It's rare to find a restaurant that stays consistently exceptional visit after visit. We've visited Payakk four times, once each month they've been open, and it has always been spot-on. Having traveled to Thailand multiple times and dined at many restaurants there, Payakk has become my gold standard for Thai cuisine. This is not your standard-fare Thai restaurant. The menu changes monthly with creative and unique offerings. What truly sets them apart is Chef Tobb, who puts her heart and soul into every dish. Her level of sophistication, balance, and execution is incredible. Every plate feels intentional, refined, and beautifully presented, and the complexity of her sauces is remarkable. Additionally, Ting provides warm, attentive hospitality that makes you feel genuinely welcome every time. The attention to detail and the elevated approach to traditional flavors make them truly exceptional. Even if you think you've had great Thai food before, Payakk will raise the bar. read more

Delicious authentic northern Thai food (the menu changes occasionally, but they keep some customer favorites). Very friendly service in a lovely restaurant. Lots of plants and a mellow 50's-60's soundtrack, though the servers did change that around a bit. We got shrimp and crab dumplings to start, which were ok, but not faves. THEN, we had whole branzino, which was phenomenally good. We've had it both times we've been to Payakk, and both times it was fresh and fabulous. Also got Wai wai Pad see ew Ribeye, which was great. So much ribeye! The noodles were thin, and seasoned perfectly, and the grilled sliced ribeye was perfect. Would definitely do both of those dishes again. Drinks - we just got a Thai iced tea and a lemonade Thai iced tea. Also very good. Happy to have this restaurant nearby and will keep going for dinner. read more

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My partner and I wanted to explore a new Thai food restaurant. Payakk proved to be a great option for our exploration. Payakk is decorated with charm and sophistication, dimly lit without being too dark, lush plants that aren't overdone and was lively but quiet enough to easily hear conversation. I ordered thinly sliced steak that was cooked to tender perfection. It was accompanied by a tamarind sauce that had a blend of garlic, subtle heat from chili pepper and cool Thai cilantro. My partner ordered breaded pork neck over fried rice. It was clearly prepared fresh at the time of our order. Unfortunately, its oil content was far more than what my partner's could enjoy and likely needed some type of acid or something else to moderate the grease. We both ordered a mushroom and green been side dish that was bursting with flavor (from crispy garlic/other seasonings) and al Dante texture that made it so pleasing! The host and wait staff were kind, courteous and attentive. They had clear investment in our enjoyment, which felt quite warm and inviting. We look forward to visiting again in the future! read more

The flavors were a bit flat. The cocktails were too sweet, we expected more sophistication on both fronts from the Chronicle piece. But the atmosphere was lively and the music was great. read more

Food so fresh, so beautifully and delicately seasoned. Every dish was gorgeous to look at and intentionally created. Also an absolutely gorgeous space. We will be back! read more

Everything about our dinner was exceptional. We had 3 fish dishes - crab, branzino & shrimp fat fried rice and they were delicious. The sauce on the branzino had us using any scrap to scrape it off the plate, we didn't want to miss a drop. We also had tofu & potatoes and green beans & mushrooms and we scraped the plates on those, too. The service was amazing; our server was attentive & explained the dishes to us thoroughly. We tried a couple of the house cocktails & the one I had, one with tequila, is a new favorite for me. From the minute we sat down until we left, we were just happy to be in such a warm, welcoming space read more

Food was generally excellent to good, but service was some of the weirdest/worse I've ever experienced in Oakland. Party of 7 with a 7:30pm reservation and seated by 7:40. We were told after ordering (roughly 8:00pm) that we needed to leave the restaurant by closing at 9pm. Food arrived quickly, but they literally served the dessert while we were still eating dinner at 8:45pm. And then at 9:00 on the dot we were told we had to leave. We ordered over $400 in food and drinks and their menu says how they are all about "intention and grace", but nothing seemed to be graceful in this experience read more

Excellent! inventive food, super flavorful, lots of variety. Delicious cocktails! The ambiance is also top-notch

Good food, terrible service. Adding more characters and thoughts to post review. What

