Jinda IS AS GOOD AS IT WAS AT RENU'S! The real deal. Please go. Whether a Mariani devotee or a Trillin chum, you'll get Thai family kitchen fare unsurpassable in taste, presentation, and humility. And such fine people. Please go....

You like crispy fried chicken don't you?

Ok, Texans, this is the place to eat adventurously and learn about yummy Thai food! You like crispy fried chicken don't you? Try the fried chicken breast over fried rice. It's a house specialty.

Inside the unassuming building is a super clean, cozy dining room with fresh flowers on the tables. The owners are formerly from San Francisco but now true friendly Texans. They are ready to turn you onto delicious, authentic, fresh and healthy meals.

The menu has something for everyone, even die-hard beef eaters.

We stopped in while driving from Crockett to Colorado and had the curry salmon with steamed rice and fresh veggies. Big portion and flavorful. It looked and smelled so good we dove in before I could snap a photo!

The owners are living their dream of providing great Thai food, and are happy to answer questions or make suggestions so that you leave happy and are soon addicted to the new flavors and spices, mild or nuclear hot.

There's plenty of parking, or call ahead and drive through. It's...

What a wonderful gem in small town Clarendon! Like many other reviewers, we were in Clarendon on our way to Colorado. We were enticed to have dinner here, based on what others had posted. Jinda Cafe lived up to expectations and more! It's clean, staff is wonderful, and the food is amazing. The special Green Curry Salmon, presented in a lovely white oval bowl, was extremely fresh and flavorful. It had a lovely assortment of vegetables, was perfectly spiced, and had just the right amount of heat. It melted in my mouth. Delicious! My husband had the breaded and fried chicken breast with fried rice. It was perfect! The chicken was light, crispy, and tender. The fried rice was so very tasty and didn't rely on soy sauce for its flavor. It was fluffy, and not all all greasy. Fabulous! We can't wait to come back thru and eat here again. What a wonderful...