Yotaka and Alex Martin’s nearly two-year-old Thai restaurant plates specialties from up and down the country, favorites inspired by their travels, friends and family, and Yotaka’s Chiang Rai roots. As a result, Lom Wong is a bit of a unicorn, unlike any other eatery in Phoenix. The eclectic array of stir-fried crab, fried chicken, hand-pounded curry, diverse noodle dishes, mango salads, and fried bamboo takes the phrase “from scratch” to another level, as many keystone ingredients are squeezed, minced, or shaped in-house.

You know that friend you’ve been wishing would invite you over for dinner?. Lom Wong, with its homey vibe and family recipes, is the restaurant equivalent. Bring a group and get the cold-and-sweet green mango salad along with the fried chicken you can dunk in Thai red chile sauce.

Over the past few years, Yotaka and Alex Martin have achieved nothing less than a total reinvention of the standard by which Thai restaurants in Phoenix are measured. With a heartfelt hat tip to Glai Baan for raising the bar and setting the stage, Lom Wong stepped into a city brimming with halfhearted Americanized dishes and challenged Phoenix diners to embrace Thai cuisine on its own terms. That tremendous gamble that has paid off in spades, mostly because the food at Lom Wong is so flipping good that even Americanized Thai fans set in their ways are left agape.

If you’re in the mood for some of the best Thai food in Arizona, head on over to Lom Wong. Started by husband and wife team Yotaka and Alex Martin, this Phoenix restaurant specializes in a variety of cuisines from all across Thailand. Lom Wong values every single ingredient, from their hand-pounded curry paste to their freshly squeezed coconut milk, and that love for the flavors of Thailand is clearly present in its award-winning food.

Lom Wong is a Thai restaurant located in downtown Phoenix, AZ. The restaurant celebrates the diverse people and cultures of Thailand by cooking the types of food found in villages and small towns across the country. The menu features a variety of regional Thai dishes, including Khao Soi Gai, Gai Tawt Won Pen, and the chef-driven Arai Kodai. The restaurant also offers a selection of cocktails and beers to complement the food.

Glai Baan was the first great Thai spot in town, but Lom Wong is now the torchbearer for wildly delicious, authentic flavor. When you go to Lom Wong, don’t go in expecting to order your “usual.” There’s no Pad Thai, there’s plenty of curry (the freshest hand-ground stuff), but there’s nothing called “Yellow Curry” or “Red Curry” on the menu. Instead, you’re getting more creative dishes you’ll have to just trust.

On downtown’s other side, a five minute drive from Bacanora, Lom Wong operates with a similar soulfulness. Alex and Yotaka Martin cook regional Thai food, most notably dishes from the Indigenous Moklen people of the coasts and islands. They pound nam prik, make their own coconut milk, roll their own noodles, and shape sai ua sausage which is sizzled to smoky glory over charcoal.

Lom Wong celebrates the diverse Thai culture and people by serving dishes only found in villages and small towns across Thailand. Owners Yotaka and Alex Martin spent many years in Thailand and learned many recipes and the country’s food culture. Today, they use their understanding of Thai cuisine to offer a memorable food experience to their customers.

Chef Yotaka Martin of Lom Wong, a celebrated Thai restaurant in Phoenix, won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest. Known for its deeply authentic, regionally inspired Thai cuisine, Lom Wong brings centuries-old family recipes to life with regional flavors and traditional cooking techniques.

With authentic Regional Thai cuisine and drinks tucked into a lovely 1919 bungalow. For a nightcap sneak around back (or through the alley if you are just drinking) to Khla a tiny asian inspired bar in the back run by Phoenix Cocktail veterans.

Lom Wongs Lom Wongs serves up real thai food that would be found in villages and small towns across the regions of Thailand. Their food celebrates the diverse people and cultures that make up different regions of the country.

A favorite of Tucson’s Matt Demery (Executive Chef at Miraval Resort), Lom Wong serves Northern and Central Thai food focusing on fresh ingredients and rich flavors.