Everything we ordered was incredibly delicious with complex flavors! Each dish was artistically and beautifully presented. The service was attentive and efficient. Bank, our waiter was delightful. We ordered the mushroom curry puffs, which consisted of 3 super yummy large puffs. The shrimp satay consisted of perfectly cooked shrimp. The Pad Thai Chaiya was fabulous with a deep fried soft shell crab on top. The Green Lady Tiger Curry had so much tender medium rare rib eye steak that we can make 2 meals out of it. The eggplant in the dish went really well with the green curry. We're excited to have a great restaurant in the neighborhood!! I enthusiastically recommend Payakk!! Go enjoy a really wonderful meal in a warm and colorful environment! read more

The restaurant is very unique,very cozy, friendly staff,the chef did a great job on the presentation and the taste of every dish we ordered. I'll definitely will go back and try everything else on their menu! read more

This place just opened so I stopped by on my way and got the mushroom Nam prik to go. It was excellent! Great blend of flavors between salad type ingredients and the mushrooms. It's a great appetizer or just as easily, a great side dish. The people are really nice, a Thai family and the place has beautiful ambience, along with a good selection of jazz albums they play on their turntable. The real deal! I will return with a friend and eat there. Can't wait. read more

This is such a wonderful addition to our neighborhood. The decor is so stylish and we had a great meal. The Pad Thai with soft shell crab was maybe the best Pad Thai I've ever had. A great date night spot. Looking forward to eating our way through the menu. read more

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Newly open small & cute neighborhood restaurant. They may be in a soft launch as they still need to work out the details- more waitstaff & kitchen timing of dishes when their tables are packed. All dishes were delicious & flavorful. Ambiance was warm & inviting. Friendly service. This restaurant will likely gain high interest soon so make your reservations now. read more

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Just went for lunch and it was so good. Tastefully decorated interior with great presentation and chill atmosphere. Best Thai iced tea I've ever tasted. read more

Payakk - Lunch - Thai Near Me - Oakland, California

Service was poor. Food selections very overpriced for what you get. Food taste was good not great. Food presentation was excellent. Parking is difficult. read more

Delicious food, so happy they joined the Montclair neighborhood! The staff were all very sweet and attentive and even the head chef was out bringing plates and chatting with dinners. Great neighborhood vibes read more

A hidden gem for Thai food in Oakland. The menu changes monthly so every visit is always a unique one. The service is on point and each dish is genuinely delicious. After discovering this place, we've gone time and time again. 10/10 would recommend. read more

Beautiful setup with a variety of comfortable and cute tables, just love the whole setup and lighting and feel of being inside. The chilean seabass and pad thai with crab were especially outstanding, and we also shared a delicious custard with pear. All around great dinner and place to linger. read more

I was really looking forward to trying this place, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The food completely lacked flavor and substance. Portions looked like they were trying to imitate fine dining, but it just felt forced and pretentious. We even had to order some dishes twice because the portions were so small. Every item was overpriced and not worth it. I expected something unique and flavorful, but it was all aesthetics with no real taste. I've been to many Thai restaurants, and this is honestly the first one that truly disappointed me. The presentation might impress some, but good food should speak for itself and this one didn't. Definitely not worth the hype or the price. read more

Great ambiance and presentation. Food flavors could be developed more. My fish was not properly cooked, it was completely raw in the center and not in a good way. read more

Great cozy vibe, very nice service and fantastic food. We had the green curry with steak and the pad Thai. Both were very good. Would def come back again read more

Super great crab curry (seasonal) but please consider takeout as a majority of your neighborhood has little kids and it's much more convenient ... would probably order weekly if they do and I know other families that would too! read more

Reading other people's reviews and I'm wondering if I went to the same restaurant they did. Every single dish we got was bad. The cocktails were bad. We had to ask our server three times for our drinks and when they finally came (about 30 minutes later), two of them were missing because they were out of what my party ordered, but the waiter didn't think to ask what we might want instead. The mushroom "puffs" were not in fact puffy. They were super dry. We got the branzino, which had been filetted, deep fried, and put on a platter with the tiniest amount of some kind of soy sauce. So boring and flavorless. The two whole shrimp on the $38 pad thai were so overcooked, they were dry and chewy. I was really excited about trying this place, based on an Instagram video, but 4 of us plopped down $200 to eat some of the worst, overpriced, and overhyped Thai food I ever had. Save your money. You can do way better at so many places that serve authentic and delicious Thai food at half the price. read more

