Kin Thai — Restaurant in Medford

----- Short Version ------ 2023-12-23 On my first visit back to Medford I ate here again. So good! I'm glad I did ---- ORIGINAL SHORT VERSION ---- This place is fantastic! If I lived in Medford I'd be eating here two or three times a week. By far the best food I've had in a long time! ------ Long Version ------ 2023-12-23 Update. I had someone to drop off at the airport so I took the opportunity to visit my new favorite restaurant. This time I had the shumai, Thai coffee and papaya salad again.

Lots of restaurants do shumai, but I've never tasted it done this way. This shumai was savory, juicy and umami and was topped w crispy fried onion bits. The dressing was slightly hot and slightly sweet. Mind blowingly good!

I should describe the Papaya Salad a little bit more also. It has crunchy parts, and chewy parts, The bits of raw string bean give a fresh blast of garden green, which bursts through the slightly sweet and citrusy taste of the salad.

Every few bites, I would start to heat up, so I would cool down by eating a chunk of tomato. Amazingly the tomato would come through in all it's tomato glory and cool my palate down so I could continue eating. So good! --------- ORIGINAL REVIEW ------- We recently moved from Scottsdale Arizona to Klamath Falls Oregon. Snobbishness aside, something that rates a 4.5 or higher in Klamath Falls or Medford would typically be about a 3.5 in Scottsdale.

We really love it here but I was regretting the lack of great restaurants.

No longer! Kin Thai is really excellent. It would get a 5 star rating in Scottsdale or anywhere else. The food we experienced at this restaurant would stand out anywhere.

The restaurant is a smallish casual dining and takeout restaurant. You go up to the counter and order your meal, and someone brings it to you a few minutes later.

When we were there Louis, the person who helped us was just fantastic. He determined it was our first time eating there, so he explained how to order, how spicy the food would be, how substitutions worked, and gave us many other helpful details. He was also an excellent server.

The dining area is a really nice space with a great vibe. The wall decorations and the way it's laid out give it a real classy but homegrown in the tropics feel. Even the music was great. It was a really pleasant and relaxing ambiance.

The papaya salad was unique and flavorful. I regularly order Papaya salad and this one definitely had something special. The next time I'm in Medford I'm going to order two of them so I can take one home.

The Crispy pork, pork belly is slightly crunchy and really flavorful. The gravy is very umami and takes it out of this world.

The Currys (we had yellow curry and Panang,) were generous with the spices, (not just filled in with coconut milk,) to take them a week above. They were also delicious.

Last but not least was the pad thai. As a general rule I don't particularly like pad thai, and when somebody orders it I tend to ignore it. At this restaurant I kept going back to the pad thai. It was just delicious, and wasn't soggy floppy like most pad thai you find elsewhere.

If you look at the photos of the menu, you'll see they aren't expensive, but they aren't inexpensive either. What the prices don't tell you is how huge the portion sizes are. Unless you're a big eater, you will have enough leftovers to feed you for one or two more meals at home. Once you factor in the portion sizes the prices become very inexpensive.

There is one gotcha that you need to know about. They close early on Saturday. By early I mean 5:00 p.m. During the week they close by 7:00 p.m. and they're closed on Sundays. It had something to do with family time. (I can respect that!)

Enough said. Go there early, and have a...

My friends and I starting coming here on Thursday after doing some work together. There is not a single thing in the menu that I have tried and didn't absolutely love! The food is authentic, Delicious, and prepared fresh. While I have tried several items and each was as delicious as the next, the hot and sour chicken soup won my heart and is now a weekly staple. The prices are GREAT and the portions are generous. The ambiance of the restaurant is relaxed and welcoming to individual diners, groups, or smaller parties. The owner is so kind, genuine, and remembers my friends and I when we come in. He takes the orders and does the waiting for the dining room. He is attentive and thorough, even when they are busy. I have recommended this place to just about every one I can because it is just so so worth going. You won't regret it!

3/2/23 UPDATE

As per my Thursday routine, came here for dinner after some volunteer work. I got my usual Hot and Sour Chicken Soup which is always PHENOMENAL! Perfect balance of spicy, sour, savory, and heartwarming. Im adding to this review because I ordered two dishes to go for my husband- the Chicken Coconut Curry Soup and their special this week- the Spicy Prawn Chow Mein. Words don't begin to describe how delicious the chow mein was!! Spicy but not overwhelming, the shrimp were PERFECTLY cooked, all of it was just chefs kiss 🤌. The kicker? My husband, who HATES coconut (I figured if he didn't like it, I could benefit lol) was beside himself with how delicious the coconut curry soup was. It was filling and perfect for a cold night. This place NEVER misses. Such good prices, so authentic. Do not skip...

A new favorite restaurant.

My wife and I ate here soon after it opened and again yesterday. The owner seemed to remember that we had been here once before.

I ordered the duck with noodles-hot duck over hot noodles over baby spinach leaves with firm cooked and chilled carrots and broccoli on the side. Delicious. Tasty duck, noodles, and sauce. Mild flavoring with a side of sliced jalapeño in soy sauce. The jalapeños nicely complemented the dish.

My wife had delicious yellow curry with chicken. We both said it was a delicious way to eat potatoes.

We did not request a spice level and wondered what would be served. Flavorful and mild was the answer. The curry had red pepper specks just enough for some flavor and still mild.

Ingredients seemed fresh and good quality.

Hot tea was pretty average. And served very hot. It fogged my glasses each time I tried to drink it. I think this had more to do with cup design than being very hot.

At 2 pm on Tuesday there were about 3 or 4 parties spread out in the restaurant. The music had a retro Hawaii vibe. Seating is several areas of about 4 or 5 small tables each. The areas are separated with potted plants and decor.

The owner is friendly and attentive. I assume he’s the owner.

Highly recommended. It is located outside of where I most frequently travel in Medford. So out of sight and out of mind is why we have only been twice. It would be worth the effort to go more often. We look forward to eating here more often and bringing out of town visitors and to trying...