Casual neighborhood market dishes up an exciting menu of Thai and Lao specialties for a busy lunch crowd.

1010 W Cavalcade St suite d, Houston, TX 77009

(346) 406-3177

Website

11am–8:30pm Sun–Thu; 11am–9pm Fri–Sat

With its generic-sounding name and humble residence in a strip mall in the Heights, Street Food Thai Market seems to be trying to hide its hand until you enter their door. About the size of a large convenience store, half of Street Food Thai is given over to shelves and refrigerated cases of Southeast Asian groceries, while the other half hosts a brisk business in serving lunch and dinner seven days a week. When we arrived for a late lunch, we found almost every table filled with contented-looking diners. This good omen was underscored by a scan of their menu: an extensive list of tempting dishes (some familiar and others less so) that raised our suspicions this was going to be good. We sat down at the only available spot and ordered two plates of food and a brace of Thai iced teas; both quickly emerged from the kitchen.

Deep fried whole white pompano topped with Thai triple-flavored sauce ($14.95): So $15 is a bit of a splurge for a weekday lunch, but two could easily share this generous plate, especially if accompanied with an appetizer, such as the Esarn sausage or the roti with curry sauce. As advertised, you receive a whole fish—head, tail, and all—hot from the deep fryer and topped with a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce (triple flavors, no?), plus sautéed onions and red bell pepper. The fish bears vertical slashes on either side, which serve to aid cooking, allowing the skin to become good and crispy, and to trap the brightly-flavored sauce that goes so well with the side of white rice. Once you strip the fish to the bones on the top side, flip it over to dig into the equally good b-side and enjoy the other half of the present you bought yourself á la Dale Cooper. We have a winner!

Pad kana moo krob (stir-fried crispy pork belly w/ Chinese broccoli and garlic sauce, $10.95): They had us at “crispy pork belly” but sealed the deal with the perfectly-cooked and equally-crispy Chinese broccoli and savory, brown, garlic sauce. We asked for it spicy, and it was, but not inedibly hot (as the waitress suggested it might be). This offering dishes up a winning combination of textural elements and straight-up comfort when enjoyed with its accompanying mound of white rice.

Based on the lunch-rush we encountered and the great food we engulfed, we feel confident recommending Street Food Thai Market. An added bonus is the presence of the market selling Thai and Lao groceries (we bought a package of frozen sausage while settling up the check). Street Food Thai Market is a contender for bringing friends from out of town to show off the kind of place that makes Houston such a special city for international dining.