Hat Yai

"Chef Akkapong Earl Ninsom is by all accounts crushing Thai food in Portland, and that includes fried chicken. Hat Yai's star dish, the fried chicken leg quarter, Malayu-style curry, and roti combo, provides the best of all worlds: crispy chicken and pan-fried bread with rich and spicy curry for dipping. And note: Dipping should be mandatory." - Ben Coleman, Eater Staff

"Akkapong Earl Ninsom did it again: After treating Portland to deftly executed Thai cooking at Langbaan and Paadee, the chef —alongside co-founder and co-owner Alan Akwai — created a casual southern Thai compatriot on Northeast Killingsworth with hardcore devotees. Hat Yai’s shallot-fried chicken, salty and crunchy, pairs exceptionally well with Malayu-style curry and crispy roti, all available in the popular combo No. 1. And yet, diners will be rewarded for straying from the top billing: The restaurant’s searingly spicy kua gling ground pork is abundant with aromatics and alliums, and the dtom som shrimp combines seafood with meaty oyster mushrooms in a broth pleasingly sour with tamarind and ginger." - Eater Staff

"At either location of Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s casual counter-service restaurant Hat Yai, Southern Thai fried chicken is a glorious mix of dripping-juicy meat and a crunchy, cumin-and-coriander-scented crust. Combination sets come with standard Malay-style curry, flaky roti, drumsticks, and thighs, but wings can be added for $3 each. Two wings on their own, plus sticky rice are also available; customers can order them to-go or gnaw away at one of the blue-and-white-checkered tables." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Dianne de Guzman

"This Southern Thai fast-casual restaurant in Vernon stormed onto the scene almost a decade ago with Hat Yai-style fried chicken and flaky roti with curry for dipping. We’re eternally grateful. The crunchy wings showered with fried shallots and served with a punchy vinegar-based sauce are reason enough to go, but it would be a shame if people didn’t branch out because there are some hidden standouts, especially if you have a high heat tolerance. King Kla might look like a larb, but it’s fiery pork hit with lemongrass and slivers of lime leaf. You’d be hard-pressed to find other spots in Portland serving bak kuh teh, a comforting, herbal soup, rich with pork ribs, that reflects the town of Hat Yai’s proximity to Malaysia. If you’re in the Central Eastside, Hat Yai has a second location on Belmont." - Krista Garcia

"The only thing better than ordering Hat Yai’s fried shallot-topped, Thai herb-spiced birds — they come whole, halved, by leg, or by wing — is ordering them in the combo, complete with sticky rice, roti, and creamy curry, a rich dipping sauce for the roti and the chicken. The combo is, in a word, iconic. Hat Yai’s chicken pairs well with cocktails such as the cooling coconut mango horchata or tamarind whiskey smash. Hat Yai has locations on both Killingsworth and Belmont." - Ron Scott, Thom Hilton