50-Year Thai Legend Chao Krung Earns a Big Interior and Menu Makeover

Los Angeles is rife with Thai restaurants, from the well-executed options clustered in East Hollywood’s Thai Town to the sprawling abundance of the San Fernando Valley. That can make it hard for some to stand out, but for Fairfax mainstay Chao Krung it’s just another opportunity to shine.

Boon and Supa Kuntee opened Chao Krung in 1969, making them one of the first families to open a Thai restaurant in Los Angeles. They moved to the current location just south of Beverly Boulevard in 1976, raising a family and feeding the neighborhood along Fairfax for decades. That makes them among the oldest Thai restaurants anywhere in the city — and it also means it was time for a bit of a refresh.

Now the interior transformation is complete, with bare floors replacing carpet, and natural light giving passersby a peek inside. There are booths for families to enjoy, a bar to nestle up to during happy hour, and a patio out front to catch the last bits of evening light. Not all of the history has been scrubbed from the place, though. Photos in vintage frames dot the far wall, and a hand-painted mural in the back gives the room a classic bit of color and imagery.

Wonho Frank Lee

Daughters Katy and Amanda are now in charge of all things Chao Krung, turning out a more thoughtful menu that balances new and old. Katy is also in charge of Same Same in Silver Lake, so expect a similar vibe: Thai staples like Isaan sausage and green curry, plus drinking favorites like crispy pork pad Thai and lots of craft wine and beer thanks to the Last Word Hospitality team. The reopening menu is below.

Chao Krung officially reopens Tuesday, June 19, with hours from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. most nights, and even a possible extension to late night hours on the weekends.

Chao Krung. 111 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles.

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Pad Thai and pork