New Fresno restaurant puts modern twist on Thai cuisine. What’s on the menu?
When diners walk into Fresno’s newest Thai restaurant, they may feel like they’ve been transported to a tropical paradise.
Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar features a fresh and vibrant interior with beautiful flowers and colorful designs.
“It’s very unique,” restaurant co-owner David Rasavong said. “From the music we play (to) the aesthetics of the room, our dishes and our combined fusion of other influences from other cultures, everything that we do is meant to get a unique experience.”
He shares ownership of the restaurant with his wife, Anna Nguyen, and Sophorn So and her husband, Tito Thepkaysone.
Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, May 8, about a month after its soft opening.
“It’s nice to be able to open up a business and offer a piece of our culture to the community,” Rasavong said. “People do enjoy it.”
What is Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar?
Described as a fusion restaurant, Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar serves up Thai food with a modern twist.
The restaurant pays tribute to its Asian roots with recipes that have passed from generation to generation.
It’s “the food that I grew up on,” Rasavong said, complete with “my own personal touches.”
“Our parents came from South East Asia,” he said, referring to himself and his fellow co-owners.
It’s special “to be able to see the recipes and culturally pass after us, and for us to continue that tradition and offer it to the community,” Rasavong said.
“You definitely get traditional flavors because we want to still honor our roots,” he added. “I believe that is what makes a community stronger.”
Where is new Thai restaurant in Fresno?
Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar is at 8967 North Chestnut Ave, in northern Fresno.
The restaurant spans more than 2,000 square feet and has about 10 employees, according to Rasavong.
“We have seven seats at the bar, and the rest is basically dining tables,” he said, with some booth seating. It’s all meant for comfort.”
What is on the menu at Asian fusion eatery?
Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar’s menu starts with appetizers including egg rolls, chicken wings and spring rolls stuffed with shrimp, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, carrots, beansprouts, fresh herbs and vermicelli noodles..
The restaurant also serves what Rasavong called “Thai tapas,” describing them as “ items that we can play around with that are not traditionally found in Thai restaurants.”
Those include grilled chicken satay skewers with cucumber slaw and Thai peanut sauce.
Traditional Thai entrees at Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar include pad Thai, featuring stir-fried rice noodles with egg, carrots, beansprouts, peanuts and chives, and drunken noodles, stir-fried wide rice noodles with fresh jalapeno, garlic and Thai basil. Both are served with beef or chicken.
Drunken noodles is “just a sweet, savory, little spicy noodle dish ... and it’s my go to,” Rasavong said.
Other menu items include sweet-and-sour tilapia and panang duck, featuring roasted duck with red bell peppers, onion, Thai basil and kaffir leaves in panang curry.
The restaurant also serves soups including tom kha seafood, a coconut milk-based soup with shrimp, mussels, calamari, onion and mushrooms. That’s So’s favorite dish.
Vegan options include papaya salad and yellow curry tofu, which comes with tofu, potatoes, bell pepper, onions, peas and carrots with roti and butterfly pea rice.
For those with a sweet tooth, the restaurant offers sweet mango sticky rice and banana brulee with coconut ice cream.
Drink options include a nonalcoholic passionfruit mojito, lychee blossom mocktail and Thai iced coffee and tea. The restaurant also serves sodas including Coke and Sprite.
What are food prices?
Entrees range in price from $17 to $21, while chef specials go up to $24. Vegan dishes range from $9 to $19.
Appetizers range from $8 to $14, and soup and salads cost $14 to $19
Desserts cost $7 to $8.
Drinks are priced at $6 a piece, while sodas cost $4.5 each.
What are business open hours?
Satay Thai Kitchen and Bar is open for dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The restaurant plans to open for lunch in the coming months.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 8:53 AM.
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