Jo’s Modern Thai

Oakland native Kao Saelee opened Jo’s Modern Thai in the Laurel District on July 23, 2021, naming the restaurant for his wife, Jo. Saelee grew up helping at his family’s Berkeley restaurant Racha Cafe and wanted a neighborhood room that could welcome diners new to Thai food without flattening its flavors. Opening chef Intu-on Kornnawong, an Isaan native who had cooked at Kin Khao and Los Angeles’s Night + Market, built the original menu around Thai drinking food, California produce, and ideas that move easily between cultures. She left the restaurant in October 2024 after a public dispute with ownership over staffing and communication; Jo’s later reopened and remains under Saelee’s ownership.

Michelin lists Jo’s as a Bib Gourmand, its badge for good cooking at a friendly price. The signature still tying the menu together is drunken noodles wok-fired with Thai basil, green peppercorns, and smoked brisket from Oakland barbecue specialists Smokin’ Woods. A pork burger seasons its fried patty like laab moo tod, with lemongrass, fish sauce, toasted rice, and makrut lime. Crispy catfish salad, wings, curries, cocktails, and adjustable spice levels make the room useful for a mixed table. Reservations run through OpenTable. This is the East Bay’s modern Thai counterweight to Nari and Kin Khao: more casual, built for sharing, and rooted in an Oakland neighborhood rather than a San Francisco hotel.

Public reviews repeatedly name the smoky drunken noodles, crispy catfish salad, pork burger, and cocktails, with many diners praising portions that work well for sharing. The room is warm and colorful rather than formal, and the adjustable heat makes it easier to bring a group with different spice tolerances.

The same reviews warn about occasional long gaps between courses, especially at busy weekend services, and checks that rise once cocktails and several shared plates land. Some longtime diners still compare the current kitchen with Kornnawong’s opening menu. Jo’s works best when you want inventive East Bay Thai and a lively neighborhood dinner, not Nari’s tasting-menu polish or Lers Ros’s long traditional menu.