Beautiful ambience and exceptional cuisine. I fully recommend this restaurant and hope it gets the recognition/patronage it needs to survive because it's a true gem read more

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here last night. The ambience is cozy and artful, the service attentive and the food beautifully prepared. A lot of care and attention has gone into creating a beautiful meal experience. Even my 8 yo daughter enjoyed her coconut crab noodle kid dish, which came w huge, flaky chunks of crab meat. Highly recommend the Chilean sea bass served in an aromatic, light broth and the spicy and savory sliced grilled beef dish. Every table was reserved or occupied on an early Friday night. It's a little restaurant tucked away on a quiet, neighborhood street, but obviously the good word has gotten around! read more

Such a fun neighborhood place filled with buzz! Delicious and creative small plates and entrees, Thai flavors you will recognize but with a California twist. We sampled about half the menu, the favorite was the steak curry (tiger king, I think). However the standout: the MOCHI for dessert. We literally had to wait a half hour for it after our meal, and I felt bad taking up the table as the line went out the door. We were thinking it couldn't possibly be worth it, but oh it was! There was one superbly fresh pillow with a whole delicious perfectly ripe strawberry in the middle, then one with toasted coconut filling was out of this world! Never had anything quite like it. Next time we will order it in advance since it seemed like it took some time to prepare. Definitely give this place a try, there are a few delightful surprises in store. read more

Another fantastic dinner at Payakk last night! What a gem of a neighborhood restaurant... lovely interior and amazing food. Green curry with eggplant was the favorite but all six items we ordered were amazing. And they now have beer and wine! read more

Food was authentic and delicious! Neighbor was quaint; space was beautiful and comfy. Service was friendly and the food came out fast despite a full house. The restaurant only opened 10 days ago and they are already doing great!! read more

The food is incredible. Much more diverse then other Thai restaurants. The service is excellent. And the ambiance is stylish. A+

Flavorful food, interesting combinations, beautiful ambience, very accommodating staff.

Food is amazing; best upscale Thai in Oakland + in a really cool building. Steak was great

This was a wonderful surprise find. The food was so well prepared and beautifully presented, in an atmosphere of warmth and simple beauty. I would highly recommend this place for its unique food and an atmosphere in which you can have a conversation with your table mates. read more

My wife and I got a babysitter to go for a date night and it was worth it! Vibe is awesome and food was incredible. Very upscale in flavor and presentation. Loved the seafood pad Thai. Best pad thai I've ever had. Also loved the shrimp coconut curry lettuce wraps and curry short rib. Will be coming back!!! read more

We just had an incredible Valentines dinner at this restaurant. They prepared a multi-course dinner that was well balanced, and deliciously executed. The atmosphere was warm and wonderful and the staff was really on top of their job. My only comment would be that the person that was doing the wine pairings was a little overbearing and pretentious. The wine pairings were OK. The food was amazing. The person recommending the wine pairings had done sparkling lines to go with the beginning appetizers, which I thought was really pushing the flavor pallet with too much sparkling and sweetness against a very light menu. I don't think they need this degree of forwardness in a very warm and enjoyable experience. The staff and the owners are more than enough to make you wanna come back. I hope this restaurant is very successful and in the neighborhood for a very long time. We are very lucky they chose this location. read more

My wife and I had dinner at this cool restaurant on Thornhill. We live in the neighborhood and we're hopeful that a really good restaurant would finally move into this space that seems to be changing ownership relatively frequently. We were impressed with the interior decorations and the intimacy of this restaurant. We first noticed that we were greeted warmly, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The restaurant was full when we arrived, but we had dinner reservations. I would say the food was probably the best Thai food I have tried. Growing up in the Bay Area, I have been to many many Asian restaurants, as well as a number of Thai restaurants. The food was perfectly cooked. Serve served and presented. The chef/owner came out and spoke to us about her cooking techniques and philosophy. She was a really cool, intelligent and informed person. I would highly recommend this restaurant and I am definitely going back. read more